THE

IIINOR

PROPHETS

WITH A

COMMENTARY

EXPLANATORY AND PRACTICAL

AND INTRODUCTIONS TO THE
EVERAL nOOKS,

BY

THE REV". E. B. PGSEY, D.D.

REGIUS PROFESSOR OF HEBREW, .\
D CA
O
OF CHRIST CHURCH.

OPEN THOU MI
E EYES THA.T I MA.Y BEHOLD WOXDROUS 'l'HI
GS OUT OF THY LAW.

S6 C
II.

:føurtfJ tli:f)audj(nb'.

OXFORD, CA
IBRIDGE, AlXD LOXDOX;
J. H. & J. PARKER, OXFORD, & 337, STR.\XD; DEIGHTOX, BELL & Co., CX
lBRIDGE;
RIVIXGTON, WATERLOO PLACE, LONDON.
1860.

(

I
TRODUCTORY STA TE:\IE
T

THE PRI
CIPLES A
D OBJECT

0:-:

OF

THE

TilE object of the follmrin/! lJa/!es is to evolve some portion
of the meaning' of the 'Y ont of Gud. In regard to the literal
meaning- of the
aerecl text, I have given that whkh, after a
matured stucly spread over more than thirty years, I believe to
be the true, or, in SOlnt' cast's, the more prohahle only. In so
doing, I ha,-e purposely avoided aU shew of learning' or embar-
rassing discussion, which helong to the didionary or grammar
rather than to a commentary on Holy Scripture. "'here it
seemed to me necessary, on some unestahlished point, to set
down in some measure, the grounds of the rendering of an)
word or phrase, I have indicated it very briefly in the lower
marg-in. I hoped, in this way, to make it intelligible to those
aCtJuainted with the sacred language, without interrupting the
de,-elopement of the meaning of the tt'xt, which presupposes a
knowledg-e of the verbal meaning. Still less have I thought
the di
t'u

ion of different renderings of am'ient Yersions
suited to a commentarv of this sort. As soon as one is satisfi-
ed that any gh-en rendëring of an ancient Yersion does not cor-
rectly repre!<ent the Hebrew original, the tluestion how the
tran
lators came so to render it, hy what misreading or mis-
heanng, or guess, or paraphrase, helon/!s to a history of that
Version, not to the explanation of the saered original. Still
more distra(.ting is a discussion of the various expositions of
modern commentators or an enumeration of names, often of
no. ,,:eight, who adhere to one or the other rendering or perhaps
orI
nated some erotdlet of their own. The!'e things which so
often fill modern commentaries have a show of learning, but
embarrass r
ther than aid a reader of Holy Scripture. I have
myself exammed carefuUveverv commentator likely or unlike-
ly to contribute anything. to the understanding- of the !'a(Ted
text; and, if I have been able to gain little from modern Ger-
man conlln
nta
ie
, (exeept the school of Ht'ng'stenherg, Keil
and Havermek) It I
not that I have not sifted them to the bt'5t
of the ability which God gave me. Even Luther said of his ad-

C 0 ]1
1 E N T -Ll R Y,

herents, that they were like Solomon's fleet; some brought back
gold and sih'er; but the YOlinger, peaco('ks and apes. On the
other hand, it has been pleasurable to give (at times !'omewhat
(.ondensed) the expositions of Pocoeke,t'xtradt'd from the folio,
in which, for the most part, they lie entomherl amirl the heaps,
of other explanations whkh hi.. learning broug-ht tog-t'ther.
Else it has been mv desire to use what learninc- of this sort I
have, in these man
: year.., a('quired, to save a stu
dent from use-
less balancin
of renderings whit'h I believe that no one, not
under a prejmlke, would adopt.
If, in tht' main, I have adhered to the Engli!'h Yersion, it has
been from the ('onviction, that our translator.. were in the right.
They hatl most of the helps for understanding Hehrew, whif'h
we have, the samt' traditional knowledg-e from the ancient ,. er-
sions, Jewish commentator... or lexieog-raphers or g-rammarians,
with the exception of the Jewish-Arabic !'chool only, as well
as the study of the HclJrew Scriptures themseh"es, and they
used those aids with more mature and e,"enjud
nent than has
mostly been employed in the subsetluent period. Hebrew criti-
cism has now escaped, for the most part, from the arhitrari-
nt'!-::", whkh detected a various reading in any variation of a
..ingle old Yersion, or in the error of some small fraction of
)ISS., which disfig-ured the commentaries of Lowth, l\"ew('ome,
and Blayney. But the ('ompari!'on of the cognate dialeds
opened for the time an unlimited licence of innovation. Every
princil)le of interpretation, e'"ery rule of languag-e, was vio-
lated. The Bible was misinterpreted" ith a wild recklessness,
to which no other hook was ever subjet.ted. A suhordinate
meaning of some half-understood Arabic word was always at
hand to remove whatever anv one misliked. :K ow, the mani-
foldness of this rei
n of mi'srule has subsided. But inter-
pretations as arbitr
lT)' as any which ha"e perished still hold
their sway, or from time to time emerge, and any re,'isal of
the authorized Version of the O. T., until the precarious use

viii

I
TRODC('TORY RL
L\RKS OX TilE CO:\E\IEXT.\.RY.

nfthe diale('t
slwuld be far more settled, would give us ('lmff
for wheat, introdtll'in
an indcfinite amount of error into the
"'ord of God. ) n
o;lle phwes, in the following pag-t's, I have
put down what J thought an improvement of the En
lish ,. cr-
!<ion; in other,:, IIHu-e marked, by the word ()l",a rendering-" hidl
I thought equally or more IJrobable than that whil'h our Tran
-
latur!< adulltetL "'here I ha,-e said nothing-, it ha!< not been
that I have heen unaware of any other tran"lation (for) have
IJroved all) but that I thoug-ht the reeeived Ver"ion mn,:t in
(ll'l'ordanf'e with the Hebrew, ur at least the most probahle.
For the most part, I have pointed out !<imple thing-
, whidl any
one would,
ee, who I'uuld read the Hebrew text, but whieh
('annot mostly be pre
erved in a trallslation without it CUlll-
bromne,:s which would destroy its beauty amI impn.s"ivem'''''.
The literal meaning- of the words Jie", of ('ourse, a" the ba
is
of any furthel' develo)Jement of the whole meaning- of eaeh JJas-
sage of Holy Scripture. Y ct any thou
htful readcr mUst ha"e
been struek by observing, how indt'IJelHlent that meaning is of
,:ing]c words. The gt'neraJ mcaning' remains the same,- evt'n
amid much variation of "in
le word,.;. This is apparent in the
pa"!<ages which the .\.postles f}Uote from the LXX, where it is
not an exaet translation of the Hebrew. The variation arising
thlill any single wurd docs not nwstlv extend beyond itself.
Thi,: is said. that I may not sccm t'o have ne
lëeted the let-
ter of Holy SCl"}Iiture, be('ause I have not set down what is now
('ommonly found in books, whidl profes,: to gh"e an explanation
of that letter. )ly wish has been to
h-e the results rather
than the pnwess hy whi('h they were arrived at; to exhihit the
huilding, not the scaffolding. :My ideal has been to explain or

Ievclope eal'h word and senteIH'C of Huly St'ripture, and, when
It should be rClJuircd, the connection of verses, to leave no-
thin
unexplained as far as I t'mlld explain it; and ifanv verse
,.houhl gi
t' O(
ea..ion to enter ulJOn any suhject, historieàl, mo-
ral, dodrmal, or devotional, to explain this, as far as the place
refluired ur suggested. Then, if any thoughtful "Titers with
whom I am <wfluainted, and to whom most En
li,:h reader':
have little or no at'l'e,:s, have eXlJandcd the meanin,r of anv
text in it way which I tlwught would be w.;eful to an Eng-li
il
r
ader, I haw translated them, IJ};willg- them mostly at the end
of the t'omment on each ,-erse, so that the mind might rest upon
them, and yet not be st'nsihle of a brcalí or jar, in pa:"sing on to
uther thoug-hts in the following verse.
The nature
Æ the s
t1!jet'ts tIm!" to he expanded must, of
('our!<e, vary with the dIfferent book!" of Holy Scripture. The
prophets are lJartlv teaehers of righteousness and rebukers of
ullI'ig-hteousne!"s ; iJartly tht'y ded
lred things then to come a
nearer and a more distant future, God'sjudg-ments on unrig'l:t-
eousnes
, whether of His own sinful peolJle or of the nations
who unl"lghteously exe
uted, God's ri
hteom)udgments uJJon
th
m,. mul the e,'erla!'tmg rrghteousne..s ,,-hu'l) He wiUed to

l"lng III through the Coming uf {,hrbt. Of the
e, the nearer
future, by its fulfilment of their words, accredited to tllOse who
tl
en n:ould ht'ar, t.he m,o
e d.istant; to u!<z, (with the exeeption
uf tho,.e nwre la,:tIllg VI"ItatlOns, as on J\ men-h and ßalwlon
<
nd God's former l,eoille. whose dt'"tnl(.tions or dislJersion Îmve
hved on ,to the present day) the then more distant future, tht'
p
upht,t'les as to Christ, whil'h arc before us in the Go,:pels, or
of the Chureh among all nations, whose flIlfilment is around
U':. aeeredit the
arlier.. The fulfihnents of thcse prophceies,
a!< the): ('om
before us 111 the several prophets, it lies within
the desl
n of the pre"entwork, God g-iving- us !'òtrength, tovindi-
('ate agalll!'òt tht' ,unlwlief rife in tht' prcsent day. "'here thi

t:an. be d
ne without disturbing the interpretation of thp

cI"ll'ture Itself, the answers may often be tadtly supplied for

tho,:e who need them, in the ('ourse of that interpretation.
"'here a fullcr discus
ion may be neee!<sary, it will probably
be plaeed in the Introduction to the
neral books.
To this employml'nt, whieh I h<l\'e had for many years at
heart, but from which the various distrcsses of our times, and
the duties whieh they have im.olved, have continually withheld
me, I hope to t.tlll!<et'rate the re"idue uf the year,: and of the
!'òtren",th whil'h God may give me. "'ïtæ
umma brevis spem
vetat indlOare lon!!:am." The wonderful volumc of the twelve
prophets, "brief i
l words, mighty in meanin{!:," and, if God
continue my life, the Evangelit'al Prophet, are what I have
"pc('ially reserved for myself. The
ew Te!<tament except the
Apoealypse, and mo
t of the rest of the Old Testament, have
been undertalíen by friend"" who
e names will be published,
when the arrang-ement shall finally be ('omplctcd. The Com-
mentary on the Minor Prophets is in the eourse of being print-
ed; the Commentary on
. l\IaUhew is nearlv readv fur the
pre,:!". Other lJOrtions are hegun. ßut the ol;jeet of' all, who
11Il\'e been engag-ed in this work, is One and the "ame, to deve-
lope, a
God "hall enahle u
, the meaning- of Holy Scripture out
of Holy Seripture itself; to search in that deep mine and-not
bring meanin
-s into it, but,-(Chri
t being' our helper, for "the
well is decp,") to brin
:o;ueh portiuns, as tht'y may, of it:-õ mean-
ing out of it ; to exhibit to our peoplt', truth !<ide by !<ide with
the fountain from which it is drawn; to enable them to
ee
something- more of its riehes, than a lJas':er-by or a carele!"s
reader sees upon its sllrt
lCe.
To this end, it is our purpose to use those more thoughtful
writers of all times, who han' profc"st,tlly, or, as far a
we
kno"., incidentally developed the meaning of portions or texts
uf the s<wred volume, men who under
tood Holy Scripture
through that same Spirit by "'hom it was written, to whom
IJrayer, meditation, and a sandificd life laid open its meaning.
For He "'ho first g<H"e to man the words of eternal life still
hides theil' meaning from those who are wise and prudent in
their own eye", and giveth wi"dom to the simple. "Lord, to
wlwm
hall we
o? Tholl hast the words of eternal life."
"The rcading of the
criptures is the opening of Heaven."
., In the words of God, we learn the Heart of God."
"0 Eternal Truth, and True Love, and loving Light, our
God and our All, enlighten our darkness by the brig-htnes"
of Thy light; irradiate our minds by the splcndor of holine"s,
that in Thy Light we may see light, that we, in turn, may en-
lighten others, and kindle them with the love of thee. Open
Thou our eye
, that we may see wondrous thing!< out of Thy law,
'Vho make,:t eloquent the minds and tongues of the slow of

peech. To Thet', to Thy g-lory. to the good of Thy Church and
people, may we labor, write, li,-e. Thou ha
t
aid, Lord, to
Thine Apostles and Propht'ts, their followers and interpretcrs,
'Ye are the salt of the earth; ye are the lig-ht ofthe world.'
Thou hast said it, and, by saying it, hast done it. Grant to
us then, Lord, that we too, like them, may bc preachers of hea-
nn, sowers for eternity, that thevwho read, may, bv the know-
lcdg-e of Thy Seripturës, through' the graveness 'and the weight
of Thy promises ami threats, despise the ensnaring entangle-
ments of earth, and be kindled with the Im'e of heavenly goods
and thl:' efft'etua] e.lrm'st lon
in!!: for a blessed eternity. Thi,.
be our ,o
le desire, this our I;ra):er, to this may all our readin",
and wntl1lg and aU our toil tcnd, that Tin- Holy Name mav be
haIl owed. Thy Holy "ïll bp dont', as in 'heavën, ':0 in t'<lrth,
:l
hy H
lr kin/!don! of fraet', glory, and endlt'ss bli!<-", where
I hou wrIt be all th1l1gs 111 aU, may Cume to us." Amen."

CHRIST CHURCH,
Easter, 1860,

INTRODUCTIOX

THE

l\iINOR

AKD CHIEFJ.Y TO

PROPHETS,

TO

IIO S E.L\.

TilE twelve prophets, at the head of whom Hosea has been
placed, were called of old a "the lesser, or minor, prophets."
bv reason of the smaller compass of their prophecies. not as
tÎlOug-h their prophet'Ïcs were Ie,.;,.; important than those of the
four
reater l,rophets. Ho,.;ea, at lea...t, must have exerdsed
the prophetil' office long-er than an
beside,.;; he must ha,'e
spoken as much and as often, in the l\'"ame of God. .\ pro-
l,hecy of .:\Iicah and words of Joel are adopted by I!<aiah: Je-
remiah employs ,'erses of Obadiah to denounce anew tlU' pu-
nishment of Edmll; a I'rophet'Y of Joel i" expanded by Eækiel.
The" twelve" were the organs of important prophecy, as to
their own people. or forcÏg-n nations. or as to Him \\'hom they
looked for. our Lord. l\'"ow, sinee the ih-e first \\ ere earlier than
Isaiah, and next. in order of time, to the Prophctie P...alms of Da-
,id. Solomon,.\"aph and the son" of Korah. the revelation!' made
to these le""er Prophets even ante-date. those g-iven throug-h the
four greater. The g-eneral out-pouring- of the Spirit on all fle,.;h
and the Day of the Lord were first ..pokeu of by Joel. Our resur-
rection in Christ on the :
rd day; the inward g-raees which {'hri..t I
should bestow on Hi... Chul'('h in its perpetual union with Him:
the entire vietory over death and the g-rave ; and the final con- I
version of Judah and I!'rael, were first prollhesied by Hosea. I
\\'hen S. James wished to shew that the conversion of the (;eu-
tiles had been fon'told by a prophet. he tltwted a passal!,"e of
Amos. ., The twelve" as thev bee-an, so the,- elo,.;ed the en'le
ofthose whom (;od employed t'o le
'-e \\ ritten' prophe,'ie,.;. "Yet
God, '\"110 willed that of all the earlier prophet,.;, who prophesied I
from the time ofSamucl to Eli,.;ha, IHI prophecy should remain. !
execpt the few words in the book,.; of Kìu
s, willed also, that I
little, in comparison. should bc preserved, of what these later I
prol'lWb spake in His l\'"ame. Their \\Titing-,.; altog-ether are
not equal in compéls.. to tho..e of the one prophet, h:aiah. And
so, like the twelve _\postles. theywere enrolled in one prophetic
band; their writings, both in the Jt'wi..h b and Christian c
Church, have been eounted as one book; and, like the Apos-
tIt,.., they were ealled "the tweke d ."
The earliest of this band followed very clo"dy upon the
mini4ry of Elijah and Eli..ha. Elisha, in his parting- words e,
foretold to Joash the threc ,-ietorie" whereby he reem'ered
from Suia the cities of Israel which Hazael hatl takl'u from
his fat iter Jelwahaz. In the next reig-n. ,-iz., that of Jero-
boam II., therc arose the first of that brilliant constellation of.
prophet", whose light e:leamed over the fall of Israel and J u- t
· S. Aug. deCiv. D. xviii. 29.. .. The Prophet Isaiah is not in the books of the 12 pro- I
pbets who are tberefore called mmor, because their di8courses are briefin comparison "ith
those who are called' greater' because they composed considerable volumes."
. b TheJe
is
tradition ran, "our fathers madethem a large boo\", that they might not pe- ,
nsh, for tbclT httleness." Bava Batbra(c. 1. f.14. col. 2) in Cdrpzofflntr. ill. p. ï:!. Jo- '

dah, shone in their eapthity, and
('t at la..t, with the predic-
tion of him, who "lumld prccede the rising of the :Suu of Righ-
teousnes...
In the reil!,"n of Jeroboam II., Ho..ea, Amos, Jonah. pro-
phesied in the kill
dom of Is('ael. Joel was prohably called
at the same time to proplle
) in Judah
and Obadiah to de-
liver hi
proph('cy as to Edom: Isaiah. a few Jear..later: :\Ii-
eah, we lmow, be
an his offil'e in the folio" ing- rei
n of Jotham,
and then prophesied. tog-ether with I,.;aiah, to and in the rei
n
of Hezekiah.
The order. then. of ,. the twelve" was prohably. altog-ether
an order of time. \'-e know that the four g-reater prophets
are plal'ed in that order, as also the threc last of the tweh-e,
Ha
p.'ai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Of the five fir,.;t, Hosea,
Amos and Jonah were nearly {.tmtemporary; Joel was prior to
Auws f ; and of the four remaining, :\Iil'ah aad Xahum were
later than Jonah whom they
uc('eed in order; Xahum re-
fer.. to Jonah; Zephaniah quotes Habakkuk. It may be from
an old Jcwi
h tradition, that S. Jerome
ar..g, "know that those
pr()phet
, who,.e time is not prefi"ed in the title. prophesied
under the same kings, a.. tho..e other prophets, who are III aced
before them, and who hm-e titles."
Hosea, the first of the tn-eh-e, must have prophesied during
a period. a!< long- as the ordinary life of man. For he prophc-

it'd (the titlc tells us) while rzziah king of Judah and
Jeroboam II. kin
of Israel, were both rei
ning, a"i alsu
during the reig-ns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. But
('zziah survived Jeroboam, 26 ,-cars: Jotham and .\haz
reigned, each 16 ) ears. Thus ,,:e ha'"e already j8 ) ears
t'omplete, n ithout eountin
the years of Jeroboam, during
whieh Hosea prophesied at the begi.nning of his offil'e, or
thosc of Hezekiah whieh elapsed before its clo
e. But sinee
the prophel'y of Ho..ea is direded almost exelusiwly to Israel,
it is not probahle that the name of Jeroboam would alone
have been
elected for mention, unless Hosea had prophesied
for some time during- his reign. The hou..e of Jehu, whieh
sunk after the death of Jeroboam, was yet b standin
, and in
its full
trcn!,.rt:h, wheu Hosea first pruphe
ied. Its mi
ht
appan'ntly is eontrasted with the eomparatÏ\ e weakne
s of
Judah i. Ou the other hand. the offiee (If Ho
ea probably
dosed before the end of the 4th veal' of Hezekiah k. For in
that year, B.C. 721, the judgment denoUlH'ed by Hosea upon
Samaria was fulfilled, and all his prophet')' looks on to this
sephus must so have countE'd them, since he counted all the books of the O. T., besides the
Ii\ e books of;\1 oses and the Psalms and books of Solomon. as 13. c. Ap. i. 8. see Cosin
Hist. ofthe Canon
. 25. . see Cosin
. 4ï. sqq. d see Carpzoff iii. 2;0. and Cosin.
e 2 K. xill. U. sqq_ 25. 'see Introd. to Joel. r; Præf. in duod. Proph. h C. i. 4, 5.
i C. i. ;. k 2 Kings Jiv.iii. 9.

c

2

IXTRoueCTIOX TO

event a!': yet to come: the l
th chapter rlo!'es with the pro-
pheey of the litter d('
truction of Samaria, and of the horrihlt.
crucltie
\\'hich would hefal her helple,.:,.: OIW". The la"t chapter
alone wind
up the 1I111
,.:eries of deJlluwiatioll" hy a I,redic-
tion of the future l'lmn'r"ion of I"rael. This I'hal'ter, howen'r,
i.. too do,.:ely cllllnel'ted with tlH' preceding, to admit of its he-
in
a eOIl""latioll after the eapti, ity had beL.,'llll. If thell we
suppose that 1I0,..ea prophe,.:ied durin
2 years only of the
reign of IIezekiah, and 10 of thosc in whit'll the reign" of
Jer01mam II. and l'zziah t'oineided, his mini"try will hm-e
la..;ted iO years. .\ long and hean'
cnil'e for a sou1 full of
love likt> 'his, mitigatelì only hy hi
hope of the ('mnin
of
Chri"t, the final com-ersion of his pt'oplt., and the vi dory
over the
I'ave. But the len
th is nothin
incredible, sÏ1H'e,
ahout this time, Jchoiada "I did A"oml in Israel hoth toward"
(ìml and towards His Hou"e," until he .. was 130 year"."
The shortt'"t duration of Hose,l'!': offiee UlU,.:t ha,-e hct'n ,.:ome
(ij year". nut if (Tod ealled him (Inite youn
to his offiee, he
need hut ha,'e lh-ed about
I" ,"cars, wherea" Anlla the
Prophete"" sern'll (ìlld in the h.'Ull;le with fasting- aud prayer
night alHl day, after a widowlwod prohahly of H-i yeal''': Ill; and
S. John the Evan
elist lin'd prohably until 10-1 yeal'''; and
S. Plllyearp became a martyr, when he was almut 104 years
nld, hayin
"ernd <':hri"t fllr H(; ycars n , and lun-iug, when 9j,
"ailcd from .\sia to Itah. .\llIIost in our own days, we have
heard of 100 l'entenarÍitn", deputed by a reli"Ôous' order who
ate no animal fil/ld, to heal' witne"s that thf'Ìr rule of lifp was
not uuhealthv. Xot then the length of Hosea'" life, hut his
f'Jl(luranee, ,,:as sUllerlnuuan. So 10ng did God will that
His I'l"CIphets !'Iwuld tnil; so little fruit were thcy content to
leave hchind them. Fm' the,.:e few ehaph'r" ai/me remaiu of a
labour be,-mlll tlw ordinan' life of Ulan. But they nere con-
tent to ha',-e God for their 'ex"eeding gl'eat rewani.
The time, during- n'hil'h 1I0"ea proj,hcsied, wa" the darkest
period in the hi40ry nf the kingdom of I"rael. Jt>rohoam II.
was ahuo,.:t the last king who ruled in it by the appnintment
of (;od. The In"omi,,c of God to Jehu 0 iu reward of his l)aI,tial
nbediclH'c, that his "0 ehildren of the fourth generatiou should
..it on the throlle 111' Isracl." eX)lircd with Jt'rohnam's "on,
who reigned but for () month" P aftpr an anan'h" of I I Vf'm's.
The rest of IIo"ca'" life was pa"sed amid tlU' del'lilie IIfthe'king-
dom 111' I"rael. Politically all was anarehy or misrule ; kin
s
made their way tll thc throne throu!!-'h the murder 11ft heir pre-
deecssor
, and made wav tllr their SUI'ceS"lIrs throu
h their
IIwn q. ShaHum !<lew Z
I'hariah; :\Ienahem slew Shallmll;
Pekah ...lew the "on of :\Ienahem; IlII"hea slew Pekah. The
whole kin
dlllll IIf brad was a military despllti"lIl, and, as in
the Roman empire, thllse in I'IJI1lnHlIld eame to thc throne.
Uaasha, Zimri, Omri, Jehu, Mcnahem, Pekah, held military
offiee befllre thev hecame kin!!,'s r.
Eaeh usurpër set'm
to Ì,a,"e strengthened himself hy a
I 2 Chron. xxiv. ]5. III So S. Ambrose and others understand the words" a "idow of
about fourscore and four years ; .. (S. Luke ii, 3i.) and it seems the most natural. It; ac-
cording 10 Jewish law and practice, she" as married at 12, her wido\\ hood, after" i years"
began when she was 19, and whcn she was pennitted to see ollr Lord, she was loa.
D Ep. J.:ccl. Smyrn. in Eus. H. E, iv. 13. 0 2 Kings x. 30. p 2 K. xv. 8. q see
:! K. xv. 111, 11, 23, 30. . N adab was with the anny besie!';ing Gibbethon, when Baasha
slew him (1 Kings xv. 2i.) Zimri was" captain of half the chariots of Elah son of Ba-
asha,.."clb. xvi.
.) "all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, ki"g over I
rael.ïn t
e
camp, (1 K. xv..Hì.) Jehu seems to have beell ch.ef among the captams (2 h.1I1j(S 1>'. ".)
\[ellahem "went lip from Tirzah" (the re<idence of the kings of J..ael until Omn
built S,:
aria}lb. xv. U. Pekah Was a captain of Remaliah (lb. 25.) '1 Killgs:",. H).
, 1.
mgs xvi. 3
. u 2 King
w. 19. . Is. vii. ], 2, 5. 2 Chron. "Xx,iii. 5, G.
w Sn' H. Rawhnson and Dr.Hmcks separately dec
"phered the name "Jahua (
,;o;,)
<on of Khumri," as One of IhoS<' whose tribllte is recorded on the Black obelisk r pro-
h:,bly 0,' ,Shalmanllbar,) now in t
e British ì\[ useum. In the same inscription 13eth-

hllm.... 1. e.
ouse or c.ty of Onm (i' for ;") occurs for S:lIl1aria. Jehu Illay be so namcd
trom h.s capItal, or from supposed or claimed descent from Omri. See Layard N in.
S

i

s

jl
h

l
:ht f.
.:.

h

i'd:;
t;

gio

'lia
;
i

foreign allianl'e, At lea"t, WI:' find Baai'ha in Iea
'ue with
ncnl
arlad, kill
' of Syria 5; Ahab marrying- J ezehel, daughter
IIf a kint!.' IIf THe amI Zidon t; l\lenahelll
i\"ing' Pul kin
of
,\."",'Tia 'tril)Ut
., that Iw mig'ht "eonfinll tilt' kingdom in his
han
I u;" PckaÍt eonfhkmtc with Rczin'. 'fht',.:e allianec

hrou
ht with them the I'orruption
of thc Phæni,'ian amI
Svrian idfllatrv, wherein murder and lu
t bc('ame af'ts of re-
ligion. Jehu
I"o probably !<cnt trilmte to the liÏng of A"s)Tia,
to seeurc to him
cJfthe throne whieh (ìod had
'i\'en him. The
filf't appear" in the euneifimll in"el"iptifln,.: w; it falls in with t111'
charader of Jehu and his half-bcJicf, u"ing' aU means, human
or divine, to e:;tabli"h his own end. In one aud thc same SI)i-
rit, he dCfòtroyed the ßaal-worshippers. as adlU'rents of Ahab,
retained the t'alf-,,'or:<hip, eourtt'd the a
I'etie Jonadab "on
of Rcchah, :<J>oke of the death of Jclwram as the fulfilment of
propheey, and sou
ht help from the kin/!,' of Assyria.
Thf'''e irrcli
ions had the more deadly "wav, beeau!<e the\,
"'ere eountem;m't.d by the COlTUl)t wor
hii), whi
'h Jeroboam i.
lmd set up as the state relig-ion, O\-er a
ain
t the worship at
Jerui'alem. To allow the l)eol'le to gfl up tfl Jerusalem, as the
centre of tlU' wflr"hip of God, would have I"i"ked their O\vning'
tlU' line of Da\'Ítl as the kin:?:s of (;od's appointment. To
preHnt thi
, .Jeroboam !<et up a
reat "y"tcm flf rÏ\'al wllrship.
lIimsclf a refug'ee in Eg-n)t', he had then' !<een nature (i. e.
what are God's working-s iu nature) wor"hipped under the
fflrm flf a calfY. lie adopted it, in the words in which Aaron
luullwen fI,-erborne to
anetion it, a" the worship of the One
True Gml under a vi
ible form: .. these he thy god
, 0 brad,
whid, broug'ht thee up out of the land of E!!'Tpt".'
\\ïtb
p:reat human !<uhtlety, he laid hold of Isracl's I"'"e fc,r idol-wor-
"hip, and their reyereuee fi.lr their anl'cstor", and \\'(II'ds whieh
e\'cn .\al"on had uscd, and soug'ht to rellial'e by this symbol of
(Tod's w()rkin
, I1is actual presence O\-er the lIIerey-..t'at.
\.round this he t!.'atlten.d a!\ mueh of the
Iosaic ritual a" he
t'ould. The Prie
t
and Levites remaining' fitithful to God",
he made other priests, not of the line of Aaron". Then,
while he g-ratified the Ion of idolatry, he dccked it out with
all the re!<t of the wor"hip which God had appointed for Him-
!<elf. He retained the feasts which God had appointed, thc
thref'
rcat fe
tivals c, their "olf'nm a"semhlics d, the new
moons and "abbaths e; and these la"t feast,.: were ohsen'ed
even bv tho"e to who"e CO\'t'tousnt'ss the ]"('"t on the festh'al
wa!Ò a Í,indranee f . Everv kind of !<aerifice was retained, the
daily saerifiee g, the burilt offering-Ii, the llU'at oft'erinp:i, the
drink offcrin
j, thank oft'ering
k, peaee oft'eriugsli, free will
offering,
k, "in offering-st. Tlwy had hymns and instrumental
mu
iem. They paill the tithc" of the third year" ; probahly
the}' gave the fir"t-fruit!':o; they had prieo,;t"p and prophet,.: q
and temple.,r; the temple at Pethel was the king-'s clmpel,
the temple of the state s. The wor"hip was maintained by
the eivil authority t. nut all this outward "how was rotten at
all the country beyond Jordan, The attack of Hazael may have been the calise or the ef-
fect of his seeking help' of Assyria.
Sy:n
o
i
fö

i

::
e;;'n at :'e
;
:
v

'â
':,\\
p
Ii:
Di
tlsi
t2r.
:r:;,0:

f.

27

. Ex. xxxii. 4. 1 Kings xii. 28. a 2 Chron. xi. 1:1-]3. b] h.ings xii. 31. .. He made
priests out of the lowest of the people," (lit." the end of the people ") should be rendered
"from the whole of the people" [indiscriminately] ""hich were not of the sons of Levi."
c Hosea ii. n. i"X. 5. Amos v. 21. Jerohoam transf.-rred, apparently, the feast of ta-
bernacles ftom tbe 13th of the seventh month (Lev. xxiii. 34.) to the 15th of the eighth
month (1 Kings >.ii. 32, 3a.) d Amos v. 21. . Hosea Ii. 11. t Amos ,iii. 5.
g lb. iv. 4. h lb. v. 22. I Hosea ix. 4. Amos v. 22. i Hosea ix. 4. k Hosea v.
6. vi. G. perhaps iv. 8. I Amos iv. 5. and of this class generally, Hosea viii. 13.
ID Amos v. 23. viii. 3. D Amos iv. 4. 0 These Were hrought to Elisha (:J Kings iv. 42.)

n;;
:,\
h

ai

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0

ai;;
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;60 o

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fes
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i
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i. 23.}
p 1 Kings xii. 32. Hoseai".G,tl. v.I. vi. 9. x,;;. q Hoseai,.3. ix.i,8. r 1 Kings
xii. 31,32. Hosea viii. H. . Amos vÏi.13. 'Hosea v. 11. xiii. 2.

the core. God had forhiddpn man
o to wor!o'hip Him, nor
was it lIe "'1m was wor!o'hipperl at Bethel and Dan. though
Jerohoam probably mcant it. People, whell tht.y altpr (;od'....
truth alter morc than thcv think for. SUI.h is the lot of all
here!o'
. .Tcruboam probably meant that God shouhllw wor-
shippcd under a
Ylllhol, alld he hrouA'\Jt in a wor!o'hip,
which was not, in tl"llth, a wor!o'hip of (;od at all. The ealf
was the !o'vmhol, not of thc pcrsonal God, but of t'vcr-renewed
lifc, His t';llltimwd vivifying- of all whieh livl's, and rell(,,,'ill

of what decavs, And
o what wa!o' wor!o'hil'ped was not (;od,
but much ,,:hat mell now call" nature." The c'alf was a
symhol of" nature," lIIul'h as men I'ay, .. nature dm'!o' thi
or
that" "natlll'e makes man ...0 and
o;" "nature useth !o'lm-
plicitv of means;" "nature provides," &c'.; as if" nature
were "a sort of semi-deity," or c'rcation were its own Cl'eator.
A!o' men now I'rofe!<s to own God, and do own Him in the
ah
traet, hut talk of "nature" till they forg-('Ì, Him, or he-
cau....e thl'v forg-pt Hilll, so .Te!'oboam, who was a !o'hrewd
l)ral'tieal, i.rrelig-iou.... man, slipped into a wor....hip of nature,
while he thoug-ht, doubtless, he was doing honour to the
Creator, and professing- a belief in Him,
But they were tho...c same workings in ereution, whic'h
were wor...hipl'ed hy th(' neig-hbouring- heathen, in Baal and
_\.shtaroth ; only there the name of the Creator was altog-ether
dropped. Yet it was but a !<tep trom one to the other. The
c'alf wus the immcdiate a1\(1 often the solt. ohjet't of worship.
They "....acrificed to the ealves u ;" "ki!o'....cd the calves V," in
token of 'Hlr!o'hip; ....wore by thcm as li,'illl!: g-ods w , They hud
literally "
I'hanA'ed thl'ir Glory [i. e. nod] into the similitude
of a hull whic'h eateth hay." ('alf-wor!o'hip pa,'ed the way for
those c.oar....er and more cruel wor!o'hips of nature, IIndl'!' the
names of Bual and Ashtaroth, with all their ahominations of
consecrated chihl-sacrific'e
, and dcg-rading- or horrihle
en-
suality. The wor....hip of the ealves led to sin. The heathen
tèsth-aI was one of unbridled licentiou....ness. The aecOlmt of
the ealf-festinll in the wilderness agrecs too well with the
heathen desc'ril'tions. The ,'ery least which ean he inferred
ti'om the words ".\.aron had made them naked to their
shame hefore their ent'mies Y " is an extreme rclaxedne!o's, on
the honlers of further ....in.
And now, in Hosea's time, these idolatries had vielded their
full bitter fruits. The eourse of iniquity had. heeil run. The
stream had bec'ome durkcr and darker in its downward flow.
Creature-'Hlrship, (as S. Paul points out',) was the pm'cnt of
eH'ry sort of ubnmination; and religion having- Iwcome
c'reatlll'e-\\'or
hip. what t;ud g-ave as the chec'k to sin bec'ame
its ineeutive. Everv commaudment of Gud was broken, and
that, habitually. .l\ll was fal....ehollll a , adulteryb, hlomlshed-
ding- c ; dl'c'eit to Gml d prmhwed. faithlessne
s to man; excess.
and
uxuryf wpre supplied hy
eeretg or open rubberyh, oppn's-
siou ' , false dcaliug- j , pern-rsion of jnstit'é, g-rinding- of the
poor l . Blootl was shed like watc'r, until onc stream met
anothcr m , and uverspread the land with one defiling delug-e.
_\dultery was couS('crated as an act of relig-ion n. Those who
were fir....t in rank were first in exee!o's. Peuple and king vied
in d.ehmwht'ryo, and the ....ottish king- joined aJHleueourag-ed
the frecthinker.... and. hlasphemers of his cllurtp. The idolatruus
pricsts loved and sharetl in the sius of the In'ople q ; nay, they

U I Killl(s xii. 32. . Hosea xiii. 2. w Amos ,iii. U.
. Ps.
vi.
O. J Ex. x
xii. 25. . Rom. i. . Hosea iv. 1. vii. 1,3. bib. iv. lI.
v. 3. 4. Vll. 4. IX. 111. Amos 11. 7. c Hosea v. 2. vi. 8. d lb. iv. 2. x. 13. xi. 12. . lb. iv.
II. vii. 5. Amos iv. 1. r Amos iii. 15. vi. ,I_G. r; Hosea iv. 2. vii. 1. b lb. vii. I.
I lb.xii.í. Amosiii.9,IO. iv.I. v.II. i Hoseaxii.ï. Amosviii.;;. k Hoseax.4.
Amos ii. 6,7. v. i, 12. vi. 3, 12. I Amos ii. 7. viii. G. m Hosea iv. 2. n see 011 iv. H.
o Hosea vii. 5. p lb. vii. 3. q lh. iv. 8, 9. rib. v. 1. vi. 9. . lb. iv. I.
, Hosca iv. 15. x. 5, 8, 15. xii. 4. Amos ill. H. v. 5. vii. 10, 13.

HOSEA.

3

seem to have
et themsel\-e" to intercept those on either sid.e of
Jurdan. \\ ho would goo tu worship at Je!'w..alcm. laying- wait
to mnrder thcm r.
urruption had spread tlmmglwut the
whol(' land s; even the plaecs onee sal'rcd through (;ud's reve-
lations or other merf'ies to thc'ir forefathers, Bethelt, Gilg-al",
(;ilead v,
Iizpah w, Sh('ehcm X, were c!o'pccial sc'enes of COrI'up-
tion or uf sin. Every holy memory was etfac'ed by present
corruption. Cuuld thing-s 1)(' worse? There was oue ag-
ra-
,-ation more. Remonstrance was l\
eless); the knowledp,"c of
(;ud was wilfully rcjeeted z ; the p('uple hated rehuke a ; the
more tlH'Y w('I'e ealled, the more they refused b ; they fllrbade
tlwir prophets to prophesyc; and their fal...e prophets hated
GIIII g-n'atlyd. All attempts to heal all this disease only
shuwed its illl'urableness e .
Sueh wa!'O the condition of the peoplt> among- whom Ho
ea
had to prophesy fur
OIne 70 years. They themselve,; werc
nut seusibll' of th('ir dec'ayf, moral or politil'al. They set
them
eh'es, in despite of the Prophet's warning-, to prop up
their !o'treng-th hy aid of the two heathen nations, E!-,'")'pt or
..\.!o's
Tia. In Assyria they ehiefly trusted g , amI _\.ssyria, he had
to denounee to them, should carry them capti,'e h ; stra
g-lers
at least. thnn them fled to E;.,..ypt i , and in Egypt they ....huuld
be a deri,;ion j , amI
hol\ltl find tlU'ir p;rm'é. This eapti\'ity
he had to furetdl as imminent!, eel.tain m, irre,-ersihle n . Once
only, in the eommencement of his prophecy, does he g-ive any
hope. that the temporal puni!o'llluent mig-ht be a\"Crtetl throug-h
repentanee. This too he flll\ows up by I'enewing- the de('lara-
tion of God expre!<!"ed in the name of his daughter, "I will
not have mercyo." He g-ives them, in Gild's lXaml', a di!o'tant
promise of a spiritual restoration in Christ, and tin'ewarns
them that it i!'Ì distmlt P . But, that the\' miu:ht not look ti,r
any temporal restoration, he tclls thelU', on the one hand, in
peremptory terms, of theil' di!o'per!o'ion; on the other, he tells
thelll of theÎl' sIJiritual restoration without any internning-
shadows of temporal deliverance. Gotl tells them absolutely
"q I will eause the kingdom of the house of I!o'rael to eease;"
,. I will no more ha,'e merey UPOII the hou
e of Israel;" "they
shall be wanderers among- the nations;" "they shall not dweU
ill the Lord's land;" t. Israel is swallowed up; !'Ohe shall be
amon
the nations like a vessel in whic'h i!'O no pleasure." On
the other hand, thc prumi,;es are markedly f'piritual r ; "Ye
arc the sons of the livin
God;" .. I wiU he troth her to
Ie
for e,'er;" "they shall f('ar the Lord and His goodness;" "He
will raise u,; up, and we
haU Jin- in His
ig-ht ;" " till He ('ome
and rain rig-hteousne
s upon you." ,. I will ransom them from
the power of the p;ra\"e, I will redeem them thlJll death."
.\.gain, (;41d contra
t,; s with this His sentt'nee on I....rael, His fu-
hire dealings with Judah, and His mereies to her, of which Is-
rael should not partake, while of Judah's spiritual mercies. He
!'Oays, that Israel should partake by being united with Judah t .
The p,"round uf this d.iflh'pn('e was, that Israel's
eparate ex-
istcnce was hound up with that ",in of Jeroboam, which da\"e
to them thl"Oug-hout their history, and which none of their
least bacl king-s ventured to give up. Gotl tried them for
two eenturips and a half; and not one king was found who
would risk his throne for God. In men'iful cðe,'erity then, the
...eparate kin
dom of Israel was to be destroyed, and the
epa-
rate existencc of the teu trilws was to be lost.

u Hosea iv. 15. ix.15. xii. 11. v Hosea vi. 8. xii. II.
... v. I. x see on vi. 9. y lb. iv. 4-. . lb. iv. ß. a Amos v. 10.
b Hosea xi. 2. add 7. c Amos ii. 12. d Hosea ix. í, 9. . lb. vii. I.
f lb. vii. 9. g lb. v. 13. viii. 9, 10. xiv. 3. and with Egypt ,ii. II. xii. I.

:::. i

6. xi. 5. \d!
t"

f Eg)
.
. 9. ix
;!OSeJl i
.
. 6. v. G
Hose
it
'2

:
p iii. 4,5. q i. 4, 6. ix. Ii. ix.3. ,iii. 8. and of distant captivity iv. 19. and 1(i.
r i. 10. ii. 19. sqq. iii.5. vi. 1-3. x. 12. xiii. H. . i. 7. vi. II. t i. lI. iii.5.

4

IXTRODl.TTION TO

This nU',,
ag-e of woe
iVl's a pec'uliar character to the pro-
pllt'eies of Ilosf'a. He, like S. Paul. was of the people. whose
temporary eXt'i"ion he had to deelare. Ill' ealls the wretehcd
king of Israel "our kinp:u;" and God calls the rebcllious pcople
" fllY people." Ofthat pC'ople, he was spec'ially thl' prllphl't.
Judah he mentions incitlentalIy, when he dues mention them,
not in his ,,'arning-s only, but in his propheeies of g-oocl also.
His main commission lay among- the tcn tribes. Like Elijah
and Eli
ha \\"llIIm he sUC'l'eeded, he was raiscd up out ofthem,
till' thcm. Hi" 10\ e eould not Ù(
tied down to them; and so
he eou1d nut hut warn Judah ag-ainst shm'inp: Israel's sin. ßut
it is. for the most part. im'identally and pm'enthetieaUyw. lIe
does not I'peak of them t'clually, exeept as to that which was the
eomnHIIl sin uf both, the sceking- to .\.ssyria for help, and un-
fulfiUcd promise of amendment'. .\.ml so. on the otht'r hand,
mereies, whit'h belong- to aU, as God's e\-cl'lasting- betrothal of
His Chureh Y, and our redemption from dt'ath Z and the g-rave,
he foretells with speeial referc'lwe to Ephraim, awl in one
plaee only exprt'ssly inehules Judah".
'I'IU' propht'cìes of Hosea, (as he himself cuUeeted thcm) fonn
cllle whule, 1'0 that they eannot he distilJ(,t1y I'eparated. In
one way, as the Sel'Ond chal'tel' is the expansion amI appliea-
t.Íun of thl' first, so the remainder of the hook attt'r the third
is an c'"pansion and applic'atinn of the thil'd. The first and
third chapten. iIlustrate,sunHuarily. Ephraim's inA"ratitude and
dcsertinn nf (;od and His dealinp:s \\ ith hcr, by likeninp: them
to tl)(' wife whic'h Hosea was commanded to take, amI to her
ehildrcn. The st'I'llIld ehaptt'r e
'-llands and allplie" the pietm'e
(If I smel's unfaithfulness, toul'hed upon in the first, but it d,,'ells
more on the sidt, of llU'I"C'y ; the remaininA" ehapters enlarp:c the
pic.ture of the third, although, until tht' last, they dwell ehietly
(In the side ofjudg-ment. Yet while the remainder ofthe book
is an c
l'ansion of the third c'hapter, the thrcl' fil'st l'lmpters,
(as e\"cry readt'r has felt) arc united tngether, not by their nar-
ratin' form ollly, hut by tht' prominew'e g'Í\'en to the lustory
of Hosea which furnishes tht. tht'me of the book. the shameful
unf
,ithfnJness of Israel, and the t'xc't'edinp: tenilerIU'ss of tht.
lu\-e of Gnd, 'Ylw, "in wrath, remembers merey."
The narrative leads us deep into the Prophct's personal sor-
rows. Thel'e is no g-ruund to justity our taking- as a pal'able,
what H(lly SC'I'iptlll'e relates as a fac't. There is Jl(1 in...tanee
in whid, it ean IJ(' shown, that Holy SI'ripture rclates that a
thing: was dnne, and fhaf, with the names of persons, allll yet
that God did not intend it to be taken as literallv true". There
would then bp lill te
t left of what was rea]. wimt imadnarv ;
allll the histllries of Holy SI'ripturt' wlluhl be left to h
a prey
to inc1iddual eapri('e, tll he explained away as parables, when
lIU'n misliketl them. Hosea. then, at {;od's eommantl. united
t(l himself in marriag-c, one who, amid tllf' widespread ('orrup-
tion of those times, had falll'n manifohlly into fleshlv sin.
"ïth her he was cOHlmandetl to 1Í\"e Iwfilv, as his wÜ'(., as
haal' lived with Rehel'l'a whom he ]oH.d. Su,:h an one he took,
in oh(>clit'JI('e to Gorl\; f'OIlllnancl, cllle (;olllcr. At SCJllle time
aftcr io;he hore her first SOli, she fell into aclult('ry, and till-sook
the pl"Ophet. Pcrhaps she fell into the I'ondition of a slave c .
Hod anew I'ommanded him to shew mt'J"I'v to her, to redeem her
tÌ"cIl.1 her fallen cOIulition, and, without' n.!<toring- to her the
rig-hts of marriaA"e d, to g-uard and prote('t hf'r from her sills.
Thus, by the 100-e of (;od and the patient forhearauee whit'h
He instrueted the Prophet to shew, a sllul was re::-cued from
u vii. 5. · iv. 4. The words" I have seen a horrible thinK in the house of Israel" (\i.

'!
dah :l

it?lo:',

W
.)
.f

:to:;'3e

e

'with J:d

f
o
; 5'11
.

: n:
VI. 4. Y 11. 1!J, 20. · xiii. 14. . i. 11. Jud"h is included virtuall) in iii. 5.
b .. The prophet obe)'s and marries one impure, whose name and her father's name he

sin unto death, and wa!oo won to God; to the children of Israel
there was set forth, year by ycar, hef'(II'e theil' eyes a picture
and a prophecy of the punishmt'nt UpOIl sin, and of the dose
union with Him
clf whieh lIe vUllC'hsafes to sinners whll re-
pent and return to Him.
,. X ot onlyÍn \'Ísion" which were !'een," 8a ,'s S. I renæus e, "and
in words \\
hieh were prcaehed, but in al:ts also was He [the
"Tord] seen by the Prophets. so a!' to prefig-ure and foreshew
thing-I' future, throug-h them. For which eause also, the
Pwphet Hosea took' a wife of whoredoms,' prophesyinp: by
his ad, that the earth, i. e. the men who are on the earth,
shall c'lImmit whort'dmHs, departing- from the Lord; and that
of sueh men God will be pleased to take to Himselfa Churc'h,
to he salll,tified by the eomnHUlil'ation of His SOli, as she too
was salll,tified by the C(lIIIIIHUlion of the Prop]wt. \\Theret'(lre
Paul al!'11 !'aith, that fthe unbdieving- woman is sanctified in
her be]it,,'ing- hushand." .. \\'hat," asks S. Aug-ustine g of
the seofièrs of his day, "is there opposed to the ('Icmeney of
truth, what c'cllltmr\' to the Christian f
,ith, that one Ulu'haste,
lea\ ing- Iwr fllrnieation, should be pmn crh'd to a ('haste mar-
riag-e? .\nd what so inl'ong-ruons and alien from the faith of
the Prophet, as it would haw been, not to believe that all the
8ins of the ulIC'haste were t(H"g-Î\'en, when she was eonverted
and amended? So then, wlU'n the Prophet made the un-
('hastc one his wife, a kind prm'ision was made for the woman
to amend ht'r lift., and the mystery [of the union of Christ
Himself with the ('hureh of Jews and (;elltiles] was ex-
pressecl." ""Silll'e the Lord, throug-h the same Seripture,
lays clearly open what is fig-ured by this I'olllmand and tlt'ed,
and sinc't' the .\.postolie El,istles attest that this propheey was
fulfilled in the prea,'hing of the Kew Testament, who would
venture to say that it was not cOlllIllanded and done for that
('nd, for whiei, He ''''10 commanded it, explains in the Holy
S,'ripture that Ill' emnmanded, and that the Prophet did it;"
The IHUlles whic'h Host'a, by God's eOlllmand, g-ave to the
I'Ililch-en who were horn, exprcl'!<ed the telllporal punishment,
which was to c'omc upon the nation. The Prophet himself,
in his relation tc, his restorl'd Yl't separated wife, was, so loug-
as she livcd, onc eontinued, living prol'hec'y of the tenderness
of God to sinners. Fretful, wayward, jealous, ung-on'rnable,
as are mostly the tcmpers of tllO..e who are recovcred from
such sins as her's, the Propht't, in his anxious, watchful eharg-t',
was a striking pieture of thl' forbearin
Im'ing-killdness of
(;od to u
amid our provoeatiolls and infirmitit.s. Nay, the
love whil'h the Propht.t bare her, grt'w the more out of his
c'ompassion and tentlcrne"s for her whom God had eommanded
him to take as his own. Certain it is, that Holy
eI"ipturt>
fil'st sl'cak,;; of her as the ohjeet of hi!< love, wht'n God I'lIIn-
manded him a
el'olld time to take ('harge of her who had be-
trayed and aballdont.tl him. God bids him shew al,tin lu\'e
to lier, whom, amid hcr untaithfulness, he loved already. Go
://('f, lore a U'01/Wll, heloz'ed of ller hushand, .'lief (iii adulferes.ç
"'ondt'rfulpic.ture of God's love for us, for whom He g-a\ e
His Onlr-ße
:otten Son, loving us, while alien from Him, and
with nothin
in us to love.
Such was' the tenderness of the Propllet. whom Gocl em-
ployed to delin'r slH'h a mcssa
e of woe; aud sUl'h the pcuple
must have known to be Ilis personal tendt
rncss, who had to
speak so ..ternly to tllPm.
The thn
e first pruphec'ies, contained scveraUy in the thret'
tells, that what he sa) s might seem not to be a mere fiction, but a tme history of facts."
Theod. \\lops. C see on iii. 2. d see on iii. 8. . iv.20. I:!.
f 1 Cur. vii. H. " e. Faust. xxii. 80. Not onl) S_ Ambrose (A pol. David ii. 10,
p. 720.) Theodoret, S. Cyril Alex. but even Theodore of Mopsuestia uuderstood the his-
tory as fact. h lb. 8lJ.

first ehaph'rs, filnn, eaeh, a brief eirl'le of mercy and jud
-
ment. Thev do not enter into any detail of Israel's sin, hut
8UIII up all in the one, whÏl.h is h;lth c'entre and cireulllfer-
enC'c of all sin, thc all-C'oml'rehcndinl{ sin, dl'parture from God,
('Iwllsing" tlw I'reature rather than the (;rpator. On this, the
first prllpheC'y foreh'lI" the entire i.rre
-CII'ah!e (!cstrtll'ti'll1 of
the kinl!dom: (-rod's h'I\IIJllrary rt'jeC'twn of III!' pc'ople, but
thpir ac'c.t'l'taJlC'e, tog"etllPr with J uelah, in One Hpad, Christ.
The sCI'ond follows the sanw outline, rc1mke, ehastisclllent,
the I'l.ssation of visihle worship, hanishment, and thell the bc-
trothal for ever, Thl' third speaks of offpnep a
ainst deeper
love, and more prolollg-ed punishnwnt. It too ends in tlw pro-
mist' of entire re,.;toraticlIl; yet only in the lattpl' days, after
fmill1! rlm!s of st'lwraticHI, both from idolatry and from the truc
wor
hip 'of (-rod, suc'h as is Israel':;; c'olUliticlI1 lICI\\", The rest
is clUe c'ontintllllls prol,heey, in whieh the Prophet has proba-
bly
athprpd illto CIlle tllP !'ubstallee of what he had deliwred
in the course of his ministry. Herp allli there, vet very sel-
dom in it i, the Prophet refers to the imag-e cl the e
rlicr
ehaptcl's. For the most part he exhibits his people to them-
sein-s, ill their n.riell ing-ratitude,folly.and sin. 'l'he prophe('y
. has lIIanr pauses. which with one exccption C'oineidl' with our
ehapft'rs( It risps and tillIs, and thpn bursts out in frcsh tones
ofu\}hraiding- k , and closes mostly in notes of sorrow and of
woe for the tJpstrueticlU whil'h is eoming". Yet at none of
thes
pausps i" therc any eoml'lete hreak,
IU'h as wouJd C'CII1-
8titute what prel'eded, a separate prophecy; and till the other
lmnd, the strtH'tm'e of the last portion ofthe hook eorresponds
most with that of the thrce first chapters, if it is reg-arded as
one whole, For as there, after rehuke and threatened chas-
tisement, eaeh prupheC'y ended with the promise of future
merey, so here, an-er finally fi.lreannouneing' tlU' miseries at the
destruetion of Sam aria, the Prophet eloses his prophecy and
his whole book, with a description of Israel's future repentanl'e
allli accf'ptanC'e, and of his flourishing- with maniti.lld graee.
Thc brief summary, in whieh the Prophet calls attention to
all whic'h he had said, and foretells, who would and ,,-ho ,nmld
not understallli it, the more marks the propht'l'Y as one whole.
Yet, altll(Ju
:h these propheeief.:, as wroug-ht into one by the
Prophet, bear a stron
impress of unity, there )"et seem to
be trac'es, here and thc're, of the differpnt t'Olulitions of the
kin!!"dom of I!<rael, amid whic'h diflcrcnt parts were first
uUcred. The ortler, in whieh they stand. seems, upon the
whole, to he an order of time. In the first ehapter
, the house
of Jerohoam is
till standing in :-trength, and Israel aI)pears to
ha,"e trt1sted in its own power, as the prophet Amosn' also,
at the same time, describes them. The fourth ehapter is
addressed to the" house of Israel"" onlv, ,,"ithout an\' allusion
to the king-, amI accords with that time'of ('onvuh:ive' allan'hy,
whic'h followed the death of Jerohoam n. The omission of.
the king- is the more remarkahle, inasmuch as the "house of
the king-" is included in the corre
pol1(ling- address in e, v. o.
The "rulers p " (If Israel are also spoken of in the plural: and
thc blood-shed q deseribed seems to be more than indh"idllal
in:,:ulated murclcrs. In this ea:õe, the kinA" upbraided ill e. Y.
would, naturally, he the next king, Zpehariah, in whom God's
promise to the house of Jehu expired. In the seventh
chapter a weak and sottish king is slmken of, whom his

i iv. ;;. v. 3. i. ix. 1. J c. v. and vi. alone seem to be one.
I< seethe beginniItl!;sofc. v. vii. viii. ix. x. xi. xii. xiii. I seeiv. ult. vii.lG. viii. 14. ix.
Ii. x. 15. xii. U. xiii. II.. Chapters vi. and xi. dose with the contrast with Judah c. vi.
declarin!,: that for J udall only Was there a harvest reserved on its return from captivity;
c. xi. that it alone maintained the true religion. m ii. H, 16. vi. 13. 11 Hosea iv. 1.
11 V. I. p iv. 19. q iv. 2. r vii. 5. . 2 Kings xv. 10. t Hosea vii. 5. 11 vii. í.
Y viii. U. W 2 Chron. xxvii. 2-4. x Hosea x. H. y Hosea i. 4. see on x. H.
. Hosea iv. 5, 6,13,14. v. 3,13. vi. 4, 5. viii. 5. ix.l0. xiii. 4, 5, 9,11. In xi. 8, 9. God

HO
E
\.

5

prinC'es mislecl to dehauchery, dh:g-usting- drunkennesf; and im-
piety. ßut
Ienahcm was a p:eneral of fien'e determination,
enel'A"Y and barbarity. HdJau('hery and brutal fernl'ity are
natural assoc'iatcs; hut this sottislilless hcre deserihcd was
rathcr the fruit of weak c'oml'lian('e with the debauchery of
others. "The IIl'inc'es made him si('k r ," it is said. This is not
likely to han' ht'en the l'haraC'ter of succcssful usurpcrs, as :\Ie-
nahem, or Pekah, or Hoshca. It is far more likelv to ha,-c heen
that of Zechariah, who was plat'ed on the thl'cHle'ti.Jr () months,
"did evil in the sig-ht ofthe Lm'd," and then wa:': "slain IJUblil'ly
hefm'c thC' people,"" l\ll CIlle resistiug-. Him, as heing the last
of the line of Jehu, and sanetionecl by (;od, Hosea may the
rathpr have callcd "our kin
t," owning- in him, e, iI as he was,
(;od's appoiutment. The words "they hm-c devoured their
jlHl
es, all their kings have fidlen 11," hall anpw their fulfilment
in the JIIIlI.der of Zechariah amI ShalllllH (B.C. 772) as SIUHl as
the l'romif.:e to the house of Jehu had expired. Tht. blame of
J ullah for" \-multiplyinl! fcncell I'itic
," instcad of trustin
in
God, probably relates to the temper in whic'h they Wt're built
in the da
's of Jotham", hetween B.C./j8, aUlI I.H. .\1-
thou
h .Jotham was a relig-ious king, the corruption of thp
people at this time is spe('ially re('cmlcd; "the people did
eorruptly." Later yet, we have mention of thc dreadful
battle, when Shahnan, or Shahnanezer, took and massal'n
d
wmnen and children at Betlmrbel x in the ,'alley of Jezreel,
about H.C. 12!). Hosea. tlIlIS. lived to "ee the fulfilnwnt of his
earlier prophecy, "J I will break the bow of Israel in the
valley of .rezreel." It has hecn thoug-ht that the (lIIe!<tion
"where i.. thy king-?" relates to the eaptivity of Hoshea,
three years hefore the destnlC'tion of Samaria. This sort of
qucsti;m, however, relates lIot to the ac.tual place whel'e the
king' was, but to his ability or inahility to help,
It bclonp:s to the mournful solemnity of Hosea's prophec.y,
that he seareely speaks to the penl}le in his own person. The
ten chapters, which furm the eentre of the pruphee)" are
alnwst wholly one long dirg'c of woe, in whieh the Prophet
rehear
es the g-uilt and the punishment of his people. If the
people are addrcssed, it is, with ,.err few exeeptions, God
Hims{'lt
not the Prophet, 'Yho
l}eaks to them: and God
speaks to them as their Judge z . Onc'e ouly doe:; the Pro-
phet use the fi.lrIll, so eOlllnlUn in the other Prophet
, "a saith
the Lord." As in the three first ehaptprs, the Pmphet, in his
relation to his wife, repre",ented that of God to His l,eople, so,
in the",e ten chapters, aftcr the first words of the fuurth and
fifth I'hapters, "Hear the word of the Lord, for the Lord hath
a controversy with the inhabitants of the land," "Hear ye
this, 0 priests b ," whenever the Prophet uses the first persun,
he uses it not of hilllself, but of God, ,. 1" .. My c" are not
Hosea, and the thing-s of Hosea, hut God amI what beicmg-s to
God. God addresses the Prophet himself in the seeond per-
son d. In fuur verses only of these chapters docs the Prophet
himself apparently address his own l,eople brael, in two e
C'xpostulatiug- with thcm; in two f , callinp; them to repentance.
I n two other verses he addresses Judah g. or fi.lretell
to him
judg'ment lllinl!led with mercy 11, The last ehapter alone is
one of almost unmingled bri
htness; the Prophet ealls to
repentance i , and God in His own Per
onj ac('el}ts it. and
promises large supply of gTace. But this too closes the

speaks to them, in mitigation of His sentence; x.9. is uncertain, but in x. 10. God speaks.
a Ho.ea xi. II. b Hosea iv. 1. v.I. c In fifty-seven verses, iv. 5-9, 12-U. Ii". v. 2, 3,
9, 10. I:!, H, 15. vi. 4-7,10, n. vii. I, 2, 12-15. \iii. 1, 2, 4,;}, 10,12, 14. ix. 10, 12, 15,
II.. x. 10, II. xi. I, 3, 4, i -9, 12. xii. !I, 10. xiii. -1-, 9, n. There are apparently only ten

.e
2

xii
thl

:
i.of
.e

:;
,of
ey
;],
li

8,t
;:d
ei:

; \7.I

'ii.' :' 6

\::
f Hosea x. I:!. (but followed by a declaration of the fruitlessne
sofhiseaIl13,1,j.}xii. 6.
g Hosea iv.l;;. h see 011 VI. n. i Hosea xiv. 1,3. i Hosea xiv. 4, 8.

c

6

propheey with the warning-, that, righteous as arc the ways of
God, the tran!o'
re
!o'ors should stumble at thcm.
It is this !o'<l111e solenm patho!o', which has ehiefly occasiclIled
the obsc'urity, emnplained of in HO!o'ea. The eXIH'e!o'sion of
S. Jt'rome has otten been repeated; "k HO!o'ca is condse, and
speaketh, as it were, in detaehecl !'ayings." The words of
uphraiding, of judgment, of woe, hurst out, as it were, one
by one, slowly, heavily, eonden!o'ed, abrupt, from the Pml'het's
heavy and shrinking soul, as God commanded and c'on!o'tmined
him, and put His words, like fire, in the Prophet's mouth.
An imaKe of Him 'Vho said, "10 Jerusalem, Jeru!o'alem, thcm
that killest the Prophets and stonest them whic'h arc sent
until thee, how otten would I luwe gathered thy ehildren
together, evell as a hen Kathers hcr chickens under her wings,
and yc wlluld not," he delivers his mcs!o'age, as though each
sentenc'e burst with a g-roan from his soul, and he had anew
to take breath, bcfllre he uttered each relwwed woe. Each
Yer!o'e forms a wholc f(H" itself, like one heavy toll in a funeral
knelL The Proplwt has not been careful ahout order ancl
symmetry, so that. eac'h sentence went hcnlle to the soul.

\.nd yet the unity of the I'mphecy is so e,-ident in the main,
that we eannot doubt that it is not hrol{en, en-n when the
c'onneetion is not apparent on the surfaec. The great diffi-
eulty eonsecluently in Hosea is to ascertain that c'onnection
in I)lac.t.s where it e,'idently exists, yet where the Prophet
has not explained it. The easiest and simple!o't sentences ill
are sometimcs, in this respect, the most diffieult. It is in
remarkable ('ontrast with this abruptness in the more mourtl-
fulparts, that when Hosea has a messag-e ofmerey to delin:'r,
his style hec'omes easy and flowing". Then no sight of present
sin or impending misery di!o'turbs his brightness. He Ih-es
wlwlly in the future bliss whieh he was aUnwed to foretell.
Yet, ineanwhile, no prophet had a darker future to deelare.
The prophets of Judah could min/!,"le with their present de-
nunciations a prospert of an early restoration. The ten tribes,
as a whole, had no future. The temporal part of their pu-
nishment was irrever!o'ible. Hosea lh-ed almost tll see its ful-
filment. Yet not the less eonfidently does he foretell the spi-
ritual merdes in store for his people. lIe ]H'omises tlwm as
ahsolutely as if he saw them. It is not matter of hope, but
of ccrtainty. _\nd this eertainty HO!o'ea allllOUIlC'es, in words
expressive of the closest union with (;od; an union shadowed
hy the dosest union whieh we know, that whereby a man and
his wife a;-e no more tll'ain bllt oue fiesli. Here, as filled and
o\'ediJIed with joy, instead of abrupt sentences, he gladly
ling"ers on his suhjt,C't, adding in e,-ery word something to the
fulness of the blcssing" eontained in the prec'edingn. He is,
indeed, (if one may n-nture so to speak) eminently a propllCt
of the tenderness of the love of God. In foretelling God's
judgments, he ventures to pieture Him to us, as overcome (so
to speak) by mercy, so that He would not execute His full sen-
tenee o. God's mereies he prediets in the inmost relation of
1In'e, that those whom He had rejet
ted, He would own, as" sons
of the Ih ing- God;" that He would betroth them to Himself
in righteousncss, in judgment, lo,'ing-kindness, mercie!', faith-
fulness, amI that, for ever; that He would raise ns up on the
third day, and that we should lin in His sight, ransoming- us,
Himself, and rt
deeming us, a
our Kinsman, from death and
the gra'"e p.

.9see commaticus est, et quasi per sententias loquitur. Præf. in xii. Proph. I S. Matt.
xXIII.3i. m e. 1':. xii. 9, 12,13. n ii. 14-20. xiv. I-i. 0 xi. 8, 9. P see on i. 10. ii.19.
"qq. vi. 2. xiii. H. q Ex. xxxiv. 15, IG. r Lev. x,ii. 7. xx. 5, ß. Num. xiv.33.
. Deut xxxi. 16. t Ex. xx. 5. xxxiv. 14. Deut iv. 24,. v. 9. vi. 15. Num. xxv. 2. u The
language "went a whoring from God" &c. occurs in Ps. Ixxiii. 27. Hos. i. 2. iv.12. ix. 1.
not in the Pentateuch. tn Ezek. xxiii. 5. " when she was )Iine." . viii. 12. ..- lit.
h ten thousand" accor<ling 10 the textual reading. x see ill. 1. iv. 8, 10. v. 6,10,11, lJ..

HOSEA,

In thi!' prol)hecy of the hetrothal of the Chureh to God, he
both applies and
upplies the teaehing ofthe forty-fifth Psalm
and ofthe Song of Solomon. l\Io:-;es had beel) taug-ht to declare
to his people that God had, in a special way, made them His
people, and was Himself tlH'ir God. The ,'iolation of this
relation, by taking- other gods, Moses had also sImkC'n of un-
der the image of married faithle::<snes!'. But faithlc::<::<ness
implics the existence of the relation, to which they were bound
to be faithful. The whole human family, however, had once
belong-ed to God, and had fallen away from Him. .And::<u
l\J uses
peaks of the heathen idolatry also under thi", name,
and warned Israel again!o't sharing their !'in. "q Le
t thou
make a cm'enant with the inhabitants ofthe land, and they g-u
a whoring after their gmls,-and their daug-hter
go a whor-
ing after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after
their gods." The relation itself of betrothal l\Io
es dues 1I0t
men tic III ; yet it mu!<t hm-e been sug-ge!<ted to the mind of
Israel by his describing- this !'pccial sin of t'housing othcr gods,
under the title of married faithlessness r and of dcst'rtion of
God.. and by his attributing to (;od the title of" .Jealous. p , It
was rescl"\'ed to Hosea, to cxhibit at onc'e to Israel undcr this
image, God's tendt
r luve fllr thcm and their ing-ratitude, tu
dwell on thcir relation to God "lwm they forsook u, and e
pli-
eitly to foretell to tlwm that new betrothal in Christ which
shoilld abide fllr e"er.
The imag-e, however, presupposes an acquaintanet' ,,-ith the
language ofthe Pentateuc'h ; and it ha!' been nutieed that Hosea
incidentally a

erts that the \\Titten Pentateuch was still used
in the kingdom of Israel. For God docs not say," I hm'e
given to him," but.. I have written," or rather" I write V to him
the great" or "manifllld"" things of the law. TIU' ,.teu thou-
sand things" ,yhieh God say
that lie had \\Titten, cannot be
the decalogue onlv, nor would the word "written" be used
of an unw'ritten tradition. God
ays mOl'eo,'er, "I write,"
in order to exprcss that the law, althoug-h written IIm'e for
all, still came from the e,'er-present authority of Him "'ho
wrote it.
The language of Hosea is, for the most part, too eoneise
and broken, to admit of his employing actual sentences of the
Pentateudl. This he does sometimes" as has been pointed
out y . On the other hand, his concise allusions would scarcely
be understood by those who were not familiar ,,'ith the his-
tory ami laws tl the Pentateuch z . Sinee then plainly a pro-
phet !'voke so as to be understood by the people, this is an
evidenee ufthe continua] use of the Pentateuch in Israel, after
the gTeat sehism from Judah. The sehools of tht' proÍlhets,
doubtless, maintained the teaching of the law, as they did the
public worshiI>. 'I'll(' people went to Elisha on new moon" and
sabhaths a , and so to other l)rophets also. Even after the great
massacre of the prophets by J ezebel b , we ha,'e ineiclentalnoti(
es
of schools of the prophets at Bethel c, Jerieho d , Gilgal e , l\Iount
Ephraim f , Samaria g , from which other schools were formed h .
The selec.tion of Gilgal, Bethel, ami Samaria, shews that the

l'ots were chosen, in order to eon front idolatry and corruption
in their chief abodes. The t
ontradi('tion of men's lives to the
law, thus extant and taught among them, could sCaI'ecl
' have
been greater than that of Christians 1I0W to the Bible which
they haye in their houses and their hands and their cars, but
not in their hcarts.

,'i. 2,3. x. H. xi. 7, 8. xii. 4,6. xiii. 6, 9. xiv. 2. Y Hengstenberg Autllentie des Penta-
teuches. i. 4-8. sqq. although, naturally, alllüs instances "ill not seem to an to have the
force of proof. · see i. 10, 11. iii. 2. iv. 4" 8. viii. G, 11, 13. ix. 3, 10. x. 4. 11. xi. 8.
xii. 4-6, 10, 11, 12. xiv. 3, 4. a 2 Kings iv. 23. b 1 Kings xviii. 13. . 2 Kings ii. 3.
d lb. 5. . lb. iv. 38. fIb. v. 2
. g Elisha dwelt in Mount Carmel, 2 K. ii. 25.
iv. 25. but also at Samaria 2 Kings ii. 25. (probably v. 9.)vi, 3
. He had a school of "sons
of the prophets" with him. vi. 1. ix. 1. h lb. vi. 1.

CHAPTER [.

7

Before
CHRIST
cir.. ïbå..

fIL-\PTER. I.
1 Hosea, to shell' Gud's Judgment for spiritual
u.llOredolll, ta/æt!t (;U1llCl', 4 aml/UltIL h.11 ILer .Te;;;reel,
6 Lo-rll/wllutlt, 8 a/ill Lo-aml/ii. 10 T!te resturatiu/l
of .Juda!t a/ld Israel.
T HE word of the LORn that eamt'
unto Hosea, the son of Bceri, in thc
days of Uzziah, Jothalll, Ahaz, ami He-

zt'kiah, kin
s of Judah, and in the days c J
oÍes T
of .1 eroboam the son of J oash, king of cir. ílXí.
Isracl.
2 The beg-innin
of the word of the
LORD by Hosca. .And thc LORD said to
Hosea, & Go, takc unto thcc a wife of. So ch. 3. 1.
whoreùoll1s and (.hildl'cn of whoredoms

CH_U'. I., Vcr. 1. The ll'U1'd oftllC Lord, t!tat came unto
Hosea. Hosea, at the \'Cry bq
illning- of his proplu'ey, dedarcs
that aU this, n hieh he Ilelin'red, eanw, not from his own mind
but from Gud. .As S. Paul says, Paulll1l Apostle, not uf men
neitILer h'lllUlIl, hut h.1J Jesus C/u'Ùt, ami God the Father. Hc
refers ail to God, and I'laims all ohedicuee to Him. That
word came to him; it exi!<ted thcn before, in the miml of God.
It was first God's, then it hecame the Prophet's, reeeidng it
from (
(I(l. So it is said, the 1l'ord of God came tu .TO/Ill 1.
Hosea i. e. Sa!z-atioll, ur, tILe Lord Mweth. The Prophet
bare the name of uur Lord Jesus, "'hom he foretold and of
'\1101ll he wa.. a type. Son of Beai i. e. my 1l'ell or 1l'elling-
forth. God ordained that the name of his father too !'hould
sig"nify truth. From Gml, as from the Fountain of life, Hosea
drew the living waters, which he poured out to thc lleople.
Irit/tjO.'1 s/wll ye dral(' u'ater out of tllC wells uf salz"tfio/l 2 .
ill the days of Uzziah,
'c. Ho..ea, althoug-h a Prophet
of Israel, marks his prol,hecy by the names of the king-s of
Judah, heeause the king-dom of Judah was the kingdom of
the thNlI'raey, the line of David to whit'h the IJromiscs of God
were made. As Elisha, to whose offiee he succeeded, turned
away from Jehoraln s, saying-, get t!tee to t/Ie prophets of illY
fatILt'r, ([Jul to the prophets of t1ty l1wtlter
and owned Jeho-
shaphat king- of Judah only, so, in the title of his prophecy,
Hosea at once expresses that the kin
dom of Judah alone
was leg-itimate. He adds the name uf Jeroboam, lmrtly as the
last king- of Israel whom, by virtue of His promise to Jehu,
God hclpe(l; partly to shew that God never left Israel
ull\,-arned. J erohoam I. ,,-as warned first by the prophet 4, who
by his own untimely death, as well as in his prophecy, was a
,vitness to the strictness of God's judg-ments, and then by
_\hijah 5; llaasha by Jehu, son of Hanani 6; Ahab, by Elijah
and .Micaiah son of hnla; Ahaziah hy Elijah 7 ; Jehoram by
Elisha who exercised his office until the days of Joash 8. So,
in the days of Jeroboam II, God raised up Hosea, Amos and
Jonah. ,. The kings and people of Israel then were without
excust', since God never ceased to send His prophets among
them; in no reig-n did the voice of the prophets fail, warning-
of the coming- wrath of God
until it eame." "'hill' Jeroboam
was re('overin
to Israel a larger rule than it had ever had
since it selmrated from Judah, annexing to it Damascus D
which had been lost to Judah evell in the days of Solomon, and
from which Israel had of late so gr
atly slltfered, Hosea was
sent to forewarn it of its dcstruetion. God alone could utter
"such a voice of thundcr out of the midst of SUell a cloudless
sky." Jerohoam doubtle'is thought that his house would,
through its own strength, sUr\'ive the period which God had
l'ledtr
d to it. " But temporal prosperity is no proof either of
stablhtv or of the favor of God. "There the law of God is

,hserved, there, evcn amid the pressurc of outward calamity,
IS the assurance of ultimate prosperity. "There God is dis-
obeyed, there is the l)ledge. of coming destruction. The sea-
I S. Luke ill. 2. 2 Isaiah xü. 3.
3 2 Kings iü. 13, 14. 4 1 Kings xü. :; 1 Kings
iv. 6 1 Kings xvi.

sons when men feelnwst seeure a
ainst future chastisement,
are often the preludes of the most sig-nal renllutions."
2. T/te he'ginning of the word uf the Lord hy Hosea or
in Hosea. God first revealed Himself and I1is mvstcries
to the Prophct's soul by His sccret inspiration, mid then
de dared, thruug-h him, to otJ)ers what lIe had deposited in
him. God enlightened him, and then others through the light
in him.
wul tlte Lord said uuto Hosea. For this thin.
was to be
done by Hosea alone, because God had commaluled it, not bv
others of their own mind. To Isaiah God first revealed
Him!'elt
as sitting in the temple, adored by the Seraphim:
tu Ezekiel God first appeared, as enthroned above the t;he-
rubim in the Holy of Holies; to Jeremiah God announced
that, ere )-et he
ms born, He had sanctified him for this
office: to Hosea He enjoined, a.. the beginning- of his pro-
phetic offiee, an act contrary to man's natural feeling-s, yet
one, by whieh he became an ima
:e uf the Redeemer, unitÍlJg
to himself what was unholy, in order to make it holy.
go take unto tltee. Since Hosea prophesied some seventy
years, he must now have been in early youth, holy, pure,
as became a prophet of God. Being called thus early, he
had douhtless been formed by God as a ehosen instrument of
His will, and had, like Samuel, from his first childhood, ùecn
trained ifJ true piety and l1Oline!'s. Yet he was to unite unto
him, so long as she lived, one g-reatly defiled, in order to win
her thereby tu purity and holiness; herein, a little likeness of
our Ble",,,ed Lord, "'110, in the Yirgin's womb, to sa,-e us, es-
poused our flesh, in us sinful, in Him All-Holy without motion to
sin; and, further, espoused the Church
formed of us who,
whether Jews or Gentiles, were aliuuder siu, aliens frum Gml
and gone away from Him 10, serving dh'as lusts and passions,
to make it a glorious C/wrch, u'it/wut spot or wrinkle.
a 'I1'ife of whoredoms, i.e. take as a wife, one who up to
that time I)ad ag-ain and ag-ain heen guilty of that sin. So
1neJl of hloods ll are "men given up to bloodshedding;" and our
Lord was (l JIalt of sorr01t.s 12 , not occasional only, but
manifold and continual, thruughout His whole life. She
must, then, amid the manifold corruption of Israel, have been
repeatedly guilty of that sin, perhaps as an idolatre
s, thinking
it to be in honour of their foul gods 13. She was not like
those degraded ones, who cease to bear children;
till she
must have manifoMly
inned. So mueh the greater was the
obedience of the Prol)het. K or could any other woman so
shadow forth the manifold defilements of the human race,
whose nature our Incarnate Lord vouchsaft
d to unite in His
own Person to the perfect huliness of the Divine Kature.
ami cltildren of 1l'lwredmlls; for they shared the disgrace
of their mother, although born in lawfill marriage. The
ins
of parents deseend also, in a mysterious way, un their children.
Sin is contagious
alaI, unless the entail is cut oft' by grace,
hereditary. The mother thus far lwurtrays man's revolts,
i 2 Kings. i. 8 lb. xiii. U. 9 lb. xiv. 28.
10 Eph. v. 27. II Ps, v. 7. 12 Is. lili. 3, W see on iv. 13, 2-1.

8

c J3:{oí e s T for b the land hath committed g-reat whor('-
cir. 783. dom, dCjJm.t;1I7 from the LORn.
b
:.u
3

7.l(;. 3 So he went and took Gomer the daugh-
Jer. 2. 13.

HOSE
\,

which

conceh"cd, and c HB
[ors T
cir. 78J.

tel' of Dihlaim
hare him a son.
4, .And tIlt' LORD said unto him, Call his

hefore his union with God; the children, our forsakill
of
(hilI, after we han' bet'n made Hi
ehildrcn. The forefathers
of hrad, (-fnd tells them, sen'cd other gods, on tbe otbcr
side of tIle .finodI, (i.e. in rr of the (;haldec
, when('e God
caned Ahraham) aud ill E.
E:.I/pt. It wa
out of such defile-
ment. that (;od took lH'r\ and He say
, Tholl hccalllcst JIiJ/e 3 .
'nlOlIl Ht
makl.th I1i
, He maketh purl'; and of I)('r, not
f:ueh as
he was in hers cU' by nature, but as sueh a
He made
her, lIe !'ays -', I remembC1: thee, tbe kimlness (!( tll.11 .1folith,
tIle IOl'e of thille espollsllls, ll'ben tlWIl ?I'm test ({(ter Jle in tbe
tl'Ílderuess. ßut she soon fell away; al\(l them'eforth there
"'erc mnon
thr'1ll (as tlwre arc now amon
Chri
tians,) the
children of God, tbc childJ"P1l of tIle pJ"oJJlise, aOlI the childJ"CJl
of wllOredol/ls or of tile det'il.
fOJ" tbe laud 0'c. This is the reason why God com-
mands 1I0!W(>a to do this thing, in order to shadow out their foul-
ness and God's mercy. "That no man would dare to 110 5 , exct'pt
at God's biddin
, God in a manner doth, restoring to union
with Himself those who had
one away from Him. The laud,
i.e. Israel, and indirectly Judah also, and, more widely yet,
the whole earth.
(/rpa/"tillg f/"(ll/l lit. .from after tIle Lord. Our whole life
should be 6, .!;n:E:effiug tile things il'liic/t (Ire he/IÍud, to folio It'
after Him, ""hom here we ean never fully attain unto, God
i;\ His Infinite Perfel'tion, yct so as, witl'i our whole heart,
fJ//
ll to follml' after Him. ''1'0 depart from the Creator and
to sern' the ereature, is adultery; as the P
ahnist !<ays,
7 Tiwil ba.çt dcstru./fl'd all tllC/lI, tha; {.{O ([ ll'lwring from TII"ee.
He who sceks any thin
out of God, who turns from following
Him, and takes to him somethin
cI
e as his god, is un-
faithful, and spiritually an adulterer and idolater. For he is
an adulterer, \\"ho bt'('onu's another's than (;od's.
3. So he went. Ill' did not demur, nor excuse himself,
a" did r',-cn :\Ioses 8, or Jeremiah 9, or S. Peter 10, and wt're
rebuked fiJr it, althou
h mercifully by the .\II-merciful. Ho-
sea, accustomed from childhood to obey God and eyery Ï1uli-
cation of the "ïU of God, did at onee what he was liidden,
hmye,'er repulsi,-e to natural feeling, and bceame, thereby,
the more an imag-e of the ohedience of Chri
t Jesus, and a
pattern to us, at
nce to believe and obey Gml's eommand
,
hmve'.er little to our minds.
Goma, the dnugMa of Dihlnim. Gomer is eomple-
tion; Dib/aim. a douhle lump of figs; ,,'hich are a fi
ure of
!'weetness. The!'e names may mean, that" the sweetIw!<s of
sins i" the part'nt of destruction ;" or that Israel, or mankind
had eomIJldcly fursaken God, and wcre children of corrupting
IJleasure.
Holy Seripture relates that all this was done, and tells us
the births and names of the ehiltlren, as rcal history. ,\s
slH'h then, must ,ye rc('eive it. 'Ye must not ima/rine thin/rs
to he unwOI,thy of God, beeause they tlo not cOlm;lt'nd theÍn-
scln's to m:. . God does not di"pe,ise with the moral law,
beeause tht' moral law has its source in the Mind of God
Himself. To dislJCnse with it would be to I'ontradiet Himself.
But God. \rho is the absolute Lord of all things which He
made, may, at His Sovereign "'ilI, dispose of the liws or

I Jos. X'I{i\.. 11.
Ezek. x'l{iii. 3, 8. 3 Ezek. xvi. E\. 4 Jer. ii.
. 6 Jer. iii. 1.
6 Phil. ill. 13. 7 Ps. hxill. 2i. 8 Ex. h.W. 9 Jer. i. 6. \U Acts X. 4.

thin
s whi('h He ereated. Thus, as Sonreig-n Jud
e, He
eonlJnanded the lives of the Canaanites to he takcn away by
Israel, as, in His ordinary Providcn('e, He has ordained 1:ha't
the llla
istrate should not bear the sword in vaiu, but has
made him His minister, a rel'engeJ' to e:/:ecl/le wrflth upon //Ím
tlUlt doetll el'il u. So, again, Ht., "'hose arc all thing
, ,,-iIIed
to repay to the J"I'aelites their hard and unjust scryitude,
by c(IIlHna1Hlin
thcm to spoil till Ef.j.flpti(lIlS 12. Ill', ,rho
('I'eated lllarria
e. ('ommalllied to Ho,..ea, whom JlC
llflultl
marry. The Prophet was not defiled, hy takin
as his lawful
wife, at God'!; biddin
, one dcfiled, howenr harti a thing this
was. "He who remains
ood, is not defiled hy r'OInin
in
('OIltaet with one e, il ; but the evil, following- his example, is
turncd into
ood." But throu
h his simple obcdienee, he fure-
shadowed Him, God the "-onl, '\llll was caIl('d \3 tll(' Friend
(l jJl/Micans aJllI sinners; "lw warned the Pharisees that H
the publicans aJlllllllr!ofs slwl/ld cnta illto tile kingdom of Gml
b(:fore tllem ; and "1111 now ,-ouehsafes to espouse, dwell in,
and unite Himself with, aIltI so to hallow, our sinful
ouls.
The acts whieh God enjoined tu the Prophets, and which to
us secm strang-t., must lun-e ha(1 an imprt'
siveness to the
people, in proportion to th{'ir strangeness. The life of the
P,'oIJhet beeame a sermon to the people. Sight impresses
more than words. The Prophet, hein
in II is own pcrson a
mirror of obedicu('e, did mort'onr, by his way of life, refleet
to the people some likeness of the future ami of thing" unseen.
The eXIJeetation of the people was wound up, whcn they
saw their Prophets do things at GO(l"s eonlJnand, whir'h they
them"eh-es eoultl not have done. "'hen Ezekiel was bidden
to she\\" no si
n of mourning, on the sudden death of 15 tllC
de.
ire (l his e,lles, his 'wife; IIr when he du
through the wall
of his house, and earried forth his household "tuft. in the
t",i1i
ht, with his fal'c co,-ered 16 ; the peopJe aslíetP7, Trilt thme
not tell us u'lwt these tllÍllg.ç al"e to 1/S, tlwt tliOll doest.m?
Xo words eoulrl so expre!<:'O a grief beyond all power of
rie,'in
,
as Ezekiel's mute grief for one who was known to be tIle
de.çil"e of lii.ç CJles, yet for whom he was forhidden to shew
the natural expressions of p:rief, or to use the received tokens
of mOllrnin
. (;od Himself deelarcs the
round of slH'h aets to
have heen, that, rebellious a!o; the house of Israel was lR , u'ith
e.lle,
1l'Ilicil saw not, and ears whiclL IleaI'd not, they might yet
consider sueh aets as these.
4. Call Ids name Je;;;]"eel ; i. e. in its first !'ense here, "God
will scatter." The litè of the Prophet, and his union with une
!oo unworthy of him, were a continued prophecy of God's
mercy. The names of the children were a life-Jong- admonition
of His inten-enin
jud
lUcnt!'. Since Israel refused to hear
God's words, He made the Prophet's sons through the mere.
fact of their presenee among them, their p;oin
out and com-
in
in, and the names which He
äve them, to he preaehers to
the people. He depieted in them and in their names what was
to be, in order that, whenever they san' or heard of them, His
warnin
s might he forced npon them, and tho!Oe who would
take warning, might be saved. If, with tht'ir mother's dis-
p:race, these sons inherited and copied their mother's sins,
then their names became e"en more expre!'sive, that, being

11 Rom. xiii. 4. I
Ex. iii. 22. 13 S. :Matt. xi. 19. 14 lb. xxi. 31.
IS Ezek. x"-Ìv. 16-18, 16 xii.3-i. Ii xxiv. 19. add xii. 10. 18 xü.2.

CH...\PTER 1.

c J3j[ o is T name J ezre<>}; for yet a little 'If'hilt', c and I
_ ci r. ít;5. will t an'n
e the Mood of .Jezrt'('} upon the
. il
ingslO. hOlHw of .Jehu, dam} will ('.LUse to cease the
! r
in:
5. kin
dom of the housc of Israel.
.
OK
gs 15. ã e
\nd it shall come to pass at that da
',
29.

9

that I \\ ill hreak thc bow of Israel in tlw c lj[ores T
valley of .J pzr('el. cir. ,85.
(j ;.-- i I } , .'. } ,r" d 1 \I Tha t is, N 01
1, ...",-n(
Ie COIl( en c( a
(lIn, an -'are llUvinKobtai".
a dau
hter. And God said unto him, Call f 2dKi
:í7.
hpr nanlf' II I
o-ruhamah: r for t I will no t
;
: I Il.'ifl
nol add any more to.

such a!- they were, they would bc scattcred by hod, would 110t
be moU'd by God as His lwople, or be pitied by Him.
I will (ll'enge tile Mood of JezreclUpfJIl the IlfJ/lse of J('lm.
Yet .Tehu shed thi
blood, the blood of the Iwu
e of .r\hab, of
Joram and Jezebel and the sen'nÌ\'
ons of Ahab, at (
od's
t'omnHuHI and in fulfilnH'nt of I1i
'(ill. How wa
it then
in ?
Bccause, if we do what i
the "'ill uf God for any end of our
own. for an\, thing exeept (ind, we do, in tiu,t, our 0\\ n will,
not (;1I!1'
. . It was not lawful for Jehu to depo
e and
Iay the
kin
his ma
tcr, exeel,t at the ('onllnand of (iod, \\110, as the
Supreme l\:ing-, set
up and puts down earthly rulers a
He wills.
For any other end, and done otherwise than at (iod's e
pres

eonunand,
uch an act is sin. Jehu was rewarded for the mea-

ure in whieh he fulfilled God's commands, as Ahab who had
sold /Jill/self to zl'Ork ll'il'kedne,ç,
', had yet a temporal reward for
humbling himself publidy, when rebuked by God for his
in,
and so honouring God. amid an apo
tate people. But Jehu, by
dcaving-, ag-ainst the "ïll of God, to Jeroboam's sin, which
served hi!' own politieal ends, shewed that, in the slaug-htt'r
ofhi
ma
t('r, he aeted not, as he prett'nded, out of zeal 1 fêJr the
'Yill of God, but !'erved hi
own will and his own ambition
only. Br his di!'ohedience to the one ('olllmand of God, he
shewed that he would Im,"e equallr di
obeyed the other, had
it bf'en contrary to his own will or interest. He had no prin-
ciple of obedielH'e. And
o the blood, \\'hieh was shed a('('or-
ding' to the rig-hteous judg-ment of God, beeame sin to him
who shed it in order to fulfil, not the "ïll of God, but his own.
Thus God
aid to Baasha 2, I e.J:alted tllee out of tile dltst, aJllI
mad(' tllee prince ot'el. ]II!! people brae!, whieh he became hy
slaying- his master, the !'on of Jeroboam, and all the house of
Jeroboam. Yet, because he followed the sius of Jeroboam s,
tile 1I'0rd of tile Lord C(ill/e against Bnaslw,for all the el'il that
lie did ill the sigM of the Lord, ill being like the house of .fero-
Imam, and hecause lte killed hill/. The twu cour!'e" of aetion
were inconsistent; to destro,' the !'on and the house of Jero-
boam, and to do those thing
, for ,,'hit'h God condemned him
to be de
troyed. Further yet. l\'ot only was such execution
of God's judg-ment
itself an offence ag-ainst
\Imig-hty God,
but it was
in, whert'bv he condemned himselt
and made his
other "ins to he !"ins ag
linst the lig-ht. In executing the judg-
ment of God against another, he pronounced His judgment
ag-ainst him
elf, in that he tI/flt.iIt(
![ed, in God'
stead, did the
sa/lle thing,ç i. So aweful a thing is it to be the instrument of
God in punishing or reproving others, if we do not, by His
grace, keep our own hearts and hands pure from sin.
and ll'ill cause to cease the kingdom of tile house of Israel.
1\'ot the king-dom of the house of JPlm, but all Israel. God
had promised that the family of Jehu should sit on the throne
to the fourth g-eneration. Jeroboam II., the third of thc!'e,
\\'a<; now rcig-ning over Israel, in the fulness of his might.
He restored tIle coast of Israel fmm the eutaill,!: of Hall/atll.,
i. e. from the l\'orthern extremity, near Mount Hermon, where

1 2 Kings
: 16. 2 1 Kin
xvi. 2. 3 lb. xvi. 7. . Rom. ii. 1.
2 Kings xiv. 25.
6 2 ChI. nu. 3, 4. 'i 2 luugs x. 32, 33. B See on Am. vi. U. 9 1 Kings xi. 24.
10 1
[acc. xii. 49. 11 Judith i. B. 1: Jud. h". 4 sqq. 13 Jud. vi. 33. it 1 Sam.

Pale
tilU' join!< on to Syria, and, \\'hid1 Solomon only in all his
dory had WOII for J "rael 6 , unto thf' Sf'a of ti,e plain, the Dead
sea, reg-ailling all \1 hil'h Bazad had eonqllered 7, and even sub-
duing )Joab alsu 8, ac('ording to the word of the Lord h!! .folUih
tIle son of
JJIlitt(ti. Ill' had reem-crcd to I !'rael, Damascll
,
whieh had been lost to Judah, eHr
ince the dose of the reign
of Solomon II. He was a warlike prince, like that fir
t Jero-
Imam, who had furmed the streng-th and the
in of the ten
tribes. Yet both his house and his king-dom fell with him.
The whole hi!<tory of that kingdom afterwards is little more
than that of the ];lUrder of onè family hy another,
ueh as is
spoken of iu the later chapters of Hosea; and I
raf'l, i. e. the
ten tribe..., were finally carried captive, fifty years after the
death of Zechariah, Jerohoam's SOli. Of su little aceount is
any seeming- prosperity or stren
h.
5. I l(,i/l hrNlk the bow of ISl"llel ill tllC 1'lllley of Je::.l'eel.
The valley of Jezrecl i
a beautiful and a broad vaUcv, or
plain, strëtching-, from "T. to E. from
lount Carmel ami the
sea to the Jordan, \\ hid. it reaches through two arms, between
the )Jountains of Gilboa.little H('rmon, and Tabor; and from
S. to X. from the :\Iountains of Ephraim to those of Galilee.
J\azareth lay on its J\orthern
ide. It is ('alled "10 the great
plain," " 11 the great plain of E
draelon." There Gùd had sig-
nally exe('uted His jud
.,nent
against the enemies of His peo-
ple, or on His people when they beeame His enemie!ò. There
He g-ave the great victories over the invading hosts of Sisera 12,
and IIf l\Iidian, \\ ith the children of the East IS. There also
He ended the life and king-doni of
aul Ii, visiting- upon him,
when his measure of iniquity \\"a
full, hi
years of eontumal'y,
and his persecution of David, whom God had cho
en. Jez-
reel became a roval resi(lenee of the hou
e uf .Ahab 1.. There
in the scene
of 11lah'
wiekedm'ss and of Jehu'
hypoeritif'al
zeal, there, where he drave furiously, to a'"enge, as he alle
ed,
on the hou
e of Ahab, the innoeent blood which Ahab had
shetl in .Tezreel, Hosea foretells that the king-dom of I"rael
should be broken. In the same plain, at the battle with
hal-
mane!'er, near Betharbcl 16 , Ho
ea Ih"ed to !'ee his prophecy
fulfilled. The streng1:h of the kingdom wa... there finally bro-
ken; the !òufl'ering-s there endured were one la:st warning be-
fore the eapturt' of Samaria 17.
The name of Jezreel blends the
ins \\ ith the punÎloolnuent.
It resemhle
, in form and in sound, the name of Israel, and
contains a re"cr
al of the promise contained in the name of
Israel, in whi(.h they trusted. risrael (as their lJallle was
originally pronouneed 18) signifies. lIe is a prince ?l'ith God;
Yid.
reel, God slwll scatter. They who, while they folluwed
the faith, for which their forefather Jacob receind from Gild
thc name of Israel, had been truly J!'racl, i. e. "prim'es with
God," should now be Jïdsreel, "!'cattered by God."
6. Call lIer uame Lo-rllhamah. The name is reIUlered
in St. Pau1 19 , not beloved, in St. Peter 20, hath not obtained
mercy. Loz'e and mercy are both contained in the fun mean-

xxix. 1. xxxi. I, 7, 10. 15 1 Kings xvüi. 46. xxi. I, 2, 3. 2 Kings ix. 10, 25,30. x. I, 11.
1
i:
e
\1d

I; or bo:

;1et ldsred. 1B Th
gtRo:

;;o

eithe:o
P
:;iL

D

10

c lï[ofe s T more have llwrC'y upon the house of IsraC'1 ;
cir. j1X>. II hut] will uttt'rly take them away.
II

,[f
ï
o:'.- 7 g But I will han> uwrey upon the house

:

. pardon of Judah, and will san' them hy the LUlW

i;;
ings 19. their Hod, and h will not save them hy bow,
h Zech. 4. 6. & 9. 10.

HOSEA,

nor hy sword, nor by battle, by horses nor c :
[ores T
by horsemen. cir. j85.
8
K ow wll<'n she had weaned Lo-ru-
hamah, she conceiw'd, and hart' a son.
!) Then said God, Call his naul{' \I 1.0- II ;';
e:
[
"ot

ill
of the intcn!o'h"e form of the Hehn'w wonl, whkh expre!o'!o'es
tb'c deplJ tendcr yearning's of the innl()!o't !o'11U1 over (Ine lond;
as in the words, '<l..,/s a fafllcr pifietlt [,/cw'lIefll m'c}"] /âs OIl'1i
t'hi/rlrell, .
o fI,e Lord pifiefll [J/e(//"1lcflt ovc}"] them tlwf fear
Him." It is tl'luler love in Him 'Yho pitieth; 1IIel"l:'/, a!o' !Shewn
to him who net'ddh merl'Y. The lnInishlllent, foretold under
the name of the daug:htcr, [ìlpiticd, is a grt'at enlar
elllent of
that (,lIIn"e\"ed Illldcr the lIame of tlu' fir!o't !o'11ll, God slw/l scut-
tel". Judah too was carried captive, and spattered; but after
the 70 ,"car!', !'he was re!'tored. The 10 tribe!', it is now fore-
toM, when !'eattpred, should, m; a whole, be cut oft. from the
tcnder Illel"l'v of God, sl'attered bv Him, and as a whole, ne-
ver he re!o'torcd. Those onh- were'restored. who, when Judah
retul'lled fl"flm t'aptidty, ela"ve to her, or subsefluently, one by
one, were united to ber.
Bllt I ll'ill llttat.1/ fake tlu'lIl awa!/. Lit. for, 2 faking (i-
wa.lf, Ill'ill tala' all'flY frum tltcm, or witll1'cgard to them, viz.,
every thin
. Ill' !o'pt
t'ifies nothing; He eXl'ept!' nothin
; only,
with that awful emphasis, Ht
dwells on the takin
awa)", a!o'
that whil'h lIe had detennined tll do to the utmost. This is
the thou
ht which He wills to dwell on tbe mind. As a little
while after, God says, that lIe would he nothing- to them, so
here, where He in fact repeats this one thou
ht, take all'a.'/,
fake mva.lf, frolll them, the guilty I'onseiem'e of Israel wonld
at onee, supply" all." 'Yhen God threaten!', the sintill or a-
wakened soul secs instillt,tively what draws down the light-
ning of God's wrath, and where it will fall.
7. I 1l'illlllll'e 11Ie1"t'.'/ 011 fl((' house of Judab. For to them
the promises were made in David, and of them, af'f'ording to
the tlc!'h, Christ was to 1'lIIne. Israel, morem-er, as heing
founded in rchellion and apostacy, had
(Ille on from had to
worse. All thdr king:s t'lave to the sin of .Jcroboam; not one
did rig:ht in the sight of (;od; not one repented or hearkened
to God. 'Vherem; Judah, having the true "'or!<hip of God,
and the reading of the law, and the typical saerifif'es, throug:h
whieh it looked on to thc great Saf'rifice for sin, was on the
whole, a witness to the truth of God 3.
alld u'ill ,Wl1'C tlwlll h.'1 fIle Lord their God, not h!/ how, !!fe.
Shortly after thh., (;od did, in the rei
n of Hezekiah, save them
hy Himself from Sennal'herih, when the angel of the Lord
I'III0te in one night 185,000 in the camp of the A!'s)Tians. "Kei-
ther in that night, nor when they were freetl from the capti-
vity at ßahylon, did th<,y bend how or draw sword a
ainst
their enemies or their eaptnrs. "'hill' they slept, the Angel
IIf the Lord smote the eamp of the Assyrians. At the prayers
of David and the prophets and holy men, yea, and of the An-
gt'ls 4 tOil, the Lord stirrcd up the !'pirit of Cyrus king: of Per-
sia, to set them free fo {:O up to JCl"usalem, alld huild tile Tem-
pic 'if thc Lord God (if lsmel 5 . Hut mueh more, this is the
!o'pef'ialpromise of the Go!'òpcl that God would ddh'er, not out-
wardly, hut inwardly; not hy human wars, but in peaee; not
ùy man, hut by IIimsdf. By tIle Lord their God, hy Himself
1 Ps. ciii. 13. 2 This mode of speech i. often used in Holy Scripture. First a ne-

:
i;;;,
e

7;: ì

,

7,I;PC,::

,

tS
11 i;,

:
m
c8
9.Yd)
{ô.'i
i;b1' T.)i:

::

'lOt escape Ollt "J r.is ["",d, Jor takillK tr.OIt sr.alt be take1l, Jer. xxxiv. 8. 1Ve tl,ill 'lOt
Itearkell /llltO tr.ee; Jor doillg we will do whatsoever,
c. lb. xliv. Ii. add. J er. xlix. 1.

\\'1111 is spcahing:, or, The Father hy the Son, (in like way as
it is said, G TIIC Lord nlÎned upou Sodmll.lire from ti,e Lord.)
Thev were saved in t.:hri!o't, the Lord and (;od of all, not IJY
earlial weapons of warfare, hut by the mig:ht of IIim \rIlCI sa-
ved them ami shook thrones and dominions, and "110 hv His
own Cro:'.. triumpheth I,,'el' the ho!'ts of the adver!o'aries', and
overthroweth the powers of e\"il, and g:iveth to those whu love
Him, to trcad ou Sl
/1){'llf,\' alld s('fJI"j)iol/.
aud all the }J'm'a (if
fhe elielll.'/. They were s.n-ed, not t'clr any merit!o' of their own,
nor for any thin
in themselve!<. ßut when human mean!o',
and man's works, slll'h as he eonld do of his own free will, and
the power of his understanding, and the natural impulses of
his aftections, had prm.ed llnavailin
, then He redeemcd them
bv His llillod, mul bestowed on them g-ifts and gral'es abm-e
nitture, and filled thcm with lIis Spirit, and gave them to
will and to do of lli.ç good pleasllTe. ßut this promise al!òo
wa!', and is, to the tnle Judah, i. e. to those who a
the namf'
mcans cUI{fess and }ll"aise (;od, and who, recdving Christ,
'''ho, as l\lan, was of the tribe of .Tudah, beeame His ehil-
dren, heillg' re-horn by His Spirit.
S.
Yow 11'IICIi site Iwd weaned, I).c. Eastern ""onU'n ,-ery
f'ommonly nur!o'e their I'hildren two, or e,"en three 7 )'CaI's. The
weanin
then of the child pourtrays a e(.rtain int{'n-al of timf'
hetween tht'!o'e two dcgTct
S of eha!o'tisement; but after this re-
llrieve, the last and final jud/!."ment pit,tured here was to set in
irre\"el'siblv.
H. Caillâ.
name Lo-an/1l1i, i. e. not .;.11.'/ people. The name
of this third ehild eXIJrf'..!o;es the last final degree of chastise-
ment. As tlte scattering ".If (lod did not im-olve the being
wholly unpitied; !o;O neither did the bein
wholly unpitied for
the Time involve the heing wholly rejel.ted, so as to be 1/0 more
Hi.ç people. There were eorre!o'l'onding dcgrees in the aetual
history of the Idngdmn of J:.;rael. God withdrew lIi!o' protee-
tion hy deg-rees. rmler Jerobllam, in whose reign was this
beginning- of Ho:o;ea'!o; I'ropheey, the people was yet outwardly
:o;trong. This streng-th has been thou
ht to be expres!'e(l by
the sex of the eldest I'hild, that he was a son. On this, fol-
lowed extreme weakness, full of mutual massaere and horri-
hie f'ruelty, first, in a lon
anarehy, then under Zeehariah,
Shalhlln, l\lenahcm, Pekahiah, Pekah, IIo:o;hea, within, and
through the invasions of Pul, T:glathpileser, Shalmaneser,
kings of AS!o')Tia, from without. fhe sex of the daughter, Lo
llll1111111a, Unpitied, eorresponds with this inl'reasing weak-
ness, and breaking of the spirit. 3. "'hen she wa!' weaned,
i. e. when the people were deprived of all eonsolation and all
the !'piritual food whereby they had hithcrto been !o'upported,
prophecy, teal'hin
, promi!'es, sacrifil'es, grace, favor, eonHI-
lation, it beeanU' wholly Lo-ammi, )lut Jl!/ }leoplc. .A!' a dis-
tin!'t part of God's people, it was east off for ever; and yet it
became outwardly !'trong, as the Jews beeame powerful, and
often were the per!'ecutors of the Christians. The same is
set
l1 in individuals. God often first chastens them lightly,
Ex. xi'!:. 13. Deut. xx. 17. This uniform usage, doubtless, determined our Translators
to prefer the rendering of the text to that in the margin, " Thrlt I should altogether par-
don them," which would require the two ":;'s to be taken in difierent senses.
3 see ou xi. 12. . Zech.!. J2. .. 5 _Ezr. i. 8. ti Gen. xix. 21.
, :. Mace. vn. 2,.

cH
\PTER l.

11

ßefore
CHRIST
cir. ib5.

ammi: for ye m'c not my peoI)Ie, and I will
not he ,"our (;od.
10 ,r Y t't i the numher of the dÜldren of
hracl shall be as the sand of the spa, whieh

· Gen. 32. 12.
lImn. !J. 2ì,
28.

('au not hp measured nor numhered; kand clf.e:
eST
it shall ('ome to pass, that II in the place ('ir. í85.
when' it was said unto them, I ï e W'C not k

m. 9.25,
my pt'oph', thc)'c it shall he said unto II Ò
l'i
s
;;J
J
1 ch. 2. 23. that.

then mure hea,-ily, and I)l"infrs them down in their ini{luitie"';
but if the\" still harden thcmseh-es, lIe withdraws hoth His
ehastisell{cnts and lIis
ra('e, so that the !'illncr even prospcrs
in this world, but, remaining finally illl}lellitcnt, is cast oft'
for en'r.
I u'ill not be 'Iour God; lit. I ll'ill /lot he to .'lOll, or, for
you; for .'I'JII, by }'rovidellee, to .'1011, hy 1m-e. The words SlY
the Jllllre thrO\w:h their :-ilt'lH'e. Tht.v do not say what God
\\ ill not be to tÌlIIse who had heen His people. thc
do not
say that lIe \rill nnt be their Deft'nder, Xourisher, Sm-iour,
D
'liverer, Father, IIope, Refuge
and so they say that He will
be none of these, whieh are all induded in the Lnglish, I will
not he .'Iour God. For, a" God, lIe i" these, and all things,
to u!<. I ll'illuot be to 'IOU. God, I,," His Im'c, '-ouehsafes to
gÍ\'e all and to take all. . lIe gives Hiu'lselfwholly to lIis own, in
order to ma1.e them wholl, His. He makes an ('xdmnge with
them. .b (;od the Son, by His Inearnation, took th'e man-
homl into God,
(I, hr His Spirit dwelling in them, He makes
llwn gods, }mrtll!ïel's of tlte ])iz'ine
Ylltllre 1. They, hy I1is
adoption, belong to Him; He, by lIis IJl'omise and gift, he-
longs to them. He makes them His; lIt. lJ('cflmes their's.
Thi
mutual exchangc i
so often expressed in Holy Serillture,
to shew how God lovcth to /!Í\'e Himsclfto us, and to make us
His; and that where the one is, there is the other; nor can
the one be ,,-ithout the other. This was the ori1-,rinal eovcnant
with Israel: I ll'ill he your God, aud .l/Oll sh((11 he .1I.t/ people 2;
and a
su('h, it is often repeated in Jeremiah 3 and Ezekiel".
Âfterward
, thi
is eX}H"essed still more affectionately. I u'ill
be (( Father 1(nto .'Iou, and .'Ie Ûl((ll he lII.'I sons and dauglders 5.
And in Chri",t the Son, God
aith, I u'ill he his Fatller, and he
shall he
lIy son 6. God, 'Yho !<aith not this to any out of
Christ, nor eycn to the holy Al1frcls, (a
it is written 7, Cnto
1idlÍch of the Angel.
said He at (/11.'1 time I fl'ill he to him ((
Father, ami he shall he to 1//e a SOil t ) saith it to us in Christ.
Ând 1'0, in turn, the Church aud each single
oul whieh is
Hi", saith, or rather He I'aith it in theUl B,
1
1f Beloud is mine,
and I ((//1 Hi.\', and Ulore boldly yet, I am W.'I Belof'i'd's amlw.'I
Belm'ed is mine 9. "Thence al
o at the Hoh- Communion we
sav, " then we dwell in Christ and Chri
t in u
, we arc one with
Clirist, and Chri
t with us ;" and we llrar that "we may ever-
more dwell in Him, and He in us."
10. ret [lit. ami] the nUll/her (
ftlle cllÍldren
if bmel, f)'c.
Light !'I'ringcth ont of darkn('ss ; joy out of sorrow; merey out
of cha!'itiselllent; life out of death. And!'io 1I01y Scril}ture
('olllmonly, upon the threat of puni
hment, promiscs blessings
to the penitent. "Y cry nigh to the se,-erel't displeasure is
the dispersion of sorrows and the promised dose of darkne,.,.."
'Yhat God takes away, He replaces with usury; things oftillle
!>y things eternal; ol1
ward g'oods and g-ifts amI privileg-es hy
IIlward
an earthly kmg-dom bv Heaven. Doth St. Peter 10
an
St.
aulll tell us that this l;ropheey is already, in Chri:':t,
fulfilled 111 those of Israel, who were the true Israel or of the
Gentiles, to whom the promise was made 12, III tlll/ 'Sl'l>d shall
all nations he blessed, and who, whether Jews òr (;cntilc!',
bclieYCd in Him. The Gentiles were adopted into the Church,
1 2 Pet. i. 4. 2 Lev. XX\i. 1
. add Ex. \i. J. 3 Xl 4 3 J.'\:IV xx ""
xxxi. 1,33. ,,\:Xii. 8. · xi. 20. xiv. n. '\:X'i:\i.2R x'\:xvii. '23,' 2i
' ,,':.i b'o;:,
: ii3:
6 2 Sam. vii. U. ; Heb. i. 5,

whieh, at the Day of Pcnte('ost, was formed of the Jews, and
in which Jews and Gcntilcs heeame one in Christ 13. Yet of
the Jews alone, not only did many tens of tluJl{samls in Jerlt-
sft/em be!iet'e 14, hut St. Peter and St. James both writt. to tllR
dis}JeJ'.
ed (if tlte tell trihes 15; and the .\postles thelllsclvcs were
Jews. Althoug-h, then, those Jews who bclie,-ed in Chri
t
were f('w in eomlmrison of those who rejeeted IIim, yet they
were, in themselves, milllY, amI, throug-h those" ho, in Christ
Jcsu!<, were hl'l.[otteJi by them tllmllglt tlte Guspel 16 , they were
numberle,.s. Yet this prophecy, althou
h ai'emnplished in
part, will, ileeording to St. Paul 17, be yet more completely ful-
filled in the end.
ill the place 1('II('re it .,('as said [or t('llcl'e it sllllll he said, i. e.
at the first] Ullto them, ye are not
1I.1/ people, there it shall,
in after time, he said Ullto them, ye are the sons of tIle liz'ing
God. Doth the times here spoken of by the Prol}het were
yet future; for Israel, although they had apostatised from God,
had not yet been di!<owned hy God. \\
ho was still sendin

to them prophets, to reel aim them. They ceased to be owncd
as God'" people, when, being- dispersed abroad, they had no
share ill the sacrifices, no Temple worship, no prophets, no ty-
pieal rceonf'Ílation for sin. God took no more noti..e ofthem
than of the heathen. The Prophet then speaks of two futures;
one, when it shall he said to them, ye are not .1Iy people;
and a yet further future, in whieh it should he said, .'Ie are
tI,e S01/S of tlte liz'ing God. The plal'e of both was to he the
same. The plaee of their rejection, the disper"ion, "'a,, to
be the plaee of their restoration. And so St. Peter "ays that
this Scripture was fulfilled in them, while still scattered a-
hroad throllgll Poutus, Galatill, ('appadocia, .Asia, llnd Bithy-
nia. The place, then, where they should be caBed tlte SOliS (if
tI,e liring God, is, wheresoe,-er they !;hould helie,'e in Christ.
Althoug-h separated in body, they were united by faith. Ami
so it shall be unto the end. " X othiug now constraineth to
go up to Jeru
alem, and
till to "eek for the temple of stones;
for neither will they wor
hip God, as aforetime, hy sacrifiees
of
heep or oxen; but their worship will he faith in Christ
and in His commandments, and the sanetifieation in the
Spirit, aud the re
eneration throug'h Holy ßapti
m, making
the glory of sonship their's, who are ealled to be saints by
the Lord lB."
it shall he sllid ye are tIle .mlls of tI,e liz'ing God. It wa!'
the spet'ial "in of IsI'ael, the souree of all his other
ins, that
he had left the living God, to ser\'e dead idols. In the time

ofthe Gospel, not only should he oml God as his God. but he
should have the gTeatest of all
fts, that the lil'Íng God, the
fountain of all life, of the life of nature, of graee, of
lory,
should be his Father, and as being his Father, should eOln-
muuieate to him that lit'C, whidl He has ancl b. For He \\Tlw
i
Life, impart:" lifc. God doth not only pour into the souls of
His de..t graee and faith, hope and low, or all the manifolcl

ifts of His Sl}irit, but He, tlte liring God, maketh them to he
His living sons, by His Spirit dwellin
in thelll, by "
I/CJm lIe
adopteth thelll as IIis sons, through "'hom He gh"eth them
grace. For hy His Spirit lIe mlopteth them as sons. 19 Tre
8 Cant. ii. 16. 9 yi.3. 10 1 Ep. ii. 10. 11 Rom. ix. 25, fi. )2 Gen. xxii. 18.
13 Gal. iii. 28. U Acts xxi. 20. 1" S. James i. 1. I Pet. i. 1. 16 1 Cor. iy. 15.
I; Rom. xi. 2;;, 6. IS S. C>r. 19 R()l11. viii. 15.

12

cJifoíeST them, 1(' (U'e m the sons of tlIP living God,
cÍr. i8.,. II n Then shall the children of Judah
m :J
h
:3
t and the ehildren of Israel he gathered to-
Il Is. 11. 12, 13. Jer. 3. 18. Ezek. 3t. 23. & 37. IG---2
.

HOSEA,

gether, and appoint themsch.es one head, c :j{O[
T
and they shall come up out of the land: eir. it!5.
for great .s'hall be the day of Jczrcel.

hm'e receil'ed tlte spirit uf adoptiuJl of SOliS, lI'lterehy ll'e cr.'l,
1 bba,
.FatIIlT. Ami if SOliS, tbell heirs; IIt'irs of God amljuillt-heirs
of ChrÜt. God 1I0t only gin.th us g-race, but adopteth us as
!'IJI}S. Ill' 1I0t only aCI'ounteth us, but lIe maketh us sons;
lIe maketh us sons, not outwardly, but inwardly; not by in-
ward grace only, but by ni
Spirit; not only by the birth froll1
the Spirit, but ill the Only-Begotten Son: sons of God, beeause
memhers of Christ the Son of God; sons of God, by adoption,
as Christ i!< by X ature; but al.tual sons of God, as Christ is
actually and eternally tlte Son of GOIL God is our Father,
not by nature, but by g-race;
-et He is reaUy our }<'ather,
silH'e we arc born of Him, SOJl.
of tlte lil'illg God, born of the
Spirit. He giveth us of His Snb!'tance, His :ì\"ature, although
not by nature; not united with us, (as it is, personally, with
His Son.) but dwelling- in us, and making' us partaliers uf the
lJiz'ille
\-atllre. SUIIS of the lil'illg God must be lidng- by Him
and to Him, by His life, yea, through Himselflidng- in them,
as our S.u-iour saith \ If WI.'I 1IIall lot'e JlIe, be will keep .1JI,1f
"'(J/'ds, awl ..1(.'1 Fatlter ll'ill 100'e !tim, alld /Ve ll'ill cume wtiu
!tim, ami make Ollr ahode Il'itb !tim.
II. Then shall tlte c!tildrell of .Tlldah awl the cltildren of
Israel be gatltered togelller. A little ima/..re of this union \ral'
!:'een after the captidty in Babylon, when some of the ehildren
of h'rael, i. e. of the ten trihes, were united to Judah on his re-
turn, ami the great schism of the two kingdoms came to an
end. 3Jore fully, hoth literal Judah and Israel were A"athered
into one in the onc Chureh of Chri!'t, and all the
piritual Ju-
dah and Israel; i. e. as many of tlw (;entiles as, hy following-
the faith, bct'ame the
ons, of faithful .\hraham, and heirs of
the promise to him.
ami sltall1Jlake tltemseh-es one Head. The act of God is
named first, tlte.'1 sltall be gatltered; for without God we can
do nothing. Then follows the al.t of their own consent, tltey
sliall make thelllselæs une Head; for without us God tloth no-
thing in us. (;od gathereth, by the call of His g-race; they
make to them!'elves one Head, by obeyin
His eaH, and sub-
mittin
themselves to Christ, the one Head of tlH.' mystil'al
hody, the Chureh, who are His mcmbers. In like way, Eze-
kid foretells of Christ, of the !'eed of David, under the name
of David 2; lll'ill set "IJ olle Slteplterd Ol'eJ" tltem, and He shall
feed tltnll, eun .J.JI,I/ serumt Dal'Ùl; alld I tlte Lord lI'iIl he tlteir
Gud, amill/.If Sl'l"l'ant David, Prince all/ong tltem; and ag-ain 3;
I /('illmake tltem one lIation in tlie lalld, npon tlte mountains of
L
rael; ami olle killg sllllll be king to tltem all; alld tliey sltedl
he lW mure two natiolls, neitlter sltall tlll'.1f be dividnl into tu'o
killgdom.
allY more at all. But this was not wholly fulfilled
until Christ came; for after the Captivity they were under Zo-
robaLei as ehiet
ami Jo",hua as Hig-h Priest.
ami sltall come "p out uf tlie laud. To come up or f{o up is
a title of di
nity; whenee, in our time, people are said to go
up to the IIlctropolis, or the rnÍ\-ersity, and in Holy Scripture,
to "eome up," or " go up," out of Eg-ypt -1, or Assyria 5, or Ba-
bylon 6, to the land of promise, or 6'0111 the rest of the land to
the plan which God ehose 7 to place His name thcre, Shiloh 8,

I S. John "iv. 23. 2 Ezek. xxxvii. 23. 4. 3 xxxvii. 22. 4 Gen. xiii. 1. xlv. 25 &e.
. 2 Ki
f(s xvii... 3. xvili. 9
13. Is. x_xxvi. 1, 10. 6 2 Kings xxiv. 1. Ezr. ii. 1. ';;i. 6.
Neh. VII. 6. XII. 1. . Ex. XXXIV. 24. @ 1 Sam. i. 22. 9 2 Sam. xix. 3-1,.

or, afterwards, Jerusalem 9; and it i" foretold that tI,e 1JWIlIl-
tain of tlie Lord's IWI/se shall he e.nt/ted abure tlie !dlls; and
ma"lf natiolls shall cume and sa,lf, COIne alld let IlS gu "p to
tlie 'u/fJllltfain of tlte Lord 10. The land from whil'h they

houhl g'0 up, primarily and in imag-e, Hahylon, wherU'e God
restored the two tribes, hut, in truth and fully, it is the whole
ag-gregate of lands, the earth, the /......eat ci(ll (
f rullfllsion, whieh
Bahel desig-nates. Out of whieh they shall go up, "not with
their fcct hut with their ajfeetion
," to the city set u]Jon a liil/ll,
tlte Iteell'ellllf Jerusalem 12, and Heavcn itself, where we are made
10 sit tr
!{eilter 1l.itlt Cltri.
t13, and where ollr cUJl/'ersation isH,
that 1l'ltere He is, there may we His serl'ClIIts be 15. They aSI'end
in miml above the earth and the thing's of earth, and the low-
ne
s of earnal desires, that so they may, in the end, come up
out of the earth, to meet the Lord ill tlie air, and fur fl'er be
Il'itlt tlie Lurd 16.
fur great is tlte da.1f of .Tezreel. God had denounced woe
on Israel, under the names of the thn'e children of the pro-
phet, Jezreel, Lo Ammi, Lo Ruhamah; and now, under those
three names, He promises the re\'ersal of that !'entenee, in
Christ. He Leg-ins with the name under which He had be/o.'lln
to pronounee the woe, the first
(ln, Jezreel. Jezreelmeans
God shall sow, either for increa!:'e, or to !'eatter. "'hen
Gml threatened, .Tezreel necessarily meant, God slwll scatter;
here, when God re,-erses His threatening, it means God, sllllll
sow. But the issue of the !'eed is either
ing-Ie, as in human
birth, or manifold, as in the sced-cnI'n. Hence it is uscd either
of Him \\110 was, eminently, tile Seed of
lbraIUl1Jl, tlte Seed of
tlte 'll'Ulllllll, or of the manifold harve!'t, which Be, the secd-
eorn l7 , should bring forth, when sown in the earth, by His ,'iear-
ions Death. It means, then, Christ or Hi!' Chureh. Christ, the
Only-Begt1tten Son of God Iwfore all worlds, was, in time, also
"eollceiwd by the Holy (Thost, of the 'ïrgin 31ary," the
bon of God Alone, in a way in which no other man wa,. born
of God. (;reat thcn should be the day, when .'(
od should

ow," or give the increase in mercy, as hefore He
eattered
thcm, in His displeasure. The great Day whcrein God sho/lld
SUll', was first the da.1f whiclt tlte Lord had made IH the hll'arna-
tion, in which God the Son hceame :\1an,tlte seed (
f tI,e U'OI1Wll ;
then, it was the Passion, in whieh, like a seed-corn, He was
sown in the earth: thcn, the Resurreetion, when He arose tlte
FirsthorJl amullg mall.1I bretltreJl ; then, all the days in which
He hare 1/1/(;", fmit. It is the one day of !'ah-ation, in whieh,
generation after g-eneration, a new seed hath been or shall be
bUI"1/ unto Him, and sltall sen'e IIim 19. Evcn unto tbe end, e-
very time of any spedal growth of the Chureh, e,"ery eom"ersion
of Heathen tribe or peoille, i!:' a day of Jezreel, a day in whidl
.. the Lord !'oweth." Great, wonderti11.glorious, thriee-bles!<ed
is the day of Christ; for in it He hath dOlw great things for us,
g-athering tog-t,ther under lIim,;.elf, the Ht'ad, those st'attt'red
abroad, u'itlwllt Itope alld witlwut God ill the II'Orld; making
"1I0t :\1y people" into c, :\Iy people" and those /lut belUl'ed into
Hifi helUl'cd, the objccts of His tender, yearning compassion,
full of IIi!' graee and merey. For so it follm\"!:',

1 Kings xii. 2i, 28. Ps. exxii. 4, lie. 10 Is. ii. 2.3. ?\lie. iv. I, 2.
12 Heb. xii. 22. \3 Eph. ii. 6. H Phil. iii. 20.
16 1 Thess. iv. Ii. I, S. John xii. 24. I" Ps. exviü. 2-1.

II S. Matt. v. U.
Ib S. John xii. 26.
I
Ps. xxii. 30, L

Before
C J.l
!_ST
Clr./N.

CHAPTER n.

CHAPTER II.

13

The idolatry of the people. 6 GOd's.ÎlU[gments
against them. 14 Ilis prumises of recunciliation
II That is, with them.
II

af
i.'le. S AY ye unto )'our hrethren, 1\ AmIni;
::
:;;lm:
;'1' and to rour sist{'l's, II Ruhamah.

2 Plead with your mot}wr, plead; for C J
oÍes T
a s)U' i.
not my wift., n<'Ïther ([m I her hus- dr. it'.).
band: let her therefore put away )wr' lsai.50. 1.
b whoredoms out of her siA"ht, and her adul- b Ezek. 16.25.
teries from hetween her breasts; e

. 13. :!"2,
a Lt'st c I strip her naked, and set
;.ek. 16. 37.

I I. 1. i;!a.1f ye unto .'l/our l
rethren, 4mmi, i. c. 411.1f }Je
JJ:le,
([)ul to '10111' sister.
, Iluh(l1J/ah, 1. e. belm'ed or tender/!I pitIed.
The words form a ('limax of the I",'e of God. First, the pcople
!o'eattered \ unpitied
, and di:;owned by God=l, is re-horn of God;
then it is dcelared to be in eontinued relation to (;od, _J1.1/ peo-
pie; then to be the object of His yearnin
]ove. The words,
.J.J['1 people. may be alikc fillcd up, " ye are My peoplc," and
.. ';e ye My people." They are words of hope in pro.l
he('}',
"vc !o'hall be a!!ain
I y peoplc;" tbe) become words of JOY III
eåch ..ta!!e of fulfilment. They arc word,.; of mutual joy and
gratulation. when obeyed; they are words of eneouragement,
until obewd. God i!o' reeoneiled to us, and willeth that we be
recofleilct! to Him. Among- those who already arc God's peo-
ple, they are the voice of the joy of mutual love in the oneness
ofthe Spirit of adoption; 1{'e are Ilis people; to those without
(wlwther the ten tribes, or the Jcws or heretic's,) they are the
Hlice of those who know in ""hom they han belie,-ed, Be .'Ie
al.
o His people. ., Despair of the salvation of none, hut, with
brotherly Im-e, can them to repentanee and salvation."
Thi1' verse doses what went hcfore, as God's re'-er
al of His
own sentenee, and antil'ipates what is to clime 4. Gild (,01U-
mands the prophet
ami all those who love Him, to appeal to
thosc who forg-et Him, holdin!! out to them the merey in !o'tore
for them also, if tltey will rcturn to Him. He bids them not
to despise tllO
e yet alien from Him, "but to treat as brethren
and sister,., those whom God willeth to introducc into IIis
house, aud to call to the riehes of His inheritance."
2. Plead I('ith.'lour mother, plead. The prophets dose the
threats of coming- jud
ments with the dawn of after-hopes;
and from hopes they go bal'k to God's judgments against sin,
pouring in wine and oil into the wound,.; of sinners. The 1110-
tlier i,. the Chureh or nation; the .mIlS, arc its members, one
by one. These, when turncd to (;od, must plead with their
mothcr, that she turn also, "
hen ill\'olved in her jlUI
ments,
they must plead with her, and not aceuse God. God Iwd not
forgotten to be {{I'aciuu.'i; but she" kept not His Ion> and re-
fused Hi
friendship, and de
pised the purity of spiritual com-
munion with Him. and would not tra,-ail with the fruit of His
"ïll." <'5 The !o'ons differ from the mother, as the inventor of
evil from those who imitate it. For as, in g-oml, the soul whic'h,
from the Spirit of God, coneeiveth the word of truth, is the
mother, and who!':o profiteth hy hearing the word of doetrine
from her mouth, is the child, so, in e,-il, whatsoever !o'oul in-
ventcth cdl is the mother, and whoso is deeeÍ\ cd by hcr is the
son. So in Israel, the adulterous mother was the Snlagog-ue,
and the imlidduals deceived bv her were the sons." "
.. Ye who believe in Chri
t, ånd are both of Jews and Gen-
tiles, !o'ay ye to the broken branehcs and to the former peoplc
whic'h is cast off, .JIy people, for it is your brother; and Belm'ed,
for it i
NUllr sister. For when 6 the fulne!':s of the Gentiles shall
Im,'e cOllle in, then shall all hracI he sand. In like ,,-ay we
are hiddcn not to despair of heretics, but to ÏIwite them to re-
pentanee, and with brotherly love to long for their salvation. 7 "

1 lezreel.

: Lo-Ruhamah. 3 Lo-Ammi.
6 Rom. xi. 23, :W.

4 V. 14
qq.

· Rup.

for she is not 4J1.1/ 1l'ife. (;od !o'l'eaketh of the spiritual
union between Himself and His people whom He had ('hosen,
under the term,. of tIlt' do
c!<t human oneness, of husband and
,rife. She was no lonp:er united to Him bv faith and love, nor
would lIe any longer o,,'n her. PIt. ad thèrefort> with her ear-
nestly as orphans, who, for her !<ins, ha,-e lost thc protection
of their Fathcr.
let lieI' thaefore put away her 1l'llOredo1lls. So 1.!.Tcat is the
tender mercy of God. He !o'aYs, let her hut put a'
'av her de-
filements, and !o'he shall ag'ain be restored, as if she ]iad ne, er
fallen; J{>t her but put away all objects of attadllnent whic'h
withdrew her from God, and God will again be All to her.
adulteries, 1l'!lOredo1lls. God made the soul for Himself;
He betrothed her to Himself through the gift of the lIoh'
Spirit; lie united her to HiIll
elf. 4\1l10ve, then, out of (;mÌ,
is to take another, instead of God. /rhulll //are I ill hnn-ell
/}1(t T/lee? and there is none upon eartll tliat I desire besides
Thee.
1dllltery is to become another's than Hi,., the Onlv
Lord and Husband of the soul. Irhoredo]fl i,; to ha,-e man"
other objcets of sinful 1m-c. Lon is one, for One. The soú'
which has forsaken the One, is drawn hither and thither, has
manifold olJjeets of desire, whieh disl'lal'e one another, beeause
none sati!o'fies. JIeru'e the prophet spcaks of" fornicatiom,
adulteries;" beeause the soul which will not rest in God seeks
to di
traet herself from her unrest and unsatisfiedness, by
heaping to herself manifold lawle,.s pleasures, out of
and
eontrarv to the \\ïll of, God.
fro;1l befure ller, lit. from her face. The faee is the seat
of 1l10desh', shame, or shamelessness. Henee in Jeremiah
God says to Judah, 8 ThOll hadst a harlot'sforehead ; thOllreflls-
edst to be ashamed; ami 9 they u'ere not at all ashamed, neithe1'
will the.1f blllSh. The eyes, also, are the 10 ll'Í1Ulml's thro/(g/I
which death, i. e. lawless desire, enters into the :soul, and takes
it eapth'e.
From her breasts. These are exposed, adorned, degrad-
ed in disorderly 100-e, whieh they are emplo)'ed to allure. ße-
neath too lies the heart, the seat of the affeetions. It may
mean then that she shouhl no more g-aze with pleasure on the
objeets of her sin, nor allow her heart to dwell 011 things
whic'h she lm'ed sinfullv. \\'hen('e it is said of the lo,-e of
Christ, whieh shouhl ke'ep the soul free from all unruly pas-
sion whieh might offend Him, II _lIy u'el! Belol'ed shall lie all
night between my breasts,12 as a seal ujJon the heart beneath.
lest I strip Iter naked. c, There i
an outward ,'isible na-
kedness, ami an ilm-ard, which is im-isible. The invisible na-
kedne:-:s is when the soul within is bared of the g-lory and
the gTace of God." The ,-i"ible nakedness is the prh-ation
of God's temporal and visible g-ifb, the g'oods of this world,
or outward di:otinetion. God's inward gi.fts the sinful soul or
nation despises, while those outward gif1::- she prizes. And
therefore, when the soul parts with the inward ornaments
of (;od's graee, He strips her of the outward, His g-ifts of
nature, of His Providence and of His Protection, if so be.

; s. Jer.

9 lb. vi. 15. '0 lb. ix. 21.
l
Canr. \iü. 6.

Jl Cant. i. 13.

8 iii.3.

E

14

c lr'ì
oÍeS T her as in the day that she was d l>orn, and

ir. jH3. makt' her e as a wilderness, and set her likc
:

t:

:: ti a dry land, and ",lay IH'r with f thirst.
f t3
'0S 8. II, 4
\nd I will not hayc menTupon her ehil-

HOSEA,

dren; for tlH')' br g th(' ('hildren of whoredoms. C IPj{oreS T
5 h For their mother hath plap'd the Cif.785.
harlot: she that conceiyed them Imth done
1
,
t
: if:
shamefully: for slH' said, [ will g'o after trË

:f
',f'
15, w. &-c.

throu
h hCI" (Illt\\ anlllli
ery and
hame and pOH'rty, she may
COIllP to fcel that deeper mi
ery and elllptine!'
and di
graee
withiu, whi('h !'he had had no heart to teeL So, when our
fir
t parcllts 10!St the robe of innm'ence, they kuew that the.'1
1('el"e uaked 1.
am[ ,çct her, (lit. "I wiH.fì,t' her:' so that she shall han
no power to free hcr
elf, hut IIIU
t rf'main as a gazing stoek.) as
iu the da.'1 that .çlu' 1f'{I.Ç hUl"u, i. e. helplt"';
, defiled, nlll'lean!,pd,
unearcrl titr, unformed, ('a!'t out ami loath!'ome. Sm'h !"he
wa... in E
ypt, whi,'h is in Holy Sf'ripture spoken of as her
]Jirth-l'la('e
; for there !"he fir!'t beeame a people; thenf'e the
(Tod ofhpr fathers ('ailed her to he His pcople. There
he was
naked of the e:raf'C and of the love of (;od. and of the wisdom
of the Jaw; indwcIt by an (,,'il !'piI'it, as bein
an idolatre

;
without (Tod; and under hard bOlhlage, in works of mire
and elay, to Pharaoh, thc type of Satan, and her little ones a
)1I'ey. For when a !'oul easts otfthe defence of heavenly graee,
it is an easy prey to Satan.
aud 1IIakc hfl" as a 1l'ildel"ues,ç. alld set her as a cl1:'1 laud, mal
sla!1 111'1" lC'ith tl1il",çt. The outward desolation, which God in-
fli(.ts, i
a pi(.ture of the inward. Drou/!,"ht and famine arc a-
mon
the timr !'ore jlHl
ment!' with whi('h (;od threatened the
land, and our Lord fort'warncd them, 3 You I" house is left unto
.7/0U desolate; and I!<aiah says, 4/Vhereas thou hast bel'll fUI"-
.mlceu ami hated. ,ço that lto II/all 7l'cut tbrcmgh tlll'e. But the
Prophet does 1I0t say, 1IIake hCI" a 7eilclerlless. hut 1//ake hel" as
(l 7cilc/c'I'II('ss. The
oul of the !'inner is !'olitarv and de!'olate,
for it ha
not the }lJ"('!'cn(.t' of (
od; unfruitful:bearin
hriar

and thorn
onlv, till' it i
unbedewed bv God'
:.:-ra('e. unwatt'l"ed
by the Fountain of lh-ing waters; at"Jlil.
t, ll'ut /l'ith thir,çt for
7('ater, hut of heari"g the ]('ord of the Lord, yet aJ!'o, hurnin

with dc!'il"c. whi('h thc timl
trealll!' of thi!-- world'
1'Iea!'Ul'e
never
Iake. In contra!'t with !'1H'h thir!'t, __Jesus sav
of the
Holy Spirit \\ hich IIc would gin to thcm that hclieve in
Him, ""Iw.wel'er dri"keth (!f the /l'aft'I', that I .ç/wll giz'e hilll,
sha/luel'e," thir,çt; hut the 7l'(ltl'l', that I,çlw/l gil'c hilll, shall
he ill him a well of ]('ateJ" sprillgillg lip illto el'edastillg I
fe 5.
"6 Rut was not that eertain, whieh (Tt,,1 had !'airl, I wi/llio
more hm'e lIIpn'!1 011 the IlOuse of brapl,? How thcn doc!' (Tod
re('all it, saying-, 'Ll'f her put a/l'fl.'1 111'1' forllications, /)T. lest
I do to her thi!' or that which I havc !'poken ?' Thi:- i!< not
unlikc to that, when !'entenee had been pa!'!'ed on K clHlI'luul-
nczzar, Daniel !-oayin
, This is tll(' dun'e of the Jllo,
t IJigh,
ll'hi('b is cume upon m.'1 Lord tbe killg; tlll'.'/ ,ç/w/l dl"Íl'c thee
from 1111 II, al/([ th.'1 chl'dlillg; the
aIlle Daniel
ap;. /rhere-
fore, () I.ill,l!,', kt 111.'/ ('(mllse! hc' ([('('eptaMe IIlIto thee, alld -redce1ll
th.'1 sins h.'1 rigldeullslle,çs, ([I/(I thille illiquities b.'l Û/ell'ÏII.!::' ,,,erc:'1
on the JIIIOI".
f it ma.'! be a lengthcnillg of th.1I t],([lIquillit,1/ 7 .
"That should we karn lwrehy, but that it han
i' ul}On our
own will whether (;od
usl'end the judgment or no? For we
oug-ht. not to impute (lur own edl tn God, or impiou!'ly think
that fate ruh'
u
. In other words, thi
or that e,'il comcs.
not IJeeaIN' Gud tilrcknew or foreonlained it, but hecause thi

evil 'nl!' to he, or would he dOll(', therefore Gml hoth tilrcknew
it, and prefixed IIi:;:
entcnee ulwn it. ""lv then does (;od
predetermine an irrevocable
entenee? Becåu!'e lIe fore
aw

Z Ezek. J\.vi. I.

1 Gen.iii. 7.
3 S. :\Iatt, xxiii. 33. 4 Is. Ix. 15.

S. John iv. H. ,ii.
8, 39.

ineorri
ible mali('e. "Thy, again, after l'ronouneÍlll-\- !'entew'e,
doth (
od ('(Illnse! amendment? That we may know by e
pt'-
rienee that thcv are int'orril-\'iblt,. Therefore, lIt. wait!' fur
them, 'although they will not return, and with mueh l'atienc('
im itc!-o thclll to rC)wntaIH'e. " Individuals also repcnted, al-
though the nation was int'orrig-ihle.
-to I lI'ill not hal'e lIIen:'1 upuu ha c/,ilclren. Gorl vi!'its
the !'ins of the parent!' upon the ('hildren, until the cntailt'd
('urse be ('ut off hy repentanee. God entilrees His own word
IO-I"IlI/(lIl1ah, C"pitied, by rC}leating- it hcre, lu-anthem, " J will
not pity." Reproa('hes whi('h fall upon the mother are ever
telt with e!'peeial keenncs
. "Thell('e Saul ('aBed Jonathan,
8 Thcm sun of the J,el"l'c'rse rebelliolls lC'OIll([lI. Thercfiwe, the
more to arouse them, he says,for the.1I are the eMldrcll ofu'llOre-
clmll,ç. e,'iI children of an e\'ill'arent. as S. .John Baptist ('aIls the
hypoeritieal Jews, .'1e geueratiol/ of l'ipas 9. "This they were,
thnll their ,-erv birth and !'waddling dothe!', ncV('r tlllu'hing
any work of piëty, nor cultivating any g-ra('e." As of Christ,
and of those who, in Him, are nourished up in deeds ofrig-hte-
(m
IH'SS, it is !'aid. I ll'(IS cast npoll Thee fmm tbc -zcolllb;
Tholl ad m.'1 God .f1'CJ1II 1/1.11 mother's hel(ll, so, e(mtrar'iwi!'c, of
the ung-odly it i
said, The 7('ickcd are e,vtral/gedfrom the ll'CJ1l1b;
thc.'1 gu a.çtray ([S SOOIl as the.'1 be hOI"II, speaki"g lies. And as
they who lil'l' IWl/cst(11 as ill the clfl.1I am[ ill the lig/d, are ('allcd
childrcn of the cia.'! al/d of the lip;Id, !'o they who Ih-e a defiletl
lift, ar(' called the childreu of 1(,lwredCJIII,ç. "G To call them eltil-
C"'eIl of wlwrnlolll.ç is all one with savin:.:-, that the" too arc in-
('orriiible or UlI('han
eahle. For of su
'h, "ï!'dOlil, after say-
ing-, e.'l'ecutiug Th.'I.iudg1llellts UpOli thelll b.'1 little aJUI little,
atldeth forthwith lU, lIot beiug igllontnt tlwt tlte./I7l'ere a lIaug"'.'1
gelleratiulI, alld that tltcil" 111 a lice 7c'as bred ill thcm, ami tltat
thcir cogitatioll 7C'CiIllci 1I('l'er be chauged. for it 7l'as a curst'C1
seec/fl"olll the bl'{
iuuillg. All thi
is here expressed hriefly by
this word. that t/'c.'1 are tile eltilc/rell of 7('lwl"edollls, meaning that
their 1//alicc too wa
inhred, and that they, as Jlllwh as the .\m-
orite and Hittite, were a cUl",çed seed. Kor yet, in so !'l'eak-
ing, did he hlallle the nature which (;od ('rcatetI, but he Vl'-
henwntly reprO\-e!' the abu
e of nature, that maliee, whidl
P}eave!' to nature but was no part of it, was by eu!'tolll chan
ed
into nature."
5. Site tlwt,l'(Jul'eil'ccl tllCm batTl dcme sl/([1IIeflll1./I, lit. I/([tlt
/lIar/i'slmmeful. The !'ilence a!" to 7I'1/([t she lIlade slltlllleful i

more elllphatie than an)' words. She made sllameful e,-ery
thin/!," \\'hieh "'he eoulll make shallleflll, her acts, her children,
ancl herself.
I will go [lit. let me go, I would go] after 11/.'llrJl'e1"S. The
Hehl"t'w word .1lealwhim denote
intense pas!<ionate love;
the plural forlll implies that they w('re
inful lo\'es. Every
word a/!,"g-ravates the shameles!'ne!-o!'. Amid God'" ('ha
tise-
ment
, !'he eneourages herself, ('ome, let me go, as Iteol'lt. har-
den amI embolden, and, as it were, la!<h themseh-e!' into further
!'in, Jc!'t they !'houl(l
hrink haek. or stop short in it. Let me
go (if tel'. She wait!< not. as it were, to be entif'cd, allured, se-
du('('d. She her!<elf, uninvitcd, unbidden, unsou
ht, (.ontrary
to the wont anti natural feeling of woman, follows after tlw
e
by whom 8he is Jlot drawn, anti refu!'es to follow God \\110

Rup.
7 Dan. iv. 24, 25,
7. 8 1 Sam. xx.
_ 9 S. :\Iatt. iii.7. 10 Wisd. xii. 10, II.

cfL\PTER II.

c 111tí e s T my lovprs, i t hat
ive me my hread and my
cir, i8.j. water, my woul and my flax, mint' oil and
I I::: t.l
;-. my t {Irink.
t }
tb3.d;tk', 6.,-r Therefore, behold, k I will ht'd
c
ta
;:
: 7, 9. up thy way with thorns, and t make u
t Heb. u.all a wall.

wouM draw her 1. The IOl'c'rs are, whatever a man love!' and
courts nut of God, Thev WCI"C the idols and ÜII
e
od
, whom
the Je
n: like the heath
n, took to them!'eh-e:-:, beside!< (';(1(1.
ßut in tr:lth the,- were de,'il!<. De, il
she sou
ht ; the will of
de,"ih: she follm;-eel: their IJlca..ure :-:he fulfillcd, abandouing
her!'df to sin, shamefullr tillcd n ith all wiel
ethles!<, and tra-
vailing with aU mauer of impurity. These she professcd that
!'he lon
d, awl that they, not (';IItI, lo,"ed her. For whoever
reeeÏns the gins of (ìod exeept from (;od and in God's way,
ree('i\"cs them fl"Clm de\"Ík ,n1OS0 seeks what (';od forbids,
seeks it from Satan, and holds that Satan, not (;od, loves him;
since (ìod refuses it, Satan cncourages him to po:;:st'ss him!'clf
of it. Siltan, theil, is his Im'er.
tbat gcu'e me 11I!1 bread and 111.1/ 1cater. The sense of lm-
man weakness abides, even when Divine 100'e is g'one. The
whole histor) of man's :,uperstitions is an evidence of this,
whether they have been the mere instillC'ts of nature, or whe-
ther they han attadwd themsdw!' to reli!!ion or irl'clig-ieJIl,
J('wi!'h or Pag-an or
lohammedan, or have been practised by
half-Christian
. "She is conse'ious that she hath not the!'e
thing-s by her own power, hut is beholden to some other tëJr
them: but not remembering' Him (as was eomnHlJlded) 'nlO
hadgil'en ber pO/l'er to ;:et /l'ealtll, and ricM.'Iall tlling,
tu ny'uy,
she professcs thelU to be the gifts of her lo,-ers." Bread and
1i'ater, wool ami fiax, express the nef'essaries of life, food and
clothing; mine uil and 111,1/ drink [Heb. drinks] its luxuries,
Oil inelurles also ointments, and so !'ernd both for health, food
and medicine, for anointin
the Lody, and for (lertiune. In
perfumes and f'hoiee drinks, the ridl pcople of Israel were
guilty of great profusion; whence it is said, He tllat 100'etll
1l'il/e and oil shall not be rich 2. For sueh thing's alone, the
thillg
of the body, did I
racl earc; aseribin
them to hcr false
g-mls, !'he loved tho
e
ods, and held that they loved her. In
lih.c way, the Jewish women
hamclessly told Jeremiah 3. Ice
'ii.ill catainly do u'lwt,WJel'er thing goes out of our OWIl mOllth,
to burn incense untu the qlleell of hem'ell, and to pOllr Ollt drink
lJ.ttërings unto he)', as we hm'e done, we and uw'fathers, ow' kings
aud o/(r princes, ill the cities of Judah ((Jul ill the ,
trects uf
Jerusalem. For thell fwd we plellty of l'il'tllal,
, and,cere well,
and Mil(' no el'il. Bllt since u'e left (!if' to bu)'n incense tu the
queen of hem'eIl, mul to pour out drink lJ.!tërings unto her, we
"al'e 1('cl1lted all tMllgs, and hlll'e lJeell cunsullled by the swurd
alld b.'1 the fall/ine.
(j. Therefure, i. e. beeau
e she !'aid. [will go after 1II.'llo-
1'ers, behold [ /('ill /m(l;e up th.'lwa.l/s; lit. be/wid, I hedging.
It expl"(>sse
an immediatt. future, or something- whil'h, as be-
ing' fixed in the mind of GmI, i
as certain a
if it wer(' ll('tu-
ally taking plaee. So s,,'ift and certain should be her jmlg--
ments.
T".'IWll!l. God had before I'poken qfI
rael; now He turns
to her, l'ronouneing judg-lIIent upon her; then again He turn-
eth away from her, as not dei!!ning to rcg-ard her. "If the sin-
ner's way were plain, and the soul had
till temporal prosperi-
ty, after it had turned away from its Creator, scaredy or

I see Ezek, x,"i, 31-4.

Pro :LX;, Ii.

3 xli\"". Ii, 18.

15

wall, that she shall not find lU'r paths. c l!.1{:le sT
7
\nd she shall follow after her lon'rs, cir. i8.;.
but she shall not on'rtakt' them; and she
shall st'f'k thcm, hut shall not find tlwln:
tl 1 II I I J . I ch. 5. 15,
len S 1a S 1e say, wIll
o and return to Luke 15. l
.

ne,-er l'ould it he reealled, nor \\ ouM it hear the ,'oiet' IJl'hintl
it, \\'arning- it. But when ad\"Cr!'ity hefall
it, and trihulation
or temporal diffieulties oH'rtake it in its e'ourse. then it l"('mem-
h
rs the Lord its (Ted." So it wa-; with brad in Eg-ypt.
\\ hen tlle.1/ sat hy tlte fieslt pot,... and did eat hrl'lul to tIle {'ull
amid the.fish, w!tich the.'1 did eat freel.'l, the c'w'umbers lln;i tit;
melum, they forg-at the God of their father
, and
en"ed the
idols of Egypt. Then Ill' raised up amlt' king, \\ ho made t/leÙ'
lil'c's hitter with hard bOlldage, ill 1//ortar alill ill brit'k ami ill
all tlte sen'it'e uf the field; then they gl"Oaned h.1/ reasoll uf the
bondage, ami t"e.'1 Cl"ÏlCt. ami tlteir cr!/ came lip Ill/to God h.1/
rCll.wm qf t"eiJ. bondage, llnd (;od heard their gl"Oanillg 4 . So
in the hook of J udgcs the eYer reeurring hi..;fory is, they tëlr-
sool.. God; He deli\"Cred thelll into the hands of their enemie!': :
the,- eried unto Him; He
ent them a ddh-erer. _\ wav ma,-
be f'ound throug-h a hedge of thoJ"l/s, althoug-h with pain and
suffering: through a stone wall e,-en a :,tron
man ('annut burst
a way. Tlwrtls then may be the pains to the tlesh \\ ith which
God \"i
its !<inful pleasures, so that the soul, if it would hreak
through to them, is held baek and torn: the 1('([1/ mar mean,
that all su('h !'inful jors :,hall he ('ut uff altu
ether. a
br be-
rea\"ement, po\"crty, sickne
s, failure of plans, &c. In sorr.Jw!',
we eannot find our idols. whieh, althou
h
o near, yanish fl"Om
us; but we may find our God, thou
h we are
o far from Him,
and He so often seems so tilr from u:'. .. God hcd
eth with
thorns the ways of the eleet, when they find prickles in the
thing's of time, \\ hieh they desire. They attain not the plea-
sures ofthis world which the\" ('rave." 'fhev eannot find their
}Jat!t..., when, in the speeiallo
-e of Gud, they'are hindèred from
ohtaining- what they seek amiss, .. I escaped not Thr seour-
g'es," :,ays St. AUA"u!'tine, as to his heathen state 5, ., for what
mortal ean? For Thou wert ever with me, mercifully riA"or-
ous, and Lesprinklin!! with most bitter alloy aU my unlawti.11
pleasure!'. that I might .\'eek pleasure \\ ithout aUoy. But
where to find :,ueh, I eould not diseo,'er, san in Thee, 0 Lord,
"110 teaehest hy SfJrrou-, and woundcst us, to heal, and h.ilIest
us, lest we die ti'om Thee."
7. And she ...!tall fIJI/ow after. The words rendere(lfolllJw
after and seek 6, are intensive, and e
press ,. eager, yehement
pur
uit;' and " diJi
ent .\'eare'h." They expre:,s, tog-ether, a
pursuit. whose minuteness is not hindered by its vehemence,
nor its extent and widene!-!Ò by its exactness. She "hall seek
far and wide, minutely and earefully, e\'f'rywhere and in all
thing'!', and
hall fail in all. For ei!!htcen hUlulred years the
Jt'w
lta,-e ehased after a phantom, a Christ, triumphing- after
the manner of the king
of the earth, and it ha
enr eseaped
them. The
inful :,oul will too often strugg-lc on, in pursuit
of what God is \\ ithdra\\ ing, and will not !-..;ve over, until,
through God's per
evcring- l1Ierey, the fruitless pursuit ex-
hausts her. and she finds it hopcle!'s. Oh the" ilfulness of man,
and the umH'aried paticnee of God!
t!ten shall she sa.l/, I will gu ami retur". She encourag'es
herself trembling-I}" to I"durn to God. The word
express a
mixture of purpose and wish. Before she said, " t:ome let me

Ex, ",i. 3. Xu. xi. 5. Ex. i, S, U. ii. 2':, -l.

S Conf. ii. 4.

G ::;::::. ;\i

16

c INtíes T my m first hushaml; for tllf'1l U'(lS if hettt'r
cir.785. with me than nuw.
: T<
i\.Ig: 8. H For she did not n know that 0 J
ave her
o T.:.e
9.16.17. eorn, and t wine, and oil, and multiplied
t Heb. new wine.

HOSEA,

her silver and gold, II which they prqmred c }

oI
T

ß
*

9 Therefore will J return, and p take il- II
i
h Wt
.
;-
war my corn in the tinlf' tlwrf'of, and my cl,
d8.

al,
p ver. 3.

go {{fter 111.'1 10l'ers;" now, !<he says, " Come, let me go and let
mr retllrl/," as the prodigal in the (
ospd, Ill'Íll arise ami go
to lJ1lI
Father.
'to 1/111 /irst Illlshmul. " God is the /irst JIusblllUI of the
slml, whi
'li, while )t.t pure, He, througil the low of the Holy
Ghost, united with Himself. Him the slmllonA"cth for, when
it findeth manitiJld bitternesses, a!< thorns, in those delig-hts
of time ami sense which it ('o,"eted. For when the soul bedns
to he g-nawed by the sorrows of the world whi('h she 100'eth,
then she understandeth more fully, how it was better" ith her,
with her former husband. Th
se whom a pern'rse will led
astray. distress mostly ('oll\'erts." ,. )Iostly, when we cannot
ohtain in this world what we wish, when we ha,-e been wca-
ried with the iml,ossihility of our seareh of earthly desires,
then the thou:rht of God returns to the soul; theIl, what was
before distast
ful heeomes pleasant to us; He "'hose emn-
mands had heen hitter to the soul, suddenly in memon"
rows
sweet to her, and the
inful soul determi{les to be a 'Üiithful
wife." .\nd (;()(l still nllH'hsafes to be, on her return. the
Hushand even of the adulterous soul, however far she had strav-
ed frolll Him. '
for thell it tl'as hetter 7l'Ïtft nu: thallllml'. It is the ,"oice of
till' ÌH"odiA"al son in the (yospcl, whi('h the father hears, How
1IIll/1.'1 !tired .çen'll/tls of 1/1.'1 Þàllter Itm'e bread nwuglt ami tu
.çpare. ami I perish wilh hunger! "I will sene," Israel ,,'ould
say, " the living and true (;od, not the pride of men. or of edl
spirits; for e,-en in this lite it is mlu.h sweeter to bear the yoke
of the Lord than to be the seI"\"ant of men." In regard to the
ten tribes, the" then" mu
t mean the time before the apostae}"
under Jeroboam. God. in thes(' words, softens the severity of
His upbraiding and of His sentenees of eoming- woe, by the

we(.tncss of },romised mere}". Israd was so impatient of
God's threats, that their kings and prim'e!' !'Iew those whom
lIe scnt unto them. God wins her attention to His accusa-
tion!' by this brief tempering- of sweetness.
R ],'0/' site did not kIlOll'. The prophet having, in SUI1l-
mar
1 related her fall, her ehastisenH'nt, and her recO\"ery,
heg-ins arn'w, enlarging both on the impendinA" inflietions, and
the future merev. She did nut kll07l', heeallse she would not.
she ll'ould 1/ot r
taill God ill Iler knfJ/l'let(f.[e 2. /Úwwledge, iI:
Holy S('ripture, is not of the understanding-, but of the heart
and the will.
tltal I glll'e her rorn, f)-c. The I is emphatic 3. She did
1I0t klloll', tltat it ll'as I IVho gal'e her. God g-a'"e them the corn
and 7l'il/e. am[ oil, first hecause He gave them the land itself.
They held it of Him as their Lord. As lIe says 4, TI,e land is

1/in'e, and .lle (Ire str(lngers and .wy"OIl1'ncrs witli JIe. Hp ga,-e
them also in the course of His ordinary Providence, wherein
Hc also gm-e them tlte gold (llId ,çih'er, ',,-hi('h they g'ained by
trad:ng. Silur He had so muitilllied to her in the days of
Solomon, that it was iu Jerusalem as stunes, lIothing accounted
ofS. and ,f.[old, through the favor which He gave him 6, was in
abundanee abo,"e measure.
7l'hirh tlte,l! preparedfor B
lfll. Rather, as in the Eng-. )Iar-
gin, 1l'hirh tlll.lIl/1ade into IJaa/ 7 . "Of that gold ami silver,
whieh God had so mu1tiplied, Israel, revolting from the house

1 \-e<.5-;. 2 Rom. i. 28. 3 '::1(. . Ln. xX\". 23.
1 Kings. x. 27, 21.

of David and Solonllln, madt, first the eah-es of gold, and then
Baal." Of God's own gifts they made their gods. Thev took
(iod's gifts as from their gods, and made them into g;,ds to
them. Baal, Lord, the f'amt. as ßel, was an objeet of idolatry
among the Phæni('ians amI Tyrians. Its worshill was hrought
into h:racl hv Jezcbel, dilUA"hter of a kinA" of Sidon. Jehu de-
stro,-ed it foi. u tillie, beeause its adherents were adherents of
the house of
\IJab. The wor!'hip was partly eruel, like that
of )Ioloeh. partly abominable. It had this ag-gra,"ation he-
yond that of the cakes, that Jezehcl aimcd at the extirpation
of the worship of God, settin
up a rinll temple, with its 450
prophets and 40(} of the kindred idolatry of .\shtaroth, and
slaying all the prophets of (yod.
It seems to us
trange folly. They attributed to gods, who
rqJresented the functions of nature, the Po\\ er to g-ive what
(
od alone gh"es. How is it different, whcn men now say, "na-
ture," tlm's this, or that," or slwak of" the operations of na-
ture," or the la,,-s of " nature," and ig-nore (yod "'ho éll'l'oints
those laws, and 7l'urketh Milierto 8" those operations ?" They
attributcd to planets, (as haw astrolo
ers at all times) influ-
ence o\"Cr flu> affairs of men, and worshipped a g-od, Baal-
Gad, or Jup;ter, who presided owr them. "'herein do those
otherwise, who displaee God's PrO\ idcncc by fortune or fate
or destÍln-, and say" fortune willed,"" fortune denied him," "it
was his t'ate, his ilestiny," and e'-en when God most sil!nally
interposes, shrink from naming Him, as if to speak of God's
Providenee were something- !'upcrstitious? "-hat is this but
to ascribe to ßaal, under a new name, the works and gifts of
God? And more widely yet. Sim'e" men haw as many
strang-e gods as they have sins," what do they, who seek plea-
sure or gain or greatness or praise in forbidden ways or from
forbidden sources, than make their pleasure or gain or am-
hition their god. and offer their time and understanding and
ing"enuitv amI intelleet, vca, their whole lins and their whole
sekes, tilCir souls and b;)dies, all the g'ifts of God, in sacrifice
to the idol whieh they ha,"e made? "Kay, sinee whosoenr be-
lie,-es of God otherwise than He has revealed Himself, does,
in fad. belie,"c in another good, not in the One True God, what
else docs all heresy, but form to itself an idol out of God's
('hoicest gift of natiue, man's own mimi, ami worship, not in-
deed the works of man's own hands, but the ereature of his own
understanding?
9. Tlterefure Ill'ill reillm. God is. as it were. absent from
men, when Ùe lets them go on in their abuse of His g'ift
.
J/i.çjlldgmellts lire fllr lIlJm'e 0111 of tlteir ,çjgltt. He ref urns to
them, and His Presence is felt in ehasti
ements, as it mig-ht
have been in mert'Íes. He is not out of sig-ht or out of mind,
then. Other
render it, I will film, i. e. I leill do other thall
before; I ll.ill fum from Ion to displeasure, from pouring out
hem.fits to the infliction of chastisements, from
JiTing a-
bundanee of all thing-s to puni
hing- them with the want of
all thing's.
I leill talte llll'lIl! JIll com in tile time Ihereof. God shews
u
that His gift
("OIiw from Him. either by gi, inA" them when
we almost despair of them, ur taking them away, when they
are all but our's. It can seem no chance, whell He so doeth.

6 lb. ix. H. x. 10, H.

7 See \'ill. 4. Ezek. xvi. 17-19.

8 S. Joh. v. 17.

CIL\PTER II.

c .
J'î{o
es T wine in the spason thereof, and will II re-
dr. í8.
. c'oyer Ill\' wuol anti IllV flax gÜ'(,ll to ('oyer
Ii Or,takeawa.'I. hpr nak
clness. .
p
z;;.' i!?::!í. 10 And nuw q will [ dispon'r her t lewd-
t !leb.folly, npss ill the sip:ht of her loyers. and none
or, fJilla"!I. shall dplin'r 111'1' out of mill(' hand.

The chastisement is se, crer also, when tIlt'
o(l(l thinU"!o', lon

lookt'd-for. arc' at the la
t. taken nut flf our very hand
. anrl
that. when thc'
e is no renwdv. If in harn'st-time there be
dearth, what afterwards! " (
mI taketh away all. that tlwy
who knew not the Gh-cr throu
h abmulanee, mi
ht know Him
throu
h want."
a'lId ll'ill rcr()1"er
lbl 'wool. God recoz'er,ç. and. as it wpre,
delh'eI",ç the works of iIis lIand
from sen-in
the un
odlv.
"-hile Ht'lcan's His creatures in the po
se,,
illl; of the wiekccl,
they art' holdclI, a)Ò it were, ill eaptivity, being- kppt hae'k from
their l'rllpcr u!o'es, and made the haIHhnaidpll)Ò and in!"truments
and tempter
to sin, God made IIis I'reature
on earth to
!o'ern' man, that man, on oec'a
ion of them. mi
ht g-Iorify Him.
It is a
ainst the order of nature, to use God'" gift
to any o-
ther ellcl. !o'hort of God'
don-; llIueh more. to turn G"d'

ift

again!-t Him)Òelf, ami III
ke them !'('rve to pride or hl"u
y or
!o'en!o'ual sin. It i
a hUlula
e, as it were, to them. "-hence
of them also
t. Paul saith 1, The rreatllre I('(l"
]!.wde sIlIY'l'ct to
f'llJiÏty, not 1cilling(lj, and all rrention groafleth l
lld tNll'ailetli
ill pain togetller Ill/til IWll'. Penitents ha,-c felt this. They
ha\"e felt that thev deserH' no more that the sun
hould shine
on thell/, ur the ea'rth sustain them, OJ' the air support them, or
wille refresh them, or food nouri
h them. ,.inc(' all tlwse arc the
creatures and sen-ants of the God "'hom themselves ha,-e of-
fended, and the,- them
cln's desc'ne no more to II(' !'ened bv
(
od's sernmts, 'sinee they have rebelled a
ainst their c'omllloil
)Jastel'. or to use e\"en ri
htly what they have abused against
the will of their Crcator.
lII.'I.fla.
', gh-en to em'a Iter Ilakedlless, i. e. "hieh God had
given to that end, Shame was it, that, eowred with thc rai-
Il/ent which (;od had gin>n her to hide her shame, she rlirl
dced
of shame. The white linen garments of her Priests al-
!'o were symbuls of that purity. whil'h the Great IIi
h Priest
should han' and g-i\'e. Xow, withdrawing those g-ith. He g.u-c
them up tu the g-reatest ,-i
ible shame. !<ueh as in!'olent con-
queror!', in leading- a peoph' into eapth ity, often inflieted upon
them. TIU'reby, in ad, was tig-ured that loss of the robe of
ri
hteOlNlt>ss, hea\-enly graee, wherewith God beautifies the
soul, whcreof when it is stripped. it i
indeed foul.
10. her lewdl/ess. The word oriU"inally mean!' foll!!. and

o foulness. For
in is the only real folly, a
holine
s i
the
only true wi
dom. ßut the follv of sin i
wiled amid outward
pro!'perity, and lIIen think theni
ch-es. and are thong-ht, wbe
and honourable and in I!ood repute, anti are eentres of attrac-
ti
n
nd leaders of "oeiety,
o long- as they pro!<l)('r; a
it is
"atd, so IOllg ((S tho/( doest ll'elt /lido th.'lselj, wel/ ll'ilt speak
It'ell (!f thee. But a!< soon a!' (;od withdraw!< those outward
;.6fh, tht, mask drol's off, and men, being no lon!!er dazzled,
de
pi!'e the sinnt'r, while they go on to hUI! the !<in. God
say!< I leill discol'fr, as ju..t before lIe had said, that His
ifts
had been
Í\-en to C(}l'er hcr. lIe would thenlav her bare 'out-
wardly amI inwardly; ht'r folly, foulne
s, wic'ke
hlPss, and her
outward shame; and that, ill the sight of !tfl' Im'ers, i. e. of
tho!'e whom
he had dlosen instead of God, her idols, the hea-
l Rom. \ iii. 20,22. 2 Ps. xlix. 18. 3 See Introductioõ1, p. 2. 4 Zeph. i. 5.

17

II r I will also cause all her mirth to ('cast:', c ]p
ts T
hpr · feast days, her np\\" moon!>., and her cir. íl>.-..
sabhaths, and all lwr !-olenlll feasts. : tK:.\2

,
I:!
\nd I will t dt'stro
Ilt'r YÍnl's and t

:
.j:
{

her fig tn'cs, t whereuf she hath said, These t
;:
/5
e.
arc my rewards that my 100-ers han' p:iH'1l

venly hodies, the false g-ocis, amI rcal de\ ils.
atan mu!'t jeer
at the wretelwd ff))lv of the scmls whom hc d
c'ein'
.
alld IIOlle s/Iltli dc/it'er !tCI" o/(t of Jbl ;'((lId. Xeither
rehel
l'irit!< nor rchel men. Thc' eviI' !o'pir"ït!< WOlllet prolonl!
the prosperity of the wieked, that so they lIIig-ht
in the
more deeply, and mig-ht not rqwnt, (which they set' men to
do amid (
()d's chasti
ements.) ami so mi;.rht iu('ur the deep-
('r damnation.
J 1. I leillalso ('{Illse !tel" mirth to cease, her fea,
t tln.'ls, f;c.
Israel had forsaKen the templt' of God; despi!'ecl His priests:
rt'eeÎ\-ed from J crohoam oth('rs whom (
od had not c'llII"en;
altel'ed, at )('a
t. one of th(' te
ti\-als; c'elebrated all, ,,-here God
had forhidden ; and worshippcd the Cr('ator under the form of
a brute ereature 3. \ et they kept the g-reat feast days, where-
hv thev eomlllenwrated Hi.... merc'ie... to their forefathers: the
1I
1l' lIl;J(JIlS, whereby the fir"t of e,-ery month wa
I!h-en to God;
thc sabhaths, whereby thcy owned God as thc Creator of all
thing-
; and tilt tlte otl)('r solelllll/e(/sts, whereby they thanked
(
od fflr aets uf His
peeial Prcwidenee, ur fur IIi
annual gift

of nature, and eondenmed them
eln's ft)r trusting- ill false
ud"
ftlr those same g-ifh, and ff)r a

oeiatin
Hi
ereaturc" \\ ith
Him!o'clf. ßut man, evcn while he di
(lI)t'\"!' Gild, doc.. nnt like
tn part with Him altu
ether. hut wuuld sên-e Him en(lU
h tn
!'onthe hi.. o\\"n eons('ienee, ur as t
tr as he ('an withuut part-
in
with his sin whieh hc luves better. Jerohoam retained
aIi uf God'
worship, whieh he e(mld t'umbine with hi!' own
political end... ; and e\Tn in .\hah'
time Israel/wltl'll !Jetll'eell
two opillions, and Judah Sll'a,.e both b!J tlte LO,.tllllUl b!1 JIal-
r1WIIlt, the true God and the fal,,('. .\ll this their wnr"hip
was vain, bet'ause contrary to the "ïll of God. Yet
ince (;.,d
says, I,('ill take (/Ii'll.'! all Ite,. mirt!t, they had, what they sup-
posed to be, reli
iou
mil.tlt in their ft'asts. fulfilling as they
thoug-ht, the eommandment of God. TIIOIl shalt r
i(Ji('e in til.1I
feasts". She eouId han no real joy, !<inee truc jo
is ill tlee
Lon/ 6 . So, in order that she mkht not deeeÍ\-e herself any
more, (;ml san. that He will take awav that fei
ned for-
mal !'en-ice ot
Himsdf. whic'h the\" hlelicled with' the real
sen'ice of idol
, and will remon the hollow outward joy,
that, through repentance, they mi;.rht e'llme to the true jo

in Him.
I:!.
/Ild Iwill destro!/herrille,çmu/ Itnfigtrees. ßt'fore,
God had threatened tu take' away the fruits in theil' seLl"un

no,,' He sap. that Ht, will take a
\'ay all hope for the future,
not the fruit onh- hut the trees whic'h hare it. .. The yine is
a symhol uf joy: the fig of
weetnt'ss Î," It wa!o' the I'lal!ue.
whieh Gud in former times laid upon tho"e, out of the midst
of whom He tuok them to he Hij; people, 8 IIe smote their
l'ines also alld their.t
!.j t,.ees, nnd brake the trees (
f t/eei,. coa
t,\..
XO\\ that thev h<u1 hec'ome Jike the heathen, lIe dealt ,nth
thelll as \\ ith the heathen 9.
of 1l'!â('1t site said, these are m.1J reu'art!s; lit. 11/.1/ hi,.e. It
i.. the spec'ial word, used of the payment to the adulteress, or
deg-radt'd woman, and so {'ontinues the likeness, by whieh he
had set forth the foulness of her desertion of God.

Deut, x\i. H. 6 Phil. i\". 1. 7 See Jud. ix. 11, 13. s P,. C\. 33. 'See Jer. v. Ii.

F

If'

n
fore
CIlIt!ST
(.jr.7...;J.

me' and 11 I will make tlwl1l a fè)rest, and
the heasts of thp fiplfl shall eat tht'm.
la
\nd I will visit upon llt'r the days of
Baalim, wht'rt'in she hurned ilwpnse to
them, anti she x det'ketl llt'rself with ht'r

\I P
.
u. 1
, 13.
I
ai.:J. 5.

. Ezek. 23.40,
4')

nOSE
\,

eaI'rings and her jewels, and sIlt' weut after c Ir
[O?s T
her loyt'rs, and for
at JUe, saith the LORH. cir. i!35.
I....
Thert'for(', hehold, [ will allure her,
and y hrin
her into the wilflerness, and Íi

};i

dl
:"
speak II t ('oJ)}f()l.tah1r Onto her. t

i.'O he..

mill T lI'ill 1/1([1.-(' tlWIII ([ for('st. Thc \"Înc!'i <Hul fig tn'es
which had afjJretime Iwen their wealth, and full of beaIlÌ\'.
should. when n('glel'tt'II, run wild, ami hCl'ome the harhour
f
thc wild heasts whil'h sllllllld pl'ey 1Ipon them. So to tIle
wil'kcd (
1I(1 causes that tlu' thillgs whit-Ii .
/uJ/tld IUlI'e b('1'1I
fur t/wir 1Cl'ftlth ,
//(JI({,[ he flU (J('('aÚ(1/l offallillg 1. They ('on-
tail; in thclllst'\n's the sourl'es of thcir own del'av.
l:t 11l'ill l'isit UJiOIi her tIle da,ll,ç of Ra(tli
lI, or Ba"I,
.
"'hen men lean' thc one true God. thcv makl' to tlU'lUseln'

lUany idols. They act a!'i if they ("ouM 'makc up a god pieee-
lII('al01lt uf the lUéUlV ath'ibutc!'i of the Om' (-iod, and l'l"('ate
their Crcator. IIis IJtl\H'r of pwdul'tion hCl'omes one
:OIl; I1is
pmn'r of dC!'itro
illg, allother; His PW\"Ïdcm'e, a thinl: amI
";0 on. down to the VCl"\' lcast al.ts. So the\" had lUallV ßaa\s
or Lords; a lJa([l-beritil
, Lord of ('()l'('/WlltS: who was t
, guard
thc salH,tity of oaths; Bllal-z('/mb:\ Lo/"d (
f .flies, who was to
keep oft' the plague of flies, and Baal-Pmr t, who IJresidt.d on'r
!<in. .\H these their nn'iou!'i idolatrie!", and all the time of their
idolatrics, (;1111 threaten... to visit upon tlll'1ll at onl'e. "The
d[lY
(If puni!"lllllent shall equal the days of the wandering!'. in
whil'h
he hurnt im'cw<t. to ßaa\." God spares long. tiut
when pcr!'i(',"cring illlpcnit('nce draws dmrn His ang-er, IIc pun-
ishes not for tht. last sin only. hut for all. I:vcn to the peni-
tent, God mo!"tly makes thc I'hastiscmellt bear some proportion
to thc len!.:"th aJUt :!reatness of the !<in.
1(.ller(';1I s/'e hltJ
nt im-eu,
e untu tltem. hwense was that Imrt
of !'ial'rifil'c whieh espel'ially denotcd thanlisgiving am\ lu'ayer
asccndinA" to God.
(flUi sIll: derl.-ed Iwrs(.lf witlt Iter (.ar-rings ami Iter Jell'els.
t:hri!<t says to the hridc5, TIt,lI rllld.-s are t'O/Jtet.1f ,,'itlt NJil'S of
.iell'eÚ, tll.'1 ne(,k witl, "'wins of p,-oM. But what lIe ,!:'Cl\'e }Icr
she threw away upon another, amll'a.
t her pcarls before sleine.
She dl.rked Iterse(f, i. e. made God's ornament!< her OWII. nsed
them not a.. He ga,-e them, hut artificially as an adultercss.
.\nd what else is it, to u
e wit m' heauty or any gin of God,
for anv t'nd out of (;od? "G The ornamcnts of !'imtls whil'h
I'\wosë to scrve idols, is to fu\fil tho!"e thin:!!" whit'h seem :!o"d
tu the UllI'lean spirit..... Very heautiful to' dedi... must b
' the
sin-lm'inA" soul, whi,'h I'hoo!'it's to think and to do whatsoevcr
i!'i fo'wet't to, and Im'ed hy th('III." Sin!'i of the flesh heinp: a
part of the worship of Haal. thi!'i g'arish tril'kcry and pains to
attract had an immelliate oft('nsÍ\-encss, hesides it,.; hdon
ânp:
to idols. lIe still pi('tm'es her as !"eeking', !lot sllU
'ht hy Ill'r
)O\'er!'i.
lte went after I/{'r 100'er,ç awl fo/"!;at
lIe. The ori-

inal has A"reat emphasis. ."11l' U't'Jd affl'/" Iter IOl'er.
, and
lle
.;/'e .forgllt, ,mitlt tl/{. Lord. Shc went aftcr nUlitie
, and (;od,
her .\11, !-he fm'gat. SUI.h is the I'lmral'ter of all engros!"ing
passion, such i!'i tlw ('1I\1I'se of sin, to which the soul gives way,
in anlril'e, alllhitiulI, worlllline:,i!'i, !<cn
ua) !"in, gmllcss scieJ}ee.
The soul, at last, doc!< not rchd against (;od; it forgets Him.
It is taken up \\ ith other thing's, with itselt
with the suhjeets
of its thoug'hts, the uhjects of it,.; aRt'eticlIl!<, amI it has no timc
for (;od, bel'ause it has no 100'e ttJr I1im. So God eomlJ)ains
of .f uda" hy .h'remiah, tllcir fat/'ers Itlll'e forgotteli JIy name
for B([(({í.
I p.. hi.. 2:!. 2 Jud. ,iii.

. 3
Kiugs i.
. . Kum. XX'". 3. b Canl. i. ]f).
· S. C) r. j xxiii.
i. add J ud. iii. ï. 1 Sam. xii. \.I. Jer. ii. 32. iii. 20. xiii. 2:;.

14. Tlten.fore. The inferew'e is 1I0t what wc should ha\"C
e
pel'ted. Si;l and for/!:etfulness of (;(1(\ arc not the natura)
('auses of, and indlH'ements to merl'Y. ßut God dcals not with
us, a!'i we aet onc to anothcl". Extreme mist,!"), and degrada-
tion re, olt man; man's l1Ii!'('rie,.; Ïtn ite (;od's men'it.s. (;Od
t"ere/ore has lIIerl'y, not hceanse ,n' de
erv(' it, but bet'ause
w(' necd it. He tlter(/ore' dmws us, heeause we are ";0 deelJly
sunkcn. Hc I'rel'aJ'l'th the soul hy those Imrder lIIean!'i, and
then the dCl'ths of hcr misery ery to the dC}lth,.; of lIis cOJn-
passion, and heeause dHl!<ti
cmcnt alone would stul,ify hel',
not melt her, lIe I'hange,.; His wrath into merey, and
peaks to
thc hcart whieh, ti,r her salvation, IIc has broken.
1 l(.ill allun. 1m'. The original word is usccl of one readi-
ly entjt,t'd, as a simple one, wh
ther to good or iJI. God use,.;,
as it were, Satan'!'i weélpons again!'t him
elf.
\!< Satan had
t.nticed the soul to !"i II , so wouM God, by holy entieenl('nts
and IJcrsuasÍ\"encss, allure her to Himself. God too hath swect-
nesses for the pcnitcnt soul, far ahm'e all the sweetness of pre-
sent earthly joys, mueh more, above the bitter swcctne!<;!"es
of sin.
1 Jf.ljself (
ueh i
the emphasis) will allure Iter. God
\\ ou\d shew her sOlllethillg of His ßl'auty, am\ make her taste
of lIis Love, and gi,"e her
ol1le sueh glimpse of the joy of His
g"ood I'lea
lIr(', élS !'illOlIld thriJI hel" and make her all her life
IOIlg' follow aftcl' what had, as throug'h the donds, opened up-
on her.
aud ll'ill hriu/( I/{'r iuto the 1l'ilrllTJil'ss. God, when He
hrou
'ht I!<rael out of E1!:rpt, led hcr apart from the pres,.;ure
of her hard hmulagc, thc sinful sclf-indlllgclU'es of Eg
pt, and
the ahominations of their idolatries, into the wilderJles!<;, and
there, away from thc e\Í1 e
am}lles of the nation from whil'h
He drew her ami of those whom
he was to di!'ipo
,.;es
, He

a,'c hel' IIis law. and taught her IIi,.. wor
hip, and broug'ht
her into covenant with Hil1lsclP. So in the heginning of the
(
ospd, Chri,.;t allurcd !;oul!<Ò by IIi!'i A"oodncss in His miraeles,
and the tenderne!o's of IIi!< words, ami the sweetness of His
IJreaf'llÍng and His promises, and the attraetiveJl(''';s of His sut:..
fcrill
!:s, and the mighty manifcstations of His Spirit. So is
it with t'aeh penitent sou\; God, by IJrivation or suflerillg, turns
her from her idols. fwm the turmoil of the world and its dis-
tractions, am\ spcaks, Alonc to hcr alone.
ami ,\jJml.- to her IIl.art; lit. ou her heart, making an im-
pre!'sion m. it. soothing" it, in words whieh will dwell in it, and
rest there. Thus within, not with01lt, 911e puttetli Ilis hl1l',y
iu tlte mimi, aud u'ritetlt tltem iu the /tea1"t, not with iuk, but
witlt the A""pÍ1'it of the lil'Íug (;od. (;od slwaks to the heart, 1'0
as to reaeh it, soften it, eomfort it, traJl(J!liJlise it, and, at the
last, assnre it. lIe shall !'ip('ak to hcr, not as in Sinai, amid
hl{ld(JJe,
.
aJili darkne,çs ami fl'mpest, and the ,wJUud of a trlim-
}J(.t, ami tlte ,'oice of ll'ords, 11'/tiCIt l'o;,'e the.1f that h('(lJ'd in-
treated t/tat tlu: u'urd should not be' spoken tu tllem any more 10 ,
but to the Itea/"t. Rut it is in solitude that lIe so slJeaks to
the 1'11li1 and i!'i heard by her, warning', reproving, piereing,
penetrating through every fold, until lIe readle!< the very in-
most heart and dwells there. .\nd then lIe infu,.;eth hope of
xviii. 1:;, EæK. xxii. ]2_ xxiii. 35. I.. xvii.]I). Ps. ix. Ii. I. 22.lxx\Ïii. 11. cvi. 13,21.
" See Ezek. xx. 31-3G. 9 H
b. ,iii. 10. 2 Cor. iii. 3. 10 Heb. xii. 18, HI.

CIL\PTER H.

Refore
CHHIST
cir. íb-i.

1;) .And I will {J.i\"c her lwr "Ï1wnl1'ds from
thl'net', and z the
'aU('r of ...\c'hor' for a door
of hOI)(': and sIlt:' shall sing thc're'. as in
a thl' dar s of her youth, and b as in tht' dar

z Josh.i. :!f;

Isai. 1"5_ III,
a Jer.2. :!.
Ez
I-. Iö. 8,
22,1j(). d Ex. 15. 1.

H)

wh{'n slIP eanw up out of the lanel of Eg:l)f. C Hnì!Ir
T
Hi
\nd it ",hall he at that day, saith dr. ïl'

the LORn, thllt thou shalt e'aU me 1\ lshi; II T.:,':

"/I,,
and shalt caU me no mOl'" II Haali. \I
;:
o
d.

pardon, hindleth Illn', enlip:htl'neth faith,
n.th tCl'lin1!!o' of
I'''ild-like' tru!o't. lifteth thl' soul trcmhlin
lv to ele,l\ e to lIim
\\'ho
p ,oit'e !o'he ha
heard \\ ithin hcr. . Thcn IIi
infinite
ßeauty tllut'lles the heart; lIis I1olinl'!'s, Truth. :\[t'rI'Y, pene-
trat(. the slIul; in !o'ilcnl'e and !ootillne
!' the sllUllcarn!o' to I,nllw
it
elf aIllI (;11(1. to rl'lH'nt of it

ins, to emlllul'r
elf, to l\lc'di-
tatc on (;11(1. Come uut from (lIIIOI/.!!,' them alld be !Ie separate,
.mitlt the Lord, and tourlt lIot tlte 1lllrlerlll thing, ((ml I will
'reccÏl'e .'IOIl 1.
" 2 Seareh we the Seriptures, and we
hall find, that
cldmn
or neH'r hath God
l'oken in a multitude; hut !<o oftcn a
He
wouM han' anythin
knllwn to man, fIt' !oohe\\-ed Him
elt
nllt
to nation!' or Í)eople, hut to individual
. or tll very few. mI(l
thosc
everl'd frol\l thl' eomnwn t'Olll'ourse of 111('11, or in the
..:ih'llI'l' of the ni
ht, in fields Ill' !o'olitu(lc!o', ill moulltain...: or
,-allic!o'. Thu!o' He !o'l'ake with Xoah, .\hraham. J
aaf'. Jal'oh,
)lo
es. Salllud, l),l\-id. and all the Pr(lphet
. ""hy i
it. f;od
alway
spealieth in
l'eret, exec'flt that He would I'all U!o' apart?
""hy
pcakcth He with a few. ex('cpt to clIllel't and
ath('r us
into oue? In thi!o;
olitude tloth (;od !o'peah to the soul, from
the beg'iuning- of it
ellll\-er
ioll to the lonclineio'!o' of death.
Here the soul. whieh, o"er
I)read with darkne:o;,;;, knew neither
God nor it
clf.learn
with a pun' heart to Imow God. Here,
pl<wed aloft, she
ees all earthly things flee away beneath hcr,
yea. hel'
df al!,11 pa!'sing away in the
weepin
tide of all pa,.
-
in
thillg:o;. " Hcre "lit, learns, and !o'ounlearn!< her sin
.
ee

and hate
her
clf, sel'S and 100'e!o' God. Onlv" 3 the :o;olitudt,
of thc hod v a\'ailt'th not, unl..!'" there he tlie !o'olitude of the
heart." :\nd if God !o'O speah to the penitent, mueh nwre to
!'oul... who eon
el'rate themsch-e
wholh-. deave wholly to Him.
meditate on Him. By lIis pre
enep .<-!- the
oul is ren
wecL and
..IeadlI
, a!< it were to Him. feel
the
weetne

of an inward
ta!'te. !'Ì)iritual uJlderstandin
. enli
hteninp: of faith, inerea!'('
of hope. fcelinA" of compa!o'!o'ion. zeal for ril!hteou
ne

. ddip:ht
in ,-irtue. She hath in ori
lIn familiar eon,-erse with (;od,
feeling that she i!o' heard, and mo
tly an
wered;
peaking face
to face with (;od. and heariug" what Hod sl)eaketh in her, eon-
!<traiuiul! God iu prayer ami sometimes pn'\<\iling-."
},). AmlIIl.ill gil'e Iter !tel' l'ille,ll(ll"llsfrom thence. God's
mel"l'ie
arp not only in word, but in df'ec1. He lIot only !<l)eak

to her hcart. hut He restore
to her what He had takpn from
her. He promi
e
, not only to re,"erse Hi!< sentenee, but that
He would make the :o;orrow it!<clfthc
ouree of the joy. He
!'ay!o', I \\ ill give her haek her ,iueyaf(l
tlll'lice, i. e. from the
wilderne,,
it
clf; as cl
ewhere, He sav
The !('ilderne,
s ,
hal/
be a fruitful /ìeld 5. ()e
olation !;hall he'the nwaus of her re-

tor
d in'hcr'ïtalwp and joy in (;0(1. Through fire and druu
ht
are the IWW fla
on
dried and prepared, into which the new
wine of the (;oslwl i!o' poured.
and tlte 1'(I/le.'1 (!f Arbor [lit. troubling] for a door (!f !tope.
As, at the fir",t taking- lJO

es
ion or the pr()mi
ed land. J:o;rael
learnt through the transgTession and IHlui!<lunent of .\('han.
to !o'tand in awe of Gorl. and theuceforth aU went well with
them. when they had wholl" ti'eed them!'eh-e!o' from the a('cur
-
ed thing, SII to them "hall ,,''''orrow hc turned into joy, and hope
I 2 Cor. vi, Ii.
H
'go
e S. \ïe,t:.<le Arc. Koe. iv. 'I-.!!, Lap. 3 S. Gr
.

tor. XXX, I:!. Lap.
Ihe. \ let. III Cant.m.4, Lap. . I
a. XXXII. 1';. . Jo
h. \ii. ]]-1':;.

dawn there, where there had been despair." "Therefore only
had thcy to endure chasti..emcut!<, that through thcm they
might attain hlcs
ing's." It wa.. throup:h the puui
hmcnt of
tho..:c who trouh!nl the true [.1"([('1, .. the Ilc!<tnwtion of Jeru-
!o'alem. that to the .\po411'
'lIId the re
t who helieved. thc hore
Ill' \"Ïetory O,"t')" the wholp world wa... opened." .. l/ope." The
word mllI'e fully mean
, a" patient, eudurin!.:' lon
ing." To
e.lI'h rpturning" soul, tll(' l'al/e!/ of tl"fluble, or the lowline:-!' of
repcntarJl'e. beeometh (( door (!l patient louging. not iu it",elf,
but bel'ause God ginth it to he so: a lou
iug" \\ hieh reac!tet!t
Oil, (lwaitetlt on. cnterin
within the veil, and hound fa
t to
tht' Throne of God. But then onlv, when none of the flC-
cllrsed tMng 6 dea\'eth to it. wht'n it 'has no resen-c,; \\ ith God,
and retain
nothinl! for it
clf, \\ hich God hath eondemnec1.
(/Jul sIt(, shall ,
illg thue as ill tlte cla.'fs of her .'fouth. The
song- i
a re!'ponsh>e !<ong, I'hoir an
wering ehoir, eaeh !o'tirring
up the other to praise. and prai
e el'hoing prai
('. a
I ",rae( did
after thp ddh-erance at the Red
ea. .. 7 Then sang _'loses ami
tlte cltildren of Israel t!tis song unto tbe Lord. I fl'iIl .
illg
Ullto the Lord,for He !tath triulJlphed gluriuus'.,!. Aml_'Jiriam
tlte prophetes,
. the sister of Aarull, took a timhrel, ami all the
,('(mlell I('eut out ({fter !tel'.
-llld Jliriam ((Il.'1u'ered them, Siug
.lle to tlte Lord, fur He hath triulJlphed gloriuusly. So tI,e Se-
mpMIII .
ing one to mlOtller, I-IO(II, Ito(l/, Iwl!/ 8 ;
o S. Paul f'X-
hort
(,hristian
to admonish ulle another ill psalms ami It.llmnS
((lid ,
piritual souf[s, .
illgillg with grace ill their Itearts tu the
Lord
; "'0 the Jewish psalnwdy passt'd into thp Chri..:ti.1II
t:hureh, and the hlcs..:ed in heaven, ha, ing" on the ('1'0,"," pa!;!<ed
the trnuhlesmne sea of this world, sing the lieu' .
Ollg of
1lfJses
alld of the Lmnh 10.
.She shall sill[( there. "'here? There, where He {[l/lIreth
her, where He leadetlt her, wherc He speaketll to Iter heart,
where He inworketh in her that hope. There !'hall she i'ing,
there gÏ\ e pl"ai
e and thank
."
as ill the da.lls (!f 1m' ,lloutlt. lIeI' youtlt is explainerl, in what
fonow
, to be tbe da.,!.
u'hell sI,l' c{[me up out uf tI,e laud (!f E-
B:'lpt, whcn
he "liS fÏr!'t hom to the kno" ledl!e of her (
od.
when the pa!o't irlolatrie
had becn for
Í\-en and eut off, and
!o'he had all the ti'e
hne
" of ne\\" life. and had not vet wa
ted
it by rebellion and sin. Then God first ('aIled ISl"(u,i,
'lll jirst-
hO/"l
son. Jllf MJII.
1I'1 jirstlJ(Jrll ll . She mll,e up iìit;) the
land whieh G
,d eho!o'e,
Hit of J
grpt, !o'inee \\e go up to God
and to thing"!' ahtl\"e, a
, on the other hand, the Prophet
ays,
/roe to tho.\'c u'ho go down to EI;,lfpt 12. for the aid
of this
world; and the man who wa1'i wounded, the pieture of the
humanl'aee. wa
goiJlf[ dmvn fr()}Jl Jerwwlnll tu .[erirl,o 13.
W. ./ud it slUill he-thou .'111(11/ ca/l _'II'lshi [m.lf lIushanú,]
([ud shalt ('(Ill Jle 110 1I101'C Baali [1II.lf Baal, Lord.] Baal,
originally Lord. wa
a title !;l1metimps giwn to the hU!o'hand.
.. The lord of the woman," .. her lord." .. the heart of her
lord," !o'tand for'; the hu
hand. ,. .. her hu",hand B." (;od sap:,
,. !'o whnIlv do I hate the name of idol
, that on aef'ount of the
likeness ot' the word Baal, /111/ Lord, I will not he so ealled
('ven in a right meaninl!, It:
t. \\ hilt' she utter the one. she

hould think on the other, and ealling 1\Ie her Hu
band, think

.. Ex. xv. 1. :!t\ 1. " Is. \i. 3. 9 Col. iii. l/ì. ]II He,>. xv. 3. 1\ Ex. j\.
:!. 12 I.. X"Xxi. 1.
J.: I_ukex. 30. S
" .bove ou i.II. B Ex. xxi.:!:!. 2 S'II\'. >.i.:!r.. 1'10.. '<'.>.i. 1I,
e.

20

(' lr

oíes T Ii For C I will takt' away the names uf
cir. ï:i'i. Baalim nut of h('r mouth, and they shall no
. };
il.:':
:/
: more h(' rpuH'mhert.d hy their uamt'.

I
\;: 2. 18 .And in that day will I makp d a cov('-
d Job 5. :!;I. Is. 11. 6-9. Ezek. 31. :!5.

IJO
E
\,

nant for them with the l)easts of tht:' fieltl, c lri
bres T
and with the fowls of heavcn, and with tlU' cir. ï:i5.
('rceping thin
s of the
round : and e I will ·

i

:
:
h..('ak the how and the sword and tht' hattll' ftJ
eL. 39.9,
Zech. 9. 10.

1111 the idlll." Y ct, \\ ithal, (;od
ays that 1If' will put into
her Illlluth the tendt'I'er name of Illn', IsM, lit. JI'I J/rm. In
('hrist, tilt' returnin
sClUl, ,,-hieh would
h-e lu'rsdf wholly
to (;lId, hmH"Tr far !<hc had wandered, shouhl not eall (;od
so mllc'h her Lllrd. as her nu
hand. "1 E,-ery soul, althou
h
laden ,,'ith !o'ins, IIH'!o'lll'd in viee
. snared hy entfc'elllents, a c'ap-
tin in (',"ile, imprisoned in the body, !o'tic'kin
fa
t in the mud,
fhed in the mire, affixed to its earthh' mcmhers. nailcd down
hy earc
, distnu'ted hy turmoils. narr
wed by fear!o'.prostratcd
lJY grief, wandt'ring in error
, tos
ed by anxietic.., re..tles,;
throu
h
usl'iC'ions, in finc, a f'apth-e ill tlte lalld of tlte elleuJ.1/,
ddìl('(1 witlt tlte dead, flcc(J1mt('(1 /l'Ïtlt tltelllll'lw {{O dowlI ill tlte
gl'al'e 2,-althou
h she he tll1l!o' c'omlemned, in state tllUs despc-
rate, yet
he may lwrc'ein' t"flt in hcrsdf. whenee .
he may not
IInly rc
pin' to hope of pardllll and IIf nH'rey. but whenc'e she
may dare to aspire to the nllptial
of the "'ord, trcmble not
to cntcr into allianc'(' with God, bc not aha..hed to take Oil her
the sweet yoke of Inve \\ ith the Lnrd of An
els. For what
may !<he n'ot safely dare with Him, with \\'hose ima
c !o'he
!o'eeth hcrsdf !o'tallliled, and
loriml" with IIis likene..s'? To
this end God Himself. the _\uthor of our hein
. willed that
the cnsi
n 111' lIur Uhine nohl('ness of hirth
hould ev('r be
maintait;cd in the
oul, that
he may c,'er ha,-c tltat in her
elf
from the '" ord, wherein- she ma,' e,-er he adnHllli!o'hed, either
to stand with the ". ord. or tll' return to Him. if !o'he ha'"c
heen mm-ed. 11m'ed, nllt as thllugh remm in
in !o'l'ac'e, or
\\ alkin
Clll foot, hut mO\-ed (as a "IJil'itual !o'ub
tanep i.. nWH'd)
with its affections. yea, its defe('tillns, it
oes away from it..elf,
as it wcre. to a wllr
e state, makint! it..elf unlike it..elf and
de
enerat
. from it
elf, throul!h l'radty of life and morals;
whic'h unlikeness, however, is the fault, not the destnH'tion,
of nature. ('ontrariwi
e, the return of the !'oul i!< it!' ('Cl\l-
,'ersion to the ". ord, to he re-formed hy Him, eonformcd tll
Him. "'hcrein? In lo,-c. For lIe saith, he fIe followers of
tile as deflr cllilelrell, alld u'fllk in/ore. as C"rist al,m Iwt" loz'ed
mi, Sueh eonformitv marrics the !<oul to the "'ord, whell

he, hadn
a likene
s to Him hy nature, al!o'll makcth hersC'lf
like to Him in will. 10\ in
as she i.. Im'ed. 'rherefore. if !o'he
lonth perfet'tly, ..he i!o'marrie(l. 'Yhat !o'wectcr than thi!o' t'on-
tilrmitv? ,rhat morc de..irable than this Im-c? For L,- it,
not c'hiltent with human
uidanee, thou apl'roaehe
t, hy thy-
!'df. 0 !o'clUl, eonfidentiallv to the '\'ord; to the "'ord thou
('on
tantly dean'
t; of the ". ord thou familiarly encl'tin.
t,
and c'on!<ultcst as tll all thing-.., a.. c'upal'ious in undc'r,.;tand-
ing as emholdened in longing. This i.. contraet of marri-
aie, truly !<I'iritual and hoi r . C Contraet! I han
aid too lit-
tle. It is cmhrac'e. For embraee it is, when to will thc same
Rnd nill the ..ame, maketh of twain, one spirit. "
I ï. For [will take (lU'a!1 tbe lIa/lles l!f' Baalim uut of I,er
mUllth. It i!o', then. of grace. lIe doe
not cllllr I'romiH' the
c'ra!'ing otïdolatrv, butthat itshall be thc f....itof His c'om-ertill""

ra('e,'the
ift o(I1i'n f\'Om \rhom is buth to will alld to duo I
will take (ll{'(I!I, a
God saith elsewherc 3, I [('ill ellt (!trtbe II([/lles
(
r t"e idols Ollt l
f the IlII/(/, ami the!l sllftll be no 11/ore rellle/ll-
JJered; and
t"e ielul.r; IIes"all Iltterlyaholish. In like way {-ìod

2 Bar-Ich iii. 10, 11.

I S. Bern. in Cant. SerIno 8.3. L3p.
S Zech. xiii. 2. . Is. ii. 18.

i Ezek. \i. 6.

foretl'll!o' of Judah that the fruit ofhcr c'aptÍ\ ity !o'ho
1d bc that
hcr idol..
Iwuld cea..e, that lIe would clean
e thcm from their
idols, ami renew them by Hi.- grac'e 15. In all .110111' dll'ellillK
place,
t"e citie.
sb(lll he laid /{'(Iste allli the Mgh places shall
he de.
(Jlate ; t"at fluur altars 1//a.'/ he laid wasil' alld lI/ade de-
solate, antl./low' idul.
./JI(l.// be hroken lIIlll cease, allll./lolll' ill/(lges
lIIa.'/ be Cllt down. aud ./Iolll' u'orks 11/a.'/ be alJOI is/led. And, G Thell
I I/'ill sprinkle dean tl'ater U)JOIl .'lOll. allll.'l/e ,r;llftll be clean:
frum all .1J1J/lr .filtlliness, and .from all .'1011r iduls u'ill I cleanse
!llJIl. A lll'll' heart also !eill I gh-e ,'1/011, ami a nell' .r;pirit will
I )Jilt lei/Mil .'lOll. 1\"eit"a shalt th('.1! d(/ile thelll,
el17es allY
/1101'1' Il'ith their iduls, nor with their detestable tllillg
, nor with
any oftlleir transgressions.
ami tllt'.'1 shall be 110 lI/ore rellll'1l1hered. or. 11/ade lIIention ufo
The names of ßaal and the idol.., thrclU
h whic'h I!o'rael sinned,
arc rememh('red now, onl\" in the hi!o'ton- of their !o'in.
IH. And in t"at da.'I.'" 7 Trulr al\(l i,roperly is the time of
the Inearnation of the Onh--ßegotten eallcd t"e j)'III, whcrcin
darkne

was di
pelled in 'the
Hlrld, and thc mi..t'di!o'pcr..ed,
amI hri1!,'ht rap !<hed into the mind!' ofhelievcr!', and the Sun
of Ri
'hteou
ne..!o' ..hone upon us, pouring- in the li
ht of the
true knowlt'dg-e of God, to those who could open wide the eye
of thc mind:'
Ami I ll'illlllal.-e a corellant for them u.ith the beasts of
tile .fielcl. "fc. God promises to do away the whole ofthe for-
mer eurse. ßefore, He had suid that thcir ,-ine,'ards
hould
be laid \\'a
te hy the heasts '!ftlu,/ield; now, lIe 'would make
an entire amlla!o'tin
lwac'e with them. lIe, "'hose ereahlre!'
they are, \\ ould rcnew for them in Christ the peac'c of Para-
di..c, whil'h was hroken through .\dam's rebellion ag-ain!o't God.
and' would I'ommand none to hurt them. The ì,le"!o'ing-s of
God do not I'orrespond only, they
o beyond the Imni!o'II1
,ent.
'fhe protcdion i
t'omplete. Every kind of e,'iI animal. beast
bird and reptile, is named. So S1. Peter S((W ((II }IllUmeI' of
four-fuotl'll heasts of the earth. ([JIll 1l'ild heasts, (lJIIl creeping
thiIlP:S, (lnd fuwls of tlte (IiI'. .\ll were to he !'lain tu their
formcr !o'dve.., ami pas.. into the Church. To
ether. the word"
expre!o's that (-ìod would withhuld the power of all enemies,
visible or invi
ihle; worldly or ..piritual. Eaeh al
o may de-
note some
('1}f1rate form or charader of the enemy. Thus
wild hensts pieture savag-euess or hloodthir!o'tines
, the f'easing
whereof 8 l..aiah p\"CIphe!o'ie.. under the
ame S) mbol!'i of beasts
of prey, a.. the leopard, lion, wolf, and bcar, or of n'nomous
reptiles, a.. the asp or the ba!'ilisk. Thefowls uf Itearen denote
!'tt'althy enelllie
, which, unl'ereeind ami unawan'
. take the
word of God out of the heart; creeping tMng,r;, slH'h as entice
to de
radill
, debasin
!o'in
, 100'e of moner or I'leasUl'e CII' appe-
tite, l,.I/IJ.
e god is tlll:ÍJ' hell.'/, ll'lw miJllI eartM.'1 tMngs 9. .\ll shall
be suhdued to ('hri!<t or hy IIim ; as He says, I giz'e .11011 puwer
(}l'a serpents aJllI scoqJiuns, (lJIII (III the puwer uf the enem.1J :
and Tltoll slt(llt go upun tlte liun ((JIll tlte adder; tlte YUlU/{{ liull
([JIll tlte (ldder shalt t"oll trample wleler feet 10.
I will hrea/'" tbe holl' ([nd tbe swurd (lJIll tile h(lttle Ollt uf tI,e
I'llrtlt. Gml foretells mueh more the
reatness of what lIe
would do for man, than thc little whieh man receÍ\'e
. The

: S. Cyr.

6 lb. x"xvi. 2';, 26. 'I."X\ ii. 23.
9 Phil. iii.1!1. lU S. Luke x. HI. Ps. xci. 13.

8 c. xi.

CIL\PTER II.

21

Before out oft _ he earth, and ,,'ill makc t])('m to r lic I f','cr; yca, I will lH'troth thc(' unto lllP in C /leÁo;e S T
CHRIST
eir. ;"1ì5. don'n safdy. ri
htf'ousne
s, and in jud
llleut, and in cir. ;":;.:;.
r

:.:!
t(j
' 19
\ud I will betroth thet' unto me for Im"iug-kindness, and in nll'reies.

(;o
p('1 J)J"in

Pl'af'(' within. amI.
in('l' Ill'al"s ancl.fìgldings come
fmm ('yilpa",;ions and Illsts, it hrin

pea('e, a
far it pre,-ails,
without al,;o; pcace, a
the 1J0rde"s of the Cllllrdl 2; pea('e in
the W(wlrl, as far as it is wun to Chri
t hy thc Church: pt'a('e
tu the
oul of the believer,
o far a,; he Ion''; Goù and obeys
the Gu...pd.
..lllllll'illlllake thelll to lie dOll'n S({feZI/, i, e. in eonfidenre.
(;od A"in'" nut outward peace onl), but fearles"ne,;s. Ft'arles,;,
the l'hri"tian lies ùo" n during life, at pea('e with Gud, his
nei
hbour, and his own ('on,;('ienee; ft'arlc
s, becau:-t. }lafect
loa ('a,
tetll Olltfi'llr 3; amI fearless in death also. he('au:-:e rcst-
ing in Je,;us, in ('verlasting, unfailing, unfa(lin
peace.
W. .dnd Ilei/l lJetroth lIer unto JIe for el'a. God docs
not ,;ay ht'l'e, .. I n-iJl fOl'g-i,-e her;"" I will rc,;tore her ;,. I
will rc('ein' hcr back a
ain;" .. I will a
ain shew her lun
and tcnd('rn('ss:' )hu'h a,; th('se would have been. He says
here l\lueh mure. He su bluts out, fUI'
et!<, aholi:-:hes all m'e-
nwry of the pa"t, that He "peaks unly of the future, of the
Jlf'W l){'trothal, as if it were the fir:-:t e
pou
al uf a virgin.
Hereafter Gud would make hcr wholly His. and berume whuHy
II('r'", In' an uniun nearer and ('lo"e; than the do"e
t hond
f
parcnt ånd child
that, whereby t/Il'y are no lIlfJl"l' twain, bllt
one flesh, and through this unelWSS, furmed hy His uwn in-
dwcllin
in her. giving her Hilllselt
and takin/! h('r into Him-
self, and "0 bcston in
un her a title tu all which is His. .And
this, for eur. The bt.truthal and union of
raee in this life
pa
seth onr into the union of glory, uf whil'h it i:s said 4-,
B/e.\'secl are tlley ll'1w are called to tile marriage supper of the
Lamb. Ill', by His Spirit, shall be with Hi,.; Church unto the
end of tile Imrie!, and
o hind lwr untu Himself that tile gates
of hell s/wllnot prez'ail against lIer. The whole Chureh
hall
ne,-er fail. This hetrot/wi impli('s and involn,.. a uew ('O\'e-
nant, as God says 5, Be/wld the clays cOllie that I willlllake a
new rol'ellfllit 1l'ith ti,e house of Israel ami ti,e house (
f Judah,
1I0t aC{,(}l'clillg to .1[.1/ f'Ol'l'JUlIit ll'Mch I made ll'itl, their fathers,
!('/lidt JI..'I CfJl'elwlIt the,ll brake, and which ,'anisheth away.
To tho
e whu had broken His covenant and been unfaithful
to Him, it was /!rcat tend('rness, that 1I(' reproached tlwlll
not with the past, a
neither doth lIe penitents now. But
heyund thi
, in that He
peaks of espousing her who was
already e
poused to Him, God shew:, that H(' means something
new, and b('yond that forlll('r e
puusal. "'hat God here pro-
miscd, He fulfilled, not at' God the Father, hut in Christ.
"'.hat C;od promised of Himself, He only could pel"i(ll'lll. God
:-a"l tu the Clnlrl'h, I will betroth tl,ee uuto JEt'. He "'ho 1)('-
eam(' the Bride
roolll 6 of tlw Churr'h was ('hri,.;t Jt.su
; She
1)('('ame the ll'ife of ti,e Lalllb i; tu Him the Churr'h was eS]lous-
nl, as a chaste Jí'l"gill
. lIe then "'ho fulfilled what C;od
,)rumiscd that H(' would Himself fulfil, was .\hnip:hty God.
I will betrotl, t!tee UlItO JIe ill Ti
ltteousne.
,ç or rather.
(which is more tender yet and more m
rciful,) h.,/, l('ith rig-ht

eO.II"n(',,
..&r. Tlws(' are the marriag('-dowry. the hridalJ!ifts,
t('lt!t 9 whH'h lIe purr'ha!-ieth and espuuseth the bride unto Hilll-
!'elf. RiJ!hteouslwss then and judgmcnt. 10\'Ïn
-kindness and
mercic!". and t
iithfu]ness or truth, arc attl'ibutc
uf God whel'e-
with, as by gift!< of espousal, He maketh her His own. ' Righi-

1 S. Jas. iv.I.
3 l.Tohn iv. IS. 4 Rev. xix.9.
.. Rev. xxi. 9. s :! Cor. xi. 2.

Ps. exh ii. 14.

Jer. xxxi. 31, 2. fi S. John iii. 29.
9 as in 2 Sam, iii, H. 10 S. John xvi. 8, n.

eOllsness i!' that in God, wherein- He is Himself ri
hteous and
ju"t; .iUrlglII{'J/t, that whereby iIe puts in ar.t wimt i:- ri
ht
aA"ain!<Ì tho....e whu do \\Tong-, and so judJ!es
atan; as when
th(' hour of IIis Pas"ion 'Hi!< at hand, lIe said, ll'/Il'n the COTll-
forter is COllie, He will repro/'e the 1l'orld'if Sill, ami of rigldeous-
lIess, aud rif.im(t:IIIC1i!; of .i"'/gllll lit, because tI,e prince of tltis
world isþu
!.;ed 10. LOl'illg-kimfJu'ss i" that t('nder aflh,tion,
wherewith Ill' eh('risheth His ehildren, the wurks of lIis hands;
.11Ierr';es, His tender yearnin
s U\'cr us ll, wherewith He hath
cOlllpa"sion on our weakness; .Fait/ifllilless, that wherc'by Hc
keepeth C(Jl'enallt for e/'er 12, and lrJl'eth IIis OIl'l/ wdo the cmf 13.
.\nd th('se (JlJalities, as tlwyare IIis wherehy lIt. sa\'Cth us, so
doth He impart thclll to the Chm'ch in her nwa...ure, amI tu
faithful souls. These arc her dowry, her jewels, her trea"ure,
her inheritance. He J!h-eth tu her and to ea('h soul, as it ('an
reeeh-e it, and in a
ecundary way, His Ri
hteousness, Judg-
ment, Loving--kindne!;s, Mereie.... Faithfuhwss. IIis lligldeolls-
1U'SS, cuntrarr to hcr former unholiness, He poureth into her,
and A"Í\'eth Iwr, with it, A"rare and luve and all the ti'uits uf the
Spirit. Br Hi" Judgmeut, He giveth hcr a rig-ht judg-ment in
all thin
s, as contrary tu her furmer blindness. Iúwll' ye I/ot,
"ay!< the Apostle 1-1., that ll'e S/IllIl.iIU
!!e rlli
els
/ww lIIucll more,
tMlIg,
that pertain to tltis life
LlIl'ing-/âmllless is t('IHI('r
]O\'c wh('rewith we lrn'e one anotlter, as Cltrist Im'ed tiS 15. JIer-
cie,
are that same love to tho
e who need mercv, wherein- we
arc merciful as our Fat/IPI" is mercifll/16. F((itl
/itlne!J's is 'that
('ow.tanry whereby the el('(.t "hall persevere unto tlte end, as He
saith, Be tltou faitltfuiuuto deatlt, aml I ll'ill gil'C thee a crOll'1l
of life Ii.
The thre('fold rcpetition of the word betroth is also, doubt-
It's
, my!'terious, alluding ehiefly to the
I ystel")' of the .\ll-
Holy Trinity,
(I often and
o manifoldly, in Holy
rripture,
fOJ"{'"hadowed In this saeretlnumber. To them is the Church
betrothed, by tI
e prunouneÍng of 'Yhose Kames eaeh of her
membcr
is, in Holy Baptism, e,
poused as (I c/taste l'Ïl'gin, lOltO
Christ. _\t three tinws ('sp('eÍally did our Lord espouse the
Church unto Him!o'elf. "l
First in Hi" Incarnation, when He
willed to unit(' His own D('ity with our humanity," and" in the
YirJ!in's womb, the nature of the woman, our nature, human
nature, was juined to the Kature of (;od," and that for el'el:.
" He n ill be fur eHr the 'Y ord and Flesh, i. e. God and )1 an."
Secundlv, in I1is Pas!ooinn, when He wa!'hed her n ith Hi

Blood, a;l(} bou
ht her for His own by His Death. Thirdly, in
the Day of Penterost, when He pour('d out thc Huly :O;pirit
upon her, whereby Ill' dwdl('th in her and she in Him. .\nd
He "110 thus espou!'etl the Churr'h i:-: God; she whom He
e"poused, an adult('ress, and He united her to Him"elt
making
her a pure viqðn without spot or blemish. "19 Human marriage
makes those who were virgins to eease to be so; the Dh-ine
eSl)Uusal make
her who was dcfilcd, a pure ,ir
ri.n." I /i((l'e
espúllsed you, sa
"s St. Paul to thu!;e whmu he had wun baek
from aU manner of heathen sins 20, tv une HU.
/J(lnrl, that I may
present you a c!taste 'l'il'gin unto Cltl'i,
t. 0 the boundles,.;
('lemency of God. ,,!)l How can it lw pH!<sible, that so miJ!hty a
King- should become a HrideA"roum, that the Church shuuld
he advanced into a Bride? That alone hath puwer fur this,
11 See ab. on i. 6. 12 Ps. cxi. 9. 13 S. John xiii. I.
14 1 COT., i.:1. I;; S. John xv. 12. 16 S. LuJ..e vi. 36. 17 He,. ii. 10. l' Rup.
19 S. Jer. ::0 2 Cor. "i. :!.see Jer.iii.1, 2.
1 S. Bent. dedeJie. Eccl. S.;;. Loll"

G

22

(' Jí{ofs T 20 I will even hetroth thee unto me in
eir. ;S:;. Ülithfulness : and gthon shalt know the LORn.

1
í;,

t3

. 21
\nd it shall come to pass in that
h Zeeh.8.12. day, hI wiH hear, saith thc LORn, I willlwur
the hem"cns, and they shall hear the earth;

IIOSE
\,

22
\nd thl' em'th shall hear the corn, C I

oÍeST
and the wine, and the oil; i and they shall dr. ïö5.
lwar .J ezrce1.
2:J
\nd k 1 will sow her unto me in the k
e':;;h
lig,ï
.
earth; 1 and I will ha,'e mercy upon her that I ell. 1. 6.

whil'h is .\Il-powcrful, 100'e stl"ong as death 1. 1I0w should it
not <'asily lift her up, whil'h hath alrt'ady made lIim to stoop?
If lIt, hath not aeted as a SpOUS(', if He hath not 1m-cd as a
Spoust', bet'n jealuus as a Spuuse, then hesitate thou to think
thn;df espoll
t'd:'
. aml tllOlt shalt klwll' the Lord. This knowlcd
e of C;od
follows on God's aet of hetrothal and of love. Tre' "we God,
hecause God fil"st Irll'ed us. And tht' true knowledtre uf (;od
ineludes the'love of(jod. "To lm'c man we must k'no\1" him;
to know God we must love lIim." To acknolt'ledge God, is
not Yt't to kl/()/{' Him. They who 100"e not God, \\ ill not even
w'knowledg-t' Him as III' Is, "SuprcnH' "Ïsdum and Goudness
and Power, the Crt'ator and Prt'!<ervt'r: tht' Anthor of all whil'h
is g-ood, the Governor of the world, Redct'llwr of man, the most
buunteous Rewarder of those who serve Him, the most just
Uctrihutor of those who prrseH're in rc1H'1lion ag-ainst Him."
Tht'y who will not lo,'c God, t'allllllt even Imml' aright of C;od.
But to knOll,' God, is something- heyond this. It is to know by
e
perienrl' that (;od is g-ood; and thi.. God mak..s known to
tJw
oul whieh lIt. ]o,-es, whilt' it meditates on Him. reads of
IIim, spt'aks to Him, adores Him, oJ)('ys Him. "This lUlUW-
ledg-t' ('lImeth frum the rcvelation of God the Father, alul in it
is tJ'ut' hli"s. \\'hem'e, wht'n Peter l'tmfessed Him to be the
Sun uf
Ian aUlI Son uf God, He said, Bles.
ed art tllOu; for
flesh ami blood hath uot rc/'{'aled it unto thee, hut JIf/ Fathn
1l'1IÏr!1 is ill hea{'en." Yt'a, this knmdedp:<> is life eternaJ, a!< He
said, 2 This is I{fe eternal, that thc,V 1Il
!{1d know Thee tile olll!!
trite God, ami JI'SltS Christ Trholll ThOll hast sent.
21, :!:!. I lI'il/lleal" the lIew'Plls,

fC. _\s all naturc is elo,.;ed,
and would refust' ht'I' offire to those who reJ)('1 ag-ainst hcr God,
so, wlH'n lIt, hath withdrawn His ('urse and is re('uneiled to
man, all sh
ùll'lImbine tog-cther fur man's Irood, and. by a kind
of harmony, all parts thereof join tlH'ir ministries till' the ser-
vice of those whu arc at unity \\ ith Him. .AmI, as an ima
e
oflove, all, from IO\H'4 to hig-hest, arc hound tog-ether, t'aeh
dt'l'ending on the ministry of that beyond it, and the hig-hest
on C;ud. .\1 eat'h link, thl' I'hain mitrht haw bct'n hl'lllien;
but God who knit their ser\ ices to
etht'r, and had J)('fore with-
ht'hl the rain. amI made the t'arth harren, and laid waste the
tre('s. IW\1' made t'ach to supply thc otht'I" and led the thong-hts
of man thruug-h the eourse of ('auses and efft'ets up to Him-
self, 'Yho eVt'r caust'S all whi('h ('omes to pa!<s.
Tht, immt'diate want of His pt'ople, was the rorn, wine and
oil: thesc needt'd the fruitfnlncss of the earth; the earth, bv its
parehcd surfat'e and g-aping- ('lefts, st't'nwd to ITa,-e the rain
from hea'-t'n: the rain rould not fall without tl1(' ""ill of God.
So all are pktured a,.; in a statt' of expet'tancy. until God Irave
the word. and lIis "'ill ran throng-h the whole I'our,.;e of set'('nd-
ary (','uses, and arrllluplished what Jllan l'raycd Him for.
Such is the picture. llut, althoug-h God's g-ifts of nature were
Irladdening- tokens of His rt'stort'd fa\"(lUr, and now too. undt'r
tht' (;ospel. WI' rig-htly thank Him for tht' rcnWnll uf any (If
His natural ('ha!'ti,.;emcnts. and look upon it as an earnest of
Hi,.; fav(IJ' toward... us, the Pl'Opht't whu had just ,.;pokt'n of the
hig-hpst things, the uniun of man with God in Christ. does not

I Cant. \ iii. 6.

2 S. John '<Vii. 3.

3 Tlrtull. _\pd. end. p. 105. Oxf. Tr.

hcre speak only ofthe lowe,.;t. "lJat God gÏ\-es, by virtuc of an
e,.;pousal fill' eUI", are nut gifts in timc unly. His g-ifts of na-
ture are, in thems('''-es, l'i('turcs of His Irifts of 1rI',II't', and as
su('h the Prophets employ tht'm. So then God l,,'omiseth,
and this in order, a manifold abundance of all spiritual g-ith.
()f these. corn ami wille, as thcy arc the ,-isible part,.;, so arc
the\" often. in tIlt' OM Testament, the symbols of His hitrhest
gift', the Huly Luehari4, and oil of God'
Holy Spirit, throug-h
"l1OIIl tht'" arc saJH'tified.
(;od herë calls Israel by the name of Jezreel, rqlealing,
once more in the dose of this prnpheey, His sentt'n('e, I'on-
,"cyed throug-h the lIames of the thrct' ('hildn'lI uf the Prophet.
The name .JezI"eel ellluhincs in one, the menHIr\" ufthe formcl'
IHmh.hment and tliP future merey. God did lu;t altog-etl1('r do
away the temporal part of His scntence. He had said .. I will
srattcr," and, althuu
h some were hruug-ht ba('k with Judah,
I!<rael remained sl'attered in all ]and,.;, in Eg-ypt and (;recee
and Itah-, Asia,
linor, and the far Last and \rcst, Rut God
turrwd Ïlis ehastisement into n1('rrv to those who helieved in
Him. ì\"ow He chang-c,.; the mt'aJ{ing- of the word into. God
shelll SOIL'. bl'ael, in its di,.;persion, whell convertcd to God,
heeame cverywhere the preacher (If Him "'hum thc
had per-
;:el'uted; and in Jlim,-thc tnle Seed "110111 God ,.;O\\"(.d in the
t'arth and It brought forth mltch fruit,-t'onnrtt'd Israel al,.;o
bure, some a Illmdred-fohl ; some si.1"(I/ ; some t!drty.
2:l dud I ll'ill SOli' her unto
1Ip iu the earth. She whom
C;od sows, is the Churrh, of whom God speaks as her, because
..he is the
Iother of tht' faithful. Aftt'r the examllh' of her
Lord, and by virtue of IIi,.; Death, e,-ery suffering- is to in-
crt'ase her. .. The hlood of Christians was tl1('ir harve!'t-seed
."
" The Chur(,h was nut diminishcd by perst'('utiuns, hut infTeas-
t'd, and the field of the Lord wa,.; e,-en ('Iothed with tlH' ri('ht'r
harvest, in that the sccds, whieh fcll sing-ly, aro,.;e multiplied .J.:'
in the {,(lrth. "5 He dot's not sav in their OWII I([nd, i. e.
Jmlæa, hut the earth. The whole earth was to he the st'ed-plot
of tht. Churl'll, where God would !<ow hcr tu Himself, plant,
estahli,.;h, cause her to incrt'ase, and multiply her mi;!:htily." _\s
lIe said 6, AS!.-l!f _1Ie ({lid Twill gÏl'e Thep the lleathen/ol" TMnl'
inheritance, and the utmost parts of tile eartll/f)r Th.,/ possession.
Ofthi,. ",on-ing-, Jews wcre the in",trulI1('nts. Of them accord-
ing to the flcsh. Christ ('ame; of tI'CIll wcre the Apostle,.. and
Enll1lrt'li
ts and all writers of Holy Sl'ril'ture; of tht'm was
the Chun'h first fiwllled, into whid. the Gentile.. were received,
heing, with them, knit intu one in Christ.
Ill'ill bal'(' mel"l
/ "pon her that had not obtained merr.,/.
Thif', whieh was true ofIsrael in it:; disJlt'rsion, was mueh 1ll00'e
truc of the Genti1(',.;. These too, the dt's('emlants 111' rig-hte-
ous Xoah. God had t'a!<t off for thc time, that thev shouJd be
no mort' His people. when Hp eho,.;t' }srat'! out
,f them, to
make knuwn tu them His ßdllg-, and His "tll, and His laws,
and, (althoug-h in shadow and in mystt'ry.) Christ "-ho was tu
('ome,
n God's l11('reÎt's ag-ain overflow His threatenin
s. He
had thrcatened tu Israel, that he ,.;hould he unpitied, amI 110
more His people; in rt'\"I'I'sing- IIif' !'t'ntt'nre, Ht' emhraces in
the arms of His lI1('re)" all who wt're not His pt'uple. and ,.ays of
· S. Leo. See others quoted lb. p. 10:',6. note a.
Poco Kot :::0-1-::1 but 'ïl-:::. 6 Ps. ii. 8.

cI-L\P'fER III.

23

c J
oí
T had not obtained mercr; and I m will say to I the LORD toward
cir. i
. tlu'm l{'hit," WPI'C not my peoplf', Thou m,t I who look to other
ID z

:
g: 9. my pt'opl('; and th('y !Shall say, Thuu w't t of wine.

p

.!i.

. my God, 2
o I hou
ht her to me for fifteen pic('cs
CIL\PTEIl III, uf sih'('r, andfin- an homer of ùarler, and
1 By the e,qJiatioli of an adulteress, 4 is sl,clt'ed the an t half honwr of harley : t Heb.lelhech.
dcsolation of lsraelhlfore tlwir restoration. 3 ..\nd I said unto Ilt'r, Thou shalt C ahide c Deut. 21.13.
T IIE
said the LORD unto me, a Go yet, for nH' many days; thou shall not play the
b Jer. 3. 20. loye a woman bdon'd of !WI' bfriend, harlot, and thou shaH not he for WWtliCI"
yet an adulteress, ae('ordin
to the loye of Illan: so u'ill I also bc tor thee.

· ch. 1. 2.

the eltildren of Israel, c li1t
es T
gods, and loye flagon... cu. ib5.
t Heb. of
grape..

them all, that they
lwll1d be Jí.1J people and belm'ed. At une
and the
ame time, was I
racl to be tllU
multiplied, and pit!!
was to be
hewn to thu
(' not pitied, and thuse whu were liot
God's people, were tu becume His people. At one and the !"ame
time \H're tlw!'e promi!"cs fulfilled in Chri!<t; the une throllg-h
the other: h,'ad was not multiplied by it:oelf: but thruug-h the
briu:,!,"ing- in of the Gentiles. 1\ur was Israel alune, or ehiefly,
broll
ht intu a ne,\' relatiun with God. The same words pro-
miscd the :oame mercy to both, Jew and Gentile. that all shuuld
be one ill Christ, all one Jezl'eel, one Spull:oe to Himself: one
l!<rael of Gud," one Belond; and that all, with one \-oice of
jubilee shuuld ery unto Him, "my Lord and my God."
aJU/ t1le.1J slndl sa.1/, TllOll art TlI,1I (;(J(l. or rather. shall
S(l!I. my God. There seem!" to be mure atfeetionatene:os in the
brief an!"\H'r, whi('h smns up the whole rdation of the ereatllre
tu the Creator in that one word, E/olwi, /Ji'l God. The Pro-
phet declares, as before, that. when God tlni!" anew called them
lIi
peuple, they by Hi
gra('e woultl obey His ('all, and !"urren-
der themselves wholly tu Him. Fur tu say III!! (lod, i,. to own
an excJusÏ\-e relation tu God .\Ione. It i,,; to say, my BeJ..,rinning
and my End, my Hupe and my Salvation, my "'hole amI only
Good, in "-hom Alone I will hope, 'Yhom .\Iune I will fear,
lo,'e, \\'orship, trust in, obey and I'en'e, with all my heart, mind,
soul amI ,,;trength; my God and my _\II.
II I. 1. (:;u .1Jet, /'we a 1l'Olllan, helm'ed of lIer frieud .1Jet all
adulteress. This Il'OIlUlJi, i;; the
ame Gomer whum the Pro-
Jlhet had bcfore been bidden to take, and who, (it appears from
this nr!<e) had fursaken him, and was livin
in adultery with
another man. Thefrielld 1 is the hushand him!<elf, the Prophet.
The wurd friend eXpre

e
that the hu!<band of Gomer trcated
her, not har!'õhly but, mildly and tenderly, :00 that her faith-
Ic!'snc;;s was the more a
g-rarated ,,;in. Fricnd or uei,t.{lIhollr
too i,;: the \\ ord ('ho:oen by our Lord to expres
Hi:o own Im'e,
the love of the g-ood Samaritan, who. not being- akin, became
lleighhour to Mill wllo fell alllong thiel'es, and had merey upon
him. Gumer i
called a u'oman, is/wit, not, thy wife, islttem 2 ,
in order to de
eribe the state of
eparation, in 'which she was
Ih-in
. Yet God bids the Prophet to 101'e Iter, i. e. !'õhew acth-e
100-e to her, not, a:o befi)l'e, to tala' her; for she wa!" alread,- and
still his wife, although unfaithful. He i:o nuw bidden ti> buv
her ha('k, with the p
ÍI'e and allowanee of food, as of a wortli-
le,.::o sla,'e, and !'-o to keep her apart. on cuar
e food, abstaining
frum her furmer sin
, but withuut the privileges of marriage,
yet with the hUlle uf heinl!, in the end, re!"tored to be altoge-
ther his wife. Thi!iõ prophecy i
a sequel to the former, and ";0
relates to Israel, after the ('oming of Chrbt, in whi('h the for-
Iller prophecy ends.

1 ,'" as in Jer. iii. 20. Cant. v. 16.
2 :-:'::1\ not j:--::I\ 3 J er.
'ii. 18. xliv. 19.

according to tlte/rn'e ufthe Lord tO1/'(1 rrltlte c/tildrl'll of l
rapl.
The Prophet i!< direl'ted tu frame hi:o lite, !"o as to dcpid at onct'
the ingratitude uf I....mel or the sinful !"oul, and the abidin
,
persevering-, 1m e uf (;ml. The woman, whom God eommands
him to lot'e, he had Im-ed before her fall: he was now to Im-l'
her after hcr filII. and amid her fall, in order to rescue her from
abidin
in it. lIi
Ion wa:o to uutlive her'!", that he might \\ in
her at la
t to him. SUl'h, (;od says, is thp lrn'e of the Lord fur
brae!. He lowd her, he fore !"he tell, fàr the \\ oman wa:o he-
lm'ed of her fril'llll, (lJUI yet au adulteress. He lund her after
she fdt and while per;;e\"ering in her adultery. For God ex-
plain!" His e01nmand tu the Prophet ...till to Ion her, by the
word
, according to tile I01'e '!f tlte Lord tOll'ard tlte cMldren
of Israel, while the.'1 look to otller god.y, lit. and tltey are look-
ing. The words express a ('untempurary circumstance. God
was It)\'ing them and looking- upon them, and they, all the
while, were looking to other god
.
lOl'e.flrrgons of wine; lit. of grapes, or perhap
, more pro-
bably, cakes ,!f {(rapes, i. c. dried rabins. Cakes were u:oed in
idolatrv 3 . TIlt:' 1l'ine wuuld betuken the exce:,:s common in
idolatr;-, and the hereavement of under
tanding: the cakc,ç
denote the sweetne!'s and lu!<('iou:ones
, yet still the drynes
. of
any g-ratification out uf Gud. whieh i!'õ preferred tu Him. Is-
rael de:Ol)i:oed and rejected the true Yine, Je:;us Christ, the
source of all the \rorks uf graee and rig-hteousne
s, and lored
the dried cakes, the ohsernU1ee1' of the law, whieh, apart from
Him, were dr\' and worthles:o.
:2. So ll;ollgltt her to lIIe forfifteell pieces uf silrer. The
fifteen shekel!" were half the pri('e of a ('OlnU10n slave 4, and !"o
ma,' denote her wurthle!'sIU':OS. The homer and half-homer
uf imrlev, ur fort\'-five hu
hels, are nearlv the allowanee of
I food fur' a slave
mung- the Ruman!", four lJU!'hels a month.
i Barley was the offering- of one accused of adultery, and, being-
the fuud of animal!'õ, betokens that !'õhe wa" like Iwrse ami mule
u,lticl,l"n'c no underst{(}ulill[r. The Jew:o gave dowrie
fur their
wins; hut she wa:o the Prophet's wife already. It wa
then
perhaps an allowance, whcreby he broug-ht her ha('k from her
evil freedum, not to Ih'e as his wife. but to be huncstly main-
tained, until it
huuld be fit, completely tu re
tore her.
3. T!tou slwlt abide for me llUiJI.'1 da.'ls; lit. t!tou sl/(llt sit,

olitary and a,;; a widow 5, quiet and :oequestcred; nut going- af-
ter uther!". as heretofore, but waitin
for him 6, amI tltat for
an undefined. but long sea:oon, until he should come and take
her tu him:oelf.
aJUi t!tOIl shalt liot he for another man; lit. alld thOli shalt
Iwt he to a mali, i. e. not
ven to thine own man or hu:ohand.
She was to remain, \\ ithuut fulluwing- sin, ret withuut restura-

4 Ex. xxi.
2.

Deut. xxi. 13. 6 Such is the force ob ::;- E'C. xxÏ\. U. Jer. üi. 2.

24

Refore
CHRIST
cir. íS5.

4 For the ehildrf'n of Israt'l shall al)ide
JUany days d withuut a kin
, and withClut a
prince, and withuut a saerificc, and without

d ch. 10. 3.

tion to cunjug-al rig-hts. Her hushand wuuld he her guardian;
hut a
yet, nu more. .",u will I alsu he for tlll'e or tOIl'flrd tllce.
lie dues nut !'ay "to thee," so as to helcmg- tu her, hut" to-
wards thee:" i. e. he would have rcg-ard, respt'ct, to her; he
would wateh uver her, he kindly di!<lwsed towards her; hc, his
atfeetiuns, inter('st, thoug-hts, wuuld he dire('fed to/cards hcr.
The wurd tOIl-(lrds expre
scs reA"arcl. yet distance alo;o. Just
so wouM (;ucl, in those times, withhold all speeial tokens uf
lIis favur, eovcnant, Providenc'e; yet would He sec'retly uphoM
and maintain them a
a pcople, and withhuld them fl"Um tllll-
ing wholly from Him into the g-ulf of irn'lig-ion and intidclity.
.... F'or the cllildren of /srad sllall ahide llWItl/ el"l/s. The
eondition dt'sc'rihcd i
OI;e in whic'h thcre should he no dvil
l,olity, Utllle uf the !<pedal Teml'k-servil'(', nor yet the hlolatry,
whic'h tht.v hithcrto cumhilU'd with it ur suh
tituted fur it.
/{ing and' prince inehule hoth hig-her aUtI lower g-uvernors.
J IUlah had king
before the Capth'ity and a sort of prince in
her
owrnors aftcr it. Judah remained still a polity. althoug-h
without the g-Iory of her kin
s, until she rejceted Christ. Is-
rael ceased tu ha\'e anv eidlg-uvermuent at all. Sa('/"i/ir'e was
the centre uf worship 'hefore. Clu'isl. It was that part of their
senit'e, whieh ahove all fore-shadowed His lon', His .\tone-
ment and
at'ritiee, and the rceunciliatiun tu God hv Hi!" Blood,
'\"hose merits it pleadcd. III/ages were, rontr((ri,;'isf', the cen-
tJ'e of idulatry. the \"Í!<ihle filrm of the heing-!". whom they wur-
:,;hipped in
tead of God. The Epl/fld was the holy g-arment
"hic'h the IIig-h-priest wure, with the namcs uf the tweh-e
triht.!" and the (Trim and Thummim, over his heart, and hy
whieh he enlJuired uf Gud. The Terapllim were idulatrous
means of dh inatiun. So theil, for 11/"".'1 da!/s, a lung, long-
period, the cllildreu of Israel
hould ahielf', in a manner wait-
ing- for God, as the wife waited till' her hushand. kept apartUlukr
His eare, yet nut acknowledg-ed hy Him; nut following- after
idolatries, yet eut oft. from the saeritidal worship which lIe
had appointed for forg-in'ness of sin!<, through faith in the
Saeritiee yet to he utfcred, eut uff alsu from the appuinted
mcans uf consulting Him and knuwing- Hi!; \YiII. Into this

tate the ten tribes were hroug-ht upon their Captivity, amI
(thuse unly execpted who joined the twu tribes or haw bcen
eunnrted to the Go!"pel,) thcy han' ('vcr siut'e remailU'd in it.
Into that suue condition the two trihes wcre hrou
ht, after
that, by killing the Sou. they had.filleelup the 11I('([sure f
f their
failler.\' !'in
, and the !"ef'und temple, whieh IIis Pre!<cnce had
hallowed, was destruvcd hv the Roman!<. In that eundition
they han enr sinc'e rëmained; frec frum idolatry, and in a state
ofwaitin
1'01' Gud, yet lookin
in vain for a l\Jt's!<ias, since tlH'y
had not and would nut reecÍ\'e Him '\110 eame unto thcm'
praying- tu Gud. yet withuut saeritice fOl' sin; nut owned h):
Gud. yet kelJt distinct and apart by His Pruddenee, for a
future vet to be revealed. ,. Xu une of their uwn nation has
hcen ai,le to g-ather them tog-ether or to ht'eome tht'Ír kinA"'"
.T ulian the .\postate attempted in vain to rebuild their temple,
C;od interposing- by miracles to hinder the effurt whic'h ehal-
lenged lIis Omnipotenee. Dadd's tcmpural kinl!:dom has pe-
rished and his line is lost. because 8Mloll. the Pcace-
Iaker. is
('tllne. The tnJieal Prie!<thuod eea!'ed, in presell('e of the true
Priest after tile order uf
1[cldlÏscdek. The line of .Aaron is
furgotten, unknuwn, and cannot be rcem"cred.
u hopelessly

I10SE
\.,

t an imag-e, and without an e Pl}hod, and C J;tn T
'without f teraphim : _ _cir

5 Afterward shall the children of Israel t
;

_::

:;,
or,pilla.., !sal.
. Exod. 28.6. r Judg. 17. 5. 19.19.
arc their <Tenealu/!."ies confused, that they thcmsc1ve!i' t'Ullt'eivc
it to lw UI
e uf the uffit'es uf their 1\1 e!"siah to di
entang-Ie them.
Sac'ritiee, the c'entre of their religion, has ceased and heeome
unlawful. Still their eharacteristie has hecn tu U'lÚt. Their
prayer as to the Christ Im!< been, "nla)
He. suun he re"eale
l."
Ei
htct'n eenturies have flowed by. Tlle/r cye.y IIm'e faded
I u-ÚII looking fllr Gud's promise, whence it is nut tu be fuund.
Kothing- has ehang-ed this character, in the ma
!' uf the l'euple.
()ppre
scd, rclcascd, favoured; despised, or ag-g-randis('(l; in
: Ea!i't or \\' est; hating Chri!<tians. loving- to hla!'pht'me ('hrist,
forced (as they would remain Jews,) tu explain away t1lC pro-
phct'ics whic'h !i'IJcak of Him, deprind of the saeritkes whic'h,
to their forcfathers, spoke of Him and lIis .\toncment ;-stilI,
as a nUl";!", thcy hlindly wait fur Him, the true knowledge uf
'\1lOm, His Offiees, I1is Priesthoud, and Hi!" I\:in
dmn, they
have laid a
ide. _\nd God has heen tOU'({1'ds tI/('l/I. Be has pre-
sen-ed them from mingling with Idulaters or Mahommcdan!'.
Oppres!"ion has nut extin1!:ui
hed them, favor has not hribed
them. IIc has kept them from abanduning- their mangled
wur!'hip, or the St'riptures whieh they undcrstand not, and
whllse true meaning- they believe nut; thev have fed on the
raisin-husks uf a baLrren
itual and un!<piritimllegali!<m, !Sinee
the Holy Sl,irit they have grieved away. Yet they exi!<t still,
a monument tu us, of (;od's ahiding wrath on sin, as Lot's wife
was to them, em'rusted, stiff, lifeless, only that we knuw that
tile d{'(u[ sllall Ileal' tile Tóice uf tile Sun of Gud, al/([ t!ley t1wt
IlCar sllallli,-e.
True it is, that idolatry was not the immediate eause of the
tinal punishment uf the twu, as it was of the ten, tJ'ihes. But
the words of the prupheey go heyond the first and immediate
occasion of it. The
in, whieh God eOlulenllled hy Hosea, was
alienatiun frnm Him!"elf. He luved thcm autl they tumed to
oillcr guds. The outward idulatry was but a fruit and a sym-
bol of the inward. The temptatiun to idolatry wa!< nllt simply,
nor chiefly, to ha,'e a vi!"ible symbol to wt'rship, but the hope
to obtain from the heings so symbulised, or from their wurship,
what God refused ur furbade. It was a rt'jeetion of God,
c'hoosing His rival. "The adulteress soul is, whoe,-el' forsak-
ing- the Creator, loveth the ereature." The rejec,tion uf uur
LOI.d was moreover the cruwning- act of apu!'tac'y, which set
.the seal cm all filrmer rejet"tion of (;od. .\nd whcn the sinful
soul or nation is punished at last, God punishes not only the
last aet, whieh dra" s down the st
oke, but all the former ac-
eUlHulated sins, which c'ulmilHltf'd in it. So then they who
"despi!<ed the Brideg-roUln, '\Tho came from heaven to seck the
Ion' uf His own in faith, and fursakinl!: Him, g-avc thclll:,;ch-es
over to the Scribes and Pharisee!", who slew Him tllat tile in-
beritallce, i. e. (;od's people, llIigM be theirs," ha,-ing- the same
principle of sin as the ten tribes, were inehuled in their sentcnce.
5. Afterward slwll tile children of Ismef retum. Else-
where it is !<aid more fully, returll to tile Lord. It expresses
mure than turning or e\'en eonver!"ion tu Gud. It is not eon-
ver!"ion only, but reversion too, a turninl!: back frlJm the unhe-
lief and sins, fur which they had left God, and a return to Him
'\'hom they had forsaken.
ami ,v;wll seek tile Lurd. This word seek expresses in
Hebrew, from its intensive form, a dilig-ent search; as used with
regard to God, it signifies a religious seareh. It is not such

cII.\PTER lYe

C J
ofes T return, amI g )o,eek the LORD their God, and
cir. iN-=-- h David their kin
; and shaH fear the LORD
K
h
'5
U6.-I, 5. and his goodness in tIlt' i latter days.
L Jer. 30.9.
;;.e
'lt:

; ('IL\PTER IY"
i;;i. 2.2. God's .illc(fÇ1Itellts a,E::'aillst tI,e sillS of the jJPfJple,
J cr. :JU. 2.. Ezek. 38. 8, 113. Dan. 2. 28. :\nc. 4. 1.

Q-
_.J

6 am! of tlte p1"ie,<;ts, I
alld {l{:;a;nsf thei1" it/flla/r.'I. C 1

orS T
I.; Judah is e,J.'lwrtecl tu take llwrllillg b!J ISr(ICI's eir. it'll.
Cfi la 111 i 1.1/ .
H E
\R the word of the LORD, yc ('hil-. Isai. I. 18.
dren of ISI"ad: for the LORD hath a & 3. 13, U.
Jer. :!D. :n.
a contrm-ersy with the inhahitants of the ch. 12. 2.
:\Iic. 13. 2.

eekin
as our Lord 1'pealís uf!, }
. ,
eek J[e, lIot beeall,<;e
.11e saU' the mÍJ'arles, but he('(l/Isp !Ie dul eat (
f tlte lOfil'es ((ml
1l'ere lil/Nl, HI' 2, IIUlJ//I sltall,
l'pk to ellter ill and slml/ nut be able,
hut that earne!<t st'e'kin
, to whit'h He has prmnisetl, Seek and
'!Ie ,
/lllll Jiml. ßeti)re, she had (lilig"t:n.tly sCIUg"ht h
r false

'otls.
uw, in the end, she shall as chhgently !"eek hod and
His g-pU'e, as
he had heretut<<)re suu
ht 1...,1' idol!< ancl
her sins.
alld Dm'id t!ll'ir King. Da\Ïd himself, after the fle
h,
this eouhl not he. For he had long' since been g-athered to hi,..
fathers; nor was he to return to this earth. ])fll'id then must
he the SOli of ])clt'id, the same Hf whom God savs 3, I will sd
lip une IS/'e p Île1"d ()l'er them, and Ell' shall.feecl ti,em, Cl'ell
lIy
serl'(wt }JliI'Ùl, and He shall be their Shepherd, and I t!le Lm'd
11.ill be thc'ir (lod, ami
JI,.'1 St'/"l'ClI/t lJ(ll'id II Prince among
them. The same was to be II ll'itlless, leader, eOIlIll/(wder to
tile people .j, : He l\110 wa!' tu he raised up to Ðal'id 5, a righteuus
Brandl, and "'ho wa!" to he ralled tIle Lord f}/lJ'll
l{hteouslless ;
D(ll'id's Lord 6 as well as ])cu,id'.<; ;,'Oll. 'rhenl
e the older
Jews, of enl'Y !"chool, TahnudiC', my!"tieal, Biblical, g-rammati-
{'al, explained this propheey, of Chri!<t. Thus their reeeh-ed
paraphrase is: "7 Afterward the children of Israel shaH re-
}Ient, or turn by repentanee, and shall seek the service of the
Lord their (iod, and shall ohey Messiah the Son of David
their I\:ing-."
lind sltall fear the Lord; lit. s!lall fear tOlt'((rd the Lord
and toward Hi,\' p,-oodness. It is not then it ser,'ile fear, not even,
a
elsewhere, a fear, whit-h mal
('s thcm shrink ha('k frolll His
aweful Majesty. It is a fear, the most opposed to this; a fear,
whereby" they shall flee to Him for help, from all that is to be
feared;" a renrent holy awe, which should e,-en impel them
to Him; a fear of losin
Him, whiC'h should make thcm hasten
to Him. .. 8 They 81u
1l fear, and wonder exceediIl
ly, a!"-
ton it'd at the g-reatness of God's dealing, or oftheir uwn joy."
Yet they should hastell t1"e11lMing(l/, as hearing- in memory
their pastuntllithfulnessand illdesert!<, and fearing"to approa('h,
but for the gTeater fear of turning away. Kor do they hasten
with this re,-erent awe and aweful joy to Gud only, but tu
His (;oOlIJ/ess also. His Goutiness draws them, anti to It they
betake themselves, away trom all cause of fear, their sins,
themselves, the Evil one. Yet e,-en Hi!< GO(ldne
s is a sourC'e
of a\ye. His (loudness! How mll('h it contains. All where-
hy God is g-ood in lIim!'odf, all wherehy He is good to us. That
wherehy He is essentially good, or rather Gondnes!"; that
wherehy lIe His g-ood to us, as His ('reatures, and yet more a

His sinful. un
'Tateful, redeemed ('reatures, re-born to hear the
I map:e of His Son. So then His (;oodness overflows into bene-
ficence, and condesc't'llsion, and
raeiousness and IlU'I'('Y and
torgh'ing 100'e, and joy in imparting Himself, and com pla-

1 S. John v:i. 2û.
S. LukeJÕii.2-!, 3 Ez.xxxiv. 2.3,4.' Is. Iv. 4.Õ Jer.xxiii. 6. 6 Ps. ex. 1.
7 J o!lath.
arg. .. This is the King :.\Iðsiah; "hether he be Irom among the living, his
!lame IS Da\ld, or whether he be from the dead, his name is Da\id." JerllS. Berachoth
111 Martini I'u
. Fid. f. '.!.ii. and Schoettg. Horæ Hebr. T. ii. ad loc. So also the
m)s
!c,!1 boo
>, Zohar, :\Iid
ash Shcmu
l(ap. Schoeug. ii. p. 22.) and Ta!,chuma, which
has. God said to the Israehtes; In tlus world ye fear for your sins; but 111 the world to
com(' [i. e. t'l
.tim.e of Christ] "hen this. eyil n:>ture shallnolon
er be, ye shall be amazed
at th..t gu",1 \\ .'ldllJi rlscrrcJ :or yeu, as It IS "ntten,' .-\ftenlards the cllildfllJ of ISlad shall

cence in the ('I"eatures whic'h He has formed, and re-formed, re-
dpemecl and
aJ)f'tifiC'd for His g-lory. "'ell mav His creatures
tremMe tuwards it, with admiring ,,'onder that ån this ('au he
made theil"s !
Thi
was to take place ill tl,p latter da.'ls. These words,
whi..h are adopted in the l\e\\'Tcstampnt, whel'e Apo:o;tl(,
say,
\/ ill the last da.'l'
, in tI'l'se last (hl.'ls, mean thi!', the last dis-
pensation of {;od, in eontrast with all whi('h went heton', the
times of the (;ospel lO . The prophecy has all along" heen fulfilled
during' this period to those, ,,:hethcr l.f the ten III' of the two
tribes, who have heen C'onverted to Christ, !"ince God ended
their Temple-\\ ol"ship. It is fulfilled in every soul from among
them, who now is l'oUl'erted ((ml IÏl'c's. There" ill be a more
full fulfilment, uf which S. Paul speak!", when the eyes of aU
I!"rael shaH be opened to the dt'ceÏ\-ahleness of the last .\uti-
Christ; ancl EnOt'h and Elias, the two \\Îtnesses II, shall have
eome to prepare our Lord's second Coming-, and shall have
been slain, and, by God's converting- g-raee, all IS1"llel shall be
sa t'ed 12.
(Y. I. Ileal' the 1l'0I'd of the Lord, .'Ie children of Israel.
The Prophet beg-ins here, in a serics of pif'tures as it were, to
exhihit the people of hrat'l to them!<elw:o:, that they mig'ht
know that f;od did not do without C'ause all this which He
denoUllt'ed a
ain!<tth('m. Here, at the outset,He summons the
whole people, their prophet!< and I)riests, hefore the judgment-
:o:eat of God, where God would f'ontles('end, Himself to implead
them, and hear, if they had oug-ht in their defcnee. The title
eltildren rl Isrnel is, in itself, an al)peal to their g-ratitude and
their con!"c'ienee, as the title "Christian "among- us is an appeal
to us, by Him ,,'hose Xame we bear. Our Lurd says 13, Ifye
ll'pre AbrahaJJl's ellildrell, I/e u'ould do tlte works of .dbralwl/!;
and S. Paul 1-1., let eury dill' that nametlt tlte uame of Christ,
depart from iniquity.
Put. the Lord hath a coutrol'er,H/. God wills, in all His
dealin
s with us His creatures, to pr
we even to our own con-
sciences, the righteousness of His jud/!ments, so as to leave us
withuut exc'use. ,Kow, throug"h His sen'ants, He !'hews men
their unrig-hteousness and His justice; hereafter, our Lord the
rig"hteous Judge, "ill shew it through the hook of men's own
conseienf'es.
u'ith tlte iJlhahitauts of the laud. God had g-iven the land
to the ehildren uf h:racl, on ae('uunt of the wiekedness of those
whom He draye uut from before them. He g-aye it to them,
15 that tlte,,111I/igltt ob,
ert'e His statllte.
and keep His l((lt's. He
had promised that His 16 ].,)/es should a!ll'ay.
b
UPOJI itfmlll the
bep;iuJlillg of the .'le((1' l{/(to tlte eJllI of the year. This land, the
scene of those former judg"ments, gi,-en to them on those f'on-
clitionI':, 17 the land whkh God had ginn to thcm as their God,
they had filled with illi{luity.

return, &c.''' It is also one ofthe passage>', "hich, they say, a voice from heaven, bath
col, revealed to them, as relating to the :\Iessiab. Schoettg. lb. p. 1-11. seeal
o Aben EZla
and Kimchi in Pococl..l', p. 13\'. ' Rup. · Act.o ii. Ii. Heb. i. I.
I" .. It is a rule given by Kimchi on Is. ii. 2. .
henever it is said ill .the lalter da"., it is
ml'ant the days ofthe :.\Iessiah.' The same rule Is also 011 that place gat''' by Abarbanel,
and bacl;ec.\ by the authori[y of
Ioses Ben Xachman, "ho on Gen. xlix. 1. j1:iws it as a
general rule of all their Doctors." )>oc. II Rev. xi. 3. l
Rom. xi. :6. 1,1 S_ John viii. . 'J.
10 2 Tim. ii.I!). I.!'s. n. ult. I" Deut. )oi. 12. I, see Dcut. i\". 1,..0. vi. 2l-;;:,j.
.c.

H

2G

c Wfn S T land, hecausc tllne is no truth, nor mercy,
cir. ;"'1. nor
knowledg-c of nod in tIlt' land.
b

.
.22. 2 ßr swearing-, and lying-, and killing-,
and stealing-, and eommitting- adultery, they
t Heb. bloods. hreak nut, amI t Mood tou('heth hlood.

HO
EA,

3 Ther('fore c shan thc land mourn, amI C HBí[ors T
d en'ry one that dweJIeth tllt'reill shaH lall- cir. ;80.
g-ui
h, with the bt'asts of the fit'ld, and with C 'r:rÜ
't:S'
tht, fowls of hpaHn ; yea, the fishes of the

.5.1G.
sea also shall he takt'n away. d Zeph. 1. 3.

h('('((1(se tbel"e is 1IU tl"lltb. 1101' me1'l:l/. Trlltb allli lIIel"('I1
are often spuken of, as tu .\lmighty God. Trlltb tak('s in aÌl
which is I'i
ht and to whieh Gud has hound Himself; me1'l:1/
all beyond, whi('h God docs uut of IIi... bUUlldles" lu\"c. ,rhcn
God says uf Israel, tbere is I/O trlltb 1101" 1/U'I"(:'I, IIc sa
s that
there is ahsulutdy non(' of thuse two
rcat (lualitie!<, undcr
whieh He cumprise.. all His own
oodness. TbCl"e Ü IW tl"lltll,
none whatever, "]1(1 rcgard fur knuwn tl'uth ; no eunS('i('IH'e. no
sin('crity, no upri
'htncs!<; no truth uf words; nu truth uf
l'rumiscs; no truth in witnessing; nu making good in deeds
what tlwv said in words."
IWI" I;WI'(:II. The word has a wide meanin
; it indudes all
)0\ c of onc to mwther, a )m-c issuing in aets. It ineludcs
III\'in
-kindne
s, piety tu parents, natural afti.'etion, forl!i\ e-
ness. tenderu('ss, bcneficencc, mer('y,
(I()(hU'ss. The Prophet,
in dc('larin
the absenee of this
raee, dedan's the ahscm'(' of
all included undcr it. "-haft'\-er ('ould be eompriscd under
luve, whatever fcelings are influeneed hy 100'e, of that there
was nuthing".
IWI" kIlOll'lt'tlge of God. The union of ri
ht knowled
e
and wrong praeti('c i... hideuns in itself: and it must he especially
oftensive to .\hnic:htv l;od, that His ('reatures shuuld knuw
"'hom they oftl'n
l, liuw they offend Him. and yet, amid and
a
ain!<t thcir lmowledg'e, I'house that \\ hieh displeases Him.
.\nd, on that g'round, lwrhaps. He has so ereatt'd us, that when
OUl' a('ts art. wrong, our knuwledc;e hel'om(',; darkt'ncd '. Th('
kIlUldt't(!:{{, (
f G()(ì is nut m('rely to knuw some thinl!s of (;ud,
a,; that He i,; the Creator and Prc,;ernr uf the wurld amI uf
our,;cln,;. Tu know thing's of Gud i!< not tu knuw God Him-
!<elf. '" c cannot know God in any respeet, unlc,;:,; we arc su fllr
madc Jik(' unto Him. Ilaeb,ll do ?l'e l..,uJll' t!lllt ll'e louJIl' [lilli,

l we keep Hi.Y 1'lI1111111l1ullllents. Ill' t!lat saitb, I knoll' Him,
alld keepetlt Iwt lli,
COlllllllllldlllellts, is a lillr alld the fl"lItl, is
not ill Ililll. EI'e1:'1 olle t!lllt lord!l is horll of God. alld kllfJ/l'-
etlt (;od. FI(, t!lat lrJ/'dli Ilot, Iwo/l'et!1 lIot God; for God is
lore 2. l\:nO\\ ledge uf God being tlw g'ift of the Holy Ghost. he
who hath not g-raee, ('an nut have that knuwl('dge. A ('('rtain
de;!.'rce of speeu)ati\'e kno\\"ledl!c of God. a '.ad man may haH',
as Balaam had hy in,;piration, and the Heathen who. u'hi'll the,'l
kill w God, glor!lil'llllilll not as (;od. But e, ('n this knowledge
is not retaincd without loye. Thos(' \\ ho held the truth ill 1111-
l'ig/deou,
lIlw,
ended, (S. Paul ,;ay" 3) by ('OI'rupting" it. They did
Ilut like tu rdllin (lud ill their kll(Jlcledge 1I1ld .
o God glll'e thelll
(}l'e/' to l/ /'eprobate, ur undisting'ui,;hin
lIIilld, that they cuuld
not. Certainly, the !"p('t'ulati\ e and prat'tÏt'al knowled
e arc
hound up t()
.ethcr, thruug'h the onencss of the relatiun of the
,;oul to Gud, whethel' in its thou
ht,; of Him, or its a('ts to-
ward,; Him. \\Trong- praeti('e ('orrupts belief. a,; mi,;ht'lief ('or-
l"Upts l'ra('tit'e. The Proplwt then probahly denic,; that thcre
was any true knowledl!e of God, of any sort, wh('tht'r of life or
faith or und('r4all(lin
or love. r
norant'e of God, then, is a

reat 1'\ iI, a !<()IlI'('e ut' all other 1'\ ik
L :!. 11.'1 S/I'elll"ÏlIg, a/lli (l/illK, fie; lit. swearillg or l'1lI',\illg "',
lllllilyillg, allll killing, ailli stPltlillg, allli ('(I/I/llIillillg adultery!
I Rom. i.
l.
1 .J ohn ii. 3, t. i,. ;,
.
'Rom. i. 21. 1
.
. 4 The....ord renderedswcaring. aloh, jqleri,edfrom the

,<uue ot Vorl E/uah , and Eignifies, u
ing His I\alne; in\oking llinl, prob3.LI}" in a Cllrse,

The word.. in Hehrew arc nuun,; uf action. The H ehrcw tiJl"m
is w'rv \'Ï\"id and solcmn. It is far mure fureiblc than if he
had s.i.iò, " They ,;wear, li('. kill. and
teal." It ('xprcsses that
these
ins "'ere ('untinua), that nothing- c],;e (so to I'peak) wa..

()ing- Ull; that it was all one s('cne uf !<11('h sins, one ('uurse
of them, and uf nothing: hcsid('
; as we say mor(' familiarly" It
\\"a,; all, swearin
. )ying.killing, ,;tcaling', eommittin
adultery."
It i,; as if the Prophet, seeing' "ith a si
ht abuye nature, a vi-
:-:iun from God, sa\\', as in a pieture, what wa,; g-()in
'o
l, all
around, within and \\ ithout, and summed up in this hrief pic-
tur('. all whi('h he saw. Thi,; it wa!< and nothin
but this,
whi('h met hi
eyes, wherc\'er he looked, whatevcr he heard,
swellrillg', (Iling, killillg, stealillg, ('olllmilling adulter.'l. The
Pruphet had before ,;aid, that the ten tribe,; were utterly want-
ing' in all truth, alllo\'e, all knowledg-e of God. But where
there arc none uf these, t!lere, will, in all actiyity, hc the ('on-
trary yi('es. "-hen the land or th(' soul i,; cmpty of the goud,
it will hc full uf the e\'Ï1. T!le.'1 break Ullt, i. e. burst through
all buund,; set to rf'strain thcm, as a rÍ\'er bur,;ts its bank,; and
o\.t'r
pread
all thing's or ,;we('ps all l)('fore it. And Moud
touchetll Mood, lit. Mood,y tUllch Mouds 5. The b)uml was puur-
('d
o I'untinuuusly and in :-:u('h turrent,;, that it flQwed on, un-
til ,;tream met. !<tream and tormed une wide inundatiun of
bluud.
:i. Tllerefore slwll the lalld 71WllI'll. Dumb inanimate
nature
eelll; to rcjuice and to he in uni,;on with our sen,;e of
joy, wh('n hetl(,\H'd and fre
h throug-h rain and radiant with
lic;ht; and, a
ain, to mourn when ,;mitten with dl'(Ju
ht ur
hÌic;ht 01' dis('a,;e, or denÞllred 1)\- tll(' ereatun's whi('h G'-It!- em-
I'l
ys tu lay it wastc fur man'
,;in,;. Dumh llature is, a,; it
w('r(', in ,;ympath) with man, ('urscd in .\dam. smitten amid
man'
ofli'n('el', its ònhrard
huw r('
pondillg to man's inwanl
heart, wa,;ted, I'arehed, dc,;ulate, when mall himself wa
mar-
red and wa,;ted hv his
ins.
lI'it!l the !Jellsis of t!le.field; lit." ill the heasts," l)"C. God
in('llldcd the fuwlalld the callie aud ('/'el"!1 bellst (
f tl/l
.fìeld in
His I'uvenant with man.
u here, in this ,;entt'nee 111' Wilt', He
inehules them in the inhabitants of thc land, amI ()l'ders that,
,;inec man would not serve Gud, the creature,; madl' tu ,;er\-e
him, should be withdrawn frum him. .. General iniquity is
puni,;hed by g'eneral deslliatiun."
rea, ti,e .fishes of the ,yell also. Inland s('as or lakes arc
('aUI'd hy thi,; same name, a,; the Sea ufTilJ('rias and the Head
S('a. Yet hcre the Prophet }lrohalJly aUudc,; to the history uf
man'
('rcatiun, wh('n God
m'e him duminion 6 UZ'('/" the.fisll of
t!le sell, 1I1ld Ol'er the fU1l'1 (!f tlie bell/'ell, IImi UZ'l'/' el:('/:I/ liz'ill,
'
tMug, (ehaiah) in ju,;t thc inwr,;e order. in whi('h he hen'de-
dares that the\' shan he takcll awav. Thcre (;od g-h'es domi-
niun m'er aU, 'from luwest to hi
lie,;t; hcre (;od de]WUlH'(,s
that He wiJ] take awav aU, down to tho,;e whi('h al'e lca..t af-
t(>('tcd bv am- ('han
t'
. \' et from time to time (;lId has. in
ehasti,;eiuent, dirceted that tl1(' !<hoals of fi,;he,; shouhl not
eome tu their u,;ual haunts. This is weU known in thc hi
-
tury uf !<ea-('oa,;t,; ; and eun,;eiellee ha
al'klluwl('d
ed the hand

"hich thc noun alah si;mifies.
" Bloods" is e'"cr, in Huly
Suipture, used of blood-shed. On the history see Introd. p. 5, and below p. I Hi.
6 Gen. i. ::!:-5.

e Jilors T 4, \('t Il't no man sh.in', nOlo 1'('1'1'0\-('
cir':Ji'U. _ anothl'r: for thy people (U'c' a'" c they that
. Deut. Ii. 12. stI'Ï\'C with the priest.
f

.Jr\
'. 8. .; Thcn'fort' shalt thou fa]Jf in the day,

uf God and :,:een the O"\'uund of Hi", yi,..itatiun. Of the fulfil-
ment
'. .Jerome \\ rift:; ""'hu,..o bc1ineth nut that thi,.. I)('fel
the I'eople uf I,..rael, let him surn') "!yrieum, let him sun-ey
the Thr,l('es, .Maeedunia, the Pannmna,... and the \\ hole laud
whieh ,..trctc-hes from the Propuntis aud ßo,;phurus to the .Ju-
lian .\lps, ami he will ('xpf'r!t'uce that. togetht'r
\-ith man, all
the ('reature,.. al,..u fail, whH'h afure were nounshed by the
Creator for the sen i('t' uf man."
4. ret let 11() //1([11 stri/"e, uor l'eprOl'e mlOtlteJ"; lit. " ()UZ'I
mall it:t Mm /lot stril'(', (//I(I let ?lot mall rpJ)]'(J1'e." God had
tah.t'n tIll' eontrm-er,..y with His people into IIi,.. uwn haml,..;
the L'Jrd. lIe ,..aid \ hath a coutrul'ersy (rih) 1l'itlt the iulwiJi-
tmils uf the laud. Ht're He forbid... man to intermeddle; J/tflll
leI Mill not stril'e, (he a
aiu u,..es the ,..ame wurd J.) The
Iwopk werc ohstinate and would nut hear;
nlrn
n
and re-
proof, l}('in
nt'
lceted, onl): al!:
ra\'.ated th('lr g-l
llt: S
) Gud
bid,.. man tu eca!<e to ,..peak m HIS i\ame. Ill' Ihmself aJune
will implead them, "Tho
e pleading- nunc eonld enule or ('on-
tradi(,t. Suhordinately, (;od teaehes U"', amid His judgment!<,
nut to strin' or thro\\: the blame on eaeh uther, hut cach tu
luuk to his 0\\ n :,:ins, nut to the ,..in,.. of other,...
for tl1.'1 peuple are fI," Ihe.'1 tlwl stril'e 1l'ith Ihe priest. God
had made it a part of the office of the prie,..t, to keep kIlO/l'-
ledges. lIt' had biddt'lI, that all hanl ('auses shuuld be taken
to -1 the priest ll"lw stood 10 //Iiuisler there hefore Ihe Lord their
God; alld who
o refused the priest',; sentenee was tu be put
to death. The l,riest wa,; then to judg-e in (;od's Same. As
speaking- ill Hi,.. Xanw, in Hi,.. ,..h.'ad, with His authority, taug-ht
hy Himself, they were called by that
ame, in ,rhi,'h they
SpUh.-C, Eluhim 5, God, not in rqrard to thcm,..cln's but a!< re-
pn',..cntini:!." Him. To stril'e then willt lite priesl was the hig-h-
('
t ('ontuma('y; and sueh wa!<' their whole life and f'OIuhwt.
It wa,.. the eliarader uf the whole king-dom uf L
J"flel. For
they had thl'OWII oft' the authority of the famih- of .\aron,
whi('h God had appointed. Their Íwlitieal existeiu'e was ba
-
ed UpOIl the rejef'tiun of that authority. The national ('ha-
rader influl'u('e,.. the individual. "-hen the whule polity is
ti'rlllcd (Ill di
obediellce and re\'olt, individual" \\ ill not tule-
rate iuterf('rclu'e. .\,.. they had rejef'ted the priest. !'o would
and did they reject the prophet,... He sap; uot, they were
pric4-stri,"crs, (fur they had no lawful prie4,.., ag-ainst whom
to striyc) hut they were like priest-slJ"Íl'eJ"s, per!<(lIls whose ha-
bit it was to ,..trh'e with thuse who
poke in God's
allJe. He
says in faf't, let not lJI(tJI !<'trÏ\-e with tho!<1' who strive with God.
Tlu' u
elc"sne,..
uf sueh reproof is often repeatcd. 6 He thaI
1"l'prm'('t!t a scorner {:{ettellt to !timse(fsl/([JIIe, ami he IIUlt relmk-
eth a 7l'icketllJlan {{etteth Mmself a Mot. Ileproz'e 1101 a scuru-
er. lesl he !tate Iltee. 7
j)eak 11M iu lite ears of a fool, for he
will despise I!,,. /('isdom (!f th.1f words. S.
tephen g'ives it as a
('haraeteristi(' of the .Jew,..
, re stitfilecked and IIl1circlwu'ised
ill Iteart alld ears, !Ie do aheays resist the lIo(11 GllOst; as .'Iollr
fathers did, so do ye.
:J. TI/f'r<',fore shall tholl fall. The two part,.. of the n'l",;e
fill up ea(.h uther. .. ßy day and hy night
hall they fall, people

cIL\PTER IY.

,,-
-I

and t]lt' pruphet a]so shan fall with thep in c J
o
es T
the ni
ht, and I will t destroy thy nwt1U:'r. _cir, i
l.
(þ
g
[y P('up]c are t dl'stt'oyed for 1uek!

tt'::/'
of know]edg-l': hecause thuu hast rejected t Heb. cut off.

amI prophets tog-cther." Their ('alamitic
,..Julllld ellllle upon
them su('ees,..iyely, day and lIii:!."ht. They sJIIIlIld "tllIuhJe hy
day, whell there is lea,..t fear of !'tumbling- 9 ; all(llIig-ht ,..llIIuld
nut by it,.. darkne...
protect them. Edl should ellllle al n')fJJJ-
dU!11O UPOII them, ,..ecing- it, hut 1I11ahll' tu rcpd it; a,.. I,..aiah
!<lwaks of it a,.. au agg-rayatioll of truuhle 11, th.1/ lalld slJ"flllgeJ"s
dl'l'our it in l!ty presence; and the fal
e prnphet,.. who sa\\ their
,-isioll
ill the ni
ht. should thelllseh'e!< he ","erwhelmed in thc
darkuc,.,.., blimJl:d J;y moral, peri,..hing- ill a('tua1. darh.m'!"!<'.
ami I will deslm.1f th.'l wolher. I ndh"idual,.. are "'l'okcn of
as the ehildren; the whole nation, a,.. the' mother. lIe denoulll'e

tlwn the destruction of all, eolleetin'h' and indh idually. Th('Y
were to he ('ut off, rout and branell. . Thcy \\'('rt' to l

e tlwï"r
I'olle(.tive e'(i
telll'e as a nation; and, le,..t I,rh"ate (Ier
oll!<

IHluld flatter thelll
elves with hope of e!<'('ape, it is !'aid tu
them, a!< if ulle }H' 0111', "thuu
haJt fall."
fi.
1IfI peop/
lire deslm.'ll'tl for 1(I('k of kno/l'ledge. .. )[y
pcople llrl'," not, "is." This accurately repre
cnts the lIe-
bren- 12 . The word" people" speak
of them as a Wllllh', are
relates to the indh idual,.. uf whom that \\ bull' is eumpo,..cd.
'l'ui:!."ether the word
cxprcss the utter de4ruetion ufthe whole.
one and all. They are destroyed/oJ" I(lck 0/ knowledge. lit. .. of
I!le knuwh'dgc." i. e. the only knowledg-e, which in the erea-
ture is real knowledg-e, that knowledi:!."e, uf the waut of whieh
he had bcful"l' eomplained, the h.nowledi:!."e of the Creator. Su
I,..aiah mourns in the ,..ame word,.. 13, Ilterefore m.11 people ((re
gone into ('((J1til'il.'l. he('(lu...e t!te.'I'lIll'e JlO kJlOldet(!!e. They are
destru"ed fClr lad. of it: for the tl"lle knon led
(' of (T",l i... the
life C1(the
nul, true life, cternallife, a!<' our
a
"iour saith, This
is life eterntll th((1 111l:'1 sl/fJ/lld k'l(}lf' T!lee, Ihe oul./I trlle God.
runl Jesus Christ 11710m Tholl !last senl. The !'ource uf thi,..
la('lwfknuwledg'e,,..o fatal to the peuple, was tbewilful rcjeetiun
uf that knowledg'e by the prie,..t;
/lPCflUSe tlwll Itast njet'/ed kuowledge, I ll'ill also 1"çjecl Iltee,
Ihal tltOIl shalf be )to priesl to
1Ie. Gud marks the relation
between the ,..in and the puni,..lunent, by returting- nn them. as
it were, thdr own aet,.. ; and that with g-reat empha,..is. Ill'Í1I
llttnbl 1"ejet't Ihee H. Thus,' thus addres
cd JUu,..t hm-e becn
true prie
t,.., ...eattered up and down in hrael. who, in an irreg'u-
lar wav, oft'ered :-:aerifie('s tllr them, and cunnived at their sin,...
For Gild',..
entcnct' on them i,.., t!lou shalt be JlO priesl to JIE.
ßut tilt' prie,..t... whom J eruhoam ('unsel'ratcd out uf othcr t1"Íbe'"
than Led, were prie4
nut to Gm1. but to the eah es. Tho,..1'
tlU'n, ori
inally truc l'rie,.t!<' tu God. had prubably a preeariou,..
livelihood, whcn the true worship uf G(.d was defurmcd by
thc mixture of thc ('alf-wor
hip, and the people halted betwCl'Jl
11I"J opiuious; and ,..0 were tempted by puverty abu. to with-
hold from the pcople unpalatahle truth. They shared. then. in
the rejection of (;ud's truth whieh they ,li,..,..embled. and made
them,..eh-es partakcrs in it,.. suppre"'...ion. .\nd ml\\', thcr tll's-
pised, WeJ"(' disgustnlll'il!llõ the kno\\"ledg-e of Gud, as all do in
fad de"'l'i,..e nlld di,..like it, who prefcr uU2'ht be,..ides tu it.
o
God repaid their eonteml't to them. and took away the office,
which, by their
inful eonninl1le('s, they had hoped tu rctain.

I iv. 1, ::.-., _
.. Dl'ut. xvii. 8-12. OJ E,-_ 'Xxi. G. xxii. i, S.
S Acts. ,ii. 51. 9 S. John )..i.
I. ]0.

3 )Ial. ii. ,. I 1
The sin
ulaT noun. as being a collective. is joined ....ith the plural 'erb.
6 Provo ix. 7, R. 7 lb. x"iii. 9. 13 :-:;., -;,::.-: \ i. 1:\, The absence of the artide makes no diflèrence. 14 Such is pro-
III J er. )..\. 8. II Is, i. ,. babl
the force ofthe unusual fonn ï
::!<-:
' b Such is the first meaning of the word.

2

HOSE
\,

C IPifoíes T knowle(lg-e, I will also rpject thee, that I
,'r. ït'O. thou shalt he no priest to me: seeing- thou
hast forgottf'u the law of thy God, I will
also forget thy children.
L ch.13.6. 7 b ...\s they were in('r('ased, so they

seeing tholl hast forgoltUi the lall' of th!1 God. This secms
to have been the sin of the pcople. For the "imle l'er
ons
('ould not, at Ica
t in the
ame
tag-e of !<in, de
l'i
c and forg'ct.
Tht'y who desl'i
e or r(:iect, mu
t have before their mind that
whi('h they I"f:iect. To rr:iect is wilful, eonsl'iou
, deliberate
sin, with a hi:.:-h hand: to forget, an :u.t of lIep:li:.:-enl'e. The
n:iectiull of f.od's law wa
the aet of the under
tandill:':- and
will: forp:etfulnc!<s unt eumcs from the ne:.:-lcet tu luuk intu it ;
ami thi
. from thc di4aste uf the natural mind for sl'iritual
thillg
. from being absorbed in things of this n-ol"ld, from in-
attention to the duties preslTibcd by it, or !o'hrinking from

ef'illp: that cundemned \\ hil'h i
a:.:-recable to the flesh. The
l'ric
t
knew Gud's law and dl'spi,
ed it: thc l)(,ol'le forgat
it. In all a(h"all('ed
tage of sin, IHlwe,-er, man lJIar ('ome to
furg-et what he once despiscd; and this is the cunditiun of
the hardened !<inner.
I Il'ill also fOT{
et tli.,! clâldren ; lit. I Il'ill forget th.'1 cMld-
,'en, I too. God wuuld mark tIlt' nwre, that Hi
al't fullowed un
their's; thcy fir
t : thcn, He
aith, I too. He wuuld I"t'qnite
them, and do what it belonged nut to IIi
(To()(lncss to do fir
t.
Parent
whu arc earcle
s 'as to them
elves, as tu their own
Un's, e,-en as to their own shamc, stiJ] lun:.:- that their dlild-
ren shouM nut be as them
eh-cs. (
ud trie
tu tuueh their
hcarts where they are lea
t
teeled a:.:-ainst Him. He says not,
I /('ill forgl't thee, but I will furg-et tho!<e nearest thr heart, th.'1
cltildrUi. God i
said to forget. whell He al't
, as if His ('J"('a-
ture
wcre no lungeI' in IIi
mimI, no mure the ubjeef uf His
Pw, idenf'e and luve.
,. .Lis the.,!ll'ere incrc'((.
ed, so tlle.'! sinned a{(ain.
t JIe. The
increa.
e may be, eithcr in al'tnalllUmber or ill wealth, power
or dig-nity. The text indude
buth. In both kinds of inl'rea
e
the bad abu
e (TOIl's p:ift
against Him
elf, and take oeca
ion of
them to uffend Him. The more thev were inereased in !lum-
ber, the more there were tu ,,;in, the'mure they were who sin-
ned. God pl'Umi
ed to make Abraham's seed, as the ,vtar.ç of
hern-C1l. They were tu
hine in tht. world throug-h the IiA"ht uf
the law.and the glt'rprhieh Gud g:n'c the III while obeying Him.
] TII.I! father,ç went down into Eg!lpt with thl'eescore al/(l ten
per.wlls; and llOll' thl' Lord t".1! God hath made thee like the
stars (l'Il'llI'I'1l for milltitude. Tllerefore thOIl sllalt 100'e the
Lord tll,ll God, and keej11Ii,
chaJ"þ
e, aJllI His statutes, aud Hi.

J/f(

JJleJ/ts am/ His cO/J/lJ/(lJldmut!s (tlll
a.'I. God multiplicd
thcm, that there might be the more to adore Him. But in-
!'teall of multiplying
ubje('t
, He multiplied apo
tates. " r\

many men as Israel had, so many altars did it build to dæ-
mons, in the sa('rifiee
to whom it sinned against
I('." "The
nwre sons C;od gave to I
rael, the more encmies He made tll
Him
elf; fur hrael hrou:.:-ht them up in hatred tu Gud, and in
the love and nom'ship of idlll
." ".\!' tou amonp: the dc,-uut,
one pruvuke
another, by word and dced. to g-ood works,
o,
in the ('on/!."I"(':.:-ation of e, il docr
, one incites anuther tu sin!<."
Again, worldling-,;: make all (Tod's gift
mini
ter to pride, and
!'o to all tilt'
in
, which are the daughters of pride. 2.Jeslllll'llll,
God say
, 1l'(13:etl fat allll kicked; then he /Ol'sool.- God ll'hich
made him, am/lightly esteem cd tlte Rock of /tis sah'lltion. In

1 Deut. x. 22. xi. 1.

D
ut. ,"xxii. 1:;.

inlled ag-ainst me: ithe)'ifmOe will I chanA"e C HB;Ne s T
their g-Ior) into shame. cir. íSO.
8 1 ' 1 tl 0 f I I 1 Sam. 2. 30.
It:'y eat up Ie sm () my peop e, 'Ia!.:!. ()_
1 I t I . 1 t th 0 . 0 Phi!. 3. 19.
am t It:'y set t leII' leal' on ell' llll- t Ht'
). lifl up
(luity. ::::;; i,:F

it

this way too, the inerease uf wealth which (.ud :.:-iyes to
tho
e WilO forget Him, inerea!"es the uecasions of ingratitude
and sins.
I1('ill tllrn tI,eir p,lory into s"ame. Such is the ('our
e of
sin and ehastist'ment. (;od he
to\\'s on man :.:-ift
, which
may bc to himmattcr ofprai
e and g-Iory, if unly ordered ari:.:-ht
tu their hi:.:-hcst and only true end, the glury of God; mall
lwr,'erts thcm to vain-g-Iory and thereby tu
in; Gud turns the
I :.:-ifts, so alHl"ed, to shame. He not only p:ives them !<hanl(' ill-
stnul of their g-]ory; he malies the g-lory itself the nlt'ans and
oeeasiun uf their shame. Beauh- becmnc
the u('('asion of de-
gradatiun : pride i
prm-erbially n
'ar a f
lll ; "nmlting amhitiun
overleaps it'
cl' amI fall!' on th 'uther si(le;" riehl's and abun-
dmlf'e of po]mlation tempt natiuns to war
, whkh heeume
their destruetiun, ur they im ite other and
tron:.:-er nations to
prey uIHHI them. Tlloll hast indeed smitten Edo/J/, wa
the
mes
aJ!.'e uf .Tehua
h tu .\.maziah s, and t/tine heart lIatll l{fted
tltee up; gIOl:'1 (
f tltis, and ta)')'y at Iwme; for wily s1wllldest
tlwlt /J/eddle to tlly IIllrt. tllllt tholl sllOllldest fall, Cl'UI tholl
allll .Jlldah 1l'ith thee? Bllt Amaziah 11'OIlId not Itmr. He lost
his uwn wealth, wasted the treasures in Gud's huuse; and the
wall
uf .Tcrusalcm were bruken duwn.
R Tlte.11 eat up tile ,';;11 of .;JI,I! people. The priests made a
g-ain uf the
ins of the people, lived upon them and by them,
('()IInidn:.:- at or upholding- the idulatries uf the peuple, partak-
ing' in theil' idol-
aerifi('e and idolatrous rite
. whi('h, a
in-
volving the desertion of God, were the sin of the people, and
the root of all their othel' sins. This the priests did knowingly.
True or fal
e, apu
tate or irreg'ularly appointed, they knew
that there was no truth in the golden ealH's; but they with-
held the truth, they held it duwn in unrighteuusne

, and
preaehedJ eruhoam's fah;ehuod, tlte.
e be tll.'lgods, 0 Israel. The
reputatiun, !<tation, maintenan('e of the fal:-;e priests depended
upon it.
ot being- of the line of Aaron, they could be no
prie
ts exeept tu the eakes, and so they upheld the sin where-
by they lived. and, that they mi:.:-ht themsch-es be aceounted
prie4s of God, taught them to worship the eake..., as repre-
sentath-es uf God.
The word sin ma\' inelude indircetlv the sin ufferings of
thc people, as if thè y loved the sin or 'en('ourap:ed it, i
l or-
der that they might partake of the uutward expiatiuns for it.
(tJid the.'1 set tlteir llcart WI thl ir iJliq/li(l!, as the source of
temporal prufit to themselves. "Benefited by the peuple, they
reproved thcm not in their sinful doing
, but charg-ed them-
selves with their :-;oul
, saying', un us be the jud!!;ment, as those
whu said to Pilate, His Blood be /I}JOIl llS." That which was,
above aU, tlleil' illiq/li(ll, the source of aU the rest. wa
their
departure from God and from His ordained wor
hip. On this
they set tlteil' hearts; in this they kept them sccure by their
lies; they feared any misgi,-ing's whil'h mig-ht rend the people
from them. and restore them to the true worship uf God. ßut
what cI
e is to e)"tenuate or flatter sin now, to di:-;
emble it, not
tu see it, not openly tu denuunce it, lest we lu
e our populari-
ty, or alienate tho...c who commit it? "
hat cl
e is it to speak
smooth wurds to the great and wealthy, not to warn them, e, en

3 2 Kings xiv. 10, n.

CIL\PTER IV.

c J
ois T 9 .And there !"haU he, k like people,
__ cir. 780. like priest: and I will t punish them
It }:

'.'i
431:' for theÏl' wa
-s, and t rpward tlU'1ll their
t
'

J><'''' doin
s.
t t

t,,"::.
10 For I they shall eat, and not have
J Lev. 26. 26. I tl I II . t I d I
Mic. G. I.J.. pnoug 1: ICy s m comnll W lOre om, ant I
Hag. 1. 6.

29

shall not increase : hecause the" havc left Before
.; C I! R_! S T
off to take heed to the LORD. cu. .SO.
II \Yhorpdolll and wine and new wint=' m m
:\f:
I
.
take away the heart. 7. í.
12

[y }>popic ask counsel at their D CJ CJ
nstocks, and thcir staff dedareth unto them: :;
b:2.-I9.

in
eneral terms, of the dan
er of makin
:.\J ammon their
od ;
of the peril uf riehc
, of parade, of luxury, of immural dress-
ing-, and, amid boundles
extrava
allee, neg-leet of the poor;
('neuurag-ing- the rieh, nut only in the ne
leet of Lazarus, but
in pampcring the dug-s, while they ne
lef't him? "'hat is
the praise of !'ume petty dole to the puor, but c'onninuwe at
the withlwldin
frum Gud His due in them? "". e :ôee nuw,"
:,;ays an old writer, " I Iww many prelatcs live 011 the ohlatiuns
and re\"Cnue
of the laity, and yet, whereas they are bound, by
wurds, by prayers, by cxemplary life, to turn them away frum
!'in, find tu lead them tu amendment, they, in various ways,

'C"andali
e, eorrupt, infeet them, by ungodly ('umoersatiun,
flattery. f'onninmee, f'ooperation, and neg-Ieet uf due pa
tural
('are. lnlelH'e Jeremiah says 2, J.tIy peoplehatlt heen lost sheep:
t!teir shepherds have caused them to go astra.I/. 0 how horrible
and exeeeding great will be their damnation, who !"hall be tur-
mented fur e<teh of those under their care who perish through
their ne&!"ligen('e."
9. Ami tltere shall he like people, like priest. Priest and
l)eople were alike in !'in. Yea, they are wont, if bad, to fument
cach others' sin. The bad priest eopies the
ins which he
!'huultl reprove, and exeu!'òes himself by the frailty of our cum-
mon nature. The people, acutely enoug-h, detect the wurldli-
ne
s or self-indulgence of the prie
t, and shelter themselves
under his example. Their defence !'tands /!uod before men;
but what hefure God? Alike in sin, priest and people should
be alike in punishment. "Keither :ôec'ular greatness should ex-
empt the laity, nor the dignity ufhis order, the priest." Buth
shall be swept away in one common heap, in one di!<g-race into
one damnation. The.I/ sllllll bind tltem in hundles to burn them.
and I will punish them for their ways, and retl'ard tltem
their doings; lit. I Il'ill visit upon him his u
'ays, and /tis doings
I ll'illlllake to return to him. People and priests are spoken
of as one man. Kone !'houlcl t'scape. The judgment comes
down upon them, overwhelming them. l\Ian's deed!' are called
his ll'al/s, be("au
e the soul holds on the tenur of its life alone"
them,
md thuse ways lead him on tu his last end, heaven (;r
hell. The word rcndered doings 3 signifies great doings, when
use(l of (;od, Ilold doings on the part of man. Thuse bold
presumptuous doings against the law and 'YiU of God, God
will bring back to the sinner's busom.
W. For they shall eat, and not have enough. This is
almust a prm'erbial saying of Holy Scripture, and, as such,
has manifuld fil)plicatiuns. In the way uf nature, it comes
true in those, whu, under Gud's afflictive Hand in famine or
!'iegt', eat what they have, but have not enough, and perish
with hung-cr. It comes true in those, who, throug-h bodily
disea!'ie, arc not nourished by their fuod. Yet not less true is
it of those who, through their own insatiate desires, are never
!'ati
fie
, but crave the more g-reedily, the more they have.
Their Sill of covetousness becomes their torment.
t/tey shall commit whoredom and not increase; lit. t/ley ha't'e
committed whoredom. The time spoken of is perhaps ehangecl,

I Dion)"S. Carth.

3 '-;;:1":1 4 Ps. cuüi. 2.
S. :MatL xviii. 10.

, 1.6.

hecau!'e God would not !opeak of their future sin, as certain.
There is naturally too a long- interval hetween this sin and its
possihle fruit, whi('h may he marked hy thi!'i ehang-e of time.
The sin was past, the effect was tu be seen hereafter. They
u
ed all means, lawful and unlawful, to inerease their offspring-,
but they failed, eVt'n because they used forhidden means.
Gud's t'ur!'e rested upon those means. Single marriag-e, aeeurd-
in
to God's law, they twain sIll/II be one flesh, yields, in a na-
tion, lar
er increase than poly
amy. Illicit interc'ourse Gud
turns to decay. His cur!'òe is upun it.
because they Iwve left qtf" to take heed to tlte Lord, lit.
to u'atch, obsen'e, the Lord. The eye of the soul
hC)uld be
upon God, watc'hing' and waiting to know all indieatiuns of
His "ïll, all guiding-s of His Eye. So the Psalmist !"ays 4,
As the e.,/es of servants look unto the haml of their masters, and
as the eyes of a 1llaidell unto the IlOm/s of her mistress, even so
our eyes 'wait upon the Lord our God, until He have mercy
upon us. The .Angels of Gud, g-reat and g-lurious as they are,
do alway behold the li'ace of the .Father õ, at once filled with
His love, and wrapt in contemplation, and readin
therein His
l\'iU, to do it. The lawless and hupeles
ways of Israel sprang
from their negleetin
to watch and observe God. For as suon
as man ceases to watch God, he falls, of himself, into sin. The
e
'e which is not fixed un God, is soun astray amid the vanities
and pomps and lusts of the world. So it fuUows ;
II. lVhoredom and wine allllnew ,cine take aU'll.l/ [lit. takes
away] the Iteart. 'Yine and fle!"hly sin are pictured as blended
in one to del)rive Ulan of his affections and reason and un-
derstanding', and tu leave him brutish and irratiunal. In all
the relations of life toward God and man, reason and will are
guided by the affections. And so, in Gud's language, the
,. heart" stands for the "under
tanding-," as weU as the" af-
feeticlIls," he("au
e it directs the under
tanding-, and the under-
standing, bereft of true affections, and under the rule ofpa!'sion,
bec'omes senscle
s. Besides the perversion of the ulHler-
standing-, t'ach ofthese sins blunts and dulls the fineness of the
intelleet; mueh more, both combined. The stupid sottishne:,;s
of the eonfirme(l voluptuary is a whole, of which each act of
sensual sin worked its part. The Heathen saw this C"learly,
althoug-h, withuut the grace of Gud, they did nut act on what
they saw to be true and right. This the sottishnes
of Israel,
de!'òtruying their understandin
, was the ground of their next
fully, that they ascribed to their stock the office of God. "Cor-
ruption of manners and superstitiun," (it has often been ob-
served) " 1-:"0 hand in hand,"
12.
lI.I/ people ask counsel at [lit. on] their stocks. They
ask habitually6, and that in dependance on their stucks. The
word ,{'ood is used of the idol made of it, to bring before them
the senselessness of their duin/!s, in that they askecl counsel of
the senseless wood. TllUs Jeremiah" reproaches theJll for sa.I/-
ing to a stock, m.1I father; and Habakkuk 8, If/oe unto him that
I saUh to tlte wood, aU'ake.
I aud their staff'declareth unto them. Many sorts of this
6 The Hebrew teme expre55es action which is repeatedly re8umed. ; ii. 2;-.
ii. 19.

30

Before
CHRIST
cir. 780.
Ð Is"i. .H. 20.
ch.;;.4.
p Isai. 1.
!).
& 57.5, 7.
Ezek. 6. 13.
&
O. 28.

for 0 the spirit of WhOl'pdoms hath caused
them to crr, and they have gone a whoring
from und('r their God.
13 p They
<l('rific'e upon the top!o. of the
mountains, and hurn ineense upon the bills,

HOSE
\,

under oaks and poplars amI elms, heeause C HBí[o;e s T
tht=' shadow thereA)f is good : q therefore cir. i80 . _
your daughters s1mU eommit whoredom, q

:
,
[:i
'
and your spouses shall commit adultery.
. . . "
.

U III wIll not pUnIsh your daughters 1710t, 4-c.

!'uper4ition existetl anwng- the .Arah!< and Chaldees. Thcy
\H'rt. dili"crent ways uf drawing- lots, withuut any dt'pendance
upon the true (;od to direct it. This was a part of their !<ense-
lessnes!<, of whieh the Pmphet hadjllst :"aid, that their sins touk
away their I\('arts. The tendcrnes:" of the wllrd, 11I!1 J}('ople,
al!."gTavates hoth the stupidity and the ing-ratitllde uf Isracl.
They whom the Living- (;od uwncd as His own peoplt', they
whu mi
ht have asked uf Him, a:"ked uf a shwk or a staff.
for tlte .
pirit of wllOredoll/s. It ha:" heen thou
ht of oM
that the e,'il :"pirits a"sauIt mankind in a sort uf onler and
method, diti"crent spirit., bcnding- all thcir cncr
ies tu tcmpt
him to diti"crent sins 1. And thi:" has 'heen founded on the
words of Holy Sl'ripture, "a lying- spirit," "an undean spirit,"
" a spirit of jcalunsy," and our Lord said of the nil spirit
whom the di!'iciples I'uuld nut cast lIut 2; This kind godlt not
out hilt h.'I pm,ller awL fasting. Henct' it has hecn thcm;rht
that" 1 some spirits take dt'li/!."ht in uncleallIlC:"!< amI defilcment
of sin:", other!< ur/!."t' on tu blasphemies; others, to an
er and
fury; others take deli
ht in g-lomn; others are suotllC'd with
vain
lory a]\(I pridc; and that eac'h instils into man's heart
that vic'c in whif'h he takcs pleasure him:"df; yet that all do
not ur
e tht'ir own pel'versC'nesses at once, hut in turn, as up-
portunity oftimc ur "laC'e, or man's uwn sus('eptihility, invites
them.'
Or the word spirit of ll'llOredoll/,ç may mean the vche-
men('e
dth whic'h men were whirled alun
hy their p\'ilpas-
sions, whcther hy their pa:"sionate lovc uf idolatry, ur hy the
fleshly sin whidl was so often buund up with their idolah y.
tlti.'llun'e gone a n'lwring fl'om under tlteir God. The
word:"fl'fJ1l1ulUla t'untinue the imag-e of the adulterc:"s wife, hy
whic'h God had pif'tured thp faithlt':"sne
:" of IIis pcoph'. The
wife wa!< spokc'n uf as nnda her hllsbaud 3, i. e. under his au-
thority; she withdrew hpr!<elffl'oll/ uudl'r him, when she with-
clrcw lH'rsclf from his authority, amI g-ave ll('rsclf to another.
So I:"rad, being- weddcd tu God, t'str.lIll!."ecl herself from Him,
withdrcw her,,;('lf frum IIi:" ohcdiem.t', east off all revcreuc'e tu
Him, and pro:"tituted hcrself to her idols.
13. TIIl'Y slU'rffice upon tile tops of the uwuntaius. The
tOl)!oò of hills ur mClllntain!< seemed nearer heaven, the air was
purer. the 1,lare mure remO\-cd frum the wurld. To worship
the F nseen God upon thcll1, 'nl:" then the su
g-estion of na-
tural ti.,t.ling- and of simple devotion. f
od Himself clil"ec.tccl
the typical !<al'ritke of J saac to takt' plal'{' on a muuntain ; on
that samc mountain He c'ommanded that the temple should
be huilt; on a mcmntain, Gud g-avc thc law; on a mountain was
our
aviour transfig-ured; on a mountain was lIe l'I'ueificd.
from a mountain He a:"C'endecl into heaven. l\Jountains muÌ
hill,. lun-e a(,c'urding-Iy oftcn becn dwsen for Chri"tian c'hurehes
amlmClllash'I'ie:". Bnt the same natural fceling-, misdireeted,
macho them the pla('es of heathen idulatry and heathen sins.
The Hcatll('n prohably also C'hosc for theil' !<tar and planet-wor-
!'hip, mcnllltain!< or lar
e plains, as heing- the plac'cs whenc'c
tht' hl'aH'nly bmlics mig-ht bt. spen must \\"idcly. ßl'ing- tlm:"
eUllllceted \\ ith idolatrv and sin. (iud !'itril.tlv tiwbacll' the \\"or-
ship un the hi
h plaec
, and (as is the eas
with su many of

I Ca
.ian Collat. \ii. Ii.
3 N" urn. 5. 19,
9. Ezek. xx.ii. 5.

2 S. :\Iatt. xvii. 21.
4 Dent. xü. 2.

Gud's eommandments) man praetised it as dilil!."ently as if
Hc had ('ommanded it. God had said 4, Ye shall uttl'l'('1 de-
.
troy all tile places, Il'llerein tlte /latious, ll'lticlt .'Ie shall }Jo.
ses.
,
seJ'l'ed theil' gods upon the I1igh lI/.ml1ltaius, aud Ilpon the hills
and uuder el'eJ'Y gl'eeu tree. But 0 tIll'!! set them up images a/lll
grol'e.ç [rather images of As!darotlt] iu eury high hilla/ld
under el'eJ71 green tree, amL tllere the.'I hUI'ut iucense ill all tI,e
11i,[l,'h places, as did tlte heathen wltom the Lonl caJ"]"ii'd llll'a.'1
bifol'e them. The words express, that thi:" whieh Gud for-
hade they did dili
ently; tlll'.I1 .
([crfliced 1IIIll'h amL diligent(l/ ;
tlu'.'1IJltr1led incense milch a/lll diligent(11 6; and that, not here amI
there, but
enerany, on tIle tops of the mowdiliu.ç, and, as it
were, in the upcn f.l('e ufheaven. So al!<u Ezekiel t'nmplain!< 7,
TIIf'.'1 saw el'eJ:JI high hill llnd all the t!tick tl'ees, and the.'1
qt!i.'/"ed thel'e theil' sacrffices, and there they pre,çentecl the jJJ'Ol.!O-
cation oftlleil' f!ffèring; there also tlll'!! made their sweet Sl1VOW',
ami pOll red Ollt there their drink-offcrings.
under oaks, [white] poplar.ç and elJIIS [probahly the tere-
binth or tll1]Jf'Jltine tl'ee] IJl'('(ll(.çe the slllldow thel'eof is good.
The darkne:"s of the !'hadow !'uited alike tht. cruel and the pro-
flig-ate deeds whieh were done in honor of their faJ"e g-ods. In
the opcn faee of day, and in sceret, they earried on their sin.
therf'fore tlleil' daug!ders shall commit ll'llOredo1J/s, llml
tlleir spouses [ur mure llrubahly, daug!deJ's in law] sltallcOIJI-
mit adll!tel'.'/' or (in the prescnt) cOII/Jllit adilltery. The fathers
and hushands
ave themsckes to the ahominahle rites of Baal-
peor and .\shtaroth, and su the daug-htcrs and daug-htcr!< in
law fulluwcd their example. #l'his wa!' by the permission uf
Gud, who, sinee tht'y p;foJ'ffied not God as they oug-ht, gfll'e
the1J/up, abancloned them, to l,ile (!/f'l'ctioJJ.ç. So, thruu
h their
own tlis
race and bitter
riefs, in the persuns of those" ho!<c
honur thcy most ('herished, they !'llOuld learn how ill thcy
themsdve!< had done, in cleparting- from IIim "-hu is the
Father and Hu:"hand of e\"en" !<oul. The sins of the father

dest'cnd very uften tu the ehÙdrcn, hoth in the way uf nature,
that thc ehildren inherit strclll
' temptatiuns tu thcir parents'
sin, and by way of example, that they
I'eedily imitate, often
exa

erate, them. ,,- uuldst thou not have C'hildl'cn, whic'h
thcm wuuJdest wi:"h unhorn, reful'In thyself. The saying- may
inelude tOil suffcrin
s at the hancl:" uf the enem\". ,. "'hat
thou dust wiUin
ly, that shall your tlaug-htel's ancl ):our daugh-
ters in law suffcr a
ainst thine allli their will."
I -to I ll'illllot ]JJlnish !IOUI' dallg/dl'J's. Gud threatens, as
the !'cn're!<t woe, that He wiU nut puni:"h their sins with the
C'urreC'tion of a Father in this prc:"ent life, but willlc'ave the sin-
nCI"s. unheeded, to tilUow all iniquity. It is the la!<t punishmcnt
ofpcrse\"ering- sinner!<, that God leavt.s them to pru!'ipel' in thcir
sins and in thuse thin
s whieh help them tu sin. Henee wc
are taug-ht to pray 8, () Lord, cOJ'l'ed Jl/i', Inti iJJjmlgJ//l'JJt, uot
iJJ ThiJJe aJJger. Fur !<inc'e God ehasti:"eth tho!'it' whum lIe
10n-tll, it follm,,; 9 if we be without cha.çtÜeJJ/ent lcllf'l'eilallaJ'e
pUl'taker.ç, thell al'e u'e bnstard.ç and not SOJJS. To be dla:"tened
sewn'ly for lcs:"er sins. is a tokt'n of g-rcat luve uf Gud tuward
us; tu :"in un withuut puni:"hment is a token of Gud's extremest

5 2 Kings xvii. 10, 11.
i xx. 28.

6 "e
abbechll, not i
bechll ; "ekalterll, not yaklirll.
s J
r.x.:!-!. . H
b.xii.8.

CHAPTER fl".

C JIiolreg T when they commit whm'('dom, nor your
_ cir. i80. spouses whell thcy commit adultery : for
themselycs are separat<>d with whores, and
tllPY saf'rificc with harlots: therefore the
people (hflt rdoth not understand shaUll fal1.
}.')
Thoug-h thou, Israt'l, play the har-

r v
r. 1,6.
II Or,l.e
p">li.ltf!d.

31

lot, .'/('( It't not .Tudah offend; "amI come not c :
{oÍes T
ye unto (;ilA"al, neither
o ye up to t Beth- cir. í
O.
<lven, U nor swear, The LORD liycth. .
'i
: It
W For Isr'ae} x slidpth hm'k as a haeksli(l-
'i:.o
.4. 4.
iUg" heifer: now the LORI) will fccd them as' 1 2 f ings 12.
a lamb in a larg"e place. .Åh
::t 14.
1 Jer. 3.6. I'.: ï. 2-t & 8. 5. Zech. 7. 11. Zeph.1. 5.

tli
p]ea!<ure. aIHI it si
n of reprohation. 1.. Great i!< thc oft'enee.
if when thuu ha
t
inued, thuu art undesen'in
uf the wrath
of Gud."
fUl' themsell'es are sepfll'atecl1l'ith 1dlOre.'1. God turns from
them, a" unworthy to he spoken to any more, and
peaks uf
them. They Sepll1"llte tllemselves, frum "110m? aud with whom?
They H'parate thelUseln'
frum (;od. and" ith the deg-raded oues
and with de,-ils. Y t:'t so do all those who dlOose wilful sin.
ami tlte.1/ ,Wlcr{{ice [C
Jl/tillllflll!l, as before] 1l'ith [the] Iwr-
lots. The unhappy womt:'n hel'e =,poken of were sueh as were
2('(JIlSecrfltecl (as their name imllorts) to their "He g"ods and
goddt'ssc!', and to prostitution. This dreadful cun
ecratiun,
yea, de
e('mtion, wherehy t]U'y were taught tu seck hunor in
theil' di
g-race, was spread in difft'reut fonlls over Phæuieia,

yria, Phryg-ia, Assyria, Bahylonia. Ashtaroth, (the Greek
A
tarte) wa
its ehiefohjet't. This horriblewor
hip pre,'ailedin
l\1idian, when brael was entcring- the promised land, and it
sugge
ted the dt',-ilish dt
vit'e of Balaam 3 tu entan
ðe brad in
sil
'wherehy they might forfeit the favor of Gud. 'The like is
said tll suhsi!<t to this da,- in Heathen I ndia. The sin wa
both
the cau
e and cffcl.t uf Úle !"Ilpt'r
tition. Man's corrupt heart
/!a,-e ri!<e to the worship; and the wurship in turn fostered
the ("orruption. lIe first sanctiuned the
in hy aid of a de-
grading- wOl'!'hill uf nature, and then ('ommittNI it under lliea
uf that wllr
hil" He made his sin a law tu him. ". unwn,
who never rdal'sed into the
in, sinned in ubedienee tu the
dreadful law 4. Blinded as they were, indi,-idua] heathen had
the exeuse of their hereditary hlindnes
; the Jews had imper-
fl'd g-rat'e. 'flw !;ins of the Chri
tians are selt:'
ought, again
t
light and graee.
therefore t!te people t!tat dot/t 1Wt llnderst(lI/([ sltall fall.
The word f'olllprises both, t!tat dut!t not llIulerstwul, and t!tat
1t'ill /lot ullderstalld. They might have under
toud, if they
U'Ollld. God had revealed 'Hilll
l'lf tu them, and had given t

them His law, and was still
ending- to them His pruphet
.
o
that tI((')' eouhlnut hut have known and understood God's ""ill,
had they willt,tl. Ig-norance, whit'll we ll1i/.!.-ht a,-uid ur eure,
if we wuuld. i
itself a ",in. It cannut excusc lOin. TI(('y shall,
he 'f'ays,fall, or he Cll,
t !teadlong. 'l'hose who hlind their eyes,
so as not to Sf'e or understand God'
"ïll, hring- them
eh-e

t.o !<udden ruin, whieh thcy hide from themseh-es, until they
fall IH'adlung in it.
]j. let 1/ot Judah of/i'lld. The sentenee of Isrdd had becn
pronuu.nt'ed; "he had been deelarcd ineurrig-ihle. The Pruphet
turn,. trum hcr now to
Tudah. bmcl had abanduned Gud's
worship,rejt'eted ur t'orruptt'd Hi
l'rie
t
, J!.'iven herselftuthe
worship of the calves; no manel what fm'ther exccs
uf riot
she run into! But Judah. whu had the law and the telllple
and tilt'
eI"\-if'C uf God, let nut her, (1H' would
ay,) Î1wolH' hel'-
self in .I.!<rael':- sin. If I
racl, in wilful hlindness, had plung-ed
her!<elf III ruin, let not Judah ill\'uln her
df in her sin and her
ruin. He turns (as ch'ewhcre) int'identally to Judah.

1 S. Jer.
:-.;;-;:
3 r\um. xxv. xxxi. 8. 16.
4 Herod. i.19U. It may ha..e been in some such way, that Gomer, whom the Prophet
was Indden to marr
', had fallen. " Josh. iv. 19, 20. \". 9, 10. ix. Ü,

(,ollle."le not Ullto Gilglli. Gil
allay hctwcen Jeriehu anll
the Jordan. There, ten fnrlung''' from the Jurdan, first in aU
the promised land, the people elH'amped ; tht're
Joshna plal'ell
tilt' 1II1111Ument of the miraculous passag-e of the Jordan; thcre
he renewed the I'Ïn'uml'i
iun uf thc peoph' which had hecn
intermitted in the wilderness, and the tt
ast uf the Iw

on'r;
thither the people returned. after all the vi(,tories hy whil'h
Gml g-an' them po

e

iun of the land ofpromi
e 5. Then' Sa-
muel habitually
aerificed, amI therc before tI,e Lord, i. c. in His
!'pt
t'Ïal eun
nanted Presence, he puhli('ly made Saul king 6.
It was part of the poli('y of Jcrohoam tu take hold of aU these
as..oeiatiuns. as a sort uf set-ojf against .Terusalem and thc
Temple, from which he had separat'ed his people. In o]lpu
i-
tiun tu this idulatrv, Elisha tor it time, c-"Ìahli
hed there one
uf the !'chools of tile Prophet!' 7.
neither go .1/e lip to Bd!ul1'ell. Betharell, lit. IlO1(.\'e of l'a-
Uit.'/, was a t'Ïty East uf Betltel ", the hOllse of God. But sinec
Jerohuam had set up the wurship ufthe f'alvcs at Bethel, Bethd
had eeasl'd to he tlte house of (;od, and had beeume u IIOlise or
tell/pIe of 1'aJlit.1J ; and !'o t]w Prophet g'a"e it no more it
own
name whieh was a
so{'iated with the llÍ
tory of the faith uf
the Patriarl'lls, hut called it what it had bee('me. In Bethd
God had 1\\ ice appeared to Jaeob, when he left the land of
promi!'e 9 to go to Lahan, and when he returned 10. Thither also
the ark of God was tor a time in the days of the judg-e
re-
muved frum Shiloh ll, near to whit'h un tlw
outh 12 Bethcl lay.
It tuo Jeroboam profaned by !':etting- up the ealf there. To
the!'e plaees then, a", hcing- now plaee
ufthe idolatry of Israel,
Judah is furbidden to g-u, and then to s'weur, tlte Lord Ih'etll.
For to swear hy the Lord in a plaec uf idolatry wuuld be tu
assof'iate the Ih-ing Gud with iduls I3, which God expressly
t()rbade.
Iö.
FUI' b/'{{e! slidet1, back, as a lJachlidillg heifa. The
ealves which Israel wor
hipped were }lictun's uf itself. Thcy
represented natural, untamed, strength, whif'h, when put to
selTice. started haek and
hrunk fnllll the yoke. .. Cntraetable,
petulant, unruly, wanton, it withdrew fn;m the
'oke, wllt'n it
euuld; ifit could nut, it drew a
idc or baekward in
tl'ad uf for-
ward." So is it rare, exeeeding- rare, for man tu walk straight
un in (
ud's ways; he jerks, writhes, twisti:. darts aside hither
and thither, hating nothing su nUlI'h as one straight, even, nar-
ruw tenur of his way
.
,.YOll' tlte Lurd ;cill feed tI,em as a la/llh in a large plm'e.
The puni
hment of Israe] was elo
e at hand. nOll'. It would
nut ha\"(' the straitness ufCod's cunHnandment,.; it !<hould ha,-e
the widenes,.; of a dcsert. God would withdraw His pruteet-
ing Pruddenee from them: lIe wuu]d rult' them, althoul!.'h
unfelt in His merey. At large, they wishcd to be; at large
thcy should he; but it shuuld be the largell('s
uf a 1l'ild('rne,
,'1
1l'ltere is JlO U'llIl. There, lik(' a lamb, they should g"u astray,
wandcring- up 'and duwn, unprutl'f'ted, a prey tu wild hea!':ts.
,y ue i
it to that man, whum, when he withdraws from Christ's

x. 6-9.
3. xi\'. 6.
j 2 Kgs. iv. 38.
10 Ib.xxxv. 1. and 9.

6 1 Sam. x.8. xi. 14, 15. xiiiA-9. xv. 21, 33.
s Josh. \ii, 2. 9 Gen. xx\iii. 10. I!).
11 Jud. Jù!.. 2G,7. 12 Jud. xxi. 1\1. lJ Zeph. i..J.

32

C lfj[oíes T 17 EI}hraim is joined to idols : Y let him I
cir. ï
O. alone. ! I
t
:;,
. 15. u. IA Their drink t is sour: they have corn-
s
If:.n:t 11. mitted whoredom continually: z her t rulers
t
;b.3. u'itlt shame do love, (;h"e p'.
f;:

t:9. UP The wind hath hound her up in her
· {;
-t5
\. wings, amI b they shall be ashamed because
II }:
. 2
' iü
' of their sacrifi('es.

HOSEA,

Before
CHRIST
God's Judgments against the priests, tIle people, cu. 780.
and the princes of Israel, for their manifold
S;1I8, 15 tintil they repent.
H EAR ye this, 0 priests; and hearken,
ye house of Israel; and
ive ye
car, 0 house of the king-; for judgment i.'I
toward you, hecause B)'f' have been a snare · ch. 6. 9.

CHAPTER V.

ea
y yoke, God permits to take unhindered the broad road
whieh leadeth to destnIption. To Israd, this wide I)laee was
the wide realms of the )ledes, where the\" were withdrawn
frum God's wurship and deprin'd of His proteetion.
Ii. Epllraim is.ioined to id()l.
, i. e. handed, bound up with
them, associated, as the word means, with them so as to deave
to them, willing- neither to part with, nut to he parted from,
them. The idols are palled hy a name, denotin
toils; with
toil they were fashiuned, and, when fashioned, they were a
toil and grief.
let him alone; lit. gh.e him rest, i. e. from all further expos-
tulations, whieh he will not hear. It is an abandonment of
Israel tin' the time, as in the prophet Ezekiel 1, As for you, 0
IlOuse of IS1"llel, thus saith the Lord God, go ye, sert'e ye every 'me
Ids idols. Sinners often long, not to he tormented by eon-
seienee or hy God's warnings. To he left so, is to be aban-
doned by God, as one whose ease is desperate. God will not.
while there is hope, leave a man to sleep in sin; for so the numb-
ness of the soul ÏIlf'reases, until, like those who fall asleep
amid extreme eold of the body, it never awakes.
18. Their C!J'illk is sour, lit. tumed, as we say uf milk. So
Isaiah says 2, Thy Ûlzoer is berome dross; thy wille is mingled,
i. e. adulterated, leith /l'ater; and our Lurd speaks of salt which
hac/lost it.
.wvour. The wine or the !'alt, when onee turned or
he('ome in!<ipid, is spoiled irrccoverably, as we !'peak of "dead
wine." They had lost all their life, and tastp of goodness.
her rulers u'ith shame do IUl'e, give ye. .Avariee and lux-
ury are ptmtinually banded to
ether, acpordin/! to the !o'a)"ing,
" covetou
of another's. prodig-al of his own." Yet it were per-
haps more eorrer't to render, her rulers do 100.e, do loz'e, shame 8.
They lIwe that which brings shame, whieh is buund up with
shame, and ends in it; and so tlH' Prophet says that they loz'e
the shame itself. They act, a!< if they were in love with the
shame, which, all their livc8 lon/!, they are uneeasin
ly and, as
it were, by sp:tem, drawing upon themselvcs. They phase
dili/!ently after all the oecasions of sins and sinful pleasures,
whieh end in shame; they omit nothing which bring" it, du
nothing whieh ean avoid it. 'Yhat else or what more could
they d
), if they loved the shame fur its uwn sake?
19. The ll'iml hath bound her up ill her li.iugs. "'hen
God brou/!ht Israel out ofE
n)t, He bare them Oil eagles'll'ings.
and brought them unto ]-limself4. Kow they had ahandoned
God, and God ahandoned them as ehaff to the wind. The
certainty of Israel's doom is denoted b)" its being spoken of
in thc past. It wa!' certain in the Divine judg'ment. Sud-
den, re...;istless, irreversible are (
od's judgments, when they
pOHle. As if" iml)risoned in the vie,,"less winds, and" borne
"with restless violence" as it were on the wings nf the whirl-
wind, hracl should be hurried by the might
" wrath of God
into eaptivitr in a di8tant land, bound up so that none should

I xx.39.. t i. 22. 3 '
:'I

:'III i. probably one of the earliest fonns of the intensive
verb, reppatmg a part of the verb itself, with its inflection.

escape, hut, when arrived there, dispersed hither and thither
as the ehaff bctiJre the wind.
aml tlle.1I shall be ashamed becau.çe of their .\"(lattices. They
had sacrificed to the pah-es, to Baal, or to the sun, moon, stars,
hoping aid from them rather than from God. 'Yhen then
the," !<hould see, ill deed, that from those their !.merifipes no
good eame to them, but evil only, tþey shuuld be healthfully
ashamed. So, in fact, in her capth-ity, did brael learn to be
ashamed of her idols; and so does God, by healthful disappoint-
ment, make us ashamed of seeking out of Him, the /!ood
things, ,,"hi ph He alone hath, and hath in store for them who
love Him.
V. 1. Hear !Ie this, 0 ye priests, God, with the solemn
threefold summons, arrai
ns anew all dasses in l!'rael before
Him, not now to repentanee but to judgment. Neither the
religious privileges of the priests, nor the multitude of the
peuple, nor the pivil dignity of the king, should exempt any
from God's jlld
ment. The priests are, probahly, the true but
corrupted priest!' of God, who had fa]Jen away to the idolatries
with which they were surrounded, and, by their apustaey, hatl
stren
rthened them. 111e king, here fir!'t mentioned by Hosea,
was probably the unhappy Zechariah, a weak, pliant, self..
indulgent, drunken scoffer 5 , who, after eleven years ofanarehy,
succeeded his father, only to be murdered.
forjudgment is toward .1/ou, lit. t/wjudgment. The kings
and the priests had hitherto been the jud
es; now they were
summoned before Him, 'Yho is the Judge of judges, and the
Kin
of kings. To teaeh the law was part of the priest'.. offiee ;
to enforce it. belonged to the king. The guilt of both was en-
haneed, in that they, being so entrusted with it, had eorrupted
it. They had the p:reatest sin, as being the sedueers of the
people, and therefore ha,-e the seHrest sentC'nce. The Pro-
phet, dropping for the time the mention of the peoll1e, pro-
nounees the jud
lent on the sedueers.
because ye hal'p been a sllare OJ{
1Iizpah. l\1izlJah, the 8eene
of the "nlemn povenant of
Taeoh with Laban. and of his signal
protection by God, lay in the monntainous part of Gilead on
the East of Jordan. Tabor was the well-known l\Iountain of
the Transfi
uration, whir'h rises out of the midst of the plaill
of Jezreel or Esdraelon, one thousand feet high, in the form ofa
sug-arloaf. Of .Mount Tabor it is related by St.
Terome, that
birds were still snared upon it. But something more seems
intended than the mere likeness of birds, taken in the snare
of a fowler. This was to be seen everywhere; and so, had
thi!' becn all, there had been no ground to mention these 1\'.0
historipal spots. The Prophet has selected places on both
sides of Jordan, which were probably centres of corruption,
or speeial scenes of wiekedness. l\1izpah, being a saered
plaee in the history of the Patriarch Jacob 6, was prubably, like
Gilgal and other saered plaees, desecrated by idolatry. Tabor

4 Ex. xix. 4. Deut. xxxii. 11.
i see Jntrod. p. :;. 6 Gen. L'txi. ZI-i9.

CIL\PTER Y.

C IfI[oíes T on :\lizpah, and a net I"prcad upon Tahor.
cir. ;841. 2 ...\nd the rcvolters arc b IH'ofound to

"::i
:
;. make slaug-hh'r, II though I lWl'C been t a
t

;c
ion. ('ehuker of tJwJU all.
:

/5. 3 c I know Eplm.lÏm, and Israel is not hid

h: 4.17. from me : for now, 0 Ephraim, d thou

33

committest whoredom, (tllrf J srael is defiled. C HÐf[oíes T
-4 t II TIH'Y "\, ill not frame their doill
s to _d r. ;1>0.
turn unto their r.od: for e the spirit oft
:
",ill
whoredoms i.y in tht:' midst of them, and '\ ö:'I';j.

ir
they ban' not known the LORn.

"th;
ol
5 AmF the pride of Israel doth tf'stify to;

:
:

:

was the sl'ene uf God's deliverance of Israel br Barak 1 . There,
by eI)f'ulU'u/!ing' idolatril's, ther heeanw huntcrs, not pastors,
of souls 2. There i
an old Jen ish traditiun 3, that Iwrs-in-
wait were sct in these two plat't's, to interl'cpt and munlër those
Israelites, who wuuld
o up to worship at
Terusalem. And
this traùition gains eountenam'e frum the mention of slaugh-
ter in the next verse.
2. .JlIIl tIle rel'o/ters are prr
rolllul to make slaughter;
lit. Tlle.1f made the slaugMer deep, as Isaiah says, the.1f deepl.1f
corrupted themselz'es 4 ; and our old writers sar "He smote
depe." Thcr willed also doubtless to "make it deep," hide it so
deep that (yod should nevcr know it, as the Psalmist sap' of
the un
odly, "that the inward ,çelf alld heart of tlte ll'orkers of
i1âquitlf is det'p," whereon it tilllow!<. that (;orl should .vurldenl.'1
'll'O/uu{ tlmn, as here the P,'uI,het suhjoius that God rebuked
them. .\f'hml and prufuse murder has been already 5 men-
tiuned as one of the f'OllImon 8ins of Israel, and it is afterwards
6 also charged upon the priests.
though I Ital'e bem a relJllker; lit. a rebuke, as the Psalm-
i!'t !Oays 7, I am pra!/er, i. e. " I am all prayer." The P!"almist's
whole bein
was turned intu prayer. So here, all the attri-
butes of God, His mercies, !tn-e. ju
tice, were emu'entrated into
one, and that one, rehuke. Rebuke was the one form in whkh
they were all seen. It is an ag
ran\tion of crime to do it in the
place of jud
ment ur in the prescnee of the Judge. Israel
was inHner!'erl in his sin and heeded not, although God rehuked
him eontinually by His ,'oif'c in the law, forbidding all idolatry,
and wa,.; now all the while, both in word and deed rebuking him.
3. I knou' Ephraim. There is mUl'h emphasis on the L
It i
like our, " I have known," or " I, I, have known." (
od
had known him all along, if we may so speak. Howe,'er deep
they may have laid their plans of bloud, however they would
or do hide them from man, and think that no Eye seeth them,
and !:.:ay, lrho seeth me t and ,l'Iw lawweth 111e t I, to "Those
Eyes all things are naked and opened 8 , have all along known
them, and nothing of them has been hid from .Me. For, He
add!", e"en now, Will' when, under a fair outward shew, ther
were veiling the depth of their
in, lWll', when they think that
their way is hid in darkness, I know their duings, that they
arc defiling themseh-es. Sin ne,-er wanted speeious excuse.
Xow too, unbelievers are mostlr found of precisely those cha-
ral'ters in Holy
('ripture whom (;od f'ondemns. Jeroboam
duubtless was accounted a patriot, vindieating his countr
-
from oppresi-'h-e taxation, which Rehoboam in!<olently threat-
ened. Jerusalem, as Iyin/! in the Southernmu8t tribe, was
rel'rescnted as ill-selected ti)l" the plaf'e of the assemblage of
the tribes. Bethel, on the cuntran', was hallowed hv visions
it had been the abude,for a time, of'the ark. It la v in the trib

of Eplmtim, whieh they might think to ha,'e heel; unjustly de-
prh'ed of its privilege. Dan was a provision for the Xorthern
tribe
. Sm'h was the exterior. (;od say" in answer, I know
Ephraim. \I Known unto God are all His works from the be!âll-
lIing afthe world. Although (in some way unknown to us,)
not
. I_!ud..iv.
Ezek.xiii.18,20.
3 Jarchl, AbeD Ezra, JÜrnchl .. out of anCler,ter Rabbins." Poco

4 xxxi. 6.

interfering- with our frce will, known unto God are our thuu/!hts
and words and deeds, before ther are framed, while they are
framed, while tht')- art' being-
l'fJken and done; known to Him
is all which we do, and all which, under any l'ircUlu
tan('es,
we should do. This He knows with a knuwledg'e befure the
things were. "IOAll his creatures, I'orpureal or spiritual. He
cloth not therefore know be('ause they are; but the\" therefore
are, because Ill' knoweth them. For lIe was nu"t i
norant,
what He was about to ereah'; nor did Ill' know them, after lIe
had (Teated them, in any other way than before. For no af'-
('('ssiun to Hi!< knowledge came frum them; but, they ð.isting
when and as was meet. that knowledge remained as it was."
How stran
e then to Úlink of hidini from (;od a !Oef'l'et sin,
when He knew, before lIe created thee, that He ereateù thee
liable tu this very temptatiun, ami to be as
istt'd amitbt it with
just that graee which thou art resi!"tin
. God had known Is-
rael, hut it was not with the knowledg-e oflove ofwhil'h He sa
-s,
The Lord knoweth tIle 1('a,1/ oftlie 'l'ighte(Jlls l1 , and 12, If an,1/ mall
lot'e God, the same is knowll of Him, but with the kno\\ ledge
of condemnation, whereby He, thc Sean'her of hearts, knows
the sin which lIe jud/!es. "
4. They ll'illllot frame their doings, f,.c. 'fhey were po!--
sessed by an e,-il !'pirit, impelling and driving them to sin; the
spil"it (
f 'll'horedoms is in the midst of t/WTIl, i. e. in their yery
inward seU
their f'entre, so to speak, in their souls where re-
side thc will, the reason, the judgment; and
o Ion/! as they
did not, by the stren
rth of God, di!'-'lutlg-e him, they would and
could not frame their ads, so as to rel)t
nt and turn to God.
For a mi
htier impulse mastered them and drove them into
sin, ai' the e,.il spirit drove the swine into the deep.
The rendering of the marl!in, although Jess af,rreeable to the
Hebrew, also {..riws a strikin
sense. Their doings ll'illllot
Sl!tfèr them to tltl"ll unto theil" God. Xot so mueh that their
hahits of sin had got an absolute mastery oyer them, so as to
render repentance impossible: but rather, that it was impo!<-
siblc that they should turn inwardly, while thev did not turn
outwardly. '[heir e\'il doings, su l
ng as they' persenred in
doing them, took away all heart, whereby to turn to God with
a solirl,'oJ1\'ersion.
And yet He was their God; this made their sin the more
grieyous. He "'hom they would not turn to, still owned them,
was still ready to reeeive them, as their amI. For the Prophet
continues, and they IW1:e not knoll'n the Lord. Him, tlteir God,
they knew not. For the spirit whif'h possessed them hindered
them from thought, from memory, from coneeptiun of!"l'iritual
thing-so They did not turn to God, I) bel'ause the evil spirit held
them, ami so lung as they allowed his hold. they were filled with
carnal thoug-hts whkh kept them baek from (;od.
) They did
not know God; so that, not knowing how good and how great
a good He is in Himself, and how good to us, they had not even
the desire to turn to Him, f()r Ion of HimseU
yea, eyen for Itwe
of themselves. Thev saw not what they lust, a luvin
God.
5. .And the pridë of Israel. Pride
ms from the first the

. iv.2. 8 vi. 9. 7 Ps.cix.4.
8 Heb. iv. 13. 9 Acts x, . 18. 10 S. Aug. II Ps. i.6. I: I Cor. viii. 3.
K

3-J.

IIOSE4\'

C HB;!tS This facc . : tlH'rcfore shall Israel and Ephraim ! 6 g Tllt'y shall
o with th{'ir fioel:,; and c J1 0 rs T
dr. ï!'O. fall in tllt'ir iniquity; Judah also shall fall with their herds to scek the LORD; hut they _ ci
8()'
with them. lsai. 1. ]6. Jer. n. n. Ezek.8. 18. 1\1ic. 3.
.

hv

:
::

lcadin
sin of Ephraim. Tn
('ther with l\Iana

dl, (with
whum the,' madt" in some re
pel'b, une whole, as tlte cltildrell
(
f Joseplt l ) they were nearly eqnal in numher to .Tudah. ""ien
numbered in the wildel'ne
!<, Judah had 74, fi()() fig'htin
men,
Ephraim aml)I ana
:o'ch to
cther i'2, iOO. They
peak ofthem-

elves as a grcat people, fm'aslIIllrlt as ti,e Lord Itatlt "h'.
,
cd
me hit{,erto
. (;od lun-in/! I'ho
en out uf tlH'1I1 the leader
under whum He brou/!ht I
rael into the land ofpromi
e, thcy
re:,cutcd, in the fuIluwin
time of the J ud
t,
, any dcliveranee
of the land, in \\ hidl tlU'y were nnt I'alled to ta1.e a part.
Thev t'hude with Gidt'un'J, amI
utft'red ven-
evel"('lv for ill
U-
lenee
to Jt'phthah and the Gileadite
. 'Yhén Gideoil. who had
refu
t'(1 to bc king-, \\-a
dead, .\himcIel'h, his
on hy a l'OIH'ubine
out of Ephraim, indm.t'd the .Ephraimite
to make him king-
O\'er I
rad. as b('ill
tl,eir bOlle amI t{,eirjleslt ó. Lyin
in
the mid
t tlf the tribes to the
orth of Judah, thcy appt'ar, in
antagoni
m to .hulah. to have g-athcrcd rouml them the other
tribes, and to have taken, with tht'1I1. the name of brael, in
contra
t with .Tudah 6 . ðhiluh, where the ark was, until taken
by the Phili
tines. belonged to them.
a1l1uel. the' last jud
e,
was rai
ed lip out of them 7. 'l'1U'ir pnliti,'al di
nity was not
a
grit'\'ed, when God
ayc Saul, out uf little Bel!jmllill, a
kin/!
over His people. They t'ouldatford to own a king Ollt of the It'a...t
triht'. Tht'ir present politieal emim'lH'e was endangeretl. when
(;011 eho
e David out of their great rival, the trilj(' of Judah;
tþeir hope for till' future wa" cut otfby Hi!< liromiH' to the po
te-
rity of I )avid. TIH'Y aeeurdin
ly upheld, for se\'en yt'ars
, the
house of Saul, knowing that thev were a"ting agaillst the 'Yill
of God 9. Their rclig.ious impln.tance was
a

rievcd hy the
renlllval of the ark to Zion, instead of its heing re!<tored to
Shiloh 10. .\h
alom won them In- flatterv 11: and the rehc!lion
a/!ain
t David wa
a stru
gle of I"raell
aiain
t Judah. "-hen
Ahsal"m was dt
ad, the\" had st'al'celv aidcd in hringing him
haek when tll('Y ft'1I awå y ag-ain, heea
lsl' their advi,.è luid nut
been first had ill hringing him haek 13. Rehoboam wa
aln'adv
king uver J udah H , wilt'n' he eame to Shedlem to be made kin

uver Israel 15. Then the ten tribes st'nt for Jt'rohoam of Ephra-
im 16 , to make him their spokesman, and, in tlw end, their kin
.
The rival \\ "rship uf ß('tht'l prm idt.tL n"t onl) for thc indo-
len,'e, but tilr the pride of his tribe. lit, nUHlt
a
tatc-worship
at Bethel uver a
ill4 the wOl'
hil' ordained by (;(ld at Jeru
a-
lell1. Just befìJr(' the time of Hu
t'a, the IwIitil'al
treng-th of
Ephraim was
" mueh superiur to that uf .T udah, that .Tehoash
in his pride t'mnpared himself to the cedar of Lehanon, .-\nHl-
ziah kin
of Judah to the thi",tle 17. Isaiah spt'aks of .. jea-
101l
y Ih" or "el1\-y," as the ehara('tt'ri
tic sin of I
rael, whi,'h
peqwtuated that division whil'h, he foretold, shoulùbe healed in
(,hri
t. Yt.t althuu:!rh sueh wa!': the IJOwt'r and pride ofI",rael,
God fi,,'etnld that he !'hould first g'0 into I'aptivity, and so it was.
This pl"ide, as it was tht. urigin of the
ehi
m of the tCIl
tril)('
, so it wa
tlU' nH'.lIl
of its eontinmllu'e. In \\ hate,-er
degl'ee anyone uf the KinA's of Isrnel was better than the rest,
!':till lIP departed I/ot fNJlII tI,e .
ills of Jemhoalll, 1l'1W made
Israt'l to sill. The gh in/! up of any other sin unly shewed
how decply rooted this
in was, whit'h even then they would
nut A'Í\-e up. As is tll(
way of unregenerate man, thcy would

] Josh. xvi. 4. x\ii. U.
· lb. xii. 1 sqq.
;' ] SaUl. i. 1.

, Josh. x\ii. 14.
Qb. viii. 31. ix. 1, 3,
2.
8 2 Sd1I1. v.5. 9 lb. iii. 9.

5 2 Sam_ ii
i.

: iN.\

1
:
10 Ps. b:x\ iii. 60, Iii -9.

not g-ive themscln'
up withuut reserve to God, tu do all His
"'ill. They ('ouhlllot give up tlâs
in of Jerohmlll1, without
endangt'ring' their separate exi
tenee a
b1'llcl, and (lwning' the

uperiority of Judah. From this eomplcte self-surrender to
God, their pride !-hrank and held them bat'k.
The pride. whidl Israel t11U
shewed in refusing to turn to
(iud, and in preferrin
their sin to tlteir God, itl't'lf, he says,
n itllessed a
ainst them, and eUll(lcnllled them. In the pre
en('e
of Gmt, there needcth nu uther witness a/!ainst thc
inner than
his own eon
,'it'II('e. It .
/UlIl1l'itl/e
's to Iâ.
f(lre, "opcnly, pub-
Ii,'ly, themselws and all uther
seein
. a,'knmdedg-ing', and all-
llmvin
the just jud
ment of (;od and the ret'ompenl'e uf their
sin." Pride and earnal sin are here remarkahh- unitt'd.
"19 The Propht
t havin
said, the spirit off
1'IliNltioli is in
tlte midst of them, assig-ns as its p:round, tlte pride of Israel
1I'il! test
f!1 to his fltre, i. e. the sin whil'h, through llride uf
mind, lurked in
e('ret. bore open witness thruu/!h sin uf the
fle
h. "Tht
refore the deanness of chastity is tu be pre
el"\'ed
by guarding humility. For if the I'l'irit is Iliuuslr humbled
lwfore God, tilt' flesh is not raised unlawfully above the
l'irit.
For the spirit holds the dominion oYer the flesh, eon11llitted to
it, if it .1I'knowledgcs the daims of lawful senitude to the
Lord. For it
throllA'h pride. it despises its Author, it ju
tly
im'urs a I'ontest with it
suhject, thc fle
h."
tht'refore
'{,a!l brael al/d EpllNtimfal! ill [or by] tl,eir
il/iqllit.lf. Ephraim. the ehief of the ten trihes, i
distinp:ui
hed
from the whole of whil'h it was a part, bet'aui't. it was the rÍ\-al
uf Judah, the ruyal tribe, ont of whi,'h Jeroboam had sprung,
whu had formcd tht
kingdom uf I
racl b,. the schi
m frum
Judah. All hrael. eI'Cn its royal tribe, wliere was Samaria,
it!< capital and
tren
th,
lwuld fall. thcir ini(luity bcing the

tumbling-blu('k, 011 which they shuuld fall.
.Judah al.m shallfallll'ith them. "Judah alsu, being par-
taker with them in their idolatry and tlwir wi..kt,thwss, "hall
partake with them in the like IlUni!<hment. Sin shall IUI\-e
the like eftèd in both." Literally, he saith, Judah lllltltfidlel/,
dt'notin
, a
do other prophet
, the eertainty of the future
event, by slwaking of it, a
haying taken plaee already; as it
had, in tht. Mind of God.
fi. TIIl'.1f 8{,all go Il'itlt tlteil'j!o('ks. "They had let sli'J the
day of
ra('e, wherein (iud had ('a lied them to repentêllH't'. and
prumised tu be found of them and to at.t'ept thcm. 'nlen
then the dt't'l"ee wa
gont' forth, and jud
ment detcrmÏ1wd
a
ainst tlwm, all their uutward she\\' of worship and late re-
pentanee shall nut preyail to gain admittar}('e filr them to
Him. He will not hc found uf them, hear thcm, nor at','ept
them. They
topl'ed their ears obstinately a
ainst Him eall-
ing on thcm, and proffering mert.y in the day of merey: HI'

vilI now stUÍI Hi
ear again
t them {'ryin
for it in the Day of
Judp:ment." Repenting- thus late, (a
i
the ('a
e with must
,,:ll() rcpcnt. or think that they repent, at the I'lose of life) they
did nut repent uut of tht. luYe of God. but out uf shl\-i
h fcar,
on acnlUnt of the ealamity whidl was eomiu
upon them.
nut the main truth, t'ontaillcd in this and uther passa
cs of
Huly Scripture whi,'h spcak of a time when it is too late to
turn to God, is this; that.. 20 it shall be too late tu knoe1. when

11 2 Sam. xv. 2, 5, 10, 12, 13.
xx. I,
. .. 1 Kings xi. 43.
I, 2 Kings xiv. 9. IS xi. ]3.

12 x\i. 15. uii.15. xviii. 6. ]3 Ih. xix. 41-3.
]õ 1 Kings xii. 1. 16 1 Kinl!;S xi. 26.
]9 S. Greg. ,0 Comminalion Senice.

CHAPTER Y.

35

c .r
T
s T shall not find ltÏ1n; be bath withdrawn him- I ('11Ïldren: now shall i a month (}('vour them c :
T's T
clr. ,
. self from them. I with tlwir portions. cir. ,fi ll=--
b }:\
S

. 7 They have h dt'alt treaeht'rouslr ag-ainst H k mow )"e the eornet in Giheah,
c1
;'ll. 8.

'
6
}: tbe LORD: tor they hm"p heg-otten strangt> I ' ((nd the trumppt in Rama: 1 cry aloud I :::i l . ie/3o.
Mal. 2. 11.

the door
hall be shut. and too late to er
t(W mere)' when it is
the time uf ju
tice." (.od waits long- for sinners; He threatelI'"
long- before 11(' strikes; Hc strike,", and pierees in le:-;,",er degrees,
and with iJu'rea"in
s('verih", before the final bluw ('ume
. In
thhi life, lIe plaeesLman in 'a new ",tate uf tJ'ial, e,-en after IIi,.
fir,.t jud
lllellt'"' han- fallen on the
inner. nut the
eneral
rule uf His dealill
s is thi
; that, whcn the time uf eaeh jud
-
ment i
a('hmllv ('(lme, th.en, as t(l tllat judgment, it is too late
to pray. It is ;wt too lat(' fur uther mcrey, ur for final f(lrg-h"e-
ne,.s, '"'0 I(ln
a,", man'!<
tate of probation lasts; but it i
too
late a
tu this (me. And tllU
. cadi jud
lllelit in time is a
pil'ture uf the I:ternal
Tudgment, when the day of merey is
lJast for ever, to tho,",c who han finally, in this life, hardened
themseln's a
ain"'t it. But temporal mereies corrc
pond with
t('mporal judgments; eternal mer('y with eternal jud
mcnt.
In time, it may lit' tuo late to turn away tempural jud
lllents ;
it i!< not too late, while God ('olltinucs graee, to flee from
eternal; and tlH' desirc not to lo
e (;od, i" a proof tu the soul
that it is not fursaken by Gud, by "'hum alone the longing
for Himself is kept alin or reawakeneù in His ereature.
thl'll sllall uot fiud Ilim. This befel the
Tews in the timc
of J osiåh. J osiali himselfI tumed to the Lord witll all his
heart am[ ll.ith all llis sou[ ami Il'itll all 1Ii.<; might, (l('CordiIlK
to all tile [flIL' of J/oses. He put away idolatry thorou
hly ; and
the people so far followed his example. H(
held sueh a l'a
,.-
onr, a
had not been held since the time (If the judge",.
Y(Jt-
1cithstmu[illg tile Lord tUl'ned not f/"Om tile ./i!!rcelless of Jli
'
great /('ratll, "Lcllerelcitll Elis anger "Lcas kiud[ed against Judall
because of all tile llrol'ocatious that
Jlauasseh Iwd prm'okecl
Jlim /('itlw[. .Am! tile Lord said, I/('ill remOl'e Jildah (jut of
_fl." sight, as I lIal"(, rellwrl'l[ Israe[, and will cast olf" tllis city
.Jeru.ça[e/ll, ll'lIÏrll I hare clw.<;en, and the house of ll'hich I said,

1/1/ nallle shall be tllere.
The Prophet dcs('ribes the people, as complying with Gud's
command!'; tlte.1f sha[[ go, i. e. to the plaee whieh (;od had
eho
en and ('omnulIIded, "Lcith their .flocks ami their herds, i. e.
with the most eostly sacrifiee
, tile .flocks supplying the sheep
and guats IH'e,.eribcd hy the law; the IIerds,
ul'plying- the bul-
Ioc'ks, ('ah-e
and heifer!" ojfered. The,' !'eem to ha\"e comc so
far
incer('ly. Yet pcrhap!< it i
not without further nwaning,
tbat the Prophet speak
uf tho
e outward !'aerifipes only. not
uf the heart; alHl the refurmation unùcr Josiah may therefure
harc failed, heeause the people were too ing-rainéd with sin
nnder
Iana

eh, and returned outwardly only under Josiah,
a
they ft'll ba('k again after his death. And 8U Gud sl,eaketb
here, as He docs by David 2, I zcill take JW bullock out of
tllÏne h(J/(se, nor lie-goat Ollt of tlly/old. Tlânkest tlum thnt I
!llill eat bllll.
flesh, or drink the Mood of goats? and hy Isa-
mh 3. To ll,llllt jJllI'jJo.
e is tile 1/lu[fitlllle (!f your sarr!fices Wl-
to Jle? I am full of the bumt (1f"eríngs of raUlS, alld the fat of
fed heasts.
He Iwtll 1l'itl/(lr([lI'Jl .flimself from tltem. Perhaps he
would
ay, that God, a
it were, freed Himse{f from them, a"
lIe
aith in Isaiah,\ I alii u'eary to bem' tllem, the union uf
!;aeritìee!< and of
in.
,. Tlle.1f hlll'e dealt treacherous[y; lit.llaz'e c1oalied, and so,

1 :2 Kings xxiii. 2.)-2,.

, Ps. I. !I, 13.

3 i.11.

4 i.14.

acted det'eitfullv. The word is uscd of treaeht'rY of friend to-
ward!' hi
fril'nd, of the hu",lmnd to his wife, ur the" ifc to her
husband 5. ,
ure[y as a /('ife treaclle/"fJl(
'[Y dejJartetll from her
IlIlslJ(wd, .'SO IWl'e ye dealt I reacllerous[1f leith
l/e, 0 house of
Israe[, saitll the I
o1"ll. God, e'"en in ins uphraiding, speaks
wry tenderly to them, a!': having bcen in the clo,.e
t, deare
t
rclation to Him"clf.
for tltey ha/'e hegotten strauge childrCll. (.od had madc
it a
round of the future blessin
of Abraham 8, I klloll' /,Ï1Il
that he zcill COIIIIIUllid his cllÏldren ami /âs house/wid after IlÏm
((Ild they sll((/I keep tile ll'a,1f (!f the Lord, to do .iustire ami
jlll

mellt. But these, cuntrariwise. theIl1
eh-e
heinl!,' idolah'rs
and e
tranged frum (;ud, had ehildren, who fell away like
them:-eh-e
.
tranp..er
tu God. and look('d upon a... stran
er"
by Him. The ehildrcn tuu of the forbidden marria
es with
tile h('athen were, by their hirth, stmllße or furei
n
'hildreJ),
eren before they beeame so in apt; and they became !;O the
more in at.t, heeause thcy were so by birth. The next g-enera-
tion then
ruwing- up mure cstrang-ed from God than thf'm-
selves, what hope uf amendment was there?
1(Oli' shall a mouth derow'. The word JJ(JIL' dt'notes the near-
ne...,. and suddenness of(;od'sjud
mcnt
; the term mOlltl" their
ral}itlity. A mOJ/th i" not only a brief time. hut i
im-j,.ibly Im
"'-
ing away; the moon, which measure!< it. is ne,-er at one
tay,
waxing- till it is full. then waning- till it di
appears. Xight by
ni/!ht Iwar.. witness tothe munth's dceay. The illiquitywas full ;
the han-e
t was ripe; UOIl',
uddenly, rapidly, pomplctely. thc
end ...hould ('omc. One month should del'lJ/l/" them with tI,eir
jJol"fioJls. (;od willed to be the Portiun of Hi,. peoplc; He had
,.aid 7, the Lord's pol"fioJl is Ilis peop[e; Jacob is tile lot of Hi.

iJiheritallce. To Him,.elf He had g-Í\-cn the title 8, the portion
(
f Jacob. I
rae] had ('hosen to him
df otller pol"fioJls out of
God; for these, he had for
aken his God; therefore he "huuld
be eonsumed with them. ".\11 that they had. all that thcv
I)(I

es!':ed, enjoyed, trusted in, all, at oll'ce, shall that
IHJrt
spaf'f', suddenly and eertainly to eo me, de,-uur, dCJ)rh-e and
hcreave them uf: nUlle of them "hall remain with them or pro-
fit them in the Da,- of wrath."
R B[oll' .lle th
cnl"llet ill Gibealt. The evil day and de-
stru('tion delloUlu'ed, is now vÍ\-idly pictured a
aetually eume.
.\11 is ill confu
iun, hurry, alarm, beeau
e th(' enemy n-a,. in the
mid4 of them. Tht' ('orJlet, all in!<trument made of horn. wa

to be blown as the alarm, when thc enemy wa
at hand. The
trumpet was e
l)ef'ially uscd for the worship of God. Gibealt
amlRal/lll11 were ('ities of Benjamin, on the border!< of Ephraim,
where thc enemy, who had p(l!ò
es
cd him,.elf of Israel, wuuld
hllr!<t in upon Judah. From Betlt-a('eu or Bethel. the !<cat of
EI}hraim'
idolatry, on the bord('r of Benjamin, wa
to break
furth the outerv of de!'truction, after '"ee, U Belljall/ill ; th(' ene-
lilY is ul,on thec, just hehind tliee, l'ur
lIing ÚU'e. (.ud had
I)rumiscd Hi!< pcol'lc, if they would serve Him 9, I will makl' all
t!tille ellemie.\ turJ/ their backs Ullto thee, and had threatene(l
the eontrary, if they
hould ll'alk ('olltrar.'1 to Ilim.
ow that
threat wa
to be fulfilled to the utterlllu
t. The ten tribe,. are
....poken ut
a
already in posses
ion of thc encmy, and hc was
upoJ/ Bl'1!J'al1lill fleeing befure them.
5 Jer. üi. 20. 6 Gen. row. 19. 7 Deut.xxxii.9. 8 Jer. x.16. 9 Ex. xxiii. 27.

36

C HB}[oíes T at m llethaven, n aft<>r thee, 0 Benjamin. I
cir. i80. 9 Ephraim shall he desolate in the day
D'
I
.S
: f5. 2 . of nhuke : amon
the tribes of Israel
n Judg.6. 14. have I made known that which shall
surely he.
10 rrhe princes of .J udah were like them
that 0 remove the hound : t/wNfore I will

o Deu!. 19. 14"
& 2i.17.

HOSEA,

pour out my wrath upon them like water. C HB
oÍeS T
II Ephraim is p opprf'ssed and hroken cir. i80.
in ju(lgment, hel'ause he willingly walked P Deut. 28. 33.
after q the commandment. q 1 Kg.. 12.28.
. I E h . :\1ic.6.lG.
12 Therefore 'wIll 1)(> unto ; p rmm as
a moth, and to the house of Judah r as' Prov.12.4.
1\ rottenness. II Or, a worm.

9. Ephmim shall be desolate. It shaH not be lig-htly re-
buked, nor even mort

rien}U
ly eha
tened ; it
hall not sim-
ply be wasted by famine, p('stilenee, and the sword; it Ûwll b(;
nut simply desolat(', but a desolation, one wa
te, ill the da.'1 of
rebuke, when Gud brin{!,"s homc to it its sin und puni
hment.
Ephraim was not taken away for a time; it was never re
tored.
Ilull'e made kllown that wlticft slwll .mreZI! be. "1 Doubt
not that this whif'h I
ay shall c'ome upun the(', for it is a sllrc
saying' whieh I han
made knuwn ;" lit. une well grounded, as
it was. in the mind, the justiee, the hulincss. the tl"Uth of God.
All God's threatenin
s or prmni
es arc
rounded in pa
t ex-
peri('lu'e. So it lllar also be a
thou
h God said, .. Whatever
I IHi\'e hitherto promiscd or threatened to hrael, has eome
to paslÒÕ. In all I have proved myself true, Let no one then
fiatt('r him:<clf, as though this were unC'ertain ; fur in this, as in
the rc
t, I shall be found to he God, faithti.11 and true."
10. The princes of Judah were like them that rernm'e the
bound. .\ll a,-arieious eneroaehment on the patcrnal inherit-
anc'e of others, was strai
htly forbidden by Gud in tll(
law,
under the lwnalty of His eur
c. 2 Cursed ;,f lte that remOl'eth
//Ís lIeig!dmul"s lalldmark. The prÍlH'es of Judall, i. e. thu
e
who werc the kin
s eounsellors and ('hid in the ch-il polity,
had eommitted !'in like to this. SÏIwe the Proph(,t had ju:<t
l)rcJl\o\UIC'ed the desolaticm of Israel, perhaps that sin was, that,
instead uftaking warnin
frum the threatened dei'tnwtion, and
turn in/! to God, tlwy thoug'ht unly huw the removal nf Ephraim
would benefit thcm, by the enlargement of their borders.
They mi
ht hope also to inerease their private e!'tates out of
the desolate lands of Ephraim, thdr brother. The unre/!c-
nerate heart, instead of heing awed by {;ud's judgment un
otheri', louks out to see what ad,'antages it may gain frum them.
Times of ('alamity arf' al
o times of
reediness. Israel had
heen a continual i'ore to Judah. Tht' prinf'es of Judah rejoiced
in the prospec.t of their remm-al, instcad of mournin/! tht'Ír ,.in
and fcaring" fur them
elvcs. More widdy yet, the words may
mean, that the prillces (
f .Judaft "burst all bounds, set to th('m
by the law of (;od, to whieh nothin/! was to be added, from
whif'h nothing- was to be diminished," transff'rring tu idols or
devils, tu sun, moon and stars, or to the bdngs supposed to pre-
side over them, the Im'f', honur and worship, due tu God Alone.
I tI'ill pOllr out
JI.lf 1l'ratft like water. So Ion/! as tllOi'e
bCllllld
were not brokcn thruu
h, the Justiee of Gud, althoug-h
manifoldl:" prtn-oked, was yet stayed. 'Yhen Judah should
break them, they wuuld, as it were, make a way for the elms-
ti!<ement of God, which should burst in like a flood ullOn
them, cl\'erspr
ading the whole land, yet bringing, not renewed
life but death. Like a flood, it overwhelmed the land; but it
was a flood, not of water but of the wrath of God. They had
burst the bounds which divided them from Israel, and had let
in upon themselves its ehastisements.
II. Epllraim is oppressed and broken in .iudgment, lit.
crushed injlldglJ/eJlt. Holy Scripture, elscwhere also, combines
I Rup. 2 Deut. xxvii. Ii.
3 Deut. xXTiii. 33. 1 Sam. xii. 3, 4. Is. lviii. 6. Am. iv.l. r'Z:' and its derivative. are

the!':e i'ame two words, rendered oPP,'pssecl and crushed 3, in
!:;peaking uf man's ol)pression by man. Ephraim preferred
man's ('ommands ancllaws to God's; they obeved man and set
God at nou
ht; therefor'c tlwy i'hould s{lffcr
t man's hand!:;,
who, while he eflULllly neg-lectcd God's will, enfure(
d his own.
The ('om1llalldmCllt, whieh Epllraim ll'Ílliugly u"ent after, was
doubtlc
s that of
Terohoam 4,; It i.f too 11/llch for YOll to go up
to Jeruwlem ; he/wid tll.1! gods, 0 Ismel, lchicll brollght you out
of t{,e land of Eg:l!pt ; and .Jeroboam fJ/'dailll.d a feast unto tile
c/lildren of Israel. Thrung'h this commandment, Jeroboam
earned the dreadful titl(" wIlD lIIwle I.
rael to sill. And brad
'Wellt It'ÍlIillglyafter it, for it is said; T//Ís t//Íllg became a sill ;
and tI,e people lcent to u'ors//Íp before tlte one, even wtfCJ
Dan: i. e. while they readi]y aeeeptcd Jerobuam's }Jlea, It is
too 1I1llrh for pOll to go up to JeruutleJJl, they went willillg(y to
the N"orthernmost point of Pa]estine, even to Dan. For this
sin, Godjud
ed them justly, even throuA"h the unjust judgment
of man. God mostly punishes, throu
h their own ehoit'e, those
whu ehoose ag-ainst His. The Jews said, we IIave lW killg but
Cæ.l'Gr, and Cæsar dl'!o'troyed them.
12. Therefore I will be Ullto Ephraim a 1/I0th, lit. and I as
a 11/otll. This form ofspt'aking expresses what God was doin/!,
while Ephraim was u'illingl.l! follOl(';lIg sin. Alld I was all
the while as a 11/oth. The moth in a A"arment, and the def'ay
in wood, corrod(
and prey upon the subi'tane{' in whic'h they
lie hid,
lowly, iml)ereeptihly, but, at the last, effet'tually. Slwh
were Gud's first judgments un Israel ami Judah; SUi'll arc they
now eomlllonly upon I-Õinners. He tried, and now tuo tries at
first, gentle mea
ures and mild chastisements, unea:<y indeed
and troub]esome and painful, yet i']ow in their working'; each
!':ta/!e of loss and decay, a little beyond that which prceeded
it; but lea\'ing" lon
respite and time for repentmwe, before
they finally w(
ar out and destroy the impenitent. The two
imag'es which he uses may clei'eribe different kinds of deeay,
both s]ow, yet the one slower than the other, as Judah was,
in fact, de
troyed more slowly than Ephraim. For the 1"otten-
ness, or earies in wood, })reys more slowly upon wood, whieh is
hard, than the moth on the wool. So God visits the soul with
diff('rent di!'tresscs, bodily ur spiritual. Hc impairs, little by
little, health ofbudy, or fineness ufUlJder!:;tandin{!,"; or He with-
draws graee or spiritual strength; or allows lukewarmness and
distaste for the thing"s of Gud to ereep over the soul. These are
the gnawing" of the moth, overlooked by the !òinner, ifhe per:<e-
\'ere in carelessness as to his ('ons('ienee, yet in the end hringing
entire decay, of health. of understanding, uf heart, of mind, lIn-
lei's God interfere by the mightier mercy of some heavy chas-
tisement, to awaken him. "sA moth dues misehief, and make

no sound. So the minds of the wicked, in that they negleet to
take aeeount uf their losses, lo
e their soundness as it were,
without knuwing- it. For the v lose innocencv from the heart,
truth frum the lil)S, f'ontineney'frum the fle"h, and, astimeholds
on, life from their age." 1'0 Israel and Judah the moth and
scarcdy w;ed of any thing else. 4 1 Kings xii. 28,32, 33.
ó S. Greg. on Job iv. W.

CHAPTER Y.

c J3í{ o í e s T 1a "lIen Ephraim saw his sieknpss, and
cir.780. .J udah saw his · wound, then went Ephraim
:
eKi
g,. \
. t to the Assyrian, uand sent II to hin
.J areh :

\2

: 7.11. vet could he not heal you, nor cure you of
"ch. 10.6. w I
!I Or, 10 IIII' king your ,,'oun( .

{:k

cl

o l-l For :q "rill be unto Ephraim as a

r=

ì.I{
.d. lion, and as a young' lion to the house
ch. 13. ï,8.

37

of Judah : Y I, ('I'en J, will tear and
o c Jï{oíes T
away; I will take away, and none shall cir.7SO.
Tl'S('UP him. t

b

iJ:!'
ló)
I will go and return to my pla('e, t . f.:
.b:ÍJ:ulK'"
till I: they acknowledge th{'ir offence, and j
.
. 2!I.12,18.
seek my face : a in their aftliction they will
z

. & 9.
seek me early. .
6
(
8

ruttcnlless dcnoted the slow decay, by whieh thcy were gradu-
ally weakened, until they were carrieù away capth'e.
13. Irlu'Jl Ephraim saw ltis sickness, lit. And Ephraim sall',
i. e. perceh-ed it. God proceed.; to tell them, how theyaf'tcd
when thcv felt tho,.e lighter afflictions, the dedine and wasting
of their l;ower. Thc Lsickness may further mean the gradual
inward decav: the WOllllCl, hlows received from without.
and Sellt 'to king Jareh, or, as in the E.
1. a king u,lw
.
holl{d plead, or all al'enging king. The hostile king is, proha-
bly, thc !'ame .-hsyrian Monareh, whom both hracl and J U(lah
courted, whu was the destruction of brae!. amI who weakened
Judah. Ahaz king of Judah did send to Tiglath-l'ileser king
of .\ssvria to f'ome and save him 1, when the Lord brollgld Ju-
dah lo;v; Ilnd Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came unto him
and distressed /lilli, hut strell{
thened IiÍm not. Hc whu held
his throne from Gud sent to a heathen king 2, I am thy serl'ant
(lUll thy SOli; come up and s(ll'e me out of tIle hand of the king of
Syria, amI out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up
against me. He emptied his own trca!<ures, and pillag-ed the
huuse of God, in order to huy the help of the Assyrian, and
he taught him an evil Iessun against himself, of his wealth
and his weakness. Gud had said that, if they were faithfu13,
.five dall clulse an hUllCh'ed, and all hundred ]Jut ten thousand
tojligM. He had pronounced him cursed, who trusted inman,
and lIlade flesh llis arm, and 'whose heart departed from the
Lord"". But Juùah sou
ht man's help, not unly apart from
God, hut against God. God was bring-ing- them down, and
they, by man's aid, would lift themseh-es up. The king be-
came an {Jl'enger, for "5 whoso, when God is angry, striveth
to g-ain man as his helper, findeth him God's a,'enger, who
leadeth into eaptivity Gm1's deserters, as though he were
sworn to avenge God."
14.
Fol" Ì will be unto Ephraim as a lion. He who
would tllU!< streng-then himself by outward help a
ain
t God's
('hastisemenh:, ('halleng-es, as it were, the .Almighty to a trial
of streng-tho So then God, unwilling- to abandon him to him-
self, chang-es Hisdealings, and "6 He "-ho had heretofore, in His
judpnents, !'eemed but as a tender moth or a weak worm,"
now shews forth His resistless power, imaged b} His creatures
in whom the quality of power is most seen." It may ag-ain be,
that the fiereer animal (lit. the roari'lg) is a..soeiated with the
name of Ephraim; that of the younger lion, fierce and eager
for prey. yet not full-grown, with that of Judah.
I, IlcilI teal". It is a fearful thing, to fall into the Hands
of the Lil'ing God 7. The Ass.lfrilln z{'m' but the rod of Goel's
anger, and tIle str!tI; Hc says, ill thine hand is His indignation 8.
"'hatever is done, is done or o,'erruled by God, "'ho triyes to
tlw e,-iI his power to do, in an e\'il way, what He Himself over-
rules to the end of His wisdom or justice. God, Himself
would tear them asnnùer, by
iving- the .\,;;syrians power to
carn' them away. .\nd sinee it was God \nlO did it there
was 'no hOlJe of escape, lIe \nlO was faithful to lIi
word
12Chr.),.),.,iE.H!,
O. :2K;u!;S:,;,i.ï,8. 3 Le\. xx\i.8. 4 Jer.x\"ii.5. 5 Rup.

would do it. There is g-reat eml)hasis on the I. I. (;od and
nut man; He, the Author of all
ood, would IIim!<elf he the

ause of their evil. "-hat hope then is there, when He, "Tho
IS :\lercy, hecomes the Avcng-er?
15. I zcill go and return to JIy place. As the wild bed..t,
when he has taken his prey, returns to his eO\-ert, so (;od,
when lIe had fulfilled His "ïll, would, for the time, withdraw
all tokens of His Presence. God, \\'110 is wholly ever) where,
is said to dwell there, relatively to us, where lIe manifests
Himself, as of old, in the Tabernacle, the Temple, Zion, Jeru-
!<alell1. He i!< said to go and return, when Hc withdraws all
tokens of His Prescnce, His help, care, and ProvidelH'e. This
is worse than any infliction on God's part, "6 a state like theirs
who, in the lowest part uf hell, are delÌl'e1'ed into chaius of
darkness, shut out from His Presence, and so from all hope of
c'omfort; and this must needs be their eondition, su lun
as
He
hall be absent from them; and so perpetually, except
there be a way for ohtaining agaill His fa,-orable Pre
ence."
till the.1f ackllowledge their '!tlènce. "6 He \Yhu hath no
pleasure ill tile death of the 'wicked, IJld that the wicked turn
from /âs wa.1f ami live, withdraws Himself from them, not to
cast them off altog-ether, hut that they mig-ht know and ac-
knowledg-e their fully and wickedne,.s, and, seeing- there is no
comfort out of Him, prefer His Presence to those ntin thing-s,"
whkh they had pretcITcd to Him. To say, that God would
hide His Face from them, till they should acknoll'lec(ge tl,eir
'!tfènce, holds out in ibelf a
leam of hope, that hereafter they
would turn to Him, and would find Him.
aml seek
1Iy "Face. The first step in repentance is con-
fession of sin; the second, turning' to God. Fur to own sin
without turning to God is the despair of
Tudas.
ill tlleir qlflictioll t!ley shall seek
1Ie earl.'I' God docs not
only leave them hopes, that He would :shew forth His Presence,
when they sought him, but He promi,.es that they shall seek
Him, i. e. lIe would g-iH them His g-race, whereby alone they
could seek Him, and that g-raee should be effectual. Of itself
affliction drh-es tu despair and mure obdurate rebellion and
final impenitenee. Throug-h the grace of God, "e,-il bring-s
forth good: fear, love; chastisement, repentanee." The.1f
slcall seek life early, orig-inally, in the 7ll0ming, i. e. with all
diIig-ence and earnestness, as a man riseth early to do what he
is very nu\('h set upon. So these shall" shake oft' the slee}) of
sin and the torpor uf listlessness, when the light of repentance
shall shine upon them."
This was fulfilled in the two tribes, towards the end of the
sevcnty years, when mauy doubtless, together with Daniel 9 , set
their face unto the Lord God to seek by prayer and supplica-
ti,m, with fa,
ting and sackcloth anci ashes; and again, in those
lO'l1'ho "lcaitedfor redemption in Jerusalem, when our Lord came;
and it will be fulfilled in all at the end of the world. "The first
flash of thought on the power and g-oodness of the true De-
liverer, is like the morning streaks of a new day. At the sight

G Poco

.. Heb. x.81. 8 I.. x. 5. 9 Dan. ix. 2, 3.
L

10 S. Luke ii. 25, 38.

38

Before
C H R I ST
cir. 780.

('HAPTER YI.

I An exhortation to "pental/ce. 4 A complaint
uf their ul/toll'arclness and iniquity.
C O:
[E, and let us return unto the LORD:
for a he hath torn, and b he will heW.

a Deut. 3:1. 39.
1 Sam. 2.6.
Job 5.18.
ch.5. H.
b Jer.30. 17.

HOSEA,

us; he hath smitten, and he will bind C Hllï{oíes T
us up. cir. 780.
2 c After two days .will he revive us : in c 1 Cor. 15.
.
the third day he will raise us up, and we
shall live in his si
ht.

of that Ii!!:ht, Isracl shall arise carly to scek his God; he !'hall
rise quil'kly like the Prudigal, out of his wanderings and his
indigenec ."
VI. 1. Cume and let us return unto the Lord. These
wurds depend closely on the foreg'oing. They are words put
into thcir mouth by God Himself, with which or with the Jike,
the,. !'hould exhort one anothcr to return to God. Before,
whén God smute them, they had gone to Assyria; nuw they
8hould turn to Him, owning, not only that IIc "'ho tore has
the power and the will to heal them, but that lIe tore, ill urder
to heal them; He smote them, ill urder to bind them up. This
dosene!"s of eonnection is expressed in the last words; lit.
smite He and He will billd us up. "He smiteth the putrefac-
tion of the misdeed; He healeth the pain of the wound. Phy-

ieians do this; they cut; they smite; they heal; they arm
themselves in order to strike; they carry steel, and eome to
cure."
The\" are not cuntent to return singly or to be saved alone.
Eaeh éneourageth another to rel'entaiwe, as before to evil.
Thc dry bones, scattered on the face of the earth, reunite.
There is a generalmtwement among those U'lw sat in darkness
and the shadow of death, to return together to Him, "Tho is
the Souree of Jife.
2. After two d{l.1IS 1l.ill He revive us or quicken us, giz'e us
l
fe. iI/ tile third day He will raise us up. The Resurrcetion of
Christ. and our resurreetion in Him and in His Resurrel'tion,
could not bt
more plainly foretold. The Prophet expressly
mentimu, tu'o da.'Is, after which life should be gh'en, and a
thinf da!!. OIl which the re!omrrection should take place. "'hat
else can this be than the two da,-s in which the Budv of Christ
lay in the tomb, and the third day, on which He r
se again,
as 1 the Resurrection and the life 2, tllefirst fmits of them that
sltpt, the source and earnest and plcdge of our resurreetion
and of life eternal? The Alwstle, in sl)eaking of our resur-
ret,tion in Chrh.;t, uses these self-same words of the Prophet;
II God, 1Vho is rich in mercy, fur His great 10l'e wherewith Ht;
loved us-hatll quickened liS together witl, Christ, and hath
raised llS up amI made liS to sit tugether in lleal'en(lf places ill
Christ Je.ms. The Apostle, like the l'rophet, speaks of that
which touk place in Christ our Head, as ha,'ing already taken
place in us, His members. "If we unhesitatinl!ly belie,'e in
our heart," says a father 4, "what we profess with our mouth,
we were l'rueified in l.:hrist, u'e died, ll'e were buried, we also
were raised ag-ain on that \-ery third day. "'henee the .\.}los-
tho saith 5, If ye rose again ll'ith Christ, seek those thiugs
which are abore, where Christ sitteth at the right halld of God."
As Chri!'t died fur us, so He also rose fur us. " Our old man
was nailed to the wood, in the flesh of our Head, and the ne\v
man was formed in that same Head, rising- glorious frum the
tomb." '''hat Christ, our Head, did, He did, not for Himself,
but for His redeemed, that the benefits of His Life, Death,
Resurrection, A!'cension, mig-ht redound to all. He did it for
them; they partook of what He did. In no other way, could
our partieipation of ChrÏ!,t be foretold. It was not the Pro-
1 S. John xi. 25.
1 Cor. xv. 20. 3 Eph. ii. 4-6. 4 S. Leo. Ii Col. iii. I.
i Targ. 7 S. Jer. so Tertull. adv. Jud. c. 13. Orig. Horn. 5. in Exod. S, Cypr. Test.
ii. 2.:;. S. Cyr. Jer. Cat. xiv. 14. S, Greg.1'íyss. decogn. Dei. S.Aug. deCiv. D: xviii. 28.

phet's object here, nor was it so dire('t a comfurt to h'racl, to
speak of Christ's Rcsurreetion inlt!'elf. He touk a nearer way
tu their heart!'. He tuldthem, "all wewlwturntotheLurd,put-
ing our whole trust in Him, and eommitting ourselves wholly
to Him, to be healed of our wound!' and to have our
rief."
bound up, shall reeeÍ\'e life from Him, shall be raised up by
Him." Thev could not understand theu, how He wuuld du
this. 'fhe eifter tU'u days and, ill the third day, remained a
mystery, to be explained by the e,'ent. But the promise it-
self was not the less distinct, nul' the les8 full of hope, nor did
it less fulfil all eravings for life eternal and the si
ht of God,
because they did not understand, IIOW shall these things be.
Faith is uneuneerned about the" how." Faith belie,'es what
God says, beeause He says it, and lea,-es Him to fulfil it, "I\()\\'"
He wills and knows. The wurds of the promise which faith
had to belie,-e, were plain. The life of which the Prophet
spuke, could only be life from death, whether of the botly ur
the soul or both. For (;od is said to gh'e life, only in contra!'t
with such death. "'hence the Jews too ha,'e e\"Cr looked and
do look, that this should be fulfilled in the Christ, thuugh they
know not that it has bcen fulfilled in Him. They too explain
it; "6 He ,,-ill (luit'ken us in the days of eon,.;olation which
shall come; in the day of the quiekenin
of the dead; He will
raise us up, and wc shall live befure Him."
In shadow, the prol)hecy was never fulfilled to Israel at all.
The ten tribes were never restored; they never, as a whole,
reeeived any favor from God, after He ga\"C them up tu eapti-
vity. And unto th... two tribes, (of whom, apart from the ten,
no mention is made here) what a mere shadow was the re!'tora-
tion from Babylun, that it 8hould be spuken as the g-ift uflife
or of resurret.tion, wher('bv we 8houId live hdore Him! The
strit.test explanation is the' truest. The two da.'I's and the third
day have nothing' in history tu correspund with them, exet'l't
that in whieh they were fulfilled, when Christ, "rising- on the
third day from the gra'-e, raised with Him the whole human
raee. 7 "
and 'U'e shalilil'e in His sight, lit. hefore His Face. In the
face, we see the will, and mind, the Im'e, tll(
pleasure ur dis-
plea!<ure of a human being whom we love. In the huly or lov-
ing' face of man, there may be read fresh depth8 of devotion ur
of love. The fat'e is turned away in sorruwful disl)leasure; it
is turned full upon the face it lm'es. HenC'e it is so ,'ery ex-
pre!<sive an image uf the relatiun of the soul to God. and the
P"ahnists so uften pray, Lord, lift up the liglil of Thy coun-
tenance upun us; make Thy Þàce to sMne lIpOll Th.'I sel"l'flIzt ;
Gud bless liS, and calise His .Face to shine lipUJl us; cast me not
au'a.l! fmm Thy Presence or Face; luok Tholl u}Jon me and be
, merciful unto me; luuk upon the
Face of Thine anointed; how
long 'U'ilt ThOle hide Thy Face from me? hide not Thy Facl'
frum Thy serrant 8; or they profess, Thy Face, Lord, ll'ill I
seek 9 ; or they declare that the bliss of eternity is in the Face
of God lo . .
God had just said, that He would withdraw His Presence,
until they should seek His Face; now He says, they 8hould live
Rue. de expo S
mb. S. Cyr. AI. in S. Joh. L. ii. S. Greg. in Ezek. Horn.
O. 8 Ps. iv.
6. xxxi. Iii. (from Kum. \i. 25.) lx\ii. l.lxxx. i. cxix. 135. Ii. H. cxix. 13:"!.lxxxiv. !I.
xiii. I. Ixix. 17. &c. 9 Ps. xxvii. 8. See xxiv. Ü. cv. 4. 10 l's.xi.; .xvi.H. xvii. 15.

CHAPTER VI.

39

Before 3 d Then shall we know, 1 if we follow on
CHRIST
cir. í
. to know the LORD : his going forth is pre-
:

2

4.. pared e as the morning; and f he shall come
r Ps. ,2. 6.

before l-lis Face. To Abraham Hehad sai(P, Iralk before 3Ie, lit.
h
rure J1!l Fal"e, ami be thou perfect. ßliss from the Cr;at?r,
and duty from the creature am;wer to one anothcr. " e lll'e
in flis s'if(ltf, in the way uf duty, when we refer uur!ielves and
our whole bein
, our eourse8 uf actiun. our thnu
hts, our love,
to Him, remen;hering that we are evcr in His Pre
ence, and
ewr
eekin
to please Him. Ire lh'e in His s(t:ht, in the bliss
of His Pre!icm'e. when we enjuy the sense of His fanmr, and
know that His Eye rests on us in Im'e. that He cares for us,
guides us, guards' us; and have sume s
"ee
ness. in
untem}Jla-
ting Him. )!lu'h mure fully 8hall we hve 1Il Ilts sight, when,
in Him, we shall he partak(
rs uf Hh; Eternal Life amI Bliss, and
shall bchold Himface toface, amlsee Him as He is, and the sight
of Him shall he our bliss. and in His light u'e shall see liglit 2 .
3. Then shall we knOll', if 'll'e folluw Oil tu know the Lurd;
rather, Then slmll 'll'e know, slwllfOlloll' oil to klWU' the Lord,
i. e, we shaH not onh- know Him, hut we shall grow continu-
ally in that knowled
e. Then, in Israel, Gud says, there 'll'aS
no knOldedge of Him; His people was destroyed fur lack of
it s. In Christ He promises, that they should lla,-e that inward
knowledge of Him, e,'er growing, beeause the grace, through
whidl it is given, ever grows, and the depth uf the riches of
His wisdom anet knowledge is unsearchable, passing knowledge.
,refollow on, eonfessing that it is He "'ho makcth us to ful-
low Him, and draweth us to Him. ,re know. in order to follow;
we follow. in order to km)\v. Li/!ht prepares the way for luve.
LUH opens the mind for new love. The gifts of God are in-
terwm"en. They multiply and repruduce each other, until we
come to the perfect state of eternity. For here u'e ImolV in
part only; then shall7l'e know, et'en as 'l('e are knult'n. Ire shall
follOll' un. "'hither shall we fuliOll' OIl? To the fountains of
the water uf life, as another Prophet saith; For He that hath
merc.,! upon tllem shall lead them, even by the springs of water
shall He
uide tllem 4. And in the Revelations we read. that
the Lamb<C 11"110 is ill tlte midst of the throne shall feed them, and
shall lead them unto living fountains of u'aters 5. The bliss
of eternity is fixed; the nearness of eaeh to the throne of God,
the 1llCl1lsicJ1l in whith he shall dwell, admits of no ellan
e;
but, through eternity, it may be, that we shallfullow on to
knOll' more of God, as more 8hall be revealed to us of that
whieh is infinite, the Infinity of His "ïsdom and His Love.
Hi.
guing forth, i. e. the going forth of God. is prepared,
firm, fixed, ('(
rtain, e
tahlished, (su the word means) as tile
morning. Befure, God had said, He would withdraw Himself
from them; now, t'ontrariwise, He says, that He would goforth,
Hc had said, in their l!tfliction the.,! shall seek
1Ie ear(lf or ill
the morning; nuw, f-Ie slwll go furth liS tlte murning. "6 The)'
shall seek for Him, as they that long for the morning; and He
will eume to them as the morning," full of juy and pomfort, of
lig-ht and warmth and glorious radiance, which shall difl'u,;e
over the whole compass of the world, so that nothing shall be
hiel f1"0111 its light and heat. He \\110 should so g-o forth, is
the same as He \rho was to rel'Ít'e them and raise them up, i. e.
Christ. Of Him it is said most strictly, that He u'ent forth,
when from the Bosom of the Father He came among LIS; as of
Him holy Zacharias saith, (in the like language,) The Day-
spring from on high hath visited 'ilS, tu giz'e light to them that

J Gen. nii.1.

: Ps. x...x\i. 9.

3 ch. iv. 1, 6.

4 Is. xlix. 10.

unto us g as the rain, as the latter and for- C H B:I'"
T
Iller rain unto the earth. cir. 780.
4
h 0 Ephraim, what shall I do unto

h
ff.'

'

sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet
into tile wa.1l of peclce. Christ p:octh furth euntinually frum the
Father, by an eternal, pontinual, generation. In time, He came
fortll from the Father in His Inparnation; lIe carnefurtll to us
frum the Virbrin's womb; lIe rame fortll from the grave in His
Resurrection. His coming forth, as the morning, images the
!<el'recy of His Birth. the li/!,ht and glow of luve whieh He
dilfu!"eth throughout the whole new ereation of His redeemed.
"7 As the daw.; is seen h)' all and cannot he hid, and appear-
eth, that it may be seen, yea, that it may illuminate, so His
/!,uing' furth, whereby He proceeded frum His own im"isihlc tu
our visihle eondition, heeame known to all," tempered to our
eyes. dis
ipating our darkness, awakening our nature as from
a /!,rave, unniling" to man the works of God, making" his ways
plain before his face, that he should no lunger wall, in dark-
ness, Imt hau the light of life.
f-Ie slwll come unto u.
as the rain, as the latter and furmer
rain 'ill/to the earth. So of Christ it is foretold 8, I-Ie shall come
duwn like rain upun the mOll'n grass, as .'-!wlL'er
' that 1l'ater the
eartl,. Palestine was especially dependant upun rain, on ac-
count of the eulth'ation of the
ides of the hills in terraces,
which were l)arehed and dry, when the rains were withheld.
The former, or autumnal rain, feU in Oetuber, at the !c'eed-
time; the lafter or spring rain, in
Iareh and April, and filled
the ears hef()re han'e
t. Both together "tand as the he
.;n-
ning and the end. If either were withheld, the harvest failed.
"'onderfullikeness of Him 'Yho is the ßeónning and the End
of our spiritual life: from "'hOln we re
eive it, by "-hom it
is preserved unto the end; throu
h 'Yhom the soul, enriphed by
Him, hath ahundanee of all spiritual hIes sings, graees, and con-
sulations, and yicldeth all manner of fruit, eaeh after its kind,
to the prais(
of Him "'ho hath /!Î\'en it life and fruitfulness.
4. 0 Ephraim, 'll'hat shall I do unto thee? It is com-
mon with the prophets, first to set furth the fulness of the
riches of God's mereies in Christ, and then to turn to their
own generation, and upbraid them for the sins whieh withheld
the mereies of God from them, and were hurrying them tu their
destruction. In like way Isaiah 9, havill/! prophesied that the
Gospel should go forth from Zion, turns to upbraid the avarice,
idolatry, and pride, through which the judgment of God should
eome upon them.
The promises of God were to those who should turn with
true repentance, and seek Him early and earnestly. "'hat-
ever of good there was, either ill Ephraim or Judah, was but
a mere empty shew, which held out hope, only to disappoint
it. God, ""ho ll'illeth not that any should perish, but thllf all
should come to repentance, appeals to His whole people, Irhat
shall 1 do unto thee? He had shewn thcm abundanee of mer-
pies; He had reproved them by His prophets; He had ('ha!'-
tened them; and all in vain. .-\S He says in I
aiah 10, Irlm!
could Iwve been done more tu .11.'! z"ineyard, that I have not done
in it? Here He a!<òks them Himself, what He ('ould do to con-
vert and to save them, whieh He had not done. He would
take them on their own terms, and whate,'er they would pres-

cribe to His Ahni
htiness and "Ïsuom, as means for their
eonHrsion, that He wuuld use, so that they would but turn to
Him. n "'hat llleans shall I use to saH thee, who wilt Dot be

Rev. vii, Ii.

j Rup.

8 Ps. lxxii. 6.

9 ch.ii. 10 cb. v. 4.

s Poco

40

c Ifí[ors T thee? 0 Judah, what shall I do unto thee? I
cir. i
for your II goodness i.y i as a morning cloud,
II
;,'t::

;:
.. and as the early dew it goeth away.

J
;, \
'1t. 5 Therefore h.l\'e I hewed them k by the I
I fe:"i3
'2V. prophets; I have slain them by 1 the words
Heh. -to 12,

nO:SE
\,

of my mouth : II and thy jucl
ments m'r as c l
ï{o
es T
the li
ht thllt goeth forth. cir. i80.
6 For I desired m mercy, and n not saeri- If g"
.:,
;:_
flee; and the 0 knowledge of God more b:.n
:.might
than hurnt offerings. m k

.1
:i:'
;\Iic.ß. 8,lVlatt.9.13.& 12. 7. nps. 50.8, 9.Prov.21. 3. Isai.l.1l. oJer. 22.1ß. John 17.3.

I'aved ?" It has been a bold saying, to d('!-('ribe the loz'e of
CI,rÜ.t /l'hich 1)as,seth kllo/l'le((({e, ,. Chri!'ìt so loveth souls, that
He would rather be erueifi('d again, than allow any one (as far
as in Him lies) to be damned."
for your goodlless is IlS a morJ/illg cloud. lJIerr..1f or loz'iJ/g-
killduess, (whic'h the E. :\1. sUl!:l!:ests as the first meaninl!: uf the
word stands for all ,-irtue amll!oodness towards God or man.
For love to God or man is one indivisible virtue, is!<uing from
une prineiple of I!:raee. "'ht'nce it is said 1, loz'e is the ful-
.fillillg of the law. He that loz'eth another hllth fulfilled the
lllll'. And 2, Belen.ed, let us 101'e olle another; for love is of
God, and ez'er.'! olle that loz'eth is horll of God, and Imo/l'eth
God. Of this their goodness, he says, the character was, that
it nenr lasted. The morning d01UI is full of bl'illiancy with
the rays of the risin
sun, yet quit'kly disappears throug-h the
heat of that sun, which gave it its rieh hues. The murning
dell'
Iitters in that same sun, yet ,'anislU's almost as soon as ft
appear!<. Gcnel"ated by the cold uf the night, it appears with
the dawn; yet appears, only to disappear. So it was with the
whole Jewish people; so it ever is with the most hopeless plass
of sinners: e,-er beginninl{ anew, ever relapsing; ever mak-
ing a shew oflea,'e!<, good feelings, guod aSI)irations, but yield-
ing no fruit. "There was nothing of scmnd, sincere, real,
lasting goodness in them;" no reality, but all shew; fJuickly
assumed, quiekly disused.
5. Therefore Iw't'e I hNced them by the pruphets. Since
they despised Gud's gt'ntler warnings and mt'asures, He used
severer. He hewed them, He says, as men hew stones out of
the (Jlmrry, and with hard blows and sharp instruments over-
eome the hardnes>õ of the stone whidl they lm,-e to work.
Their piety and goodne>õs were light and u;lsubstantial as a
summcr eluud: their stony hearts were hartkr than the ma-
terial stone. 'fhe 8tone takes the shapc whidl man would
gh-e it; God hews man in vain; he will not rt'ceivc the image
of God, for whkh and in whieh he wa!< framed.
God, elsewhere also, likens the force and vehemence of His
word tCl 3 a hllmmeru'hich hreaketh the rocks iJl pieces;4 a sword
w/âch piercetlt ez'en to tile dividiJ/g m"uJ/der of soul and ,
pirit.
He "6 eontinually hamnH'red, heat upon, disquieted them, and
so "ex cd them (as they thought) c,'en unto dt'ath, not allowin

them to rest in their sins, not suffering them to enjoy them-
seh-es in them, but fordng them (as it were) to part with
things whieh they loved as their lives, and wuuld as soon part
with the;r souls as with tllt'm."
ami th.l/.iI/(
!{JlleJ/ts arc as the 1
!Jht that goeth forth. The
ju((gllleJ/ts here arc the acts of justice exet'uted upun a man;
the ., judgment upon him," a8 we say, God had done all whieh
could he done, tu lay aside the se\'eritr of His uwn jurlgments.
All had failed. Then His judgments, when they came, would
be nHUlifc!<tly just; their justice c'lear as the li{{lit 1c/dch goeth
furtll out of the clarkness of night, or out of the thiek douds.
God's past 10ving-kilHlness, IIis pains, (so to speak,) His soli-
eitations, the drawings of IIis grace, the tender mereies of His
austere ehastisemenb;, will, in the Day of judgment, stand out

1 Rom. xiii. 10.8.

1 JO\11I iv. i.

3 Jer. xxiü. 29.

4 Heb.iv.12.

dear as the light, and leave the 8inner eonfounded, "ithout
excuse. In this life, also, God's final.iudgmeJlts are as a light
1l'liich goeth forth, enlig-htening, not the sinncr who perishes,
hut uthers, heretoforc in the darkness of il{noranl'e, on whom
they burst with a 8udden blaze of light, and whu re,'ercnce
them, owning that tlte judgments of the Lord are true and
righteous altogether 6.
And so, sim'e they would not be reformed, what should have
been for their wealth, was for their destrtlf'tion. I.slew them
b.1f the 1('01"lls oj .11.'1 moutl,. God spake yet more terribly to
them. He slew them in word, that He might not slav them
in deed; He threatened them with death; si
lee they rèpented
not, it pame. The stone, whit'h will not take the furm whiph
!'hould have been imparted to it, is de!'troyed by the strokes
which slwuld have moulded it. Bv a like imat.:"c Jeremiah
pompared the Jews to ore whieh is t:onsumed in the firc which

hould refine it. since there was no good in it 7. TIleY are brass
allll iron; the.'! are all corrupted; the bellows are burned, the
lead is cunsumed of the.fire; the founder melteth iJl 'vaiJl; fur
the 1(Jicked are not plucked llll'(/.If. Reprohate silz'er shall me"
call them, hecause the Lord hath rf;jected them.
6. For I desired merc.1f and not sacrtfice. God had said be-
fore, that they should seek Him 1cith their }lucks aJld herds,
and not .find Him. So here He antic'ipates their excuses
with the same an8wer wherewith He Illet those of Saul, when
he would compensate for disobedienee by burnt offerings. The
answt'r is, that all whidl they did to win His fa,'or, or turn aside
His wrath, was of no avail, while thev wilfullv withheld what
He required of them. Their merpy ånd p:omines,.; were but a
brief, passing, shcw; in vain He had tried to awaken them by
His Prophets; therefore jud
J"]nent wa,.; poming upon them;
fur, to turn it aside, thev had uffered Him what He desired
not, saerifit,cs without It)ve, and had nut offered Him, what
He did desire. Im'e of man out of love for God. (yod had Him-
sdf, after the fall, enjoined saerifice, to fureshuw and plead
to Himst'lf the meritorious Saerifiec of Christ. He had
not eontrasted mer('.1f and .mcrtfice, "Tho enjoined them both.
"'hen then they were contrasted, it was through man's
eYer-
in
what God united. If we were to !'ay, ,. Charity i,.; better
than Chureh-going," we should be understood to mean that it
is better than sllt'h Chureh-
uinC" as is severed from eharitv.
For, if they were united, thè y w
lldd not be eontrasted. TIÍe
soul is of more value than the body. But it is not eonstrasted,
unless they ('ume in pompetition with one another, and their
interests (although theyeannutin truth be,) seem to be separated.
In itself, Sacrtfice represented all the direct duties to God, all
the dutit's of the first table. Fur Saerifiee owned Him as the
One God. to "ThOIll, as His creatures, we owe and offer all; as
His guilty creatures, it owned that we owed to Him uur lives
also. .;JIercy represented all duties of the set'tmd table.
In saying then, I ll'ill hm'e merc,'1 amlnot
'acrtlice, he says, ill
effect, the same as S. Juhn 8, If a man say, I lo'/:e Gud, and
hateth /âs brother, he is a liar; for he thllt lureth nut /âs bro-
ther whom he hatll seen, how CWI he luve God lFhom he Iwth not

& from Poe.

Pe. xix. 9.

; Jer. vi. 28-30.

S I John iv. 28.

cH
\PTER VI.

C IP
o
(>S T 7 But they \I like men P haye trans-
eir. í80. gres
ed the coycnant: tlwrc q IUl\-e they
II
{; Adam, dealt trcacherously against me.
Job 31. 3:3. p ch. 8. 1. 'I ch. 5. 7.

,
ee1l ? .\s the love, whieh a man pretended to have for God,
was not reallm-e, if a man lo\"ed nut his bruther, !'u sarrffice
was nut an offerin
tu {;od at all, whilc man \\ ithhdd from
(;ud that offering,
\"hkh Gud must required of him, the ohla-
tion ufman's own self. Thev were, rather, offerings to satisfy
and hrilH' a man's uwn eon
eielH'e. Yet the Jews were pru'-
fuse in makin
these saerifiees, whieh ('ost them Iittle,lwpinA"
thereby to sel'ureto thelll!"d\"e!'ò impunity in the wrong-ful g-ains,
oppressions, and umnereifulnesses whieh they would not part
with. It is with this euntrast, that God so often rejpets the
sa('rifil'e!'ò uf the Jen s \ To ie/wt purpose is the multitllde of
.1JOltr oblations unto Jle? Bring 110 more vain oUati(!lls unto
.Jle; neU' moons and sahhatlM, tIle catlin/( of assemblies, I cmmot
Cll['a.'lll'itll; iniquity and the solemn meeting. !l I spake llot to
.1/011r fathers, nor {'o1l/lJuwded them, in the da.v that I brolfgM
them Ollt of the land of Egypt, concerning hurnt (1f"aings or
sacrf!iæs; but tltis tMng comlJlalllled I them, saying, Obey JI..'!
t'oice, and I will he .'Iour God, and .'Ie shall be
11y people. .And
the ]>,.,almist 3; I Il'Í[{ not reprol'e tllee for tIl.'l sacrffices or th,1J
humt (!tfèrings, to have heen COlltilllWll!1 hefore
11e. Oller
unto God tlwnksgh'ing, I)'c. Bllt unto the wicked God saitll,
U'lwt hast thOlt to do, to declare J[y statlltes, I)'c.
nut further the Prophet adds, ami the knowledge of God
more tlwn bllmt (iffèrillgs. The two parts of the ver..e fill out
one another, and the latter explains the former. TIle know-
ledge of God is, as betiJre, no inaeth"e head-knowled
e, but
that knowledge, of whieh S. John speaks 4, Hereh.1J we do
knou' that u'e know 1lim, if u'e keep His commandments. It
is a luwwledg-e, sueh a!' they alone can have, who Im'e God
and du His 'nil. God says theJ1, that He prefer.. the inward,
loving, knowledge of Himselt
and loving--kindne!'s towards
man, aho\"e the outward means of aceeptahleness with Him-
self, whil'h He had appuinted. He dues nut lower tho
e, His
0" II appointments; hut only when, emptied of the spirit of
de,-otion, they were lifl'less bodies, unen..oulcd by His p:race,
Y ct the words of God goo be)-ond the immediate oeeasion
and hearing, in whil'h they were first spoken. And so these
words:;, I 1t'Í{[ hlll'e merc,'I amI /lot sacr!fice, are a surt of !'acred
prm-erb. contrasting merc!!. which onrflows the bound!' of
strkt justiee, with sacrifice, whil'h represents that !'ternju!'tiee.
Thus, wht'n the Pharisees murmured at our Lord fur eating'
with Publicans and ..inners, He bade them, go and learn Ielwt
tl/((t lJIeanetll,I II' ill haz'e mel'c111llulnot sacrifice. He bade tlU'm
learn that deel'ermeaning- of the word.., thai God valued mere\'
fo
the souls tor which Christ died, abon that outward pro:
pncty. that lIe, the .\II-Holy, shuuld not feast familiarly with
thu..e who profaned God's law and themselns. Again, when
they found fault with the hun
ry diseiplesfor breaking- the sab-
hath by rubbing the ears uf corn, He, in the same way, tells
them, that they did not know the real meaning of that saying,
(; If ,'Ie Iwd 101011'1/ ll'lIat thù, l/leaneth, I iL'ill hlll'e merry amluot
.mcl"ffice, .1Ie 11'ould not hat'(' condemned the guiltless. For as,
before, they were envious as to merey tu the souls of sinners,
so now they were reeklcss as to uther..' bodilv needs. "ïthout
that luve then, whil'h shews it..elf in acts of rl1erey to the souls
and budies of men, all saerifiee is useless.
JIercy is alsu more eomprehensin than sacrifice. For sa-
I Is. i. 11-13. 2 J.r. ,ii. 22,3. 3 Fs. I. 8, Ii, 16. 4 1 Ep. ii. 3. ó S, Matt. ix.13.

41

8 r Gilead is
work iniquity,
blood.

that C HUí{ors T
with eir. iSO.
r eh. 12. 11.
II Or, cunning
for blood.
crifi('e was referred to God only, as its end; 17Ie1"C1J, or Ion of
man for the love of God, obevs' God "'ho eunuuånds it; imi-
tates (;od, "'ho!'e property it is always to havc merey;" seeks
God, "110 rewards it; promotcs thc g-lory of God. throu
h the
thank,.,g-iving to Gud from thuse whum it benefit!'ò. .. )Ier('y
lead" man up to God, fur merey brought duwn Gud to man;
nU'r('y humbled God. exalts man." )Ierey take,., Christ as its
pattern, "'hu,from His Holy Incarnation tu His Preciuus Dcath
on the ('ross, hare our griefs and carried ollr sorrOles 7. Yet
ncither docs mercy itself avail without h'ue know1cdg-I' of God.
For as nwrey or Im-e is the !'oul of all our aet
. so true know-
ledg-e of God and faith in God are the souree and soul of love.
"Yain were it to huast that we have the other members, if
faith, the head, were eut oft.
."
ï. But they like men, or (better, as in the E.)!.) lilt"(' Adam,
hal'e transgres,
ed the COl'eJW1d. .\s Adam, our first parent,
in Paradise, not out of any pressure, but ,,'antunly, throu
h
..elf-will and pride, bruke the covenant uf God, eating th(' fur-
bidden fruit, and then dcfendcd himself in his !'òin against (
od,
ea..ting- the blame upun the woman: so these, in the goud land
which God had given them, that the,'/ Sl/()llh
therein keep Ilis
rOZ'elUl1lt and ohserl'e His llllt's 9, wantonly and petulantly /}roke
that eovenant: and then ohstinatt'h- defended their sin. "-here-
fore, as .\dam was east out of Paradbe, so shaH these be ea!'t
out of the land of promise,
tit ere IIl1l'e they dealt treflcllerollsl.'Iagainst JIe. There! He
does not say, 1/,I/("re. But Israel and every sinner in Israel
knew fuU wëH, where. There, to Israel, ,n{s not only Bethel,
or Dan, or Gil
al, or l\Iizpah, or Gill'ad, or any or nIl of the
phwes, whieh Gud had hallowed by Hi!; merdes and they had
defiled. It was e\"Cry hig-h hill, eal'lI idol-chapel, each field-
altar, whieh they had multiplicd to
eir idols. To the sinners
of Israel, it was every spot of the Lurd's land whil'h they had
defiled hy their sin. Gud points out to the consl'ience uf sin-
ner!' the place and time, the very spot where they oftènded
Him. "'heresoe,-er and whensoe\"er thev broke {;od's t'Uln-
mands, tllere they dealt treacherously against God Himself.
There is mueh emphasis upon the, against Jle. The sinner,
while breaking-the laws of {;od, contrives to forget God. God
reeals him to himself, and san., there, where and whcn thou
didst thu..e and those thing-s, thou didst deal falsely with. and
a
ainst, JIe. The sinner's eonsl'Ïenee and memory fills up the
word there. It sees the whole landseape ofits sins around; each
hIal'k dark spot stand!' out before it. and it cries with Dadd,
there, in this and this and this, against Thee, Thee ollly, hal'e I
sinned, and done t!lis t:t'il in thy sight 10.
8. Gilead is a city of them tlwt ll'Ork iuiqlli(I/. If we re-
gard "Gilead," (as it elsewhere is.) as the euuntry heyond
Jordan, where the two trihes and a half dwelt, this will mean
that the whole land was handed in one, as one eity uf evil doers.
It had an unitv, hut of evil. _\s the whole world has been
pictured as divided between" the city of God" and the eity of
the Devil, consisting- respectively of the children ofGud and the
children of the de,-il; so the whule of Gilead may be repre-
sented as one city, whose inhabitants had one o('eupation in
eommon, to work e,-il. Some think that there was a ('ity so
called, although not mentioned elsewhere in Holy Seripture,

a city of th{'Jl)
Clnd is \I polluted

6 Ib, xii. 7.

'i Is. llii. 4.

8 S.Jer.
1\1

iPS. cv. ult,

IV Ib, }i. 4.

42

c :
{oÍes T 9
\nd as troops of robbers wait for a
cir. i80. man, so · the company of priests murder in
·
;;
!2
: 25. the way t by consent : for they commit
t ít
::
:i;'; II lewdness.

:

'
; 10 I have seen t an horrible thing in the
Shechem. II Or, enormity. · Jer. 5. 30.

HOSE
\,

house of Israel: there;s n tlJe whoredom of C HBj[a;-e s T
Ephraim; Israel is defiled. cir. i80.
11 Also, 0 Judah, x he hath set an har- u

;t7.12,
ycst for thee, Y when I returned the capti- "

i

ï
:
vity of my })eople. 7
::i
J: :
.

near that l\Iount Gilead, llcar to thc memory of Israel, be-
cause God therc proteeted their forefather Jacób. Sumc think
that it was Ramoth in Gilrad 1, which God appointed as "a
eity of refu
e, " and whirh, consequently, beeaIne a dty of Le-
vites and priests 2. Here, where God had I'resen"cd the life
of their forefather, and, in him, had pre
en-ed them; here,
where He had ('ommanded the innoeent Jo'hedder of bluod to be
saved; here, where He had appointed tho
e to dwell, whom
He had hallowed tu Him!o'elf, all was turned to the ('xa('t
eontrary. It, which Gud had hallowcd, was beeomc a city
of 1('orkers of illiquit.'1, i. e. of men whose habits and wont was
to wurk inilp1Ïty. It, whcre God had appointcd life tu be IJre-
served, was polluted or tracked with blood. " Evcrywhcre it
was marked and stained with the bloody footsteps of those who
(as David said) }Jilt innocent blood ill their shoes whic/l were Wt
their feet 3, staining their shucs with bloud which they shed, so
that, wherever they wcnt, they left marks and signs of it."
Trtlcked1('ith Mood it was, throu
h the sins of its inhabitants;
tracked1l'ith Mood it was a
ain, when it first was takcn cap-
th-e \ and "it, which had swum with the innoeent blood of
others, swam with the guilty blood of its own IJeople." It is a
!SIJecial !o'in, and e!o'pecially aven
ed of God, when what God had
hallowed, i
made the seenc of sin.
9. Ami as troops of robbers waitfora 1nCl1l,SO thecompallyof
IJriests 1/Iurder Ùt the 1('a.l/ by consent; or (more probably) in tIle
wa.'1 to Sichem 5 . Sichcm too was a "city ofrefugc 6 ," and su also
a eity uf Levites and prie!o'ts 7. It was an important eity. For
there JO!o'hua assembled all Israel for his last addres!'i to them,
and made a cuvenant wit
them 8. There, Rehoboam eame tu
be aeeepted by Israel as their king 9, and was rejected by them.
There, Jerobuam after the schism, for a time, made his resi-
dence 10. The pri('sts wcre banded tu
ether; their counsel was
onc ; they formcd one cumpany ; but they were bound tog-ether
as a Imnd of robbers, not tu save men's lives but to de!<troy
them. "'hercas the way to the eities of refuge was, by God's
law, to he prepared 11, ('lear, open, without let or hindranee to
the guiltless fugith'e, tu sa\"C his life, the prie!o'ts, the
uardians
of Gud'
law, ob!o'tructed the way, to rob and destro)". They
whom God appointed to teaeh the truth that lllcn might live,
were banded together ag-ainst His law.
SidlC'lll, besides that it was a city of refuge, was also hallowed
by thc memory ufhisturies of the patriarchs who walked with
God. There, was Jacob's well 12; there Joseph's bones were
buried 13 ; and the memory of the patriareh Jacob was eherished
there, even to the time uf uur Lord 12. L)'ing in a narrow HlUey
between )Iount Ebal and Gerizim, it was a witness, as it were,
of the blessint{ and I'urse prunounced from them, and had. in
the times of Jushua, an aneient sanctuary ofGud H, It was a
halting-plal'e fur the pil
rims of the northern tribes, in their
way to the feasts at Jerusalem; so that these murdcrs by the
priests coincide with the tradition of the Jcws, that thcy who
wuuld gu up tu Jerusalem were murdered in thc way.
I Deut. iv. 43. Josh. xx.8. S. Jerome instancl'S Ramoth and the deed. there, but does
not identify Gj)('ad with it, since he sup-poses the Prophet to speak of" the Province it-
self." 2 Josh. xxi. 38. 3 1 Kgs. 1Í.5. 4 2 Kgs. xv. 29.
This translation ac-

:
:':f

;
d:

h
';
i
d
e
t::;;:;;c
;:
&a; !?t
e;:'ili.ì
i
i
;ec
h

for they commit lewdness; lit. for tlte.1f have done deliberate
silt 16. The word literally means a tMng thought oj, espeeially
an e,-il, and su, deliberate, euntri\"Cd, bethou
ht of wi eked ness.
Thev did deliberate wickedness, ga,"e themselves to du it, and
did ilOthing- ebe.
10. Iìwve seen an horrible thing, lit. what would make one
shudder. God had seen it; therefure man eould nut deny it.
In the sig-ht of God, and amid the Sense uf His Presence, all
exeuses fail.
in the house of IS1"ael. ''16 For what more horrible, more
amazing", than that this happened, not in any ordinary nation
but in the house of Israel, in the I)eople of Gud, in the portion
of the Lord, as
Ioses said, the Lurd's portion is Ilis people,
Jacob is the lot of Hi
inheritance? In another nation, idolatry
was error. In Israel, which had the knowlcdge ufthe une true
God and had reeeh-ed the law, it was horrur." Tllere is the
wllOredolll of Ephraim, widcspread, uvcr the whole land, where-
ver the huuse of Ephraim was, through the whole kin
dom of
the ten tribes, there was its spiritual adultery and defilement.
II. Aho, 0 .Judah, he hath set a harl'est for thee, whm
I returned (rather WIle1l I return) the captivity of
1I.lJ people.
The harz'est may be either for good or fur bad. If the har-
vest is spoken of, as bestowed upon the people, then, as being
of chief moment for prcserving the life of thc body, it is a
symbul of all manner of good, tcmporal or spiritual, bestuwell
by God. If the people is slJoken of, as themsel,'es being the
han-est whieh is ripe and ready to bc eut down, then it is a
symbul of their being ripe in sin, ready for punishment, to be
cut oft. by God's judg'ments. In this sensc, it is said of Baby-
lon 17, ret (t little while, aud the time of I,er harvest slwll come;
and uf the heathen 18, put ye ilt the sickle, for tl,eir harvest is
ripe, for their wickedness is great; and of the whole earth 19, the
Iw.rl'est of the earth is ripe. Here {;od must be spcaking of a
Iwrvest, whieh Hc willed hereafter tu give to Judah. Fur the
time of the harvest was to be, when Hc should retltr1t the cap-
tidty of His people, restoring- them uut of their eapth-ity, a
time of His fa,'or and of manifold hlessing-s. .A Iwrl'C'st then
God appointedfor Judah. But when? 1'\ot at that time, not
for a lon
, lon
JJeriod, not for any time durin
the life uf man,
but at thc end of the capth"ity of,O years. God prumises re-
lief: but aftcr sufferin
. Yet He casts a ray of light, Cl-en
whilc threatening- the intermediate darkness. lIe foreshl'ws to
them a future hàr,-est, even while their coming lut was cap-
tivity and prh"ation. ...Yow Judah, His peuple, was entangled
in the sins of Ephraim, and like them, was to be puni!o'hed.
Suffering and chastiscment werc the eonditiun of healing- and
re
toration. But whereas the destruetion of the Kingdom of
Israel was final, and they were no more to be restured as a
whole, God, '\'110 lu,-eth men
y, cunvc)-s the threat uf impend-
ing punishment under the promise of future mercy. He had
ril'll mercies in store for Judah, yet not until after the eap-
th'ity, when He shuuld again own thelll as
1Iy people. .:\Ieau-
der," (Zeph. iii. 9.) Yet the word one (which i. not used here,)isessentialto tht'figure, which
is, that many did tht' act as if they were ODe. 6 J ash. xx. 7. .. lb. xxi. 21.
lb.
xxiv. 1,25. 91 Kgs.xii.!. 10 lb. 25. II Deut.xix.3. 12 S.Johniv.5,6. 13 Josh.
xxiv. 32. 14 lb. 2". l
It Í8used of sins ofthe fi('sh in Lev. xix. 29. xx. H.Job xxxi. 11.
and especially in Ezekiel. 16 Rup. 17 Jer.li.33. 18 Joeliii.13. 19 Rev. xi. 15.

CHAPTER YII.

Before
CHRIST
cir. i80.

CH..\PTER YII.
A reproof of manifold sins. 11 God's fl'rath
against th
m for their hypocrisy.

4...1

""{XTHEN I woul<l luwe ht'aled Israel, C HB
ois T
\' V then the iniquity of Ephraim was cir. i80.
disl'overed, and the t wickedness of Sama- t Heb. ev;I..

time then, there wa
withdrawal of the fa"or of God, distress,
and want.
The distinction between Judah and Isracllay in the pro-
mi
e of God to David. 1 The Lord hath sworn in truth to Ða-
t.id, .lIe will not turn from. it; of the fruit of
".
bod.1/ wi(l I set
upon th.,! throne. It lay 111 the eouns
ls of (yod, but It was
exeeuted throu
h those who knew not of those coun
els. The
ten tril)('s were carried an ay by the As
yrians into l\Iedia;
Judah, by Xclmchadnezzar, into Babylon. The Babylonian
empire, which, under Xebuchadnezzar, was the terror of A
ia,
wa
hut a continuation of the .A
s)Tian, bein
founded by a
revolted '-\,..,..\Tian
eneral
. The seat of empire was removed,
the pulicy w.as unchan
ed. In man's si
ht there was no hope
that Babvlun would gÍ,'e back her eaptiHs, any more than
Assvria õr than the grave would gh'e back her dead. To re-
store tl;e Jews, was to reverse the human policy, which had
remO\'ed them; it was to re-create an enemy, strun
in his
natural position, lyin
between themselve
and E
ypt, who
could
tren
then, if he willed, their great rival. The mixed
multitude of Babylonians and others, whum the king- of Assy-
ria had
ettled in Sam aria, in their letter to a successor of
Cyrns,appealed to these fears, and induced the impostur Smer-
dis to interrupt the restoration of Jeru
alem. They say3; JVe
h{we sent aml certified the king, that search ma.'I be made in the
hook of the records of tllY fathers. So shall thou find in tile
hook of the records, and k'Wll' that t!tis cit.1/ is a rebellious city,
aml hllrtflllunto king.<; and prot'l'nces, and that they hal'e mOl'ed
sedition witlâll the smne of old time: for which cause was tlâs
cit!f dcstru,,!ed. The king did find in his rccords that Judah
had been of uld powerful, and had refused thc yoke of Babylon.
4 I commwuled, aml search hath been made, and it isfollnd tlwt
t!lis cit.1f of old time Iwth made insurrection against Mngs, and
tlwt rebellion and sedition hath been made therein. Tllere have
been migldy kings Ol'er Jerusalem, which Iwz'e ruled over all
COUll tries beyond the riz'er, and tolls, tribute, and custom hath
been given to tllem. Conquerors do not think ufrestoring their
sla'-e
, nor of reversing their ]wlÏey, enn when there is no
constraining moth-e to perseverc in it. "'hat is done, remains.
This policy of trall
planting nations, when once begun, was
adopted. as a rcgular part of Assyrian, Babylonian,and Persian
pulk) 5 . Yet no case is known, in which the people once remm'ed
were permitted to return, save the Jewi'. But God first fore-
told, that Cyrus should restore His people and build His temple;
then, through men's wills He ordered the onrthrow of empires.
Cyrus overcame the lea
ue against him, and de
troyed first the
Lydian, then the Bahylonian, empire. God then brou
ht to
hi
knowledge the prophecy concerning him, given by Isaiah
liS years before, and disposed his heart to do, what Isaiah had
foretold that he should do. (1/ms made !lis prof.lamatiml
throughout all his kingdom. The term!" were ample. 6 JVho
is there among you of all His people? His God be with him,
mullet him go up to Jerusalem, 1l'hich is in Judah, and build the
house of tile Lord God of Israel (He is the God) fchich is in
Jerusalem. The proelamation must have reached the cities of
the
Jledes, where the ten tribes were. But they only, whose spirit
God had raised, returned to their land. horael remained, of his
Own freewill, behind; and fulfilled unwittingly the propheey,
IPs, cxn:ü.ll. 2 Kabopolassar. See Abyden. in Eus. Chron. Arm.i.p.M.
3 Esra iv. H,15. 4 lb. 19,20.

that they should be u'(l1lderers allwn{: the nations, while in Ju-
dah the Lord brougld again the captil'it.1/ of ./1 is people, and gave
them the harvest which lIe had appointed for them. A P
alm-
ist uf that day speaks of thc stranj:!:'cness of the delh'erance to
them 7. Jl"hen the Lurd turned again the ('([ptivi(1/ of Zion, we
ti'ere like thnn.
hat drel
m. And, primarily, of that bringing
baek tlte captll'lty of HIS people, he uses Ho
ea's ima
e of the
han'est. The.1/ w/âch sow ill tears, shall reap injo.l/. To the
eye of the puliti<,ian, it was an overthrow of empires and con-
vulsion of the world, the herald offurther convulsions, hy which
the new-e
tablished empÏ1'e wa!< in its turn m-crthrown, In the
real, the relig-ious, history of mankind, of far j:!:'reater moment
were those fifh- thousand souls, to whom, with Zorubabel nfthe
line of D.wid. 'Cyrus gave leave to return. In them he fulfilled
})ropheey, and prepared fur that further fulfilment, after his
own empire had been long di
solved, and when, from the line of
Zurobabel, was that Birth which was promised in Bcthlchem
of Judah.
VII. 1. "Theil I U'ould hfll'e Ilea/ed l.
rael. tìod be/!Ïns
anew by appealing to J srael, that all which He had done to
heal them, had but served to make their sin more e,'ident, and
that, from hi
hest to lowest, as to all manners and ways of sin.
'Vhen the tla
h of God's light on the "inner's conscienee en-
lij:!:'htens it not, it only discÌoses its darkne
s. The name I!.-
rael includes the whole people; the names, Ephraim and Sama-
ria, probably are meant to de!"i
nate the ehief milOng them,
Ephraim having been tlwir royal tribe, and being the chief
tribe among them; Samaria beinj:!:' their royal city. The
ins
which Hosea denounces in this chapter are chiefly thc sins
of the great, whieh, from them, had spread among the pcople.
'Vhatc,'er healing methods God had u!'ed, whether through
the teaehin
of the prophets or through His own fatherly
eha:;ti!<emenh:, they '.8wuuld not hearken nor be amended, bu't
ran on still more ub
tinatelv in their e,-il courses. The dis-
ease prevailed against the rëmedy, and was irritated by it, so
that the remedy served only to lay open the extent of it
ma-
lignity, and to shew that there was wurse in it, than did at
flrst appear." So S. Paul says of all human nature 9. "
hell
the commwulment came, sin rn'iz'ed. Apart from
race, the
knowledg-e of goud onlyenhanees el il. "10 So, when God, made
:\Ian. pre!<ent and visible, willed to heal Israel, then that iniquity
of the Jews and wiekedness of the Seribes and Phari
ees was
di
('O\-ered, whereof this iniquity of Ephraim and wiekedne
s
of Sam aria was a type. For an evil
pirit goaded them to mock,
persecute, bla
pheme the Teacher of repentance \Vho, together
with the word of preaching, did works, such as nune uther
lUan did. For Christ pleased them not, a Teaeher of repent-
ance, l)ersuadin
to lw,'erty, a Pattern of humility, a Guide to
meekness, a Monitor to mourn for !'ins, a Prodaimer uf right-
eousness, a Requirer of mercy, a Prai
er of purity of heart, a
Rewarder of peace, a Consoler of tho
e who suffered per
ecu-
tion for righteousne
s' sake. 'Vhy i \rhy did they rejeet, hate,
perseeute, Him "'ho taught thus? Because they lund all
contrary thereto, and wi!'hed for a l\Ies
iah, who shuuld exalt
them in this world, and di,.turb ,the peace of nation!', until he
should b)' war suhdue to their empire all the rest of the world,
build for them on earth a Jerusalem of gold and gems, and fulfil

5 See instances in Rawlinson, Herod. T. ii. J!. 564. 6 Ezra i. 3. 7 Ps. cxx\i. 1, 5.
8 Poco 9 Rom. vJI.9. 10 Rup.

44

Before
CHRIST
cir. 71>0.
. ch. 5. I.
&6.10.
tHeb.
t W:f,:elh.
sa" 7101 10.
bJer. 17. I.

ria : for B they commit falsehood; and the
thief eomcth in, aml the troop of rohhers
t spoileth without.
2 And they t consider not in their hearts
that I b remember all their wickedness:

HOSEA,

now c their own doings ]mye beset
about; they are d before illY face.
3 They make the king glad
their wickedness, amI the princes
their lies.

them c HB
o
es T
cir. 780.
with c

: i
22.
e with : K

'I
'32.

their eon'touiOness in all thin
s of this sort. Thi
their mind
lIe om'{' briefly e\':pre

ed 1 : How can ye beliez'e 'I1'Iâc/t receÍl'e
IWI/or one uf (l1wtlter, al/d seek 1/ot the IlOilO/" 'l1'hich cowetltfro11l
God ollZII? They perseeuted Him then "'ho willed to heal
them. as madmen strike the l'hysieian otfering thcm medi-
cine, nor did they cease, until they refplired Him their King- to
be erueified. Thus was the iniquity ofEp!trailJland wickedness
of 8a1llaria discoured, yet filled up by them, and so they filled
up the measure of their fathers, and diseoven'd and tp!òtified,
that they were of the same mind with their father
.-In all
these things they (,()1II11Iitted falsellOod, lying against their
King "Thom they d('nied. and al'('used as scditious."
for they [i. e. aU of them] co1llmit false!tood. Falsehood
was the whole hahit and tissue of their Ih'es. "2 Thev dealt
falsely in all their doings both with God and man, beiil g hy-
po('ritieal and falsp in aU their words and doings, given to
fraud and deeeit, from the hi
hest to the lowest." Xight and
day; in silent'e and in open violcn('e; with ill, where all secmed
guarded and secure, and wit!tout, in open defianee oflaw and
publil' justiee ; thl'se deeds of wrong went on in an unceasing
round. In the nip:ht, the tltief cometh ill, breaking into men's
houses amll'illagiup: secretly: a troop ofrobbersspoileth 1l'itllOllt,
spreading their ravages far and wide, and desolating without
resistanee. It was aU one state of anarchy, violence, and dis-
organii"ation.
2. And tltey cOllsider 'fIot in their !teart, lit. (as in the E.
1\1.) thl.ll sa.1I not to tlteir hearts. The conseience is God's voice
to the heart from within; man's knowlcd
e of the law of God,
and his memory of it, i
man's voiee reminding his heart and
rchellious affe('tions to ahide in their obedience to God. God

ppak
through the heart, when by His seerl't inspirations lIe
reealls it to its duty. Man r-peaks to his own heart, when he
f'llef'ks its !'inful or pas!o'ionate impulses b)" the rule of God's law
Tholl sha:t 1/ot. " At first, men fcd the deti)rmity of eertain
sorts of wi('kednc!"s. "'hen accustomed to them, men think
that God is indifferent to \\'hat no lon
er shoeks themsekes."
The.'1 sa,lI not to tlteir Iteart any mure, tl
at God remembers tltem.
I remember all tlteir wi('knhte.
s. This was the root of all
their wickedness, want of thought. They would not stop to
sav to themseh-es, that God not on Iv saw, but remembered their
1l'i",.kedness, and nllt thi!< onlv, but that lIe remembered it all.
:;\Ianv will acknowled!!"e that.God see,
tlH'm. He sees all thin
s,
and
o them also. 'i'his is a part of His natural attrihute' of
Omniseienee. It costs them nothin
to own it. But what
God remem/Jers, that He wiJI repay: This be)on::-s to God's
attrihutes, as the moral Go\-ernor of the world; and this, man
would p:ladly furget. But in ,-ain. God dops remember, and
remcmberr-, in order to punish.
YOll', at the \'ery moment
when man would not recall this to his own heart, their 01('ll
doings hlll'e beset tllem about; tltC'.1/ are hefore .lIy Face. L"n-
less or until man repent, God seel' man euntinually, eneom-
pa!o'sed by all his past e,-il deeds; they surruund him, a('eom-
,mny him, whithersoever he
oeth; they attend him, like a
band uf followers; they lie down with him, they await him at
his awakening- ; they Ih-e with him, but they do not die with
1 s. John v. 1J. 2 Pcc. 3 Provo v. 22. 4 Ex. xxxii. 3
.

him; they eneireJe him, that he should. in no wi!<e es('al'e them,
until he come attended b) them, as \ntnc!'ses against him, at
the judgment seat of God. 8 His 0ll'1I iniquities shal/lake the
u'icked ltimself, ami Ite slwll be Itolden 1l'Íth the conls of /âs sills.
Gud remembers all their wickedness. Then He will rcquite
all; not the last sins only, but all. So whenl\Io!o'es interceùed
for his l,eople after the sin of the calf, God !'ays to him 4, go
lead tlte people into the place of 1l'lticlt I hm'e spoken unto thee;
beholcl .JIy An{{el sltall go before thee; neverthe{e.
s, i1/ the day
'l1'hen 11'isit, I 'l1'ill 'l'Ísit their sin upon tltem; and of the sins
of Israel and their enemies 5; Is not tltis laid up in sture with
.lIe, and sealed up among .JIy treasures? to lIIe }wlongeth 1'en-
geance ll1ld recumpense; tlteir foot shall slide in due time. The
sins, forgotten b}- man, arc remembered by (;od, and are re-
quited all togethcr in the end. A slight image of the Day of
Judgment, tlte Day of 1(ntfh and revelation of tlte ri{{hteolls
.iudgllleJlt of God, agail/st which the hard and illlpeLlitent
heart treasures lip unto itself wrath!
They are before 1.11.11 Face. AU things, past, pre
ent, and
to come, are present before God. He !'ees aU things which
have been, or whi(.h are, or which shall be, or which could be,
although He shall never wiU that they should be, in one eter-
nal, unvarying, present. To what end then for man to eherish
an idle hope that Gud will not remember, what He is ever
seeing? In vain wouldest thou think, that the manifold ways
I of man are too small, too intricate, too eountIe!'s, to be re-
membered by God. God says, The.,Il are before .ìJl.'1 .Face.
:3. TIley make tlte king glad with their u'ickedlless. \\Ticked
sovereigns and a wicked people are a eurse to ea('h other, eaeh
encouraging the other in sin. Their kinp:, being wif'ked, had
pleasurc in their wiekcdness; and the};, seeing him tu be
pleased by it. set themselves the more, to do what was eYÍI and
to amuse him with accounts of their sins. Sin i
in itself so
shamcful, that e\'en the great cannot. by themseln's, sustain
themselves in it, without others to flatter them. A good anti
serious man is a reproach to them. And so, the sinful great
corrupt others, both as aiding them in their debaueheries, and
in order not to be reproal'hed by their virtues, and beeausc the
sinner has a corrupt pleasure and exeitement in hearinp: of
tales of sin, as the good joy to hear of good. \Yhenee S. Paul
!:'ays 6,1('/10, kn01l'ing thejllllgmellt of God that they u,/tich com-
mit suc/t tltings are 1l'orthy of death, not only do tile same, hut
/1l11'e plea.mre ill tltem that do tltem.
But wlH'rea" they all, kings, princes, and people, thus agree(l
and f'onspired in
in, and thc sin of tllP great is the most de-
stn1f'tive, the Prophet here uphraid!' the people most for this
common sin, aplmrently because they were free from the

reater temptations uf the great, and so their sin was the
more wilful. "An unhappy complaisance was the ruling dIa-
meter of I srael. I t preferred its kin
s to its God. Conseienee
was ,'ersatiJe, aecomlllodatillC"'. ""baten'r \\ as authurist'd hv
those in power, was appruved." Ahab added the worship õf
Daal to that of the eah-es; Jehu eonfined hilllselfto the sin of
Jeroboam. The people aCfluiej;eed in the lcp:alised sin. Much
as if now, marriages, which by God's law are incest, or re-
ð Dcut. xxxji. 34, 5. 6 R')m. i. 3:!.

CHAPTER YII.

c Jí{oys T 4 f They arc all a(lulterers, as an oyen
cir. ifoO. heated by the baker, II who eeaseth \I from

t;
9.2. raising- aftpr he hath kneaded the dough,

"rzí=. until it be leavened.
II

: 5 In the day of our king' the princes
II

U;
':oflgll have made ltim sick II with bottles of wine;
wine.

45

he stretched out his hand 0 with scorners. c Ifï[O?s T
6 For they have II made ready their heart
r. íbO.
like an on
n, whiles they lie in wait : tlH'ir II Or, applied.
baker sleepeth all the night; in the morn-
ing' it hurneth a!\ a flaming' fire.
Fulfilled
7 They are aU hot as an oven, and have i72.

marriag-es of the di\"orl'ed, which our Lord pronounees adul-
tery, were tu be held allowaùle, be('au!<e man's law eea"es to
annex any penalty to them. .
4. T/wy are all adulterers. 'The Prophet ('ontmues to
picture the curruption of all kinds and degrees of men. All uf
them, kin
, prinees, peuple; all were given to adultery, both
I'piritual. in d('IJartin
from {;od. and af'tual (for both sorts of
"ins went tog-ether) in defiling- them!'elves and others.
1I1 of
them were, (so the wonl] means,) habitual adulterers. One
only pause there was in their sin, the preparation to ('omplete
it. He likens their hearts, with inflamed lawless lust
. to the
heat of (lll Ul'ell which the baker had alreadv heated. The un-
nsual construetion "burningfrom the baker 2 "instead of " heat-
ed by the baker" may ha,-e been chosen, in order to express,
how the fire continued to burn of itself, as it were, (althou
h at
first kindled by the baker) and was ever ready to burn whatever
was broug-ht to it, and en
n now was aU red-hot, burning un
continually; and Satan, who had stirred it, gave it just this re-
I'pite. from tI,e time 7l'/'en he had kneaded tI,e dOllgh 3, until the
lem-cn which he had put into it, had fully worked, and the
whole was ready for the operation of the fire.
The world is full of su('h men now, ever on fire, and paus-
ing only from sin, until the flatteries, whereby they seduce
the unstable, hm-e worked and penetrated the whole mind, and
victim after ,.ktim is gradually lea,"ened and prepared for sin.
5. III the da.1f of Ollr king, the princes haloe made him sick
I,'ith bottles oftl'ÍlIe [or, 1l.ith heat from tl'ille.] Their holydays,
like those of so many Englishmen no\\', were days of exce!"s.
The da.'l of their king was probably some civil festh-al; his
hirthday, or his coronation-day. The Prophet owns the kin
,
in that he calls him our king; he does not blame them for keep-
ing" the day, but for the way in whieh they kept it. Their
festh"al they turned into an irreligious and anti-relig-ious ca-
rousal: making themselves like the hrutes which perish, and
tempting- their king- first to for
et his royal dignity, and then
to blaspheme the majesty of God.
he stretched (Jut IlÏs hand "Leith scorners, as it is said ., ff''ille
is a morker (or Srf!ttêr). Drunkenness, by takin
offalJ power
of self-rcstraint, brin
s out the evil which is in the man. The
scorner ur scqff"er is one who neither fears God nor regards man 5 ,
lmt makes ajest of all thing-s, true and .!!ood, human or divine.
Such were these currupt princes of the king of Israel; with
these he stretched out the halld, in token of hir- g-ood fellowship
with them, and that he was one with them. He withdrew his
hand or his soeiety from goud and sober men, and stretched it
out, not to puni
h these, hut to join with them, as men in drink
reaf'h out thdr hands to any whom they meet, in token of their
!'ottish would-he friendliness. "ïth these, the king drank,
jested, played the buffoon, praised his idols, scoffed at Gud.
The flattery of the bad is a man's worr-t foe
6. For" they h(ll'e made read.1f their Ileart'like all ot'en, He
gins the reasun of their bursting out into open mischief; it

an
;

R
:\1. the rail:" :

':c;::e
mean the sam: t'lJ:,
.E. V. who cecuethJ>-om raili7lg,

was e, er stored up within. They 1Itade ready, lit. hl"Ollgld near
their heart. Their heart was ever brought nig-h to sin, even
while the occasion was removed at a distanee from it. "The
Ol'CU is their heart; the fuel, their corrupt affections, and incli-
nations, and evil concupiseenee, with which it is filled; their
haker, their own e,"il wiJI and imag-ination, which stirs up what-
ever is evil in them." The Prophet th('n pietures how, while
they seem for a while to rest from sin, it is but 1l'hilst tlleY
lie ill1l'ait ; still, all the whilc, they made and kept their hearts
ready, full of fire for sin and pas!'ion; any breathing- time
from actual !'in was no real rest; the heart was still all on fire;
ill the morning, right early, as suon as the oeea!'ion came, it
burst furth.
The same truth is seen, where the tempter is without. Such,
whether
atan or his ag-ents, having lodged the e\'Í1 thought
or desire in the soul, often feig'n them!'eh'es asleep, as it were,
"letting- the fire and the fuel whieh they had inserted, work
togethèr," that so the fire pent-in might kindle more thorough-
Jy and fatally, and the heart being filled and penetrated with
it, might burst out ofitself,as soon as the oe('asion should (,ollle.
ï. TIley are all/lOt as (11l oven, (lnd hat'e dæollred their
Judges. Plans of sin, sooner or later, through God's over-
ruling Proddence, hound baek upon their author!". The wis-
dum of God's justice and of His government shews itself the
more, in that, without any apparent ag-eney uf His own, the
sin is g-uided by Him, through all the intrieate mazes of hu-
man passion, malice, and eunning, back to the sinner's bosom.
Jeroboam, and the king!' who fullowed him, had corrupted the
people, in order to establish their own king-dum. They had
heated and inflamed the people; and had done their work
completely, for the Prophet says, They are all hot as all ot'en;
none had eseaped the contagion; and they, tlms heated, burst
furth and, like the furnaee of Xebuchadnezzar, devoured not
only what was cast into it, but thuse who kindled it. The
heathen observed, that the "artificers of death perished by
their own art."
Probably. the Prophet is describing a seene of revelry, de-
bauchery, and scoffing, which preeeded the murder of the un-
happy Zechariah; and so fills up the brief history of the Book
of Kings. He describes a profli
ate ('ourt and a debauched
king; and him duubtless, Zechariah 6; thuse around him, de-
lighting him with their wickedness; all of them habitual adul-
terers; but one set'Tet agcnt stirring them up, firing- them with
sin, and resting only, nntil the evillem-en had worked through
and through. Then follows the ren}, and the ground why
they intoxIcated the king-, viz. their lyin
-in-wait. "For," he
adds, "they prepared their hearts like a furnace, tl'heu the.1f lie
in 7l'ait." The mention of dates, of facts, and of the connec-
tion of these together: "the day of our king;" his behaviour;
their lying in wait; the secret working of one indh idual;
the burstin
out of the fire in the morning; the falling uf tJ]('ir
kings; luoks, as if he were relating an actual history. \\'.

4 Provo xx. l. The word is the sam!!, ï' or ï.

'
. See I ntrod. p. 5.

· S. Luke ",iii. 14.

1"

IG

C HBJ{'Tes T devoured their .iud
es; g all their kinA"s h

. _i80. _ are fallen: i that.' is none alllong them that

2IK
;' 15. callcth unto me.
I \

.4-i;î
7
0.
Ephraim,he khath mixed himsdfamong
II Ps.I0(j. 35. t1l(' people; Ephraim is a cake nut turned.

HOSEA,

9 1 Strangers ban' de,'oured his strength, C .f1 0 l e s T
and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs cir. ,1>0.
are t here and there upon him, )Oet he

: 7.
knoweth not. sprinkled.
10 ..And the m pride of Israel testifieth tu mch. 5. 5.

know that Z('('hariah, of whom he is speaking-, was slain
through r(llH.piracy lJUblicly in the open t
lI'e of day, "before
all thr pcople," no one heeding-, no one re:-isting. lIo:-ea :-cems
to supply the moral a:-peet of the history, ho,,' Ze('hariah fell in-
to thi:- i!t'neral contt'ml't; how, in him, aU which was goud
in the hml!<e of Jchu, expired.
a/l tlieir Mngs I/(ll'eflillen. The kingdom of J
racl. having
been
et up in ..in, was, throu
hout its whole courlÖe, unstable
and unsettled. JerohOatll'';; house pnded in his son; that of
Baasha, who killed Jeroboam',;;
on, Xadab, ended in his own
son, Elah; Omri's ended in his lOon's son. God having- delayed
tht' punishuwnt on .\hab's sins felr one
eneration, /In aCl'uunt
of his partial n'pt'ntanee ; thcn followed J elm's. to whose hlllllÖe
God, tilr his obedience in some thin
s, continued the king-dom
to tlte fourtlt p:elll'ratirm. "ïth these two cx('eption
, in the
houscs of Omri and .J ehu, the kings of hrad either left no
sons, or left them to be slain. lXadab, Elah, Zimri, Tilmi, .Je-
}wram, Zel'hariah, ShalIum, Pekahiah, Pckah, were put to
dcath hy tho
e who s\lITceded them. Of all the kings of Is-
rael, Jcroboam, ßaasha, Omri, l\Jenahem, alone, in addition
to Jt.hu and the three next of his llOusP, died natural dcaths.
So was it writtt'n by God's hand on the house of Israel, all
tlieir kings IlCll'e flillen. The captidty was the tenth ehan
c
after tlU'\" had deserted the house of David. Y ct such was the
!'tupidit): and obstinacy both of kin
s and people, that, amid
all tlwse I'hastisement!<, none, either people or king-, turned to
(;od and prayed Him to dcliwr them. Xot even distress, amid
whi,'h almost an betakc themseh'es to God, awakened any
sense of rdij.!,'Ïon in them. There is none awulIg ii/em, tltat
calleth unto .lIe.
R Epl/rclim, he Illltll mi.rec! //Ím,
e{f all/ong ti,e people; i. e.
with the hcathen; he mÍ3:ed or mingled himself among or
with thcm, so as to eorrulJt himself! ; as it is said 2, they u'ne
mingled among the lint/hell alld lea riled their works. God
hall forbidden all intermarria
c with the heathen 3, lest His
IJellple
hould ('orrupt themseh-es: they thlln
ht themseh-cs
wiser than lIt,. intermarrit'd, and were eorrupted. Su('h are
the ways of those who put themseh-es amid oeeasions of sin.
Eplll'aim i.
(lit. Ú bl'Collle) a cake (lit. Oil tile coals) lIot
turned. The Prophet euntinucs the imag-e 4. Bpl/raim had
he en mingled, steepcd, kneaded up into one. as it were, /('itl, tlu:
heatllell, their ways, their idolatries, their vices. God would
amend them, and they, withholdin
themselves from His dis-
eÏIJline, and not yiclding themselves wholly to it, were but
spoiled. The sort of ('ake, to whieh Ephraim is here Jib'ned,
uggah 5, lit. circular, was a thin palll'akc, to whit'h a sl'orching-
IH'at wns applied on one side; sometimcs hy mcans of hot ehar-
eoal hcaped upon it; sometimes, (it is thoug-ht,) thc fire was
within the earthen jar, around whieh the thin dough was fit-
ted. If it rcmained long- ulltu1"lled, it was hurnt on the one
side, while it eontinued unbalH'd, doug-hy, reeking, on the other;
the fire spoiling-, not llenetratin
it throug-h. Sueh were the
IJcople; such arc too many so-called Christians; they united

1 .Thewor<l ;;
is used not ofmin!,lin
only, but ofa rninj!;linj!;\\hich inyolV('d confusion
(as 1 j the origin or the name Babel, Gen. xi. i.) or cont..mination (asin

:-.)

Ps. civ. 3;;. J Ex. x,<xiv. 12-Hi. . The word, "atl. millgled, indudes a]so

in thelUselns hypoerisy and un
udlines!', outward I'erform-
anee and inward lukewarmness; the one ovcrdllnt.. hut with-
uut anv wlwle!'ume cHl.('t on the other. The one was !'('ur('hed
I and blåek; tlw lither, steamed, dam II, and lukewarm; the whole
wurthless, !<poiled irn'mediahly. fit only to be ('ast away. The
fire of (
od's jlHl
ment, with whieh the peuple !<hould have hc('n
amcnllcd, mad,. hut an outward impre!<lÖion ulJOn them. and
re.H'hed not within, nor t/l any thllrllug-h ('hange, S/l that they
were but the more llllpl'lessly !'IJoiled through the means whieh
God used for their amcndmcnt.
n. Strangl'l's 11ll/'e c!el'uurecl ltis strength, allll he Iil/owetll it
not. J
ik(' Samson. when, for spnsual pleasure. he had hetrayed
the sour('e of his streng-th, and God had departed from him, Is-
rnel kncw not how or whcrein his allianees with the heathen
had impaired his stren
th. HI' thoug-ht his lusscs at the haml
of the enemy, passin
wounds, whieh time would ht'al; he
thoug:ht not of them, as tokens of Gud's !<eparation from him,
that his time of trial was roming- to its dose, his streng-th de-
caying. hi!' end at hand. Israel was not only ineorri
ibIc, hut
past feeling 6 , as the.\postle says of the heathen. The marks uf
wasting- and deeay \n'l'e ,-isihle to sig-ht and tom'h ; ret he him-
self pereein'd not what aU saw eXI'ept himself. Israel had
!<lIug-ht to strang-ers tiJl" Iu'lp. and it IIac! turlled to his deca.1J.
Pul and Ti
lath-l'ileser had del'rlllrecl his strength, despoiling-
him uf his wealth and treasure, the flower of his men, and the
IJroduee of his land, draining- him of his riches, amI hardly op-
pre
sin
him throug-h the tribute imllosed upon him. But "like
mcn (luite stupified, they, thou
h thus eontinuaUy
nawed up-
on, yet suH'ered themselves willingly t/l he devoured, and seemed
insensible of it." Yet not only so. but thc prescnt evils wen' tIlC
forcrunners of worse. Grev hairs, themsch-es the effel'ts of de-
clinillg- ag-e and tukens of tÌcl'ay, moe thc furerunncrs of death.
"'iThy
rey hairs are thy pa
sing--I)('II," says the proverb.
The Prol'hct repeats, after eaeh dause, Ill' klwll'etl/ nnt. He
knoweth nothillg; he knoweth not the tokens of deeav in
himselt
hut hide's them from himself; Iwknoweth not God, "'110
is the Author of thcm ; he knmw.th not the eause of them, his
sins; he knoweth not tllPendaml objel't of them, hiseom-crsion;
he knoweth nut, what, sinee he knoweth not any ofthese things,
will be the issue of them, his destrurtion. Men hide from
themselves the tokcn of de ray, whether of body or soul. And
!'o death, whether of body or soul or both, eomes UpOIl them
11IHIWares. "h Looking-on thcsurtill'e, he imagines that all thin
s
arc rig-ht with him, not feeling- the sel'ret worm whieh g-naws
within. The outward A"arb remains; the rules offastill
an' ob-
served; the statcd times of prayer arr kept; but the he
rt i.s far
from Me. saith the Lord. Consider dilig-ently what thuu 1m-cst,
what thou fearest, whereat thou rejoieest or art saddened,
and thou will find under the habit of reli/!,"Ïon a worldly mind;
undt'r the rag-s of ronversion, a heart of pen'ersion."
10. ../1/(1 the pride of ISl"llel testifìetl/ to his/lice. His pride
ronvieted him. All the afflietions of God humhled him not;
yea, they but brought out his pride, which" 9 kept him from

doublle'8 the 11le.ming of kneaded "p ".;th,
;.;
, a, in Lev. ii. 4, 5. &e. 5 :-
:I
6 Eph. i.lO. j lit. .. Th," grey hairs are the proclaimer of thy death," an Arabic
Pro\"Crb. 8 S. Bern. Serm. 2. in cap. jej.
:!, 3.
l'oc.

CHAT)TER VTI.

c :iioíes T his face : and n they do not r('tnrn to HI('
cir.780. LORI> tlH'ir (
()(l, nor seek him for aU this,
:!b.iii:N' II
0 Ephraim also is like a silly dove
p See 2 KillJ\'S without heart: p they calI to Eg-ypt, they
15.19.&17.4-. .
ch. 5. 13. &
o to Assyrm.
q
;
k
I
'li. 12 'Vhen they shall go q I will spread
my net upon them; I wilJ bring" them

47

flown as the fowls of thp heavpn; I wi11 C Hßr[ofs T
..hastise tlwm, r as their congregation Imth cir. 7
O.
heard. r t

. 26, H.
13 \V oc unto them! for they have fled r:
t2
i
:

from me t destru('tion unto them! t U

;o
i.
heeause they have trans
'"l'f'ssf"d against
mc : thoUg"h 8 I have redeemed them,' Mic. (;.4.

ae-kllmdea
illg and repcnting" of the sill!' ",hieh had brought
thosc evils < upon him, and frum tm'nil/g to God and seeking to
Him for remedy." l\Ien eomplain uf their "fortune" or "fate"
or " star
," and go on the more ohstinatdy, to Imild up what
Gml destroys, to prup up hy human means or human aid what,
by God's Pruvidenee, is failing; they venture more desperately,
in order to reeover past losses, until the crash at last becomes
hopeless and final.
/lor seek Himfm'all tlds. God had exhauste(l aU the trea-
sures ofIlis severity, as, before, of His love. He lIimsclfmar-
vcls at His in('orrig
ihle ami eontuma('illUs servants, as Be says
in Isaiah ., 'V!i!I.
//fJllld .lIe lie slJ'icken any mure ? Ye will revolt
wore ami more. How is this? It follows because they have
no !teart.
II. Ephraim is [hecome] like a silly dove. "Thercisno-
thing more simple than a dove," says the Eastern proverb.
Simplkity is good ur bad, not in itself, hut a('eording: to some
other (Iualities of' the soul, goml or evil, with whieh it is united,
towhich it opens the mimi, and whit'h lead it to good or mislead
it to evil. The word 2 describes one, easily persuadcd, open, and
so, one who takes (;od's word simply, oheys His 'Yill, without
refinement or subtlety or explaining it away; in which way it is
said 3, TI,e Lord prese1"1'eth tI,e Ûmple; or, on the other hand,
one who lets himself easily be led tu evil, as the heathen said of
youth, that they wcre "likc wax to be bcnt to evil." In this
way, it is said \ How lnng, .1le simple ones, 1l'il/ ye love .<;impli-
city? Our Lor(l uses this likeness of the dove, for good 5; he
1l.ise as ,
erpellts, simple, ur Iwrmle.<;s as doves. Hosea speaks
of simplicity without wisdom; fur he adds, a sill.'1 dove u'itllOllt
wulerstrtJulil/g, lit. wit!iollt a heart wherehy they ",honld lovc
God's "ïll, and so should uml('l'stand it. Ephraim hemme, he
says, like a silly dove. Keglecting God's calls, unmoved by
calamity or sufferings, and not seeking to God.fin'all t!lis which
He has done to reeaH them, they grew in folly. l\Jan is ever
f(roll'ing in wisdom or in folly, in grace or in graeclessness.
This new sta{.!;e of folly lay in their flying- to Assyria, to help
them, in faet, against God; as it fullows,
tlll"Y call to Eg.'lpt. Instead of Nllling to God \\Tho could
and would help, they call to r-g.'lpt who eould not, and ll'nd
to Assyril( who would not. So God complains by Isaiah 6, Tn
J.1Ie tllUll hast 110t called, 0 Jamb. This was their folly; they
called not to God, "Tho had delivered them out of Egypt, but,
altemately, to their two powerfulneig:hbonrs, of whom Egypt
was a delusive promi",er, not failing- only, but l,iereing, those
who leant Oil it; Assyria was a })owerf\\l oppressor. Yet what
else is almost the whole history of Chri
tian states? The" ba-
lance of power," whi('h has heen the pride of the later policy of
Europe, whit-h has heen idolized as a god, to which statesmen
have looked, as a deliverance out of all their trouhles ; as if it
were a sort uf Divine Providence, regulatin
the affairs of men,
and dispensinJ!," with the interference of God; what is it but
the self-same wisdom, which balaneed Egypt against Assyria?
li.5. 2
"i) 3 Ps.cxvi.6. 4 Provo i, 2
. 5 S. Matt.x.6.
6 xliii. 22. .. Ps.lv. 6-8.

12. lVlwlt thlY go, (lit. accordil/g liS they go, in all cin'um-
stances of time ur place or manllcr, when, whithersovcr or
howsocver they shall go,) I will spread .ll1,lluet UpOIt t!WlII, "'..
as to surround and envelope thcm on all sides and hold thelll
duwn. The dm'e !'oaring- aloft, with speed like the !'torm-
wind 7, is a picture offreedom, independence, impetuous, unhin-
dered, f()lluwin
nn it
own ('ourse
weak and timid, it trust..:
in the skilfÌ11ness n ith whieh it guides its fli
ht, to es('ape pur-
suit; the /let, with its thin slight me!'hes, hetokem: huw weak in-
struments 1,eeomc all-suffident in the hands of'the Almighty;
the same dove, brought down from its almust vÏt'wless hei
ht,
flutteringwcakly, helplessly, and hopele!<sly, under t}wse same
meshes, is a picture of that same self-dependent spirit humi-
Hated, overwhelmed by inevitable evils, against whieh it impo-
tently struggles, from which it seems to see its eseape, but by
which it is held as fast, as if it lay motionless in iron.
as their cOlIKregatioll bath heard. ManifoMly had the
message of reward on obediencc and of puni,;hment on di!<ohe-
dienee come to Israel. It was spread throughuut the law; it
fills the book of Deuteronomy; it was concentrated in the
blessing and the eursc on mount Ebal and Gerizim; it \Va!< put
into their mouths ill the son
of l\Ioses ; it was inculcated by
all the prophets who had already prophesicd to them, and now
it was bping enfuree(l on that I!:eneratioll by Hosea himself.
Other kin
doms have fanell; but their fall, apart from Scrip-
ture, has not been the subject of prophe(
y. Thcir ruiu has
come mostly unexl)ected, either by themselves or others.
l:i. lVoe unto them, for tllt'!1 11ll't'e fled fro7Jl J.1Ie. The
threatening rises in severity, as did the measure of their sin.
'Yhereas 8 Sall'alilln belonged to Gnrl alone, and they only II
abide under llis shadow, who make Him their l'efllge, woe mu!'t
needs cumc oil them, who leave Him. 10 TIley fursake tl,eir
Oll'lt mer(lJ. True they draw upon themselves, 'u-ho for
et
God; how much more then they, who wilfully and with a high
hand tram:
ress ag-ainst him! J)cstruction unto them, for tllc.1I
ha'lJe tl'aJl.
gres.<;ecl against
lIe. To he separatt'd from God is the
source of aU evils; it is the ,. pain on OS!; "of God's Pre
enee, in
hell; but destructiun is more than this; it is everlasting" deat h.
mull/ull'e redeemed tltcm ami the.1I naz'e spoken lie,\' ag((iJl.
1.

lIe. The I and tlte.1I are both emphatic in Hebrew 11, " I re-
deemed;"" tlte,11 spoke lies." Such i
man's requital ufhis God.
Oft as He redeemed, so uften did they traduce Him. Sm'h was
the history of the passag-e throu
h the wilderness; sue-h, ofthc
period under the Judges; !'ueh bad it been reeently, when God
delivered Israel by the hand of Jeroboam II 12. The word, Ilawe
l'edeemed, denotes" habitual uft-renewed ddh-erance," "that
He was their constant Redeemer, from ,nlOIU they had found
help, did still find it, and mi
ht yet look to find it, iftheydid not,
by their ill bchaviour, stop the ('ourse of His f
wor toward"
thf'1ll13." God's merry ovcrflowed thciring-ratitude. 'The.1f had
!'poken lies ag-ainst Him, often as he had delivered them; He
was still their abiding Rcdeemer. I do redeem tltem.
8 Ps. iii. 8. 9 lb. xci. 1, 2. 18 Jon. ii. 8, 11 '-.;:-: :":'::":,
-:;;!I ":m:,
12 2 Kings xiv. 25-27. 13 POCo

48

Before
CHRIST
cir. 780.

yet they have spokf'n li('s Rg'ainst me.
14 t And they have not ('ried unto me
with their heart, when they howled upon
their beds : they assemhle themselv('s for

t Job 35. 9, 10.
Ps. 78. 36.
Jer. 3. 10.
Zech. 7. 5.

HOSEA,

corn and wine, and they rf'bel against me. C J3j[ o í e s T
15 Though I II have bound and strength- eir. 700.
ened their arms, yet do they imagine mis- II
::"tened.
dlÏef against me.

Tltey luwe spoken lies agaimt .llIe. Men speak lie.ç a
ainst
God, in their hearts, their words, their deed
, whene,'er they
harbour thoug-ht
, speak words, or ad, so as to deny that God
is what lIe is, or as to imply that He is not what He has de-
clared Himsclfto be. 'Vhuever seeks any thing out of God or
against His "Till; whoever seeks from man or from idols, or
from fortune, or from his own powers, what God alone bestows;
whoever ads as if God was not a good God, ready to receive the
penitent, or a ju
t God who will aveng-e the holiness of His
laws and uot dear tile guilty, docs, in faC't, speak lies agaiu,çt
God. People, day hy day, speak lie.
([{{(tinst God, against Hi

\Vis(lom, His Providenee, His .Justice, His Goodness, His Om-
niseienC'e. when they are thinking of nothing le
s. Jeroboam
!'pake lies against God, when he said, tltese be tll.'l gods, 0 lçrael,
1l'hicll brought tllee out of tlte land of Eg:llpt, whereas God had
so often enforeed upon them \ the Lord redeemed you out of
the hml.
e of bmulmen,Jrom the Iwud of Pharaolt kil1{( of EK.1fpt;
2 tlte Lord tll.1/ God brought thee uut thence with a might.'l hand
mill stretclted out arm. Israel spake lies against God, when he
!'laid 3, tllese are 1/1.11 rew((J'ds u.Mr/1 1/1.1/ IOl'ers llave given 1/Ie, or
when tlle.v returned uot to Him but called on Eg.1fpt, as thou
h
God would not help them, "Tho said that He would, or as though
Eg-n)t eould help them, of whom God said that it should nut.
Sometimes, they spoke out lies holdly, tellinj:!:' God's true 1)1'0-
phet
that He had not sent them, or forbidding them tu speak
in Uis Name; sometimes eovertly, as when they turned to
God, not
ÍIlC'erely but feij:!:'ne(lly; hut always pervcrsely. And
when God the Sun came on earth to lTedeem them, then, still
more, they spoke lies ag-ainst lIim, aU Hi!iì life long, saying, He
deceÏ1'eth tIle people, and all their other blasphcmies,and "lwhen
He forg-ave them thc !iìin of His death, sayinj:!:', Þàtller, forgil'e
them,fur tile.'! knoll' nut lV/Wt tlu'.,! do, they persevered in.çpetlk-
lug lies against Him, and bribed the !'oldiers to speak lies
against Him, and them!'elves do so to this day.
14. And tlu'.,! /Ul1'e not cried unto l1Ie witlt their heart,
1vhen they lIowled upon tlleir beds, or, in the prescnt time, they
Cl"!/1I0t unto ]JIe wIlen tlu'!1 howl. They did Cl"!l, and, it may
be, they cried even unto God. At least, thc Prophet does not
deny that they cried to God at all; only, he says, that thcy did
1I0t cr.,! to Him with theh' lI
a1"fs. Their eries were wrung
from them by their temporal distre!'ses, and ended in them,
not in God. There was no sincerity in their hearts, no ehan
e
in their doings. Their cry was a mere IlOwling. The secret
('ompJaint of the heart is a luud cry in the ears of God. The
impl'tuous cr!1 of impatient and unconverted
uffering i" a mere
brutish /wl1'ling. Their heart was set wholly on thcir earthly
wants; it did not thank God for g-iving them good thing!iì, nor
cry to Him truly when He withheld them.
'But, it may bé, that the Pruphet means also to ('ontrast the
act
. of thc ungodly, private and public, amid distress, with
tho
e of the g-mlly. The g-odly man implores God in publie and
in private. The prayer on the bed, expres!'es the private praycr
of the soul to t;od, when, the world bcing- shut out, it is alone
with Him. In place of this, there was the howling, as men toss

1 Ex. x,<.2. Lev. xix.36. xxiii.43. Num.xv.21. Deut.v.6,15.
2 Deut. vii. 8. add xiii. 5. xv. 15. xxiv. 18. 3 eh. ii. 12. 4 Rup.
5
". when used of assembling, is al\\ays used of tumultuous assembling, as in Ps.lvi.
7. lix. -1. ex!. 3. Is.liv. 15.

fretfully and angrily on their heds, roar for pain; but, instead
of complainin
to(;od,complainofHim, and are angry, not with
themselves, but with God. In place of the public prayer and
humiliation, there was a Illere tumultuous assembly, in which
they clamoured for C01'U a1ll11vine, and rebelled against God.
They assemble themselves; lit. theN S gather tllemselves tll1l111l-
tuous!." together. The.1f rehel against 111e; lit. the.1J turn aside
again.
t ]JIe. They did not only (a!iì it i!iì expressed elsewhere)
" turn asidefrom (;0(1." They turn aside against 111e 6 , He says,
flvin
, as it were, in the very face of God. This tumultuous
([
.
elllh1.1J was either some stormy eivil d(.bate, how to obtain
the eorn and wine whieh God withheld, or a tumultuous ('la-
mouring to their idols and false
uds, like that of the priests
ufBaal, when arrayed aj:!:'ainst Elijah on l\Iount Carmel; where-
hy they removed the further from God's law, and rebelled with
a hi
h hand ag-ainst Him.
"7\\That is to cr.ll to tile Lord, but to lon
for the Lord? But
if anyone multiply prayers, crying- and weepin
as he may, yet
not with any intent to gain God Himself, but to obtain some
carthly or pas!<ing' thing, hc cannot truly be said to cry unto
the Lm'd, i. e. so to ('ry that hi!' cry should come to the hear-
ing of the Lord. This is a cry like Esau'"" who soug-ht no
other fruit from his father's blessing-, save to be rich and pow-
erful in this world. '\'hen then he saith, TIU'N cried not to
111e in their heart, f;'r. he means. they were not devoted to Me,
their heart was not rig-ht with Me; they soug-ht not 1\1 yself, but
thing-s of Mine. They howled, desiring only thinj:!:'s for the
beUy and seeking not to have i\Je. Thus they belong- not to
the generation of those ll'ho seek the Lord, wlw seek the face of
tile God uf Jacob 8, but to the generation of Esau."
15. Tlwugh lliave bound, rather, (as in the E. 1\1.) And I
/Wl'e chastened 9, I ha1'e stren{(tlle'ned their arlll.
, and tlle.v ima-
gine miscllÌef against ..lIe. God had tried all ways with them,
but it was all one. He ('hastened them in love, and in love
He strengthened them; He brou
ht the enemy upon them, (as
aforetime in thedays of the .J udg-es) and H(' gave thelll strength
to repel the enemy; as He raised up Judges of old, and lately
had fulfilled His l)romise whieh He made to Joash through
Elisha. But it was all in vain. 'Yhatever God did, Israel was
still the same. All only issued in further evil. The Prophet
sums up in fuur words aU God's varied methods for their re-
covery, and then sets O\'er against them the one result, fresh
rebcllion on the part of His ereatures and His people.
The'f/ imagine OJ' del:ise miscMif against
11e. The order
in the Hebrew is emphatic, mal against JIe tlle.'l devise evil;
i. e. against 111e, "110 had thus tried all the resources and
methods of Divine wisdom to reclaim them, tlley devise evil.
These are words of j:!:'reat I'ondeseension. For the creature can
neither hurt not profit the Creator. But since God vouclJ-
safed to be their King-, He deig-ned to look upon their rebel-
lions as so many efforts to injure Him. All God's creatures
are made for His glory, and on earth, chiefly man; and among
men. chiefly those whom He had ehosen as His people. In
that, then, thcy set themselves to diminish that
Iory, giving

6 This is in two words in Hebrew'
""'0"
7 Rup. 8 Ps. xxiv. G. 9 The twowordsasar,"OIl. b071nd.andissar"lO". chastened,

:

h
'l v
e:
ïío
E
edi
e

:
:
i;hn:
:
lr
t
or the other. The Heb. Comm.

CHAPTER YIII.

Before
CHRIST
cir. jhO.

16 u They return, bllt not to tlw most
lIicrh: :II: they are like a deceitful bow:

.
their princcs shall fall hy th(' sword for the
'1 rage of their tongue: this .yllllll be their
derision z in the lall(
of l
g-n>t.

u c!,.
1.
:.
... 1 s. I
. oJ,.

J Ps. ;3. !J.
. ch. 9. 3, 6.

49

CIL\PTER YIII. C J
oÍeST
I, 12 Destructiou is threatened fur their impiety, cir. ïCO.
5 ami idolatry.
S ET a the trumpet to t thy mouth. H" t fì

: 8.
81wll cume b as an eagle ag-ainst the ::
r;:.fut"t.
b Deut, 28.1-9. JE'r. 4-. 13. Hab. 1.8.

to idol
t, they, a" t:lr as in them lay, devised evil against Him.
Man" oulll dcthrullt' (rod. if he I'ould.
W. Theil retllrn, but uot to the I1w,
t High. God exhorts
by JcremialÌ2, If thOlt wilt retllrn. () l
rael, saith. the Lord,
retllrn unto Jle. Thev I'hanged, whenever the\" dId ehan
e,
with a fei
ned. hypocritieal e,;nversiun, but not t
Gud, nul' ac-
hnowledl!.'in
Hi
)Iaje
tr. Man, until truly conn-rtcd, tllms
to and fro, unstahly, hither and thither. changin
from one evil
to another, frum the
in
of youth to thc
ins of a
e, from the
sins of l'ro
perity to the sins of ad,-er"ity; hut Ii(' remains him-
sclfunehangcd. Ill' tllrns, uot to the lIlm.t Higll. The Prophet
sa\"
thi" in three, as it were, broken word
, They turn,
not
mõ,
t lligh. 'flU' hearer readily filled up the broken sentenee,
whieh fcll, drop by drop, from the Prophet's ehokcd heart.
Tllt"l are like a dereitjlll bou', whieh, ,. how,.ocver the ar-
ch('r dir
,'ts it. will not earl'\" the arro"Ti
ht hume to the mark,"
but to other ohjeet
dean. eontl"ary to ìlÍ
will. "4, God had,
a" it were, bt'nt Israel, a
His own buw, against the tyranny of
the de, iI, and the deecit of idolatry. For Israel alune in the
whole world ca
t aside the worship of idols, and was attached
to the true and natural Lurd of aU thin
s. ßut thev turned
them"clHs to the contrary. For. being bound tu this, tltey
fought against Gud ti>r the dory of idols. Thev bel'amc then
liS a wa
ped bow, shooting thëir ,u'rows cont;ariwi
e." In
like way doth e,'ery
inner act, usin
a
ainst God, in the iOer-
vice of
atan, God',.
ifts of nature or uf outward means,
talents. or wealth, or
tren
th, or beauty, or power of speeeh.
God g,H'C all for His own glory; and man turns all aside tu do
honor and sen-iee to
atan.
their princes sllllll fall b.1I the sll'ord fur the rage of their
tongue. The word rendered 5 rage, iiO e,-erywhere el"e used of
the wl"ath of God; here, of the ?I'/"ath and foaming of man a-
gainst God. Jercmiah relates how, the nearcr their de
truction
eame upon Judah, the more madly the politicians and false
prophet
contradicted what (;od rcvealed. Their tongue was
II sharp ,m'ord. They sharpened their tongue like a swurd; and
the sword pierced their uwn hosom. The phrenzy of their
speeeh nut only drcw duwn God's anger, hut was the instru-
ment of their destruction. They mi
lcd the people; taught
them to trust in Eh'}-pt, not in God; persuadcd them to bclie,-e
them"elves, and tu disbclieve God; to bclieve, that the enemy
should depart from them and not earry them away captive.
They worked up the people to their will, and so they
eeured
their own destruetion. The prim'es of Judah were e
pecially
judged and put to death by
cbuchadnezzar 6. The likc pro-
bably took placc in brael. In any ease, those chicf in power
are chief obj('cts of destruetion. Still more did these wurds
eonw true before thc final destruetiun of Jenl,.alem bv the Ro-
mans. They were maddened by their own curse, th
rage of
tl,eir tOl/gue a
ainst their Redeemer, Hi
,. blood he on us and
011 our cMldren. Phrenzv beeame their eharaeteristie. It was
the amazement of the Romans, and their own destruction.
Tltis sllllll he tI,eir derisioll in tile land of Egypt. This,
i. e. all this, their boasting of Egypt, their failure, their de-

I See Is. "Iii. 8. 2 ch. iv. I.
· ;;n G Jer.lii. 10. 1 XXX. 3,5.

s :", tI
'::"':Ì' 4 S. Cvr.
8 ch. hiii. 1. P Ezek. xxxili: 3.

!<trut'tion, shall bel'ome their daisi(JIl. In Egypt had they
tru
ted; to Egn)t had they gone for sueeuur; in Egypt should
thev be derided. Slll'h is the way of man. The world derides
tho
e who trusted in it, sued it, êourted it, sen-ed it, preferred
it to tlteir Gud. Such are the wage
, whil'h it gins. So l"aiah
prophesied uf Judah 7, tile strength of Pharl;oh shall be !IOU,.
shame, and the trust ill the slwdow of Egypt .lIoltr confusion.
Tltey U'ere all ashamed of a people that could not profit tflCm,
nor be an Ilelp nor prr!fìt, hut a slwme and also a repr
)(/clt.
'-III. 1. Set the trull/pet to thy moutll. Su Gud bids the
prophet lsaiah s, Cr.1/ alolld, .
pare not, lift IIp tll.1/ 'l'oice like a
trull/pet. The prophct
, as watl'hmen, were set by God to gi,'c
notiee of His eoming jud
ments 9. As the sound of a war-
trumpet would startlc a sleeping people, !<o wuuld God ha,-e
the Prophet's warning bur
t upon their sleep of sin. The
mini
ter
uf the Chureh are eaIled to be "watdllnen 10." .. They
tuo arc forbidden to keep a eowardly silenee, when the hOltse
uf the Lord is imperilled by the breaeh of the covenant or vi-
olation of the law. If fear of the wieked or fal
e respect for
the great silenees the voice uf those who
e office it is to cry
aloltd, how shall sueh cowardice be excused? "
He !<halJ eome as IlJI eagle against the hO/tse of the Lord.
The words" hc shall eomc ., arc inserted for elearne
s. The
Prophct behold,. the enemy speeding with the "wiftne
s of an
cagle, as it darts duwn upon its prey. The hOltse of tlte Lord
i
, mo,.t strietly, the Temple, as being- the place ll'hid God had
chosen to place Ilis name there. 1\ext, it i
used, ofthe kin
-
dom of Judah and J erusalcm, among" hom the Temple was;
whence God says n, I haveforsake1l
1I.11 house, I 11lll'e left Jline
heritage; I Iwve give1l the dearly-beloved uf .JI.II so1l1 into tile
hands of her enemies, and 12, TVlmt !I a tit )I!f helm'eel to do in

lIil/e hOltse, seeiug s!le /tath ll'rOlight lell'tlul'Ss u'ith mall.l/? Yet
the title of God's !louse is ulder than the Temp]e; for God Him-

clf uses it uf His whole people. saying of )Io
es 13, JI.'I Serl'llllt

lIoses is not so, /VI/(} is faithJitl ill all
lline hOltse. .\nd e,'en
the ten tribes.
eparatedas they were from the Temple-worship,
and apustates from the true faith of God, were not, as yet,
counted by Him as wholly exelllded from the house of God.
POI' God, below, threatens that removal, as something still to
eome ; for the wickedness of their doings I will dril'e them Ollt
of
lI!1 house H. The eaglc then, eoming down agaiust or upon
the house of the Lord, is primarily
hahnane
er, who came
down and earried otfthc tcn tribe
. Y ct
inee Hosea. in these
prophecies, inellldes Judah also. tlte hultse of the Lord i" most
prubahly to be taken in its fullest
ensc, as including the whole
pcople of Gud, among whom He dwelt, and the Temple where
His Ì\ame "Was placed. The eagle includes then Xdnwhadnez-
zar also, whom other prophet
!'o eall 15 ; and, (
ince, all through,
the principle of sin is the same and the puni"hment the same)
it includes the Roman eagle, the en"ign of their armies.
her'mlse they hm'e tra1tsgre.çseel
1I.'1 COl'elW1tt. <. God "-hosc
justice is always UlHluestionable, useth to make dear to men
its reasonableness." Israel had broken the eu,-enant whieh
I GO
.
lad made Wi.th their
athe.rs, that He \\

d be t
the
ll

Am. \II. G. 10 Service for OrdermgPrJests. \I Jer. XII.,. I lb. xJ.I,).
IJ l\uw. xii. ï. U ch. h. 15. I. EL<k.1.\"ii. 3,1:. Jer. J.hiii. 4U. Hal... i. 8.
o

50

Refore
CHRIST
cír
tI.

house of the LORD, beCatlSP ctllPY have trans-
g'res!ôed my covenant, and trespassed a-
gainst my law.
2 d Israel shall cry unto me, My God,
e we know thee.

C ch. Ii. ï.
P.. í8. 31.
d ch. 5. l5.

e Tit. 1. 16.

HOSEA,

:3 Israel hath cast off tlie thill
tliat is c :iio
s T
g-ood : the em'my shall pursue him. ci r. ,GO.
4 fThey have set up kin
s, hut not hy f
;f.;7
2

'
me : they have made vrim"
", and I knew
re"

;n,
.it not : g of their silver and their g-old I ;h.k
!l
:h.
&13.2.
maiah the prophct to Rehohoam, and the t,,-o trihe
9, rc slmll
not go up, nor.fi,!.{1d agaiust .your brdhrc'lI the children (
f L
racl;
1'e!/lrn el'er.'1111wl to /lis Iwuse; for t/lis t/ling i.
from .1Ie.
Yet althouj:!;h here, as e,"erprhere, man's !'elf"will wa!O over-
ruled hv t;od's \rill, and fulfilled it, it was not the le
s self-
will, h
th in the tCll tribes and ill Jerllhoam. It was !'o in
the "ten tribes. Fur they ('ast off Rehllboam, í'imply of their
own mind, beeau
c he would not lc
sen the taxcs, as they
prc
I'ribed. Ifhc would have eonsented to their demalld
, they
would ha,-e remained his i-iubjcl,ts 10. The.'1 set up kiJlgs, but
llot b.'1 or through Hlld, \"hum thcy never eOllsulted, nor asked
lIi
\rill ahllut thc rulcs of the lângdom, or ahout its relation
to the king'dlllll of Judah, ur the house of Da,"id. Thcv rc-
ferreù thc
e matters no more to (;od, than if thcre had bcen
nil God, or than if Hc interfered not in the affairs of man. It
wai'i !.'clf-will in Jt'roboam himself, for he rel'eived the kin
dmn
(whieh .\hijah told him, he desired) nllt from God, not en(lliirin

of him, how he slllluhl undertake it. nor anointcd by Him. nor
in any way.aekllowlcdging Him, but frolll the people. And as
soon as he had reeeived it, hc set up rehellion aA"ain!<t God,
in order to estahlish his king-dmll, whieh he tounded in sin,
when-by hc made Israel to sin.
In like way, thc .Al'o
tle sap; 1I, ([{(aimt TIi.'1 ho(y Child Jesus,
1{'lwJIl TI/lm ha.
t aI/oil/ted, botli HeJ"oc!allll POlltill,I' Pilate, witlt
the Gentiles ((I/d tlie people of Lsmel, were gatllered togetheJ",for
to do wllllts(l/'ve/' Tliy hal/d ami Th.1/ cO/lnsel determined blfore
tu he dOlle. Yet not the lcss did the)" sin in this Deieide; .and
thc lllomi of Je
u!- has ever since, as they imprecated on them-
sel\"e
, been on the Jews and on their children, as lllany as did
not repent.
.\s was the beginning' ofthe kingdom of hrael, sueh was its
coursc_ TII(11 made kings, hilt not from God, Huch were all
thcir king-!<, ex('ept Jehu and his house. During :2j3 years, for
whieh the kin
dom of Israellasted,ei
hteen kings rei
ned over
it, ont of ten dift'ert'nt families, and no tiunily eame t () a cI()sc,
í'LI"e hy a ,-iolent death. The like self-will and independence
dosed thc cxistcm'p of the Jcwish people. Thc Roman Em-
perm' ùein
afar off, the S('ribes and Pharisees hopcd, under
him, without any j:!;rpat I'()ntrol, to maintain tIwir own autho-
rity o,.er the people. They themselve
, by their Godfllrhid!
12 uwned that ollr Lord truly saw their thoug-hts and purpuse,
Tllis is tbe beir; come let ItS kill Him, thllt tile i/llu:rital/l'e IiHl.1J
be O/lr.
. Thcy willed to rcij:!;n without ehri
t, fearcd the Hea-
thcn Emperor less than the holine
s of Jesus, aud in tht, wurds,
Tre luwe lW king hilt ('æsar, they delwsed God, and !<hut them-
sclvcs out from His king-dom.
ami I kl/ell' it llot. "As far as in them lay, they did it with-
out His knowledj:!;e." They did not tnlie Him into their eoun-
sels, nor desire His cog-nizanee of it, 01' His approbation otït.
lfthev eould, tIIP,' would hm"e had Him ig-nurant of it, know-
ing it" to be a/(ain
t His 'nIl. And so in IIis turn, God knew
it not, owned it n()t, as He shaD say to the ungodly, I kuow
yo/( /lot 13.
IIf tlteir sill'er ami tI,eir guld hat'e tlley 11/lule tllelJ/ Ùlols.

God, amI they to Him a people. The ('UUlIlll/t they had hro-
kcn ,'hictIy by idolatry and al'ostaey; the law, hy sin!.' ag-ain!'t
their nci
hhour. In b()th ways they had rt'jectcd GUd; there-
fore God rejel'tt'd them.
2. brael sbal/ cr.'f unto .1IIe, Jly God, u'e kllou' Thee.
01', aeeording to the ordcr in the Hehrew, To Jle .
/lIlll they crt!,
we kllOW Thee, Isr((el, i. e. we, Israel, Thy l'col'le, lalOll' Tllee.
It i!< the !'Ìame pica whidl our I..Ol'd !Oars that He shall rejcct
in the Day of Judg'lllent 1. .l.l1al/.'1 shall .W.'f/llltO .1.111' ill that
Da!!, Lord, Lord, hal'e we llot prophesied iI/ TII!I
Ymlle, ((1/11 ill
Tit/!
"ame rast Ollt dl'l'ils, ami ill TII.'I
\'(lJJ/e dl/lle ((WI/.II W(J/l-
derflllll'orks. In like way, when our Lord ('anI(' in thc flesh,
thcy said of God the Fatht'r, He is 0111' God. But our Lord
appealed to their uwn l'onseienct's 2 ; It is lIl.'1 Þètther Tl'1w
IWllollreth lIIe, of Trlwm !Ie Sll!!, lIt: i.
ollr God, but .'1e Iwl'c not
knuwlI Ililil. So Isaiah, when spcaking uf his own timcs, pro-
phesied of tlwi'ie of our Lord a1so\ Thne people drau'ct/t lligh
unto JIe witlt their mOIlt!t /lit/I hlllwuretli Jle lI'it!1 tlll'ir lips;
but tlleir IlCIlrt isfarfmlll JIe. "God says, that they shall urg-e
this a>õ a proof, that thcy know God, anù as an arj:!;umcnt to
mO\-e Gild to have re
pect unto them, viz. that thcy are the !'t'ed
of J a\'ob, who was eaIled J smd, heeause he Pl'evailed with God,
and they wcre called by his name." A>õ thou
h they said, "we,
Thy Israel, kllow t!tee." It was all hypoerisy, thc cry of mere
tear, not of luve; whence (;od, u!'in
thcir uwnnamc of Isra('1
whil'h thcy had pleaded, answers the plea. dedaring what
L
rael had hecome.
3. Israellws cast riff' t!/(, thin
that is good, ur (i"inee thc
word means "to east oft' with ahburren('e") L
r(tl'i Iwth ('((st '!tf"
(lnd ab!wrred Good, hoth .. Him whu is Good" and "that whieh
is
OIl{I." The wllrd tob indudcs both. 'fhey n:jeetcti /(00(1 in
rejel'ting- God, "
'Vho is simply, supremely, wholly, unh-crsally
good. and good to all, the Author and Fountain of all
ood, so
that there ii'i nothing- simply g-ood but God; nothing- wm-thyof
that title, exccpt in respeet of its relation tu Him who is WJlJd
(llId doill{{ good;;. So then whatsoevcr any man hath or enjoy!'
of j:!;lIod, i!< f,'om his relation to Him, his nearness to Him, his
enng-ruity with Him. 6 TIll' drawing near to God is WJlJd to /11('.
All that any man hath of g-ood, is from his 'wing- near to Gud,
and hi>õ bcing-, as far as human condition is t'apablc ot
like untu
Him. Ho that they who arc far from Him, and put Him far
from them, nel'essarily cast '!.tl all that is good."
Tbe el/e/ll.'1 slwll pursue Mm. "Fursaking God, ami forsakt'o
by Him, they must necds be laid open to all evils." TIle enelll.'I,
i. c. the Assyrian, sllllll pllr.wle bim. This ii'i according- to thc
curse. dt'nollllC'cd a
ainst them in the law, if they should for-
sake the Lllrd. and break His eovenant, and llot hearken to
His voil'e to o/1serz'e to do flis C/Jll/I/Ill//(Iment.
7.
4. The.'1 hm.e set up killg.
, but IIUt b.'1 JIE. God Himself
foretold to Jeroboam by .\hijah the prophet, that He would
rend tlte kingdom Ollt of the hll/ilis of Solomoll, (tlllf gizoe ten tribes
to him, (twl would take him, (Iliff he shollld reign (lccu/'dillg tu (tll
tlwt his so:tI desi reel (Iud should he king (}l'cr L
J"((el R; and, after
the ten tribes had made J eruboam king, God said hy She-

1 S. )ldtt. vii. 2:!. 2 S. John viii. 54-. 3 S. :\latt. xv. 8. h. xxix. 13. 4 Poco
51'S. cxix. 68. 6 Ps. lxxiii. 28. i Deut. xxviii. 15-25.

8 1 Kiugs xi. 31, 3í. 9 xii. 22-4.
I
S. Luke xx. 16.

10 lb. 4. 11 Acts iv. 2" 8.
J:l S.l\IaU. XX\". 12.

CHAPTER YIII.

51

Before
CHRIST
cir. iLiU.

}mve tlwy made them iduls, that thcy mar
be ('ut off.
5
Thy calt
0 Hamaria, hath f'ast thee
off; minc an
t'r is kindletl against them:

h how lun
'll'ill it be ere tlll'Y attain to c J:{rs T
innoccn(',' ? cir. i'"O.
G Fur 'from Israelu'(ls it also: the work- h Jer. 13. :!oi.
man made it; therefore it is not God : hut

(;ull had multiplil'd it to tlH'm, (as He said hl'f()re 1) and they
un!!"ratefullv abused to the dishunor ufthe Give,', what He A"a,.e
thèm to he' used to lIis glory.
tllllt tlu'." lIIa." he Cllt ot!; lit. that !te J/UI.lllJe Cllt r!t!: The
whule people is spoken of as onc man, ,. one and aU;' as we

ay. It i,; a tèarful descriptillu uf uhstinate
in. that theÏl' ,cry
IIbjel't in it sc('med to be their own d('strul,tion. Thcy aeted
with 'me will as unc man, whll had, in all hc did, this one end,
-to IH'rish. "2 .h if on set purpu,;e they" oulll provukl' de-

truction,and oh,;tiuatcly run them,;eln's into it,althuu
h fun
-
warned thereof." Holy Scripture ,;peaks of that, a,; men's end,
at which all their acts aim. 3 The.11 see /lot. 1I0r k/lfJIl', tltat tl/e./!
lIIa.71 be asltallled; i. e. they hlind themseh-e.... as thou
h their
wllllie ohject 'non', what they will hring upon themseh-e,;, their
own
hame. 4 The.!1 prophes.llll lie i/l .11..'1 .Yallle, t!tat IlIIigld
dril'e yrm out, and tlw(lle lIIigld pe/"isll..Il e . mill tlte prop!tets tlmt I
proplte.
.', unto .IIOIl. This 'nl!< the ultimate end of tho,;e fal,;e
propheeie,;. The fåJ,;e prophets uf Judah filled them with false I
hopes; thc real amI true end ufthose pruphecie,;, that iu ,,-hich
thc,. ended, was the ruin of thll,;e whu uttered. and 111' thuse
whõ Ii,;tened to them. 'Ye ourseh-es say almostpfonrbially,
"he
oes the way to ruin himself;" nllt that such is the man's
own object, but that he ob,.:tinatelYl'hou,;cs a course of ('unduct,
which. others Sec. must end in utter ruin. Su a man chooses
destruction or hell. if he chooses those thin
s which. accurdin

tu God's known law and word, end in it. )Ian hidc,.; from his
own e) es the di4ant future, and fixes them un tlU' nearer ob-
jel'Ìs whieh he has at hcart. (;od lifts the wil. and discO\-cr,.:
to him the further end
at which he is d,'ivin
, whieh he is, in
faet, eumpa":sin
, and which is in truth tlte end; for hi:-: uwn
flecting ohjects p('fi!<h in the using; this and thi!< alune ahidcs.
5. TII.II m(f, 0 .''Ùl1Illlrill, Iwtll m:>f tltee (!t!: Israel had cast
off God, his A"ood. In turn, the Prophet says, tht' ca(f, whieh he
had ehosen to be his
od instead of the Lord his God, lilts cast
him (11: He repeat,;; the word, lIy which h(. had described Is-
rael's
in, 5 bradlllls ('([st tit llml abllorred good, in order to
!'hew the eonnection of his sin amI its punishment. "Thy
calf" whum thou madest for thysdf" whom thou worshil'pe
t,
whom thou Icwest, of whom thou saide
t 6, Belwld tlt.11 gods,
o brael. ll'hirll hroug/d tllee up {jilt of tIle land of Ep:.llpt;
tlly ealf. in whom thou didst trust instcad of thv Gud, it has
re1luited thee the di!<honur thuu did!<t put un thy' Gud; it hath
('([S
tllee ntt. as a thing ahllOITerl.
o it is with all men's iduls,
whll"h they make to themsclw
. in!"tead of God. I-'irst or la
t,
thcy all r
il a man, and leave him puor indced. Beauty fades;
"ealth falls: honor is transterred to another; nothin;!: ahides.
!'a,-e God. "llPnC'e our own
reat poet of nature makes a
fallen fhwrite say, "had I but !'en"d m\" God with half the
zeal I scrv'd my king. He would not in lilÎne age haH left me
naked to mine enemie,;;."
mi!'e linger
s kindled against tltem. Our passions are but
!'?me dIstorted hk(:ne
s ,
f what exists in God withuut pas-
SICm ; our an
(:r, of IIIs dlsl'lea,;;ure a;!:ainst sin. And so {;od
sr eah to us after the n.mnner of m('n. and pietures His Dh-ine
(hspl
asur
under the h
eness uf our human passions of an
er
and fury, III order to brlllg homc to us. what we n ish to hide
.. 1 ch. ii. 8.
Poco 3 Is. xli\"o g.
4 Jer. :, '{\ II. IJ. . \er. 3. :-::t 6 1 Killgs xii.
-3I. ; Ps. ci. :>. 8 Is. i. 13.

from our
clves, the !<evere and aweful side of IIis n('in
, His
I ntlnite Holiness, and the truth, that lIe will indecd aVC'n
e.
lie tells us, that lIe will surely punish; as men, who an' cx-
tremely ineensed. execute their disph.asure if they I'an.
IWIl' lont: u'ill it l)(! ere t!tey attain to ill/WCenc.1I
lit. IlfJlc'
long will tlu'." not he aMe ill/wce 1ll:11 ? Su a
ain it is said. Mill
tlmt Illttlt flIlMg!t look amI a proud !tcart, f CUllIwt Î; we supply,
sl!tler.
Yell' 1JWOIlS ami sllbl)(/t/"
f Call/lOt 8 ; our ver,;ion adds,
awa.llll'itll, i. e. endure. Su here prohahly. .h they had with
abhorrcnc"c ea...t uff God their g'ood, so Gud say,.:, tIll./! mll/wt
endure ill/w(,pm:,,; but He speaks as wUlIClcrin
and ag-
rie'.-
c(l at their IHII'dnes,; of lU'art and thcir ohdurate holcljn
uut
a
ainst the guudness, whie-h lIe dl....ircd for them. lJou
loug
ll'Ìll the./! not he able to endure ill/WCelll:lI? ,. 'Yhat madne
,.; this,
that when I
Í\"e them place for repentalll"e, they will nut en-
dun' to return to health uf soul!"
6. Fur. This \Crse may assi
n the reasons of God's dis-
1'Iea!'lIre, mine linger is kindled; ur uf hrad's impenitelll"Y,
fluw long u'ill it he t This indeed is only j:!."oing- a little further
IJ<u"k: for Israel',.: incorrigibleness wa!. the j:!."ruund of (;od's dh.-
pleasure. .\ml they were incurl'i
ible ; heeause they had them-
seh-es de,-ised it; for fNlm Israel was it also. Thuse are es-
pecially iI)('orri
ible, who dll not fall into error throu
h i
nu-
rance, but whu thrull
h mali,"e de,-i!'e it out of their own heart.
Such persuns aet and !'peak,not as
edueed byoth('rs.hubedue-
ing themsehTs. and e-ondemned hy thcir uwn judg"ment.
uch
wcre brael and Jerubuam his kin
, who were not indll('ed ur
!'edueed by uthers to dcem the goltlen calf to be {;ud, but de-
,.ised it, of malieiou,; intent, hnon ing' that it was not God.
Hence I...rael euuld be cured of the worship of Baal, for this
wa,;; bruu;!:ht from without hy Jezehel; amI Jeltu ,[estm.lled
Baal Ollt of brae!. But of the sin of the ealf they eoulcl not
he healed. In this sin all the kings of hrad were Ímlu'nitent.
from Israel was it also. Their boa,.:t, that they were of
Israel, a
gTavated their sin. They said tu (;od, ll'e, ISJ"llel,
kllOlI' tllee. Su then theil' offenee tuo, their brlltishne!"!' abo.
wa
from those who hoasted themseh-es of hearin
the name
uf their furefather, Israd. who ,,-el"C the ellOsen pl"
plc of {;ml,
so distin
uished by his fanJr. The llame uf brael, sllg"A"est-
in;!: thei," near relation tu God, and the great thing"s whic'h
lIt' had dOIle for them, and their solemll em enant n ith Him
tu Le His peuple a!< He was their Gud. shuuld. in itself, ha,-e
made them ashamed uf sueh Lrutishness. Su S. Paul apl'eal-
eth to ll
hy uur nallle of CllI'istiaus 9. Let eur!! olle whu lIam-
etll tIle
Yame of Christ depart from illiqui(,!.
the ll'o/"kllll111 made it, tllerefore it is Ilot Gnd. The wurk-
man was rather a gud to hi,.; idol, than it to him; for IIC made
it: it was a thing made. Tu say that it was made, was to deny
that it wa
Gud. lIenee the prophet
su of tell ur
e this spccial
proof uf the ,.anity of iduls. Xo ercature ean be God. Xor
eall there be anythin
, hetween God and a ereature. ,.10E,.ery
suhstanee whi{'h is not God is a creature; and that wlâdl is
not a ereature, is God:' God Himsdf ('ouhl not make a crea-
ture who
hould he Gud. The .Arian hen':-:,., whieh imac-iued
that God the Son ('mIld be a creature aud )"ët an ohjec't ,
f onr
worship, or that there cuuld he a seeondary god, was folly n
9 2 Tim. ii. 19. 10 S. AUI!. de Trin. i. 6.
II See S.Athanas. against Ariall8, p. 3. n. f. 10. u. l!!1. d. 301. c. "Hi. 6. i23. m. Oxf. Tr.

52

e Ilj{ o rs T thc calf of Samaria shall bc brokcn in
cir. ;\>0. pieces.
i Provo

. 8. 7 For i thcy haye sown the wind, and
ch. 10.12,13.
they shall reap the whirlwind : it hath no
II

;:
- II stalk: the bud shall yield no mcal : if so 1)('

IIOSE.\,

it yield, k the strangers shall swallow it up. e .fj{oíes T
8 I Israel is swallowed up: now shall the\' cir. ;1\0.
J tl G t ' l m I } w kch.7.9.
)c amon
Ie en I cs as a ycsse w lcrc- I 2 Kgs. I;. 6.
in is no pleasure. mie
8

8
8.
f) For n they are gone up to Assyria, 0 a : ;e
g1:
t 19.

as well as blasphemy. They did IlOt eoneeive what God is.
rfhey had low, dehased, Ilotions of the Godhead. They knew
not that the Creator must be removed as infinitely abm'c His
must exalted ereaturc, as above the lowest.
l'\ur do the prophets heed any suhtleties (such as the hea-
then alle
ed) that the idol mig-ht he indwelt hy !:'Olue influ-
enl'e. Sinee God dwelt nut in ï't. any sueh influel;ee I'uuld only
cUllle from a ereature, and that, an evil one.
tile calf (
f Salll(lr;,t sllalf he hroken ill pieces. The calves
were set up at Betlwl and at Dan, hut they were the sort of
tutt'lar deity of the ten tribes; tht'refore they are ealled tlie
ca{f of Slllllllria. They reprcsented one and the same thing-;
whence they are called as one, the ca{(, not "cain's." _\ thin

of nou
ht it was in its origin, for it had its forlll and :-hape
from man; a thing- of noug-ht it should lw in its end, for it
should be brokell ill pieces, or beeome cltips,/rllgmellts, for fire l .
Î. for tlle.1I IUll'e SO/l'n tIle wind, aud tlle.v shalll'eap the
u'hirlll'iml. Thf'!1 shall reap, not merely as tlle.v hll1'e srm'lI,
hut with an aweful increase. They sowed folly and ,-anity, ami
shall l"('ap, not merely t'mptiness and disappointment, but sud-
den, irrt'sh.tible destruction 2. Thl'Y sOlI'l'tl the 1l'illrl, and, as
une seed hringeth forth many, so tll(' wind, .. IJenn'd up," as it
were, in this dcstructh-e tilla
e, should "bmst forth ag-ain, rein-
forl'ed in strength, inlllightier !o'tore and with greater violence."
Thus they l'eapecl the 1l'lârlll'illd, yea, (as the word means) a
11Iight.'Ill'//Ïrlwilllf3. But the whirlwind whidl they reap doth
not hdong to tlmn; rather they helong- to it, hluwl1 away by it,
like ehaft
the
port and mockery of it
re!<tless vioknce.
it lIatli 110 stalk. If their tlesi
ls should for the time
seem to pro!o'per, all should he but el
lpty shew, disappointing
the nwre, the more it should secm to promise. He speaks of
three stag-es of progress. First, the seed !"hollld not send forth
the eorn with the car; it lIatli 1/0 ,ytalk or staudiug corll; even
if it ad,'aneed thus far, still the car shouhl yield no l11('at; or
should it per('han('e yield this, the enemy should devour it.
Silwe the yielding- fruit denotes duing worh, the fruit of God's
gra('e. the ahscnee of the standing ('orll represents the ahsenee
of
ood WOl"lis altog'ether; the absence of the meal, that no-
thin
is hroug-ht to ripeness; the devouring hy tIle euem.l/, that
what would otherwise bc good, is, throu
h faulty intentions or
want of purity of purpose,
iven to Satan and the world, not to
God. ,,4l\'hen hypoerites make a shew uf
ood wurks, they
gratify therewith the long-in
s of the evil spirits. For they who
do not seek to please (;od tht'rewith, minister not to the Lord
of tht' field. but to sfl'((/l{.(eJ's. The hypoerite, then. like a fruit-
ful but ne
leetcd .. car," ('annot retain his fruit, beeause the
"car" of good works lieth on the ground. And yet he is fed
by this his very folly. because for his good works he is honoUl'-
cd by all, eminent above the rest; men's minds arc subjeet to
him; hc is raised to high IJla('es; nurtured by favours. But
tllen will he understand that he has done fooli!ohly, when, tor
the deli
ht of praise, he shall receive the sentenee of the re-
buke of God."

I Some derive the word C"::I::11:i from an Arahic root, ki1,dl,'d, othcr
from a Talmudic
word.frn,ment. The word is the same as the .'\.rabic S"ebnb, "that wherebylìre is kindled,"
fuel lor t1re. The Talm. word may he no original word, but formed from the Heb. in the
5en
e "hich those "riters conceived it to have ill this place.

8. Israel is sll'allml'ed IIp. Kot only shan all whieh they
have, be swallowed up by the enemy, hut tht'mscln'!< al
o ; and
this, not at any distant time, hut Uuw. ..Yow, at a time all but
jU"esent, they slmll he clIIwng the Gentiles, as a vessel wl/erein
is nu ple(,sllre, ur, {luite stril,tly, ....Yow flle.lllw1'e become, among
tlu: Geutiles. lIe speaks of what
hould ('ertainly be, as thou
h
it already were. A vl'sselll'hereiu is I/O pleasllre,i
what S. Paul
I'ans 5 a l'
,çsel tu dÜlummtr, as opposed to l'essel.s- to IWlluur or
honourable uses. It is then some vessel put to vile uses, such
as people turn away from with di!o'gust. Sueh has heen the his-
tory of the ten tribes ever !o'Í1u'e; sll'llllull'ed up, nut destroyed;
llnlOU/{ the nations, yct not of them; dcspised and min
ded
amung them, yet not unitcd with them; ha,-ing an existcnee,
)'et among that large whole, the uatious, in whom their national
existence has been at once prescrvcd and lost; everywhere
had in dishonor; the Heathen and the Muhammedan have
alike despiscd, outraged, insulted. them ; avt'n
ing upun them,
unl'ons('iuul'ly, the dishonor whit'h they did to God. The
Jews were treated by the Romans of oM as utfensÍ\'e tu the
smell, and are so hy the :\J ohmmuedans of X orth Afriea still.
"Never," says a writer of the fifth eentury 6, "has Israel been
put to ilny honorable uffice,
o as, after lo
ing the marks of
treedom and powcr, at lea
t to have the rank uf honorable
servitude; but, like a ve",sel made for di!o'hunorable offiees,
so they have }wen filled with re,-ulting eontumelies." "The
most de!"piscd of those in scn'itude" was the title gÍ\-cn by
the Homan historian to the Jcws, while yet in thcir own land.
'Yealth, otherwise so cm-eted, for the most part has not ex-
emptedthem from dishonor,but eXJ1ost.d them to outra
e. In-
dividuals ha,-e rÏ!Sen to cminence in philosophy, medicine, fi-
nallee; but the race has not gainetl thruugh the eredit of its
members; rather, thest. have, fi,r the must part, ri!"en to repu-
tatiun for intellt-et, amid the wreek of their uwu faith. "'hen
Ho1'('a wrute this, t\\"o eenturies had passed, since the fame of
Solomon's wisdom (whil'h still is ,-enerah'd in the Ea!"t) spread
far ami wide; Israel was hated and envied by its nei
hbours, not
despised; no tuken of eontelllI/t )-et attaehed to them; }"ct Ho-
sea foretohl that it should shortly be ; amI. for two thousand
years, it has,in the main,heen the characterb:tie of their nation.
9. FOl" tlle.'1 are gUile up to Ass.llria. The Kround uf this
their captivity is that wherein they phlt'ed their hope of safety.
They shall ht, presently 8wallo\\"cd up ;/01' they went to Asshur.
The Holy Land bcin
then honoured by the speciall,resenee
of God. all natiun
arc said to go up to it. Now, since Israel,
forgetting God their strength and their glory, went to the
Assyrian for help, he is said to go up thither, whither he went
as a suppliant.
a ll'ild ass alone h.7J lâmself. "As tile 03,' whieh knuwetll its
owuer, aJIII tlie a,çs it,ç JIaster's crib, represents each believer, of
Jew or Gentile, so, Israel, who wonM not I...now Him,is t'alled the
wild as,ç." The pere 01' wild as,ç of the ea
t, is"7heady, unruly,
undiseiplinable e , obstinate, running with swiftness far outstrip-
IJing the swiftest horse 9, whither his lwst, hunger, thirst, draw

HO'M express",1 this in four words; ,-
?" :-::-E'

Y-T" h
-.
3 The form :-:-;:"
i. intensive of ;-:O:',
, . S. Gr
g. )Inr. viii. il. . 2 Tim. ii. ::0.
6 Orosius App. Itup. p. .J3!1. L:op. ; Poco "Pallas, Reispn iii. 1'.511. 9 See Ker
Porter, Travels, i.p.4;;!I.lts Hebrew names 1\-0: alllll'erhdl's -;
-:I are flOm s"iftness.

cH
\PTER YI n.

53

c J3Rts T wild ass alone by !
ims{,\f: Ephraim p hath
cu. ;1;0. hired t lon'rs.
p I

aJ: 6. 10 Yea, though they hm"e hired a-
f:.ek. It;. 33, mung the nations, now q will I
atlU'r
!
:
i/;'J
3;. them, and they shall 1\ sorrow \I a little
ch. 10. 10. II Or, begill. II Or, ill a little while, as Hag. 2. 6.

for the hurden of r the kin
ûf princes. c Jj{ois T
] 1 ßecause Ephraim hath made 8 ma- ci
. ;60._
nv altars to sin, altars shan he unto him . 1:
k

ì
;".
t
sin. ·

tl

'
1
I I . t DE'ut. 4. 6,8.
:.. m,-e wrItten to him t the g-reat
siN
9

Ö.

him, without rule or dire('tion, hardly tu he tUrllcd a
ide frUl
I
hi
intended ('Olm-e." AltlHlu
h uften found in bands, one of-
ten hreak
awa\" hv himself, exposin
it
clf for a prey to lion!':,
whence it i

êli(i, 'i'he7l'ild ass is thelioll'.
}J/"e
1/ ill the wilderlless 1 .
\\ïJd a
the Arab wa!", a" wild ass's eolt by him
clf2" i
to him
a provcrb f'ilr one ..
ing-ular 3, oh
tinate, pertina
'iou
in hi
pur-
pose."
ul'h is man by llature 4 ; such, It "(l
foretold to .\bra-
ham, I
hmael ,,"ould be 5 ;
u('h, horae] a
ain be('an)('; "!"tuhhorn,
heath,
elf" iIled, rt'fusin
to be rulcd by God's law and His
{'oun8
'I, in whieh he mil-
:ht fiml
afety, and, of his own mind,
runnin!{ tu the .\ssvrian," there to peri
h.
EjÛlrrtim !latll'hired IOl'ers or lrJl'es. The plural, in it
elf,
shews that thev were sinful Im"es, sinec God had said, a JJlall
slndl cleal'e uuto hi.
ll'ife amI the.'1 tll'aill s/wll be aile flesh.
The,.;e
inful[Ol'('s or [Ol'ers !"he wa:, not tempted hy, but !"hc
her,..clfinvited them 6. It is a "'p('('ial and unwonted ,..in, when
woman, for,..ahing- the nwde,..ty whieh Gud g-in'
her as a de-
felll'e, heeome
the temptre,..s. ., Like sueh a IJad woman, luring-
others to ICl\"e her, they, forsakinA" God, to ".hom as 1,y eovc-
nant ofmarria
e they oug-ht to have e!ea\ ed, and on Him alone
to have depended, suup:ht to make friends uf the ..hsyrian, to
help them in their rebellions ag-ain
t lIim, and ,..0 put them-

clve!' to that eharge (as sinner
usually do) in the servlee of
sin, whieh in (Tod's !"en-iee they need not to ha,-e been at."
And yet that whieh God pietures under ('olours so ofi'cn!"ivc,
what \\ as it in human eye
? The hire was present!" of gold to
pClwerfulnations, whose aid, humanly speaking, I!"racI needed.
But whuevcr it abandoned it:' trust in God, it adupted their
iduls. .. \\lwever has rc('ourse tu human means, without eun-

ultinp: God, 01" con,..ultin
whether He will, or will not bles"
them, i" g-uilty of unfaithfulne,..
whieh oftell lead!" to many
uthers. lIe becomes aeeustmued to the tone of mind of t ho,..e
whose proteetion he seck!", comes insensibly to apprO\'e even
their errClr
, loses purity of heart and con!"eienee,
aerifices hb
light and talents tu the ser\"Ïee of the powers, under whose 51u1-
dow he \\ i!<hes to live under repo,;;e."
10. rea, t1lOugh they Iwl'e hired, or better, becallse or 1l,llell
the.71 hire all/ong tile heathell, IIOW '1l'ill I gll/her t1lem; i. e. I
will g-ather the nations together. The sin uf h;racl should
l,rin
it:, own punishment. He sent I're,;;ents to the kin
of
A

yria, in urder to stren
tlH'n himself ap:ainst the 'nIl of
God; "he thought hilll!"elf seeured by hi,.. league made with
them; hut he
hcmhl find him,..eIfnHIeh deeeived in his policy;"
he had hired all/oll{( tlwlIl only; 1l0U', ere lon
, ,-ery speedily,
God Him!"cIf would gather them, i. e. those ,"ery nation
, not
in par"t, but alto
ether, not for the help of bracl, but for its
destruetion. As thUU!{ll a man "-ould let out ,..ome water from
a deep lake ponded
Ip, the water, as it oozed out, loosened
more and more the barriers which withheld it, until, at length,
all
tn-e way, and the water of the lake was poured out in one
wide wild waste, desulating all oycr whieh it ,..wept. It may
be that A
s)Tia would not have known of, or notieed Israel,
had not brael fir,..t invited him.

I Ecclus. xiii. 19. , see in Poe. s ThE'root in Arahic is thE' same as that here, .,..,:).
Poco · Job xi. 12.
Gen. x\ i. 12. 6 seE' EZE'k. x\i. 33, 4. 7 Is. x. 8.
8 2 Kgs. xv. 19, 20. 9 x. 1. xii. ll. 10 1 Kgs. xii. 30, II lb. xiii. 33, 34.

I . aUll tI
ey sllllll sorrow II little fùr tlle.lmrden 0.(
he king of
prlllces. So
Teat shall he the burden of tht' eaptn It v hen'af-
: ter that they shall then
orrow but little fur any hur
lens put
: upon thcm now, and whll'h they now fed su hean', TI,e king
I of p1"Îllces is the king of As'"'yria, who !"aid 7, Are U;lt rllIl prillæ.

I altogetlle/" /dngs?". The burden ofwhidl they eUllJplåined \\ ill
I then b
the !housa
ld talent
of sil
"er. wh
eh )Ienal
em gave!o
I Pnl, kIllg" uf A
S)Tla, to support hun III Ins usurpation, and III
order to pay which, he e;1"acted tile mone.11 of 1
1"llel, even of alt
ti,e 7II
ght.1J 1IIeJl of wealtll, of each 1IIallJifZIJ sllekels of silver ".
Ifwe adopt the E. 1'1., begin, we must render, amI tlle!1 shall
I}('gin to be minishecl through the burden of the king of t!le
princes, i. e. they shall he
I'adually redueed and hrull
ht low
I throng-h the exa{'tions of the .\,..S) rians, until in the end thcy
,..hall he earried away. Thi
deseribes the g-radual de('ay of
I
raeI, first thruugh the exaction!'" of Pul, then through the
captÏ\-ity of Gilcad by Tip:lathl'ileser.
11. Because Ephraim hath made lI/llIl.'I altar.
to sin, altars
shall indeed be unto him to sin, i. e. they ,..haU be pruved to
I him to he so, by the IHmi:oõlunent whi('h they shall draw upon
him, The Prophet had first she\\ n them their folly in forsaking'
Gud for the help of man ; now he
hews them the folly of at-
temptin
to" I'eeure them
dve:oõ by their 1!Teat shew and prc-
telH'e
of religion ami devotion in a false way." Gud had ap-
pointed one altar at Jeru
alclll. There He willed the
aeri-
fice!' tu be ofl'ered, which He would a('cept. To multiply altars,
much more to
et up altars again
t the one altar. wa,.. tu mul-
tiply sin. Ho
ea char
es J,..rael elsewhere with this multiply-
inp: of altars, as a I!,"rievous sin. .According to the 7IIultitude of
/lisfruit, he I/((th increased altars. T!leir altars are heaps ill the
fllrrml's oftheJielt[9. They pretended doubtlc
,., that theplid
it for a relip:iuus end, that they might thereon offcr
acrifi('es
for the expiation of their sins and appeasing of God. They
elHlem"Ullred to unite their own sdf\\ ill and the outward ser-
,-i('e of God. Therein thcy might deeeive themselvc:, ; but they
could not deeeivc God. He ealls their aet bv its true name.
To make altars at their own pleasure and tu ottcr 5a('J"ifice
up-
on them, undel" any pretenee whatever, was to !"in.
o then, as
many altars as they reared, so often did they repeat their ,..in ;
and this sin should be their unlv fruit, Thev shouhl be, hut unlv
for sin. So God Says of the two c'ah"cs, Tlâ.
tl1in
bemJlle å
siu IO , and of the indi
eriminate eon
eeration ofPd
sts (not of
the familyuf Aaron,) Tlâs tlâllgheCll1lle siJlllllto the/lOllse of Jero-
boam,eun to Cllt itr!l!lllld to destroy itfroJll t!leface of tile earth H.
12. I hal'e '1I'I'ilten to lIim the great tMllgs of Jly Iml'; lit.
I write. Their !"in then bad no exeuse of ignorance. Gud had
written their duties for them in the ten ('ommandments with
His own Hand; He had writtcu them uf uld and mallifoltll!11
,
often repeated and in dh"ers manners. He "Tote those mani-
fold thing
to t"em [or for them] by Mo
es. not for that time
unl
, but that they might he continually before their eye
, as
if He were still writin!{. He had \\ rittcn to thcm sinee, in their
histories, in the Psaims. lIis ,,"orcls were still sounding in
12 ThE' E. V. translatE's the Krl, or marginal correction. ThE' meaning is much thE' same.
But thE' reading of the text, al1hough oftE'n more difficult, is almost al"ays right. Here,

:., "ten thousand things," as we say" 3. thousand times," i. e.manifoldly, again andag'lID.

p

54

c J3íf o í e s T thing's of my law, but they were counted
cir. 760. as a strang-e thing.
u
e:
I:: i
6. 13 u II They sacrifice flesh fin' the sa-
Il ?:;:,!;fic

eof crifices of mine offerings, and eat it;
::'
::!e";,- J: but the LORD accf'pteth them not; Y now
s: J:;.14.lO, will he remember their iniquity, and vi-
12. ch. 5. 6. & 9. 4, Am09 5. 22. 1 ch. 9. 9. Amos 8.7.

HOSEA,

sit their sins: z they shall return to Egypt. c H
frrs T
14 a For Israel hath forgotten b his .Mi.i.ker, cir.760.
and c buildcth temples; and Judah hath'

.u
:

G
8.
multiplied fenced cities: hut d I will send.
c

i.
'2. IS.
a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour b
aiJ'.
:ið
'
tIle al ' ce ' tll(" I ' cof ' · d
:gs.12.31.
p d S. d Jcr.1ï.3i.
Amos 3. 5.

their ears through the teaching of the prophets. God did not
only giH His law or re\'elation once for all, and so leave it. By
His Prm'idenee and by His ministers He continually renewed
the knowledg-e of it, !'o that those who ignored it, should ha,-e
no excu
e. This ever-renewed agelH'Y of God He expresses
hy the word, I write, what in subshlllce was long agO written.
"That God then "Tote, were tltegreat things of Hi.
lalV (as the
cOll\'erted Jews, on the day of Pentecost, speak of tlte great
OJ' u'oJl(lnful tllÏngs of God \) or the 1Izan
folcl things of His
lall', as the Apostle speaks of the 1IIanifold 1(.i.wlom of God 2,
and says that 3 (;oc!at slflub:1J time... a/ld in divers 1}l([}mers sjJake
ill time past unto tile fatlters by tlte prupltets.
tlte.'llI'ere rmwted asa st/"fl/lge thillg hy tltem. These great,
or 'fI/flll
f()lcl tltillgs of God's lalV, whi('h ought to ha'"e been
continuallv beforc their eves, in their mind and in their mouth 4,
they, althõugh Gud hatt" written them for them, cUU/lted as (l
stmnge tldng, a thing" (plÏte foreign and alien to them, with
whieh they had no eonccrn. Perhaps this was their expuse to
themselves, that it was fore
!{11 to tltem. As Christians say
now. that one is lIot to take God's laws so precisely; that the
Go!"pel is not so strit't as the law; that men, before the graee
uf the Gospel, had to be
tri(.ter than Ii'itli it ; that the lihert.IJ
of the Gospel is freedom, not from sin, hut from duty; that sut'h
amI such things belonged to the early Christians while they
were surrounded by heathen, or to the first times of the Gos-
pel, or to the days when it was l}ersecuted; that riches were
dan
erons, when poople eould s('areely have them, not now
when everyone has them; that" vice lost half its evil, by losing-
aU its g-russness 5;" that the world was perilous, when it was the
Christian's open foe, not now, when it would be friends with
us, and have us friends with it; that love not the world was a
precept for times when the world hated us, not now, when it is
aU around us, and steals our hearts. So Jeroboam and Israel
too doubtless said, that tho"e pruhibitions of idolatry were ne-
ces!"ary, when the heathen were still in the land, or while their
forefathers were just fresh out of Egypt; that it was, after all,
God, 'Yho was worshippcd under the calves; that state-policy
re(luired it; that Jeroboam was appointed by God, and must
needs earry out that appointment, as he best could. \\ïth
these or the like exeuses, he must doubtIes... have exeused
himst'lf, as though God's law wcre good, hut foreign to tltem.
Gud counts suph exeuse
, not as a plea, but as a sin.
l:-J. Tlte.1f .mrr[/ire .flesh for the sarr[/ices of _'!lille '!.ttèrings
and eat it; but tlte Lurd acrepteth tl1em /lot. As they rejeeted
God's law, so Gud rejccted their .
acr[fìces, which were not of-
f('rt'd ac('ording to His law. They doubtle
s thought nllH'h
of their sacrifi('e
; and this the prophet perhaps expresses by
an intensive fonn ð; tlie slwr[/ires uf J1.'I g
fts, p:
fts, as though
they thoug-ht that they'were e\'cr giving. God accuuntcd such
saerifit'es, not heint!," hallowed bv the end fur whi('h He in,.:titut-
cd them, as mere flesh. Tht'y' qttëred.fle.
1t and ate it. SlIt'h
...l. JLf'yaÀ.îa 'TOV e.oiì Acts ii. 11. 2 Eph. iii. 10. 9 HE'b. i. I.
· Dellt. vi. i -9. , Burke on the FrE'llCh Revolution.
S ":::-:::-: is an intensivE' fonn from :::-:. {!uve. see above on iv. 18. The word occurs
here Ol.Jy, and was probably made by Hosea.

was the beginning, and sueh the only end. He would 1Wt ac-
cept tllem. Nay, ('ontrariwi
e, 1/UU', now whilc they wen' offer-
ing the sacrifices, God would shew in deed that He remembered
the sins, for which they wert' intended to atone. Gml seems
to man to forget his sins, when He forbears to Imnish them;
to rememher them, when He punishes.
The.1f sllal/1'etum tu Eg,llpt. God had commam]ctì them
to return no more to Egypt 7, of their own mind. But He had
threatened that, on thcir disobedienee, tllP Lord would hring
them hack to Egypt hy the 1l'ay wliereof He spake unto thew,
Tltou shall see it no 1IIU1'e agaill ". Hosea also foretells tu them,
that they (i. e. many of thcm) !'houId go tu E
ypt and perish
there 9. Thellt'e also, as from Assyria, they were to be re!'tnr-
ed 10. l\Iost probably then, Hosea means to threatcn an a(.tual
return tu E
'ypt, as we are tuM that sOlUe of the two tribes
did go there for rcfug-c, again
t the express command of God ll .
The main part of the ten tribes were taken to .\.ssyria, yet as
they were, even under Hoshea, conspiring with Egypt. 12, such
as eouId (it is likely) took refuge there. Eh:c, as futUJ'e de-
liverant'e, temporal ur spiritual, is foretoM under the image of
the deliverancc out of Egypt, so, contrariwise, the threat, they
shall return tu Eg,llpt, may be, in figure, a cancelling of the co-
venant, whereby God had promised that His people slwuld
not return; a threat of renewed bundage, like the E
n}tian ;
an ahandomllent of them to the state from whieh Gud once
had freed them and had mude thelU His pcople.
14.
For Lvrael hath forgotten !lis JI([ker. God was hif:
l\Iaker, not only as the Creator of all things, but as the Author
of his existenee as a peoplc, as Hc saith 13, hatlt He not made
them and established them t
(lUll bllilde/II temples; as for the two calves, at Bethel and
at Dan. Since God had commanded to build one temple only,
that at Jerusalcm, to huilcl temples "'as in itself sin. The sin
charged on Ephraim is idolatry; that of Judah is self.confi-
dence H; whence Isaiah blames them, that the\" wcre busv ill
repairin
the breaehes of the city, and cutting òff the supplies
of water from the enemy; bllt ye IIlll'e nut looked unto tI,e JIaker
thereuf, mitller had respect Ill/to Him tltat fashiuned it IOllg a-
gu!";'. Jeremiah also says, tlte.1f shall impoverish tltefmeed ci-
ties, wherein tltou trllste".
t, u'ith the s1l'(Jrd 16.
Bllt I1l'ill senela .fire upon /âs cities. In the letter, the
words relate to Judah; but in substanec, the whole relates to
both. Both had forgottcn God; both had offended Him. In
the doom of others, eaeh sinnel' may read his uwn. Of the
eities of Judah, Israel sa)-s, YOllr country is desolate, your cities
are hUl"Iled u'ith.fire 17, and in tlte fimrteenth year of He:ekiult,
(some twelve years probably after the death of Hosea) Sen-
llarhaib came lip against all the cities (
fJndalt and tool. them lB ;
and of Jcrusalem it is related, that Kebuchadnezzar 19 hurnt
tile honse uf the Lord, and tile king's honse, and all tI,e IlOllse.

of Jerusalem, lLmi el'el'Y great ?/lan's Itullse he hllrnt witlt fire.
7 Dellt. xvii. 16. 9 lb. xxviii. 68. 9 c. ix. 3, 6.
16 I
' Ò

t
'xxxii. G. 11 Jer. xl;!, :
tltrod. p.

2 Kgsi;;,(:.i
!Ú 11.
16 c.v.1i. Ii c.i.ï. 192Kgs.niii.13. I"Ib,xxv.S,9.

Berore
CHRIST
dr. j6U.

('HAPTER IX.

CI-L\.PTER IX.

5.3

The distress and capth'i!.'1 of Israel fur their sills
ami idulatry.

· ch.4. 12.
&5.4, j.

R E.JOICE not, 0 Israel, for joy, as
otllPr people: tor thou & hast gone a

Man !-Oct tht'm on fil'e; God hroug"ht it to pa
!-O ; and in ordcr to
teac'h us that He dClt'th all thing-
, gh'ing' all good, overruling
all e,'i1, !'aith that He was the doer of it.
IX. I. Rejoice not, U Israel,forjo.tl, as other peojlle j lit. re-
Joice not to e.1"ultatiult, so as tCl hound and leal' for joy 1. The
PrClphet se{'llls to c'ome af'rCl!'!' the pCCll'le in the midst of their
fc...th'ity and mirth, and arre!'ts them by abruptly !'topl'ing it,
tclling thCIll, that they had no eause for joy. Ho!'ea witne
sed
dani of ISI'ael',.; prosperity undcr JerClbClam II.; the land had
peåee under 3Ienahcm after the departure of Pul; Pekah was
e,-en strong,!-Oo as, in his allianee with Hezin, tu be an ohjeet of
terl"Clr to Judah J, until Tig-Iath-Pileser eame against him. At
!wme uf thcse times, Israel !-Oeems to have hri,-en him
df to ex-
uherant mirth. whether at han"est-time.or on anyuther ground,
enjoying' the present, secure fur the future. On this rejoic'ing
Hosea hreaks in with his stern, rc:ioice ltut. "3 In His Pre-
.
eJt('e is f"llte.
s ofjo,'" tnle, solid, lasting joy." How then
could Israel joy. ,do Iwd gone a u'lwrillg from Iâ,
God? Other
nation!' might joy; for they had no imminent judgment to tear.
Their :-;ins had been sins of ignoraIU'e; none had sinned like
Israel. They had not even 4 cllflJlged their gods u'hiclt "leere 110
gods, If other people did not thank God for His gifts, and
thanked their idols, thevhad not been taught otherwise. Israel
IHld been taught. and sõ hi... sin \\"a... sin a
ainst lÏ:!"ht. \\'henee
God says by' A1;lOS 5, rUIl unly hlll'e I k/
oll'll of
tll the families
of the earth; therefore I wíll ]JIUli.
h !lOll for all !!our iniquities.
"6 It was ever the sin of Israel to wish tu joy as other nations.
So they said to Samuel, make ItS a king to judge llS like all the
llatifJ/ls. And when Samuel told the people the wurd of Gud,
tlle;.lIIUll'e rc:jected
1Ie tlwt I should nut reigll Ol'er them, they still
said,
Yay, but we ll.'illlwve a king m:er llS, that we lIla,lf he like
all the /lations 7. This was the joy of the nations, to have an-
othel' king than God, and with this joy Israel wished to exult,
when it asked for Saul as king; when it followed Jerohoam;
when it denied Christ hefore tlte presence of Pilate, sa,/Iing, Ire
/ull'e 110 king bllt (;æsar. But the people who received the law,
and prnfes!'ed the wor
hip of God, might not exult as other
l}eol'le who had not the knowledg-e of God, that, like them, it
should. aftcr for...aking God, be alluwed to enjoy temporal prus-
perity, like their..... He savs, rejoice 1I0t like tlte natiuns, viz.
for it is nllt allowed thee. ""hy'? for thOlllwst gOlle awllOring
from tll,l/ God. The punishment uf the adulteress whu departs
by unt
lithfulne....s from her hushand, is othcr than that of the
harlot, whu had never plig-hted her faith, nor had e,-er been
buund by the bond of marriage. Thou obtainedst God for thy
Husband, and did
t for:-ake Him for another, yea, tor JIlany o-
thers. in the desert, in Samaria, e'"en in J erusalcm, for the
uld-
en eah"cs, for Baal, and the other monstrollS gods, and'last-
ly, ,,'hen, d
llyillg C.hrist.' thou didst prefcr Barabbas. Rc:ioice
lW
tht'n, w
th the.lO.'1 ut the Ilations j for the c'urses ofthe law,
wrrttt'll ag-amiòt thee, allow thee nut. tI Cllr,
ed shalt tholl he ill
the city, cursed in tl,c field; cursed thy hasket allli thy store;

as in Job"

i. 22. 2 Is. vii. 3 Ps. xvi. 11. 4 Jer. ii. 11. , iii. 2. ð Rup.
. 1 Sam. Vlll. 5, 10, 7,19, 20. 8 Deut. xx\iii. Iß..19.
Ps. C\. 45. 10 ii.I:? \iii. 9.
Ezek. xvi. 31, 34.
lic. i. 7. 11 Rup. 12 \"ü. 13. 13 The fact that Greek or

whoring from thy God, thou lmst loved C HBítïS T
a b reward 1\ upon evcry cornflour. CÎr. jW.
2 c The floor and the II winepress shall II
1

'2
'F'
not fped them, and the new winc
hall fail

h:

'!I

2.
in her. Y

'

:{
:
3 They
htùl not dwell in d the LURD'S

i
:í.&

cursed ,
lwll he the fruit oftlt.lJ hO((II, and ti,e fruit of th.1I land;
the increase of tlt.1I kille ami the flocks of th.1I sheep j cllr,
ed tltoll
ill tlty coming ill and cursed tlwll ill tlty going (Jut. Other na-
tions enjuyed the fruit of their own lahours; thou tookesl ll,e
labours Clf others as a hire, to ohsert'e .flis lau's 9."
TltOlllwst Im'eel a reu'ard [lit.tlte Itire lO of a harlot] OIl el'ery
corn-jloor. Israel had no heart,exeept for temporal prosperity.
This he lu,-ed, wheresoever he found it ; and so, OIL et'er.lJ curll-
floor, whereuu the fruits of the earth were gathered for the
threshing', he reeeiHd it fl"Om his idol
, as the hire, for which
he praised them" for the I(oud things whieh he had reeeived
from a better Giver." ,,11 Perver!<c love! Thou oughtest to Im'e
Gml, tu use His rewards. TllOu lovcdst the reward, despisedst
(;od. So then thou well test a 1chorillg from lilY God, becaw
c
thou didst turn away the love wherewith thou oughtest to love
God, to 100-e the hirë; and this nut sparin
ly, no
any how, but
OIL el'erll baril-flour, with avarice so boundless and so deep,
that alÌ the hàrn-flool"s could not satisfv thee." The fir,.;t-
fruits, and the free-will olfcriug, they retained, turned them a-
way from the service of God, and offcred them to their idols.
. 2. Tlcefloor and ,cine press shallllOt feed them. God tUl"Il-
eth away wholly from the adulterous people, and teUeth others,
how justly they shall be dealt with fur this. "Becau!<e she
lo,"ed
ly reward, and despised 3Iyself, the reward itself shall
be takell away frum her." '\1lCn the blessings of God hm-c
been abused t'o sin, He, in mercy and judgm
nt, takes theUl
away. He cut them off, in order to shew that He alone, "110
now" withheld them, had before J!."iven them. ".hen they
thoug-ht themseh"es most set'ure, when the corn was stored on
the floor, and the grapes were in the press, then God would
deprive them of them.
aJUi the new 1l'Íne slllll/ fail ill her or shall fail her j lit.
shal/lie to lieI'. It may be, he would say that as Israel had lied
to his GOlI, and had spoken lies against Him 12, so, in requital,
the fruits of the earth should disappoint her, and holdinJ!." out
hopes whieh never eame to pass, should, as it were, lie to her,
and, ill the bitterness of her disappointment, represent to her
her own failure to her God. The Prophet teaehes thruugh the
working-s of nature, and g-h'es, as it were, a tongut.' to them 13.
3. TheIl slUll/not dll'ell in tile Lord's lalld. The earth is
the Lord's dud tlteflllness thereof. Yet He had eho:'ien the land
of Canaan. there to plaee His people; there, above others. to
work His miracles; there to reveal Himself; there to send His
Son to take our flesh. He had put Israel in posse
!'ion ofit, to
hold it under Him on condition of obedience. Contrariwise,
God had denouneed to them again and again; 1-1 if thine Ileart
turllllll'((.'I, so tlwt tholl wilt nut ltear, hilt shalt he drall'lI alcay,
ye shalllIOt prolung pOll I' da/ls UpOIl the land, wltither thollj!a.
s-
est ot'cr Jurdan tu posse,
s it. The fifth eonllnandment, 1a the
first eomnHlIuhnent \\ ith promise, still implies the same con-
dition, that tll.lJ days llIa.lJ he long in tlte Illlltlll'hirlt the Lurd
thy Gud git'etlt tltee. God makes the expres
resen-e that the
Latin poet8 use the same language "ithour any moral reference is no reason why
here
should be none such in 3 prophet's. They spoke the language of earthly disap-
pointment; he declares the judgment of God. H Deut, xxx. Ii, 18. 1. Eph. vi. 2.

5G

C IN[o;es T land; C hut Ephraim shall return to E
'1rpt,
dr. 760. and f tlU'y shall eat undean things gin As-
. &\f:

. syria.
:
/i

- 4 h They shall not offer wine (
tfnillg.v to

:ì:e

n
- the LOR}), i neither shaH tlH'Y be pleasing
age as bad as that.
( Ezck. 4.13. Dan. I. B. If 2. Kings 17. 6. ch. 11.11. h ch. 3. 4. I Jer. 6. 20. ch. 8.13.

HOSE..\,

unto him: k their sacrifices .<;lutll ,)(' unto C HBí{jre s T
them as the hread of mourners; all that eat cir. 7(;0.
thereof o;hall he polluted: fur their hreiul k Deut. 36. 14.
I for their soul shall not eome into the house I Lev.li.11.
of th(' LORn.

land is His. Tile land shall not he .
old for el'er; for tile lalld
is lIIiue; for .'IIe arestraugers amI s'!iolfrnl'r,
1('itll _'Ile 1 . It was
thcn an agg-ravation uf thcir sin. that they had sinned in God's
land. It was to sin in His !'pel'ial I'resellee. To offer its
first-fJ"Uits tu idols, was to disown God as it!< Lord, and to own
His adversary. In removing them, then, from His land, (
()d
remO\red them from oceasions of !'in.
Bllt Epllraim sllall retllm to Eg.lJpt. Hc hatl broken the
t'ovenant, whereon God had promised that thcy !'hould not re-
tUI'll therc 2. They had reeourse to Egypt ap:aill!'t the 'nil
of God. Ap:ainst their own will, they shouM be sent bad>:
there, in banishment and distress, as of uld, and in separation
fl"Om tlwir God.
amI tlle.1f s/lll11 eat unclean tMngs in Assy,'ia. So in Eze-
kic1 3 , The cltildren uf L
1"ael sllllll eat their d(:filed bread wl/oug
tile Gentiles, ll'Mther I 1l'iil drh'e tlmll. lYot to eat thi1/g.
('(111(-
11wn ur unclean was one uf the marks whit'h Gud had t!."Ì\"en
them, whcreby He distinguished them as His people. "'hile
God owned them a!' Hi!< people, lIe would protel.t them a
ainst
!'\H'h neee!'sity. The historics of Daniel, of Eleazar and the
l\Iaecabees 4, shew how sorely pious Jews felt the l'ompulsion
to eat thinp:s undean. Yet this doubtless Israel had done in
his own land, if not in other ways, at least in eating thing!'; ot:'
fered to idols. N ow then, throug-h neeessity or ('onstraint they
were to be forced, for thcir sustenam'e, to cat things unelean,
sut'h as were, to them, all things killcd with tIlt' blood in them;
i. e. as almost all things are killcd now. They who had wil-
fully transgressed God's law, should now be fore cd to live in
the habitual breach of that law in a matter" which plaeed them
on a level with the heathen. People, who have no s('n\ple a-
bout breakinp: God's moral law, feci keenly the removal 411' any
distinc
ion which plal'es them above others. They had been
as heatheIl ; they should be in the condition of heathen.
4. They shall nut '!Uer wine (!ff'eriugs to tlte Lotrl. The
ll'iue ur drink f!ffèriug was annexed to all their burnt otferings,
amI so to all their puhlic sa('rifil'es. The burnt offering- (and
with it the meal and the wine offhing,) was tlie daily 11101"11-
ing and evening saerifiee 6, and the sil('rifiee of the Sabbath 6.
It was nffered together with the !'in offering on the first of the
month, the Passover, the feast of the fir:-;t fruits, of trumpets,
of tabernades, and the Day uf Atonement, be!'ides the sp('('ial
sa('rificcs ofthat ùay 7. It entered also into prinlte life 8. The
dr'ink offering accompanied also the lwace om-ring 9. As the
burnt ofterint!." on whieh the oftt'rer laid his hand 10, and whieh
was wholly e
nsumed bv the saered fire whil'h at first ft'll from
heaven, expresi'cd the (.ntir'e sdf-de,-otion of the offerer, that
he owed himself wholly to hi" God; ami as the l){'al'e off'cring
was the expression of thankfulness whieh was at peal'e with
(;od; so the outpouring of the wine betokened the joy, whieh
aeeompanies that entire seU:oblation, that thankfulnes!' in sclf-
devotion of a soul aeeepted by God. In denyinp:, then, that
Israel should 'lffer wine offerings, the Prophet say!', that all the
1 Lev. xxv. 23.
see ab. on viii. 13. 3 iv. 13. 4 Dan. i. 8. 2
Iacc. vi. vii. i Ex.
xx!x.38-41. N 11. xxviii. 3-8. 6 lb. 9. 7 lb. 11, 15, 16, 19, 22, 2 i, 26, 7,30.
XXIX. 11, 1, 2, 5,7,8,12-38. 10 L
.

: i.
iit
: 3, 10. 9
u. xv. 8, 10.

juy of their seITiee of God, nay all their public servÎl'e, sluHll(1
cea"e. As he had before said, that they "houlù be for 1IIWI.1f
,[,,!/S 'withuut sacri/ìce 11, so now, ht' say!', in fal't, that they should
Ih-e without the In"e!'('ribcll mcan" of }Jleading- to God the A-
tonement to eome. "'hence he adds,
J.Yeitller slw/l the.lJ be Jllea.
il1g to tlie Lord; for they should
no longer have tJlt' Illcans prcs('ribed fur reeoneiliation with
God 12. Sueh is the statc uf T!<raelnow. Gml appointcd une
way of rt'('oneiliation with lIimseU
the Sacrifi('e of Christ.
Sa('rifiec pictured this, and pleaded it to Him, from the fall
until Christ Himself appeared, O1/('e iu tlie end uf the 11'orld, to
1mt ({lNI,f1 Sill b.1I the Swrffice of Himself 13. Soon after, whell
time had becn given to the Jews to learn to aekllowledge Him,
all bloody sat'rifiees l'eased. SÍllt'e then, the Jews have lived
without that means of reconciliation whieh God appuinted.
It ayailed. not in itself
but as being appointed b,y God to fore-
shadow and plcad that une Saerifiee. So He \\'ho, by uur
povcrty and ,'oid, awakens in us the long-ing for HimseU

would through the anomalous condition, to ",hi('h lIe has, by
the orllerings of Hi
Divine Prm-idencc, brought His fill'mer
people, ('all forth in thcm that sense of need whieh would bring
them to Christ. In their half obedienee, they remain under
the ceremonial law which He gave them, although He callcd
them, and
till ealls them, to exchange the shadow for the
substance in Christ. But in that they cannot fulfil the require-
ments of the Jaw, even in its outward f(Jrm, the law, which
they aeknmdedge, bears witnes!' to them, that they are not liv-
ing aeeording to the mind of God.
T/u.ir sacrifices shan be untu them as the hread of mourn-
ers. He had såid that they !'Iwuld not sat'rifiee to G'ml, when
no longer in the Lord's land. He adds that, if thcy should
attem]Jt it, their sa('rifiees, so t
\r from being a means of accep-
tance, should be defiled, and a source of defilenwnt to them.
All whieh was ill the !'ame tnlt or house with a dead body, was
unclean f01" sel'en da.'ls 14. The bread, whieh they atc theil, was
defiled. If une uucIeall h!1 a dead hod.'1 tuuched hread or pot-
tage OJ' all.lJ meat, it was llllrlean 15 . In offerinp: the tithes, a
man was conunanded to dcclare, I /wl'e not eaten of it ill my
mourning 16. So would God imJTt'ss on the soul the awefulness
of death, and man's sinfulm'ss, of whieh death is thc punisll-
ment. He docs not say, that they would offer sacrifiees, but
that their saerifiees, if oftered as God did not cOlllmand, wuuld
defile, uot atone. It is in human nature, to nep:let't to se1"\"e
God, when He wills it, and then to attempt to !'ervc Him when
He forbids it. Thus IsmcJ, affri
hted by the rel'(Jrt of the
spies 17, would not go up to the promi!o'cd land, when Gutl com-
manded it. 'Yhen God hiHI senterlf'ed them, not to p:o up, but
to die in the wildel'ness, theu they attempted it. Sal'rifiee ac-
conlin{!: to God's law, could unly he oftered in the promised
land. In their eaptÏ\-ity, then, it wonld be a fi'csh sin.
for their bread .for tlleir Mul, or is for tI,eir soul, i. e. for
t/le11lSel1'e,
; it is for whateyer use they can make of it for this
l
The won}'::!-:::- sllall be plea.iTlI! is most naturally understood of the persons of"hom it
had just been said, they sllall Tlot offer, not of the wille; for this is the object, not the subject;
amlls in the singular, not the plural. 13 Hell. ix. 26. 14 Nu. xix. U. lõ Hag. ii.12, 13.
16 Deut.x,<vi.U. 17 Nu.xiv.

CH.APTEU IX.

c Ir
oíes T 5 ",'hat wiJl ye do in m the solemn day,
dr. ,ÛO. and in the dav of the feast of the LmlI)?
Ioch.2.11. 6 F or , 10 , Últ'
, arc !rone heeause of t oe-
t Heb. .poil. C '
..

3. 1Ii . struction: n E
ypt shLùl
athl'r them up,
\I 2;
e

:11
(elllphis shall bury them: \I t the pleasant
be desired. tile nettle,
c. t Heb. tile desire.

57

IJlace.f for their silver, 0 nettles shall pos
ess c HB
Ts T
1IH'111 : thorns shall be in their tahernacles. cir. ;ijO.
7 The days of visitation arc ('orne, the 0 J

:J
tA
days of recolllpcnl'c arc COUl{'; Israel shall p

e
'1

'3

know it: the prophet i.t; a fool, p the t spiri-
I

. 2.11.
t Heb. man of the .pirit. Zel'h. 3. 4-.

lifc'!, necd
, to support life. Xothin
ofÏt n uultl he admitted
illtu tile IUJIlse of tile Lord,a!' offt'red to Him or acccpted hy Him.
5. Jrlwt 1l'Ïll.lIe do ;Il tile solemll da!l.
Ian is eontent to
remain far from God, so that God du not
hew him, that Ill' has
withdrawn Him
elffrum him. )Ian would fain ha,-e the power
of drawin.' near to God in time of í'alamitv or n hCll he him-
self likc
.'" Ill' would fain han God at l{is eommand, a
it
were, not be at the eommand of (;od. Gud cut
off this hope
altog-ethcr. He
ill
l('s uut the
reat fe
tivals, whieh eomme-
moratcd His
rcat doin
s for IIi!' people, as tlHlu
h they had
no more
hare in tho
e Ulen'ie
. The more
olcmn the day,
the more total man's exelu!'ion, the more manifest Gud's with-
drawal. To one shut out from lIi

en-iee, the days of dt.e})-
e!'t rclig-illus joy become the day
of deepest sorrow. )Iirth i

turned into headne
s. To he del'rh"ed uf the ordinary daily
I'acrifice wa!' a !oòuuree of continual !'orrow ; how mueh more, ;Il
the ,(a."s (
(their gladness I , in whieh they were bidden to rejoiee
bcti,re the Lord, and <, in whic'h they!'cemed to hm"e a nearer
and more familiar aeee

to l;od." True, that having separat-
ed themseh'es from the Temple, they had no right to celebrate
thesc fea
ts, whieh were to be held ill the plaee U'fârh God Iwd
cllosen tu place H;.
llame there.
Ian, howe,-er, elin/!!' to the
shaduwof God's serd('e, whell he bas partcd with the suhstanee.
And
o God furetuld them before 2, that He would make all
their mirth to cease.
G. FOl" 10, the.l/ are gone because of destruction. They had
fled. fur fear of de!'truetion, to de...truc.tion. For fear of the
de
truetion from AS
)Tia, they were fled away and gone tu
E
ypt, hopin
, doubtless, to find there some temporary refu
e,
until the AS
)Tian im-asion !'hould have swept by. nut, as be-
il.l" those who flee frum God, they fell into more certain de-
!itruetioll.
I:
t:.',pt slwl/ Rtt/ller tl,em up, JlempllÏs sllall bury tlwm.
They had fled singly, in making their e
('ape from the A

y-
rian. Egypt shall reeeinthcm, and
hall
ather them tog-ether,
but only to one common burial, i'O that none shuuld eseape.
Ho Jeremiah says 3, Thl',lI sllllllnot he gtltllered nur buried; and
Ezekiel\ Tlloll shalt not be brought togelI, er, nor gathered.
.Jle11lpMs i
the Greek name for the E
yptian llflllnph/a,
\\ hem'e the Hebl"ew Jloph 5; 01" Jlfllillp/l, whence the Hehrew

Y(}ph 6. It was at this time the eapital of Eg
pt, whose iduls
God threatens 7. It
name," the dwellin
of Phta," the Greek
Yulean, marked it, a
a scat of idolatry; ami in it was the ce-
lebrated ('ourt of Api

, the ori
ina: of j croboam's ealf. Therc
in the home of the idol for whom they fori'ook their God, they
should he
athered to burial. It was reputed to bc the burial-
plaee of Osirh., and hence was a fa,-orite burial-plaee of the
E
n'tians. It unee embraeed a eÍrcuit of almost 19 miles 9,
with mag-nifieent buildings; it de('liued after the building of
Alexandria; it:' \"Cry ruins gradually perished, after Cairo ro
e
in it,.; neig-hbourhoud.
tile pleasallt places for tl,eir silver, nettles shall possess them.

I
um. x. 10. , ch. ii. n. 3 \iii. 2. 4 xxix. 5. L here.
6 Is. xix: la. Jer. ii. 16. xliv. 1. xlvi. 14. Ezek. xu. 13 sqq. j Ezek. I. c.
S Hen d. u. l:;a. 9 Diad. Sic. i. .'H. IV O'er. ti. " .\m. \i. 3.
I. The form :;i
i in passive. It is used of one chinn to distraction through distress,

The 1:.)1.
ives the same
en"'e in different words; their .
iI-
rer slwl/ be desÍ/'ed; (as Ohadiah saith 10, !tis llidtll'll treasure..
ll'eresearcl,ed out) nettles .
11fl1l ;nllerit tl,em. In eitherwav,it
i
a picture of utter de
nlation. The lon
rank
ra

or'the
netth', wavin
ami(l man's habitations, looks all the
a(ltler, as
h('tokenin
that man onee wa
thel'e, ami i!< :!une. Tht> de
o-
Jatp hOIl
e looks like the
ra\"C of the depart
d. .-\('C'ording to
either rendering, the sih-er whi('h they unce had trea,.u
ed,
was gone. .\s they had inha;ted and dr;l't'I/ out (the word is
one) the nation
, whose land God had
iven them, so now net-
tle:; and thorns
hollld iltl,er;t them. The!'e !'hould be the only
tenant., of their trea!'ure-Iwu,.es and their dwellin!!.;s.
ï. Tlte da.lIs ofl';s;tat;on are come. The fal,.e }
rophet
had
continually hood-winked the people, promi
ing them, that tlw
e
d
.ys n:ould newr come. Tiley had put far (l1Nl!1 tile el'ÏI daflll.
l\;ow, It was not at hand only. In God'", pur})ose, tho,.e days
were come, irresistihle, inedtablc, inextricable; days in whieh
God would ,'i
it, what in His long-suffering-, He !o'eemed to
overlook, amI would recompense eaph according to IIi.ç l('orks.
JS1"llel.
/j(fll knoll' it. brae} would not kno". by believing
it; now it should knull', by feeling it.
The prupllet ;s a fool, tile spiritual mall is mad. The true
Prophet g-iH
to the false the title whieh they elaimed for them-
seh"es, tile propllet and tl,e mall of the spirit. Only the e,-ent
shewed what i'pirit ,,'as in them, not the spirit of God but a
lying spirit. The men of the world ("ailed the true prophets,
mad,lit. maddened, drÏl'en 17UIlI 12 , as Festus thought of
. Paul I3 ;
Tholl art beside tll.lIse((; 1111lell lear/ling doth make tlwe mad.
J elm's captains called by the same name thc younA' prollhet
whom Lli
ha .sent to anoint him. Trllerefure callie tltis madfel-
lou' unto tlwe 14 '? Shemaiah, the false pruphet, who depo
ed
Got!' s priest,
et fal
epriests tohe l!/ficers ; n the house of t lie Lord,
to ha, e an Q\'ersight a.s to el'ery mall 1c11O ;s mad ami maketlt
himself a propllet, calling Jen'lIJiah both a fal
e prophet and
a madmall l5 . The event was the te
t. ()f ollr Lord Him
clf,
the Je\\ s bla
phemed, He lwtll a del'Í1 and;s mad 16, _\nd long"
afterwards, <. madne
,.," "phrenzy" were amon
the name

which the heathen ga,-e to the faith in Christ Ii. .c\,. S. Paul
say,., that (,/,rist crucified wa,. to tile Greeks and tu them that
pe
ish, foolishness, ami that the tltillgs of ti,e Spirit of God are
foolislmess to the natural mllll, neither can he knull' them, because
tlll',1f are spir;tual/.lI discerned 18. The man of the world and the
Christianjudge ofthc
ame thin
s by dean contrary rule
, use
them for (luite eontrary ends. The sian' ofplca!o'ure eounts him
mad, who fore
oes it ; the wealthy tradcr ('ount
him mad, who

ins away profusely. In these day
. profu
ion for the Ion of
Christ ha
been counted a g-round fur deprh"ing a man of the
care of his property. One or the other;s mad, And wurldlin
,.
must eount the <':hri,.tian mad; else thev must own them
eh-es
to be so most fearfully. In the Dayof Judg-Illent, \\ïsdom saY!i 19 ,
Tiley, Tl'pent;ng and groaning for angu;sh of spirit, shall sap
U';tMIl tllemselves, This lC(lS he whom u'e had sometimes ill deri-

(Dellt. X
.Vi
\

s

rloss of rea

nj e;.S:

lt

. The word is th
S.
'
Jt:. xxvi.
t
16 S.John x.
u. I, Sf'e Terllli. Apol. 1. p. 4. and on lie te.l. all. p. 1:;11. I.cl.
5, t. O
. Tr. IS 1 Cor. i. It', :.:3. Ii. U. 19 \\ iEd. \.3-';.
Q

58

C ncf
rf S T tual man is mad, for the multitude of
dr. í60. thine iniquity, and the great hatred.
q

i
6
j. H The q watdnnan of Ephraim 'l('(I.Y

'lI7. with my God: 1mt the prophet i.
'
a snare of a fowler in all his wars

HOSEA,

ami hatred II in the house of his God. c
;[o{
T
9 r They hmoe deeply corrupted tltClft- dr. j60.
s('lt
es, as in the days of s Giheah: ttlta(forc II Y:
i

'6
'
he will rememher their iniquity, he will. J

d

"i9. 22.
,"isit their sins. t ch.8. 13.

sinn ami a pruverb of reproach. "'"e fuuls cOllllled his life l//ad-
nes.ç, aud /tis emf to he without 1lOllOur. Huw is he 1Il1lnbered
(tlIlUU{.f the children of God, ami his lot is amollg the saints!
for the multitude of thille illi'Jlli(1f ami the great hatred.
The words stand at the {'Io
c of thc '"erse, as the reason of aU
which had /!,"one hefore. Their lIHl1lifold illiqlli(11 ami their grmt
hatred uf God werc the
rU\llHI why the dU.'IS of 1'Ïsitaticm and
1'ecullll'ellc,'should cume. They were the /!,"l'ound also, why God
allowed sl1eh pl"Clphet
tu delude them. The word"" the great
hatred, stand (luite undcfined,:,o that they llIay !'ignify alike the
hatred of Ephraim a/!,"ainst (
od ami /!,"uod men and Hh; true
prophct
, or (;od's hatred of tllt'm. Yet it, most likely, llIeans,
their
Teat hatred, sint'e ufthem thc Prophet uses it again in the
Ilext yer
e. The
inner first neglec'ts God; then, as the will of
God is broug-ht hefore him, hc wilfully di
ubeys Him; then,
when he finds God's "ïll irreC'OlU'ileahly at varianee with his
own, or when God chastens him, he hates Him, and thc (Pro-
}lhet spcaks out plainly) hates Him grl'Cltly.
H. The 1L.atdwwn of Ephraim was with my God. These
words llIay well t'ontrast the offiee of the true prophet with the
falsc. For hrael had had many true prophets, and :;;uc'h was
Hosea himiòelf now. The true prophet was at all times 1{.itll
Gud. lIt' was 'witll God, as Iwlpen by God, 11'Cltdting or louk-
ing out and on intu the futurc by tit(' help uf God. lIe was
'/L'itll God, as ,,-alking- with Gml in a ellnstant st'n
e ofIIis Pre-
senee, and in continual t'oJIIlllunion with Him. He was with
God, as as
ueiated hy God with Himself, in teachin
, warnin
,
correcting, exhorting lIi
peuple, as thc Apustle says "ice then
as u'orlærs together ieith God.
It JIIight al
o he rcndered in nearly the same sense, Ephra-
im u'as (l 1catchmall u'ith m.11 Gud, and this is more aeeording
to the Iit-hrew words 2. As thou/!,"h the whole people of]
racl
Imd an offiee from God, "3 and God addressed it as a whole,
'I made thct', as it were, a watduuan amlpruphet of God to thc
lwi/!,"hhnuring nations, that throug-h 1\1 y Providcnce concerning
thee, and thy lidng- aeeording tu the law, they too might re-
eeivc the knowledgc of
[e. ßut thuu ha
t aeted altogether
contrary to this, for thuu hast bN'ome a !'onarc to them.'"
Yet perhaps, if so eonstrued, it wuuld rather mcan, " Ephra-
im is a watehman, be
ides my God," as it is said, 4 There is nOlle
upon earth, that I clesire
C'ith Thee, i. e. besidc Thce. In God
the P
almist had all, and desircd to have nothing- leith, i. e. he-
sides God. Ephraim was not eontent with God's re,-elations,
but wouM himselfbc a seer, (Ill espier of futurc events, the Pro-
I)het says with indi
natiun, tup;etheJ" u'ith my God. God, in
fad, suffit'ed Ephraim not. .Ahah hated (;od'spI'OIJhet.beeause
IlC did llof speak good concerning !tim, but C!.il 5 . And
u thc
kings of J
rael had court-prophets of their own, an establish-
ment, as it would seem, of fuur hundred and fifty prophets of
Ðaal, amlfour hundred prophets of .\shtaroth 6, whieh was filled
up ag-ain by ncw impostors 7, when, after the miradc of .Mount
Carmel, Elijah, aceeordin/!," to the law 8, put to death the pro-
phets of ßaal. The
e false prophets. as well as those of Judah
in her e,"il days, flattered the kings who supported them, mis-

I 2 Cor. vi. 1. 2 :"'It
not being in construction \\ ith EI hrairn.
3 Theod. 4 Ps. !xxiii.
5. . 1 Kgs. xxii. 8, 18. 8 lb. xvili. 19.

led them, eueouraged them in diiòl)('lievint!," the tlireatt-nint!,"s
of (;od, ami so Icd to their de
truC'tiun. :By these llwans, the
bad l)riests maintained thcir hold o,-er thc people. TI1('Y were
the _\uti-Christs of the OM Testament. di
putin
tilt' authority
of God. in \\Thu
c K amI' they prophesied. Ephraim enC'cmraged
their sins, as God says of.J udah by Jeremiah, .JIy people luve to
n(ll'e it so D. It wiJlcd to bc deeci,'ed, ami was so.
" On searc'hing diligently aneient hi
tories," says S. Je-
rome, "I eould not find that any dh"ided the (,hureh, ur se(luecd
peo})le frum the hou",e of thc Lord, execpt tho
c who have heen
set hy God as IJriests and prophets, i. e. watehmen. These then
arc turned into a snare, settin/!," a stumbling-bloek t'n'rprhcre,
so that whosoen-r entel'cth un their wars, falls, and ('au not
stand in Christ, and is led away by various errur
and ('rook-
I'd paths to a precipit
e."" Ko une," says anuther grcat father 10 ,
"cloth wider injury than one who at'teth perversely, while he
hath a name or an ordcr uf holiness." "God endureth no
g-n'ater prcjudiee from any than from priests, when He seeth
those whum He has set for the eorreetion of others, give frum
themselves examples of })erverseness, whell we sin, who ought
to restrain sin.- "That shall beeome uf the flock, whcll thc
pastors heC'ome woln's r"
TIle false prophet is the suare of a fuwler in (lit. UpOIl) all his
.1l'ay"
; i. e. whatenr Ephraim would do, wherever the peuple,
as a whole Clr any (\1' them, wouM gu, there the false prophet
beset them, endeavuuring to make eaeh and e,-erything a means
of hClldin/!," thcm hac'k from their God. This tht'y did heillg
Iwtrnl in the IWI(.
e (
f /tis God. _\8 one says 11, I am (all) }J)"a.'ler,
beeause hewas so gh-en up to prayer that he seemed turned into
prayer; his wholc scml was nmeentrated in prayer;
o ofthcse
it is said, they were lwtred. They hated so intensdy, that their
whole soul was turned into hatred; they werc, as we say, hatred
personified; hatret! \\'a!< embmlietl in them, ami they en
ouled
with hatc. Thev were also the :,:ouree uf hatred ag1lÎnst (;od
ant! man. And this eaeh false pruphet was in the 'house of !tis
Gud! fur God was still his God, althoug-h not owned by him as
(;od. {;od is the sinner's God to aveng-e, if he will nut allow
Him to he his God, to convert and pardon.
9. Tltep llflve deeply corrupted thelllseb:es; lit. they have
goue deep, tlte.'! are currupted. They have deeply immersed
themselves in wil'kedne:,:s; haR g-one to thc g-reatcst depth
they t'ould, in it; they are sunk in it, so that they cCluld
hardly he extricated from it; and this. of their own ddiberate
intent; they contl"Ìxed it deeply, hiding themselves, as they
hoped, from Gud.
as ill tlte days uf Gibeah, when Benjamin espous
d the eause
of the cltildrm of Belial who hat! wrought suc'h horriblt' hru-
ti
hnes:': in Gibeah toward:,: the l'oncubille of the Levite. This
they maintained with sueh obstinacy, that, throu
h (;od's judg-
ment, the whole trihe perished. exeept !o'ix hundred men.
Deeply they must hm'e alrcadyt'orrupted themselves, who sup-
port cd sueh guilt. Such eurruption and such obstinat'y was
their's still.
Therefore he will remember their iniquity. Got! secmed

7 2 Kf6. iii. 13. x. 19. B Dent. xiii. 5. xvii. 5.
9 v.31. Iu S. Greg. Past. i.
. in Evang. Horn. xvii. H. II Ps. cix...1.

CIL\.PTER IX.

C HBI[oíes T 10 I found Israel like
rap('s in the wil-
cir. j60. derness; I saw your fathers as u the first-
"
ì

:
\
. ripe in the fi
tree :I. at bel' first time:
2
.e
5
hap. IJIlt they went to y naal-peor, and
se-
'T
s

Õ6

:" parated themsch-cs a unto tlwt shamc;
· ch. 4. a. . Jer. 11. 13. See Judg. 6. 32.

:>9

band thei,' ahominations werc aeeording C HBf{o[e s T
a" th{'\' loved. eir. jW.
11 . , fi E 1 . I . I I II fl bPs. 81.12.
..<; or ...p Irann, t leiI'
ory S Ia Y Ezek. 20. 8.
away likc a hiI'd, from the hirth, and from Amos-I,.5.
the womh, and from the eonccption.

for a time. a!oò if He owrlcmketl the g-uilt of Bt'ujamiu iu the
dan; of Gibeah . for at first He allowed them to be eHU ,ic'-
toriou
o"er h
ael. Yet in the end, they wt're puni
hed,
alulCl
t tCle'\.termination, and (;iheah wa
de4royetl. So now,
altlw\l
h lIe bore ICln
with Ephraim, He would, in the end,
t'hew that lie rememhered all, by vi
itin
all.
lU. Ifrmmllsrael like grapes ill tIle 1l'Ïlderness. (;od i

not said to find anythinp:, a
thuup:h He had lCl
t it. ur knew
nut where it was, or came !oòuddenly upon it, not expecting it.
Tiley were J(I
t, a
relates to Him, when they were fuund hy
Him. A
ollr Lord
ays ofthe returned prodigal. T!tis
Jr.'l SOil
1l'fI,
lost alld is fOllllCl l . He fOlllul tlll'm and made them 1)lea-
sant in His own
i
ht, " a
p:rape
whieh a man find
unex-
peetedly, in a great terrihle ll'ildemess 0/ fiery serpents ami
drml/{Itt 2," where eommonly nClthiut: pleasant or rcti"eshing
t:row
; or as tllefirst ripe in the/ig-tree at her fresh time, who
e
sweetness pa
sed into a j1roverb, both from its own fre
hness
and from the lon
abstinence 3. God p:ave to Israel hoth rieh-
ness and pleasantm':-os in His own !'ight; hut I
rael, from the
first, eorrupted God's p:ood p:ift
in them. This
eneraticm
only did a
their t
lthers. So S. Stephen,
ettin
forth tu the
Jew!.Ò lUH\' their fathers had rebelled against
Iose
, and per-
secuted the prophct
, sum,.; up: as .1JOllr fathers did, ,m do .'Ie 4.
Eaeh generation wa
filling up the measure of their fathers.
until it was full ; a
the whule world is doing' now õ.
hllt tltey Il'mt to Baal-Peor. TI'e..l/, the \\"orò is emphatie;
the
e same per
uns to whom (;ud shewed
ueh 100-e. to whom
He gm'e !'u('h gift
, fl'ellt. They]eft God \\'ho callt'd them, and
fl'ent tu the idol, whieh could nut eaH them. Baal-Pc...., ao;
hi
name probably implie
, wa
"the filthie
t and foulest ofthe
heathen
ml
." It appears from the history of the dau
h-
ters of :\lidian, that his wor:<hip con
i
ted in deeds of shame 6.
alill,çeparated tllemsel,.es unto that shame, i. e. to ßaal-Peor,
who
e nameof Bela I, Lord, he turns into BfJ.
hetll. sllame 7. Huh-
Scripture p:Í\'e
di
gTaeeful name
to the idols, (a
ahomination;,
1wt!tin.l
s, dllng.'1 t!tinJ(s, t'llIiÍtie,
,lln('leanness8,) in onler to make
mcn a
hamed of them. To this s1wme tlle.'I,
eparated tllell/sdres
from God, in order to unite themsel\"Cs with it. The Xazarite
separated //Ímse{f from eertain eal.thly enjoyment
, and eon-
secratcd himseU: tlJl" a time or altog-ether, to God 9; these se-
pnratn[ tltemseh'esfrom God, and united, de,-uted, eonseerated
them
dYes to shall/p. "They made them
elve
, a
it were K a-
zarites to shame."
haIlle ,;-a;.;; the object oftheirwor
hil; and
!heir God, alld their ahominations Il'ere according as the..'lloud,
1. e. they had as many abominations or ahominable idob, as the,'
had lrJt'es. They lIlúltiplied abominations, after tlleir Ileart'

desire; their abominatiuns were manifold,beC'ause their pas
ions
were so ; and their lo,-e being corruptcd, they loved nothin
but
abominations. Yet it seem
simpler and truer to render it, and
the.l/ becall/e ahominations, like their l()/'es; as the Psahlli4 savs.
10 Tlte.'1 tlillt made tllem are like llnto tltem. "IlThe ohject whï"eh
the will dt'sires and Ions, transfu
es its own goodn('..
or bad-

I S. Luke x\. 32. 2 Deut. viii. 15. 3 See Is. xxviii. -to

.

:;
i:

":!<. =.
.
,e
.

i commo

'::e:s
è\dols; (al
:Si

,3 ;
. ;t

:
XXU.. iI. 9 :; -
::-: ::\ um. \1. 2, ", (j. i": lb. 3. see on Am. ii. n. 10 Ps. eXI".8.

ne
s into it." Man first makt'
hi

od likc his own ('orrupt self,
or to
ome eorruption in him
elf, and then, worshippillU: thi..
ideal ofhi
own, he beecnll('
the morc c'orrupt through {'op
ing-
that eorrupticlll. He lllake
hi

od in !tis 0\\ n image llnd like-
ness, the essenee and ('(I(H'entration of hi
own bad passion
,
and then contorms him
eJf to tlH' likenes... /lot uf God, but of
what wa
most edl in himself. Thus the IIl'athen lllacle gods
of lust. c'rnelty, thir
t fur war; and the wor
hip of c'urrupt
ods
reacted on thClll:<eh-es. They for
ot that thev werc tlte Il'fJrI.. of
tlteir (lll'n Iwnds, the COll('t'pÚon of their owñ llli/ltb, and prò-
fessed to " do gladly 12" "what so great
od!''' had dOlle.
Ami III ore wideh,
ay
a father l3 , "" hat a man's Jm"e i". that
he k Lm'cst thoil ea;th ! thou art earth. Lm-est thuu God?
"l!at shall I say! thou
halt be
od." "uXoup:ht cI
f' maheth

ood or e,-il aeticllls.
ave p:ood or evil affeetion
." Lm"e has a
h'an
formillg power uver the suul, whieh the intellect ha
nut.
., He who
en-eth an abumination i" himself an ahomination 1 .,"
is a thuughtful Jewi
h !Oaring. "The intellect brin
s home
to the ,..Clul the knowledge on whic'h it worheth, impresses
it un itself, ineurporates it with itself. Lon i
an impul
e
wherein' he who loves is burne furth tuwards that whic'h he
luves, i
united with it, and is transformed into it." Thus in
explaining' the wurd
, Let Him kiss me 'Il'ith the ki.
.
es of lIi

JIolltlt 16 , the fathers say, "Ii Then the ". urd of (;od ki:"
t,th us,
when He enlig-htencth our heart with the Spirit of Ðh-ine
knowlcd/!e, and the
oul cleaveth to Him and His Spirit is
transfused into him."
II. Asfor Ephraim, their f.Çlor.l/ slwll.fl.'1 ml'ay, like II hird.
Ephraim had parted with God, hi
true Glory. In turn, (;od
would quit'kl
take frum him all ereate(1 glor}, all whieh he
('ounted
Iury, or in which he
loried. \\'hen man part
with
the substanC'e, hi
trut' honour, God takes away the shadow,
lest he should eontent himsdfthert'with, and not
ee his shame,
and, bml
tin
himself to be something, abide in his nothinc:ne,..

and powrtyand shame towhieh he had reduced himself. ,Fruit-
fulness, and consecluent strength, had been God's e
peeialpro-
mise to Ephraim. His name, Ephraim, contained in itselfthe
promise of his future fruitfulness 18. '\ïth this Jacob had
ble
sed him. lIe was to be greater than :\Ianasseh, his elder
brother, and //Í,
,
eed slwll hecome a multitude of natiou.
19.
::\Ioses had as
i
ned to him tells of tholiMlIids 20, while to ::\Ia-
nasseh he had promi
ed tlwllsands onlr. On this ble

ing'
Ephraim had pre!<umed. and had made it to feed hi" pridl'; so
now God. in Hi
ju!<tiee and mercy, would ,,"ithdraw it from
him. It shuuld make itself 1l'ings, ami .fl./! m{'ay
" with the
swiftne

of a bini, and like a hird, not to return again to the
place, whent'e it has heen scared.
from the birtll. Their children were to perish at e\"Cry
!.Òtap:e in whieh they reeeiwd life. 'fhi
sentenee pur;;;ued them
hac'k to the '"el"r be
inning of life. f'ir,.;t, when their parents
should havejur in tlleir hirth, they were to come into the world
only to go out of it; then, their mother's womb was to bç it
clf

II Lap. from Aq. 12 Ter. Eun. IS S. Aug. in Ep. S. Joh.
r.
i: .
H S. Aug. Ep. 1;;5. ad :\Iacroon.
. 13. amores, mores; amoun;, mæun;. .. Klmehl.
:\IS. in Poco 16 Cant. i. 2. I; S. Ambr. de Isaac C. 3. L<.p.
18 Gen. xli. 52. 19 lb. xh iii. 1\1. :.'0 Deut. xxxiii. Ij.
I Prov. xxiii. 5.

60

HOSE...\,

c J3if o í e s T 12 c Though they bring up their children, I in a pleasant }JlaC'e: h hut Ephraim
hall c Jr{o[e s T
cir. j()O. yet d will I hereave tllt'Ul, thllt thae shall hrine.. forth his children to the murderer. cir. jl;(l.

:U;:
J.
' not be a man i(ft : yea, e woe also to them l.i
Gh"e them, 0 LORD: what wilt thou b
h\1
'16.
. ï:;1
jt
'31. ]i. whcn I f depart from them! g-ive ? give them i a t miscarrying womb

;,

:9.

h

\}.ï. 18. 13 Ephraim, g as I saw Tyrus, is IJlanted and dry breasts. í

h the
f See I Sam. 28. ]5, 16. g See Ezek. 26, & 2i, & 28.

their g-ra,-e; then, !'trieken with barrenness, the womb ibdf
was tu refuse to COlwt'h-e them.
" 1 The g-lory of Ephraim passes away, from the hirth, the
womb, the conception, when the mind whi,'h before was for
g-Iury. half-deified, reeei,"es. through the just j1Hlg-ment of God,
ill report fur g-uml report, misery fur g-lory, hatrcd for favor,
contempt for rcwren('(', loss fur g-ain, famine fur abundance.
Aet is tlte birtlt; intention, the 1i'mllh; thought, the conception.
Tile glory (l Epltraim, thenjlies aU'(l,l1 from the hirth, tlte I('omb,
the l'oJiception, when, in those who bef"re did outwardl) live
nobly, and g-Ioried in themsclws fllr the outward propriety IIf
their lift', the at'ts are disgrat'ed, the intentiun t'orrupted, the
thou
hts defiled."
'l
. TllOlIgh tlu',1/ hriJlf.{ lip childrcu. God had threatened
to tleprh-e them of ehildren, in e,'ery t'tage he fore or at their
birth, ;'\ow, bevond this, he tells tlwm, as to those who should
eseal'e this sentënee, He would bcreave them ofthem, or make
thcm ehildless.
that therc :-halluot be a 1Jlauleft: lit.frmn man. The brief
word may b(' filled up, as the E. Y. hm; done, (by an idiom not
infreCJucnt) I)" fl"Olll there being a man ;" or
) from among-
men; as Samuel said to .\gag 2, u.
tlt.1f sll'ord leas made U'01Jtell
childle.
s, so shall tlty motlter he cltildless among 'women; or 3)
from hecominp: men, i. e. from reachin
man's estate. The
Prophet, in any ea!'e, docs not mean absolute excision, for he
8ays, tlte.lI ,çlwlL be u'anderers among tlte lUlti01I.
, and had fore-
told, that they !<honld abide, as thcy now are, and he converted
in tll(' end. But sillC'e their pride was in their numhers, he
sa v..... that these should he retlueed in e'"('rv stage from eon-
eeÍ)tion to ripened manhood. So God had'fore'
'arned l
rael
in the law s, If tlwlt 1l'ilt not observe to do all tlte words of t!tis
lall',-.lfe shall be left fell' in uumher, 1l,IICreas !Ie lcere as tlte
stars l!i' hem'en for multitude. A st'ntcnce, felt the more by
Ephr
lim, as heing the head of the most powerful dh'ision of
the pcople, amI himself the largest portion of it.
!Iea, [lit. for] u'oe also unto tl,em, urltell I departfrom tltem.
This is. at onee, the
round anti the eumpletion of their misel'y,
its beg-innin!!," and its ('ml. God's departure wa!-; the source of
all p,-il to them; as He foretold them \ I 1l'ill forsake them,
aml I li'illltide JIy face from them, amI they sltall be deL'Olired,
and llI(llI,1/ el
ils and troubles sltall beful tltem, so tltat thep shall
sa.1f in tlmt day, ",lre Jlot tltese el'il,
come upon us, because our
God is uot among liS? But His departure was itself above all.
For the Prophet !-;ays also; for uroe also unto fl/em. This was
the last stcp in the seale uf misery. Beyond the lllss of the
dtildren. whom they hoped or long-cd for. beyond the loss of
their l)resent mi!!,"ht, and all their hope to pome, there is a fur-
ther undefined, unlimited, evil, Ii'oe to tltem also, when God
should withdraw, not His eare and Providenee only, hut Him-
self al"o from them; ll'hen I depart from tltem. They had de-
parted and turned away, from or again,
t God 5. It had been
their ('haracteristie 6 . Now God Himselfwouldrequite tLem,as

1 Ju]ian, Tol
t. in 1'\ah. Lap.
2 1 Sam. xv. 33. C'OZ;
" as here :n
"", add Provo xx'c. U. 3 Deut. xxviii. 58, 62.
· Ih. xxxi. Ii. . See on \ii. I
. r, Hos. i\..I6. The word in each place, is
"irtt.alIy the same, -':1. \\rilten here ..,;;, Ilnd --::. ;
:-; is al"a)s used of planting

they had re{luited Him. He would depart from them. This
is the last state of pl'Í\'ation, whit'h forms the" IJlmishment of
loss" in II ell. "'hen the soul has lust God, what has it?
13. Epltraim, as I saw Tyrus, is planted in ({ pleasant place,
or (better) as I saw (her) toward.
T.IIre, ur a,
I saw as to T.1/re.
Ephraim stretched out, in her dependant tribes, tOll'ards 0/' to
THe itself. Like to T}TUS she was, "in her ril'hes, her g-lory,
hi-r plt'asantue!'s, her strength, her pride," and in the end, her
fall. The picture is that of a fair tree, not cham'e-sown, but
plrmted carefully by hand in a pleasant place í. Beauty and
strcng"th were blended in her. On the tribe of Jo!'epb especi-
ally, :\Iosel'ì had pronounced the blessing 8 : Ble.
sed of tit I' Lord
be /tis laml, for tlte precious tMngs of Iteal'ell, for the dell', mill
for the deep u:hicll COlle/leflt helleatlt, and for ti,e precious fruits
hrought fortlt by tlte Slll/, and for tile precious tlting.
put fortlt
b,1/ the moom (i. e. month by month) and for the c!tiel tltiltg.

of the llncient mountains, amlfor tI,e precious tltings oftlte last-
ing !tills alld/or tlte J1)'ecious tllings (
f' tlte eartlt ami tltefullJless
tllereof, aredfor tlte good plea.mre (
f' llim who du'elt ill tlte bush.
Bcautiful are the mountains of Ephraim, and the riell val-
lies or plains whieh break them. And ehief in beauty and in
stren/!Ìh was the valley, whuse eentral hill its eapital, Samaria,
t'rowned; ti,e crml'U of pride to the drunkards of Epltraim,
whose {(lorious beaut.1f is a fading jlou'er ll'!ticlt is Oll tlte head of
thefat I'(dlt',v. ç of tit em that are overcome 'U'itllll'ine 9 . The bless-
ing- of l\Io!'es pointed perhaps to the time wl){'n Shiloh was the
tahernacle of Him, \\110 uJl('e dwelt amI reveal cd Himsdfin the
Bush. K ow that it had exchanged itt' God for the calves, the
blessings whieh it still retained, stood but in the more aweful
contrast with its future.
hut Epltraim slndl hring forth his cMldren to the murder-
er; lit. alifl Epltraim is to hring fortlt, f)'c. i. e. proud though
her wealth, and high her state, l)leasantly situated and firmly
rooted, one thing lay before her, onc destiny, she teas to hriug
fortlt c!tile/rm only for tlte Ulurdere/'. Childlcssness in God's
Proddence is the appropriate and frequent pnnishment of sins
of the flesh. Pride too brought Peninnah, the adversary of
Hannah, low, e,-en as to that which was the gruund of her
pride, her children 10. Tlte harrell hatlt bornesel't'1I, mill she
that hatll rna1lY children is ll'a,red feeble. So as to the soul,
"pride dt'prives of /!l"aee."
H. Gil'es tltem a miscarr.lfing ll'omb. The Prophet prays for
Israel. and dcbates with himself what he can ask ti}r. amid this
their determined wiekedness, and God's judgments. Since
Ephruim was to bring fortlt children to tlte murderer, then,
it was mercy to a:-li for them, that they might have no ehil-
dren. Sinee such are the evils which await tllCir children,
g-rant them, 0 Lord, as a blessing", the sorrows of barrcnness.
""hat God had before pronounced as a punishment, SIIOUld, as
('omlJared to other evils, he a merey. and an object of prayer.
So our Lurd pronounces as to the det'tnlt'tion of .Jerusalelll ll .
Behold the days are coming, i1l lchich they slillfl say, Blessed

with choice of situation. See Ezek. x\ ii. 8,22,23. xix. 10. and in a had soil, of set purpo.e,
Ib.13. See

r. xvii.8. Ps. i. 3. and ir! a figure, They who are 1?!anted in the house olt"..e
Lord, Ps. },Cil. 13. s Dcut. XX'\III. I:3-]r.. 9 Is.xX\lu.I. lu I Sam. u. a.
II S. Luke xxiii. 9.

B
for

CHill ST
cir. iti(}.
It ch. 4. 15.
1\ 12.11.
I ch. 1. G.

I.> All t1wir wickcdnt'ss k is in Gil
al:
for there I hated them: 1 for the wicked-
ness of their doin
s I will drÏ\'c them out
of mine hou
c, I will love tllt'lll no Illore:
mall tIlt'ir prinef's (t)"(' rf'\"oltcr
.
Hi Ephraim i
smitten, their root is dri{'d

II> (sai. I. 23.

cH
\PTEn IX.

GI

up, they shall hf'ar no fruit: yt'a, n thoug-h c IF
Ns T
they hrin
forth, yet will I slay cr:en t the

heloved ji-ttit of their womh. t H
b

i.e
Ii :\ly (;od will ca
t thf'1ll away, bceausc '1E:::Ch 21.
tlwv (lid not hearken unto him: and tht:'\"
. . 0 D
ut. 28.
slmll be 0 wanderers amon
tlU' nations. 64-,65.

are ti,e barren, ami tI,e womhs that nez'er bare, aud the pajl.\' that
Uel'er gat'e suck. "() unhappy fruitfulue:oõs aud fruitful UII-
hal'piu{':oõ
. emnpared with which, harreuJl(':OÕ:OÕ, whidl amon

them was <weollnted a eurse, b{'eame blcs
edn{'ss."
15.
11l their ll'ickedne,
,
is in Gi(
al. r;ilgal, havin
heen
the Sl'ene of so many of (;"d's mer('i(',,:, had ht'en, 011 that very

round,('hos('n as a l'opularseencfor idol-worshipl. _\nddollht-
les,.:, J:phraim still de('eÏ\ed himself, and tholl
ht that his ido-
latruu,.: wur
hil', in a plal'e ont'e so hallowed, would still be a('-
('eptahle with (;od. ., There, whel\' t;ml of old wa,.: prol'iti-
Oll!<, lIe would ht'so still, and whate,'er they did,
hould, even
tilr the 1'Ia('..'s :oõake, Le aeeepted; thc hallowed plaee would
Ileees,.:arily salH'tify it." In answer to su('h thoughts, (Iod !'ays,
all their wickedne.<;s, the ,-en' ehief and
\IIn. the head from
whieh tilt' re,.:t flowed, their desertion of God Himself, what-
O'er thcy hoped or imag'ined, all tlteir 1t'ickedness is there.
.For tl,ae I Itated tltem. "There, in the very place where
heretofore ( shewed
ueh
reat tokens of love to, and by :\Iy

radou
presenee with, them, eVen there llllll'e hated lI,em and
IlI"'- hate them." "He saith not, there was I ang-ry, or dis-
IJleased with them, but in a word betokenin
tlw
reatest in-
dignation, I Itated them. Great must necds be that wieked-
Iles,.: whieh pronJkt'd the Father of merdes to so great dis-
IJleasurc as to say, that He hated tltem; and severe must needs
be tho,.:e judg-ments whit'h arc as effects of hatred and utter
aver,.:ation of them, in Him."

Fur the wickedness uf tl,eir doings. The sin of Israel wa,.:
no common sin, not a sin of ignoranee, but ag-ainst the full
li
ht. I:aeh word b..tokens evil. The word doings expresses
grcat hold doings. It wa:oõ the 1t'ickednc.çs (
ftlæir ll'icked ll'urks,
a dceper depth of wi('kt'dnes
in their wiekednes:oõ, an e...seIH'C
of "iekednes
, for whieh, God ,.:aith, I1(.ill drive lIlem uut of

lI!I house, i. e. as before, out of Hi,.: whole land 2.
I u'illIOl'e thcm 7/0 more. So He
aid, in the beg-inning 3 ;
I willlull'e llO more mercy "pou the house of Israel, bllt I ll'ill
utter!.l/ takc them all'ay. "
This was a national judgment, and
so im-oh-ed the whole of tht'm, as to their outward condition,
whieh they enjoyed as member:oõ of that nation, and making-up
O!le hody llOlitic'. It did not re:oõpeet the spiritual eondition of
smgle l)er,.:ons, and their relation, in this respeet, to God." .\,.
inòividuals, they were .. not cut off from God's fan)r and to-
kens of His lovè, nor from the power of becomin
members
of Christ, whenever anv of them ,.:hould eome to Him. It onlv
struek theUl ti.)r ever out of that Iwuse of the Lord from whidl
they Wf.'re then driven," or from Iwpt:s that that kin
dom
should 1)(' re...tored, whieh God said, He would eause to eea:oõe.
all tlleir princes are revulters. Their ease then was utterlv
JlOpcles!<. Xo one of their king-s departed from the sill of J
-
rubo((fll tl'hu 11/ade Israel to sill. The politi('al power whieh
sJwuld I'roteet
oodne
s, beeame the fountain of t'orruption.
',õ,one is there, to rebuke them that offend, to recal thos..
that err; no one who, by his own goodness and ,'irtue, pacifying-
God, ean turIl away His wrath, as there was in the time of

6 R
p
b. iv.l-i. i .\r:.
'

9.b. viii.
. Gen. i:.iig: The w:r
o

or -:-::

1
both.

-'loses." " 6.hkest thou, why God cast them out of IIis
I)I)II!<(', why they were not r{'('ei
-{'d in the Churdl or the house
of (;od? He saith to them, beeause they are all rr.t'olters,
cleparters, i. e. bec'all
e, before thev w{'re c'a
t out visihh in
the hody, they departed in mind, ,,:ere far away in heart:and
therefore were c'a:oõt out in the hody also, and lost, what alone
they lo,'ed, the temporal ad,-antag('!oi of the hou...e of (;od."
16. Epllraim is smitten. The Prophet, under the illla
e of
a tree, repeats the sam(' sentence of God ullOn l
raeL The word
smitteu is used of the
mitin
of the tr{'c from ahove, espe('ial-
Iy b:r the vi,.:itation of (;od, as Ly b/a.çting ami mildew 7, Yet
:oõuch smiting', althou
h it falls heavily for the time, lea,-es
hope for the future. He adds then, their root is al,.:o withered,
so that they should bear 110 fruit; or it: pert'hanee, while the
root was
till dryin
up and not quite dead, any fruit be yet
found, .Vet u'ill I sl".,/, God says, the belrJl'ed fruit of lIæir
tl'omb, the desired fruit of their bodies, that whieh their "mlls
lon
ed for. ,,6 So lon
a:oõ they had children, and multiplif.'d the
fruit of the womb, they think that they bear fruit, they deem
not that their root is dried, or that they had been :oõevered by
the axe of exeision, and rooted out of the land of tlie lil'Íng; but,
in the ang-ui:oõh at the slaying of tho
c they I1W
t loved, they
shaH :oõa,-, better had it Lcen to ha,-e had no children."
I ï: .1.t..'I God I/((ill cast them awa.1l.
lJy God (he saith) as
if God were /âs God onl
' who cla,-e to him, not th..ir's who
had, by their disobcdicnee, departed from Him.
11..11 God.
"He had then authority froll! Him," 'Vhom he owned and 'Vho
owned hilll, and \\Ï1O bade him !;o speak, as thoug-h God werc
his God, and 110 Jonger their's. God casts them (tlm.lI, lit. de-
,çpises tllem, and
o rt'jec'ts them as an objeet of aversion to
Him, heclluse thet/ did not hearkm to him. .. God neHr for-
sakes unles!' He' be fir!'t forsaken." "'hen the\' would not
hearken, nt'ither doing what God {'ommand{'d, m;r abstaining
from what Ht' forbade, God at last rt'je(.ted them, as worth

les!', wanting- altogether to that end for which He ereated them.
aud the!/ shall he 1l'fwderers among tile nations. This was
the !'entenee of Cain 8 ; a fngitil'e ",ui a l'agabond shalt thOll
be in the earth. So God had forewarned them 9. The Lord
shall scatter tllee aJllong all people, from the one eml of the earlll
eZ'eJl untu the otller emi of the eartl,-and among tl,ese ua-
tioliS slmlt tllOll jìmi uo ease
neither shall tile sole of thy fuot
IW1'e rest.
The words of the Prophet imply an abiding condition. He
doe
not say, the,,1J slm/[ wllllder, but, the!/ slmll he wandercrs 10.
Sueh wa,.: to be their lot; !'ueh ha" been their lot cwr since;
and such was not the ordinary lot of those larg-e populations
wholll Ea!<tern conqueror,.: transported from their own land.
Tho:oõe conquerors tuok away with thelll into their own land,
portions of the people whom they conquered, tilr two ends.
\\Ïlen a peopk often rehelled, they were placed where they
could rehel no more, among- tribc,.: more powerful than they,
and obedient to the rule of the conqueror. Or they were ear-
ried off, as slaves, to work in brit'ks, like I
racl in Egn't II.

g D
ut. xxviii. 64. 5. 10
ot ..,-. but ::..
= ::.-:""
'
',
11 This "Pl'c.lrs Loth from the :;culpturcs of
ïu
, ell in" hich multitudes of worlmcn,

R

G2

Before
CHRIST
cir. í-10.

CHAPTER X.

bmel i.ç repruved and tlll'mtened for their impiety
Clnd idolatr..1J.

Their workmen, I'mith
, artificers, were especially taken to
lahour on those g-igantic works, the palaee!< and templt's of
l'\ine,'eh or ßabylon. ßut, for hoth these purposes. the trans-
]lorted population had a scttled abode allotted to it, whether
in the eapital or the provilH.t,s. Sometime
new eitics or
villages wt're built for the settkrs I. Israel at first was so 10-
('at('d.. Perhap!oÓ on aI'l'ount of the frequent rebellions of their
Idng-s, the ten triLcs were plac'ed amid a wild, warlike, ItOpu-
lation, ill tI,e rities of the JIede.ç 2. \nlt'n the interior of Asia
was less known, people thoug-ht that they were still to be found
there. The Jews fabled, that the ten tribes lay behind som('
mig-hty and fabulou!oÓ rÏ\-el', Sam hat yon 3, or were ft'lu.('tl in by
mountains 4. Christians thought that thcv might bt' f(Hlnd in
some )'et Ullt'xplored part of A
ia. 1. -ndeeeived' as to this, they
still asked whether the Afghans. or the Yezides.or the natiw,.: of
North .\meriea were the'ten h'ibes, or whether thev wt'rethe
l'\estorians of Kurdistan. So natural did it !<eem, 'that they,
like other nations so tran
ported, !'hould remain as a body,
uear or at the plaees. where they had been located by their eon-
queror.... The Prophet says otlH'rwil'e, He says their abiding
condition shall be, tlle.1J sltall he Il'ClItderers mwnE{ tlte uat;,m.ç,
wanderers mllong- tht'IIl, but 110 part of them. Before the fi-
nal disp('rsion of tilt' Jews at the destruetion of Jerusalem,
,. the Jewish race," Josephus !<ays 5, "was in p:reat numbers
throug-h the whole world, intt'rs}wrsed with the nations."
Those aS8('mhkd at the day of Pcnteeost had l'ome from all
parts of Asia :\Jinor, but aJ:.;t) from Pal.thia, :\It'dia, Persia,
le-
I'opotamia, Arabia, Ep:ypt, maritime Lybia, Crete, and Italy 6.
'\llereH'r the :\postlt.s went, in Asia or Gree('e, they fiHlIld
..lews, in numbers suffieit'nt to raise persecution against them.
S. J ames writes to those whom, with a word correspouding to
that of Hosea, he calls "the dispersion." James-to the
tll'e[z'e ill tlte di.çpersÌtJlt 7, Tht' Jews, ,.:('offinlr, asked, whether
our Lord would 1'0 to tlte dispersioll Ill/WilE{ tlte Greeks 8, They
speak of it, as a body, over ag-ainst themsdves, to whom they
l'iupposed that He meant to go, to teadl thelU, when He said,
re .çlwll see!.' .JIe (lud shalluot .fìlld l}Ie. The Jews of Eg-ypt
were probably the d('st'endants of thnse who went thither,
aft('r the munkr of (;t'daliah. The .Jews of the Xorth. as
well as those of China, India, Russia, were probably deseend-
ant!' of the ten tribes. From one end of Asia to the other
and onward through tbe Crimea, Gree{'e and Italy, the .Jews
by their pre!oÓen('e, barc witness to the fulfilment of the pro-
phee
. Xot like the wandering Indian tribe, who spread over
Europe, living apart in their native wildnes
, but settled a-
mong the inhahitants of each city, they wt're !o.till distinct
although with no polity of their own; a distÍ1U't, sl'u]t'd, yet
fon'iu;n and subordinate race. "9 Still remains unreversed this
irrev
)('able !'entenee, as to their tcmporal state and face of an
earthly kingdom, that they remain still wanderers or dispersed
amon
other nations. and have never been restored, nor are
in likelihood of ever being restored to their own land, so as
to call it their own. If ever any of them hath returned thither

of countenance and form di.tinct from the -\ -SYrians, are represented as working in chains,
and fmm the ihscriptions of the kin:;s. .. I [SPlmacherib] carried ollïnto capti\ it) a great
number of workmen. All the young active men of Chaldæa and Aramea.l\Ianna, &c. \Vho
had refu.-ed to submit to my I!overument, I carried them ,.11 a\\a)-, to make bricks for me."
(Bellino C)linder in 1'0>. Tdlbot's As..yr. Texts. p.9.) "I carried them off as slaves, dlld
compelled them to make bricks for me." (Cyl. of Esarhad. lb. p.l..) .. By the labour
offoreil(lI slaves. :ny captives. who lifted up tllt:ir hands in the name 01 the great gods, my
lorlb, I built thirl) temples in Ass)lia alld ill-" (lb. p. 16.)

HOSEA,

I RRAEL is a " an empty yine, he bringeth C .!íf:íes T
forth fruit unto himself : aecording to CJr. ,40.
· Nah. 2. 2. \I Or, a vine emplying thefruit which it git'eth.

it hath been but as stranp:ers, and all. as to any propriety
that thev !'hould ehallen
:e in it. to hear the nlÏns and wa"te
heaps ot' their ancient t.hies to echo in their cars the Pro-
phet's words 10, A rise !/e ami depart, for t!tis ;s 1l0t .'lImer rest;
your auce!'tors polluted it, and ye shall ne,-er rt'turn, a" a
},eople thithcl', to inhabit it, as in your former condition."
" l\Ieanwhile Ephraim h('re is an example, not only to par-
tieular I'er!'ons, that as they will an)id personal judg-ments,
so they take care faithfullv to sen-e God and hearken unto
Him; imt to nations amI kingdoms also, that as tlwy will pre-
,-ent national judg-ments. !'o they take eare that (.Ot\ be truly
s('n-etl, and the true relip:ion maintaint'd in purity and sinee-
rity amllllg them. Ephraim, or ....rad, held theil' land by as
good and firm tenure as any peoplt' in the worlrl ('an theirs,
ha,'ing it settlt'd on them hy immediate gift from Him \\110 is
the Lord of the whole ('arth, \Yhu ]lrOillised it to their fore-
fath('rs, Ahraham and his seed for e,-er B , ealled th('refore the
land whieh the Lord !'ware unto th('m I2 ; and whieh He had
11romisetl them 13, the land of PrUllli"e H . "'ho eould have
greater rig-ht to a l,laee, better and firmer rig-ht, than they had
to th(' Lord's land, by His promise whidl never fail..., and His
oath "'ho will not rc\)ent, t'onfirnwd to them? Cel'tainly, if
they had ohserved conditions and kept eovenant \\ ith Him,
all the people in the worM ('ould never ha,'e driven them out,
or dispo"",,e!oÓsed tht'1U of it. But, seeing they revolted and
brake His ('ovenant, and did not hearkell to Him, He would
Ilot suffer them long-t'r to dwell in it, but drave and t'ast them
out of it, so that they could ne\'er recover it ag'ain, but con-
tinue to this day 1l'llllcle,.ing among the natiolls, ha,-ing- no set-
tled place of their own, nowhert' where they ean bt' called a
people, or arc for such owned, If God so dealt with Is rael on
their di
obedienee and dt'parting- from His f;ervit'e, to wholU
lIe had !"o partieularly engaged Himself to make good to them
the firm po"st'
!'ion of that larHI; how shaH any l)reSlUlle on
any right Ill' title to any other, or think to prei!'('rve it to
themselws I)y any force or strength of their own. if they re-
,'olt from Him, and cast off thankful ohedielwe to Him? The
Apostle t'autioneth and tead1Cth Ui!' so to arp:ue, if GOcl.çpllrecl
not the natural hranches, take heed/est He al,m spare uot thee,
and therefore warneth, he not ltigh-mim/ecl, and presulUI)hIOUS,
hut fear lã."
X,I. brael is an empty vine,or, in the same sense, a 11I:!:llri-
ant l'ille; lit. one fl'/âch pouretlt Ollt, poureth itself out into
lea,'es, abundant in switches, (a<; most old versions explain it,)
luxuriant in leaves, emptyingitseltïn them, and empty offruit;
like the fig-tree, whieh our Lord cursecl. For the more a
fruit tree putteth out its strength in leav('s and branehes, the
le"s and the worse fruit it beareth. "16Thejuiceswhkh it oug-ht
to tran"mute into wine, it disperseth in the ambitiou!< idle shew
of Jeavt's and branl'hes." The sap in the vine is an emblt'Ul
of IIi!oÓ Holy Spirit, throup:h 'Vhom alone we can bear fruit,
His grace W/tiC/1 n'as ill me, says
t. Paul, was uot inl'llill. It
is in vain to us, when we waste the stirrings of God's Spirit in

1 "A city I built. City of Esarhaddoll I called it. :\Iell who \Vere--. natives of the
lanò of [Caramania ?] and of the sea of the rising 8un, in that cit) I caused to dwell.

1,
Oillted 11? 2s
I

r

'iï

. be m
s7:

11 oE,:.t

i
. I

I. of
'P

its
?ëfr
l

t
Olam. c. 4, 9. quoted by Basnage, Hist. d. Juifs. vi. 3. 3. 5 de B. J. vii. 33.
:

ii. 9-}o".Uic.'ii
"lÕ? èW<T";lopJe
:
iir

\t Dplll
xÒ:
iv

;á", S.l{O

\
:
13 Deut, ix. ::8. H Heb. xi, 9. 15 ROlli. xi.
O, 21. 16 S. J ere

c J'ï{ofe s T the multitude of his fruit b he lmth in-
cir. i-W. ('rea
ed the altars; a('('ordinA" to the good-
b tii:
:: m''Ss of his land c they hm"c made g'Of,dly
t

. 4. t ilUit
es.
dal",., or, 2 II Their heart is d dh"jded; now shall
!Ianding
" ô";.

. they he found faulty: he shall t break down
hath divided tlleir heart. d 1 Kings 18. 21. 1\.I..tt. 6. :!4. t Heb. behead.

CHAPTER X.

63

their altars, he shall spoil their images. C HRí[je s T
3 e For now they shall sa\', \\
(' IUl\-c no cir. i/().
kinA", heeause we. feared ;ot the LOllI); "1\t
:
what then sllOuld a king do to us?

:/ 9.
4, They havc "poken words, swearing
falsely in making- a covenant : thus judg-

feelings, a!'Opirations. long-ing-!". tran
l'orts, "wh!dl bl
(I}
1 their
hour ami fade I." Like the leave
, these ft'ellllg"s aId m ma-
turin/! fruit; when thcre are lea"es only. the tree is barren and
uiglt llnto cllrsillg, ,l'IlO.çe eml is tu he Imrlle(f2.
it bringeth furth fruit for itse
f, lit. setteth fruit to, or ou
it,
elr. Luxul"Íant in lea'-e
, it.. fruit bt'('ome
worthle,.;!'I, and
is fl:om itsdf to ibelt: It i,.. unculturcd; (for JHacl refused
culture,) pouring it"df out, as it willed, in what it willed. Jt
had a rich ....hcn. of lea, e...., a shewal....o of fruit, but not for the
Lonl of the ,ineyard, since they came to no !'Oize or ripeness.
Yet to the superfieial glance, it was rich. pro!'Ol't'rous, healthy,
ahundant in all things, as was the outward state of Israel un-
der .Tehoash and Jeroboam I I.
according to tlte lIlultitude of his fruit, or, more strictl
-,
([S his frllit was multipliet!, he 1J/ultiplied altars; as his land
1l'll.
lIIade
()ut!, the.lI made gomlZ'1 flteir images. The more of
outward prosperity God be
towed upon them, the more they
abused His gift... refprring them to their idols; the more God
lavished His llIel'('ie
on them, the more profu!<e they were
in adoring- their idols. The superabnndanee of God's good-
IH'SS became the oceasion of the 8u}wrabundanee ofthcir wiek-
ednt'!'O,... Th('y rinllied and competed with, amI outdid the
/!oodness of God. so that He eould bestow ul)On them no g'ood,
whi('h tllt'V did not turn to evil. l\Ien think this strange.
Strange it'is, as is all pen-ersion of Gnd's goodness; yet sò it
is now. ;\Ien's sins arc either the abu!<e of what God g-i,-e!ò,
or rt'iJ('lIion, because He withholds. In the sins of prosperity,
wealth, health, strength, powers of mind, "it, men sin in a
wa
in whkh they could not sin, Ullle!<s God continually sup-
plied them with those
dfts which they turn to sin. The more
God gÏ\ es, tlw more opportunity and ability they ha,-e to sin,
and the nlOrc they !<in. They al'e e,:il. not only in despite of
God's goodness, but heCall,\"e He i" good.
=!. Tlleir heart. is di,'ided between (;od and their idols, in
that they would not wholly part with either, as Elijah up-
hraided them 3, How lung Iwlt .'Ie bd,ceeu the twu upinions t
,rhen the heathen, by "hom the king- of Assyria replac('d
them, had been taug-ht by one of the lll'iests whom the king
sent IJat'k, in order to a,-ert (iod's judg-ment:<, they still pro-
pagated this division. Like Jeroboam"', they became .fearers
(!f ti,e Lord. His" orsbippers. and made to themsell'es out of
tlæir ll'hule lUtlllber (i. e. indist'riminately) priests of the Mgll
places. Th('y were fearers uf the Lurd, alld the!! u'ere servers
of th('i,. f(ods, accurding tu tile manner uf the nations u.ft011l tltell
carried all'a.'1 from thence.-The,çe nations ,cere fearers of the
Lord, and the.1I were ser,'ers uf their idols, both their children
alld their children's children. As did their fathers, so do they
lmto t(âs dap. This divided allegiam'e was their hereditary
worslllp. These heathen. as taug-ht by one of the priests of
Israel, added the serviee of God to that of their idols, as Israel.
had added the !<en-ice of the idol!'O to that of God. But God
rejet'teth such half ser\'Ít'c; whence he adds, /LOW, in a brief

_. .., 1 L)"ra A post. N. 6i. 2 Heb. vi. 8.
3 1 Km
x\"lll.
l.
2 Kingsxvii.3:!,33,41. Thefonn'"/"It\:"t\""";'

time, all but eorne, tlu.'I shall be fOllnd fault.'l, lit. tlu.'1 slll"l be

1I;1t.1f, shall he convi(,tpd of guilt and shall hear it. 'f1I('Y
thoug-ht to ,çerl'e at once God and JlIa1ll11l0u ; but. in truth, they
serH'd their idols only, whom tht.y would not part with for God.
(;od lIim"clfthen would turn away all their wor!'hip, bad, and,
a
they thoul!ht, I!ood. Ife. from "'hom thpir heart wa!'O di, id-
cd, Hc Him!'elf, hy His mig-hty power whieh no man ('an gain-
sav, slwll h,'eak clowu tllei,. altars, lit. shall lJelieacl them. .\s
théy out of His gifts multiplied their altars and !'Olpw their
sacrifices upon them a
ainst IIi" will, so now ....lwuJd the altars
themseh'es be dt'lIlolishcd; and tIle images whi('h th('y had
d('ckcd with the gold which He had g-i\"en. should, on aeeount
of that \"Cry gold, tempt the spuiler, through whom (;od would
spoil them.
He sllall break down. He Him
elf5. 111e word is em-
phatic. "6 God willeth not that, when the merit<'d Hngcance
of God is inflicted thruugh man. it should be ascriherl to man.
Yea, if anyone ascribeth to him!<clf what, hy permi!<"ion of
God. he hath power to do against the people of God. ht' draw-
eth down on him the di!'Opleasure of God, and, at times, on
that very ground, can hurt the less 7." The Prophet then !"a
"s
'"cry eartU':oòt1y, lIe Hilllse
f shall break, meaning us to undcr-
stand. not the lofty hand of the enemy, but that the Lord
Hilll!'Oelf did all tllPse thing-so
3, p;Jr null' the!! sllall say, u'e hare 110 /dug. The
e are
the word" of dt'spair, not of repentance; of men terrifi('d by the
eonsciuusnt'ss of g-uilt, hut not coming- forth out of its dark-
n('s:oò; deserihing their conditiun, not confessing- the iniquity
whieh brought it on them. In sin, aU Israel had a,..k('d for
a king-, when the Lord was their king: in !<in. ephraim had
made Jeroboam king-; in sin, their subsequent king-s were made,
without the eounsel and ad,-ice of God; and now, as the do....e
of all, they reflect how fruitle:-,.. it aU was. They had a king,
and yet, a!'O it were, they had no king.
ince. God being angry
with tlH'm. he had no stren
th to delh er them. .-\nd no,,',
without love, the lUelllorv of their e,-iI deeds ('rushes them be-
yond hope of remedy. 'J'ileyg-roan for thdr lo!'!"e!", their suft"t-r-
inl!s, their ft'ars, hut do not repent, S1H'h is the rt'lUor:-e uf
the damned. All whieh the\" had is l(l
t; and what availed
it now, !'Oince, whcn they had it, th('y f('ared not (;od?
4. Tlle.'! hal'e ,çpuken words. The words which tht'y spoke
were eminent I\' l('ords; the\" were mere ll'ords, whkh had no
!<uh1'ìtance; ,m'e
/rillg false
'I'ill making a ('U"elwnt, lit. slC'ea,.ing
false
l/, making a CfJ1'eJUl1It, andjudgment sprillgetllu)I as hem-
lock in the furrOlcs of tile tield. "b'J'ht're is no truth in worrl
,
no !':anetit;. in oath
, no 'faithfulness in keeping ('ovenants. no
ju:oòtke in gi\"in
judg-ments." Such is the result of all their
oaths and con'lwnt:oò, that Judgment
J1,.in!{eth liP, yea, flou-
ri!'Oheth: but what judgm('ut
J udgT))ent. hitter and poisonous
as hcmlm'k. flouri
hes. as hemltwk would flourh:h on ground
bmken UJI and prepared for it. They break up thc ground,
make the furruu's. They will not have any chance self-sown

eXFress<s that l
e
c:D:

l.

i
tI.

5o:q

d.
R 2

· 21';'1
, Osorilll!.

t RlIp.

G4

c J!}{oíes T ment sprin
eth up r as hemlock in the fur-
cÏr. ;
O. rows of the field.
t
r I

ut. ã The inhabitants of
amaria shall fear'

r

:', 7. heeause of g the cakes of h ßeth-m-en: for

.
2

'5. the people thercof shall mourn Q\"cr it, and
c
t
!f 12. II the priests thereof that rt:joieed on it,
ch. 8. 5, 6. h ch. 4. 15. 1\ Or, Chemarim, 2 Kings 23. 5. Zeph. 1. 4.

HO
E
\,

i for the A"lory thereof, beeause it is depart- c .?
ors T
cd from it. dr. í-W.
6 It shaH he also earried unto Assvria I

a
. 4.
fi k k " J 1. E I . . ;h:

'I1.
01' U prt'Sent to "mg. arc!): p Iranl1 k ch. 5.13.
shall rcceive shame, and Israel shall be
a):,hamed 1 of his own counsel. Ich.1l.6.

seed; thcf prcpare the soil for a han-est, full, abundant, re-

ular. dt'an'd of all be:-ide:-. And what harvest? :Kot any
wbole:oòm1\(' plant, but l'oi:oòon. Thcy eulth-ate inju:oõti('e and
wÎt'kedne:oò:oò. as if the:oòe ,,"crt' to be the fruits to be rendered
to God from His own land. So Amos says \ re hare tUNled
Judgment intu gall or 11'Ur11l11'Oud, and Haba]{kuk, Judgment
U'ellt furtll perrerted 2.
5. The illlUlbitallt,ç ufSamal"ia sfwllfearbecause (
f[i. e.for]
the mll'es of Beth-flt'en. He ('aUs them in thi:oò plaee l'OlI'-Cttll'es 3 ,
perhaps to denot{' their 'H'akne!':oò and hell'les
ness. So far
from their idol J){'inl{ able to Iwlp tllem, tlu.1/ shaU be anxious
and troubled for their idol!'. l('st th('!"e !o:hould he taken ('apth-e
from them. TIU' Bethel (H(}u,çe of Gud) of the Patriareh
Jacob, was now tUrJ){'d iuto BdÌl-al'eJl, the Iwuse of 1'tmi'.'!.
This, from it!" old :-aered memori('..:. wa!" a more eell:'lJrat('d
place of the ealf-wor!"hip than Dan. Ho:-ea then !rÎ\'es to the
calf of Bcthel its l'recedenee, and rank
botb idols under its
onc nan\{', as mlz'es of the hou,çe of 1'anity.
for the peuple thereof ,çlwff U/OllrJI {)I'er it. Tlwy had set
up the idOb, instead of God; .\'0 God eall
them no long"t'r His
peol'k, but tllP people of the mlJ whom they had eho!"en for
tlU'ir p:od; a:- )Ioab was ('aIled 4 the peuple of Chemosh, it..: idol.
They had joyed in it, not in God; now they. its people and its
pril'!<Ís. should muunl ut'er it. when unable to hdp it:-clt
1I11lC'h
le!'s, th{,1I1. Both their joy and their sorrow shewed that they
w{'re without exeuse, that tlwy had gone wiffillg(Ij after the
kinA"s C(J]JI11Wlll/lllellt, !'en-in
it of their own th'e-will out of
love, not uut flf f('ar of the king, and, neither out of love or
fear, seninp: Gild purely.
for tile g/m:1/ tllereoj, because it is departed from it. The
true glory of Israd wa..: Gild; t\w Glory of God i:- in Himsdf.
The gl(ll:1f of theca/l'es. fnrwhmn ephraim had exdlangwl their
God. wns son)('thin
quite outward to them, the
old ofwhi('h
thcy were made. and the ril'h otrerin
s made to tht'1I1. Both
to
ether b('('ame an O('ea:-ion of their being' carrit'tl ('aptive.
'rhev mourned, not bt'Cil1l!"e thev had ofli'mkd God b\' tl\{'ir
!'in, hut for the lo!o!< of that dumb idol, whuse worship håd bt'en
thdr sin, and which had brllught these hea,-y woes upon them.
Impenitent e,-en und{'r ('hastisemcnt! The Prophet dot's not
mention any l{rief for "the desl'oilin
of thdr country. the
burning of their cities, the slau
ht('r of their p('ol'le, their
shame 5." One only thing he name!" as mO\"Ín
them. E,-en
thcn their one dli(.f anxiety was, not that God was d('parted
from them, hut that tlwir calf in whil'h they had set their
gIOl'Y. whereon they :-0 frantidy rdif'd. on wlikh they had la-
vished their substanee. th{'ir national distinctilln and disgraee,
wa
1!one. 'Yithout the p:ra('e of God men mourn, not their
sins, but their iduls.
ö. It shall be also carried; [i. c. It,çe{f6 a l. ço shaff be carried.]
Not Israd only shall be {'arried into ('aptivity, but its l{od
al!in. The vieton- ",-er a nation was a('eount{'d of old a \"Íe-
tory onr its go{is, as indeed it shewell their impotenee.

1 vi. 12. v. 7. 2 i. I. 3 \"'
:,
, 4 Num. ""i. 2!J. 5 from Osor. 6 Thei/self'õN, is
emphatic. 7 1 Kgs. xx. 23, 28. "2 Kgs. xviii. 33-35. add xix. 10-13. 9 see ab. v.13.

H('nce the eXI'u:-{' made by the ('aptains of Benhadad. that the
guds of l.
raeL were gods of the MILs, and lIut guds (!f ti,e 'VaL-
lies', and GOd':- ,"indication of IIi..: own .\lmi
htint'ss, which
wa!" tlll1s denicd. II{,IU'e also the boast of Sennal'hcrib by
Hah:-hakeh,8 IUn'e all.'1 of the gods (
f the llatÙms delh'ereclat
aIL Ms land out (
f tlte hand (
f tile killg uf AS
:lIrÙI ? 11 "here
are the gods uf Hamatlt amL uf ArptuL t tl'hC1"e are the guds uf
Seplw1"l'aim, Hella, aml Jz'ah? IUll'e tlll'.11 delirer('{1 Stl7JlllrÙt
Ollt uf mine IwmL f 1I7w are tlte.1I allwlIg all the {(ods of the
COUll tries, that IIm'e de/iI'ered their cUlllltl:,! out uf mine hand
that the Lord shollld deliz'er JerusaLem Ollt of mille haud?
'Yh{'n God then. for the sin of Hi!i IJeople, gavè them into the
hand of their enemie..... He vindieated His own Irlory, fir4 by
aven
il1g any insult off {'red to His wor!"hip, as in the captur{'
of the ark bv the Phili!"tines, or ßd:-hazzar',;; insolt'nt and
drunken ahu;e of the ,"e!<sels of the t(,Ull'lc ; or by vimlieating
His sernmts, a:- in the cas{' uf Danit'l and the three ehildrcn,
or by ('ha..:tening" pride. as in X('I)lll'hadnezzar. and {'xplaining
and }Jointing His dHl!<ti!"ement thl.oulrh Hi..: ....en-ant IJanid, or
by prophcey, as of Cyrus by Isaiah a1\(1 Danid. To His own
people, Hi.... chastisement..: were the vindi('ation of Hi:oò g-lory
whidl they had di:-honOl'ed, and the dose of the IonA' !"trife
between the true prophets and the false. The captivity of the
('a If ended it:- wor:-hip. and wa:- its final di!<
raee. The de-
!"trul'tion of the templc and the capti, ity uf its ,"essels azul of
God's p('ople cndcd, nllt the worship, but the idolatri{'!" of Ju-
dah, and extendcd among their captors, and thcir captors'
{'aptors, the :\Icdes and Persians, the knowledge of the One
true God.
UlltO A,
s.,!ria, .for a present to king Jareb or to a IIONtile or
str{fefu[9 killg. Pcrhap!" the name .Jareb de:-ignat{'!" the .h!o
-
rian hy thnt which wa:- a eharaeteri:oòtíc of their t'l11pire. love of
Mrife. The history uf their king...., as p:iven by theUl:-elws in
the newly-found ins{'riptions, is one warfare. To that same
king, to whom they
ent tor aid in their weakn{'!"!", from
whom ther hoped for hdp, and whom God named as what
He knew and will('d him to be to them, IIO,çtile, str{fe.ful, and alt
lll'enger, should the objeet of their idolatry he carried in tri-
umph 10. Th('y had truste(1 in the calf and in tlw Assyrians.
The A:-syrian, to whom they looked as the protc(.tor of their
liberties, wa!" to ('arry away their other tru:-t, their
(/d 3.
Ephraim shall receil'e slwme. Thi:- shall be aU his gain;
this his purdlil:-e; thi..: he had obtaint'd for him:-elfby his pride
and wilfulne:-s and idolatry and ambition and wars; thi!'i is
the cud of all, as it is (If ali pursuits apart frum G(ld; thi!" he
shall receil'e from the Gi,-('r of all good. shame. Ami Israel
,ÇIIllLl be asllllmed of his UWIII'uullsel. Ephraim's spcdal t'011ll-
sel was that whieh Jeroboam took with the nw!Òt worldly-wi:-e
of his p{'opl(', a cOl1Usel whid1 admirably sen'ed tlwir imme-
diate end, the (':-tablishment of a kinplOln. s{'parate from that
of Judah. It was aeutely devised; it !òeemed to answer its end
for 230
-ears, so that Israel, until the latter part of the r('ign

10:,::
, is used of
olemnstateb processions, as ofa ro}al bride, 1'8. xlv. 1;;,6. or a buri.
aI, Job X.I!!. xxi. 30, 3:!. and so of the lengthened train of presents, l's.IJ\.\iii. 3ù.

CHAPTER X.

C IFí[oÍs Tim .1s for Samaria, her kinA' is eut off as
cir.71O. the foam upon t tht' watt'r.
tH
i,
' 15. 8 n The hi
h places also of .A ven, 0 the

:

f sin of J ...rat'l, shan he d('stro
-ed: p the
: i';'u
'. t:'21. thorn and the thistle shall come up on
I Kings 12.30. P ch. tI. 6.
uf I'ekah, wa
4ron
. Judah, in comparison, weak. But it
wa
the ,
;II 1d1ercll'Ïtll he made l
rael to ,\';11. and tilr which (;nd
seattered him anwng" the lU'athcn. Hi
wbdom became his
dl'strtu,tion and hi

hamt'. '1'111' policy \\ hidl wa
to ('
tablio;h
his famih. and hi
kin
dmn. destrnyt'd his own family in the
next g"('n
ration, and ultimately, hi
people. not Ly its failure,
Lut b
. its SU('('t'ss.
;. her kiJlg ;s Cllt off like foam ((lr, more prohaL.ly 1, a
,
trau') 011 the rlit..facf'{
fthe] u'ater. A buhhlt', or one of th.o!Oe
little !'hr{'d
whil'h float in ('ountle!'s numher
on the
urfal'e
of tilt' wah'r. d\"e tht' !'ame imag-e of lig-htness, ('ml'tint's:oò,
worthl('
snes:oò, . a thin!! to lil!.'ht to !'ink. but driven impetu-
ou
lv and unr{'si:oòtin
ly, hithel' and thither, at the implllo;e of
the t(:rrent whi('h hurrie:oò it along. Slwh was the king', whom
Isra{'1 had !'('t in tht' hi
llt'st pla('{', in whom it had tru
tcd in-
I'tt'ad (If (;ml. So easily was Ilo:oòhea, tlu'ir la
t king-, !oiwe(lt
it" ay b," the flood. which broke in on Ephraim, from AS!')Tia,
Piet\' i
the onlv
olidity; apart from pit'ty all i
emptine:oò
.
'R Ti,e high places of Al'ell, i. e. oh'anity or iniquity. lIe
had before ('aIled netllel, hUllse of Gud, by the namt' of Beth-
al'eJl, huuse (
f 1'alli(lI; now he eall
it
.Jl'ell, 1'llllity or illi-
'1uit.lI, a
heing the 1'00u'entration of those (lIIalitics. llethel
was situatcd on a hill. the muuld of Betllel. and, from different
side:oò. P('ol}le were said to f[rl Up2 'to it. fill' //Ígh place often
means the shrine. or the Iwuse of the high places. Jeroboam
had built su{'h at llethel 3 ; many
ueh ah'ead,' exi:oòted in his
time,
o that, u'hoel'er would, Ill'" consecrated a
their priests.J..
Tht' hi
h-pla('e or shrine, is according-Iy said to be built 5 ,
bmken dUll'1I and burnt 6. At times, tllt'y were tents, ami so
I'aid to be u'(weu 7, made of garmellts of diz'ers colours 8. The
('alf then, prohahly. be('ame a et'ntre nf idolatry; many sueh
idol-sltrines were formed around it, on it!< mount, untilllethel
he('ame a metrnl'oli!' of idolatry. Thi
was tlte sin of Israel,
a
being tllP
oun't' of all it!< !Òin!Ò.
tlte L thorn ((nd ti,e thi,
tle slwll cOllie up UpOIl tlteir altaTs.
This pil'tun's, not only the desolation nf the I'lal'e, as he fore 9,
but the fm'('ed {'('s!'ation of idolatrv. Fire destrm-s. down to
the root. all wg{'tabIe life which it has once tfllu:hed. The
thorn, on('(' bla('kened by fire, puts out no fresh shoot. But
nn\\", the:oòe idol fire!< having been put out for e'"er, from amid
th{,('r(',"i{'es ofthe broken altars. thorn alld tltiMle lO should grow
fred," a
in II fallow !'oil. "'here the vietim.. aforetime 1l'nd
-up n: or were offered, now the wild briars and thistles alone
should go up, and wa, e freely in 1Indi
puted po
session. Eph-
raim had 1//ultplied altars. a" (
od multil'lied their goods; now
their altars
I\ould be but monument!< of the defeat ofidolatrv.
They remaincd, hut only as the grave-stones of the idols, oIl
e
worshipped there.
tlte.'1 .
//llll say to tlte mountains, cm'er liS.
amaria and
Bethel. the :oòeats of the idolatry and of the kingdom of I!Òracl
th{'m..ph-es bnth on height
. håd both, near th
m, mountains
hig-her than tlH'mseh-es. Sneh was to Bethel, the mountain
I From (he-use of:-:
:;-"s"reddin!'(." Joel i. 7. and the Arah. 2 JosÞ. xvi. 1. 1 Sam.
xi
'fb.a;iït3

33
en.nxv.l
tl

:
.:!:!. 1 Sam.
.A,

iU:i
: 3 1 Kgs.ïxÿb
}:
. 8 E?ek.
v:i. Hi. ' ('h. ix. 6. 10 These same two plmlls are named together
III the ('urs:ng ol"the ground for Adam's sin (Gen. iii. 18.) and there alone <!oef the word,

G,j

t}U'ir altars; q ami they sball say to the c ::'t:
eST
mountains, t:over us; and to the hills, cir. i 10.
Fall on us. q l

/:!tI30.
9 r 0 Israel, thuu hast sinned from the
e;. ï: 16.
days of Giheah : there the)' stood : · the :
;., 9j
dg.
20.

on the East. whcre .\hraham built an altar to the Lord 12.
a-
maria was {'n('irl'lcd hy them, Both" er{' III'ohahh s{'en;
of
tlwir idolatri(':oò ; from hoth, the mis('rie
of the dweilt'r
of B{'-
thcl allli Samaria could he se{'n.
aUlaria (':-pcl"ialh' n as in
th{' ('entre of a sort of amphitheatre; Vself, the spceta;'le. Xo
hell) !"Iwuld tlw;;e hi
h plaee:oò HOW bring- to tll{'m in their need.
The hi
h hills round Sam a ria, when the tidc of war had tiIl-
cd the ,"alley around it, hemmed them in, th{' mon' 11(Ipel('

-
Iy. There was no way, cither tfl hr{'ak throu
h or to e"eapt'.
The narww pa
ses, whieh mig-ht IH,,-e heen held, a
flood
I!'ates a
ain:oòt the enemy, would then he held al!'uin:-t them.
(hle only scrviee could it seem, that their mountains {'ould
then r{'lider. to de!'trov them.
o :oòllOuld they be frccd frum
e,'ils worsc than the (ieath of the bodv, and (:!wal}e the .raze
of lUen upon their mi:oòcry. ,. They sl
all wi
h rather to'"'die,
than to see what will brin
death." "They shall sa\" to the
JI1ountain,. fin whi{'h they' worshipped idol;, fall on "u... and
antidpatc tht' eruelty of the .\

}Tians and the extremc mi-
sery of eal'th-ity." Xature abhors annihilation; man :-hrinks
from tlH' ,"ioJent marring- of hi
outward form; he f'ling'
, how-
ever dcha:oòed, to the form whi{'h (;od g-a,-c him. ""hat mi-
sery, then, when men long fur, what their inmo!<t being :oòhrinlís
from!
The words of the Prophet become a sort of prm'erbial
ay-
ing- for misery, whi{'h long:oò for death rather than lite. Tht'
de
truetion of Sam aria wa.. the type of the destruf,tion of Je-
ru
aleJl1 by the Romans. and of e,-ery other final exl'Ísion,
when the mca
ure of iniquity wa:oò tilled, and there" as neither
hope nor remedy. This was the charadcri
ti(' ofthe destrue-
tion of Samaria. They had been God's people; they were to
be "0 no more. rrhi
wa!Ò the {'haraf'teri
ti{' of the destrue-
tion of J eru:oòalem, not by the Babvlonian!'. after which it n a

restored, hut hy the ROl
lan:oò, wheil they had rcjel'ted Chri4,
al)(l prayed, His Blood he 011 us and on our children. So will
it be in the end of the world. Hen{'e our Lord u
es the word:oò 13 ,
to fort'warn of the miseries of th(' de:oòtruetion uf.J eru
alem,
when tht' J('w!ò hid themseh-e
in ('a,-es ti,r fear of the Ro-
mans H, and S. Jolm u:oòc:oò them to pkture man's de
pair at
the end of the world l". ,. I dr{'ad" !'my" :5. Bernard 16, .. the
gnawing wflrm. and the lidn!{ death. I dread to fall into the
hand:oò of a Ih illg death. and a dying- life. Thi
is tile second
deatlt. which never out-killeth, ,-et whidl (',-er killeth. Bon.
would they long to die onee. thåt they may not die for e,-er!
Tlle.1I 1(,1/0 sa.11 to tile IIwlllltains, fall Ull ItS, ([ud to tI,e Mils,
C(Jl'er us. what do they will, but, hy the aid of death. either
to escape or to end death? They sllall seek deatl" hut sl/llll
110/ .find it, and sllall desire /0 die, ami death shall flee frum
tllem, saith S. John Ii."
9. () L\-rael. tltoll hast sinned from tile tlte da.lls of Oillealt.
There mu:oòt IH,,-e be('n
Tt'at sin, on hoth side's, of I
rad as
well as ßcnjamin, when L Israel puni!'hed tll{' atroeity of Gihe-
ah, since Gud caused Israel so to be smitten before Benjamin.

translated t1âslle. occur. Hosea. probabl), ,,"as u.ing (he words of Genesis. in that. a. a

f óí:ì'"-ï

ta
j
:
lS these t\\Oil o

f(
h

':
h

:
::

ff
;i
;'ï
t:

\\i;

h
go
/h "p) is also a sacñficial term. I
Gen, '!:ii. 8. 13 S. Luke xxiii. 30. u J 0'.
de ß.J.vi.9. I> Rev. ,i. 16. 16 Deconsid. v.l:!. Ii Rl'v. j... 6.

GG

c lifors T hattle in Gibeah against the children of ini-
CiT. ï-W. (luity did not overtake them.
t Deut. 28.63. 10 t It is in my desire that I should c1ms-
"J
. 16',,16. tist' them; and u the people shall he ga-
Ezek. _3. 46,
4ï. d,. 8. 10.

HOSEA,

thercd ag-ainst them, II wht'n they shall bind c

oÍes T
themseln
s in their tu'o furrows. cÎr. ï.w.
II And Ephraim is (IS x an })eifer tJwt is \I

,;,t.:n/
taught, (lmi lon'th to trt'ud uut tlte ('om; :
::;;{:'o
tran8gre88io..., or, in their two habitalüm..
Jer. 50. n. ì\lic.4-. 13.

Su('h sin had ('ontinued e\"('r I'in('(', so that, although God, in
His long-suffering-, had hitherto spared them, "it was not of
late only that they had d(,l'ened those judg-ments, althoug-h
now at la!'t onh", God intli('ted thcm." Tltere in Gibeah, tl,el!
sto'Jd. .\lthou
h ",mitten twice at Gibeah, and heavilv dms-
ten cd, tltere tl;cy were <In'ngcrs of the sa('redness ot
Gild's
law, and, in the end, tl,e,l/ stood; dlllsteued hilt uot killed,
But JWll' none of the ten tribe
took the side of Gml. Keith('r
zeal for Gotl, nor the g-reatness of the guilt, nor fear of jud
-
ment, nor the peril of utter ruin, ind\H'ed any to sct thcm-
seh-e
ag-ainst sin so g-reat. The
in de\-i
ed by one, diffused
amon
the manv, was burnt and branded into them, so that
they
levcr lJarted with it 1. Tlte hattle ill Gibealt "gaillst the
cltildren qf illiglli!.'l didllot ozoertake tl,em, i. e. it did not over-
take them then, but it shall overtake tht'm now. Or if we ren-
der, (as is more prohable) sltalluot lwertake tl,em, it will mean,
not a battle like that in Gibcah, terrible as that was, sltallnow
O1:ertake them; but one far worse. For, althoug-h the tribe
of Benjamin wa!' then rt'du('ed to
ix hundred men, yet the
trihe still sun-hoed and tiourishcd ag-ain : now th(' kingdom of
the ten tribes, and the name of Ephraim, should be utterl
'
blotted out.
10. It is ill JII! desire tlwt I s}wuld clwstise them. God
dotlt not l!/flict u,illingly, uor griet'e tlte clâldreu of men 2,
Gricnm
then must be the eause of punishment, when (;od
not only chastens men, hut,!,o to
peak, long-.. to chasten them,
when he {'hastens them without an\" lct or hindrance from His
merev. Yet so God had said 3; Ii sltall come to pa.çs, tit at as
the Lord rc:joiced orer .1!01l to do you good ami to Uiultip(1! .I!ou,
so tIle Lord ll'ill rc:joÎt'e ot'er .1I0lt to de.
trfJ.11 .'/O/( lllld to hring
you to 1l0l/gltt. (;od willed to enforce His justice, with no re-
sen"e whate'"er from His mercy. IIis whole mind, so to speak,
is to pUlli!'h tht'm. God is .. without pa

ions," Yet, in order
to impress on us the truth, that one day t1wre will. to some, be
judgmellt '('itltout mercy 4, He speaks as one, whose IOIlg-illg-
could not be
atisfi('d, until the punishment were executed. So
lIe says., I will ease J1Ie (
f mille l/llz'ersaries; G Jlille anger
slwll he ac('omplislted and I tl'ill cause ..lIy fllry to l'est UpOJl
them, ((lid I fl.ill be comforted.
and tlte people slu;l/ be gatltered agaillst !tim. "As all
the otllPr tribes were g-athereò ag-ainst llenjamin at (;ilJt'ah to
de
tro" it, so, although that war did not O\'ertahe them, now
agaillÙ Mm, i. e. against Ephraim or the teu trilws, shall be
gathered dh-ers peoples and natiuns. to d('stro) tlwm." The
numher g-athered ag-aill4 them !'haU be it", O\'erwhelming, as
that of all the trib('8 of Israel against the one small tribc of
Benjamin. '.1 As of old, they ou'g-ht to han hound them
('h-es
to cxting-uish this apo!"taey in its birth, as th('y bound them-
selns to avellge the horrible wi('k('(lne!ò's at Gibeah. nut
sim'e they bound themseh-es not ae-ainst sin, but to it, (;od
!;ays that 'He would gather Heathcli natioll!< ag-ainst them, to
punish their obstinate rclwllion ag-ain!'t Himself, They who
will neither be drawn by pit'ty, nor ('orrected by moderate
dmstiscmenb, mm;t needs be ,-i!'ited by sharper punishments,

I Oros.
L
m. iii. 3
. 3 Deut. x'Hiii. m. . S. J..mes ii.IS.
o Is. i. 24. 6 EzeJ...v.1S. .. ill that they have pointed =õ':.
not =õ':-?,
i.iÏ'luitie.. Ancther reni!ering, before t1.eir 1"'0 eyes, is altogether \Hong" 1. It "oukl,at

that sonl(\ who will not !'trive to the utt('rmost against the
mcre\" of God, mav he sa'"ed."
t
'lten the.1! sill/it bind tl,emselres in tl,eir ttl'OfllrrOll's. They
bind tltelllsell'es, and Satan biuds tltem to their !'in. In har-
mony and unity in nothin
else, they will bind themse]ws, and
plough lik(' two ox('n to
ether, adding- furrow to furrllw,join-
ing on line to line of lOin. They who had thrown off the light
and easy yoke of Gml, who were e,"er like a resti\-e, untamed,
ht'if('r, starting- aside from the yoke, would hind and band
themseh-es IÒteadily in their own way!; of !'in, cultivating sin,
amI in that sin should dc
tn}('tion on'rtake thcm.
len who
a1'e unsteady and uneH
n in e\'er
thing besidt's, will he stead-
fast in pur
uing !;iu: they who will ..ubmit to no eonstraint,
human CJl' Divilw, will, in their sla, ery to th('ir passions,
:-uhmit to an\' thing. 1\0
lavcJ"\" is so heavy as that which is
self-imposed". L . .
Thi
tran!<lation ha" followed an old .1ewish tradition, ex-
pre
SCd by the ,-owels of tllP t('xt 7, and ohl Jewish authorities.
\\ïth other vO\\"('ls, it may be rendcred, lit. in tlleir biudiNg t(J
tlll'ir two trausgressi/Jns, which give!; the same !'ense, " because
they bound tht'ms('ln's to their two tran
gressions." or, pas-
si\'ely, tt'ltell tbey are bOlfud, 011 a('('Olfut (
f tl,eir tll'O trllll.\gres-
sious. TIlt' two trallsp:ressiolls may de
i
nate the two eah es,
tlte sin of L
,.ael, nr the twnfold g-uilt of forniC'ation, spiritual,
and in the bod v ; the breadl of both tables of God's law: or
a
Jeremiah såy
8,
JI.I! people Itlll'e r/J1II1IIiffed tu'o ('t'ils; tltey
Itave forsaken J.Jle, tlte FOllntaill of IÎl'il1g u'aters, ami I,eu'e(l
tltem out ci.
terns, broken cisterll,ç, tl'ltirl, ClIll Iwld 1/0 ft'ate/".
.. 9 This could not bt' said of any other nation, which knew not
God. For if any s\U'h worshipp('d false g-ods, they eommitted
only one transgre
sion; but this nation, in whieh God was
known, by dpelining to idolatry, is truly blamed as g-uilty of
t"/l'O transgressious; they left the true God, and fur, or a
ainst,
Him they worshipped othcr g-mls. For he hath twofblò guilt,
who, knowing- good. rath('r ellOo
eth e,'il; but lie sing-k, who,
knowin
not good, taketh t','il for good. That nation then,
both when, after seein
many wonderful works of God, it made
and wor
hipI'ed olle calfin the wild('rlH'ss, and when, forsaking
tIlt' house of David and the temple of the Lord, it made itself
two calves; yea, and so often as it worshipped tllOse gods of the
heathen; and yet more, when it asked that Barabbas shnultl
he released but that Christ should he erudfied. ('ommitted two
transgressions, rejeC'ting the good, eleding the evil; 10 settiug
Slt'eet for hitter, aud hitter for sweet; .\'ettiug darkJless as ligM,
ami light a.ç darkness."
II. Ephraim is a.ç (/n he
fer tlll/t is tal/gilt lInd tltat lot'eth
to tread Ollt tbe com. The objeet of the metaphor in these three
verses
eems tn be, to pic,ture, under ol'eration
of husbandry,
"hat Gnd willed and trained hi
peol,le to do, how t1lt'y took
as m\U'h pains in e,"il, as He willed them to do for g-ood. One
thine- only they did tl'hÙ'1l He willed, but not be('ause H(' willed
it,--':what plea
"'ed themselves. Corn was threshed in the East
t'lliefly by means of oxen, who were either drh"en round and
round, so as to tram}lle it out with their feet, or drew a q'lin-

::
:in
e'
:
:
;::

;
'
;r:i
i
d

r

h:;
t.o
;

; ;itl

::

Eí:r

.'Ce
:it
p. :?:J3. 8 ii.13. 9 RUl', to Is. v. 20.

CH..\PTER X.

c .r
[ores T but I pass('d over upon t lwr fair n('('k:
cir. ; 10. I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah
t Heb. llu b
IWI!I of lur neck.
der armed with iron, or harrow-shaped plank
. set with
harp

tllll('
whidl at the samc time c'ut up the I'tnm" for I)l"(I\-en-
dcr. The treadin
out the corn was au cas\' amI luxurious
s('rvÍ!'e,
iJl("e God had forbiddcn to muzzle the (}:l,'l, while do-
in
it. It pieture
then the sweet
entle ways hy whidl (;od
\\ in
u
to His
en Ít'e. Israd would
crve thus far; for she
liked the sen iee, SI,l' was acrllstomecl to it, and.\'lle lUlled it, but
:she" cmld do no more. She ll'(l.l'ed fat and kicked 2.
" 3 The heifer whpn ac('ustomed to the labour of treadin

out thc eurn, mostly, en
n uneonstrained, returns to the !'ame
labour. So the miud of the ungodly, devoted to the slaverie.;
of this world, and ac'c'u
tonH'd tu the filtig-ues of temporal
things, e,"en if it may ha\'e leisure for itself. ha...tens to sub-
ject it
df to t'arthly toil
, and. inured to its miserable con-
versation, seeks the renewal uf toil, amI will not, thoug'h it
may, ('case from the yoke of this world's slavery. Thb yoke
our Lord would remm-e frum thp nceks of lIis disciples, say-
ing 4, T((ke heed, lest at ((U,,! time .'Iollr "eart.'i he ot'e}'clwr{:ed
witl, mres of tlâs life, ami tllat Day come u}J(m !IOIl UllClu.are....
AmI again, COllie unto
l[l', all ye U'!IO labour ami are IIem','!
!adeu, aml I 1l'ill refre.vh YOIl. Take ..1f.,! .,!oke upon YOIl."
" 6 Some, in order to appt'ar somewhat in this world, m-erload
them5eh-es with earthly toils, and although, amid their labours,
thev fpd their strength fail, vet, overeome bv love of earthlv
thil;gs, they delight in tht'ir fåti
"le. 1'0 thesé it i
said by thp
Prophet, Ephmim is 1I heifer taught, andlot'illg to tread Ollt
the mTII. They ask that they may Le ol'pre
!oed ; in rest, they
deem that they have lighted unto a great peril."
ami I passed Ol'er her fair neck, handling- 11t'r gently and
tend('rly, as men put the yoke
ently on a young- untamed ani-
mal, and inure it softly to take the yokc upon it. Yet" 6 to
pass uz'er. e
peeially when it is said of God, always !'igllifie!' in-
flictiun
and trouble
." To pa!òs m-er sins, is to rt'mit them: to
I>ass on'r the sinner, is to punish him. I u'ill make Ephraim
to rich, or I will make it, i. e. the yoke, to ride on .Ephraim's
ne('k, as the same word is u
ed for ,. Î place the hand on tIlt'
bow;" or, perhap!oò better, I will set a rider on Ephraim. who
t,;hould tame and subdue him.
incc he would not submit
himself freely to the ea
y yoke of God, Gud would set a ruler
upon him, who should be his master. TllU!'ò, the Psalmist
t'omplaills 8, TllOu hast made men to ride 011 our head, diret'ting
US at their pleasure.
,.9 Th(' hl'llu(1/ of the ned.. d{'si
nates those who sin and take
l)leas
lre in thcir !òins. That pas!oòing over. or aseendÍI

, s
id
h
th m the l>ast and the future, I passed, 1,1.,11 make to Tille, SIg--
mfics that what He pUllwses is most certain. It expre
ses
that same \"eng-cance as 10, Ié are (l stitlilecked people; I u',"[l
rOll/e up illto tlce mid.vt of tI,ee ill a moment, and consume thee.
The hNlllt.1lofthe neck here is the same as the ornament there,
when the Lord says, therefore now put (11' tlty orllamellts from
thee, tlwt I Tim,'! know 'what to do unto thee. _\s long as the

i
ll
('r g
es a
lorned, i. c. is proud in his sins, as long as he

tlften
In,.; fair neek, splf-collll)]acent, taking pleasure in the
Ill!' whll'h he has done, God, in a mea
ure, know!oò not what to

lo to him; merey knows not how, apart from the se\"Crity of
Judg-ment, to approach him; and so after the sentence of the
iudge, t!wu art a st[fti,ecked people, I)'c. He gins the counsel
1 Deut. xu, 4. 2 Ib, xxxii. 15.
II;
;" x
rt
: )Ior. n.:
r:'J

,b
ee ,Job ix

'.

te1

.-lixxxviii. :;
H
íe,;:'x
v

:
"i :
-;-: 2 Kings xiii. Itj, t>. ice. s Ps. lx, i. 12.

G7

shaH plow, mill .Ta('oh shaH hreak his plods. c HB
[ores T
12 y Sow to yourselvcs in rightcousness, cir. ;111.
J Provo 11. 18.

pllt (!Ir tliÏne OTllamellt.v. l)"c. i. e. humble thysdf in penitence,
that I may have merey upon th('e."
Judah s!wll plOll', Jarob shall hreak /,is dods. Tn the "ïll
of God. Judah and I...rael were to unite in His
t'niee, Ju-
dah first. Ja('ob. after him, breaking the ('Iods, whidl would
hinder the !oicNI from sllClotin
up. J udah h('in
mentioned
in the same inddl'ntal way, ao; pl
ewhere hy HO!"t'a, it may he,
that he would speak of what should follow on I:phraim's ('I18s-
tisement. "11 "'hen they shall spe this, the two trilws !ohall no
lon
er cmploy them
elves in treading- out the eorn, hut !<h
11l
pillw. To treml out the corn is to" ad ,. in hupe of pre
cnt
g'ain: to plow, is to labllur in that, whit'h ha!oò no in"tant fnlit,
but promiseth it ht'reaft('r, i. e. tlw fulfilment of (;od's eOln-
mands." Jamb will tlH'n he the remnant of the ten tribes,
who. at Hezekiah's invitatilln, out of Ephraim,
Ianas
eh, I
"a-
char, .\sher and Zdmlun, joined in ('clehrating- the pa
"m'er
at Jernsalt'm, and suhst'quently in destroying idolatry 1
. Ho-
sea had already foretold that Judah and I
rad shall be gathered
together, undcr oue lIead 13. Here, again, he unites them in
one, preparing His way first in them
eh'ei', then, in others.
Judah i!oi placcd fir
t; for to him was the promist' in his fore-
father, the Patriardl, and then in David. I:phraim was to be
partaker of his blessin
s, b) being united to him. The ima
e
of the hcift'r has hcen dropped. lIe had spoken of them as
husbandmen; as such he addres
e
them.
12. Sow to !/ollr,ve{z'es ill rigfdeollsness, reap in 11Ie1"(:1I; lit.
ill the pruportiUJI of merc,'!, not in proportion to what you have
sown, nor what ju
tice would g-ivc, but beyond aU dcsert5, in
the proportiou of merc,.'I; i. e. ,. a('cordillg to the eapacity and
fulness of the merey of God ; what bel'ometh the merey of God,
whieh is houndles1Ò," whieh onorlooketh man's t
liliJlgs, and
gh-eth an infinite rewanl for poor imperfec.t lahour. As our
Lord says 1-1-, Gil'e, and it shall he git'en unto you; good mea-
Sllre, pressed clOll'lI, ancl shakell together aud running Ol'er, s/wll
mell give unto .'Iollr hosom. ., 15 If the earth g-h-eth thee ]arg-er
fruits than it has reeeh-cd, how much more shall the requiting
of merey repay thec maniti)1d more than thou
avcst!"
owing
and reapin.g- always stand over again
t ea('h uther, as lahour
and reward. 16 He that sOll'ellt spllrillgly!>'hllil reap also spa-
ringly; and he u.I1Ï('h .vOll'etll hountifully s!wll reap also hOllll-
tifitl!y. And Ii, 1l'!lCltsoel'er If man sOll'eth, t"at shall Ill' also
reap. J;òr ',e that sOll'eth to the fleslt, .v/lUll of the jielJ.h reap
corrujJtion; but he that sOluth to the Spirit shall of the .l.,ìJÏrit
reap l
fc el'erla.vting. III due season ll'e shall reap, if u'e faint
1I0t. \\T e are hidden to sow to ollrsetz.es, for 1
our gooduess
reae/let!t not to God; our'
is the í:"ain, if we JO\-e God, the Foun-
tain of aU
ood. This reward,
ccordillg to mercy, is in both
worlds. It i!ò in thi!oò world abo. For"graee well u
ed draws
more grace." God gh-eth grace upon grace 19; so that eaeh
good decd, the fruit of graee, i!oò the !'ecd-corn ofJarger grace.
.. If thou humble thy"elt
it stimulates thee to humLle thyself
more. If thou prayest, thou longe
t to pray more. If thou
gh-est alms, thou wishest to give more." It is in the world to
eome. For. says a holy man
O, "our works do not pas!oò away
as it seems, but eaeh thing done in time, is sown as the secd of
eternity. The simple will be amazed, when from this slight
seed he shall see the eopious han-est arise, good or evil, ac-
i Rup. 10 Ex, xxxiii. 5.
11 Rib. 12 2 Chron, x"{x. xxxi. 13 i. 11. H S,Luke vi. 38.
10 S. Ambr, de
aboth.
. í. Rib. 16 2 Cor. ix, 6. I, Gal. vi, 7. 8, 9. .. Ps. x... 2.
10 S, ,John i.1(j. :u S. Bern. d
Cun\". C. 8. Lap.

DS

HOSE...\,

c .Pí{ofs T reap in mercy; break up your fallow he come, and rain rig-hteousness upon you. c Jï{ofs T
cir. ilO. g-round: for it is timc to seek the LURD, till ]3 aYe haye plowed wickedness, ye haye _cir. i-W.
. Jer. 4. 3_ · Job 4. 8. Provo 22.8. ch. 8.7. Gal. 6. 7,8.

cording- a!oo the sl'l'd was." "Thou seekc!"t two shea,'e!ò, re!òt
and
lllry. They shall reap glory and rest, who IHn-e sown
toil and self-abasement 1.'

break li)J
'Iollr fallow grollnd. Thi!' is not the order of
husbandry. The ground was already plowed. harrowl'd. sown.
1'\ow he bid
her aIWW, Break up .'Iour fallow grullnd. The
Chun-h brcaks up her own fallow g-round, when she stirs up
ala'W thl' dec'aying- piety IIf her own members; she breaks up
fallen,- g-round, whcn, by pr('aC'hing" the (;o!òpel of Chri4, she
bring-!ò new people into His fuld. And for us too, one !òowing-
sutfic-eth not. It mu!òt be no surfa('e-sowing". .\nd" the soil
of our hearts must ever be aul'w C'leanst'd; for no onp in this
mortal life is !<o perfec't in l'i{.ty, that noxious desires will not
sprin
up again in the heart, a!ò tan's in the well-tilled field."
for it is time to seek tile Lord. wtfilllc l'Ome amI rain rigM-
eOll.mess upon .'IOIl, or better, until He sllall rome amI teach
.'IOll rigMeoli,mess. To rain 1'igltfeollsne.
s is the I<alllt' image
as
olCIIllon uses of Chri!"t
; He shall come dmnl like rain
upon the 111011'n gras.
, as showers that INLIer the eartll, and
Isaiah 3, drop dUll'n
'Ie leem'ens from ahol'e amI let the skies
)Jollr dOll'll rigMeolisness. It expresses in pÎf'ture-laug"uag"e
how lIe, ,rho is ollr lligllteollsness, came down frolll hl'aven,
to g-h'e life to us, who were dried and pan'hed up and wi-
thered, whell the whole face of our moral nature was as dead,
Yet there is nothing- to indieate that the Prophet is hl'rl' using
imagen'. The Hebrl'w word i!< u!òed vl'rv rarclv in the meall-
in
: to
ain; in that of teaching. ('outinu'ally, aild that, in ex-
ac.th- the same idiom a!" here 4. One uffiee of our Lord was
to ft:aC'h. Xicodemus owned Him, as a teacher sent from God 5.
The
amaritans looked to the l\Je!òsiah, as one who !"hould
tearh all things 6. The I'rophds foretold that He should teach
us llis 1l'C1YS 7, that He should be a u'itness unto the l Jeu ple 8.
The I'rolJhet bids them seek dili{:entl.'I 9 , and pcrs('verin
ly,
"not Ica, iug- off or de:oòi:.;ting," if tlH'y .should not at once find,
but ('ontinuing the seardl, quite lip to 10 the time when they
should find. His word:oò imply the need of l}('r
cn'ran('e and
paticn('e, whieh should
top
hort of nothing- but God's own
time for finding. The Prophet, as is the way of the prophet!",
g-oes on to ('hrist, who WitS I'H'r in the prophets' hearts and
hope:oò. The words ('ould only be understood improperly of
God the Father. God does not come, \\Tho is e,'erywhere. He
ever was among His lU'oplc, nor did He will to be among them
otht'rwi!òe than heretofore. 1\"0 ('oming' of God, as God, was
looked fur, to teach l'iKhteollsness. Rather dIP time was COIU-
ing, when He would I)e less ,'i!òibly among them than hefore.

\mon
the ten tribes, as a distin('t people, lIe would shortly
be no more, either by prophee)\ or in worship, or by any per-
ceptible token of His I'rO\'idenee. From Judah also lIe was
about. nlthou
h at a later pt'riod, tu withdraw the kingdom
of Dadd, and the rrim and Thummim. and the She('hinah,
or ,-i!òible Presenee. Soon after the Captivity, prophecy it-
self was to ('pase. But" the {'oming' of ChrÏ!oot the Patriardl!<
and Iwly men all along desired to 'see: Abraham saw it and
was glacllI. Jacob 10;Ig-ed for it 12. The law and the Pro-
phet..: direC'ted to it, so that there were alwa:rs in Israt'l su('h
as waited fo,' it, as appl'ars by the example of old Sinwon
and Joseph of Arimathæa, and those many prophets and right-
lId. Senu. de S. ßened. G. n. lb. 2 Ps.lxxii. 6. 3 xlv.8.
4 wilh accusat. of that which is taught and dat. of the person, Deut. xxxiii. 10.

S.John iii.2. 6Ib.iv.:!5. i Is.ii.3. ti lb. Iv. 4.

t'ous men whom our Saviour speaks OP3. lIe that shoulcl
('ome seelUS to have heen a known titlp for Him; .sÎ1we .J ohn
Baptist scnt two of his disciples, to say unto Him,
/rt thou
Ile tllllt shall come, or do U'e look for allother H ?"
The Pro}lhct saith then, " Xuw is the time to !<eek the
Lord, and I'rqmrl' for the coming of Christ; fur He, when He
('ometh, will teac'h you, yea, will gh'e
'ou true rig-hteousnpss,
whereby ye shall be righteous before God. and heirs of His
kingdom." "15 So God !òJ1eaketh throug-h Isaiah, keep yeþu(!{-
ment aml doJustice, for ...If'l sah'atioll i.\' lleflr to come, alld JIy
righteollSllel;S to be 1'el'ealed. In hoth plaees. Ilwn are warncd,
to prepare the u'a.'1 to rel't'in' Christ, whi('h was tlw offiee
assigned to the law. .\s S. Paul saith. Trhcreullto 1NlS the
law',! It ll'a.ç added herau.çe of transgressious. It was g"in'n to
restrain the pa!òsiuns uf men by fear of punishment. le,;t they
shuuld!,,11 defile themselves by sin, as to de!òpise the merey and
office of Christ. I twas gin'n to prepare our suuls by lm'e of
righteousnes!" and mer('y to re('eive Chri",t. that lIe might en-
ri
'h them with the Diviile W't'alth of rig-hteou:oòness." ,,16 I fIs-
rat'l of old were so to order their ways in expectation of Him,
and that they mig-ht be prepared for His coming; and if their
negleeting to do this made thcm liable to sueh heavy judg-
ments, how uuwh severer judgnlt'nts shall they 1)(' worthy of,
who, after His Coming and rainin
upon them the plentiful
showers of Iwavenly dn('Írine. and abundant measure of His
grace and gifts of His Holy Spirit, do, fÖr want of breaking
up the fallow ground of their Ilt'arts, suffer His holy word to
be lost 011 them. The ft'arful duom of such unfruitful Chris-
tians is !'et down bv S. Paul 17."
The pre!;ent is c"ver the time to seek the Lord. 18 Behold
llO11' is tlce accepted time; be/wid now is the Ðll.'I of Sall'atioll.
.\8 Hosea says, it is time to seek the Lord till HI: come, !'o
S. Paul saith 19, unto thl'm that look for Him, sllllll He ajJpear
tltp se('(Jnd time, ll'ithout sin, unto salvation.
13. re have plowed wickedness. TIlt'Y not only did not
that whic'h (
od ('ommanded. but thev did the exact contra-
ry. They eultivatNI wic'kedness. Thf.Y brokt' Ul) their fallow
ground, yet to sow, not wlH'at but tares. They did not lea\"e
it even to g-row of itsclf, althoug-h e"en thus, on the natural
soil of tht' human heart, it yields a plenteous harve..:t; but they
be
towed their labour on it, plowed it, sowed it, and as they
sowed, so tht'y reaped, an ahundant int'rea!òt' of it. "They
brought their ill doings to a han-est. and laid up a!' in IJro-
vision the fruits thert'of." Iniquity and the results ofiniquity,
were the gain of all their lahour. Of all their toil, the\' shaH
ha,'e no fruits, exeept the iniquity itself. "20 By the plon-ing,
!'owing". eating the fruits, ht' mark!; the obstinacy of incor-
ri
ible sinners, who be
in ill, go on to worst', and in the worst
COIllt' to an end. Then too, wlwn the corrupted soul labours
with the purpose of a deed of sin, and rt'solves in its inmost
thoughts, how it may bring the ungodly will into effe(.t in
deed, it i
like one plowing or sowing". But whell, having
eompleted the work of iniquity, it exults that it has done ill,
it is like one reaping. "'hen further it has broken out so far
as, in pride of heart to defend its .sin against the Ian' of God
prohihiting- tlwm, and goes on un('oneerned in impenitence,
he is like one who, after harvest, eats the fruits stored up."
9 ::;--: 10 ThisiHhe forceof-:,. II S.John ,iii.56. 12 Gen. xlix. lB.
13 S. Luke ii. 25. S. Mark xv. 13. S. Matt. xiii. 17. H S. :Mau. xi.3.
I. 080r. 16 Poc. Ii }J"þ. \i. 4--". t:; 2 Cor. Ü. :!. 19 Heb. ix. 28. 20 Rup.

CIL\PTER X.

c Neitt S T reaped iniquity; re han' f'ah'n the fruit
cir. íW. of lies : he('au
e thou didst trust in thy
war, in the multitude of thy Illi
htr men.

GD

1-1 b Therpfore
hall a tumult arisp a- c Hn
fo;
T
mong thy pt'uplc, and all thy fortresses cir. ï JI).
shall be spoiled, as Shalman spuiled C lleth- :
hKi
gSI
8.
3-1. & l!J. 13.

re IWI'e eaten tI,e fruit.
of lies. Thev had been full of
lies I; they had lied a
a111
t (;,;d hy hYI)(I('ris y 2 and id(llatry;
they had spoken lies agaimt Him 3 ; by denying" that He g"'-c
th('m what He Iwstowed UpOIl them, iUld aSITibing it tn their
idols"'. All illiquity is a lie.
llI'h then sh(luld he tile fruit
whi,'h they tasted, (III which they fcd. It "h(luld not profit,
nor satisfy thclll. It o;lwuld not lllerely be empty. a
in the
l'a:;e of those who arc said to feed un ashes 5, but hurtful.
As Isaiah saith 6, Ille.'l concciz'e miscllief aml !Jring forth ini-
quity. rile.,! luciell c(wkatrice' eggs, ([ml 1l'elll'e ti,e spider's
1ceIJ ; I,l' IIllIt catelh of their eggs dieth, and tll([t 1l,llicl, is crush-
ed, hreaketl, out into a l'iper. "Gain dt'eeÍ\-es, lust deeeÍ\-es,
glutt(lny dt'cei,'es; they )'ield no true delip:ht: they sath;fy
not, tlll'v dis
ust ; and thev end in miserv of body all,1 soul."
.. Budily' deli
hts," says a thther 7, " wheli ahsent:kindle a Ye-
hement 101l1-
:ing; wlH'n had and eaten, they satiate and dis-
gust the eater. Spiritual ddights arc distastt'ful, when un-
kllown; whell possessed, tht'Y arc longed for; and the more
tlwse wlw hunger aftcr tllt'm feed upon them, the more they arc
hungered fur. ßodily ddig-hts please, untasted: whcn tasted,
thcr di!òplt'ast'; spiritual, whell ulltaste(l. are held clwap; when
e
pt'rielll,t'd, they please. In bodily ddights, appetite gene-
rates satit'ty; satkty, disp:ust. In
piritual, appetite produr'-
eth satictr; satit'ty, appctite. For spiritual
elip:hts increase
]()nginp: in the !'oul, while they sati!<fy. For the more their
swcetm':,,.; is pereeh-ed, :'0 mlu'h the more is tlwt known whieh
is lon'd more t'agerly. rnpossessed' they cannot be loved,
bt'eause tlu'ir sWt'etnes!': i" unknown."
Bemuse tholt didst tmst ill tll!!way. Thy wa)', i. e. not
God's. They for"ook God's way, followed" ways of wickt'd-
ncs
and misbelief." "'hile disl)leasin
God, they trusted in
the wor
hip of the eah'es and in the help of t:gn)t and As-
!'yria, 111llking fie.
h their arm, and departing from tlte Ih'illg
God.
o long- as a man mistru"ts his ways of sin, there is
hope of his eom-ersion amid any del)ths of sin. "'hen he trusts
ill /âs 1('(/.IIS, all entranee is dosed against the
ace of God.
lIt' is a... one dead; he not only justifies himself, but is self-ju
-
tified. Tht're is nothinp: in him, neither love nor fear, which
('an be awakened.
J.1, Therefore shall a tumult arise among tlty people, lit.
jJeople.
. Such was the immcdiate fruit of departing from God
and trustin,!:!: in men and idols. Thev trusted in their own
might. and the multitude of their peopÍe. That might should,
thl"llu
h intestine dh-ision and anart'hv, become their de
truc-
tiun. _\s in the disl(watcd state of tlie Roman empire under
the first t'ml)erors, so in Israel, the slU'ct'...sive usurpers arose
out ofthcir armies s , the multitucle oftlleir migltt.llones, in whom
they trusted. The cOl
fused nuise 9 of 1('ar should first arise in

I ch. Ì\. I,
. vii. 3. 2 V. 7. \ i. 7. vii. W. x. 4. 3 vii. 13. 4 ii. 5, 12.
6 Is. xliv. 20. e lb. lix. .J.,5. , S. Gr
. in Ev:mg. Horn. 36. init. L.
s See I ntrod. p. 2. 9 as in .\.m. ii. 2.
JO :ï"-::::: plural. The corruption In some :\1:55. ï-::;:: (sing.) and the rendering of the
old' ."":lOn s (as '.'f.our '.'"n) i!1 the singular, ("ith the same general sense.) illustrate the
peeuhant} oftheldlom forwlllch they substituted an easier, and nearly equn'alent, phrase.
II The. Et)"lIIology of-:;::-:, as of Bo::mh.
12 expres.
d
t
e un.i.'.'n .?f'::J with t
e genitive plur. and the sing. ver
, which is \el")
rare. Is. IXlv. I. r\ah. lll. I. Provo XVI. 2. have been cited as the only "..tances.
. 13
Kings xvii. 3. H
ser_occurs in Esarhaddon. Tiglath-pilt'sI'T and. probably,
JS the same as tzzar and e2er m ISebuchadnezzar, and Sharezer. It probably signifies

h
)p." A 1ll.1
ch stronger omission occury proba.bly in the name of the parricid
Sharezer,
- Km!:s '\IX. ,
/" hose whole name was ",,,rgal Sharezer. :\Ierodach Baladan Is probably
the
lardocelllpaloJ 1'tol. Rawl. Herod. i. p. 50:!. CI.edorlaomer (Gel1.xi\.I, U.) is very

the midst of tlwir on n peoples. They arc
l'oken of not a:. line,
hut as many; peoples lfJ , not. as Goll willed them to be. one peo-
ple, for they had no prÍlll'il)le of oneness or stahility, who had
no lcgitimate slI('Cession, either of kin

or of priests; who
had made kings, hilt not through Gud. Eaeh
ul'('es
ur had
the same rip:ht a
his prellcee
sor, the rig-ht of might, and fur-
nished an example ami precedent and sandi on to the murder-
er of himself or of his son.
All tll.1I fortl"C.
scs ,
/llIli be spuiled, lit. the It'lwle of tll!! for-
tresses shall he INlsted. He speaks of the whoit' as one. Their
feneed cities, whir'h eut oft. all appr(la,'h ll, !'hould 1)(' one waste 12.
They hall forsaken God, their fortress alld d('lh'erl'l', ami so
He gave Ul) thcir fortn's
t's to the elwmy, so that all and t'a,'h
of them wert' laid waste. Tht' l'onfÜsion, hef...'1.111 among them-
seh-es, prepan'd for destruction by the enemy. Of thi.. he
gives une aweful t) pc.
as Slwlmalt spoiled (or 1('asted) Betl,-Arbel ill the day of
battle. ð'halmall is, no doubt, Shallllalleser king of As.\yria,
who eame up against Hoshea, early in his reign, aml Ill' be-
came a .
erl'(lJtl to ltim ami hruIIgld /dill a present 13. Slwlman
heing" the t'harat'teristic part of the name H, the Prophet pro-
bably omitted the rest, on the ground of the rhythm. Bet/,-
Arhel i,;. a city, whieh the Grecks. retaining, in like way, only
the latter and chara('teristic Imlf of the name, .'aIled .\rhela I..
Of the se,-eral cities ('ailed .Arhela, that, l'clehrated in {;ret'Ïan
history, was part of the Assyrian empire, Tn 0 others, one
" 16 in the mountain-di!<triet of Pella" and so on the East side
of Jordan, the other between
epl)lroris and Tiberias lï, (and so
in X aphthali) must, togctht'r with the eountries in whieh they
lay, have fallen into tht' hands of the .íhsyrians in the rt'ign of
Tiglath-pileser, who took-Gilead and Galilee, all the lalld of
...Yaplttali 18, in the reign of Pckah. The who]e l'ountry, East
of Jordan, being now in the hands of ShalmaI)('
er, his natural
apl)roaeh to Samaria was o,-er the Jordan, through the valley
or plain of Jezreel. Here was the chief wealth uf I
rael. and
the fitte
t field for the A
s\Tian hor
e. OWl' the Jordan then,
whenr'e Israel itst'lf eame ,,'hen ohedient to God. whenee came
the earlier instruments of God's eha
tisement
, came douht-
less the host of Shahllanescr, along- the" p:reat Illain" of Es-
drachm, "In that plain" abo la-y an Arhela, "nine miles
from Le
on 19. " Legion itself was at the ". e
tern extremity
of the plain, as
('ythopolis or Bethshean lay at the East 20.
It was about fifteen milt's '" elÒt of 1'\ azareth 21, ami ten miles
from Jezree] 22. Beth-arbel mUi't accordingly ha,-e lain
ome-
when'in the middle of the valley of Jezrt'c1. Xear this .\rhela,
then, I:,rael must ha,-e sustainéd a deei"ive defeat from Shal-
maneser. For the Prophet does not say only, that he .
poiled
Beth-arhel, hut that he did this ill a day uf hattle. Here Hosea,

probably the same as the 1cudllrmapllla of the Bao) Ionian bricks, map,ula b
inl( omitted,
and lao11ler, i. e. el-omer" the ra\ager" being equivaleut to the meanmg of abda JUaet..
of the bricks," waster of the West." See Rd"l. Herod. i. +'36.
lõ as Beth Aven, (althoufth on othergroum\s,} "as called Aven(ver. 8:} Beth Baal

eon
is called more commonly Baal :\1"011 but also Beth
It'on, and now Jlacln or ,U!/Itn; Gligal
is probably called Bet/, Ha.!!gi/gal,
eh. xii. 2!I; Diblalhaim(a!ter\\ards Diblalai},is Bell.
Diblalhaim, Jer. xhiii.
2; the people of Bethcar are callt'll by Josephus (Ant. \1. 2.2.)
Corræi; Op/,ral. isprobabl) BNhle aphrah, :\Iic. 1.10; Bet/, illil/o, 2 Kings xii. 21. J/illo;
Beth ^ï1llra, no" Kelllrin: Beth Eden, no" Ed. n; Beth A:wmrelh, A::matet/,; Belh-eked-
harohim,
l\.ings X. 12. Belheked. H. in Eu.. Bailhakath; Beesllterah, (lor Beth Aslltarah)
Ashlaroth. See all these m Ges. Lex. ,. ,":: p.19:3----ô. .
I
Eus.Ollom. s. v. I, Jos. B. J. i. U;.
. Yit. 37.66. IS 2 h.lIll(S xv. 29.
19 Eus.1. c. 20 Eus. (U.'I.002;/\) a,.ilms tht'Se, 88 the two extremities.

I lteland, p. 873. :r. ltin. Hieros, p. 58G.
S

70

Before
CHRIST
dr. iW.
d ch. 13. 16.

t Heb.
ti,e et"il of
e flOUT _nil.
"'for. I.

arhel in the dm" of hattle : d the motllPr I
wa-- dashed in pie('es upon "t'r ehildren.
15 So
hall Bethel du unto
-ou bemuse
of .
your great wiekedn('ss : in a mornin

e shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.

HOSEA,

Hefore
CHRIST
The ingratitllde of brae/llnto Godfor his hem/ìts. cir. ï40.
5 hi"
jllligment. 8 God's merc.1J tml'arcl them.
, "'!
E
.ls
aell{"m
a"
'
JÏld, the'
Ilo
-ed :

::.
'I5.

, hun, and c.ùled 111) sun out of E
) pt. < Ex. -i. :"!:!,:"!3.

CHAPTER XI.

probably in the la
t years of his life.
aw the fulfihnent of his the Spirit of adoption. The Prophet then, in urder to shew
own earlier prophet') ; and God hrake the bow of Israel ill tilt I the ex('eeding g-uilt of Israt'l." sa
s, ,. "rhen IsraellNls a child,
t'allelf of Jezreel 1 . (in the "ildernes
. for then he "a
born when he bound him-
'thi mother ll'as dasl,ecl to pieces 011 the children. It was self to conform to tlH' Dhine law, and was not vet matured I
an ag-
Ta'-ation of thi!o barbarity. that, fir4 the infant" were loud him. i. e. I
an him the law, priesthood,j,;dg"ments, pre-
daslH'd ag-ain4 the
tones before tlH'ir mothers" eyes, then the cepts. instrut'tions: I loaded him with most aml)le benefits; I
mother:, them
t'h'es wpre dashed upon them. S
rians 2, As,.öy- pref('rred him to all nations. e
pendin!! on him, a" on
I
- ehit'f
rian.. ". )Ied('o;"'. Babdonians 5, used this barbarih-. India has heritage and peculiar l)Qssession, much watchful care and
bornt' 1\ itnps!o to us ;,1' late, how heathen nature remains the pain
:'
I'am('. I called .II..'! SOli Ollt of Eg.'lpt, a
He said to Pharoah 8,
It ma
be that. in the name Betharbel. the Prophet anude
brael is JIy SOli, el'e1/
lI.'I.fìrstbom; let JJy sou f{o. that he may
to the name Bethel B . .\;; Bellwrhel, i. e. the hOllse. or it may sen'e .1Ie. God chosc him out of aU nations, to be His P('('u-
he. the idolatrou
temple ol_1rbel. rescued it not. but \\"a
ra-lliar lwople. Yet also God elw
e him. not for himsdf, but be-
thel' tht' eau..e of it
dpstrtH'tion, so
hall Betllt'1. TIlt' hoh" I eau
e He willed that Christ, His onl\" Son. should after the
1'lae('s of Israel. tlU' memorials of the free 10' e of God to thei'r I flesh be born of him. and for. and in, t'he Son. God called His
fort'fathers. were pledges to them. the ehildren of those fore- people, JJ.y SOli. ,,9 The peopJ(' of h:rael wa;; called a son. as
father
. that. so 101l
a
they continupd in the faith of their re
ards the ekct. yet only for the sake of Him, the Only-ße-
fatll('r
. God. the rnehang-eable. wouhl continue tho
e same I g"ottel} Son. Be:!!otten. not adopted, ""ho. after the .flesh, was
U1ereie
to them. ""hell they tllrned Bethel, the IlOuse of God, to be born of that people, that. through His Passion, He might
into B(,tha,-en. hOll,
e of f'mli!.,!. then it became. like lletharbel. bring many SOilS to glory. disdaining- not to han them as bre-
lit. hOllse (!f ambush of God, the scene and occasion of thcir thren and ('o-heirs, For. had He not come. "-ho wa!' to eome,
dc;;olation. the "-ell Belowd Son of God. brael too COlùd npver, an\" more
I:). SO shall Bethel do llnto .'1011. God was the ,Judg-e, than the other nations, ha,-e bet'n ealled the son 01'''0 i:-reat a
\Yho eondemned them so to sutf('r from the enemy. The As- Father. a
the Apo"tle, him "elf of that pt'ople, saith 10, J.òr u'e
s\"rian was the instrument of the wrath of God. But. in ordt'r u'ere, Llf natllre, childreu of fl'rath. el'ell as others."
t
point out the moral government of God, the Prophet says, Since, howe,"er, tlH'se ":ords relate to literal hrael. the peo-
neither that God did it, nor that the Assyrian did it. but Bt'theJ. pIe whom God brought out Ly JIoses, ho" were they fulfiHed
once the hOllse of Gud, now the l )lace "here they dishonored in the infant Jesu
, when He was brought back out of Egypt,
God, becallse of YOllr great ll'ic -edlless, lit. the ll'Ïckedliess uf as S. )Iatthew teachcs u,.. they ,,-ere 11?
YOllr ll'Ïckedlless. In tlH'ir wick{'dne",s itst'lf, their was an Because I
rad him!oelfwas a type of Christ, and for the sake
essenee of" i('kedne!o". mali('e within malice. of Him ""ho was to be born of the se{'d of )
rael, did (;od call
iI. a mOrl/iug shall the king of Ið.,.ael he Cllt qft: Hoshea I Israel, JJ.'I SOli; for His sake only did he dt'linr him. The
was cut off finally, lea,-in
neither root nor bran('h. His t1\ 0 delh-eran{'es. of the 1\ hole ,Jewish people, and of Christ
kin!!dom perished; he left no memorial. Like the mornin
. the Head. oc{'uIÜt'd the same po
ition in God's dispensations.
he st'pmed to dan n on the troubles of his people: he sinned He reseued h'raeJ. whom He ('allcd His son, in its childish
ag-ain
t God; and ill a mOrl/lug. the kingdom. in the lIlultitude and infantine condition. at thc \"Cry Cflmnlt'neement of its be-
of whose might.l/ men he trusted, tl'as Cllt qjt"for e'"er. ing, as a peoplt'. His trtle Son by
ature, Christ our Lord,
XI. 1. Ifhm Israel was a child, then I lot.ed him. God He brought up in His Infancy. when He began to shew forth
lo\"ed brael, a" He Himself formed it. ere it corrupted it- His merdt's to us in Him. Both had. by His appointment,
self. He lo,-ed it for the sake of the father
, Abraham, haac, taken refuge in Eg: pt; both were, by His miraeu)ous ('all, to
and Jacob. as He saith 7, Jacoh hm'e Ilot"ed, hilt Esall hat'e I l\Ioses in the bosh. to Jospph in the dream, re('alled from it.
hated. Then. whell it was weak, helples
, ol)pressed by the S. :\Iatthew apparently quotes these word
. not to prO\"e an\'-
E
l)tian!';. affii{'ted, destitutt', God 10Hd him, cared for him, thing-, but in order to point out the relation of God's former
dt'lh-ert'd him from oppr(',.sion. and ealled him out of Eg:-pt. dealings with the latter, the be
nning and the dose. what re-
,.6 "'hen did He Ion Israel! "'ht'll, b
- His guidallce. Israel lates to the body, and what relates to the Head. He tens us
re
aißed freedom, his enemies were destroyed, he was fed with that the fonner delheram'p had its completion in l'hrist, that
.food from !,eal'eIl. he heard the voiee of God. and reeeiHd the in Hi
delh erancc wa
the full solid ('ompletioll of that of Is-
law from Him. He was unformed in E!0 pt: then he was in- rael: and that then indet'd it might, in its completest fuJness,
fonned by the rules of the law, so a
to be matured there. He be
aid, Out of E,[[.l/pt haz'e I cal/ed JI./I SUIl.
was a dlild in that vast waste. For he was nourished. not by '\'hen Israel was brought out of E!!
pt, the figure took
solid food. but by milk. i. e. by the rudiments of piety and right- place: when Christ was called, the reality was fulfilled. The
eOU
lle,,
. that he might g-radually attain the strength of a act it"elf, 011 the part of God. wa<: prophetic. '\-hen He deli-
man.
o that law was a sehoolma
ter, to retain h-racl as a vered Israel, and eaJled him His fir
tborn, He willed. in the
child, by the dispipline of a dlild. until the time should come {'ourse of time, to bring up from Egypt His Only-Be
otten
whell aJI, who de
pised not the heannl
' gifts, should reeeh-e Son. The words arc prophetic, because the e, ent whieh the
'

1 ch i. fl. , 2 Kgs. viii. 12. 3 be!'e and xiii. uk 4 Is, :xiii. 16. . P.. cnxvii. S, 9.

& 0501. ;
Ia1. i.
. 8 E:\:. i
. 2:"!, 3. 9 Rap. 10 Eì'h. ii. 3. II ii.15.

CHAPTER X r.

C lI I3 J[O;CS T 2 ..18 tht'y called them,
u they went!
cir. HU. from tlll'l11 : d they sae'rifi('cd unto Baalim,
d ., Kings 17 I I 1 .' .
Ïfi. ch. 2. i:;. ane nUUCt lIweusc to graycll mHl
CS.
. te

:
:31.& :J e 1 tau
ht Ephraim also to
o, takiJl

32. 10, 11, 1:J. IMai. 4(;. 3.

71

tlwm by their arIlI
; but they l\.llew not c }-p
[o:,s T
that f I hcalcd thcm. _cir
TI()
_
4: [ drew thcm with cords of a man, t Ex. 1;;. 26.
with hamh. of lo\"c : and g I was to thcm as g Lcv. :!G. 13.

!'peak of, wa
prophetic'. "They !'peak of I!'rael a!' oue I'ollel'-
th'e botly, ami, as it were. line person, c'alh'cI hy Gild JI.1f
SOil, \"Ïz. fly acloptilln,
till in the p'ar
of innClt'c'nc'y, and
hcllln
11 lIy (;od, I'alled Clf God out Clf E
nlt fly Mo
e
, a

Jl'Sll!'i, lIi!'i true Son, was by the .\n
cl." The ti,lIo" in
,'er-
SC'!'i aI'e not prophetic', becall
e in them the PrClphet no ICln
er
spcak
Clf bracl as onc. hut a
eomposccl of the many
inful
indjyiduals iu it. hmel was a prophetic people, in reg-anI to
this clisl'en!'iation of God towards him; not in reg"ard to his
rehellions and sins.
2. .h tlml cal/('(I tflem, so tlwy wellt frulIl tllPlIt. The
Prophet ehan
cs his tlllle, 1lI11on
cr
pcakin
of that one first
eall of God to bracl as a whole, wherchy H(' hmug-ht out
I!<l"ael as one mall. His one !'cm; whit'h one eall he obeyed.
Here he speaks of God's manifold c'a]Js to tllC' people, thrO\i
h-
out their whole history, whieh they as often disoheyed, and
Hot disCllwyed only, hut w('nt eontmriwÌse. TileY ('{[!led tflem.
'nlCther (;otl employed l\Jo!'es, or the jud
es, or prit'
ts, or
king"!'i, or prophets, to eall them, it was all one. 'Yhenever or
by wh(l)ll
(lever tlH'Y were ('ailed, they turned away in the op-
l'o
ite dirertion, to serve their idols. 'l'ht'y proportioned and
titted. as it werc, their disohellienee to (;ud'!'i lcmg--suflèrill
.
"1 Then ehiefly they threw off ohedienee, tle
pised their ad-
monitions, and worked themseh-es up the more franticly to a
zeal for the sin whi('h they had beg-un." Thc.lI, God'!' messeu-
goers. called; so, in like manner, tlll'.1I weut lW'I'.V from tlll'lIl.
Tfll'Y sacrificed Ullto Baalim, i. e. their many Baals, in whic'h
they cherished idolatry, eruelty, and flc
hly sin. So .,2 when
Christ eame and called them manifoldly, as in the great day
of the feast, If all.ll man thirst, let him come Ullto
lIe aud
driuk, the more diligently He ealled them, the more dilig"ently
they went away from Him, and returned to their idols, to the
love ami posse
sion of rÏf'he
and houses and pleasures, for
whose !'ake they clesl'i!'e(1 the truth."
3. I taught Eplll'ailll also to go, lit. alld I set Eplll'aim 011
lti.ç feci; Ì, e. while they were rehemn
', I ,,'as helping and
supporting- them, as a nurse doth her child, teaehin
it to /!o
with little steps, step by "tel', "accu
toming it to g-o by little
aud little without wearincss;" and not only :':0, but taking
thelll h.1J tlleir m'm,
; or, it may be equally tran!'ilated. Hp touk
thelll ill IIis arms, i. e. God not only
cntly lallgM them to
walk, but, whcn they were ,,'earied. lIe took t/,ellt up ill Ili.\'
arlllS, as a nurse doth a ehilcl when tired with it!< little attempts
to walk. Sueh was the love and tender eilre of God, g-uiding-
and upholding h:racl in His ways which He tallg-ht him,

lIardin
him from weariness, or, if wearied, taking him in
the arms of His mercy and refreshing him. So MOi"es says 3,
III the u'ilderuess tlwll Illlst seeu, how' that tile L01"ll tklf God
bare t!tee,. as a Ulall doth hew' !lis SOil, ill all the way Illllt .Vl'
tc'eut, witt! ye came llllto t!lis place; and he expostulates u'itlt
God \ .lIuz'e I collceÍl'ed all this people t have I begotten tltem,
tlwt ,t!t0l1 shollidest sa.'1 llllto me, Can:'1 tlu;1Il ill tll.lI bosom, as a
1l1l1',
lJlg fatlter bearet/t his slicking eMld, llllto tile lalld 'which
Tholl s'
'earest llJ
to their fat/leI's. "5 Briefly yet mag-nificently
doth tins place Innt at the wondrous patience of God, whereof

10sor.
4 Kum. xi. 12.
Rup.

2 Rib. 3 Dcnt. i. 3].
e Acts xiii. 18. 7 Deut. xx-.ii. 10.

S S. Jer.

Paul too !'illC'aks 6, for furl.'/ .,/ear.ç
lIt1ered l/e tfleir l/IllJ/IIO'S
ill tlte ll'ildf'l"lless. For as a nur
in
father Iwarcth pati('ntly
with a ehild, who hath not )-et eome to years of di
c'I.t'tion,
and, althoul!,-h at times he he moved to strike it in return,
yet mostly lIP :,:ootllC'th its c'hildish fullies with hJaudii"11JIIt'nts,
and. unp:rateful tll()u
h it be, ('aI'rips it in his arms, so the
Lurd (;ud, \\'ho
e are the!'e word!', patiently hore with the un-
tiJrmedpeople, i
llIIrant uf the spiritual mysteries oftlH' hin
-
dom of Ilt'aven, and altll()u
h lIe !'lew the IJCldic's of man\, of
I them in the wild('rne
s, ye't the rest lIe sOClthed with IlI'any
I and ç:reat mil'ae(es, leading litem about and illstructing tltem
(as l\Jo
es sap;) keepill/{ tltem as lIle lIJiple vf His e.lIe7."
hilt tltelf k/l( LV lIul tltat I healed thelll. The\' laid it not to
heart, and therdi,re what thcy knew with íJa'ir ;mdel'stalHEng
was worse' than i/!,"noranee. "s I "'ho was a Father, hec'ilme a
nurse, and l\Iyself earried My Jittle one in :\Jy arllls, that he
!'ihould not he hurt in the lrilderucss, or scared hv heat or
darknl'!'s. By day I was a elfJ1ul; by niç:ht. a colunin of tire,
that I mi
ht by l\Jy light illumine. and heal those whom I had
.l)roteeted. And when they had sinned and had made thc cHIt

I
ave them I'lroee for repentauc-e, aud they knew not thut I
healed them, so as. for forty year!', to dose the wound 01 ido-
latrv, and re
tore them to their former health."
"'!}The Son of (
od earried u:,: in His anllS to the Father,
when He went forth l'arryingo His Cros!', and on the woud of
the Cross stretehed out IIis arms for ollr redemption. Tho!'e
too doth Chri4 C'arry daily in His arms, whom He eontinually
entreateth, ('omfClrteth; preSel"1"etll, !'o
ently, that with much
alacrity and without any p:rievous hindranl'e they perform
every work of God, and with heart enlarged run, rather than
walk, the way of God's eOJ11luandments. Yet do the!'e need
f,'Teat eaution, that they be clothed with p:reat eireum!'pecticJI)
and humility, and dc,.;pi!'e not other!'. EI...c Chrbt would say
of them. TIIl'.1f Imel(' Ilot tlwt I healed them."
4. I drew tltellt with till' cords ofa1/lall. " 10 l\'anton Jwifers
sueh as was I!'irael. are drawn with l"CIpes; but althou
h Eph-
raim strup:
led against Me, I would not draw him as a heast, hut
I drew him as a 'MOl (not a st'rvant, hut a son) 1l'itll cords of
love." "Lm-e is the magnet of Im'e." "n The first and eh;ef
eomnHmdment of the law, is not of fear, but of lo\"e, Lecau
e
He willeth those whom lIe I'olllmandeth, to be !'ons rather
than servants." " 12 0 ur Lord sajth, ...Yo mall l'umetlt lilltu
lIe,
e:uept tlw .Father "Tho Iwtlt sent Me, draw Mm. He did not
:,:ay, lead /tim, but, draw Mill. This, iolenee is done to the heart,
not to the body. 'Yhy marvel? Bclie,-e and thou comest; IO\-e
and thou art drawn. Think it not a rough and uneasv ,-io-
lenee: it is sweet, alluring-; the sweetne
s d
'aws thee. Is' nut a
hun
ry sheep drawn, when the gra!<s is
hewn it? It is not, I
ween, drÏ\'en on in body, but i
bound tip:ht hy long-ing. So do
thou too come to Christ. Do not eoneeive of longjcmrneyings.
"'hen thou bdieve
t. then thou comest. For to Him 'Yho is
(,H'rywhere, men ('ome by lovinp:, not by travelli\l
. So the
Bride saith 13, dl"llll' lIIe a1tl1 lu.'ill1'llll lifter Tllee. "How sweet,"
says S. .\I1
"'I!;tine, when converted H , "did it at Ol1ee become to
me, to wilnt the sweetnesses of those toys; and what I feared to

v Dion. 10 Lap.
12 S. Aug, Senn. 81. on N.T,
. 2. Oxf. Tr.
s2

11 Rib.
13 Cant. i. 4.

H Com. ix. 1.

72

C HB}[oreS T they that t take off the yoke on their jaws,
cir. ï-tO. and h I laid meat unto them.
t
<

s
ifJ:s
P' 5 'U i He shall not return into the land
i S
/':h
'8. 13. of Eg-ypt, but the A -;s
-rian shall be his
\:
ii
gs Ii. king, k hecause they refused to return.
13, u.

IIO
E
\,

6 .And the sword slmll a1,id{' on his {'itics, c HB
ores T
and shall ('onsume his branches, and de- cir. ï-tO.
your thcm, 1 bt'cause of their own counsels. Tíl
ÿ
;
.
7
\nd my people are 1,ent to m hack-
:::

i
sliding from me : n though they called them 1
h

t
S

.
D ch. 7. 16. m Jer. 3. 6, &c. & 8. 5. ch.4. 16.

be partt'rl from, was now ajoy to part \\ ith. For Thou didst rast
them forth from me, Thou true and hi
hest Sweetness. Thou
('a
test them forth, and for them entcredst in Th\"
elf, sweetcr
than all pleasures, tlwuf!:h not to fle!'h and hlillld; brif!:hter
than all light, but more hiddl'n than all dC})th!<: hif!:her than
all hOlWUI', hut not to the high in their own eonrcits."
"1 Chri!'t drew us also li'itlt the mrds rif a lIWII, when for us
He beeame )[an. ollr flesh. our Brothcr, in order that b\" teaeh-
ing-. suffering, (hing- for UI', Hc might in a wondrous ,,:av bimI
and draw u!<' to Him!<clf and to Go
l; that He mi
ht rede
m the
earthly .\dam, mi
ht transtiJrm and make him hea,-enly;"
"2 g-iring us ineffable token!< of His IO\-c. For He g-iwth Him-
self to us fur our Food: lie
in
th us sacraments; by Bapti!'m
and rq)('ntanrl' He ('onfurmeth us anew to original righteous-
lIe,.!<. lIen('c lIe ,.;aith 3, I, {l I be lifted upfrom tlte eartll, ,
/Ulll
dral/' all men /llito me; and Paul4, Ilil'e b!1 the faith of the ðOIl
of God, TT7/O IUl'ed II/e lInd gm'e IIill/self for me. This most 10\'-
ing- drawing-, our dulne!'s and weaknes!' needeth, who e,"er,
without g-ra('e,
rm-el amidst ,-ilc and earthly things."
,. All the methuds and parts of God's g-overlllllellt arc twined
togctllt'r, a
!'o many twi!'tl'd C'onls of love from Him, 1>0 or-
dCl"l'd. that they oug-ht to draw lHan with all his heart to 100-e
Him again." "6 )Ian, the ima
e of the )lind uf God, i
illl-
pdled to zeal for the sel"\-ice of God, not by fcar. but by Im'e.
1\0 hand i!< mightier. nor eunstrains more firmly all the fecl-
illg-
ufthe min
t. For it holdcth, not the body enZ'hained, while
the mind re,"olteth and lon:.:-eth to hreak awav, but it so
hindeth to itself the mind a'-Itl will, that it
Iwuid will, 10llg
for, eompas
. nou:.:-ht beside. save how, e,-en amid threats of
death, to ubey the eommand
of God. Bands they are, hut
ban(ls so g-entle and so pas
ing
weet, that we mu
t account
them pcrfeC't freedom and the highest di/!,"nity."
and I was to tllCln as tlle.1f that take off' (lit. that lift up)
tlte ,lloke Oil their j(llCS, ami I laid meat UJ/to them. Tlms cx-
plailll'd, the words rarry on the de
('ription of(
od's goodness,
that He allowed not the yoke of slan-ry to wei
h Iwavy uplln
them. as lIe saith 6. I am the Lord your God, 1l'hiclt hrougM
you Ollt of thl
land (
r Eg
',pt, threl ye should uot he their houd-
ml'n, and Ilull'e broken tIle IUlI/ds uf ,lfOllr ."olte, ami made .'loU
go upright; and God appealeth to them 7, Trhereilllwl'e I'I'ea-
ried tltee? test
r.', against me.
But the wonls scem more naturally to mean, I u'as to them,
in their si
ht, I was regarded by them. as the,'1 that lift up the
yoke 011 their.imcs, i. e. find mise the yul.:e, (not heing already
UpOIl them) to place it uz'er tlleir.ifllcs, "For plainly the yoke
ne,-er rc
ts on the jaws, but only passed over them, either
when put on the Ilerk, or taken oft:" This, God seemed to
them to he doing, f"-er plaeillg some lIew yoke or constraint
upon them. And I, God ad(k all the while 1l'as placing meat
hi/ore them; 1. e. while God was taking all nwnner of ("are
of them, and l)ro\"Ídin
for them all tMugs ri('M,1J to ely'U.If,
He was regarded by them as one who, instead of la.'ling food
hefore them, was liftiuK the .'i/oke Ol'er their .imcs. God did
them all good, and they thought it all hardship.
_ 3. S. .Tohn xii. 32. 1 I}tlli
20. s:

.

6 Lev. xx\Î. 13.

5. Ele slwll uot retU1"1l to Egypt. Some had pruhahly
rctnmed already to E
ypt; the rest were looking- to Egypt for
help, and rebellin/!,' against the Ass)Tian, (" hose servant their
king- Hoshea had bceome,) alllimaking alliance with So kin

of Egypt. The Prophet tclls them, as a whole, that thcy
hall
not return to Egypt to whieh they looked, hut should haH
the .hs\Tian fur their king-, whom they would not. Thelf l'e-
fused ,,; retum to God. "'110 10\"ÍII,:.:-ly' called them; thcrèfore,
what they dc
ired, thcy should not have; and what tht'Y feared,
that the\"
hollM IHwe. They would not ha\'e God for their
king; th'ercture the AS''i.,llriau' shouhl be their king, and a worse
eal'ti,'ity than that of Egypt should befall them. :For, from
tlwt they were dclh-ered; from this, now hanging o\"er them,
nc,-er should the,' be re.40red.
Ö. Ami tlte ;U'ord sl/lll/ abide on his cities, lit. sllllll ligM,
Sl/(l/l lellh.1 down upon. It shall come with \"ÍolenC'e upon
them as a thing whirled with foree, anrl then it shall alip;ht
and abide, to their destrurtion: as Jeremiah
a)-s R, a 1l'ltirl-
1l'ind (
r the Lord is gone forth in fury, (l grievolls ll'/tirltcind;
it shall fall griel'Ulls(1J nit. u'hirl dO/l"II] 011 the Ilcmi of tlte
1l'Ícked.
\s God said to D,u-id, after the murder nfrriah 9 , l\'UIV
therefore the SII'01'd ,çlwllllel'C1" depart from thy house, so as to
Israel, whose king-s were inau
uratcd by bloodshed. By God's
appointment, "blood will han' blood." Their own !<word fir
t
eame down and rested upon thcm ; then the sword of the .\s-
!'
rian. So aftcr they Iwd killcd file Holy ()ne allli tlte Jllst,
the sword of th(; Zealots eame down aud rested ulJon them,
hefore the d(,!'truetion bv the Romans.
and slwll consume /I'is h1"lluclws, i. e. his mighh' men. It
is all onc, whether the mi
hty men are so ealled: by'metaphor,
from the hraucltes of a tree, or from the hars of a eity, madc
out of those branrhes. Their mighty men, so far from escap-
ing for their might, should be the first to l)erish.
allli del'/Jllr them, because of their U1I'II rOllJ1sels. Their
('OlUlseh" wise after this world's wisdom, were without God,
against the rounsels of (;od. Their de!'truction then should
emne from their own wisdom, a!' it is said 10, Let tlte1ll fall hy
their ou'u cuuusels, and .Job
aith ll, lIe taketh tlte ll'ise iJ1 tlteir
011'11 craftiuess,flIul tlte couusel of the cll/wingis carried Ill'adloug,
i. e. it is the rlean eontrary of what they intend or plan; they
lJUrpo
e, as they think, warily; an unseen power whirl" thcir
!'t'heme on and preeipitates it. Ami his 011'11 cowl
('1 shall ca.
t
him dOll"l1 12 ; and aboH 13: Israel shall be ashamed thruugh !tis
Oll'U coullsels. Hoshea's eon
piraey with So, whir'h was to ha'"c
beeu his support ag-ail1
t Assyria, brought .hsJria against him,
and his people into eal)th-ity.
ï. .Aud .11.'/ people are hellt to backsliding from .lIe, lit. are
Itung to it! as we say, "a man's whole beinl!,' hangs on a thing."
A thing lowg to or Ull another, s,,-ays to ami fro within cer-
tain limit!', but its relation to that on whieh it is hung, re-
mains immo,-eable. Its power of motion is restrained within
tho!'e limits. So Israel, so the sinner, however he ,-eer to and
fro in the details and drrumstanees of his sin, i!' fixed and
immoveable in his adherence to his !'in itself. 'Yhatenr else

v 2 Sam. xii. 10.

i Mic. vi. 3.
10 P.. v.10.

!3 x.G.

8 Jer. xxiii. 19.
n v.13. I: lb. xviii. t.

CIL\IJTER XI.

C HBj{oíes T to the most Hi
h, t none at all would e:x- I
eir. í-W. nIt Itim.
t t
:rbi
::e- HOllow sllall I gin> tlWl' up, Ephraim?
o J:

tf/í
ot. !ww
hall I delin
r thee Israel? IIow shall
p
:n\
. B. I make thee as p Admah? /ww shall r
et

;:;.

.2fi th('(' as Zehoim? 'Imine heart is turned with-
Amos.l.11. q Deut. 32. 3G. Isai. 63. 15. Jer. 31. 20.

j:J

in me, my r(,pf'nting-s arc kindled to
pth('r. c
íN\ T
!) [ will not ex('('ute the fit'ret'IH'ss of ..ir. HO.
mine anger, I will not r('turn to de
tror
I
phrailll : r for I mu God, and not man; r
r
f.
8,I;.'
the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I
}al. 3. 6.
will not cntpr into the city.

Israt'l tlid, on one thin
his whole bcinA", as a nation, tlependcd,
on hf/('k.
/idiltg or aHr
ion 1 fr
lln (,otl. The politiea! exi
-
ten('t' of Israel, a
a separate km
dom, dep('nd.ed on Ins wor-

hip of the ('ah-e!oÒ, the sill wherewith Jcroboam made L
/"([el to
sill. Thi!' wa!' the ground of their 2 refusiltg to retltrll, that,
throug-h hahitual sin, they were no longer in their own power;
thev wcre fixetl in evil.
. thuugh tl/('y called them to tI,e most Hig!t, lit. called ltim.
As one man. the prophet
('ailed I
rael, a
one man, I
rael rt'-
fn
ed to return; 1I0lle at all wuuld e
t"(tlt Him, lit. togetJter he
e:ntlteth Uim Itot.
80 Iloll' ,çlwllI gil'e thee up, Ephraim? "3 God is infi-
nitely ju
t and infinitely mereiful. The two attrihutes are !'o
united in Him. yea,
o one in Him "110 is always One, and in
',rho!'e cOlm
cI
tl,ere is no varinbleness, nOI" sluulml' of tUrll-
in!:, that the one doth not e"er tlnnlrt the pro('eeding- of the
other. Yet, in ordcr to !'hew that our ills are from our own
iII-dc
ert
, not from any pleasure of lIi
in infli('ting- ill, and
that what mercy He shewetll, j., from His own goodnes
, not
from any in U
, God i.. represented in this empas
ioned ex-
pres!<ion a!oÒ in duubt, and (so to say) dividc(l betwixt justice

Uld merey, the one pleading a
ain
t the other. .\t the la!<t,
God
o determine
, that buth
hould have their share in the
i

ue. and that l!oÒracl should be both justly punished and mer-
eifully !'pared and reli('Yed."
God pwnounees on the nil de
erts of I
racl, e'"en while He
mitig-ates His sentence. The del,th of the sinner'
guilt re-
fle('t!< the more yh'idly the dcpth of God'!< mercy. In sayinA",
hou' s!tall I //lake tllee ll.Ç Adl//aft t bow shall [set thee as Ze-
boim? lIe say!', in fact, that they were, fur their sin!', wor-
thy to be utterly de
troyed. with no traee, no memorial,
an
that eternal de!'olation like the fin cities of the plain. of which
were Sodom and Gmnorrah. whieh God
I/([th setfurthlor cm
example, suffering the l'engeance of eternalßre. Such was their
de!'ert. But {,m! says, with ine
pressible tenderne!'
, Jline
heart is turned ll'itMIl JII'. H.t. UpOIl
JJI or agailtst
1I('. so as to
be a burden to Him; as we say of the heart, that it i
.. hea-
yy." God deil!"neth to
peak a!' if His JO\-e was heavy, or a
weig-ht upon Him, while lIe thought of the punishment whieh
their
in
deserved.

1I.'I !teart is fumed. "5 As soon as I had spoken e,-iJ a/rainst
thee. mercy pre,-ailed, tenderne
!oÒ touehed )Ie; the tenderne
s
of the Father O\'ercame the austerItv of the JudA"e."
my repentings are kindled togetÙr, or J[.'1 st;'ong cUlllpns-
siom. 6 are kindled, i. e. with the heat and Irlow of lo,-e' a
the
di
eiples !'ay i, Did not ow' hearts IJllm 'u'itlân liS? a:HI as it
is said of Joseph, !lis bUll'el.
did yew'u 8 (lit. 1l'ere !tot) tuwards
!tis bJ'other ; and ofthe true mother before Solomon, her bou'els
yearned 9 (E.)1. Il'ere !tot) UpOIl her SOil.
Adma!t and Zehoilllwere cities in the same plain with Sodom
and G(
morrah. and. eaeh had their petty kin
10. In the his-
tory of the de:;tructIon of Sodom and {,omorrah, they arc
1 The
a""ins
bserve that :-
.=-: is used in an e\"il sense of lll'ersion from God, :-
.-:::'>
of con\ erSlOn to HIm. .' \er: 5.. 3 }'oc. 4 S. Jude ï. 0 Rup.
G The "ord --:.-:: IS an mtens1\'e. 7 S. Lul-.e xxi\". 32.

not named, but arc inchuled in the A"eneral title tllO,çe citÍl's ami
([II thc' plain 11. The more then would. I1o
('a',.; h('arer
think of
that place in )Ios('s wl)('rc he doe
mention them, and where he
thl'catens them with the Jike end 12: when the stranger shall
see, that the u,lwle lewd t!tern!f is hrim,
t(Jne and salt and hunl-
ing, that it is not SOWJI, U(Jr bc'aretl" uor au." !:ra,
,ç grOll'eth
therein, like the oz'erthr()/l' (!f .."'(n/um (Iud (<omorrah, AlIumh ami
Zehoim, wltich the Lord (Jl'CI"threw ill Ilis anger al/(l Elis wrath.
Such wa
the elul, at whieh all their
in!oÒ aimed; !'ul'h the
end, which God had held out to thcm; but His strong COIII-
passions were kindled.
9. 1 will uot e:remte the fiercene,çs of J[ine aJ//!er. It is thl'
,-oiee of lIIerc"lf, rc;joiciJ/{: oi'er .iudgm;Jlt. )1 er
'y prC\"ail
in
God o,"er the rig-our of Hi
ju
tice, that, though He will not
suffcr them to go utterly nnlJlIllí,.;hed, yet lIe will ahatc of it,
and not utterly eon
ume thcm.
Ill'illuoi ref/(rn to de,
tro.', Epltraim. God saith that Ill'
will not, a!' it were, glean Ephraim, g-oing- over it ag-ain, <IS man
doth, in order to lea,"e nothinA" owr. A!oÒ it is in Jeremiah 13,
TIIl.1f sI/(dl tlwro/lgM.1J glean the remnant of Israel, (l,ç a riue.
TJ/rn hack fMue IUlJId, as a {:rapegatlterer into t!te baskets; and,
If grapegatlwrers come to thee, ll'ould they Ilot leave sOllie glean-
ing-grapes ? hilt 1 hlll'e made Esau bare u.
lur 1 am God and not /J/an. " 15 not swayed by human pa!>-
!'ions, but !oÒO tempering' Hi!oÒ wrath, a
, in thc mid
t of it, to
rl'memher merey ;
o punishing the inÍlluity of the sinful ehil-
drell, as at onc(' to make good His A"racÏnus promi!oÒe
whieh
He made to their forefather!'." " 16 )Ian pUlli",he
, to de
tro
' ;
(iod !-'mite
. to amend."
the HO
1f Dne in the midst of thee. The holine
s of God is
at onee a
round why He puni
hes ini(luity. and yet does not
punish to the full extent ofthe !<in. Truth and faithfulne:-s are
part uf the holine

IIf God. He, the Holy One 'Yho wa
iJ/ the
midst of them, by virtue of Hi
('O\'enant with their father
,
would keep the eowllant whieh He had made, and for their
father,.;' !'ake!oÒ would nut wholly cut them otf. Yet the holi-
Jle!'s IIf God hath another a!oÒpe
t too. in yirtue of" hieh the
unholy eallnot profit by the promi
e
of the AU-lIuly. .. I
willllot," paraphrases S. Cyril, .. u
e unmin
led wrath. I "ill
not gÏl'e m'er I
phraim,,, ieked as he has becpme, to entire
destruction. "'hy: Do they not de
en'e it? Y e
, He saith.
but 1 am God aJUi not III all, . i. e. Good, and not sufli'ring the
motion
IIf an
er to overcome l\Ie. For that is a human pas-
!-'ion, "11)" then du
t Thou yet puni
h. !'eeing Thou art (;od,
not on
reume with anger, but rather followin
Thine es
ential
g"entlene
!oÒ? [punj
h. He saith, hc('au
e I alii not only (;(If)(1. a

God. but Holy al!oÒo, hating inifluity.rejeetingthe polluted, turn-
ing" away from God-haters, cOln'ertin
the !'inner, purifyin

the impure. that he may a
ain be joined to )Ie. \Ye, thcll, if
we prize the beinA" with (iud, Ulust. with all our might. t1y frum

in, and remember what lIe !'aid, Be .lIe hO(II, .for I am holy."
and Ill'illuot euter the cit.lJ. (;od. "'ho is e,-erywhere,
s Gen. xliii. 30. 9 } Kings iii. 26. The word is the same in all three places, '-':=:::.
10 Gen. xiv. 2. II lb. xix. 25. 12 Dellt, x..."ix.
:!, 3. \3 \i.!I.
i' lb. xlix. 9,lU. \0 Poe. I" S. Jer.

7-1

Before
CHRIST
cir. í -10.
a Isai. 81.-1.
Joel 3. 16.
Amos 1. 2.
t Zech. 8. ï.

10 They shall walk after the LORD: 8 he
shall ruar like a. liun : when he shall
ruar then the children slmll tremhle t from
the Wl'st.
11 They shall tremble as a hird out uf

HOSEA,

Egypt, u and as a dove out of the land of C lí!oÍ
T
Assyria: x and I will place them in their

. ï-lC.
lwuses, saith tl}{' LORD. U
h.i7

i
'
12 Y Ephraim eumpasseth me ahout with'
5
e;6.2f"
lies, anù the huuse of Israel with de('cit: 'T :
: i
: i
'

speaks of nim
clt
as Pl'esent to ItS, wht'n He
hew
that pre-
seJH'e in .u't
of jlld
ment or of merl'Y. He yisitcd Hi!; pcople
in Egypt, to delh"cr them; He visitl'd
odom and (;ollwrrha
as a Judge, making known to us that He took {'o
nizanee of
thcir extrenH' wi{'kcdncs
. God says, that He would 1Iot ellter
the ci
I!. as lIe did thc cities of tl,c jJ la ill, wlwlI He ovcrthrew
them, beeau
(' He willed to S,l\"e them. .\s a Judge, He aet!<
as thoul.:"h lIe looked. awav from their sin, le!<t, seein
their
ríty to ';e full ofwÍl'kerlnes
, He should be eompelled to llUnish
it. "1 I will not smite indiscriminateh-, as man dot h, who, when
wroth, hursts into an oft"ending city:and destroys all. In this
senst', the .c\p"stle says 2, Hatl, God Cllst {[It'a.'! .llis people?
God forbid! For I also am WI bJ"llelitc, '
f the sceel of
1b)"(l-
h"lII, ()f the tribe of Bny'allliJl. God Iwtl, llot C(l,
t (lll'a.'1 .lIis
people, "/('Iwm He foreknew. T17wt saith the WIMI'el' of God to
Elia,ç,? I hm'e re.çu1'ed to .1Iyse{fsel'eJl tlwu.mmllllen, who Illil'e
llot hml'ed tlte knee to Ba"l. EI'('Jl so tlten, at tltis present time
also, t/lere i.ç ([ remnant according to tlte election of grace.
(;od then was wroth, not n ith IIi
people, but with unbelief.
For He was not angered in such wise, as not to reecin
tht'
remnant of Hi
people, if they were eonverted. 1'\0 Je'" is
then'fon' rf'pelled,lwcause the Jewish nation dcnied Christ;
hut wlw!òo, whether .Jew or Gentile, denieth Chri
t, he him-

elt
in hi
own pel'
on, rt'pe1
himself."
W. Tltey sltallwalk ({fter tlte Lord. Not only would God
not de
troy them all, hut a remnant of them shoulrl walk ({fter
tile Lord, i. e. they
hall bclie,-e in Christ. The Jews of old
ulI(ler
tood this of' Chri
t. One of them i'aith 3, "this point-
eth to the time of their redemption." .\nd another 4, " .-\1-
tlwug-h I will withdraw from the mid
t of them .My Divine
Presence for their iniquity, and remove them out of their own
land. yet !'hall there Ije a lon
time in whieh they
han seek
after the Lonl and find Him." This i
what Ho
ea has said
hefore 5, that they shouhl abide 11WII.1J da!!s witlwllf a king and
'il'itluJIlt a prince, ami wit/lOut (l sa('rffi,'e ;-({fterw(lI"d shall the
dlildreJl of Israelrctl(rn and seck tlte Lord tlteir Gml, and Ða-
t'id tlICi)" Idug. "6"'''ert'<J!ò non- theyjledfrom God. and u'lIlk-
ed ({ftcI' otlter gods, ({tic/" tltc imaginatioll of tlteir el,il Ilearts,
({(tcr tlteir own det'i,'es 7, then, He promi!;(>
, they shan u'alk
({fter God t/,C Lord, following the will, the mind, the ('ommand-
ments, the example of .Ahnip:hty God. As (;od
ays of Da-
,-id, He l..-cpt JI..'! cmnlll(wdments, uwiwulked ({fter .lIe witlt all
IlÏs Itearl 8; and )Iicah fordels that 11/([1(.1/ uati'lIls shull .
u.ll,
u'e u'ill walll in I-Jis patlts 9 ." They!'hall follow (if tel' Him,
'Yho
(' Infinite perfet'tions none can reaeh; )-et they shallfiJI-
loll' after, nevcr !<tandillg stilJ, but reaehinA" 011 to that whieh
is unattainable: by lIi
!--'Tace, attaining- the more by imitat-
ing what is inimitable, amI stopl'in
'
hOl.t o1"no perfection, un-
til, i" His Presen{'c, they be pCl'feded in Him.
He ,
ltall roar lilæ ([ lion. Chri!òt is ealled tIle Lion of tlte
tribe ({f JudalI IO . His roaring is His loud {'all to repentanee,
hy Himself and by His Apostles. The, oice of God to sin-
Jler
, alth01;
h ti.11I oflove, must he full of awe too, He calls
them, not only to flee to His merey, but tojiee from the lI'rath

1 Rup. 2 Rom. xi. 1, 2,4,5. 3 TanchlllP, in Poe. 4 Kimehi. 5 Hos, iii. 4,5.
6 Poe. 'i Hos. ,ii. 13. Jer. vii. 9. iii. Ii. x,iii. 12.

to i'OIl1e. He shall ean to them with a \'oicc of .\Iajesty and
eommand.
ll'l,en he slwll roar, t/IC cltildrcll shall tremble from the
Trest, i. e, they shall come in hai'ite and fear to {Ìod. .. 11 His
word is jJOll'eJ:flll, sl,w1Jer tlulll (01.1/ tll'o-edged sword, piercillg
eun to the dividing (wmder of soltl and ,
pirit, ami of iltejoillts
and 1)wrrow. "'!tenee those whose hearts were pricked at
the preaehing of St. Peter, said to him with tremhlillg- I2 , _JIeu
anrl brethrenll,l"" shallll'(' do?
o did thc prearhing of jud
-
ment to eome terrify the world, that from alll'laees some did
1'00IIe out of the eapth"ity of the world and did fly to Christ 13."
He says, from t/u' ,rest; for frolll tile Jre,çt ha,'c mo
t I'ome in
to the (Ìo!oòpel. Yet the Jews were then about to Iw earried
to the Ea
t, not to the ". c
t ; and of tJIC ". cst the I,rol,hets
had no human knowledge. nut the ten tribes, although ear-
ried to the East into .\
snia. did not all rcmain then'.
ince,
hefore thc final dispersion: we find Jcws in It.aly, Greece, .\sia
)linor; whither those who had been re
tored to tlH'ir own land,
would ilOt have ant'W e
iled themselves. In tlw;;e, whenen
r
they werc rom-erted. this prophecy wa
fulfilled.
II. The.,! slw/! tremhle as (t hird Ollt of Eg,I!pt. The 'Yest
(lenoted Europe; E
ypt and .As
yria stand, eaeh for all the
lands beyond them, and so for Africa and Ai'iia; all tOA"ethcr
I'oml'rise the tlll'ee quarters ofthe world, whenee l'onverts hm'c
d1Ïefly I'ome to Christ. These arc likened to birds, ehieBv for
the s\\-iftncss with whieh thevshall then haste to the call or GOlI,
who now turncll away the'more, the more they werc railed.
The dO\-e, esp('('ially, was a hinl of Palestinc, proverhial for
thc swiftne
s of its flight, easily affri
hted, and flying the nwre
rapidly, the more it was frightened, and returning to it
eot
from auy distance whither it lIli
ht be rarried; whenee I
.1Ïah
also says of the couverts H. l1?w are these tlwf.fi.I! as a cloud,
ami as the rlol'es to tlteir lI'indml's ? "The Hehrt'ws," says S. J e-
rome, "rcti:-r this to the eoming of the Christ, "'ho, thf'Y hope.
will rome; we shew that it hath taken plaee already. .1"01'
hoth from E
ypt aud .\ssyria, i. e. thlln East aud "Te
t. from
Korth aud South, han
they rome, and daily do they come,
who sit down with Abraham. Isaac and Jaeoh."
([Jut I ll'ill plar'e them in tlteir honses. Tlleir IIOI(S('.Ç may
be their own particular Churches, in the onc Church or lI(Jf(se
of GOlI15. In this honse. (;od
avs that He will make them to
(iwell, not again to Iw remo\"Cll thlln it, uor !'hakcu in it, hut
in a secure dwelling--place here, until they be fitted to he re-
moved to c\-erlastiug hahitatiom,. ., 16 In tlwÏ/' IlOuse,ç, i. e. in
the mansions prepared for them. For from the beginniug of
the world, wheu He ereated our first parent
, and blessed them,
and said, Increase ami multiply (lmi replcnish the mrfh, lIe
prepared for thclll e,-erlastillg' Itollses or mansions. \\Thereof
He said, just hefore His Death, In J/.'1 Fat!ler's hOllse are many
mansions, and ill the Ia!oòt Day He will say, Come, .,!e Messed oj
I
1I..'1 FatItCl', inlterit tlte I.-ingdmn prepared for YOIl from tlte
fOllndation of the world.
12. Epltraim compassctlt ..lIe ahout with lies. Haying
spokcn of fut ure repeutance, eon version, restoration, he turns
I
i S I King

x

:" 9 i
... t.)-ot.

Rev. vis '\ Tim, li
i.

' iv. 12'16 RU
. Acts ii. 37.

CH4\PTER XII.

,3

C I?í[oíes T hut .Judah r et ruleth with God, and is
cir í-lO. faithful /I with the saints.
II Or.
with tile cIL\PTER XII.
O1IOSt
.

I A reproof of Epllraim, Judah, and .Taroh. 3 By
furma fm'f)/tI.s lie f'.:dlOJ"tetlt to repental/ce. ï
Þ;phraim's sills prol'okc God.

E PHRADJ a feedeth on wind, and fol- C HBiNsT

lowt'th after the east winù: he daily cir. í25.
increasdh lies and desolation; b and the;':
hK

; 7.4.
do make a covenant with the Assyrians,
h7
i:
'
and c oil is ('arried into Eg-ypt. e r'
7.
.6.
2 d The LOR)) hath alsu a ('ontrovcrsy d }
ic
l2.

ba('k tn tho!-e around him, and del'lare
why they can 11<1\-c no holiness. The hOf(1/ without the soul is dead; yet the lifc, even

hare in that re
toratif)n. X()thin
ahout them wa
true. If when
eemin
to be dyin
nut. IIlig-ht he hrought haek, whell
cvcr they apprnaehedGml, it was If'iÌlllies. ..1 God, being- infinite, the hody wa
therc ; not, when it too wa
di

oIn
d. Hence
caunot rcally be coli/passed ahout." The Prophet so :-;I'eak
, Judah liad many
ood kill!-:,S, Israel none. Y ct. ill that he
to de!"('rihe the .. gnat multitude of those who thus lied to says, yet ruletll wilh God, he shews that a time wa
coming-
(
od. aUlI the multitude and manifoldne

oftlwir lies. "Yhere- when Judah too would be, not with God hut against Him,
vcr Gotl looked, in all parts of their king-dom, in all their and it too would be (
a!'t oft:
doing-!", all whieh He could see was lying- to Him
elf." .\11 XII. 1. Ephraim fen/elll fJJl ?l'iml, and followetlt after the
wa
, as it were, one throng- of lies, heaped on one another,jo
t- east 1l'iml. The La,;t wind in Palc!'tine, ('oming' from Arabia
]in
with one another.
ueh is the world now. "Their sin and the far I:ast, m-er Im';e tract
of sandy waste, is par('h-
"a
e
l'eeially a lie, be('ausc they sinned, not throu
h ig-no- ing, !'c'or('hing-, de
truc,th'e to ng-ctation, oppre
!"h"e to man,
rance. but thrnut.:"h maliee." Their ehief lie was the !'etting- violent and dc!'tnH'tive on the !'ea ., and, by land also, hadng
up of thc wor!'hip of the eah-es, with a worlelly ('nci, yet with the force of the whirlwind. "6 TI,e East 1ci,ul l:arrieth him
]wetelH'e of reli
ion towal'cis God; denyjn
' Him, the One true 1 1il/'fl.1/ and lie departeth, llmla.ç a Il'Mrhl'Ïnd Imr/eth him out
God, in that they joined idols with Him. ) ct profes..ing to of his place. {n leavin
God and t"ollowin;.:: idols, Lphraim
Sen.e Him. And so all rheir wO\'ship of (;od, their repen- fed Oil what is un..ati..fying-, and chased after what i
dcstruc-
tam'e. their prayers. their sa,'rifiees. wcrc all une lie. For one th-e. If a hungry man were to feed Oil 1('iltfl, it woul{\ be light
lie undprlay all. penetrated all, cornlpted all. All half-belief food. Jf a m<,n ('ould o\"Cl.take the Ea
t wind, it were hi!'
is unhelief; all half-rcpentRnc'e is unrepentance, all half-wor- destnl{:tion. J!-raclhlfetl ollll'iud, when he soug-ht by g-ifts to
"'hip is unworship; and, in that eaeh and an gin thelU!'eh-es win olle who conM aid him 110 more than the wind; he clws-
out for that Di\'Ïlle whole, whercoftlwy are but the counterfeit, ed il,e East 1(.iJUI: when, in plaee of the gain whic'h he song-ht,
each and all are lies, whe,'cwith men, 1111 all sides, encompa!'s he reeeived from the patron whom he had adopted. no slig-ht
God. Prom these wrong- thoug-his of God all their other de- loss." Isracl son
ht for the seorehin
' wind, when it could be-
ceit fiowt'd, while yet" they de(:eind, not Him but themselve
, take itself under the shadow of God. "íThe seol"('hin
wind is
in that they thought that they l'ould deeein Him, \\'110 can- the burning of calamities, and the {,ol1
uming fire of affliction."
not ht' deecived." 'rhell ('hri
t ('ame, the house of Israel he increaseth lies, and desulation. Cnrepented sin
and
8urro'lndcd Him with lies, the scribes aJl(llawJers, the Pha- their puni
hment are, in God's gm"ernment.linked together;
riseesánd Sadducees and Hcrodians. vying' with one anothei', so that to multiply sin is, in fact, to multiply desolation. Sin
how tlll'.'1 might elltang/e 11im ill His talk J. and punishment arc bound together. as cause and effect. .:\1 an
hilt Jlldllh yet ruleth u'Îth God. Ephraim had cast off the overlooks what he docs not !'ee. Yet not the le,.s does he
rulc of God, the kings and priests whom He had appointed, 8trellsure 7/p u'rath against tile Day of untt It ami re'l'e/atioll of
80 that hi
whole kingdom and polity wa
" ithollt God and tlte rig!lteolls JudKlIIel/t of God. "1 Lyiug will signify false
ag-ainst Him. In contra
t with thi!<, Judah, amid all his spealdn
, false dcaling-, fal!ò'e bclief, false opinions, fal,..e wor-
sins, was olltwardly faithful. He adhered to the line ofkint.:"
.
hip, fal
e pI'etenc'e!ò' for color thereot
fal
e hopes, or relying
from whom was to spring- the Christ, Dadd's Son hut Da- on thing
that will deeeiH
. In all the
t' kimI!' was Ephraim
vid's Lord. He worshipped with the priests whom God had ap- at that time
"ui\l y, addin
one sort of l)-in
' to another."
pointed to offer the typical saerifices, until11e should come, the Tilt 1/ do liIake a CfJ/'ellltlll with the A
;sIlrial/s ailli oil is
High Priest for erer, after tlte m'der of JIe/clfisedek, 'Yho
hould carried iI/to Eg.'lpt. Oil was a chief prod{,ct of Pale<;;tille,
end tho
c sael'ific'es b," the Sacrifice of Himself. Thus far whenl'e it is ('alled 9 a land of oil olil'e; ancl oil with hahll was
Judah ruled u'ith God; hc was on the side of God, maintained alllOn!{ its ehief exports to 'fyre 10 . It may also include precious
the wo
hip of (
od, was upheld by God. So Abijah said to ointments, of whieh it was the basis. As an export of great
Jeroboam s, TI,e L01"l/ is ol/r God, mul u'e Illlz'e uot forsakell ,"alue, it stands for all other pre
ents. whieh Hoshea sent to
Him. and the priests u./lich mil/ister unto tile Lord are the sons So, kin
of Egypt. Ephraim, threatened by God, looked first
of Aarol1, al1d t!le LCl'ites tl'ai! Up Oil their husiness. For 1('e to the Assyrian, then to Egypt, to strenp:hen itself. Ha,'ing
keep tlie charge of t!le Lortl our God, hut lIe hCll'e forsakCll dealt fal
ely with Gild, he dealt fal!'ely with man. Fir,.t, he
Him, aud hehold God is with liS for uur CaptfIill,
.C. /made covenant 1l'Ïth Shahl1ane
er, king of A.ç.ç./lria; then, find-
al/d is faithful t('itll the sail1ts; or [better perhaps, with ing- the tribute, the Pl'ice of hi!. help, burden!"ome to him, he
the E. M.] tl'itll t
e AI/-Ho/p. The same plural is u
ed of God I broke that eO\"l'nant, by sending to Egypt. Seeking- to make
elsewhere 4; and Its use, like that ofthe ordinal'\" name of God tHcnds out of God, Ephraim made the more powerful, the Assy-
is founded on the my
ter\" of the Trinih". It does not teacl; nan, the more his enemy, by !'eeking the friendship of Egypt;
it, hut neither can it be ae(.oullted for in 'any other way. This I and God e-xecuted His judpllents through those, by who
e
faithfulness of Judah was outward only, (as the nphråiding of help they had hoped to eSl'ape them.
the Prophet to Judah testifie;;,) yet did it much favor inward I 2. The Lord hath a/so a controversy with Judah, alldwi/l
I Poc.. 2 S. }fatt. xxii. 15. 3 2 Chron. xiii. 10-12. I P
. xlviii. 7. e Job xxvii. 21. See Jer. xviii. Ii.
4 :.
._;- Jo.h. xx1v.19. and in Provo xxx. 3. where our translators too re.:deric the ho[y. 7 S. Cyr. S Rom. ii. 5. 9 Deut. viii. 8. 10 EJ:ek. xxvii. Ii. See ab. Ü. S.

7G

C lFí[oí e s T with Judah, amI will t punish .J acob
eir. 7
5. aeeordin
to his ways ; aeeordin
to his
t
s

'upo... doing-s will he recompense him.
· Gen. 25.26. 3 tfI He took his brother e by
the heel in the womb, and by his

]Juni.
h .Jacob. The g-uilt of J udah wa
not open apo
ta
y,
nilI' had he filled up the mca
ure of hi!o' sins. Of him, then,
God
aith only, that He Iwd a cOlltrol'ers.'1 with him, a!o' our
Lord
ay
to the .-lngel of the CliurcJl of Pergalllos \ 1 Iwl'e a
ft'll' things against thee. lll'pellt, or el.
e Ill'ill come Ullto thee
qnickl.lI, and .fig'" against tllee ll'Ìth the sll'()rd of JI..'IlI/ollth.
Of Ephraim, whose sin was complete, He says, that tilt' Lord
is to punish. God had
et lIb mind, as we !o'ay, on punish-
ing him: He had (
o to
peak) sct JIim
elf to do it 2. .1aeob.
like I!o'rael, is her(' the name for the ehief part of I
racl, i. e. the
tcn triLes. Our Lord u!o'e!o' the sanl(' g-radation in speaking- of
difl'l'rent deg-rees of e,-il-!<l)('aking- 3; "rlwsoel'er of .'lOll is ([ngry
lcitlwut a ('(lu.
e, shall be in danga of the.iudgment ; ami /l'ho-
SOel'('J" shall sa.,! to his brother, Jl(l('a, shall be in dllnger (!f the
council; but /l'llOsoel'er slwll .l'll.'I, ThOll fool, slwll be in danger
'!f hd/.:fìre. "4 The justiee of God falls more sC\"ercly on tlwse
who dCt!('neratt' from a holy parent, than on thosl' who haye no
inC'itelllcnt to
ood from the piety oftheir home." To amplify I
thi,.:, "51'h(' Prophet explains what good thin

.lacoh re('eÍ\'ed, I
to !o'hl'''- both the mere'y of God to J aC'oh. amI the hardne
!o' of :
Ephraim toward" God: "'hill' Jat'ob 'n
s p.t in his mother's
wOlllh, he took his hrother by the heel, not hy any strength of I
llÏs own, but by the mere'y of God, \"\110 knows and loves those
whom Hc hath predestinatcd."
3. Ill' took his brotlier b.,! tlie lieI'I ill tlte u'omb. \Yhl'ther
or no the act of Jaeob was beyond the stren
th, ordinarily
gÍ\"en to infants in the womb, the meanin
of the aet was be-
\'lJIul man's wi!o'dom to deelare. "lleIH'e the Jews para-
phrascd, "6 "'as it not predict cd of your fatlwr Jacoh, before
he wa
born, that he should bee01ue greater than his brother?"
Yet this was not fulfilled until more than 500 wars after-
wards, nor completely until the time of Dayid. 'The!'e g-ifts
were promi!'ed to Jacob out of the free men'y uf (;od. anteee-
dl'nt to aU deserts. But Jaeob, thus ehosen without de!'ert,
shewe(l forth the power offaith; B.l/ !tis strength Ite Itad pOll'er ,
witll (;0,[. "7 The
tren
th by whit'h he did thb, wa!' God's
stren
th, as well as that by whieh God contended with him;
yet it is well called !tis, as heing- hy God g-h-en to him. \ et
he 1/([(1 power l('ith God, (;od so ordering- it, that the streng-th '
whidl was in Jacob, !ohould put itself forth with g-rl'ater force,
than that in the a!'sumed body, whl'reby He !'o dealt with Ja-
eoh. God, as it were, bore the offi.ee of two person
, shewing
in Jacllh more
treng-th than Hc put forth in the Ang-el."
" By virhl{' of that faith in J aeob, it is related that God could
not pre,-ail ag-ainst him. He eould not, because He would
not m-erthrow his faith and eon
tanev. Ih the touch in the
hollow of his thigh, He but added stréng-th to his faith, shew-
in
him Who it was \rho wre
tIed with him, and that lIe
willl'd to bless him," Fol' thereon Jacob said those word!<
whieh haw beeome a proverb of earnest
upplieation 8, llt'Íll
not let Tltee KO, e.l'cept ThOll bless me, amI, I Itm'e seen God,face
to f([('e, ami 111.'1 life is preserl'Cd. "9 He was strengthened by
the hIes!'ing of Him "-hom he overcamc."
4. He u'ept and made .mpplicatiolt unto Him. Jacob's
J Rev. ii. I
, 16. 2 The Coree of :.. 3 S. :\Iatt. v. 22. · Osor.
5 S. Jer. 6 Jon. 7 Poe. s Gen. x""xii. 26, 30.

S. Jer. 10 lmplorarc est flecu rogare. lmploro is fonned from ploro,

HOSE.\,

stren
th he t C had power with God : C HDj[ofs T
-1 Yea, he had power m-er the angel, cÏr. 725.
and prt'ntilerl : he wept, ami mafle sup- t?!;

I
'::,r,
plieation unto him : he found him in g

:

e;j
ßeth-el, and there he "lJake with us; rb

3J:
4,&C.
If Gen. 28. 12, HI. 8.: 3.5. 9, lU, Iii.
,,'eeping- is not mentioned by
J ose
. Hn
ca then kncw more
than .Moses rclated. He could not haw gathcred it out of :\10-
ses; for .Moses relates the words of earncst supplieation; yet
the tone i!o' that of one, hy foree of earnest eIU'rg-y, wresting,
as it were. the hle
!o'ing from God, not of one wceping-. Y ct Ho-
sea adds thi
, in harmonv with )Io
e!.-'. For" ,"chement de-
sires and earne!o't pctitimi
frcfJuently issue in tears." "10'1'0
implore means to a!o'k with tl'ars." Jaeob, learning. that God
Ilim!o'elf thu!o' deigned to dl'al with him, might well out of
amazement and wonder, out of aweful respeet to Him, and in
earnest desire of a hle
sing, pour out his suppli,'ation with
tears." Herein he heeame an image of Him Irho, ill the
days of 11;s flesh, ottered up pl"ll.,!ers ami supplications, ll'ith
strong cr.,!ing and tears unto .lIim tlwt /l'as aúle to sare Him
from deatlt, and leas heard in that .lIe feared II.
"12 This which he saith, Ill' prel'ailed, subjoining, he l('ept and
made supplication, dl's('ribes the strength of penitent!'; for in
truth thcy are strong- hy weeping earnestly and praying per-

ewringly for the forg-iveness of sins. aceording to that, .From
the da.'ls of John the kingdom of Item'ell sl!ffëretll l'iolellce, and
tile l'ioleut take it !J.,! force. 'nlOsoc\"Cr so imitates the Pa-
triareh J aeob, who wrestled with the An
cl. and, a!< a conquer-
or, extorted a hle
sing" from him, he, of whate,-er nation he be,
is trul y J aeob, alld deserveth to be ealled Israel." .' 4 Y t'a, here-
in is the unconquerahle IIlight of the rig-hteous, this his "-011-
drous "Te!o'tling", hercin his glorious vietories, in g-lowing-Iong-
in
s, a
siduous prayers, joyous weeping-. (;irt with the might
of holy orison, they striH with God, they wre
tle with His
judgment, and will not be o\"Crcome, until they ohtaÍIf from
His g-oodness all they desire, and extort it, as it were, by foree,
from His hands."
He found him ill Bethel. This mav mean t'itllPr that" God
found Jåcob," or that" Jacoh found God;" which are illdeed
one and th(' same thing, sim'c we find God, when He has first
found us. Godfolllul, i. e. made Himself known to Jacub twice
in thi
place; fir!o't, when he was g"oing towards Haran, when he
saw the vision of the ladder and the angels of God as('ending
and dc
....ending-. und tile Lord stond abol'e it and said, 1 am tlte
Lord Gnd of AbralwlIl ami tlte God of Lmac ; and Jaeob first
called the pla('e Betl.el; secondly, on his retnrn, in this yi
ion
ofthe Angel who wrestled with him. Both revelations of God
tll Jacob are probably ineluded in the words, He found him ill
Betltel, sinee, on both o('easions, God didJiml !tim, and eome
to him, alld he found God. In Bethel, where God fouud
Jal'ob, Israel de
ertedHim,setting- up theworship of the l'al\"Cs;

-ea, he de!'crted God the more there, beeause of God's mercy
to his forefather, desecrating to false worship the plaee which
had been eonseerated by the re,'elation of the true God; and
choosing- it the rather, because it had been so consecrated.
aucl tit ere He spake ll'Ïth us. For what Hc said to Jacob,
Hc said not to Jacob only, nor for Jacoh's sake alone, hut. in
him, He spake to all his posterity, both tht' children of his hody
and the children of his faith. TllU!' it is said 13, TI,el'e did we
l"fjoice ill Him, i. e. we, their posterity, rejoiced in Go(l there,
which relation is retained in the French Implorer, pleurer, pleurs. So "e have cry (i. e.
"eep) and cry 0" him, [R. Glouc.] cry '11110.
II Heb v. 7. I
Rup. 13 Ps.lxvi. 6.

Before
CHRIST
cir. i25.

hosts the

CHAPTER XII.

his

h

5 Even

the

LORD

God

of

wheJ"C He
o delivered our forefather!', and I, LCl'i also, u'll0
receh'eth tithes, paid tithe.<ì ;n
-1braJl(llll, fur he IL'as .1Iet ill the
loills of /tis father, when ,Jlelr1â::.erlek met /tim. .\nd S. Paul
saith, that what was said to Abraham, therefore it u'as imputed
to /tim fur rigldeousltess, was 1Iot u'ritfen for his sake alone,
but for llS also, to ldwm it shall be impllted, if we heliel'e On
Him that raiserlu}J Jesus ow' Lord from tile dead 2 . There He
spake with us, how, in our n
ed
, w.e !'ho
lld !'
ek a.n
1 fin? Him.
In Joneline!'s, apart from (h!oòtnu'tlOns, 1II faith nSIIlg' III pro-
portion to our fears, in l)er!'everin
prayer, in earnestness,
which" eling-!' so fast to God, that if God would ('ast us into
11('11, lIt' sh
lIld, \as one !'aill) Himself g-o with u!', so should
Hell nut bc HeU to us," God i!oò soug-ht and found.
5. E"eIl the Lord God of Hosts, the Lord is His memorial.
The word, herc as elsewhere, translated and written LORD, is
the special ami, so to !'ay, the propcr Kame of God, that
-which lIe c-ave to Himself, and which deelares His Being.
God Hims
lf authoritatively explained its meaning. 'rhe-n
l\loiies enquirell of Him, what hc should say to l!oòrael, when
they should ask him, what is the
Yame of the God of tI,eir
father,,;, "'ho, he was to tell them, had sent him to them 3,
God said, I .L\I TH.\T I A
I; thus slmlt tholl say, I A
I
(EIIYell) hath sent me unto YOll; alld God said again Ullto
J1Ioses, Tlllts slwlt thou sa.1I llnto the children of Israel; The
LORD [lit. HE IS, YeHe'
eH \] the Godtl YOllr fathcrs, the
God (
f Abraham, the God,of Isaar, and the God of Jacob, hath
sent me llUto you; This is
1I.1I ..Yame for ever, and this ;s
lIy
memorial uuto all generations. I .\:\1, expresses Sdf-exis-
tenee; He 'Vho Alone IS. I A:\I THAT I .DI, expresses His
rnehang-eahlencss, the ne('essary attribute of the Selt:'existent,
"110, since He IS, ever IS all which He IS. "To fie," says
S. Aug-ustine 5 , "is a name ofunchang-eahleness. For all things
whi('h arc changed, cease to be what they were, and beg-in to
be, what they were not. True Being-, pure Being,
enuine
Being, no one hath, save He "110 ehangeth not. lIe hath
Being to "110m it is said, Tholl shalt chauge them ami the..',
shall he changed, hut Thuu art the Same. "lmt is, I A:\I TH.\T
I .\)1, but, I am Eternal? '''hat is, I .-\11 THAT I
nl,
a,-e,
I eannot be ('hanged?
o creature, no heaven, no earth, no
ang-el, nor Puu'er, 1101' Throne, nor Dominion, nor Principa-
lity. This tlU'n being' the name of eternity, it is
omewhat
more, that He vouchsafed to him a name of mercy, I am the God
of Abmham, the God of Lwac, the God of Jacoh. That, He is
in Himself; this, to us. If He willed onlv to be That whieh He
is in Himself, what should we he? Since )Io,;es understood,
when it was said to him, I AM TH.\T I _,nJ, HE 'nw IS hath
sent me unto you, he belie,-ed that this was mueh to men, he
saw that this was far removed from men. For whoso hath un-

I Heb. vii. 9,10. i Rom. iv. 23-11. 3 Ex. iii. 13-15.
4. :-:.::" " HE ISo" from an old verb :-:
" .. i.," which exists in CllIIldee and Syriac, and
wluch In Hebrew became,...-",as ,...-:-: "lives" ("hence tbe name of Eve ,...':-) became:-:-:-:.
The old
onn rem,!inetl. in poetic lanl(uage in the Impl'J'ati"e (Gen. xxvii. Y i9. Job xxxvii.
6. Is. XVI. 4.) and In the Participle, Eccl. ii. 22. Xeh. vi. 6. The root :-:
:-: must have been
almost out of use in the time of )1oses, since the word is explained in Exodus by the use
of the \erb. :-;-" not
y ".:-;- The vowels, by which the cOllsonants are to be pronounced,
must remain uncertain. It mIght be pronounced Yih"eh (like :--:--) or Yeherei. (after the
analogy of:-:J7) or less probably, YeJweh like :-;:::-=, Another pr;
undation, Yahavch or
Yah"eh, .milll;t "
em to be fa
o
red by Theodo

t's statement, that the Sa}TIarita
s pro-
nou!lced It L\ßE; (QuæsL 1". In Exod.) hut On th" other hand the SamarItans, lIke the
G
hle.ans, had probably a broader pronunciation than the Jews.
.. Serm. í.
: í. .6 The popubr pronunciation Jehovah. is altoltether a mistake,
" hen a word I.n the text 18 not read by the Jews, (and this ceased to be read before the
vowels were wrItten) the vowels belong, not to the word itself, but to another, whicb is to

7]

LORD

memorial. C lNtri s '1'
cir. i:?5.
b Ex. 3. 15.

is

d('rstood, as he oug-ht, That n hich I S, and which truly IS, and,
in whate\'er deg-ret', hath e,'en tran
iently, as by a li
htning'
flash, been irradiated by the lig-ht of the One True Essence,
see!oò himself far helow, in the utmo!'t t
trne!'s of rellwyaJ and
unlikeness." This. the Self-e)"istent, the rnchan
eable, was
the meaning' of God's ancient Xame by whi('h He wa1'i known
to the Patriarchs, althollg-h thev Ilit
1 liot in act secll His l'n-
changeableness; for theirs was å life of faith, hopinf.!,' for what
thev saw not. The word, III
IS, wlIt'n uscd of Him hv His
creåtures, expresses the same whi("h He say:s ofHilll
clf, i .\:\1.
This lIe willed to be llis memorial for ('l'er ; this tilt' way in
which lIe willed that we should heiie,'e in Him and think of
Him, as HE \\
ho IS, the Self-('xisting', the Self-Same.
The wa} ofpronouneinf.!,' that Xame is lo!'t 6. The beliefhas
continued. whereHr the LORD is named. For by the Lord we
mean the r nehang-eable God. That belief is eontrådil'ted, when-
eH'r people use the name J eho,'ah, to !'pt'ak of God, as though
the belief in Him under the Old Testament differed from that
of the Xew. Perhaps God allowcd it to be lost, that people
mig-ht not makt' so familiar with it, as they do with the wonl
Jehovah, or use it irrevcrently and anti-Christianly, as some
now employ other ways of pronouneing it. The Jews, eH'1l
before the time of our Lord, ceased ordinarily to pronoun('e it.
In the translations of the Old Testament, and in the .\po-
crypha, the words, "the Lord,"were substituted for it. Jewish
tradition states, that in later times the Xame was }Jrûnounced
in the Temple only, by the priest, on pronouncing- the bless-
in
commanded by God in the law 7. On the great Hay of
atonement, it was said that the Hif.!,'h Prie!'t pronounecd it tell
times 8, and that when the people heard it, they feU un their
face
, saying', "Blessed be the glorious name of His king'dom
for ever and ever 9." They say, however, that in the time of

imeon the Just [i. e. Jaddua 10 ,] who died about B.C. 3
2, the
High Priests themselves disused it, for fear of its being pro-
nounced by some irreverent person n.
Our Lord Himself sanctioned the disuse of it, (as did the
inspired Apostles yet mort' frequently,)
ince,in (luotin
plaees
of the Old Testament in whieh it occurs, He uses instead ofit,
the ì\"ame, the Lord 12. It stands, throug'hout the Old Testa-
ment, as the Name which speaks of God in relation to His
people, that He ever IS; and, since He ever IS, then He IS un-
chang-eably to liS, all which He e,'er was, The same, yesterday
and to-da.1J and for æer 13.
He then 'nlO appeared to Jacob, and ,rho, in Jacob, spake
to aU the po
terity of Jacob, was God; whether it wa!oõ (as al-
most all the early fathcrs thoup:ht 14 ,) God the Son, 'Yho thus
appeared in human form to the Patriarchs, 'loses, Joshua,
and in the time of the Judges, under the name of ti,e Angel of

be substituted for it. Those placed under this "ord, :-'
-, vary. Thl') direct mostlv,
that the word Advllai, LORD, is to be read fori!. But if this hasjust occurl'l'd, other vowels
are placed, directing that it should be read Elvhim, God. The placing ofthe vowels under
rhewordarean indication,not that they aTe tobe used with the "ord, but that they are 1/vt to
be used with it. The vowels of a textual reading, "hen there is also amarginal reading, are
alwafs to be supplied by conjecture. It is better to _ oW!' igno
nce, how this
ame of
God IS prollm1ficed, than to use the name Jehovah. "hlch IS cl'J'tamly wro\ll!. oran)- OIher
which can only be conjectural. The subject is fully discuss
in the disputations, edited
by Reland, Deeas Exercit. de nom. Jeh. esp. those of Dr Us IUS Amama and ßuxtorf.
7 Num. vi. 21-2G. see )Iasseeheth Sota in Amama,l. c. p.lí3.
S M assecheth Y oma, f. ;\!). p. 2. ib. p. 1í7. 9 Lib. prec. 3511. 2. Drus. lb. p. 51.
10 Dru<. Tetr.c. 10. ib.li9. IJ 'Iaim. Yad Chazaka,c. U.
.IO.
lb. 1,4. Dros.p.59. Ii S. Matt. iv. í. from Dmt. vi.1/). and S. :\Iatt. xxii. g"
from Ps. cx. 1. 13 Heb. xiii. 8. 14 see Bp. Bull, Def. Fid.
Xic. i. I. :I_S.12. ii. 4. 5. TertuIlian. de Præscr.
. 13. p.44;'. \lot. Oxf. Tr. [po -1fì
. ed.
2.) S. Alhan. de COliC. Arim. p. 120. I1Ot, q. Orat. 1. c. Arial).. p. 235. H8. note. h. O. T.
T

78

c HBï[T
s T 6 i Therefore turn thou to thy God:
dr. 7:!
keep mercy and judgment, and k wait on
I )'ìicI

thy God continually.
kPs.3i:i: -;.. 4Il J T . II . h t I th 1 I f
" Or, Ca- 'IJ
(' u; a luerc an, e >a ances 0
Ë=k

3. deceit llrc in his hand: he loyeth to 1\ o})})ress.
Pro,'. 11. 1. Amos 8.5. "Or, deceive.

HOSE.\,

8 .And Ephraim said, D\ Yet J
he come rieh, [ have found nw out
stance : 1\ in all my labours they
find none ini(luity in me t

tl'Cl'C sin.

am Before
. C
R

_ST
suh- clr. ,;...).
shall"

lIii
'
that 11 Or, all my
labour. .uf-
fiee me not:
he shall have
punishment of iniquity in whom is .in. t H eb. w/lÍeh.

the Lord, or whether it was the Father. God Almighty thus
aeem'tomed man to scc tht' form of
lan, and to know and be-
Jic,-c that it wa
God. He it wa
, the Prophet e'\.plains, tile
Lord, i. e. the Self-existent, the l'nehang-eable, lfTllO n'as, ami
i,
and is to come \ '\110 Alone Is, and from "-hom are all
thing-!', "
the Fullness of Bcing, both of His own, and of all His
creatures, the boundless Oeean of all which is, of wisdom, of
glory, of lon, of all good."
the Lord of
I()sts, i. e. of all things visible and im-isible,
of the ang-els and heannly spirits, and of all things animatc
and inanimate, which, in the historv of the Creation, are ealled
the 11O,
t of IU'(ll'en ami eartll 3, the oilc host of God. This was
the way in whieh He willcd to he had in mind, thought of, rc-
membered, On the one hand then, as relates to Ephraim's sin,
not by the calves, nor by any othcr created thing, did lIt' will
to be represented to men's minds or thoughts. On the other
hmul, as relates to God'smereÏcs,sinee lIe, \\'110 revealed Him-
self to Jac'ob. was the rnC'hangcablc God, Israel had no cause
to fear, if he returned to the faith of Jacob, whom God there
accepted. "'hence it follows;
G. Therefore tum thou to tll!1 God [lit. .And thou, thou shalt
tum !ô;o as to lean OIl tll!! Goci 4 .] And thOll, unlike, he would
say. as thou art to thy g-reat forefather, now at least, turn to thy
Gud; hope in Him, as .Jaeob lwped; and thou too shalt bc
accepted. God was thc Same. They then had on]y to turn
to Him in truth, and thcy too would find Him, such as Jacob
their f
lther luul found Him, and then trust ill Him cOJltimllllb/.
.i.1Ierr.1J mll/JudgmeJlt include all our duty to our ncighhoùr,
lm-e andjustice. The Prophet selects the duties of the seeond
table, as JIieah also plaees them first 6, 1T71ld doth the Lord
require of tltee, Lutfo do Justly ami ION 71Ierl'.lI, aJld wall; 11ll1ll-
M.II with tl'.1/ God? and our Lord chouses those same eommand-
ments, in answer to the rich )'oung man, who asked Him,
JT7lf1t sh([ll I do, in ordcr to eJlter iJlto life 6 ? For men cannot
deccÍve themselws so easily about their duties to their neigh-
bour, as about their duty to God. It was in love to his neigh-
bour that the rich young man failed.
Tlwu Ûwlt tUI"JI, i. e. it is emmnonly said, thou oughtest to
turn; as our's has it, turn. But it may also include thc pro-
mise that, at one time, Israel shall tUrll to the Lord, as S. Paul
says, so slwl[ all Israel be saved.
amlw([it on tllp God cOJltinuall.lf. If they did so, they
should not wait in vain. "7Th is word, conti JIll ally, hath no
small weight in it, shewing with what cÏremnstanees or pro-
perties their waiting or hOlle on God ought to be attended;
that it ought to bc on Him alone, on Him always, without
doubting, fainting, failing, intermission or ceasing, in all oe-
easions and conditions whic'h may befall them, without ex-
ception oftime, eHn in their ad,-er'sity." "Turn to thy {;od,"
he
aith, "wait on tl1.1/ God," as the great ground of repent-
anee and of trust. GodllOd (l1'ollched thelll for His peculiar
peoples. and they had avouched Him for their only God. He
.then was still their God, ready to receive them, if they would
return to Him.

. J Gen. ii, 1.

I Rev.i.4-,8. 2 La\" '_
4 :
:iM ï';:;:
: , vi. 8, ti
. :\Iatt. XIX. 1,.

.. Poco

ï. He is a merchaJlt, or, indignantly, A merrlul/lt, in u'/lOse
halld,
are the bal([Jlces of deceit! How could thcy lm'e mercy
(lIldJllstire, whose tradc was deceit, who weighed out dCf'eit
with their goods? False in their dt'aling-s, in their weights and
measures, and, by taking- ad,'antage ofthe neees:o<itics of uthers,
oppre!o<sÏ\ e also. Dcecit is the sin of weaklwss, opprcssion is
the abuse of power. '''ealth does not /!ive the power to Use
naked, iolcnce, hut wealthy eovetousness manifoldly grinds
the poor. "'hcn for instance, wa
es arc paid in ncecssaries
prieed t'xorbitantly, or when artizans are required to buy at a
loss at their masters' :-hops, what is it hut the union of deceit
and oppression? The trading world is full of oppre!<sion,
searedy veiled by dt'eeit. He IO'l'eth to ojJjJress. Ðeet'it and
oppression have, em'h, a dcyilish aUractivcness to those prae-
tised in tht'm; deeeit, as exereising cleverness, cunning, skill
in m-erreaching, outwitting; oppre!o<sion, as in(lulg-ing self-will,
caprice, love of power, insolenee, and the like ,-iees. Thc \\ ord
merrhaJlt, as the Prophet spoke it, was ('([Jla([JI 9; merchants
being so called, beeause the Canaanites or Phænieian!' were the
then great merc'hant-people, as astrologers were called Chal-
deans. Thc Phænicians were, in Homer's time infamous
for their griping in traffic. They '\vere called" gnawers 10"
and "money-lm"ers ll ." To call Israel, CanaaJl, was to deny to
him any title to the name of Israel, "renrsing- the blessing of
J acoh, so that, as it had bcen said of J aeob, TIIlI name shall he
called no more Jacob, but Israel, he would in 'faet say, 'Thv
name shall be {'aIled no more Israel, but Canaall '; a
being.
through their deeds, heir:" not to the ble!o<sings of Israel but
to the curse of Canaan." So Ezekiel saith 12, Thy father ?l'ClS
an Amurite, ami thy mother a Hittite.
8. . And Ephraim said, ret am I become 1'ich, lit. I am
simply rich. As if he said, 'The onlv result of all this, with
which the prollhets eharg-e me, is that I am become rich: and
since God thus prospers me, it is a sure proof that He is not
displeased with me, that no iniquity can be fOlllld ill me;' the
ordinary practical argument of men, as long as God withholds
H!s punishments, that their ways cannot be so displeasing- to
Hnn. "ïth the men of this world, with its politicians, in
trade, it is the one dedsÏ\'e argumcnt : " I was ill the ri{.!:ht, for
I suceecded." "It was a good speculation, for ht' gained thou-
sands." "I t is a good policy; for, see its fruits." An answer,
at which the heathen laughed, "the people hisses me, but I, I,
safe at home, applaud myself, when the coin jin
les in my
chest 13." The heathen ridiculed it. Christians enact it. But
in truth, the fact that God does n
t punish, is often the evi-
dence of His extremest displeasure.
the.,11 shall .find nune iniquity in me, that wcre sin. The
merchants of Ephraim continne their protest; 'In all the toil
of my hands. all my buying and selling-, my barg-ains, f'ontracts,
thcy can bring- no iniquity home to me,' and then, in a tone
of simple innoct'nce, they add, that werc Sill, as though they
could not do, what to do were sin. Nonc suspect themselves
less, than those intent on gain. The e, iI customs of other
traders, the habits of trade, the seeming necessity for some
, , s Deut. xxvi. Ii, 18. 9 i'
'
14 Plùlostratus III Grot. II Od. xiv. 283. xv. 4-13. 13 x\i. 3. 13 Hor. Sat. i. 1. 66.

CHAPTER XII.

{' If
oÍes T 9 An(l D I t"at wn the LORD thy God
cir. ï
. from the land of Egypt 0 'will fct make thee
.. ch. 13. 4. 0 Lev. 23.42,43. :r;"h. 8.17. Zech. H. 16.

79

to dwell in tabernacles, as in the dar s of c Ififors T
the solemn feast. cir. i:!.i.

fraud!', tlU' conventional nature of others, the lIlinutcne:<!o' of
other!', with tlwir frefpwnt repetition, blind the suul, until it
sees no !'in, while, with e,-cry smallest sale, " thcy sell their
own souls into the bargain 1."
9. Alld I, tI,e Lord thy God from the land of Eg!lpt.
God, in few words, eomprises whole centurics of hle:<sill
:<, aH,
from the
oin
out of I;
ypt to that ,"ery day, all the miracles
in Egypt, in the wilderne!o's, undl'r Jo:<hua, the Judges; one
"tream of henefits it had been, whieh God had poured out upon
them from fir:<t to last. The pcnitent sces in one g-lance, how
God had hccn Ms Gud, from his birth till that hour, and huw
he had all along offended God.
tl'ill yet make tllee to dwell in tahernacles. The feast of
tabernaeles was thc yearly rememhrance of God's miraculous
g-uidanee and support uf Israel throug-h the wilderness. It
was the link, which bound on their delivcrance from Egypt to
the dose oftheir pil
rim-life and their entranee into their n'st.
The pas!'age of the Red Sea, like Baptism, was the heginning-
of God's promises. By it Israel was sm-ed from Egypt and
from hondage, and was born to be a people of God. Yet, he-
ing the beginning, it was plainly not the completion; nor
eould they themseh-es eumplete it. Enemies, more powerful
than they, had to be dispo:<sessed; tlte great and terrible 1cilder-
ness, the.fiery serpents aud scorpiolls, aud tlte laud of e:reeediug
drought, u'here was /10 tcater 2, had to be surmounted; no food
was there, no watcr, for so ,-ast a multitudc. It was a time
of the visihle Pre:<enee of God. He promised 3; Iseml aJl Angel
before thee to keep thee ill the way amI to bring thee into the
place which IlwL'e prepared. lIe brought them forth 1l'ater
out of tIle rock of flillt, alld fed them u'ith _JIallna wldch, He
!5ays, thy fathers Imew /lot \ '1'1'.'1 raiment, He appeals to
them, wa:J:ed /lot old, nur did thy fuot swell these forty .'Iears 5;
tllp slwe is Iwt l(J(u:en old upon th.lI fout; ye lult'e /lot eaten
hread, neitller hau ye dru/lk wine or strong dri/lk, that .'1e lIIa.'1
know that I am tlte Lord .'Im(/" Gocl 6 . It was a long trial-time,
in whieh they were taug-ht entire dependance upon (;od; a
time of :<iftin
. in which God prm-ed Hi!< faithfulness to tho
c
who perst'Hr{'d. Standing there hctween the beginnin
and
the end of the accompli!<hment of God's promise to Abraham
and to them, it was a t)'pe of His whole
uidaIH'e of His peo-
ple at all times. It was a pled
e that God would lead His
own, if IIften bp a ll'ay tcMch they knew nut ï, yet to n'
t, with
Him. The vearlv commemoration of it was not only a thanks-
gi, ing for (;
d's l;ast lIlercic!; ; it was a confession aiso of their
pre!oient relation to God, that here u'e lult'e no cuntinuing city 8;
that they still necded the guidance and support of God; and
that their trust was not in themseh-es, nor in man, but in
Him. This they themsch.es saw. "9'Yhen they said,' Lem'e
a fixed habitation, and dwell in a ehanee abode,' they meant.
that the command to dweU in tabernades was given; to tead;
u!<, that no man must rely on the hei
ht or strength of his
hou:<e, or on its
ood arrang-t'ments, thoug-h it abound in all
good; nor mar he rely on the help of any man, not thou
h he
were lord and king of the whole earth, but must trust in Him
by l\"ho!<e word the ,,-orlds were made. For with Him alone is
power and faithfuJne
s, so that, whereinsoever any man may
plaC'e his trust, he shaH reeeh-e no consolation from it, since in

God alone i
refu
c and trust, as it is said, TT7wso }Jut/etlt his
tru.çt ill the Lord, mere!1 clllbrareth Mill (JI1 cl'cr.'I side, and, I
lcill sa.v tlnto the Lord, my Refuge amll1lY F(JI.tre!>'s, lilY Gud,
in lJim u'illl tl"/(st."
The feast ofTabernades was also a yearly thanksgidng fur
the merl'Íes with whieh Gild had crOll'lled the year. The joy
mu:<t have heen e,'en the greater, sÍlwc it followcd, hy five da
s
only, after thc mournful day of .\.toncment, its rig-id fast frum
e,'ening to c,-ening, and its eonfc:<sion of !-in. Juy is greater
when u!'hered in by sorrow; sorrow for sin is the eondition of
joy in (;od. Thl' i"east of Tabernacles was, as far as it eoulct
be, a sort of Easter after Lent. At the time when brad re-
joiecd in the
ood gifts of the year, God harle thcm e
press,
in act, their fleeting condition in thi!o' life. It must havc hcen
a striking confe!<siun of thc slight tenure of all earthl
thing!-,
when thcir kin
s and great men, their ric'h men and those
who lh-cd at ease, had all, at the command of (;od. to lea'-e
their ceiled hnuscs, and dwell for sc\'C'n da
s in rude booths,
C'onstructcd for the sea
on, ver\"Ïous in sOlne mea!<ul"C to thc
:<un and wind, with no fixed foundatioIl, to bc remm'ed when
the festh-al wa!' pa!<sed. ,. Because," says a JC\\ ish \\ riter lU ,
"at the time of the gathering of the inerease from the field,
man wishes to go from the fidd to his house to make a fixed
abode there, the law was anxious, lest on aecount ofthi!' fix-
ed abode, his hcart should be lifted up at having found a sort
of palace, and he should ll'(/X fat and kick. Thercf'ill"c it is
written. all tllat are L
raelites horn shall dn'ell inlwot/ls, \\"ho-
:<0 begin!ô; to think himself a eÏtizen in this world, and not a
foreigner, him God biddeth, leaving his ordinary dwelling, to
remun
into a temporary lod
ing, in order that, lea, ing the!5e
thoughts, he may learn to acknowledge that he is only a stran-
ger in this world and not a citizen, in that lw dwclls as in a
!'tranger's hut, and so should not attrihute too much to the
shadow of his beams, but du:ell under the shadow of ti,e Al-
/Ili
My ."
Every year, the law was publicly read in the feast. Ephra-
im was Jivin
clt'an contra1"\" to all this. lIe boasted in his
wealth, justified himself on . the ground of it, aseribed it and
his dclh-eranee from Egypt to hi!' idols. lIe would not keep
the feast, as alone God willed it to be kept. 'nlile he exist-
ed in his separate king-dom, it eould not he. Their political
existence had to be broken, that they lllig-ht be restor'cd.
God then conveys the 1l0tÍt'e of the impending punishment
in words whieh l)romi!'ed the future merey. He did not, thell,
make them to d1l'ell in tabernacles. f'or all their
er\-ice of
Him was out of their own mind, contrary to His ""ill, di
-
plea!'ing to Him. Thi!-, then, ., I will yet make thee dwell in
tabernadéS," implies a distant mercy, beyond and distinct from
their present condition. Looking on beyond the time of the
Captidty, He says that they shall yet ha,'e a time of joy, as
in the days of tlte solemn feast. God would gi"c them a new
delinranee, but out of a new captivity.
Tht' feast of Tabernacles typifies this our pil
rim-state, the
life of simple faith in God, for which God l'n,,-ides; poor in
this world's goods, but rieh in God. The Chureh militant
dwell
, as it were, in tabl'rnacles; hereafter, we hope to be
receit'ed into everlasting haLitatiolls in the Church triumphant.

I South, Sermons. , Deut. viii_ 15. 3 Ex. xxiii. 20. 4 Deut. vili. Iii, 16. S Heb. xiii. U. compo xi. 9, 10. g Menorat Hammaor, f. 39, co!. 2. in Dachs

lb. 4. 6 lb. xxix. Ii, 6. i Is. xlii. 16. Succa. p. 527, 8. 10 R. Sal. Ephl'. Keli lakar inLev.l.c. in Dacha, p. 5-!6.
T2

80

c J
c,Íes T 10 pI han' also spoken by the prophets,
cÎr. ,
. and I lUl\'e multiplied visions, and used
p ;
ings 17. similitudes, t by the minh;try of the pro-
f ::.:

. phets.
'I
hi/8.1. II q I.v there iniquity in (
ilead?
r &\
il.5. surely they are vanity they sacrifice

.O
.4. 4. bullocks in r Gil
al : yea, 8 their altars
. ch. 8. U. & 10. 1.

HOSEA,

are as heaps in the furrows of the fielfls. c Jí[oíes T
12 AmI J a('oh t fled into the countr\, of cu. 725.
S . I I 1 u d & " fi . I t Gen. 28. 5.
vrla, an(l srael serve lor a '\1 e, anf Deut. :W.5.
fì . . & h k t J u Gen. 2!). 20
or a WIle e -ep Sflecp. 28. .
13 :I. .And by a prophet the LORD brought 1 !,x. 12. 50.
,,1. & 13.3.
Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was PS.,í,.20.
!sal. G3. n.
he preserved. l\lic. 6.4.

10. I f,(ll'e also spoken L.II the prophets, lit. upon tile pro-
pilets, the re,'elation coming- down from heaven upon them.
Somewhat like this, is what Ezekiel says, the lumd of tile Lord
1N1S strong llpOIl me 1. God dedare
, in what way He had
been their Gud from the land of Egypt. Their i
norance of
Him was without exeuse; for He had en
r taug-ht them, al-
though they ever
ou
ht the false prophets, and persecuted the
true. He taug-ht them eontinuallv and in dh-ers wa,.s. ifso be
any impl'e

ic;n mi/!,"ht be made up'on them. He taùp:ht them,
either in plain words, or in the t'isions whidl He multiplieclto
the prophets; or in the similitudes or parables, which He taug'ht
throu
'h their mini
try. In the t'isirm, God i!< understood to
have reprc
ented the thing-s to eome, as a picture, to the pro-
phet's mind, "
whether the pietnre were pre
ented tu his bodi-
ly eyes, or iml're!òsl'd on bi
imagination, and that, either in a
drcam, or without a dream." The similitude, which God says
that He rcpeatedly, euntinually, used 3, seems to have been the
paraLIc, as when God compared Hi!" people to a vine, Him-
...elf to the Lord of the vineyard, or when He direeted His
prophets to do acts whieh should shadow forth some truth, a...
in the marriage of Hosea himself. God had said to Aaron,
that He would thus make Him
dfkllown b)' the prophets. 4 If
there Le a prop/let among .'lOll, I, the Lord, will make J(lfself
kllOll'1I unto Mill ill a l'isioll, and will speak UlltO him in a dream.
]'(If se/"l'(lIlt JIoses is not so, u.ho is faitliful ill all ]'I.I/ house.
/lith him will I speak mouth to moutll, even apparent/.II. and
1/ot ill dark speeches. The dark speech in Moses an
wers to
the similitude of Hosea; the vision and dream in )Ioses are
eomprehended in visions, as used by Hosea. The prollhet Joel
also say
5, your old men s/wll dream dreams, your youllg men
shall see t,isiolls. So little ground then han
they, who speak
of the vi
ions of Daniel and Ze('hariah, as if they belonged to
a later a
e. "6 I have instrlll'ted," God saith, "men of God, tu
form thee to piety, enli
htening their minds with manifold
knowlcdg-e of the thing-s of God. And beeause the lig-ht of Di-
vine wi!<dom could no otheJ'wise shine on men pIa red hcre be-
low in the prison-house ofthe body, I had them taught throu
h
fi
\lres and corporeal imap:e
, that, throug-h them, they mi
ht
rise to the incorporeal, and reeeive some knowledg-e of Di-
vine and hea,'enly things. And thou, how didst thou requite
Me? How did!òt thou shew thy teaehaLleness? It follows; "
II. Is there illiquity in Gilead? The Prophet asks the ques-
tion, in order to answer it the more peremptorily. He rai
es
the doubt, in order to eru
h it the more impres
h'ely. Is there
iniqui(1I in Gilead? .\las, there was nothing- else. Sure/.If tlle.1f
are t'(mity, or, striC'tly, tlleY IUll'e become mere!.1f t'wli(lI. As he
said before, tlle.1I become abominatio1ls like their 100'e. "For such
as men make their idols, or eonceÍ\-e their God to be, such they
become themselves. As then he who wor
hips God with a pure
heart, is nHlde like unto God, so they who worship stocks and
stones, or who make passions and lusts their idols, lose the
1 iii. 14. etc.
Poco
i Such is the force of the Heb. :-:-

. f 1'0; urn. xii. 6-8.
ii. 28. 8 Osor.

mind of men amI become like tile beasts lC'/âch perish." In Gil-
gal tlle.1I /wl'e sacrt/iced O:/:e1l. Gilead represents all the eoun-
try on it!ò side, the Ea
t of Jordan; Gilgal, all on its side, the
". e
t of Jordan. In both, God had si
nally shewn forth lIis
mereies: in both they dishonoured God, sacrificing to idols,
and offering- His ereatures, as a gift to devils.
rea, their altars are us Ileaps in tllel/(rrVli"
o.ftlu'./ield. Their
altars art' like the heaps of stones. from whieh men elear the
ploughed land, in order to fit it for ('ultivation, as numerous,
as profu
e, as worthless, as desolate. Their altars they were,
not God's. They did, (as !"inncrs do,) in the sen"iee of dedls,
what, had they done it to God, would have been accepted, re-
warded, sen-ice. Full often they saerificed oxen 7 ; they threw
great state into their relig-ion; they omitted nothing- which
should shed around it an empty shew of worship. They mul-
tiplied their altars, their sins, their ruins; many altars m-er
against lIis one altar; "8 rude heal}s of stones in His si
ht; and
sueh they should herome, no one stone being I('ft in oreier upon
another." In eontrast with their sins and ingratitude, the Pro-
phet exhibits two l}ietures, the one, of the virtues of the Pa-
triareh whose name they bore, from whom was the bcginning
of their rac'e; the other, of God's love to them, in that bcgin-
nin
of their national existence, when God broug-ht tllO"e who
had bcen a body of sla,-es in Egypt, to be His own people.
12. Ami JacoLjled into the mUl/try of .s:lfria. Jal'ob chose
po,'erty and servitmle rather than marry an idolatress of Ca-
naan. He knew not whence, excf'pt from God's bounty and
Pro\"Ídenee, he should ha,'e bread to eat, or raiment to put on'ii;
rl'ith /âs stall" alone he }Ja,
'sed Ol'er Jordau lO . His voluntary
pon'rty, hearing even unju!'t losses 11, and repa.'ling the tMngs
u'/dch he lIt'l'er tool., reproved their dishonest traffic; his trust-
fulne
s in God, their mistrust; his devotedness to God, their
alienation from Him, and their de,'otion to idol,.. And as the
conduct was opposite, so was the result. Ill-gotten riches end
in poverty; stable wealth is g-ained, not by the cupidity of man,
but by the good pleasure of God. Jarob, ha,-ing become tlt'O
bands, trusting in (
od and enriched by God, returned from Sy-
ria to the land proll1i!'ed to him by God; Israel distl"Usting-
God and enriehillg himself, was to return out of the land which
the Lord his God had given him, to Assvria, amid the loss of
all things. .
l:t E!I a prophet u'as he preserved, or kept. .Tarob kept
sheep out of love {If God, sooner than unite himself with one,
alien from God; his posterity 1NlS kept like a sheep by God,
a!' the Psalmist said 12, He led His people like slleep b.1I the hand
of JIoses ami ..1a/"On. They were kept from all edl and want
and dang-er, by the dirert power of God; kept from all the
Illight of Pharoah in Ep:ypt and the Red Sea, "8 not throup:h
any power of their own, but by the ministry of a sinp:le prophet;
kipt, ill that great and terrihle wilderness 13, wherein werejiery
serpents and scorpions and dl"Ollgllt, where was no u'ater, but
7 The force of ''"::T. S Poco g Gen. xxviii. 20.
10 lb. xxxii. 10. II lb. xxxi. 39. l
Ps.lxxvii. 20. 13 Deut. viii. 15.

cHA\PTER XIII.

C HBífoíes T 1-1 Y Ephraim provoked him to ang-er
cir. i:!5. t most hitterly : therefore shall hc lea'"e his
J il

Ii. t blood upon him, & and his a reproach shall
t

;:
:;,. his Lord return unto him.
t
:,j,. See CHA\PTER XIII.

'i
88.13. 1 Ephraim's glory, hy reason of idolatry, t'mtish-
. Dan. n. 18. · Deut. 28. 3i.

81

eth. 5 God's anger for their unkindness. 9 A C J3
ors T
promise of God's mercy. 15 ..-1 judgment fur cu. i:!5.
rebellioll.

\ XTIIEX Ephraim spake tremhling, he
" exalted himselfin hrae! ; but a when · 2 Kings Ii.
I æ d . Iii, 18.
lC ouen ed In llaal, he died. ch. n. 2.

what God hrou
ht uut uf thc rock of flint; no hl'ead, but what
lIe sent tht'm from hea'"en." "All thi
, Gutl did for them In/
a !lingle Prophet; they had many prophet
, early and latë,
('alling upon them in thc name of Gud, but they would not
hearkcn unto them."
14. Epllraim prol'oked the Lord mo.'it bitter
lf, lit. with
bitterllesses, i.e. with 1II0
t heinous sins, such a
arc most 1!rie,'-
ously di
pleasing to Gud, and werc a mu
t bitter requital of
all His guodness. "llereforc He shall lecll'e [or. {"((st] his
Llood [lit. blood.'i] upon him. The plural blood.'il expres
es the
lUanifuldne
s of the hluodshed. It is not used in Holy Seril'-
ture of mere guilt. Ephraim had shed blood profusely, so that
it ran like water in thc land 2. lIt' had !'inned with a high
hand again!'t (;od, in df'
troying man, made in thc imag-e of
(;od. Amid that bluodshed, had been the hlood nut of the in-
nocent onlv, but of those whum (;od sent to rebuke them
fur their id
)latry, their rapine, their bloud"hed. Jezehel cut
qfrthe propllets of tile Lorci 3 , as far as in her lay, with a eOln-
plete exeisiun. Ephraim thoug-ht his sins past: they wcrc out
of his sight; hc thought that they werc out uf God's also; but
they were laid up with God; and Gud. the Prophet
ays, would
cast them down UpOIl /dill, so that they would crush him.
alld /ds reproach shall /âs Lord retum UlltO him. For
the bluud which ht, had shed, should his own hlood be shed; fur
the rel'roaehes which he had in dh"er
way
east against God or
brou1!ht upon Him, He :,;hould inherit reproa('h. Those who
rebel a
ain
t God, bring' reproach on Him by their sin
, re-
proaeh Him by their excu!o'es fur their sins, reproal.'h Him in
those whom He send
to recall them from tllf'ir !'ins, reproach
Him for cha!o'tening them fur their !'ins. .\1I who
in a1!ain!'t
the knowledg-e of God, bring rt'proaeh upon Him by aeting
sinfuUy again!'t that knowledge. So Xathan
ays to Ða,"id\
Thull hast gil'en mucll occasioll to tile enemies rJ/ God to blas-
pheme. The reproaehful word
of thc enemies of Gud arc but
the edlO of the opprobrious deeds of His unfaithful senants.
The reproa('h is therefore, in an espeeial manner, their repma('11
who cau
ed it. All ]
rael's idolatries had thi
agg-ra,"ation.
Their wor
hip ufthe calves or of Baal or of any other gods ofthe
nations, was a triumph uf thc false gods over God. Then. all
sin must find some plea for itself, by impugning tl1f' wisdom ur
guod'
es!o' of (;od who f()rbad it. Jeroboam, and Ephraim by

dhcrlllg to Jeroboam's !'in, reproached God, as though tl1e go-
mg up to Jerusalem was a hard
l:r,"iee. It is too much for
you to go up to Jerusalem; Behold th.1f gods, 0 Israel, which
brought tllee up out of the land of Eg.l/pt. "5 It was an open in-
jury and reproaeh to God, to attribute to dead lifeless thing

thuse
Tcat and wonderful things done bv Him for them." All
the reproach, whieh they, in' thesc w
)-s, bruught, or ca
t,
upon Gud, he says, his Lord slmll return or re,t;tore to them.
Their's it was; and lIe would give it back to them, as He S ays 6,
Them that honour J.}Ie, I wiLL honour; and they that despise Jle,

1 :-,:",:. When David said to the Am:1]ekite, Th" blood8 be upon thy hefld. 2 Sam. i. 16. it
wa
the b]oodguilliness in slaying Saul, which he had imputed to himself. When the
spi"" said. Id, blood [sing.] be upon iii, head, (Josh. ii. 19.) they mE'ant,]et himself and no
other be guilty of the loss of his life.

slmll be ligMly estf'emed. Truly shamc and reprua('h haye
been for centuries the portion of Gud's unfaithful people. To
thu
e whu are lust, He giws back their rt'proaeh, in that they
rise to reproaches 7 and Cl'erla.'itillg ahhorrenre 8. ] t i
an a1!g-ra-
yation of this mi!'ery, that He 'Yho shall git'e hnrk to him his
reproaeh, had been his God. Sinee hi,ç God was again
t him,
who euuld be fur him? " For whither should 'n' gO for refu
e,
save to Him? If we find wrath" ith Him, "ith whom
huuld
we find ruth?" Ephraim did not, the sinner will not, allow
Gud to be his God in worship and sen-ie(' anrl lo,-e: hut, whe-
ther he wiJ]t'd ur no, God wuuld remain his Lord. lIe wa
, amI
mi/!ht still have been their Lord for good; tlwy wunlrl nut
have Him so. and
o they should find Him
till their Lord,
as an A,"enger, returning their own evil to them.
XII I. I. ""hen Epllraim spake trembling, i. e. probahly
"there was trembling." "9Ephraim was once yery aWf'ful, so
a!". while he spake. the rest of the tribes were ready to tremble."
The Prophet eontrasts two eondition
of Ephraim, ofpro!'pe-
rity, and destruetion. His prosperity he uwed to the unde-
sen"ed mercy of God, 'Yho ble!'sed him for Jo
eph's sake; his
destruetion, to his own sin. There i!' no period rf'eorded. u'hell
Ephraim .'ipake trelllbling
l/, i. e. in humility. Pride was his
eharaeteristic, almust a!' suon as he had a separate existence
as a tribe 10. rnder Joshua. it eould not be ('aIled out, for Eph-
raim gainetl hononr, when Jo
hua, one of them
elves, became
the eaptain of the Lord's people. Cnder the Judge!". their
pride appeared. Yet God tried them, by giving them their
hearts' de
ire. They lunged tu be exalted. and He satisfied
them. if so be the,' wuitld thus serve Him. They had the ('hief
power, and were' a terror to Judah. He exaÍted Mm.'ie(f, (or
perhaps !te u'as endted.) ill Israel; but whell he ofrl'llded ill Baal,
he died; lit. alld he (dfènded ill Baal auel died. He alJU
ed the
goodnes
of God; hi" sin followed a
a eOIl!"equenee of God's
goudne
s to him. {;od rai!'ed him. and he ofl'ended. The al-
lian('e with a kin
of Tyrc and Sidon, which brought in the
wor
hip of Baal, was a part of the worldly policy of the kings of
hrael ll . As ifit had been a liglti tMng for' him to Il'aik in the
sills of Jeroboam the son of
Yebcd, he took to l('
fe the dCUfgh-
ter of Et hbaal, killg uf the Zidonians, auelll'ellt ami serl'ed Baal
and ll'o/"shipped him. The twenty-two year
of Ahab's reign
establi
hed the wor
hip. The prophets of Baal beeame 4,")0;
the prophets of the kindred idolatry of _bhtorcth, or A4arte,
beeame 400 ; Baal Ìlad his one central temple, large and mag--
nifieent 12 , a rival of that of God. Tht. pruphet Elijah thought
the apustacy almo
t universal; God re,'ealed to him that He
had resen'ed to Him
elf seren thousand in Israel. Yet thesc
were all the knees ll'hich !tad 1I0t bou'ed to Baal, and et'er.1f
mouth u'hic!t had not kissed him 13.
ami died. Death i
the penalty of sin. Ephraim died
spiritually. For
in takes away the life of grace, and
epa-
rates from God, the true life of thc soul, the source of all life.

2 SE'e ab. iv. 2. v. 2. s 1 Kings xviii. 4. 4 2 Sam. xii. 14. Ii S. Cyr.
. I Sam. ii. 30. 7 Dan. xii. 2. 8 The word is the samE' as in Is. ]xvi. 24.
I:
km
;: 21, 22,
. 10 See on I
' :ÍGngs xU:. ;
. I Kings xvi. 31. see Introd. p. 2.

82

C HBífoíes T 2 And now t they sin more and more,
cir. i=!5. and b have made them molten images of
t

bi:
f,
. their silver, ([lid idols according to thcir
b 't8
:t own understanding, all of it tbe work of

HOSE.\,

the craftsmen: they say of them, Let \I the C HBífoíes T
men that sacrifice c kiss the calves. cir. ï:!5.
3 Therefore they shall be d as tbe morn- II Z;,.:h,;/;::-
i.ng duud, and as the early dew that passeth . II:' ings HI.
d ch. 6. +.

He "died more truly, than he who is dead and at rest." Of
this death, our Lord says \ Let tlte dead hur!/ tlteir dead; and
S. Paul
, Site 10110 livetlt ill pleasure is dead f[.!tile site liveth,
He died al.-..o as a uation and kingdom, being sentenced by Gud
to ccase tu be.
2. .And llOW the.1! sin more and more. Sin draws on sin.
This !'ecms tu be a thil'd stag-e in !iin. First, undt'r Jeroboam,
was thc worship of the cah"es. Then, under .\hah, the wor-
ship of Baal. Thirdly, the multiplyin
of otlH'r idols 3, pene-
trating and pen-adin
the prh-ate life, even of their less weal-
thy people. The C'alves were uf
old; uow, they made tl,em
molten images of tI,eir sill'er, perhaps plated with sih-er. In
E
n)t, the muther uf idulatry, it wa!' COlllllHIll to gild idol!',
made of wuod, stune, and brunze. The idolatry, then, bad be-
come more habitual, daily, universal. These idols were made
of theil' situI' ; they themst'lvcs had had them motten out of
it. A varieiuns as "they werc 4, they lavished their sill'l:r, tu
make thelll their /!ods. .According to their ownullderstamling,
they had had them furmed. They employed ingenuity ami in-
,'entiun to multiply their idols. They despised the wisdum
ami commands of God ""ho forbad it. The rules fur making
and colouring the idols were as minute as those, which God

ave for His uwn wurship. Idolatry had its uwn vast system,
making the ,-isible world its god and picturing it>: operatiuns,
o,-er against the wurship of God iB Creator. But it wa!' all,
tl,eir OINI 1lIlderstanding. The conception uf the idol lay in its
maker's miml. It was his uwn creatiun. He de\"Ísed, what
his idol should n>prei'ent; how it should represent what his
mind imagilll'd; he dchatcd with himself, rcjected, chose,
chan
ed his dwiee, modified what he had fixed upon; all ([c-
cording to /tis oll'n 1lIIderstCl/uling. Their own understanding
devised it; the labour of the eraftsmcn eoml)leted it.
All of it tlte lC'ork of tlte craftsmtm. "lmt man t'ould do
for it, he did. But man euuld not breathe into hi!' iduls the
hreath uf lifc ; tlwre was then no
pirit, nor life, nor anyeffiu-
enee from any higher nature, nor any deit). residing" in them.
From first to last it was allman's work; and man's own wis-
{{om wa!'ò its condemnation. The thing made must be infe-
rior to its maker. God made man, inferior to Himself, but lord
of the earth, and all things therein; man made his idol of the
things of earth, whieh God
a\"C him. It too then was inferiur
to its n
aker, man. He then wurshipped in it, the coneeptiun
of his own mind, the work of his own hands.
The.1f sa.1f of them. Strictly, Of tltem, (i. e. ofthese thing-s,
such things as thcse,) Ihe..1! sa.lf, Let the men that sucr[fice kiss
tlte cah'l:s. The Prophet gÏ\-es the substance or the words of
Jeroboam's edict, when he said, It is 100 mud, for you to go up
to Jeru.wdem, hehold th.1! god.
, 0 Israel. ''''hoever would sa-
crifice, let him do homa:re to the ealres.' He would ha,-e calf-
worship to be the unly \H,rship of Gud. Error, if it is strong
enough, (','er perseeutes the truth, unless it can corrupt it.
Idol-worship was strivin/! to extirpate the worship of God,
which eondemned it. Cnder Ahab and Jezebel, it seemed to
have sueceeded. Elijah complains tu God in His uwn inull.e-
diate pre!'òenee; the cltildren of Israel hal'e forsaken TII.1! COl'e-
nant, thrown down Tltine altars, ami slain Thy ProplletS wit It
1 S. )Iatt. viii.

. t 1 Tim. v. 6.
I See 2 Kingli xvii. 9,10. 4 ab. xii. 'i. 8. i 1 Kingli xix. 10, 14. e lb. 18. and here.

the sll'ord; and I, even I, on(l! am left, mtrL tlte.1! seek my life, to
take it all'a.1!5. I\:issing- was an art of humage in the Ea!'t, done
upon the hand or the fout, the knees or shuulder. It was a to-
ken of Divine honour, whether to an idol 6 or to God 7 . It was
performed, either by actually kissing the imag-e, ur when the
ubject euuld nut be approached, (a!' themuun) kissing the hand 8,
and so !'elHling, as it were, the liiss to it. In the Psalm, it
stands as a symbol of worship, to be shewn towards the In-
carnate Son, when God shuuld make Him King upon His Itoly
!till of SÙIIl.
3. Tllerefore the.1! shall be as the mOrlling cloud. There is
often a fair show of l)rosperity, out of God; but it is short-
lived. "The third generation," says thcheathen proverb, "ne,-er
enjuys the ill-gotten gain." The hij!;hcst prosperity uf an un-
gudly state is often the next to its tllll. lsracl ne,-er so flou-
rished, as under Jeruboam II. nri
ht and glistening with
light is the ear(lf dew; in an huur it is
one, as if it had ne,-er
been. Glowin/! ami gilded by the !iun is the morning cloud;
whilt, you admire its beauty, its hues han vanished. The chair
lay in une heap Oll tlte floor with the wheat. Its uwner ca,.;ts
the mingled chafi' and wheat against the strong- wind; in a mo-
ment. it is driveJl h.1f tlte wind out oft he }loor. ,nlÍle enry grain
falls to the g-roulHl, the ehafl
lig-ht, dry, worthless, unsubstan-
tial, is hurried alung, unresisting, the sport ufthe viewless wind,
and itself is soon seen no mure. The smoke, one, seemingly
sulid, full, lofty, eohulln, ascendeth, swelleth, weUeth, vanish-
eth 9. In fonn, it is as sulid, when about to be dispersed and
seen no more, as when it first issued out of the dtillllle.l!. "10 It
is raised aloft. and by that very uplift in/! swells into a vast globe;
but the larger that g-lobe is, the emptier; for f!'Om that Ilnsolid
ullbased, inflated greatness it vanisheth in air, so that its very
greatncss injures it. For the more it is uplifted, e)"tended, dif-
fused un aU sides into a larger compass, so much the pourer it
beemneth. and faileth, and disappeareth." Such was the pros-
perity of El)hraim, a Ulcrp show, to vanish fur ever. In the
image of tile chaff; the }>rophet substitutes the whirlwind for
the wind hy whieh the Easterns used to winnow, in order to
pieture the violence with with they should be whirled away
from their own land.
"'hile thest' four emblems, in common, picture what is fleet-
ing-, two, the earl.lf dew and the NtOrllillg cloud, arc emblems uf
what is in itself' guod, but passin
lI; the two others, the chaff
and the smoke, are emblems of what is worthless. The dew
and the eloud were temporary mercies on the part of Gud
,}-hi('h should eease from them, " good in themselves, but to
th('ir e' ii, soon to pass away." If the dew have not, in its brief
space, refre!'hed the vegetation, no traee uf it is left. It gives
way to the burning sun. If graee have not done its work in
the soul, its day is gone. Sueh dew were the many prophets
'Touchsafed to h:rael ; sueh wa!'ò Hosea himself, most brilliant,
but soon to pas..: away. The ehaff was the people itse)f
to be
('arried out ofthe Lord's land; the smoke, "its pride and its er-
rors, who
e di!ôappearance was to lea\'e the air pure for the
household of God." "12 So it is written 13; ./s the smoke is dr;l'en
all'ay, so shalt t!tou drive them Ulca.lf; as U'([z meltetlt hefore the
.fire, so shall the ungodly perish heforethe presence of God; and in
1 Ps. ii. I=!. S Job xxxi. 26,2;.
9 S. Aug. 10 Id. in Ps. xxxvi. S. ii.
.1
. 11 Itup. 12 Dion. 13 Ps. Ixviii. 2.

cfIAPTER XIII.

C HBï[oíes T away, e as the chaff that is driven with the
dr. 725. whirlwind out of the floor, and as the
e Dan. 2.35. smoke out of the dlimnpy.
r Isai.4-3.11. 4 Yet flam the LORD thy God from the
ch. 12. 9. 1 I k I
land of Egypt, and thou blat -now no gO(
I LsaJj.
i.11. but me : for g thne is no saviour he side me.

83

5
h I did know thee in the wild('rne!o.
, c HB
o
es T
i in the land of t
reat drought. cir. 7
;;.
6 k According to their pasture, so were h
e:ri: fö. 7 .
they filled; they were filled, and their i

i:
Ò.15.
heart was exalted; therefore I have they t

t
'8.uf:'t".
forgotten me. I
t:.
i: 15.

Prm"erbs 1; ..Is tile whirlu'iml passeth, so is
he wi('
ed no more;
hut the ri<T!deous i.. Wt etJerlastiu{; fOll/ulatlOn. "ho aIthoug-h
thev live
\Ild flourish, as to the life of the body; ret spiritually
theÿdie, yea. and arc bruu
ht to JlOtl
ing-; fur by sin nU1;n became
a nothin:,:-. \Ïrtut' makes man uI}np:ht aud stable; nee, emp-
ty and u;lstahle. ""hence Isaiah says2,
"e w!c
cd.are li
e the
truubled sea, u'Mc1t cawwt rest; and Job; If lll/fl/ut.1f be 11l thy
Iwml, pllt it far awa.lf; then shalt tholt be steadfast."
4. ret, [lit. alld] I am the Lord th.1f Godfrum the lalld of
Egypt. God was !'till the s.
me God Who h
d sheltered them
with His provideJwe, ever smce He had dehvered them from
Eg-ypt. lIe had the same power and will t.o help then
. There-
fore their dlltv was the same, and theIr destruetlOn arose,
not from anv èhang-e in Him, but frum themselvcs. "Gud is
the God of the ungodly, by ('reation aud
eneral Providence."
alld tllOu .
halt [i. e. oughtest to] kllow no Goel but ..lIe,
for [lit. anti] there is not a Saviour hilt J[E. "To he Gud and
Lord and Saviour are Ílwommunieable propertit's of God.
"Therefore God often elaimed these titles to Himself, from the
time He re,"ealed Himself to I"rael. In the song of )Ioses,
whi('h thev were commanded to rehearse, He sav!Ò 4, See uow
that I, I ;'m He, and t!tere is no God with
1Ie; 'I kill, ami I
make alil'e; I woulld, and I helll; neitller is there auy that can
deliver Ollt uf .11.1f hauel. Isaiah repeats this same 5, Is there a
Goel besides .lIe f .lfea, there i.
/10 God; I kllow not an.lf; and,
6 There is no God else besides
lle, a jll.st God and a Saviour;
there is nOlle else. Louk /into "..lIe ulld be ye SUl'eel; for I am
God and there is 1l0lle else; and 7 , I am the Lord, that is
llfl
A
ame ; and .11./1 glor.1f will I Ilot giz.e to mwther; neither .11.'!
praise tu grm'e1l images. "8That Gud ami Saviour is Christ;
God, bec'ause He created; Saviour, beeau
e, being made J\Ian,
He !'Oa,-ed. ""hence He wiUed to be called Jesus, i. e. Sa,-iour.
Truly beside Him, there is no Saviollr; neither is there salva-
tion ill any other; for there is none other name under heaven,
giz'en among men, whereby we must be saved 9 ." "It is not
enough to rc,.ognise in God this quality of a Saviour. It must
not be shared with alI.1f other. 'Yhosu associates with God any
power whate'"er to deeide on man's sah-ation makes an idol,
and introduces a new God."
5. I did know thee in the wilderlles.
. "God so knew them,
as to deserve to be known hy them. By knowing them, He
shewt'd how He ought to be aeknowled
ed by them." As we
love God, because He first 100I.'ed liS, so we come to know and
own God. having first. been owned and known of Him. God
shewed His knO\dedge of them, by knowing and providing
for their wants; He knew them ill the wildemess, ill the land
of great drfJ/l{:(ht, where the land yielded neither foud nor water.
He supplied them" ith the hread from hea"un and with water
from the .fiill'.'1 rock. He kncw and owncd them all by Hi:o
Pro,'idenee; He knew in apprubation and luve, and fed in body
and soul those who, ha,-inl! been known by Him, knew and
owned Him. '.6
0 slight thing is it, that He, \\110 knoweth
all things and men, should, by grace. know us with that kno"'- I
I Provo x.
5. 2 Is. Ivii. 20. s xi. 1-1, 1.5.
. .. Deal. :xxxii. 3U. · xliv. 8. 6 xlv. 21, 2. .. xlii. 8. s Uup. 9 Acts. Ï\'. 12.

ledge accordin
to whirh lIe says to that one true Israelite,
l\Im;e.. 10, thou hast foulld grace ill 111.1/ .
igltt, aml IIf1ww tltee hy
lIa11le. This we read to have been said to that une ; hut what
He !'Oays to one, He says to all, whum now, before or !oinc'e that
time, He has dlO"en, being foreknown and predestinate; for He
wrote the names of all in the book of life. All these elect are
known iu the wildemess, in the land uf luneliness, in the wil-
derness of this world, where no one ever saw God, in the soli-
tude of the heart and the secret of hidden knowledge, where
(;od alone, beholding the soul tried by temptations. exerl'Íses
and proves it, and accounting it, when rwmillg lau.full.lf, wurthy
of His knowled
e, profe

es that He kllew it. To those so
known, or named, He Himself saith in the Gospel, rçjoice, be-
cause your llames are written in Ileaveu ll ."
6. Acrording to their pasture, so were the.lljilled. "8 He im-
plies that their way ofhein
filled was neither g-ood nor praise-
worthy, in that he I'ays, tlte.1f 1i'ere filled, according to their
pa.stures. \\'hat or of what kind were these f/jeir pm.tures?
""hat they long-ed for, what they murmured for, and spoke evil
of God. For instance, when they said, 1i'ltO 1i,iII gh'e usfiesh to
eat? TIe remember thejish tf'hich 1{'e did eat in Eg,lfpt freely.
Our soul is driedu]J,becallse 01lr eyes see nothing butthis l1Wlma 12.
Sinee they desired such thin
s in sueh wise, and, desirin
, were
fillcd with them to loathing, well are they called' their pas-
tures.' For they sought God. not for Himself, but for them.
They who fullow Gud for Himself, thing-s of this sort are not
ealled their pastures, but the wurd of God is their pasture, ac-
cording to that 13, .1[an .\'hallnot live h.1f hread alone,bllt by el'er.,!
1i'ore!, which proceecleth out of tlte mouth of God. These wurds,
according tu their pastures, convey stronl! blame. It is as if he
said, 'In their eatin
and drinkinfr, tll('yrcceiwd their whole re-
ward for leaving the land of Eg-ypt and receiving- for a time the
law of God.' It is sin, to follow God for sueh pastures. ßlam-
in
such in the GOi"pel, Jesus saith a, reri
1f, ,'eril.lf, I sa.1f unto
.1I0u,.1Ie seek
lIe, 1l0t beca/ise .lfe saw tllC miracles, hilt heCllllse ye
did ellt of the loaves and u.erefilled. Labour not for the meat
1t'lâch perisheth, Imtfur that which endllretl/unto et.erla.stinglife.
In like way, let all think themseh'es blamed, who attend the al-
tar of Christ, not fur the love uf the sac'raments which they ce-
lebrate, but only to live of the altar. This fullness is like that
of which the Psalmist "ays 15, The Lord gat'e them their desire
([1ul sent lealllless lI'ithal into their bones. For such flliness of
the belly
enerates elation of spirit; sueh satiety produres
t(lr
etfulness of God." It is more diffi('ul1 to bear pro!'pe-
rity than ad,'eri"ity. They who, in the waste howling wilder-
ness, had been retained in a certain de
ree of duty, forl!at Gud
alto
ether in the good land which He bad given thcm. Whence
it follows;"
They 1{'erefilled,a1/d their heart ti'as exalted; therefore hrtt'e
they forgotten .Jle. For ther owned not that they had all from
Him, th{'refore they were puffed up with pride, and fur
ot Him
in and by reason of His gifts. This was the agg-ravation of
their sin, with whieh Hosea often reproac'hes them 16. They

10 Ex. xxxiii. Ii. \I S. Luke x.
O.
l
lSum.:xi.40-6. 13 Deut.\iü.3. uS. John \i.:W, 27. I.Ps.cvi.15. 1ð ii.5.i'l"...x..l.

8-1

c l;{o"ts T 7 Therefore m I will be unto them as a
cir. 725. lion: as n a leopard by the way will I ob-
"'

."1: t.. lO . serve them:
:
es

.6i7. 8. R I will meet them 0 as a bear that is he-
Provo 17. 12. reaved of her 'whelps, and will rend the

HOSEA,

caul of their heart, and there will I (levour c :
ores T
them like a lion : t the wild beast shall tear cir. i2õ.
them. t :l:
;a.rl 01
9
0 Israel, q thou hast destroyed thy- p
:!v
'
: 32.
self; P but in me t is thine help.
U\\j.
q ver. 4. t Heb. in th." help.

abu
ed God's gifts, (as Christians do nm\") against Himself,
and did the more evil, the more good God was to them. God
had forewarned them ofthi
peril!, If'llen tholt shalt hazle eaten
aml befuU, beware lest thOlI forget the Lord u'hich brollght thee
forth Ollt oft/Ie land of Eg.llpt,fru11l the hOllse ofbondage. He
pictured it to them with the song of
Io!'es 2; Jeslwrlln waxed
fat and kicked; thull art l('a:t"enfat ; thull art grou'n tl,h.k ; thOlI
art cuz'ered Il'it h fa t ness ; thell he forsook God u'h ich made him;-
tholl Iwst forgotten (;od that formed thee. They acted (as in
one way or other do mo!<t (,hristian
now.) a!'ò though God had
commanded what He foretold of their evil deeds, or what He
warned thema/!ainst.sAstheirfathersdid.sodidthe.lI. 4 They
u'alked in the statutes of the heathen, u,hum the Lord cast Ollt
from befure the children of Israel, am[ of the kings of Israelll'hich
tlll'.1f lIIade. The.1f il'TOUgld wicked things to proz'uke the Lord
to anger. ,,/Ild the Lord testflìed against brael ami against
Jndah b.1I all the prophets ami h.1I all the seers, sa!ling, tllm ye
from .VUlir ez'i!wa.lfs. And the.l/ hearkened not, ami hardened
their necks, like tu the neck of their father.." that did not beliel'e
Ùl the Lord their God. MThe words are true al!<o of those rich
and un
rateful, whoIll God hath filled with !'piritual or teIll-
poral
ouds. nut they, being ill hOllollr, and luwing 110 ullder-
standing, abuse the gifts of God, and, beroming unworthy of
the henefits whieh they ha,-e rereÍ\'ed, ha,"c their hearts up-
lifted and swollen with pride, despising- others glor.,/iJ/g a."
tllOllgh the.'l had not receÎl'ed, and not oheyin
the commands
of God. Of such the Lord saith in l
aiah, I haz'e nourished
aud bruught up cMldren and they have rebelled against Ale."
,. I will he unto tltem as a lion. They had waxen fat,
were fun; yt't it was, to heeomethemselves a prey. Theirwcalth
whieh tI\('ywere proud of, whit'h they abused, allured their ene-
mies. To cut off all hopes of God's mercy, He says that He
willlJP to them, a!ooõ those creatures of His, whirh never
pare.
The fiere
'ness of the lion. and the swiftness of the leopard, to-
gethcr pourtray a !'peedy inexorable ehastism..nt. But what
a rontrast! He 'Yho bare I!'rael in the wilderne
s like a Father,
'Yho hare them on ea/!Ies' wing-s, \\Tho drew them with the
eord
of a man, with bands of love, He, the God of mercy and of
lon, their Father, Protector, Defender, Aveng-er, He it is 'Yho
will be their Destroyer.
H. as a beelr herecn'ed of her whelps. The Syrian bear is
fÌereer than the brown bears to which we are aecustmned. It
attack
flocks 6, and e,-en oxen 7. The fierceness of the she-
bear, herem'ed ufherll'helps, berame a proverb 8. "9They who
ha'"e written on the nature of wild bea!'ts, say that none is more
sa,-ag-e than the she-bear, when she has lost her whelps or hwks
food." It hlends wonderfully mO!'òt touching Ion and fiercc-
ne
s. It tenderly protert!'ò its wounded whelps. reckless of it!'ò
life, so that it may bring them off, and it turns fier('ely on their
de!Oòtroyer. Its love for them beeomes fury against their in-
jurer. Much more
hall God aven
e thosë who destroy His
sons and daughters, leading and enticing them into sin mid de-
struction of body and soul.
rellCl the ('(lz;l [what endoses] their heart, i. e. the peri-
I :!?eut. vi. 11, 12. add viii. 11, &c.
lb. xxxii. IS, 18. 3 Acts vii. 51. . 2 Kings
XVII. 8, 11, 13, H.
Rib. 6] Sam. xvii. :H. 7 Plin. vill. S
. s 2 Sam. xvii. 8.

cardium. Thev had closed their heart!'ò against God. Their
punishment is pietured by the remling open of the dosed heart,
by the lion which is said to go instinetivcly ",traig-ht to the
heart, tears it out, and sucks the blood lO . .Fearful will it be
in the Day of Judgment, when the sinner's heart is laid open,
with all the foul, eruel, malieious, defiled, thoughts which
it harboured and concealed, ag-ainst the ""ill of God. It is a
fearful tMng to fall into the hands of tIle lh'ing God H.
alld tltere will I dez'our them. There, where they sinned,
shan they be punished. The wild beasts shall tear tltem. "That
God does, He doc!' mostly throu
h in!'òtruments, and what His
im:truments do, they do, fulfilling His \\ïll through their own
blind will or appetite. Hitherto, He had spoken, a", being Him-
self their Punisher, although laying- aside, as it were, all His
tenderness; now, lest the thought, that still it was He the God
oflon \\Tho punished, should give them hope, He says, the wild
beast Ûwll deVOllr them. He gives them up, as it were, out of
His own hands to the destroyer.
9. 0 Israel, t/IOU hast dest;oyed thyself, but ill ..J[e is th.1I help.
This is one of the concise sayin
s of Hosea, which is rapable
of many !'hades of meaning. The five words, one by one, are
lit. Israel, th.1/ destruction, for or that, in or against JIe, in or
againstthy help. Something must be supplied any way; the sim-
plest !"eems; U Israel, thydestrllcfiun is, t/wt thou hast been, hast
rebelledagainsl Jle.agai/lSt th.1/ helpl2. Yet, in whatever way the
words are filled up, the general sen!Oòe is the same. that God alone
is our help, we are the sources of our own destruction; and that,
in separating ourseh"es from God, or rebelling against Him "Tho
i
our help until we depart from Him, 'Yho Alone could be, and
'\'110 if we return, will be, our help. The sum of the meaning is,
all our destruction is from ourselves; all our salvation is from
God. "13 Perdition, reprobation, obduration, damnation, arc
not, properly and in themselves, from God,dooming to perdition,
reprobating, obdurating, damning, lJUt from man sinning, and
obduring or hardening him
elf in sin to the end of life. Con-
trariwise, predestination, calling-, g-race, are not from the fore-
seen merits of the predestinate, but from God, predestinating,
callin
,and,by His grace,foreeoming the predestinate. "There_
fore although the cause or gTound, why they are predestinated,
docs not lie in the predestinate, yet in the not-predestinated
docs lie the gTound or cause why they are not predestinated."
"This saying then, Ú Israel, thou hast destroyed t!t.l/self but
ill ..lIe is th.'l help, may be thus unfolded;
Thy captivity, Israel, is from thee; thy redemption from 1\Ie.
Thy perishing- is from thee; thy sah'ation from !\Ie.
Thy death from thee; thy life from
Ie.
Thy e,'il from thee; thy good from Me.
Thy reprobation from thee; thy predestination from 1\Ie,
'nlO en'r stand at the door of thy heart and in mercy knock.
Thy derelietion from thee; thy calling from Me.
Thy misery from thee; thy bliss from Me.
Thy damnation from thee, thy salvation and beatifying
from 1\1 e."
For"H many good things doeth Gocl in man, whieh man doeth
Provo xvii: 12. and here. 9 S.J!,r. 10 see in Boch. iii. 2. p. 7-10. 1. 11 H!,.b. x.31.
Ii J archi. 13 Lap. from Theologians on 1. p, q. 23. 14 S. Aug. c, 2. Epp. Pet. 11. 21. lb.

CIL\PTER XIII.

c J"iio[e s T 10 II I will he thy king' : r whpre i.ç all!! :
cir. 725. otller tlmt mav save thee in all tIn' ..ities?
II

':i. thy and thy judA"
s of whom · thou saidst, Give

;:eaK

me a kinA" nml princes?
ing then in prison. 2 Kings Ii. 1. r Deut. 32. 38. ch. 10. 3. ver.4. · I Sam. 8. 5, 19.

85

11 i J gave thec a king;' in mine
and took him away in my wrath.
12 a The ini(luity of Ephraim
up; his sin i,ç hid.

anger, C HR}["íes T
cir. i:"!5.

is bound t i s
'i
:

15. 22, 23. &
16.l.ch.1O.3.
a Deut. 32. 3-1. Job U. Ii.

nut. hut nonc doeth man, which God ent!ueth not man to do."
"I The fir
t eau,.;c ofthe d(.f('ct of ,g-race i,. from us ; hut the fir,.;t
('mlS(' of the g-ift of g-I'.U'C is fro
ll God." .. 2 Hig-htly is Gud
('alled, not the Father uf jU(l
ment,.; ur of n'ng"eanl'e, hut the
Fatller of mcrcies, heeau,.;e from lIim,.;clf is thc cau,.;e and ori-
gin of Hi
mercy, from u,.; thecauseuf fIh:jlHl
ÍI

or a, el
g-ing."
" ßle,.;set! the :<ouJ whieh ('ompl'ehendeth tillS, not with the
under,.;tanding- onJv. but with the heart. Xothing" can destroy
us beture God, but ",.in, the only real e,'il; and sin iswholly frum
u... God nUl ha,-e no part in it. But e,'erv aid to withdraw us
f;;'m sin, ur tu hinder u,.; from falling- int
it, come,.; from God
alone the ...olp Source of IIllr !òah'atiun. The soul then must
('vcr bless God, in its iU,.; and it,.;
ood; in it,.; ills, by eonfe,.;,.;ing
that it,.;clt: i,.; the only cause of its suffcring; in it!' goud, own-
ing- that, when altog-ether unworthy of it, God prevcnted it
by IIis graee, and pr('scrves it eaeh in,.;tant by His Almighty
goodne,.;s."
"3 Xo power, then, ofthe enemy eouJd hanll thee, unle!òs, by
tIn' ,.;in,.;, thou caUed,.;f forth the anger of God a,gainst thce to
th,' de,.truction, .\scrihe it to thvsclf, not to the enemv.
o
lei each sinful dty ur ,.;inful soul sa)-, ",hkh hy its guilt' draws
on it tlU' vengeance of God."
This truth that in Him alune is help, lIe confirm" by what
follows;
10. I ll'ill be tlt.1f King; [lit. I u'ould be] TVhere is any other
that.
'c. Bctter 4, '!There now is th.,! king, that he may Sllf'e thee
ill all tll.1f cities; und lilY judges, of whom tholl saidst, gire me a
Iâng ami princes.
As Israel wa
under
amuel, surh it remained. Theil it
l1lii'trusted God, and looked to man for help, saying 6,
Yll,lj, but
1l'e ll'illltlllX' a J..-inf: Ol'er us, t!wt we also IlUl,! be like other na-
tirms, alld that ourLking may Judge liS, ami gò out before us, ami
.fìglti uur {mttles. In dwosing- man, they rejected God. The
like tlH'Y did, when they ('hose Jeroboam. In order to rid
themseh-es uf thc temporary pressure of Relwboam's taxes,
they dt'mand('d anew !':iug aml princes. First they rejeeted
God as their king; then they rejeded the king whum (;(1(1 ap-
IJointed, and Him in His appointment. III all th.if cities. It
was then to h(' une universal need of help. They had cho!'en
a king to.fìgltt their battles, and had rej('cted God. Kuw was
the te,.;t, whether their choice had been good or e, il. One en-
for help went up from all their citics. God would have heard
it: could man?
"ð This question is like that other 7 , ,rhere are their gods,
tlleir rock ill whom t/ley trusted, u'hich did eat the fat of their
.
(lt'r!/ice.
, and drillk the I('ine of their drink '!fferin/{s ? _\s there,
when no answer could be made, He add
, See now t/Ult I, I,
(lJ1l He, aml that there is 110 godwit!t _lIc, so here He subjoin!'ò ;"
II. I gm'e thee a king ill
lline anger. "8Gud, when He is
asked for uught amiss, sheweth displ('asure, when He /!inth,
hath merq', when He gh-eth not." "The de,'iI was heard,"
[in asking to enter intothe swine] "the Apostle was not heard,"
[whenlwprayed thatthemes,.;engerufSatan mi
htdepart from
bim.] "9fiod heard him whom lIe purposed to eondemn; and
I Aq. I. 2. q. 112. a.:;. ad 2. Ih. 2 S. Bern. SemI. 8. in X3.t. Dom. lb.
8 Lap. ,
.;:
, which ollr ,- ersion renden;",here ? never occurs alone a. an in_
tprrogath'e, but always as subjoined to
.
, witb "hich ":-s is identical and :dentlfied
by great Je\Üsh authorities, as Abuh-alid.
I Sau:' viii. 19. 6 Rup.

He hcard not him whom lIe n iJled to heal." tOo (;od, n"hen pro-
pitious, denieth what we Jove, whcn we love amiss; when wroth
he giveth tu the lover, what he lo\'eth amiss. The .Apo,.;tle saith
pJainlr, God gaz'e them fJI'er to their UIL'1l hearts' desire. lIe gave
I them then what they loved. but, in ghing, eOJ1demnpd tht'm."
(;od did appoint .Jerohoam, although lIof in the way in which
Israd took him. .Jeruboam and l,.;racl took, as from them,.;elves,
what God appointed; ami, so taking- it, marred God's g-ift. Tak-
ing it to themseh-es, from them,.;eh-es, they maintained it for
them!'dves hy human polil'y and ,.;in. ,A,. was the beginning,
sllch was the whole eour",e of their kings. The beginning- was
rebellion; murder, intestine eommotion, anarchy, wa,.; thc oft-
I repcated is!'ò\U'. God was again,.;t thCIll and their l.ing-s; hut
lIe let them han their way. In IIis displea!'urt' with them lIe
I alluwed thelIl their ehui('e ; in displea,.;ure with their evil kings
lIe took them away.
ome He smote in their own pcrsllns,
some in their po,.;terity. So often a,.; lIe /!a,'e them, ";0 often
He renHwed thcm ll , until, in Hoshea, He took them an-a,' tiJr
ever. Thi,.; tuo explains, how what God glll'e in anger, ,;ould
be takell (Il['a.'/ al,.u ill anger. The ('Í\'il authority was not a
thing wrong- in itself, the reasing' whereof mu!oòt be a mercy.
I
n\cI was in a worse condition through its separate munarchy;
but, apart from the ealt:'wor!'hip, it n-as not sin. The ('hang-ing'
of one king for another did not mend it. Individual king-s were
taken away in ang-er against them,.;clves; their removal brought
I fresh mis('n' and bluodshcd. Xations and Churches and indi-
I vidual,.; ma)- put themselves in an e,'iI po
ition, and (;od may
I ha,'e allowed it in His anger, and yet, it may be their wisdum
and humility to remain in it, until God change it, le!':t He should
take it away, not in forgivene!'s, but in ll1l
er, "I
Ða,-id they
neither a!'ked for, nur did the Lord give him in His an
er; hut
the Lord fir!'òt chose him in mercy,
a'-e him in grace. in His
supreme
ood-plcasllre lIe stren
thened and preservpd him."
l "13 Let no one whu !'uffereth from a wil'ked ruler, ae('use him from
whom he sutfereth ; for it was frum his own ill de,.;ert
, that he
J berame !'òubjert to such a ruler. Let him al'cu,.;e then his own
I deed,.;, rather than the injustice of the ruler; for it is written,
I gm'e thee (l king ill _llille ll1lf:er. ""hy then di
dain to have
as rulers, tho,.;c whose rule we rceeive from the anger of (jod ?"
"14 "'hen a reprobate pcuple is allowed tu have a reprohate pas-
tor, that pastor i!':
iven, neither for his own !òake. nut for that
uf the peuple ; inasmuch as he so gm-erneth, and thcy so ohey,
that neither the teacher nor the taught are found meet tu at-
tain to eternal bli!'s. Of whum the Lurd !'aith by Hosea, I gm'e
them a king ill JIine anger. rur in the angt'r of God i!< a king
given, when the had have a wurse appointed as thcir ruler.
Such a pastor is then given, when he undertakes the rule of sudl
a peol)le, both heingeundemned alike tu everlastin
punishment."
1:2. The iniquity of Ephraim is bOllnclup (as in a bag- or
E'lrse, and so, treasured up) as Job saith, using the same word,
5 _If.'1 transgressÎcm is sealed up ill a bag, and Thou sell'est lip
mille illiqllit!l. His sin is !tid, i. e. as people lay up hidden trea-
sure, to be brought out in its season. ""hat Joh feared for
himself, was to be the portion uf Ephraim. All his sins !'hould
9 ld
i

'I

:

. 10 1
.Si
n
s:
;
\'
.p
.
: Augi,ATh

i.
':-
:;
:

pr' S'
thisolt-reneweddealillg 01 God. I
Rup. 18 S.Greg. in Job L. xXV.c. 20. Rill.
HId. in 1 Reg. ix. T. iii. p. :!15, 16. lb. J. Job xiv. Ii. ..-:::; as here -
-:;.
U

8G

HOSE
\,

C HBf[oíes T ]3 1 T}w sorrows of a travailing- woman!
"if. ï

shall come upon him: he is Yan unwise son; :
x }=

'3

Ï;
' for he sIwuld not r stay t Ion A" in the place
: rKi
;;ig:3. of the hreaking forth of dlildren.
!
=t.

e. 1.,1 B I will ransom them from t the power
Eæk. 3ï. 12. t Heb. 'lie liar-d.

of the grave; I will redeem them from c J
o
es T
dt'ath : b 0 death, I will be thy piagUl's; () cir. ï:?5.
g-rave, I will he thy dt'struction: c repent- b
-I-
o;5:5.
auee shall be hid from mine eyes. . :t:

tl.629.
l

Though d he be fruitful among his d
fe
:8:t
:

he eOIUIted, laid by, heaped up. Xo one of thclll should e
enpe lilies. was a pit'ture of that ?f the .Syna
o
ue, when gTeater
Hi!< J:ye "Tho
ees all thill
s a
they pa

, and with ,nlUlIl, when evils wcre eoming ul)On it. l\ enr dul the Jews less think that
l)a
t, they arc present
till, nne hy une,
ins cnter into thc the axe was laid to the root of the trees." This blind pre-
treasure-!lOuse of wrath; silently thcy are .stored. up, unt
l the II sumption is e,rel' foun.d in a peoI
le ,
holll God easts off. A
the
measure IS full; to be brou
ht uut and unfolded III the (.reat end of tht' world, anud the awcful
Igns, the fure-rullners of the
Day. I
phrailll thoug-ht, as do all sinners, that bt'eause God Day of Jud
lIlcnt, people will be able to reas
ure them
elvcs,
doe
not punish at once. He never will. They think, cither that and say R, Peace and safety; then suddell destructioll cometl, U]J-
God will hcar with thelll alwavs, because He bcars with them Oil them as travailujJo/l a womall with c;hild, ami they shall nul
so 10ll
; or that He docs not see, dues not I'e
ard it, is nut!w escape. '
pl'c('ise about His laws being- broken. 1 Bemuse sentellce against The Prophet first compare,. Israel to the mother, in reg-ard
(lI1 el'il'l'ork is /lot e:rel'utetl speedi!.'I, therefore the hearl of ti,e to the suftering-s whieh are a picture of the ,.udden over-
SUIlS of mell is fll/('I set ill them tu do ezoil. But God had fore- whelming- vi,.itations of (;od ; then to the ehiJd, on who!<e ,.tay-
warned them 2 ; Is not tltis lrtid up ill store lI'itl, _1Ie, aud sealed up ing ur not iStayin
in the womb, the welfare of buth dcpends.
amollg JI.fJ treasllres? To 1.11e belougeth l'engeauce aud recmll- he is Ill/lIIlll'ise sou.for I,l' shollid /wt stay IOllg. Senseless
peme; their/uot slmll slide ill dlle time: amP, These thiugs hast would be the ehilt!, whil'h, if it had the power, lin
ered, hesita-
!Iwu dOlle, allli I kept .
ilence; alld thou tlwllgMest 1l'ickedly that ted, whether to cume forth or no. \\'hile it ling-ers, at one time
I was altogethcr sueh an one as th.'Iself; I/('ill r!'jJ/'Ol'e tllee, all but coming- forth, then returning-, the mother's strength is
aud set tile/it ill order before t!tiue e.lfes. rnrel,ented sin is an wasteù, and both perish. \Yonderflllpieture oftlH' vaeillating
eH'rg-rowin
store uf the wrath of Gud, hid out of si
ht in the sinner. at'ted upon by the graee oH;od, but resistinJ!: it: at one
depth!< of the Divine jud
mcnts, but uf whil'h nuthin
will be time all but ready to pour out hetiJrc his (;od the hidden bur-
lost, nothing mis,.ing. :\Ian trea,.ures it up, lays it up in !':tore I then whieh oppre,.scs him. at the next, "ithholding it: impclled
for himself, as the .\po,.Ue ,.aith 4; Despisest thOIl the riches of by his !':uft'crin
,., yet presentin
a })a,.sivc resistanl'e; almust
Ifis goodness and forbearallce and 10Ilg-,
I!!lèrillg, lwt lalf/lciug I eonstrained at time
by sume mightier pang, yet still withheld;
that the goodlless of God leadeth thee to repelltallce; but after until, at the last, the impul,.es beeollle weaker, the pangs less
th.'1 IUlrdlless aud ill/penitent hearttrea,mrest lip /lido th.'Iselfll'rlltl, I felt, and he peri,.hes with hi,. unrepented sin.
agaill,
t the ])((.'1 of /('ratlt alld rel'elatioll of the r
l(ltteous.illdg-I .. 9 He had said, that the unwise eannot bring forth, that the
ment uf God, 'rlw ll'illreuder to ezoe/:I/ 1/w/wccordillg tuMs deeds? I wi!'òe ('an. He had mentiOIwd children, i. e. such as aI'C not still-
"5 Sill is hidden, when it is laid opcn by no voice of confes!'òion; I born; who eome t()rth pertcet into the world. These, (;od !<nith,
yea, when it is euvered with a shield of proud self-defence. Then shall by His help be redeemed from everlasting destrm.tion, and,
iniquity is bound up, so that it eannot be loo,.ed or for
iven. at the ,.ame time, having- predicted the dcstruC'tion of that
Contrariwise a hol)' man saith 6, I ack/loll'le/(l(erl 1//.1/ sill Ullto nation, lIe gixes the deepe,.t eomfnrt to those who will to retaiu
Thee, and mille iniquity IUll'e I/wt hid. [said, I /('illI'O/{fes,ç my I finn faith in Him, nut allowin
them to be utterly ('a!it down."
trausgres,
iuns UlltO ti,e Lord; and Thml forgaL'l'st the illiqlli('I I 1..1. I lcill rallsom tl/em from the power of the gl"(we ; lit.
of 1/1.'1 sill. nut these hide their sin in the sig-ht of men, and I f/"O//I the halld, i. e. the grasp of the grm'/', or of hell. God, hy
sÍlwe they ('annot hide it in the
i
h t of God, they deft'nd it with I IIi,. prophets, mingles promises of merey in tilt' midst of His
impenitent hearts, hut the pallgs ({fa travailil/I{ ll'OIlWIl.he !'aith,! threats of punishment. IIis mercy uverflows the bound,. of
shall come "POIl Mm. For as a woman can coneeal her eoncep-: the OI'easinn upon which He Illake
it known. He had sen-
tilln tiw a time, but, at last. the travail-I'an
s betraying her, she teneed Ephraim to tt'ml}ûral destruction. This was unl'han
e-
di!<clo
t.s what wa,. eOlll'ealed, ,.0 the,.e ('an dis
emblt. and ('un- ahle. He puints to that whil'h turns aU tcmporal loss into
ain,
eeal for a time their sin, but in thcir timc all the hidden thing..: their eternal redemptiun. The words are the fullest whieh
of their hcarts shall, with angui
h, be revealed, according to eould have been e11O
en. The word rendered Tall,mm, signifies
that Î, Tltere is Ilothillg cOl'ered, tlwl ,çl/([ll not be revealed, alld r('sl'ued them by tht' payment of a price: the word rendered re-
!tid, that .1'1/([11 Ilot be ImOll'/l." deem, relates tu one, whu, as the nearest of kin, h.\(I the right
13. Tlte sorT/JIL'.I' (!f a tl"lH'uiling U'Ul1Wll are ('(nne UpOIl /tim. to acquire any thing as his own, by pa) ing that price. Both
The tra,"aiJ-pangs are violent, sudden, irresistible. A monwnt words, in their exa('test sense.de
eribewhatJesus did,huying us
before they come, all is seemin
ly perfect health; they (,Ollie, in- witll ([ price, a fuH and dear price, not of corruptible thillgs, as of
crease in ,"ehemencc, and, if they a('I'ompli,.h not that for whieh sill'er a/l(1 gold, bllt u'ith His lH'ecioll,
Blood Io ; and that, beeom-
they arc sent, end in death, both tu the mother and the ehild. ing our near kinsman, by His Incarnation, for whicll calise He
Such are Gud's ('hastisements. If they end not in the rt'llf'nt- is nut ashamed tu call us bretltrell ll , and little cMldrell I2 . This
an('e of the sinner, the) eontinue on in his destru('tion. nut was ne'"er done by God at any other time. than when, out uf
never is man more ,"('cure, than ju,.t befure the last and final lo,"e for our lost world. 13 He gat'e His 011(1/ Begotten SOil, tllat
throt' eome
upon him. "The false seeurity of Israel. when u,llOsuet'er belin'eth ill Him shuu/clllOt peris/i/mt hau et'erlasting
Samaria was on the point of faUing intu the hands of its ene- life; and He came to gÍL'e His life a rmlsom for mallY H. Then

1 Eccl. ,'iii. n.
Deut. xxxii. 34,5. 3 Ps. J. 21. . Rom. ii. 4-6. 6 Rup.
, Ps. xxxii. å. '; S. Matt. x. 26. 8 1 Tbess. v.3.

g Osar. 10 I Pet. i. 18,19.
13 S. Jolm ill. 16.

II Heb. ii. II. 12 S. J olm xiii. 33.
H S. Matt. IX. 28. add 1 Tim. ii. 6.

CIL\VTER XIII.

C HBí[Ot's T hr('thren, e an east wind shall come, thc i
Clr, i:!5. wind of the LURn shall ('om(' up from the
·
:
:: g: 10. wilderm'ss, and his spring shall het'ome dr

I.l
:

: and his fountain shall he (lried up : he shall
t

;
:
$e1$ !ipoil the treasure of all t pleasant ycssels.
r; dh. 2. 9.

only was man reallv delÍ\'ered from the {(rasp of the grm'e; su
that the first cleath
huultl onh- be a freedum from corruptiun, an
earnest; and, to fallen man, å nc('e

ary (,OIulition of immorta-
litv: and the second death shouhl/wl'c no power Ul'er them 1.
Tlienc'('forward "2death. the parcnt ofsorro\V, mini
ters tu juy:
death, our dishonor, is employed to our g-Iory; tile gate 0/ hell
i
the purtal tu the king-dom of hea, cn : thc pit of destruction
is the cntrmwe to
al\'aticlIl: and that to man. a sinner." .\t no
otlwr time, 'c 3 were men freed from u('ath and the
ra\-e, So a

tu make am'di4inction between them and others
uhject to
mortality." . The words refu
e to he tied down to a t(,lllporaJ
delin'rmi('e. .\ little lonlrer ('ontinuanee in Canaan is uot <I
redcIllption from thc p()w
r of the g-ra,-e ; nor was Ephraim so
dclivcred, \\' ords uf (;ud ,,-I- ('allllUt mean so little, while thev
express so mueh." Then and then alone were they. in their
literal mcanin
, fulfilled, when God the Son took our flesh 5, that,
through death, Ill' mig/d destro.1I !lim that Iwd tlte power of dmth,
that is, tIll' del'il; and clelh'er them wllO, through jear of death,
1l'l're all their lifetime ,m/dect to bondage.
The Jews have a traditiun wrapped up in their way, that thi

wa,.; to be ac('omplished in Christ. " 6 I went with the an
cl
Kippud, ami )Iessiah ...on of David went with me, until I eame
to the
ates uf hell. "'hen the pri
oners of hell saw the li
ht
of the )Il's
iah, they wi!<hed to rec'eÍ\-e him, sayin
, this is he
n ho will brin
us uut of this darkne!!'s, as it is written, I will
redeeJJl them/rom the Iwml ,if Itell."
"7 Xot without reason i!' the nnU'hsafed mercv thus once and
a
ain outspuken to us. I u'ill ransolll tltem fr
m the pou'er of
tlte g/"(ll'e; I ll'illl'edeem them from de,tfl,. It is :,aid in reg'ard to
thaf twofold death" herein- we all died in .\dam, uf the hod,- and
of the :,oul." 0 death. fu'ill be th.1I plagues; () grat'e, I u:ill be
thll destruction. So full is Gud's word that the sen
e remains the

'lme, ami(lll1ueh ditft'renC'e of renderin
. Christ was the death
of death,when He bec'ame suhje('t to it: the destructiun uf the
gra'e. when He lay in thetomh. Yet to rcndcr it in the ttlrlll
of a que4ion is most ag-reeable to the lanpla
e 8. 0 death,
u'here are th.,! plagues? () gral'e, wl,ere is th.'1 destruction? It i!"
a imr!!'t of triumph at the prumised redemption, then fulfilled to
n
in earnei"t and in hope, when Christ. heing' risen from the
dmd, be('(lll/e the Pirst-fruits of tltem tlwt slt'pt 9, and we ro
e ill
Him. But the .Apostle teaehe
u:" that then it shaU be altugether
fulfilled, whell, at the la..t Day, Ihi.,; corruptible sltall hm'e put
011 illcorruptioll, and this //Iorfal sltall hm'e put on ill/mortali'.l1 10.
Thell shall death and hell delh'er 11]' tlte dead u'//Ích "hall he in
them, and tltem.
eh'es he cast into the lake of/ire n. c. Then shall
there he no s
inlr of death; sorrow and si
hin
shall flee away;
fear and allXlcty
han depart: tear!!' shaU he 110 more. and in
plaee thereufshall he houndle
!< pleasure, e\'erla4ingjoy. praise
ofthe ,g-Iorv of (;od in most swect hannonv." But nuw too
throu
h dëath. the
ood man "('east's to die; and begins to lin:';
he" 1; dies wholly to the wurld. that he may Ii\'(' perfeetIy with
Gud; the soul rcturns to the .\uthur of its being, and is hidden
in the hiddell Presence of God."
I Re.... xx. 6.
S. Bern. Senn. 2ft in Cant. Lap. S Poco 4 Da\ison on Prophecy.
;; Heb. ii. H,15. 6 Ber('!;hith Rabba, in Martin. Pug. Fid. f. 605. 6. .
. ; Rup. . 8 .:'"
is mo
t natur'!U} taken in the sense in "hieh Hosea had just used
It, as eqUIvalent to :-:.
. As a verb, It would mean, I u"Ould be, which would not agree

i

1G II
amal"Ìa shall hecome de...olatc; f fOl' C Ifí[oí"s T
sllC hath I'ehellcd a
ainst her (;od: g tlwr cir. i25.
shall fall hy tht. sword: their infants shall" :;
I

,
he dashed in pil't,(.s, and their women with f

:
::

: 6.
ehild shall he rippl'd up. "
1h.ing!< 8.12.
ò.. Iii. 16, 183.i. 13.16. ch. 10. B ,IIi. Amos ]. 1:).
ah. 3.10 .
I Death and hdl had no power to r('
i4, and God sa\"s that
I He will not alter Hi!' sentent'e; llepl utaUf'e shall be I,id jJ"fJlll
I JIine e.lles; as the Apostle saysl3, tlte gift.
aud {'fIllillg 0/ God
I are wit/IOICt repe/ltwu'e.
I I.'J. Thou
h [lit. lellelt] he [slcall] be /rui(flll amoug /âs
brethren. Frllitfullle
s wa!' (;od's promise to Ephraim, and was
expre
!<ed in his name. It was fulfillecl,ahu
ed.and.in the heig-ht
I of it
fu!fihnent, was tak
n aw
y. Ephraim. i
p.ietured a
a Üt.ir
and frmtflll tree. An East 1l'IIUl,
u dc:,olatlll/! III the Ea4, and
that, no ('hanee wind, hut the u'iml of tl,e Lord, a wind, !<('nt hv
God and endued by God with the powcr to de
truy. ,Çllflll ('(I//le /fjJ
from tI,e 1l'ilderuess, parf'hin
, seorehin
, ficry. frum the hurning
!!'and
of c. .\rabia the dcsert," from whil'h it eame, ami slHlll lh'lI
up t/,e fOllutai/l of his hein
. Deep wt're the roots of this fair
I and fluuri
hin
tree,
reat it!' ,-i/-'"(Iur, amI/Ie and perpctual the
fuuntain of its water..., O\'cr whit'h it
rew and In- whic'h it was
sustained. He ealls it "!lis
pring-, /âs fountain," as thou
h
this sour('e of its life were made m-cr to it, and macle it:- uwn.
It 1f'as planted b.1I the ll'flter-side: hut it was nut uf God'
plant-
I ing. The East 1l'i/ld from tile Lord shoultl dry up the deep(':-t
I wdl-sprin
ufits waters; and the tree should with('r. Sueh arc
un
odly
reatne:-:- and pro!'perity. "llile th(')'" arc fairc...t in
show, their life-fountain
are ùryin
up.
he shall spoil the trea,mre of all pleasaut l'essels. FIe, em-
phatieaUy u, the enemy whom the Pmphet had evcr in his mind,
as the in
trument of C;od',.; C'ha4iseml'nt on IIi!' pcople. and who
was repre
ented by the La!'t wind: the .bsyrian, who eallle
fnHn the Ea!<t, to whom, a!< to the East wind, the whole C'UU1l-
try between lay open, ttlr the whirlwinds of his armies tu swecp
over in one straight c'ourse from the scat of his duminiun.
IG. Smuaria sllallIJeco7lle desolate,orsludlhear hl'J' iuiqllitl/.
Her ini(luity
huuld now find her out, and re!'t upon Iter. Ùf
thi
, ,. de
olation .. was, in God's jud
lllent!oò. the c'ullseqllenee.
Samaria, "the nllr!<ery of idolatry and rebellion ag'ain
t Gud,"
the ehief in pride. !!'hould he ehief in punishment. .F'o/' slle hath
rebelleel aJ:ainst her God. It a
gTavated her sin, that He
l[gainst "-hum she rehelled, was her uwn God, IIc \rho had
dlOsen her to he His, and made Himself her {;od; \rho had
shewed Himself lIeI' God in the uhundanf't' of Hi!' lo,'in,g--kind-
nes
, from the deli\"eranee out uf E/!ypt to that day. 'Ùli
her
de
ulation, it is again !'aid. should be eomplete. Hope rcmain:"
if the men of a generation are eut ott': yet not only should these
fall bythe!'wonÌ; tho
e already burn \
'c're tu he da;hed inl'Î('('es;
those a!oò yet unhorn were tu be sought out for destruction, e\'en
in theit. nlOthers' womb. Suc'h atrocitil':' were eUlllllwn then.
Eli!'ha foretold to lIazacl that he would perpetrate both eru-
clties l5 ; Shalmaneser da
hcd the yuung ehildl'en in pieees 16, as
ùid the eonqueror of X o-.\mmon 17 , and the Bahylcmians I- after-
wards. The ehildren uf Ammon rippcd up the women \\ ith ehild
in C;ilead 19, and the usuqlCr )1 ('I!ahem in Tiph
aJ] and its
eoasts 20 . baiah prophesics that Bahylon should undergo. in it!;
turn, thp same as to its dlildren 21, and the Psahni4 prunoun-
ces Gud's blessing' un its destroyer who should su recluite him.
"ilh the ahsolute dedarntion just before,ll1:ill raT/$om, 111:ill redeem. 9 ] Cor. xv. 20.
10 lb. 54. 11 Re..:!> x. 13, H. I
de dign. Di,-. .\111. fin. ap. S. Hem. ii. :!i.J..
13 Rom. xi. 29. .. IC":'" I. 2 Kingli ..iii. ]2. 16 ab. x. 14. I; I\ah. iii. 111.
18 Ps. cxxx\ii. 9. 19 Am. i. 13. 20 2 Kiugs x\. Hi.
I xiii. IV.
r.2

88

CHAPTER XIV.
I All exhortation to repentance. 4 A promise of
God's blessing.
Sueh was to be the end of the pride, the amhition, the able
policy, the war!'. the oppressions, the luxury, the !'clf-enjoyment,
and. in all. the rebellion of Samaria ap:ain!'t her God. She
had !'tood the more in oPllo..ition to God, the nearer !o'he mi
'ht
ha,'e bcen to Him, and hare her iniqlli(lI. A!; a eity of God's
people, it wa.. ne,-er rC!o'torcd. The ,;pot, in its heathen ('010-
ni..t!', with whi('h .\!<!')Tian poli('y repeopled it 1, was !'till the
abode uf a minp:lcd relip:iun. Curruption I'lunp:, by inheritan('e,
to its
ite. Thi!' too wa,; destroyed Ity JollII IIyr('anus. "He
effaced the marks that it had e,'er been a eitv 2 ." It was rebuilt
by the Romans. after Pompey had taken .,ëru!'alem 3. Hcrod
reindo!'cd a cirl'uit of two mile!' and a half of the an('ient site;
fortified it !'tronp:ly, as a dlel'k on the Jews: repeopled it, partly
with !'ome who had !'crved in his war,;, partly with the people
around: ga,-e them land,;; re,-ived their idolatry by n'placin

their puor temple by one remarkabk for !o'ize and beauty, in an
area of a furlung and a half: ami ealled the plaee Seba!'tc in
honour of his heathen patrun, Aup:u!'tus 4. A coin of Kero,
strUl'h. there, hcars the fip:ure (it is thoup:ht) of its old idul, A!o'h-
taroth 5 . S. Jerome !'ays. that S. John the ßapti,;t was buried
therc 6 . Thc heathen, who were clU'ourap:ed in such dese('rations
}JY Julian the Apo,;tateí.opened thc tomb, burn{'d the boneJoÕ, and
fwattercd tll(' tlu!'t 8. The ('ih' became a Chri!o'tian see, amI its
ßi!o'hops were pref'ent at thc fi;ur flr!<Ì Gencral Councils 9. It is
now but a poor ,'ilIage, eonuet'ted with tht' stronp:ly-fortified
town of Herod by its heathen name Scbastieh, a long an'Illl(' of
broken pillars, and the tomb of the p.Teat Furerunner 10. Of the
an('ient ('apital uf Ephraim, not (','en a ruin speaks.
The Prophet cluses thi,; portion uf his prophe,'y, as other
pruphets !o'O often do, with the opposite end of the righteou!o'
and the wil'ked. He had !o']JOken of the vietory ovcr death, the
irrevoeahle purpo!o'e of God for p:oml to IIis own; then he speaks
of utter final d('!'truetion. Then when the mer('v of (;od shall
be shewÌ. to the uttermo!o't, and the victon over'sin and death
shaH he al'eolllp]i
hed, then shall all the põmp of the world. its
riehes, joys, luxuries, elegance, glory, dignity, peri!o'h, and not
a wre(.k be left behind of all whieh OIH'e dazzled the e\"Cs of
men, for which thcy forsook their God, and sold tllt'mscl\'es to
evil and the e,-iI one.
XI\'. J. (J lsru<'l, return [l1Ot(., quite] Ullto t!le Lord ."Iour
God. The hea,-y and s('aredy interrupted tide of denuneÍation
is now ]1<14. BilIuw upon billow ha"e roUed O\'er Ephraim; and
the la!'òt wa\-e dis('harged itself in the owrwhclming, indi!o't'rimi-
nating destru('tion of the !o'eat of its !o'trcngth. As a nation. it
was to ('case tu he. Its !'eIJarat(' exi!o'ten('e was a eur,;e. not a
blessing; the uffspring of rivalry, matured hy a]JOsta(')'; the
parent, in it!< turn, of jealou,.y, hatred, and mutual yexation.
But whil{' the kingdom was past and /!one. the ('hildrcn still
remailwd heirs of the promiscs madc to their fathers. As then,
hctilrc, Hosea declared that I..racl, after having long remained
solitary,!o'hould in the end seek tIll' Lord ([lid Dm'id tlleir kingH,
so now, after these manifold denUlU'iatiom of their temporal
destruetion, God not only ÏIn-ites them to repentance, but fore-
tells that thev should he whollv com-erted.
Every word is full of men'y: Gud calls them by the name
of aceeptance, which He had gh'en to their forefather Jacob;

R"fore
CHRIST
"ir. 725.

I 2 Kings Jt\ii. 24.
2 Jos. Ant. 13.10,3. 3 lb, U. 4.
. and 5.3. 4 lb. 15. 8. 5.
o \" aillant, !\ urn. I rnp. p. 3iO. in Jt"land, P"l. p.98l.
co on lIes, i. 5. Ob. inir, Mil'. i. (j. Onorn. v. Sern"ron. ' 1Ilisopog. p. 95.

HU
E..\,

O ISRAEL, a return unto tlle LORD thy C HBj[oíes T
God; b fOl' thou hast fallen by thine cÏr. i25.
iniquity. Joel 2. 13. :

: f
:
:
o l
rael. He deigns tu beseech them to return; return 1101t. ;
and that not "toward
" but ql<Ïte up to I' Hilll!o'elf. the {"IH'hangc-
ahle (;od, "'ho
e merdes and prOlni!o'es were as immutable as
IIis Bcing. To Hil1l!o'elf, the r nehang-cable, God invitt,s thelll
to retUl"I;: and that, as being !o'till their God. They had cast
off their God; God had not {'(lst qff' ]-lis people tl'lwm }-Ie fore-
knew 13.
"H lIe entreats them nut only to turn ha('k and look towartl
the Lord with a partial and il;lperfect repentan('e, but not to
lea\'{' off till they were come rplite hume to Him by a tutal and
sincere re[wntance and amendment." He bids them return quite
to Himself, the Cnchangeable (jud, and their God. "(;reat is
rellentan('e," i!' a Jcwi,;h saying-Is, "whir'h maketh men to reach
quite up tu the Throne of glury."
lor tlwu lIa.
t fallell h.,/ thine iniqui!.,/. "This is the first ray
of Divine light on the !o'inner. God bep:ins by di!'('overing- to
him, the aby
s into whkh he ha!o' fallen," and the way by whieh
he feU. Their uwn iniquity it was, on whieh they had stumbled
and su had fallcn, pmn'rlt,!o'!o' to rise, except through Ilis eall,
"lw!o'e 1'oiee i.'1 /('itll pot('er 16, and" "'ho p.in.th what He com-
mamleth." ..17 A!o'erihenot thy calamity," Hcwouldsay. "tuthine
uwn weakne!'s, tu eivil dbsensiun, tll the disu!'e uf military dis-
dpline, to want of \\ i!o'dom in thy ruler
. to the amhitim{ and
cruelty uf the enemy, to revcrse of fortune. The!o'e thiup:s had
nut gone ap:ainst thee, hatlst not thou p:one to war with the law
of thy f;oc!. Thou inflietedst the deadly wound on thyself;
thou destroyt'd!'t thyself. Kot as fools vaunt, by fate. or filr-
tune of war, but h.1I !!line iniqui('1 hast t!lou/allen. Thy reme-
dy then is in thine own hand. Retum to tll.1I God."
"18 In tht'!o'e words, h.l/ t!lille 111iquit.l/. he briefly cmn-eys, that
each is to ascrihe to him!o'elfthe ini(luity of all sin, of whatsoever
he ha!o' been guilty, not defending- him!o'df, as Adam did. in whom
we all, Jews and Gentiles, luwe
inned and flillen, as the .\postle
says 111, For 1('e 1('ere h.'l lIature tile eMlclrell of 1('ratll.e1'ell as otllers.
By adding- at'tual. to that ori
inal, sin, hrael and e, cry uther
nation falleth. He would say then, () I
rael, be thuu flr!o't COlI-
\'erted. for thuu ha!o't need of cunversion; for thOll hast fallen ;
and confe!o's this vcry thing-, that t/Wll IIast fallen h.1I tMlle in-
iqllit."l; for such eunfe!'sion is the beginning of eonyersion."
llut wherewith !o'hould he return?
2. Take ll'ith 'lOll u'or<ls. Hc hids them not brintr I'o!o'tly of-
ferinp:s, that they ìni
ht regain His fanmr; not wlwic burnt-uf-
fcrinp:!O ofhllJlod".S, goats fir rams; with which, and with whi<'h
alone, they had beforc p:one to seek Him 20 : not the silHr and
I gold whkh they had Im'ished on their idols: but what scems the
cheapest of all, whi('h any may IHwe, without ('ost to their !o'ub-
stanee ; ll'ords; worthle,;s, as mere words: precious, wht'll from
I the heart ; word
uf eunfl'ssion and prayer. hlending humility,
repentalwe, confession, entreaty and prai,;c of God. God !o'eems
I to assip:n to them a form, with whidl they should approa('h Him.
But with these words, they were al!o'o to turn inwardly: and turu
unto the Lord, \\ ith pmr 'whole heart, and not yum: lips alune.
" After ye shall be converted. confess before Him."
Take a/{'a.1I all iniqlli(1/ [lit. and pleadingly, Thml1l'ilt take
away all iniquit!/.] They had.fal/ell hy their iniquities; hefore
they can rise again, tJIC stumbling-bloeks must be tah.cn out uf
8 Theod. H. E, iii. 7.
9 se.e if} Reland, p. 983. 10. Stan!e)", palestine, p. 215. 11 iii. 5.
12
ot

but-:::. 13 Rorn.xl.2, If POCo I. Yûrna,c,8.inPoc.
'0 Ps. xxix.
. I, 080r. IS Hup. 19 Eph. ii. 3. 20 see aL. v. 6.

CIL\.PTER XIY.

!)

to J will 'n' rCJ1(ler the C ('alyes of our lips. c :
o
es T
all II 3 d ...\.sshur shall not s
n-e us; e we will _ci
:.J:!5

so II not ride upon horses: f ncither will we say: re

:irJiJ.tc.
ch. 5. 13. & 12. 1. . Deut. 17. IG. P s.33. li. I.ai. 30. 2,16. &. 31. 1
_=_lí. \_e
8 .
their way: 'rI
ey then, UI
able th('m
('h"cs to do it, !Hust turn I' petual th
nk
g-i\'ing-. .\
the lllo
ni.ng- and pveni.ng-
.uTifi('e
tu Cod, ,nth" hom alone IS power and merry to du It, and
ay were euntlllual,
o was therr new utfermg- to be ('ontIllual. But
to Him, Take away all iuiquity, aeknowledg-ing- that they had more. The materi.al sa('rifiee, tlte bulluck, was offered, c-on-
manifol(1 ini1luities, and prayin
Him to furgive all, take ull'a,ll :,ounU'd, ami pa
s('d away. Their lips \H're offercd, and remain-
all. All iuiqlli(1/ ! "not onl}: then the past, but wha
we fear' I ed;. a Iwrpetual. tlH
nk o
('ring-, e\'('n a lil'illg. s
lrrili.ce, li\'in.g-
for the future. Cleanse us from the pa
t, kcep us frum thc on hk(' tlu' men'res tor wlneh they thanked; gn'lllg- furth therr
future. Give us righteuu
ness, and prc
er'-e it tu the end." ,. endle:,..; song-" fur never-ending- lllerl'ie
.
(lnd 7'eceÏl'e us gl'(lciou,
l,l!. [lit. and receir'e gum[l.] "-hen This tuo luoks on to the {;o
pel. in whi('h, here (Ill earth, our
God has forgiven ami taken away iniquity, 11(' has removed nil UJH'nding" thank!<g-i, in
is lwg-inning-, in whieh also it was the
hindrance to the influx of I1is g-raee. There is no ,'a('uum in purpo
e ufGml tu re
turc tlw
e of 1:I)hraim who would r('turn
His
piritual, any mure than in his natural, creation. ""hen tu Him. "r" Here we see the law e),.tingui
hed, the GO
IJl'I e
ta-
God's g-ood Spirit is dmsed away, the e,,-il spirib enter the blished. For we see other rite!<, other IÚft
. ::-:0 then the Jlrie
t-
house, whieh is emp'.'!, swept, aud garnis/led 2 for them. ""hen Iwod is also chang-cd. Fur three
lJrt
of sac-rifice!llwere of old
God ha
forg-i,'en ami taken away man's evil, lIe puurs iuto ordained by tlu' law, with g-reat state. Some
i/.:'nified the cx-
him
Taee and all /!,"(Jod. \\'hen then Israel and, in him, the piation of
in;
ome expre
sed the ardor ofl'iety; somc, thank
-
penitent soul, i
tau/!,"ht tu say, receÏl"e good, it ('an mean only, /!,"Í\-ing-. '1'0 those aneient sit!"n
and imag-e
, tilt' truthof the Gos-
the g-llod which Thou Thyself hast g-iven; as Dm'id says, of pel, without figure, corresponds. Prayer to Gild, to take ([ll'((.'1
Thine UW1I /ull'e ll'e gil'ell Thee s. .\s God i
said tu "('ruwn in I ([II illiquit.'l, ('ontains a ('onfession of
in, and expn'sse!< ourfaith,
us His own g-ift:-õ;" ('. His own
ifts." Imt "in us 4 ;") so these that we pla('e our whole hupe uf recun'ring our lo
t purity amI
pray tu GUd tu (ereh-e frum them IIi!'\ own good, which they I of ubtaining- sah'atiun in the mer('y of Chri4. Her'eÏl'e {{()or/.
had from Him. For even the
uud, which God gi,-eth tu he in: \\"hat uther g-ood ('an we offer, than dete
tation of uur pa
t sin,
us, lIe aceepteth in condescension and forgi,-in
melTY, 117/0 with burning- desirc of huline

! Thi
is the hurnt IIff('rin
.
cl'O/l'neth thee illlllerr./f ([m[IOl'ing-kimllle.
s5. "They pray God I Lastly, we U'illrepa./f the ralr'e.
({f uw'lips, i!' the I'r(l)ni
c ofthat
to aeeept their service, fllrg-Í\'ing their imperfeetiun, and mer-/ solemn vow, most a('('eptablc to God, wherehy we hind onrseh'es
cifully eonsidering their frailty. For ;o;ince 0111' rìgldeu1l8Ile.sses; tukeep in ellntinnal rcmemhrance aU the henefits of Gud, and to
are.filthy rags, we ou
ht ever humhly to entreat Gud, not to de- I render eca
cles
praisetothe Lord who ha... be
towedun u

u('h
spi
e our dutifulness, fur the imperfections, wanderin
s, and pricele
s I!ifts. For the mires qfthe lips are orisuns well pleas-
ne
lig-erH'es min
led there\\ ith. For exceeding-Iy imperfect is' ing unto God. Of whieh David says n, The1l shalt T/lOu be
it. espef'ially if we consider the majc!'Õty of the Divine Xature, I ple([sed tl"Ìth the sacri!ice uf rigldeoll.mesS,ll'ith /mrnt '!tf"erings
whiehshoultl be served, wereitpossihle, with infinite re,'erence." ([m[ wlwle burnt (!/fërings; thell shall the.1I (1Iël" hullocks UjJOIl
They plead to God, then, to a(,I'ept what, althoug-h from Him T/âlle alt([r."
they have it, yet throu
h their imperfeetinn were, but for His 3. Ass/Ilu' sh"llnot Sllt'e us. After prayer for pardon and
goodne!<
. unworthy of His acceptance. Still, sinee the
lory for aeceptanee ofthem
eh-es, and thanksg-iving- fiJr acc('ptanee,
ofGud i!'\ the end ufall creation,bya!'Õking- Him to aecel't it,they eomes the promise not to fall back into their former sin
. Tru
t
plead to Him, that this is the end for whieh He made and re- in man, in their own streng-th, in their idol
, had LCf'n their be-
made them, and placed the g-ood in them, that it mig-ht redmmd sptting !<ins. :x ow, one by une, they disavow them.
to His g-lnry. _\s, on the other hand, the Psalmi
t says6, Tr/mt ' Eir4, theydisdaim trust in man. and makinf!:l:Jl(.shtheir arm.
prtt!it is tltere in m.l! blood, if I gu dOll'n into the pit, as though Their disdaimer ofthe help of the ..hsyrian, to whom they had
his uwn perishing were a lo
,> to God, hi
Creator, sinee thus su often hetaken themsclvc!'Õ ag-ainst the will of God, cuntain
,
there were one creature the I
ss to praise Him. "i Take from at OIwe, that best earliest (If true repentance, thc renewal of the
us all iuiquit.lf, lea,'e in us no weakne!'
, none of our former
eonfe

ion (If past sins, and the prumise to rely no mure on any
decay, lest the evil root should send forth a new growth of evil; prim'es ufthis wurld, ofwhum he was then I'hief. The horse. in
am[ receir'e good; for unless Thuu take away our e,'il, we can like way, is the symbol ufany warlike stren
th oftheir uwn. As
ha\"e no g-ood to offer Thee, according to that 8, depart frum the Psalmist says 13, SOllie put their trust ill chariots alld .mme
evil, am[ du good." ill horses, hut tee tl"Ìllre7lle7llber the lIame of the Lord our (;od;
So teill we render tile calves of our lips, lit. amI tee would ami 14, a 1I0rse is aNLÌn thing for safe'.,!, Ileither shall he delh'er
fain repa.l!, calr'es, our lips; i. e. when God shall ha'"c forgh'ell WI.'I b.1I hisgretlt strength; and Solumun 15, The ho,..
e is p rt'pa red
u.... all. our iniquity, and receh'ed at our hands what, thruugh fur the da.,! of battle, but salr'atioll i... uf the Lord. \\' ar was al-
I,h

rft, we han> to offer, the good whieh throug-h His trüud I most the onlyend for whieh the hor
c wa!'\ u
ed among- theJew!<.

l'rnt we ('an do. then would we qUeI' a perpetual thank offer- I If otht'r\\'i
e, it \\'a
a matter uf
reat and ruyalpoml'. It was
In/.:', our lips. This should be the substitute fur the thank I part of a
tanding army. Their kings were e!<pel'Ïally forbidden
offerings uf the law. .\s the Psalmist !iays9, Ill'ill praise the I to lIlultip('1lwrses I6 to themseh-es. Solumon indeed. in his 1'1"OS-
l\
a
lle of (;
d with a song, and 1IIagllif.II [Jim tcit/, tlt(lIIks- IJerity, broke thi
. as well as other commands
fGud. The pi-
gll'wg. Tit,s also shall please the Lord, better thall a bullock ous king Hezekiah,althoug"hl)U
se:-'!<cd at one tunc uflarge tn'a-
tllat /wth h01'lIs a/ld hoofs. They arc to bind themselves to per- sure, so kept that command as to furnish matter ofmoc'kery to
1 Th.e r
nderinR:, And recrille us f(Tariously, overlooks the contra!t of the two clauses. but for the ><eemmg d1fIìcu1ty "what good had they 1 - S 'fatt XII 44
Israel'8 l)Jdde
10 pray GOtI, to lakeau'a.
, and torecp;,'p. On the two verbs. there follow 3 1 Chr. XXIX.'H." . S. Aug. . Ps. ci{:' 4. ø x"'(x.;. .. ;' S:'Jer:
t\\O nouns. which stand naturall)- as the object of edch; :.:; -

ï::
,:;:", No one would II s Ps. xxx>ii. 2i. 9 lxix. :JO, 1. 10 Osor. 11 P..Ii. ult. l' Jer. x\"ii. 5.
bave doubted Ihat:l':;:-? means,rereitJegood,as,just before, :--:-: -;o:? means, take word., II 13 Ps. xx. i. 14 Ps. xxxiii. Ii. Ió Provo xxi. 31. 16 Deut. x\ii. 16.

C HBíiol"s T 2 Takf' 'with you words, and turn
cir. i
5. tilt' LORD : say unto him, Take away
II Or,
gitJe good. ini(Juity, and I\I'cceh'c liS
raciously :

90

anv more to t}}(> work of our hands, Ii' llre
ou
'
ods: g for in thee the fatherlc
s find-
eth merry.
.j.
I I will heal h their hackslidin
, I will
love them i freely: for mine anA'cr is turned
away from him.
Rah
hak('h. the hla
phemin
em-oy of .\!<

Tia. that he had nei-
ther hor
cs uor IWI'semen I. The hors('
beintr pl"lwured thml
Egypt 2, the f'flmmen'('
ave fresh oeea
iou for idolatry.
neitller l('ill Il'e SW/ Will Jlwre to tile 1l'ork of ollr 1/(l1Irls. ve
are 0111' [folk Thi
i
'the third disavowal. SflH'e it was ti,Ïlv
aud sin to trust in the I'reatures whi,'h God had made, apart
from (;0(1. how mIlI'h mllrc. to trust in thin!.:'s whi,'h they them-
selves had made, in
tcad of (;ml. and oftcl;
ive tu (;od!
For in TileI' [or, U Tholl in TrImm] the fatherless.fìndeth
merf'll. H
is indeed fatherlc
s who hath not Gml f()r his
Fatlier. Thev coufcss theu, that thev were and d('
erH'd to be
thusflltl/erles,.;' and helple!õ's. a prey to
'\"('ry oppressor; but they
appeal to God by the title whil'h He had taken, the
Fatller l
f
the fatll('rles.
3, that He wouhl have merl'y (Ill them, who had
no hell' hut in Him. "4 ". e promise this. they say. hopin
in
the 1J('lp uf Thy uH'rcy, siul'e it helong-eth to Thee and is for
Thy (;Iory to haw nU'I"/'y 1111 thl' people whil'h belie, eth in Thee,
and to stretl'h forth Thiue Hand. that thev may be able to leave
theÍl' wonted ills and amend their foruwr wa,:s."
4. I will Ileal their ba('k.
/idilig. God, in åuswer, promis('s
to I/ert! that wuund oftheir souls, whenc(' e,'ery otlH'r e, ill'ame,
their fif'klem's
and unsteadfa
tues
. Hitherto. this harl been
the eharal'teri4ic of brael.
Tlïtltill (l ll'ltile they forgllf His
ll'orks, aJUI W01l1d not aMde I lis counsels. 6 The,,1J forgllf ll'hat
Ill' Iwd dOliI'. Their heart Il'as 1I0t 1l,llOle Il'itl, Him; 1I{'ither
colltinlled tlley stem{fast ill Hi.ç col'eumlf. The1l tllmed back and
tempted God. TI/e,11 kept not His testimonies, but turned back
and fi41 (l/I'a.'llike tI/eir forefathers, starting (l.
ide like a hrolïell
bOIL'. Sh'adfa
tness to the end is the speeial gift of tIft. GOl'pel.
Lo, I am u'itl/ .lloll a!tI'a.'l, el'en Ullto the end of tile u'orld. TIle
gates l
f hell shallllot pre,.ail a
aillSt it 7. _\nd to individuals,
.Jeslls, hlll'illg hwed Elis oll'n. lo,.eel tltem 111lto the ('Ju/ 8 . In hpal-
ing that dispa
(' ofun
teadfastllc,,;s. God healed all bel'Òidel'Ò. This
He did to all, wlH'n'
oe'-er or ho\Y,.;oe,-er dispersed, who r('('ch--
I'd the (;(,spel; this lIe doth still; and this lie will do I'om-
pletely in the end, when all brael sl/((II he sal'ed.
I ll'illlOl'e them free(1J : i. e. as the word means, impelled \I
thercto by Himsdf alone, ami
u, (as used uf (;ud) muwd by
Hi
own I:ssential fimmtifuilless, the exeeeding g-reatness of
IIis (;uodness.lar!:,ply, bountifully. Gud lol'es usfrec(1J in loving
u
ag-ain
t our desert
, bel'ause He is lore; lIe llJl'e,
us free(lJ,
in that lIe freely became )Ian, and, havin
become )Ian, freely
"hed His mood for the rellli,.;
ion uf our sin
, freelv forga,'e
our sins; 11(' loves us lree(lJ, in gil'iug uos grace, llc
(mIÏl;g to
tlte good pleasure of His u'ill lo , to becomp pleasin!! to Him, and
cau!'ing all
uud in us: He 100'es usfree(I/, in rewarding- infinitely
the g(1)(1 whieh we have from Him, ,. II
Iore manifc!o<tlv here,
speàketh the Per
on of the Saviour Himself, promising Iiis own
Coming to the salration of penitents, "ith sweetly sounding
promi
l', with sweetnes
full of !!race."
fur JIille an
er is turned IIll'a.1J from Mm. .As He
ays 1 0 , III
.ilfy ll'ratl( I l,"IIlote thee; but in _J.I..'Ifm'urllUl'e Ilwd mercy OIl thee.

Before
CHRIST
cir.72,;,

K Ps, 10. B.
&61'.5,

b 'cr. 5. 6.
& B. 7.
ch. II. 7.
I Eph. 1. 6.

I 2 Kings x\iii. 23. 2 I Kings x. 28,
3 P,.lxviii.5. . Hup. . P.. cvi, 13. G Ps.lxx\iii. 12,37, -1,2, ;;7,58.
'i S. :\Iatt. xniii. 20. x\i. 18. 8 S. John xiii, 1. 9 :-::-: III Eph. i. 5,
II Rup, 1
Is. Ix. 10, 13 Ixxx\". 2,3. H xiii, I';. I. 1'5, b..xii, G.

HOSEA,

,) I will be as k the dew unto Israel: he C HB
oÍes T
shall \I
row as the lily, and t cast forth his CÌr.725.
routs a
Lebanon. k t

v
9iJ.9i2.
G I lis branches t shall sprea(}, and I hil'>

r

!,,:::::;,
beauty shall be as the olive tree, and m his 1 r.8:
;,h8
'go.
smell as Lehanon. m Gen. 27. 2i

;,
;.34. n.

lIe doth not withhold only, or suspend His anger, but He taketh
it an-ay wlwlly. Su the Psahuil't saith 13, ThOll hllstfU1:!iÏl'en the
iniqllit,l/ of Th,lJ people; T/lOll 11lI.
t, rol'eren all their sill; Tholl
hast taken (lll'll.11 all Thy 1('ratl,; Tholl hast turned frum the
fiercelles,<; (
fT/âlle lIuger.
S. IIl'i1l be as ti,e dew llutO brael. Before, He had
aid14, his
spring shall berome dr.1J and !tis (OIl1ltaili slwll be dried up. Kow
a
ain He enlar
es the b)e,.;sing"; their supply shaH be unfail-
in
, fur it shall he from (;od; yea, Gud Himself shall be that
bl(.ssing-; I will be the dell' ; de.
rellliing Oil the ulOu'n gl"flss 15, to
quieken and refresh it: rle";I'l'mling. Him
elf. into th(' dried amI
pardled and sere heart
of men, as He
aith, Tre 1l'ill come uuto
ltim alld make (Jur abode ill Mill 16. The goral'e of (;od.like the
dew, is not given om'e for aIL but is, day )jy da)', waited fur, and,
day by day. renewed. Yet duth it not pas
away, like the fit-
ful g-oodne
s 1, uf (
ud's formcr peuple, but turn
into the
rowth
and spiritual
uLstance of those on whuIll it des('ends,
HI' slwll grull' (/S the 1iI.1J' Ko one ima
e I'an e"\:hihit the
manifold graep of Gud in tho
e who arc His own, or the fruits
of that
race. Su the Prophet adds one image to anuther. eaeh
snpplyin
a distinct likeness of a distinct graee or exeellenpe.
The li(1J is the emblem uf the beauty and purity of the soul in
grace; the cedar of Lebanon, of it!< streng-th amI dcep-rooted-
nes
, its inllmn-ahlene

and upri!!Ì1tlwss; theever
n'cn ulh'e tree
which "remaineth in its Iwauty hoth winter and summer," of
the unvarying pre
PIll'e of Divine Grace. eontinuaJly supplying
an e,-er-sustained freshness, and issuintr in fruit: and the fra-
g-ranl'e of the aromatie plants with which the lower parts of
Muunt Lebanon are deeked, of it
Im-elim'ss and sn-cetne,.;s ;
a!õ' a native explains this 18, .. he takl's a second eompari
un from
::\Iount Lebanun for the ahundance of aromatic things and
odoriferous flower
." Such arc the mvrtlcs and la,-pnder and
the odoriferous reed; from whil'h .. I9' as nm enter the vallev
[betwe('n Lebanon and .\nti-IcbanonJ "straightway the sl'en't
nwets vuu." All these natural things are establi
hl'd and well-
kmHni symbols ofthin
,. spiritual. 'I'he lily. so eaHed in Hcbrew
from its dazzlin
whiteness. i
, in the Canticles 2U, thc emhlpm
of souls in whit'll Christ takes deli
ht. The iii) multiplies e'\":-
cceding-h- 21: vet hath it a weak root and soon fadeth. The
Prophèt; then', uniteth with these, plants of unfadin
!!rt'en, and
deep ruot. The seed which had I/O ruot, our Lord
ay
, leith-
erecl llIlW.l/ 22, as, contrariwise, St, Paul speaks uf those, whu are
rootedaud grOll1ldecl ill lot'e 23, and of heing rooted ami bnilt up
il/ Christ 24. The wide-spreading- branl'hes arc an emlJlem of
the gradual growth and enlar
ement of the Chureh, as our
Lord says 25, It bel'ometh a tree, so that the birds of the air ('Ollie
alld lodge in the branches thereof. The symmetry of the tree
and its outstretl'hed arms express, at once, W'aee 8ndpruH'I,tion.
Of the oliz'e the Psalmist sa) s 26, I wlllike II green olil'e tree ill
tile honse of God; and Jeremiah says 27, The Lurd ('(tiled thy
nllme a green olil'e tree, fair allli of goor!(l/ .fruit; and uf "fra-
granee" the spouse says in the Canticles 28, because of tI,e savuw'

16 S. John xiv, 23. I, ab. vi. 4.
18 R. Tanchum, in Poco 19 Theophr. Hist. Plar.t. x. í,
::
!i
i

t
i. 32.
S. )1,,::' ;

iÏi?'8.
Eph;P
i

6.

Cant. ii. 1. 2.

. Col. ii. 7.
:8 i. 3.

CI-L\PTER XIV.

c JrR
rS T 7 n They that dwcll ull(
er his
hadow I
CJr I
. shall return; they shall n'nn' Wi the ('orn, I
ñ

:
l
:,
"'" and \I
row as the yinc: thc II s('ent thcre-I
U"Or, memorial. of sltall be as thc wine of Lehanon.

!H

8 Ephraim .'tllall sll.'I, 0 \\
hat have I to C IN[o;es T
do any more with idols? P I IHwe heard dr. .:!
.
him, a;HI oLscn'cd him: I llJll like a grcl'JI : j:;: rl. 18.
fir trec. q From me is thy fruit found. q Jam. 1.1..

ofTII." good oiutmeut, TII.1f _Ymue is as oilltment ]loured forth; and
the .\pu"tle says \ tlulIlks he to God, IL,!tich maketll lII(lIIifest
the sal'fJ/lr of lli.
kuou'ledge by us ill el'ery ]llar'e. Deeds uf
dlarity also are all odor of good smell
; the pr
y
rs o
. the
saints also arc su'eel odmas 3. All the!'e are the frUits of the
Spirit uf God Whu says, I u'ill he as the dew "lito brrtel. SUi'll
rpunÌon of qualities, hein
heyund nature, sUg"/!,"csts the more,
that that, wherein the\" arc all eumhined, the future Israel, the
Chul't'h, shall ßouri",h 'with :?:r<tces beyond nature, in their ma-
niti)ldne!'
. l'ompletcness, unfadin
ness.
ï. Thry thai du'ellllllder his Ûwdml', i.e. thc shaduw ofthe
r('stur('d Israd, whu had ju
t been dcsC'rihl'd under the illla
e
uf a ma
nifi('ent tree unitin/! in itsf'lf aU perfeetiulls. '.4. They
that an' under the shaduw uf the <:hun'h are tn
ether under
the shadow of l:hrist the Head thereuf. and also uf God the
Fathcr." The Jews.of uld,('xplained it 5 ;.theyshall d,,-eU umler
the
hadow of their )Je!'sia!'." The
e, he savs, shall returu, i.e.
they
hall turn tu he cJllÍte other than they h
ul been, enon bac'k
to Him, to \\'hom they helon
ed, "llOse t'r('aturcs they were.
(;oc1. TIIe.1f slud[ rn'h'e as tile com. The words may he dif-
fert'ntly rendered, in the same
eneral mcanin/!. The
imple
words. They shall ret'h'e [lit. give life to. or jireserl'e ill/
fe,] COrTI,
have hcpn filled up differently. Sume of old, (whelH'e ours has
been taken) understood it, the.1f shllll rel'il'e them
ch-e
, 5 and so,
shall Ih'c, and that either as COni, (as it is said, shall grow a.

the t'ille) or b.1f corn 7 ; which is also very natural, since" bread
is thc
taff of life," ami our spiritual Uread is the support uf our
spiritual life. Or lastly, (uf whieh the
rammar is easier, yet
the idium les!' natural) it has Iwen rendcred, tlu:,11 !JIm II gil'e I!fe to
{'orll.make corn to Ih-e. by cultivatin
it. In all ways. the sen
e
is perti.'ct. If we render: shall Tel'il:e as corll, it n{eans, I)('in
,
as it were. dead, thev shaJlnot unlv IÏ\-e a
ain with renewed life.
hut shall e
-en inereåse. Curn first dies i
l its outward form, and
so is multiplied; the fruit-h('arin
branches of the, ine are prun-
ed and cut, and su they bear ridler fruit. Su throu
h !'ufferin
,
chasti
t'mcnt, or the heavy hand of Gud or man, the Chureh,
bt'Ín
purified, yield!' mure abundant fruits of
raC'e. Or if ren-
dt'red. shall make corll to grull', since the Pruphet. all around.
is, undcr fi/-'T}lreS of God's wurkin
s in nature, speaking of His
workin/!,"
of /-:"raee, then it is the same ima
e, as when uur Lurd
speak!' of tho!'e who receit'e the seed ill el/( hOllest ami trite Iteart
ane[ bring fortlt frllit, some flll Illme/redfoid. some si.:d.V, some
tlâr('/8. Or if we were to render, shall prodllce life tllrollgh
1('I/('at, what were this, hut that seed-corn, whi,'h, for us and for
our sah-ation, was ",own in the earth, and dit'd, and broltgM
.forth lIl/(rhfmit; the Ureacl of life, of which our Lurd saYs
, I
(lilt the Bread of life, Tf7wso ertteth of this hread shalllit.
for
ever, ami tlte hread Il'!,;ch I,cill vilJe'is _JIV ,Flesh, 7L'hiclt I ;l'ill
git'e .for the l{fe of the world f ð .
tI,e .'welll thereof "hall be as the U';lle of Lebanon. The
g-rapes of Lebanon have been uf the
ize of plums; its wine has
heen spoken of as the be
t in the East or e,-en in the wurld IO.

I 2 Cor. ii. U.
Phil. iv. 18. 3 Rev. v. 8.
4 Poco · Jon. ø Kimchi. ; a8 the old wr.;ions. LXX. Y ulg
Syr.
s s.
Iatt. xiii. 23. g S. John ,'i. .'H. 10 BeE in <Edmann, ii. 19:J. Germ. and
Maronitl'" in Lap. 11 x.l. 12 Is. v. 2. 13 ii. 18. "ii. 5. lõ:! Cor. vi. 15.
1& Is. Ixv. 24.. I; xiii. 7. 18 S." Jerome unifonnly )'("1I(lers abies. The L
X. and
Syr. \'a
,
endenn8: b
th cyprl'SS"andpme: The S
riacbertilho(doubtlessthl' same tree and
used sometJrnesfor It 111 the Peshlto) IS saId by BarBahlul to be the Arabic .lûu/w{; and

Formerly I",rael was a... a luxuriant, hut empty, vine, brin/!,"in

ti)rth nu fruit to God n. God 12 looked tlmt it ,
//fJlfld brillg fortlt
{(rape,
, alll[ it hrrmgltt fortlt u'ild grapes. Xu\\' its
Iury <lnd
luxuriaw'e should nut hinder it!< h('arin
fruit, and tlwt, thc no-
hlp
t otït
kind. Ric'h and frag-rant io; the uclour uf Kraec
. the
in!<piration of the Spirit uf God, ami not fl('etin
, hut ahidin
.

. Epltraim :-hall say, u'hat Iwvc I to do all.'1 1//ore ,('itll
idols ?
o baiah forctell
la, The idol.
lIe slwlllfttl'l"
1J aholish.
Aforetime Ephraim :-aid ubstinately, in the mid
t uf God's dms-
tisl'ments 14.; I will go after 111.'1 Im'ers, u'ho ;:h'e IIle m.lf hread
a/l(l m!/ ll"ater, 1lI.'Ill"Oo[ ((1Il[ myfia.x, mille oil a/l([ m.1f drillk. Xuw
she shall renmlIH'e thcm whoUv and fur evcr. This is entire
conversiun, to part whully witil eHry thin
which would dis-
pute the allcgianee with God, to c'ease tu luuk to any C'reated
thin
ur bein
, ti)r what is the gift uf the Creator almU'. So
the .\pustle
ays 15, u'hat cmtcord Iwtlt Ch,.ist Il'ith Belial t Thi"
,-erse exhibits in few, vivid, words, ('onverted I:phraim
peak-
ing with Gud, and (;ud answerin/-:"; Ephraim renclUnt'in
his
ins,
and God ac'c'cpting' him; Ephraim
Iuryin
in ';od's
omlness,
and God reminclin
him that he Iwlds nIl frum Himself.
I Ilfll'e !teard a/l{[ obserl'ed !tim. (;ud answers the Vro-
fe
..ion, and aecepts it. I, (emphatiC') I Jl!/se{( hm'e Iteflrcl and
1Illl'e (lIlsll'ered, as Hc say
15, JJefore the..l/ call, I ll'ill {/JtSII'er.
'Yhcreas (jod, before, had hid His face thnn them, ur had oh-
sen'ed 17 them, only as the object uf IIi,;; di
pleasure, and a" ripe
fur destruC'tion, now He reversc
this. and ohserz'es them, in
order to toreemnc the wishes uf their hearts hetï,re th(',' are ex-
prcs!òcd, to watch (JHr them and surnoy anrl provide fur" all thcir
needs. To this, Ephraim exultin
in God's g-oodness, answers,
I am like a grem jir tree, i. e. e\'er
r('en, ever-fre!'h. Th(' be-
rosh, (as S. Jt'rome, lh-in
in Palestine, tJwu
ht) one of th('
lar
e /-:"enus uf the pille ur .fir, ur (a
others translated) tht'
':',press IS, was a tall stately tree Ig, in whu
e branchcs the
tork
c'ould make its ne
t 20; its wuod preeiuu
enuu
h to be employed
in the temple 21; fine enou
h tu be used in all i'orts of musieal
instruments 2
; stron/! and pliant ('nough to be u
ed fur spt'ars
.
It wa
part uf the glury of Lebanon 24. .\ Greek historian !<ays
that Lebanun "25 was full of eedar
and l)ines and e
.pre
ses. of
I wonderful beauty and
ize." A nwrlern tra,-('Jlcr says, uf I. the
eypr('''s
rOHS of Lehanon;" "Eaeh tree is in itsclf a
tud)' tor
the landseape painter-smne,on aecuunt uftheir enurmous stcms
I and l>rill1C'he
.-\\'ould yuu see trees in all their !'plt.nduur and
I beauty, then enter these wild grm'es, that have never bcen toueh-
l ed by the prunin
-knifc of art." This tree, in it
majpstie
beauty, t('naeity uf life, and undying verdure, \\ inter and SUUl-
nwr, through the perpetual supply of
al', pictures th(' eonti-
nuallife of the
oul throu
h the unbroken
upply ofthe
raee
uf God. Crented beauh' nlUst, at hest, be hut a faint ima
e of
the bcauty of th('
uul iil grace; for this is from the indwelling
of God the Holv Gho
t.
Fmm JIe is th.v fruit found. Xcither thc pine nur the cy-
!lreSS bear an
- fruit, useful fur food. It is prubable thell that

this Ibn n,lithar describes as " a large tree ..ilh leaves like the tamarisk." He identifies it
also ..ith the ßpá6u of Dioscorides. "ho ml'nUOIIS a second sort, .. ..ilh lea\es like the cy-

;

::rTh

i

i:

:

;;: ::'Iil

\:;
l

:.:sh

bi':;, c=
ict:t
;:
:r
i
e:

knoWII to be a rail tree. ahhouj:h sóme of the Juniper tribe are. 19 Is. "'. 13.
::0 Ps. civ. Ii. ;1 1 KillKS v. 22,2-1-. [8.10. Eng.] vi. Iii, 34. :2 2 Sam. ,i. ii.
sa r-iah. ii. 3. ", Is. xxxvii. 2-1-. Ix. 13. :0 Diod. Sic. xix. iiS.

92

C HB;{oíes T 9 r \Yho is wise, and he shall under-
cir. 7:!5. stand tlwse tllillK'v ? prudent, and he shall
j':/
;i

' know theHl ? for · the wars of the' LORD
Dan. 12. 10. John 8.47.8; 18.37. . Prov.l0. :!!J. Luke 2. 34. 2 Cor. 2.16.1 Pet. 2, ;,8.

IIO
E...\,

llre right, and the just shall walk in C H'1[or ê s T
thcm : hut the transgressors shall fall dr. j:!6.
therein.

here too the Prophet fills out onc ima
í' by anotlwr and !'ays
that rí'!'torcd hrad, thí' Churl'h uf GmI, ur the suul in :rl"aee,
!'huuhl not only havc bí'aut). and lIlaje
ty. but what i
not, in
thc wav of nature, fmmd united therewith. fruitfulne
." alsu.
Frolll .lIe is th.,! fruit found; as uur Lord !'ays \ I Cll/l the 'l'ine,
l/e are tlu' brallches. Human nature, hv itself, t'an a
litth- bear
'th1Ït wdl-plea
in:r to God. a!< the pine ;Ir eypres!' I'an bcar fruit
fur human u
e. .b it were a miracle in nature. \\ cre these tree

to bring- forth sueh fruit, so, for man to brin
forth fruits of

ral'e. is a miml'le of graee. The presí'lI('e of works uf g-ral'e
attt'sts the illlnwdiate working uf God the Huh' Ghost, as mueh
as aln- mirade in nature. . .

i, TT7w is ll'i.
e aml he shall u1Ulerstmul these thing's? The
Proplwt says this, not ofthe words in whieh he had sl
uken. hut
ofthl'substance, lIe does not mean that his !'tyle was ohseurc,
or that 11(' had delh-ered the messag-e uf God in a wav diffil'ult
to he under!'tood. This would ha,:e heen to fail of liis objeet.
Xor does he J)wan that human éu'uteness i
the kev to the
thing-s of God. He nWéUlS that those only uf a eí'rtaÏl; charae-
ter, thu
e ,eise, throu
h {,od. unto God, will undcrstand the
thin

of Gml. So the Psahni!'t, ha\"Ïng' related !'ome of God's
vari
d I'ha
tenin

, merl'ie
, and judgn;enb, SUIIIS up!l, TT7w-
so is ll:ise amlleil/ obseiTe these things, e1'ell tllc.'/ shall under-
stand the lot'ing-kindness q.f the Lord. So Asaph says that
God's dealing-s with the g-omI and bad in this life, were too IUl1'd
for him to understand, until he U'Cllt into the sClIlctIlUl:I/ of
God; then lCIulerstuod he tlleir el/([3. In like way Daniel, at thc
duse uf hh< proplwey, !OUlns up the aceount of a siftin/{-time4.,
.Jlan.'1 .
/lllll he }JICI';fied amllllade le/lite amI tried, and thell'Îck-
ed slmll do ,cirkedl!/; and none (
f the lC'Îckedshalllll/(lerstand,
but the u'ise shallllJulerstal/(l. As these Sén- that the" i
e alone
under
tand the aetual dí'aling-
of God {,-ith man,
u Hosí'a
say", that thc wi
e alune wuultl under
tand what he had ..et I
forth of the merey and !Ot',-erity of God. of His low for man, His
de
ire tu pardun, Hi
unwillin:rness that any :-;hou]d pcri
h,
His IIIII/-.rin
tor our repentance, Hi
sture of mereies in Christ,
His g-ifts of waee and ni
fn'e etí'rnallow, and yet His rejec-
tion of all half-serviet' and His final rejeetiun of the impenitent.
lrlm is wise7 ..5 The wurd who is alway!' takt'n, not ti.lr what is
impu!Osihle, hut fur what is diffil'lllt." .
o Isaiah saith 6, Irho
lIatli helin'ed ollr report, alld to ll'hom is tile Arm of the Lord re-
t'ealed? Fcw arc wise with the ll'isdoJllll./tich is fro11l a!Jol'e; few
undt'r-"tand. bí'cause few wish to understand, or seek wh:dum
thnu Him If"110 gÎl'eth to aI/ mCII liberal/.I/. alld upbraideth uot 7.
The fjl\('stiun im]llies al!'o, that God lnn:rs that men !'hould 1l1{-
dcrsfcmd tu their
ah-ation. He eluluirc
for them, ealls to them
that they would meditate on IIis mereie
and jurl
ments.
.\s S. Panl
ay
8, Behold tIle goodness elml sel'eri(I/ (!f God; Oil
tILe/II whirh fell, sCl'erity; hut tOll'ard thee, ,
oodlless,
f tholt
contillllc ill Jlis goodness. 0 the dCllth of the l'iches both of the
ll'isdom aud knoll'ledge of God! hOll' ll1uearclwMe arí' IHsJudg-
1IIents, and His ll'a.lls ]Jast .fìndillg out. rllsearclwhle to in-
tellect and theory; intelli/{ible tu faith and for aetin
on.
([lid he sh([llunderstmul, i. e. that lie lIl(J.I/lIJulerstcmd these
thiugs g. The worldly-wise of that generatiun tuo, doubtIe

,
1 S. John xv. J. 2 Ps. <,vii. f3. sIb. Ixxiii. 16, Ii.
4 D,m. xii. 111. ó S. Jer. on Eccl. iii.:!1. 6 liii. 1. , S. James i.5.
8 Rom. _xi. :.!:!,
3. 9 Tneforce of the abbrc,ia

d form, j:'., 10. ï::,
hcpaEsiveof
thcj:I"wldch hadJu6tprec
Jed. 11 S. John v1I.17. 12 As In theIr degree, the

thuu
ht themseh"es too wise to need to understand them; as the
wi"c after this world counh-d the Cross uf Christ touli:--hness.
prudent. Properl
" g-iftcd with undcrstanding." the form
of the word expressin
, that he was emlmced 1('itl, this uuder-
standing 10 , as a
ift from Gud. AmI lie ,
lIall ÁILOll' tlte/I/. "'hile
the wi
c of this world di
IJ('lievc, jeer.
coft: at them, in tlU'
name of human rea!OllII, he whu has nut the natural fluid,-ní'ss
of man only, but who is endued with the true wisdum, shall
kllO/l' them.
o our Lord !Oays ll, If ClIt.1! manll'ill do Ilis /l'ilt,
he .
11Cl1I kllOll' '?f the doctrille u'hether it is (
f God. The word,
1l'ise, may spcl'ially mean him who eontemplatcs these truths
and understands them in themselves, yet plainly so as to act
upon them; and the word endued 1('itll prudence, llIay "pt'cially
d('
eribc
ueh as are
ifted with readiness to apply that knuw-
ledg-c tu practice, in judg-ment, dist'rimination, at't 12. ßy
unitin
hoth, the Pruphet juins contí'llIplativc and pra(,tical
wi
dll1n, and intí'n
ifi('!' the expre
sion of (,ud's desire that we
should be enduwed with them.
_For the ll'Cl.llS ufthe Lord an' rigid. If in tht-' word, U'Cl.II!J",
the fig-ureis still preserved 13, thí' Pmphet spí'é\k
of the Il'CI.I/S, as
., dire('t and straig-ht;" without a fig-ure, as "ju
t and uprig-ht."
The It'a.I/s uf the Lord are, what we, by a like fil-,'1.lI"e, call
"the course oflIi
Providence;" of whieh S''ripture says 14, His
l('a.'IS arejudgment ; 15 God, Ilislt'a.lls are pelfeet _: 16 tI,e Lord is
righteolls ill all His wa.lls, alld IW(I/ ill all His 1{'orks; 17 TII!/ll'ay
is ill the sea, alld Th.,! paths ill tile ,great {{'(ders, (Jml Th.'l fuot-
steps are 1I0t kllOll'1I ; 18 10, th('.
e are parts of IIi.
ll'Cl.I/S, bllt how
little a portion is heard '?f Him, aml the thlillder (
f His power
1cho CClIl wulerstwillt Ig IffltO hath el!joilled Him Ilis l('a.II, alld
1('/10 call .m.'!, ThOll hast ll'l"Ougld illiqui(lJ? These 1l'Cl.IIS of God
indudí' His ordering- for us, in His eternal wi
dmn, that course
of life, whit'h leads must direetly tu Himself: They ÎIH'hHle,
then, all God's eummamhuents, pn'cepts, euunscls, His whole
moral law, as well as His separate purpu
e for eaeh of us, In
the one way, they arc God's ways towards us; in the other, they
are Gud's wa\"s fur us.
tllejust sh
1I walk in them. God re'-eals His wars to us, not
that we mav know them onh', but that we mav do them. ,. The
end of lIIurål !>cience is nut 'knowledg-e. but practiee," said the
Ht'athen philosupher 20. ßut the life of
ral'e is a life of pro-
g-rcss. The word.ll'a.lJ, implie" not eontinuance only, but ad-
vanee. IIc doe!> not say, ..they shall stand in Gud's ways," but,
the.I/shalllmlkill them. Thep.hall go on inthem"upri/{ht,!'afe,
and seeure. in great peace and whh nothillg ll'hereat to .
tl(m-
ble 21 ." In God'!'wars there is no stuIllblin
block. and they whu
walk in them, are free from tho
e of whieh other ways are full.
"'hereas, out of Gud's ways, all paths arc tang-le
l, uncven,
slippery,devious.fullof snarí'sand pitfalls, Godmakí'th lIis /{Ia.II
straight, a royal hi
hway, smuoth, even, direet unto Himself.
bllt [alld] the trall,
gressorssha/lfall therein, lit. sllClll stllm-
ble thereo1l 22 . Trcmsgre.<i.mrs, i. e. those whu rebel ag-ainst the
law of God, stumble in diV('r
manners, not ill, but at 23the ways
of God. They stumble at Gud Himself
at His All-Holy ßcin'go,
Three and One; they
tumble at IIi
attributes; they,.;tumble
at His Providence, they stumble at His at'ts; they stumble at

0

1e
:,:
:

i6h <1o<þía
n8:'::

:":.
: 4. Dall

v

; .is 1Ised both
f

c;,;L a:fo

16Ib.c"<.h'.li. 1,lb.lxxvii.19. 18 Jobxxvi.l-I-. 19 Ib.xxxvi.2
.
20 ArÏstot. Elh.i. 3. 21 Poco 2'
Ps. cxi.".lü5. 2a as in
ab.iii.3. Provo iv.19.

cI-L\PTER XIr.

Hi... interfercnrc with them; they
tumhle at lIi
requirements.
Thev rehel ag-ainst His commandment
, as re({uiring' ,,-hat tlH'y
lik.' 'not; at His prohihitions, as rcfu"ing' what thcy like. They
JoOtumhle at His "Ti,.-.dum, in unlering' His own creation; at lIis
Holiness, in punishing- sin; hut mu"i of all, they
tumhle at lIis
Goodness and I'undcsecnsion. Tht'y ha'"c a gTcatel' ({uarrel with
His ('onde'it'cnsiun than with all His uther attributes. They
lHu-c stnmhled, amI still stumhle at Hod the Sun, heemnin

Man, ami takin
nur flesh in the Yirgin's womh; they
tumhle
at the humilitv of the Crueifi x:ion ; they stumhle at His placing-
His
[anhuud' at the Rig-ht Hand of (;od ; they stumble at the
simplicity, power, and ,'ondesl'ension, whirh He ust'S in the Sa-
cranH'nts; they stumhle at Hi", g-iving us His Fle!'h to eat; they
stumhle at His fm-gh ing sins freely, and ag-ain and ag-ain ; they
stumhle at His lUakin
us memher;; uf Himselt
withuut wait-
in. r for our own wills; thev stumble at Hi
condesl'cn!<ion in us-
in; our own acts. tu the attainmcnt of our degree of eYerla
ting-
/!I;,rv. Every attrihute, or gift ur renlation uf God, which i!'
full i,f comfort tu the hclienr, hecomes in turn an uccasiun of
!'tumhling to the rehellious. Tlte tMugs which should hare lJeen
(01' Ms ll'efllth, become to him (Ill occasioll of fallillf( 1. "They
'cannot attemper their own wishes and ways to the Divine law,
hecause, obt'ying- what they themselves affect, the lall' of tlleh-
members, they stumhle at that other law, which leadeth unto
life 2." "nth this the Prophet sums up a]] the teaching- of thf'
se,"cnty ,-ears uf hi!' ministrv. This is the end of all which he
had said of the se'"eritv an (I merev of Gud, of the Coming- uf
Chri..t, and of our resurref'tion in Him. This i", to us the 'end
of all ; this is thy choice, Chri,.tian soul, to walk in God's ways,
or to ,.tumble at thcm. .ch in the days when Chri!'t came in the
i Ps.lxi:r.. 22. 2 from Sanet. 3 S. Luke ii. 31. . S. John ix. 39, 5 1 Ep. ii. í, 8,

D3

Fk!'h, so it is now; so it will he to the end. So holy Simeon
l'ruphe"ied s, Tlâs CMId is .
etfor tllefall ami the risil/t! ([gain (!f
l/ulIl.'1 ill Israel; and uur Lord !'aid of lIim..elf\ Forjwlgment
I a III CUllle illto tbi.
"ll'fjrld, tlull flu.'1 Il'lticlt see IIfjt lIIigM see, ([lid
that the.1! Widell see II/

ht hp lJu[(le hliml, And S. Peter 5; CJlto
!/ollll'hich beliez'e He is }Jrecioll.
; hilt UlltO thclIlll'lIÍch be disobe-
dinil, the stolle ll'hirh ti,e Jmilders disallowed, the same is made
tile head of tlte corll.er, alld a .
tolle f!( stumblillg alllt rOf'k of of-
fence, to them u'llich stumMe at tile word, beillg di.
ohedieJlt.
Christ crucified was Ullto the Jell's a stuII/hling h!ork, (lmil/llto
the Greeksfoolis/lIless, hilt lOilf) tl/em ll'//Írh are railed, hoth Jellw
and Greeks, ('I,rist tile PfJll'er of (lor!, and lite TVisdum (if God 6 .
The commmulllleJIt, ll'hich was ordained to life, Paul, when yet
unreg-enerate, fouud to be lOtio death 7. "
Prav wc then thc
Eternal \\ï!'dom, that we may be truly wi...c and uiuler,;;tanding',
and reeeh"e not in vain thosc many g-ood thing-s which Christ
has broug'ht to the raee of man. Let u!' clean to Him bv that
f"it/I, wl;ich 1t'orketh h!1 {fJl'e; Ict us seek the (;ood, see-k the
Just, seek the Lord lI'hile He 111".'1 be foulId, ami callujJoJ1 11im
ll'hile He is uear. "ThateHr God doeth towards our...c1H'!' or
other!', let us account rig-ht; for tbell'CI.'1S of the Lord are
rig/tf, and tbat eannot be unjust, whieh plea..eth the Just.
""latenr He tcachcth, whatenr He commandcth.let us belien
nithout disrussion, and embrace most firmly; ru'r that cannot
hc fal,;;e, whi..h the Truth hath tau
ht, Let us walk in His
ways;" for Christ Himself is tlte Tr;I!1 untu Himself, the Life.
"9 Look up to Heaven; look down to hell; live for ete.'nitv."
'00\" eig-h a thousand. yea, thou
ands of
ears against eternity;
what dost thou, weighing a finite, how va..t soever, again
t
Infinity? "
6 1 Cor. i, 23, 21. i Rom. \ii.lO. 8 R!b. 9 Lep. 10 S. Aug. in Ps, x'\.X\i. L.

x

INTRODUCTION

TO

THE

PROPHET

JOEL.

TIlE Prol>het Joel relates nothing of him",df. He gkes no
hint", as to him
elf. exeept the une faet whieh wa
nece
sary to
authentÍl'ate his pl'Opheey, that the word of the Lord came to
him, and that the book tu which that statement is prefixed is
that" word of the Lord." The Il'ord of the Lurd, which mme to
Joel, son uf Pet/I/lel. Like Host'a, he distin
uished himself I
from othcrs of the same name, by the mention uf the name uf I
his unknuwn father. nut his whole book bcars nidence, that
he wa!ò a prophet of Jerusalem. He was living in the et'ntre
of the public worship of God : he speaks to the priests as though
present, Cume ye, lie allnigld ill sackcloth 8; he wa
, where the
solrmn aSM'mbly b, whidl he bids them })rodaim, wuuld he held;
the house uf the Lurd', from whieh meat otf"erin!( and c/rink- I
qjfèring were cut ul!; was before hi!ò eyt.
. '''hether fur alarm d , I
or for prayer e, he hitls, Moll' .'Ie the tl"llll/pet in Zion.. The ci(,/, ,
whieh Il(' ",ee
the enemy approaehin
to beleaguer and enter, is
.Teru
alell1. He addre
ses the chilch'en (
f Zion g ; he rcproaehes
Tyre, ZidtlJl, and Philistia, with scHing to the Greeks the cltil-
dren of Ziuu aud Jerusalem h. God promil"es !>y him to bring
hack the captil'i('1 uf Judah amI Jerusalem i . Of Israel, in its
separatt'd existelwe, he take
no mure nutice, than if it were
not. They may be in eluded in tilt' three places in whieh he
use
the name; re shall kuulV tllat I am iu tI,e midst of Israel;
I 'Il'ill plead for JI!I people ami
1I.'I heritage, Israel; the Lord
tl'ilI be tIle strength of Israel"; hut, (as the context shew!') only
as included. together with Judah, in the one people of God.
The prumises to Judah, Jeru!òalem, Zion, with whit'h he eloses
his book, being simply prophetie, must, so far, remain the same,
,,:Iwmsoc,"er he addressed. He t4)rctell
that thu",e blt'l"sin
s '
were to h;sue from ZiUl
. and that tht' Chureh wa
to be fuun
l-
ed thcre. Yet the ahsence of any direet prumise of the ex-
tension of tho
e bh'ssings to the ten trihes, (sueh as uecur in
Hosea am} Amus) impIic,," that he hat} nu uffice in regard to I
them.
Although a prophet uf Jernsalem, and ealling, in the name
of God. to a solemn and strict fast and supplieation, he was
no prie!òt. He mentiuns the prie
ts as a elass tu whieh he did I
not belong I, the priests, the Lord's minÜters;
'Ie priests; ye mi-
nisters of the altar; .'Ie milli.
ters uf lilY God; let the priests, the
· i. 13, U. b ii.I5-17. . i.9. d ii. 1. . ii.IS. r ii. 9.

t i
: h iii. 4,
. Joel iii
Ii

. I. I< ii
:
:;i
;,;';
,;
_"":, ;

:
:"

;?:
Amos, since he opens hili I'rophcc) with these words, omits the
(and that alolle,) with

ministers of the Lord, 1{'eep betll'een tile purcll and the altar, the
})Iaee where tht,y offieiated. He ealls upon them to pruelaim
thc fast, whieh he enjoined in thc name of Gud. Sallctif./f ye
a fllst, call a solem II assembly m, he sa) s to thuse, whom he had
just called to muurn,.'Ie priests.ye ministers of tI,e altar. As en-
trusted with a re,-elatiun from Gud, he had an authority supe-
riur tu that uf the priests. ""hile u!'ing this, he interfercd not
with their own spedal uffiee.
Joel mu
t haw cmupleted his pruphecy in its present form,
hefure .\mus culleeted his prupheeics intu one whule. Fur

\mos take!' as the key-note of his prophee)', words with which
Joel aluwst clost,!' his; Tile Lord s/wll roar from Zioll. and ut-
ter His z:oice fl"Om Jerusalem D. Xur only su, hut .\mus inserts
at the end /If his uwn pruphef'y sume of j uel's dusing wurds of
promise. Amos thus identified his own prophecy with that of
Jut'1. In tht. threatening with whieh he opens it,he retains eaell
wurd of JU('I, in thc self-same order, althuugh the wurds admit
equally uf several diftèrent culloeatiuns, eaeh of whieh would
have had an emphasis ufits own O . The s)ïnholil' blessing, whieh
Amus takes from J uel at the close of hi!' propheey, tile mUIlIl-
taills shall drup with new ll'ille P , is found in these two pruphcts
alone: and the language is the bolder and more pef'uliar.bct'ause
the word drop q is llsed uf dropping from above, nut of flowing
duwn. It seems as if the l'it,ture werc, that the muuntains of
Judea. tile muuntainl', instead uf mist or vapuur, shuuld distil
that whieh is the symbol ofjoy.ll'illc 1l'lIich mnketlJ glc/(lthellt'Clrt
of mall r. The grmnul why An1l's, in this marked way,juined
on his own book uf pruphecy to the bU(lk of Juel, must remain
unecrtain, sinee he did nut explain it. It may have been, that
bein
callt.d in an unusual way to tlI{' Prophetit. uffice. he would
in thi", way identifv himself ,rith the rest of those whom God
called to it. .\ prui>het, out of Judah but fur Israel, .\mos iden-
tified himself with the une prophet of Judah, whuse prophecy
,,-as ('ommiUed to writing'. Certainly those first words of Amos,
The Lurd ,çhall roar from Ziun, w/{i utter His l'oice frum Jeru-
salem. pointed out to the ten tribes, that Zion and Jeru!òalem
were tlw plaee ll'1lÍch Gud had chosen to place His .J..Yame there.
the visible eentn' uf Hi!'
uwrnment, whenee proceeded His
judgments and His revelation. Others have suppused that bad
which Joel joins them on with what preceded. p Joel iii. 18. CO::, ::1"-:-"" .t:;-
Am. ix. 13. ::1"::1' ::1'-"""" -t":;,.,
. q co:;,. :\':;:-:. are used of the" heavens. ..
Judg. .v. 4. Ps.lxviii. 9. of" the fingers trickling," Cant. \.5. .. the lips dropping hone),"
Call! IV. 11. ... 13. then of
peech, l'rov. v.3. r 1's. C1\.I5.

men thoug-ht that the evil which Jocl had foretohl wnuhl not
('(IIIH'. and that the
oud may have luoked anxion
ly fllr the ful-
filment of Gml's prollli
e
; and that, on that
round, .\mo
re-
neweel, hv wa,' of allusion, both (;od's threab amll,rolllises,
thcn'ln' i'mprës
in
un men's minds, what Hahakkuk sa
s in
plain tt:rm
., TI,e vision isfor tlle t appointed time, aud it hast-
dlt to tlte FIld u ; thuugh it tarr,lf, I('ait for it; fur it will cume, it
willl/ot tart:'!, ur be behindlulIId \.
Howe,'er this mav have hcen,such marked renewal of threat-
enin
s and promis(:s uf .JII('I by Amo
, atte!ot!< two thin
s; I'
that Joel's prol'h('cy mu
t, at the time." hen Am';ls wrote, have
become IHu.t of Huly Seril'ture, and Its authority mu4 hëu'e
heen acknowledg-ed ; '2) that it
authority must ha,-e been ac-
knowled
ed hv, and it must have hecn in circulation among-,
tlws(' tu
dlUn; .\mo
I'rol'lH'sied; otherwi...e he would nut ha,-c
prelhed tu his book thosc word!' of Juel. For the wlu!le fo
ce
of the words, as employed hy Amos. dcpends upon their helll

r('cog-ni
cd hy his hearers, as a renewal of the prol'heey uf
Joel. Certainlv bad men jeered at Amus, as thuugh his threat-
ening-s would n
t he fullfil1ed w.
Si'nce. then, .\nw
prol'hcsieddnring the time, when Azariah
and .Jerohoam II. reig-ned tog-ether, the book of JuellllUst 11<n-e
been at that time written, and known in Israel alsu. Be,'ond
this, the brief, althoug-h full, p!"ophecy of Joel affords no' clue
as to its own date, Yet probably it was not far removed from
that uf .\mos. For .\mos, as well a
Juel, speaks of the sin of
THe and Zidon and uf the Philistines in !<el1in
the children of
Jùdah into captivityx. .\nd since Amo

peaks ofthi!<. a
the
crmnlinl,!" sin uf both, it is perhaps likely that !<unu' !<ignal in-
8ta\l('e of it had taken plal'e. tu whi('h both prophets refer. To
thi!<, the faet that hoth pruphets speak ofthe scourge ofloewsts
and droug-ht
, (if this were so) wuuld not add any further evi-
de\l('e. For Joel was prophe:-õying- to Judah; Anw
. to Israel.
The propheey of Joelmay ind('ed suhordinately, althuug-h \"Cry
subordinatelv at the most, include reallol'usts; and sueh lu-
eust:-õ, if he Jileant to include them. couhl ha,-e been no lueaL
pla
ue, and so mu:-õt probabLy ha,-e visited Israel. But .\mu:-õ
docs lIut "peak ofthe ra,'ag-es of the lueusts. by which, in atldi-
tiun tu drou
ht, milde,,', pe,;.tilence, God had, whcn he prophe-

ied. re('entlv ('hastened Israel, as di:-õtinl{uished above other,..
whieh God I;ad sent upon this land. TI;ere is nothing- there-
fore to identify the loeusts spuken ufby Amos with those which
Juel !'peak!< of a" an image uf the terrible, suecessivc, jud
-
ments of (;od. Rather Amos enulllerate
, one after the other,
(;od's (mlinary plagues in those eountri('
, and
ays that all had
failcd in the ubje('Ì fur which God sent them, the turning of His
people tu Himself.
Xur, ag-ain. doe!oi any thing' in Joer
own prophecy sugg-e
t
any partit'ular date, beyond what is already assi
ned throug-h
the relatiun which the buok of Amos bears to hi
book. On the
(.lIntrary, in clIITespondenee, perhaps, "ith the wide extent of
hi
prophe('y, Joel says next tu nothing ufwhat was temporary
or lucal. He mention:;. incidentally, in line plaeethedrullkarcls'
of his peuple: yet in this ('a!'e too, he :-õpeaks ufthe sin as espe-
cially affected and tom'hed by the chastisement, not of the eha...-
ti
ement, a!oi bruu
ht upon the sinner or upon the sinful people
by that !'in. ße
"ond thi" ont' ca...e. the Prophet names neither
sins nur !'inners amon
his own people. He foretell!' chastise-
ment. ami exhorts tu repentance a!' themeans of avert in I!." it. but
does nut
peeify any sin!'. Hi:-õ prophecy is one dedaration of
the displeasure of God against all sin,andofHis judgments con-

. Hab. ii. 3. t -,.".:
a lit. br
atheth, as we say "panteth,"
;;";
w v. 18. vi. 3. ix. 10. x Joel iii. 4-6. Am. i. 6, 9.
T "drought," Joel i. Ii, 20. Am. iv. 7,8. "locusts," Am. iv.9,

JOEL.

),j

sequent thereon, one l}rOlni
c of pardon upon t'arncst repent-
alu'e; and so, perha[I:-Õ, what is individual has, for the must part,
heen purpo,.;ely sUJlprcs!ocd.
The noti('es in the houk of Juel, which have been employ('d
to fi
more pre('i,..ely the date of the Pror,het, relate I J tll the
proelamation of the solemn assembly, whi('h, it is suppo:-õed,
\\ uuld he enjoined thu
authuritatiwlv in a time whcn that in-
JUJu,tion wlluld he IIheyed ;:!' tu the m(.ntilln of certaiu nation
,
and the supposed omission of ('('rtain uthcr nation
. a
enemie:-õ
uf Judah. Buth ar
uments have been uverstated and mi:-õ-

tated.
I) The call to Imblic humiliation implies,
o far, times in
whi('h the kin,g" wuuld not interfere tu prevent it. But ordina-
rilv, in Judah, even had and irrelit,rÏous kin,g"s did not interfere
with extraordinary fa
t,. in time:; ofpuhlie di:-õtress. Jdltliakim
did not; the king-. who he
itat('d nut to ('ut in shrcds the roll
of Jeremiah's propheeies when three ur four eolumn,.; 0\' chap-
ters a had been read befure him, and burnt it on the hearth h,-
which he wa:- l!òitting-. The fast-day, upon whieh that rllll ha
1
been read iu the ears of all the people, wa
an e
traordinarv
fa.yt befure the Lorc/, proclaimed to all the peuple ill .ft.ru.W1leJ
,
aud to (tit the people that ('allle fru1l/ the cities uf .Judal, uutu
.Jerusalem b. This fasting day was not their annual fa,.;t, the
day of .\tunement. For the dav of Atonement wa
in the 8e-
w';lth month; thi:-õ, Jercmiah teÜs U:-õ, was ill tlte uilltlt muuth c.
"'hen sueh a kin
as Jehoiakim tolerated the appointment of
an extraordinarv fast, not for Jerusalem unh-, but fur all the
people ll'llO rame from the cities of .Judah, we" may well think
that nu king of urdinary impiety wuuld, in a time of
ueh di:-õ-
tress as Juel foretells, have interf'l'red tu hiuder it. There
were, at most, after
\thaliah's death, two periuds only uf de-
ciderl anta
oni,.;m to God. The first was at the clo!'e of the
rdgn of J
a,.;h. after the death uf Jehuiada, when Joash, with
the prince
, gm'e himself tu the idolatry of A:-õhtaroth, and put
to death Zechariah, the sun uf Jehuiada, upon whom tlte Spirit
of God rmne, and he foretuld their de!'tru(,tion ; Becau.ye .'Ie hcu'e
(orsakeu the Lord, Ilehath alsoforsakenyolld. The period after
the murder uf Zechariah was yery short. As the year came
round, the Syrians l'ame a
ain
t them; and l('hell they departed,
hi,y OIl'lt scn'(t1lts sino him e . The only spaet', left uneertain, is
the len
rt:h uf time, during- which the idolatry la4ed, before the
murder of Zechariah. The second period. that in which .-\ma-
ziah fell away tu the idolatry of the Edomite!ò, !'ilem'ed the
prophet of God, and was ahandoned h)' him to his destruetion f,
was also brief, lastinl,!" prohahly sume sixtecn year:-õ.
:!) The arg-ument from the Pruphet's mention of I'ume ene-
mies uf God's people g and the supposed omis:-õiun uf otlU'r later
enemies. re!oit
partly on a wrong- eonceptiun of prophecy. partly
on wrong interpretation of the Prophet. Un the a!ò:-õuml'tioJl
that the Prophets did not :-peak uf nations, as instruments uf
Gud's chasti
ements on His people, until they had ri:-õcn ahove
the pulitkal horizon of Judah, it has heen infern'd that Juel
lh-ed bctè:/re the timc ,,'hen .\!<svria bet'ame an uhjed of dn'ad,
beeause. mentioning other enen'lÍes uf Gud's people, he dues not
mention Assyria. The assumption, whieh ori!-,rÏnated in UII-
belict
is untrue in fa.'t. Balaam pruphe"ied the captivity
throug-h A!'s)Tia h, when Israel was entering- un the promi!i'f'd
land: he foretolcl also the destrul,tiun of As"yria ur the great
empire of the Ea:-õt throug-h a power n ho should come from
Europe i. The prophet .\hijah foretuld to J('rohoam I. that the
Lord would ruut up Israel Ollt of tlte guod land which He gave t"

't' -:-;N,"

. Jer. xxxvi. 23. bib. 9. · lb. d 2 Chr. xxiv.lí-21.
. Ib, 23,25. f 2 Chr. xxv. I4-16, 2-3.
I: Tyre, Zidon, Philistia, iii.4. Eg)'pt IInd Edom, ii 19. h r\ um.
...iv. 22, i lb. 2-1.
x2

x i.5.

DG

IXTRODCcTfOX TO

tlleir fathers, alld would sratfer them lJellolld the river k. l\ci-
thcr ill temporal nor
piritua) propheèy can we di
eern the
rule
, Ly "hieh, fit sllmh:11 til/le,
and Ùl clil'ers 1J/C1lI1lerS, C:ìod
re\'ealed Himself through tlte Prophets. so that we should be
able to reduc'e tu one strid method tllC 1//emi/uld wiselu1II uf
(;od. and infer the a
e of a prllphet frum the tenor of the pro-
phel'Y whil'h God put into hi!' mouth.
I t is plain, morc'o,-er, from the text of Jcwl himself, that
Gud had revealed tu him. that uther mure formidable ('nemies
than had yet invadecl Judah would hereaftcr ('Clme a
ain4 it,
and that those enemies whom he speaks of, he mentions unly, as

pe('imens of hatred aplÏnst God's people and uf its I'uni,.h-
ment. There can reall)' he no question, that by the
YortheJ"1l1
army, he means the .\ss
Tian. Gocl foretells also by him thl'
capture of Jerusalem, and the punishment of thos...> who scat-
tereel Israel, .J.11"./1 heritage', el11wug the heathen, aud elÎl'ieled .11"./1
lwu/ m . Such" urds ('an on)v be understood uf an entire removal
of Judah, wherehy others I'õuld ('ome and take po!<ses
ion ofhi!o'
land. In eonnet'tion with th('se g'reat powers occ'urs the mcn-
tion of Tyre Sidon and Philistia, petty yet vexatious enemi('
,
contmsted with the more puwerfuL The \"l'ry formula with
which that mention is intrudut'ed, she" s that they arc named
onlv iUl'identaUv and as instanc('s of a ela!<s. Am/also n, Il'/Illt
are' Ill' to JIe, Ò Tlfre. am/ Zidou, ((ncl all the coasts of Phi/is-
tin 1 The mighty ilations were to come as lions, to lay waste;
these, like jackals, made their own petty mcre'hant gain. The
mig-hty didded the land; these were plundcrers and men-steal-
ers. In both to
ether, he d('c'lares that nothing, either g-reat
ur small, should est'ape the righteous judgments of Gud. X ('i-
ther shall might saw the mig-hty, nor sllall the petty malice Ill'
the lesser enemies of (;od he tClO small to he requited. But
not only is there no proof that Juel means tu enumerate all
the natiuns who had hitherto infested Judah, but there is
proof that he did not.
One only has becn found to place Joel so early as the reign
of JehClshaphat. But in his reign, after the death of .\hab, (B.C.
t'\fj7,) .i1JoafJ and A 1I/1IIon and ll'ith them others, a gl'eat 1//ulti-
tlicle O , im-adecl Judah. SinC'e then it is tacitly a(lmitted. that
the ahsence of the mention of Moab and ÅJIU!;on dCles not im-
ply that Juel prophesied betèlre their inva"iun (B.C. H9ï,) nei-
ther is the non-mention of the inva
ion of the Svrians any ar-
g-ument that he liwd before the end of the reiin Clf Jeh
)(Jsh
(ß.c. H-10.) Furtlwr, not the mere ill\'a
ion of Judah, but the
motives of the im'asion or cruelty e,-inced in it. drew dm\ n the
jlHl
ment!ò of God. The innl
iClil of Hazael n as diref'tecl, not
again
t Judah, but agelÍwd (;atlt p. nut a .mutll cUlI/pall.1I of
meJl q went up ag-ainst Jerusalem; alld tlte Lord e/elil'eree/ a "l'el:11
great rmnpel/l.1J into tlteir IlUnd, hem use tlll'!l had forsaken the
Lore/Gud of their fatllers. The!! e:æclltee/, we are told,jllllA'"-
meJlt apiÌllst JeJllslt. "Kor does it appear, that they, like the
A,.!'yrian
. exceeded the t'ommi!'!o'ion for whieh God employed
them. r 1'1/('./1 destro.lled all the princes of the people from alllollg
tlte JJt'ople, the prinees who had seduced JClash to idolatry and
were the authori\ of the murder of ZeC'hariah. · TIIl:/1 conspir-
ed agaimt him, and stoned IiÎm (Zechariah) 1l'ith ,
temes at the
commlllulmellt of the king. .\mos mentions, as the last ground
of Gild's
enten('e against Dama!'cu!oò, not this iueursion, but
the cruelty of Hazael to Gilead t. The religious aspect uf the
!'ingle invasion of Judah by this band ofSvrians was very dif-
fer
nt from the l}erpetuai ho
tility of thé Philistines, ór the
maliÓous cupidity uf the PhæniC'ians.
x:.t

n
2iÌÓ

xii. ;f
' 2 q O' 2 Ch;'

;;:2
.

h.
':i.4

ef7 :
8
'
nfb. 21. 0

:
x:
;ttr. xi>;

; i.hk
x;.Vd;
Ï\: Jet i r1. s . xiv; 2i
a
aT.

tü
i. 2

::;
."

-: ;:;;
.

Stillles:" intelIig.ible is theas:;:ertion, that Joel would not lwre
forctold any l'unishm('nt uf Edom, had lie IintI after tl.e time
wheu AlIJaziah smote 20,000 of thellJ in tlte 1'Itllt.11 of salt> aud
took Selalt u, or Petra, B.C. H:38. For Amo!' eonfes
ed)y pro-
phesied in the reig-n of .\zariah, the
cm of Amaziah. Azariah
recO\'cred Elath also from Edom v; Jet .\mos, in hi!' time, forC'-
tell!< the utter destruC'tion of ßozra and Teman w. Th('\ ictoryof
Amaziah diel not humble Edum. They l"('mained the
am(' (=m-
hittered foe. In the time uf Ahaz, tiley again illvadcd Judah
and smote it aud carried lI1co.'1a mptiz'i(ljx. Proplwey does not
n'
ard thcse little variations ofeun'lue
t or defeat. They do
not exhaust its meaning-. It pronounces God's jud!-..,lIent
against the ahidin
eharacter of the nation; and whil(' that
('(mtinues unC'hanged, the sentenee remain
. I ts fulfilment
seems uften to ling'er, but, in the end. it does not fail nor re-
main behind Gild's appuinted time. E!--'!'pt and Edom more-
over, in Joel, stand al
o as symbols of nations or peol,le like
themselve.... They
tand for the peuple themselves, hut they
repres('nt alsu others of the same character, as long as till'
struO"O"le between "the city of (;od" and "the cih' of the devil>"

halr

t, i. e. to the end
f time. .
There being-then no internal indieation of the date of Joel,
we C'annot do better than aC'luiesc'e in the traditiun. by whid.
his book is plaeed next to that of Hosea, and regard Joe) as
thc prophet of Judah, during the earlier part of Hosea's office
towards I
rael, and rather earlier than Isaiah. At least, Isa-
iah. although he tuo was C'aIled to the prophetiC' offic'(' in the
days of (Tzziah, al}pears- to lla,-e embodi('d in his prophecy
wurds uf Joel, as well a:;: oL\Iic'ah, hearing \\"itne
s to the unity
of prophecy, and, amid the ridlll('
s and fulues,. of his own pro

I}heti(' store, purpo
cly borrowing from thos(',ofwhose ministry
God did not will that
llC'h large fruit should remain. The re-
markable words', .lYellI' is tlte Dfl.1f of tlte Lord, like destruc-
tioll from the AlmigM!1 slmll it ("(J1lIe, Isaiah in:;:erted, word for
wurel a, from Joel ", including- the r('markable alJiteration, ('e"hocl
)J)i
h,.hadclai, "like fl migh(1f destruetion from the Almiglt(/I."
The propheey uf Joel is altogether one. It extends from his
own day to the end of time. lIe gh-es the key tu it in a saying,
wllieh he easts into the form of a proverb, that judgment shall
follow after judgment c . Thcn he describes that fir
t desulation,
as if present, and calls to repentance d; yet withal he says ex-
Iwe!<sly, that the Day of the Lord is not come, but is at hand e.
Thi,. he repeats at the beginning of the i1òeeund chaph'r r, in
which he de!<eribes the eoming judgment mure fully, s}leaks of
it. as coming g. and. when he has pit'hlred it as just ready to
break upon them, and God, a:;: :rÎ\-ing the eonlluand to the great
c(Jmp a,.
embled to fulfil His word h, he eaIIs them, ill God's
K ame.
-et more earnestly to repentanee i, and promises, npon
that repentance. plenaryforg-Í\'ene
s and therestoratiun of every-
thing which (;od had withdrawn from them k. Thcse I'romii'es
culminate in the first Coming of Christ, the outpouring of the

pirit upon all fle"h. and the enlar
ed gift of prophecy at the
same time amongthe
on
aIHI daughter
lIf Judah 1 . ('pon these
mercies to His own peuple, follow the judt,.,nents upon lIis and
their enemies. reaching on to the second Coming of our Lord.
.\n atteml}t ha!< IJ('en made to sewr the prophecy into two
diseuurse
, of which the first is to end at cb. ii. Ii., the seeund is
to C"omprise the remainder of the book m. That sehemc severs
what is ('Iosely united, God's ean to prayer and His promise
that IIc will answer it. Af'c'ording to this sen'ranee uf the
prupheey, the first portion is to c'ontain the exhortation on the
:::"' :;.-;:, Isaiah has omitted the "and" only. Other correspondences, as the me of :-:
-::1
Is. b..v. 8. Joel ii.14.and that between Is.xiii.lO.and Joelii. 31, which is an agreement ill
su
s:L;
en
t it

rg
,h:ii.nl

orfeii.lf:f-c;;.
I< bïf.
t!

'l
i
.
t
g.d i:
t']d.;: M:

part uf(;od, wi
hout an): promi
c; thc s
('nlld is t? {'ontain an " ellmm.on bi.,.thpla{'e; an.d l!('neraUy, n
here. the ft'mal{' !()('ust

hi.;torÍC'al relatIOn that Gud an
wercd. wIthuut
a
1Il
what lIe dCpll
lt thclr e

s and die, unle"s a mlll:-t "lIlter or man s fllr('-
answered. The notion was
rounded un IInbelit.t
that Gild thou
ht de
troy thí' eg-g-s, the I,ruilli n hid. i
!'uc
frum them in
ahsolutelv fllr('tuld. that III' wuuld. bcyond the way uf naturc, thc ncxt
priu
, hcill/.,'Ib..;, uraeious as thc full-
ro" n luc'usts, Lut
hrin/.:", n I
at He would. upun repcntaJiee, as ('('rtainly remm"e. era" ling- throllg-h the land, doe
, in that immediate lH'i
hhour-
It i
re4ed on a mcre error in
ranllllarn. The
rallimati('al hllod. dt'struy thc prmlul'e oftht' seeund year, more fatally than
form wa
prubahly {'hu
t'n, in order to c'\.I,rcss how instanta- the parent had that ufthe l're('{'din
. Thi.... Iwwe,cr i
. at m1l4,
lIeou
h Gild wuuld hearken to real rqlentanee, that the Lo/"d is the rava
e of two
ta/.:"e
of the same inse(.t, 1I0t fllur sue('es-
jealoll.;/ur Ili,
land. The \\ ortl
ofpra
"er shuuld not yet IHu-e II
i\'e s('our
e!', the three last destruying- what the furmcr had
e
caped their lips, when God an
wcn'd. .\
lIe sayso, .Jiml it II
pared. "'hat the Prophet predieted, if takcn literally, was
.<;hall he, he/ore tlle.If shall call. I u'í/I answer; 1I'hile t/u'!1 are./let II alh,g-etht'r (JUt of the order of nature, and ret it
literal ful-
speaking, 111'ill hear. :\Ian has tu make up hi!' mind 011 a pc- filment has not the eharal'ter uf a miraelí' ; for it adds nuthing
tition; with God, ht'm'in
and an
w('ring- arc one. II to the intensit) ufwhat is l'rcdil'ted. The timn of his prediction
The jud
ments upon God's people, dcseribed in the two first i
pruHrhial; and this ('oincidt.s with the other indieatiuns that
chapters of Juel. ('an nut he limited tll a season uf druu
ht and the Prophet did not intend tu !<peak of mere loeust!'.
a visitation onlleust
, whether one or more. i) The Prophet in- I) In order to Lring- down this summary of the Prophet to the
eludes all whieh he furetell
, in one statel\lí'nt, whieh. huth from leyci uf an ordinary eycnt in God's ordinary Pro, idenee, a the-
its fi,rm ami it
pretcrnatural ('haraeter, has the appearanee ory ha
heen im-ented, that he is not here speaking- of different
ofa pro\"('rhial
a) in
p. It dues stand, a
a summary. Fur he sorts uf lueust
, but uf the same locust in diftèrent stag-cs of its
draw
the attention of all to tlâs q ; .Ilear thi..., .'Ie ultl men, and
rowth, frum the time when it leave!' the í'/.:"
, until it attain

giz'e ea/", all ye in/wbitnllts 0/ the land. Jlath this /JeFll in its full deyclopment and its wings. Ae('ordin
to the im-entor
1four dfl!ls't L')'C. He appeals to the ag-ed. whether they had of this theory'<, the fir
t, tll{' gazUln (the palmer. worm of our
'heard the like, and bid
all transmit it to their p04erityr. The versiun) was to be the migratury loeu!<t, whil'h visits IJal es _

ulllmarr is g'keu in a ,-cry nwasured form, in three divi- tine (it was
aid) chiefly in Autumn; the seeond, arbeh, (the 01'-
silon
. ead. euu"i
ting of four words, and the four word", stand- dinary name of the locu
t) was to stand for the young locust,
ill
. ill eaeh. in the
amc ordí'r". The first ami third words a
it fir
t creep
out of the shell; the yelek (translated canker-
of the fuur are the same in each; ami the fourth of the first Il'onn) was tu be thc locust, in what was suppo
í'd to be the
and !'('colld four become the
eeond of the
econd and third third stag-e uf develupment ; the elmsil (translated cflterpi/lar)
four,resp('etively. Xext tu Hebrew, its force ("an be
t be seen '"as to be the full-grown locust. Aceordiu
to this furm of
in Latin; thc theory, the ga
alll was tu be the same as the elmsil, the first
Re
iduum erueæ comedit loeH
ta; as the last; and two uf the most special names of the lueust,
Rí'sitluulU'lue Jocu"tæ cumedit bruehus; g((
am and chasil, were, withuut any distirwtion, tu be ascrib-
Re
iduumquc bruchi comedit exesor. ed to the full-
rown loeust, of one and thc same speeies. For,
The strut'ture of the word" resembles God's wordi' to Elijaht, aeeording- to the theory, the f!a
(Wt wa
to he the fuU-g-rown
whuse mea
ured rhythm ami precise order of words may a
ain loeu
t whieh arrived by flig-ht and deposited it
eg-
s; the llrbeh,
be best, because must eonei!,òely, exhibited iu Latiu. Each di- .1Jelek, elmsil, were tu be three ehiefsta/!es of develoJlement of the
vi
ion eontaius five worrls in the same urder; amI here, the fir
t, locusts which left those e
gs.
o that the elmsil, although not
se('oud, and fourth word
of eaeh ih-e remain the
ame, and the the
ame indh-idual, was to be e
aetly the same in:;eet as the
Proper nanH' which is the fifth in the first fi,"e becomes the gaZ1l11l, and at the same !<tag-e of existenee, the full-/.:"rown 10-
third in the :-ccond five u. locust, the g-ryUus mi
ratorius with wing-i'. But whiJe these two,
Profug-um gladii Hazaelis oceidet Jehu; more special, names were appropriated to the self-same spe-
Profm..'11m1lue :rladii Jehu oecidet Elisha. cies of lo{'u
t, in the same, its full-
rown, stag-e (which iu it-
In this case, we see that the furm is prO\-erhial, because the self is unlikí'ly, when they arc thus distin
ui
hed from each
sla
in!.!; by Eli
ha is different in kind from the slaying- Ly Jehu uther) one of the two names which remained to de"cribe (as
and Hazacl, and is the !'ame ofwhieh God spt'aks by HoseaV, I was suppo:-
d) the earlier, (:-0 to speak) infantiní' or I'hildish x
hewed them b.'1 the prop/lets; I slew them D.IJ the words of JI.IJ stages of its develop(,lIIent, llrheh, is the most g-eneral name of
mUlIth. But so alsu i
it with regard to the lucust. EXt'ept by locust. This was much as if, when we wished to speak uf a
miracle. what thc Prophet here describes, would not happen. <( colt" as sueh, we Wí're to call it ,. hurse," or werc to use the
He furetell
. not only that a scourg-e should come, unknown in word " eow" to desig-natí' a" calf." For, according- to this the-
de
ree and numher, he fore ur afterwards, in Palestine, but that ory, Joel, \\ ishing to mark that he was
pí'aking uf the pupa,
four sorts uf 10cu!>B should come sucees
iyely, the later de- ju
t emerg-ed from the ('
g. caUed it "arbeh," the most com-
stroyin
what the former left. Xow this is not God's ordi- mon name of the 10l'ust tribe.
na,,: wåy in bringing this scourg-e. In His ordinal'\" PrO\-idenee This theon" then was tacitly modified 1. In the !'í'cond form
diff
n'ni sorts
f l
custs do not su('ceed one aI;other. Xor of the theor)", whieh is morë likely to be introduced amung
wouhl it be any inl'rí'ase of the inflietion, anythin
to record or us, gCl
a11l was tu be the lueust in its first sta
c; arbeh was tu
forewarn of. At times, by a wry rare cha4isement, (
od has be the second, instead of the first; .."elek was to be the last
broug-ht suct'essive fli/.:"hts of the same insect from the same but one; chasil was, as before, to be the fuU-grown lucust.
Ð Fonns, like,
:, tI:.'!;
areOlùyused of the past, when a past has been already expressed
or !mplied, as, in EnKlish, we may use a present in vivid description, in which the mind,
:.
;
d:

C
ig

dsh:s

:,'

n
h

r,:itJ :'hll

:
b

:

tlVt;, It must be unde
tood ofthe same time,. as that \\hich has preceded. Here the time,
whIch has preceded, IS future. So also then IS the word. The same form is used ofthe fu-
ture,

...'
HIlS. viii. 10. Am. ix. 5. Is. ix. 5, 10, 13. Hæv. Einl. ii. 2G2.
o Is.h.v. 21. pi. 4. q i.2. r i.3.

JOEL.

9j

. :-::.-
:-:: ::=
-
. .
. ;--'::-,;",,; ?=

:.:-
':"":
t 1 "
:; ;f:' Ir'

:-..,

a. tot-':'"';'" :-....,:..
NTn :--
t::;,,:::-
..-..-tot -..-'" :N.-"'I ....:..-..-,
. vi.5. .. Cred;l;r
nJ
el-i. 4. p. 102
i
Úo;;dhÝ Scholz only.
. The expression of '-an (ler Hæ.en, Handbook of Zoology, i. 273, to com ey the idea of
gro\\th, rather than of change.
1 G esenius (Thesaur. p. 125;. v. :-:'-IoC) tacitly corrects Credner. Maurer, Ewald, {j ID-

98

IXTRODLcTIO
TO

This theory c
eapeù one difficulty, that of makin
the ga:.am
lUld t'/msil full-gTown hll'u4!ò of the same species. It added
another. The three muultings whil'h it as!Òumes to ht, rcpre-
scntell hy the arhel,..1/elek, and {(ClZ(W/. el l"('!<l'ond neither with
the adlialmuult!Ò of till' lo('u
t, nor with those which !o'trike the
eve. Some ohsen'ers have nutil'ed four nHlultirH!:s of the lu-
e
lst, after it had Id"t the e

z. Some writ(" a... if there were
yet more a. But of markt'd I'han
es whi('h the eve of the oh-

t'nTr ean discern. there arc two ;Inly, that hy wilieh it pa
ses
from the larva state intu tilt' pupa, and that hy whi('h it passes
from the pupa to the full-
rown locust. The tl/ree names.
arhitrarily adapted to the natural hi!Òtury of the JOI'USt. corre-
!'pond neither with the four al.tual, nor with the two nutieeable
ehang-es.
But e"en these terms larva and pupa, if taken in their po-
pular sense, woulll
i'-e a wrong- idea of tilt' nHlults of the lo-
cust. The chang('s with whil'h we arc familiar under these
names. take plae
in the lueust. hcfllre it le.wes the e
g-b. "eThe
lmpæ arc e(lually ,'aIJahle of eating and mo\'Ïn
with the lan-æ,
whieh they resemhle exeept in ha\"Íng- rudiments ofwing-s or of
win!!.'s and elytra:" '..wing in fa('t "I'omplete win
s, only folded
up lung-itudinallyandtransnrsely,and ilwlosedin memhranou!'\
cast.s." "The pupæ uf the orthoptera" [to whi('h the loeust
bclungs 1 "resemble the perfect inst'et, hoth as to !'hape and the
or
ans fur taking their t(lOd, exeept in not ha,'ing their wings
and clytra fully dcvelopcd."
The!<c ehang-t.s regard only its outward form, not its hahits.
lts voraeity l)(;gins
Imu!o't a
soon as it has left the eg
. The
first I'hange takes plal'e "a few days d," after ther are first in
motion. "Thev fa!'t, for a short time d." before eaeh ehan::?;e.
But the creature eonÙnues, throug-hout, the same living. de-
vouring, thin
e. From thetirst,"ereeping-andjumping-iu the
samc gellt'ral direction. they be;Ôn their de!'trueth'e march d."
The ('han
e. when it is made, takes pIal'" "in seven or t'Íght
minutes" hythe ereature disl'ng-a
ing-it!'elffrom its former out-
ward skin f . All the ehanges are often eompleted in six weeks.
In the rkraine, !o'ix weeks after it has left the eg
, it has win
s
and flies awav g . In thpwarmer dimate of Pale!Òtine, th" ehan
e
would he yet 'mltre ral'hl. "They attain their natural !o'ize," Xie-
buhrsay!Ò oftho!Òe in
Iosulh,"with astoni!o'hingrapidity." "It i!Ò
threeweeks,"!'avs Le Bruvni,"betiJre thev('an use their wings."
nut 2) the Prollhet is riot writing un " natural hi!Òtory," nor
noti('ing distinctions ohsen"ahle only on minute inspeetion. lIe
is fort'telling God's judgments. Hut. as all relate, who have
deseribed the ranl
CS uf loeusts, there arc nut three, timr. or
th-e, hut two stages only, in whit'h its ra,'agps are at all di!Ò-
tind. the unwinged and the win!!'t'd state.

) Prohahly, unly in a /'ountr

which was the birthplace of
Iocu"'Ì!Ò, and whert' eon!Òe'luently they would, in all tlrc stag-es
of tht'ir f'xistenee. he. year hy year, b('fore the eyes uf the peo-
ple, would those stages he marked hy ditferent names. Arabia
was one su/'h hirthplat'e, and the Arahs, living a wild life ofna-
ture, ha,'e invented, prohahly heyond any uther nation, words
with ,-ery sl'eeiall'hysieal meanings. The Arah
, who ha,'e

breit, foHow Geseniu.; yet Ewali! thinks that the ga::am, yelek, dlUsil, need not belong
to the proper locust tribe arbeh, (which i. in fact an abandonment of the theory.)
. Thomson, The Land and the Book, ii. p. 10 t Ræsel, Insecten Belustigungen, T. ii.
Heuschreeken,
. 7. 8. p. 69, ill. \ an der Hæ\en, i. 4.
. "Apr
s plusieurs mues." r\oU\eau Dict.d'Hist. Natur.1817. viii.-146. The Enclyco-
pédie
Iéthodique, v. Criquet, (lb. p. í06.) says that the number was not ascertained.
L O"en, Invertebrata Leet. 18. p. 4:! I, 43';,6.
· See Spence and Kirby, Introd. to Entomol. iii.:! W, 1. Van der Hæven, i. p. 2í3.
d Thomson, 1. c. "]'0 soo"er u'erea".', of them IlUtched, than they immediately collected
them.elves together, e
ch of them forming a compact body of several hundred yards in
IIqlla"", "hich, m
hing !,fterwards directlyfomard, climbpd 0\ ertrees. walls, and houses,
eat u
e\ery plant 111 thclr "ay, a"d let noil,;,,/{ escape them." Shaw, Travels, p. 25;.
· 4his js a character of the whole of the hemoptera and orthopt
'fII. "The develope-

above fiftYllames for different lo/'usts,ur locusts under different
I'in'umstanees. as they distin
ui!'hed the sexefo: (If the 101'u!<t
bnlifferent names,su tile,' did tJrree(lfits a
es. "j"'hen it eame
f,;rth (lilt tlfit!; eg
, it was' called doba; wh
n its wing!' al'lwared
and grew, itwas I'alled ghCluglw: and this. wlwn theyj()
tlt'd one
another; and when their eohmrs appeared, the malt,s heetlln-
ill
yellow, th/' fcmalcs bla('k, then the
were eallt'djeJ"(Ùl."
Thi!o' is no seientifi/' des,'ription ; fill' the wings of the IIU'ust arc
not visible. until after the la!<t moult. But in the 1an/ruag-e of
other eountrit's, where this plagu/' was not domestie, these dif-
fcrent stages of the existent'e of the loeust are not marked bv
a !'õpel'ial
lame. The Syrians add cd an epithet "tht, fl
in
,;'
,.thp I'reepin
," hut dt'si1!nated by the "ereepin
" the c/m.sil
as well as the .1fclekk, whieh last the Chaldecs render by (p(f/"e-
elm) "the flyin
." In Joel where tlwy had to designate the
f(lur kinds of ltlt'ust together, they were obligeù, like llUr own
version, in one ca!o'l' to suhstitute the name uf another dt,..true-
tÍ\"e inseet ; in anuther, they use the name uf a diftèrt'nt kind of
loeust. the t.m1"fsu/"o, (lr tsart.
'ero. the S,Tian and Arahi(' way of
IH'on(lUlH'ing the Hebrew t,
elatsal I. hi (;rcek the Bpoûxo", .;lId,
ATTf..
..aßO"' ha\ e been thou
ht to he two
tag-es of the ullwing-
ct!. and su.unperf('(.ted, lot'u!'t!'. nut
. Cyrilmand Theml()ret m
speak of the BpoVxo", a
hadng wings ; .\ri
totleb and PJutart.h o

peak of the e
g
of the' A77ÉÃaßO",.
4) The Prllphet i... !'l'eakin
of !o'uecessive ravag-er!', eaeh de-
'.ourin
what the former left. Jf the theon' of these writers
was I'
rreet. the order in whieh he names tilem, \nmld he the
order of their dm-elopement. But jn the order (If their de\"e-
lopement, they never destroy what they left in their t(lrmer
stag-es. From thc time when they be/!.'in to mm-e, they mar('h
rig-ht onward "I'reeping- and jumpin/!.', all in the SIIHe
eneral
dire('tion d." Thi
march n('yer
tups. They ereep Oil, eatillg'
as they ('reep. in the same tral't uf eountry, lIot in the same
spot. You eould not say of t'reahu'e!o' (were we afflil.tctl with
slH'h.) who I'rawled for six week.., de\"ouriu
, O\"er twu ('ounties
(If Eng-Iand, that in their later sta
e they devoured what in
their former they left. '" e t'hould speak uf the pla
ue "spread-
in
" O\-er two ellUuties. "T e could not u!'e the Pruphet's
dt'!'('riptiun, fur it would not be true. This uwre march, how-
e\-er destru('th-e in itsl'our!o'e.ducs HOt eorn'spond with the Pro-
phet's words. The Prophet tht'n must Ulean sumething el"e.
"'hen the IOt'u!'t hccunws wingcd, it flies away, to ranlgc other
countrie!ò. So far from dest
()ying what, in .it
tOrIHc'r I'ondi-
tion. it left, its ravage!' in that ('ountrv aI'e at an end. Had it
been ever so true, that these fOllr nanies, g((Z((II/, ((/'bell, .1/elek,
elwsil,desi/!.'nated four stage!'ofheing of the one It)('ust,ofwhieh
!'tages gazam was the first, elwÚl the la!'t; then. to !'uit this the-
ury, it should have heen said, that {(([;jhlll, tire young- JOt'ust, de-
voured what the elwsil, by the hypothesis the full-J':Town lo-
cust, left. not the l"('\"erse, as it stand
in tire Pro()het. For the
yuung- wlwn hateheù, do dt.!'troy in the same plaee whkh their
parent!o' visited, when they depusited their e
g-s ; hut tire g-rown
IOl'u
t does not de"astate the I'ountrv which he wasted bcfore
he had wing:". So then. in truth, had the Prophet meant this,

ment is attl'ßded with no loss of activity or diminution of voracity." Owen. p. 423. "The
whole lif
of the orthopterous insect from the excillsion [from the égg] to flight., ma) be call-
ed an acllve n} mphhood." lb. 436. f Shaw, lb. He is speakiligofthe last alld
chief cha!lge
o the ..illlted state.
About mid-April "They hatch and leap all
about,helllgsix "eeks helore the} can fly," de ßeauplan. Ukraine, ill Churchill's Yoya-
ges, i. 600. h De,cr, de I' Arab. p. He!! i Tra\Cls, p. 1 ;9.
j Demiri, quoted by 13ochart, iv. 1. k In Joel i. 2. ii. 2.
, the Syriac renders the arheh
kam(so porecho (the Ii) ing locusr) and the yelelr, lu.mtso dsoclielo, (the creepillg locust.) In
1
ings \iii.37. and :!Chr. \i.
. it renders c/"..il by dsochelo, c,-eepin!l. In P..lx,,\iii.
4-6" It renders chasil b) kamtso, locust,and arbelt, by dsochelo, creeper. In P.. cv. 34. it ren-
defs::;;f
hb':!u
a;

ii?

/ as also in :! Chr.;. v

x
h'.ef[;
;g

ieSsb
/

hart, iii. 262.
ß Hist. Anim. v. 29. lb. 0 de Isid. ib.

II(' would have spoken of t\VO ereature
. not of fuur; and uf
those two he \\ ould ha,-e
puken in a different urder frum that
of this hyputhesi...
5) Pak
tine not hein
an on1inary hreedin
plaee of the ]0-
custs, the 1(I('u
t arrive
thcre hy flight. A('c-urdingly, on this

round also, the first-mentioned wuuld be the win
ed, not the
('rawling,lucust. 6)'l'he u
e ufthese namcs unclC'u..:t. eb:ewhere
in Holy
C'ripture, cuntradiet
the theory. that they de
i/!."lHlte
cliftt>rent
ta!!e
uf t{rowth of the SllIIe ('l"eatnre. a) The urbelt
i
it
elt' one ufthe f
ur kinds of 10t'ust, allowed to he eaten, hav-
ing subordinate spel'ies. P TIle 'Ol'1lst (arbeh) after /Ii.
I..ind,
mill tlU' bald lurust (sol'am, the dn'uurer) ({fter /,is kind. mul the
beetle (ehargol. lit. the springer) ({fter his kind, ami the grrt.
s-
hopper (ehap:ah, perhap..:, the Ol'ersl/(uIUlcer) after /lis kind. It
is to the last deg-rec unlikch". that the name arbe", whic'h is the

eneric' name c;f the mo,.;t ('umnwn ,.;ort uf the ll'inged 10t'ust,
shoulcl be /!."iven to one imperfec't, unwinged, sta/!."c uf one spc-
des of locust.
h) The c-reeping-. unwinged. insect, whit'h has ju,.;t come forth
from the ground, would more prubahly be called by yet another
name fur ,. JlJeust," gob, gu!Jai, .. the creeper," than by that
of ga::'(/III. Rut though such is pruhably the etymolon' ofgub,
probably it too is \\ inged q.
c) Some of the1'e ereatures here mentioned by Juel are named
to
ether in Huly Scriptnre as distinct and winged. The arbelt
and elillsil, arc mentiuned to
etherr; as are al1'o arbeh and the
pele!.- s. The arbeh, the yelek. and the rlmsil, are all to
ether
mentioned in re/!."ard to the plague uf E
ypt t, and all ('onse-
quently. as winged, since they were brou
ht by the wind. The
prophet" ahum also speaks of the .'/elel.., a
spoilillg (/ndfieeing
Cl/('(l!/u. _\eeordin
to the theory, the yelek, as well as the ar-
beh. onght tu be unwingcd.
Xor, a
ain, ean it be !oaid, that the names are merely poetic
names of the loeu,.;t. It is true that arbt''', the commun name
of the lueust, is taken frum its numher: the rest. gll":' llJII , .lIelek,
elwsil, are deseriptÍ\"e of the ,'orac-ity of that trihe. Rut both
the arbelt and the ellllsil oeeur tug-ether in the historic'aJ and so
in prose hooks. "
e Imo\V of
lincty 1'orts of 10eu1'ts w, and
they are disting-uished from one mlCJther by some cpithet. It
wcnlld plainly be g-ratuitous to assume that the Hebrew names,
although epithets, describe only the g-enus in its lar
est sense,
and arc not names of spedcs. If mureuver these names were
used uf the same identieal race, not of different speeies in it,
the !òayin
wouM the mor(' have the ('haraetel' of a proverb.
'" e coulcl not say, for instance, "what the horse left, the steed
denmred." ex('ept in some prm-erbial meaning.
Thi!ò furni!o'hes a certain probability that the Prophet mean:-
somethin
mure under the locu
t, than the creature itself, al-
thoug-h this in itself too is a
Teat sc'our
e of Gud.
ii. In the course of the description itself, tilt' Prophet g-Í\"cs
hints, that he means, under the lo(,u!o't, a jud
.,nent far greater,
an enemy far mig-htier, than the locu4" These hints have been
put together mo!<t fully, and supported in detail by Hengsten-
berg- x !o'O that here the,. are but re-arran
ed.
I) Joel ealls the sconrg-e, whum he des(,l
ibes. the :'I,
urthem or
Northman. But whereas the Ass'Tian invadcrs uf Palestine
did pour into it from the Xorth, thë Inensts, almost alwa\"s, by
a !o'ort oflaw uftheir heing-, make their inroads there ti-mn'their
birth-place in the South Y.
2) The Prophet directs the priests to pra\" 0 Lord {{Ïl'e 1I0t
TM1/e Iler;tage to reproacll, that the heath;,: .
/wuld
llle over
p Lev.
i: 22. . l'i'ah. iii. Ii. r 1 Kings ,'iii. 3i. 2Chr. vi. 28. Ps.lxxviii. 46.
T' Nah. lll. lq. P
. cV. 3
. · P..1. c. u iii.I6. . El1clycopl'die )Iéthodique, Hist.
.:ohc. IlIsec

. T. VI. v. Crlquet. p. 209-33. x Cluistol. iii. 352-68. ed. 2.
T aee 01111.20. . ii. Ii. . See 011 ii. 20. b i. G. . ii.I8. d..; i. G.

JOEL.

9!)

them". nut there is plainly no connectiun hetween the desola-
tion caused by Icwu::.ts, and the IJeopJe being- given over tu a
heathen eonqnernr.
:J) The Prnphet !'peaks of, or alludes to, the ag-ent, as one re-
spclllsilJle. It is nut likely that, of an irrational sc'cmr
e uf God,
the Prophet wnuld have assig-ned a.. a ground nfits destruction,
he hath lI/ag1/[tied to clo a; words used uf human pride whieh
exceeds the mea;;urc appointed tu it b} (;ocl. On the other
hand, when Gud says, a nation i.
mll/e up upon IIp land b; then
fl.ill the Lord he.ie(/Iou.
for lli.
pe(Jple., the words hclon
ra-
tlll'r tu a heathen innuler nf (;od'1' land, who di1'IHlted with His
people the Ilussession of the land whie-h lIe had g-inn them,
than to an inseC't, which was simply carried, without volitiun
of its own, by the wind. "ïth this, t
llJS in the use uf the title
people. {{oi 'I, used often of heathen. not (as is 'am-) ofirration-
al creatures.
4) After the summary which mentiuns simply differrnt kinds
of locusts, the Prophet speaks uf.tire, .flame, drought f, which
shew that he means something he) und that plague.
,j) The imagery, e"en when it has SCIJlle c'orresl'cllldence with
what is known uf locusts, goes Iwyond any mere plague uf 10-
cu!<ts. a) Peuple are tcrrified at their approach; but Joel
ays
nut people, but peoples K, natinn!'. It was a !o'('ourg-e tllt'n, like
thuse g-reat cOl1Cluering' Empires, whum God made the lIalll-
Iller of thp u'lwle eartlt h. b) The locusts darken the air as thev
e01lle; hut the darkenin
of the sun and moon, the withdra,,:-
ing' uf the !'hinin
of the stars i (whic'h to>!ethcr are int'olllpati-
ble) are far beyond this. and are s, mbuls d
ewherc of the trem-
bling-uf an tJiin
s befure the re,'clation of the wrath uf God t.
t') Lc)('ust
ente
towns and arc trouhle!o'Clme to their inhal,it-
ants 1 ; but the fidds are the seenes of their de,.;olation, in towns
they are de!òtJ'uyed m. These in .Juel are represented as takin/r
the ci(,/, Jerusalem I, symbuls of countless hosts, but as mere
loeust!', harmless.
6) The effects of the scourg-e arc sueh a<; do not result from
mere loeust
. a) The quantity u!o'ed fÜr the meat offè,.ing ami
drink uffer;ng n was su
mall, that e, en a tiulline could nut oc-
easion their di
use. They were continued even in the last
dreadful siege of Jernsalel{l. Xot materials for saerifice, but
sacrifieers were wanting o. b) God
ays, I ll,;/I re,\tore the .,/ears
u'hich the locllst hath eaten p. nut the loeust. being a passing

eourg-e, did not destroy the fruits of se\"eral Nears, only of
that one year. e) The beasts of tlle.field are bidden tu rejoice,
beranse tlte tree heareth Iter fruit q. This UlU,.;t be metaphur,
for the tree
are not foud for cattle. d) The seollr
e is spuken
of as g-reater than any whieh they or their t
tthers knew ot

and as one to he ever remembereù r: but Israel had manv wurse
seourg-('
than any plague ofloeusts, howe,-er se,"ere. Gud had
tau
ht them by l)a, id, It is better tu fan into the bands of God,
than into the 'hands of men.
ï) The de,.;trueticlll of this s('ourg-e of God is described in a
way. taken douhtle!o's in its detail:, from the destruction of ]0-
('u
ts, ) et, as a whole, phy,.;ically impossihle in a literal sense a.
H) The nay of the Lnrd, of \\ hieh he speaks, is identical
with the seour1!-"e whic'h he dcseribes, but is far beyund any
pla
"'le oflm'u!o'ts. It indudes the eaptÏ\ ity of Judah t, the divi-
!o'iclll of their land u, its pusse

ion b
strangers, since it is pro-
llIi1'ed that these are no more to pass throllgh her v. It is a
day of utter de,.;trueticm. sueh as the .-\huighty aiUlU' can infliet.
It
"a/l cOllie like a might.,/ destruction f"
111 tI,e Almigh(,/".
.\ttempts h",-e becn made to meet some uf these ar;""llments ;
· ::7 Ii. 19,20. .. ii. I). b J er. I. 23. Iii. 11. k Is. xiii. 10.
t See on ii. 9. m Niebuhr, Descr. de I' Arabie, 1'. II!!. " i.
o Hengst. from Jos. n. J. 6,2,1.. p ii" 25" q ii.2:!. r i. 2,3. ii.
· See 011 ii. 20. t lii.I. " iü.:? .. ili.. 1:.. w i. 1':'.

100

IXTRODPCTIOX TO

hut the
e attempts for the l110
t part only illustrate the strcng-th
of the arg-umellts, ,,'hieh tlJ('v trv tll remm-e.
J) 'yo
.tlteru has been taken iil it!' natural !'en!'e, and it has
heen a!'''('rted, ('ontran- tll tIlt' faet, that 100'u
ts did ('ome from
the Xorth intll PalestiilCX; or it has bet'll !<aid), that the locusts
were fir
t driwn from their birth-phH'c in Arabia Dc,.erta
throu
h Palcstine to the "Korth, and then brought baek a
ain
into Palestine.f/"mn the Korth; or that iYortheru mcant that
part ofthf' whllie body of loeu,.ts which o{'cul'ied the Xurthern
parts IIf Pale4ine " Judea lying- tu the extrenl(' south.
But an ineitlental flig-ht of locusts, whit'h ,.hould have en-
tered Palestine frllm the r\orth, (whieh they arc not reeorded
to han- done) would not ha,-e Iwen called" t/le r\orthel"n."
The obj{,t,t of s\lf'h a name would he to des{'rihe the Itwale of
those sl'lIken of, not a mere aecident ur anomaly. Stilllcss,
if this ever happened, (of whieh th{'re is no proof) would a
!'warm of locusts be !o'O ('alled, whi{'h had fir!'t cume from the
South. The regularity, with whi('h the winds hi ow in Pales-
tine, makes sUl'h a hrin
ing- haek of the hH'usts altog'cther
improbable. The South wind bluws ehicfly in l\Ian'h; the East
wind in Summer; the :Korth wind mo,.tlvabout the Autumnal
efluillllx. But neitlwr would a body so biuwn to and fro, be the
fearful scourge I'n'dif,ted by the Prophet, nor would it have
been ('allcd the iYortltern. The; ufth{' word tesp/lUlI;, like our
ern in XllrthC'/"lI, de!'ig-nate!o' that which is ,.;poken ot
not as {'om-
in
inddpntaUv frum the r\orth, but as havin
an habitual re-
lation to the :Korth. A flig-ht uf lo{'u!'ts drivel
back, l'ontrary
to continual experience, from the X orth, wuuld not have been
desig-nated as the ..Yortlterll, any mor(' than a Lowlanller who
passes sm)l(' time in the Hig'hlands would be called a Hig'h-
lanrlpr, or a Highlander, pas,.;illg- into the South, would be called
a "Sollthron." \\'ith reg-ard to the third explanation, Joel was
('specially a prophet of Judah. The !'õul'position that, in pre-
dicting- the destruction uf the lo('usts, he spuke of the r\ orthern
not of the Southern portion of them, implies that he prmni!'ed
on the part uf (
od, as the reward of the humiliatiun of Judah,
that (;od wuuld remO\'e thi!o' scour
e from the separated kin
-
rlmn ofthe ten trih{'s, withcmt any promise as to that part whieh
imnwdiately concerned themselves. l\Ianifestlyalso, tlte .1Yurtlt-
ern does not, by itself. express the :Kortherll part ofa whole.
It is almost ÏIwredible that some han understood by tlte
Northern. tho!'e driven towards the :Korth, and so those actu-
ally in the South 3; and I will1'emOl'c far from YUlt tlte Nurtilern,
" I will remuve far from .1/0lt who are in the South, the lo-
custs who have come to you from the South, whom I will drive
to the Xorth."
2) Instanecs have been broug-htfl'mn other lands, to which
10clI<:ts ha,-e come from the Xurth. This answer wholly mis-
states die point at is!"ue. 'fhe fluestion is nut as to the
lirec-
tion which locllsts take, ill other countries, whitlH'r God sends
them. hut as to the quarter from whkh th{'y enter Judea. The
direetion which they take, varies in diltt'rent countries, but i!' on
one and the same l;rineipJe. It is said by one ob!o'erver, that
they have power to fly a/!:ainst the wind b. Yet this prohably
is said only of lig-ht airs, whell they are circling- round in pre-
paration for th{'ir fli
ht. For the mO!o't part. they are earried
by the prevailin
wind, sometime!', if God so wills, tu their uwn
d{'strnl'tion, but, mostly, to uther countries ai'a
:('our
e. "\Yhen
they can fly, they go," r{'lat{'s Beauplan C of thos{' bred in the

" Aben Ez
a, KimelJi, followed by Lightfoot, Chron. Y. T. i. 94. Cast. Sehob.
, Credner. . Boehart, (Hieroz. P. ii. L.iv.e. 5.) Liwly. . Jun. Trem. JustÏ.
ri
n'

l,
l.,
h
\

;
I

hrn
gb

lhi
:n

di;
f
:
h; i
u
h
tf
e

,!owS
hi
:
:
.Bruchstueke aus einigen Reisen naeh d. sud!. Russland. p. 320.
" c Dpseription ofUb.raine in ChUl'chill's Y o)"ages, i. 600. d Travels in S. Africa,

{-krainc. "wJler{'wr the wind carries them. If the Xorth-east
wind prnail!o', when they first take flig-ht, it carries thclll all into
the ßla('k Sea; but if the wind blows trom any other quartcl',
tlu'v
o into some other ('ountn-, to dll mi!o't'hie[" Li{'hten-
!'tcï"n
'Tites'l, "Thevn{'ver de,"iat(. from th{' !'trai
ht line, !'olon

as the !o'am{' wind binws." r\iehuhr
avs, "e I !o'aw in Cairo a yet
more terribk "loud of locusts, whi{'I; came by a Siluth-" e!o't
wind and so from the dc
ert of Libnl." "fIn the ni
ht ufr\ov.
10.1 j62, a
reat ('loud pa
scd over iidda " ith a "'est wind, eon-
sequently over the .\rahian g-ulfwbich is \"Cry hroad here." Of
twu flights in India which Forbes witnessed, he relatcs g , "Each
oftlle!'e fli
ht!<were hrou
ht hy an Ea!o't wind; they tonk a'" est-
erly direetiun, ami, without settling- in the cuuntry, prohably
p{'rished in the g-ulf of Cambay." Dr. Thon,,,on who had spent
2,") y{'ars in the Huly Land, says in illustration of Dadd's words,
h I (WI tossed up ((JUt down like the locwd, "i This refers to the
flying 10f'ust. I have had fl'equent opportunities to nutie(', huw
thcse squadrons art' to
sed up and down, and whirled ruund
and round bvtht, e"er-varvin
('urrents ufthe mountain wiuds."
l\J orier say
', "k The Souih-ea!<t wind cunstantly hrou
ht with
it innumerable flights of locu!o'ts," hut alsu I" a fresh wind from
the Soutb-west whi('h had lJrou!!:ht th{'m, so eompletely drove
them furwards that not a ve!'ti
e of tbt'm was tu be seen two
Itour
aftenrards." These w{'re difll'rent kinds ofloeust!', the
first "at Bushire," having- "leg-s and budy of a li
ht yellow and
wing's spotted brown l ;" tbe seeond at Shiraz (whieh "the Per-
sians said eame from th{' Germesir,") hcin
"lar!!:er and red."
The breeding country for the loeust in South-western .Asia,
i!o' the
reat desert of .Arabia reachin
to the Persian gulf. From
this, at God's I'ummand, tlte East '1L';ml b1"uught t/le'/o('usts Dl to
E
ypt. They arc often carried by a "Test or South-we:o;t wind
into Per!'ia. "I have often in :o;pring," relates Joseph de S. An-

t'lon, "seen the sun dark{'ned by HI"}' thiek cluuds (so to say) of
loeu!'ts, whieh eross th{' sea from the dcserts uf .Arabia far intu
Persia." In \\' estcrn Arabia, Burc'khardt 0 ,,-rite!o', ,. the loeusts
are known tu eome im'ariablyfrom the Ea!o't," i.e. from the same
deserts. The South wind carries them to the differ{'nt eoun-
tries X ortbward. This is so g-eneral, that I1asselquist wrute ;
"pThe locusts appear to be dir{'t'ted-in a direet JIl{'ridian line by
keepin
nearly from South tu "Kurth. turning very little either to
the East ur ". est. Thev eume from the deserts of Arabia, take
their course on throug-h Palestine, Syria, Carmania, Xatolia, g-o
sometimes thruug-h ßithynia. Theyne,-er turn from their course,
for exampl{', to the "Test, wherefore El!:ypt is not vi!o'ited by
them, th()u
h so near their usual tract. Xeither do they turn to
the East, for I never heard that:;\Ie!'opotamia or the confines of
t he Euphrates are rava
ed by them." And Yolney reports, as
the {'IImmun observation of the natives q ; "The inhabitants of
Syria remarked that the locusts only came after over-mild win-
ters, and that they always came from the d{'serts of Arabia."
"'hence S.Jerome,himself an inhabitant of Palestine,re
arded
this mention of the r\orth as an indication that the Prophet in-
tended us to understand under the name of loeusts, the great
COIuluerors who did invade Palestine from the X orth. "r Ae-
eonlin
to the letter, the South wind, rather titan the r\ orth,
hath been wont to brin
tbe flocks of loeust!', i.e. they come not
from the cold but from'the heat. ßut since he was s"peaking of
the Assyrians, under the ima
e of lueusts, therefore he inserted
the mention of the North, that we JIlay Ululerstand, not the ac-

e. xlvi. p. 251. · Deser. de l' Arabie, p. 1

. fib. p. UU. Ofthe other flights
which Niebuhr mentions, he does not .pecify whether they came with or without wind. lb.
g ii. 2í3, 4-. h P.. eix. 23. i The Land and the Book,
T.!iJ;z

. Pers. v.
o

I
tIo
;:dt"/Ldolf, CO
;l
i
'

t. JEth. p. 1
f.6:x.13.
o Notes,ii.!lO. P Travel
,p.44û,í. q Vo}ageseI1Syrie,i.2íi,8. r in Joelii.20.

tl1alloc'ust, whieh hath heen wont to ('ome from the South, but
under the I()('ust, the .\ss'Tians and ChaJdces."
()n tlw same
round, th;lt the IClI'usts c'.une to Palestine frum
the :-;outh, they were bruu
ht from Tartary, (the breedin
-plaC'e
of the loc'ust thenec ealled the Tartarian loc'ust) bv an East or
South-cast wind to the Ckraine. ""They
enerally
'ome [to the
("krairU'J frum tou'ards Tm.tary, whic'h happens in a dry spring-;
for Tartan' and the enunh'ies East utït, as Grcassia, ßazza and
l\Iingrf'lia;are seldum fret' from them. The \-ermin being- drÍ\'en
hv an East or Suuth-east wind c'nmelnto the Ckraine." Tu
tile eClasts of ßarbary or tn Italy for tlie samc reasnn thcy eome
from the Snuth; tn Cpper E.1!'ypt from .\rahia; and to Kuhia
from the 1\nrtht, yiz. from Cppcr E
ypt. .. In the sUlllmcr uf
lïï
," Chenier says of )Iauritmria u, there" were seen, eoming'
from the Snuth, douds of loc'usts whic'h darkened the sun."
Straho states, that, "'the strung-
. n', or \C winds of the vernal
eCluillox drive them tn
t'ther into the ecnmtry of Acridopha
i."
Tn the Cape of Goml Hopc' thcy come from the KIIl'th, whenee
alOlH' tht,y eClUld come" ; tn Sene
al they c'onIe with the willd
from the I
ast x. "They infest Italy," Pliny says Y," ehiefly from
Afric'a;" whenee of c'ourw, they c'onu' to Spaiu alsu '.
haw
writes of thnse in Barhary a; "Their first appearance was to-
wards the latter end of Marc'h, the wind having heen tur sume
time Southt'rlv." " .\s the clireetiuns ufthc marehes and fli
ht
of them both;; [i. e. both of the ynun
brood and their parents,
their "marches" JJ('fore they had win
s, amI their "flig-ht"
aftcrwarcls] "was always tu the Xurthward, it is prubable that
they perished in the sea."
All this, huwever, illustrates the one rule of their flight,
that tht'Y c'ome with the wind frum their hirthplaee to other
lands. 011 the same g-round that they c'ome to Italy or ßar-
ban from the South, tu the (liraine ur .\rabia PeJix from the
Ea;t. to Persia from the Snuth or South-\H'st. to KuJJia or tu
the Capf', ur CoustantinolJle sometimes, frum the Korth, they
c'ame toJudea from theSol1th. The wonl,c
orthern" desc'ribes
the habitual eharaeter of the army lu're spoken uf. SUf'h WftS
the eharac'ter of the .\ssyrian or Chahlean eonquerors, whu arc
des('ribed oftentimes, inlIoly Seripture, as eomin/!" out of the
:Korth." amI sueh was uot the c'hara('ter uf the lueust
, whu, if
describcd by the quarter from whic'h they habitually came,
must ha\"e heen c'alled "the Suuthern."
3) The third mode of removing' the evidenee of the word
":KOI,thern," has been to explain away its meaning-. But in no
liviug, nor indeed iu any well-known language, would anyone
hm-c recourse to certain or uneertain etnnoloL?,'v, in order tu
displaee the received meaning- ofa word. . Our" X orth " origi-
nally meant" narrowed, euntracted;" the Latin c. Scptentrio-
nalis" is so called ti'om the eunstellation of the Great ßear; yet
no one in his right mind, if he lIndf'rstoud not huw anything
was, by an Eng-lish author. C'alled " Xorthern," would h<n'e re-
eourse to the uri
inal meaning of the wurd and say" :Korth-
ern" mi/!.'ht sil!;nify "hemmed in," or that septentrionalis ur

eptentri(lncl meant "lwlong-ing- to the seven plo,,-ers," or
whatewr other etymology might he g-iven to septentrio. Xo
more should thc\', heeause they did not or ,,"uuM nut under!"tand
the use elf the ,,:urd t.w:p/wJ/i; han' had renmrse to etnnulo-
gies. Tsap/um b as uniformly sig-nifil's the 1\'orth, as our word
"1'\orth" itself. T.
('p/umi sig-nifie!ò .1..Yurthem. the i ha\'in/! the
sallie offic'e as uur endinl!; erll in J.Yurt/u:rll. The wurd Tsap/wlI
uriginally i'ig-nified!lid; then, laid up; and, it may be, that
the
Y(Jrth was called tsap/wlI. as the Mddell, "shrouded in dark_
. Be:,-uplan, Ih, i. 599. t Burckh
rdt, Notes. ii. 89,00. u Sur les )1aures, iii. 4!)5,
.'
V]. .4. 12
" J...r. ... Sparrman, p, :!hli, x Adansson, \' o
-age, p, 88. 1 Hist, r\at.
XI. 3". L". "In. 10. T . . Asso Y d
l. Ri?, yon der Heuschreckcn, ed. T) chscn,
· Nat. Ihst. of AlgIers and 1 milS. 'fravels, p. :l,j(j,8.

JOEL.

101

ness." But to infer from that etymolog-y, that fsep/wlli here
may sig-nify the /tirln' c , '"that whif'h ohsc'ures the rays of tllC'
sun," is. apart from its g-rammatic'al incorrec'tncss, Tlltlf'h the
s:lIne ar
ument as if we were to sa\' that Xorthcrn meant. that
whic'h ,
narrows, eCllrtrac'ts, hems in," or" is fast bound."
Equally eapric'iuus and arhitrar) is the c'oinill
of a new
Hebrew wurd to suhstitute for the word t.w'p/wlli; as oneil, first
rcading' it tsippfJlli, !o;ul'poses it to mcan captaill, or 11Iftin m'w.'/,
hec'ause in Arabie or Aramaie t.mphp/Ifl means .' set thing's in
a row,"" set an arlllv in arrav," uf whieh root ther(' is no trace
in Hebrew. Stran
(.r Vf't is 'it to ideutifv the well-known IIc:-
hrew word T.Wlp/W
1 with the (;rcek TV
CVV, and /('sp/umi with
TVcþcvv"cór;; and hec'ause Typhon was, in Eg-Yl'tian mytholo
y,
a prim'iple of e\'il, to infer that tM'p/Wlli meant a dl'stro.'ler c.
Another f, who wcmId g-i\'e to tsep/wlli the meanin
of".harha-
rian," admits in fac't thc'l,rol,hetic' c'har:U'tcr ofthe title; si m'e
the Jews had as yet, in the time of .Jucl, no external till' un
their 1\'orth bUl"der; no onp, excf'pt Israel, as yet im'aded them
from the Korth. Xot until the .\ssyrian swept over them, was
the
Y(Jrthem any speeial enemy of .Judah. {'ntil tht, time uf
.\IJaz, Syria "'as the enemy, nut uf Judah, hut uf Israel.
This varied straining- to
et rid of the plain meanin
uf the
word the
Y(JrtllerJl, illustrates the more the iml'ortam'e of the
term as one of the keys uf the propheey.
One and the same wind f'ould not drive the same bodv ofIo-
eu
ts, to perish in three different, and two of them opl'o;ite, di-
reetions. Y ct it is dear that the Prophet speaks of thcm as one
and the same. The locu
ts arc slwken ufas one
reat army, (as
God had befure called them g ,) with front and rcar. The resuuree
has heen to sav that the van and rear were two diflCrcnt bodies
uf loc'usts, destruyed at diflcrent times, or to say that it is only
Hehrew parallelism. In Ht'hrew parallelism, eaeh portion ofthc
verse adds something'to the other. It docs nut unite thill1!'s in-
eompatihle. 1\ur i
'it here the (luestion uftwo but of thrcf' di-
reetions, whither this enemy was to he swept a\ray and perish.
ßut Juel speaks of them first as one whole, I 1l'ill dril'e /tÌm
illto a laud harrell aud des(Jlate, the wastes Suuth of Judah, and
then of the front and rear, as drh-en intu the two
eas, which
JJou1U1 Judah on the East and \\. e
. The two Hehrew wonls,
]JallaÍl' 've.
(JpllO h, /ti,
f,.ollt ami M.
rea,., eall no more mcall two
budies, ha\"in
no relation to one anuther and tu the whule,
than our Eng-lish ,,'ords could, when used uf an army.
Equally nllsuec'essfl11 are the attempts to g-et rid ofthe proofs,
that the invader here deserihed is a moral agent. In reg-a I'd to
the words assig-ned as the p:ruund of his de
truction, .frJr lie Itatlt
magnified to do, I) it has been denied, contrary to the IIchrew
idiom and the t"ontext, that thev do relate to mural ag'eIlC'V,
whereas in re
ard to ereatures, tllC idiom is used of not hing else,
nor in anv other sense eou1cl this JJe the gTcmnd whv Gud des-
troyed thëm. Yet, that this their pride \
-as the eau
"'e of their
destructiun, is marked by the word/fJr. 2 tStrang-e to say) one
has bcen tuund who thoup:ht that tlu' Pruphet spoke of the lo-
custs as mural a
ents.
-J) Others lm,'e applied the wurds to
God, again eontrary to the context. Fur God speaks in this
same versc uf Him!<eIf in the first pcrson, of the enemy whom
He sentenees to destruc,tion, in the third. " .\nd I will remove
far uft' frum you the
'orthel"ll army, and I will drin' lûm into
a land harren amI desolate, /tis thee tuwards the Eastern !<ea,
and his rear towards the \\. estcrn sea, ami/tis stink shall c'unH'
up. and his ill savour shall eome up, heeause lie hath ma
nified
to du." J uel ducs nut use l"aIJid transitions. _lnd rapid tran-

18
8
;;

!!ested Ot;

t
t

i
,

h
t

t
:
ï

i
lIb v. 1\1 aur:r i

ld
o'::\:=
I
Ii:

and
J eier ",ould also alter the text" He ngst. . II i!Zig en Jot! Ii. :.0.
r Lmbreit on Joel, II>. , If ii.11. h .
:;
..:

y

102

I
TRODrCTIOX TO

!o;itions, when used, arc never without meaning. A sal'red writer
who has becn speaking of God, docs uften, in holy fen'or, turn
suddcnly to address (;od; or, ha, ing- uphraided a sinful people,
he turns away from them, and speak!<, not. to them any more
but of them. nut it is unexampled in Holy S,'ripture, that in
words in the mouth uf (yod, (;od should speah of Himself first
in the first person, then in tIlt' third.

) Instead of" that the heathen .
/wuld rule Ol'er them," they
rendel', ,. Thnt the heatheu should jest at them." But hesides this
plaee, the phrase û('curs fifty times in the IIehre"- Bible, and in
e"ery case means indislmtably" rule o,-er i ." It is plainly con-
trary to all rules of lan
ua
e, to take an idiom in the fifty-first
ca!<e. in a sense whollv ditferent from that whit'h it has in the
othcr fifty. The nouñ also si
nifying "pruverb," is derh-ed
from a root entirelv di4inl't from the verb tu rule; the ,-erb
whieh Ezekiel perhaps formed (as n-rbs arc formed in Hebrew)
from the noun, is never used eXl'ept in cunneetion, direl.t or im-
plied, "ith that noun k. The idiom "hel'ame a prm'erb,"" make
a prm'erb of," is always expressed, not by the verh but, by the
noun with some other verb, as" became, g-Í\'e, set, plaec l ." It is
even said m , I will make him desolate to a prol'erb, or shall take
up (/ parable against him n, but in no one of these idioms is the
verh used.
4) The wonl " jealousy" is used twenty time!' in the Old Tes-
tament, of that attrihutc in God, wherehy He docs not endure
the 100-e of His ereatm'es to be transferred from Him,or divided
with Him. nesides this place. it is used hy the PropÍlCts fifteen
timcs, of God's love for His people, as shewn against the Hea-
then who oppressed them. In all the thirty-fi,'e cases it is used
of an attrihute of Ahnit!hty God towards His rational crea-
tures. And it is a ,-iolation of the uniform usa
c of Huly S('rip-
ture in a matter whieh .r;clates to the attributes of .\lmi
htv
(.od and His rdation to the I'reatures which He has made. tc
ex-
tend it tu His irrationall'reation. It is to force on Holy Scrip-
ture an unauthorized statement. as to Ahnit{htv God.
Of thesc hints that the pruphecy extend
bëyond any mere
locusts. five are given in the space offuur ,-erses at the ('lose of
that part of the prophecy, and seem to be eondensed there,
as a key to the whole. Joel beg-all his I)rophel'Y by a sort of sa-
cred eni
ll1a or pro\"t'rb. whieh waited its explanation. At the
dose of the dest'1"iption of (yod'!< judg'ments on Hi.. Ilt'ople,
whieh hf- so oIlellt'd, he eoneentrates traits whit'h should in-
dieatt' its fullest meaning. lIe dm's nut exdude sufrering- by
loeusts, fire, druu
ht, famine, or any other of God's natural
visitations. But he indieates that the scour!-re, which he was
chiefly foretellin
, was man. Three of these hints comhine to
shew that Joel was speaking of Heathen scourp:es of God's peo-
ple m.d Church. The mention of the .J.Yortheru fixes the pro-
phecy to encmies, of whom J uel had no human knowledge, but
by whom .T mlah was earried away captive, and whu thenH;clves
were soon afterwards destroyed, while Judah was restored.
Xot until after Joel and all his generation were t
lilen asleep,
clid a king- uf .\ssyria eome up against Israel, nur was the 1'\ urth
a quarter whence men would then apprehend dang-er. Pul
came up ag-ainst l\Ienahem, king of I!'1"itel, at the close of thc
reign of rzziah. The reign of Jotham was victorious. "Xot
until invited by hi
son Ahaz, did Tiglath-pilp!'er nwddle with
the affairs uf Judah. In yet another rcign, that of Hezekiah,
was the first invasion uf Judah. Sennaeherib, first the !'courge
of God, in his seeond invasiun blasphemed God, and his army
IJerished in one night, smitten by the Angel of (;od.
I :: ::..:\:). t Thephraseis1,..:>;) :...:>;) in Goftheplaces in Ezekiel. In the 7th, Ezek. xvi. 44.
a prm.erb ,s spoken of. I t is used by no other of the sacred writers. In this sense it corres-
ponds ".ith the A
b,matllala. Syr. ,net/lal.
Iashal, rule, occurs in Phænician only,and,(as
Ges. pOlllt('d out) In the Greekßa u, À .IÍ
. I ;-:";; Deut. xx,"iii. 37.1 Kgs. ix. 7. I's.lxix.

It seems then probable, that what Joel describes was pre-
sented tu him in the form of a ,-ision, the title which he gives
to his prophc('y. There, as far as we can imagine what was
exhihitcd by Gud to His pruphet!', he saw before him the land
wasted and desolate; pa
tures and trees burned up by fire; the
ehannels of the rh-ers dried up; the barns broken down as use-
less, and withal, the Ioeu!'Õts, such as he deseribes them in the
8econd ('harter, advaneing-, Q\'er..prcading the land, desolating-
,all as thev advam'ed. mard1Ïng- in the wnnderful order in whiC'h
the lot'us't pres!'es on, indomitable, unbroken, unhindered; as-
lòaulting the city Jerusalem, mounting- the walls, posse!'sing-
themscIve
ofit, entering- its houses. as vil'torinus. But withal
he knew. by that !'ame inspiration whi('h spread this seene be-
fore his eves, that nut mere 10eu!'Õts were intended, and was in-
.oipired to intcrming-Ic in his description expres!oiions which fore-
warm'd his people of invaders yet more formidable.
It may he added, that S. John, in the ReH'lation, not onlvuses
the symhol of locusts as a type of enemies of God's Chllrc"ll and
people, whether actual perseeutors or spiritual foes or both, but,
in three !'Õuecessive verses of his deserilltiun, he takes frum .Toel
three traits uf the pieturc. The shapes of tile locll.
ts ll'ae like
unto horses prepared unto hattle; their teetlt u'ere as tlte teeth of
lions; the .wwul of their wings was as the sOlllHI of chariots of
11U1lI.11 horses rUlluing to battleD. It seems prohable, that as
S. John takes up ancwthe prolJhecies of the Old Testament, and
embodies in his prophecy their lang-uag-e, pointing- on to a ful-
filment of it in the Christian Chureh, he docs, by adopting the
symbol ufthe locusts. in part in Joel's own words, expre.-s that
he himself under!'Õtuud the Prophet to speak of enemies, be}"oncl
the mere irrational scourge.
The ..tlief eharactcri4i
of the Prophet's style is Ilerhaps its
simple vividness. Every thing is set before uur eyes. as though
we ourselves saw it. This is alike the eharal'ter of the de-
seription of the desolation in the first chapter; the advance of
the locusts in the second; ur that more aweful g-athering in the
valley of Jehosaphat, described in the third. The Prophet adds
detail to detail; each, dear, briet
distinet. a pit'ture in itself.
-et
addint{ to the efl"eet of the whole. ".e can, without an eflurt,
bring Lthe whole of each picture before nur eyes. Sometimes
he uses the very hriefest form uf words, two word", in his own
lang-uage, suffil'ing- for each feature in his picture. ()ne verse
consist!' almost. of five such pairs uf words p. Then, again, the
diseuurse flows on in a soft and gentle cadenee, like one ofthu!'Õe
Iong-er sweeps of an
:Eolian harp. This blending- of energy and
softness is perhaps one 8eeret, why the dietion also of this Pro-
I,het ha!': been at all times so winnin
ancl so touehing-. Deep
and full, he pours out the tide of his words, with an unJJrolien
smoothness, carries all along with him, yea, like thuse ri,'ers
of the new world, bears back thf bitter, restless billows whieh
oppose him, a pure ,.trong stream amid the endless hea\"Ïngs and
tossint!s of the world.
Po
tic as .Jocl's Ian
age is, he docs not nnH'h use di!'Õtinet
imagery. For his whule pit'ture is one imag-e. They are Gud's
('hastenings throug-h inanimate nature, picturing- the worse
ehastenings through man. So nnwh had he, probahly, in pro-
phetÏe vision. the symhol spread bcfore hi!' eyes, that he likens it
in one place to that whieh it repre
ents, the men of war of the
invading army. nut this too adds to the furmidablene!'Õs of the
IJÎt.ture.
Full of sorrow hiJllselt
he summons all with him to reIJen-
tanee, priests and people, old and young, bride and bridegroom.
I
. iN 2Cln:. !ii. 20. Jer. xxiv: 9. ;":t:-r
ob xvii, G. ::-':7 Ps. xliv. 15. m ":,,\':'=!1 Ez,:k.
XIV. 8. combining the two," I "Ill make hIm a desolalion and a prm"erb." D .,

"
1\Iic.ii.-l. Hab.ii.6. 0 Rev. ix. 7-9. Joelii.f. i.6.ii..5. p i. 10. In me 01
them For, is ac\ded. Other pairs of words in Hebrew occur i. 11.12.14,17. ii. U, 15.16.

Yet his ,-cry call, let the In'idegrornll gfJfol"ilt Ollt of !tis cli
llllher, I
alld tlie hride out uf lieI' cluset, shews how tenderly he felt for I
tho
e, whom he eallcd ti'om the
olaees of mutual affeetion to I
fa
ting- and w('el,ing and
irtJin
with
aekl'loth. Yet more ten-
der i
'the summuns to all Israd q, Lament like II !:Ïr{:iu girded
witli .wlckclotl, fur tile ItI(.
IIfl/l(i of lieI' 1I00ltlt. The tendcrne
s
of his :,oul i
edneed bv his ling-I'rin:!" m:er the desolation whieh
he fore
ees. It is like '-'ne, eO\intini ovcr, onc by onc, the lo

es
he endurcs in the prhïltiuns ofuthers. Xatur(' to him "seemed
to mourn ;" hc had a fef'ling- of !'ympathy with the brute cattle
whieh in his ear!' mourn
o grienlUsl
; and, if none c1!'e would
mourn for tlwir own sin!', lu' him!'elfwould mourn to Him \\'ho
is full of eOlllpassion ami mcrcy. He illlIlO\llU'es to the poor
cattlc the remO\'al of the woe. J<èar lwt,fear ye 1I0t r. Few pas-
sages in
eril'ture it!<e1fare more touching-. than when, having-
represented God as marshallinl{ lIis ereatures for the (lestruc-
tion of His people, amI ju!'t ready to
in the word. having ex-
pre,:sed the g"l'eat terrihl('ne!"s ufthe Day of the Lord, and a!<ked
Il'lIo can abide it? he sudiIenly turns,
/nd llOW tuu., and ealls
to repentanl'e.
.\mid a wonderfullwanty oflang-uagc. he employs n-ords not
found el
ewherc in Holy Scripture. In one ,'erse, he has three
!'ueh words t. The degree to which the prophecies of Joel re-
appear in the later prophets has been exag-g-erated. The sub-
jeets of the pruphel'Y reeur ; not, for the most part, the form in
whieh they were dclh-ered, The subjel'ts could not but recur.
For the truths, when once re\"ealed, beeame a part of the hopes
and fears of the Jewish Church; and the Prophets, as preach-
ers and teachers of their people, could not but repeat them.
But it was no mere repetition. E,-en those truths whieh, in
one uftheir bearing-s, or, al{ain, in outline were fully dedared,
admitted of subordinate enlarg-ement, or of the revelation of
other aeeessory truth!", which filled up or determined or limit-
ed that first uutline. And as far as anvthinc: was added or de-
termined by any later prophet, sllch 'additions eonstituted a
fresh revelation by him. It is !"o in the case of the wonderful
irna
e, in whieh. 'taldng" oeeasion of the faet of nature, that
there was a fountain under the temple u, which earried off the
blood of the saerifil'es, ancl, earryinl{ it off, was interming-lcd
"ith that hlood, the imag-e of the All-atoning mood, Joel

peaks of a foulitain flowing furth frum tlie HOllse uf tlie Lurd
([lid ll'ate/'ing tI,e ,'([lie.1I of SMttim, whither by nature its
waters couhl not flow. lie fir!"t describes the holiness to be
bestowcd upon )lount Zion; then, how from the Temple, tlw
('entre of worship and of revelation, the place of the shadow
of the Atonement, the stf'eam shuuld gu
h forth, whkh, pour-
ing on beyond the bounds of the land of Judah, should earry
fertility to a barren ånd thirsty land. (Fur in such land
the
!<hittah g-rows.) To this pkture Zel'hariah' adds the perma-
nence uf the life-gi\"Îngstrea1l' and its perennial flo"',11l summer
alld ill u'illter slwll it be. Ezekiel, in his full and wonderful
expan..ionflf the imag-e w. adds the idea!' of the gradual increase
of those waters oflife, their exeeedi,lg' depth, the healing- of all
whieh I'ould be healed, the abiding- desolation where those
waters did not real'h; and trees, as in the g-arden of Eden, yield-
ing ti)Üd amI health. lIe in a manner antieipates our Lord'

prophecy, ye shall he .fislters of men.
. John takes up the
image x, yet as an emhlem of sueh fulne
s of bliss and glory,
that, amid !"OIllC thin
s, whieh can
('ar('el, be understoud ex-
cept of this life, it se
ms rather to bdong'to life eternal.

q i. 8. r ii. 21. 2:1. · ii.12. . i. 16. U see on iii. 18. . xiv.8.
.. xlvii. 1-12, x Rev. xxii. 1-5. 7 "..xix. 2\1. ." 0" the Gentiles also iSl'oured OIlt
..""'XvTa.)thegift ofthe H?ly Gho!,t," Act.x..J,5; "
heloveofGod ispouredout (."",xvTa, )
mour hcarts by the HoJy Ghost \\ ho hath been given to us," Rom. v, 5. ali.33.

JOEL.

103

Imlecd,as to the g-reat imag-eryuf Joel,it is nuwh more adopt-
ed and enfor('ed in the :\'cw Testament than in the Old. The
imag-e of the lfleu
t is taken up in the RevcJation; that of the
"pourinl{ uut of the Spirit" (fflr thi
too is an imatre, how larl{('-
Iy (;od would he!'tow Himself in the times of the (;n..pcl) is
adopted in the ()ld Te!"tanwnt by E.æhiel Y, yet as tfl the Jews
unly; in the Xe\\" hy
t. Peter and
t. Paul z. Of tlwse I'on-
denseù inml{e
, under whil'h Joel speaks of the wil'kedncss of
the whole earth ripened for de!"truction, the han-er-t ami the
wine-treadinl{, that of the han'est i
('mplflyed hy Jeremiah a as
to Babylon, that ofthe wine-press is elllarg-cd hy I
aiahb. The
han'cst is
o emplflyecl hy our Lflrd c a
to explain the imag-ery
of Joel; and in that g-reat cmhodiment of Old T('..talll('nt pro-
phet.y, the Re,'e1ation d ,
t. John expands the imag-e ofthc wine-
press in the
ame larg-ene"s of meaning as it is used h
J fie I.
The largencss of aU thesc declarations remains pet.tdiar to
Joel. To this unknown Prophct, whom in hi.; ,uiting-s we ean-
not but love, but of whose hi..rory. condition, rank, parentage,
hirth-place, nothing- is known, nothing beyond his name, sa\"e
the name uf an unknown tilther, of whom moreO\'er God has
allowcd nothing- to remain save the!"e few I'hapters,-to him
God re
erHd the prero
ative, first to dcelare the out-pouring-
of the Huly Ghost upon all flesh, the pcrpetual abiding- of the
Church, the final strug-g-Ic of g-ood and e,-il, the la
t rebl'llion
a
ainst God, and the Day of J ud
ment. Tlte Dll.1I uf tlie Lord,
tlte Krellt llmi terrible dll.lI, the belief in which now fflrms part
of the faith uf all Jews and Christians, was a title fir
t rc\"Caled
to this unknown Prophet.
The primæval prophe('y on .\dam's expubion from Paradise,
had been renewed to Ahraham, Jal'ob, )Ioses, Da,id, Solo-
mon. In Abraham's I'eed were all nations of the earth to he
blessed c ; the obedience c ofthe nations was to be rendered to Shi-
loh the Peacemaker g ; the nations were to rejoÍl'e with the peo-
ple ofGod h ; God's anointed king was from :\Iount Zion to haw
the heathen tur His inheritanee'; Darid's Son and Da,'id's Lord
was to be a king and priest for ever after the order of :\h'll'hi-
zedek k ; the peoples were to be willing in the Hay uf His PO\'--
cr. All natiuns were to serve Him l . This had been prophesied
beture. It was part of the boùy of belief in the time uf Jocl.
ßut to Joel it was fir!"t forcshewn that the Gentiles too should
be filled with the Spirit uf (;od. To him was first deelared
that
reat paradox, or mystery, of faith, which, after his time,
prophet after prophet insi!oiteù upon, that while deliveraIH'e
should be in :\Iount Zion, while sun': and daug-hters,
'O\IIlg- and
old, should prupheey in Ziun, and the stream of God's graee
should is
ue to the barren world from the Temple of the Lord,
tho>:e in her who !"hould be delh'ered should be a remnant unlv"'.
:\larwllous faith, alike in those who uttered it and those ,,:ho
received it ; man'c1lous, di!"intere
ted faith! The true worship
of God was, by the re,-olt of the ten tribes, Jimitcd to the two
tribes, the territoryofthe larg-est ofwhi('h was but sume 50 miles
long-, and not 30 miles broad; Benjamin added but 12 miles to
the leng-th of the whole. It was but 12 miles from JerusalelU
on its Southern Border to Bethel on its Xorthern. They had
made no imprcssion beyond their own boundries. Edom; their
., brut her " was their bitterest enemy, wise in the wi...dom of
the worhl n . but wor
hipping false p,"mls o . Xay they them!"clH8
still burrowed the idolatries of their neic:hhours p. Beset as
Judah was by eunstant wars without, dese;ted by I !"racl, the im-
mediate band of worshippers of the one (;od within its narrow

b Ixiii.I-6, < S. )[att. xiii. 39. d xiv. 18-20. < Gen. xxii. 18. I Such must be the

:
e

if
::t

l
:I

h: J
d

=ii

it ;'G

'
{;
: it
x}ïD:

:
i

rr
sp;.nJt
t Ps.cx. I Ps.lxxii.ll. m ii.3:!. DOhad,8.Jer.xJ.ix.7. o:!Chr.xxv.U,:!O. p lb.
y2

10.1

horder
thinned In' those who fell awav from Him, Joel fore-
told. not a
un,'ertainlv, not a
antieip,ition. or hope, or long-
in
. hut ah
olutely mid di4inetly, that God would }Jollr out
IIi
.....ph.it upon ([1I.flesh ; and that the healin
!;tream
hould
iSi:il1e forth from J erusalcm. Ei
ht eenturies rolled un, and it

Before
CHRIST
eir.
IIOe

CH
\PTER 1.

I .Juel, declaring sundr.1J Judglllents of God, e.
'-
IlOrlet;' to obsel"l'e tlielJ/, H alld tu mourn. 14 He
pre.w'ribeth a fast for complaint.
T HE word of the LORn that came to
J uel the son of Pcthuel.
2 Ileal' this, re old mt'n, and g-h'e car,
all rc inhahitants of the land. a Hath this

. ch. 2.:?

JOEL,

was not aeeompli
hed. He died, of "-hom it was
aid, 1l'(' trust-
ed that it Iwd heen .Ill' TrIm should hm'e redeemed Isme/ l ; and
it wa
fl1lfill('(l. Had it failcd. ju
tIy would the Hehrew Pru-
phet
ha,-e heen called fanatie
. Thc word
were too di
tinet
to JJe explained away. It ('onld not filiI; fur God had !òaid it.
hccn in your days, or e"ell in the days C J31[''í''s T
of your f
ltlU'rs ? cir. 800.
3 b Tell ye your children ofit, ami/pt your bPs. ,8.-1:.
('hildren tt'll their children, and their chil-
dren another generation.
4 c t That whidl the palmprworm hath C

u
:

: 38.
left hath the locust eaÌC'n; and that ,vhich t

;

tht:' locust hath left hath the cankerworm
:;:'
lmer-

CII.\!'. I. '-cr. I. The 1l,(}}.t/ of the Lord tlwt came tu Juel.
J lIeI.like Hosea. mention
the uanw ofhi
fathcr onlv. and then
i

ilcut ahuut his e
traction, hi... trihe, hi
tinuily. . He lem'e!"
e'-en the timc when he lived. to he g-ue

ed at. He would he
known on Iv, a
the in
trl1mcnt uf God. TI,e /l'ord uftllf'Lurd
callie tll hi;u 2, amI he willcd
iml'ly to be the ,-uiee whieh ut-
ten'd it. He was" eontent to IÏ\-e under the eve
of l;ud, and,
a", to men. to be known onlv in ,,-hat eoncerned their sakatiun."
But tltis he dcc'lares ab
ol
ltclv, that the ,,- urd uf God came tu
him; in OJ'der that we may g-i,.ë faith to his prophe('y. being- wcll
a!<
ured that what he lll'edic,tcd, would ('omc to Ims
.
o the

aviour lIim
elf says, .. _ll.'I1l'ord.ç slwll not pass al{'ay 3. For
truth admit
of nuthin
till
e, ami what God !:aith, will eer-
tainly be. For lIel'IJ/!tir/lletll tile u'ortl uf IIis sCiTallt, ami per-
formetll tile l'ulllisel uf His JJu'ssellgers 4. The Prophet elaimeth
beliefthen, a", speakin
. not out ufhis uwn heart, hut out ofthe
mouth ofthe Lonl. ",peaking- in thc Spirit." .Joel sig-nifies. 'l'/ie
LUl'd is (;(J(I. It owns that God "-ho had re,'ealcd Himselt
i",
alone the God. The Prophet's name it
df embodicd the truth,
whil'h, after the miral'ulou!ò answer to Elijah's I)rayer. all the
pcople eonfc",sed, Tlte Lurd /Ie is tile (;ud, TIU' LOl'd lIt. is tI,e
(;/}(I. Pdl/lfel
i
nifi('
, .. persuaded of (;ud." The addition of
hi", father's name disting-ui",hed thc Prophet from others of that
name, a
the !'on of Samuel, of king- I' zziah. ami others.
2. Heal' tltis, .'Ie uld mell. By reason uf their a
(' they had
known and heard much; thcy had heard frum their fathers, and
their fathcr!<' father
. mudl whil'h they had nut known them-
!'eh'es. .\mong the people of the East: memories ofpa",t time

were handcd down frum
eneration to
encration. fur periods,
which to u
would
cem inf'redihle. I
nlcl wa
('ommanded, so
to trar!smit the ,-i\'Ïd memOl'ie
of the miral'lcs of (iud. The
Prophet appeals tu tile uld /II ell, to Ileal', and, (le",t any thing

hould seem to haw' e;;caped them) to the whole people of the
land. to give thcir whole attention to tltis thing. which he was
about to tcll them, and then, redcwin
aU the evils whil'h each
had ever hcard tu haw been inflietcd by Gud up un their fore-
fathcr"" to
ay whether t!lis thing had happened in their days
or in the da,-", of their fathers.
3. Tel(lJe your children uf it. In the order ufGod's p:ond-
ne
s. p:cneration wa
tu dcclare to g-eneration the wonders of His
lo,-e. 5I-Je estab/islled a te.çtinwny ill .Jacub, and appoillted a
t S. Luke xxiv. 21. 2 Sce on Hos. i.!. 3 S.
Iatt. xJ\.iv. 35. · Is. xliv. 26.

Ps. h:x\iii. 5-;. 6 Oem. iv. 9. add. vi. 6, Î. xi. 1
1. ; lb. vi. :W-2-l.
S Le\. '\:i. 2::.
:-
[the ordinary name]
;-
U hopper," ::

= "devourer," (these t\\O
occur in that place
f Le\-. only) and ::.:": so callcd, it is thought. from veiling the
un i"n
its flight. 9 Diet. de ]' Hist. Xatur. v. Criquet. ,o"The GryllusTartancus IS
î:

I

'
;e

a
f:h

eh

:f::1e
:r

:J
h

::\
:ti
St
;t
:i

,:e

i
g

thick as a man's tìngeraud t\lic" as long." Churchm, i.Coo.

law ill Israel, 1dticll .lIe cOlIll/wl/ded Olll' fathers that tlle.'1 shuuld
make tltem k1l0/(,1I to tlleir cltildrell, tllllt tlte generatioll tu cume
might !.-1/0I1' tl,em, the children which should he borll, 1(,1/1) slwuld
lIrise lIlId declare them totlteir cltildrell tllllt tltey 11light-1Iot fur-
get tlte WUl'/':s uf God. This tradition of thankful memories
(;od, as the Psalmist says, enforc'ed in the law 6; Take Iteed tu
tlt.lJselj, lest tllUltforget the thillgs ll'ltich t!tille eyes Illlz'e seell, but
teaclt tltem tllIl SUIIS a1/(1 tlllj SOliS' SUIIS. Thi
was the cnd ufthc
memorial al't'
of the rituàl, that their sons might elHjuire the
Ilu'anint{ of them. the fathcrs tell them (;od's wonder
7. Kow
contrariwi
e, they are,
eneration to
eneration, to tell COll-
('erlling it, this me

age ofunheard-ufwue alHljudg-ment. The
menwrv of God's decds of 100'e should ha,-e stirred them to
c:ratit\I
le ; now Ill' tran
mits to them memories of \\"01', that
they mi
ht entrcat God against them, and break uft'the ..ins
whil'h entail them.
-1. Tltat u.ltic;' the ]JaI11lenl'(J1'm Iwth left, Iwtlt tlte locust
eaten. The creatures here
poken of arc dift'erent kinds oflo-
eust
, so named frum their nUlnLer or voracity. ". e, who arc
free from this
eour
e of (;otl, know them only hy the g-cnerie
mune oflu('ust
. But the law mention!" !'e,-eral sorts ofloeusts,
cac'h after its kind, whieh mi
'ht be eaten s. In t
lct, above
ei
hty dift'crent kind
of locusts ha,-e been ub
el"\'ed 9, some uf
which are twiec as larg-e as that whieh is the ordinary !'eourg-e
of God 10. :,Ii
'ht as they are in them
eh-es, they arc mig-hty in
God's Hand; beautiful and gor
cou
a
they are, floating in the
sun'
rays 11, they arc a
eourge, including other plagues, fa-
miue. and often, l'estilenee.
Of the four kinds, here named by the Prophet, that rendered
lucust is so caUed from its multitude, (whence Jeremiah sap. 12,
tlu:'I lire mure 1/ll11lerOUS tit all ti,e locust;) and i!", probably, the
ercature whieh desolates whole rep:ions of .\sia and .\frica.
The re
t are named from their vuraeity, the" gnawer," "lil'k-
er," "eonsumer;" but they are. beyond doubt, distint't kinds of
that de!;troyer. And thi
is the dlaraeteristic of the Prol,het's
threatening, that he foretells a sueees
ion of destro,-ers. each
more fataÙhan the preecding; and that, not according to the
ordcr of nature. J.
ur in all the ob",cn'ations whil'h hm'c been
made uf the loeu,..t"" even when !'ue('es
ive fli
hts have deso-
lated the same land, they ha,'e always becn successivc clouds
of the same ereature.
II "The gryllus "\ligTatorius has red ]eg". and its inferior \\inl(S have a ]Ï\"h- red colour,
which gi\<.>S a hright tiery appearance to the animals when t1uttering in th
sun's ravs."
Clarke, i. 438.. Schlatter has much the Mille de>cripIion, Bruehstucke aus eilligen Reìsen
naeh dem sudbchen :'lus..]and.A.D.18
O-2:;. p.3
f;. in Ersch,EnC) d. v. Heu>chn'd;cnzIige.
p.315. Tho.e mentioned hy I'r. A]varez as the great scourge of Æthiupia \\ere dilierent.
They had }eIlow under-\lings. \I-hich also reflected the sun's ravs,c. 32.
t
xhi. 23.

-
'::I'::-, See J ud. \ i. 5. \ii.12. Ps. cv" 3-1. ",,"al.. iii. 15. It is a prowrh in
Arabicalsu.

CIL\.l)T.Elt I.

Before
CHRIST
cir
uo.

f'ah'll; and that ",hidl the cankerworm
hath left hath the c.'atcrpillar catcn.
ã
\wak(', fC.> drunkards, and weep;
and howl, all yc drinkers of wine, hc-

1U':;

cause of the.' new wine; d for it is ('ut off C HBi:oíes T
from r our mouth. car. SII().
G For e a natinn is ('omc up upnn my:

a
:;\..I
õ.
land, strong, and without numhl'r, f whose :
:f.'
,;;'.2:;.
f Re\. 9.8.

On-I' amI ahon' the faf.t, then, that IOf'usts arc a hea,-y f'has-
ti
('ment frmn (;ud, th('
e words of Joel form a !'ort of
af'rt'd
prowl'h. Ther arc th(' epitome of hi
whule prupheer. It i

tlâ.ç \\ hieh he had eallcd the old men to hear, and tu !'ay whe-
ther the\" had knuwn anvthing like tlâs; thatsf'our
e eame aftcr
!"eour
e: jud
ment aftel:jud,!!'mPllt, until man yielded or perish-
ed. The vi
itation of1I1f'u
t
wa
one ofthe puni
hment
tllrca-
ten cd in the law, Tholl ,çlwll Cflrry milch sef'C1 Ollt illto tlie.lield,
ami slutlt gather hilt little ill; for the locllst slll.ll CU/i.\llllle it l . It
wa!' one of (;od'
ordinary puni!'hments for
in. in that eountry,
like famine, orpestilenee,orhlidlt, ormild,-", ormurrain. 01' (ill
this) potato di
ea
e. Solumun, aceordin,!!ly, at the dedil'ation
of the Tcmpl(' mention
the locu4 mllllll
the uther plag-ue!',
whieh he then
olemnln'ntreated God to rel)w,-e. when indidd-
uals or the wllllle pcopie ..1111\1111 ,.pread forth their hands in pe-
hitelH'e towanl
that house 2. ßut the eharaeteri!'tic of tlâs pru-
],hef'Y i
thc
ul'ee

i\"('ne
s of the jud,!!ment
, each in it
elf de-

olatillg-, ami the later fulluwing- (Iui,'k upon the earlier, and
('ompll'till
their destn1l'tÍ\'elU's
. The jud
mellts of God are
linked to
ether b,- an ind
ihlc ehain, e,u'h drawing- on the
other; yer, at ea
h link of the lengthening- ehain, 'allowing
!"pal'e and time fOl' repelltan('e to hreak it through.
n in the
]}Iague
of Egypt, Gud. e:t'ecllting IlisjlldgmeJlts UpOIl tllem h.1I
little ami little, glll:e tl/em time for repentance 3; )-et, when Pha- .
raoh hardcnell his heart, eaeh followed on the other, until he
lwri
hed in the Red Sea. In like way God sahP, Mm that escap-
etl, ti,e sword of Ilazael sllall Jdlll slay; amlltim tlwt escapeth
from the sword (
f Jehu .çhllll Elisha sla.'I. So, in the Rewla-
tion, the trumpets arc sOl\llded 5, and the t'ials ,
f tlie wrath '
f
God arc }loured out upon the earth. one after the other ß. .-\('tual
loeu,..t,.. wcre ver\" likclvone of the ,..eour
es intended b\" the Pru-
phct. They certainlý were not. the whole; but pi"tured others
fi('n'er, more desolatillg', more o,'erwhelming-. The prm-erhial
dre,..,; g-ained amI fixed men's attention on the truth, whil'h, ifit
had hecn pre
ented to the peuple nakcdly. they mi
ht ha,-e
turned from. Yet as, in God's wi,..dom, what is !"aid general-
ly. i,.. often fulfilled
peeially, !-u here there were four g-reat in-
\"adcr
whieh in sueee
sion wasted Judah; the A
syrian, Chal-
dæan, Maeedunian and Homan.
)lorally. also, four ,'hief pa
sions de
olate suecessi\"ely the
human heart. ,., For what is de,..ignated lJy the palmerworm,
whidl eree)ls with all it
body on the ground, ex('ept it IJP l\l
t,
whieh so pollute:" the heart whieh it po
se!"
es, that it eannot
rise up to the I",-e ofhea,-enly purity? "'hat is expre

cd by the
lur'ust, whieh flies by lea)l
, exeept vain g-Iory which exalts it
elf
with empty pre,.;umptiuns? "'hat;
typified by the C(luker-
worm, almo,..t the whole of whose body is gathered into its belh-,
eXf.C)}t
luttony in eating- ? "That but'anicr is indieated by mÚ-
dew, whieh burn,.. as it toul'hes? TVlwt tile p((lmerworm then
hath left ti,e Iucust Iwtlt eateu. beeau,..e, when the sin of lu
t has
retirt'd from the mind, vain g-lorv often
UI'('eed
. J.
or
inec it
is not 1111'"
lIbdued by the I"'"e o(thefle
h, it boasts ofitsclf, a,.; if
it were huh- thruug-h it
cha,..titv. And that u'lIil'lI tlte locllst
It(ltllieft, t/;e C(lnkel"l"(jJ'1// hatlt e,;ten, beeau,..e when \'ain g-Iory.
which eallle, a
it "ere, from holine
s, is resisted, either the ap-
_" " I Deut. '5
viii.
8. 2 I Kings \iii. 3i'. 8.
" 3 \\ ,-d. XII. 10. · 1 KIng<< JI.". Ii'. . Rev. \iii. ix. xi. 15. ø lb. x\ i.
· S. Grej(. Mor. xxxiii.65. p. 614. Oxf. Tr. 8 Id.66. 9 Provo xx_x. 25.6.

petite, ur
ome alllhitious (lc
ires are indulged in too illlnlllde-
ratclv. For the mind whieh know!' nut God, is led the more
fierecly to any ohjel't ofalllhition. in proportion a
it is not re-

trained by uny Im-e ofhU1uanpraise. Tlwt whirll ti,e canker-
worm lurtl, !tit, the mildew (,OIl!<Ullle
. be('au,.;e whcn tlu' g-Iut-
tony of th(' belly i
rp
trained hy ah
tinenpe, the impatien,'e of
an,!!er holds fi{.rt'cr sway, whil'h, like mildew, ('at
up the har-
\"e!'t by burnill
it. hCf'ausc the flame otïmpatience wither
the
fruit uf ,-irtue. \\lleu then
ome' ic('

lU'l'eed tu othcr... one
plague devollr
the field of the mind, "Itile another Ipa\ c!< it."
5. Awake,.'Ie drllnkards, ((lid Il'eep. All !<in
tllpefies the
sinner. .\11 intoxieate the mind, hrilJp and )lel"\ ert the jlld
-
ment, dull the I'on,.pience, hlind the soul amI make it in
('n
i-
hIe to it,.. own ill
. ..\II the pa

ion
. an
er, vain glory, amhi-
tion, a,.lriee and the re,..t are a spiritual drunkeUlU'
!', inchri-
lItin
the !'oul, as !<trollg' drink doth the hody. ,,1'; They are
('aUell drunkards, who, confl
ed with the Im'e uf thi,.. "udd, fcd
not the ill,.. whieh they
uffer. \nmt then is meant hy.
lll'((ke
ye drllnka rrÚ aJt(llceejJ, but, . shake oft' the slccl' of y
ur in,..en-
sibility, and uppu,.e by watchfullamentation
the many plague!<
of sin,.., whieh
uc('eed one to the other in the de"a
tation of
,"our hearts?'" God arou
e
tho
e who will he arou
ed. 1,,- with-

lrawin
from them the pleasure
wherein they offende
l Him.
.\wake, the PI'ol'het erie,.;, from the
otti"h
lumber of pHII'
drunkemle
:"; awake to weep and howl, at If'a,.t when yuur
feveri
h enjoyment
are da
hed from your lip
. '" e('ping ti)r
thing
temporal may awaken to the fear oflu,.;illg-thillg:" eternal.
6. :For a uatiuJI is CUlIIl' lip UpOIl III!I lalltl. Ill' ealls this
!-l'ourge of God a lliltioll. giving them the title mn
t u
('d in Hulv
Seripture, of heathen n
tion
. The like tprm. people. folk. f..
used of the allt,ç and the collies 9 , for the wi
dom with whieh God
teaehe,.. them to aet. Here it i,.. used, in ordcr to indude at OIwe,
the irratiunal invader, gui{h'd hy a Hea!'on aIJo,-e its own, and
the heathen eOllfluerur. Thi
enemy. he
ay
. i,.. conte lip (for
the land, a
being- (;od'
land, \\'a:o< exalted in di
nitr, ahm-e
uther land
.) UPUli _If.lllalld, i.e. ti,e Lortl',ç laml lo , hith('rto uwn-
ed and proteeted a
God'
land, a lalld 1f'llÍcli, )Io
('
!'aid tll
them ll . tlte Lord thy (loci caretlt for; tlte e.lles of tile Lurd thy
God are al/l'llYs upon it, from tllP hegillillg uf tlte .lIear el'ell //lI-
to tlte eml ,
f ti,e .lJear. Xow it was to be bared of God's pro-
tection, and to he trampled upon by a heathen tile.
stmll{! and ll'itltout 1lI11llher. The fic-ure i,..,.;till from the 10-
cu!<t, whu
e number
arc whollv ('uuntl('
s IJ\- man. Tra,-ellers
o:ometimes use likenl'
sf'S to
'\':prp

their' numher, as clouds
darkening- the
un 12 or di,..ehaqÔIlg-flakc
of snow 13 : some
ra,-e
"Titer!<
Í\'e it up, a
hopcle
s. .n4Their multitude i!< ÍlwrPllihle.
wherebv th('\" {'over the earth and fill the air; thev take away
the briihtne

uf tire sun. I
a\" a
ain. the thin
i
inf'rediblc
to olle
dlO ha!' not seen them." . "I t would not be a thin
to he
believed. if one had not
een it." "On another da\. it was he-
yond belief: they oceupied a spaee uf eight lea
"le
[about :?-!
Eng-lish miles.] I do not mention the Ulultitudc ufthose with-
out wing'
. he('au
e it is inel'(.dih1e:' "15 \\-hen we were in the
Seig-noryof Ahrigima. in a plaee ('alh'd .\quatc. th{'re ('lIme
1U'h
a multitude of lO('u
t
, as f'annut he
aid. The) he
an to ar-
10 H08. L"'(. 3. II Deul. xi. 12. 12 see on ii. 10 .
c.
.Clarke's Tr3
,,'li

Afv
:I 'loP

'l

d
eil:dï,Cs

i.lI.
. .5W.

c

t

.

lOG

C H ní!oÍ
T teedl (Ire the teeth of a lion, and he hatll
cir. 8110. th
cheek teeth of a great lion.

rh-c flnc day ahout terl'e [nine] and tillni
ht they cea
ed not
to arrÍ\-e; and when they arrin'II, they hc
tll\\"('d them
elH'
.
On the next clay at the hour of prime they beg-an to depart,
and at midda,- there wa
not line, and there remained not a
leaf (III the trëe
. .\t thi
instant otlwrs heg-an to ("ome, and
staved like the other
to the next da,- at the
allle hour: and
the-;'e left lIot a
til'k with it
hark, nõr a
Teen herb, and tllU

did thcy fin days one after anothcr: and tIlt' ]Jeople !'mid that
they were thc
ons, who went to seek their father,;, and thcy
tool\: the road toward
the uther
whil'h had no win
s. After
thcy were g-une, we knew the In'eadth whieh they had (weupied,
and
aw the de
truetiun whieh they had made. it exceeded
three leaglll's [ninc miles] wherein tl
ert' remained no hark on
the tf'ec!<." .-\nother writes of South Afril'a 1; "Of the innu-
meralJle multitudes ufthe incomplete insel't or lan'a of the In-
cu
t!oò, whil'h at this time infc
ted this part of Afriea, no ade-
fluate idca I'ould be I
OIH'cived without ha\"Ïn
witne
sed them.
J.
or tile space of tcn miles on eill'h side uf the Sea-Cow rh'er,
and ei
hty Or niuety miles in IÑlg-th, an area of W. or ]SOO
square l\1ile
, the whole surfaec mig-ht literally be said to he
covered with them. The water of the river was !'earecly vi
i-
ble fin account of the dead ('area
e
which floated on the sur-
fal'e, drowned in thc attempt to ('ume at the weed
which
rcw
in it." "
The J)re
ent ycar i
the third oftheir continuance,
and their inerea
e has far ex('eetlcd that of a g-elHuetrieal pro-
g-ression who
e whole ratiù is a million." .A ,niter ufreputa-
tion
ays of a ., eolumn of 100'u
t
" in India; "3Jt cxtended,
we werc intiJrmed, j()() milcs, and so compad was it when on
the win
, that, like an el'li]):,e, it eompletely hid the !"un: so
that no shado\\ '\lIS cast by any ohjeet, and !"ome lofty tomh
,
not mure than :!(JO yards distant, wcre rendered (illite in-
visihle." In one sing-Ie neig-hbourhood, e,-en in (
crmany, it
was onl'e ealeulatcd that I1ear lï.l)(IO,UU() of their eggs were eol-
Iceted and destroyed 4 . E,'cn ,"olney writes oftho!"e in SrriaS,
"thc quantity of thl'
e insects is a thing- incredihle tu anyone
whu ha
not seen it him
('lf: the g-round is covered with them
for 1'(','eJ'allea/!ucs." "The steppe
," says Clarke 6 , an incr{'du-
lllu!< tra,-el1cr, "were entirely eovered hy thcir hU(lie
, and theil'
numher
falling- re
emblcd flakes 111' snow, carried ohliquely hy
the wind, and
preading- thit'k mists oyer the sun. )IYriads
fell o,-er the carriage, the horses, tilt' driver!<. The Tartars told
us, that persons had be('u suffoeatcd by a faU of lo('u
ts on the
steppes. It wa" now the
ea
on, they added, in whi.-h they he-
gan to diminish." "7 It was incredihle, that their breadth was
8 league...."
strong. The locust is remarkahle for its lon
flights.
"It" strength of limbs i
amazing
when pre,,
ed duwn by the
hand un the table, it has almost pun ('r to mo,-e the fin
ers 8."
I Barrow, S. Africa, p. 25ï. 2 lb. 258. 3 :\Iajor :\Ioor in KirL)' on Entomology,
foe:,

39: J72.6
O;s

'J:
i
h';:
k

I.:;

tDB
=

í

s

lhb)

I:

:

they come, in less than 2 hours Ihey crop all the) can, ",hich causes great scarcity of
prmisions; and if the locusts remain there in Autumn when they di,. after laying at
least 3UO eggs apiece, which hatch next sprir.g, if it be dry, then the country iB 300 times
worse pestered. " 5 \" oyage en S) ne, i. 2ïï.
· Tra,'els, c. 18. i. 4.37. "At V ienna they were half an hour's journey in breadth, but,
after 3 hours, though they seemed to fly lasl, one could not Jet see Ihe end of the column.
PhilOEophical Transaclions, T. 4Ð. p. 36. "In C} pms, in going in a chaise 4 or 5 miles,
the locusts lay swarming above a foot deep in several parts ofthe laigh road. and thousands
were destro)ed by the wheels of the carriage dri,ing over them." Russell, Nat. Hist. of

oin
h;;
hic
10
:h:n
l
e t

n
n

t

, ;
I
ha

j;e

:.oe6re:

J'

:

,

:

them, but as they were put on with much lashing-The'" heels of our cart. and the feet of
our horses brui.ing those creatures, there came from them such a stink, as not only offended
the nose but the brain." Beauplan, 599,600. "This place stands on a high hill, wheuce

JOEL,

I 7 He hath g laid my yine waste, and c }r
oíes T
t barked my fig- tree : l
e hath made i
clean cir. 800.
sisal. 5. 6. t Heb, laId m'ljig treejor a barking.
I iellOse teetl, are the tl'etl, of a liun. The teeth of the locust
arc said to be " harder than stone." " 9 They appear to be cre-
ated fur a seollrg-e; !'Í1H'e to stren
"th ineredible fur !'o small a
('J'catllre, they add !'aw-like tecth admirahlv ealculatecl tu eat
up all tlte Ite;bs in tlte laud."
ome Hear the Sene
al, arc de-
s('ribe(l as "10 (luite hrown, of the thil'klless and length of a fill-

er, and armed with two jaw
, toothcd like a saw, and vcry
pow('rfu1." The Prophet aSf'ribes to them the !<harp or Ilromi-
nent eye-teeth of the lion and lioness, ('ombiuiug- streugth with
I number. The ideal of this seuurg-e of Gud is cUJllpleted by
hleudiug- numbers, in whit-h ereature!' so small only cuuM exist
i to
ether, with the streng-th of the fierce
t. "11 \Yeak and
hort-
, Ih"ed is man, yet when Gud is angered against a sinful people,
I what mi;dlty power does lIe allow to man a
ainst it." "And
i what more erue! than th(l
e who endeavuur to slay soul!<, turn-
I ing- them from the Infinite and Etel'ual Good, aud so dragging
them tu the ewrlasting torments of Hell?"
I i. He hatll laid m.'ll'ine it'aste, alld barked my fig tree.
I This deseribes an extremity of de
olation. The loeu
ts at fir
t
attal'k all whieh is
rcen and sueeulellt; when thi
ha
been
f'om:umcd, then they attaek the JJark of trec!'. "12 \\Then they
have devoured all other wg-etabJcs, they attack the tree", cou"-
sumiug- first thc leave!", then the bark." "13 A day or two after
onc of these hodics were in motion, others werc alremh' hatch-
ed to g-Iean after them,
nawing off the youn/! hrane'IU'
and
the ,-cry bark uf sueh trees as had escaped before with thc
loss unly of their fruit and folia
('." "14 They carried deso-
lation where\'Cr they passed. After having eon
umed herba
e,
fruit. lea,-es of trees. they attal'ked even their young shoots
and their bark. E,'en the reeds, wherewith the huts wcrc
thatched, thou
h quite dry, were not spared." ., 15 Ewry
thing in the country was d(',-oured; the bark of fi
s, p"me-
g-ranates, and oran
es, bitter hard and corrosÍ\-e, eseapcd not
their nll"<lt'Íty." The effe('ts of this wasting last on for lUany
years 16.
he Itath made it clean Lare. "17 It is suffieient, if these ter-
rible eolumns stop half an hour on a spot, ti)r e,Terything grow-
in
on it, vine
, olive trees, and corn, to JJe entirclv destruyed.
\ft:er they ha,'e passed, nothin
remains but the lar
'e branciles,
and the roots whi('h, bcing- under
ronnd, hm-e e
I'aped their
n'raeity." "18 After eating up the eorn, they fell upon the
vines, the pulse, the willows and e,"en the hemp, notwithstand-
inl! its great hitterness." "19 They are partieularly injurious
to the IJaim trees; thpse tIwy strip of evcry leaf and
reeu
partide, the trees remainin
like ",keletons with bare brauches."
" 20 The bushes were eateu (luite bare, thou
h the animals
could not ha'"e been lon
on the !'pot.-They sat by huudreds
on a bush gnawing the rind and the woody fibres."
large lracts and many places couJd be seen all )"eUow with locusts." I'r. Alvarez, c. 32.
.. The face of the country is covered with them for many miles." Forbes, ii. 2i3. .. In
Senegal, they come almost e' ery three years, and" hen they have covered the ground, they
gnaw almost e'"ery thing, and are in such numbers as to shadow the heavenlorJ\.ii [ita-
lian] miles. If Ihey came every year, all would be consumed and desert. I have seen
them sometimes fly in a troop' over the sea; their number was almost intinite." Aluise da
cà da 1\Iosto,
a,ig. c. 13. .. The locusts COVEr Ihe ground, so that it can scarcely be seen."
Le Bru}n, Lev. 252. 7 Ah'arez, c. 32. " Clarke, i. 1-38.
9 Marier, :!nd. Journey, p. 99. 10 Adansson, V oylllte au Sénégal, p. 88. 11 nup.
12 Jackson's Travels 10 Morocco, ap. Kirby. 13 Shaw's Travels,p. 25i. H 1\.dan",on, lb.
I. Chénier, Recherches Histori<)uessurles
taures,iii. 49(;''' 'l'heydestroyed the leaves
and bark oCthe olive:' Dr. Freer, m !tussdl's Aleppo, p. 230.
16 " The wine of Algiers, before the locusts in lï23 wasted the vineyards, was, in flavour
not inferior to the best Hermitage. Since that time the wine has much degenerated and
has not yet (1i3:!) recovered its usual qualities." Shaw, p, 22i. I; Constitutionnel,
May IStl, of locusts in Spain in that }'ear. K. IS Phil. Trans. If'&;. T. xvi. p. US.
I" Burckhardt, Notes,ii. !Ill. 20 Vchtenslein, Trav. in S. Air. c. 46. p. 251.

CIL\.PTER I.

C IPí[oícs T harc, and east it away; the branches thcre-
dr. SUO- of are mad.. white.

The hranrhes thereuf are made ll'hite. c'IThe ('uuntrv did
not
cem to he Imrnt,hut to be mueh t'ovel'ed with
nuw, thr;lU
h
the whiteue..!' of the trees and the drvnc!'s of the herbs. It
I,lea=-cd (;od that the fre!"h (TOPS were' already gathcred in."
The l'ÙIl' is the well-known symhol of God's people
: the fig-
tOil. hv r('a!<uu of its =-"-cetncss, is an cmbkm of lIis Church
aud ot e.u'h !'oul in her, briug-ing' forth the fruit uf
race 3.
\\-hen then (;od says, he Imtiliaid .11y rille1l'a.
te, He !'uggests
to us, that lIe is not
I'eakiuA' ('hictly uf the visible tree, but
of that whil'h it repre!'ent=-. The locu=-ts, aceordin
ly, arc
not ehicfly the inse(.t!', whil'h bal'k the actual tree!', but every
enemy whit'h wastes the heritage of God, which He ealls hy
those names. IIi=- vim'yard, the Jewi=-h people, was uutwardly
and repeatedly desolated by the Chaldæant;, .\ntio('hus Epi-
phaues, and afterward" by the Romans. The ,'ineyard, whil'h
the J cws had, was, (a=- Jesu!" foretold,) let uut to other husband-
men, when thcy had killed Him; and, theneeti)[.th, is the Chris-
tian Churdl, and. subordinately eaeh soul in her. "
Heathen
and herctiral Emperors and heresiarl'hs wasted often the
('hun'h of Chri=-t. .\nti-Christ shall waste it. Thev who han'
waste(l hcr arc eountlcss. For the Psalmist savs,' Theil 1l'11O
hate me ll,itllOut a muse are more than the hairs
f m.'l h;a([ 5."
"6 The nation whieh ('ometh up a
ainst the soul, arc the
prinres of this world and of darkncs" and spiritual wi('ked-
I1ess in hi
h places, whose teeth arc the teeth of a lion, uf
whom the Apostle Peter
aith, (Jllr adl'eJ"sary fhe cleril, as (l
row'ill{: /iUll, u'(llketh about seeking u'lwln he ma.1/ deZ'Ollr 7. If
we gin- way to this nation, so that they should I'ome up in
US, tilrUm ith thev will make our vine,'ard where we were
wont to make win; to gladden the heart (
f mmz 8 , a desert, and
hark or break our fig- tree, that we
llOuld no more have in us
thuse mo!<t sweet g-ifts of the Holy Spirit. Xor is it ellOu
h
for that nation to destroy the vineyard and hrcak the fig' tree,
unless it also destroy whate,'er there is of life in it, so that, its
whole fl'e=-hncss being- eonsumed, the switehes remain white
and dead, and that be fulfilled in us, If tIIC,// do these tltill{:S ill
a green tree,ldwt sllall he done ill the dr.v ? 9" e<lOThe Chur(>h,
at lea
t a part of it, i
turned into a de
ert. deprind of !'piri-
tual
oods, when the faithful are led, by consent to sin, to fur-
sake (;nd. Tlte.fig tl"ee is barked, when the soul which unee
abounded with sweete<.;t g-ood!' and fruits of the Huly Ghost,
hath those goods les
ened or cut ofl'. Such arc they who, hav-
illg' be{{1lJ1 ill tile Spirit 11, arc perfected by the flesh."
"1
ßy
pirits lying" ill wait, the dneyard of God is made a de-

ert. when the soul, repleni
hed with fruits, i
wasted with long-
ing- ti)r the praise of men. That peuple barks the.fig tree of
God, in that, carrying <lInty the llIi:<
llided soul to a thir=-t for
applall!<e. in prolmrtion as it draws her on to ustentation, it
:-:trip:< her of the I'owring' of humility.
JIal..i}1g it cleall hare, it
despoil.>; if, ill that,
o lOll/{ as it lies hidden in it
g-oodne!':s, it

s, a
it were, clothed with a eo\'ering of it:< own, whi('h prote('ts
It. But when the milld long-:< that what it has done !-'hould IJC
!'een by others, it i:< as thou
h tlte.fig free despuiled had Jost the
bark that ('O\'cz'ed it. And !'o, as it fullmn;, The branches
fh(')'e'1 are made u:hite; in tlmt his work=-, displayed to the eyes
of men. ha,-e a bng-ht shew: a name tilr !<anetitv is
otten,
when guud actions are published. ßut as, upon thè bark being
I Fr. Alvarez,e. 33. 2 Ps. !xxx.
, 14. Cant.ii. 13, 15. RD.. x.l. Is. v. 1-7. xxvii.
.
3 ROB. i'C. 10. S. Matt. x.."i. I
. S. Luke xiii. 6. 7. . Rib.
Ps. Ixix.-1.
8 S. Jer. i 1 S. Pet. v.S. s Ps.civ.15. v S. Luke xxiii. 31. 10 Dion.

10]

8
b Lament like a virg-in g-irded with c J3í{oí e s T
sackcloth for i the hushand of her youth. cir. 800.
b Isai. 22.12. I Provo 2.17. Jcr. 3.4.

removed, the brancht.s of the fi/{ tree withcr, so ob:<erve that
the deeds of the arrogant, paradt'd IJCfore human eye!', wither
thruug-h the '-ery act of set'kin{: to plea..e. Tht'rpfore the mind
whieh i=- betrayed through l)(1a
tfulne!':!' is rightly l'allcd a fig
tree barked, in that it i!' at olH'e fair to the eye, a.. being seen,
and within a little of withcrinf?", as being bared of the ('OHr-
ing- of the bark. "ïthin, then, rnu4 our deeds be Jaid up, if we
look to a reward of our deeds from Him "110 !':eeth within."
tot Lament like a virgill. The Prophet addre!'!<es the (
on-
g-reg-ation of Israel, as one espoused to (;od 13; " Lament flam,
daug-hter of Zion," or the like. He J,ids her lament, \\ ith the
bitterest of sorrows, a!' one \\ ho, in her virgin )'ear!', was just
knit into one with the hu=-band of her youth, and then at unl'e
was, by God'sjudg-ment, on the very day of her espuusal, ere yet
she ('ea
{'tl to be a virgin. parted by death. The mourning
whi('h God eummand!' is nut one of eonventional or hecoming
nlOurnin
, but that of one whu has put away all joy from her,
and takes the rough /{arlllent of penitence, girding the hair-
('loth upon her. enveloping andembra('ing-, and therewith, wear-
ing- the whole frame. The hairl'luth wa!' a eoarsp, rough, form-
le=-
, garment, girt clo!"c round the waist, affii(.tivc to the flc!'h,
while it expre
sed the sorrow of the soul. (;od reg-arded a!' a
virgin, the people whi('h lIe had made holy to IIimselfH; lIe
so reg-ards the soul which He has regenerated and :O:aJII'tified.
The people, by their idoJatry, lost Him "'ho wa." a Husband to
them; the !'oul. by inunlinate aftections. is parted from it!< God.
'<15 Hod Almighty wa!' the Hu!'band of the Synag-o
lle, hm'ing'
e
po\lsed it to Himself in the Patriarehs and at the
h-ing- of
the law. So long as she did not, through idoJatry and other
hea,'y sins, depart from God, she was a
I'ouse in the integ-rity
of mind, in kllowled
e, in love and worship of the true God."
"16 The Chun'h is a Yirg-in; Christ her Hu!'band. By prevail-
in
sins, the order, cundition, splenduur, wori'hip of the Chureh,
are, through negli
ell('e, coneupiscence, a\.arice, irreverence,
wor=-ened, dcfotmerl, ohseured." "The
olll is a virgin by its
ereation in nature; it virg-in by privilege of grace; a virgin also
hy hope of g-Iory. Inordinate desire maketh the
olll a har-
lot; manly penitence restoreth to her ehastity; wise innoeenee,
'irginity. For the soul reconreth a !"ort of cha=-tity, when,
through thir=-t for righteOlI!<ness,
he undertakes the pain and
fear of penitence; still she is not as yet raised to the eminence
of innoeence.-In the first state
he i,.; expo
ed to eoneupi-
!'eence; in the !'eeond, ,.,he doth works of repentance; in thc
third, bewailing her Hu:<band, she is filled with the lung-ing-
for righteo\l
ness; in the fourth, she is g-Iaddened hy \"Ír
in
emhraees and the kiss of\\ïsdom. For Christ i!' the Husband
of her youth, the ßetrother of her ,-irgillity. But siJl('c :o:he
parted from Him to evil eon,'upist'encc, !'he is mOlli!'hed to re-
turn tu Him bv sorrow and the works and garb ofrepcntance."
"17:'0 should' every Christian weep who has lost Baptismal
grace, ur has fallen bal'k after rt'pentance, and, deprived ofthe
pure embraee of the Hea,-enly Bridegrollln, embraced instead
these earthly things which are as dunghills 18, hm.illg beell
brougllf up ill scarlet, and being in honuur, had no umlerstallll-
ill{(IV. "'hence it is written 20, let tears I"UIl dml'lIlike a river day
mulllight; give fll.l/selj 110 rest.
uch was he who said 21; riz'ers
of waters ruu dowll mine eyes, becau.w: tlle.1I keep 1/ot Th.lI law."

n Gal. iii.3.
t< Jer. ii. 2.
I@ Lam. iv. 5.

12 S. Gr
. on Job L. viii.
. 82. 13 The Hebrew .....1( is feminine.
Ivl
!:
fix. 12,20. 18 ::Ul
n

it i
:ct. 21 Ps. c
I,,

t

108

c JI[oíes T 9 k The Int'at offering and the drink offer-'
_
ir. f!1
in
is cut oft' from the house of the LORn;
,k \t'r. 13. the Iwiests, the LORD'S ministprs, mourn.
ch.
. u.
I ieÍ'

: n. 10 The fi..ld is wasted, I the land mourn-
nl
:

.t

. ï. eth; for t1l(' corn is wasted: m the new wine
II Or, "siUlmed. is II dril'{l UI), the oil lan
uishcth.
n Jer. H.3,4. 11 n De ye aslmmed, 0 ye husbandmen;
howl, () re yinedreo.;sers, for the wheat and

JOEL,

for the harley; because the han'est of the C Hní[oíes T
field is perished. clr. 1:\00.
12 0 The vine is dri{'d up, and the fig tree 0 ver.lO.
lan
ui!ooheth; the pomegranate tree, the
palm tree al
o, and the apple tr('e, Crf'lt
all the trees of the field, are withered : be-
eause P joy is withered away from the sons P J:;
'J.
'3

'
(If men.

:i.li.' t. ï.

9. Tilt: meat offering ((1/(1 the drink (!ffering is cut off: The
meat offering- amI drink om'ring- were part of every
acrifi('e.
If the materials for these, the ('urn amI wine, eea
ed, through
It)('u
ts ur droug-ht or the wastings of war, the saerifil'e mu
t
heclllne mangled amI impcrfe(.t. The prie
ts were to mourn
filr the ddc(.ts of the sacrifiee; thev lo!'t also their o\\"n suh-
sistenee, sinee the altar was, to thelil, in pla('c uf all uther in-
heritall('e. The meat and drink oft'l'rin
s were emhlr.:ns of the
material!' of the Holv EIH'harist, by \
'hieh
] alal'hi foretold
that, when God had'rçje(.ted the ofl"ering of the Jews, there
should Iw a pitre '!ffëring among thc heathen I. l"IU'n thcn
Holy Communions he('ome rare, the meat amI drink oft(orin

are literally t'ut off from the house of the Lord, and those who
arc indccdpricsts, tlu' ministcrs of the Lord, should mourn.
Joel foretells that, howe,'er love should wax cold, there should
ever he sUl'h. He forest'es amI foretdls at OIH'e, the failure
and the grief of the priests.
or is it an idle regret whieh he
filreh'lIs, but a m(lUrning- unto their God. "
Both meat offcr-
ing amI drink offering- hath perish cd from the house of (;od,
not in aI.tual suhstanee hut as to ren'rence, bel'au
e, amid the
pre\"ailing- iniquity there is scan'ely f'(mnd in the Chureh, who
should dulv ct'lehrate. or re('eh-e the Saeraments."
10. Tile field is 1Nutnl, the land 1I1Oltrueth. .\s, when God
pours out Hi
hlessing-s of nature, allllature !'Oeems tu smile and
be g-lacl and, as the Psalmist !'Ouys, to .
hmd forJo."! mul singS,..o
",hen He withholds them, it scems to monrn, ami, hv its mourn-
ing", to reproa('h the insensihility of man. Oil is the emhlem uf
tht' abundant graees and gifts of the Huly
pirit, and of the
light and dcvotion oÍf;oul gÏ\'en hy Him, and spiritual gladness,
and overflowing-, all-mantling- charity.
II. Be .11e aslwmer!, Ú .11e Il1lshwulmell. The Prophet dwells
on and expands the description of the troubles whi('h he had
foretold, settin
hefore their eyes tlU' pi(.ture of une universal
desolation. For the details of sorrow most 1:oueh the heart,
and he wished to move them to repentance. He pieture!" them
to themselves; some stalU1inf! a
hast and ashamed of the fruit-
lessness of their toil, other.... g-idng- way to bursts of sorrow,
and all things around \\"a
te and dried. Nothing- was exempt.
"'heat and barley. wide-spl'ead as they were (and the barley
in tlw
e euuntries, ., more fcrtile -1," than the wheat,) perished
utterly. The rich juicc of the vine, the luseious sweetness of
the fig-, the s\H'culenee of tlU' e\'er-green pomep:ranate, the ma-
jesty of the palm tree, the fral!ralU'e of the Eastern apple, ex-
empted them not. .\11, fruithcaring or barren, were dried up ;
fur joy itself, and every source of joy was dricd ull from the
!"on!" of men.
All these sug-gest a spiritual meanin
. For we know of a
spiritual hart'est, souls horn to God, and a spiritual vine.lJarcl,
the Church of God ; and spiritual/lllshmulmen and 1.inedressers,
those whom Gocl sends. The trees, with their various fruits,

) i.11.

Hugo de S. V. A. D. ll
O. 3 Ps. Ixv. 13.
5 Hugo de S. V.

4 S.J
r.

were emblems of the faithful, adorned with the various g-ifts
and g-raees of the
pirit. All well-nig-h were dried up. "'asted,
withuut, in aet and deed, the sap of the Spirit ceased within;
the true labourers, those who wel'e jealous for the ,'ine
.lrd of
the Lurd of hosts were ashamed and
ric,-etl. "51Iusl)(lmlmeu
and l'inedressers arc priests and l'reac"ht.rs; II1l,ç/ulIulmen, as 1n-
Mruetors in murals, villedre.
sers, for that joy in thing"s eternal,
whi('h tlU'v infuse into the minds of the hcarer!<. Hushand-
men, as in'strncting" the soul to deeds of righte(l\I!,Il('s!"; l'ine-
dressers, as exciting" the minds of hearers tu the love of wis-
dom. Or, hushwulllle1l, in that by their dOl'trine they uproot
earthly dceds and desire,,; l'inedressers, as holding forth spiri-
tual g-ifts." The vine is the riehness of dh-ine Imowledg-e; the
fig- the sweetness of eontemplation and the joyousncss in thing-s
eternal." The 11OlIIegranate, with its manifold grains ('untain-
cd under it!" one bark, may desigmtte the variety and harmony
of g-raees. di
IJOsed in their heautiful order. "The palm, ris-
ing- above the world." " 6 "'ell is the life of the rig-hteou!< lik-
ened to a jJalm. in that the palm below is ruug-h to the toul'h,
and in a manner envelopcd in dry bark, hut above it is adorn-
ed with fruit, fair e,"en to the eye; below, it is eoml'ressed by
the enfoldiug-s of its bark; ahove, it is spread out in amplitude
of beautiful greenness. Fur so is the lite of the ele(.t, desl,is-
ed below, heautiful above. Down helow, it is, as it were, en-
folded in many harks, in that it is straitened by innumerable
affliction!". But (Ill hig-h it is expanded into a foliag-e. as it were,
of beautiful greenness hy the amplitude of the rewarding."
Bl'('(Illsejo.lJ i!J' 1l'itliered al('a.lI. "5There are four sorts of
joy, a joy in iniquity, a joy in vanity, a joy of charity, a joy of
f'l.licity. Of the first we read, IfTl/(J rç.iuice to du el'il, and de-
ligM ill the frowardness of the 1l'icked 7. Of the seeond, '1'lIe."!
take f/le timbrel and Iwrp, mul rçjuiæ lit tile sOllJld of the Ul"-
g(1II 8 . Of the third, Let the saillt.ç beJoyful ill gl my 9. Of the
fuurth,Blessecl are tlre.lI tliat tlu'ell in TII.'llwuse; the.lJ 1l'ill be still
praising TI/ec IO. The joy uf charity and the joy of fdieity
ll'ither from tlie sons of men, when the virtues afore!"aid failing',
there being- neither knowledge of the truth nor lo,-e oh-irtue,
no reward suet'cedcth, either in this life or that to eome."
Having thus pi(.tured the eoming" woe, he ealls all to re}lent-
anee and JIlourning, and those first, who were to call others.
Gotl Himself appointed these affiietive mean!', and here He
"g-Í\"es to the priest a model for penitcnee and a way of entreat-
in
mercy." ,.5He invites the priests first to repentance, thruugh
whose ncgli
elU'e chiefly the practice of holilU'ss, the stricÌlle!'s
of discipline, the form of doetrine, the whole aSl)('(.t of thp
Churc'h was sunk in irre,"erenee. "'helU'c the people also pe-
rished, hurrvin
alon
the various haunt
of sin. "ThelH'e Jere-
miah says, TII
kin,!!,'; uf the earth and all the inhahitfwt.ç of tire
world ll'UII!d nut h(ll'e heliel'ed that tile adl'ersarl/ and tile eneu/ll
should hlwe entel"ed into the gates of Jerusale1"n. :for tlie sÍ/;s

6 S. Greg. on Job L. "Cix.
. 4!J. 'i Provo Ii. U. S Job x"Ci.I
. 9 Ps. o. 'i 5.
10 lb. lxxxiv. 4.

CHAPTER J.

C HBiioíes T 13 q Gird yourselves, and lament, ye
cir. 800. priests: howl, ye ministers of tilt' altar:
q
:
:
: 8. ('ome, lie all night in sackcloth, ye minis-
rver.9. ters of illY God : for r the meat ()fferin
and
. 2Chr.
O.3,4. the drink olf('rin
is withlwlden from the
t L
v:.2

'lr?' house of your God.
II
:i,

t
f 14
I 8 8arll'tify ye a fast, call t a II sol('mn

109

ass('mbly, g-ather tli(' t
lders llnd U all the C .fI[ots T
inhabitants of the land info the house cir.I'nO.
of the LORD your God, and cry unto the 11 2 Chr. :!U. I...
LORD.
15 x Alas for the day! for y the dav of. Jer. 31).7.
the LORn is at hand, and as a destru
tion J
h.i2.1
: 6, 9.
from the .Almi
hty
hall it come.

of her pruphets ami the iuiquities of her J1riest.
that h,we sited
the blood of thejust ill the midst of her, they Itm'e U'(llulered as
blind melt ill the streets, the.1J Iwve polluted themsel'Ves with blood l .
13. Gird .11 Oil rselves, i. c. with hairdoth, as is elsewhere ex-
pres
ed 2. The outward affliction is an expres:-ion of the in-
ward g-ripf, and it
elf excites to further
ricf. This thdr
garment of affliction and penitenee, they wcrc not to put off
day and night. Their wonted duty wa
, to otter lip sacr!/Ù'e
for tlteir OU'It silts alid tlte SillS of the people 3 , and tu entreat Gud
for thcm. This their offiee the Prophet ('aIls them to diseharge
dav and night; to come into th(' court of the Temple, and there,
wliere (Ìod ",hcwed Himself in majesty and mercy, lie alllligltt
prostratp betflre God, not at pa
e, hut in !'aekdoth. He calls
to them in the Name of his (Ìud. re ministers of m.1I God; of
Him, to "-hom, whosuever forsook Him, he himself was titith-
fui. "-1 The Prophets called the God of all, their own God,
being unitpd to Him by sing-lllar l(we and revcrential ol)('di-
eneI', so that they could say, God i,
t!le strength of 11I.'IJ !lear( aud
m.1I portion for e'Ver 5." He eaUs Him, further, their God, (your
God) in order to remiud them uf His "pedal favor to them, and
their duty to Him ,rho allowed them to call1Iim tlteir God.
14. Sa1/rtif.1J .1fe a fast. He docs not say only, "proelaim,"
or" appuint a fast," but smlctif!1 it. Hallow the act uf absti-
nence, seasuning- it with devotion and with acts meet for re-
pentance. f'or fasting- is not aceepted by God, unle
s done in
charity and obedience to His commands. "6 Sanctify it, i. e.
make it an offering- to nod, and as it were a sacrifice, a huly
and blameless tilst." "7 To sandifv a fast is to exhibit ab"ti-
nenl'e of the flesh, meet towards G'od, with othcr good. Let
anger cease, strife bl' lulled. Fur in vain is the flcsh worn, if
the mind is not held in from evil passiuns, inasmuch as the
Lord saith by the Prophet b , Lo! in tlte fla!1 of your fllst you.find
your pleasures. The fast which the Lord approveth, is that
which lifteth up to Him hand
full of almsdeed
, which is pa
sed
with hrotherly love, which is seasoned by piety. "That thou
!';uhtral'tpst from thyself, bestow on another, that thy needy
neighhollr's flesh may be recruited by means of that whieh
thou dcniest to thine own."
call a solemn assemMIJ. Fasting without dc\'otion is an
imag-e of famine. At other times the solemn assemMI/ was for
festÍ\'al-joy. Such \Vas the la
t day of the feast of the Pa,.
-
over 9 and uf Tabernacles 10, 1'\0 servilc wurk was tu be done
thereon. It was then to be eunsecrated to thank
gidng, hut
now to sorrow and supplieation. "4 The ProphPt commands
that all !<hould be called and g-athered into the Temple, that
so till' prayer might be the rather heard, the more they were
who ofll'red it. "Therefore the Apostle be!o'ought his diseiples
to pray for him, that so what was asked might be obtained
the more readily through thc interce",sion of many."
gat!ler the elders. Age was, by God's appointment II, had

I Lam. iv. 13,14. 2 Is. xxii. 12. Jer. iv. 8. vi. 26.
3 Heb. vii. 27. 4... Dion. 5 P8.lxxiii. 21i. 6 S. Cyr. 7 S. Greg. in E.".
Hom.lfi. 8 1s.lvJJ1. 3. 9 Deut. x>Í. 8. 10 Lev. xxiii. 36. Num. xxix. :35.
2Chr. vii. 9. Neh. viii. IS. II Lev. xix. 32. I
Ex. üi.W. iv. 2(1. compo Deue. xui. :!S.

in great reverencc among the Hehrews. \rhen fir!o't Gud sent

Ioses and Aaron to His people in I:g-ypt, He bade them colleet
thc elders ufthe peuph' lJ to deelar'c tu them thcir own mi
sion
from (;od; throu
h them Hecunveyed the ordinanpe of the Pa!o's-
over tu the whule congregation 13; in their presence was the first
miraele ofhring-ing water frum the ruck performed 14; then He
commanded )Ioses to cllUo
e
e'-enty of them, to appear hcfore
Him before He g-ave the law 16; thcn to bear l\Io
es' own hurdcn
in hearing the causcs of the people, bestowing- His Spirit upon
them 16. The elders of eaeh city were clothed with jmlieial au-
thority 17. In the expiation of an uncertain murder, the elders
of the city representcd the wholc city 18; in the uffering-s fur the
I'ungreg-ation, the elders of the eongreg-ation rCI'resented the
whole 19.
o then, here also, thcy arc summoned. chief of all,
that "the authority and example oftheirg-rey hairs mig-ht muve
the young- to repcntance." "20 Their ag-e, near to death and ri-
pened in grace, makes them more apt fur the fear and worship
of God." All however, priests,elders, and the inhabitants. or peo-
pleof tlte land
\ were to form one band, and were, with une heart
and voice, to cry unto Gud; and that, in the house of (;od. For
so Solumon had prayed, that God would in Heaun His dll'cll-
ing place, hear wlwte'l'er prayer aml sllpplication mig-ht there be
made b.l/(lJty 1IIan or by all His people Israel 2J ; and God had pro-
mised in turn, 23 I !lave hal/owed this house which thou hast built,
to put
lly name there for et'er, aml ..lline C!/es and
lline heart
shall he t1tere perpetuall.lJ. God has given to united prayer a
puwer over Himselt
and ,. Pl'ayer ovcreometh Gud 2-1.." The
Prophet calls God,.lIo11r God, shewing how ready Hewas to hear;
but he adds, cry unto the Lord; for it is not a listle
s prayer,
but a loud earnest cry, whieh reat'lleth to the throne of God.
15. Alas for tlte da,lI ! for the Day of the Lorcl is at Iwucl.
The judgment of God, then, whiph they were to deprecate, was
still to eome. "4 All times and all days are God's. Yet they
are said tu be our davs, in whit'll God leaves us to our own free-
dom, to do as we will;"and whieh we may u
e to repent and turn
to Him. ""-hence Christ saith 25 , 0 Jerusalem-if thuu Iwelst
known in this tll.1I day the things w/zich belong unto thy peace.
That time, on the cuntrary, is said to JJe God's Day, in whil'h
He doth any new, rare, or special thing-, sueh as is the Day of
Judgment or ven
eanee." All judgmcnt in time is an image
of the Jmlgment for eternity. "The Oay of the Lord" is. then,
eaeh ., day of vengeance in whil'h {;od doth to lllan accordin

to His "ïn and just judg-llIent, inflicting- the puni
hment which
he desene
, as Dlan did to Him in his day, manifuldly disho-
nourin
Him, according to his own pen-er!o'e will." That Day is
at hand; suddcnly to come. Speed then mu
t be used to I,re-
vent it. })revented it JUay be by s}leedy rc},entanee before it
pomes; but when it dues ('ume, there will be no a,-oiding- it; for
as a destruction from the Alm;ght.1I shall it come. Thename
the Almigltty or God .Almighty is but seldom used in Holy

13 Ex. xii. 3, 21. 14 Ex. xvii. 5. add xviii. 12.
15 lb. xxiv. 1, 9. 16 Num. xi.16 "qq. 17 Deue. xix. 12. xxii. 15. xxv. 7.
IS lb. xxi. 3.6. 19 Le.-. iv. 15. i"C.I. ::ø S. Jer. 21 Jer. i. 18. 22 1 Kings viii. 39.
:13 lb. ix. 3. 2< Tere. de out.
. :!9. p. 320. O. T. 2" S. Luke xix. 42
.Z

110

C RBl[ores T IG [S not the mcat cut off hefore our

ey"s, !Ica, z joy aud gladness from the house
·

7.

,12. of our God?
t U
:.}:'"
i1!s, 17 The t seed is rotten under their clods,
the garners are laid desolate, th(' harns are
hroken down; for th{' corn is withered.
. Ros.4. 3. ]8 I-low do a the beasts groan! the herds

JOEL,

of cattle are }>('rplexed, because they }mye c :íiOíl!s T"
no pasture; yea, the flocks of shet'p are cu. 800.
made desolate.
19 0 LORD, b to thee will I cry: for c the bPs. 50.15.
1 } II f I e Jer. 9. 10.
fire hath devoure( t Ie lmstures 0 t Ie ch. 2. 3.
wilderness, ami the flame hath 1mrned aU II
:;i

:'i-
the trees of the fit:'ld.

Scripture. God revealed Himl'clf by this
ame to Abraham,
when renewing- to him the prumil'e whil'h was heymld nature,
that he
hould be a father of man)" nations, when he and Sarah
were old alld well stricken ill age. lIe said, 1 alll Gud .Al-
migld.1/ ; wlllk hefore
lle mul be tholt pelfect I. (.od Almighty
ul'es it ag-ain of Himl'elfin renewing the blessing' to Jacf)b
: and
I
aac and Jacob use it in blel'sin
in His 1'\ ames. I t is not
u
ed as a mere name of (;od, but always in referenl'e to His
might, as in the book of .Toh which treats chidiy of His pow-
er\ In His days of judgment God manifest,;; Himself as the
All-mi/!:hty and All-just. Hence in the 1'\ewTestamcllt, it oc-
curs almost exelusivcly in the Revelations, whidl ren'al His
judl!,"ments to ('ollie 5. Here the word!l form a sort of terrible
proverb, whence they arc adol)ted frolll Joel hy the prophet
Isaiah 6. The wnrd destructioll, shod, is formed from the same
root as AlmigM.l/, Slwddai 7 . It shall COllie asmiglttfrom the
JlI
!.(Id!/. Only, the word might 11' always used of" might" put
forth to destroy, a migld.'I destructiun. He
ays then, in fiU't,
that that Day shall come, like might put fëlrth hy the Almighty
Himself, to del'troy His enemies, irre!'istible, inevitable, un-
endurable, uverwhelming" the sinner.
16. I.
not tile meat Cllt (!If" befure ollr c.'Ies? The Prophet
exhibitl' the immediate judl!,"ment, as if it were already fulfilled
in iu't. He sets it in detail befure their eves. ,,"Then the
fruits of the earth were now rille, the corn I;OW eallin
for the
reaper, and the grapes fully ripe and de!o;iring to be pressed out,
thev were taken an-avo whcn set before their eves for thelll to
cnjöy." Y ea,jo.lJ alid gladllessfrolll tile house oj our God. The
joy in the ahundance of the harvest was expre!'sed in one uni-
ver!<al thank!<{d\'ing to (;ud, by father!' of familiu.. 1'OIlS, daug-h-
ter..., mcnsernmts, lIlaid
crnlJlts, with the priel't and Le\'ite.
All this was tu be cut ufftog-ether. The cuurts of God's houl'e
were to be desolate and silent, or joy and gladness were to be
turned into sorrow and wailing-.
"
So it befel those who rejected amI insulted Christ. The
Bread of life If/Mclt Ulme dOl('llfrom Hem'en and gll1'e life to
tile 1l'orlcl 9 , tile curll of wheat, 1dtich .rell illto the groulld ami
died. ami brought fortlt Ul1lclt fruit 10, that spiritualu'ille which
knoweth how to gladden the heart of mali, was aln'mly in a
malllwr before their e
'es. But when they ceased nut to in-
sult Him in unbeJief
lIe, as it were, di!<aplleared from their
eyes, hnd they lust all spiritual sustenalH'e. All share in all
good is g-one from them. JU.l/ and gladlles.ç have al!'o gone
from the HUIl.çe which they had. For they are g-h'cn up to de-
solation, and abide without king or prince or sacrifice n. Again,
the Lurd said 12,
1Ian shalluot lh'e b.'1 bread alune, Imt b.'1 et'e171
wurd which cometh fudh Ollt of the
JIullth of God. The word

1 Gen. xvii. 1-6. 16-21. xviii. 10-H. Rom. iv. 11-21.

Gen. xxxv. n. 3 Gen. xxviii. 3. xliii. U. xl. iii. 3. xlix. 15.
. 4 In the Look of Job, it OCCUl1' 31 times; else it is used twice by the heathen, Ruth

. 211,1; tw\ce by Balaam, Num. xxiv. 4. 16; twice by Ezekiel of God revealing Himself
III Majesty, i.2'.x. 5; and twice in the Psalms, of God putting forth His might, Ixviii.14.
or protecting, xci. 1. . Eight times, else only in 2 Cor. vi. 18. referring
to the O. T. & xiii. 6. 7 -:':i'-:-.ri 'Chis last is from an old root,
't-:'.IÍ i. q. -:'":'Zi. s S. Cyr. g S. John vi. is,51. 10 lb. xii. 24. II Ros. iii. 4.
12 S. Matt iv. 4. u 2 Cor. iii. 15. 14 Provo x. 3.

of God then is fuod. This hath been taken away from the Jews;
të)r they understood not the writinp, of l\Io:<es, but to tM.ç da.v
the reil is U]JOIl tlleir lIeart l3 . For they hate the urades of Christ.
All spiritual food is perished, nut in Ïtsdfbut tu them. To them,
it is as thuug-h it were not. nut the Lord Himself imparts to
those who believe in Him a ril!,"ht to all exuherml('e ofjuy in the
I!,"ood thinl!,"s from above. For it is written 14, The Lord will1Wt
Sl!tfér tile suul of tile rigldeolls to fami.çh; but He thrusts away
tlte desire of the 1l'Ïcked."
17. The seed is rotten under the dods.
ot only was all
to be cut off fur the IJresent, but, with it, all hope f'tlr the fu-
ture. The scattercd I'eed, as it lay, eaeh under its dod known
to (;od. was dried up. and so de('ay('d. The I!,"arners lay deso-
late, nay, were aUowe(1 to f!;o to ruin, in hopelessness of any
future harvest.
IH, How do the heasts groan! There is something very pi-
tiable in the ery of the brute creation, even beeaul'e they art' in-
noeent, vet hear man's guilt. Their groaning- seem!' to the Pro-
phet tu Jje beyond expression. flow vehemelltly do they groan!
Ti,e herds of cattle are perplexed, as though, like man, the)
wcre endued with reason, to dehate where tu find their foud.
rea, not these only, but the jl(Þcks of slleep, ,,"hich mig-ht find
l)i\!'ture where the herds cuuld not, these too !'haU hear the
Jlunishment of guilt. They !'uffered by the guilt of man; and
yet so stupid was man, that he was not !'o sensiblc of his own
!o.in t'Or which they I'uffered, a!o; they of its eft"e('t. The beasts
cried to God, but even their ('ries did not awaken His own
people. The Prophet cries fur them.
19. 0 Lord, tu Tllee u.ill I cr.,!. This is the OJll
' hope left,
and eontains all hopes. From the Lord was the infliction;
in Him is the healing-. The Prophet appeals to God by His
own Kame, the faithful Fulfiller of His promises, Him \Vho
Is, and "'ho hacl prolJli
ed to hear aU who call upon Him. Let
others call to their idols, if they would, or remain !'tupid and
forf!;etful, the Prophet would cry unto God, and that earnestly.
fur tlle.fire Illltlt devuured ti,e pastures. The gnawing of lo-
custs lea,'es things, as thoug-h scorehed by fire 15 ; the sun and
the East wind seon'h up all green thing-so as thoul!,"h it had been
the adual eontact uf fire. Spontaneous eombustion fre-
quently follows. The Chaldees wasted all befort, them with fire
and sword. All these and the like calamities arc included un-
der the fire, whose desolating is without remedv. \\'hat has
been s("orched by fire ne\ er "reeO\-ers. "16 The' famine," it is
Faid of l\losul, "was generally caused by fire spreading in dry
weather over pa!'tures, grass lands, and corn lands, many miles
in extent. It burnt nilrht and day often for a week and some-
times embraced thc wl
oIe borizuÍl."

15 see on ii. 3. 16 Ainsworth, ii. 121. "The whole of the mountain is thick]y covered
:
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variably put to death any person who is known to have been even the innocent cause 01
firing the grass. and they have made it a public law among themselves, that even in the
height of intestine warfare, no one shall attempt to set his enemy's harTe"t on fire. One
en'lIing at 'Cabaria, I saw a large fire 011 the opposite side oUhe lake, which spread with
great velocity Cor two days, till its progress was checked by the Wady Feik." Burck-
hardt, Travels in Syria, pp. 331, 2. See also Thomson, i. 629.

CHAP'fER II.

III

Before
CHRIST
dr_ 800.
. Job 38. 41.
P.. lU-I,. :!1.
& 11.5.15.
.1KingslÏ.ï.
&18. i>.

20 The heasts of the fipld d pry al!olo unto
thee: for e tbe rivers of waters are drie'd
up, and tIlt' fire hath devoured the pastures
uf the wilderness.
cIL\P'fER II.
lIe ,ç!lell'etlt U1Ito Zion tltr tei'ribleness of God's
judgment. 12 Hr r.rltoddl, to repenta1lce, 15 pre-
scrihetlt (t jllst, 18 promisetl, II Ue.\'sillg tltert'(JJl.

21 lie comfortetll Zion wUI, 11re.çent, 2K (wd fu- c nef
rÍ S T
ture blf'.çsingi.". _ dr.
).
a B LO\V yc the' /I trumpl't in Zion, and .

:
:t
b sCJUml an alarm in my huly moun-
g
I

T
Ó
'
tain : (pt all the inhahitants of the land 5, 9.
trc'mhlp : for C the day uf tIlt' LOIW eompth, ·
1;!.i.If5.
fur if i.f nigh at hand;
:;
ph. 1.14,
2 d
\ day of darkm'
s and uf gloominess, ð

os5.I8.

20. The bea,çt,ç of tlte.field cry also unto Thee. C<ll'hcre i

an order in tlH'se di;;tresses. Fir!'t he points out the in!-'en!'ate
thing's wasted; then those afHi(.ted, whil'h have !õen!òc only; thcn
tho!ò
endowed with reason; !òo that to the order of calamity
there may be con!-'orted an order of pity, !<parin
first the crea-
ture, then the thin
s senticnt, then thin
s rational. The Crea-
tor sIJares the creature; the ()nlainer, thin
s !'entient; the Savi-
our, the rationaL" Irrational creature!-' joined with tlH' Prophet
in his cry. The beasts of the field ery to (;od, thou
h they know
it not; it is a cry to (
od, "'ho eompassionates all whil'11 !-'uffers.
(;od make!' them. in al't, a picture uf dependan('e upon Hi!' Pro-
videnl
e, ,. !'cekin
to It for a removal of their sufferings, and
supply of their wants." So He saith 2 , tlte !tOllllg lirms roar after
their jlrl'.1/, and seek their meat from God, and 3, Ill' gh'etlt to ti,e
hea.çt /tis food awl to tlte !/oullg 1'(ll'en
tit at cry, and 4, 117110 pro-
t'idetlt for tlte razoeu hisfood t ll'heJl/tÏs .'I01l11g one,ç Cl:1/ unto Gud.
I f the peol,le would not take instruction from him, he "bids
them learn from the bea
ts of the field how to behave amid these
calamities, that they should I
ry aloud to God to remove them."
II. 1. The Prophet be
ins anew in this chapter, first deli-
neatin
in
reater detail the jud
ments of God; then callin

to r('pentance. The iJlla
e reaches its hei
ht in the eapture of
Jerusalem by the ßabylonians, itself an image only of worse
jmlg-ment!', first on the Jews by the Romans; then on particu-
lar Churches; then of the inflictions throug-h Anti-Christ; lastly
011 the whole world. "lThe Prophet sets before them the
reat-
ness of the ('oming- woe, ofthe al'proaehing- captivity, of the de-
strurtion imminent, in order to move the IJeople to terror at the
jud
ment of God, to cmnpunetion, to love of obedience. This
he doe!' from the manifoldne..." of the destruction, the quality of
the enemy. the nature of the vÏl'tory, the weight of the mi!<el")',
the ea!'e of the triumph, the eagerness for ill, the fear of the be-
sie
ed prince!', the slug
ishness of the hesie
ed people. He
exhorts all in common to prostrate themseh-es at the feet of
the Dh-ine jud
ment, if!òo be God would look down from His
dwelling-plaee, turn the storm into a ealm, and at len
th out of
the !õhipwreek of eapth-ity bring them back to the haven of
{'onsolation." "51t is no mere predietion. Everything stands
before them, as in aetual experience, and before their eyes."
Things future affect men less; so hI' makes them, as it were,
present to their souls. "5 He will Wit let them vacillate about
repentanee, but hids them, laying aside aU listlessness, :-et
themselves eoura
eously to ward off the peril, by running to
{;od, and effacin
the {'harges agaiust them from their oJd
sins bv ever-renewed amendment."
Blolt' ye tlte trumpet. The trumpet was wont to sound
in Zion, only for religious u!<es; to call together the {'ongreg-a-
tions for holy meetings, to u!<her in the be
innings of their
months and their solemn days with fe!'tival ghulness. Now in
Zion itself, the strong-hold of the kin
dom, the Huly City. the
plaee which God ehose to put His Xame there, which He had
1 HUKO de S. V. 2 Ps. civ. 21.
3 Ps. cxlvii. 9. · Job xxxviii. 41. . S. CJr. ð 1 Pet. iv. Ii.

prumised to e!òtablish, the trumpet was to he u!-'ed, 011 Iv for
sound" of alarm and fear. Alarm could not pel\ctrate then',
without 111l\"ing- pervaded the wholc land. \\"ith it, the whole
human hOIJe of J ndah was gone.
-çoulld all alann ill lIIftlwl!1 nWlllttaiJl. lIe repeats the warn-
ing' in varied expressions, in order the more tu imprcss JIIcn's
hearts and to stir them to repentmU'e. Even tlte lwl!1 moun-
tain of God was to echu with alarms; the holine!'s, un('e he-
stowed upon it, was to be no ...ecurity a
ainst the jmlgment!ò of
God; yea, in it rather were thosc judgments to begin.
o St.
Peter !'aith 6 , Tlte time is eome, tlwtjudgment must hegin at tlte
IlOuse of God. The alann bein
blown in Zion, terror was to
!õpread to all the inhabitants of the land, who were, in fear, to
repent. The Chureh of Christ is foretold in prophcl'Y under
the names of Zion and of the holy 'fIWUJlfrtÍll. It is the stone
cut out Wit/lOut IWllCls, ?t'MeI, hecame a Kreat mOlwtllill, aJldfillerl
tlte whole ellrtlt 7 . Of it, it is said\ Come.'le alld let us go up to
tlte mouJltain of the Lord, to tlte Itouse of tlte God of Jacob!
And St. Paul says,ye are come unto UWtl1lt Zion ami unto tlte ci-
(" of the lil'ing God 9. The words thclI are a rule for all time!<.
The judgments predicted by Joel represent aU jml
l1lents unto
the end; the ('onduet, prescribed on their approaeh, is a pattern
to the Churr'h at all times. "10 In thi" mountain we must wail,
cousidering the failure of the faithful. in whieh,illiquit!t abOll1lcl-
illg, chari(lfll'axeth cold. For now (A.D. 1450,) the state of the
Chureh is so sunken, an (1 you may see so great misery in her
from the most e
'il conversation of many, that one who burns
with zeal for God, and truly 10\"Cth his brethren, mu!'t say with
Jeremiah 11, Let mine e.lfes run down witlt tem's night and day,
mullet them not cease, for tlte 1'irgin daugltter of my people is
broken witlt a great breach."
let all tile inluthit(mts of the land tremMe. "lO\Ye should be
troubled when we bear the words of God, rebukin
, threatening
avenging, as Jel'emiah saith 12, m.1f heart u'itltill me is hroken, all
1n,If hones shake, because of tlte Lord amI because of tlte 'I1'01'(ls of
His holiness. Good is the trouble whieh shaketh earnall'eace,
vain security, and the rest of bodily delight, when men, weigh-
ing their sins, arc shaken with fear and trembling. and repent."
Þòr tlte Da!1 of the Lord is at hand. Tlte Da./f of the Lord
is any day in whieh He aven
eth sin, any day of Jud
lI1ent,
in the course of His providence or at the end; the day of Je-
rusalem from the Chaldces or Romans. the dav of .\nti-Christ,
the day of general or partieular jud
mcnt, of which S. James
says 13, TltecomiJig of the Lord cll'flweth niglt. Behold tlteJudge
standeth before the door. 'C1"Tell is that callecl tlte da.1f of the
Lord, in that, bv the Dirine appointment, it m-engeth the
wrongs done to 'the Lord through the disobedienee of His
people."
2. A day of darkness und of gloominess. "10 A day full of
miseries; wherefore he aec'umulates so many names of terrors.
There was inner darkness in the heart, and the darkness oftri-
j Dan. ii. 3-1" 5.
Is. ii. 3.
9 Heb. xii. 22. 10 Dioll. II xiv. Ii. 12 xxiii. 9. 11 v. 9.
z2

112

C HB;tr'S T a dav of domls and of thiek darkness, as
cir. 800. the
nornin
sl)l'{'a(1 upon the mountains:
e

\9il,
,'j. e a great peopl.. amI a strong; f there hath
f Ex.IO. H.

JOEL,

not heen ever the like, neither shall be any C Ifï[ors T
more after it, Cl'en to the years t of many --"ir.
OO. _
. t Heb. of gene-
generations. .-atio.. a..d
generation.

hulation ,,-ithout. They hid themselws in dark places. There
was the cloud he tween God and them; su that they were not pro-
teeted nor heard bv Him. of which Jeremiah saith],Tlum hast
{'o'l'ered Tb!ISelf'l{,;i11 a clolld, that our prayers should uot pass
tbrougll. There was the ,rhirlwind of tempest within and with-
out, taking- away aU rest, tranquillity and peace. "'hence Jere-
miah hath 2 , A wltirlwiud of tlte Lord is gone forth in fury, it
slwll fall griel'ollsly upon the I,ead of tlte 'l('icked. The anger of
t he Lord shall not returll, until He hal'e executed it." 3 The Da.'1
of tlte Lord too slwll come as a tldef ill the night. Cloud.ç and
darkness are round about Jlim 4 .
(l cia.'! of clouds and of thick darkness. The 100'usts are but
the faint shadow of the coming e\"ils, yet as the first harbingers
of (;od's sueee!òsh'e judgments, the imagery, even in this picture,
is prohably taken from them. At least there is nothing inwhieh
writers, of every ehal'ader, are so ag-reed, as in speaking ofIo-
('usts as elouds darkening- the sun. "6These creatures do not
eome in leg-ions, but in ,
hole clouds, 5 or 6 leagues in length
and 2 or :
in breadth. _\11 the air is full and darkened when
theyfty. Though the sun shine ever so bright, it is no brighter
than when mOst clouded." "61n Seneg-al we have seen a ,"ast
multitude of loeusts shadowing- the air; for they come almost
e'-ery three years, and darken the sky." "7 About 8 o't'lo('k there
arose above us a thiek eloud, whieh darkened the air, depriving
us of the ravs of the sun. Everv one was astonished at so sud-
den a chan
e in the air, whi('h is so seldom clouded at this sea-
son; but we soon saw that it was owing to a cloud of}ocust,.. It
was ahout 20 or 30 toises from the ground [120-lHO feet] and
cO\'en'd se,'eralleag'ues of the eountry, when it discharged a
shower of loeusts, who fed there while they rested, and then re-
sumed their flight. This doud was brought by a pretty strong
wind; it wasallthe morning passingthe neighhourhood,and the
!'iame wind, it was thought, IJrecipitated it in the !'iea." "
Thcy
take oft. from the place the lig'ht of day, and a sort of eelipse is
formed." "
In the middle of April their numbers were so vastly
increased, that in the heat of the day they formed themselves
into lar
e hodies,appeared like a sueeession of douds and dark-
ened the !'iun." " ]0 On looking up, we pereeived an in]Jnen
e
cloud, here and there semi-transparent, in other parts quite
blat'k, that spread itself all over the sky, and at inten-als sha-
dowed the sun." The most unimawnath-e writer" ha,'e said
the same; "11 ""hen they first appear, a thick dark cloud is seen
very bigh in the air, whieh, as it Im!>ses, obscures the sun. Their
swarms were so astonishing in all the steppes over whieh we
}ms
ed in this part of our journey [the Crimea.] that the whole
face of nature might have been des('rihed as coneealed by a liv-
ing ,-eil." "12\rhen these clouds of Im'usts take thcir flight to
!'iurmount some obstaele, or traverse more ral)idly a desert soil,
vne maysay, to the letter, that the heaven is darkened by them."
as tlte morning spread upon the 7II0lwtaius. Some have
thought this too to aHude to the appearance whicll the inha-
bitants of Abyssinia too well knew, as preceding the eoming of
the loeusts l3 . A sombre yellowlight is cast on the g-round, from
t Lam. iii.44. 2 xxiii. 19. 3 I Thess. v. 2. · Ps. xcvii. 2.
i lle3.uplan, Ukraine, I. c. p. 599. fi Aluise, da cà da !\tos(o Navig. c. 13.
7 Adansson, Voyage au Scnégal, q. 8i. 8. " Nieuhoff, China, p. 377.
9 Shaw, p.
56. 10 Morier, Second Journey, p. 98,
mit
d
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a
J'
rt

'ed, :e r

';

:
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f
:
a:a:;
:

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dso
fl

:'
exceeding great." R. Anania of Fez, in Lud. Comm. p. lïû. "The waggons passed direct1y

the re flectiun, it was thuug-ht, of their yellow wings. But that
apl)earanec itself seems to be peculiar to that eountry, or per-
haps to certain flighb of lo('usts. The image naturally de-
seribes, the suddenness, universality of the darkness, when
Ulen looked for light. As the mountain-tops first eatch the
g-Iaddening rays of the sun, ere )'et it riseth on the plains, and
the Jight !òpread!oõ from height to height, until the whole earth
is arrayed in Jight, so wide and universal shall the outspread-
in
be, but it shall be of darkness, not of light; the light it-
self shaH be turned into darkness.
a great people ami a strong. The imagery throughout
these verses is taken from the flight and inroad of lo('usts.
The allegory is so eomplete, that the Prophet eompares them
to those things whieh are, in part, intended under them, war-
rior
, horses and instruments of war; and this, the more, be-
('ause neither loeu
ts nor armies are exelusively intended.
The object of the allegory is to deseribe the order and course
of the Divine judgments; how they arc terrific, irresistible, uni-
yersal, overwhelming, penetrating everywhere, overspreading
all things, excluded by nothing-. The locusts are the more
striking 8Pllhol of this, through their minuteness and their
number. Thev are little miniatures of a well-ordered army,
unhindered by'what would bl' physical obstaeles to larger crea-
hires, mO\'ing in order inimitable even by man, and, from their
number, desolating to the uttermost. ""'hat more countless
or mightier than the loeusts," alO:ks S. .Jerome, who had seen
their inruads, "which human industry eannot resist?" "It is
a thing invineible," says S. Cyril, "their invasion is altog-ether
irrcsistible. and sllffiees utterly to destroy all in the fields." Yet
eaeh of these ereatures is småU, so that they would be power-
less and contemptible. except in the Hands of Him, \\'ho brings
them in numbers whieh ean be wielded only by the Creator.
'" onderful imag-e of the judg-ments of God, \\'110 marshals and
eomhines in one, eauses eaeh unavailing" in itself, but working
together the full eompletion of His inscrutable "'ill.
Tltere Itath uot been ereI' tlte like. The eourses of sin and
of punishment are ever recommencing anew in some part of
the world and of the Chureh. The whole order of eaeh, sin
and punishment, will ('uhllinate OIH'e only, in the Day of Judg-
ment. Then only will these words ha,-e their complete fulfil-
ment. The Day of Judgment alone is that Day of terror and
of woe, sueh as never has been before, and shalllle,-er be again.
For there will be no new day or time of terror. Eternal pn-
nishment will only be the continuation of the senten('e adjudg-
ed then. But, in time and in the eourse of God's Providential
government, the sins of each soul or peolJle or Chureh draw
down visitations, which are God's final judgments there. Sueh
to the Jewish people, before the Captivity, was the destruction
of the Temple, the taking of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar,
and that Captivity itself. The Jewish polity was ne,"er again
restored as before. Such, to the new polity after the Capti-
vity. was the destruetion by the Romans. Eighteen hundred
years ha,'e seen nothing like it. The Vandals and then the

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numbers ollocusls, that, when the
. flew, they were like a dark cloud, through which the rays
of the sun could scarcely penetrate." Le Bruyn, l,ev" c. 72. "The SWann had exactly the ap-

:r

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n
fi

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;c

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ta

:
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dnth

appearance of smoke." Forsl
äl, p. 8. lJ see on ver. 6.

CHAPTER II.

C 1!1f O ?S T 3 g A fire dcvour('th lu'fore them;
dr. 800. and hchind thcm a flame hurneth : the
I ch. 1. 19, 2U.

ì\lohallllllcdam: swept o"er the Churches of Korth Afrit'a, ea(.h
de
tru('tiv(' in its own way. Twclve eCllturies havc witne
sed
one unbrokcn dc
olation of the Church in .Afri('a. In Con-

tantinoplc, and .A
ia )Iillor, Palcstine, Persia. Churehe,.; of
the Rcdcemer he('ame the mo,.;elues of the fltlsc prophct. Ccn-
turie
havc flowed by, yct ll'e see not ollr .çiglls, ncitlter is tltere
WI.'! among ll...,tlwt klwwetltlwll' long I. ": ealthy,. bu:,y,.re,.;tl

s,
intellectual, dc
radcd, London,
clld('r forth of JIll,.;smnane,.;,
hut, savc in China, thc largest heathen {'ity in HlC worM; eon-
verter of thc isles of thc sca, hut thv
clfunconverted; fullcst of
riches and of miserv, of ('i\'ilizati,,'n and of savagc life, of re-
fincments ami (kbi.scmcnt; heart, whose pulses are felt in
evcrv I'ontincnt hut thv!'elf diseascd and feeblc, wilt thou, in
this thy day, antie'ipate by thy ('ollvcr!"ion thc Day.ofthc Lord,
or will It ('omc upon thee, as hatll uever heeJl the ilke, nor shnll
/H',for tlte l/ears of lJlallY generations? Shalt thou Will thy lo
t
one!oÕ to Cliri
t, or be thy,.;clf the birthplace or abode of .\nti-
Christ? 0 Lord God, Thou Iwowest.
Yet thc words have fulfihuents short of thc cnd. Even of
successivc chastiscmcnts upon thc same people, eaelI, may have
some aggravation peculiar to itselt

o that of each, in turn,
it may bc said, in that re,.;pcct, that no former ,'isitatioJI had
bcen likc it, none afterwards should resemblc it. Thus the
Chaldæans were chiefin fier('enc,.;s, .Antiochus Epiphanes in his
madness a,!..'1lin
t Gud, thc Romans in the completeness of thc
desolation. Thc fourth bcast whieh Daniel
aw was 2 dreadful
and terriMe and strollg exceedingly, and it U'flS diverse from flll
the beasts that were before it. The perse{'utions of the Roman
Emllerors were in extent and I'ruelty far hcyond any before
them. They shall be as nothing, in cmuparisun to thc deeeiv-
ahleness and opprc,.;sion of .Anti-Chri,.;t. Thc Prophet, how-
cver, docs not say that there should be absolutely none like it,
but only notfor the year... ofmmzy generatiuns. Thc words unto
generatioTi and generatioll clsewhere mean for ever; here the
wonl "years" may limit thcm to lcngth of time. God, after
I'ome !'ignal \'i
itation, leaves a soul or a pcople to the silcnt
workings of His graec or of His Proddcnee. The marked in-
terpositions of His Providencc, are, likc His cxtraordinary mi-
rae'les, rarc; elsc. like thc ordinary mirarlcs of His daily ope-
ratiuns, they would cea
e to be interpositions.
3. Afire del'ouretll before tllem, I)'c. Travellers, of differ-
ent nations and eharal'ters, and in differcnt lands, somc un-
acquainted with the Bible words, have agrecd to describc un-
der this image the ravages of loeusts. C'3 They seorch many
things with thcir touch." C'4\\'hatcnr of hcrb or leaf thev
/!naw, is, as it were, seorched by fire." "6 \\'herever thcy come,
the ground seems burned. as it were with fire." " 6 \\'herevcr
they pass, they burn and spoil e\'ery thin
, and that irreme-
diabIJ'." "7 I have mysclf obscrved that thc plaees wherc they
had hrowscd were as scorehed, as if the fire had passcd therc."
c, 8 They ('overed a s(luare mile so complctely, that it appearcd,
at a litt\(- distancc, to have bcen burned and strcwn over with
brown ashcs. Not a shrub, nor a blade uf graE's was ,'isihle."
"9 _\ few months aftcrwards, a murh larger army alighted and
/!ave thc whole eountry the appearance of having beeJl burned.
" \\'herever they settled, it looks as if fire had devourcd and
burnt up e,'cry thing." "IOIt is better to have to do with the
1 Ps. Ixxiv. 9. 2 Dan. vii. 7 -H). 3 Plin. xi. 35. 4 Lnd. Hist. Æth. i. 13.
· Alvarez, c. 32. 6 Villaroont, Voyage, p. 226. 7 Le Bruyn, Lev. c. 72.
6. Barrow, S. Afr. i. 2-12. .. according to all accounts, wherever the swarmS of locnsts
amve, the vegetables are sometimes entirely consnmed antI destroyed, appearing as if

113

land i.y as h thc A"ardcn of Eden l)efor(' C I

[ores T
thcm, i anel behind them a desolate wi1dl'r- _ cir. S4

b Gen. 2.8. & 13. 10. Isai. 51. 3. 1 Zech. 7. H.

Tartars, than with these little de,.;tructive animals; you would
think that fire follows thcir track," arethede,.;cription
of their
ravagesin Italy, Ethiopia. the Levant, India, S. _Urica. The
lcwust, itself the image of (;od'
jUllglllents, is dcserihed as an
{'neillY, invading,as they say," with fire and sword,""hreathing
fire," wasting all, as hc advances, and lcavin
he hind him thc
hlaekness of a
hes, and hurning' iIlagcs. "II \\Ïmtsoe,'cr hc
scizeth on, hc shall eonsumc as a dcvouring flame and ,.;hall
leavc nothin
whole bchind him."
tlte lalld ;,.. as tlte garden of Eden before tllem. In outward
heauty the land "'as likc that Paradise of God, \\'heJ'e lIe pia-
ecd our first parents; aswercSodom and f;omorrha, he fore God
o\'ertlu'c\\' them 12. It wa,.; like a g'arden en"'o
ed and protected
from all inruad of evil. They sinned; and like our fir
t parcnts,
forfeited its bliss. A fruitful laud God maketllllllrren,for tile
wÍt'kednes.ç of them that dwell tllereiJlI3. Ezekiel foretells the
removal ofthc punishmcnt, in connection with the Go
pcl-pro-
misc of 14 a new heart alld a new ,..pirit. Tiley shall
;1I.'1, Tltis
land that 1('(1." desolate ;s become like the garden of Eden.
1Ilid be/dllli them a desulate wilderness. The de
olation
eaw.;ed by the I(}('ust is even moreinconeeh-ablc to us, than their
numbers. \\' e have scen fields hlightcd; wc have known of
erops. of most moment to man's support. de,'oured; and in one
ycar wc heard uf terrific famine, as its result. \\' c do not
readily sct before our eycs a whole tract, embraeing in extcnt

everal of our countics, in which not thc onc or other crop was

llIitten, but e,'ery green thing was gone. Y et
uch was the
scourge of locusts, the image of other and worsc scourg'es in
the treasure-houl;c of God's displeasure. A Syrian writer re-
latcs 15, " .\.D. 1004, a largc swarm of loeusts appeared in the
land of l\Iosul and Ba
dacl, and it was very g-rievous in Shiraz.
I t left no herb nor cven leaf on the trees, and even gnawed the
the picec,.; of linen which the fullcrs were bleaehing; of each
pie{'e thc fuller ga,'c a serap to its owner: and thcre was a fa-
mine, and a cor [ahout t,,'o (Iuarters] of wheat was sold in Bag'-
clad for 120 goldclinars, [about Æ54]:" and again I6 , "whcn it
[tl}(' lucust of A.D. 784,J had consumed the whole tract of Edessa
and
arug, it passed to thc ,Yo and for three years after this
hcavy cha,.;tisement there was a famine in the land." " 17 '\' e
travelled fi,'e days through lands wholly despoiled; and for the
('anes of maize, as largc as the largest canes used to prop vines,
it cannot be said how they werc broken and trampled, as if
asses had trampled them: and aU this from the locust,.;. The
wheat, barlcy, tafosI 8 , were a
if they had never been sown; the
trees without a singlc leaf; the tender wood all eatcn; there
was no memory of herh of any sort. If we had not been ad-
vised to take m'ulcs, laden wid. barlcy and provisions for our-
seh-cs, we should have perished of hunger, we and our mule
.
This land was all conred with Im'usts without wing
, and thev
said that they were the seed of thosc who had all gone, who had
destroyed the land." "19 E,'erywhere, where their le/!ion!'
march, ,'erdure di
appears from the country, like a eurtain
which is folded up ; trees and 1)lants strippcd of leaves, and re-
duced to their branehcs and stalks, !-ubstitute. in thc twinkling
of an eye, the dreary spectadc of winter for the rich seenes of
spring." ,. Happily this plague is not very often rt'peated; for
thcrc is nonc whieh brings so
urcly famine and the diseases
they had been bnrnt up by fire." Sparnnan, i. 367. , Forbes, ii. 274.
10 Volney, i. 177. 11 S. Jer. 12 Gen. xüi.l0.
13 Ps. cvii. 3-1. 14 Ezek. XXX\'Ì. 26,3:;. I. Barhebr. Chron. S)r. p. 214. 1& lb.
p.13i. Ii Alvarez,c. 33. IS One ofthe best Æthiopiangrains. ., Volne
',i.2íi.

114

JOEL,

C IPj[oíes T ness; yea, and nothing shall escape thcm. , appearance of horses; and as horsemen, C J
oÍes T
cir. 800. 4 k The appearance of them is as. the so shall they run. cir.800.
k Rev. 9. ï.

whic'h follow it." ,n De!'olation and famine mark their pro-
gn'!'s; all the expef'tatiun!'ofthe hushandman vanh:h; hi!' fields,
whic'h the rising' sun beheld c'overed with luxuriance, are before
e'-enin
a desèrt; the produc'e uf his garden and orehard are
alikp destroyed ; for where thesp destruc.tive sn'anus a1ight, not
a leafis lcft \lpOn the trees, a blade of g-rass in the }mstures, nor
an ear of rorn in the field." "21n Wi)4 a great multitude oflo-
c'usts rame from the N. \V. to the Islands LTavYOH111l and For-
mosa whieh eommmed all that g-rew in the fieitls, so that above
eight thuusand IJlrn{Jeri!<hed hy t
tlnine." "3They come some-
times in such prodi
dous swarms, that they darken the Sliy as I
they pass hy, and devour all in those parts where they settle, :
:-;0 that the inhabitants are often ohlig-ed to ehan
e their habÏ- !
tations for want of sustenanee, as it has happenpd frequently
in China and the Isle of Tajowak." ,,' The lands, ravag-ed !
throu
ho\lt the "
est, produred no harvest. The ycar IjHO was I
still more "Tf'trhed. .\ dry winter produced a liPW race of 10-
eusts whirh ra,'ag-ed what had esc'aped the inrlemenry of the
season. The husbandman reaped not what he had sown, and
was reduC'ed to have neither nourishment, seed, nor eattle. The
people cxperienecd all the horrors of famine. You might see
them wandering over the ecmntry to de,'our the roots; and,
seeking- in the bowels ofthe earth for means to lengthen their I
days, perhaps they rather abridg-ed them. A rountless num- I
her died of misery and bad nourishment. I ha,'e seen eoun-
trnnen on the roåds and in the streets dead of starvation, [
wilOm others were laying" aeross asses, to g-o hury them. Fa-
thers sold their rhildren. A husband, in eonrert with his wife,
went to marry her in somp other provinee as if she were his sis-
ter. and went to redeem her, when better off. J ha,'e seen wo-
men and rhildren run after the c'amels, seek in their dung- for
some g-rain of indig-ested barley and devour it with addity."
yea, aml nothing shall escape them; or (whic'h the words
also include) none shall escape him, lit. amlalso there ,Çllllll be
rw escapillg as to lâm or from lâm. The word ó, being used clse- ,
where of the persons who escape, suggests, in itself, that we
should not ling-er by the type of the locusts only, but think of
enemie<;; more terrible, who destro)' not han'ests only, but men,
hOtlies or sentls also. Yet the pieture ofde,'astation is complete. I
No ereature of God so destroys the whole fare of nature, as I
does the lorust. A travener in the Crimea uses unconsc'imlsly
the word,. of the }Jrophet 6; "On whatever spot they fan, the
whole ng-etahle produC'e disappears. Nothing eseapes them,
from the leavcs of the forest to the herbs on the plain. Fields,
vineyards, ç:ardens, pastures, every thinç: is laid waste; and
sometimes the only appearance left is a disg-usting snperf1-
eics raused by their putrifying' bodies, the stellC'h of whieh
is sutlit'ient to breed a pcstilenee." Another in S. Afriea
says7, ""Then they make their appt'arance, not a single field of
corn rcmains lllleonsumed by them. This year the whole of
the Sneuwberg will not, I suppose, produee a sing-Ie bushel."
"8 They had [for a spac'e HO or 90 miles in len
thJ devoured
pVl.'ry g-reen herb and ewry blade of g-rass; amI had it not been
fllr the reeds on whiph our cattle entirely subsisted while we
skirted the banks of the river, the journey' must have been dis-
1 Forbes, c. 22. ii. 273. 2 Nieuhoff, 2nd. Emb. toChina, p. 29.
· Nie.uhofi, Voyage in Churchill, ii. 359. . Chl'nier, iii. 496-8.
5 :-:
,.,;: as" ('aptivity" for" ('aptives." 6 Clarke, i.428, 9. 7 Barrow, i. 248,9.
Rlb.25;. 9 lb. 21-2. 10 Le Bruyn, c. 46. 11 Ps. xcvii.;!.
12 Is.lxvi. 15, ]6. 13 2 The.s. i. 8. 1< 2 Pet. iii.l0. 15 I Thess. iv. 17.
16 S. Matt. xiii. 41. 17 S. Luke xvii. 27, 2!J. IS Rev. xviii. 7, 8,17,

continued, at least in the line that had been propo!oõed." "WNot
a shmh nllr blade of g-rass was visible." The rapidity with
whiC'h they complete the destruetion is also observed 10. " In
two hour!', they destroyed all the herbs around Rama."
All this whic'h is a strong, but true, imag-e of the loeusts is
a shadow of God's other judgments. It is often said ofGud II,
4-J.fire goeth before Him and IJllrueth up His enemies on c1'ery
side. ]2Tlie Lord will cume u'itl,.fire; b.'1/.firewill the Lord plead
with all flesh. This is said ofthe Judgment-day, as in S. PauP3,
Tile Lord Jesus shall be rel 'ea led from hem'en with His migMy
aI/gels, in.fiamingfire takillg 1'eJ/geallce 011 them that knoll' not
God, aml tlwt obe.'1not the Gospel of our Lord Jesu.y Christ.
That aweful lurid stream uf fire ..hall burn up the earth and all
tile works tlwt are therein I'. All this whole eireuit of the glohe
shall bc enveloped in one burning deluç:e of fire; all gold and
jewels, g-ardens, fields, pietures, books, "the eloud-eapt towers
and g-orgeous palares, shall dissoh'e, and ]('a,'c not a rack be-
hind." The ç:ood shan be remO\-ed beyond its reaeh ; for they
"hall be caught up to meet the Lord ill theair l5 . But all which
is in the earth and those who are of the earth shall he swept
away by it. It shall g-o before the army of the Lord, the Ang-f'ls
whom 16 the Son of Jl((n sllllll send forth, to gat/ler out of His
kingdom all things that shall oUeml mul them that do illiguif.'1/.
It sl/(/ll burn after them. For it shall hurn on during the Day
of Judgment until it have eonsumed all for whic'h it is sent.
TIle land will be a garden of Eden before it. Fur tlwy will,
our Lord says, be eating, drinking-, buying, selling, planting,
building-, marrying and gi\"Ïng in marriaA"e]7; the world will be
glorif.,!illg itself amlliving delicious!.'1, full of riches and deliA"hts,
when it shall be utter!.,! burlled witllfìre, and in one hOllr so great
ridles shall come to nought l8 . And after it a desolate u'llder-
ness, for there shall be none left. And none .çhnll eSClipe. For
our Lord saysl9, the.'1/ slwll gather all t!dngs that (!fiend; tile an-
gels slwll come forth and sever the 1l'icked from C/1/lOl/g tllejllst,
and shall cast them into thefllrJwce of.fire.
4. The appearClllCe of them is like tile appearance of Iwrses.
"If vou carcfuIlv consider the head of the lorust," savs 'fhe-
odoret, a Bishol; in Syria, "you will find it exeeeding.ly like
that of a horse." "'hence the .\rabs, of old 20 and to this day2I,
Fay; " In the locust, sli:rht as it is, is the nature of ten of the
larg-er animals, the face of a ho
e, the e)'es of an elephant, tll('
neck ofa bull, the horns of a deer, the ehest of a lion, the belly
of a seOl"})ion, the wings of an eagle, the thighs of a eamel, the
feet of on ostrich, the tail of a serpent."
5. Like tile noise of chariots 011 the tops of the 71Ioll11!ains
.çlwll tlte.'llea}J. The amazing noise of the flight of locust.. is
likened by those who have heard them, to all sorts of deep
sharp rushin
sounds. One says 22, "their uoise mar be heard
six miles off." Others, " 23 within a hundred paces I heard the
rushing noise occasioned by the flight of so many millions ofin-
seets. "Then I was in the midst ofthem, it was as loud as the
dashing- ofthc waters oeeasioned bv the mill-wheel." "24"llile
pas!oõin
over our heads, their sound was as of a great eataract."
"25"
e heard a noise as ofthp rushing of a great wind at a dis-
tance." "26 In flying they make a rushing rustling noise, as
IV S. Matt. xiii. 41, 49.50.
Demiri in Bo('hart, ii. iv. 4.
21 The Arabs remarked to Niebuhr, the liken
s to the horse, the lion, the camel, the
serpent, the scorpion; and foremost that of the head to the horse's. Descr. de l' Arabie,
p. 153. 2
Remig;us, ad loc. .. as they relate," he adds, .. into whose
country they have been often wont to come." 23 Lichtenstein c. 46. 2< F orskäJ,
p.81. v. Morier, 2nd Journey, p. 98.
6 Nieuhofi; 2nd. Emb. p. 29.

CHAPTER If.

c æ
oÍeS T ã I ] Jike the nois{' of chariots Oil tIlt'
_ cir.
IO :- tops ()f mountains shall t1lt'y leap, like tilt'
I Rev. 9.9. noise of a flame of fire that devoureth thf'
mver. 2. stuhble, m as a strong peopl(' set in haUl<'
array.

when a strong wlIul hlows through trees." mThey ('ause a noi
e,
like the rushinl!," of a torrent." To add another "Í\'id deserip-
tion 2 , "\\'hen a swarm is a(h-andng", it seems as t'wugh bruwn
douds wcre risinl!," from the horizon, whieh, as they apl'roa('h,
spread more and mOl"e. They cast a veil over the sun and a
shaduw on the earth.
oon you see little dots, and observe a
whizzing and life. l'\earer yet, the sun is darkencd ; you hear
a roarin
and rushing like gushing water. On a sudden )'ou
find voursclf
urrounded with locust
."
iike the Iloi,
e of a.flame of/ire that deVollrctlt the stubble.
The !'harp noise ('aused by tlwse myriads of insects, while feed-
ing, ha!'! also been notieed. "3 Y uu hear afar the noi!'e whieh
they make in browsing on the IlCrb
and trees, a
of an army
whi('h is tilraging without re!'traint.." "-1"'hen they alight upon
the ground to feed, the plains are all eovered, and they make a
murmuring noise as they cat, w]1(.'n in two hours they devour all
f'lo
c to the ground." "5'l'he nuise which they make in devour-
ing, evcr announces their approach at SOUle distanee." "61'hey
say, that not without a noise is their deseent on the fields effect-
ed, and that there is a certain sharp sound, as they chew the
com, as when the wind strongly fanneth a flame."
Tlwir noise, Joel says, is like the noise of chariots. ,,'heJl('e
S. John say!' 7, tile sound of their wings was as the sOll1ulofma-
uy Iwrses rushing to battle. Their sound should he like the
!Sound uf war-ehariots, bounding in their s}Jeed ; but their in-
road !'Òlwuld be, where chariots could not g'0 and man'!' foot could
rardy reaeh, on the tops of the m0ll1ztaills 8 . A mountain ran/!e
is, next to the sea, the strongest natural prote(.tion.
Iountains
have heen a limit to the mightiest powers. The Caucasus of old
held in the Persian power; on the one side, all wa!' cnsla,'ed,
on the other, all was fearlessly free 9. Of late it enabled a fen r
mountaineers to hold at hay the power of Russia. The pm:'j
of Themwl'
læ, until betrayed, enabled a handful of men to
cheek the irn-asion ofnearh-two millions. The mountain-ridg'es
of SIJain were, fi'OIn time;hefore our Lord, the last home ànd
rallying--plaee of the eOlHluered or the hirth-plaee uf delh-er-
aIH'e 10. God had assigned to His people a spot, central h('re-
after for the {'onversion of the world, yet where, meantime, they
lay envelf'ped and sheltered amid tile mOllntains whieh His Rigid
Hund purclw.
erlll. The Svrians owned that their God was tile
God of tile /tills 12; and tbe' pellple confessed 13, (IS tlte !tills are
1"01lnd about Jerusalem, so tile Lord is rouud ahollt lIis people.
Tlteir protection was a symbol of His. But His })foteetion
withdrawn, nothing should be a hindranee to those whom lIe
should send a:': a scourge. The PI'-'I'het combines purposel)
thing'1o' incompatihle, the terrible lu'avy bounding' ofthe scythed
chariot, and the li
ht Io'peed with which tlU'se ('ountless hosts
should in their flight bound over the tops of the mountains,
where God had made no path for man. Countless in number,
boundless in might, are the instruments of God. The strong-

I Forb
. ii. 273. 2 Schlatter. Pliny says (probably of some smaller sort which
reached Italy,)" they fly with such clashing of wings, that they are belie,'ed to be other
large\\ingedcreatures." xi: 35. 3 Volney, i. Ii7. . Bl'auplan, i.599. . ChI'nier,iii.82.
6 S. Cyr. 7 Rev. IX. 9. s It should be read, Like thr noise of chariots, 0" or
o"l'r the top. of mountains shall they ll'ap. 9 Herod. iii. 97. 10 see Alison's Hist. of ,
E

Oti. eÅf:;r

. 32.
: I
si

x;

t

d in th::'
!f;:

3
f Prps::r

h

h
;; I
is a very great plague of locusta, which destroy every fresh green thing most grievously. j

115

f) Before theil' face the people shall 1)(

C IN[o;e s T
m\H.h paillt'd : n all faces shall gather _ cÎr. "un._
t hla('knpss. n i.e,:;'n
'"r
.
7 ' ] ' ) I II l ' k . I h Nah. 2. HI.
ley s m run I -e Ilng lty mcn; t ey t Heb. pol.
shall ('limb tl)(' wall Jikp men of war; and
I est national defcnees give no Io'eeurity. Where then is safety,
"'ave in fleeing from God dbplca
ed to God appeased?
6. Before their face tlte people slwll be mlldt pained. The
I loeust hein
!'uch a seourg:t.' uf (
od,
ooù reason lnwe lIIen to
he tt.,....ified at theil' approaeh; and those are most tcrrif1ed who
have 1II0st felt the inflit,tion. In .\hys
inia,
O\1l(' I'rm ince of
whieh was dcsolated every year, one relates H , ,. "'hen the lo-
custs tnn'el. the people know of it a day before, not he('ilUse
they see them, hut they sec the
lIn yeBow and the
rulInd yel-
low, through the shadow which they east on it (their wings
heing- yellow) and tiJrthwith the people he('ome as dead, saying,
'we are IOlo't. tilr the .\mbadas (so they ('all them) arc coming.'
I will sa\" what I ha\"e Io'een three times; the first was at Barva.
Durin
'three years that we were in this land, we often hcard
them say, 'sueh a reahn, such a land, is destroyed by Im'usts:'
and when it was so, we !'aw this sign, the sun was yellow, and
the Io'hadow on the earth the Io'allle, and the whole people he,'allle
as dead." "The Captain of the place ('aBed Coiberia eallle
to me with men, Clerks, and Brothers pIonks] to ask me, for
the Jove of (;od. to help them, that they were all lost through
the locusts." ,.15 There were men, women, children, sitting-
among these locusts, [the )"fJUng brood] as stupified. [said
to them' why do you stay there, dying? "'hy du you not
kill these animals, and avcnge you of the evil which their pa-
rents have done you? and at least when dead, they will do yuu
. no more evil.' Thev answered, that the\" had no ('()\lrag-e to
resist a plague whicli. Gud gave them for tl;eir sin",. ". e found
the roads full of lIIen, women, and ehildren, (sollie of these on
foot, somc in arms) their bundles of ('Iothes on their heads, re-
moving' to SOIllC land where they mig-ht find prm'i
ions. It was
pitiful to see them." Burcldmrdt relates of S. .Arahia, "lfiThe
Bedouins who oe('upy the peninsula of Sinai arc frequcntIy
driven to delo'pair hy the multitudes of locusts, whi('h ('onsti-
tute a land-})la
ue. They remain there generally for forty or
fifty days, and then disapIJear for thc rest of the year." Pliny
descrihes their approaeh, '<Ii they overshadow the sun, the na-
tions looking up with anxiety, lest they should ('m'er their
lands. For their stren
th suffiee!<, and as if it were too little
to have passed seas, they traversc immense tl'acts, and over-
"pread thelll with a eloud. fatal to the harvest."
all.faces shall gathn bIlle/mess. Othcrs, ufhi;,:-h authority,
have rendercd, shall withdraw [their] beallt y l8. But the word
sig'nifies to collert togetlter, in order that what is so collected
"hould be present, not ahsent 19; and sO is very different from
another saying, the stars shall witlulrllw their sltilling 20 . lIe ex-
presses how the faces eontraet a livid ('olour from anxiety and
fear, a!' Jeremiah sa\"s of the Xazarites 2 \ Tlleir 'l'isage is darker
thall hlackness. ,,22'i'he taces are clothed with lurid hue of ('0111-
ing death; hcnee they not only grow pale, but are blae

ned."
A slight tear drives the fresh hue from the check: the hvul hue
Their mullilude is past belief, they cover the ground and fì!l the air; Ih
y tak
away the
brightness from the sun. I say again, it would lIot be a .hmg to be. beheved, If one had
not seen it. They are not general in all t"he real!'JIs every
.ear; for If they were, the land
would be desert, according to the destruction wlu!,h th
y mak
; but In one year th
y ar

in I
n! :.

i1. n another yea\
n B

th:
dt
N

r
f. 2 or 3 parts of t
eÑ .PH
;i.
5.
IS Abulwalid. Aben Ezra, see Poco IU J03. Kimd
i, lb.
o '
::N(ii.lO. iii. 1';.)
The their had also needed to be expressed. 21 Lam. IV. 8, see Margm. :12 Oros.

llG

C 1?;[O?S T they shall march everyone on his wa) s,
cir. 800. and they shall not break their ranks :
8 l' either shall one thrust another;

comes only with the deepest terror. So Isaiah saysl; they look
amazed one to the other; faces of flame are their faces.
7. Tiley shall run like migMy men. They arc on God's
messag:e, ami they lingcr not, hilt rl(,joice to run their course 2.
"The heig-ht of walls cannot hinder the charge of the mig-hty ;
they enter not by thc gates but over the walls 3 ," as of a city
taken by assault. l\Ien ean mount a wall few at a time; the
loeusts seale mueh more steadily, more compactly, more deter-
minatcly, and irresistibly. The picture unites the countless
multitude, condensed march, and cntire security of the locust
with the mig-ht of warriors.
Tiley shall march ez'eJ:lI one Oil !tis 1('a.'/s. There is some-
thing aweful and majestic in the well-ordered flight of the
wing-ed locust!oi, or their mareh while yet unwinged. "This,"
saY!oiS.Jerome, "we have seenlatcly in this province [Palestine.]
For whcn the hosts of lo('usts came, and fillcd the air between
heavcn and earth, they flew, by the disposal of God ordaining-,
in su('h order, as to hold each his place, like the minute pieces
of mO!oiaie, fixed in the pa,-ement by the artist's hands, so
as not to ÍIlI'line to one another a hairs breadth." "You ma,'
see the locust," says Theodoret, "like enemit,s, both mount-
ing the walls, and marching on the roads, and nut alluwing
itself to be di
persed by any violence, but making- the al'sault
by a sort of eoneert." "It is said," says S.Cyril, "that they go
in rank, and fly as in array, and are not severed from each
other, hut attend one on the other, like sisters, nature infus-
ing into them this mutual love." "4They scemed to be impelled
by one eommon instinct, and moved in one body, which had the
appearance of being- org-anised by a leader." ";;There is some-
thing- frig-htful in the appearance of these loeusts proeeeding'
in divisions, some ofwhieh arc a leag'Ue in length and 2IJÛ paees
in breadth." "6They eontinued their journey, as if a sig-nal had
been a('tuaUy given them to march." So, of the young brood
it is related; "71n June, their young broods begin gradually to
make their appearanee; no sooner were any uf them hatched
than they immediately colleeted themselYCs tog-ether, eaeh of
them forming- a eomp",.t body of several hundred yards square,
which, marching afterwards directly forward, dimbed over
trees, walls and houses, ate up every plant in their way, and
let nothing esrape tlWI1l." "8'l1Iey seemed to march in regular
battalions, ('rawling O\'er e,'ery thing that lay in their pasI'ag-c,
in one straig-ht ii'ont." So the judgments of God hold on their
course, each g'oing- strnig-ht to that person for whom God in the
aweful wisdom of His justic'e ordains it. 1\'0 onejudg-ment or
chastisement comes by C'hancc. Eaeh is directed and adapted,
wci!!:hed and measured, by Infinite \\ïsdom, and reaehes just
that soul, for whic'h God appointed it, and no other, and strikes
upon it with just that force which God ordains it: As we look
on, God's judg-ments are like a heavy sleet of arrows; )'et as
each arrow, shot truly, found the mark at which it was aimed,
so. and much more, does eaC'h lesser or greater judgment, sent
by Cjod, reach the heart for whieh He sends it ami pierces it
just as deeply as IIc wills.

}
\'I:
. Tr=n

ìà
'9
'P' 3:. S] J Sh ' aw ,;.

7
e
)i

'er, / l
Z
st
t
\

h
ft?

:
Emb. p. 29. :0 Sparrman, Cape ofG. Hope, i. 366. 11 Barrow. p. :158. 12 Phil. 'frans.
13 Shaw, I. c. p. 25;. .. Schlatter. I. Thomson, 'fhe Land and the Book, ii. 1U3.
"Ið .. The inhabitants of Asia, as well a. Europe, sometimes take the field against locusts
wl!h all the drl'adful apparatus of war. The Bashaw of Tripoli in Syria, some years ago,
raIsed 40011 soldiers against these insects, and orderd those to be hanged who refused to

JOEL,

I they shall walk everyone in 1IÏs path : and C HB;[o[e s T
when they fall upon the II sword, they shall cir. l;Uu.
I not be wounded.
I 8. "'hen the,1/ fallupoll tile su'ord [lit. among the darts]
the.,! .
/wll /lot be 11'01l1llIed. It may be that the Prophet would
I dest'ribe how the locu
t !oieelllS arllled <IS in a suit of arm our.
As one says, "9Their furm was wondrous; they had a sort of
g-org-et round their ne(.k like a lancer, and a helm on their head,
sueh as soldiers wt'ar." But, more, he exhihits their indomi-
tableness and impenetrablcness, how nothing- chef'ks, nothing
retards, nothin!!: makes any impression upon them. "10 They
do not. suft'er themselves to be impeded by any obstaf'les, but
fly boldly on, and are drowned in the sea when they eome to it."
"11 "'hen on a march during- the day, it is utterly iml'os!oiible
to turn the direetion of a troop, which is generally with the
wind." "12 The g-uard of the Red Town attempted to stop their
irruption into Transylvania by firing at them; and indeed when
the balls and shot swept throug-h the swarm, they gave way
and diyidcd; but having filled up their ranks in a moment, they
proeeeded on their journey." And in like way of the young
swarms; "l3The inhabitants, to stop t heirprog:ress, made trench-
es all uver their fields and gardcns and filled them with water;
or else, plaring- in a row great quantities of heath, stubble, and
such like combustible matter, they set them on fire on the ap-
proach of the loeusts. But all this was to no purpose, for the
trenehes were quicldy filled up, and the fires put out by infi-
nite swarms, succeeding one another; whilst the front seemed
reg-ardless of dang-er, and the ,-an pressed on so dose, that a
retreat was impossible." "14 Like wa,'es, they roll m-er one
another on and on, and let themselves be stopped by nothing.
Russians and Germans try lllanv means with more or less suc-
cess against them, when they co"me from the waste against the
cornlands. Bundles of straw are laid in rows and set on fire
hefore them; they mareh in thick heaps into the fire, but this
is often put out thro' the g:reat mass of the animals and those
advaneing from hehind march away O\'er thc eOf}Ises of their
eompanions, and continue the march." "15Their number was
astounding; the whole face of the mountain was black with
them. On they came like a living delu!!:e. '" e dug- trenches,
and kindled fires, and beat ami burned to death hea}Js upon
heaps. but the effort was utterly useless. 'V aye upon wave roll-
ed up the mountain side, and poured over roeks, walls, ditches
and hedges, those behind eo\'Cring up and bridg:ing OHr the
masses already killed. After a long- and fati/!uing cuntest, I
descended the mountain to examinc the deptll of the eolumn,
but I could not I'ee to the end of it." "It was perfeetlyappall-
ing to watch this animated river, as it flowed IIp thc road and
ascended the hilt" Both in aneient and modern times, armies
have been marched against them 16; but in vain, unless they
de!oitroyed them, before they were fuU-g-rown.
Sinee the very smallest of God's judgments are thus irre\'Cr-
sible, sinee ereatures so small cannot be turncd aside, since we
cannot turn away the face of one of the least uf our Master's
"ervants, since they are each as a mall of might 17 (so he calls
them, it is the force of the word rendered each) what of the

Teater? what of the whole?

go." Hasselq. p. 4fi. .. In Cyrenaica, there is a law to wage war with them thrice ill the
year; first crushing the eggs, then the young. then when full grown; whoso neglects this,
lies under the penalty ofa deserter. At Lemnos too a cenam measure is filled, which
each is to bring of these creatures killed, to the magistrates. In Syria, too they are com-
pelled, under military command, 10 kill them." Plin. xi. 35. .. 'fhe marches cannot
he stopped; only quite early, dur;ng the dew, when the locust can neither fly nor hop,
they must be killed in masses." Ersch, 3
. Ii ""
3

CHAPTER II.

Ili

Refore !) They
hall run to and fro in the eity ;
C } c I I ' r. l
}",S . T 1 1 11
_vv they !o;hall run upon the wall, t I('Y S Hl

('limh up upon the houses; they shall 0 cn- C HR
{oÍes T
ter in at the windows p like a thief. _dr.l5O

o J er. ix. 21. p John 10. I.

9. TIIl'.'1 slwll rUIl to (/Jutjru ;11 t!le ci(lf. "TI,e ('ity" is
(!\wstionlrss .Jerusalt'm.
n tll the Homan
. "the ('ity" meant
Hllme; tll the Athenians, .\then
; amlln
1I1II'
eh'es. "town" or
"tllf' ('itv" are idi()matÍl'name
fill' till' wlwle of Lnndnn III' "the
rÏt\" 111' LtIIHlon." In \r alcs "town " i
, with the ('nuntr}'-pt.n-
pIt:, the lU'ighllllurin
' tllwn with wld('h alone they are familiar.
TIII'rc i
110 umhig-uity in tht, livin
lan
ua
e. In Glwrnsey,
(lne who slulIIM ('aU Port
t. Pit'rn' by any other name than
.. the town," \\"ould ht'tra y him!'t'lfto h
' a
tran
er. J n IInst'a,
and .\nws. prol'llf'ts for Isnwl, tIll' ci(II is Samaria 1. Tn S(llo-
Jlwn
and the prol'ht'ts (If Jndah J , t!le cit!1 is Jerusalt'm; and
that tht' more, h('('au<;c it was not only the l'apital, hut the cen-
tre of the wur....hip uf tht' (1)(' '('rup (;ml. lIen('e it is ('ailed t!le
(';(1/ (
f riud 4, t!le C;(II of tbe Lurd 5, then tI,e dt!1 (
f tI,e Great
[{illg 6, tbe 11O
11 ri(1/7; and Gud ('aIls it tbe (';(If I luwe chosen
(Jut (l all ti,e tribes {
l Is]'(/e/ 8 , tll(' {';(I/ uf r;gld('uuslless 9. SO (IIII'
Lord sl'ake lO . gu .7/e ;lItU tbe cir.,/, and perhapsll tarry .'1/e ill ti,e
(';(If.
u do IIis Evangt'li
ts u, and so dues Jo
el'hus 13.
.\11 around (.{)J.rt'....pOluls with this. Joel had de
('rihed their
upprmU'h; they had CtllHe 0\"('1' .. the to!,s of ti,l' mountain,;,"
those whil'h proh,(.ted Jel"Usalem; ami nnw he des('I"ihes them
!'('aling- .. tbe waU," "mounting the houst's," "entering- tlie
windmn.," "running to amI fro in tlie l'itv." Here the de-

eription has rea('hpd its hf'ight. The eity is
iven over to those
who i!s,;ault it. There remaineth nothing more, !'ilve the
slmking of the heaven and the earth.
Till'!1 sllflll entl'1' ;11 at tlie 1l';mf,l'Il's. So in that first g-reat
jmlg-mt'nt, in whil'h (
orl employed the loeu
t, lIe said, 14 Tlle.'1/
.\"1/(//1 (,{Jl'er the jare of tlie earth, tlmt oue call1wt !J(. aMe tu .
ee
tIle e(lJ'tI, ; alld tI/(,11 slwll fill tI"l Iwu.\'('S, alld the !louses of all
tll.'1 .
erl'(llIt.,', alld ihe hOlls
s (
f ail the Rg.lfpt;alls. "15 For no-
thing- t!enie!5 a way to the loeusts, inasmueh as tlwy pt'netrate
field,;. ('ornlands, trees, ('ities. house,;, n'a, the retirement of
the bed-ehanrhel's." "Xot that they wlio arc vietor
, hiu'e the
fpar whi..h thieves have, hut a
thieves are wont to enter
throu!!'h windows. and plunder seerctly, !oo shall these, if the
doors he ('Iosed, to ('ut short dela\", bur...t with all holdness
thruu
h the windows." "16 ". e han; secn this done, not hy ene-
mies onlv, hut oftt'n bv locusts also. For not onlv fh'in
:, hut
(.recl,ing-' up the \\'alls 'aJ!'õo, they cuter the houses i:hr
mih the
(lp('nin
s fOI" li
ðlt." ,'17 .A.n. ítl4. tlwre eame the flyin
lo('ust,
and wa
ted the ('orn, all(lleft its ufl!.:pring-; and this t'ame forth
nnd ('rawlt'd, aud s('ale.1 walls and entered houses bv windows
ami d(lor,;; and ifit entered the house on the S.
ide, it went out
(Ill the X.; tOg'ethpr with herhs and trees it dcnlUred also wool-
len ('Iothin!!'. 'and Ulen's dresses." Modprn tran'lIers relate the
"'iune. <<18 They entered the inmo
t reees
es of the hou
e", were
found in even' ('orlwr. sÌlH'k to (IUr elothes ami infe
tcd our
fO(ld." '09 Tiley Q\'('l"\dldm the provin('(' of Kt'lljd sometimes
to !<lwh a deg-rep, that having' destroyed the harvest, they pene-
trate hy thousands into the prÎ\'ate dwellings, and devour
whatsoe,-er tht,y t'an find, e,'en the leather of the water-ve
sels."
" 20 In June I(H(), at
ovog-orod it was prodigious to hehold
them. heeau
(' th('y wert' hatehed there that slJring. and being
as yet st'aree ahle to fly, the ground was all ('on'red, and the
I Hos. xi. 9. Am. iii.6. 2 Ps.lxxii. 16. Prov. i. 21. viii. 3. 3 "Mic. vi. 9.
Lam. i. I, &c. Ezek. vii. 23. xxxiii. 21. 4 Ps. xlvi. i. xlviii. I, B. Ixxxvii. 3.
o 1's. d. 8. Is. Ix. 11. 6 Ps. xlviii. 2. S.
Iatt. v. 3;;. i Is. xlviii. 2. Iii" 1.
:'\"h. xi. I, 18. Dan. ix. 2J. s 1 Kings xi. 32. "Is. i. 26. 10 S. :\Iatt. xxvi. IS.
S. )Iark xiv. 13. S. Luke xxii. ]0. II S. Lukeni\'. 19. Important MSS. omit
"Jerus4Iem." 12 S. :lIatt. xxi. Ii, 18. '\:x\iii. II. S. )I,lrk. xi. I, 1!J. S. Luke xi'\:. .n.
Acts vii. 58. S. John xix. 20. IJ Ant. x. 31. no mention of Jerusalem having im-

air so full of them, that I ('ould not cat in my ehamhcl' with-
out a ('andh', all the houses hein
full oftheUl, e,'en the stahles,
barlls,I'halllbers, A'arn'ts, and edlars. I ('au
ed ('aIIIHIII-pmnler
amI sulphur to he burnt, tll eXlwl thcm, hut all to no purpo
e.
For whell the door wa
opelled, an illfinite nllUllwr eallle in. and
the otlU'J"s wellt flllttcring ahout; ami it was a trouhle
umc
thillg whell a lUall went ahroad, to he hit on tIlt' face by those
creaturcs, on the no
e, eye!", or ('!reeks, so that thC're n-as 110
opening on("s JUouth, hut some would g-et in. Yet all thi
was
nothin
; for when we were to eat, they gave us no rc
!,ite; alld
when wt' Wt'nt to eut a pie('e of meat, we eut a Itl('ust with it,
and when a man opened hio.; mouth to put in a mor
el, II(' was

Ilre to ..hew on(' of them." The Eastt'rn windows, not heing
glazed but having at mo
t a lattÏl'e-work 2 1, l're!<('nted no obsta-
cle to this t'lJntinuous inroad. .All was one stream of infcsting-,
harassing foes.
.\
th
windows are to the hou!"e, so are the sen
('s and
especially the sight, to the !-'uul. .\.s the stron
est walls and
battlt'ments and towers avail not to keep out an enemy, if
thcre he an olJenin
or ('hink through whi('h he can make his
way, so, in ,'ain is the prote(,tion uf God's ProddelJ('e or His
Gra('e 22 , if the soullea"es the senses unguarded to admit Ull('hal-
len
ed si
hts, sounds, touches, whidl may take the soul pri-
soncr. "
3.l)eath.say... Jeremiah 2 \entereth thruugh theu';ndol{'.
Thy "indow is thy eve. If thou s('est, to lust, death hath en-
tered in ; ifthou hl;ar
'
t entieing words, death hath entered in ;
if softness g,tin lw!<,;ession of thy senses, death has madt. his
wa,' in." The arrow of sin is shot throu
h them. "25\\1Ien
the" ton
ue of one introdue('s the virus
f perdition, and the'
ears of otlwrs gladly drink it in, death enters ;Il; while with
itehin
ears and mouth men minister ea
erly to Olle another.
the deadly drau
ht of dl,traetion, death enters ill at ti,e W;Il-
dOll's." ,,26 Eyc had not t{JlJ('hed the forhidden tree, exeept she
had fir
t looked un it hcedles!"lv. "ïth what eontrolmust we.
in this dyin
life restrain our' sight, when the mother of the.
Ih'in
ealllt' to death throngh the eyes! The mind of the
Pruphet, whi('h had been uften lifted up to see hidden mysteries"
seeing heedlessly another's wife, was darkened," and fell. "To
keel' purity of heart, thou mu!'t guard the outward sense
.'"
.\n enemy is easily kept out by the barred door or window, who,
havin
entered in unawares, ('an only by strong ctfOl.t and
A'race bejm'ced out. "It is easier," s,tid the heathen philo-
sO}Jher 27, " to forbid the beginning.. of feelings than to control
their miA'ht."
Like a t!de!, i. e. they shouM ('ome unan-ares, so as to take
men by surprise, that there !'hould be no g-uardin
against
them. .As this is the cluse of this \nmderful dest'riptiml, it
may he that he would, in the end, descrihe the suddenlles!oõ and
ÍIw\'itableness of God's judg-ments whell they do eume, and of
the final jud
ment. It is remarkahle that our Lord, and His
.Apostles from HiJU adopt this ima
e of the ProplH't, in !'peak-
in
uf the ('oming of the Day of J udg-ment and His own. Be-
Iwld I C011/e as (t t/,ief. TM.
knOll', tlwt if ti,e gumlmall uf tile
house Iwd Imown u'lwt IlOur tile tliie! 1{'(JIlId rome, he ll'uultl hcl1.'e,
watclied. Be ye therejore 1-etld.1f alsu ; jor tlie SUIl of IIUlIl ÇQIJI-
mediately prece(led. He calls :\lanas.'eh's mother '7I'O>'iT'Ç "a citizen," i.e. of Jerq..aIer. .
.. Ex. x. 5-G. I. S. Jerome, ad loco 16 Theod. ad loco Ii Barh.('hroll. S")r.
p. 131. 18 :Morier, p. 100. .9 Burckhardt, Notes, ii, UO, 20 Beau"!..!,, p. 59!J.
21 S. Jerome, in Ezek. xli. 16. :"'
.:
and
.
-:; are both derived from "twlstlllg"and 60
reticulating. 22 from Lap. on Jer.
S. Ambr. df fUI!". Sæc.
. 3. :!4 ix.21.
2. S. ßent. in Cant. S. 24. 26 from S. Gn'g.onJob L. x'\:i.
.i. 2i SeneI'. Ep. 00. L

Aa

Il8

Before
CHRIST
cir. 800.
Q Ps.lt!. '1.
r Isai. 13. 10.

e

iI
:!' '1. shall withdraw their shining;
ch. 3. 11\. Matt. U. 2!/.

10 q The earth shall quake before them;
the' heavens shall tremble: r the sun and
the moon shall be dark, and the stars

JOEL,

II · And the Lord shall utter his voice C HB;N
T
hefore t his army : for his camp is very cir.800.
tì I . t t} t t th ' Jer. 25. 30.
great : n or (IC lS S rong lU execu e ch.3. 16.
his word: for the % dav of the LORD i.'/.
r;o11. 2.
u Jer. 50. 34. Re
. lB. 8. 1 Jer. 30. '1. Amo8 5.18. Z
ph: 1.15.

etft at (m hour when .lJe tMllk }lot. }"ollrselves Imow perfect('I
that tIle Da.lJ of the Lord so C011let!1 as a thief ill the nigM.
}"e are not ill darkness, that tftat Day slwuld overtake .lJOlt as
II thiefl.
10. TIle earth slwl! quake before them. "Not," says S.
J crome, "a!Ò thou
'h locusts or encmies had power to mo\'c the
heaH'ns ur to shakc thc carth; but bceause, to thosc unùer
trouble, for their cx('et'din
terror, the hc
wcn seems to fall
and the earth to reel. But indeed, for the multitude uf thc lo-
custs whieh em-er thc hea\'ens, sun and nwon shall be turned
into darkne

, and thc
tars shall withdraw their shinin
, ,,'hilc
the duud of 100'usts interrupts the lig-ht, and allows it not to
rcach the earth." Yet the mcntion of moon and stars rather
su

ests that somethin
morc is JlIeant than the locusts, who,
not flying by night exeept whcn they cross thc !'ea, do not ub-
SCUl'C either. Hather, as the next H'rse speaks of God's im-
JlIediatc, !'ensible, PI'esenee, this versc seem!' to pass from the
ima
e of thc locu
ts to thc full reality, and to
ay that hea-
ven and t'arth should !'hakc at thejud1!:llleuts of (iod, before Hc
appcarcth. Our Lord gives the same desC'ription of the forc-
runners of thc Da) of Judg"ment 2; the1'e slwll be signs in the
sun aJUI ill the moon ((JIll ill tile stars; ami upon tIle earth
distres.ç of nations witll perple.:ât.1J ; the sea alld the walles roar-
ing, 11Ien's hearts failillg them for fear and for looking after
those tllings wMch are coming Oil tIle carth; for the p01.i'ers of
helll'ell shall be Ûwken.
II. And tile Lord slwl/utter His lJOice. The Prophet had
desl"rilJcd at length the eoming- of God's judg-ments, as a mig-hty
army. But lcst amid thejndg-mcnt!', mcn should (as thcy often
do' fiJrg-ct the J\Hl
e, hc rl'lwesents (;ud, as eommanding- this
His army, gathering, ordering, marshallin
, direeting them,
g-iving them thc word, when and upun whom they should pour
themseln's. Their IJrcs('nec was a token of His. They should
neithcr antkilJatt' that eonnuand, nur linger. But as an army
awaits the eOlllmand to mm-e, and then, the word being gh"en,
rolls on in!'tantly, so God's jud1!:ments await the preeisc mo-
mcnt of Hi!' \\ïll, and thcn fall. The voice of the Lord is clse-
whcre used fur the thUluler ; bc('ause in it III' seems to spcak in
majesty and terror to the guilty sonl. But herc the ,-oice re-
fers, nut to us, but to the army, whieh Hc is imaged as mar-
shalling"; as haiah, referring- pcrhaps to this place, sa)-s, The
Lurd (l hosts mll.
teret/l tIle hust of tile IHlttle3. God had spoken,
and lIis pcople had not oht'yed ; now IJe speaks not to them any
more, but to their cnemics. III' ('ails thc Medes and Persians,
.lI.'1 sanctified ones,
JI.'I migM.'I ones \ when thc)- wcre to exer-
cisc lIisjudgments on Bahylon; and our Lord ('ails the Romans
His armies. Hi' sent forth Ilis armics alld destrol/ed those mllr-
derers and bumt up their cit.l/5. Then follows a thÌ'eefuld ground
of terror. Fur
Ii
j wmp is ver.'! gl'eat. All the instruments
whcrewith (iod JlUnishcs sin, are pietured as His onc ('am}),
ca('h going, as He eommand..., l/7/() brill/(eth fortll the hust of
hean'n b.1/ ull1l1ber: lIe ('(Illctll tllem all b.II1Ul1lle.
, b.1J the greatness
of His 11Iigld, fur tlwt He is strong in J}(Jll'er; not une failet 6 .
For he is strung, that e.:t:ecllteth .1Iis ll'ONI, or, for it (His eamp)
is strollg, e.recuting His wurd. '" eak though lIis instruments

I Rev. xvi.15.(addiii.3.) 8.1\1 aU, xxiv. 4.'1,44. S. Luke xii. 39.1 Thess. v. 2. 2 Pet.m.1O.
2 8. Luke XXI. 25, 6.

he in themselves, they arc mighty, whcn thcy do lIis eommands,
fi)r He enl)JOwers them, as St. Paul saith, I ('Wi du all tllÍJl,I:S
tlll'Ough Christ instrenl5thellillg me 7. .Fur the lJa.1J of the Lord
is great, great, on account of the great things donc in it. As
thosc are C'alled ez'il da.'1s, (Ill evil time, in which eyil ('omes; as
it is ('ailed (m acceptable time, in which we may be aceepted ; so
the Dav uf God's judg-ment is great amllJCI:'1 terrible, on ac-
eonnt òf the great amI terrible acts of His justi('e donc in it.
11710 can abi;'e it '? The answer is implied in thc question.
"Ko onc, unless God enable him."
This is the cluse of the thrcatened woe. The dose, !'!o much
heyond any pas!<ing !'!l'ourg-e of any created destroyer, lo('usts or
armies, su
gests the more what has been said already, that the
ProlJhet is speaking of the whole aggregate of (;od's judgmcnts
unto the Day of Judgment.
"8 The Lord saith, that He will send an Angel with the sound
ofa trumpet, and thc Apo!'tle dedares that the resurreC'tioll of
the dead shall take pla('c amid the sound of a trumpet. In
the Revclation of John too, we read that the sen'n .\ngels re-
('eived seven tnnnl'ets, and as thcy sounded in order, that was
done which SenlJture deseribes. The priests and teadlers ac-
rording'ly are herc bidden to lift up their ,-oit'e like a trumpet in
Zion, that iI', thc Church, that so all the inhabitants ofthe earth
ma)' be troubled or confounded, and this ('onfusion may draw
them to sah"ation. By tIle lJ(l.lJ of tile Lurd, understand the Day
of judgment, or thc day when eaC'h departeth out of the body.
For what will bc to all in the Day of judgment, this is fulfilled in
cach in thc day of death. It is a da.11 ufdarkness and gloominess,
a da.lJ of clouds (llld of tllÎck darkness, heeause everything will
be full of punishment and torment. The great lIlill strong peo-
ple of the angels ",ill come, to renùer to cach aceording to his
works; and as the rising morll first seizes the mountains, so
judgment shaH beg'Ïn with the great and mighty, so that mighty
men slwl/ be lIIigMily tormented 9 . There hath }lOt been elJe1' tlte
like, neitlter sltall he an.1J more ({fter it. Fur all ('viJs, ('ontain-
I'd in anl'ient histories ami ",hid. have happened to men, by in-
undation of the sea, or overflow of rh"ers, or by pestilenee, dis-
ease, faminc, wild bca!'ts, ra,'ages of cnemie!',eannot be compar-
ed to the Day of judgment. Afìre devouretlt, or cOll.mmetll be-
fore this people, to eonsnme in us IW.II, u'ood, stuhble. \\liCIWC it
is said of God 10, th.1J God is a cOllsuming.fire. And after him a
flame bU/"JIeth, so as to leave nothing unpuni!'!hed. "Thomso_
e,'er this people touehcth not, nor findeth in him what is to be
burned, shaH be likencd to the gardcn of (,od, and the paradise
of pica sure, i. e. of Eden. Ifit burn any, it will reduce this (as it
were) wilderness to du!'t and ashe!'!, nur ('an any escape its fury.
For they shall run to and fro to torture those over whom they
shall rcceive pO\H'r, like horsemen flying- hither and thither.
Their !'oUlui shall be terrible, as cllllriuts hurrying" along level
plaees. and upon the tOJls of tIle mUllntaim they shallienp, long--
ing to torment all ",ho are lofty and set on high in the t:hurch.
And since IJl:fore them there is II del'ourillg.fire, they ",ill destroy
everything-, as theßre del'ourelll the stubble. They shall come
to puni!'h, liS a strong peuple ill battle lIl'rll.ll. Such will bc thc
fcar of all, such the consciencc of sinners, that none shall shine

3 Is. xiü.
. 4 lb. 3. 5 8. Matt. xxii. 7. a h. xl. 2G. ;' Phil. iv. 13. 6 S. Jer.
g Wisd. vi. 6. 10 Deut. iv. 2
.

CHAPTER II.

c
iior
T g-reat amI yery terrihle; and Y W110 can
dr. 8110. abide it ?
7

i
3.:!
: :!3. 12
Therefore also now, :saith the

]1f)

LORn, z turn ye ('1'('11 to me with aU your c lj[oíes T
heart, and with fasting, and with weeping,
. ROO.
and with mourning : .
e
.\i: 6.
& 14. I.

or havc any hri
htnf'ss of joy, but his facc shall be turned into
darkness. They shall nllt turn asidf', in flilfillill
the offire en-
jllined thelU, but each shall earry CIIl till' IH/IIi!<hnH'nts un sin-
ners entrusted to him.-.\.t the presellce of that people. the eartlt

hall quake and ti,e IIC(wells tremble. I.'or he(lrell (lml earth
.çlwll }Ja.ç,
aU"tl.'I, Imt the 1('01''' (
fthe Lord shall endure for erer.
The sun aullnHllln also shallllot endure to !<ee the punishments
of the miserable, and shall reIllO\-e, and, fllr brig-ht li
ht, shall be
shrouded in terrihlc darkne!<s. The ,
turs also
hall1l'ithdraw
tlm'r s//Ïuillg, iu that the holy also shall not without fear behllld
the I,reselu'e of thc' Lord. .\.mid all this, The Lord shall utter
His ,'oÙ'(' before His army. For as the Babylonians, in puuish-
in
Jerllsah'lU. arc f'al/f.d the army of God, so the evil aug-cls (of
whul\I it is written I, .lIe ca.
t upon them t/le.fìercelU'Ss of His UII-
gel', u'ruth, ami iJl(I

llfltion, amt trolth/e, b.'l selldillg el'il all{Çels
amollg them) are ealled the army of God and His camp, in that
the\" du thc Will of God."
. The ])".1/ (
f the Lord is great amI tel'riMe, of whieh it is
written clsewhere 2 , to wlwt eud do .1/e desire the Day of tile
Lord? it i.ç darklless and not ligM, and very terrible, and few
or IHlIl(' ran abide it, hut will furnish !'ollle ground of severity
against himself.
l
. 1'hl'1'f'.forc [_1m/J 11011' also. All this bein
so, one way of
eseape there i
. tme repentance. As if God said 3 ," All this I
have therefore spoken, in order to terrify you by ;\Iy threats.
"'hen.fore turn unto J.1Ie ll'it" all .l/fIlU' Ile(lr!!;, and shew the pe-
nitellf'e of your mimls h.'1 flatting (lml wet'ping fl1ulmournillg,
that, fastin
now, ye may he.filled hereafter; 1{.ef'Jlin{i /lOll', yc
may [augh hereafter; mmo'/ling IIfJW, yp may hereafter be com-
forted 4, A ml since it is your wont to rend .f/ow' garmeuts in
!'orrow, I eommand vou to rend, not them hut \"our hearts
whieh arc full of sin, ,,:hirh.like bladder,.:, unless the): be olJPned,
will burst of thems<,'kes. And when \"e han' done this. return
until the Lord nlUr God, \\"hom ,-our fo'rmer sins alienated frum
you; and despåir not uf pardon 't'(,r the g-reatness uf your guilt,
for mi
hty lIIen'y will hlot out mighty sins."
"5 The striet Judge eannut be ov('rrome, for He is Umnipo-
tent; eannut bc de'eein'd, tiJr He is 'YisdUlll ; eamwt be eur-
rupted, t'(,r 11(' is J ustil'e; f'annot be' sustained, for lIe is Eter-
nal; c'alllwt be awided. t'('r lIe is evcn-where. Yet He ran be
cntn'ated, bccause Hc is
Ierey; He eim be appeased, beeau!'c
He is (;oodness: lIe f'an cleanse, because He is the Fountain
of g-raf'e; 11(' ean satisfv. because Hc is the Bread of lifc; He
can soothe, becaus(' He f<; the rnetionfrum abo,-e: lIe ean beau-
tify, beeause lIe is Fulness ; He can beatify beeallse He is Blis!'.
T,;,rned from Him, then, and fearing Hi
Justice, turn ye to
Hun, and flee to lIis
lerey. Flee from IIimself to Himself,
from the rigour of Justice to thc Bosom of Merev. The Lord

nlO is t
he f('ared saith it. He "ïlO is Truth e;ljoins what is
Just, ],rofitable,
ood, turn .'Ie to lIIe, I)'c."
Turn .'Ie e\'('n to Jle, i. e. so as to return quite to 6 God, not
halting. not turnin
half wa)', not in some thin
!' only, but thml
all the lusts and plpasures to whieh the\" had turned from God.
"7 Turu. quite to JII', lIe
aith, 1l'itlt lift .l/Olll' heart, with your
whole IllUld, whole sou], whole spirit, whole afreetions. For I
am the Creator and Lord of the heart and mind, and therefore

IPS. Ixx\iii. :19. ' from Am. v. III.
S. Jer. 4 S. Luke vi. 21. S. Matt. v. 4.

Hugo de S. V.

will, that that wholc shouJd be givcn, yea, g:iven baek, to 1\h',
ami endure not that any part ofït be seeretly stolen from )Ic to
be gh'en to idols, lusts or aJlpctites." "It often happ('ns with
some people," says S. (;re
ory><, "that they stoutly gird thelll-
seln's up to encounter SOlm' vices, but ne
lcct to overeome
othcrs, and while they never rouse themseln's up against tlH'sc,
they are re-establishin
a
ainst themselves, e, en those which
they had subdued." Others, "in rcsoh'e, aim at ri!.dlt course!<,
hut" arc e\"er doubling ha('k to tlwir wonted r,"iI ones, and he-
ing, as it were, drawn out without themselves, they return haek
to th('m!'('h-es in a round, d<,'sirin

ood ways, hut m'\-er t'(,r-
saking- evil ways." In eontrast tu these half c'(lnn'rsions, he
bids us turn to (;(1(1 with our whole illlnost soul,
o that all our
affeetiOll!' should he fixed un (Ìod, aud all" ithin us, by a strong"
union, f'leave to Him; fUI" c, in whate,'er de
J"('e our alfeetions
are scattcred among ereated thin/!s, so far i
the eunver..ion of
the heart to (Ìod impaired." .. Look dili
ently," says S. Ber-
nard 9, ., what thou IOH'st, what thou feare!<t, wherein thou re-
joieest or art saddencd, and under the rags uf ('om'ersion thou
wilt find a heart perverted. The whule hcart is in these four
affections; and of these I think we mu!'t under!"tand that saying,
tum to the Lord witll all tll.ll "earl. Let then thy love },<.' ('on-
verted tu Him, so that thuu love nothing whateH'r san Him-
self, or at lea!<t for Him. Let thy fear also he eonverted unto
Him; fur aU fear is pen'erted, wherehy thou tt'arest anythin

besides Him Clr 110t for Him. So too let thy joy and sorrow
equally he connrted unto Him. This will he, if thou only
grie,'e or joy aecording to Him." "5There i
a ('mn-er!"ion with
the whole heart, and anot her with a part. The conversion with
the whule heart (Ìud secketh, for it suffll'es to sakation. That
whidl is partial lIe rejecteth, for it is fci
ned and far from sal-
vation. In the heart there are three power!', reason, "ill, me-
mory; reason. of things future: wiH, ofthings IH"('!<<.'nt; memo-
ry, of thin
s ])ast. For rea!'on !'eeks thin

to rume; the wiJI
Ions things present; memory retains thin
s past. Reason iI-
lumincs; will loves ; mcmory rctain!'. '''hen then the reason
!'eeks that Highe:ot Good and finds, the will re('eins and 10\"Cs,
the memory anxiuusly keep
and dosely embraces, then the
soul turns with the whole heart to God. But when the reaSOIl
slumhers and negleets to seek heavenly things, or the will is
tepid and ('ares not to 10\-e them, or the memory is torpid and
is careless to rctain them, thcn the soul aets false, fallin
first
into the viee ofi
norance, seeulHlly into the guilt of negligenee,
thirdly, into the sin of maliee. In eaeh, the 1'0ul aets fal!<e;
else ignoranee would be expelled by the light of reason, and
l1('gligelwc be excluded by zeal of will, and malice he queneh-
ed by dilig-em'e of memory [of Divine things]. Reason then
seeking hegetteth knowledge; will emhraeiIl
produceth Im-e;
memory holding- fast, edification. The fir
t produeeth the
light uf knowledge; the seeund, the lo\'e of ri
hteousne
s; the
third preser\"Cth the treasure uf grace. This is that eonvcrsion
of heart, which God requireth ; this is that, which suffieeth to
salvation."
Alld witltfasting. "loIn their returning- to Him, it is re-
quired in the first place, that it be with the heart in the inward
man, yet su that the outward man is not left unconcerned, but

6 The force of .". see on Hos. xiv. 2. '; Lap. S on Job vii.
35.31., p. 390. O. T.
9 Serm. 2. de Quadr. Lap. 10 Poco
Aa2

120

c .ri'[Ïr
T 13 .And a rend your lIeart, and not b your
cir. 1'0 0. _ _
arlllenb, and turn unto the I-,oRD your
a
s
;
.-\l.ti. (;'od: for he is c gracious and mer('iful,
b Gen. 3;. 3-t 2 Sam. 1. 11. Job 1. !!O. < Ex. 3-1. G. P.. 8G. 5,15. Jonah 4. 2.

JOEL,

slow to anger, and of great kindness, and c Iflí[o
es T
repenteth him of the evil. cir. 800.
14 d 'Yho knoweth ff'he will return amI d

:
,
:::/
:!.
:! Kings 19. 4. Amos 5. 15. J011dh 3. 9. Zeph.::!. 3.

hath his part ah;o, in performanee of sueh things whcrehy he
may expre
s, how the inward man is really atfe(.ted; and so by
the ('(IIl('Urrel)('t. of hoth is tnU' ('o!l\"ersion made up. IVilli
faslill/-f. whil'h shallmakc for the humhling of the heart, whieh
paml't'ring of the fle
h is apt to puff' up and malic inscnsible
of it
own eondition, and forgetful of (;od and His serviee, as
Jeshurull who, heing 1('((,1'('(1 fal, kick('(l, mid .for.wuk ti,e ami
1f'Mc/t wade Mill ((lid light!.,! esteemed the Gud of !tis .
llll'atiolli.
To waiting thell 011 (;od's !<en"icc and prayer, it is usually join-
('d in
I'ripture, as ahno
t a llCe('ssary a('rompanimcnt, called
tor hy (
od. and by holy mcn lll'aetised."

ll1d with ll'cepillglllUlll'itlt 11101ll'lIillg; i. e. hy bClitillg 2 0n
thc hreast, (as the word originally dellotcd,) as llie jJllhlicrlll
.wwtt'IIPOU M,
breast 3, and llll tile jJmple t1mt clime togetlier tu
tlwl sigld [uf Jt'sus on thc Cm...s], /Jl'lwldiug tltl' tMlIg.
wMr/i
1('f're dOlle, Mlmte tlll'ir breasts 4. " õ These also, iu themsdves
signs uf grief, stir up in the heart more griet
alld so havc their
effc('ts (III tJJ(' llersoll hilllselt
for th(' inerease of his rcpent-
an('e, as well as for shewing it." ,. It also stirs up in others like
passions, and pr4lVOlie,.. themal!<otorcl.entam.e... "6 Thcl"e
things, done purdy and hoJily, are not ('onversioll itself, hut
arc execllcnt l"i
ns of eonvcrsion." ..7 \\'e ought to tUI'1l ill
fasting, w}H'reb
- vice
arc repressl'd aUIJ the mind is raised.
\\T e ought to turn in weepil/g, out oflon
ing for uur home, out
uf dispkasure at uur faults, out of love to the "uff'crill
s uf
Christ, and for the manifold transgressions and ('rrnrs uf the
world." "'nHlt a\"ails it;' says S. Gregury
, " to confes!< ini-
quities, ifthe atHidiun of penitenee foHow not the eonfcssion of
the lips? Por three things are to be (.tlllsidered in e\-el'Y trut'
})enitellt, eUl1\"crsion of the mind, confession of the mouth, aud
reH'n
e for thc sin. Thi", third I'ort is as a ne('essary medi('ine,
that so the imposthume of guilt, l'rieked by cunfession, he puri-
fied bp'lIIwersiun, and healed by the nH'di('inc uf aflli..tioll. The
sign of true ('Oll\-t'rsion is not in the eonfcssion of the mouth,
hut in thc atHiction ofpenitencc. For thell do we I'e(' that a sin-
ner is weH cOII\"crted, when !Jy a worthy au!<terity uf atHil,tion
hc stri n s to eff;\{'c what in spcedl he eonfesst.s. \\'herefore
.John ßal,tist, l"l'buking' the iU-c(lIIwrted Jews who fl()('IH'd tu
him says, 0 gel/emtioll of l'ipers-briug furtlt thaefore fruits
t('orth.,! (!f repentanre."
l:-t
.Jllcl I'ellcl.'lollrlteartsalldllot .'Iourgal'mellts, i.c.not your
garments only 9. The rending ofthe dothes was an cxpression
of extraordinary uncolltroJJaLJe emotion, ('hicfly of grict
ofter-
ror, or of horror. .At least, in II oly S('ripture it is not men-
tioned as a part of ordinary IU(lUruing', but only UPOII slime slHI-
den O\'erpowering
rief, whethcr publie or prh-atc 10. It was
not used (Ill o('('asion of death, unless there wcre smIlething\"eT)'
g-rie,'ons about its eircumstances. At times, it was used as an
outward exprcssion, one of decp grid
as when thc IqICr was
emnmand('d to kecp his dothes rent 11, or when David, to C),..-
press his ahhorrenee at thc murder of .Abner, ('omnHUlded all
tlte p('ople u'itl, Mm, rencl,lJourc!otl,es; .\hah uscd it, with fasting
and hain.Joth, on (;od's senten('e by Elijah and obtained a mi-
tigatioll ofthc tempural punishment of his sin; Jeremiah mar-

I Deut. xxxii. 15. 2 ..,
':) ! S. Lnke x\ iii. 13. · lb. xxiii.1S. . Poco
6 !\Iont. ap. POI'. 7 Dion. 6 in 1 Reg. L.vi.c. 2.
33. See Tertul\ian Note K.
Oxf. Tr. 9 see on Hos. vi. 6. 10 The instances are; Gen. "xxvii. :W, 3-1. xliv. 13.
);UIl1. xiv. ß. Josh. vii. G. Jud. xi. 35. 1 Sam. iv.12, 2:>. 2 Sam. i. 2,lI. iii. :n. xiii. HI, 31.
xv.3:!. 1 Kings xxi. 27. 2 Kings v. 7,8. vi. 30, xi. B. x\Ïii. 37. xix.!. ,,-xii.n, UJ. Ezr.

,"cIs that n('itlwr tlte king, Jchoiakim, 1101' all.'! of !tis Sel'l'llIltli,
}" ellt tl,eir gflrJJleJlts 12, IIn rcading the roH containing the wocs
whi('h Gml had by him Pl"lIllUUlH'ed a
.linst Judah. The holy
garmcnts of the priests wel'l' un no ()('easion to he rent l3 ; (1'1'0-
hably hceau
e the wlwlen('ss wiIs it symbul of perfection, whenee
('ar(' was to hc takcn that the cplllld shuuld nut aecidentaJ)y he
rcnt 1-1') 1'0 that thc act uf Caial'has was tht. gl'eatcr hypo('ri sy l5.
Hc used it IJrobahly tu imlll'es!< his uwn bJasphemous aceusa-
tion on thc peoplt', as, t'()r it guod end, thc AllllstIcs PauJ aIld
Barnahas rent their 16 dothes, when they heal'd that, after the
cure of the impotent man, the }Jricst of Ju})it('r with the peo-
ple would ha,'e done sa('rifice unto them. Since thcn .\po
-
ties u!o'ed this aet, Joel pJainlyduth not forhid the UsC of such
outward helH,,-iuur, by whkh their repentance mi
ht be ex-
pressed, but only requircs that it he done not in outward shew
only, but al'companicd with the iuward aff'ertions. "7'J'he
Jews are hidden thcn to rcnd their hearts rather than their
garments, amI to set the truth of rel'cntallce in what is inward,
rather than in what is uutward." But sinee the rending of
the
arm('nts wa!' the outward sign of n'ry vehement grid
it
was no ('OIumonlllace supcrfieial sorruw. whidl the Prophet en-
join('d, but oue which should pierce and rend the inllw
t !<oul,
and cmlJty it of its ,..ins and if!., love for sin. Ii Any \"Cry griev-
ing thing is said to ('ut one's heart, to " eut him to the heart."
A truly penitent heart is caIl('d a brokell ami contrite /'('([rt.

ueh a pcnitent rcnds and" ril)!< up by a uarrow H'arch the n'-
cesscs ufthe heart. to dis('over the abominations tlwreof," and
pOUl'S out hef'(Jre God ,. the discas('d and lwrilous stuff'" pent
up and festering there, ,. expels the e\-iI thong-hts lodg-ed ill it,
and opens it in all things to the rCI'eptilln of Divine grace.
This remlill
is no other than the spiritual eÍrcumri...ion to
which
Ios('s exhorts. \\'helH'e of thc Jews, not thus relit in
Iwart, it is written in Jeremiah 18, All tlte uations are 1lIlrirculIt-
cised, and all tlu: /'ouse (l Israel are u1l(,ir(',wlcisl'l[ in IIl'ad.
This l'l.nding tIl('n is thc casting out of tlu' sins and passions."
And lurll unto tlu' Lord ,1lour (;od. God owns Himself as
still their (
od, althoug-h thcy had turnctl and were gone frllm
Him in sin and \rcre ali('nat('d ti'om Him. To Him. the true,
Lnehangcabll' (;od. if they returned, they wuuld find Uim still
tI,eil' (lud. Relllrn, ."l/e /)(lcksliding rJâldrl'll, lll'i/l Ill'tll -'!Our
back.
/iding, God saith by J('n'miah 19; Bt.llOld, Israel answcrs,
1('e come unto Thee, for Tholl art tlte Lord ollr God.
Fol' J-Ie i!< 'l'n:,! gmciolls aIU11'eJ711Jlel'ciful. Both these
words arc intensivc"u. All the \Vm'ds, 1'('J'.'! grllcious, 1'1'I:1/ lIIerr'i-
fill, sluw to aI/gel' ami of gl'ellt kimIJle.
,,', are the same and in
the same order as in that rc,"eIation to
Ioscs, when, un thc
renewal of the 1\\"u tables of the Jaw, tlte Lord t/{wc('}uled ill ti,e
clolld llml proclaimed tlu' 1WllIe of tlte Lord
l. Thc wurds are
fre(lueutly I"{'l'eated, shewing how dccply that re,-elation slink
in the pious miml
of Israel. '{'hey are, in part, pleaded to God
by :\Iuses himself22. Da\-id' at OIlC time, pleaded thcm all tll
God 23; eb,cwhere he repeats them of God, as in this placc 2
.

ehell1iah, in praising God for Uis forgiving- mereie
. prefixes
the title, fiot! uf parduns 2;;, and adds, alld Tlwu for,mket!st

ix. 3.5. Esth. iv. 1. Job i. 20.ii. ]2. Jer. xli. 5. II Lev. xiii. 45. The word is not, as
here, :0;-;:, but
-E, used only in Le\iticus. 12 Jer. ,"xxvi. 2
. 13 Lev. x. 6. xxi_ 10_
.. Ex. xx\Ïii. 3:!. xxxix. 2:1. I' S. Matt, xxvi. ü5. S. Mark xiv. (;3. 16 Acts xiv.

G. lí2'tN

i
.i
8:
8 pi

'I

""vi. I

iii' 2 Fps. ci
. r;
I
:"k
' 2: 1 N
h:

x

:

cIL\PTER II.

c }?
[ores T repent, and Ieaye e a hlessin
hehind him;
cir. 1'041. ("'('It fa. Illeat ofl'crin
and a drink ofrerin

·

.
.
i. unto the J JORn your Gud ?
r eh. l. !', 13. 1,').r g Blow'the trllm l }et in Zion, h sanc-
K l'mn. 10. 3. 11
b cl
\
'l t my a fast, call a solcIlln a

emhly :

121

16 (
ather the people, r saJwtify tlU' eon- c ,Fí[oíes T

re
ation, kassem"le the elders, '
ather the dr. bUO.
children, and those that slH'k tlU' hrt'asts : I
;<- 19.10,
m let the hridc
roolll
o fm.th of his challl-

1

;:2t. 1:J.
)wr, and the "ride out of her closet. ml Cor. í. 5.

tltel/llllJt; as Joel, for the speeial ohj('1't hel'e, adds, ([lit! rcpellt-
etll llim of tlw e,-il. A Psalmist, and H('z!'liÍah in his messa/!e
to ]saiah, and. Nt'hemiah in the ('llIIrSe of that same prayer, re-
peat tht' two word.s of intense merl'Y, 'vn:l/ gracirms aud 1' er .'l
lIIerrif/ll \ whil'll arc used of God only, ('xI'el't onl'e IIy that
sanlC' Psalmist 2 , with the exprt'ss obje('t of shewing- how the

ood man conforllleth himself to (;(1(1. Th(' word 1)er." gra-
ciOWi expresses (;od.'s free love, whcrehy lIt' sheweth lIimst'lf

ooll to us ; l'er.'llllerC
flll express('s the tender yearnin
of IIis
lon' over our miseries:l: great kindlle,\',\', expresses God's ten-
der Im-e,
I
1m-c. lIe first !'ays, that G(I(I is slow to anger or
IOJlg-slt!fprilig. ('ndurin
lon
tlu' wiekedncss amI rehellion of
man, and waitin
patiently for the t'onversion and repentance
of siHlU'rs. Then hi' mitis, that (;od. is alJf(/I(lrlllt ill killdlless,
ha\"Íng- nHlIIiti,!d resources and expcdient..: of IIis tender h}\'e, I
whercb)' to win them to repentance. Lastly lIe is I"l'pentallt
of tlw n'il. Thc e,'il whil'h He foretells, and at last infli(.ts, i
I
(so to speak) ag-ainst His \\ïll, \\'ho 1('i1/eth uot tlwt auy,çhould I
perisll, and, therefore, on tlu- first tokens of repentanee, lIe re-
pentdh Him of tIle el'il, and doeth it not.
The words rendered, of great kindlll'ss. are hetter reIHkred
elsewhere, aIJl/m/ant, plenteous in goodness, merr.'/
. Althoup:h
the nwrl'Y of God is in itself one and simple, yet it is ('ailed
f/bll/u/aut (Ill a('CllUnt of its dh-ers effe(.ts. For God knoweth
how in a thousand ways to !oòuceour His own. "Thence the
Psalmist prays, .Ac('(Jnliug to tlle multitude of TII."II/ercies. turn
Tlwu unto IIIC 5 . .A('cording to the multitude of Th.1J teuder mer-
cies, do llU'fl.l/ mi1le ot!pn('es 6.
14. T1"'/1O kllowetll {f
Ic 1('ill return. Gml has promised
f(}r
in'ness of !'ins and of eternal puuishmeut to those who turll
to Him with their whole heart. Of this, then, there ('OIlld be
no dlluht. Hut lIe has not promised eitlU'r to indiddual!< or
to (1ull'I'hes. that lIe will remit the tl'mporal punishnwlltwhi('h
Ht' had threatened. He forgu,'e David the sin.
athan says,
TIle Lord also Iwtlt P/(t (Ill'll!1 tll." Ûn. But he said at the same
tinl(', tIle sword slut/lucreI' dl'Jlart.frolJl tll,l! Iwuse 7 ; and the tem-
poral punishment of his sin pursued him. e,'en on the hed of
dcath. Da\'Ïd thmw:ht that the temporal punishment of his sin,
in the death of the ('hild, might be remitted to him. lIe used.
thc same till'm of words as Jocl 8 , I,wtid, ll'hn ('flll tellll'lIl'fher (;orl
tl'ill be grlu'io/(s uuto me, tlwt tile cltild 1I/f1.1J li1'e? But the child
died. The kin
of XineY{'h used the like words 9 , 117m ('([u t{-II
;f (;ml1l'ill return llllli repent alll! turn all'a.l/ .fIT III HÙ./ierce WI-
ger. tlwt 1l'e }Jeri,çlt not? And he was heard. God rctaÏlU'd or
remitter! the temporal punishment. as He sa\\" good for eal'h.
This of the Prophet Jllel is of a mixed character. The b1e,çs-
;ug whi('h they craw, he explains to be tlle l/ll'ld '!Uéring ami
the driuk (!lfi'ring. whil'h had heen rut '!t!. or 1('ithho!den .frolJl
the housr of their (;od. For "wif lIe gave them wherewith to
serve Him," aftcr withdrawing- it, it was dear that ,. III' would
aeeept oftlw1ll and he ph'ast'd with their senÎ<'e." Yet this does
not imply that He would. r('store all to them. A
rewish writerlI
notes that after the Captivity, " the sen-i('e of sacrifÌl'es alone
returned to thelll," but that "prophecy, [soon after,] the ark, the
3 1

. exiT 4, 2 Chr. xxx.? Neh. ix. 31. 2 Ps. exii. 4.
6 i
:.lr.

os. II,
!J2 Sam.

i
\

' G. PS81
b

:,'j.ciii9
on. iii.
.Ps. Xx
07þ

:"

eriß1 allll Tlmmmim, and the other thill
s [the fire tÌ"lJlII hea-
n'II1 \\,el'e walltill
then'." .\s a pattern, lll)\\'('\'t'r. to all tillw:-.
God tt'al.hes them to ask first what 1H'lon
s to (lis kin
dom
and Uis ri
hÌl'CH1SIH'SS. allil to I('a\.e the r('st to lIim.
o 1011,:,:'
as the JlH'HII!" of ser\"Ín
Him 'H're left. there was hope of alL
'Ylwre the Saeramellt ot'the Hody and Blood ofChrist(when'of
tlu! 1IImt (!t!'ering am/ tllC drink oll'eril/g were !'YlIllml,;) remain:-.
tlIeN' arc .. 12 the plcdg('s of His lon'," the em'Jl(':-;t of all other
hle!"
ing-.
lIe says, lem'e a "'e,ç,
illg be!limllli71l, !òpcakin
of (
od as one
estran
ed, \\'ho had hcell long- ahsellt alld who returns, I-.'i.\"ill

token,; of His for
i,'elJ('
s and renewed
lIod-pl('asure. {;od (Jf-
teu dsits the pellitent semI and, hy 1'(111)(' swt'('tll('ss with whil'h
the soul is bathed. lea"es a token of His renew('d Preselll'e.
Gml i,; said to rep('nt. not as thoug-h lIe vari('d in IIimst'lf, but
he('ause lIe deal!< nll'iously with us, as we rel'cÏ\'e His inspira-
tion!oò and tilllow Hi.. drawings, or no.
] 5. ßf'ti)re. he had, in these same \\'ord!ò 13 , eaIled to re-
pentmwe, hel'ause the Day of the Lord \\'as ('omin
, was ni
h,
(l da.'1 (l darkne,ç,
, I)'c. Kow 14, becau,;e God is gral'Îous ami
merc
ful. sloll' to aI/gel' and ]JlellteOll!i ill gooduess, ht' ag-ain ex-
horts, BlolV .'11' the trumpet; only the ('all is more detailed. that
e,-ery sex and a
e should form one hand of suppliants to the
mere\' of God. "15::\lost full aholition of sius is thcn obtained.
,,-hen' one prayer and one ('onf('ssion i!oò!òueth from the wlwlé
Clmr('h, Por !<illl'e th(' Lord prlJlniseth to the pious a;rreenwut
of two or three, that lIe will t!;raut whatever is ';0 asked, what
shall be dcnietl to a IJcople of many thousands, fulfillin
to
('-
ther one ohsernllU'e, and supplieating- in harmony throug-h
Oue Spirit?" "'" e ('OIlle together ", says T('rtuUian 16 of ('hri
-
tian worship, "in a mceting- and cong-regation as before God, as
though we would iu one hody sue Him by uur prayers. This
\'iolen('e i!oò pleu!oòing- to God."
16. Sauel'l!1 tile collgregation. "17Do what in yo II lies, hy
mlmi!<hill
, exhorting-, thrcatening-, !!iyill
the example of a
holy life, that the wlwlc people 11l'eseI1t' itself holy he fore its
God," '.Blest your prayers he hindered, and a little lea,-en cor-
rupt the wlwl(' lump."
.AsseIllU" tlte eMas. <(\0 The jud
ment ('CHwcrned all; all
thcn were to join in seekin
mer(')" from (;0(1. NOlle w('re on
:lnYl'ret('nl'(' to he exempted; not the oldest.whose strength was
de('a\'ed, or the younge
t who might !oòeem not vct of !"trength."
The (lid abo aré eOl;ullonly freer thJln sin mid more gi\'
n to
prap'r.
Gather the r!lildrel/. "IOHe 'Yl1o fcedeth the voung raven

when they ('ry, will not ne
leet the ery of poor éhild
en. He
a,;signs as a I'casnn, why it were fitting- to :-;pare XÏIU'\'ch, the
Issi.
'
çcore thou.wllu! p('r,
olls tlwt ('ou/d lIot discern betlt'eell tlteir
rigM hand aI/(/ tlll'i,.ltjt." The si
ht of them who wère iu\'olv-
pd in their parents' puni!'hment ('ould not but mo,-e the parcuts
to
reater earnestncss. So ,,-heu
Ioab and .\mnwu I9 , a great
multitude, ('(1/111' against Jdwsllaplwt, Ite pro,.[aillled a f(Mt
tltrouglwut all Judah, and JIU/ah gatltered tlll'1II,
el,.es togetlll'l'
to ask lwlp of tlte Lord; eUIl out of all tlll' cities of .JÚdal" tlley
11 Abarb. in Poe. I
Communion Se.-vice.
13 ii.I. j.U. H S. Jer. 1. S.LLO Serm. 3. dejej. 7 mens.
3. Lap.
16 Apol. e. 39. p. SO. Oxf. 'fl. 17 Lap. 1> Jon. iv. 11.. 19 2 Cllr. xx. I-of, 13.

122

c J
oÍeS T Ii Ld tIle priests, tIte ministers of tIte
_ C
IiO(). _ LORn, wf'ep n between the porch and the
D
;:
:
3.I
5. altar, and let them 5>ay, 0 Spare thy people,
D
\
;
t

. 0 IJORD, and gh-e not thine herita
e to re-
II
r

;e proach, that the heathen ..hould 1\ rule
a byword aKaiOlst them.

JOEL,

over them : p wherefore should they say c J:fT's T
among the people, \Yhere is their God? CIr. ,800.
IH
Then will the LORD q be jealous for P
s;t'l

'
his land, r and pity his people.
i

5i.2io.
19 Yea, the LORD will answer and sar q

.h2.1. 14.
. Deut. 32. 3(;. Isai. 00. 10.

came to .çed, tlte Lord. AmI all Judah was standing Lc.fore tlte
Lord, tlteir little one.
also, tlteir Il'Ïl'e,ç, and tlteir dtildren.
o
it is de
('rihed in the hook of Judith,how'.lwith greatvchemen-
('v did thev humble their !'ouls, both thev and their wiws and
their ehilliren-and e,-ery man and wflllH
n and thc little f'hild-
ren-fell hefore the tem'l'le. ami ('ast ashe
upon thcir hcads
and
l'read out th('ir sa('keloth before the Fal'e of the Lord."
Let tIle hridegl"fJom go forth. lIe
ays not nen, the mar-
ried. or the newly married, he who had taken a new wife, but
he uses tlU'
I}('('ial term
of the JUarria
e-day, bridegroom and
bride. The lU'\r-marri('d man wa
, durin
a year, exempted
from
nill
out to war, or from any duties whil'h might press
"pon Mm
. But nothing was to free from this eOJUmon af-
fli(,tioll of sorrow. Eren the just newly married, althou
h it
were the very day of the bridal, were to leavc thc JUarriag-c-
('hamher and join in the 1'0nlllHIIl austerity of repentam'e.
It wa
mOl'kpry of God to spend in deJights time eonseerated
by Him to
orrow. He says 3, In tlwt day did tIle Lord God
of hosts ('af{ to 1('eepiug, and to l1UJunlÏug, lIml to lmldne.çs, and
to ginlin!: ll'ith sarkclotlt. ...:Ind beholdjoy and gladne,çs-sure-
(1/ tliis iniqllit.lJ .
ha[{ Ilot be plt/:[;(ed froll/ pOll till lIe die, saitlt
the Lo/"d God (
f Hosts. "'hence, in times of fa
ting or pray-
er, the AI",!<tle sug/!e!<ts the gidng up of pure plea
ures\ tltat
ye II/a./I give YOll/"sell'es to fasting altd p/"a.l/e/".
"5 He then who. h\" dlasti
eJllent in food and by fa!"ting' and
alms. !'a
's that he i
doing' aets of repeutalH'e, in vain' doth
he promi
e this in words, \lJlless he go for'h out of /âs chamber,
and fulfil a holy and IHlrp fast by a ('haste penitence."
Ii. Let tI,e priests, t!ie ministers (l the Lord, u'eep between
the porch and tIle altar. 'I'he poreh in this,
olmllon's Temple,
was in fiH't a tower. in front of the Hol\" ofHolie
, of the same
breadth with the T('mple, \"iz. 20 cubits, and its depth half its
hreadth, ,'iz. 10 euhih;6,and it!" hei
ht 120 cuhit
, thewhole Ol'e/"-
laid witllin u'ith purl' go!cf7. The brazen altar for burnt-offer-
in
s
tof}d in front of it\ The altar was ofhras
. twent\" ('ubits
s(ìuare: and so, equal in breadth tu the Temple itself
and ten
eubits hkh 9 . The spa('e then betll'een the porrh altd tlil' altar
was inelosed on tho!<e two sidps 10; it he('ame an inner part ofthc
court of the Priest;;. Throu
h it the priests or the hi
h pricst
passed. whenner they went to
prinkle the hlood, typifying
the _\tonement, before the veil of the taherna('le, or for an v
other offiee of the tabernaele. It
eems to hm"e been a plaee
of prayer ti)r the prie
t
. It i
spoken of as an ag'grm'ation
of the sin
of those 2'") idolatrous pric
ts, that here, where
they ou
ht to wor
hip God, they turned their haeks toward the
Temple of the Lord, to wor
hip the sun H . Here, in the exerl'ise
of hi
offi('e, Zeehariah wa

tandingl
, when the Spirit of God
eame upon him and he rehuked the people and they stoned
hin'. Here the priest
, with their fil('('
toward
the lIoly of
Holie
and the Temple whieh Ill' ha(l filled "ith His Glory,
were to 1('I'Pp. Tears are a g-ift of God. In holier times, so
did the priests weep at the Holy Eucharist in thoug-ht of the
I iv.9-11. 2 Deut. xxiv. 5. 3 Is. xxii. 12-14. . 1 Cor. ,ii. 5.
S. Jer.
fi 1 Kings \i. 3. 7 2 Chr. iii. 1. s 2 Chr. ,iii. 12. 9 2 Chr. iv. 1. 10 2 Chr. vii. ï.
II Ezek. viii.1G. 122 Chr. xxiv. 20. 1. S. )Iatt. x,<iii. 35. 13 Amalar. de Eccl.
Off. iii. 22. U Ex. L'<xii. 12. :';um. xiv. 13-16. Deut. i,<. 28, 9. 15 Josh. vii. 9.
IG Ps.lxxi\'. hxix. exv. Ii Ezek. xx. 5. xxx,i. 21-3. 18 See Introd. to Joel, p. 102.

Pa

ion and Precious Death of our Lord Je
us, which we th('n
plead to God, that they bore with them, as part of their dress,
linen wherewith to dry their tears l3 .
...:llld let them say. A form of prayer is providcd for them.
From this the words, spare ll.ç.good Lord, spare thy people, entt'r
into the litanies of the Chri
tian Church.
AmI give not thine he/"itage to "l'proach. The enmity of
tIw heathen a
ainst tlw Jews was an enmity a
ainst God. God
had avouched th('m as His people and IIis property. Their land
was an herita
e from God. God,in that He had !'ieparated them
from the heathen,alHl revealed Him
elfto them,had made them
Ili
espeeial heritage. l\loses l 4, then Jo
hua 15, the Psalmi;;ts I6 ,
l'lead with God, that His own power or will to saw His people
would be callcd in question, if He
hould destroy them, or giyc
them up. (;od, on the uth('r hand, tells them, that not for any
d('serts of their
. but for His own Xame's sake, Ill' (h'lh'ered
them, lest the I1cathen should 1)(' the more confirmed in their
('rrors as to Himsclf1 7 . It is part of true penitencc to plcad to
(;od to panlon us, not for anything' in our
eh-es, (for we have
nothing of Ollr own but our sins) but because we are the work
of His hand
, ercated in His image, the price of the Blood
uf Jesus, ealled by His Kame.
That tlie Ilf'athl'n sholtld rule Ol'e/" tllem. This, and not the
relHlering' in the marg-in, use a b.,/wo/"d agaill,çt them, is the uni-
form meaning of the Hebrew phrase. It is not to be supposed
that the Prophet Joel would u
e it in a sense, contrary to the
uniform \lsal!:e of all the writers before him. Xor is tIU're any
in
tan('e of <
nr other u
age of the idiom in any later writer I;.
"Thp æni
Illa which was closed," says St. Jerollle, ,. h now
opened. For who that people is. manifold and strong. deserib-
ed abo,'e under the name of tll{' jJalmerworm, tile locust, tile can-
ker-ll'orm and the mterpillar, is now explaincd more eleady,
lest tile heathell rule our them. Por the herita
e of the Lord
is gÍ\'en to reproach, when they sen'e their encmies, and the
nations say, Trllere is tlleir God, "'hom they boa
ted to be
their Sovereig-n and their Prote(.tnr?" Sueh is the reproach
ever made again
t God'
people. when lIe docs not \"Í!<ibly pro-
tect them, ",hieh the Psalmist says was as a sword in his
bones l9 ; his tears were his meat daÿ and lIigld while they said
it. The Chief priests and serihes and elders fulfilled a prophcey
by venturin
so to blaspheme OlJr Lon1 20 , .lIe trusted in God;
let .Ilim defi,'er Him 1tO/lJ, {f HI' willlwl'e Him.
18. Then ll'Ïll the Lord bl'jealousfor His lalld. (-pon re-
pentance. all is ehanged. Before, God !'eemed set upon their
destruction. It was His great arnl\' whif'h was ready to de-
strov them; He was at its head, :ri\"Íng' the word. K
w He is
fiIIl õf tender love for them, whiel
rese
Its injury done to them,
as donf' to Himself. The word might more strietly perhaps
be rendered, AmI the Lord isjeulous 21 . He wouh\
hew how in-
stantml{'()llS the mer('y and 100"e of God for His peopl(' is, re-
!'trained while they are impenitent, flowing forth upon the first
tokens of repentanee. The word, jealous for, when used of
IV Ps. xlii. 3, 10. add Ps. lxxix. 10. cxv. 2. l\1ic. vii. 16. 20 S. 'fa tt. xxvii.
43. from Ps. xxii. 8.
I It is not an absolute past. For the, COOlvcr-
.ive onl)' denotes a past, by connecting the word \\ ith some former past. as we could say
in \ivid description of the pa.t, .f then he f{oe.... But here no past has preceded, except
the prophetic past mixed with the future, In the descriptiou of the inroad of this scourge.

CHAPTER II.

c 1

oÏS T unto his people, Behold, I will send you I
cir . liUO. _. COI'n, and win(', and oil, and ye shall 1)(>
.
f=I

:
o
o. satisfied therewith : and I will no more
11, I=!. make you a reproach alllon
thc heathen :
t
;
E
. ]0, :W But t I will rpmm"e far off from you

123

utIle northprn arm!l, and will drive him c 111tí e s T
into a land harren and desolate, with his cir. bOO.
fa('c "toward the cast sea, and his hinder: :t:

: li:I8.
part 1 toward the utmost sea, and his stink.,
-:u
:
t8i,.
shall come up, and his ill
avour shall

(;od, jealllu
for
Iv hlll
Name" jealllu!O fllr Jeru!<alelll 2, is
u!<ed, when (;11(1 re!<ënt!< nil which had heen aetuaJly inflic,ted.
I n. I will seml/lolt corn, f)-c. This is the hqdnning of thc
reH'rsal IIf the thrèatened jud
ments. It is clear from thi
,
and !<till nwre from what follow!<. that the I'ha!<ti!<ements ac'tu-
aUv ('ame, !OO that the r('pentanee descrihed, was thc eOll!<C-
(Iuën('(', not of the exhortation
to repentam'e, hut ofthe elaa!<-
tisement. ""hat was renun-ed wa" the eha!<ti!<PlIlent whil'h
had hur,.;t upon them. not when it wa!< ready to hurst. "'hat
was 1!in'n. wa!' what had before heen taken away. So it ever
wa!< ;, ith the .h'w!<; !'O it i!< mostly with the p
rtions of the
Christian Churl'h or with iudidduals now.
eldom do they
take warning- of eoming- woe; when it lm!< he
un to hur
t, or
has hurst, thell tllPY repent and God g-ives them back upon re-
ppntalH'c what lie had withdrawn or a portion of it. SII thc
Prophet
('pms here to exhihit to us a law and a course of {;od's
j,idl!lIlent,.; and nWrI'ip!< upon man'
sin. IIp takes away both
temporal and spiritual bIc!<!<in/!s !<pnbllli!<ed here hy the c'orn
and wine and oil; upon reppntallcP lIe re"torel' them. "3(h-er
amI ag-ainst the wa"ting- of the land. he sets its richness;
al!ain"t hung-pr, fuhle!<s; ag-ainst rel'roaeh, unl'erilled glory;
.l!rainst thp cruelh' and inf'ur!'ion of ('nemie!', their destruetion
a
ld putrefa"tion;' ag-ain4 barrenness of fruits ami aridity of
trees. their fresh shoots and rif'hne"s: ag-ain!'t the llUng-er of the
word and thir
t for doetrine, he brings in the fountain of life,
and the Teal'her of rig-hteousness; ag-ainst sadne,,!'cs, joy;
ag-ain!<t eonfusion, solaf'e; ag-ain"t reproa,'IH's, glory; ag-ain
t
death. life; ag-ainst ashe". a crown." "0 fruitful and manlv
penitpnee! 0 noble maiden. mo
t faithful interee!'sor for sins'!
A plank aftcr shipwreck! Rcfug-e of the pOM, hell' of the mi-
serahle. hope of exile!', I'heri!<her of the weak. light of the hIind,
,.;olaee of the fatherle!<s,
('ourge of the petulant, axe of vices,
g'arlU'r ofdrtues. Thou who alone bindest the J udg-e, pleade
t
with the Creator, confJuercst the .\hnil!hty. "'hile m-en'ome,
thou o,.pr('omp!<t : while tortured. thou tflrturest ; while wound-
ing'. thou heale!<t : while ll('althfully succumbing, thou triumph-
c,.;t gloriously. Thou alone, while other!' keel' "ilence. mount-
e!<t 1)fIldly the throne of grace. David thoulemlest bv the hand
and reef;lwi!e4: Peter thou reshll'e"t ; Paul thou enlightenest;
the Puhliean, taken from the rel'cÍpt of eustOlIl, thou boldly in-
sel"te
t in the choir of the apostles; :\Iary, f!"Om a harlot, thou
beare!<t aloft and joine4 to ('hrist: the robber nailf,d to the
cross, ,'et fre"h from blood. thou intl"oduee...t into Paradise.
'rImt illore? At thy di"po
al is the eoul"t of hca,'en."

11/11 [,('ill 110 lII'n-e //lake !IUUll repruach. .-\11 the promises
of God arc f'onditional. They presuppose man's faithfulness.
Gud's pardon is eomplpte. n(, will not, he says, for these 01'-
fcnf'('!O. or filr an
-like otfell('es. gÎ\'e thcm over to the Iwathen.
So aftel" the Capth ity He no more made them a rpproaf'h unto
tllP heathpn, until they finally apostatized, and leaving their
Redcemer. ownpd no king but Cæsar. They first g,u-e them-
seh'es up: they ellllse Cæsar rather than Christ. and to be ser-
,.ants of Ca'sar, rather than that lIe should not bc prueified ;
and so (;od left them in his hands, whom the)" had eho
en.

20. 3ml I will rem'Jt'e far 'lI"fro//l ,1/01l the llort/lent w.m!l.
God
peaks of the human agent under the fi
ure of the locusts,
whic'h peri!'h in the sea; ).ct so as to shpw at once, that 11(' did
not intend the locust itseIf
nor to de,,('ribe till' mode in whif'h
IIc should overthrow the human opprcssor. lie i!< not spcak-
in/! of the IOl'ust itseIf
for the Xorthern is no name for the lo-
cust which infestcd Pale!'tine, "ince it camc from th(
South;
nor would the d('struetifln of the IOt'u"t be in two oppo!<ite seas,
sinec they arc uniformly driven by the wind into the sea, upon
whose 'nn.es they ali
ht and perish, but the wind would not
eany them into two oppo!<ite seas; nor would the Ifleu
t I'c-
ri
h in a harren aud de.mlate land. but would fly further; nor
would it be said of the loeust that he was destroyed, Becall,ve he
had done great filings'!'. But He npresents to u
, how this ene-
my should be drÎ\-en (luite out of the buund" of His people, !'o
that he
hould not vex them more, hut perish. The imagery
is from thp 1I0h. Land. The East sea is the Dead
ea, onf'C
the fertile I'ale (if Siddim S, "6in which "ea werc formerly Sodom
and Gomorrah,.\dmah andZeboim, until God m'erthrewthem."
This, in the Pcntateul'h, is ('ailed tI,e salt sea 7 , or the .vea of
the plain, or de,çert R , explained in Deuteronomy and .Joshua to
he tile .mit sea 9 ; Ezekiel f'alls it the Ea.çt sea 10, and in X umbers
it Ï:;: said of it n,,1Iour sUllth Imrder shall be tI,e .mlt sea eastward.
The utmost, or rather, the hinder sen 12 (i. e. that whieh is be-
hind one who is looking towards the Eastwhose IIphrewname 13
is from "fronting"you)is the )lediterranean, "on whose shores
arc Gaza and Asealon, Azotus all(I Joppa and Cæ"area." The
land harren alld desulate, lying between, is the descrt of Ara-
hia, the !<outhern boundar)' of the Holy Land. The pil'ture
then
eems to be, that the
Yorthem foes filled the whole of
Judæa, in numbers like the locu"t, and that (;od drm'e them
violently forth. all alon
thc bounds of the Holy Land. in the
dcsert, the Dead Sea, the :\Iediterranean. S. Jerome relates
a mercv of God in his own time whieh illustrates the imag-e;
but he 'writes so much in the langua/!e of Holy Seripture, that
perhaps he only means that the loellsts were drh-clI into the
!'ea, not into both sea
. "In our time
too wc ha,-e !'eell ho,.;ts
oflocusts em-er J IIdæa, which afterwards, by the men'y uf the
Lord, when the priests and people, betli'em the porcll ami the
altar, i. e. between the plaee of the Cros" amI the Re
urrec-
tion prayed the Lord and said, spare Tliy people, a wind arisin
,
were carried headlon
iI/to tile _Eastern sea, ami the utmost sell."
.-\harez relates how,' prie!'t!" and people joining in litanies to
God, He dcIh-ered them from an exceeding- plaJ,?:ue of loeu"ts,
which I'onred 2-1 F.n
li
h miles, as He delh'ered EI-.'11't of old
at the prayer of )Iose
. "u"'hen wc knew oHhis plag'lIe being'
so near, mo"t of the Clerks of the plaee came to me. that I
should tell them !<ome rcmedy against it. I answered them,
that I knew of no remedy eXl'ept to emnmend themselves to
God, and to Jlray Him to drh'e tlw plag-ue out of the land. I
went to the Embassadur and told him that to me it !'eemed
/!ood that_we should make a proepssion with the peuple ofthe
land and that it mig-ht please our Lord (;od to hpar us: it seem-
ed good to the Erubao:sadur; and, in the morning of the Iwxt

I Ezel. xxxÏ'<. 2.5. 2 Zech. i. H. \iii. 2. 3 Hugo de S. Victor. 4 see Introduction iii, Ii. iv. 49. Josh, iii. 16_ xii. 3. xv. 25. xviii. 19. also in 2 Kin!!8 xiv. 25. 9 Deu t .
to Joel, p. 101.
Gen. xiv. 3. G S. Jer. .. Gen, lb. Num. xxxiv. 3, 12. 6 Deut. üi. Josh. iii. xii. 10 xhii. 18. II xxxiv.3. 12 Deut. xi. 24, xxxiv. 2. 13 :-? 14 c.32.

l:H

CHAP'rER II.

C Nlioíes T eome up, hc('ause t he hath done great
cir. 800. thin
s.
i Heb. he hath magnifi
d to do.

21 -,r Fear not, 0 land; be glad and re- c li1tIe g T
joice : for the LOIm will do g-reat thing-so ciT.80U.

day. we co))c('ted the people of the place and all the Clcrg-y;
aud ""e took our Altar-!'toue, amI those of the plaee their:" and
uur Cms:' and theirs, !'in
ill
our litany, we went forth from
the Church, all the Portug-uese and the g-reater part ofthe peo-
ple of the plan'. I said tu them that they should not k('ep
!'ilenee, hut should, as we, ery aloud !'ayin
in their ton
ue
Zio IIlarenos, i.e. in OUl"s, .Lord .h
su!< Chri!<t, han' nwr('y 011 us.
.\\Hl with thi!' ery and litany. we went throu
h an open wheat-
c'ountlT for the space of clUe third of a lea
ue.-It pleased our
Lord to h{'ar the !'inner!', and while we were turning- to the
pla('e, beeau!'e their [the lcwu!'t!<'] road wa:, towm'd the sca
wh('nce thev hall ('(line, there were !'o many after U!', that it
!'cemed no c'ítherwi!'e than that they !<ou
ht to Iweak our ribs
a\Hl heads with blows I)f stom
s,
\H'h
n're the hlows they
dealt u!'. At this time a great thundcI'storm al"O!'e fhllu to-
ward the sea, whidl eanie in their face with rain and hail,
whieh lasted three g-ood hours; the riH'r and brooks filled

reatly ; and whcn they had c'eased to drive, it was mattel' of
amazement, that the (It-ad Im'u!'ts on the hank oftlw great river
mcasured two l'uhits hig'h ; aud so for the rh-ulcls, there was a

r.'at multitude of dead on their hanks. On the nl'xt da
' in the
morning- there was not in the whole land e,-en one live 10eus1."
. AmI !ti,
stiJik shall come up. 'nIl' imag(' i!' still from the 10-
I'u"t. It, hciu
s\U"h a fcarful seourg-e of God, e,'ery individual
full of 1H,tivity and life repeated cOlmtlessly in the ilmumcrahle
host, is, at God's will and in His time, ('ast by His wonl into the
sea, and when thrown up by the Win-es on the :,hore, bceoIll('s in
a fen" hours one undi,4in
uishahle, putrit)"ing-, heavin
ma!<s.
Such do('s human malic'c and amhition and pride hecome, as
soon as God casts a!<ide the sinful instrument of His chastise-
ment. Just n()\", a world to eonqucr eould not satisfy it; supe-
rior to man, ilHlel'Cndellt, it deem!<, of God. He takes away its
hrcath, it is a putrid earease. Su('h was Sennaeherib's anuy ;
in tIle el'l'Iting- in:,pirinl{ terror; hefore the mOl"JiÌJlg, he is uot I.
TIIl',l! ll'ere all dead cfJ11Jses 2.
Th{' likelU'ss stops here. For the punishment is at an end.
The wicked amI the persccutors of God's lJCople are ('ut oft:
the se"t'rarll"e has taken plac'e. On the one side, there is the
putrifyin
mass: on the other, thejubilee of thallksgi,"ing-. The

ulf is fixed between them. Thc offensh'e smell of the corr'up-
tion asecnds: as Isaiah doses his prophcey, tlte caJ"cases of the
wieked, the perpetualllrey of t!le ll'Ol'ln and tIle/ire, Sll(lll be an
ah!/f)/"l"iJl!: to aUJiI'sll. Tht' righteou!' bchold it, but it rt'aehes
them not, to hurt th('m. In al'tuallife, the putrid exhalatio}ls
at times lun-e, a1l1on
those on the sea-slwre, produced a pe!<-
tilcnee, a second visitation of God, more destrueth'e than the
first. This, hO\H'ver, has been hut seldom. Yet what must
h<l\'c been the mass of (leeay of creatures so slig.ht, whieh ('ouM
prodnc'e a wide-wasting pestilence! "'hat an ima
e of the
mllnbers of those who perish, and of the fctidness of sin! S.
_\Ilg'Il...tine, iU1U1!<wer to the hcathen who imputed all t.he eala-
111ities of the later Roman Empire to the displcasure of the
g'lIIl:" because the wurId had beeomc Christian, says 3, "They
themselves ha"e recorded that tlw multitude of loeusts was,
I Is. xvii. 14. 2 lb. "xvii. 36. 3 de Ci,'. Dei. iii. 71. tin. He
i. referring, douhtless, to Julius Obse'luens, a heathen "riter, (de prodig. c.xc.)" Im-
men", armies of locusts in Africa, which, cast by the ,,;nd into the sea, and thrown up
h
' the "aves, through the intolcrable smell produced a grievous pe>tilence to the
",ttle; and of man it is re13ted that ::'.()O,OOO perish ell through this plague." Grosius
>ays. "In I\umidia, SOO,OIlO perished; on the sea coast, especially that near Carthage
"nd l-tiea, it is said that more than 200, 000 perished. In Utica itself; 30, QOOsoldiers,
placed as a guard for all Africa, were destroyed. At Utica in one day, at Olle gate, more

e"en in .\t"riea, a !'ort of prodig-y, while it was a Roman pro-
dnec. They say that, after the loeusts had consumed the
fruits ami leaves of tree:" they wcre east into the sea, in a vast
im'alculable eloud, whieh having died and bein
cast back
on the shores, and the air bein
infec'ted thereby, sudl a
pestilenee arose. that in the realm of :\lasinissa alone SOU, 000
men perished, and many more in the lands on the eoasts.
Then at Ctica, out of :
(),()()() men in the prime of life who
were there, they assert that 10 onlv remained." S. Jerome
says of the loc:usts of Palestiné; '
whcn thc shores of hoth
se
ts were filled with heaps of dead lcu'usts whieh the waters
had c'ast np, their stelleh and putrefac,tion was !<o noxious as
to eorrupt the ail', so that a pestilence was produced ilUlong
both beasts and men." .Modern writers say6, "The locusts not
only produ('c a f
lIl1ine, but in distriet!< near the sea where they
had been drowned, they have oecasioned a pestilem'e from the
putrid effluvia of the immense numbers blown upon the eoa
t
or thrown up by the tides," "6"Te observed, in May and
June, a number ofthei"e inscet!' eoming from the S. direetinl{
thcir c'ourse to the Korthcrn shore; thcy darken the sky like
a thiek cloud, but searedy ha,'e they (luitted the shore before
they who, a moment hefore, ravaged and ruined the (
ount.ry,
eover the surfac'e ofthe sca with thcir dead bodies, to the great
distress of the Franks near the harbour, on account of the
stem'h from such a number of dcad inseets, driven by the winds
close to the verv hOlt!<es." "Î All the full-grown insects were
driven into the 'sea hy a tempestuous K. "'. wind, and were
afterwards east upon the beaeh, where, it is said, they formed a
hank of30r4feethigh, ex.tending-a distanee of near ;)() LU-

lish milcs. It is asserted that when this mass beeame putrid
amI the wind was S. E. the stem'h was sensihly felt in several
parts of SlIeuwberg'. The ('olumn passed the ilOuses of two of
our party, who asserted that it continued without any interrup-
tion for morc than a month." "8'l'he
outh and East winds
drive th(' douds of locusts with ,'iolenct' into the Mediterra-
nean. ml(l drown them in such ({uantities that when their dead
al'e cast on the shore, they infeet the air to a great distanee."
,r onderful image of the instantmleou!<ne:,s, ease, ('oIllJllcte-
nei"s, of the destruC'tion of God's enemies; a mass of acti\'e life
exchanged, in a moment, into a mass of death.
Becllu.
e he Iwtll doue grellt things; lit. (as in the E. :\1.) be-
cause IIC lulfll lIwgnf{ied to dn, i. e. as used of man, hath done
)J/"oudl.1/' To do
reatly 9, or to magnify HimseU'lO, when used
of God, is to display His essential greatncss, in goodness to
lIis people, or in ven
eanee 011 their enemies. .Man's
reat
deeds arc mostly deeds of great ambition, great dolence,
grcat pride, great iniquity; and so of him, the words lie 1I/llg-
uf{ied himself 11, Ill' did {(1"elltl.1/ 12 , mean, he did ambitiously,
proudly, and so offend('(l God. In like way great doings, when
used of God, arc His g-reat works of
ood 13; of man, his great
works of evil H. "151\lan has g-reat de!'erts, but evil." To speak
grC{Jt tllings 16 is to speal;;: proud tIling's; greatness of IIl'art l ; is
prhle of heart. He is slleaking- then of man who was t;od's in-
strllluent in chastening His people; since of irrational, irre-
than 1500 of their corpses were carried out." (v. 11.) 4 ad loc. 5 Forbes,

7::3. 9 ii. 21

:

i

: c.. tf:.
. xii. ;1.ßarrol
\

v
fï
.23.
I \

)Ü:
D

\,
,
.

' :
. ix. 11. lxxvii. 13. Ixw

i.Ltl'
'
:iï
',
Í
.hi{ f. ;!

.;i

.t
v1è' i
:
lxxviii. I. H I"'
':':P Ps. cxli. 4-.1 Sam. ii.3. Ezek.xiv. 22, 2:3.xx. 4a. xxi. 2H.
Zeph.iii.ll. c':';,.., Jer. iv. 18. xi.IR. x'Ci. U. see Hos. xii. 2. I. S. Aug.
16 Ps, xii. 3. Dan. vii. 8, ll, 20. I; Is, ix. 9. x. 12.

CIL\PTER II.

c HR
oÍeS T 22 De not afrllid, z ye hpasts of the field:
dr.
Otl. for a the pastures of the wildl'rnt'ss do
:

J

'12
. spring, for the h'pe heareth Iwr fruit, the
See ch. I. HJ. fi
tree and the vine do rield their strength.
23 He g-lad then, re ('hildren of Zion,

re!"l'onsihle ('reatures, a term whil'h involH's moral fault, would
)lot han' \)('('n used, J10nnmld a moral fault have h!:'cn sct down
as the g-round whv (
orl destroved thclll. The de!"truetion of

CIllHlI.ilerih or Ih;loferncs ha,-ë h('en assig-ned as the fulfilment
of this prnl'hcl'Y. Tlwy were part of its' fulfihuent, and ofthe
great law of(
O(I whieh it dedares, that in!<frulllent!oo, which He
(,lIlplllY
, and ,dll) ex('e('d or a('(,oJllplish for their own ends,
the offi('e whi,'h lie assig-ns them, lie easts away and destroys.

1. Fear uot, U lancl. ßeforc, they were bidden to trem-
ble" now they are hidden, fntr uot; hefore, to turn ill ll'eepillg,
fasting mull/wurlling ; now, to bonnd fOl:io.lJ ami r
ioi("e; befllre,
the land 1II(lIlrltl'd; now, the land is bidden to rejoiee. The
enemy had done great things; now, the ('ause of joy is, that God
had dOlle great tMl/g...; the .-\Imi
htiness of (jod IIvprwhelming
and sweelling- ",'er the might put forth to destroy. It is hetter
rellllere,l, the Lord hath dOliI' great tMngs. If Jot'! indudes
herein God's gn'at doing-s yet to eome, he speaks of them, as
in the pUl")HI
e of God, already in heing'; IJr he may, in this
verse, presuppose that this new order IIf God's mereies has he-
gun, in the dcstruction of the Heathen foe.
:!:!. The l"t'H'rsal of the whole tiwmer sentence is continu-
ed up to man. The beasts of the field gruaned, 11'1'1'1' paple.t'ed,
cried Ul/to ('IIII; now th('y are hidden, be not ({(raid; before,
the }Ja...tures (
f tile 1l.ilderne...... w('re de,'ollrecl b,lJ .fire; now, they
...pring with t"t-csh tendcr life; hefore, the.fig tree was withered,
ti,e I'il/e languished; now, they slwuld .1/ield their strengtll. put
out tlleir .filII \"ig-('ur. For GOll wa!oÖ l"('('mll'ilcd to His people;
and all thin
;1 serwd them, serving Him.
:!3. Bt' glad then and rt:ioire in tlie Lord .lJour God. .AU
thing's had Iwen restol"l'd for their !<aIH's; th('y were to rejoice,
not ('hiefly ill these thing-!<, but in God; nor only in (
od, hut
in the Lord thcir (
od. þ'or He Ilat" gÏl'ell you tile .former rain
11lodn'atp(lJ. The word renderedmodel'ate(11 slllluid be rendered
uuto rigldeollsne.
s; thc word. often as it oe('urs, ne,-er ha,'ing-
any
ellse, hut that of righteou.me.çs, whether of God or man.
The other word morell, rendel'ed tile form('/" rain, confes!>edl\"
has that meanin
in the latter part ofth(' verse, althoug-h yoreÎI
is thc distineti\"e term for latter '/"flin 2 . .'loreh Illostlv si
ni-
fies a te((t'lier 3, which is ('onneeted with the other ordiliarv
meaning-s of the root, tora", lUll',
'c. The older translators theil
ag-recd iu rendering, (
f righteollslle...s, or unto rigllfeollslll'sS"', in
whil'h ('ase the (luestinn as to more", is on"-, whether it ii: to he
taken litcrallr of (( teadlel', or figuratively ()f
piritual hlessing-s,

s we say, ..the dew of I1is g-ra('e." E,-en a .Jew parallhrases.
"5 But ye, 0 ehildren of Zion, aho,-c all other nations, he
Iad
and rejnil'e ill the LOI'd VOUl' (iod. For in Him n shall imve
I)er
"c(.t joy, ill the time 01' pmr ('apti\"Íty. For II e'" ill g-ivc you
anlllstl'lldfJr tOI'(
htpollslless; and H(, is thc king-
Iessias, whidl
!'hall teach them the wav in which the\" shall walk and the do-
iug-s whi('h they shall dt}." The grouÍHls t"lIr so r
ndering- the
word are; I) !'ul'h is almost its unitiwlllllleaning-. :!) The rig-hte-
oUsne!'s spol.en of is most natllraIlv understood of ri
dlt
ous-
nes
ill man : it is it I'ondition whielÍ is the result and 'ohjeet of
God's gifts, not the Hig-hteousne!<s of(.od. But "IIe hath giwn
1 ii. I.
Deut. xi. B Jer v "4,
32 Kinp:<xvii. 2
.Job xxxvi. 22. Provo v. VI. Is.ix. i5"x

. 20. (mice) Hab.ii.I8.
· Jon. .. has restored to you your inslructor (or instructors) in righteousness ö" \"ulg.

12,.

and b rC'joice in the LORD your (;od : for he C H 13 í[ors T
hatb gin'n you II the former rain t modc- cir. 800.
ratel)", and be C will ('aust' to ('omp down b
'
iii.4lõ.16.
for you d the rain, the former rain, and tilt'

hh.3io
8i.
latter rain in tilt' first montlt. IIO!.ateacherqf'
t Heb. according to righl,ollsne... · Lev. 26. .. Deut. II. U. & 28. 12
'iI1
':::
'5'.s7:

vou the earlv rain unto ri
hteou!<ness" i. c. that \"e JIIav bc
;'ig-ht('ous, is ill! unwonted e
pre!'!'ion. :i) There is å great 'em-
phasis on tllP word 6, whil'h is not used in the later part of the
vcrse, where min, (whether actual, or spnholical of !'I'iritual
blessings) is !'poken of. 4) The followin/!," words, ((JIll .III' 11/(("-
dh tI,e ruÏtt to descend for -"lOll. aI'('ordin
to the established He-
hrew idiom 7, relates to a sel'aratl' a(,tion, later, in ordcr of time
or of thought, than the former. Rut if the former word 1Jlorelt
..ig-nified eflr(1J rain, both would mean one and the SilIIU' thin
.
,r eshould not say, "He
iveth you the former rain to ri
hteous-
ne!<s, and then He maketh the min, the tilrmer rain and the
latt('r rain to deseend;" nor doth the Hchrew.
It !'eems then most prohahle, that the Prophet prefixes to all
the other promi
e!;, that firi:t all-containing- promise of the
Coming- of Christ. Sueh i.. the wont of the Pml'hets, to goo on
from past judgments and dplh-erallf'e!', to Him 'rIw i!< the cen-
tre of all this ('ycle of Gud's di"pensations, the Son manifest iu
the Flesh. He had heen promised as a Tl'aeher when that in-
ternlPdiate di!<peJlsation of Israel beg-an. the Prophet lik(' un-
to .:\loses. His ('mnin
ohl J al'ob looked to, I hal'e IOllged for
Th!1 .Wilvatiou, U Lord. Him, well known and longed for by
the righteous of old, Joel speaks of a.. the suhjeet ofr('joÎl'ing',
asZe('haraiah did afterwards,ll/:ioice great1.l!, dfl ughter of Zioll;
behold tlly l(illg cmlletlt unto tI,eI'. So .Joel hCI'e, E.ndi llnd
.Îo.1J in tIll' Lord tlt.1! God; for III' giveth, or 1/'ill gh'e tltee, the
Tead,er lOtio rigldeoll_mess. i. e. the result and objeet of "'hose
COlllin
is righteousness; or, a
Ðahi(,. says, to bring ill e,'er-
la...tillg rig!tfeoll.me....
; and Isaiah, B.IJ His k/lUll'ledge, i. e. by the
knowledge of Him, sltull 1'1.'1 rigMPnus ,r.,'erl'(lIIt.iu.
t
r.1J 1JUlll.l!,
i. e. make manv ri
hteou!;. How Hi!' eomine: should issue in
l"i
hteousness, is not herc said. It is presuPI
osed. But Joel

peaks of IIi,. Coming-, as a g-ift, lie slmll girl' you; as Js.liah
says, uuto ItS Cl SOil i... gÏl'en; and that, as tile Teacher, as haiah

ays B, I Iwve gÏl'en llim a witness to the peoples, a Prince (lnd
a Commander unto the peoples; and that, for rig-lde(Jll.çnes.ç.
" It is the wont of thc holy prophets," says S. Cyril, .. on
oeeasion of g-ood things promised to a part or a few, to intro-
duce what is more general or universal. And these arc till'
thiugs of Christ. '1'0 this then the discourse ag-ain 11I"0('eeds.
For when was g-round g"Ï\'en to the earth to rejoicc? "'hen did
the Lord do mig-hty things, but when the "'ord, being- (
od,
becamc
Ian. tlwt, flooding all Jwlow with the
oods from
above, lIe mi
ht be found to those who belie,'c in Him, as a
rin'r of pea('e, a torrcnt of pleasure, as the former and lattcr
rain, aud the giver of all spiritual fruitfuhH'
s?"
Tlte ear(l/ rain amI tltelatter rain. ..9 He multiplies word!",
expressin of the ri('hness of the fruits of the earth, that so we
may under,.tand how wondrous is the plenteonsne!'s of spiritual
g'oods." ßeillg .lhout to speak of the larg-e g-ift of (.od the
Holy Ghost a.. an Old-pouring, hc !'ap, here that ',IOtll(' large-
ncss of the spiritual gifts thereafter should he as ahundant as
the richest temporal blessing.." hitherto, when God disposed
all things to bring' ahout the fruitfuln('s
which lIe had l'rmnis-
cd. The earl.lJ amilafter raill, coming respe('th-ely at th(' seed-
"teacher ofrighteousne
s ö" LXX. "the food. unto ril(hteuusnes
;" followed by S) r. and
Arab. S Abarb.;" Poco so also Jon. and,(followin:; him,) .Iarchi, It. Japhet.
6o:-
-:;o;.
ïThe'com. 8 Is. Iv. 4. v Rib. 10 Lap.
nb

126

JOEL,

C HBí[oí"s T 2-1
\1\(1 the floors shall he full of wheat, I 2.3 .And r will restore to )'ou the years (' J
(Ys T
cir. bOO. aI!d the t
Lts shall overflow 'with wine I e that the 1m'ust hath eaten, the cankcr- cir. tW.
and oil. worm, and the caterpiller, and the palm- ch. 1.4.
time and the han-est, n-pre
('nt tlU' bc
inninA" aud the emu- I holy mind, plaeed as if a \\ inefat, is prt's
l'd, refined, drawn
pletion; and so, hy the analo!!y of earthly and spiritual sow- I ClUt pnre.-It i8 prf'ssed hy C'alamity; refined from iniquity,
in!!, !!nm th and ripeness. tlwy n'prcsent 1 prc,-entinA" and per- purified from ,,-anity. Hencc are elicited the
...oans of ]mre
feetin;,:- ;,:-rac'e ; the inspiration of
ood purposes and the gift of c'onfes"ion; hellc'e stream tht' tears of anxiou!' c'ompulleticm;
final pcrsen'rance, whieh hrin!!s the just to !!Iory eonsulll- henC'
flcnv the si;,:-hs of pleasurahle devotion; hcnce melt th(.
mated; tIle prillciples of the doctrine of ('/lrist and tile going 011 long-ing-s of !'wcetest love; henee are drawn the drop" of purcst
UlltO perfl'ctioIl 2 . eontemplation. "'heat is the perf(,etin
of ri!!htt'cmsncss;
III tIll' tir,
t month. This would belnnA" only to the latter \\ ine, the t'learness of slliritual understanding; oil, the s'n
et-
rain, whieli falls ahout the first month,
Is
n_ m: our .\priJ. the I ness of a l1Iost IlUre eon!'cience."
former raill faUin
ahout (j months earlier, at their sccd til1le s. 25. And I will restore to !IOU the years tlwt the locllst Iwtll
Or, sineI' this l1Ieanin
is unl'ertain 4, it may be, at tbefirst 5, I eaten. The ordcr in whit'll these destroH'rs are named not be-
L c. as "ocm as ever it is needed, m' in contrast to the more ex- in
the same as hefore, it is lllain that the stress is not on the
tensh-e
ifts aftt'rward!< ; or, as at tlle.first II, i. e. all shall. upon order, but on the suecessivencss of the inroads, scnur
e after
their penitenc'e, he rcstored a!'Ò at first. Thcse lesser ,"ariations . s('our;,:-e. It is plain too that thcy did not eomcill the SaIll(' y(
ar,
lea,-e the sC'nsp of the wholt' the same, and aU art' supported ' or two vears, but vear after veal'; fi>r he sav!'Ò, not year, but in
hv t!,"ood authorities. It i!'Ò still a re,'ersal of the former !'cn- the plural, .vears. i'he locu"t"s, althou
h not the whole pla
ue
tén
'e. that, whereas afi)J'(' the ri,-ers of water were dried up. now intended, arc not e};duded. ..l'.\S the power of God was shewn
the rains !.'hould come, eaeh ill its scason. III theßr,
t lIWlltll, in the pla;,:-ues of Egypt by small animals, suC'h as the eYlli-
ami at the heginning, express the same thought. the one with, phes. p:nats so !'maU as s('arce to be Sl'en, so also now," in el"ea-
the other without, a fiA"lIre. For no CJne then needed to bc tolcl tures so small "is shown the power of Gocl and weakness of
that the lattcr rain, in't fell, should fall ill the first lIumtlt, whieh man. If a creature so small is strung-er than man, U'hy are
wa!'ò its appointed season fill' fallin
. If tlien the words had em.tll and ashes proud?" The locusts. small as they are, are
this meaning-, there IlIU...;t have been this cllIpha...is in it, that in God's hands a great arm.lf, (and from this place pl"Clhahly,
God would
he them g-oCltI p:ifts pUllC'tuaUy, instantly, at man'!" )Iohammed \g taup:ht his followers ,,0 to caU thcm) and llli
hty
first and eal"liest needs, at the fir
t nwment when it would be I empires are but "
Othe fi)rces of God and messeng'ers of His Pro-
good for him to ha,-e them.
Js at tile beginning, would ex- vidence for the punishing of" His people "by them," the rod
prcss the same whieh hc ;,:-oes on to say, that (jod would bestow I of [lis anger; and wht'n they have done their ('omlllission and
the same larc-cncss of g-ifts as Hc did, hefol"c the,. forfeited IIis arc cast away by Him, they are as the vilcst worms.
blessin
s b
. forsakini Him. So III' says 7, I 1/:ill restore; th.1f "lS Since then after repentanc'e God pl"Olilises such richness,
iuelges as at tile .first, and tll!1 coullsellor,v a,v at the begillinng ; what will Km-atus say, who denies repentance, or that sinners
-and" SIte sll((l1 sing tllae a.\' in tile d((-'Is (
f Iter.lfoutll, and (IS ill ean he re-forlilcd into their fm'mer state, if they hut do works
the lhl.'llt'lien slle ClllllP up out (
f tIle land of Egypt; and 9, then meet fOI" repentance? For God in sueh wise reeéives penitents,
sllall tlte (!Ui:ring.v of .Judalt and .Fersnsalem hl' pleasant unto tll(' as to ('all them IIis people, and to say, that they s1mll naer be
Lord, ai ill tile da.lls (
f old and as in tIle former .1Iears. Likene8s cunfoll/leled, and to promise, that He will dwcll in tlw midst of
dOl's not neet'""arily imply equality lO, as in the words ll, Tlte them, and that they shall ha"e no othcr God, but shall, with
Lord tll.1f (;ud lei" raise up Ullto tllee a Propltet like Ilnto me; their whole mind. trust in Him '''ho abides in them for ever."
-and \
, tlwt the.'! ma.1f be one, el'C/l as Ire are Vne. The g'ood Through rcpentanc'e all whieh had been lost by sin, is re-
thin
s of the Old Testament had a likeness to those of tlw stored. In itself deadly sin is an irreparable evil. It deprh"es
lXe\\
, else tIle Imt' would not have been e,-en the slweloll' of good the soul of gra('e, of its hope' of glory; it forfcits hea,-en, it
things to come 13 ; they had not equality, else they wOII}d IIaye merit:. hcll. ltod, throu
h Christ, restores the sinner, blots
bccn the '"erY tbin
s themselves. .. 14 Christ is the whole de- out sin, and does away with its eternal eonsequences. Hcre-
li
ht of the
oul, frlllil "'hom and thl"Ou;,:-h "'hom there eOlll- l,lace!' the sinner where he was before be fell. So God says by
eth to those who lcn'e Him. all fulness of good ami supply of I:zekieP1 ; If tile 1('icl;:ed 1('ill turn frmn all the sills ll'lIÏch he
hea,-enly
ifts, represented in the earl.lf alUllatta raill, and tlw Illltlt committed and kelp a[[l11"." statntes, and do tllat which is
ful! jloor uf wlll'llt, and tIle fllt.v ul'e
"floll'iJlg willi wille ami oil. lall/Ill ami right, lie shall sllre(1f lil'e, he shall not die; all M.ç
It is true also as to thc fulness of the mvsterit's. For the transgre,
,
irJlls tbat he hath committcd slwl/ not he melltioncd un-
living wah'r of Holy Baptism i:,
i\"{'n us a
in rain; ancl as in to 1lÏ1II; am}22, as for ti,e u'ickedness nf the u'irked, he shall not
corn, the Drcad of Life, and as in winc thc ßluml." Before, fall therehll ill the elml tbat lie turueth fmm his wickedness. God
tlte bm'fl,ç u'ere brokell down, sinc'e there was nothin
to store 'for
h-es tÌlat wic'kedness, as thou
l
it had ncvcr been. If it
therein. .\s other parts of the natural and spidtnal hu!'band- had never becn, man would ]Hn-C all the gra('e, whie-h he had be-
ry eorresJlond, aud our Lord Himself compares IIis grac'ious fort' his fall. So theu also, after he has been for
iven, none of
tr
als of tho,;e who bear fruit, with the prunin;,:- of the ,-iue l5; his former
raee, no store of fÌ1ture glory, will be taken from
it may he that the vat wherein the g-rape or the olh'e, throuA"h him. The time whic'h the sinner lost, in whieh he might ha,-e
Ilrpssure, )-it'lcl their rieh juiee, is a spnhol of the tribulations gained inC'l"ease of
raec and glory, is lost fill' ever. But all
through which we must enter the kingdom uf GOcl I6 . ..17The whieh he had
aiued before, retUl"Ils.
\ll his lost low returns

I Dion. Castro Lap.
Heb. vi.!. 3 see On Hos. vi. 3.
· In the 1no"n cases, "here, in IhefirsI,-ï."::!o:-::,stands for in ,'.efirst mo,,'h,(Gen. viii.
n, ì'urn. Ï'<.3. ELek. xxix. Ii. xlv. 18,21.) this is marked in the sentence its
lf.
:.
. Jer. R. 'l'anchum, in Poco 6 Aharb. R. Tanch. LXX. Syr. '-ulg.
, Is. i.
Ij Rib. s Hus. ii 15.

9 Mat iii. 4. 10 Rib. 11 Dent. xviii, 15.
12 S. John },vii. 22. 13 Heb. x. 1. 14 S. C)r. 15 S. John xv. 2.
16 Acts xiv. :!::!. I, Hugo de S. Y. IS S.Jer. 19 l\loharnmedprobablyhadit
(rpm Ihe apostate Jew "h
,h
?'Ji

l
compos

glv:.ex:
titI2. W Abarb. in Poco

t'fL\PTER II.

12i

c ll
Íe S T er worll1, f my
reat army whic'h I sent 2i h 4\ ntI ye shan know that I am 1 in t]1(' C Ireftri S T
dr. 1'(10. ntnong- vou. midst of Israel. and that k I (1II1 thc LORI) _ cir. 8f'

rver 11 I I II . I I 1 I . I I I I I b ch. 3. 17.
K Le
. :!
..:;. 2G '4\
H rC Slag cat m p t'uty, am )e your ut)( , all( nont' c se : am my peop t' . L
v. .:!ö. I
._
]'s. :!:!. :!ô. . fi I I . I f ' tl I ] II 1 ] I 1:.. Ez "- ;3,.
See Lc?v. satIs c(, anc praJ
e t lC namc 0 W JOIlD S m never )C a
lamet . :!I;, :!i, :!8.

fi'i:'Iii;.14. your (;od, that hath dealt wondrously II
8
, 1 Ancl it
hall c'oml' to pass after- k

.-r

k:;k,.
with you: and my people shall ncn
r bc II ward, that I m will pour out my spirit upon I i
;i
l,. 3;,
ashamcd. all flesh; Dand rour sons and Ovour dau
hters

;2
i7
9.
111 Zecb. 12. 10. Joh
7. 39. D Is;i. 51. I:}. 0 AclS 21. 9.

thruu
h pcnitenec; all hi", past i
tta!nments, whieh were h,eforc 1/ . "2ï. AI.ul.lle slwll (WOll' t!l
tf I au
ill. tile 1IIfdst 'lI\rael.
acccptcd In' Gud, arc ae(,cl'ted
tlll for the same A'lory. "I' orm- I' {Tod had furetuld theIr rehellwns, Ills fnrsakIIlg- them, tI,e
er works ,,:hidl \1 el'e deadened hy",ins following, revive throu
'h II trouMes which should .filld them, and that tlll.11 should '
".'/IO,
reppntanee 1 ." The penitent he!!in", an('\1 God'!<
crvi('e, but he
lre lIot t!lese et'ils come UpOJl us, hl'Cau.
e our God is not (lII/(JI/{;
i!< nut at the heginnin
of that sCI,,'ice, nor of his prl'paratiou irs"? It had been the IlIoc>kcry of thc Heathen in their dis-
fOl'life etel"llal. If the g-l"iu'e whil'h he had hefore, and the g-Iu- tn'",,,, 11, 11'I,ere is tl/lir God"? ".x ow, hy the fulfilment IIf lIis
ry eorresponding to that graec, and to hi", fllrmt'r attainments pl"OIIIises and hy all God's benefits, they !'houltl knmv that
throuA'h that
raec, were lu,.t tu him, then, altlIOuA'h eternally lIe was alII I III A' them hy
J)el'ial
ral'e a,. IIis 0\\ n pecnliar pco-
blessed, hc would be punished eternally for forgiven sin, whil'h, pie." Stillmorc was this to he fulfilled to Christians, in wlw:;c
God has promi,.ed, should not be remembered. Gild has also III
art IIc dwell.. hy Im-e and gral'e, and of whom lIe !'ays,
pmmi!<ed to reward all whieh is dOlle ill thl' body 2. "'hat is lVI,ere two or three are gathered togetber in
1[.'1
\
llI11e, there
edl, is eflll('cll by thc ßlood of Jcsus. \Yhat, throug-h Hi.. "will I be in t!le midst of them. Iu the hiA'hc:-t !'en,..e, Gild uws
Gracc, was good, and donc for Illve of lIimself, lIe rewards, ill tI,e midst of tlWIll, in that "12God the
on, equal to (;od the
\\ hethl'r it was before anyone fell, or after his re,.toration. Father as touehing His Godhead, did. in the truth of human
Ebe lIe would not, as He says He will, reward all. And who nature, take our fle,.:h. This to see and know. is A'lory and
would not helieV{', that, after Va, id',.; A'l"l'at fall and A'reat repen- bJi!"s ineffable. Thert'fore He repeats, and hy repeatinA', I'on-
tam'e, God still rewarded all that great early simplc tltith and firJlJ!', what He had said, And J1.'I people slwff nel'er be a.
bm1ted.
patienee. which lIe g-il\-e him? ,,'hence writprs of old !'ay, ..8 It Yea, gloriou"" magnified, honoured, !'hall be the people. to
i,.. pious to helieve that the reeO\-ered
raee of God which de- whom such a Son wa", promised, and of whom He was horn.
stl"lJp a man's former evils, al,.o reiute
ratcs his
0U(1, and that G!oriou", to them i", that which the Apostle saith, that He took
God, when lIe hath de"'troyed in a man what is not IIis, Im-es 1/ot OIl Him t1w 1/ature of Angels, but He took tlte seed lif Abrrr-
the good whil'h He implanted e,-en in the sinner." '..IGlld is 11([11/, and this glory !'hall he eternal."
plea",ed alike with the virtue of the just, and tlu' meet I'epen- "2H. Ami it slw!l come to pa.
s ({fterward. _\.ftt'r the 1'"-
tancc of !'inners, which restorcd to (heir former estate David i nishment of the Jews throuA'h the Heathen, and their deli,-er-
and Peter." ,. Penit('IH'e i", an exeellent thinA' which reealleth lance; aft('r the Coming of the Teaeher IIf rig-hteousnes"" was
to pcrfel.tion nery dcfl'ct." ..;; Gud letteth His sun arise on !'iu- to follow the outpourinA' of the Spirit of (;od.
ners, nor doth Ill' Ics!" than before. A'ivc them. lIlOst larg('
ifts of Ill'ill pOllr Ollt J1.11 ðì,irit on ([ll.fle.
!I. ,o2This wllieh Ill'
lift' and salvation." "'hem'e, sinec the cankerworm, &c. are say!', 011 allJle.
h, admit", of no ex('eption of nation or persons.
ima
es of spiritual enemies. this plac>e has heen l'aral)hrased; For hefore Jcsus was glorified, Hc had poured His Spirit only
"51 will not allow the riehne,.s of "'IÚritual things to peri!,'h, on the SOIl
of Zion. and out of that nation only were there
whieh ye lo!'t thr(JUA'h the pa
!'ions of the mind." Kay, sinc'c Prophets and wi
e men. ßut after He was A'lorified by His
none can rel'over without the
riu'e of God an . d u!'ing- that grace, I Hcsurrection and .A",cl'nsion, He made no ditferenl'c of Jews
the penitent, who really ri!'es again by the graee of God, rises and [.cntile,., hut willed that remis!'ionof",ins should he preaeh-
with larA'er g-rilc>e than hefore, sinee he has both the former I cd to all alike:'
g-race, and, in addition, this new /!ra('e, whereby he ri:,es. A ff jlesh is the name of all mankind.
o in the time of
"26. Am/.lle .
/t(lll eat in plent.1f alld be sati!f/ìed. It i", of the the flood. it is said aff fles!l hat! corN'pted ltis ll'a.lI: ti,e end
puni,.lnnent of God, when men eat and arc lIOt ",atisfied í: it i:-. of all jlesll is come before Jle. )Ioses aslí:'. ldlO of aff.fle.
/1 hath
man'..; ",in, that they arc !'atisfi(.(l. and do not prai!-e God, but beard tllC t'oice of the Lord God, as u'e ha,'e, am/liz'ed? So
the In ore for
et Him B . .\.nd so God's hlcssin
s hel'ome a eur!'e in Job; ill "'llOse J-IaJl([ is the breath of allJlesh of 1IIali. If
to. him. God promises to restOI'e His A'ift"" and to gh'c grape He set J-lis heart UpOIi 1IIall,
f He gat/IeI' to llilll.
elf /â.v spirit
wIthal. that they should own and thank Him. aud /âs breath, all .flesll shall perish togethl'r. .\.ml David;
"
ho IUltl1 dealt ll'(JJldrOllsly ll'Íth pOll. ., Fir",t. wonderfully Tholl that hearest prayer, to Thee shall a!ljlesh come; let alljlesh

Je aflhC>Í('d and ehastened them, and then ga,'e them wonder- Mess Jlis HO(1f .LYame for Cl'er alld aer 13 . In like way speak
tul abundauee uf all thing-so and \"Cry gn'at aud miral'ulous eon- Isaiah. Jeremiah, Ezekiel. Zeehariah u. The" ords a/l jlesh
solation. a
ter ychcment trihulation, so that they mi
ht trul)' arc in the Pentateuch. and in one phtl'e in Daniel, used. in a
say, TIm IS the clt(llige of the Rigid .Eland of tIle JIost HI:t:h." yet wider !'ense. of en-ry t hin
whidl ha:, life 15; hut, in no one
AI
d JI,'I p('(,p
e shaUuel'er be asltallled. "9 So thatther l'er- {'a:,e, in any narrower sen:,e. It docs not indude e,-ery indivi-

l'n-re. III Ills sernee. :\.lthough he ineur temporal eonfu",ion. dual in the mee, but it include!' the whole race, and indÏ\'i-
Yl't tIns shall not la!<t tor ever, but the people of the prede!'ti- dual", thruug-hout it, in every nation, sex, eondition, .Jell' OT
nate, penitent, and patient in a(h-er!'ity, will be san-d tor e,-er." Gentile, Greek or Barbarian, i. e. edueated or uneducated, rich
1
Ioss on Ep. a
.H:e
. _ 2 2 Cor. v. 10. 3 de ver. et fals. pænit. e. H. 12 Rup. 13 Gen. vi. 12,13. Deut. v. 2G. Job xii. 10. xxxiv. H,15. Ps: Ixv.
4 Gloss on Lev. '11. lIut. . s. .",:ug. Ep. 153. ad )Iacedon.
i. 6 Gloss hic. 2. c,,<lv. :!I. H Is. '<I. 5, 6. xlix. 26. Ixvi. 16,23.24. Jer. xxv. 31. xx,,<ii. 2i. xlv. 5.
T
e abme pa
'ages are quoted br "
Iedma, deræuit. q. fl. who useslhese arguments. Euk. xx. -is. xxi. -i, 5. Zech. ii. 13. .. Gl'n. \Ii. Ii, HJ. vii. 15. 11\, 21. ,iii.
, see H08. IV. 10. ti HOB. xiII. G. 3 Dion, 10 Deut. xxxi. Ii. 11 ii. Ii. Ii. ix. lIt 15, W, Ii. Lev. x,ii. 14. !'ium. x,iii. 15. Dan. iv. 12'l'roLablyPs. cnxvi. 25

nb2

128

c J!;[oÍs T slmll prophesy, your oMmen shaH dream
cir. 800.

JOEL,

dreams, your young men shall see visions : c HB
oÍes T
cir. BOO.

or poor, hond or free, male or fcmale. .As all were to he 0111'
ilt CI,rist Jeslls I,
o on all was to he IUJured the Holy
I'irit,
the Bund ""1111 was to hind all in one. lIe name
our nature
frolll that which is the lowest in it, t1leflesh, "ith the
ame eon-
de
cell
iun "ith whic'h it is
aid, The Trord ll'aS made flesh 2 ,
whelH'c 'n'
l'eak of the Illcarllatio/l of our Ble
sed Lor(l, i. e.
c. IIi!< taking- clII Him our Fle
h." He hUlllhled Him
elf to take
our fle
h ; lIe eame, as our Phy
il'ian, to heal our flc
h. the !o'eat
of our eoneulliseelll'e. So al
o (;ud the Holy (;ho
t ,"ouehsafes
to (hn1l in our flesh, to
aIH'tify it and to heal it. Ill', "-hom God
!<aith lIt' will pour out on all flesh, is the Spirit of GIIII, and God.
He docs not
ay that IIc will pour out graees, or g-ifts, ordinary
or extnwnlinary, influenl'e
, f'ulllIllUllieations, or the like. lIe

ay
, / Il'ill p(JIlrout JI,II Spirit; a
S.Paul
ay
, klwu' .'11' Ilot tlwt
yc arc tI,e femple of (;od, alld the Spirit of God dlul/etl, i/l .1/01l 3 ?
re ar(' /lot i/l the fle,
/t but ill tIle Spirit, if so be that the Spirit
(
f God du'ell ill !IOU. .LYme {f all.l/ 11/(111 hare not ti,e Spirit of
CIII'Üt,11C is lIolte of His.... It is !<aid ilHleed, Oil tllC Gnlfiles al-
.w u'as pOllred Ollt the gift of tIle I/ol!1 GllOst, hut the g-ift of
the IIoly Gho
t was the I101y Gho
t Hilllself, as it had heen
just
aid, the /[o(1J Glw.
tfell Oil all tlmll that I/(:ard tllC u'orfl 5 .
It is said, the 101'1' of God is slll'd ahroad ill (JIlr I,eart,v h.1/ tIle
Holy (;ho,çt, whi,./t Ü KÍl'('1t us 6 ; hut the Holy Glwst is fir
t
gh'l'Il, and lIe poureth out into the soul tllC 101'1' of God. .b
God the 'Yord. when lIe took human nature, eame into it per-
sonally, so that thefllllle,vs of the Godlll'ad dwelt hodi(/f il/ it 7 ;
so, really, althoug-h not IJCrsonally, doth the Holy Spirit, and
so the whole Trinity, enh'r into our mind, hy !'anctific'ation,
and (lwcllc,tll in it a
in IIi
throne." Xo I'l"eated being, no
.Ang-cJ, nor Arehang-el could dwell in the !'oul. ..8God Alone
ean he pourecl out into the soul, so as to po
se
s it, enlig-hten
it, teaeh, kilHUe, hend, mO\"e it as He wiJI
," !'am.tify. satiate,
fill it. .\nd "as GUll is really present with the hles
ed, when
lIe
heweth to them IIis E

cll('e by the hcatific' ,'ision and
lig-ht of g-Iory, and communieates it to them, to enjoy and pos-
8e

; so He, the Same, i:-i also in the hol\- soul, and thus diffus-
eth in it His g-raec, love, and other diviile
ifh." At the nw-
ment of justific'ation, " the lIoly Gho
t and
o the whole Holy
Trinity entereth the
oul as His temple,
alll,tifying and a!' it
were dedL'atin
and eon!<ecratinl!," it to Him
c1f, and at the
same momcnt of time, althoug-ll in the order of nature suhse-
fluently, lIe eOlllmunicates to it lIis lo,'e amI g-rat'e. Such is
the meaning of, Trell'ill come unto IlÏm, ami make Our abode ll'Ïth
him. This i
the hi
he
t union ofGml with the holv soul; and
p:reatcr than this 1101;(' can be given to any creature, i'or by it we
become partakers offill' Dil"ine
Yature, as S. Peter9
aith.
ee
here, 0 (,hri
tian, the dig-nity of the holiness whereunto thou
art c'alled amI with all zcal follow after, pre
erve, enlarg-e it."
This His Spirit. (;od says, / will pour, i. e. gi,-e lar
clr, as
thou
h lie would empty out Him "'110 is Infinite, !'o that there
should be no mea:-iure of His g-idng, !"ave our eapac'ity ofreceÏ\--
in
. So He says of eon\"erted lsraepo, I Iwve ]JourI'd Ollt _JI.IJ
Spirit upon tile llOlise of Lvrael, and ", / ll,ill pour Ollt upon the
IWll,çe of Ðlll'id and upon tlle illlwbitants of Jerusalem the
'pi-
rit of gra,.e ami supplicatioll.
.Ami .yollr SOilS alld YOllr daugMers .çhall propllesy. This
cannot limit what he has !"aid, that God would pour out His

1 Gal. iii. 28. 2 S. Aug. Ep. 14U. c. 4. Lap. 3 1 Cor. iii. 16. 4 Rom. ,iii.!J, 10.
" Acts x. 4f, -15. 6 Rom. v. 5, i Col. ii. 9. . Lap. . 2 Pet. i. 4. 10 Ezek.
;
X:: 2
6 Ib
\.

t
iijltts :x
9:' I.
b
'xt
1

x

ioJ ;
.Ibi96
..('t;ke i:: J
:lá:

Spirit upon all flesh. He gives in
tmH'es of that out-pouring,
in those mira('nlous gift!', whieh were at the first to be the
tokens and e\"Ïdenee of His inn-anI Pre:.enee. The!ie gifts
were at the first be
towed on the .Jews only. The hig-hest werp
resened ahog-ether for them. Jews only were employcd as
.Apo:stlcs and E,-ang-c1ists; Jews only \\ rote, by in!"l'imtion of
God, the OJ"(l,.[e,
of God, as the source of the faith of the whole
world. '.I
The .\postles were sons of I
racl; the Mother of our
Lord Je!"us Christ, and the other women who abmle at the

ame time and prayed with the .\postles, were daughters.
S. Luke mention!', .All tlll',çe ll'ere ]Jersl't'erillg ll'ith 0111' (lc('()rcl
ill prayer ll'Ïtll the l('ollll'n alld J[ar.11 tIle mother of Jl'SIlS, alld His
IJrdllren. These sons and daug-hters of the !'ons of Zion, ha,'-
in
reecived the Spirit, prophcsied, i. e. in dh'ers tongue
they
!'poke of the heavenly mysteries." In the narruw sen
e of
.-8 foretelling the future, the '\l'o
tles, the Ble
sed Yirg-ill I3 , Za-
1'lliIrias Ii ami _\una 15, Elizabeth 16, the ,irg-in dau
hters of
Philip 17, A
alms 18, S. John in the .\pocalyp
e,"
imeoll19, and
S. Paul al
o onentimes 20 prophe!;ied. At Antioch, there were
certain propllets 21; amI 22 the Holy Ghost ill et'ery city witness-
ed, sa.l/iug, II(([t lJ(}Jul,ç alld qtJ!ictions all'aited him in Jeruro;alem.
"ßut it is superfluous," adds 'l'heodoret 23 aftcr gh"ing-
mlle in-
!'tanee
, .. to set my
elfto pnwe the truth of the I'l"Opheey. For
down to our timc
abo hath thi

ift been preserved, and there
are among the saint
. men who have the eye of the miml clear,
who foreknow and foretdlmany of the thin
s whit'h arc about
to be." So the death of Juliail the .Al'ost
te, who feU, as it
seemed, hy a chance wound in war with the Persians was for-

een and foretold 2... ; and S. Cyprian foretuld the day of his
own martyrdom and the clo
e of the Decian perseeution, which
ended throu!!.'h the dcath of the Emperur in a ra
h advance
O\-er a moras
, when, i(.toT)- was g-ained 25 . The !'tream of
prophe('y has heen traced down throug-h more than four cen-
turies fi'om the Birth of the Redeemer. Om' of the Bishops
of the COUlU'il of
lee was gifted with a l)ropheti(. spirit
6.
rour old men slmll dream drealJis, and YOllr young 1Jlt'll
sll/lll see visiolls. .c8God often attempers Himself and His ora-
I'le
to the eondition of men, and <tl)pears to eaeh, a
suits his
,.tate." It may then be, that to old men, while
leeping by
reason of age, lIe al)peared most eommonly in dreams; to
young men, while watehing-, in \"Ïsions. But it is so eommon
in Hebrew, that eal'h part of the nrse should be filled up from
the other, that perhaps the Prophet only mean
, that their old
and YOUlIg'
hou1d han' dreams and see visions, and hoth from
God. Kor arc thes(' the highest of God's re,'clations ; as lIe
says, that to the prophet He wouhl make Himself lawll'll ill a 't'i-
SiWl and would speak ill a dream, but to
Ioses 1/Wlltl, to mOllth;
even apparent!.l/, ami not ill dark speeches; aJUt the similitude
of the Lord slmlllle bpllOld 27.
The .\po
tlcs also !'aw waking visions, as S. Peter at Jllppa 28;
(and that so fre(luently, that when the .\ng-el delivered him,
he thuug-ht that it was one of his aeen
tomed d
ions29,) and Paul
aner his c'oll\"ersion, amI ealling him to Macedonia; and the
Lord appeared unto him in vision at Corinth, re,realing- to him
the conversions whieh should be worked there, and at Je-
rusalem foretelling to him the wihle!'s he should hear to Him
at Rome. In the ship, the .Angel of the Lord foretold to him

A..ts xx. 29,30. 2 Thess. ii. 3.12. 2 Tim. iii. 1,4. 1 Tim. iv. 1. 21 Act. xiii. 1.
2:! Acts xx. 23. 23 ad loco 2' Theodoret H. E. iii. 18, 19. 2ó see Pref. to
S. C}prian's EpistJes and Ep. xi. p. 2ï. note k. Oxf. Tr. 26 S. Greg. 1\az. Orat, IS. in
fun. patr.
12. Zi Num. xii. 6, 8.
s Acts x. 10 sqq. xi. 5 sqq. z, lb. xii. 9.

f'IL\PTER II.

I:W

C HR;[ois T 29 .And also upon p the sernmts and
cir. 000. upon the handmaids in those dafs will I
p

t3.Ig;..13. pour ont my !'pirit.
Co\. 3. 11.

an
\nd q I will sh('w wonders in the c ltl
rt S T
heavens and in the earth, 1.lood, and fin',
ir.
O-=-
and pillars of smuke. 'I
::
t ;;: if:
Luke 21. 11, 25.

hi
(J\\'n
afety, and that God had g-iven him aU \\ 1111 !'ailed
with him 1. .inania
2and ('ornelius';also rCI'('in'd revelations
through visions. Hut all these were only rcvelations of sin
le
truths or fhcts. Of a hi
her sort seems to be that re\"elatioll,
when'ln' our Lord rcvealcd to S. Paul Hims(.lf and His Gos-
pel whi"eh S. Paul was to I'reaeh, and tIle wisdum uf God, amI
the g-Iories of the world to ('ome, and the cOIl\-ersion of the
Gentiles; amI wlU'n he was caught up tu the tllird IIC(n'en, and
alJ/tlulrwre of revel{ltioll.
wcre vOlu'hsafed to him 4.
29. ..-In;1 also upun tllC sen'allts. God tclls beforehand that
He would be no respecter of l'er..ons. He had said, that He
would endow e\'erv ag-e and !'ex. lIe adds here, and eyerv con-
dition, ewn that (;f
Im'es, both male a!HI female. lIe docs
not add Il('re, that they shaIll'rophesy. rnder the law, God
had prodded for slm'es, that, even if aliens, tlH'Y should by
eirl'umcision be enrolled in His family and people; that they
SIHlUld ha\'e the rest and the devotion of the sabbath; and share
the joy of their
reat festivals,
oin
up with thcir masters
and mistrcs:öes to the place which God appointed. They were
included in onc ('OmlllOn ordinance of joy; re shall rr;iuice he-
fore tlte Lurd YUill' God, ye (tlul YUill' suns alld .'Iuur dallgllters,
(lIId [lit.] .lluur men slcæe,
alld your wumen slm'es, aml tllC Le-
t'ite wlddl is witllin .'IOllr gates 5 . In the times before the Gos-
J}{'I, thcydouhtlessfcll u!Hlerthecontcllll't in whil'h the Pharisecs
held all the less educated class; These people u'ho knoll'etlt 1I0t
tllelwl' (i.e,ac('ordin
to thee
planation of their S('llOOls) Î!;cllrs-
ed. "'henee it ,,-as a saying- of their
, "6 Prophecy doth not re-
!'ide except 011 one wis(
and mighty and rich." As then else-
where it was gh-en as a mark of the Gospel, the puor hlll'e tIle
Gospel prearlled Ill/to tllelll, so here. It was not what the Jews
ufhis (lay expected: for he ,.ays,
-J1ll1 011 tIle sen'ants too. But
he tells befurehand, what was a
ainst tlU' pride both of his own
time!< and of the time of its fulfilment, that 7 God dwse tI,e fuol-
isll tMngs uft/le l('urld to cÚI{frJl(ml the ll'ise, and God hath dlO-
sell tlte ll'eak tMugs of tlie world tu collfolllld tlie tMngs Wlticll lire
migMy; allll hase tMng.
of tlie It'orld alld fldllgs u'hich are de-
spised Iwtll God chosen, ami tMngs u'hir'lI lire Ilot, to hring to
lIougld fMugs tltat are, that 110 fiesll slwulrl glUl:1/ ill His pre-
,
ell('e. The prophetic word ('ird('s round to that" herewith
it be
an, the all-containing promise of the large out-pouring-
of the Spirit of God: alld that, upon those whom the carnal
Jews at all times would least expectto rCl'eÍve it. It beg-an with
ilH'huling the heathen: I l{'il/ pour out JI.'I Spirit un all fie,
h;
it instalU'e!" individual
ifts; and then it ends by resting- on the

la\-es : awl Ull thes(' too ill tllOse dll.lls zi'Ï1l I puur (jut JIy Spirit.
The urder of the words is si
llifi('ant. He begins, I will ]Juur
Ullt 111.1/ ,-"ipirit upon all Jle.
/I, and then, in order to lea"e the
mind restin
011 those same great words, he inverts the order,
and ends, amiupoll tlte serl'llllts mill npon the haml/l/aidells Ì
1l'ill pOllr ollr
lIy ,f.'pÏJ'it. It leaves the thoughts resting on the
/!reat words, I 1l'ill ]Jour out
lIy Spirit.
The Church at Rome, whose fait II was .
pokell of throllghuut
the u'lwle ll'Orltl\ wai", as far as it eonsi!"ted of ('OJIVerted Jews,
made up of !<Ia\"es, who had been set free bv their masters.
For !"uch were most of the Roman Jews, "9 wl;o oecupied that
I Acts ix. 12, xvi. 6, ï,9. xviii. 9. xix. 21. niii. 11. X'I:> ii. 21-
2 Acts ix. 10. 3 Acts x. 3. · Gal. i. 12,16.1 Cor. ii. í. Eph. iii. 3. 2 Cor.
x}i. 1-;: ... G
. x\ ii. 23, 27: Ex. xx., 10. Deut. :l..ii. 12,18. xvi. 11, 14. 6 )foreh
r\.ebo
hlm,lI. 32. In Poe. . I 1 C
r. 1. 27-;;0. s ,Rom. i. 8. 9 Philo leg.
aa CalUm, 1'. 1011. ed. Pans. to DlOn. II Ps, CXVI. 16. 12 Gen. xni. 24.

larg-e !'ectiun of Rome hcnllld the Tiher."
Iost ofthe!<e, Philo
sa \' s, .. hil\"Ín
b('en mad;' freemell, " erl' Ruman citizcns. For
ha',-ing- Jwen hmu
ht as f'al'ti\"('s to Italy, set frce hy thcir Jlur-
clHl!'crs, without I)('in
('omJlellcd to challg-e any of their coun-
try's rites, tlH'Y had their s
nag-ogues and as,.embled in thcm,
c"l'el'ially on the sahhath."
S. Peter, in deelarin
that the,.e words heg-an to be fulfilled
in the Day of Pentcl'ost, quotes thelll with t" 0 lc,.ser differ-
elwes. I will pour Ollt of
ll.lf Spirit, and IlpOIl )1 Y .
erl'(llIts find
1\1 y IWllrlmllidllls. The words dedare somethiu
in adlIition,
hut do not alter the m('anin
, and so S. Peter (luote..; them as
they lay in the Greek, \\ hidl probabl) \\ a!< the lan
ua
e known
by mu..t of the mixed multitude, to whom he spake on the day
of Pcnh'('o..t. The words, I'IL'ÎII pow' Ollt .11.11 Spirit, express
the laI'
ell('
s and the fllJue!'s (If the
ift of Him, "10 ''''10 is
"ery God, l'nchan
eahle and Infinite, ,nlO Ì.... gh-en or puured
out, not by ('hang-e of phll'e but by the lar
encss of lIis Pre-
sem'c." The words 1 will pOllr Ullt of .11.11 Spirit, cxprc:,s in
part, that 11(' '\"ho is Infinite ('annot be eontained by us who
arc finite; in part, they iudieate, that there !'llOuld be a Ilistri-
bution of gifts, althou
h 1l'or/æd hy ()lIe allll tIle SUllie Spirit,
as the Prophct also implies in what fi,lIows. .\
ain, the wordl',
the sert'allt.ç aud tile IU[J/dlll((ide1/.
, mal'k the outward ('()Jlflition ;
thc "-ord
.JI.'ISerl'mt!s alld .11.11 IU[Julm a idells, dedare that ther('
should 1)(' no differenel' hetween hOlld (lmlfree. 'flu' sen-ants
and handmaidens should have that hig-hest title of honor, that
they should he the servants of (;od. 'For what more eail thc
ereåture desire? The Psahlli,.t sap. to God II, Lo, I am TIIY
sen'rl1lt aud tile sull of Tltille handmaid; and God gives it as
a title of honour to Abraham and :\Ioses and Job alul David
and I
aiah 12, and _\hraham and Da\ id call thelll!<eh-es the
er-
vant
of God 18, and S. Paul, S. Peter, and S. J llde, sen'(lI/ts of
Jesus Christl"', and S. James, the SeI"valit of God 15 ; and the
blessed Yir
in, the IWlldl/lllid ({f the Lunl lS ; yea, and our Lord
Himself, in His Human Xature is spoken of in prophel'Y as
17 tile Sert'(utl of tile Lord.
30. ..-Jlld lwitl sllel!' u'uJl(lers. Each rewlation of God pre-
pares the way ti,r another, until that la!'t renlation of His lo,"e
and of His \Hath in the Grcat Day. In delinring His people
from I:gypt, tile Lord sflell'eel .
iglls alld u'ullliers, {!reat (l1ll1
sore, Up 011 Eg.'lpt 18. Here, in allusion to it, He !'ays, in the
same wonls 19 , of the new re,-elation, 1 will shell". or gÎl'e, 1('011-
deI's, or !l'omlrous sigll.
, :as the worù ineludes both) "onder

heyond the course and order of nature, and l'OI.tending- other
dispensations of God, of joy to His faithful, terror tu Hi.. ene-
mies. As when Israel came out of Eg-ypt, 20 tIle pillar of tile
cloud 2('as a cloud lInd rlarlmess to the ('((11/1' of the Eg.'lptialls,
but glll'e ligM b.lllligM to the call/p of Israel, so all God's work-
ing-s are light and darkness, at onc(', aeeonlin
as men are, who
!-jee thcm or to \\-IlOm thcy ('ome. TIU'se wonders in heaven and
earth "began in" the first Comin
and h Pa
sion of Christ, grew
in the destruction of JemsaJem, but !'hall Iw pcrf('ctly fulfilled
towards the end of the wodd, before the final J lldgment, and
the destruetion of the Cniverl'e." At the birth of Christ, there
was tIle star which aJ'peare(1 to the wise Illcn, amI tile 1I/ulti-
Kum. xii. 7, 8. Josh. i, 2. 2 KingS>.xi.l3. Job i. 8. ii. 3. xlii. 7, S. 2 Sam. vii. 5, &c. Is.
xx. 3. 13 Gen. xix. 19. 1's. Ixxxvi. 2,4. .. Rom, i. 1. Gal. i. 10. 2l'et. i. 1.
J ud. i. 1. I. Jam. i. 1. also Til. i. 1. 16 S. Luke i. 38, 4.5. 17 Is, x1ii. 1.
xlix. 6. Iii. 13. Zech iii. 8. Ezek. xxxi\. 23,4. xxxvii. 24, 5. IS Deut. vi. 22.
19 C"i"'t':' I"i""}o; ,. i"" Veut. C"i"'t'': "i"'i"':' Joel. 2Q Ex. xiv. 19, 20.

130

c If
oíes T :n r The sun shall be turned into dark-
cir. 8110. ness, and the moon into hlood, · hefore the
r
h
i3.t
:;
o.
r
at and tliP terrible day oftbe LOlW ('OUIt'.
. ver.1O. :\Iatt. 2J. :!!). :\Jark 13. 24. Luke 21. :!5. Rev. 6.12. · Mal. 4. 5.

tude rl tlu' hem'enl.'! host, whom the !.'hel'herd

aw. At lli8
Atonin
neath, tIle .
1lI1 7('as darli:l'ned, there was the three
hour
' darlme
s over the whole laud; and on earth the '('eil rl
the temple 1l'aS rent in twain froJII the top to the bottolll, and
the eartll did quake, aJl(I tile /"(J("ks rent,wul tlu' ,grm'es u'ere open-
ed l : ami the lllmlli and water i!ò!'ued thllll the
,n-iour's
ide.
After IIi!' Re
urret'tion, there ".t!' the, i!'iouof .\u
t'I!<, terrihle
to the !;oldi('r
who wah'hed the
el'ult'hre, t'lIInfortin
to the
women who sou
ht to honor Je
n!>. His Re
UI...el'tioll was a
!<i
n on earth, Ùis .\s('t'n
ion in em.th and heaven. ßut our
L
'rd
peaks of signs hoth in earth and hcann, as weU hefore
the d(,
trnetion of Jerusalem, a
before His sel'lmd Coming.
"ïth rel!ard to thc details, it
(.t'll\
prohahle that thi
i
an
instant'(. of what we may ('all an inn'rted paralleli
m, that hav-
ing- uu'ntioned
eneraUy that God would g-i,'e Ûgns ill I) heal'en
awl 2) ew.t!l, the Proplwt first in!'talH'es the sip-ns ill eartll, and
then tho!<e in heW'l'Il. .\ n.t'y inteU(
etual Jewish eXJlositor 2 has
sug-
e!<tcd thi
, and t'el.tainly it is frequent enou
h to be, in con-
eber forms, one of the idioms of the sacred lan:!:ual!;e. J n sueh
case, tllC blood and .fire and pillars of ,mwke,' wiÙ be signs ill
em.fll; tIll' turning of the sun into darknes.
and tIle 1lIoon into
blood will he signs inllClll'en. '''hen ti'retelliu/!," the de!oitnH'tion
of .Jt'rusalt'm, the Day ofvcn
eanec, whieh feU with !'ueh ,If'eu-
1,11ulatcd horror on the denlted ('itv, and ha
for the
e I
OO
year!< di
per!'cd the people of Israel tö the four winds, our Lord
m('ntiHn
fir
t the sign!'O un earth, then those in hem'en. .iYation
shall arise against llatÙm, alifl kingdom against kingdom, and
great earthquake,ç sllall he ill di"CI"S pl(l('{'s, aml famines, ((mZ
pestilences; ((Illlfearflil sig/ds ((mlgreat .
igns sllllll tllere he/rom
lIelll'l'1l 3 . Before the Day of Judgment our Lord al!'o f'l'eaks of
both 4; I) tllCl"e.çllllll he sign.dll tile sun mill ill the moon amlin the
stars; 2) aJillupoJl theearfll distress ofJl((tiollswitllpCl]Jlexif.lJ;
file sea and tile lI'(ll'CS roaring; men's I/Carts failing fllem for
fear and lor lool..ing after those t!till!;.\' 1l'!tidl are coming on tht:
earth; for the pOll'as (l he((l'l'll slwll be slwken.
The .Jewish hi
torian relatc!; Si:!,"IlS both in hea,'en and in
('arth, before the de
truetion of J
ru
alem 6. ".\. !'tar stood
lik(. a sword over J(
ru,.;alem ;"" a Ii:!,"ht whit-h, when the peo-
ple werc a

emhlcd at the Pas
oHr at !) at ni
;ht, !<houe !'Oo
bri
htly arouud the altar and the temple, th.at it
eemed like
bright day, and thi
for half an hour: the Ea
tern door of the
temple, whit'h 20 men
('arecly !<hut at ('n'ntide, !'tayed with
iron-bound bars, and ,-ery deeIJ bolts let down into the thresh-
hold of one solid !'tone, was seen at () o'do('k at nig-ht to open of
it
own a('eord; chariots and armed tn'olJS wen' scen nlong- the
wilOll' emmtry, ('oursing- throu
h the ('Ioud
, encircling" the t'i-
tics; at th(' fea!'Ot of Penteeost, the pricst
enterin
the tem-
pip hy ni
ht, as their wont was for wor
hip, first perl'eÏ\'ed a

rcat movement amI sound. and then a multitudinous voice,
, Let us depart henee.'" TIJ('se !'ig-ns wcre authentieated by
the multitude or character of tho!'e who witn('ssed them.
:H. Before tIle great and terrible J)({li (
f the Lortl l'Ome.
" 5,!'he davs of our life arc our dav!' wherein we do what wc
plea
e: tll;tt will he the lJa.'l of tIle Lord. when He, our J ud
e,
shall requirp the aeeount of aU our doin
s. It will he great, be-
eause it i
the horizon oftime and eternity; the la
t day of time,
the beg-inllin
of eternity. It will put an end to the world, guilt,
] S. Luke xxiii. 44,.5. S. Matt. x'\.vii. 4.5, .51, 52.
Aben Ezra. I '
3 S. Luke x.
.i. 10, II. _4 lb. 2,;, 26. _ . J,o>. de. b
ll. J ud. vi:.? 3. also in
Euseb. H. E. Ill. 8. 6 Ldp. , Hugo de S. ". 8 S. BdsIlm Ps. XXXlU.
S. Lap.

JOEL,

3

\nd it shall ('ome to pass, that t wl1o- C Hß:"fo{c;, T
soe\-er shall call on the name of the LORn cir. liOO.
slu.ùl he deli,'ered : for u in mount Zion and:

r4l.oi2'
& 59. :!O. Obad. 17. Rom. 11. 21;.
dc
erts,
ood or evil. It willlw great, beeaus(' in i t
reat thin
s
will be done. Christ with all His .\n
('ls will ('ome down, and
"it on His Throne; all who ha,-e ever li,'ed or !'Ohalllive,
hall
be plaeed bcfiu'e Him to be judg-ed; all thou
hts, words, and
dced!'O shall be 'n'i
hed mo!<t exal'tly; un all a !>entelll'e will be
pa!'Of'ed, ah:o'olute, irrevOl'ahlc thmup:hout etcrnity; the saints
!'hall be a
sil!;m'd to heaven, the un
O(Uy to hell; a p,Teat gulf
shall be placed hctwecn, whieh
hall
ever them for evcr,
o that
the un
odly shall never !'ee th(' g-odly Iwr heaven nor (.od;
but
haU he shut up in a prison for ever, and !"hall burn a!' long
a!'O heaven
haH be hea,-en, or God shall he God." "7That Day
shall be g-I'eat to tht' faithful, terri1JIe to the unbelieving-; /!,"reat
to thu!'e who said, Tmly tla"s is tile SOil of God; telTible to
tho
e who !'aid, .flis blood be Ilpon liS and npon our dlilch'ell."
"
'rhen then thou art hurried to any sin, think on that teni-
hie and unendurahlejudg-ment-!'(.at oh
hrist, where the JLHI
e
sits un His lofty Throne, and all creation shall stand in awe at
His g-Iorious Appearing- and we shall be broug-ht, Oil(' hy one,
to g-h'e aeeount of what we ha,'c done in life. Then hy him
who hath done nuwh evil in life. thel'e will stand terrihle an-
/!,"cls.-1'llere will be the deep
ulf, the impa
sahle darkness,
the li/!,"htle
s fire, retaining- in darkness the power to Iml'n, hut
reft of its rays. TIIl're is the ('mplli
oned and ra'"eJUlUs worm,
in!'atiably denmring- ami neH'r
ati
fied, int1ictin
by its gnaw-
ing- pang-s unbcarahle. Therc that sharpest llUni!'Ohment of
all, that shame and everlastin
reprnaeh. :Fear tht'se thin
s;
and, in
trueted by this fear, hold in thy !'oul a!ò with a bridle
from the lust of eviL"
32. lrlwsoel'er slwll call upon the ....Ymne of tile Lord. To
call1/pon tIle
Yame of tIle Lord, is to wor
hip Him, as He IS,
depend in/!," upon Him. TIle
Yame of tIle Lord, expresses lIis
True Being-, That whieh He IS. Helu'e so often in Holy Serip-
ture, men arc said to ('all OIl the
Yrtlne qf tlte Lord, to Mess
the -,-Yame of tIle Lord, to prai.çe tile .J..Yame of tile Lord. to sillg
praisl's to Ilis
Ya1Jie, to make melltioll of His ..Yame, to tell of
His .J..Yame. to knoll' His .J..Yame 9 ; but it is verv rarely said 11l'ill
pmise ti,e
\Talile of GOtl 10 . For the X ame rémleretl TIle L01'd,
expre
ses that Hc IS, and that Hc ,\Ione I S, tIt(' SeU:'Same,
thc t:'nehang-eable; the .Kame rendered God is not the
pp,'ial
1\ ame of God. Hence as
oon as men were multiplied and the
('orrupt raee of Cain inereascd. men !J"gWI, after the birth of
Eno!'O, the !"on of Seth, to callupoll the J.Ywne of the Lord ll, i. e.
in publie wor!<hip. Abraham's worship, in the presence IIf the
idolatries of Canaan, is
poken of. und('r the !'ame word!', he
mll('(L upon the ..Yame of tbe Lor,l )
. Elijah say
to the pro-
phets of Baal, ('(Ill ye OJI the 1l(WH of yo Ill' gods,alld I u'ill rail OJ,
tIle
'(l1lle of tIle Lord l3 . .Kaaman the Ueathen says ofEJisha 14,
I thought tlwt he u'ould come out to Ine, and stand and ('all 01'
the
Yame of tIle Lord la"s God. ,\saph and Jeremiah pray
God15; pfJI/J' Ollt Th." 1l'ratll Ilpon tIle heatlleu tlwt bare uot
known Tllee, amI upon the kingdolll.ç, [familie,ç .fer.] u'hiel, hare
uot called IlpOU 1'11.1/
Yame; and Zephaniah foret('lls the ('on-
version of the Heathen 15, that tlle.'1 may all ('(Ill upon the
Yallle
qf the Lord, to sen'e Ililll u'it!l one ('rJ}/sl'1d.
To call then upon the J'\
ame qfthe Lord implies rig'ht faith,
to call upon Him as He IS; right tmst in Him, leaning- upon
Uim ; ri
ht devlltion, ('ailing upon I-!im as
e has appointed;
10 ;S:i;:;

; :--t:!( '

'

J:

'r':nl.'
f;. 2.

iii

x:i.::l

:
i.
;;.
13 I Kings x\iii.i4. If 2 KilJgs Y. 11. ló Ps.lx:\ix, G. Jer. x. 25. 16 iii. \/.

CIL\PTER III.

C l?í[o[e s T in .T ('rusalpm sllal1 lw delh-prmwC', as tll('
cir. sno. . LORD hath suid, and in x the remnant

1
/1i

,.16. ",hom the LOlln shall call.

I
. 1:1: 8. CIL \ PT E It II I.
:
'r:::i.;, I God's.iudgTJ/eJlts against tlte elll'1nit.
of M,
people.
rig-ht life. ourseh'cs who eallupon Him bein
, or b('('olllin
by
lIi!< (;I'a('e, whut He wills. The\" ('{(I/not upon tIle Lord, but
upon Slllll(' idol of their own illl;l
illing-: who eall. l
plm Him,
as other than ]It' has revcalcd I hmself. or rcnHUllln
th('III-
!'eln',,; othcr than those whom lIe has del'lart'd that 11(> will
hear. Fllr SUl'h Ileny the very primary attrihute of God, His
truth. Tlleir Gild is not a God IIftruth. nut whosoen'r shall
in true faith and hope ali(I charity have in this life wllrshipped
Gml. slml/ he ddil"l'J"ed, i. e. out IIf the midst of all tht' horl"lJrs
of that ))a,', all(1 thc horrihle damnatilln of the un
oclly. The
deli,'cranc; is bv way of escape (for such is the meanin
of the
word I,) he slUlil be 'II/ade tu escape, slip tllrOllgl1 (a!< it were)
}wril!< as ill1mim'nt as they shall be terriblc. Our Lord uses
the like word of thc samc Day 2, ,ratcl, .Ill' tlterefore and pra.1/
(lltl'a.'f.
, t!tat .lIe 7IIa.'1 be (lccOllllted 1l.orth.1/ to escape all tllesc
IMJ/g.
tlwt ,çlwl/ cume to }Jass, alld to stalld blfure the .""on of
man. Thost' who so call upun Him in truth shall be heard in
that day, as He says3, .Ask llml it slwll be {(Íl'en you; "7utt-
SOel'er .'11' sltall (l,
k tIle Fatller ill
1I.'! ,-Ywlle, He will gil'e it you.
..
That ('allill
on (;od whereon salvation dl'pemls, is not
in wOJ'ds 011 Iv, but in heart amI in deed. Fllr what the heart
belie,-eth, the mouth ('onfcsseth, the hand in dced fultilleth.
The .-\posth' saith 5, -,Yo man ('(In sa.'1 tltat Jesu,ç i,
tlce Lord,
hut h.1/ tlce Ilo'.,! Ghost; yet this very sa.'lillg nlU,.;t he wei
dl('d
nnt hv words.but IJ\" the att'eetions. \Yhenct' we rcaù of Samuel.
And :"ÙlIIlllellllllOlIg tbose 11,110 cal/upon Ilis lYmne, and of )]0-
IiCS and .\arun 6 , Tbese called IIpOll the Lord, and Ill' beard them.
For in JIOIlIIt ZíOIl-sl/ll1l he delh'eranl'C. Repentallce
ami remÜsionof sins were to be p,.eachcd ill IIIl' l'
allle of Je:.<us,
in all 'f(ltioll,
, beginning at .Jerusalem 7. There wa!ò. under
till' Old Testament, the ('entre of the wor
hip of t
O(I ; there
wa... the Church foundcd ; thelH'e it sprcad over th(' whole world.
The place 8, lcMtller the tribes lCeIlt up, the trihe,
of the Lord,
unto the testinwn.11 of Israel. to gil'e thanks lInto the lYame of
the Lo,.d, where God had set His Xanw, whcre alone saeriti('e
elluld lawfully he ofl'l'red, stands, a!< elsen-hcre, for the whole
('Illll'dl. ()f that (;hurl'h, we arc ill Baptism all made mem-
)wrs. when we are made memhers of Christ. children of GUll.
and heirs of heaven. Of that Chureh all remain memhers,
whu do not, by \"Íeiousness of life, or rt'jectin
the truth of God,
ca.;t themseh'e!' out of it. They tht'n arc memhers (If the soul
of the Chun'h. who, not heing- memhers of the vi,.;ible ('om-
muni(1ll amI slleit't,-, know not. that in not heeuminA" mcmbers
of it, they are rt'je;,ting the ccnUlllalld of Chri...t, to ""hom by
faith and Im-e and in ohedienee they rica\"('. And tlte.'/, bein

memhers of the lme/" or \"Ísihle Communion of the (;hul"('h. are
not nH'mbers of the ',çoul oftht' Chul"t'h, who, amicI ollhrard pro-
fe!'sion of thc faith, do, in hCaI.t or deed!ò, denv Him ""hom in
word!< they confe!<.... The deliwrance prollli
pd in that Day,
i,. to tho!<e who, heing ill the hodv of the {'hun'h. shall hv
true faith in Christ amI fen-ent Im-'; to IIim hcllm
to the slllil
of the t'lmreh also. or who, althou
h not in the' hodv of the
Chureh shall not, through their O\
"n fault, hm-e l'ea

d to he
in the hody, and !'haJl belong- to its soul, in that through faith
and ](we they dea,'c to Christ its Head.
1 ::
':"
S. Luke xxi. 36. 3 S. :\Iatt. vi. i. S. J obn xvi. 23. 4 Hujto de S. V.
partly from S. J er. . 1 Cor. xii. 3. 6 Ps. xcix. 6. .. S. Lukc xxiv. 47. "Ps. cxxii. 4.
9 S. .:\lark xiii. 31. 10 Deul. ""xii.
3. 11 S.l\latt. vii. H. 12 Is. x. 20. add 21,22.

J:n

9 God will he knoll'u ill his .iuc
'5ment. lR Ilis Before
blessiug UpOIl II,e Clm,.ch. C
r
ï
.

T
F o It, h{'hold, a in tho
e days, and in. i":
k
3

'14.
-1 that tiuIt', WIH'll J shall hring again
Ow ('aptivity of .J ndah and .J l'rusalelll,
.As tile Lord ,mid, lIy the Prophet Joel himself. This
which he had said, i,.; not man's word, hut God'..;; and what
(
lId had said, shall ('ertainlv lit'. Thc,' thcn who hm e feared
and Im-ed (iud in thi,.; thcir day, !'ha" nut need to f('a.. Him
in that Day, for lIe is the Cn('hall
cahle Gud; as our Bll'ssed
,sa,'iour says9; Ileal'en mill ellrtll .
/UlII pCl.
.
/lI1'II.II, hut J
" /{'ords
shalluot pass awCl.,!. Gild had said of hoth Jcws awl Gentiles,
united in one lO ; Rdoice, Oyc natiun.\', ll'ith Ilis people, for Ill'
will tl!'enge the bluod of Ilis Se'"l'll1lts, IllUlu'ili rcnder I'engeancl'
to .flis adl'e,.saries, ((lid will he merciful to Ilis leuul and unto
Ilis people.
.A1U1 in the remnant. 'Yhile foretelling- His mprl'it's in
Christ, God foretells also, that 11 fcU' they he tlwt .find them.
It is t'vermore a remnant, tl residue, a IJ/Jd.1/ 1l'lâl'h escapcs; and
so here, the mercies should be fulfilled, literally, in tl,e fugi-
tives, in those who flce from the "Tath to come. All pro-
pheq' eehoes the words of .Juel; all hi40ry exemplitie
' them.
Isaiah, Micah, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zc('hariah, all
foretcll with one voiee, that a remnant, ami a remnant onl\",
shall he left. In those earlil'r dispensations of God, in the flllOd,
the destruction of Sodom ami Gomorrha; in IIis dealing-s with
Israclhimself atthe entranee into the promi:.<ed land. thcreturn
fi-ulII the (;apth'ity, the tir!'t prea,'hin
of the Gospel. the de-
struction of Jeru...alem, a remnant only was saved. It is said
in tones of ('umpa!'sion and mercy, that a remnClnt slwufd be
slll'ed. TI,e remnant shall return, the remnant of Jacob, tu
tlte
1Iight.1/ G()(112. Tl,e Lord of IlIJst,
,
hall he for a crOll'n of
glur.'1 to the resicluel
f His people l3 . Tlte Lord sllllllset Ilis Ilmlll
II) reCOl'er tile remnant uf Ilis pClJple lI'//Ích shall he left h . I
u'ill gather tlte remnant of .1[.'1 }lock Ollt of all clJImtrie.
1l'//Ítller
II/(ll'e dril'CIl ill em 15. PuMis/l.'Ie, praise ye, and ,m.l/, 0 Lurd,
Stll'C Thy people, the remnant uf Israel 16. rei lll'illleal'e llrem-
nant, that .'Ie ma.'l hlll'e sOllie tllllt escape thc sword among the
lilltions 17 . T/lereill slwll he left II "e/II/Iluli lI'Mrh slndl he
IJrmlgld forth It!. I will surel.l/ gathn tile remnant of hmcl l9 .
,rho is a God like Tllee, tllllt pa,.dmlcth iniquity. alUl passeth hy
the tl"llllSgre.ssiun uf the remnant of Ilis h('J"itage
O? The rem-
lIant of Israel shall not do illiquit y 21. TIle residue of tll e people
slwllnot he Cllt I!tf'jrom the city 22. It is then a !'umUHlrr of the
dedarations of thc Prophets, when S. Paul !.'ays23, E,'ell so, at
Ihis present time also, t!,ere is a remnant acco,.ding to tIle elec-
tion qf grace. Israel hatlt not obtained tlwt ll"//Ích Ill' sceketh
fur; bllt the election hath obtained it, and the rest leere Minded.
Anù so, the Pruphet says here;
"7wm tIle Lord shall call. He had !'aid before, ll,lwsuel'eJ"
slta/lmll on tlte Xame of tile Lord shall he deli,'ered. Here
he sal-S, that the\" who should so mil Oil God, !'hall themselves
ha'-e heell tirst c;,lled b.'1 Gl}d. So S. PauP\ to tllelll ilwt are
,wlUrtftied ill Christ Jeslls, railed to he Saints, u'ith all tltal il1
el'er.'1 place call upon tile
Yallle of .fe.slts Christ OIlr Lord. It
is all of
ra('e. God must fir!oit call by IIis
ral'e; then Wt' obey
Hi!' eall, and eallullon Him; and IIc has
aiù 25, callupoll
Ue
ill the da.11 of trouble, aml I will delil'er tllee, and tllUll shalt
glor!f.'1
1Ie. God a('('ounts our sah-atiun lJis own
Iory.
I II. I. For, behold. The Prophet, by the word, fur, shews
vi. 9-13, &c. 13' lb. xxviii. 5. 14 lb. xi. Il.add 16. I. Jer. xxiii. 3. 1 6 11,. xxxi. í.
17 Ez. ,'i.8. 18 lb. xiv. 22. I. 'lic. ii. I:!. add iv. ï. ". 3,;.8. 20 lb. .ii. 18_

I Zeph. iii. 13. add ii. 9.
, Zech. xi... 2.
}10m. xi. 5, ï. " 1 Cur. i. 2.
. PST I. 15.

132

c l
{oÍes T 2 b I will also g-athcr all nations, and I will
CII. 800. b Zech. 1 i. 2, 3, 4.
that he i", ahout to explain in detail, what he had I)('fore "1'0-
ken of. in slim. fly thc word, be'IIOM, he !<tir!< up our mind,.
for !-'onwthing- g-reat. whieh he i", to set before our e
es. and
whi('h we !-'houhluot he prcpared to eXI,eet or hc1i('ve. unlt'!-''''
he ",olemnh' told u,., Be/wid. As the detail. tlu'Jl, of what
g(l('s Iwfol"(:, the prophecy eontains all times of future judl!-
Illent on tho",e who
hollid oppo
e (
od, oppress His Chur(.h
and 1)('(11)11" and sin ag-ainst II im in tht'm, and all times of His
blf'"",inl! upon IIi", own peoplt', until th(' Last Day. And this it
give", in ima
ery, partly rle
C'l"ihing- nearer (',-enb of the same
sort, as in the punishments of Tyre and Zion, sueh as tlwy
endurcd from king-s of .\ssvria, from
chllchadnezzar, from
.\Iexander; partly u
ing- tlit'st', His earlier judl!ments, as re-
l'rescntative", of the like l'unislnnent,. against the like sins unto
the end.
111 those da.'ls and in that tillle. The whole period of whieh
the ProplH't had het'n spt'aking-, was the time from which God
called His pcople to rqwntanee. to the Vay of .J udgment. The
last di\-i",ion of that time was from the bel!inning of the Gos-
pel unto that Day. He tixes the oeea"ion of whieh he speaks
by the words, 1l'11('Jl 1 slwll !'ring lIgaili/lle raptil'ity of .Judah
ami JerusalellI. This form was used, hdi.,re there was any
general di!<pt'rsion of the nation. For all eaptivity of sin
lë
members of the Jf'wish ])eople had this sore ealamity, that
it se,'el"l'd thcm from the puhlil' worship of l
od, and exposed
them to idolatry. So V.l\-id complains, tlley hm'e dri,'('Jl me
out tlds da,ll fmm abiding iu the ililleritalire of tbe Lord, sa!l-
iug. go sal'e other gods l . The restoration then of sing-Ie mem-
bers. or of !<mallel' Lllldies of eapti,-es, was, at that time, an un-
speakahle mel'('y. It was the the re",toration of those shut out
from the worship of (3ml; and so wa,; an ima
e of the deliz'er-
ollce froJll the hOlld(/l!e uf corruptioll ill to tI,e Iflorious lihert.'1
of the SOilS of God 2 , or of any returll of those whu had gone
astray, to the ,S'IIl'pllerd lInd BislllJp (
r tllcir souls 3 . The I!rie-
,-OllS captidty of the Jews, now. is to Satan, whose sen-anb
they mad(' thf'msdves, when they said, 1l'e Illll'e 110 killg hut
('æ.m/"; llis Blood he UpOIi us ami UpO/l uur c1tildl"en. Their
hlcs",ed dclin'ran('e will be from the ]JOIl'er of ...";alcl1IIiJltu God
.
It i,; certain from S. Paul 5 , that there shall he a c'(lmplete eon-
ver,;ion !Jf the Jt'n-s, hefore tht' end of the world, as intlced
has aln-ays bec'n belie,'ed. This shall probably be
hortly be-
fore the end of the world, and God would here i'ay, "when I
shalllul\ e hroul!ht to an end tIle captil'it.1/ of Judah ami .Je-
rusalem. i. e. of that people to ll'lwm ll'ere tlte promi,
esð, and
shall ha,'e dclh"ered them from thc bonda
e of
in and from
blindne
s to lig-ht and freedom in Chri
t, c then will I gather
aU nations to J ud
ment."
2. TlI'ill gatlta ,,!llllltioJls ami briJlg them dOll'Jl to tile l'al-
le,'l of .Telwsllflplillt. It may be that the imag-cry i!" furnished hy
that
reat deIin'rance whieh God gave to Jeho!-'ltaIJhat, n hen
.Ammoll alld _1[oab lInd Edum ('ume against him, to ellst God's
people out oflIis possessiun, whieh Ile f(fil'e then to inltel"it 7 , and
Jeho,;haphat appealed to f
od, 0 (Jur Vorl, u'ilt Tlwllnotjlldge
llll'm? and God said, the IJllftle is not .'Iour's, hilt Gud's, and God
turned tht'ir swords e,-ery one ag-ain.;t tIw other, lInd none es-
caped. ..llIri Oil the frmrtll dllY tlle,11 assembled t"em.
eh-es in tile
l'lIl1e.'1 (lllerarlwli (blessing); fm' tlll're tltey blessed tbe Lord R .
So, in the end, III.' shall destroy Anti-Christ, not by human aid,
. I 1 Sam. xxvi. 19. : Rom, \ iii. 21. 3 1 Pet. ii. 25.
· Acts "xvi. IS. . Rom. xi. 26. 6 lb. ix. 4. 1 2 Chr. xx. II. sIb. 2-l, 26.
Q Ep. 108. lid Eustoch. 9 n. 10 Jos. Ant, ix.1. 3. II lIobins. Pal. iii. 2ï;;.
I
in Seetzen's ruap(Ritter, Eldk. xv. G3.3.) Wolcott, Excurs. to Hebron, p. 43.

JOEL,

bring them down

into c thp yallcy c J1[of:<; T
dr.
mo.

· 2 Chr. 20. 26. ver. 12.

hut Inl the breath of His mou/II, and then thf' end shall COIllt'
and Üe ,;hall ,;it on the throne of Hi!< gl(lry to judl!c all nations.
Then !"hall none est'al)e of those g-athered against Judah anti
Jcrusalem. but shall be judged of their On-II ('on
eieJJces, as
those former enemies of His people fell hy their own
word,;.
That valle)", h(lwever, is nowhere called tIll' l'alle.11 of JellO-
slll1J1hat. It continllc(l to be called tlte l'lIl/e.'1 oj Berllc1ll1ll. the
writer add"" to t1âs day. And it is 80 called
till. Caphar
llarm'ha, "the, ilhtl!e (If blt'sI'illg-," was still known in that
neig-hhourhood in the time of S. Jerome 9; it had heen known
in that of Jo,;cphus 10. S. ,Yo of Bethlehem and E. of 1't'koa
are still 3 or -t al'res of ruins 11, bear'ing the name Bel"('ikut 12,
and a valley below them, still hearing-
ilent witness to God',;
anC'it'nt mercies, in its hut !-li1!htly di,;g-uised name, "the ,'al-
ley of Bereikut "(ßt'r<1ehah). The only valley ('all('d the l'alle-y
uf Jehuslmplmt lS , i,; tht' valley of Kedron, lying betwecn Jcrusa-
It'JIl and the )J ount of Olives. encircling the city on the East.
There A
a, IIezekiah, aud Jo,;iah east the idols, whic'h thev
had burned 14 . The ,-allc'y was the comJllon burying-l)lace foi.
the inhabitants of Jeru
alell116. There was the gardcll whither
Jesus oftentimes resorted with His di!"dples; tllere was His
.\g-ony and Bloody Sweat: there Judas hetrayed Him; thenee
He was dragl!t'd by the rude offieers of the JIig-h Prie,;t. The
Temple, the token of God's Present'e among tht'lIl. the pledg-e
of Hi
aeeepting- their !<aeritices whieh eould only he offcred
there, m-erhuJl
it on the one side. There, under the roek on
whieh that tcmple stood, they drag-ged Je!<us, as a lamb tf) tiel'
slaughter 16. On the other !<ide, it was overhung by the .:\Joullt
of Ulh'es, wlwnee TIe belteld the cit.'1 l1Jlllll'ept Ol'l'r it, hecause
it kllell' not in that it,; da.'I, the tllings ll'hic1, belollged to its
peace; wheJlee, after His IJrecious Death and Resurrct,tion,
Je,;us aseended into Hea,-en. There the AJlg-els foretold Uis
return 17, TMs slime .Jl'MIS 1l'1dc1, is tllken lip frum you intu hea-
'('ell shall so cmllP in like mallner as .'Ie hm'e seell Him go into
hem'ell. It has been a current opinion. that our Lord -",llOuld
de,;t'end to judgment, not only in like manner, and in the like
Form of ')Ian, hnt in the same plat'e, O\-er this ,-alley of Jeho-
shaphat. Certainly, if so it he, it were appropriate, that He
should appear in Hi,.; )lajesty, where. for u
, He bore the ex-
tremest
halUe ; that lIe ,;llOuld jud
e t/lere, where for u
, He
!'ubmitted to he judged. " He sheweth," says S. Hilary 18, "that
the .\ngc1s hrilll!in
them tog-ether, the a,;semhlag-e shall he in
the place of Hi,; Pas",ion; and meetly willlIis Coming- in g-lory
be looked fnr there, where He won for u
the the glory of eterni-
ty hy the suffcring-s of His humility in the llody." But since
the Apo,;tle says, lee sltall meet tlte Lord ill the air. then, not
ill the valley of Jehushaphat, but lJl'er it, in the douds, would
His throne he. "19 Lnitiul!, as it wl're, l\Iount Cakary and Oli-
,'et, the !<pot would he well suited to that judgDlent wherein the
!'aints shall partake of tile
Iory of the Ascensiun of Christ and
the fruit of His Blood and Pa,;sion.and Christ shall take deserv-
ed ven/!."eanee of Hi,;; Ilf'rseeutors aud of all who would not be
dean
ed by Hi!" Blood."
(-
od saitil, 1 ll'ill gather allnatiolls, of tht' g-athering- tog-ether
of the nations ag-aiust Him under .-\uti-Chri
t, beeause He m'er-
rules all thing-so and while they, in tIle;" pnrpose, are g-athering
themselves ag-ainst His people and ele(.t, He, in Hi,; purpose
s('cret to them. is /!athering thelU to sudden destrnetion and
13 Euseb. Onom. Ko,}'á. IW<Ta<þáT. .. 1 Kings "V, 13.2 Chr. xxx. 14. 2 Kin

xxiii. 6, 12. I. Williams. H. C. ii. 523. Thomson, The Land, &c. ii.
I. Josephus
places the death of Athaliah in that valley. Ant.L". 'i. 3. 16 Is.liii. 7. I; Actsi. Il.
Is in S. Matt. c. 25. 19 Suarez, in 3. p. q. 59. art. 6. disp. 53. sect. 3.

CIL\PTEß III.

c liJo;e s T .Tt'llOshaphat, an.l a will plead with them
_
)()'_ there for my people and fOl' my herita
e
d

;3i.t;22. Israel, whom they have
;('attt'red among
the nations, and parted my land.
:1 Ami they han' e ('ast lots for my peo-

e Obad. 11.
::S-ah.3.1O.
jutl
ment, llnd will brillg tllem dowlI; tf)!" their pri
le !'ha}1 he
hrmln"ht down and themst'he" laid low. Even.'pwI,.h "Titers
have ';.eell a m
-sterv in the word, and said, that it hintt'th ,. the
depth of God;s jU(i
ments," that God" \\nuld desc:t'll(1 with
them into the depth of jU(l
melltt," "a most exa('t Jud
ment
c, en of the must hidrlt'n things."
His n'rv Presen('e tht'l'(" wc;uld say to the wieked, "
In this
p]ace did i endure gl'ieffor you: here, at Gethspnlillle, I poureo
out for you that !'weat uf water and ßlond : here was I hetra)-
cd and taken, hound a!' a rohher, dragged OH'r Cedron into
the .'ih': hard hy thi!<, alley. in the hou!'e of Caiaphas and then
of Pilate, I wa
tor you j\Hlged and I'ondcmued to death,
crm, m'd with thorn!<, hutfetpd, mm'ked and spat upon: here,
lcd throug-h the whole c'ity, hcaring the Cross, I was at len
th
cruc-itiecl"for "ou 1111 )lount Cah ary; here. stripped, <:uspend-
ed hehn'en h
a\"Cn ami earth, with hands, feet, and )Iy whole
fraillt' di
tendpd, I offered )1 ysclf tor )-OU as a SaC'riti('e to

od
thc' (-'..ther. Behold the Hands whieh ye pi(.r('ed; the I' cct
whic'h
e perfiJrah'd; the Sac'rcd pr.ints whid
ye
n
w ilJl,:-
printed on
ly Body. Ye luu'e de
plsed my tllll..,
ncfs. suf-
ferinp:s: ve ha,-e counted the Blood of
Iy C'Ü\'enant an unholy
thing :n: han
C'hosen to tt,llowyour own eoneupiseences rather
thmi )ie, )Iv doc.trine and law; ye h,n-e pref('rred momentary
plt'asure!<, riehl's, hono
lrs, to the etern:iI sah'at.iclll wl
i('h I
promised: yc hare dpsilised
It', threatellln
the tires of hell.
lXow yc see \nlCnn)c haw despised; now ye :'ee that )Iythreats
and p'rolHise.. were not vain, hut true; nuwye see that ,'ain and
fallaC'Íous were YClUr ]O\"es, riehl'S. and dignitit's : now ye see
that Yt' were fOl;ls and sensdess in the luve of thelH: hut too
late.' Ðl'}lart, ye ("'lrsed, into el'edasting.fire, prepared for thf'
del'il amllti... angels. But ye who helie,-ed, hoped, Im-ed, wor-
shipped
It', your Re(leemer, who oheyed .\!y whol(' law; 'rho
Ii, ccl a Christian life worthy of )Ie; who hn
d soberly goodly
and ri
hteous]r in this worM, looking for the hlt'..sed hope and
this )Iy p:loriou!" Coming, ('ome .'Ie Me.
sed 0/ JI..I/ Father, in-
hait the !.ingdOiII of hefll'l'1l prepared for !10I1 from tIle fOlllllla-
fi(JIl of tIll' ll'o/"lcl.-
/ml tltese sltall go into el'l'rlasting.fÙ'e ; but
the ri;:Meo/(s into lift, eternal. Blessed he whoso ('ontinually
thiukt'th or foreseeth. l}rovideth for the:'e thing
."
al/llwill plearlll'ith tllem there. 'Y oe to him, a
ainst whom
Gil(l plt'adeth! lIe saith not, "judp:eth" but pleadeth, makin

Hilllselfa l'arty,the .lec'user a.. well a!' the Jud
e. "sSolemn is
it indecd when
\lmighty God !'aith, I ll'ill plead. Ill' tlwt hath
ears to !tear let /,;m !tear. For h'rrihlp is it. "Yhereti,re nlso
that Da.'1 (
f the Lord is called great ami terrible. For whal
morc terrih]p than, at slu.h a tillle. the plcadin
of God with
num? For He says, I will plead. as though He had nen'r yet
pleaded \\"Íth man, great and terrihle as haw hcen His judg-
ments sinc' that tirst destrul'tion of the world In- water. Pa4
are thost' juclp:ments on Sudcnn and Gomorrha, òn Pharaoh and
his hosts, on the whole people in the wilderness from tn-enty
year!< o]d and upwards, tht' mi
hty opprt's!"ions of the enemies
into who..c hands He g-ave them in the land of promist' : past
were the four Empire.:; hut now, in the time of .\nti-Chri:,t,
there slwll be trilllllation, such as there had not heen/rum the
1 Jarchi and Abarbenel in Poe. 2 abñd
ed from Lap. 3 from Rup.
4 Rom. LX. 6. . Gal. \i. lÜ. 6 Zech. ii. 8. j Acts ix. 4. 6 S. :.\latt. xx\". 31. 35. 9 Poe.

133

pIc; and have' A"ÌYpn a hov for an harlot, c HB
oíes T
and sold a girl 'for wine, tJmt they might eir. I'/)().
drink.
4 Yea, and what lun-e H' to do with me,
f 0 Tyre, and Zidcm, and. all the coasts oP Amoe. 1. 6,9 .
beginning '
f tIle world. But all these are little, C'ollll'an'd \\ ith
that great ami terrible ])a.'I; and !'oO He !'ays, I will plead, as
though all befort' h,lI] 1I0t heen, to ph-ad."
(;od maketh Himself in suc'h wisp a part\". as not to con-
demn tho:'e UIIC'OI1\ Íf,tt'd ; yet tht' pl('((dillg ha
a s
l'arate a\\"("-
fulness of its own. God illlplt'ads, so as to allcm- Himself to
be impleaded and answered; but there i:, no answcr. IIc will
spt forth what He had done, and how we ha,"e requited Him,
And we arc withcmt expusc. (hlr nwnlOrie... "itn('..s a
ail\st
us; our knowledp:e aC'klJowledge
His justi,'e: our c'ml
;'ielH'e
convÏt.t!< us; our reason eondemns u!< ; all unitt' in pronounc'in

our!<eln'
ung-rah'ful, and (;1111 holy and just. For a !'oinm'r to
!'ee him...elf, is to C'cmdemn himself: and in the Hay of Judg-
ment, God will hring hefore eac'h sillIU'r his wholc self.
for ]JI..'I people." "3 God's lH'oplt' are the one true Israel,
priJl('es witl, (;(}(I, the whule multitude ofthe elect, foreordained
to eternal lift'." Of these, the tClrmer people of I!'rael, onC'e
dwsen of God, was a type. As
. Paul says\ Tlw!1 are 1lot all
Israel, U'ltic/t are uf Israel; and again:;,
/,
1IIWI.'I as walk ac-
cording to tlti,'i rille of the .\pm:tlt"!' tt'a"'lin
, pl'flce be Oil tllPlII
amI mer("!I, amI IlpOIl the Israel of (;'Jd, i. e. not among the Ga-
latians ollly, but in the whole (,hun'h thruughout the world.
Since the whole peop]e and Chun'h of God is one, Ut' lays down
one law, whic'h
hall he tillfilled to the end; that tho
(' who. for
their own ends, e,-en althou
h therein the instruments of(
od,
shall in any way injure thp people of God, shall he themselves
punished by God. God makes Himself one with His peoplt'.
II" tlwt tOllrltetl1 .'loU, tOllcltetlt tile apple nf
1I..11 e.'Ie6.
(I Clllr
Lord said, 7 Saul, Salll, lClt!! per,
l-clltest tl/Ou
'Ie? and in the
Day of J1HI
mcnt He will say8, I was all IlIlugred mul !Ie glll'e
me 110 me,d. þ'ora.'i1lluch as .'Ie did it Ilot lillto olle (
f tlte least
oftltese .1I..'! bretltren, .'Ie did it 1Wt to _1Ie. "
ßy C'allinp: them
.1[,.'1 heritage. Ht' shews that Hc will not on any terms part with
them or suffer them to be lost, but will vindiente them to Him-
self for eHr."
'l'ltmu the.'1 hfll'e srattererl a/llong the lIati(J".
. Such" a!' the
offenee of the Assyrian!' and ßabylonians. the tirst arm.'I. whi('h
God sent ag'ainst His people. AmI for it. Xineyeh amI ßahy-
]onperbhed. '<loy t't he does not !<peak of that an('ient people. or
ofits enemies only. hut of all the elect hoth in that pcoplc and in
t he Church of the Gentilcs, and of all }It'rse("utor
of the eled.
For that people were a ti
'llre of tIlt' t1mrch. and its encmies
were a type of those who perseC'ute the Saints." Thc disper-
",ioJlofGod's ti}rmerpeople hythe henthen was renewed in those
who I't'rseeuted Christ's disc'iples from cit!1 to cit!l, hanished
them, and ecmfiseated their
ood
. ßanishment to miu('o; or
islands were the ...lightest puni",hments of the t'arly Christians n.
3. .dud the!l'w,'e l'Clst lots. They treated God's people as
of no aec'ount, and deli
hted in shewing their C'ontempt to-
wards thcm. They chose no one abm-e anotht'r, as though all
alike were worthle....... They cast I"t
.. it i
said elsewht're Í2 , up-
Ull tl,eir llOlI(mmMe men. a!' a
p('t'Íal indignity. aboye captidty
or slavery. A girl they sold tor an ewninp:'s revelry, and a
Loy they exc'hanp:t'd for a ni
ht's debauc'h.
4. rea,llJlll ,dlllt har'e .1fe tn do with .1Ie
) lit. ((lid also, l,.ltat
xx
.

i. X.",
:i

.T:.rtx"!
'i

i
t.
J:?2
P
Ü?

'
r. S. c)

.
fh.ili
'l
' L:u:. 3.

cc

J3-t

C li1tt S T PaI('stinf'? g will ye render me a recom-

ir. Sll
peDl'e? and if ye recompf'nse me, swiftly
g

',

'. fUl.l speedily will I return your recom-
pence upon your own head;

JOEL,

á Rccausf' ye have taken my silver and C IN[o[e s T
my g-old, and have l'arried into your tem-
IO"-
pIes my g-oodly t l)leasnnt thing-s: t

hle;
6 TIlt' children also of .Tudah and the Dau. ll. 38.

W'l' .lfe to
Jle 't The words,
-1nd also, shew that this is something
additillnal to the deeds of those hefure spoken of. Thosc, in-
stanC'ed bdilre, were great oppressor!<, !<1\('h as disperscd the
former people of (;od, and dil'idccl their land. In addition to
these, God C'(IIulemns here another class, those who, without
hm ill
pow'r to dcstroy, harass and vex His heritage. The
wOl'tIs, wllllt are .lfe to lUe? are like that other phrase 1, 1l'1Wt
is tl/l're to thee lInd me ? i. e. what ha,-e we in eonuuon? These
words, u'/wt lire ye to 1IIl'? also deC'lare, that tllllse nations had
no part in God. God aC'eount!< them as aliens, wlillt lire .1/e to
.iJle:) X"othing. ßut the words convey, hesidclS, that they
would, unprovoked, have to do with God, harm,!<ing His l,eople
without C'ausc. They obtruded thelll1'ò('h-cs, as it were. upon
God ami His jlUlgments; they C'hallenged {
od; they thrust
themselves in, to their destruetion, where tllt'y had no
-reat
telllptatilln to meddle, nothing, but inhred maliee, to impel
them. This was, e:-opcc'ially, the ('haraeter of the relations of
1'yre and Zidon, and Philistia with hrael. They were allotted
to Israel hv Joshua. but werc not assaile(J2. On the c'ontrarv,
the Zid(Jni
m.
are eounted among those who uppressed Israël,
mltl out of u'ho!<(' !Jand God delil'ered him, when he cried to
Gild:\, 'Ùle Philistines were the umH'arie(1 assailants of Israel
in the days ofthe .Tudges and Saul, and navid
; during 4() yenrlS
Israel was
'iven into the hand!< of the Philistines, until God de-
livered them by Samuel at l\Iizpeh. "'hen David was king of
nil hirael, the Phili!<tines still <lI'ted on the otlènsÏ\'e, and lost
Gath and her towns to David in an offensive war;;. To Jeho-
shaphat some of theUl ,'"Inntarily paid trihute G ; but in the
reign of .Tehoram his son. they, with some Arabians, marauded
in Judah.})lunderingthe king's house and
Iaying all his sons,
sm'e the \"oun:,:-('st 7 . This is the lato't e,'ent Iwfore the time of
Joel. Tiwy stand among the 1Il0!<t inVt'terate and unprO\-oked
elwmit's of God's l,eople, and proba1Jly ns enemie
of (
od nl!<o,
hatin:,:- the daim of Judah that their God was the One God.
1
'ill.lfe render
11e lIl'('l'ompeJl('e? Men never want pleas for
themseh'c!ò. The Philistines, although the agg-ressors, had
heen signallv defeated bv David. .l\Ien for:,:-et their o\\'n wrong-
doin
s and remember iheir suffcrings. 'tt may be then, th"at
the Philistines thought that they had been ag
rie'-e(1 when
their a!<saults were defeated, and looked UIHJll their own fresh
nggres!<ions as a refluital. If moreover, as is probable, they
heard that the
i:':-Ilal ,'i(.tories won over them were ascribed bv
I
rael to {;od, an'd themseh'es also !'uspected, that these mig!tt.

Gml.s 8 wt're the can!<e of thcir dcfeat, t hepioubtlcss turned their
hatred against God. Men, whcn they submit not to God ('has-
tening- tilCm, hate Him. This belief that they "'ere retaliatin

ag-ainst God. (not, of C'ourse, knowing Him a!< God), fully ('or-
responds with the stron/!,' words, "will ye render 1\Ie {( reco/ll-
peltf'e 9 ?" Julian's dyin/!,' blasphemy, "Galilean, thou hast con-
quered," ('orn'!<I)(mds with the efforts of his life against the /!,'os-
pel, and implies a s('C'ret consciousness that He "'hose religion
he was straining to overthrow might be, "'hat he denied Him to
be, (
od. The phrase lfl su'iftly, Iit.ligMt.lf,lIml.
}Jeedily, denotes
1 Jos. xxii. 2-1-. &c. S. Matt. viii. 29. s.c. 2 Zidou, Jos. xi.... 28. xiii. 6. see Jud. i. 31.
iii. 3. Tyre, Jos. xix. 29. the Philistines, Jos. xiii. 2. 3. xv. 45-7. xix. 48. see Jud. iii. 3.
;, Jud. x. 12. 4 lb. xiii. 1. 1 Sam. iv. xiii. xvii. xxiii. 1. xxx. xxxi. . 2 Sam.
v. 7-end viii. 1. 1 Chr. x\iii.l. 2 S. Jl.xi. 18. x>.iii. 9-1Ii. 6 2 C. xvii. 11.
7 2 C. xxi. 16. 17. x"ii. 1. 8 1 Sam. iv. i. 8. 9
,=:;, reudered recompense, is used,
although rarely, of one "ho "begins good or evil," but, as united with the word ::1;.':1 re-
1Ja!/. 1IIake good, it can only denote ,'equited.

the union of t'asiness with spt'e(1. The recompence is returned
U}JUIi tlH'ir head, coming- down upon them from God.
.5. re IWI'e taliell
1I.lfsih'er lImi
ll.'lguld.
lIt the !oIilver and
gold of the temple, (as some have thou
ht). .At least, up tu the
prol'het\i tillie, they had not done this. For the inroaù of the
Philistinct; in tilt' reign of Je1wram was, apparently, a merc II1<\,-
rauding expcdition, in whil'h they slew and pluudered, but are
not said to have besieged or taken any eity, mnch less Jeru-
salem. God ealls the silva lIlttll:old whieh He. through His
PrO\'idenee, had bestowed on Judah, .J.1I.'! g-oId ánd sil
'er; as
He said by Hm'l'a Il,SIIe Imew nut tllllt 11J/ultipliecllær 6ilver ami
guld, Il'IIere(l she Ullide Bllal; amI by lIaggaiI 2 , Tlte sill'l'1' is

Jliue, (lml tI,e
ulcl is lIlille, .mitl; tile Lord uf H(}st,
. For they
were His people, amI what they had, th('y held of Him; amI the
Philistines too so ac'c'ounted it, and dedieated a Iwrt of it to
their idols, as they had the ark f(Irmerly; aCl'ounting the vic-
tory O\-er God's peoille to be thc triumph of their iduls over God.
Ö. The clâldren also, lit. A lid the SUIiS uf .Judllh lIl/(l the SUIl.S
of Jeru.mll'1lllult'e lie sold to the SOilS uf the Greeks. This sin of
the Tyrians was probably old and im-eterate. The Tyrians, as
they were the /!,'reat earriers of the world's traffic, so they were
slave-dealt'r!<.and in the earliest times, men-stealers. The Greek
ante-historir' tradition exhibits them, as trading and selling wo-
men, from both {Ìrec('e I3 and E!!,"ypt H . _\s their traùe beeame
more fixed, they theI1l
eh'es stole no more, hut, like Christian
nations, sold those whom others stole or made I'apth-e. Ezekiel
!<peaks ofthcir trade in the ,wmls ufll/eu 15 with Greece on the one
side, and Tubal ami
1Iesecl, near the ßladi Sea, on the othcr.
The beautiful vouth of Gree('e, of both sexes, were sold e,-en into
Persia 16. In l:egard to the l\los('hi and Tibareni,it remains un-
eertain, whether they sold those whom they took in war (and,
like the trihes of Afriea in modern times, warred the more, be-
cause they had n mnrliet for their prisoners,) or whether, like
the modern Cireassians, they sold their daug-htcrs. Ezekiel
however
ays, lIIell, so that he eannot mean, exdush'ely, wu-
men. From the times of the Judges, Israel was cxposed in
part both to the violenee and fÌ"<md of Tyre and Sidon. The
tribe of ..hher seems to ha,'e lÏ\'ed in the open country among
fortified towns of the Zidonians. For ,,'hereas of ßenjamin,
1\Ianasseh, Ephraim, Zabulon, it is said that the old inhabitants
of the land dwelt WIIOII!{ them l7 , of .\1'òher it is said, that they
dwelt wI/on/{ tIle CW/llflllites, the iIiIUlMtllT/t.
II the hlmP8, as
though the!òe were the mure numerous. AmI not only so, but
sinee they did Ilot dri1.e uut tile ill 'lltbitlllltli of seven eities, Ac-
clIO, Ziehm, AMab, Al'h::;ib, Hetball, Apllik, Rehob, they must
have been liable to incursions from them. The Zidoniaus
were among those who oppressed Israel 19 . :Si!òera's army ('ame
from their territOl'Y, (for Jabiu was king of lIazor,) and De-
horah speahs of a damsel or t1l'O, alS the expeeted prey of eadl
man in the whole multitude of his host. An old pr
"erb, men-
tioned ß. C. 42ï, implies that the Phæuieians sent eirl'umeised
slaves into the fields to reap their harvest20. ßut there ""ere
no other circUJlwi1'òed there besides Israel.
10 It recurs Is. v. 26. 11 ii. 8. 1
ii.8.
13 Herod. i.l. Eurip. Helen. 100. :\Iovers quotes these and the follo\Vinj!' authoritiesPhæ-
uic. Alterthum. c. 4. p. íl. 14 Herod. ii. 54. 16 :nv. 13. 16 Bochart Phaleg,
iii. 3. p. l.5 t 17 J ud. i. :!1, 27, 29, 30. IS lb. 31,2. 1. J ud. v. 30. see iv. í. 13, 15,16.
20 "Cuckoo; )'e circumcisro., to field." The Cuckoo's note "as, in Phæuicia, the sig-
nal for harvest (Aristoph. Av. 505-i) and those sent out, with a tenl1 of contempt, to
gather it, were" circumcised."

CIL\PTER In.

c }
Ír7s T ('hildrcn of Jerusalt'lll havc yc suld unto
c
. 0011._ t the (;r('('ians, that p' mi
ht remoye thcm
t 1!,
:
j

e far from tl)('ir hurder.
Gre cimu.
=nut the Phæni('ian
I.l\'e-tradc was also pl"llbahly, ("'en in
thc time of the .hHl
e
, ('M'r('is('d a
ain
t l!<racI. In .Toel and
.\I\lOS, the Philistincs and THian!< al'pear as ('(lJllhilled iu the
traffie. In AIIIO
, the Phili;tiJll'
are the rnhhcrs of lIIen ; the
Phæuieians arc thc rel'cin'rs and tl1('
ellersl. Ikathen 1\a-
tions retain for ('cntllrics the
amc inherited ehm'a1.tct., the

ame naturailloblene

, or,
tillIllOl'e, the sallie natUl"al ,'ices.
The Phæni('ians, at the date of the Judg'es, are known as dis-
honcst tradcr
, ami that, in slave
. Thc Phili!'otines were thcu
also invetet'ate oppt'e
sors. On one ()('('a
ion, the l'aptil'i(1I uf
the laud ('oin('idl'd "ith thc
Teat ,ietory of the Philistines,
when Eli dieù and the ark of (;od was taken. For these two
date
are g-Í\'cn in the
ame pla('e a!< thc elosc of the idolatry of
Mil'ah's
ra\"Cn il\la
e. It endured Iluto the capti!'i(/! uf the
lamP, ami, all the timc tlwt the hOllse of (;od21'u.
at SMlull,
whencc the ark was remon'd, ue,'er to rcturn, in that battle
when it was tak('n. But the mpti!'it.1J (lthe laudis not lIIerely
a suhdual, whet'ehy the inhahitants would remain tributary or
evcn ensla,-cd, yct :-till remain. .\ eapti,'ity implies a renlll\'al
of the inhahitanb: and s\ll.h a rpmm-al eould not have becn the
direet a(.t of the Philistines. For dwcllin
thelll
elvps in thc
land only, they had no means of rCIllO\-in
the inhahitants
from it, excl'l't b

plling- them; and the only nation who could
export them in sueh nllmhers as would he expre
st'd hy thc
words a mpth'i(/! uf flU' laud, wcre the Zidonians. Prolmbly
such al'ts were c
prps!<ly prohihitcd hy the bl"other(1I COl'ellflllt S
or treaty hetween
olomon and Hiram Kin
of Tyre. For.A-
Jl)O!'o sav!< that THe fllr
ot that trpat,-, when :o'he sold whole
ale
the eai,tive I
r
lelites' whom the lihili
tines had ('arried off.
Soon after .JlIeI, Obmliah :o'1)('ak!< of a eapti\"Ïty at kl,,'I'plwl"ad, or
Sllrdis
, the ('apital of the Lydian eml'irc. The Tyrian mer-
dmnts were the 1'(lJlIl('I.tin
link hetween Palestine aIIII the
('oasts of .\sia-minor. 'l'll(' 'Israelites nJU
t have becn sold thi-
thct. a!- !<la,'cs, ami that by the Phænicians. In yet later times
the 'l'vrian mcrehants followcd, like vulture
. on the rear of
al"tnie
to make a prey oftIl(' 1Í\'ill
, as the vultures (III tlU'dead.
Thcv hun
on thc man'h of .\Iexamler as far as India 5. In
the
"ars
f the .i\Ia('('abce!-, at Xieanor's prodamation, a thou-
sand 6 merehant!< g-athered to the eamp of Gor
ias ï with sih'er
([JIll Kofd l'a.1I /II/(r'lI, to buy tIre cliilt/rell uf Israel as sl(ll'es, and
with ("hain!<
whcrewith tll
eeurc tht'm. They assembled in
the rear ofthe Roman ..rmie
," 9
eeking-wealth amid the dl/sh
nf arms and slaug-hter, ilnd fleein
pm-erty throu
h peril."
Reekle
,., of human lifè, the slave-merdtants eOlllmllllly, in
their whlllesaIt' pun'hase of capth"es, ahanduncd the childrcn,
a" ditlicult IIf transport, wheHee the Spartan king ,"as praised
for providiu
for them lU.
The temptatilln to Tyrian I'ovetousness wa
a

ravated hy
the case with whil'h th('y I'ould posscss themselves of the Jews,
the fal'ility of transport. and as it s('ems. their ,'alue. It is men-
tioncd as the inÙUI'('ment to
lave-piral'Y amnn
the Cili('ians,
"The e:xport nf the !<la,-c!< e
\,c('iaJlv invitcd to misdeeds be-
in
mllst g-ainful; for they were ea
ily taken, and the m;rket
was not so very far off and was most wealthyll."
1 Am. ì. 6, U.
J!1d. "viii. :10, :n. 3 see on Am. i. 9. 4 see on Ob.
O.
.? Arr. Exped. vi. 22. 8. 6 2 :\Iacc. viii. 3
. i 1
facc. iii. 41. B Jos. Ant.
'{n. ,. 3. an<lll\l"cc. see Eng. Marg. 9 S. .Ier. on Ezek. xxvii. IIi. 10 Xenoph.
Al:e>il. i. 21. II. Strabo xiv. 3.2. 12 Deut. ÀX\iii. 68. Glycas says that Adrian sold
4 Je\\s for amodlUs [two gallon_] of barley, Ann. iii. p.
18.:.\1. 13 2 K. v. 2.
H Herod. iii. 1:\ I., . 1. r-;inety being oflèred for a talent, this would be the number
whose sale would bnng 111
uOO talents.

135

7 Behold, h I will raise thcm out of th{' c :íioíes T
phH't> whither" ye han' sold them, and will r('-
84H

turn your rccompPlwc upon your own lH'at1: h

Ò.-!t2.5, 6.
Jer. :!:I, 8.

The Jewish !<laves appt'ar a]
11 tll have heeu valued. until
tllll
e times after the taking' nf Jern
alelll, whcn the,- had he-
('lItIle delllllrali!<('d. amI there wa,.. a IJlctllllra of tlU.t;l, as Gild
had prcrliet('d u. 'I'll(' post o('eupied hy the little maid whll
2lwited WI ..Y(lalllau's lI'ffe 1 \ wa!< that IIf a tlln'rite slave, a
(;J"('('k
traditilln rcpresented Grl'l'iatl maidcns tll have been an nhjPl,t
of eon'ting' to the wife of the Persian .}IlInar('h u. Thl' dalllsl'[
or two ti,r thl' win's nf each man in Jahin's host. appear a
a ,'a-
luable part of the spoil. Thc \\'llIIle
ale price at whieh Xil'allIIr
set the Jcws his c.xpel'ted pri
lIncrs, and at whil'h he hI/perl tn
s(.11 slime I HO,()()() 1.., shews the extent of the thcn traffi(. awl their
relative value. ;t 2.14s.Hd. as the avel"a
e pri('e of ('<\I'h nf ninc-
ty slm'es ill Judea, implies a retail-pri('(' at tlU' plat'e IIf sale, a-
bm'e the then nrdinary pril'e of man. This whl/lc
al(' pri('(' for
what was expected tn he a mixed multitude ofuparly 2()(),()()(),
(for "IG"Kil'anor und('rtook to make so mu('h moue\" of the
eaptivt' .Je\\'s as should defray the trihute of 2000 taleut
.. which
the kiug- was to pay to the Romaus,") wa
nearly;; timcs as
mueh as that at whidl Carthagiuian soldiers were sold at the
dose of the first Punic warli. ' It was two-thirds of the rt'tail
priee of a g-ood slav(' at A.thcns 18, or ofthat at whieh, ahout n. c.

HO, the la\\' of Gree('e pre
('rihed that eal'tivcs should be r
-
d('emcd I9 ; or of that, (\\'hieh was nt'arly the same) at whidl the
l\Io:.<aie law e(JlllIllanded coml'en!<ation to he madc for a
hn-e
a('eidentally killed 20. The faeility of transport inereascd the
nllue. For, althou
h Pout us
upl'lied hoth thp l)('st and the
most of the Roman sIavc
21, yt't in the war with
Iithridates. a-
mid a g'reat ahundauee of aU'thing-s. slavcswere sold at 3s. :i;U 2
The speeial fa,'ours al
o shewn to the Jewish eal'ti,-es at Romc
and Alcxandl'ia shew the estimation in whieh thc,. were held.
At Rome, in the rei
n of .\ug'ustus, "23 the large section of Rome
heyond the Tiber was pos
es
t'd and inhahited hy Jew
, mO!'it of
them Roman eitizens, havin
lJeen hrou
ht as eapti\"es into Italy
aud made frt'edmcn by their owners:' Ou whate,-cr
"'OItIuI
Ptolemy Philadclphus'redeemcd 100.000 Jews whom hi
father
had tal,en and sold 2
, the thet ('an hardly be without flllItuiation,
or his eurollin
them in his armies, or his employiug- them in
l'uhlil' ofii('e or ahout his own person.
.Joellived hcfore the hi
torie times of Greece. Uut thC're
arc earl\" traee.s of sla,'c-tradc carricd on hv (;reeks 25 . A('('ord-
ing to 'tIleopOml'us, the Chian
, first anioug- tilt' Gret'ks, a('-
quired barharian sla,-es in the wa,' ol'trade 26. The Ionian mi-
g-ration had filled the i
land!'i and 'part of the coa
ts of .\sia
Ii-
nor with Greek tradcr:o' about two ('enturies befort' J od, ß. ('.
lOG!) 2ì. Greeks inhahitetl hoth the ('oa
ts and i,.,lands ht'twccn
Tyre and Sardi!<, whither we know tllt'm to hm'e been l'arricd,
Cyprus ami ('rete, hoth inhabit cd hy Gt'eeks and hoth in near
iutel'eoUl'se with Phænil'ia, werc dosc at hand.
The demand for !<la,-es must hm'e heen enornlllUS. For wi\"e

were but seldom aJlmH'd them; and .\t"cn!<, .1>:
ina, Corinth
alone had in the days oftheir pro
l'crity I, :
:i{),O()O
la'-es2>i. At
the g"t'eat slave-mart at Delos, 10,000 wcrc broug-ht, sold, re-
moved in a
ingle da,-ll.
that ye lIIigld re}J
()l'e themfar from tlldr I1m'der. The Phi-
18 2 :.\Iacc. viii. 10. 17 18 Denarii i. e.lIs. 3d, Liv. xxi. 1l.11oecJ..h Econ. of \th. i. 92.
18 BoecJ..h i. 94. 19 Aristo(. Eth. v. ,. 1. "II E". "xi, :III. 21 Poh b. iv. 88.
22 Plutarch Lucull.
U. 2"J Philo LeI(. ad Caiunl Opp. ii. 5Iit!.
Jos. Ànt. xii. 2.
and 4. 2;; l\Io\ers quote. in"tances trom Sarnos, Le.bos, Ephesus, r.lilctus, 1'. 81.
4

;:J
(

cl:;

:'i'tt
:.'
;.
{g;;) COri

h:

:Jo

r(Til
;
;-i
) Ægin
:

g
:
(Aristot. ib.)
ce2

1;1(;

.TOEL.

'" .\ml I "ill
l'll
u\lr
uns amI
uur l tlau
htt'I's intu thl' hand of t11l' t'hihlrt'n OfCU B Rï1T
dr. "tMI.
--

l'

CHRIST
,'ir.
III.

Iì...til\('
IWIII'II tl.lI
tu \n':lhl'lI tht' .ft'\\
. h

1'11in
tlu'ir fi
ht-
in
' IIlt'U ufar. \\ hl'uI'I' thl'Y l'ltllhluu IIwre rl'tllrll. Tht'rl' \\ .I

Iluuhth....... al
tI iu thi... n.'IIW\ ulull U1lti-n.'lidI I US malil.t,. ill tlmt
tht' .'1'\\'" ('Iun
tu tht'ir larul. a'" tilt' lord':; IUlid. th(' laml
dH'n h, HiUl t
1 tht'ir fathl'
:
u that thl" at OUt't'. \\t'aht'Ilt'11
tht'ir ri
".II
. a

ru\ aft'tllmll t'uit l \ t'll tht'Ïr ;Ii
trt.

. ami
t't'Ult'tl
a
uin tu triun:IÌlh 11\ I'r (;1111. 'r
'rl' aUtI
ilhln hltlh Ill' ,u'tÎ\ I'

Iuu"t' in IImhin
' tht' .It'w
pri
um'
.
t.t. partahiu

: ill tilt' prllfit
ami Uiltill:
: in tht' lti
pll
:11 tlt"tllt' 1':lptÍ\ t'
. tht'\" ht'I'U1Ut'. u('("(lnl-
iu
' hi th.lt tnlt' prllH'rh "tilt' rt'I't'iH'r i
a
ball a
th(' thid. ..
l'lllmn

'uilt
Ilf tilt'
ill. ill tht'
i
'ht Ilf (òtlli.
ï. nt/wid Il('il/ mi.
t' tht''''. Ifthi
prtllui
t' rd.ltt,
hi tilt'

U1Ut' Í111IÍ\ illu:tl
who luul ht't'n
ultl. it IIm
t lu\\ t' ht.t'll fulfiHt,tI

ill'lItl
: a
imll't'll tht' rl'turn llf l'UptÍ\ t'
ttl tlu'ir tlWU laml. uu-
II's,. bl"tlu.\
:ht Uhl111t h\
IIUlt' hi
hlrit'ul t'H'Ut. hl'lllll
'
Ihlt hi hi

hlr
. hut' hi prÍ\ :Itt: lift'. TIlt' Prllpht,t, htm t'\ t'r. i
prlllmMy
prl'tli('till
(;llll'
llt,.\lin
... \\ ith tht' lIatiuu
. IWt \\ ith tlltl
t' iu-
Ilh i(luuk Tht' t'u",1;1\ in
tlf tht'
t' lIebre\\,. iu tht' timt' tlf.lt...
raUl \n\
hut lUlt' ill
tau
"t' ttllt llf u wlwlt'
\ "tt.Ul uf l.tI\ t.tuu

mi"tlt't'll
. TIlt' Philì
tiut'
t':lrrit'd a\\ ay l"illltÍ\ l'
thllu tht'Ul a-

'.\iu iu tilt' tiult' Ilf ,\Imz I. anti yt.t a
'aiu
uh
t"tIUt'utl
:: :tlul

tm IIWrt. ut tht' l'UptUn.' Ilf .h'ruSllt'Ul.s.

. J I('ill
"'t'II"(I"r
....",s. (;tlll HiUl!<l'If n IluM rt'\ t'
t' tIlt'
iuiu
til't' llf tut'll. . Tht'
IIU" uf /.ilill
Iwultl ht' re,.turt'tl. tht'

I;U" llf tht' Phn'nit'iau,. uml tlf thl' Phili
tiUt,

111tI intu Ili
taut
l'UptÍ\ it
. T
rl' wa,. tuht'u h
:'I\t'ltlu'lmtlm'LZlu. :\J1l1 tht'u b

.\k...audt'r. \\ Iltl
llhl "Ultlrt' than I a.(l(lo"llf tIlt' inlmhit.mt,. inhl

I:\\ I'n "':
itlllU \\ a,. t:lkl'u :nllillt.
trtin'ti h, .\rtu ... I'P. I'" (kllU
.
aUtI it 'i
".Iill. UbUH' -ltl.\l(l() tlf it,. Í1ilmbit
mt
I't'ri"ht'll iu tht'
fl:nUt,
'. Tht' tiht' lwfdl tilt' Phili...tim'". Tla'
.\ha'uu,. Urt'
prt'hahly in,.tmu"t'll. a,. bt'in
tht' rt'ull'h',.t uutillu in tht' up Ill)..

ih' llin.,t'tilili. 2\ uatilill. tlrl'bubl
. tht' p,lrtllt'r tlf r
n."
tmilil'
iu ",t'll. U... \\ diu... in tllt'lr tltlu'r IUt'rl"lmutli...t'. aUtl \\ hu a,. i...
tilt' \\:n llf uurl.
.Ut....\h' nuturt' wttllM a,. "IItIU tr;.ult' ill '1',-
riuu
. I'
I('itll T
dun,.. Tht' ,suhæl.m,. \H'n'. like tht' Pht1.'lii-
l'i:m
. U wt'''hh; Ult'rl"lmut I't'uplt'. aUll. llf tlhl. uuitt'll \\ ith
tllt'tu in tht' tr;.ult' tlf tht' \\ llrhl. tht' ,saha'.m... ,.t.Utliu
ti.lrth
tllt'ir tll"t't,. Ul'rll,.... tIlt' hllli,m Ot'I',m. u'" tlu'l\riau
:IhUl
tht'

11'ttitt'rr;.mt'l.m. Th1"t"t, t
ltllt'r" tlf lti
tiut.t r;.u';" btlrl' tht' ,ì:nut'
.shl'lm: UUt'. U tlt''''I't,Uthmt llf Hutu. tlu' tltht'r tn tI. tk
t't'ullt'tl
frllUl
Ilt'm. Tht' Ilamih'
ht'h" w,,
tIlt' ,.lln uf R:mtuah. tilt'

11U llf (:u
h '. :nul thlubtlt''''''' tl\\t'lt llf tlltl iu tilt' t'tluutn tlU tht'
PI'r
i.m
ulf 1'.llIt'll b, tilt' munt. n".mmh <. rr.ll.t.... t,ftlit' muUt.

11t'bu 1\t:I'ur tltt'rt'. "iltl
tltut' 1'\ t'U ufh'r uur I''''' t. Tht'
llt'mitt'

"hu':m" \\ t'1"t.. "lltut'.th'"I"t'mhmt''' tlf .shl'll", t lit' tt'ut h
IIU tlf .hlk-
t.m l : thl' lltllt'
frtlm
lu'h:l. tilt' ,.un tlf .\br.lhmu mltl Kt'tu-
r.,h u . TIlt'
..hu'uu
. tlt....I"t'uth'tl frllm ."Iht"n. tI\\ t'lt in tllt':o'. "".
I,...trt'tuih tlf .\.....hi". (....tt.nllin
frtlm till' Rt'tl
I'" ttl tht' ,.t'.' \:1
Ilf n..bd-'ml.nult'l,. Thl' t"ttuntr\' i
:<tiU t'uUI"t1 "unl-t'
-.s..h.I l
."
hluml tlf
"h" : .. :nul .s"b" i,. t;nt'u tut'ntitlllt'll h,' .\.....hit. \\ ri-
h'r
". 1't l tht' (
rl"t'h,. mul Lutiu,. tllt'
\\ t'rt' kUt,\\ U b
tht'

I :! l'. ""''' i. I
. ! 1:... k. 'n i. :?:. ;s.;. sib. rtT. 15.
Diuol.:" . -':T\&. -11). .\rriaD

3a.I,11t1t1..1I.:!.... D.oo..XH.-&.>.' SftooIO!'ph.i.-l-;. :Gt'r -,:.;. 'R
u.s::'. ph.
I" ..Rib
. :-::

.... p..-.,....., I'.'}... h ttw L'\ '\. .. R
' 'u.. · 10 tM

:.
:::r
t:;u'...:i .r:.\ ...
.;

r;

I
I

aU 'aD O!'O) bO!'l\ IDtr .\rriaD.1' . p.
' Bau-..-.w&tra.ioW.&uty
. l' ". -".' a nW
'ùt l'armaIU& 0It eM op
.... f' O!' w: thO!'

!fUlì.
ll
:.n y.
.1) "l.::

;t
z
3:. eM I,
"r
IO.
tw fl

.
lj

l
.

....
.... '"
. "';no 0.-
'.
... U PI I t_ -&.. \n.' l'
npl.

,
I:
'I3.

: ... ;:. \
.

;

dlatitM-
quo Jt

'

"'. \' aJ It I' r tll .\031
in, . MIll and '"Q
,....
, . H. .w ..,.': ,. " .\ " .. t...,.
<l.q. I)",:' ,'r ..><..
that tht

muuI' llf Unt' llh i
illu llftht' rUl't' IIim' ur Illllllt'rita' . Tht'ir
tlt'
I't,Uthmt...
tiU "'1'1'.11.. tm .\r.lhit'. .wklll'\\ h'lkl'd h
' th(' II'arn-
I'll .\mh" tu ht' a tli
tim.t lan
'lta
t' frum that \\ hit'll. thrll\l
h
)ltlhamult'll. I'rt'\aih'11 amI ,,'a...
Iifl'us,.tl \1: a .. "IH'I'i,'" Ii "'uf
.\rahil' \\ hit'h tllt'
attrihuh' .. hi tht' tilUl'
tlf ,tht' I'rtlpllt't)
Hlul .pt'rha..", rbt'rl mul tllll"'t' Iwti.trt. him:' It 11t'11IlI
('11 tu
tllt'm a:< 1II'
I.t'ntlanb uf .'uktau. ,s"h,t',m,. :Ir(' IUI'utiunt'(1. di,ö-
tÌllt't frlilu btlth llf thl'''''. a:<" I' lh\ l'Uiu
iu .\"'Ihia Ft,li.... nt....t
bt'yuml

Tiu. whil'h tht'
frl'IIUt'ntl
" iu\',ult'tl. hd'ul"t' it hl'lllll
t'tI
tu tIlt' ({lluum,.." Tht'
l'
aha'.m,. I'rubahl
art' ttW
I'
I",k('u
uf a
murauth'r,. b, J lib 19: ami m:n h:\H' ht'I'U tlt'
I't'mhUlt

ttf Kt.tur.lh. "Iw,,'t' Itt,...t 1..1111\\ II hi 'tht' (òrt't'b.
,Iml Ulllmm,.
\\I'rt.. uatur.llh. tlw
t' in tht' .stluth \\ t'
tt'ru t'tll"llt'r IIf .\.r.lhia.
Tht' UI'l'llunt t;f tllt'ir ril'llt'" aud lu...uril'" i", lll'tailt'ti. :nul. al-
tlwll
h frtlm (lifli.,rt'ut uutlwritit'",:IO. t'llll
i
tt'nt: t'bt'. UhUll"t
fahuÌl'u"'. thlt' nlt'trtlpllli... i...
aitl to haH' hml t);) h'mplt,

l.
l lrh .ltt' imlh i(lual,. h.ul mllrl' th.m kiu
h lUa
lIifil't'Ilt't'
.\r..-
lit' hi"turiall" t'...pallth'll inhlt:.hlt' tlu: t'
h'lIi amll'rt'rt'
ltin',.

of tht'Ïr Par.uli
t' lalltl.... ht.ti.lrt' tilt' h1"t'.Ihin
tlfth(' artifit'ialtlikt'.
mlult' f,lr th(' irrk.ltilill uf tllt'ir l'ouutn 0 4 . Tht" tr;.ult'll \\ ith
hulia.ln ailill
,th
III
,'ln',. (1tIUbtle,.,. l,ftiu'
inuJt.llil.alld Ilt'rlm..

bn.lu
ht tht,Ilt't' tlu'ir
1.11t1. if nut al...u tht' bt....t :nul nll'
t t'u
tl\"
fr.mb.illt'l'lI"t' . 'l1u: .sht'l", tlf tilt' Prllpllt't a"pt'I.U
hi h.n'l'
bl't'U tht'" t'altl"
ht'll.' Ilt'..r tht' Rl'tl
t'a. 11lt11'1'11. ill "b,.l'IU'I'
uf t" illt'1l1"t. hi ttw t'tlntr.ln. it i
natural tu ulltlt-r
t,nul tht'
muUt' llf tlw
t' ht'
t kllt,,\ II:
llltlllWn unitt',. it \\ ith
t'I",:!S,
,th(' .-I:thil'pi.m .saba". TIlt' hlw\\ u fmnkillt't'n...t'-I.li,.trÌt't
an'
uu tilt'S. \"" l'tll"llt'r tlf .\rabia -!-. TIll' trt'I' Im
ltimiui,.ht'tl.
pt'rhal''' ha:< (11'
'Ilt'r.ltt'll. thrtlu
h tilt' Ilt'dt't.t ('un
t'll'lt'ut tlU

hllumnUt"tlau tt....rt':'''ÌtIIl. tlimilli
ht'lll.tIll
lUnptil\n. dum
' uf
tht' tillt. uf t'llmUlt'rt't': but it
tiU ,.un h t'''' iu tIW
I' (li4ril't
.....;
a n.lil' uf \\ hut i
Ila

t'tI a\\ .I
. E
t'kil'l iudt't'll ullitt,
tllr
Ult'T('III111ts of S /1(1 III1tI Rtltlllmll 2t, .1'" tr.ltlill
with T
rt'.
'11 mt'r('11l1l1ts of ' f'btl mul RfltlllU,lI. tllt'I/ 1t"t'N' th" lJIt'r('IItlllt,,:
lI.'itli tilt' "/iif'f '!.f till .,pity.... mul with "II plY,'im ." sÚ", s "lid
oM
tllr:.11 f)("t" pinl ill tll.1I fllir$. It nm) ht' that hI' jllin
tht'Ul to-
g-t.tht'r u
killtlrl"(l tribt.
: Yt't it i
n
prubahlt' tlmt lit" uuitt'

tht' t\nl !:.'n.'.lt l'Imllnl'l" tlf IIIt'rl"ll,uuli:<I'. Ea
t &Hul "-l'...t. Ra,l-
nmh till tÌlt' Pt'r
ian (;uU: ,mtl
llt'h" Ilt'''r tht' Rt'tl
t'a. 1I
l\--
ill
ju..t tut'lItil l llt'll tht' l'rt,dut't' tlf
llrtllt"rn .\mhi:, a
I'uurt'd
iuttl (\'rt'. lit" Wtlllhi. iu thi,. 1':I
t'. t'nutut'r.lh' "'I'rth. E.I
t. nlltl
". t',.t ;,f .\...,bia as t'tlmbillt'tl ttl t'llril'h ht'r. .\
athar(.itlt'" u-
nitl'
tht' .s:,ha'.m
tlf
. \"" .\r.lbia \\ ith tht' (;
rrha,.m..." ho
\\ t'1"t. t't.rtninl
uu tilt' Pt'
i.m tòulf:!Ø. ..
ÙI 1 '("t'l'lt':' hI' ...a

,
hi,. .1"1"ln'ntl
ril'ht'r tlum tht' ,sab:t'.m" UUt (;t'rrha'au
. \\ ho
tli
IIt'n
l' ti.lrth t'n'r
thiu
Wtlrth
Iwakill
(If frllm .hi" :mtl
Enrtl..t'. I1ll'..t' nUlllt' thl'

riu tlf I
ult'tu
full tlf
llhl. 'rhe
l'
,;ul'..lit"tl tilt" iUllu,.try llf tht' PhU"uit'ian
"ith prl l fit,lblt' im-
I'lIrt
. lIut hi mt'ntitlu l.tIUUtlt...... otlll'r I'rt",f
of wt"tlth:'
rht'Ír t'.I1".&\ :m,. \\ l'Ut ftl Fh tuai". Canmmia: Charr;.t. \\ u... tht'Ìr
t.'mlwrium: tht'
1"t.turUt"t1 ttl (òalmla .nul Phænid., SI. ". t'alth
diIIÒ'?
was _ of
. (DOt ofdìal<<-t OO}-' \cad.d. I.-r. T.-L.'p.SOO.
.
c s...uth:it-, I' ::'.rabo x'i.... :!1. ISJ.,bi. 15. Boxhart i>". 9. . \pahut.dff .\'-61.)
Su-abo &oIQ 'I trodoNs and .Erat
, tTÌ. -&.. 19.1 Dt
ufrum
lD the
\1
xandria.nbbr.AlrW"
" .l

L:..3;:,....
"',,\"\)Uflt "ctMtruanualproducti
is
3.tr=:'Ì'ì

.:\i
":

' @:.
:
;
.
=
<:'\ì: ..l.i.tp.
f\.l. $. l
oo. 3S _
UTÜÙ, thO!' Turk.i>h J
haa-Duma huD ,,'i,,
wnkrs.. 'lasudi.lD.
cl.O!'
..\"y'iftu.dO!'r,\,-ad..d.Io. T.-L.....l'.
'-_.

. ,. OO!'
. lb. >>
Rtt-
tft s
"'" t'rdk. :u.. :s.... ;'-:? Su-abolIw1rO!',....r qll.<<Ñ tlk-re po . says. that mO'
....-
\"aIlM'trow India. ., tl,.
fra.tù.i.J.
" . that DNr p" _-A.
:II Ps...lnu. 10.

Thfo ph<. H. 1.1 Ian,. '" L \prI'I&re.p.' -......m'. _ 'in
.box, ....j.
N..
(

:

Q.
;d1R
;

... d.
'

\

!ur:

l
ri!
::-. ",1><. \Ì.1.3. S Jub;s ml'liu. H.
.
:. 1:-, D.-W.

('Il'j{ I ST .hHlah, ami tlU'y !'>hall st'll tl1t'1U tu tilt'
('ir. "uII. i
alU'alls, tu It peuplt' 1 ttU' utI": till' tll('

1:

t:

:
2. r ,un u hat h spuk(,t\ il.
I
.'
I.'ì;

"h !.
I I PI'()('lailll
I' thi
alilUllg" tilt' (:I'U-
t,::;
.n;J:
: tilt's; t Pn'pal'I' wal', "akl' lip t ht' lUig'ht Y
t '

'
;
if.". llH'I1, It,t all tilt' IIH'II of war IIr'an lH'al';
It't t h('111 l'OIlH' "I':

('IL\PTER lIT.

1 "-
'II

1ft m U('at YUill' pluwshal'('
iutu swurfls, C ,tli.Ts T
allfl YUill' "pl'lmi/)
lwol,
illto
I)I'ar
: 11 It't... . ,r. HlI:I.
'hI' \\ t'al, say, I mlt :.h'OIl
,
i".

,:i."
II "
\ssl'lIIhll' YO\ll':.('h'I'S, allll l'OI1H', all"
:,,'h
't.!
8.
ye Ilt'at 11('11, anll
at Iwl'
u\II':'I,h I'S tu
t't II('I' '; ;:;"/
;'
1'0\11 It I altullt: thitlwl' II (.atISt' 'I thy lI\i
hty

::l
;
:(::

um's to I'UIIH' (It", II, 0 LHlm, P
\i
I::
I:
;
.

is the pal'I'lIt uf III\.III"Y alld ('nl'"
ilH
I'Y. .\! thl' ,Iillll' uf Ullr
Lunl'". t '1II1Iill
, thl' ".unll('s", alllll.III'lIl1l1al'Y lit thl'
a"a'all'" 111'-
I'allll' I"'m l'I'hial. The ",.uft
aha'alls': is
11I'il' l'hal"a
'Ì1'l'i"t iI'
ill till' HUlllall pm'ts I. ('UIIIIIII'I"I'I'.1H1\ I;!atlllll.
UIe!-lIIl1l1'S, lu'-
ill'" thell I'arril'e! UII I" IIIl'all" uf ,.Ian's, allli n I'ahh alllllll\.III'Y
at that tillll' al\\ '''"'' li('III,IIIe!illg' IlulIIl'!<t iI' :<1<1\ C''':, thl'
ahH'all"
hall 111'1'11 uf :<Ian'
ful' hoth. Thl'\" tml l\all di".tallt l'ulullil,,,.!I,
n hithl'l" tIll' 'I\-..iall'" l'ulIMl1I' trall".illll"Ì1'll.a". fal" th,," PhU'lIil'i,l.
a". tlU' ".llIIn's 'uf thl' . E:,:"c'all m'(' fl'lIIlI P"II'".tilll'. TIll'
1'I'at
law uf Bh ilU' .llIstil'I,.\'tt,
I 11111'(' tlflllI'. ,m (;",II",th I"('f{ttitnl
1111', "a" agaill filltilll.d. It is a s,u'l"c'll prm ('rh uf (;ue!'s un'l'-
rlllill
Pl'm'illc'III'C', \\ l'ith'lI ill the hi"tm'y IIf thl' wurle! allll ill
1I1l'II',. l'IIIISI'il'III'I'S.
9. Pm,.{ailll ."1' t/,i,
allloug th(' (;elltilt,.
. (;1111 11m in
he-
ti.'l"l' :<aid that lie wllllld gat/'('I' all IUltÙms, IIIIW, hy a !<III('IIIII
i....lly. hill
tlll'lII JII'I'I"II"I'. it
hy any IIlI'allS, they I'all ti
ht a-
!!..Iill".t lIilll.
II ill Isaiah -I; .Js.wJ/"iat(' !/olll..
"'rl'.
, (J ."(' PI'Oplt..
amI .1/(' ,
/",11 h(' /'I'okl'lI ill pit'('('S ; (I/(d gir(' ('("" (,II .11(' (
r.I;(I" ("OltU-
trie,\ ; p,Ùd .'loUl",w'lt'('.
. (//1(1 yr ...IUlII 1)(' brol,'('11 ill pif'("("
; gil"tI
."(JI(r.
I''''e.
, amI .'1(' sllall II(' bl'ok('11 iu pil'n's; lakl' ('OIlIlSf'[ to-
gdll('I'. ami it ,
/",/[ ("01111' to 1I0ugM; spI'ak tlte 1('ol'd. ((Iu/ it
,
/",llllot ,
tlllld ; lor (;0,[ is I('itl, /I.
.
//1'(,/#11'(', lit. lut/loII', /('(11'. 'I'll Iwl/oll' wal' wa". tlllllal,e it
hlllY,l'itllt'l' ill al'l'c'arillH'l'lIr ill trllth. as tlH' pl'lll'lH't ltall(' thc'lII.
,W(f(d
r.11 a .rtl.
t i,e. 1'1'1'1' it hlllily.
CI f;4111 I'alls the .\Il'lles.
wlwlU III' t'lIIl'llIyc'(1 a
ain".t Bahylllll :', J
/I .wlI/ctf/i(',[ Otlf.,
, alld
hiels II, .w(f(d
r.', tIlt' IwtÌtIl/.H(gaillst lu'I'; allll thl' ('III'lIIi('s IIf .111-
dah l'III'IIUl'a
I' thc'lIIseh ('S í, ,w(f(d
r.11 .'11' W(l/' agaiust 11l'I" ; 1\11(1
:\1 icah say!<, that wlw'i(l('\('r hl"ihl'e! IIlIt tlH' fal'ic I'l'IIl'hds. tlu.'1
,wlIId
r.11 W(It. agaill.
t /,illl
. Í.('. 1'I"III'Iailll wal" a
aillst hilll ill
tlH' :\allll' IIf (;1111. '1'1.1' ('IIl'lIIi('s IIf (;1111, IIf Ilis 11('111'11', IIf lIis
tl'lIth, e!el,lan' Will' a
aillst all, in tlH' i\allu' IIf (;1111. Thl' .h'ws
wllllld han' stllll('d' 11111' LlIl"d fill' hlasl'h(,1II
, aile!, at till' last.
tllt'Y c'lInlle'mlll.d II illl as
lIilty Ill' it. IJ J It, Iwtl/ spola'u Mm-
p/'I'III!I. TI'/", t flirt lu r 11('(',[ 1/((1'(' 1('(' (!f It'it /I(',\',\"('S :) bc,llOltI, 1mII'
,11(' IUI/'(' IIeard J Ii.
b1asp/'I'II/.'I. AIIlI 11(' til\'l'tllle! tll lIi!< dis/'Í-
I,ll's In, Trlmsm'/'('I" !.:illl tll .11011, II'ill tMllk that Ill' dodft (;'ul
.
('/...in.
. Sh'I'IH'1I \\ a". p('r".el'IIÌI'd ti.,1' sl'eaJ.illg- ll bltl.\JlIIf'II((JII.

lI'ol"tls agaillst _ll().w',
amI agaillst (;otl, t/,is Im(11 plan' (ltul tIll'
[lilt'. S. Palll was 1'('I"S('I'lIted fill' 12 pel',mmlillg II/('U to II'Ol's/,ip
(;ml ("(II/tl'al".'/ t" tl/(, IIIit' and p"lluliug t!tis IW(II pla('I'. .\lIti-
Chri".t shall "l't hilll,.(.It. lip il" (;1111, 1:I,
o tlmt lit'. as (;ml. Ûttd/'
ill tile temple of t;"d. ,
/1f /l'ittg hÌtlls('U' tlwt Ilt'is Uod. Ilen'til's
alill Ullh('li('\('l"s dl'I,lailll a;!aillst the (;osl'l'I, as thllu;!h it, allll
lIot thelll!'('h'('s, 'n'rl' ol'l'o!<ed tll tlH' Iwlille,.!< allll
Ia.il'sty alld
III, e of (;ml. '1'1.1' (;lIostil'". of old sl'alH' a
aillst t IH' ('n'atm' ill
the
alll(' Of(;1II1. .\rialls atfl'I'tI'd rl.,-('r('III'e fllr tlH'
llIry ot
(;lId II. h('ill
, ml their OWII mis-helief, idCllah'I'
(11'1'1111 theists lõ.
Thl' '\I'"lIillarialls l'har
('11 thl' ('Iull'I,h with a":l'rihill
tu our
Lord a :-illflll sll\ll, as tlwlI
h the !<II\II IIIII:<t nceds 1)(' sUl'h 16,
I '-irj:. Georg. i.;'i. also :\Ietrodorus in Strabo xvi. t 19. See other authorities in Smith
Diet. ufGe,,/(r. -\rt. Saha l"
;
' 2 Ap:athare. p."I. 3 Jud. i. i. 4 \iii. 9,10. see
31", J.:7ck. xxx\iii. i-em\. 6 k xiii. 3, 6 Jer. Ii.
i. i Ib" vi. I. ":'tlie. iii. ...

S. :\laU. X"I.\i. r,;;. 10 S.Joh. X\i. 2. 11 Acts \i. II. 13. 12 Ih. x\iii, 1:\. xxi.
8.
xXI\,H. 1J:! Thess, ii. .1. 14 See _\rius Thalia in S. Ath, Cowte, of Arim,
15. p. :II.

.

allll thl'lII"l'hl''' lu.1eI tlU' (.lIdh('ad tll ha\l' IlI'c'lI IIl1ilc'd tll it
)00111111(,...... a\H1 "'11 a Itl'uh', lIatlll'I'. )Iallidla'all". iU'I'II"'I'11 1.1'1' III'
nHlI,ill
(;1111 thl' ,\lIthlll' IIf I" il. aile! thl'III".I.I\(,,,.. a.. 1111 1'0111-
t hl'i".t". IIIIW. ill\'I'lIh.e! a
'ml1\ hll ".illlH'd 17. 1\m al iall". ,11111 1)11-
lIali".t" iII'I'II"I'11 tIll' ('hlll'I'h IIf la\.il). PI'lag-illll...I'IHlI'gl'd hl'l'
with 11e'"
ill
thl' IWI'fl'diltilit) IIf lIIall'''' lIatlll'I'. thl'III"I.I\I''''
e!1'lIyill
thl'
ral'I' wlll'l'I'hy it i". IWI'ti'I,tc'll.
llIhalllllll'e! aI'-
l'a)I'cl tlU' truth IIfllll' 1"lIit
IIf (;IIe! a;.::aill..t IIi". BI'illg- ill Thl'I'I'
P('I'!<lIlIs, aile! fllu!:;ht a
aill".t th(' tl'lIth as Idlllatl"\'.
IIIIIl' nil\\'
an'a\, "TIII'i".III". Í.I'. trllth!< a". to (;IIe!whil,h th
'\" ha\l' ".tllll'lI
fl'lIlI; Iflll

I'l'il'tlll'l', a
;rill".t tIll' Ilt'lil'f ill (;ml ;i... III' h,l". 1'1'_
\I'all'll lIilll".df. 11111('1'11. 1111 illll"l".t 111'(' 1'\I'r IIIII
I!I'M it".

rl.lllllll a
aill".t tl'lIth. lillie'S,. it nHl".I'l'd it)oi('lflllle!I'r ".111111' tnlth
IIf (;lId \\ hil.h it 1't'l"1I'rtc'd. allll ".11 lutll(JI('f'([ it... 1('((1" a
aill"t (;lId
in thl' ì\illlll' of (;1111.
1('((1,'1' /( JI tlU' lIIight.', nI('/I ; m'IIIIS(' t hC'III, ;IS if t hl.il' fllrllll'r

tah' hae!It('I'1I a ".tah' IIf
ll'('1' ; al'lIlI".(' all t Ill'ir dllnllallt 1111\1"-
('r!'. illI withill thl'lII. thilt thc) nHl) p"t 1i.II,th all thl'il' ".t....II
th,
if Sll hI' thc'y lIIay I,,'e, ail irg-aill".t (;1111.
ld ((ll tlU' 111('11 (
f I('{(f' ,[I"UI(' 1U'((r. a,.: iftll C'lIlItl'lIIl, allll 1'111".1',
as it \\ ('I'e. \\ ith (;11/1 allll lIis pl'lIplc,I", a.", 1111 the uthl'l' ha\Hl.
(;ml ".ays 19, I will ('Oil/I' /1('(11' tu ."U/( tu Jlltlgnu'ul. I.d tltCItt
('UI/((' /(fJ illtll His \('ry Pn''''I'IIt'('. E\I'II whilt, I'allill
t 1.1'111 tu
flllfil thi!< thl'il' ,,;rill 1"11'1'""'(' IIf :,tl'i, ill;! \\ ith f;lId. thl' 1'I'III'III't
1\('1'1':< ill lIIillll. illtu "'hlls(' PI'I':<elll'(' th('y aI'(' ":1II1I1I1II1Il.d. alld
su I'alls t 111'111 tll ('Will' IIfJ. a". tu a plat'c' IIf di
lIity.
10, fleut .'/(1/(1" fJlollgllsllflr(',
i/llu .
I('ords. P('a('(' had hl'l'li
ilh'C'ild) 1,,'ulllisl'(1. as il hll.",.illg- 111' t hI'
1I"'1'('1. III lli,
tlu.'I'
,
tiln.t 11111
UIUIIII 11\ 20, ,
/((t II t IU' ri,l.:. ht('(I/(.
.f1tJ/( rish, (lIttl uh/( 1tt1(lIIee
(
f fJl((('('. ,m I(JIIg u,
tIle /(WUII ('/ldll ret/', .\ lid allllt h"I'
I. 11t'llttlk-
('tit tll.'II/fIl"d('r.
11('((('('. Pl'al'l' withill "ith f ;1111 fluw!< till,t II ill
pl'al'(' 1\ ith 111,\11. liip:htl'(JI(S1U'SS (lItd fleu('I' ki,
"w'd ('(((.It utl(('r 'J.
""hcl'e th('I'(' is lIot I'l'st ill (;1111. all i:< IIlIrl'St. Aile! "'", all whidl
"as lIf'ellful ti'r lifi.', th(' 1I1l';rIl)oi of !<1I1J:<ish'IIt,(', earc' IIf h"illfh,
WI'I"(' lu lit' ti.II'
lIttell fllr war.
Id flit' I('('uk ,
u.'I. I (If/l ,
tl"OlIg. It is (11)(' last
atlll'l"ÍlI;! uf
tIll' I'U\\ ('I'!< IIf thc' wllrld iI
aill".t tlwÎl'
lill,('I': the f'lusillg- "'I'('IIt'
uf lIIall's 1'l'helliulI ilg-aill"t (;1111. It i" thl'ir (lilt' lilli, el'".al
il.
thl'rill
. ",IIIIt', hmn', ('1' :<l'l'lIIill;!ly IIlItit, \\ as tu he "'Pal.(.e! fl'ulII
this 1'llIIflil't ; IIU 1IIIt' wa!< tu rl'lIIaill IlI'hilld. Tlw hllshalldlllilll
wa,. tll ti.II'
(' ti'l' wal' the ill....tJ.IIIII('lIts IIf his 1'1',II'I'flll tllil; tIlt'
".il,l, 1\.I)oi tu fOI'
et hi". ,,('aklles)oi alld tll I'"t UII il :<tl'(,lI
th \\ hil'h
hI' hae! IIl1t, illld that to tIll' IIttl'nllll..t. nllt as w('al,III's!< is,
ill a\H1 thrull
h f;lId, stl'ell
th, Sll all stJ"('II
th Ullt IIf f;ud i,.,
,\"('al,I\(':<:<.
Iall lIIay say. I alii .
tro/lg; hilt, a
aillst (;1111. he
rClllaill". \\'cal,. as it i)oi said, that I('('((k lII(tll
1JI'UIII tlu: carlh I/1U!/
110 /(111/'(' Oflflr('ss.
II. (hll'(, 111111'(' al1 tll(' el\('lIIi('s IIf bud arc' !<IIIIIIIIUIlCd tu-

eth('I'.
ls.
('lIIbll' .'/ullr,w'ft'I,.\21, (( )thcl':' ill the salllc !'CII:<(' 1"I'lId('I'
11((.\ft, ye,) ((Iltl ('Ollie, all .'/1' I,c((tllell, I'ulI/ul ((IJtJ({t lit. II 01/1 I"tJI(/(t!

'I
ril
:

;,

;.i.
'lr';.;\
a
:1

i/

I

:

, t(

.f: III :;

.
: 1

.
:)

:
1 1If"le al the end. .. see I Sam. ,nii. 10.:! S. x, 1:1. 19 :\Ial. iii. 5. see I.. ,Ii. I. 1.1'.
20 I's, !xxii. 7. 21 lb. cxhii. I k
Ih. Ixxxv. 10, ::I (>" \iii. 10. :':11,
I 24 The ""rd -t., occurs here only. The E. \". foUo"s the chief authurities.

138

c J3íi o í e s T 12 Let the heathen be wakened, q and
cir. 81"1. come up to the yalley of J cbosbapbat: tor
:

97i. 13. t11cre \\
ill I sit to r ju(lge [ill tIle Ile
ltl1..n
ftg
Ìi
'& round ahout.
ISdi. 2.4. & 3. 13. Mic. 4. 3.

JOEL,

13 · Put ye in the sickle, for t the harvest C HBí[ies T
is ripe: ('out(', g-et you clown; for tbe n press _ 6r. :;I

is full, the t
\ts overflow; for their wicked- . tl

Ù\
:"
ness is
'Tcat. t J:;. 51. :\:J.
Hos.6.11. u Isai. 63. 3. Lam. 1. 15. Rev. U. 1!J,20.

((Iwltt i.e. from every side, !<o as to ('ompas
and hem in the
people of GlltI, and then. when the IIet had heen, as it w('re.
drawn ('lo!'òcr and elo
er round them. and no way of e!'eap(' is
left, the Prophet pmyl' God to send His aid; tltillier cause TIt.'1
1l/i
/d.'1 tI1ll'S to ('01l/e dowlt, () Lord. Ag-ain!<t tlte 1l/iK/d.,! (JUes
of thc earth, or tIle 11'e((k who sa.,! they arc llIiglt(l/ (the same
word i!< u!;cd throu
hout), there ('()lIIe dOlI'1t tIle lIIig"'.'1 ulte,
of
God. The 11I
g"'.11 (JIles of (;od, whom lIe i
praycd to Clluse
to cOllie dOll'Il, i.e. trom heaven. ean he no other than the mighty
angels, of whom it is said, they ((re mif.{h(ll ill strengtll l (
till
the same word) to whom God
ives rlwrge Ol'I'J'
Hi!'ò own, tu
ket'p them ill all tlH'ir u'a.'ls, amI one of whom, in this place,
!'lew: 1 olle lumc!rec! ((Jul fourscore wuljit'e tllOllsWlll of the As-
syrians. So our Lord !'òaith 4, TIll' Son (
f lIIall slwll semlfortlt
His Állgels, ami till'.'! sh((l1 {(((tber out of llis killgdo/ll all tMltgs
t/wt '!/Icml, aml t/1C1ll tllllt do illiqui(lI'
I
. Let tI,e IlCatllell be ll'altelled. This emphatic rcpeti-
tion of thc word, {l/l,{t/tl'It, secms intended to hint at the g"reat
awakening", to Jud
nH'nt 5, when thcy u,lw sleep in the dllst of
tIle endb, sball ((/l'ake, IIl'iug {(Il'akelled from the sleep of death.
.Another word is us('d of flIl'akl'ning 6. On the de
tru('tion of
.\nti-(,hri
t it i!< thou
ht that the.
eneral Jud
ment will fol-
low, and allll'!w {(re in tI,e
ral'es sball IIenr tile l'OiCl' of the
Son (!f
JI({1l amI sllllll f'OlIie forth 7. Ther are bidden to come
lip into the ,"alley of Jcho!<hal'hat, "8 for to ('"me into the
Pres('lwe of the 1II0
t Hi
h God, may wcll be ealled (( coming
up." For tl,ere will [sit tu.illllgc all tI,e !teat lieu z"ullud abollt,
(a
ain lit. jÌ"r)/U ruulId abullt), from el'l'J:'1 side, all nations from
all the four (pmrters of the world. The words arc the !'amc
as before. There all natiuu,
frum el'er.'1 side were sUluIJIon-
ed to eOllle, as they thought, to destroy God's peopJe and he-
rita
l'. Here the real clld is a!'o!'òi
ned for whidl they were
broll
ht tOl!ether: for God would =-it to jndp;e them. In their
own blind will and passion they eaIJIe to dpstroy; in (;od':, !'e-
er('t orerrlllin
Pro\'idenee, thcy \\"cn' dra
g"ed altlll
hy their
pa!'sions,-to ht' judg"ed and to he destro)"ed.
o our Lord

ays9. "711'11 the SOil oj JIWI .
//flll rolJ/e iu l/is rrlor.,/. amI all
till' IW
IJ
Ingels witll him, tl/(Il,
/lllll Ill' sit 011 the tbrone uf lIi,

Glm:'1 (lJ}(L befure lIilll sball he {{atberet! allnfltions. Our Lord,
in that He usps word", of Joel. seeIJI
to intend to direl't our
mind!< to the Prophet's lIIeanin
. "Vhat follows are lIearly
His own words.
'- I:t Put.z/
ill the sickle, for the harl'e,
t is ripe.
o Jesus
i'aith, Let both Kroll' tOKetlta until the Ilflrl'Cst, ({ud ill tile time
(
f ti,e Ilflrl'est, IlI'ill S({.'I to the reap('J"s, Gathn' .11e togetlln tile
tares and bind tl/('JJ} ill IUlIulies tu hum tbnu; and t his He ex-
plains 10, TIIC Imrl'est is tbe emll
f the ll'orld; aml tbe reapers
m'e tI,e .rIngels. He then "110 !'òaith, put ye in the .
i('kle, for
tbe IWJ"l'est is ripe, is the Son of l\Ian, "'ho, before He be('ame
the Son oLMan. was, as He is IIOW, the Son of God. and spake
this and the othpr thin
s, by the Prophets; they to whom He
speaketh are His reapers, the .Angels; and thc ripeness of the
1 Ps. ciii.2O. 2 lb. xci. 11. 3 2 K. xix. 35. 4 S.l\fatt. xiii. 20. 5 This same word
is u,pd Job xiv. 1
. Even Aharbenel under.tanlls this of the Resurrection, seein Poco on
'"er.]]. 6 j'-;::-:' alsQ Joh lb. Ps. xvii. 15. Is. xxvi. 19. Dan. xii. 2. ,S.Joh. v. 2;-9.
8 Poco V S.
.\Iatt. xxv. 31, 2. 10 lb. xiii. 30. 39. II Is. ","ii. 5. Jer. Ii. 3:J.
12 Lam. i. 1:5. Is. lxiii. 3. Rev. xix. 1:5. 1.1 Is. xvii. G. Jud. ,iii. 2.l\1ic. vii. 1.
H Ps.Ixxx.12. 1.Poc. I6Gen. ,i. 12, 13. I,Gen. xv.W. ISS.:\latt.xxiii.:J2.35.
19 Dioll. ::0 as Gen. x.1O. pits, pils, i.e.full of pits, nothing but pits; 2. K. jji. 1G. di/rllrG,

harvt'st is the matnrity of all things here, goud and e,-il, tu bc
brou
ht to their la!'t end.
In' it!'elt
thc han'est, as well as the vintage, might des('rihe
the end of this world, as to both the /!ood and the bad, in that
the wheat i
se,'ered from the ('haft. and the tares, and the
trt'éUlin
of the winepres!< selmrates the wine whieh is stored
up from the husks whieh are ea!'t away. Yet nothing is :õaid
here of storing up aught, cithel' the wheat or the wine, but
only of the ripencss of the halTcst, amI that tI,e fats fJl'eJfiOW,
hecause tlieir ll'iclædlless i.
great. The han-e!'òt is !'òometinll's,
although more rarel)', u!"ed of dC!'itrm'tion ll ; tile treading ofthe
winepres
is always uscd as an ima
e of God's anger 12 ; the vin-
ta
e, of destruetion 13; thc Idueking off the
rape!<, of thc rcnd-
in
away of !'in
le lh-es or souls H. It !'eems prohable then,
that the ripencss uf the han-e!'òt amI the fuhU',-",s of the vats arc
alike used of the ripem'ss for destruetion, that "I" they were ripe
in their !'òins. fit for a harn'!<t, ami as full of wiekedness as ripc
grapes, whit-h fill and m-erflow the '-at!<, through the ahundam'c
ofthejuiee with whieh they swell." Their ripeness in inilluity
('all!<, as it were, for the sickle of the reaper, the trampling
of the presser.
lor gNat is t/Jeir ll'iclædlle_
.
. The whole world is fluodt'd
and O\-erflowed by it, !'o that it ean no longer e(lntain it. hut,
as it wcre, erie
to God to end it. The long
ufferin
of God
no lon
er a\"ililell, hut would rather inerea
e their wiekedness
and their damnation. So also, in that fir!'òt judgment of the
whole world by water, whcn all jlesli Imd corru)Jted },is 11'a.'IJ
upou the Cfl1"fIi, God said, tile eml (!f llllfleslt is hefore lIIe 16; and
when the hundred and twenty )"ears of the preal'hill
of r\oah
were ended without truit, tlie flood Cll/lle. So Sodom was tlien
destroyed, whell not ten I'i
hteous ('ould be found in it; and
the se,-en nations of Canaan were i'lmred ahovc four hundred
years. b('('aust' tlie iniquity of tlte Ámorites ll'as 1I0t .yet full 17 ;
and our Lord says 18,.fill .I/e up the 1JtCfl,mre of your latliers,-
tlwt u)Jon .IIUU ma.'1 cume all the rigltteoll,
blood shetlup(JJj tile
cart/I. So "19God ('omlemneth eaell of the damned, when he
hath fillt'd up the measure of his iniquit)"."
14. The Prophet eontimle!<, as in amazement at the
reat
throng as!<emhlin
one upon another, milititudes, mltltitlllle.
,
iu tlte "['alley of decisiou, as though, "hidle,"er war he looked,
tlwre were yet more of these tUJl/ultuous masses, so that there
was nothing beside them. It was one Ji\'in
surging" hoiling
sea: thron
s upon thron
s, mere thron
s20! The word rendt'red
multitlldes su,g
est
, he!'òides, the thou.c:ht of the hUIll and din
lof
these ma!'òS('S throng"ing onward, blindly, to their 0\\ n de,.;tru('-
tion. They aU tUJl/UItIWllS(,! J"flge tuglflll'r, ami imagÍJle It "((ÍJI
thing, agaiust tlie Lord and agaillst His (,lirÜt 22 ; but the plaee
whither they arc gathercd, (although they know it not) is tile
nt/fr'.,! of decisirlll, i.e. of "sharp, severe, jlUJ
ment." The
valley is the !'ame as that before ealled tIle l'alle.'1 of .1el104/O-
plmt; but whel'eas that mime only signifies Gud.imlgetli, tJli

further namt' denotc!'ò the strictness of God'sjlUigment. The
ditclin, i.e. fi,ll of dilrlie.. ßy another idiom, it has been taken to mean that the mlll-
tUudes "ere of two sorts; whence Abarbenel e'<plains it, "a multitude ofli,ing, and a
multitude of dead," in Poco Others, the
od and the bad.
21 The word :-:'::- ("hence j"'::-:) is identical with our hum; then" noise" and,among
others, "the hum of a multitude ;" then d multitude e,en apart from that noise. It is
Ë

\

rf
,gl

20
a

2
:my, Jud
Vp
:iE

2
' 11, 12, 13; of ",hole peoples,

('IL\PTER nJ.

C Ir'ì[urS T 1-1 Multihull's, multitudes in ]I the vaHet
eir.84MI. of II dl'('isiem: for y till' day of the IJCJRU t.o;

:"C;;'- near in the ntllc'v of dt'('ision.
ei.iorl, or, 1;) Tht' Z sun
and the moon shan he
Illresl,i,,/(.
;r eh.:!. t. darkened, and tIll' stars shall withdraw
: JI
/2;
.O:

.
eh.2. 11. their shining'.
Amos 1. 2. If; 'flu' J JCHlJ) also shall a roar out of Zion,

J3D

and utt('r llis voif'c from .J crusalcIII ; anù (' IPí[oÏS T
bthe heavens and tlw c'arth shun slwkc' : '"but _

the LCIRB lcill be the t hope of his pc'opJe,

i
5
i.
and the strc'n
th of the c'hildren of Israel. t :;'

;,f;',cC
17
o d
hall ye know that 1 (l1t1 the d
[,:

;
:rlr.
LCHm your (;od dWt'llin
in Zion, e my holy ·

d

;;
'
mountain: then shan J erusalt'm he t holy, t

'h
ii
;e8s.

w(lrd sig-nifies " cut," thcn "dec'ided;" then is used of severe
IHUlishnH'nt, or de",truetion, del'Íded and deerced 1, hy (';ocl.
for tlie Da!J of tlæ L,ml i.
UNlr ill tlie t'alh!1 (l rleci.
iuu.
TIU'ir
atllt'ring a
ain
t (;cul
hall he a token of His e'olllin

to judge them. Thcy come to fulfil thcir own ends; but His
!Shall be fulfilled on them. Th('y arc left to hring about their
fin II dC/om; and IJI'ing- abandolled by Him. rush on the IllCII'e
hlindlv. hcc'ilU
e it is at hand. \\'hen their last sin is c'ommit-
ted, tlicir Jast dcfiaJII'e of (;od sIII,ken or aeted ag-ainst Him, it
is c'ome. _\t all time!', indeed, tlie Lord is at IUl1if1 2 . It may
he, that we are told, that the whol(' future revealed to us mllst
slwrt(lll'Ome to pass 3, in or(ler to shew that all time is a mere
nothin
. il nWUlent, a dream, whcn it is
one. Yet here it is
!Said, r
lati,-cly, uot to us, but to the things foretold, that it is
ueu!" to ('ome.
I:>. TI,esllll amI tI,e moon slwll be darkelled. This may
be. either that they shall he ollt!<llOne hy the hrig-htness of the
glory of Christ. or that they themselves shall uIHlcrg-o a ('hange,
whereof the darkne:,s at the Crue'ifixion was an ima
e. An an-
eient writer says
; .. .\s in the dispcnsation of the Cros!<, the sun
failin
, there was darkness ewer all tht' earth, so when tlie si
1I
of tllC SOli of IIUlII appeareth in heawn. in the Day of J ud;!"lUellt,
the Ii
ht of the !.'un and mocm and stars shall tilil, ('oll!'umed,
as it
\"ere, hy the
reat mi
ht of that !'ig-n." And as the fail-
ure of the Ii
ht of the sun at our Lord's Pas!<ion b('tokened the
!:'hame of nilture at the
reat
in of man, so, at the Day of J udg--
ment, it sc't!< heti)re us the awefulness of God's jud
ment!.', as
though ,,;; it dared not hehold the se\"erity of Him who jlUl
eth
and l"('turneth en'ry man's work upon his own head;" as thoug-h
"6 every c'reature, in the sufferings of others, feared the judg-
ment on it!'df."
W. Tile Lord shall }"Uar Ollt of Zioll. As in the dcstrue-
tion of Sennaeherih, when he was now elose upon his prey,
and slwok his IWIUI agaillst the mowlt of tI,e daughter of Zioll,
tI,e MIL (
f Jerlmdem, tlie Lord (
f liusts lopped tlie bou/{Ii Idtl,
terror, allli tI,e Mgit olles of stature were hell'll dOIt'II, aml ti,e
IWllght!1 were 1II1II/Med ï, so at the end. It is foretold of Anti-
Christ, that hi:- destruction !<hall he sudden 8, TIIt'II shall tlwt
Tri,.ked 0111' be ret'eliled, wlw1lt the Lord slwll f'OlISll1lle witli tlie
.
pirit of His mOllth, allli Ûwll destrfJ.1J 1('itl, tlie brightllcss of l-lis
COJl/ill
. Aud Isaiah saith of our Lord 9, HI' .
/1(l1l smite the
eartlt 1I'ith tlie rud '!f 1-1is moltth, and 1I'itl, ti,l' hreatll (
f His
lips Û"tli He slfty tlie wie/':l'CI. '''hP1l the lUultitudes of God's
enemies were thronged tog-ethcr, then would He speak with
IIi!' "oiee of h'rror. Thc ft'rrihle voiee of God's warnings is
compared to the roarin
of a lion 10. Tlie liOIl hatlt roftrt'd, ll,11f)
1l'Íllllot fNlr? tlie Lord Iwt/, spokt'lI, 1t,IIU emllJllt pruplll"\11 f
1\1111'h morc, when those words of awc are fulfilled. Our Lord
then, tlie Lirm of tI,e tribe of Judalt ll, \\'ho i
here entitled by
the ineommunieable Kame of God, I _\.\J, shaH utter His awe-

1 dntruclion dct,,"miurd. Is. x. 22. destruction, and '''a' determined Is. x. 2
. x,,\iii.
22. I>a,:,. i.x.
ï.
"al w/â,ch i. decre
d Qf desolation. i. e. '''e dcsoh,'iorls decreed lb. :!(i.
2 PIUI.IV. ". 3 Rev. 1. 1. . OnK. 'fro :30. in S. Matt. & S. Jer. 6 Hugo de S. V.
7 Is. x. 3:!, 3. · :1 Thess. ii. 10. "Is. xi. -1. 10 Am. iii. 8. II ltev. v. 5.

ful \r OÍt'C. a!< it is said 12; Tlu' Lord l{illls"'f.
/UlII dc.
celulfJ'Um
!tl',lI'CU lI'itl, a slwllt, wit/' tlie l'oi,'e (
f tllC arclulIIgel amlll'itlL
tI,e trulllp (
f (;od; and IIc Himself says, 13 Ti,l' IWflr is ('ollting,
ill tlie 1l,M"', all tltat are ill tI,e
r(lt'e,
.
liallllCar l:fi.
voirI' alld
shall come fortI" tlll'.'1 tlw
Itlll'e dOlle good flutO tlie lle.mrref"fÍfm
of I
fe, alld tltf'!J tlwt Illlve dOIll' evil ll1tlo the re.mrrectiull uf
d(lIJlJlfl t iOIl.
llIul Ûwlllltter 11is 'l'oice from JCI"Il.wdem i. e. either from
His Throne aloft ill the air ahliH the hilly t'ity, or from the
ht'm'enl r .Jernsalem. out of the midst of the t('ns of thousands
of His h
,ly iUl;!"els H , and
aint,; 15, who !<haU COIIIl' with Hillt. So
terrible !;haU that voic'e be, that the I'NlI'('IIS aud ti,e earth shall
s1wke, as it is said lß , the I'{,(ll'eu.
. Slilill pass llIl'a.'lwitll a great
1I0ise, allll tlie elcmellt.
shall melt 1l'itl, fen'ellt licat, tlie em.tlt
also allli tI,e 1l'orks tlwt al"e tliereill shall be hurnerlllP; and
..Ii heaven !'hall open for the c'omin
ufthe saint
," andlll'll slwll
he lII(flled at tlie comillg 18 ofthe cd!. "191'\or shaH it be a sli
ht
shahing- of the earth at Hi
Coming-, but
Udl that all the dead
I'hall 1)(' roused, as it were from their
lcep, yea, the H'ry elcc't
..hall fear and tremble, hut, t"'en in their fear and trembling-,
shall retain a !<trong- ho})C. This is what he
aith tè}rthwith,
Tlie Lorcl1l'ill be the liojJe (Ill' place of rc:fllge) of His peuple,
ami tile strengtll (or stroll!! Iwld) of tIt I' childrcn (
f L
rtll'l i. c.
of the true Israel, the whole pcople of the clec't of God. All
these He will then hy that His .\Iaje.::;ty at onc'c wonderfully ter-
rify and stren
then, IJ1'c'au!<e they ever hllped in (-;'od, not in
themseh-e!', and e,'er trusted in the strell/!Ìh of tht' Lord, ne,'er
pre!'umed on their 0\\ n. \\'hereas t'ontrariwise the false Isra-
elites hope in themseh-es, while, grJillg a!'out /0 c.
t(lblisl, tllcir
O1ell rì
/lfeoll!ì1tess, tlle.1I .mIJlnittt'lL thnw't'il'es uot to tllC l'iglde-
OIWIl'.
S of God 20 ." The true J sl'ael !.'hall trust much more than
evcr lwti,re; yet none can trust then, who, in life, bad not trust-
ed in lIim Alone.
Ii. (;od Himself wondrously join
on IIi,; own word!' to
those of the Prophet, and :opl'aks to His own 1'eople; so (lit,
allll] .lle .
/wlllillolt', hy eXllerient'e, by !'ight, face to face, what
ye now helie,'c, tlwt I am tlie Lord .'Iolfr {iod, dwelling ill ZioJl,
J1.'1 hOI.'llIIOllntaill. So H(' saith in the seem\(I Psahn 21 , Theil
shall lit., sjJl'Clk Itllto t/ICIII (the enemies of His Christ) ill His
1l'ratli, and l'C;)" tl'l'm ill His sore displea.mre; Aml 1 lull' I' set
JJ/'IJ king UII J/'II liol!J hill of Ziou ; and"
, BellOlcl tlte tlllJcrJlllde
of God is wit Ii 1111'11, tllIlllle will dwclIll'itli them, allli the!J Slilill
be lli.s Pl'Oplt', allli God 11"m
'elf Slilill be 1('itl, t/'elll, tl,eir God,
dwellin
with them and in thcm, by an unvarying', blisstitl. hal-
lowin
Pre
ene'(', ne'"t'r withdrawn, ne,-er hiddl'n. ne,-er ",had-
ed, but eyer shinin
upon them. ruur God, yonI' own, as much
as if POss('ssed by none be.::;ides, fillin
all \\ ith g-Jaehl(,!<s, )'et ful-
l) l'os
essed by eaeh, as thou
h there w('re none be
ides, so that
eaeh may say, Tlwll art m.ll Portioll, () Lord"3 ; my Lurd, allli
lilY Gucf2\ as lIe saith, I am tll!J exceeding great lllll'ard 2;;.

I
IThess.iv.16. 13 S.Joh.v.28.2:J. 14 S.lIIatt.x\i.27.xxv.31. S.!\lark viii.
38. 1 Th
<s. i. ï. 10 Zeeh. xiv. .J. J ud.H. 16 2 Pet. iii. 10. Ij Lyr. L..p.
18 Is. xiv. 9. 19 Rup.
o Hom. x. 3. 21 P.. ii. 5.6. = R
\. >..>..i.a.
2:ll's.e>..Ï'I..:iï. Lam. iii. 2J.
. S.Johllxx.
.
. Gell.x....l.

1-10

c HB
oÍeS T and ther{' shall no (stran
ers pass throu
h
cir. 1:100. lwr any more.
flsai. 33.8. & 5:!. 1. Nah.1.13. Zech.14.21. Rev. 21. 2ì.

JOEL,

18 -,r And it shall eome to pass in that C HB;{o;eS T
day, t/tat the mountains shall g drop down dr. !3OtJ.
g Amos 9. 13.

(lmlJerusalem shall b(' IW
I/, lit. 1/fJlilless, as S. John !'aith I,
II(' ('(trried 1IIe a/l'((.'1 ill t/le Spirit to a great amI high 1II0111ltaill,
alld sh('/('['[I 1//(' tlwt great ci('1, tht, 1IO(/} Jerusale1ll, descemli/lg
out of lIem'('/l fro/ll God, h((ri/lg till' glor./I of (;od.
amI tlll're shall 1m str((lIp:(,1" pass through hel" a1/./11IIore.
TT"itllOut, says S. .J olm
, are dog.
(( lid sorcerers, amI Il'lmr(,l1w1/-
gel's, ((1/d i1Iurderer,
, alld idolat('r.
, a1/d u,llO.WJerer lrn'etn and
maketli (( lie. Xone alien from hcr !'lwH pa!'!< throu
h lu'r, !'o
as to ha,-e dominion twer her, defile or oppre
s Iwr.
Thi!' spcl'ial promise is often repeated. 3[t shall h(' ('{(/led
the u'a,ll (
f IlUlilles.
, the UIlr/['(lIl ,
IIf[/[ 1/ot pass al'er it. 4IIellce-
fortll tllf're shull 1111 1II0re COllI(' illto tllee tile ullcirCU1IIcls['(1 {fml
tlte UIlc!erl1l. 5 Tile u.irked sluill }(o }JIOJ'e pass tltrm/glt tll('e.
6 III tl/(/t dml there slwll he no II/ore the rW/((([lIite ill tlll'lmuse
of tilt' LorcÌ of hosts. 7.d/ld there slwll ill no u'ise eliteI' illto it
W/.'I thillg that tlt:lìll'fh. These promise!< are. in their d('
ree
and in tlw illla
e and heg-illlling-, nllule I!,'ood to tht' Church here,
to be' fully fulfilled whell it shall he B a glurious C/lltl"cl" lIot
Iwri/lg sput or uTilllde or a/l./I s/(('h thing, hut hO
1/ amlll'ithout
hle1l/i.
/,. Here they do not pass throug-h her, so as to owr-
ellme; the gatn of Ilell s/lall lIot pl"el'(âl ((gainsf Iler. Howp,-er
near, as hYP"crite", they eome to her. they feci in them"eln'",
that they are Ilot (l her 9. There, they shaH he severed frum
her for en'r. ,noHereties came, armed with fantastie reasons
and dCt'eitful arg-ulllents; but they eould not pas!< thrung-h her,
repelled by tht' truth of the word. On'rf'OIllC hy rt'ason. ea
t
dnwn hy the testimonies of St'l"ipture and hy the glow of
faith." The,. feU baekwards to the ground beforc her. The,"
llgo Ollt f/'(J1u' !leI", hec(//l.
e tll".'1 'tre ll
,t (
f Iler. They who arc
Ilot (If her ean ming'le with her. touch her :o:ncramcnts. hut
thcir power and virtue they Imrtake not. They arc inwardly
rC}wllcd.
I
, And it sl/((ll come to P((s.
ill fhat D(/.'I. .\fter the dp-
stnwtion of .-\nti-(,hri
t, there will, it !<eell1!ò,
tiIJ he a period of
prohation. in whkh the g-race of God will ahound and extend
more and more widely. The Prophet Zechariah, who eon-
tinues on the ima
e of the liriug U'l/ters going Ollt from Jt'r/lS(/-
lem H, plat'es this g-ift after God hadg-athered all nations <)g-ainst
.Terll!òalem,and had ,-isihlyand miral'ulouslym-erthrown them 13.
But in that the blesi'ings which he !'pt'ak!< ot
are rt'generating-,
they helon
to time; the fulness of the hlessing- is eompleted
ouly in eternity; tht' dawn is on earth, the e'-t'rlastin
}JI'ig-ht-
ness i!< in heaven. nut thoug-h the prophe('y bplong-s emint'Ilt-
ly to out' time, the ima
ery dcsl'rihe!' the fuluess of spiritual
hlcssing's whit'h God at all times diffuse!< in and throug-h the
('hureh; and these blessings, he says, shall ('ontinue on in her
for (Tel'; her enemics !'hall be cut oft' for c"t'r. It may be, that
Jod would mark a frt'sh be
innin
amI summarv bv his words,
It shall he ill tlll/t D(/./I_ 'Ì'hc pr;,phets do ofte'n l)eg-in, a
ain
and ag-ain, their de!'t'riptions. Cnion with God, whit'h is their
theme. is one. Ever
' gift of God to His cleet, ex('ept the hea-
tifi(' dsion, i!ò be
un in time. union with Himselt
indwcllin
,
His Spirit flowin
forth from Him into His creature
, His Im-e,
knowled
e of Him. althong-h here throug-h a
lass darkly.
TI1t' promise eannot relate to e"Xuherance of temporal bJcss-
I Rev. xxi,10, 11. 2 lb. xxii. 15. 3 Is. xxxv. 8. 4 lb. Iii. 1. . Nah. i.15.
6 Zech.end. i Rev.xxi.2ï. "Eph.v.:!ì. 91S.Johnii.1!J. 10 Hup;oYict.
II 1 S, John ii. 19. 12 Zech, xiv. 8. 13 lb. 2-1. 14 on Is. xli. HI.
:: 1?x
II

g5.T1

f..tr'2

8
'

: 15
6 2

:!
3
'. i

ii. 1.
.
:

. f.a;x

. 24.
:Lxx,i. :W. 31. 36. Lxx,-ii. 1.4. 10.15. :!5. 28. xx."niii.I.(j. Deut,x. 3. 19 S. Jer.

ing-s, e,'en a" tokens of (;od's favor. For hc say!', a fO/lutain
shall ('Ollie fortlt of tI,e Iww;e of tile Lord, alllt slll/ll 7/'f(tl'1' the
7'alle.'1 '1f Sltittim. But tIll' ,'(/llf'.'l (!f Shittilll is on the other "idp
Jordan. beyond the Dead Sea, so that hy nature the waters
couhl not flow thither. The vallev of Shittim or at'ada tree"
is a dry ,'alley; tilr in !'ul'h the Ea
tern .-\I'aeia i. e. the sant or

andal wood
row!ò. "It i!<," saps S. Jerome H . "a tree whid)
A'rows in the dcsert, like a white thorn iu eolor and leaves, not
in fo;ize. For they arc of such !'ize. that Hry larg-c planks 1> arc
t'ut out of them. The wood is verv strong-, ami of ineredihle
lig-htness and heauty. They do not g-row in eultivated plat'e
,
or in till' Homan soil, save onlv in thc de!'ert of .Arabia." It
does not det'ayl6; and when olt"!, heeonws like eh ony 17. Of it
the .\rk of (;od was made. it" staves, the table of Shewhread,
thc tahernade and it!' pillars. the altar for burnt offerin
s, and
of iw'ense IR. The ,'aJlcy i!' about ..ix miles from Lh iasl
, spven
and a half beyowl the Dead Sea 20 . It was the last station of
Israel, before' entering the land of promise 2" whence .Joshua
!'ent out the spies2
; where {;od turned the ('un;:c ofDalaam
into a blcs
in
2:j, and he prophe!<ied of the Star" hich !"hould
õlri!<e out of I!<rae!, e,'cn Christ2
; where Israel sinned in Baal
Peor, and Phineas turned aside His displeasure 2õ .
The exi
telll'e of a larg-e !'upply of water under the Temple is
bcyond all question. "'hile the T('mple wa... !'till standin
, men-
tion is made of a ..26 fountain of e,-er-flowing water under the
tpmple,"aswdl as pools and eisterns for preservin
rain-water.
One eddently well acquainted with the Itll'alities says 27, "The
pavement has slopes at befitting- plaec!<, for the !"akc of a flnsh
of water whil'h takes place in order to cleanse away the hlood
from tht'vit,tim". For on festivals mannnvriad!" of animals arc
sal'rifieed. But of water therp is an unt'ailing supply, a copious
and natural tountain within
ushin
over, and therc being-more-
m"er wond(,,'ful underg-rouml-recel'tm'les in a eirl'uit offivc fur-
long!', in the !'uhstrueture of the temple, and eaeh ofth('!'e hav-
ing munerous pipes, the !'everal streams inter-I'ommunieating-,
and all these elosed up below and on the side".-Then' arc also
many mouths towards the hase. invisible to aU, exeept tho
e to
whom the st'rvit'e of th(' tt'mple bt'lon
s.
o that the manifohl
blood of the saerifiees bein
brought to
ether are eJeansed bv
the gtl!'h [of water down] tl
e !<lop(
." TìÚs same writer relates
that. more than half a mile from the city. he was told to !òtoop
down and heard the sound of !-"I"hing waters under
round.
The natural fountain, then, heneath the temple was doubtless
aug-mented hy waters hrou
ht from a distalH'e, as refl'lired for
the" dh"ers washing-s "both of the priest!< and other thin
!', and
to ('al'ry off the hlood oft}w vil'tims. Pools near the temple are
mentioned hy writpr!< of the third and fourth t'entury2
; and 0-
mar, 011 the surrender of .Jerusalem, .\. D. 6:H. wa!' g-uidt'd to
the !<ite of the ancicnt tcmple (whereon he built his )Io:o:k) by
the stream of water which issued through a water-ehannel from
it 29 . \\11elH'eSOe'-t'r thi!' water was derin'd, whether from a pe-
rennial spring beneath thp temple itself.orwhether hroug-ht thi-
ther from some unfailin
source without, it afforded Jerusalem
an ahundant SUPl)ly of ,,-ater. l\Iueh as Jerusalem suffered in
!òiegt's by Üunine. and its besiegers by thirst. thirst was ncver
20 Jos. Ant. v.I.!. 21 Num. xxxiii. 49.

Jos. ii, 1. 23 Num. xxiii. xxiv.

Iic. vi. 5. 2. Nu. xxiv. Ii. 25 Ih. xxv. 1, ï. 11.
6 fons perennis aquæ Tac. Hist.
v, 12.
The
o

d:=

ipi
i.; :
lphK

t

g.
;
Ph
:.\:!iï.14. Itin. Hieros. p. 15
.
quoted in Willi,tms' full account of the "aters of the Holy City and their connection.
Holy City ii. 466. sqq.
9 Williams H. C. i. 316. Arabic authorities.

cH.\PTER [II.

C Jrj{ores T nf'W winp, and t11l' 11i11.. shaH flow with
cir.
"I. milk, h and all the rivers of Judah shall

ì:
.3

.25. t flow with wakrs, and i a fountain shall
IPs. -1-6. ... Ezek. 47. 1. Zech. H.8. Rev. 22. 1.

lU

come forth of t1ll' housp of the LORD, and c JíiT's T
shall wah'r k the ,-alley of Shittilll. cir. !'inll.
l!) 1 EA'ypt sball he a dc!'ulation, and
fs
:w:
i
.

any part of the !'ufferings of tl\ll
e within 1. The superfluous
".;t('r was and stiH is earrietl uff undcr
l"Ound, tu what is nuw
"the fuuntain of the Yir
in2," and thenee a
ain. throu
h the
rOf'k, tn the pnol of Siloam 3. Tht'lu'e it ('arried fertility to the
/!ard('ns uf Silnam. in Joel's time dnuhtless tile king'... gardl'n!t
,
!;till" 5 it verdant spot, refi'eshin
tu thc eye in the heat uf sum-
mer, while all around is parehed and dun." The hlood of the
vil,tims flmn'd into the same brook Kidron, and was a known
soun'e uf fertilitv, hefure the land was g-iven tu d('sulation.
The waters of Kidrun, as weU as all the waters of Palestine,
must have hecn more ahundant furmerly. Isaiah !'pcaks of it,
as.t1ml'ing soft(tl; Jo
('phus 7,oftht''' abuudant fountain;" an uf:"
fieial rcport. 8 n f the" fuuntain g-ushin
fèJrth with ahundanee of
water." Still its fcrtili!'in
pnwers furmed hut nne little uasis,
where all around was arid. It fertilised those g"ardens fin miles
from the Óty, but the mid-spaee was waterless 9 , thirsty, mnurn-
ful lO . Lower duwn, the rivulet thrcaded its way to the Dead Sea
throu!!h a narrow ra\-ine whieh heeanw more and more wild,
wh('r
St. Salm planted his mnnast('ry. ".A howling wih1crne!oo",
stern desnlatiun, !'tupendnus perpendieular diffs, terrific dm!<m!i',
uppre

h-t' sulitude" are the tcrms by whidl UIH' endeavour!i',
to eharal'terise ,. the heart of thi!i' stern desert of J udæa n." Sueh
l'ontinues tn he it!i' dmral'ter, in the remaininA" half ofit!i' enurse,
until it is lo
t in theDead Sea,andi!i' transmuted into its
altne
".
It!i' ,'allt'y bears the name of de
olatiun, ". ady en Xar 12 , "valley
of fire." X 0 human path lies alnn
it. The Kidron flows alnnA"
"12 a de('p and ahunst impenetrable ravine," " in a narruw ehan-
nel hetn een lwrpendieular wall!i' of roek, as if worn away by the
rushing" watl'rs hetween tho
e desulate chalky hill
." That
little uasis ofnrdure wa!i' fit emhlem of the Jewi!i'h p('ople, it
cJf
heden'edhythe streamwhieh issued from the Temple of God,hut,
like Gideun's flee('e, lea\"in
aU aruund dry. It made no sensible
imllre!i'
iun out of
or beyond it!'elt'. Hereafter, tile .ytrea})l13, the
Siloah, wl\ll
e streamlets i. e. the artifieial fertili
ing" divi!i'ions H,
1Ilade glad tlte cit.1f of God, should make the wilde
t, drie!'t, spots
of our nwrtality like the gardeu ()f tile Lord. n('
olatiun should
heenmt' bri
ht and
ar
the pilJ"('hed earth should !i'huut up fre!i'h
with life; what was hy nature barren and unfruitful should
bring- forth
ood fruit; plaees heretofort' stained by!'in should
he pudficd; n.ature !i'hould be rene\n'd by graee ; and that, be-
yond the borders uf the promised land. in that world which
they had left. when Ju
hua bruu
ht them in thither. Thi!i',
which it needs many words tu explain, was viyid to tho!i'l' to
whnm .Joel "poke. They had that sput of emerald g-reen befure
their eyes, ",-er whi('h the stream whil'h they then knew to i!i'!Oue
from tile 'fcml'le tril'kled in tran!òparent bri
htnes!ò, ('ondueted
by those I'hanncls furmed hv man's diligelH'e. The eycs of the
eitizens of .Jerusalem mU!i"t ha'"e r('st'ed with IJleas'ure on it
amid the parehed surfa('e around. Fresher than the gladli('!i't
fi'e!i'lme!i's of nature, bri
hter than its l11u
t kindled
low, i!i' the
renewin
freshnes!i' of g-raee; and this, issuin
from mount Ziun,
wa
tu br the portion not of Judæa only, but the world.
· The d
ion uf Ezekiel 1; , which is a ('onllnent on the prophel'Y
of Joel. l'learly bt'lungs primarily to this life. For in this life
only is there need fur healing; in this life only is there a desert
. I Williams H. C. ii. 453, 4. 2 lb. 468. Robinson i. 3 W.
_ 3 Robmsoni.231,2.338.9. '2K.xxv.4.J
r.xxxix.4.lii.i.Neh.iii.15. Williams
li."4
7. õ Williamsii.
(j. & viii. 6. 7 ß. J. v. 4. 1.
in Eus. Præp. Ev. ix.36.
WIlliams ii. 464. 9 Timochares in Eus.ix.35. WilJiamsii.4ï8.

land to be madt' fruitful; d('ath to be dlan
ed illto life
dcath
and life, the healed ami ullhealed, side lIy side; lift" where the
stn'am of (
od's graee reiu'heth, alld death and harrenncss
wh('r(' it J"('aeheth not. The fishers who spread their Ilt'ts a-
mid tlll'.fi.
/t, l'.t"l'eedillg 111(111.'1, are an emhl('m whidl waited fur
and r('('t'Îved its e
planation froJll the parahles uf uur Lord.
In the Re,"clation, aho\'e all. the pea('e,
lory, Iwlincs
, ,ision
of Gud, ean only be fulfilled in the !'ight of God. Yet hl're too
the in('J"case of the Chureh, and the healin
of the nations 18,
belong- to time and to a state of prohatiun, not of full fi'uitiun.
nut then neither ('an thuse uthcr symhols relate to earthly
thinf.,rs.
Tile Jlwulltaills shall drop dowlI uew wille, lit. troddclI uut.
"'hat is ordinarily obtained by toil, shall he poured furth spon-
tan('ou!'ly. AmI tile hills sllall fi(Jll
u'itll milk, lit. .flow milk,
as thoug"h the) th('mselves, of their own ac'eord, g-ushed furth
intu the g-oml gifts which they yidd. Jrille t'ver new, and
eyer renewing-, sweet and g-Iaddenin
the hcart; milk, the elll-
blem uf the spiritual fuud uf ehildlike suuls, of purest know-
ledA"e, huly dcyotiun, an
di(' purity, hea'-elll
pleasure. And
these shall neyer ('ea!'e. These J!:ifts are spuken uf, a
the
spontaneous, perpetual flow uf the mountains and hills; and,
as the fuuntain !!u!i'hes furth frum the hill OJ' muuntain-side in
une eeasele...s flow, day and ni
ht, streamin
uut ti'um the hid-
d('n reeessc!< to which the waters are supplied by Gud frum
lIis treasure-house of the rain, !'o, day and ni
ht, in surrow
or in joy, in prospedty or a(h-ersity, Gud puurs uut, in the
Church and in the suuls of lIis elect, the ridlcs uf lIi!i'
race.
All the ril'ers, lit. ('lulJl1lels 17 , of .Judah slUll! fir}/(' u'itlt water.
Every chanuel, howe,-er narruw and ea
ily dryin
up, !'hall
fiOll' wit II u'ater, gushing furth unto eYerlastin
life; the love
uf God shall stream throu
h C\"cry heart; em'h shall be full
al'l'ording- to it!i' l'apacity, and none the le
s full, beeause a
Im'J!:er tide pours throu
h uthers. 1I0w mueh mure, "bin those
("-erla
ting- hill
of heaven, tile Ilertl'ell(Ij .lcru.wtlem, re
tinA" un
the eternity and Godhead uf the Holy Trinity, shall that lung-
promise be fulfilled, of the land flowing" with milk and huney

where God, thruu
h thc beatifi(' vision uf lIim!'elf, shall puur in-
tu the blessed tile torrellt of pleasure, the unutterable !Sweetne!òs
of juy and
ladne
!i' unspeakable in Him!i'elf; and all tile rh'ers
of .lurlal, i. e. all the puwer!', l'apaeities, !'enses, Sp('('ch of the
saints who cOl
fe.
.y Gud, !"hall flow with a perennial stream of
joy, thank
/-.rivin
, and juhilee, as of all pleasure ami bliss."
W. E,:,tlpt shall be II desolation. Egypt and Edom re-
prescnt eat'h a different c'la!'!' flf enemies of the l'euIJle of God,
and hoth tUg"ether exhihit the lut uf all. EJ!:YIlt was the puwer-
ful uppres!'ur, who kept I!<raeJ ]un
time in hard hunda
e, and
tried, by the murder of their male dlildrcn, to extirpate them.
Edom was, hy hirth, the nearest allied to them, hut had, fhull
the time of tileir approa('h to the promised land, been ho
tilc
to them, and
he\\"ed a malieious juy in aU their calamities 19 .
Tlleirlaud, in whidl Egypt and Edum shed the illlwcent blood
of tile clli/dl"('1l of.ludall, may either he Edllln, I

ypt, or J lldæa.
If the land was Judæa, the sin is a
gravated by it!i' hein
l;ud's
land, the pussessiun of which they were disputing "ith God.
III Strabox\i.c.2.
.36.40. p.íôl,3. W.ii..453. \I Thomson ii. 435. 431.
12 Robinson i. 531. 13 Ps. xhi. 4. 1<
.;
t Ii Ezek. xhii.1-12. 16 Re\". xxi.

i
;I
i

J: P
;t

ii:
.

lo
aÅ
. i l . 9 1?b.1O-H. Ez. XX\. 12. xXX\.15. xxxvi.
Dd

142

If it wa
E
rpt and Ellom, thcn it wa
prohahly thc hlood of
tlHl
c who took refl1
e thcrc, or, as to Edom, uf prbuners dc-
livercIIllp to them 1.
Thi
is thc first prophef'Y of the humiliation of E
rpt.
Hos('a had thrcateued, that E
TPt
lwl1ld he thc
ran' of th(J
1.'
of I!<rael who
honld flcl.' there 2. H('
peaks uf it a
the vain
tru!<t, and a real evil to Isracl 3 ; of it
own future he
ap uu-
thin
. ßrief as Joel's words arc. they expre
s di
tinl'tly an
ahidin
('omlition of E
ypt. Tlwy arc expanded by Ezekiel 4;
partil'lllar I'hastisemcnts arc foretold by I
aiah 5, Jercmiah 6,
Ezckiel " Zel'hariah B. Bnt thc threc words of Joel
, Egypt
slm/[ })('r()}ne desolation, are morc eomprehensivc than any pru-
phec'y, exc'ept thosc by Ezckiel. They foretell that ahiding-
condition, not only by the forc'e of tllC' wurth:, but hy thc f'on-
trast with an ahidin
e())ulition of bli
!':. Thc words !<en', not
only" it shall 1)(' cle
(Ilated," a
by a pas
ing- !<I'ourg-e s
n'ep-
ing un'r it, but" it !òhall itsdfjJas,
Ol'er into that !"tate;" it
hall
bel'ollle what it had not heen 10; and this. in I'()ntra
t with the
abidin
eomlition of God's peuplc. Thc contra
t is likf' that
of thc P
almist ll, He tllJ"netlt (( frlli(ful land into h(l/"remll',\'S
for the ll'ickecllle.
s uf them tlmt (/tl'ell thereill. He tUrIletli tll('
1l'ilderlles,\' into (l standing 1Nlta. oml (11:'1 !!rollml into ll'llter-
spriJ/g,
. Judah shulllll overflow with ble

in
, and thc
treallls
of Gud's
ra('e !<hould pass bcyond it!< bouml
. and f'arry fruit-
fllhl('s
to what now wa
drv and harren. nut what should
rcjel't His grat'l.'
hould be it
clf rt-jeeted.
Yet when Joel thus threatened E
Tpt, there were no human
symptolll" of it!': decay: thc in
truments of it
suel'es
ive over-
throws were ai; yet wild horde
, (as thc Chaltlces, Pcrsian
, amI
1\Ial'edonian!<,) to he eonsoliclatell thcreaftcr into powertitl em-
pire!", or (a!> Rome) had not thc heginnin

of heing-. 'l'he'.12('on-
tiIl\WUS nwnllmental history of Eg-ypt" went hack !òe"ell f'en-
turie
betorc this, to ahont J j:!(), B.C. Thev had had a linc
of ('olHlll('rOrS alllong- their king
, who suhdut-d mudl uf Asia,
and (lisputed with .A

)Tia the f'ountry which lay between
them l \ Even after the tiull' of Joel, they had g-reat eonqueror!ò,
a
Tirhaka; P
ammctiehus won .Ashdod baek from Assvria 14,
l'\el'o was prohahly sUf'l'essfnl a
ainst it, as well as ag-aitist Sy-
ria ancl kin:,:" Ju!<iah: for he took Cadvti!< on his rcturnl;;from his
expedition'again
t Can'hemi
h 16; liltaraoh Hophra, or .Apries,
until he feU hy his IH"ide l1 , rencwed for a time thc prosperity
of P
amnH'tiehu
IH: thc reign uf Amasi
, en'n aftl.'r X chuehad-
nezzar's eonquc
t, was said to bc "the most prosperous time
whit'h E
ypt c"cr sawl
;" it wa
still a period uf forei
n I'on-
queo;t"'o, and its Ótie
eonld bc ma
nified into :!O,OO(). The Per-
"ian inva
ion was drawn upon it by an allilUlf'c with Lydia, whi-
ther Amasi
scnt 1:!(),OOO men 21; its, at times, suecc
sful strug--
g-Ie
ag-ain
t thc gigantic' aI"/uies uf its Persian eonfluerors 22 be-
token
reat inhcrent streng-th: yet it sank for ever, a perpctual
desolation. "Rent, twentv-threc c'cntnries a:,:"o, from her na-
tural propridors," says an 'unbelievinl!," \\Tit('r 23 , "she ha
secn
Pcr
ians. Maf'e(lonian
. Romans, Greeks, .\rah
, tìeorgians,
and at leng-th, the raf'1.' of Tartar
, di
ting-uished hy the name
ofOUlIlllan Turk
, establi!"h themselvcs in her ho!':om." "Thc
"r
tem of oppr(-'
sion i" methodical;" "an univer
al air of mi-
sl.'rv is manife
t in aU whidl the traycller meet
." "241\1 ud-
waÌled euttag-es are now the only habitatiun
, wher(' the ruins
1 see on Amos i. 9. 2 ix. G. 3 vii. n, 12, !G. viii. 13. ix. 3. xi. 5. 4 xxix. 9-12. 15.
a xix. xx. 6 xlvi. 7 xxix-xxxii. 8 x. 11. 9
"'';'''';:'1 ;-;':"::I",C:'
"'I-::"::I
10 Such is the force:'
':-t. 11 Ps. cvii. 33-5. 12 Sir G. Wilkinson I1ist. Notice of
Eg. in Ita"!. Herod. ii. 35
. 13 see lb. p.35G-377. H Herod. ii. ]57. Ii; Ib.15t1.
16 2 K. xxiii. 29. 17 Ezek. xxix. 3. 18 Herod. ii. Ha and p. 218. n.8. Rawl.
19 Her. ii. Iii. 20 lb. ]82. 21 Cvrop. vi. 2. 10. vii. 1. 30- J5. 2"3 see SirG. W;lkinson
sUllllllar
Haw!. Herod.ii. 1'.393. ""Volney Voyage c. Ii. also c.12.18. quoted by Keith.
2' Keith on Prophecy, Egypt. 1'.5011-:3. "5 Descript. de I' Eg)pte(Col. Jacotin)
Etat :\loderne. T. ii. P. ii. p. ;;71. e,1. fol. 26 Gen. xhii. û. 11. 27 Etat de I' Eg.
from thp Arabic. De Sac. Abdal. p. 595.

JOEL,

oftcmples and palaC'cs ahound. Thc desert ('overs many exten-
sh'e re
ions, whic'h onec raised E
"rpt alllclllg thc ehief of the
king-dollls." The desulation of E
rpt is the strangcr, because
exceeding misrulc alone I'ould have etrl.'l'ted it.
E
rpt, in it
larg-('
t dimension!', has been f'al('ulatcd to ('011-
tain I :!3,52í square miles or í9,()5í,3

9 aercs, and to be threc
fourths (If the sizc of Frauec!lii. TIt(' mmmtains \\ hi('h hem in
uppcr J

ypt, diver
(' at Cairo, parting-, thc onc rang-(', duc Ea!<'t,
the nthl.'r K. \Y. Thl.' JlJountains on the 'Y cst sink into the
plains; thuse on the Ea!"t retain their height as far as Suez.
.\bout 10 mill's hclnw Cairo, thc Kill.' parted, Ílll'lo
ing- within
the outside of its sevcn hranl'he
, that trianglc of wondrous
fertility, till' Delta. .A network of ('anals, formed hy thc stu-
pendous industry of tllC' aIH'ient Egyptian!", endosed this tri-
an
Jc in another yet larg-er, whu
e hase, along the eoa
t, was
:!

5 mil(-'
, in direl't distatlf'c a1l0ut UH. East of thc Ea
tern-
nlllst hrauf'h of the Nilc, lay the laud of Gosl/(
Ii, formcrly, at
lea
t for eattlc, tlte good of the lalld 26 , a part, at least, ofth(' pre-

cnt e
h-Sharkiyyeh,
eccllld in size of thc provinces of El,"ypt,
hut whic'h .\.D, I:Jí5, yielded the hi
hest rcvcnuc to thc state 21 .
On thc '" e
tern sidc of thc Nile, ami ahout a degre(' South of
the apex of thc Delta, a stupeIHIou", work, the artificial lake
of :\læris 28 , inclosin
withiu ma
unry64 i sCluare mil('s of water,
reech'ed the superfluous waters of the rÍ\-cr, and t}lU
at once
prevented thc injury incideuta] un any too great rise of the

ile, and supplied water during !:ix months for th(' irrig-ation
of lí24 squarc mile
, or I, 103,3í5, acres
9. Thc Nile whidl,
when it m-erflowed' spread liliC a sea ovcr Eg-ypt 30 , enf'irding
its citics like island!', c'arried with it a fcrtilising power, at-
te
ted by all, but which, un}('
l<' so atte4ed, wuuld
eelll fabuluus.
Bt'neath a g-Iowing" heat,
reater than its latitude will ael'ount
for. the earth, supplied with continual moi
ture amI an en'r-re-
newcd alluvial del'o
it whieh !"uper
cdes all ne(,(l of"dressin
"
thc soil, yields, within thc year, thrce harvests of varied IJro-
dlU'e
l. Thi

y
tem of emmlising Egypt must have he en of
very early antiquity. That g-iant conceptiun of the water-s)'s-
tcm oflake l\Iæris is suppo!<e(l to havc been the wurk of Am-
mellemhc!", perhaps about 16í:J, B.C,32. But
U('h a g-iant plan
presupposes the existence of an artifil.'al sy
telll uf irrigation
whil'h it cxpanded. In the time ofl\Iose.., we hear ineidentally
uf ti,e strellillS of E
ypt, tlte ('(lJ/{(IS33 (that is, tho!<e u
ed for irri-

ation,) and tl,e )J()}/(ls34. the reeeptades of the watcr whif'h was
left when thc Nile retired. ll('side
the
e, an artificial mode of
irri
ation h.'1 tlte foot 3;; is mentioncd, nuw nu Jonger distinctly
known, hut used, Jike the present plans of the water-wheel and
thc Icver 36 , to ÏITig-ate thc lands for thc later harvests. This
!òy..tem of irri
ation had, in the time of Joel, lasted probably
for above WOO ycars. The Eg-yptians ascrihe(l the first turning
of thc l'\ilc to their fir..t king-, l\lcne
31, of fabulous antiquity.
But whilc it la
ted in any degTl.'c, E
ypt could not hc('ome
harren eXI'ept by miral'le. Evcn now it reco,-cr!ò, whene, er
water is applied. "'\ll('rc"er there is water, there i!" fertility."
":\Wfhe l))"mhll'tin puwers of the
oil ufEg-ypt are ÏlU'aleulable.
\Yhel'ever water is s('attered, thcre sprinl!,"" up a rapid and
beautiful vc
etatioll. Thc seed is sown and watered, and
scareely any other earc i
requisite tur the ordinary fruits of
the carth. E,'en in !:pots adjaeent to the desert and which
28 This is the interestin!(discovery ofM. Linant de Belletimd..l\lémoire sur lebc de
l\1æris. 18
. 29 !Jûi ,!J
fe,ldans. The feddan, an Arabic acre (i.q. ï:
) varied at dif.
ferenttimes. :.\1. Linant counts it at l
OO mètresS3 ccntimi'trescarrés, 1 ,,'y Eng. Acre.
Co!. Jacotin estimates it at 5\):!!! mètres carrés, a little umler 1
Eng. Acre 1.4:!577.
(Descr. de r Eg.lh. 513) Mr. Lane statcs it at I-f.:, En!(. Acre a little before 18-%, "more
at an earlier periml" (i. 158) les< than an acre now (ii. 371.) "0 lIerod. ii. 9i_
"' Lane Egypt ii. 26. 32 Lepsius Kænigsbuch d. alten ÆgyJ't. Synopt. Tafeln p. 5.
33 :"-S"', the Eg-yptian word JOT, "ditch" or "river." 3-1 Ex. vlÌ. 19. \iÏ1. L 3;) Deut.
xi. 40. 36 SacJ,.iyeh and shadoof. see Lane ii. :!-!. 37 Herod. ii. 4. mI. 38 Bowring
Report on Egypt. 18JO. p. 12.

CI-L\PTER III.

eem to he taken })Os
ession ofhy the !-and
, irri
ation hrin
s
rapidly furth a val'iety of g-rt'en h('rhs a 1111 plants." For it

first erup, thcre 1leeded but tu east the seed, and have it trod-
den in hv cattlc l .
Kothiil
then eunld desulate r.
n,t, ('Xf'('pt JUan's ahiding-
ne
li
elll'e (It. oPI,rcssion. So I'il'",sing- <;tCII:II
ur inroad eU
lld
annihilate a fertility, whif'h puured in upun It 1Il cYer-n'newlll

rjchne
s. For 1000 wars, the Xi!(' had hruu
ht tu E
ypt un-
uhah'fl ridlllcs!':. TI;e Xile un-rt1ows still, hut in vain amid de-
}lOpulatiou, and
rimlin
, llllif()rm, oPIJl'es
iun. Kot the COlIll-
try is exhausted. but man.
'" If," say!': l\Iengin
," it is tru(' that there is no country richer
than E
Yl;t in its territurial prududions., still tlU're is.perh
lps
nu one whuse illlmbitallts arc more mlserahle. It IS OWlll

!'olclv to the tl'rtilitv of its soil and the sulH'iety of its cultiva-
tors," that it retains' the pupulation whic'h it still has." The
marked diminutiun of the population had be
'un hd"orc the
ßirth of our Lurd. "Of old," !<ays l>iodorus 3 , "it far exc('eded
in densencs!': of 1'0pulaticIll all the known cuuntries in the wurld,
Rlld in our days tuo it seems to he inferiur tu nu utlU'r. For
in anei('nt tinies it had nlClre than IH, OOU ('ullsiderable villa
es
and towns, a!': vou may see reg-ister('ci in the saC'n'd lists. In
the time of Ptc;lemy L;Ig-us more than

(), 000 were cOlmted, a
uUllIber whiC'h has C'cmtillucd untilllow. But the whole I'eo-
pic are said of old to have been about seven I!lillions, and in
úur days nut less than thrce 4 ." .c\ modern estnnate !'UPl'USf'S
that E
n)t,if cultivated tu the utmust, wuuld, ill plentiful years,
suppurt l'Í
ht milliuns 5 . It is diffieult to calC'ulate a pUl'ula-
tion where difth'ent ranks wi
h tu ('OJU'eal it. It has heen
g-uesscd hO\\"('\'er that, two ccuturies a
o, it was fuur milliuns ;
that, at the beg-inninf,:" of this ccntury, it was twu milliun!< and
a half; and that, in Itl4j, it was ItlOO,000 6 . The grcat dimi-
nution then luul he
u1l 1900 )'ears ag-o. Temporary causes,
plague, sman-pox, C'onsC'ripticltl, have, in this last century, a-
g-ain halved the populatiun; but duwn to that time, it had !o'unk
to no lower level than it had alreadv reaehed at l('ast IH centu-
ries befm'e. The land !'till, fur its frilitfulne!o's. ('untinues to sup-
ply nwre than its inhabitants consume; it yields uvcr and abuve
cotton 7, for strang-ers tu empluy. Yet ib; brilliant patehes of
vcg-('taticm arc but imlic'atiuns how f,:"reat the puwers implanted
in it. In vain the" risin:! :Kile onrt1uws (as it is thou
ht) a
larg-er I'ropurtion uf the' soil b " than heretotl)re; in nlin has
the rich aIlm-ial deposit elu'I'oaC'hed upon the g-radual slope of
the descrt: in vain, in Ppper E
11)t has a third heen added

in('c ahout thc timc of the Exodus. Eg-ypt is strieken. Canals
and e\'ell arms ufthe Kile werc allowed tu ehuke up. Ofthc se-
\'en hram'hes uf the :Kile, two only, at first artific'ial, remain 9 .
"The other
haye either entirely di
appeared or are dry in
summer." The gTeat Eastern arm, the Pelusian, is nearly
cftiwed, "I01mried almost whully beneath the sands of the de-
!'crt." "ll The land at the molltil of the canal whiC'h rq)re!<ents
it, is a !'and wastc or a mal'sh." "uThere is now nu trace uf
ng-etation ill thewhule PcIusian plain. Onlyone sli
ht h'olated
rise has some thickets on it, and some shafts of eolumns lic on

I Herod. ii. 14. and Sir G. Wilko Rawl. Herod. ii.I8. 2 Hist de]' Eg. ii. 342.
3. i. ;)1. He wrote,in part, 20, B. C. i. -H. 4 Only one late :\IS. omit. the won!
'Tp.w.ouíw". making the sense. that Ihe nnmber was still no less than seven million.. It
w,",no weight al(.IÎnstthe(':reolter authority of MSS. "Lane's El()pl i. 27. 6 Sir G.
Wi]kin.on Modem EI!:.']Jt i. 2.;;. M. Jomard. (DEscr. de I' Eg. ii. 2. p. 3f;'.)sel. it at
2.422. :WO. i lI}(),III'U bales of a cwt. each in one Yeolr. Lane i. 2H. "\\ï]kinson AnI'.
Eg. i. 218.9. 9 Wilkinson mod. EI(. i. 40:3. 10 1\lal". sur l'état anc. et mod. dps Pro-
\i

e
r..

tb
epl.a3

.sse
gc

;
:
'i
'Ù

'dell

I
ii

:
i

4.
,
:I

;ÿ
in De_cr. Eg. M.i. p. 2fìhqq. 16 lb.
. 4. 17 Ritteri.8:!1. '" Le Père lb. ii. 1. 171.
19 Athen. i. (;0. p. iii, i. Dinù. Strah. xvii. 1. H, Iá. RittPr i. 871. 20 Le Père lb. ii. 2,
482. 21 Id.ib.ii.p.1U. 22 lb. 7. "I li-!.:!4. square leagues. Coi. Jacotin ii. 2. 1'.5.,.

. from the Arabic li.t published by De Sacy at the end of his Abdallatif p. 597-704.

ua

the sam!." ,<13 In the lllid:-t of a plain th(' most fertile, they want
the ban.!'t n('c'('!':,.ari('
IIf lill'." The
and uf the cll...ert. \\ hic'h
was f'hcf'ked hv th(' rh'er und hy thc rcccb. CHI its hanÍ,s, has
!<wept un'r lami
no lun
er f('rtili
....e(l. .. wl'he !'ea has not heen
less de....truetive. It ha.... brul,cn down the dikes, wh('I'ewith
man's lahour held it in, and ha
C'arried harrenne
s (1\ er the
prmluetiye land!", whic'h it c'nIl\"('rted intu lake... alHlmal"
hcs:'
.\ g-lanC'e at the mal' of Eg-ypt will :-he\\" hc",- widely the
ea
has hurst in, wh('re laml onc'e wa!'. 011 the East, the ...alt lake
i\Jellzaleh, (it
elt. frum 'L Ì'\. 'L to S. E. ahuut ;)0 milc
lung-,
and ahm'e lU miles thHll K. to S.) ahsorhs two more of the
alleÍent anus uf thc Kile, tIt(' Tallitic' amI the Meml('
ianlõ.
The Taniti(' braueh is marked hy a decpcr channel twlu\\ the
!'hallow waters uf the lahe 18 . The lakc IIf ßurlns '.Iï cl('C'upies
from E. to "-. more than half the Im!o.is uf tIlt' Delta." Further
,,' estwani are a suc'c'ession of lake!', Edlwu, )Jadn'h (abu, e
Ii J miles) :\Jareotis, (:i7
miles). "1
The allC'iellt Deita ha,.; lll
t
more than half it
surfal'e, of whic'h une-fifth is C'(ln'I'Cei with
the waters ofthe lake!o' )Iareotis, l\Iadyeh, Eelkou, nOU1'lo
, ancl
.Mcnzaleh, !'ad eft'ects ufthc ('arcle
sncs!oi uf the rnl('rs ur rather
!'poilers ofthi!" unhappy l'uuntry." Even when the lake
Iare-
otis was, bef(lre the En
lish innlsion in It;OI, allowed nearly to
dry up, it was but an unhealthy lag-uclll; and tll(' )Iarcoti(' dis-
trict, unC'e famoll!' fur its wine and it
olh e
and papyrus 111,
had "c('Cllne a de!'ert. So tilr ti'om being- a !o'ourf'e of fcrtility,
these lakes frum time to time, at the luw Kill', inundate the
eounÌl'Y with salt water, ami are "surruunded hy luw and Imr-
ren plains 20."
Theanl'Íent populousness and eapahilities ofthe"-e
ternl'r
'-
vinec are attcstcd by its ruins. '. 21 'l'he ruins \\ hieh the Fn'nC'h
found every where in the military reC'onnaissanees uf thi!< part
of E
ypt attest the truth uf the historical ae('uunts of the an-
c'ient populatiun of the Prm'im'e,nO\nleserted;" "22S0 elesf>l.ted,
that yuu can s('arc'e tell the nUlllbcrs of ruined cities frequented
only by wandering- .c\rahs."
A('('ordin
tu a ealeulation luwer than 01 her!', 1 of the land
formerly tilÌed ill Eg-ypt lm!o. been thrown out IIf ('ultinttion i.e.
not less than l,ï(i:i,89.; a('res or 275:J,-1"
'luare miIe!,2;!. .\nd
this is not uf ve!o'terday. Towards the end of the 14th een-
tury, the e
tel'lt uf thë land taxed was 3,0:34, 179 ferldalls 2

i.e. 4,37ï,
:i();
acres or ()t\-!Ui S(JlHlre mile!'. The list of lands
taxed by the E
YI)tian
on'rlll1!ent in Itl2-1 ) ield!o' hut a
Ulu uf
1,9.j(),340 tèddans 2;;, or 2,H22, Iii aeres ur 4-10!J s'luarc mil(,!'.
Yet en'n this due!' nut represent the land a('tnallyeultinlted.
SOllie even of the taxed land is left wholly, sume partially, un-
cultivated 26. In an uffieial report 2ï , 2,000,000 feeldans art' !'tat-
ed to he eultivated, when the uverfiuw of the Kile is the must
favllurablc, i.e. 4 unlv ofthe estimated C'ulth'able alllllunt. The
Frenc'h, who su
'wr(.d Eg-ypt minutely, with a view t(l future
illlIH'U\'em('nt, ealC'ulated that abuve 1,000,000 feddan
n,OI2,
tjH7) might be pro
imately rl'!'turcd by tilt' resturatilln (If the
system uf irrig-atiun, and nearly 1,000,000 mure (!l42,HlU)
by the drainag-c of its lukes, ponds ami marshes, i.e. nearly as
1ll11C'h again as is actually C'ultintted. One of the French
ur-

2. Mengin Hist. de I' Eg. ii. 343. .
28 Sir. G. Wilkinson, says, .. The ]aml1\. and S. of the canal, p
rticularly ro
md :'Ien-
zaleh, is little producti\ 1', and in parts perf
t]
. bal!en. T
e mcrea.
of.mtre m the
soil_eems to doom to destruction 1'\ en that wInch IS stll] dt'servlllg of cultl\ atlOn. Some
land scarce!) repays the labour of tilling,
nd _ome
as been found "0 unp
oducti
,e that,
t"ollli" rated for ta.ratioll a"d ann/lOll" 1'01'>11" firdelt, It ha. been left uneultl\ ated. :\Iod.
EI(. 1.441,2. Again, of the pro\iJice of Be]mesa; .. The lan
for the most part lies
fallow for three months bt'fore the inundation, partly from the mdolence of the people,
and p
rtly from the want of hands to culti\ate." ii. 30. .
2;" ,," hen the I\ile rise. from :!3 to 24 coudees, 2,UOO,OOO feddans are cultivated. But
often the I\i]e does not rise above IV coudees. and the inundation is not permanent e-
nough to produce the eliect desired. Eg
pt is calculated to have 3,50.0,00(1 feddolns of
cultivable land, if culti\"ation were pushed to its greatest extent." llowrll1g Report p.13.
1)<12

l.t.j,

JOEL,

C lfí[oj'e s T m Edoll1 shall be a desolate wildernpss, fur I I hecause they have shed innucent bloo(1 in C HBí[or"s T
cir.8UO. thp violcncp {llrftiwd the dlildren of .T udah, I thdr land. cir.800.
'''Jer. 1c
.17. Ezek. 25.12,13. Amos 1. ll_ Obad.lO. I

veyor!o' sums up his al"l'(lllnt of the present f;tate of Eg)'pt 1 ;
"without I'anals and their dyk('s, E/!ypt, f'easin
to hc vivified
throul'hout, is only a I"orpse whid. the mass of the waters of
its rin'r inundates to superfluity, and d('stroys thrtlUl'h ful-
Ilt'SS. Jnst('ad of those anei('nt enltinlted ami fertile plains,
om' only finds, h('rf' and then', I'anals filled up or eut in two,
whose numerous ralllifil'ations, I'rossing- e(lt'h other in e,'ery
clin'I,tion. exhibit only sOllie sl'arl'ely distin
uishable tnwes
of a system of irrig-ation ; il\!o'Ì('ad of tho!o'c viJIa
es and popu-
luus I'ities, une sees only masses uf ban' and arid ruins, rem-
nants of aneient hahitation.. rcdul'cd to ashes; lastly, one finds
only lag-mills, miry and lwstil('ntial. ur !<terile sands whidl
extend themscln's, and unl'easing-Iv im,ld(' a land whil'h the
industry uf man had g-ained from tlie desert and the sea."
Yet this is wholly unnatural. In the Prophet's time, it was
eontrary to all experienl'e. Eg-ypt is alike prolific in its peo-
ple and in the prmlul'tions of the earth. The E
yptian race
is still al'('llllnt('d ,'ery prulifie 2. So g-('neral is this, that the an-
cients tllllu
ht that the waters ofthe
ile must have somc pow-
er uf fe('undity 3. Yet with thes('puwers imphlJlted in nature
unimpaired, the populatiun is diminishcd, the lalHI half-de...ert.
No one doubts that man's ahiding- misguvernnwnt is the cause
uf El'ypt's desolatiun. rndcr their nath.e prinl'es, they were
happy and prosperuus 4. AI('xander, ...ome ofthe Ptulemies, the
Romans.saw. at least. the value of Eg-ypt. Thc great I'un('eption
otït... (jn'ek 1'1II111ueror, .\kxandria, has been a soun'e ufpros-
perity to stranl'crs for allon 2(JOO year.... Prosperity has ho-
,-en'd aruund Eg-ypt. Minds, the mOst difi'erent, arc at one in
thiuking- that. with a f!."uod
rOn"rIlInent, internal prosperity and
its far-tinued ridmess of produl'tion mil'ht at U1H'e be restured.
COIlI/II('rllrs ufnu'ied nations, Persians, l\Ial'edonians, Romans,
(jreck!'ò, .\rahs. (jeurgians, Tartars, or Turks have tried their
hand..; upon Eg-ypt. Strang-e that sdfi!'òhnc...s or puwerlessIl('ss
fur /rooù should have rested upun all; ...trange that no one
should have d(',-elnpe(l its inlll'rent powers! Strang-e f'ontrast.
Onc lon/r prusperity, and one long- adversity. One sl'areel)"
broken (1<1\", and one troubled I\i
ht. And that doum furetold
in the midday uf its prosperity, 'by thuse thl'ee wonh;, Egypt
shall be a desolatioll.
Edom slmll be {{ desol(/te 1l'ilderncss. Edom, long- un-
known, its aIlI'ient ('apital, it!'ò rl)('k-dwellin
s, have been, with-
in thc..e last forty n'ars, anew re,-ealed. The de!'olation ha"
been so des,'rihe(i t;) us, that we ll<n-e seen it, as it were, with
uur uwn (')"l'
. The land is almost the more hUIJelessly deso-
late, IWl'ause it was once artifieialIy, hig-hly f'ultivated. Onee
it had tile fatuess of tlu' eartll (/1/(1 tile dew of Item'ell from {{-
aboz'e 5: it had 6 coru/ìeld,
and viuel/ards in abundance, and
wells of water; its vl'g-etation, its trèes and its vineyards, at-
tral't('d the dew hy whieh they were suppurted. "Petra," says
Strabo Î , "lies in a spot preeipitous and ahruptwithout, hut with-
ill possess.'d of abundant fuuntains for waterin/r and bortÍPul-
ture." The terral'e-eultivation, thrml/rh whil'h eal.h shuwer
whil'h faIls is storcd to the utternlll
t, duthing- with fertility the
mountain-sides, leaves thosc
teep-sides themorehare, whelldis-
used. " '" e saw," says a tnl,'eller 8, "many ruined terraC'es,
the e\"Ïdenees and remains of a flourishing- ag-riculture, whif'h,
in the prusperuus days uf Edmll and Petra, dothe(lmany of
M
d
ittep
I
'f.oire
Ulil:

; ;
leL
:i

9

la ba
s

S
e

P1
i
t:ufu;t;
Straho xv. 1.
. 22. Plin. vii. 8. and olhers. 4 Wilkinson Anc. Eg. c. 8. end.
/; Gen. xxvii. 89. 6 Nu. xx. Ii. ï xvi. 4, 21.

these IlUW sterile IllUuntains with f('rtilitv and beauty.-Fields
uf wheat and some agrÍt'ultural village" !'till exist in tile ('astern
portion uf Edolll; h\
t, with n-ry slidht exC'('ptiuns, the c'()lllltry
iN hlig-hted with che('rless de!iolation and hopeless stl'rility.
I The hill-sides and mountains, U1U'e ('overed with earth and
C'lothed with vineyards, arc nuw hare ro(.ks. The z,;oil, no
long-er !'1I1Jpurted hy terraC(,f; and !<hdtered hy tr('e
, ha!o: heen
!'W('pt away hy the rains. The various .'untrivaIU'es t'tw iniga-
tion, ,rhieh cyen now mig-ht restore fertilitv to manv I'unsider-
able traets, have all dis
ppearcd. Sand t
'om the iI('scrt, and
the dchris of the soft ruek uf the muuntains, co,-er the ,'alleys
whi('h furmerly smil('d with plenty." I'\uw "9 thl' spring!' have
been dried up to sUl'h an extent, as tu rcnder the renewal of the
g-eneral fcrtility of Edom [well nig-h] impossible. In IJlarcs
along the eourse of the stream, re('tIs and shruhs g-row luxuri-
antly, oleanders and wild fi/rs abound, and give prouf that a
little ('ultinltiun would ap:ain f'on'r the rOf'k, and till the elitfs
with the numherless g-ardens whil'h onf'e adorned them. Thp
trans of furmer fertility arc innumerahle; cn'ry spot eapahle of

ustainin
vegetable life was carcfully watered amII'ultivated.
There are numerous groo\'es in the roeks to ('arry rainwater to
the little I'lefts in whieh evcn nuw figs arc found. En'ry!'pot
capable uf being- so IJrutel'ted has bcen waIled up, however
small the Spill'C gained, ur llOweyer difficult the m('ans of sc-
eurin/r it. The andent inllahitants secm to ha,"c left nu ac-
ee!"sihle plaee untouC'hed. They have exhibited e(lual art and
I indu!itry in clieitin/r ti'om the g-rand walls of their marveUous
eapital what(',"er the ('umbination of dim ate irri/ration and
, botanical :-:.kill ('ollld foster in the seantv soil atf(lrded them.
I The hanp:ing- g-ardcns must have had a wómIruus efii'I,t among
the nohle huilding-s (If the town whcn it was in all its glury."
This dcsolation heg-an soon ath'r the ,'apti\'Íty of Judah and
Edom's malieious joy in it. For l\Jalaehi appeals to Judah,
that \rhercas God had restored him, He had 10 laid tile 11l01lU-
tail/,
aJllI the heritage of Esau 1{'([ste for tile jarlwls of tlte u'il-
denles,
.
Yet Edom was tIll' ('entre of the inten'ourse of nations. Oc-
eupring, as it did in its JHUTOW('St dimensiuns, tht' mountain!-l
between the S. end of the Dead
ea and the .I<:lanitie gulf. it lay
un tIlt' tlirct't line between Eg-ypt and Babylonia, A known
ruute lay from Heroupuli
to Pctra, itf; eapital, and theIll'e to
ßabylun Il . Elath and Ezion-g-eher diseharg-ed thrulIg-h its n\l-
Ie\", theArahah, the wealth whil'h the\"reeeincl h\"l'ea ti'om India
or Ati-il'a. Petra was the natural hålting plaee
,fthe I'aravans.
"The Xalmtæans,"sa)-" Pliny 12, "induse Petra, in a ,'alleyufra-
ther 1l10re than two milc,- in extent. I'urroumled by inacee!"sihle
Îuuuntaills, throng-h whif'h a I'tream flows. Here the two ruads
meet, of those who g-u to Palmyra uf Syria. and uf thuse whu
f'ome from Gaza." Eastw<lrd ag-ain, Ill' saysl3, "they went from
Petra to Fora, and thelll'e to t:harax" on the banks uf the
TigTis, near the Persian gulf. Yet further, the wealth of .\ra-
bia Felix poured by a land route thruugh Petra. " H To Petra
and Palestine. Gerræan
amI Minæans and all the nei
hbollr-
in
Arabs hroug-ht down frum the upper country the frankin-
l'ellSe, it i
said, and all lither frag-rant. merchandise." En'n
after the ti.lUndatiun uf Alcxandria had dh'erted mueh of the

tream of ('unlll1er('(' thUll Leuee Cume, the Elanitie gult
and
BOlin T. ii. p. 15.55. Keith p. 80S. 9 Lord C. Hamilton Journal in Keith lb.
ldumæa p. 338, 9. see also Count Portalis lb. p. 332. 10 Mal. i. 3.
11 Strabo xvi. 4. 2. 12 Ü.2H. 13 lb. 14 Agatharcides p. 5ï. in Geogr. Mill,
ed. Oxon, quoted in Vincent's Periplus ii. 2(;2.

Bpfore
C II Il 1ST
cir. :,:00.
n Or, abide.
.. Amos 9. 15.

20 nut .Judah shall
and .Jerusalem frum
lU'ration.

CIL\PfEIt III.

I-H>

II dwell D for eyer, ,I 21 For I will 0 ('leanse tlU'ir hlood t!t((t C HnIf"íes T
generation tu gl'- I II han
not cleansed: P 1\ for the LORD dw('I1- ci
.

I eth ill Zioll. : k":
t
. 35.
, ver. 17. Rev. 21. 3. /I Or,l'tV!nl the LORD that dU"l'Ueth in Zion.

Petra to
I vu.. Uormu,., 1 on the Egv l ,tian
i(k uf the Hed Sea, II )Jl"ouo ll1u' e ; mwr euf their b/r--;;J(/.-,;0,ket hi dall/ am. J loll'. it i

the Ruman
stillc'unncptcll Llath .
li( Petra \\ ith Jeru
alem hv nut
aid. Hut the
('nt('nc'(' on E

l't amI Edom explain... 1111\\"
a
reat road. of whil'h portions are
till e
tant;l, and
lIitrdc(1 (;od wc
u1d do it, b
lll
nishi

g tho
(' "ho sh(.d it. F
r in that
the interl'our!<c bnllilitan- :-;tatiun
:!. ()fthc..e ruut(.
, that frum H(, plHlI
h('
th(' !'heddmg-of It, lie dCI'larcd the Mood mnol'ent,
Arahia FclÏx and' frum Eg'
pt tu ßabylonia had prohahly I)('ell wlw
e
ll('ddin
He punished. So in the Re't'lation it i
,.aid
,
ll
('d for ahow 1000 vear
hd'ore thc time of Jucl. Elath and (:- I sail' uJlder the altaI" the soul,v of tllem that 1I'('l'e s/rtiJi for tlte
ziongefwr 'H're well:known tll\nlS at the tim(' ufthe E
udll:-;
. I Icord of God, aud fill' tIle testilllOu.'1 whiclt tllt.'1 helel, {[ud tlle.'1
The inter('(mr
e wa.. itself l'lIllll'lex ami manifold. The land I crier! witlt a IOlld l'(
;Ce, sa.'ling, I/o//' /Ollg, 0 Lrlrrl, Im(11 (md
exports of .\rahia Felix and the l'ummeree of Elath ne..es
a- true, dost Tlwu 'lOt JU(
!Çe ((ud ((l'eJige our Mood OJi them th"t
rily p"..sed tht'ou
h (:dlllll.and thenl'e radiated to E
ypt, Pales- dwell
n tile t'(
rth f .nu Then, at the.l.a
t jud!!ment, " hcu the
tiue,S\Tia. TIll' withdrawal of the I'ommerce of E
ypt "uuM I truth m all thm
!< shall be made malllfc
t, H(' shall ded"re tile
not al,;ne ha' e d(.
trm.ed that uf Petra, while Tyre, ieru..alcm, Mom/of His people, who ..{;n-e to Him and His truth, \\ hii'll
Dama:o;l'u
still n,,'('in:d mereha!ldi
e thl"llug-h. hër. To them she hJood their enemies tl
()u
ht ther had :-;h(.d Justly and
Ie-
wa
the natural I'hanucl; the [lIlgruu-ruute from Damasc'us to
cl"\-edly as the hlo(l(l of
lUlty persou
, tu ha,-e mdced been m-
))('('I'a Jie

till hy p(.tra. In Jocl'
time.llut the slig-hte
t I lIol'ent, by ahsohing them from eternal d(,:o;trul'tion tu which
shallow wa
ca
t I;n her future. Then ßahylun de
troycd her He
hall then adjudge theÍl' enemies for shedding- of it."
for a time: hut
he re('I,,-ered. The ßahylonian and i}crsian I for [lit. amI) tile Lord dll'ellefll iu Ziou. lIe ('Io
('
with
Empire!< perished; .\I('xander ro!oòC and fell; Romc, the ma!oòter I the prumise of God's abidin
dwellin
. lI(' speak
, not
imply
alike of .\lexamlria and Petra, mcant Petra
till to sun ive. ' of a future, hut of an e"er-abidin
present. He whu IS, the un-
'0 human en ('(mid even then tell that it wuuld be finallv de-: ehan
eahJe God, ,. IUthe Lurd, infinite in puwer and of eternal

olate; mUl'il Ic
s eould any human knowledge lun-e fur
,"een I nein
. who /!ives neces!oòary being to all His purpose!Oò and pru-
it in that of .Joel. ßut God said br him, Edolll shall he (l de- mise
," dwelleth now in 11 Jloullt Ziou, tile cit!lr
fthe li/'illg (;od,
solate Il'ildalle"
s, and it is !oòo! I tile herll'enl!/ .Jeru.mlem, now hy gr<u'e and the pre
l'ltf'e of His
.c\,o, howevt'r, Eg-ypt and Edom are only instances of the I Huly Spirit, hereafter in glor
. ßoth of the ('huI"I'h militant
enemies of (;od's I'cople and Church, so their de!oòolation i
only on earth and that. triumphant in heayen, it is truly tu be
aid,
une instanl'e of a g-rcat prineiple of (;od's Guvernment, that õ I that the Lord dwelleth in them, ami that, perpetually. Of the
thf' triwllp/tÏlIg of the I('icked i!Oò short, "lid thejo.'1 of the ungud- I Chureh un earth will be ,-erified what our Sa,"iuur Christ 1"aith 12,

llfor all/Oll/ellt ; that. aftt'r their Short-lÏ\-ed uffi('e of fulfiUing 10 I alll with you a[,l'a.lJs, el'cn uuto tlte elld (
f tI,e u'orld; and
God's jud
mcnt on His peuple, the judgment roll!Oò ruund on of its memher
S. Paul saith, that the.'l arc of tl,e Iw/(selwlci of
themseh e!oò, amI tllf'.11 that IIate tlte rigMeolls sltall be de,mlate 6. I God, llJI hO(1I tell/pIe ill tlte Lord. ;u "'hom tlle.1I are huilder! to-
20. .Judalt shall dwell for el'a. :Kot earthly Judah, nor I Iretlta for (lU IUlbitatioll of God through the ðp;rit I3 . Of the
earthly Jt'rusalem; for the
e llIu..t eome tu an end. together l:huI"I'h triumphant, there is no douht, that. Elc doth and" ill
"ith the earth it
clf, of whu
e cml the Prophets well knew. there dwell, and manife!<t. His g-Iuriou
Pre
enee ti)r ever, i"
It i
then the une people of t;od, the true Judah, the peuple whuse Preseuce is tile fuluess of jO!I, aud at Jlis R
E;1tt JI(/m/
who prai
c (;od, the I
racl, which i!< indeed I
rael. Eg-Yl't there are pleasures for el'er/llOre H . It is an eternal d" elling uf
and Edlllll and all the enemies of God
hould come tu an cnd; the Eternal, yaried a
to the way and de
rec of Hi
Pre
enee
but I1i
people
huuld Ilever ('ome tu an end. TIle gates of Iwl/ by uur ('unditiun, now imperfcet, there l'ertceted in Him; but
s
/(lllllot pre/'ail agaiust he/". The enemy !oòhalJ not destroy hcr; I He Him!<clf dwelleth on for en'r. He. the Lllehallgeable.dwell-
tune
hallnot cOllsume hcr: she shall nen'r deeay. The peo- eth unehan
eahly ; the l:ternal, cternally.
pIe of Gud
hall ahide before Him and through Him here, and ,,\:> Glo/"iolls tllinf!s u/"e spokCll of tllee, tltOlI cit.1f of God l6 .
shall dwc\l with Him for ever. Jerusalcm, our moth'er, we thy ehiJdren, no,,- g-roan <llId weep
21. .F'or I /('i/l c1c([II.
e !lei" bluod tltat I hare Ilot cleans(,d. in this ,-alley uf tears, han!-..;n
hetween hopl' and fear, and, a-
The .word rendcred clCflu,çec/Ï is not used of natural dean
ing-, mid toil and confliet!oò, lifting lip ollr e.'les tu thee and greeting
nllr 1

he.
ma
(' taken from the eleansing uf tlw bodr. The thee frum far. Truly glorious tllillg.
are ,
polæn (
f tltee. But,
wurd
l
mfie!" unly to IH'unoul1('e innlleellt, or to ti'ce frum g-uilt. whate,-er ('an be
aid,
inee it is said to Jllen and in the wurds
X(
r is 1
/o(jd u:,ed of !<infulnes
generally, but only of the actual of men, is too little for the good tllings in thee, whieh lIeitlllr
;:.....111t. u
sheddmg bluo!l.
he w!101
th
n eanno
be an imag-e I eye h
ttll s;en, no/" ear hem'd, 'IO/".Iulfll eJ
tered ill to tlte I,eart oj

aken frum the ('Iean
m
uf phY
lCa, defilement, hke the wurd
I man l ,. (Treat to U
seem the thlllg-s whleh 11 e
uffer: but une
III the prophet Ezekiel 1:1, tltell wasltnl I tllee leitl, I{'ater; !Iea, I of thy must illu
triou" eÏtizens. l'laeed amid thu
e
ufti.'rin
s,

/1U1'OIIgM!IIl'.u,
h
d (lINt.1f tl'.1f Mood from tllee. 1\"or ag-ain {'an: whu knew something- of thee, hesitated not tu sayl" Our ligltt
It. m('
n tl
e fur
n-ene
s of sin
g-enerally, but only the pro- (!/flirtiou 1l'/tÏch is but fur a IIWllleut, Il'u/"Iætll out fin' us a far
nOUnl'lIlg- l.nnul'('nt the bluud whit'll had been
hed. Thi
, the mo/"e e.t:ceeding and etana/ll'eigllt of glor..'I' ,,- e will then "e-

lI1ly meanIng u
the wlI
ds, t
ln
in with the mention of the Joice;u IlUpe, and b.'1 tlte wate/"s of Ruh.lI/ull, eycn while we sit
Ul/wcent Mood, for
h('ddlll
whil'h. E!-.
-pt and EdOln had been I alld weep, we will rem em her t!tee, 0 Zion. If I pn-get thee, (J
eOlldemned. The wur.ds are the same. There it was said. he- .IC1"llsalem, ma!IIII!1 right IWlld forget her cUlming. Let lilY
call.
e the!lluwe shed lIl/wceut blood; dam naki; here, I,('ill tongue clem'e to the roof of lilY mOllt!t, if 1110 /lot /"emember thee,
I Sirab. xvi. 4. 2
. 2 Robins. P,.l. ii. WI. IReland p. 2:;0. 4 Dent. ii.8. add Gal. iv. 2G. Rev. iii. 12. xiv. I. >.Xi. 2.10. 12 S.
fatt. x:niii. 20. 13 Eph. ii. ]9.

Job.xx.:;. G Pô. xxxi.... 21. ;''''r
' tixvi.9.9vi.1U.1l. loPne. 11 Heb.xii.2:!. 21,2. B Ps.xvi.12. .. Rib. 16 Ps.Luxvü.3. l'ICor.ii.!/. IS 2 Cor. i\.li.

1-.16

JOEL.

f I prefer llot Jerusalem {[h()l'
'l11.1jchief.
oy 1. 0 IJlc!'
ed lon
cd-
for day when we shall cnter mto the CIty of the samts, u'llOse
li{:lti Ú the Lamb, where the killg is seeu in. His heau(lf, whcrc
all tears are 1l'iped l!tf from the eyes ofthe Saluts, {lnd tliere slwll
he 110 more death lIeither sorrolf' llor pain; for tllC former tltill{:S
hal'e passed all'a!1 2 . How amiable are TIi!1 tabemacles, 0 Lord
of Hosts! .JI..'1 soul longeth, .'!fea faiJltetl1 fm' the ('(Jurts of the
Lord; 111.'1 heart alld 111.'1 flesh crieth out for tIle liring GocP.
lVhell .
/wll I come and appear before God 4? whcn "hall I see
that Father, 'Yhom I cver long- fur and never "ec, tu "'huIll, out
of thi
cxile, I err out, Our .Father, ld';ch ad ill IIecll'eIl? 0
truc Father, 5 Fatl,er of our Lord Jesus Cllri,
t, v
Fatlier of
mercies and God of all comfort! 'Yhen shall I sec the Word,

'Vho U'(/S in the hegilllliug leit" God, and "'ho is God 7 ? 'Yhen
may I ki:o:s His saned Feet, picrced for me, put my mouth to
His !'aered Side, "it at His Feet, never to depart frum them?
o Fal'e, morc (;lorious than thc
Ull! B1cs!"cd is he, who
heholdcth Thce, who hath lle,'cr ('eascd to sayB, I .
/lClll see Him,
but uot JlUW; I slwll helwld Him, but uot uigh. 'Yhcn wi1l the
day come, when, clcansed from thc defilement of lllJ sius, I
!'hall, 9 1l 'itl, llIll'eiled fare, behold the glory of the Lord, mul sec
the sanetifying Spirit, the Author of all goud, throug-h 'Yhosc
salldifying wc arc cleanscd, that 10 wema!1 he like Him, a/ld
see Him as He is? 11 Blessed are all they tlwt du'ell ill Th.1f hOllse,
o Lord, tlley slutll for ereI' pmise Thee; for cver shall they be-
hold Thec and lovc Thee."

1 Ps. cxx..'l:vii. 2 Rev. X'<i. 23. Is.xxxili.Ii.Rev.xxi.4.

Ps.lxuiv. 1,2. 4 Ps. xlii. 2. ;; Rom. Xv. 6. B.c.

62Cor.i.3.
8 Nu.xxiv.lí. 9 2 Cor. iii.IB.

7 S. Joh. i. 1.
10 1 Joh. iii. 2. 11 Ps.lxxxiv. 4.

1\ on
"-
l_,
iF
'f1.I(

>!'

. f""
't\ C'-

"

i
Ç>q; ->'.!f 0
. ,

IXTRuDUCTION

TO

THE

PROPHET

Al\IO S.

"a HI'; lPho 71lade, one by onc, the hearts of men, and under-
standeth all tl,eir ll'ork.
, knowinp: the hardne!"!" amI eontrari-
UU
Il('
S lIfthe heart of hrad, reasuneth witb them not throup:h
one Prllphet only, but emplllyinp: as Hi!" mini!"tel's many, and
those, wtllldrou!" IIIcn, both nwni!"heth them and foretclleth the
thinp:
to t'ume, evideneing- thruup:h the barmuny of many the
truthfulnes
of their l'redif'tions."
A,.; the I"ontradit,tion uf fal!"e teaebers gave occasion to
S. Paul to
peak of hilll!"eU:
o the per:oòeeutiun of the prie
t uf
Bethel ha!" broup:ht out su('h knuwledge as we haye of tbe life
of Amo!", before God ealled him to be a prophet. I, he says b,
u'as 110 prophet, lleitller was I {I prophet's sou. He had nut re-
cdved any of the training- in thuse sdlOuls of the pruphets
which had been fuundcd by Samuel, and throup:h wbieh, amid
tbe p:eneral alJO
hu'y and corruption, both religious knowlcdg-e
and religiou!" life were maintained in the remnant uf Israel.
He wa
a herd:oòman, whcthel', (as thi:oò word would naturally
mean C) a co'll'harf ur (lc:"!" obYiously) a .
hepherd. He was a-
mong the herdsmen of Tekoah ; amoug tbem, and, outwardly, as
thc), in nuthing di!"tingui
hed frum thcm. The sheep whieh
he tended (fur he also kept sheep) may have becn his own.
There is nothing- to prove or to di!"IH'ove it. But any how he
wa:oò not like the kin;?: uf Muab, "a sheel'-1l1a
ter d, "as the
Jew
, following' out their print'Ïple, that ,'c propheey was unly
hestowcd hy Gud on the rkh and nuble," wi:oòh tu make him.
Like Da, itl. he was following- the sheep f, as their shepherd.
But his employment a,.; a gatllerer (or, more prohably, a Cll/-
til'atur) (
f s.'Il'Omure fruit, the rather de
ignates him, as one
living" by a rural employment fur hire. The word, probably,
dcsig-natcs thc artifif'ialllleaJ
s by whieh the syeomore thlit was
ril'c
led, irritatin,!, seraping, puilt'turing, wm;nding it g . .Amos
dues not
ay that the
e were hi
food, but that one of his em-
ployment
wa
to do a gardener's uffice in maturing' them. A

ort of g-ardener then he wa
, and a !'hcpherd among- other
shepherck The sheep whieh he fed were al
o probably a
matter of trade. The breed of
heep amI g-oats, llakacl, from
keeping whit'h hi,.; pet'uliar IIame of :oòhepherd, nol.-ed, was de-
rh'ed, is still known by the same name in .Arahia; a race, small,
a Theod. b vii. 1 ,. · -;;: being used always of the .. 0'[" or" herd, " in contrast
wi
h ;I
: t;r

;
s o

d
F t
egl
:;' of

I
at.ei

i
d:=

t:
;'if.l

hi
g;';i. 15.
Hetonkmei
:;;-:--:-:
'" !!'Kuítwu. LXX. vellicans, S. Jer. See Theophr. i\. 2. Dioscor.
L. i. Plin..xiii.;. in ßochart. ii.:J!)_"p.?>oII. The Hebrew "ord =
.: (from =
:" atig" or
sycomore III Arab and lEthlOp.) slglllfies OIùy .. employed about ti;;s "or 'ycomores.

thin, short-legged, ugly, and stunted. It furnished a proverb,
"viler than a nakad;" yet the wuol uf the .;;hecp wai' <u'etlUnted
the very be!"t. The goat
were t(Hlnd e
l'ecially in Bahrein.
Among the .Arabs al...(), the shcl'hcrd uf the
e sheep was known
by a name derived from them. They were called" Ilakad ; "
their shepherd" nukkad h. "
The prophet'!" hirthplace, Tekoah, wa
a tml"n which, in the
time of Jusephus and of S. Jerome, had dwindled into a ", il-
lag-e i ," "a little village j ," on a hi
h hill, twelve miles from
Jerusalem, "whieh," S. Jerome add!", "we !'ct' daily." "It
lay." S. Jerome says k, "six milc!Ò southward from holy Beth-
lehelJI where the Sa,'iour uf the world was born, and beyund
it is no village
a\-e Stllll(' rude huts and movcable tent!". Such
is the wide waste ofthe de
ert whit'h stretf'heth to the Red Sea,
and the bounds of the Pcrsiall
, Ethiupian!', and Indian
. .\nd
nu /!l"ain whatt'ver being {.:Tuwn upon this dry and !"andy !'oil,
it is all full uf
hepherds,in order, by the multitude of the floeks,
to make amends for the barrenne:oòs of the land." From 'fekoah
.Toab brought the u'ise WOll/an I, to intereede for Ab!"alolll;
Rehuboam built it m; i. e. whereas it had been before (what it
afterwards ag-ain becamc) a village, and so was not mentioned
in the book of Joshua, he made it a fortified town to" ards hi,.;
South-Eastern bordt'r. The neig-hbouringwi1dcrne!'swa
called
I after it n. Beside!" it!< syc()more!<, its oil wa!" the best in Judah o.
". ar and de
ulatiun have extil'}mted both frum thi:", as well as
from other parts of Palestine P . Its present relJIain
are Chri!"-
I tian," qruins uf 4 or åa(')'es." It, as well as so many other places
near the Dead Sea, is identified bv the old name, !'lighth ,-a-
i rie(l in pronun('iation, Theku'a, ås also by its dista
lee "from
I J eru!"alem r. In the sixth ('cntury we hear of a chapel in me-
mory of the holy Amo!" at Tekua", where the separated monks
I ofthc les...er laura of S. S..lba eummunieated on the Lurd's dav.
'
'h.e wid
pruspeet !'rom Tck?a. emhraeed both the d
ad and tlie
hnng, hud's mereles ami HI!" Jud
.nI('nts. To the
uuth-East
I "t the view is bounded only by the level mountain!' of :\I.uab,
with frequcnt bursts of the Dead Sea, seen throug-h openlllg-s
among the I"ug
ed and de
()late mountains which intervene. "
On the X orth, the :\Iount of Ulives is vi!"ible, at that timc dear
I J:
;
{\,!

iH

ho
tt
.

,;.'
: t 3-1.
.

;;l
d
t

=
t;lg
;si
;:'
'xiv. 2.
m 2 C. xi. 6. D:! C. xx. 20. I:\lacc. ix. :33. 0 'Ienachot\ iii. 3. in Relalld p. 1O:!f).
P see Keith landoflsrael c. 3. -1.5. Stanle} Palestine p. eo. RobÌ:1son i. 5,j2.
q Hobinson i. 481;. r Ritter Erd1.. X\.p. G:!\I . \"it;l S. Sabæ in Coteler. Eccl.
I Græc.1>lon. iii. p. :!ï
. t Rob. lb.

]-18

IKTRODUCTION TO

to sig-ht, as on'rhanging dlC place, whieh God had chosell tn
place lli.

\'(lIue there. Tekoah, howe,-er, althoug-h thc hirth-
plaf'e, was not thc abode, o
' the prophet. lIe was a11lollg the
herdsmellf/"of/l Tekoalt u, their emplo)"lnent, as shephenl
, )('ad-
ing th('m away f/"011I Tekoah. In thc wilds of the dc!òert whilc
he was following- his
heel', God !<aw him and revealcd Him-
sdf to him, as He had to Jacoh and to l\Jo
es, and !òaid to him,
Go pruphe.\,/ lIutn JEf/ people L
rrlel. And as the Apostles left
their net!< and their fathcr, and l\Iatthcw thc reccipt of eu!<-
tOJll. and tillluwed Jesu!<, so .\mos left his sheep and hi
f'ul-
tivatiem of !'Yl'omores, and appeared suddenly in hi!' sheph{'rd's
dre
!< at the royal but idolatrous \ sallduary, thc templ(' ufthc
state. to denounl'c thc idolatry sanl'tiellled by thc stat(', tu
foretell thc extinetion of thc Royal family, and thc eaptivity of
the pcople. Thi!<, lilie Ho!òea, he had to do in till' reig-n ufthe
mi
htiest of the !<overeig-n!< of Israel, in the mid
t of her un-
f'loudec1 prusperity. ß(.thel was but tWe'h-e miles 1'\orthward
from J('ru
alem w, as Tekoah was tweln' miles towards the
South-Ea4. Six or seven hours would
1lffiec to tran!<port the
sheph('rd from his shecp and the wilderness to that fèmntain of
I
racl's eorruption, the high pla('es ufllethcl, and to f'(mfront
the in
pirt'd pcasant with the prie
ts and the prophets uf thc

tate-iclolatry. Therc doubtlcss)It' said, x the sallcfllarie.
nf Is-
rael shall he laidn'aste; and there, like the formcr Ulall of Gud,
while standing m-er ag-ainst the altar, he rcnewed the prop he-
f'Y ag-ain
t it, and prophesicd that, in its destruetion, it should
im'olw its idolatrous wor
hippers Y. Yet althoug-h he did dc-
li,-er a part of his prophecy at ß(.thel, still, like his great prc-
de('es
m'
Elijah and Eli
ha, doubtless he did not confine his
min i
trv therc. His SUmIlUIJ1S to the lu
uriol1s ladies of Sa-
maria,
,'hosc expenses werc !'upporte'd by the oppressions
of the poor', was (lucstionle
s dclivered in Samaria it
clf.
The f'all to the heathen tu look duwn into Samaria from the
heig"hts whidl girt in the valley out of whieh it rose a, thencc
tu helwlel its din and its oppressions, to Ii
tcn to the sound of
its revclrie
and tIlt' wailings of its oPIU"e

ed, and su to judge
between (;od and Hi!< people, would also be most effeeth-cly
gh-en within Samaria. Thc conseienees uf the guilh- inha-
bitants to whom he preaehed, would people the heights åround
them, their wall of safetv, as thev de(.med, betwcen them and
thc world, with heath('n' witn('s
és of their sin
, and heathen
avengers. The Pruphet f'ould only know by in
piratiun the
eoming destruction ofthe housc of Jerohuam and the eaptivity

f brad. The !'ins whidl hc rclluked, he probably knew
from heing" among them. Afi S. Paul's spirit n'as stirred in
him at
\thens, wIlen he saw tlte cit!/1l'llOlI./f giun to idolatr.1/ b,
so that of .\mos must han been r'tirred in its dcpths hy that
grienm
eontrast ofluxury and penury side J,y !'ide, whi('h hc
de!'wribes in s\H'h vivitlne
s uf dctail. The sins whieh he re-
b
\kes are those of the outward prosperity e!'pedally of a ea-
pltal, the extreme luxury c, re,-elries d, debaucherye, of tbe
rieh, who suppurted their own reekless expenditurc by op.
pression of the poor f, extortion II, hard bargains with their
ne('essitÍ{'
b, pen-ersion of justiee i with bribing k ; false mea_
!'ures I, a griping, hard-fistcd, and probably ui'uriuus salc of
eorn m. In j:
Tap})ling with sin, Amos deals more with the de-
tails and eireumstanees of it than Hosea. Hosea touchcs the
centrc ofthc oftènee; Amos shews the hideousness of it in the
details into whieh it branehes out. As he is everywhere gra-
})hie, su herc he poiuts out the events of daily life in whieh thc
;oòin shewed itself, as tbe yile })rice or, it Ulay bc, the article
, ix.l. a iv.1. .. .)I:

n i
i
: 13j, ;c
'::
:

v; ii;. ;

.& iv. 1. v. n. vi. 4-6.
d ii. 8. lii.9. . ii.7. rii.7.8. iii.9.iv.l.v.n,vi.3 viii.4-6, I iii.10.
b ii.8. I ii. 7. v.7.12. k ü.6. v.12.

of luxury, tlte }Jail' of sandalR n, for Wllidl tile poor was !10M,
or tlte 1'efll.
e ofzclleat (hc im'ents the word) which thcy sold,
at high priees and with short measure, to the 1'001'0.
Aecording" to the titlt' whi('h Amos pJ"(.fix('s to his prophe('y,
his offiec fdl within thc 25 wars, durin
whi('h (Tzziah and Jc-
ruboam II. were ('ontenlporary, B.C.
(
}-7H.t This falls in with
the opinion already cxpressed p , that the bloodshed mentiemed
by Hosea in the li
t of thdr sins, was rather blood !<h('d politi-
eally in their n'H,lutions aftcr the death of Jerohoam II., than
imlï"vidual murder. For Amos, while uphraiding Israel with
the sins inddental to politi('al prosperity and 'Haith, (sue'h as
was thc timc of J('ruboam II.) docs not mention bloodshcd.
It ha!' been thou
ht that the mention of the earthquake,
two years before whi('h Amos began his prophecy, furnishcs
u!< with a more definite' datc. That cartluluake must have becn
a terrible ,-isitation, sinec it was remembered aftcr the ('ap-
th-ity. two centurie
and a half afterwards. re slndl flee. says
Zeehariah Q, as of a thing which his hearcrs wdl knew hy re-
})ort, as J/e fled before tlte earthquake ill tlte da.'ls of U;.zialt kiug
of .Tlldalt. Josephus conneets the earthquakc with l'zziah's
af't uf pride in offering the ineense, for whie'h Gud smote him
with lepro!'y. He rclates it as a fact. "r Meanwhilc a great
earthquake shook the ground, and, the temI)lc parting, a bright
ray of tIlt' !'un shone forth, amI fcll upon the king's fa('c, so
that forthwith the leprosy came on
r him. Ami bdilrc the
eity, at the place called Eruge, thc ""estern half ofthc hill was
broken oft. and rolled half a mile to the mountain Eastward,
and there stayed, hloc'king up the ways and the king-'s gar-
dens." This aeeount of Josephus, howevcr, is altogether un-
historieal. Xut to argue from thc improhability, that sueh
an e,'cnt as the rending of the temple itself slwuld not have
been mentioned, Josephus has eonfused Zet'lulriah's d('
('rip-
tion of an cvent yct future with thc past carthquake under
lJzziah. 1'\or ean the date bc re('oneiled with thc history.
For when pzziah was stri('ken with leprosy, aJotlta11l, !tis SOil,
W((s over tlte king's I/Ouse, judging tlte people of tlte laud. nut
Jutham was only twcnty-five years at his father's death, u.lten
Ite himself began to reign t. .And rzzÍah survived J('roboam
26 years. Jotham then, who judgcd for his father after his
leprosy, was not born whcn Jcroboam die(l. Lzziah th('n
must havc been stricken with leprosy some years after Jero-
boam's death; and, eonse{juently, after the earth(luake abo,
since Amus, who IH"ophesic(1 ill tlte days of Jeroboam, }Iro-
pJlI'sied tll'O .'Iears before the earthquake.
An andent Hcbrew interpretatiun U of the prophecy of Isa-
iah", wit!tin threescure ((lid ./h.e .l/ears sltall Epltraim be brokeu,
that it be no more a people, assumed that haiah was foretell-
ing the eommeneemcnt of the eal'th-itr under Tiglath-Pilcser
or Sargon, and sincc the period from Isaiah's own prophecy to
that eaI)th-ity was not 6j ycars, supposcd that Isaiah ('ounted
from a prophecy of .Amos w, L
rael sltal/ sllrel.1J be led mpth'e Ollt
of his 01('11 Imid. This l'rol'heey of Amos they plaecd in the
2jth war of rzziah. Thcn his remaining" '2j vears, Jutham's
J6, Aimz 16, nnd thc six first of Hezekiah wouid have made up
the 65. Thi... ealf'ulation was not nccessarilv connct'ted with
thc error as to the !'ul'posed ('oll1wetion ofthe earth(JlIake and
thc lcprosy of Lzziah. But it is plain from thc words of Isa-
iah, in.1/et x tltreesrore mul.fil'e .1/ears, that hc is dating from the
timc when hc uttere(l the prol'heey: and so the prophccy rc-
latcs, not to the imperfet't eapti\'ity whieh ended the kingdom
of Israel, but tu that more ('nmplete de}JortatioJl under Esar-

I viii. 5. m viii. 5. 6. " ii. 6. viii. 6. 0 viIi. 6.
P see Introd. to Hos. p. 5. . xiv. 5. rAnt. ix. 10. a 2 C. xxvi. 21.
, lb. xx\ii.l. u in Euseb. & S. Jer.ad lac. found also in Jarchi, Aben Ezra.
Abarbenel,
vii. 8. .. vii. 11. 17. x -:,,

haddon J, when the ten trihes ('easCtI to 1)(' mi!lmore n pcoplc
(.\haz 1-t.lIelChiah :!
.. )rana

eh :!:!, in all (j,).)
eithcr th('n
doc!< this fix the date of Amo!i'.
Xor e!oe!oo the eutnl'aris'l)). which .\nw:; hids I!i'rud make he-
twcen his own borders, allli thosc uf Calneh. Halllath ane! Gath,
dt'termine the Ilate uf the prophe('r. SineI' "zziah hrak(' duwn
the wall... of Gath '. and lIaruath was l"('("overcd hy Jeruboam
II. to Is.'ael a, it i!i' pr(lhahle that the puint of cumparison la

bet\\een the pre
ent disasters of tlH'"e nations, and tho,.e \\ ith
whi('h .\ruO,. threatened Israel, and whieh the rich men of Is-
rael pra('ti('ally did nut Iwlie, e. For it follows b, 11e tlmt put
far {[Il'll!1 the c
.il clll.'I. It is pruhable then th,at
:alne (the wry
an('ient dtv c, whi,'h
uhs('(l\lcntly hecame t;ft's.plwn,) on the
other sid(' ;,f the Euphrat('s. had lately suffcrcd from .\ssyria.
as (;ath and I1amath from Judah and Israel. But we knuw
none of tlU'se date!i'. Isaiah "'peahs of the .\"syrian as hoast-
in
that ("alno was as Carl'IIelllish d, Hall/ath as /Jrpfll/, Sll-
1J/
/rill a.
])(mwsl'Il.
. But this rdate!i' tu times lun
!i'ubsclluent,
wh('n Hamath, Damaseus, and Samaria, had fallcn intu the
hands of _\s"'
ria. Our lll'e!i'ent hnowkdg-c of .\ssyrian hi!<tory

ives us no due to the e\ ent, which was weU knuwn tu those tu
whum .\mos spoke.
.\Itlwu
h, however, tlJ(' preeï...c time of the proplwti(' office
of .\mos can nut dills be fixed. it must ha\'e fallen within the
reig-n of Jcruhuam, to whom .\maÛah. the pricst of Bethel, a('-
cuscd him". Fur his whulc pruphecy implies that hrud was
in a state of prosperity, ease, ami security. '11 hereas it fl'll into
a state of anan'hy immediately upun .Jeruhoam's d('ath. The
mcntion uf tile entering ill of I-Iamatll f as hdonging to Isracl
implics that this prophe('
was nfter Jerubuam had re('on-red
it tu brad g; and the case, pride, hn,ury, whi(.lJ he uphraid!i'.
eviru'e that the foreign oppres"ion... blmd for some time ('cased.
rhis a
r('es with the title of the propheey. but doe!i' not limit
it further. SineI' he prophesied while rzziah and Jeroho-
am II. reigned to
ether, hi,. propheti(' offi('e must have fallen
betwcen 13.t:.
(J!.. allll B.C. ï
-t, in the la!i't 2':; war!i' uf thc reig-n
of Jeruhoam II. His uffiee then, heg-an probahly after that' uf
Hosea, amI dosed lon
befure its duse. He is, in a manner
th('n. hoth later and earlier than Ho!'ea, later than the earliest
periud uf Hosea's prophetic offiee, and lun
earlier than the
latest.
"ïthin this period, there is nothin
to limit the offi('c uf
AnHls to a ,-ery shurt time. Thc message uf Amaziah, the
priest uf ß{'thd, implies that .\mos' words of wue had shak{.n
Israel throug-h and thruugh. i All/os Iwtlll'OJMjJÎrcd agaillst thee
ill the midst of tI,e hOIl,
e of Israel; ti,e lalld is IlOt aMe to bl'llr
all !Ii.
words. It ma\' be that God sent him to the midst of
!i'nme
rcat festival at Bethel, a!<, at J('rolwam's (It-dication
fea!i't, He sent the prul'ht't whu afteru'ard... disobeye(l Him, to
foretell the dese('ration of the .\1tar, whi('h .Jeroboam was con-
!'e('ratin
, in God's Xame, against (iod. J n thi!" ease, Amns
might, at once. like Elijah, ha,'e heen cunfrunted with a g-reat
C(III('our!<e uf the idul-wur!i'hipl'er:o:. y(.t the words uf Amaziah
seem. in their oh,;uus meaning, tu imply that Amos had had a
more pernuling influen('e than wuuld he produced hy the deli-
,'ery of God'.... message in une plaee. He
ays of the lalld, i.e.
of all the ten trihe!"
enerally, it is Ilot able to bem' all his wo/'ds.
Tllf' accusation al!i'o of a ('(J1l.
pi/'ac.lJ prohably implie,., that

ome had not been shaken onlv, but had been eonverted bv
the wnrds nf .\mu,., and were k.iown bv their adherence tu hhil
and hi!' helief. "
Amo
scems also to speak of the prohibition to God's pro-

,. Ezr. iv. 2_ 2 Chr. xxxiii. 11. 2 Kgs. xvii. 24. . 2 Chr. xxvi. 6. a 2 Kl!s. xiv. 28.
b Am. vi. 3. c Gen. x.lO. d h. x. 9. . \;i.lO,11. r \i.U. I 2 hgs. xiv. 25.

\
J()
.

U!)

phct!i' to prophesy. a.. !'om('thin
hahitual. heyond the one op-
position of .\maziah. whi,'h hc rdJUhl'd 'Ill the sput. [raised
up (
f .1/00tr SOIl.
for prophcts; bllt .'Ie cOII/lIlflllflcd the p/'ophet.
,
sa/IiI/g. Proplu's!lll'lt k. Xor, stri('tly
peaking, was Amns a
SOil uf ephraim. The seri('s nf images in the :kd ('hapter
seem to he all ans'H'r to an uhjcctioll, why did he prnphesy
amun
thcm ? Penple. II(' wuuld say, w('re nut, in thc things
uf nature, surpri..;ed that th(' etfcct ti,Uuwed the ('ause. Gnd's
efllnmand was the ('a use : hi
prnphesying, the (,ft('f't I. Theil
tIle.'1 pllt ([/l'a.'1 frnm tl,cm the e/'ÎI tla.1f Ill, fnr
('ttin
futul"(' e, il
in pres('nt lu"\.ury; (lr they profcssl'd that (jud \\ as \\ ith them;
,. the LORD. the (;011 of h(l!'ots
hall he \\ ith YOU, tIS I/e Ilfll'e
spokcll n ;" or trusting in their half-!<en i('e of {j
,d amI Iii
ima-
gine'l Pres('m'e allwng them, thc
jecred at .\m(l....' prophef'i('s
of ill, and prufessed to desire the Day of the Lurd, \\ ith \\ hich
II(' threatened them; they said that e, il shonld not n'a('h them.
Iroc lOtio yolt that desire the D'I.II of the Lortl! to Il'llflt nul is
it to .'IOIt 0 7 All t!ic sillllers of -'1.'1 pl'Ople shall die 11.'1 ti,e sll'orcl,
If.ltid, Sll!l, the l'l'il slwll Jlot ol'erlake uor pramt II.
p. They
shewed alsu in deed that they hated thnsc whu puhli,'ly J"('-
l'rund them q; and .\mus, like Husea, del'larc
that thcy are
hanlcned, su that wisdum it,.dfmust leave them tu themselves r .
AU thi" implies a ('ontinued inten'llUr
c betwe('n the prophet
and the people. so that his uffi('e was not dischargcd in a few
sermons,
u to say, ur inspired (le('laratÏon!i' uf Gud's purpos('.
hut must IJil\ e becn that of a Pa,.tur among them during a
('uurse ofyear!i'. His pre!"ent bouk, like Hosea"s, is a summary
of hi
pruphe('ies.
That huuk, as he himself suhse(luently gathcred intu one his
pruphetic teaching", i,. une well-urdered whule. He himself,
in the title, states that it had b('cn
puken hcfi,re it was writ-
ten. :For in that he say!i'. thcse arc ti,e /l'ords which in pro-
phetie vision he Sllll', tll'O !Iears hcfore tI,e earthquake, this por-
tiun uf hi!i' prophede!i' must haw preeeded his '11 ritin
s by thuse
two years at lea!i't. That terrible ('urth(luake was prolmhl) the
u('('asiun of hi
colleetinfo' those prol'hede..... But that earth-
(luake tluuhtles!i' wus nu mere note of time. Had he intended
a date unly, hc wuuM probably ha,'e named, a" otlU'r prophets
do, the year uf the king of Jmlah. He himself mentions earth-
quakes s. as one uf the warnings of (;od's di!i'pl('asllre. This
mure destruetÏ\'e earthquake was probably the fir
t g-reat to-
ken of (TII(}'S di:o:pleasure durin
the pru
peroll
reign IIf Jero-
hoam I I.. the fir
t herald of tho!i'e he<n ier judgments whi('h
.\mos had predicted. and which hrake upon I"I'<U'I, wa,-e after
,,-a,-e, until the last ealTied him away ('aptive. Fur two years,
Israel had been furewarne(l; nuw the hl'{;illning of sorrOll'st had
...et in.
Amos, at the beginning uf hi
book, (as ha,. been already
noti('ed) joins un his bouk \\ ith the huok of the pruphet Juel.
Joel had foretold, a
in
tanees of (
od's jmlg-1nents on !'in. how
lIe would reeumpen,.e the '\1-Tungs. whieh Tyre, Zidon, Philis-
tia and Edmn had dune to Judah, and that HI' wuuld make
E:..'"}-pt desolate. Amus. omittin
E
-ypt, add:o: Ðama..;eus, .\m-
mun and
Ioab, and Judah it"elf. It may 1)(', that he "clects
f:e,-en nation!i' in all. a!< a sort of whole (a" that number i
!<o
often u!i'ed,) or that he includes all the
pedal enemies uf the
Theuera('\", the nations who hated Israel and Judah, hecause
I they were" the people of (iod, and {';od's people itsclt
as far as
it tou wa!i' alienated from its (';od. Certainh', the
ins de-
noull('ed are sin,. against the Theoera('y or g'on'rillnent of God
.
[t lUay be, that Allw:o: \\ ould exhihit to them the truth, that
God i,
no resperier of persons; that He, the Jud
e of the whole

h lb. 26. I vii. 10. ): ii.11,12. 1 iii.3-8. m vi.3. D v. U. 0 v.18. p ix.l0.
q v.lO. r v. 13. . iv.11. t S.
Iatt. xxi\'. 8. . see belowrn the Commenbry.

EC

1.30

IXTRODUcTIOX TO

earth, puni
J)('
enry sinful nation; aud that he would, by this
deelaration of God's jud1!:'ments, prcpare them fur the truth,
from whil'h
iufulman su shrinks ;-that (Tod punishes most,
where Hf' hat: most shewn His light and IO\-e w. The thunder-
I'I00ui of (;od's judgments, having- passecl u"er all the nations
round ahout, Syria and Philistia, 'l'yre, Edom, Ammon, l\Ioab,
and e,-en diseharc-ed the firc frum hea,-en on Judah and Jel"ll-
salem, settle
at'last on Israel. The summary whieh doses
thi... eird(' of judgments un Israel, is fuller in 'regard to tlteir
sins, sinl'e they were the f'hid" ohjeds of his mi,.:sion. In that
summarv he c-athers in one the sins with whieh he elsewllt're
uphraid
the
n, and sets befure them their ingratitude and
their endea"clllrs to extinguï.:h the 1ig-ht whic'h (Tod 1!:'ave them.
Our c'hapters follow a natural didsion, in that eaf'h, like
thos(' uf Hosea, ends in WU('. The :
rd, 4th, and 5th arc dis-
tinguished h) the three-fuld sumJllon
, Hear !Ie tl1Ïs "Icord. In
eaeh, he sets before them some uf their sins, and in eac'h pro-
IIOUlu'es God'!::
entenc(' upun them. Tlterefure tlllls saitl, tlte
Lord God; Therefore tlllf.
will I do unto tllee, 0 Israel;
Tlu refore tlte Lord, tlte God of l/fJsts, tlte Lord, saitlt tllll,
x.
On thil' folium, a two-fuld woe, True unto .VOlt tlmt desire Y ;
lV()e to tltcm tlmt are at ease'; both whic'h seeti(lIl!< alike end
in renewl'd sentenl'e
of God's judg-nlCnt; the first, of the fi-
lial eapth-ity of Israel be.'lf/lld IJall/ascus; the sef'ond, of their
nearer affiidion
throu
h the first invasion uf Tig-Iath-pileser a.
In the jth I'hapter he l)('g-ins a series of visions. In the two
first, (Tod forl!Í\'es, at the int('reessiun of the lll'ophct b . The :kd
,'ision God interpret
, that He wuuld fur
iYe no mure c. Un
this ti,lluwed the prohihition from Amaziah to prophesy, and
God's sentellf'e against him. In the tlth ehapter, .\Inos resumes
(as thuugh nothing- had intervened,) the
eries of yi
iom:, upon
whidl .\maziah had broken in. He resumes them e"aetlv
where he ha(l been stoPl)('d. Amaziah broke in, when he dc"-
dared that God would not pa,
s by the house of brael all.11
more, but wuuld desolate the idol-sanetuaries of Israel and
bring' a sword ac-ainst the house of Jeruboam. The vision in
whic"h Amos res
l1ues, renew
the words d, I u'illuot again pass
h.ll iI/em all!llI/ore, and foretells that the songs of the idol-telll-
ple should be turned into howling-so The last ehapter he heads
with a ,ision, that not only should the idul-altar and temple
lw d(.stroyed, hut that it shuuld he the destruf'tion of its wor-
shippers e. Eac'h of these visions Amos makes a theme whieh
he expands, huth ending- in woe; the first, with till' utter de-
struction of the idolaters of Israel f; the :!nd, "ith that of the
sinful killgdoll/ of Israel g. "
ith this he unites the prumise to
the hO/lse of Israel, that, s
fted as they should be allwlIg the
lIatiol/.
, Uf/t olle grain slumM fall to the earth h. To this he,
like Hos('a, adds a dosing llrOinise, tlw first in his whole buuk,
that (Tod would raise the fallen tabernaele uf Dm-id, eonwrt
the heathen, and therewith restore the eaptidty of Israel, a-
mid promises, which had already, in Joel, spnboli
ed spiritual
blessinA"s i.
Anws, like Hosea, was a prophet for I
rael. .After the 2nd
chapter in which he indudes Judab in the I'Írde of God's vi-
sitations, because he had (le.
pised tI,e 1([1(' of the Lord k , Amos
only notices him ineidentally. He there furetells that Jeru-
salem !<huuld (a
it was) be burned with fire. Judah also nmst
be included in the words, "lag-ainst the ft.hole family which
God bruught up out of the land of Eg:l1t," and /l'oe is prunoune-
t'd against those who arc at ease in Ziou m. Else, ISl'llel, the
house of Israel, the t'irgin of Israel, the sanrtuaries of Israel,

.. iii.2. x iii. 11. iv. 12. v. 16. as before, ii. U. ,. v.18. . vi.1. a see on vi. 14.
b vii. 3, 6. C lb. 8. d viii. 2. . ix. 1. f viii. 14. g ix. 8. h lb. 9. I lb. 13.
t ii. 4, 5. I iii. 1. m vi. 1. a iii. 9, 12, 13, U. iv. 1, 4, 5, 12. v. 1, 4, 6, 15,25.

Jacoh, the hO/l,
e of .Iamh, and (in the !"ame sense) the lâgh plac-
es (!f J.
(IllC, the I/Uu.
e of brull'; the !louse uf Juseph, ti,e remllant
of .losqJII, the q/lfirtiou of JOIi(pl/, the /JlOlllltuill, or ti,e mOllU-
taills of Sli/J/liria, Sall/llria itself, Betllel n, oe('ur interc'hange.-
ahly as the object of his prophecy. ..\.maziah'
taunt, that hi

word!', a
being- diret'ted against Israel and Bethel, wuuld be
m'('el'table in the kingdom of .Judah, illlplie
the same; and A-
mos himself dedares that this was hi
commi
siun, go, 111'0-
phe.
.1f unto
J/,,II people Israel. In
peaking of the idulatry of
Beersheba, he u
c!- the word, pass 1/ot fJl'er to B('erl."heba 0, ad-
ding the idolatries uf Judah to their own. The wurd,pnss nut
over, could only he used by one prophe
ying- in Israel, It must
I haw becn then the more impressive tu the faithful in Israel,
that he I'lo
ed his prophel'Y by the promise, not to them pri-
marily, hu1i to the huuse uf David, and to brael through its
re
toratiun, _\mos, like Hosea, foretclls the utter destruc-
tion of tile kingdoJII uf Israel, e,'en while prunount'ing that God
would not utterly destroy the !louse uf J aeub P, but would save
the el('c,t in it.
The opposition of Amaziah stands out, as one signal instance
of the manifold cry, Pl"Ophe.,:v lIOt, with which men souA"ht to
drown the Yoic'l' of God. Jeruboamleft thc eumplaint unheed-
ed. Hi
great vif'tories had been foretuld to him by the Pro-
, phet Jonah; and he would not interfere with the Prophet of
God, although Ill' predil'ted, not as Amaziah disturted hi.,
words, that .lerohoam shuuld die h!1 the sword, but that the house
of Jerolmwll q should so perish. But his book is all eomprh:ed
within the reig-n of Jeroboam and the kingdom of Israel. He
was ealled hy God to he a prophet there; nur is there any, the
slig-htcst, trace of his ha\;ng exercised his office in Judah, or
ha,-ing retired thither in life.
..\.
olllewhat late tradition plaf'es Amos among- the many
, prophets, whom, our Lurd say
, Hi!" people slew. The tradi-
tion bore, "that after he had been often beaten (the writer
u!Oes the same word r whieh o('eUrs in Heh. xi. 3,j.) hy Amaziah
the l'ricst of Bethel, the son of that priest, Osee, broke his
I temples with a stake, He was carried half.dead to his own
land, and, after some days, died of the wound, and was buried
with his fathers." But the anonnnous Greek ,\Titer who re-
lates it, (althuug-h it is in it
clf 'prubable) has not, in other
, eases, trustworthy information, and S. Jerome and S. CJTil of
Alexandria knew nothing' of it. S. Jerome. relates only that
I the tomb of .\lnus was still shewn at Tekoa, his birthplåee.
i The influenee of the shepherd-life of Amos appears most
: in the sublimcst part of his propheey, his descriptions of the
I mighty workings of Almighty God t. 'Vith those awcful and
, sudden chang-es in nature, whereby what to the idolaters was
an object of worship, was suddenly O\'er('a
t, and tile dll.V made
dark with uight, his shepherd-life had made him familiar. The
i"tarry heavens had often witnessed the silent interf'ourse of
, his soul with God, In the ealf, the idolaters of Ephraim wor-
: shipped "nature." Amos then delights in exhibiting to them
his God, 'nlOm they too beliend that they worshipped, a
the
I Creator of "nature," wielding and ehang-ing it at His "ïll.
I .\ll nature tuo
huuld be obedient to it>; )Iaker in the punish-
I ment of the ungodly v, nor should anvthinl! hide from Him"'-.
The !'hepherd-Iife would also make the Pr
phet familiar with
the perils ii'om wild beasts whieh we know of as fac.ts in Da-
vid's youth. The imag-es drawn from them were probably re-
minis('enees of what he had seen or met with x, But Amos liv-
ed, a shepherd in a barren and for the most part treeless wild,

vi. 1, 6, 8. H. ..-ii. 2, 5.8,9,16,17. ,-iii. 2. H. ix. 7, 8,9. 0 v.5. pix. 8-10. q vii. 9_
r 'T1JI-''1rallírraç Auct. de vito Proph. ap. S. Epiph. ii.I45. . de loc. Hebr. iii. 206. T.
ed. Vall. t iv.13. v.8. ix. 5, 6. . viii. 8. .. ix.2, 3, 5. s iii.4,5, 12. v.19.

not as a hu
hantlman. IIi.. was not a eOlmtrv of ("orn, nor of
('e"m'
and oak
;
lI that illla
es f!'Om !-tatl'ly'trecs Y, a he<u"y-
laden wain', or tll('
iftin
of eorn a, wcre not the dired r('-
sult
of hi
life' ami<I
ight
of nature. 'I'll(' dbca...es of 1"lIrn,
llll'u..:t..:, droug'ht, whil'h, thc PrnplH't
a
-!-, (;od had
ent a-
IIWII
th('m. \\ cre intlil.tillns \\ hil'h would he fl,lt in the c'lII'n-
c'IIUI;tries of hrael, rather than in tilt' \\ ilcl("'np

IIf Tdwah.
The insen...ihilih' for whic'h lit' uphraids Israc'l wa!<, of ('m,r
p,
their hardlless (
f heart amid t\lt'ir IIwn
ufli.'ring
b; the jud
-
ment!< with whi('h h(' threatens them in (;OC['!< X"amc c, ean
1m, c 'IU hearill
011 his shepherd-lifc in his own land.
1:\('11 S.
'erome, "hill' la
ing down a true princ'iple, inad-
vertc'nth'
in's a!' an in!<tmH'e nf the ima
cs resultin/r from
that shèpllt'rd-life, thp opening words nf his hook, whic'h arc
in part \nll'ds of the Prophet
'"d. .'It is natural," he says,
"that all \\ Iw exerci"(' an art, shnuld "'peak iu term", of th{'ir
art, and that t'ac'h
Iwuld hrin
lik('nt'sse!< fl"Om that wherein
he hath
pent hi", litè.-"'hy say thi!<? In order tn
ht'w, that
AIIIII'" the Prophet tllll, who wa
a sht'pherd <mwu
!'hepherd
,
and that, nllt in eultÏ\-ah'd pl<H'e
, fir amid vim'yard,.;. or woocl
.
or /rreen mcadow
, hut in the wid(' waste of the dp!<('rt, where
"crt' "itne
,.;cd thc ficrc'pne
,.; of lions and the de",tnlC'ticm of
cattle, used thc lang"ual!e IIf hi
art, and ("ailed the a\wfnl
and terrihk \'ni("e of tht' Lord. the roarin
of lions, and I'om-
parcd the owrthrow of the t'Ïties of I
rael to the lonely plat. e.'"
of ,.;hephl'rds IIr tilt' drought of mountain,.;."
The truth mar be, that the religious life of Amos, ilmi(I

et'ne", of natun', ac'c'u
tcmwd him, a
weU a", Ða,-id, to ('x-
pn',,;s hi", thoughts in "ords takcn from the g",.t'at pidure-
book of nature, "hil'h, a
being al
o written by the Hand of
God.
CI wCllldl'rfuUr l'xl're,.;
es the thin!!,.; of God. "'hen hi,.
Prophet's life hrou
ht him anHIIl
otht'r sc.t'nl'
of l'ultivah'd
nature, his !'oul, !-'o prac.ti",ed iu reading- the rt'lations of thc
Ijhp:it'al to thc moral world, took the lan
agt' of his para-
bit',.; alike from what he !<aw,or from what he rememhered. lIe
was what wc
houhl eaU"a ehild ofnaturc," endued with pow-
er and wisdom Iw hi,.; God. Stillmllre mistaken ha
it heen, to
attrihutp to the Prophet any inferiority even of outward
tylp,
in ellu
t'queIIC'e of hi!< shel'h('rd-lif('. f-n'n a heathcn ha

aid
"" ords readily folluw thoug-ht;" much more, when thoug-ht,.;
Bnd wllrd,.; are pourt'd into the soul to
ether by God the IIoly
Ghllst. 011 tht' ('ontrm'y, ",('areely auy Prophet i,. more g'low-
ing in his !-tyle, or ("mnhiJlt'''' mnrt' wClllderfully the nahll'al and
mlll'al world, the OJllllipotenc'e and Omniseienee of Godd. \1-
!'Oion,.;, if related, aI'C most effe('tÏ\ ely relaterl in ])rose. Their
cffit'aey dep('nds, in part, CIII thcir simplil'ity. Their nlt'aniug
mil!ht be m"crlaid and hiddt'u In" ornament of words. Thus
mut'h of the hook of Amos, ther;, is naturally in prosp. The
poetr
, so to speak, of the \"Ïsions of .\mm: or of Zel'hariah b
in the thoug-ht"" not in the word
. Amo
has also elwl"cn the
ti.,rm of pro
c fÌJr his ul'braiding
of the \walthr ...iUllt'rs of Is-
rael. Y (.t, iu the mÏlbt of this, "hat more pot'ti(' than the
summon
to tht' ht'athen erwlIlies of I...rat'1. to peoplt' tht' h('ight!Ò
ahout Samaria, and behold it
sin!< e ? "ltat more
ral'hie
than that l'ic'hlre of utter dcsl'air whieh dared not name the
:Kaml' of (;od f? "l!at bnld('r than the summons to hrael to
eCllnl', if they willed, at onc'e to !'in and to atone for their
in g?
"l!at more striking in power than the
uddcn turn b,'. You

Illlr .ha
e I known: therefure I "ill punish you for aU your in-
uj\lIhes ! or thc
udden summon
i, "heeau
e I" ill do tMs un-
to thec," (the silcnee, what the t1d"
is, i
more thrilling- than
words) "})repare tu llleet thy God, 0 I ",rad ?" Or what more

b iv. i-9.

7 ii. 9. . li. 13. . ix.9.
o \ii.I-3. c1 iv. 13. . ill. 9. r \i.9, 10.

A:\[O
.

l.n

pathetie than thp ('l",.e of the pÍf'ture of the luxuriou
ric'h.
"h('II, hm jng- !<aid. how they heaped Iu"Xurie!< one on another,
h(. ('nd", \\ ith what tht'Y did Jlut do k; the!1 lire uot griel'ed for
tlie qflli('ti(JIi"
of .]o.wph ?
S. Au/!ustine !-elec.ts .\mos. as an instanee of unadorned e-
ICI(I'J{'n('('. H<I\"iug' g-in'lI in
taJlC"es from S. Paul. hc says.,
"The!<e thing-s, wh(,11 they ar(' taug-ht hy profc

CII''';, are a('-
eOlUlted g-r(,<lt. hou
ht at a g-reat p,'iee, !-1I1d amid /!rcat hoa",t-
in
. I fcar' th('s(' dis('u!<siOlI
(If mine JlIa'- ,.;a\"or of the like
hc;a!<ting-. But I IHu'e to do with JIJ('U of a' !<llUricnr
learuing,
who think meanly of (lur writers, not hccause they ha, e not.
hut bec'au
c tll{'y make no shew of the docfllence whieh the
e
prize t(lO highly.-
" J s('e that J mu..t !<ay
oJlJethin
of diP e)CI(fll('nee of tlU'
propht't
. And this I will do, chiefly out of the honk of that
prophet, who
a
"
that he wa... a shqllU'rd or a ('un-herd, and
I wa
tak('n thenec hy (;od and sent to prol'he
y to His I'('ople.
" \\'hen then thi
p('a,.;ant, or pea...ant-l'rol'lwt. rcp"(I\'cd the
ungodly, pI"ClUd, lu"XuriclUs, and therefore mo...t carele!os of hro-
th('rly ICI\ e. ht' ('ries aloud, Iroe to them that (Ire at ease ill
I Zion: 0c. "'ouhI tlwy who, as being" learned and f'lo(lu('nt,
I de!'pi
e our prol/hets as unlearned and ignorant of t'!oeuticHI,
had tht'y had au
ht of thi
sort to say, or had thl'y to !<pcak
I a
ain
t s1wh, wouhl they, a
many of tht'm as would fain not
be s('nselc
s, wish to spt'ali otherwise? For" hat would any
sober t'ar dt'!<ire more than is there said? I-'ir..:t, the im eig-h-
ing it!<t'lt: with what a era
h is it hurled as it were, to awaken
their I"tupified s('n
e", ! "
Then, ha\-in
analy
eel the
e \"er!<e!', he sap', .. How beautiful
thi" i!<, and how it afl'cets tho,.;e who, reading, undt'rstand, tlll're
i!' no use in r-aring'to OJ){' who does not himsplf ft'el it. :\Iort'
ilIu
trationl" of the rult'!< of rht'torie may be found in thi,.; one
pla("e, whi('h I ha\ e sdeet('(1. But a g';)od hearer wiU not be
so nlUc.h in!<tr1U'ted bv a dili
ent di...f'u...",ion of them. as he will
bt' kindl{'d by tht'jr g-iowing-' reading. For thesp thin
s "l're
not c'omposed by human indu4ry, hut wI'rt' poured forth in
t'1(l(lut'nt \\ i
clClJII from the Didnc mind, "i!<dmu not aiming- at
dC}(lut'nee, hut eloqut'nee not departin
from wi
dolll." ,. For
if, as !<omt' most eloquent amI acute men could ",et' and teU,
those thinl!:s whi('h arc It'arned a!< 1,," an art ofrhetoril', would
not hc ob
er\"t'd and notl'd and redueed to thi
!<\"
tt'm, unlt'!<"
tlwy wt're fi,.!<t found in the g-enius of orators. wimt \\"ou(kr if
they he founel iu tho!<e al,.;o, whom FIt, send
, "-110 ert'ates gP-
nius? \\'ht'refort' wc mav w('1l cllnfe
s that onr eanonieal \1 ri-
ters and tcaehers ar{' not ,\"i
(' only hut clo(luent, with that clo-
(l1U'J)('e whic'h heseem
their C'haraC'ter."
S. Jewnlt', in applyin
to.\mos words whieh S. Paul spake
ofhimself w , J"ude ill speech IJIlt uut in knowledge, doubtle
!< wa.;
thinkin
mosth" nftllt' latter words; for Iw adds, ,. For the
ame
Spirit "110 sl)ake thrnug-h aU th{: P,'ol'hets, spake in him."
BfI. Lcm th say", haPl'ilyn. "J t'rome ('aUs Amo
. Tilde in ,
peech
bill Jiot inlilloJl'If(

e, implyin
of him what Paul mndc
tl
- prn-
f('...
e
a!Ò to himselt
on wlw
e authority man
haYt' !'poken of
thi!< Pl"Ophet, as thoug'h he wt'rt' altog-ethcr rude, ineloq1U'nt,
unadorned. Far otherwil"e ! Let an\" fail" jlHl
e read hi
writ-
inl!S, thinking' not who wrote tbem, hut what be wrote, he will
think that our !<hel'Jwrd wa
in 110 1l'Ï.
e beMnd the 1'er," ('hie/-
est Propht'ts; in the Inftint'!<s of his thuught
and the ma
nifi-
eenee of his spirit, nearly e(lual to the hi
he
t, anel in the
!'l'lendour of his dic.tion and the ele/!aJ){'e of the ('ompo...ition
!'ear('dy inferior to any. I'or the
ame Di,-ine Spirit movcd
by His In
piration haiah and Daniel in the ('onrt, Da, id and

I iv.4.

h iii.2, i iv.12, k vi,6,
I dedoctr. Christ.iv. i.n.15-:!1. m 2 Cor. xi. 6. D deS.Poesi Hebr. Præl. xxi.
Ee2

152

Il'\TRODrCTIO
TO

Amos by the !'hepl'fold; ewr I'hoo!'ing- fitting- interpreter!' of
His "ïll mal silluetinll's perfc"tint{ praist' out of the mouth of
babes. Of some He usdh the elolluelll'e; others lIe maketh
cloflu('nt."
It has ind('pd Iwen notieed that in re
ularitv of strueture he
has an clcgoaIH'e peeuliar to himself. 'i'he str
'phai,' form, in-
to whi('h h(' ha,.; I'ast the hea, y l'ropla'eics of the two first
dHll'ters adds nnwh to their solemnity; the rel'urril1lr "burdcn"
of tht' fourth 0, ret 1/(I1'e ye not refilmed unto JIt., sait/I the
Lord, 1rÏ\ es it a dt'cp patho,.; of its own. Indeed no other pro-
phet ha!< bound his propheeies into OIl(', with so IIlUl'h eare as to
their outward form, as this in!<pired shepherd. Amos (to use
human ft.rms) wa,.; not so mUl'h thc poet, as the saerpd oratlll'.
One of those enerlrt'tic turns whil'h have heen already in-
!ótanl'ed, wonlll suffiee to stamp thc human orator. Far more,
they han' shaken through amI thrUlllrh souls ,.;tecpNI in sin
from the Prophet',.; time until now. It has becn said of human
('Iofluenl'e. "he liAohtem'd. thulldered. he eomminA"I('d (:;reeee."
Tht' slwphcrd ha,.; shakt'n not one I'ountry, hut the world; not
by a passin/!: earthquake, hut hy the aw(' of (;011 whil'h, with
ele('tric forl'e, streanwd throuA"h hi!' words.
Some variation of dialeet, or some influt'nl'e of his shcllh('nl-
life on hi,.; I'ronuneiation, has been imalrincd in Amos. But it
relatt's to fj,'e words onl
'. III three, hi,.; 'II"thoA"raphy difters
by a sill
le letter from that tilUnd elsewht'rc in IIcbrl'''. In
t-ñ-o I'asè,.;, the variation eonsist,.; in the use of a (lifterent sib-
ilant P; the :kd in the use of a weaker guttural q . ßcside,.;
the,.;c, he usc,.; a softer souml of the name Isaac r, whil'h al,.;o
(I('I'urs in Jcrcmiah and a P,.;altll; amI ill another word, he. in
eommon with two Psalms employs a root with a ".-uttnral s , in-
stead of that I'ommllll in II('brew whil'h has a stronA" sibilant.
In tilllr of thl'se ('a,.;('s, Amos uses the softer form; in tlU' 5th,
we only know that the two sihilant,.; were pronoulll'c(l dift'('r-
ently IIIH'e, hut I'allllllt /(uess what the distinetion was. The
two sibilants arc interl'han:red in :ò('veral H('hrcw w01"(ls, and
on uo rnlt', that we can dis
'overt. In another of the sibilants,
the ehange made hy Amu,.; is just the re,-erse of that of the
Ephraimites who had only the prmllllwi,ltion of s for sh; "sih-
boleth" for" !<hihbolt'th." But the El'hraimitt's eould not
pronouncc the sh at all ; the variation in Amos is limited tu a
single word. The like variations to the,.;e instaI}('es in Amos
are also found in other word!' in th(' Bible. On the whole,
we ma
- slIspert th(' exi,.;tencc of a soft('r prolHuU'iatiun in the
SlIuth of .Tudæa, where AnJIIs lin'd; but the only i"afe intl'r-
ellf'e is, the extrt'me I'are with whÏl'h the words Im,-e he('n
handed down to us, just as the Prophet spoke and wrotc them.
It has been notil't'd alrctulv that Amos and Husea tn:rether
shew, that all the
Iosaie ti.'!'Ìinlls and sa('rifiees. priests, pro-
phets, a temple were r('tained in J!,'rael, only distortcd to I'alf-
worship u. E,.en the thinl-year's tithes they had not H'lltur-
cd to
t't rill of v. Amos sUl'plies some yet more minute traits
of ritual; that tht')' 11<((1 the samc rules in re/!:ard to It',IH'll ""; that
their altar too had horns, (as prescribed in the law) on whil'h
o iv. 6, 8, !J, 10, 11. p a)==::":'::1 for what would elsewhere be ===='::1 v. 10. (the actual
fonll does not occur el.ewhere.) L)=,-::"::> for :'-
.
vi. 10. Q =S,-: Jor::1;;"""::> ,i. R. The
use of the common word ::1S,., from ;,;:, and ,'-'S probably from "",S i. q.-:", are instan-
ces of the like change within the Idnguage \tself, frpm its earliest time.. Isdiah prohably
IIses ::1;.s (xix. 10.) for :;;." (Joh xxx. 2;;.)
S;. for.,:;;. is used by Isaiah, (Iix. 3. lxiii.3.)
Zephani:lh (iii. I.) and Jeremiah
Lam.lv.14.) as well as after the captivity by Malachi

i;
: };

:hfc\
i

l f.eFo

':1

u
.lwice :

r

:
';,;t

;

(jul

:e

:
Ez. xxiii. 32.) The form which Amos and Jeremiah (xxxiii. 2(t) use, (as al.o Ps. cv. !J.) is

h';,I

e
;
bP:
I
.

..;';ì.
Þ

ï
Jï
{;
ten, p
;
,= occur: fo:.
l:;':

i
rJ

l
;

:

i:;:;]

'

!igi
;

!
Ijt

;

t

[

X!
!!?,
:

I

Hosea, p. 2. · lb. .. iv. 6.

the h]ood of the saeri/1l'es was to be sprinkled X, they had the al-
tar-howls Y wht'lwe tht' blood of the vil,tim was sprinklcd" sUl'h
a,.; the princes ofthe I'fln/"'Teg-ntitlll oft"cn'd in the tim(' of Muses a,
and tlll';r ril'h men, at times at lcast, plundl'I'ed to drink wille
from. They had also true "Kazaritcs, raist'd up among theUl,
a,.; ndl a,.; true prophcts; and th(,y fdt the wei
ht of the influ-
elJ('t' of these Reli
ious ag-ainst them, sinl'e thcr tri('ù by fraud
or dolcnl"e to mal.e tht'm break thl'il' nlw b. Amo,.;, while up-
hraidinA" their ril"h m('n for hrcakinlr the law hetween man and
man, pre";llpl'lI
e,.; that the law of l\IfI"cs noa!<, in this resl}ed
al,.;o. al'lmowledlrcd among them. For in his words, "they
turn asid(' the way of thl' mt'ek c," .. tht'y turn aside the poor
in the
ate c," "thcy take a ransum d " (ti'OIll the rit'h for their
misdeeds), he retains the }It'l'uliar tcrm of the 1'l'ntatcuI'h;
as also in that, "on dllUIt's laid to I'led
e e they lie down by
every altar;" c, who make thc Ellhah small f. "ßalanl'es of
deeeitP' are the eontrary of what arc enjoined in the law,
" balaIH'es of ri
ht h. In nl}hraidin
thellJ tilr a spel'ial impu-
rity, forbiddt'n in prineil)le by the law i, II(' use
the sanction
oftl'n rept'atcd in the law, "k to profane 1\1y Holy Xame."
J u th(' punishment.;; whil"h he mentions, he uses terms in whieh
(;od threatens those JlunishllJents. The two rcmarkable
word,.;, rende("ed "blastiu/( and mildew l ", oeeur only in Deu-
h'rmwmy, and in Solomon's prayer founded upon it m, and in
Ha:r
ai n wht'rc he ilò rcfcrriu
to .\mos. In tht' words" 0 as
God o,-erthrcw Soùom and (;omorrha," th(' pt'euliar term amI
form of J)(,llteronomy, af; wcU a!oo the thn'at, arc retained.
The threat, "Y e have huilt houses of hewn stone, and ve shall
not dwcll therein; ye have plantt'd pleasant vineyardS: hut ye
shall not driuk the wine thcrcl)f;" hut blends and enlar
l's
those in Dellteronmnyp. The remarkable term d('serihing-
tht'ir unrelwntan('e is taken from tht' same q. So also the i-
ma
e of " g.'all aud wormwood r," two bittt'r plants, iuto whieh
they turned jlHI
ment and riA"htellllsnl'ss. There arc other
n'rbal l"l'mini,,;('enf'es of the Pt'ntateueh, intt'rwoH'n with the
word!' of .\mos, whil'h presuppo,.;e that it was in tlw memory
of both the Prophet and his hearcrs in hracl s . Indet'd, after
that long slawry of tilllr huudrt'(l years in Egypt, the tradi-
tions of tilt' !'ìpots, haUowt'd by God's int('reourse with the Pa-
triardls, probably e,-en thcir relation to c. Edmn t their bro-
tht'r;' must han' been lost. 'flu' book of Genesis did not t'm-
body pOlmlar existinA" tnltlitions of this f;ort, hut must have
re\"Ín'd them. The idolatry of Beer,.;heha u , as wt'll as that of
Gilead. alluded to hv Hosca, as also .Jeroboam's "'lUke of Be-
thel itst'lf for the e
lf-wllr,.;hipu. imply on the part of the ido-
laters a knowled
e and belit'f of the hi,.;tory, whieh they must
have learnt frlll
l the P('ntatclll'Il. Doubiles,.; it had 'been a
part of Jerul)(1am's poliey to set up O\'er a
ain,.;t thl' t'"dllsh.e
daim for the h'mple at Jerusalem. rind pla,'t's of traditionary
holiness frum the lIJer('it's of God to tht'ir forefatht'rs, much
as Mohammed availed him:òelf of the memory of .\braham, to
fmmd his claim tilr an intt'J"t'!<t in Jerusalem. But these tra-
ditions too must hav(' been reeeiwd by the people, not de-
1 iii. 14. see Ex. xxvii. 2. xxix. 12. Lev, iv. 25. Y vi. 6.
· p-,o;, is only used of such a bo".l; and its meaning" a vessel for .prill/din.,!" agrees
herewith. Its employment hy the rtch, when it had ollce been desecrated to idolatry, is
nothin ð stran!(e; far less, than the use of chalices to adorn the side-boards of rich English,
wl
ii. ;;
ch-plate h:
i
7
1

I

e

'È

i::
6
r J

:
I
vi.I!I. :x

iï
i
x]v
tl
:
d v. 12.
::::"
F; Ku. xxxv. 31. -t
":-ïr:

:' e ii. 8. ::I..;
ti ::I--:;'
:".see Ex. xxii.2H,ï.
Iviii.5.seeD
4t..xxv.U,15. I Am. lb. h Lev.xix.3ü. i Deut.xxiii.I.

;K?

.
7.::";-;"
i.il.1fev. ';,xi
: 11. Deut. xx:/i
.
':'
:Y;'

;,,=:;'

t. xx;i
: iî:
Deut. xxviii. 30, 3!J. . Q '-::: ::1:-=-:: S:, iv. 6, 8, 9, 10. see Deut. iv. 29. r vi. 12.
from Deut.xxix.1K;-;J'''occurs alone, inthesameimageAm.v.ï.and
s"inHos. x. 4.
They are used togeth
r as an ima!(eofthe bitter draught of afflictioll (Jer. ix. 15. xxiii.15.
Lam. iii.l!J. and ;-;J::" Lam. iii.15.)and of the bitter end of sin. Provo v. 4. Not else" here.
. see ii. 2, 10, 11. iii. 2.
i. 1. ,ii. 16. ix. 8,12. . i. ll. u v. S. Theabove
illstances are selected from Hengstenberg, Auth. d. Pent. i. 83-104.

rived from them. They were not hrollgllt with tlU'm from E-
gypt. The pl'ople, c/l
la\ ed, d('
I'aded.
('/I
lIaliz('d, idolatry-
1m in/!" had /10 heart
to dlcri
h the ml'lIl11ril'
of the pure re-
li
ion of their
reat foret
tther
, \\ 110 \Vor!<hipl'ell t he ull-ima
-
ell Sd r.(,
i4 i /I/{ (;(1(1.
As A/lw
cillployt'd thc hlll
lIag-e of the PC/ltat('lwh alld
('ited the hflok of .Jod. so it
('('ll1!'> more 1'rohahll'. that ill the
JlUrden of hi
fir4proph('c'i('
, .., I will
l'nd a lirt' upoll-and
it !<hall de, ollr thl' palac'e
of-" he tuok the well-know/I
word
of 1I()
('a w, a/ld. hv thcir u
e, g-ave an unity to tlwir
pruphec'i('
, than that lIo
('a. who \I"('S no lan/!,ua/!,e e'{e('pt that
of the Pelltatt'ueh,
llfIuld, in th(' one plaee where he ('mploy

thi... form luu (' limit('d the" hurtlen "of .\mos to the O/IC ea"e
of J lHlah
ße"idc!'>, in I11'
ea, the \\ orcl,.;, (kelarin
the de-
struc,tion of the ('itie" and pahu'('" of Judah, stalul ill immcdi-
ate CCJllllPc,tion with .Judah's \\ rung tcmpcr in huildillg- them,
whc'reas ill .\mos thev arc ill
ulated. Bcside thi..., the lan-
gua
t' of tilt' two prophets doc
not hear upon eac'h other. ex-
('e}lt that both han' the tcrm "'JJalan('e
of dec'eit;' whic'h wa"
ori:..:-illallv formed in ('ontra"t with what (iod had e/ljoined in
th
law, "balanc'cs of right," and whieh stand" lir"t in the Pro-
verbs of Sololllon Y.
Of later prophet". Jerl'miah rell('\n'd ag-ainst DaJlla
ell" the
l'ro}lhcc'y of .\mus in hi" 0\\ n \\ ords ; only, th(' menwry of II a-
zad having- heen obliterated pt'rhaps in the dt'!"trlwtion under
Tiglath-I'ileser Jeremiah ealls it not after Hazael, but bv it

O\;n mlJllt' and that of ßenhadaù'. The word... of .\mos 'had
nllf't' b(,t'n fulfilled, ami it
people had J}I'en tran:'}lortcd to Kir.
Prubably fllg-itin'!' Irad ag-ain repeoplell it. alld .Jeremiah ill-
tended to [Joi/lt out that the
entenee pronouneed throug-h .\-
mo!'> \\ as lIut yct t'
hausted. On the like g-rolllul probably,
when upbraiding- .\unwm for the like :,in:, amI fur that ti,r whic'h
AllIo!< had dellllun('ed woe upon it, its endeanlllr to di"plaee
I
rael a, J('remiah IIsell tlu' words of .\mos, their killg slwl/ go
iuto Cllptil"it!I,-fllIll his prillces together b. In like way IIa/!,gai
upbraid... the Jt'ws of his lIay for their impenitem'c umlcr God's
eha4i...emellts, in w(lrd
varÍe(1 ill no e
sclltial from those of
.\mo!< r. The word" of Amos, so rt'pcatcd to the .ft'ws upon
tlwir re:o:toratioll, soumle(l, a
it wert', from the dl'solate heri-
tag-t' of brad, Sill J/() more. lest a ll'orse tMllg happell11uto thee.
Otht'r rt'miniseenees ofthl' words of Amos are only a part of
the harmuny of Scripture d, the prophets ill this way too indi-
c'ating their unity 'with onc another, that they used the words
tilt' une of the other.
The mig-ht ufhis teac'hin/{ at the time, the state-priest Allla-
ziah impn'

e(1 on Jcruhoam. Contcmptllou:o: toward:o: Amos
him
elf, .\maLiah admittcd the truth to Jeruboam. The Imu[
is not lIb1e to bellI' (III Ms l('ords. Duubtless, as thl' Jew!' \\ t're
mad a
ainst S. Stephen, not being able to resist tIle wisdom find
"ilirit b.'llI'McJ, he spake e. sc, God aeeompanied with !wwer His

. i.4, ï, 10,12. ii. 2, 5. It is slightly varied ini.14. ... Hos. viIi. !.t. x Hos. xii. 8.
[iEng.] Am. viii. 5. J Provo xi. I. xx. 23. . Jer. xli'!:. 2i. . .Am. i. 13. Jer. xlix.I.
b Am. i. 15. Jer. xlix. 3. Jeremiah retains the idiom ;;:",:; ,_;;, only adding .. his
priests," before the words" and his princes." He retains also the characteristic word

;r
-:", Am. i. U. and for;;,!,; -
:o:-' :-,
:o:- ;;'
, e Am. iv. 9. Hagg. ii. 19.
d Such are, the use of the wo;.is of \mos ii
14. in J er. xlvi. 6 . the u'e of the idiom
of Amos, I take up a lamentation :-:'7 ::::'
;r N:::; (v. I.) three time
b) Ezekiel xxvii. 2.
xxvlii. 12. xxxii. 2; the use of the image, a brand plucked out of the burning Am. Ì\. II.

..\:\105.

l,j3

er"ant's wor(ls to IIi!'> peol'lt'. They had already i"een Gud\::
\\ urd
fllilill('d a
aillst the hmt:'('s of J crohuam I., of naa
ha, of
.\hah. That
ame duum \Hl!" 110\\ rcnewl'd ag-ain
t t!.e !tome of
.Jerobo(llll, and \\ ith it th(' propht'c'y of the di!<lu'r
ifJIl uf the ten
trihes f, whic'h Hu
ea c'cJlltl'llIpuram'cJII!<ly forctold g. The twu
pruphet:o: uf Israd ('clllfirlll(,tl IIIll' anuthcr, but al...u lcft thelll-

('IH''' no (':,c'ap('. Thcy stal.ed the \\ hule reputation of their
prophec'yon thi:o: dl'finit(' is''lIe. '" c hnow it tu han' !,('('n ful-
fillcd (Ill th(' Iwu:o:e uf J erohoalll ; ,ct thc hou
e uf J eroI"uam \\ as
firmer than un\" betilrt, or an('r it. "'(' hnm\" uftltt' unwonted
c'aptidty of tlu:; ten trihes. Had they nut hecn t'urric'd eaptÏ\ e,
proph('c') \\ uuld han' C'OIllC tu !'hame; and !'Iwh in propllrtioll i...
its \'Íetory. Eiu'h 4('1' 'Hl
an in!<talllIent, a pl('d
(', ofn-hat fol-
Imn-d. The death {If Zcc'hariah, Jerohoam's !<on. \\ a:o: the lir!<t
:,tep in th(' fullilu\('nt of the whole; thell probably, in the innl-
!o'iun ot' Pul a
aillst )1 enahcm ", folluwcd the doum uf .\maziah.
(;ud is lIot all"\.ioll!< to ,indic'ate IIi:o: wonl. He doe
1I0t, as to

helll\a \ fir .\lIIa.liah, or the t
llse prophct
.\Imb, Z('dl'hiah J or
Shelllaiah k . Ill' Pa",hllr I ur uthcr fal:o:c prophet!' m. At time:o:, a:o:
in the ('a:,(' of lIananiah b,
eril'ture rec'urd
th(' illdh idual ful-
I fihut'nt ofGod'
jlldg-ments. )Iu,;tly, it pa..."'c
by ulllwti('ed the
t'xec'utioll of God' s :'t'nh'lIt'e. The sentelu'e uf the c'rilllinal, llll-
]e
s reprien'd, ill it:o:elf implies the t'xe('utiull o. The fac't im-
Il'rcs,.ed those who \\ itnes
l'd it; the rel'ord of the judg-Illent !Out:'
fic'c
for us.
Then foUowed, under Tiglath-pileser, the fuifillllent of the
propheey a:o: to Dalllaseu!oÌp, alld Gilead q. l'ndcr Sarg-on was
fulfilled the propheey 011 the tCIl tribcs r. That on Judah Syet
waitetll=
:
year:o:, and thcn was fulfilled by Xehuduulllezzar.
A few
-ear
later, and hc ('xeeutt'd God'!< judg-lIIent:o: foretold by
.\1110:0: 011 their ('lIelllie:o:. )Ioab, .\1I1111on, 1:do1ll, Tyre t . uKillg-"
of Eg-ypt, .bsyria, ami the Maf't'dolliall .\Ie:\.andcr fulfilled ill
suc'c'e,,:,ion the pruphe('y a" to Phili:,tia. So nlriou
were the
human will:o:, so multitudillou:o: the en'nt
, whic'h were to hring
about the
impll' words oftht' shepherd-prophet. .\IIIOS fore-
teU" the event:o: ; he dol'''' say, why the ju(Ig-Ulent
should f'omc;
he doc
not tell tht' "when." or the "thl'ou
h whom:" but the
e,-cnts themselvt's he tilretell,. absolutdv, It,;d the,. c'all\(,. Like
Joel, he foretells the f'om-ersion of the Heathen a;ul antic'ipates
so far the propht"'Íes of I
aiah, that Gild would work this
throup:h the restol"tltion of the hou
e of I>add. wht'n t
llIen.
Strang-e efHllIIlellt Oil human I-,'Teatne!<,;, that the ruyallille was
not to be emplop'd ill the !<ah-ation of the world, until it was
fallen. The Hoval Palat,t' had to hel'lJme the hut ofXazareth,
ere the Redceml:I' of the world eonlel be born. \rho"e dorv and
king-dlllu were not ofthi!< world, "110 ('ame, to take fr
lIn l
S no-
thill
but our nature, that He mig-ht
illH'tify it, our misery, that
lIe lIIi
ht bear it for us. Yet ßesh and blood ('fluId not 1'01'1'-
H't' it c
e it came, as flt'
h ami blood t'oultlnot belieV(' it, whell
lIe callie.

Z
c
;.i

fl: I;, t
.ts
i-}
: x:i
. 2lö-;
: Sic
'b

2. c I
b
'

'6.ix'liib.hx;v.'\
' x:.
::
x'!:. iii. Ii. 0 A recent writer" on the interpretation of Scripture "(Essays and Reviews,
p. 3
.) ventures to f5Ìve this(Amos vii. IO-li .)as one of three instances in proof that .. the

:

:i
t
w;

r:
h

G

jt

1 ih:

t"f:{
c:ip/;:.ce

reis J.:b'::";:u
:t;:'
ì
d-

sentence on one of the many calf-priests of Bethel is necessarily matter of histoI}", it
has rather to be shewn "hy it should be mentioned, than "hy it was omitted.
p i.5. q \'Ì.14. ' v'.
i. "ii. 8, !I, Ii. he. 8. · ii.5. ' i. 9. ii. 8. "i. 6-8.

15J

Before
CHRIST
dr. í8;.

CHAPTER 1.

I Amos shell'etlt God's .im(l.jmeJlt llpon S,,/ria,
(} upon tlte PMlistines, 9 llpOIt T.III"IlS, II llpOIt
Edolll, 13 upon Ammon.
T HE words of Amos a who was among
the herdml'n of b Tckoa, whi('h he saw
eom'('rnin
lsr
u'l c in the days of Uzziah

.ch.;. H.
b 2 Sam. H. 2.
2 Chr. 20. 20.
c Hos. I. I.

CH \[' l. ver. l. The ll'ord,v of AI/lOS, 1('/10 1('as alllOlIl{ the herrl-
men. "Anws l)('gins hy !-Oetting forth his own nothingm'ss,
amI withal the great grace of his Teac'her and Instnlf'tor, the
Holy
pirit, rctt'rring all to His glory." lIe, like David, Pe-
ter, Paul,
Iatthew, was one of the u'elli. t/till,!!,"
(if the 1l'0I'1d,
who/ll God dIOse to cOllfmlJul the migldg. He was Ilimsclf a
herdsman only among hads/J/en; but the word..: whieh he spake
wcre not his own. They were words whil'h he saw, not with
eyes of flesh, but "with that ,-ision wherewith words can be
seen, the seer's ,-ision in the miml." They wt'n' /t'ords con-
cerning, or rathcr llpon, Israel, hea,'y words cOIning upon the
heavy transgressions of Israel. The lIcbrew word saw l is not
of mere sight, but of a ,-ision /.!:iven by Gotl. Amos only says
that thev were /tis words, in order inl1uediatelv to add, that
they ('mile to him from (;od, that he him!oòelf wits but the hu-
man organ through whieh Gml !'pake.
t'(,
J ,l/ears hefore the earthquake. This earthquake must
plainly have hecn one of the greatest, sinee it was dvidly in
men's ml'mories in the tinU' of Zl'ehariah, and Amos speaks of
it a!' "the t'arthquake." The eartlupmkes of till' East, likt'
that of Lisbon, destroy whole dties. In one, a little before
the birth of our Lord, "2some ten thou!'aIul were huricd under
the ruined houses." This tcrrific' eartluptake, (for as sut'h
Zechariah describes it) was one of the preludl's of that displea-
sure of God, whic'h .\mos foretold. .\ warning- of two years,
and time for repentant'e, wert' g-in'n, hefore the earthquake
!'houhl come, the token and bcg-inning of a further !'hakin
' of
both king-doms, unless tlU'y should repent. In effect, it was
the fir!'t flash of the lightning" hich ('onsunwd them.
2. The Lord ll'iIl1"oar. Amos joins on his prophecy to
the end of Joel's, in order at Om'e in its very opening to attest
the lIlu'ne!'s of their mission, amI to prepare men's minds to
see, that hi!' own prol,hecy 'HIS an t'xpansion of tho!'e words.
dedaring- the nearer amI eomillg jud
ments of God. Thosl'
nearer jlUlg-ments, howen'r, of whieh he !'l'ake, were hut the
preludt's of the judgments of the Great Day whieh .Toel fore-
told, and (If that last tprrihle '-(lice of Christ, tile LioJl 'if tile
tribe (if.Judah, of "
hom Jaeoh l,rophesies; lIe ('ouclied, FIe
lay down as a liou, and as a .'foullK lion; ,dw sllllllnLÎse 11im
IIp 3? Go(1 is !'aid to utter Elis awefull'oice fl"Om Zioll alld
Jerllsall'ln, heeau!'e there He had set His Kamc, there He was
IJrcsent in Hi!' Church. It wa!', as it were, His own ]J!<u'e,
whieh lIe had hallowed by tokens ofllis Pre!'elU'e, althoug-h the
lIem'en and tile Ilem'ell (if IInll'ells cwuwt cOlltaill Him, In
the ollt
et of his prophecy, Amos warned Israel, that there,
not amon
themselves in their separnted statt', (;od d,,'plt.
Jeremiah, in using these same words towards Judah, !'peaks
not of Jerusalem, but of hNn-en ; 4 The Lord slw[[l"Oar fl"OlII
Oil higll, and utter His 1'oicefro1ll E1is Iwlg Iwbitatioll, The 1'1"0-

1 ;ont;o whence:"1
:; seer, i
Tt; r'T:;, vision. 2 J os. Ant. xv. 5. 2. 3 Gen. xlix. 9.
4 Jer. XXv. 30. & Is. ii. 3. 6 The mention of the head of Carmel marks out that
t,e t

o

t
a
f
lu
ah,ei;

e
:

d \
; h

;
J
Yd

h
/

I
;r
fe

:
: wIfdthn

depth. The "hole plain around it is high, and it seems probable that a district "dS calI-

AMOS,

king of .Tudah, and in thc days of d Jero- C H'Rí[ors T
hoam the son of .Tnash kin
of Israel, cir. í1:>7.
two y('ars hdènoc the e earth(lUake. :

.ll
. 5.
2 ...\nd he said, The LORD will f roar from

i
'
'
Ziun, ami uttcr his ,"oice from J crusalcm ;
and the hahitations of the shepherds shall
1 1 f (
1 1 ill 0 1 g I Sam. 25. 2.
n
ourn, ant t Ie top 0 II' arme s It WIt IeI'. Iøai.33. 9.
pheey is to the ten triht'!oo or to the heathen: God speahs out of
the Church. He uttert'th His Yoic'e out of Jerusalem, as He
saith, 6 Out'if Zioll slutll go fortll tile hl1l', alll! tile u'o1"d 'if tile
Lord from .Jall.salem, "whcre was the Temple and the wor-
ship of God, to shew that God was not in the eities of I!'rael,
i. e. ill Dan and Det]wl, wh('l"c were the
olden ('ah'es, nor in
the royal ('ities of Sam aria and Jezrecl, hut in the true religion
whieh was thcn in Zion and Jcrusalem."
alill tile Iwbitatiolls (ltlle sllepllenls sllall 11/0111"1l. Perhaps,
with a ft'eling for the home which he hacl loved and left, the
Prophet's first thought amid the de!'olation whieh he pre-
diet
, was towards his own shcpherd-haunts. The wcll-known

Iount Carmel 6 was far in the opposite direction in the trihe
of Asher. Its name is derh-ed from its riehness ami fertility,
perhaps" a land of \'ine and olh-e yard!< 7." Iu S. Jeromc's
time, it was" 8 thiekly studdcd with olin's, shruhs and vine-
yards." .. Its ycry summit was of g-Iad pastures," It is ont'
of the most :<triking' natural featurcs of Palestine. It ends a
line of hills, cig-hteen mik!' lon
, hy a long hold headland n'ac'h-
ing out fat. into the l\Icditcrranean, and ft,rming the South
..:ide of the Day of ..\C'C'o or Acre. Rising 1200 feet above the
sea 9, it !'talUls out" like !'ome guardian of its native strand;"
yet withal, it was rieh with every YaJ'iety of beauty, flower,
fruit, and tree. It is almo!'t always {'ailed "the ('armel,"
,. the rieh garden-g-round." From its ncighbourhood to the
st'a. hcavy dews nightly supply it with an ever-renewl'd fre:;h-
ness, so that in mid sunnner it is
reen and flowery 10. Travel-
ler
deseribe it, as "ll (ll1Íte p;recn, its t(1) covered with firs
and oaks, lower down with olives and laurt'ls, and e,-erywhere
exccUentlv watered." "Tht're is not a flower, " says Y an de
Yelde 12, "that I lJa,-e seen in Galilee or on the plfÜns along-
the eoasts that I do not find here a
ain on Carmel. It i!' still
the !'ame fragrant lovely mountain a!< of old." "II Its varied
world of flowers attra('ts sllC'h a numher of the ran'r varieo-
loured insect:- that a colleetor mip;ht for a whole )"ear he richly
employe(l." "It i!' a naturiÙ garden and repository of herbs."
Its pastnres wert' rieh, so as to ecpHiI those of Dash an 13. "It
gins ri!'(' to a numher of crystal streams, the larg('st of which

ushes from the !'pring- of Elijah." It had abundant supplies
in itself. If it too heeame a descrt, what else would be spar-
ed? H If t/w.l/ do tltese things in a green tree, u'lwt sl/(/I/ be
done ill tlte dr.lI? All, high and low, shall be !<tricken in one
c'onUllOn de!'olation ; all the whole land, from tlte pa,
ture.
'if
the s!lepherds in the South to
Iount Carmel in tlU' Korth.
.\nd this, as soon as God had !'pol\:en. He spake, (1m! it 1('as
made. So no\\", C'ontrariwise, He uttert'th His V oict', and Car-
mel hath languished. Its g-lory hath passed away, a!' in the
twinkling of an eye. God hath spoken the word, and it is gont'.
"-hat (lependcd on God's g;ifts. abides; what depended on

ed by ics name (1 Sam. xxv. 2, í. 2 C.xxvi. 10.) but the hill of :\Iain is only 200 feet a-
bove the plain. Robinson, i. 433. j ::-: lit. .. a rich and fertile land" (aE in Ar.abic) is
used of the oli\ e-garden J ud. xv. í. as "ell as ofthe more ordinary vinl'yard. .,-=-
is
r;:r
:;7a)aS W1

r;a

db

i). 10 8
ho

;,vT

\and,

.ch

irll

t:: Riit

:
12 i. 317, 8. I' Jer. I. 19. Nah. i. 4. H S. Luke xxüi. 31.

Before
CHRIST
dr. ibi.

LORD;

For

f'H
\rTER J.

u:;

three I trans
('ssions of h Dama'-C'us, II and fur C HBtTs T
dr. ip..7.

3 Thus

saith

the

man, i

one. Tlwre remains an ihllwauty
till; hut it i
the
Iwautv of Ilaturalluxuriallt'e. ".\11," says (1/11' who explored its
ù('l'th
I, "lie,.; wa:ote; all i
a n ihlerlll'

. The utmost fertility
is hcre lo
t for man, u
ele,..
to man. The vinl'yards of Carlllel,
n here arc they now? B('hold the lon
row,.; of stolle,.; on the
/!Tollnd, the remains of the nails; thl'y will tell YOIl that here,
wh('re now n ith diffit'ulty you fon'e your way throu::-h the
thi('k entang-kd I'!lpse, lay, in day
of 0111, those int'oml'arahle
vinevard
to whil'h Carmel owcs it,.; name."
'3. Tht' cmlcr of God'
threatening-

eem
to ha,'e heen
mldn'!i'
ed to g-ain the hearing ofthe people. The pUlli
hment
i
fir
t dl'nolllH'cd upon thcir enemies. und that, for tllt'ir sins,
diredlv or illllireetlv, a!!ainst themseh-es, and {;od in them.
Then, 'a
to those ('nemics themseh-es, the order is not of
plul'c or time, but of their relation to {;ml"s people. It be
ins
with their mo
t oppres
h'e ('nemy, S) ria; then Phili4ia, the
old and l'ca..;e1ess, although It.s,.; powcrful, ellemy; then Trre,
not an ol'l'rc
s(lr, as the
e, yet ,'iolatin
a relation whil'h they
had not. the bOlHI!< of a former friendship and eo,-enant; ma-
lil'ions <llso and hardhearted through cO\-etou
ne
s. Then fol-
low Edom, .\mmon,
Ioah, who bl
rst the bonds of blood also.
I.asth and nearest of all, it falls on Judah, who had the true
wor
l;ipof the true {ìod among them, but desl}i
ed it. E,'ery
inflietion on those like our
eh es, filld!< an echo in our own
cOIN'ielll'es. Israel heard and readily believed God's jud
-
ments upon others. It was not temptl'd to set itself ag-ainst
beli('ving them. How then could it refuse to helien of it..;elf,
what it 'believed of others like itsdf? "Chan
e but the name,
the talc is told of thee 2 ," was a ht'athcn
ayin
whil'h has al-
most pas,..l'll into a prm'erh. The eourse of the prol'hel'y eon-
vkted them, as the things written in Holy Sl'ril'ture fur Ollr
ens([lnple.H'ol1\'ict Christians. Iftlley who 3sinned ll'ithout law,
J1eri.
hed Il'ithuut Ill/I', how muc'h more should they who hlll'e
sinned ill the lall', heJudged h.lI the lall'. (;(I(1's jud
ments
rolled round like a thunder-dOlul, I'a

ing from land to land,
gh ing warning of thl'Ír al'proal'h, at la
t to gather and eentre
on Israel itst'lt
except it repent. In the ,isitatiolls of others,
it was to read its own; and that, the more, the nearer God
was to them. L
rael is plal'ed the last, beeause on it the de-
struction wa..; to fall to the uttermost, and rest there.
Ji'or tll/'ee transgressions ((nd for fuur. These words ex-
prt'ss, not four tran!<gressions added to the three, but an ad-
ditional tran
gression bt'yond the former, the last
in, where-
by the Ineasure of :oin, which '}('fore wa
full, O\-erfluws, and
Gud's wrath eomes. So in otllt'r places, where the like form
of word
oeeurs, the added number i
one he,-ond, and most-
ly rdatcs to something greater than all the rest. So, -I, He shall
.delh'er thee ill :.i.1' troubles; yea, in .
el'elt there slwlllW edl tOllch
tftee. Th(' word, llel1, dt'notes. that the se,'enth i
some heavier
trouhle, he
ond aÌl the re
t, whil'h ',ouId seem likely to break
enduranee. .\gain 5 , gil"e a portion tu Sel'en, and alsu to eight.
8el"e11 is u
ed a
a sYlllhol of a whole,
in('t' Oil the .
et'ellth da.'1
God restedfrom allll'lticlt He Iwd lIIade, and therefore the num-
her sewn entered so largel\" into the whole Jewish ritual. .\11
time was measured hy
e\:en. The rule then is; " gi\"C with-
out hounds; when that whole is fulfillpd, still gh-e." .-\
ain in
that sprie!< of sayin
s in the book of Prm'erhs 6, the fourth is,
in eadl, !<Õomethin
/!Teater than the three preceding. T!tere
are tltree things that are llet'er sati
/ied ; yea, four things say 1l0t,
I Yan de V eIde, i. :n8. I Horace. I Rom. ii. 12. 4 Job v. 19. & Eccl. xi. 2.
I XXX. .. lb. 15, 16. sib, 29-31. v lb. 21-23. 10 lb. 18, 19. 11 Pro,". vi. l(j-U).

h lsai.8. I. & Ii. 1. Jer. 49.23. Zech. 9. I. "Or, yea, for four.

it i!< f'n f Jllglc 7 . The oth('r thing,.; I'annot he sati
fied; the fourth.
fire" /!Tows ficn'('r hy 1J('in
fed. .\g-ain
, There he t!tree thing-s
u,ltidt go ll'ell; YU1, four are NJlIIl'I.'1 ill
oing. The moral ma-
jesty of a king is oln'imlsly /!T('ater than the rest.
o 9tlle
IW1UIlI/aid ll,lticlt displacet!t Iter lIIistress is more intolerahle and
on'rht'aring- than the others. The art and l'oJII'('ahuent of
mau in al'prûiH'hin
a maiden i
of a
uhtler kind than thin
s
in nature whieh lea,-e no traee of thems('l\"es. the ('a
le in the
air, the serJ'ent on the roek, the
hip in its pathwa
- through
the waves 1 . .\
ain 11, Suwing di,H'fJrd llllWUg /Jret/'rcn. has an
t'speeial hatefulue!'!<, as not only heing- sin, but eausing wide-
wasting sin, and de
tro
in
in others the dlicf /!Taee, 1m e.
Soul-murder is worse than bodily murder, and relluires more
devilish art.
T!tese tltiugs, Joh !"ays 12, ll'urketh God tu'ire and thrice 1f'itlt
1IIan, to bring back M.
soulfrom the pit. The la
t
al'e of God,
whether sealing- up the former /!Tiu'e... of tho
(' who use them,
or vOlu'hsafed to those who have wasted them, is the crown-
ing- ad of His IO\-e or forbearanl'e.
'In heatht'n puetry also, as a trace of a mystery which they
had forl!:otten, three i!' a sal'red whole; whenee "thrice and
fourfold blt'ssed" stand!" among them for
omcthing e'(eeeding
e,'en a full amI perfcl't hlt's
ing, a super-ahundaIH'e of hle
!'ing!'.
The fourth tran/.,'Tes!'ion of these Ht'athen nations is alone
mentiOllt'd. For tl
e Prophet had no mis
ion to t/tem; he only
dedares to Israel the ground of the visitation whÎl'h wa;; to
eOllle upon tht'm. The three trans
re

ions
tand for a whole

Uln of sin, whieh had not yet hrought down extreme I'lmi!'h-
mt'nt ; the fuurth ,,-as the erowning sin, after whieh God would
no longer spare. ßut although the timrth drew down His
judgment, God, at the last, punishes not the last sin only, but
all whieh went before. In that the Prophet sa)"s, not, for the
fuurth, but fur tftree trallsgressiuns wulfur fOllr, he expresses at
once, that God did not punish until the last sin, by whi('h the
iniquity of the sinful nation beeame filII 13, and that, t/un, He
puni:ohed for all, for the wholP mass of sin deseribed by the
thrt'e, aud for the fourth aho. God is long-suffering and rea-
dy to forgi,-e : but when the !"inner finally bel'ome
a l"essel of
1I'1"atlt u , He punishes all the earlier sins, whieh, for the tjme, He
l}assed by. Sin adds to sin, out of which it grows; it dot's not
owrshadow the former sin!', it does not oblitcrate them, but
increas('s the mas
of guilt, whieh God punishes. \\'hen the
Jews
Iew the Son, there lã came 011 them all the righteous bloud
shed Il}lon theeartli,fromtlie blood ofrigMeolls AhelllntfJ tliebluod
of Zacharias, SOlZ of Barurltias. AU the blood of all the pro-
phets and sen-ants of God under the Old Testament eame upon
that generation. So eal'h individual sinner, who dit's impeni-
tent, will be IHmi!"hed for an whieh, in his whole life, he did or
heeame, contrary to the law of God. ])eeper sins bring' deeper
(lam nation at the last. So St. Paul speaks 16 oftho
e who trea-
sure u}I to themseh-es wrath against the I)(IY of u'ruth and reu-
IlltirJ/l '!.f tlce rightefJusJ/l((t:/1/e1lt of God. .\8 g-ood men, hy the
graee of God, do. through eal.h aet done hy aid of that grace,
gain an addition to tht'ir e,-erlasting reward,
o the wieked, b)'
each added sin, add to their damnation.
uf Da/1/ascus. Dama
cu
was one of the oldest t'Íties in
the world. and one of the links of its inter('ourse. It lav in the
mid
t of its plain, a hi
h table-land Ii of rich rultimtiOl{ whose
breadth, from .\nti-libanus Eastward, was about half a dt'g-ree.
I
xxxiii.2!I. II Gen. xv. 16. 14 Rom. i'l:. 22. 1& S.
ratt. xxiii. 35, 6. S. Luke
xi. 50,1. 16 Rom. ii. 5. 17 "2200 feet abo\e the sea." Porter, FÌ\e ) ears in Dam. i. :!6.

!.')G

On tlw ,Yo and 'N. it
plain lay sheltert'd undcr the ran
e of
Anti-libanu
; (Ill the Ea
t, it n'a
proteeted hy the g-reat (h'
ert
whieh intern'ncd hetween it
oasi
-territory and the I-:uphra-
tc
. I mmediateh-, it wa
hounded hv the three lake
whil'h
reeci,-c the
url'his of the water
whie'h cnril'h it. The ßam-
da :the "('old"J having joined the Fijeh, (the traditional Phar-
par I, a name whi('h n ell de
ig-mltl'
it
tUlllultuou
eour
e 2,)
run
on the K. of. and throug-h, the f'Íty, and then ('hiefly in-
to the central of the three lakes, the Bahret-el-kibliyeh. [the
" South" lake;] then('e, it is !<uppo
t'll, hut in part also di-
rel.tly, into the Bahret-e
h-Shurkiyeh [the ,. Ea!<t" lake 3.]
The' .-\waj
the "erooked "J (perhaps the old Amana, "the ne-
ver-failing-," in ('ontrast with the streams whieh arc exhaust-
ed in irrigation) rUlis lIt'ar the old South houndan' of Damas-
eus\ selHirating- it prohahl)' from the Xorthern põ
sc

ion
of
Israt'l heymlll Jordan, Ba
han (in it
" idest
en"e.) ami Jetur
or Ituræa. The art'a ha
heen ealt'ulated at 2:Jô square geo-
graphieal miles\ This sl'aee rather hCI'lHHe the eentre of it

dominion
, than mea
ured their l'xtt'nt. But it
upportt'd a
population, far hcyond what that SplH'e would maintain in Eu-
rope. Tau
dlt by the faet' of ercation around them, whcre the
eour"t' of e,'cry tiny rintlet, as it hur4 from the roeks, was
marked by a ri('h luxurianee 6 , the nama
('ene
of old availed
t1l('m
elvt's ofthc ('ontinual
uppl)' from the !<nows of Hermon
or the Ill'ights of .\nti-libanu!', with a
ystematie diligeIll'e 7,
of whidl. in our Korthern I'lime, as we ha,-e no need, so we
lm,'c no idt'a. ,. \\Ïthout the Harada,"
an; Porter R , " the eitv
eould not exi
t, and the plain would be a imrdled de
ert ; Init
now aqueducts intersel't e'-t'ry quartl'r, and fountains sparkle
in ahllo
t en'ry dwt'lIing, while innumerahle eanal
extend
their ramilieations over the vast plain, elothing- it with ver-
dure and heaut\". Fh-e of the
e ('anal
arc led off from the
river at difl'erelit elt'vations, betèlre it enh'rs tht' plain. They
are earried along the prceipitous bank
of the ravine, bt'ing in
some places tunnelled in the
olid roek. 'rhe two on the
Korthern side water Salahiveh at the foot of the hill
about a
mile from the eit)" and thin irrigate the higher portions of
the plain to the distant't' of nearly twt'nt)" mile
. Of the thrt'e
on the S.
ide, one is led to the populou
,-iIIag-e Daraya, fixe
mile
distant; the other two supply the city, it
suhurh
, and
gardens." The like use was nUHle of evcn' tèmntain in en'n'
larger or }('"sel' plain. Of old it was !<aid, .'9the Chrp;(IIThoa
.,
[the Bólrada] .. i
nearly expt'nded in artifil'ial ('hannels."
"loDall1a
eus is fertile throug-h drinking up the t'hrysorrhoas
by irrigation." Fourteen names ofit
('armis arc still gh-cn ll ;
and while it has been t'ommon to
elect , or H I.hicf eanal
,
the wholc IHwe l)et'n counted up e,-en to ,012. K 0 art or la-
bour wa
thought too g-reat. The watt'r
of the Fijeh wt're
carrit'd by 11 g-reat aqueduct tunnelled throug-h the side of the
perpendil'ular elifl'u. Y ct this wa
as nothing. lt
whole
plain wa
inter
eeted with canal
, ami tunnelled helow.
., 14 The waters of the river wt're spread m'er the surface of
the ..oil in the fields and g-ardt'ns: underneath, other canals
wt're tunnt'lled to colle(.t the superfluou
watt'r which I'er('o-
latt's the soil, or from little fountains and springs below. The
stream thus ('olle('ted is led off to a lower level, whert' it l"omes

I G. Williams. Ibn Haukal says, "the ri\er of Damascus rises under a Christian
church, called al Fijat. !tunites "ith the river, called Barada." in Abulf. Tab. S) r. p. 15.
The Fijeh is "pure sweet and limpid;" (Rob. ii. 4ï6.) the Harada is undrinkable, produc-
\ng goitre. (G. Will. in Smith Geogr. Dlct. v. Damascus.) 2 Unsteady and in part
headlonj!; motion. is the central meaning of the Arabic" pharphara;" .. paning asunder,
and so fhght," of the Arabic" pharra." On the bursting forth of the Fijeh, see Porter, I'ive
years, i. 21;0. 3 lb. 375-8:!. Journ. of Sacr. Lit. 18:;3. July. Oct. . Five yeal'8,
1. 26. 318. a:H. 389. ii. 13.

7, 8. & lb. 27" 6 .. Kothing can be conceÎ\ed
more dreary than the ra\Ïnes near Damascns, except wIlen streams flow through them,
which
re always fril!ged "ith green." Ld. Lindsay, Holy Land, 1" 330. see Porter, Five
years, 1. 321.280. ; .. Every stream that descended from the lulls (in the upper valley

Al\10
,

to the surface. ,m The whole plain is fillcd with these sin-
g-ular llllut'du('ts, some of them running fur 2 or :J mile
undcr-
g-roUlHI. "'hcre the watt'r of one i
diffusing lif!' and ,-erdure
over the surfal'e, another brallf'h i
('ol1el,ting a new
UPl)ly."
.. In former day
thesc extended over the whole plain to the
lake
. tllU
irrigating the field
and garden
in en-I)' part IIf it."
Dama
l'n
then wa!<, of old, tinllcd for it
beauty. I t
white
Imildings, inbedded in the (le('pgTet'n ofit
t'ng-irdling or('hanl
,
wert' like diamond
eneirclctl by eJllerald
. They relll'h nearly
tll Anti-libanus 16 ,y e
tward, "17 and extcnd on both sides of the
ßarada some mile:, Ea4ward. Thl'Y ('over an area at Iea
t
2,) [ or 30] mile
in cil'euit, and ma),;c. the em'irons an t'arthly
Paradise." ""hem'e the _\rabs
aidI8," If there i
a
ardl'nof
Eden 011 earth, it i
Dama
eus; alld if in Hea,-en, Ðamas('us
i
like it IIn earth." ßut thi
it
bcauty was al
o it

trength.
"The rÍ\-er," savs "'iIIiam ofT, re l9 , "having- ahundant water,
supplies ordlar;l
IIn both hallk
, thick
ct with fruit-tree
, and
flows Ea:<tward bv the l'Îtv wall. On the "'. and K. the ('it"
was far and wide 'fenced Ijy orchards, like thick dl'n
t' \\'()od
,
whieh
tretchcd four or five miles towartl
Libanu
. These
or('hards are a most exceeding defen('e; fO!' from the density
of tht' tree
amI the lIarrowne
s of the ways, it
eemed diffi('ult
and almost impos
ihle to approaeh the t'Ïty on that side." Evt'n
to thi
dav it is said
o, "Thc true defclll'e of nama
eus ('onsi:,ts
in its gar(ien
, whieh, forming- a forest of fruit-tree
amI a la-
hp'Ìnth of hedgt'
, walls and ditches for more than ,league,..: in
eirl'Uluferenee, would present no small impediment to a l\Ius-
,",ulman eIlCJllY."
The adnmtag-e of it

ite doubtle
s o{'ea!<iOlH'd its early
choi('e. It lav on the he
t ronte from the interior of _\
ia tll
tht' )Iediterra;wan, to Tyre, and even to Egypt. Chedorlaomer
and the four king-
with him, doubt1e

, ('lUBC that way,
iBee
the first whom ther smott'\\'ere aL\,.hteroth l\arnaim 21 in.Jau-
Ian or (;auloniti
, and then('t' tllt'y swept 011 Southward, along
the west side of Jurdan. smiting, as tht'y went, first tht' ZUZilll,
(prohably the same as the Zamzulllmim 22 ) in Anunonitis; then
t!le EII/im in the plain of Kiriatlwim in )Ioah 23; then the l{o-
rites ill JIOIlJlt S('ir unto Elpa1'l1ll (probahly Elath on the Gulf
('aIled from it.) They returned that war, sinee .\hraham over-
took them at Bobah Ilear Damaseus 2
. Damasl'lls wa
alreadv
the chicf l'ity, throug-h its relation to whieh alone Hobah was
known. It was on the route h\' whil'h Ahraham him
elf ('ame
at God's eomuHIIHI from Haran {Charræ of the (;reek
) whetht'r
m'er Tiphsaeh ("tIlt' pas"ag-e," Thapsaeus) or any more Xorth-
ern passag-e O\'er tlU' Euphrates. The fact that hi
l'hief amI
('onfidential servant whom he entru
ted to seek a wife for Isam',
i.lIld ,rho was, at one time, hi:, heir, was a Damas('em,2., iml)lie

some intimate ('onllt'xion of Abraham with Damascus. At
the time of our t'ra, tilt' name of Ahraham was !'till held in ho-
nour in the ('ountry of Damascus26; a villag-e was named from
him" .\hraham's dwellin
;" and a nath'e hi
tllrian Kicolas Z1
said that he reigned in D'ama!"cus 011 his war fl'OIll the country'
bevond ßaln'lon to Canaall. The namc of his sen-ant "Elie-
zt'r" "my G'od i!< help." implies that at this time too the !'er-
"ant was a worshipper of the One (;od. The name Damascus
probahly betokened the strenuous 28, energetic character of its

of the Barada) was made available to the irrigation ofIong slips of
reenwhich marked its
course." lb. p.332. See Porter, Five }eal'8, i. 21. 2íí, 8, U.3:!1. a5S.3í5. ii. :!ï6. 300,;. and
accounts of canals i. 23, 3í:!. 37G. 3:!1. 3(13. ii. 14. 16. 2-17. (at Lebweh ii. 3:!2,) and aque-
ducts i. 3:!9. in Hauran ii. 29. ïi. sIb_ :!ï, 8. 9 Strabo xvi. :!.16. 10 Pliu. v. 18. lit.
11 Wilson, Lands of the Bible, ii. 3:!5. note. 1
Ha,Üi Chalifa, see Ritter's Diss. Erdk.
x, ii. p. 1303 sqq. 13 lb. 237. 1. Fi..-e years, i. 39
, 5. see further i. 159, !G:!. 371. ii.ll,
[õ4.205. of Hauran) 2-18,9. 358. I. Porter, Handbook, p. 19i. II> Five years, i. 2ï.
I; lb. 29. add p. 15:1, 3. IS in R. Pethakiah in Journ. As. 1831. viii. 388. and Ibn Hatula

it

rD"'
:: h

: w
\Y;.
I)
hlT.or;. GI:n

V

i5.20 :

:: ;

2
1
.ii2,;:!8j
s.

t.ei.";.t

; L. iv. ap. Jos. ibid. ::s Dimashko, Damsbako" swift, ready, strenuoUJ!." Arab.

CIL\PTER [.

C HB
orS T four, I will not II turn away thl' prl1li.
h-
cir. i8i.

II Or, convert it, or, let il he quiet: all
&0 ver. 6, &c.

founder. Like the other namcs ('(lI1ne(.ted "ith .\ram in the
Old Te
tament 1, it is, in ('onformit\" with the ('omnwn des('ent
from .\ralll, Aramaie. It wa
no I'iu.t ufthe territory as!<igned
to I!"rad. nur wa!< it 1II01c!<ted hy th('m. .f IId,g-ing', pl"llbahly, of
J)rn id's defensÍ\-e CIII)(11I('st.. by its own policy, it joined the o-
ther SHian
who attad.ed David. was
ubdued,
arrboned, and
beeanie trihutary 2. It was at that time Iu'obahly a subordi-
nate powcr, whether on thc g-round of the per
onal elllinenee
of Hadadezer king ofZobah, or any other. l:ertainly lIadad-
ezer stands out ('(lIlsl'i('lwusly; thc J)anHlsccIU'S art' mentioned
onlv sllbol"llinatel\". ('onsistentlv" ith this. the first mention
of the kin
dllJu o{Oama
('u!< in S
'ripture is the dynasty of R('-
zon son of Eliada', a fu
ith-e sel"\ ant of lIadadezer. who form-
ed a marauding hand, then settled and reigned in DaJ/la
cu!' 3.
Before this. Seripture speaks of the people only of nmumwus.
not ofthcir kinlrs. Its native histllrian admits that the Damas-
een('s Wl'rt', in the time of Da,-id, amI continued to he, the ag-
I-,'Tessors. whill' hc veils (I\'cr thcir r{'[wated defeat!', and I'('pn'-
!"('nts their kings, as having reig-ned slu'cessin'ly ti'om t
ltller
to S(II1, for ten gent'rations, a thing- unknown probably in any
Il1U1Hlrehy. "4 A native, .\dad, havin

ained
rcat power, bc-
paille king of Damas('II!" ami ofthe rest of Sp'ia, exeept Phæ-
nieia. lIe, having- ('arri('d war a
ainst David, king- of Judæa,
and disputt'd with him in many battles, and that finally at the
Euphrates whcre he was defeated, had th(' eharal'tl'r of a most
eminent king for prowt'ss and ,-alour. After llÍs death, his de-
set'ndants rcig-n('d for ten g('nerations, ea(.h reeeh-ing- from his
f.lther the name [Hadad] to
eth('r with the king-dom, like the
Ptolemies of E
"YPt. The third, havin
gailwd the g-reatest pow-
er of all, seeking- to rellair the defeat of his grandfather, war-
ring al!:ain
t the Jews, wasted what is now called SalIIaritis."
They ('ollld not brook a dt'fcat, which thl'Y had broug-ht upon
thelll"eln'... Rezlln renewed, throug'hout the later part of
o-
101llllJÙ r('i
n, the ag-
re
sionof Hadad. On the schism of the
ten trihcs, the hostilitv of Dama
('IIS was elllu'entratt'd ag-ainst
Israel who lay uext tó them. .\bijam was in Ica
ue wittl the
father (If Bcnhadad 5 . Renhadad at once hroke his lea
ue with
Daa!<ha at th(' re({ue!<Ì of .\!<a in his later mi"trustflll dan. 6 , and
turn('d a
ain4 Raa
ha 7. From Omri also Denhada(i I. took
citics an
l extorted .
treets, probably a nama;;t'u
-quarter,in Sa-
maria itself8. Denhadad I I. had t!lÏr(lI t1l'O ,'assal kings 9, (de-
pendant kings lik(' those of Canaan, cadi of his own t'Ïtyand lit-
tle tt'rritII ry ,) and It'd them against Salllaria, intending to IJlun-
der it 10, and, on o('easion of the plundering-, probably to make it
his own or to destroy it. By God's help th('
- were twiee defeat-
cd; the se('oml time, when they directly I'haUenged the power of
God 11,1'0 signally that, had not .Ahab been flattered by the ap-
Ileal tu his mercy 12, Syria would no more lun e IJPen in a cuu-
dition to ol'prt's!< Israel. Beuhadad promi!<ed to re
tore the
eities whieh hi.. father had taken from Israel, and to make an
Israel-quarter in Dama..cus 13. If this promise was fullille(l,

anw
h-(;ilca(l nlU
t have heen lost to Syria at an earlier pe-
rllld, Slllce, thrt'e years aftcrwards, Ahab pcrished in an at-
tempt, I
y aid of Jeho
hal'hat ag-ainst the counsels of God, to
rt'eon'r It 14. Ranlllth-(;ilead hein
till!;' in the hanels of Svria
all Xorth of it, half of Dan and )Ianas!"eh }wyond Jordan, ,;\Ust
I 88 A!am N aharaim, Aram B<;th Rehob, Aram Maachah, Padan Aram, Hamath, Tad-
mor, Tlph_ac
, &c. The Ar'.'bl

orm of the name )Iabug [Hierapolis] Manbej in pro-
bably the onll;lI.lal ;" 5!' that HII
I.g .s "TO'!g '.'8 to the three which he as_umed to be proofs
of.a no.n-Sen!!
lc ongm of the Cll1es_on t
IS line of traffic. (quoted by Ritter, xvii.I3.3i.)
- 2 8am. .':1lI. 5, 6. _ 3 1 Kgs. XI. 23, 2
. . N lcolans. Damasc. Hist. iv. in
J.os. Ant. VII. 2. 2. 5 1 Kgs. XV. 19. 6 2 Chr. xvi. 2-;. 7 lb. and 1 À.gs. xv. 20.

Uj

mCllt thereof i hceause tlwy have threshpd C J3ít o í e s T
dr. i8i.

I 2 Kings 10. 33. & 13. i.

also have bccn ('oll(luered by Syria. f.'\.('(1Jt t})(' om' b'Teat sie
('
of Sam aria, which brou
ht it to cxtremitics ami \\ hieh God
eli
sjpatl'd hy a panic' whi('h Ill' infused into the Syrian army 15,
Bl'lIhadad and lIazaei ('m'oUl'a
ed only llIaraudin
e),..l'edition!'
again
t Israel during the 14 vears of .\hazÎah and Jehoram.
ßenhadad wa!<, aC(,
Jrdin
to' the .\ssyrian ius('ril'tions, dc-
featcd thrice. Ilaz.leI twiee, hy
halmaullhar hin,g- of .\
syria 16.
ßenhadad appt'ars to ha,-e a(.ted on the ot't"l'nsh e, in alliance
with the kin
s of the Hittites, the lIamathite
and Plurni('ians 16 ;
Hazael was attacked alonc, drh'cn to tal.e refug(' ill .\nti-liba-
nus, amI prohahly heNlme trihutar y J7. .\SS) rian chronicles re-
late only .Assyrian victories. The brief uoti('e, that throug-h

aamalll8 tile Lord gan: delil'eraure to '\I/ria, prohahly refers
to some signal eht'('k which .As
yria rec('ind through him. For
there was no other ent'my, from whom Syria had to he deli1'er-
ed. Suhse(lu('ntly to that rl'treat from Sam aria, he evcn lust
Hamoth 1
toJehoram after a hattle before it 20, in whidlJehoram
was woundcd. It is a probable eonjecture 01 that Jehu, hy hi

political !<ubmission to .\ssp'ia, drew on himsclfthe ealamities
whkh Elisha furetold. Hazael prohahly heeame the instrument
of God in ehastenill
Israel, \\ hile he wa
ann
in
Jehu's sub-
mis!'ion to a PU\\ er whom he dreaded and from whom he had
suflered. Israel, havin
io
t thc help of Judah, beeame the ea-
sicr prey. lIazadnotonly took from I!<rael all I:astof Jonlan 22 ,
but made the whole olwn country unsafe for the Israelites to
dwell in. Xot until Godg(lt'e I.
rael a sal'Ïollr. could they dll'ell
in tI,eir tents as heforetime 23 . Hazael exteuded his ('(mquests to
(;ath 24, intendin
probahly to (pen a t'(JI\J1(,(,tin
line \\ ith E-
gypt. Tf'ïth a slIIall ('OIllJ}(lJl!1 (If lIIen he defeated a larg-e arnl)
of J udah
5. Juash king of Judah bought him oft: when ad-
'-alH'in
again!'t Jeru
alel11, with every thing' of gold, eonse-
('rated or t'Í\"il, in the t('mple or in his own tn'iI!òures
6. Jelio-
ash re('m-ered from Benhadad III. the cities this side Jordan 27 ;
.Terohoam I I., all their lo
t territories and e,'en Damas('us and
lIamath 28. Yet after this, it ,,"as to re('(H'er its power under
Rezin, to heeome tormidahle to Judah, and, through its ag-
res-
siems on Judah, to bring destnlt'tion on itself. .\1 this time,
Damas('us was prohahly, like ourseln's, a rkh, emnmercial, as
well as warlike, hut not as yet a ll1anufa('turin
29 nation. Its
wealth, as a great emporiun{ oftransit-commer
'e, (as it is now)
furnished it with sinc\\!ò for war. The white ll'oo/30, in whit'h
it traded with Tyre, implies the po
ses
i(ln of a larg-t' outlying-
tra('t in the desert, where the sheep yidd tilt' white
t wool. It
had thcn douhtless, besides the dl'nse population of ih. plain,
large nomadic hordes dependant upon it.
J Il'illllut tllm ll/NI.lI the punishment thereof; lit. I ll.illllot
tllm it hack. "-hat was this, whieh God would not turn back?
.\mos doc!" not e'\:pre
s it. SiI('ne(' is often more emphatic than
word,... X ot naming it, he lea,-c!ò it the rather to be ('oneeh-ed
of hy the mind, as sOll1ething whieh had heen of old eoming-
upon them to (werw}whu tllt'm. whieh God had long stayed
back, but whi('h, since He would now stay it no longcr, \\ould
Imr"t in, with the more terrific and overwhehuin
mi,g-ht, be-
('au!<e it had heen re!<trained Iwfore. Sin and punishment are
hy a ATeat law of God bound to
ether. God's men'y holds hal'k
the punishment long, allowing only some !'Iight tokens of His
s 1 Kg!;. xx. 34. 9 lb. 1, 24. 10 lb. 6.;. 11 lb. 22-25, 28. nib. 31, 32.
13 Ib.3-t. I. 1 K/rS. xxii. I. 2 Kgs. .ii. 6. Ie see Raw!. Herod. i..Jô.J,. 17 lb. Dr.
Hinck., Dub!. Univ.
1ag. Oct. 1853. p. 422. 5,6. 18 2 kgs. ..1. 19 lb. ix. U, 15.
20 lb. . iii. 29.
l !taw!. Herod. i. p. -163. 22 2 Kgs. x. 32,33. 2:1 lb. xiii. 5.

. I b.
i. ]i. 2> 2 Chr. xxiv. 23, 24. 2e 2 lI.Es. xii. 18.
lb. xiii. 25.
2'! Ib, xiv. 28. :!) Eee on iii.12. 30 Ezek.xx\ii. IS.

F f

I.iR

C l?í[ofe s T Gilead with threshing instruments of
cir. 78i. iron:
k
r.ïJ!
f 4 k But I will send a fire into the house
ver. i, 10, 12. ch.
. 2, 5.

..\:\108,

of HazaeI, whi{'h shall df"'our tlw pala- c Jï{oIe s T
ces of Ut'nhadad. cir. ifii.
5 I will break also the 1 bar of Damas- I t

1
I2.
'

di!'plt'a,.;ure to
llt'w thelll,.;pln',.;. that tilt' ",inful ,.;oulor l'col'le
ma\" not he unwarned. ""hcn He no long-t'r withhold,.; it, the
la,,: of I1i
lIIoral1!oH'rnlllent hold,.; it,.; t'our!'c. " Seldolll!,"
,.;aid heatlJ('n e'\cl'cl:it'lU'e, .. hath puni:.;hmeut with ling-erin
foot
partcd with tht' mi:,;c'I"eant, advancing hefore."
h('r'rlll.
e the.11 I((/I'e threshed Gilead ,eitlt thres!riug illstrll-
m(,llts of ir01l. The instrumcnt, St. .Jerome rt'latc,.; here, \nl!<
"a ,.;ort'of wain, rolling- on iron wheels bel}cath, :-t't with teeth;
so that it hoth thr('",hed out the g-rain and hrni,.;ccl the ,.;traw amI
('ut it in piec'e,.;. a,.; food for thl' eattlt', for lac'].. of hay." A ;.;imi-
lar in4runwnt, calJ('d hy nearly the ";,1111(' name 2 , i,.; ,.;till in u,.;e
in Sp'ia amI Egypt. Elisha had foretold to Hazad hi,.; ('rudty
to 1..I'acl
; Their stl"()lIg holds tholl wilt .
et 011 .fire, and their
youllg melt wilt tllOu .
/a.'llI'ith the .çll'ord, alld ll'ilt dash tll/'ir
c!rildren, alld rip up theirll'(Jl/leli u'ith child. Hazat'l, like others
g-radually stel'ped in ..in, thoug-ht it iml'o,.;,.;ihle, hut did it. Iu
the clan; of .Jehu 4, Ha;:.ae/ SlJlote tllnn ill all tile coasts of Israel
froll/ .ionlall Eastl(,(lr(l; all tIre lalld uf Gilead, the Gadites alld
tile llellbellites lllld Ihe _lI(lJll1s.
ites, fmm Amer whidt is h.1I tire
ril'er
-1rl/fm, el'ell Gilead alld BrululII; in tho,.;e of JcJwahaz, Je-
hu',.; ";(111 5, Ill' oppre.
sed them, lIeither did Ill' lelll'e of tile people
to .Ie/lOallll;:' hutþft.'lllOrsl'Il/ell alill tell ('hariot.
, ami t('11 tluJIlslllul
footmell ; jin' the killg of ''':lIria Iwd de.
tro.'I('d them, alll/lwd made
them liI.e the dust h.'! thresllÍlIg. The dcath here spoken ot:
althoug-h more gha,.;tly, was pruhably not more !-ien
re than
many other:o; ; not neal'ly so se\'ere as ,.;OIllC which hm'e heen
u,.;ed bv Chri,.;tian J udic'ature,.;. It i,.; mentioned in the ProH'rh,.;,
a,.; a C<
l'ital IlUlli,.;hlllcnt 6; éUul i,.; alluded to as s\lI.h hy h:aiah 7.
Dadd had had, tilr ,.;ome eflUse unexplaincd by Holy Seripture,
to illflict it on the Ammcmite,.; ". J'rohably not the puni,.;h-
ment in itst'lf alont', hut the attcmpt :0;0 to extirpate the people
of (;od hroug'ht down this jlHlg-mellt on nama:.;eu,.;.
Theodor('t suppu,.;es the hon'ible ag-g-rf,,-ation. that it wa,..
tlm:o; that thp wOlllen with ehiM were dt'"tron'd with their ehil-
drcn, "c'asting the aforc
aid WOnll'lI, as into il !-iort of thn'shinl!"-
floor. th('\- ,.;anlgeh- thrpshed them out like cars of eorn with
;.;aw-anll
d whe
'I,.;.;'
Gilead i", here doubtles" to be taken in its widest
ense, in-
eludiug- aU the pos,.;es!-iion!< of hrael, E. of Jordan, aS,in thl' ae-
eouut of I1aza('I'" eonquests.all the land of Gilcarl t i,.; explaiued
to mean, all whic'h was e,-cr gh-en to the two trihe,.; and a half,
and to inellHle Gilead propl'r, as distinl't from Ba
an. In like
way Joshua relate!' 9, that the children of Reuben (lml the cllÍl-
drl'n of Gad and Ihe half tribe r
f
lI(lna.m.h returned to go inlo tile
('uunlr.'! rl Gilead. to ti,e land of their p()s,
essirJlls. Throughout
that whole heautiflll tract, ÏIlI'luding- 2
degTe('s ofJatitudc', Ha-
zael had c'arl'i(,d (Ill hi!' war of extermination into eH'l")'pt'<l('eful
\"illage aud hOllie, !'paI'in
neitht'r the livin
nor the unborn.
4. And I Il'ill seJ/d a /ire 1)Jl the house of Ha.:((('I. The /ire
is prohahly at OIlC'C matl'rial fire, wherehy'('ities arc burned in
war, sill('e he adds, it ,çl/((Il del'our the' palaces of Bf'IIlwdad, and
al!-io ,.;tands as a snnhol of aU other sp,-erity in war, as in the
atwient proH'rb 10; a./ire is gone out frolll IIe:
hbon, aflamefrm/l
Ihe cit.'! rl SiluJIl ; it bath consumed AI' (
rJloah, the lords of tile
h
!.!,'h places of ..11"11 on ; and ag-ain oftht' cli!<pleaslIre oL\lmig-hty
God, a
when He says 11, a fire is kindled in
lline anger, ami it
1 Horace. f Nauraj, probably a corruption from the Heb. ;-'':. The i"-:-: and the

Jf,

n:ii.

lly tI
e
aK'

.
ii

1,..t 4 \ìob.d

: l.hOIU
OIÌb

iii

"J, iifi 3

. 2

7 x,,"\iii.2". 8 2 Sam. xii. 31. 1 Chr. xx. 3.

slutll bum unto tire lowest hell. For the fire dcstl"l)\'''; uot the
uatural building-,.; only, hut tire Iwu,çe (l Ha;:.ael, i.e:his whule
family. In thesc pl"Clphl'('ie,.;, a sevenfolcl veng-eance hy fire is
deuouneed agaiu4 thc ",('\-enl'c"l'le, an inHlg'e ofthe etcrnal firc
into whieh all inicluity shall be ('ast.
the jIalares of Bntluulad. lIazael, ha,-ing' munlered Ben-
hadad his ma,.;ter and as('t'nded his throne, ('ailed his ";(1Il after
hi,.; nmrdl'red ma,.;ter. probahlrin order to ('onneet hi,.; own huu,.;e
with the aneient dyna,.;ty. llenhahad, i. e. SOil or wor!<hipper of
the idol Eladllll, or .. tlU' ,.;un," had hccn the name of two of
the killp:s ofth(' ohl dyna,.;ty, ßenhadad HI. was at this time
rt'ignillg-. The prophet foretl'lls the entire tlestrlu,tion of the
dYlla,.;t)" founded in blood. The prophe('y mn.'/IHn"e had a ful-
filmcnt ill the de
tn1('tion of the hou,.;e of Hazacl, \\ ith whost'
falllih- Rczin, the kill
of Suia in the time of _\haz,
talld,.; in
no kl
own relation. Üt'feat
, ,",ueh as tllllse of ßenhadatl lJ I.
hv .J el"Ol)(Iam II. who took I)ama,.;eus itsl'lf, arc often thc do,.;e
oi' an usurl'in
d yna";!y. IIa\'Íng- no daim to re
ard exet'l't ";U('-
('e!'Os, failure vitiat('s its onl\' title. The name Hazad, "whom
God looked upon," implie,.; å ";lIrt of owning ofthe One God.likt'
Tah-el, .. God is g-o(ld." EI-iada', "whom God knoweth," even a-
mid the idolatry in the names Tab-RimnlOlI, "good is Himmoll;"
Hadad-('zer, " Hadad is help :" amI Hadad, or ßcnhadad. Bad
nU'n alm,.;e ever) ereatun', or orclinanee, or appointment of
God. It lIIay he then that, as Sennaeherih hoasted 12, (lilt 11l0w
cOllie up ll'illlfJllI the Lord against t!lis land to destro.l/ it
tile
Lord said unto me, (;0 lip against tliis land and d('stro.l/ it ; so
HazaeI made u,.;e of the prupheer of Eli,.;ha, to
ive himst'lf out
a,.; the ";('lIurge ufGod, and thoug-ht ofhim,.;df a,.; (lne .. on whom
(;od l(lo1.:e(I." IÙlOwh'dg-e (If futurity is an aweful g-ift. As
,. Omni,,;('ienee alone l',UJ wield Omnipotenee," so ,,;u)lcrhuman
knll\dl'dg-e needs ,.;uperhuman g-ith of wisdom and holine
s.
Hazal'l
eeming-Iy hardened hilll,.;elf in sin by aid of the know-
ledg-e whit'h ,.;houM havc het'n his \nlrning. Prohahly he (';nue
to EJi!<ha, with the intent to IIIl11'der hi.. master aln'adv formed,
in ('a,.;(' he ,.;hlluM not dil' a natural death; and Elisha'read him
to hilll!<t'It: But he Hry probably ju,.;tilied himsl'lf to himself
in what he had already purpo,.;ed to do, on the g-rounù that
Elislm had foretllM to him that he !<llOuld be king- over Sy-
ria 13, an(1. iu hi
mas,.;aen's of God's lwople, gave himself lIut a...
being, what he wa!', the in
trument of God. ., Scourg(',.; of God"
have known them,.;eh-es to be what thev were, althou
h they
thelllseh'es were not the }e,.;s sinful, in ;infully a('('omi,lishing
tIlt' "ïll of (
od H. \\'e haw heard of a Christian Emperor,
who has oftcn ,.;poken of hi,.; .. lIli..,.;iclll," althoug-h hi,.; "nti,.;,.;ion"
has already eost the ,.;ht'ddinp: of much Christian blood.
5. I will (tl.
o break tile bar of Damasclls. In the East,
everyeity was fortified; the gates of the strong-cr I'Íties were
eased in iron, that tht'y mig-ht not he set on fire by the enemy;
they" ere fa,.;tened within with bar,.; of brass 15 or iron Ið. Thc}
were flanked with towers, and built over, so that what was na-
turally the weakest point and the readiest aeee,.;s to an enemy
hec'ame the ,.;tl"Ong(',.;t defence. In Hauran tIt(' huge door!< and
g-ate,.; of a !'in/.!,'Ie stone 9 anù W feet high lï, and 11 foot thiek 18,
are still extant, and '<I'the plat'e for thepondprous bars, "propllr-
tioned to such g-ates, "may )'et be !'t'en." TIlt' walls \\"t're loos-
9 Josh. x'íii. I). 10 Nu. xxi. 28. 11 Deut. xxxii. 22. 1
Is. xxxvi. 10.
13 2 Kgs. \iii. 13. H see on Hos. i. 4. 1. 1 Kgs. iv. 13. 16 P8. cvii. 16. Is. xh. 2.
compo Is. xl. iii. U. J cr .Ii. :;0. I, Burckha.rdt's :SY"ia, \JO. quoted in t'ive years, ii. 201.
18 Fi\e years, ii.lOO.

CIL\PTER I.

c l11tl S T ('us, and ('ut off t111' inhahitant fl'UIll
cir. i8i.

159

II the plain of A w'n, and him that huld- C Hßì[T's T
II Or, Bikatlta[.ro. cir. it-i.

encù "ith the battering--ram, or
waled hy mounds: the
trong
gate wa
seldom attal'ked: hut, when a hreaeh \\ a
made, wa

thrnwII ope II from" ithin. TIH' hreal,iug of tlte Imr laid Opt'll
the ('itv to the ent'mY. tn
n in and out at hi
"ill. Th(,,, hole

trcngth of the kin
dom of DanHI"cu
lay in the ('apital. It
wa,.; it
df the
eat nf eml,il'e and was tht. ('mpire it
clf. (íod

a\"s tht'n. that He Him,.;elf" nuld
hiwr all thcÏl' mcan,. of rc-
..si;talll'e.
,-hatt" t'r eould hinder the inroad ofthe enemy.
aJUt (,Ilt off' tI,e illlwhitfIlltfrom the plaill (
f A/'l'Il; lit.from
the Ntle of/'(/lIi(/I. th(' Bik',,11 'wing- a hrnad vale hetwe
n hills I.
IIt'rc it i
(lnuhtlc,.;
tlU' rieh and heautiful valll"-.
tlll ealled
cl-bukâa bv the .\rab
. La ßOlluea hy William ot'Tyre 2, lying-
)Jt'tween L'ehanon and .\nti-libanu
. the old f'æle-Svria in its
narrowe
t sense. It is, (Ill hig-h g-round. the contiliuation of
that long deep ,alley" hieh, along- the Jor'dan. the Dead
ea,
and the Arabah, readlt,s to tilt' Hcd Sea. It,. extreme length,
from its Snuthcrn eln
t' at Kal'at-e
h-shakîf to IIulll
tE-
me,.;a) ha,. hel'n counted at ï day,. journt'y :': it narro\\
towards
it,. Southern extremity. expands at it
Xorthern.
'et it eannot
any way be
aid toln,.;e its I'haral'ter ofa ,-aHey until JO miles
X. ofRiblah
.
Iidwav.on its hic:hest t'lenltinn abnut ;
HO(l feet
ahove the st'a 5, wa
Håalbek, or Hcliopoli
, whithcr the Eg-yp-
tian \\'or"hil' is
aid to han' been bruug-ht of old times from
their ., ('it\" of the sun 6. " Haalbek, a
the ruin:" still attt'st,
wa:" fun of' the worship of the sun. ßut the whole of that
beautiful rang-I', ..7 a mag-nifiet'nt ,'i
ta," it ha,. heeu said. .. I'ar-
peted "ith vt'rdure and beauty," ., 8 a g-em I} in1! decp in it
nll-
Icy of mountains," "as a citadel ofidnlatry. The name Baal-
Hennon eonnel.ts .Mount Hermon it
elf. the
now-eapt heig'ht
whieh so towers O\'er its K E, e
tremity. with the worship of
Baal or the sun, anù that, from the time of the Judg-es 9. The
name ßaal-
ad conneet
tile l'fI/le.'1 (
f LebmlOll. i.e. m04 pro-
bably the S. CJHl ofthe
Teat nlllt'y, with the samt' worship,ante-
rior to Jo!<hua 10. The mlmt' ßaalbek i
prnbahly an abbrevia-
tion of the nld name, ßaal-bik'ahlI," ßaal ofthe,-allt,y," in ('on-
tra
t "ith tlw neighhouring- llaal-hermon. "12 Thc whole nf
Hennon wa
girdcII "ith temple:"." "13 SOUIP t'ig-ht or tcn of
tllt'lU ('ln4er round it," and, whic'h i
more remarkablt', one is
Imilt..Bto eatl'h the fir"t beams of the sun ri
in1!o\'t'r Ht'rmon:"
and tCIllples on its oppo
ite sides fÌlee towartis it, as a sort of
('entre 15. In S. .Jerol\le',. time, the Heathcn
till rcverelH'ed a
t'clchrated temple on ib
nmmit 16. On the erest of it
('cn-
tral peak, ;
O()() feet ahm-c the glen belo,,', in winter imu'el's!<-
ihle. heholding far a
umler the ri
ing and the setting sun 1111
the Ea4ern dcsert and in the ". e
tern
ea. arc
till seen the
I Et
mologically, it would mean" cleft." It does mean a vaHey, as contrasted with
hills, Deut. \iii. i. xi. II. Is. xl. 4. xli. 18. lxiii. H. Ezek. iii. :!
,3. It is used of the
.. valley of the Chebar" in contrast with the hill of Tel-Abib. As united with proper names,
it answers to our" vale," a broad valley between hills; as .. the \ ale of Mcgiddll," .. ofJe-
ncho,.... of Mizpeh," "under Hermon," (Jos. xi. 8.3.) probably the upper part of the
valle) of th.. Jordan above the lake
(erom (v. 7.) along the course of Ihe n\'er Has-
bany; the "vale of Lebanon " being probably the Southern part of the lP'eat Bih'ah, where
Baal-gad lay under Herrnon(Ib. xi. Ii.) and east of Lebanon (lb. "iii. 5.) So also pro-
ba
h" the" \'a.le of Dura. " (Dan. iii. 1.) A long valley, though broad, if seen from a
heIght. looks Ill,.,; a c
eft. In Arabic. the original force uf the root is altogether lost. In
nouns, we have, In different forms, the \ar)mg meanings assigned. bek;;:, "a plateau;"
bak'a, "10": ground, where water stagnates: " bahi'a "a plain." see l're)!a.j(, Lt'X. Burck-
hardt mentIOns" a broad valley caJ.led EI ßekka [Beh'a] X. and l\. E. of Ssafout [near
Amman] at the f
t of the mountam on "hich it stands." Suia,3Ii:!.
xviii. li.
3
erf!'gren, G
l)[le Franc. Arab. p. 458. in Ritter, xvii. 15l. . The" end of the cen-
tral ridge. of Antl-Ie
anon." Porter, Handb.J'.5i8. $ see Y. de. VeldI',
lemoir, p. li5.
6 (Lucian) deS)rla Dea ,. 5. }Iacr. Sat. I. :!3. Robins. iii. 518. 1 Robins. iii. 193.
Sib_ 50l. 9 Jud. iii.:t to Jos. xi. Ii. xii. ;'. xiii. 5.
11 The older Eastern names often re-appear. "hen the Greek names, which their con-
quet;'rsgave pa
sed away- with th
mseh'es. This is not a revival of the old name, but a
co
tllluance of It. Durll1g the reign of their conquerors, we hear from them the names
..h,ch they gave. 'Vhen they are jl:one, we hear from the Easten.s the old Ea.tern
name which lived on among them. The name Baalbek re-appears in the tenth century

fOUIulatillmi of a ('ir('ular wall or ring- IIf lar1!e
tllnl's. a rude
temple, n ithin "hil'h anllther of (;l"('
'iml art' was
uh"cCJllent-
ly huilt 17. .. On thre(' othcr peak,.; IIf the .\nti-lihanll,": rallg-e
are ruin" of great alltilluity IS." '.191'he Bllko1a allù it..lwrc!('r"
arc full of the lil,e hllildjn
..:." "Lebanon. .\nti-ll'hanun amt the
\'alle) s bet" een are throng-ed with alH'iellt tClIIl'h's
":' Smne
indet'd wcre Gn'cian, hut others S, ro-Phænil'ian. 1'111' (;rt'f.ian
teJllple!' were prohably the rl'\"h-;,l uf S} ro-Pluenil'iau. The
"
l ma!-sire !<uhstruetilln!- uf 1\aalllt'l, are ennjc('tured to ha,'c
heen tho
e of an ear.Jier temple." It wa..: hut the suh
titution
of the WIIIIC of the SlUt fnr the title ,llaal, Lllrd.) under n-hif'h
it wa.. wur!-hippcd. The I1catlwn emperor
would nut ha,-e
lavished!<o JIIueh and
1H'h "ondrous eo,.;t amI g-nr
cnus art nn
a temple in Cæle-Syria, had nllt its Pa
an ec\chrit) rel'um-
mended it to their super,.;tition IIr their poliey. 011 the 'L
I'ide of Lehanon at Afl'a, (.\pht'(,<I.) W"a!- the telliple of ,. euu
at
the SIIUI"f'e oft he riw'r . \doni
2
. a ('entre of the mo
t hateful
v-
rian idolatry, ..
:J a
('lwol of JIIi!<dllin
for alll'rofli
att',.." At
Hdiopolis too, mcn "
I
hamt'lt'sslrg<l\'e their" Í\ es aud daug-h-
ter
to shame." The outhur
t of Ilea then ism there ill the rt'i
n
of .Juliall the .\postate
5 ,..how
how deeply rooted was it
ido-
latry. Probahly then, Allw:" pronounces the sentt'IH'e of the
people ofthat wholc heautiful ,-alc, as (( l"allt'.'l of l'(mit!/or iJl-
iquif.'1
6, hein
wholly giHn to that worst idolatr} whieh de-

rad(.d
} ria. Herc. a!' the
eat of idolatry. tht, ('hicf jUlk-
ments of God were to t
llI. Its illhabitant
were to be ('ut (!.tt;
i.e. utterly destroyed: on the re
t, eaptÍ\.ity is the only :;t'ntenee
pronmUteed. The .\
!')Tian monareh
nut unfre'luently put
to death tlw,.e who dc!'pised their reli
ion27. and so ma)' here-
in haH ext'euted hlindh' the sentellee of God.
fmm tile IWl(se of Edcll, a Proper. hut !<ig-nifi('ant. name,
" ßeth- Eden,"i.e." hou
(, of pleasure." The name,like the Eden
of .\s!<)Tia 2\ is, in di!'tilU'tion from num's fir,.;t home. prmlllune-
cd eden, not (iden

. Two pla('es near. and une in. the ßik'ah
have, from similarity of name, )}('cn thoug-ht to he this" house
of deli
ht." 1.)( o,.t beautiful now for !'ituation and climate, is
what i
probably mi"pronouneed Ehden ; a )laronit(, Yillag-e
..30 o f 4. or j()() families.on the !-idf' 111' a rif'h hi
hh'-('ultÍ\-ated val-
ley" near ßcshirrai on the road from Tril;oli
to the Cedars.
Jt
elimate is de
('rihed a" a ten mf)lIth,. spring: n ; "the hill" arE'
terrm'ed up to tht'ir !<llIlllnit,.;:" and erery place full of the rieh-
t',.t, most beautiful, ,.t'g-etatiun: .. /!rain i!' poured out into the
lap of man, and wine into his eup without mcasurc." "The
"lopes of the ,-aneys. one ma
s of"erdure. are yet more produt'-
tÍ\'e than the hills; tlw "pring
of Lchanon gu
hillg down, fn'
h,
in !\Iohammedan writers(Rob.iii.5U.) But in none but Pagan times "ould a pal(an
name have been !(i\en to it. 1 0 Robins. iii. +;
:!. 13 Porter, Handb. 1;;l.
I. Porter, 45:!. Stonehenge is said to be built so that the first rays of the sun on the longest
da)" fell throul(h thet'ntrance on the altar. 13 lb. 457. Rob. iii. -Hi,8.
16 Eu.eb. Onom. v.' A'p
';')I. .. It is said that on its summit there is a celebrated tem-
ple, "hich is the object of re\erence to the Heathen to"ards Palleas and Libanus." S. Je.
rome. S. Hilar) also mentions Ihe re\erenceto Hennon, (or, a
hesays, \\orship of it,) up
to his dav. in I's. 133. Rdand, 3:!:
. I; Portt:r, 151. I" lb. and p. 1:.1.
.. At Kula't Bustra, 1000 feet above" the road, .. is a groupe of ruined temples, simple in
form, and rude in style." add Rob. iii.4U,5. 19 Rob. iii. -I:!8. 20 lb. -n;,.

I lb. 5:!O.

Rob. iii. 1;1";. "... Eus. \It. Const. iii. 5;;. lb.
24 lb. iii. 58. 20 Soz. v. 10. Theod_ H. E. iii. i. Itob. iii. .
:!.
:!II It has been conjectured, that, with the \\orship 01' the sun, the Eg)Plian name for
Heliopolis, On, (Light) ma.'I have been brought from EI() pi, and that, as EZt'kiel c,.lls the
Heliopolis ofEg)pl, .-{['en, r:atlity, for" O..:'(..,,
. Ii.) and Host:acall
"Bethel" " Belh-
a\E'n," (iv.15. x. 5.) so Amos may ha\e called thiS, "Ihe valle) of \amty" "I
r Ihe valley
of On." But Ihis IS mere conjecture. There is no trace 01 the name" On" III the whole
tracl. Baalbek mllst ha\e been an ancient name. 21 see authorities in Ra" I. Ht'-
rod. i. 495.
s 2 Kgs. xix. I:!. Is. xX'lÙi. I:!. Ez. xxvii. 23. 29 i
.
, not i7-<"
3Ø IrLy and Mangles, Travels in S)Tia, p.6l. 31 Ritter, Erdk. xvii. r,;;o. from !loth,
Reise in v. Schubert, iii. 30ti. I. and )1. iL. .. It seemed as though the spring ne\ er left
this count!")." De la Roque.

F f2

!GO

C HRl[o:e s T eth the sccptre from II the honsf' of
cir. íSï. Edt'n: and m the people of Syria. shall
II Or, Bet/I-edell. m Fulfilled, 2 Kinp;s. !G. 9.

A:\IOS,

o into captivity n unto
LORD.

Kir, saith the C lf1ti s 'J'
cir. 787.
n ch. 9 . -;;:--

cool amI melodious in everv direction 1." The wealthier fa-
milies of Tril'oli
till re,.;ort tilert' for summer, " the dim ate he-
in
tt'ml'ered by the proximity oftll('
now-mountains, the most
luxuriant ve
etation faxourpd bv the
oft airs from thl' sea 2."
[1. is still ('0
1Ilted "3 the ParacÏise of Lebanon." 2. ßeit-el-
JaIlIle, lit. "honse ofParacli,..:e," i!< an Arabic tran!'latioll of Beth-
Eden. It" lie
under the ront of (Anti-) Libanus,
u
hin
forth
clear watt'r, whence," says "ïlliam of Tyre \ "it is c'idled ' house
ofl,lea,.;ure 5.''' I t lies in a narrow vaHey, where it widens a little,
about! of an hour from the plain of Dama,.;eus, amI about 8

hours 6 from that eitv, on the wav from Banias. "7:Kumerous
roC'k-tmnbs,ahoH' an'd aruund. he;lr te4inHlny to the antiquity
of the site." It
ins its name to tht' Jcnnani, (Paradise-river)
one of two streams whieh form the second g"reat river nt'ar Da-
maseus,the .Awadj.
{. The third, the Para
h",us of the Gn'cks,
one of the three towns of Laodic'clle 7, ag"rt't's onlvac'c'idt'lltallr
with the Scripture name, sinc'c their Pal
adi!'us si
nifies not ail
t'arthly Paradi",c, hut a huntin
-park. For this the site is well
suited: hut in that country so aboundin
in water, amI of soil
so rich that the earth seems ready, on eH'n sli
ht pains of man,
to don itself in luxuriant IJt'auty, what prohably i,.. the site I! of
the old Para(lisus, i", hopele!'sly barren 9. ßeth-eden may have
been the l"('",idenee of one of the subor(linate kin
s under the
king of Damaseus, who was to be involved in the ruin of his su-
zerain ; IIr it may have been a summer residence of the kin
of
Damascus himself, where, in the midst of his trust in his false
gods, and in a Paradi",t', a" it were, of delight, God would I'ut
him off a1tllg-ethcr. :Keith('r wcalth nor anv of a man'>; idols
protect a
ain"'t (;od. _h Adam, for sin, wa; cxpelled from Pa-
radi!'e, so the rulers of Damascus from the place of their plea-
sure and their sin.
aurl tlte peuple (if 8.'/ria shall go intu capti,'i'.,/. Syria or
Aram perhaps already inchult'd, under the rule of Damasf'us,
all the little kin
(loms on this side ofthe Euphrates, into which
it had Iwen formerly suh-dividcd. .At lea,.;t, it is spoken of as
a whole. without an v of the additions whic'h oeeur in the earlier
hi!'tory, Aram-heth
rt'hob, Aram-zobah, Aram-l\laachah. Be-
fore its f'al'tivity Damascus i!' spok('n of as the !Iead uf .s:l/ria w .
iuto I'Í.ir. Kir has het'n identified I) with the part of Iberia
near the river Kur II whic'h unites with the Araxe!', not far from
the ('a"'pian, to the :Korth of Armt'uia; 2) a city c'alled by the
Greeks Kourëlla Hor Kourna on the river l\lanlus J3ill Southern
l\Iedia;3) a eity, KarineH,the modern Kerend 1ã . 'fhefirst is the

I Lord Lindsay, Holy Land,p.355morefully. 2 Ritter,ib. 3. 'Vilson, Lands of the
Bi&blíí!ck

dt, S;r

;.
5-

G6e

r
k
r:Jt,F::;

;
fi;
i
e 3ye
:' i.a

s3:t
ew
:

:
Handb. p. .ltD. 7 Plol. v. 15. 20. " A monument at its site" near Ihe source of the
Orontes" (Strabo xvi. 2.19.) h3.s hunting-scenes on its four sides. G. Wïlliams, in Smith's
Geogr. Dict. v. Orontes. 9" A more dreary and barren situation could scarcely be ima-
gined. There is no stream or fountain within miles of it, and the inhabilants were wholly
de'pendant upon wells and cisterns for supply of water." Porter, Handb. p. 5ïï. 10 Is.
viI. 8. II DlOn. L. 36. Boch. Phal. iv.32. 12 Ptol. vi. 2. 13 Boch. Fha!. iv. 32. 14 Vitro
on Is. xxii. (i. 1& Ritt. Erdk. ix. 35fJ. 3!JI. 16 see in Raw!. Herod. i. 164. 4ïO. 4ï3. 4ï5.
<lS1.484. 17 Is. xxxvii. 38. 18 The subdual of Armenia by Esarhaddon is mentioned in
the cllneiform Inscr. Raw!. Herod. i. 4.."1. 19 see Ritter, x. 5tH sqq.
u Moses Choren.
i.!J. lb. "1 Gen. x. 11. see Introd. to Nahum.
o Xen. An. iv. 5. Armenia is probably
:;
;

: (
e
.aíi
12

)i,
:

uh:::,i
nì'

I
,I

:'

;n

I

:
r.ï

i. of:'

t
(nt
n

ï
Gen. xxIÏ. 21. and a son of She mer 1 Chr. vii. 3 t
"' The theory that Aram means" highland, ., Canaan "lowland," 1) ignores that, in the
Bible, they are the names of men, not oflands. 2) It is contrary to the facts, as they
appear in Holy Scripture. The borders of Canaan extended from Zidon Southwards to
Gaza, and thence to the S. of thc Dead Sea (Gen. x. 1\1.) and, according to their own

I)
h

:
t LT'i

c:::,

a
:

,

;:st

ej
:
;
le;>
;;
):' 12ei

e
::n (
7

)t
:
Ihmah (2S00)or Hebron (302!J)(seeV. de "elde }Iemoir, p. lïß-80.)and the common names

most likely.a
the mo",t known; the Kur is part prohahly of the
prc";('llt lHlmt' Kur
i,.;tan, our "Geor
ia." Arnwnia at least,
whic-h lay on the South of the Hiver Kur, is fre1luelltly men-
tioned in the euneiform inseription"" as a country wht're the
kin
s (If As!,
,.ia warred ami eonquered 16. The two parril'illc
SOliS of Sellnéleherib are as likely to hm"e fled 17 to a di!<tant por-
tion of thcir father's empire, as heyond it. Their flight thither
may ha,-e heen the ground of Esarhaddoll's war against it 18 .
I t has at. all timc" afl(,rded a shelter to tho,..:e expelled from
other lands 19 . The dome!'tie, thou
h late, traditions ofthe.\r-
Jlwnians count as their first inhabitants some who had fted out
of l\Iesopotamia to esC'ape the yoke of ßl'1, king of ßahylon 20.
"ïmtever he the value of parti,'ular traditions, its mountain-
valleys form a natural refu
e to fugitives. On occasion of slllne
!'llI'h oppression, from whil'h As",hur fled before .I\ïmrod 21,
.Aram ma\' have beeJl the first ofthose who took shelter in tbe
mountain
of _\rmt'nia and Geor
ia, and them'e spread them-
st'ln!', where we afterwards find them, in the lowland", of Me-
sopotamia. The name .Aram however is in no way connected
with Armenia, whil'h is itself no indi
enou
name of that eoun-
try, bllt was probably formed hy the Greeks, from a name whic'h
they heal'd 22. The name Aram, "lofty," obviously de"'I'rihes

ome (ptality of the !,;on of Shem, as of others who bore the
name 23 . Contrariwise, Canaan, (wht'ther or no antic'ipating his
futurp degradcd charat'ter a
partaldn
in the sin of limn) may
signify"ermll'hing"." But neither ha" Aram any mt'aning of
,. hig-hland," nor Canaan of ,. lowland," as has of late been
imag-ined 0 1 .
From Kir. the forefathers of the Svrian" had, of thcir own
will, been brought by the good aU-di!'p
,sing- Providem'p of {;od;
to Kir should the Syrians, against their will, be f'arrit'd baek.
Anml of Damast'u" had l)('en led to a land whieh, for its fer-
tilityand beauty, has been and is still praised as a sort of Pa-
radise. :Kow, softened as they were by luxury, they were to be
tran"'ported bac'k to the austere thoug-h healthyelimatt', wht'nee
they had eome. They had ahused the might given to them by
God, in tllt' endeavour to uproot I
rael; now they were them-

eh'es to be utterly uprooted. The captivity whieh Amos fore-
tells is elliuplete; a captidty hy whit'h (as the word means 25 ) the
land
hollld be bared of its inhahitants. Sueh a captivity he
foretell" of no other, except the ten tribes. Ue foretells it ab-
solutely of these two nations alone 26, of the king and princes
of Ammon 27, not of Tyre, or the dties of Philistia, or Edom,

of Aram, "plain of Aram," "field of Aram," (Padan Aram, Sedeh Aram,) "Aram between
the two rivers," (Aram Naharaim) all a!\Tee III describing a flat country. Aram Naharaim
or Mesopotamia is only about 1:35 Enp;. feet above the sea (-108 Fr. feet Ritter, viii. lG) i. e.
i of the height of Jerusalem. Heip;ht, are spoken of once in connection "ith Aram(fro",
Arum, (roTTI tlte TTlOlmtaillS of the East N u. xxiii. 7.) and Mesopotamia is bounded on the
N. by
1t. Masius, but it is itself a plain. 3)The root from which the word Canaan is de-

:h
t

f
c

:
d:?
r.
,;
c
.1 b

:d:
ib

eJ

::Zs,v
r:

.
::

b
li

i

,g,

"was bellt upon a thing." In Hebrew it is used of wares "compressed," "packed together;"
of bowing down an enemy, or oneself in submission. 4) For the real lowland of Canaan,
that near the coast (from Joppa to Gaza) there is a slJecific tenn, :,:J,

, "the low," which
occurs in the first detailed descriptions of Canaan in Joshua, is the received Hebrew word,

íl

e S:&h

lto.g:;
ef; :h;'

l
}o

n

,3
.o

htv
;:

Ëî:
h
r

I:
.

b

nom. see }[eland, p. 307. add 372.) whence the Carthaginians carried it to Spain, (Se\'i)le)
;

ofP:Jes
:
;b;
;:b
se=I

I
:
' Phrenic. iii. 640,1.) It is used also of that same
The idea then tlldt Cdl18an is used for lowland, as contrasted with Aram, highland, is
contrary to the fact (in that Aram mostly was low, Canaan, high) contrary to the meaning of
the word, (which is never IIsedin this sense, for which another word is employed) contrary to
the simple sense of :Scripture, where
he names are originally those of the fathers of the races
who lived in those countries. 2õ :':",
6 see below as to Israel, or its rich men.
v. 5, "!.7. vi.7. vii. 11, n.
7 i. 15.

CHAPTER I.

1Gl

Before
CHRIST
cu. 787.

G
Thus saith t1lC LORD; }."or three transgrC'ssions of 0 Gaza, amI for four, I C Ji
oÍes T
02 Chr. 28.18. Isai. U. 29. Jer.4ï.4,5. Ezek.25.13. Zeph. 2. 4. cir. 7i<ì.

or AmnIOn, or )IlIah. The pnni
hnH'nt did \lot reiU'h Syria in
those dav
, but in tho
e of R('zin whu al
o oppre!<sed Judah.
The sin,iut heinl! cut off, the puni
hmcnt tuowas hand...d dll\\ n.
Til!lath-pileser carried tlH'm away, ahout fift
: yt'ar
after thi!<,
arnl slew Ht':::.iIl 1 . In reg-ard to the
e two natIons, .\mos fore-
tclls thc t'apti\"ity ab
ol
h'ly. Yet at thi
til!I
, there was no
human likelihood, no I!roullll, exe('pt IIf a Dlnne knO\dedl!e,
to predict it of these two nations espeeially. They went into
capti,'itv tou Ion!:, after this for human fore
il!ht to prediet it ;
yet Ion/!:' enuug-h l)('toJ'{' the I'aptivity of Judah for the fulfilm...nt
to have imprcso.;('d Judah if thcy wOllll1. The transportation
of whole p"pulations, whidl suhsequcntly b...I'ame Imrt of the
standinl! polil'Y of the Pcrsian amI of the latcr .hsyrian E.m-
pires, wao.; not, as far as we know, any IlLlrt of Eastern polIcy
at the time of the prophet. Scso
tris, th... EI!YlJtian cOll(luer-
or, !<ome eenturies befure .\mos, is rclatt.d to have hrolll!ht to-
c:cthcr" 2 mê1nv men," "a cruwd," from the nation
WlWlll he
had subducd, ànd to ha\-e employed them on his huildinl!s and
canals. Evén this account has receh-ed no snpport from the
Egyptian monunH'nts, and the dceds a
t'rihed !)y th
Greeks
to Se!<o!oÕtris have heen supposed 3 to be a blendlllg of tho
e of
two munarehs of the xix. l)vnash', Sethos l. and Raamses II.,
interwown with those of Ôusartesen III. (Dynasty xii.) and
TothnHlsis III. ,Uyn. xviii.) ßut the carrying away of any
number ofpri
oncrs from fields of battle is I"omethin/! altoge-
ther diff...rent from the lwlitieal removal of a nation. It had in
it nothinl! systematie or de
il!ned. [t was but the employment
oftho!oÕe whum war had thrown into their hands, as slave!oÕ. Thc
E/!,"yptian monarehsavailed them!oÕelves of this resource, to spare
the lahour of their native suhjeds in thcir great works ufutility
or of vanity. But the prisoners so employed were but a slave
population, analogous to those whu, in other nations, lahoun'd
in the mincs or in ag-rieulture. They employed in the like way
the [
raelit...s. whom they had r"'('eÏnd peacefully. Their earli-
er works wcre earried on bv nath-e lahour 4. .\fter Tothmosi

11 I., in whllse reilrn i
th(' first rcpresentation of prisoners em-
ployed in f()reed labour., they could, during their f,!:reatness,
spare their subjet'ts. They imported lahnur, not by
lan trad....
hut through war. Xuhia wa
incorporated with Eg-ypt 6 , and
Xuhian prisoners were, of ('ourse, employed, not in their own
country but in the Korth of Eg-ypt; .hiatie prisoners in Xubia 7 .
But they were prisoners made in a campaign, not a popula-
tion; a foreign element in El!yptian soil, not an interehange
of sulJjeet-populations. Doubtless, the mi:æd multitude
,
which lcent ujJ with Israel from Egypt, were in part the!oÕe .\si-
atit' capthoes, who had been suhjl'cted to the same hard boud-
alre. The ohjl'et and extent of tlw
e t'()rc...d tran!'IJOrtation
by
the later Assyrians, Babylonians, and Per!oÕians were altoc:ethl'r
differ...nt. Here the intention was to remoye the people from
their Ol'ig-inal seat, or at most to leave those onlv who, from
their fen nt's!" or po\Oerty, would be in no condition to rebel.
The cunciform inst'riptions have broug-ht before LIS, to a great
extent, the records of the Assyrian conquests, as I!hoen by their
kings. ßut whereas the later in
('riptions of Sargon,
elllla-
eherib, Esarhaddon, mention repeate(lly the deportation ofl'o-

1 2 Kgs.x\-ï.9. 2 Herod.ii.107,8.
. 3 B
gsch, lIist. de l' Eg. c. 8. p. 153. · see lb. p. 35. 51,2. f,8, 9. The first men-
tion whIch we ha\ e as) et of numerous captives is in the victory in 'Iesopotamia by Toth-
mos;s I. (lb. 90.) . .el' ill Brugsch, p. 106. 6 lb. p. 8, Û. 7 lb. p. 154.
8 Ex. xii. 3:'\. 9 Fox Talbot, AssJTian texts translated, p.:!:! 2 '. &c.
10 So a
so the Ero ptial! inscrip!ions, in remarkable con
ormity: with the account gi\ en
by the pnests to Germarncus, " There were read also the tnbutes Imposed on the nations,

pulations, the earlier annals of Asshurdanipalor .-\!'!'hllrakhhal
relate the {'arr
illg- oft. of !<oldier:-; only as pri
oners, and Wlllllen
as eal'th e:-;9. They mentiun alsu ree...h-ing- !<Iaves ao.; tribute, the
nllml)('r of oxen and sheep, the
oods and Jw:,!<essions ami the
/!,"ods of the people which they ('arry off 10 . I:1"'e the king- relates,
how he erueified or imlmlcd or put to (lI'atll 9 men at arms or
the people /!enerally, hut in no one (If his eXIH'ditions doe
he
mention any dcportation. Often as modt'rn writers aSSllme,
that the tran
portatiun of nations was part of the hercditary
('olil'y of the monarchs of A
ia, no instances before this pcriod
han heen fIll1!ld. It
l'pears to ha\"e heen a lat...r l'olÍl'y, first
adopted by Tll!lath-pllcser towards [)amê1sl'u!< and Ea!<t and
Xorth Pale
tine, but foretold by the Pruphet lon
hefore it was
adopted. It was the result Im,bably of expcrience, that thev
l'ouM not keep these nations in clependenl'e upon thcm
clves
while thev left them in their old abodes. .\s far a:-; our know-
ledg-e reaéhes, the prophet furetuld tht' removal ofthe:-;e people,
at a time when no instanc(' uf aIHO !';{wh remo\-al had oel'url'ed
6. Ga:::.a was the
outhernniost eity of the Phili!<tines, a

it was indecd uf Canaan II of old; the last inhabited phU'e at
the beginning- of the descrt, on the way from Phænicia to E-
/!,"ypt 12. It!oÕ !'ituation was wonderfully chu::;"n, !<o that, often as
a Gaza has heen destroyed, a new city ha", if even after lun

intervals, risen up af,!:ain in the same immediate neig-hbour-
hood 13. The fral!ments of the earlier city became matcrials
for the later. It wa!< first Canaanite II; then Philistinc; then,
at lea!'t after .\lexander, Edlllnite u; aftl'r .\le
ander J amIcus,
Greek 15 ; t'OI)(luered hy Abubekr the fir
t Khalif. it became .\-
rabian; it was de
olated in their eivil wars, until the Crusa-
ders rebuilt its fort 16; then again,)IohanlInedan. In the earliest
times, before the destruetion of Sodom and Gomorrah, Gaza
was the S. angle of the border of the Canaanites, whence it
turned to the S. of the Dead Sea. Even then it was known
by its name uf streng-th,' Azzah "the stronf,!:," like our ., Fort."
For a time, it stuod as an island-fort, while the gig-antic race
of the A,ovim wandered, wilder prohably than the modern ße-
daween, UjJ to it!oÕ very gates. For sinee it i!oÕ said 17, tIle
ll'I'i/ll
dlce!t ill opcn 1'illages II! as fal' as Ga;:;a, plainly they did not
dwell in Gaza it"clf, a fortified town. The (k..;cription 8.ssif,!:ns
the hound of their habitations, up to the furthest town on the
S. E., Gaza. They prowled arouml it, inf...
ted it dnubtles!oÕ, but
did not conquer it, and \\'ere themselves ('xpelled by the Caph-
toriIll 17. The fortress of the prilH'e of Gaza is mentioned in
the great eXI)editioll ofl'othmo
is I I 1. 19 , a
the cOlHluest oL\sh-
kelon wao.; eounted worthv of mcntion in the munumcnts of
Raamses II 20. It was streng-thcned doubtless by gidng re-
fug-e to the .\nakim, who, after Joshua had expelled themji'01It
Hehron and neighbouring- eities, ([m! the llwwi/ains of .Tlldah
alld L
rr(e!, remained ill Ga;:;a, ill Gath, (1m! ill Ashdo([21. Its
situation, a
the first station for land-conllneree to and from E-
gypt, whether toward
Tyre and Sidon, or I>ama
eu!oÕ and the
uPI,er Euphrates.or towards Petra,probahlya!rl-.'Tandised it ear-
Iv. E\"C1l when the tide of eomIlleree has beell diverted into

ther channel
, its situation has been a soun'e of f,!:reat }Jrofit.
A fertile spot, touching upon a traek through a deSert, it beeame

the weight of silver and gold, tbe number of arms and borses, aud gifts to tbe temples,
ivory and incense, and" hat quantity of corn and all utensils each natIon paid, on a scale
not less magnificent than is now prescribed by the violence ofthe Parthian. or the po\Ier
of the Romans. .. Tac. Ann. ii. 6U. 11 Gen. x. 19. 12 An. ii. 27. 13 see funher on
Ze1.'h. ii. J. H Alex,mder repeopled it from its own neigbourhood. I. Jos. Ant.
x'Ì1.11.4. 16 Wi1l.1)r. X\i1. I:!. 1; Deut. ii. 23." 1s ::--:0:' 19 Brugscb, Hist.
de rEg. p. 96. 20 lb. p. 1-W. 21 Josh, Xl. 21-23.

lG2

C I1 TI íI o í e s T will not hUH away flU' jJlllli.\'hmf'llf there-
_ cir. 787._ of; hceausc they I\l'urricd away <'aptin'
II
:d

;-". tlU' whol{' captivity, p to dclivcr them up
:
'

t
;
h to Edolll:
Cllpt;v;ty, 2 Chron. 21. !G,17. Jo..13. G. P vert 9.

a mart for ('aravans, even those whi('h passed, on the pi1
rim
ruutt' tu MckIm, unitin
traffie with tht'ir rdi
ion. "-here the
five ('itie
arc nanlt'd to
ether as Ulu'OIHluel'ecl. Gaza is menti(Jn-
ed first, then .hlulod I. Samson, after he had betmved his
!'tren
th, was bl"'Jlt{fht dO/l'n to Ga,;;a
, prohably as beiil
thl'Ír
!'trongest fortr('!'s, although the furthest fwm the ral/('.'/ (!f/',o-
rek 3, where he was cn!'nared. There too wa!' the vast tem-
})le ofDa
on, whic'lI hec'anlt' the buryin
-plaee of!'o many of his
worshipp('rs. In So]clUwn's rei
n it was suhjec't to lsrad 4.
After tilt' Philistinc inroacl in the time of Ahaz 5, anù tlwir
captnre of towns of Judah in the !'cmth and the low ('ountry,
Sh('l,hdah 6, I1ezckiah drc,,-e thcm baek as t
lr as Gaza i , with-
out al'lmrently takin
it. Its princ'e was dcf{'ated by Sar
clUX,
who!<e vietun" O\-er Philistia Isaiah fOl"(.told 9 . SenJlaeherib

av{' to its kiil
, tO
l.'ther with thosc' of .\sealon amI Ekrclll 10, I
" fortified and other towns whic'h " he "had spoiled," an",-ecl-
Iy to weaken Judah; "1'0 as to mak{' his (IIezddah's) ('ountry
small;" prohably also as a rcward tin' hostility to Judah.
(;rcek authors sl'cak of it, as "a n-ry larg'e city of Syria ll ,"
"a
reat eity H." Lilie othcr ('ities of old. it was, for tl'ar of
pirat(.s, built at some distanc{' from the !'ea (.\rrian says ":!k
miles ") hut had a port ('aIled, like that of As('alun 13, l\laiunm H,
whic'h itself tuo in Christian times beC'<tme a l)la('e of im-
portmlf'e 15.
bemuse til('.'1 mrJ"icd (//('(1.'1 tlte îl'lwle capti"i(1J ; lit. a ml}l-
plete mptÏl'i(ll; ('olllplete, hut for evil; a ('alühity in whic'h none
were !'lmred, nOlw left behind; old or young-, wuman 01' {'hild ;
hut a whole population (whateHr its extent) was swcpt
awav. Sw'h an inroad of the Philbtinel' b related in the
tinu: of Jehoram l6 .
to (1t,lirer them up to Er/ol/l; lit. to 81mt tl,em lip to Ed0ll1,
in the power of EcloJll, their bittcr encmy, so that they !'Iwuld
not be ahlt- to esc'alw, nor he restorf'd. The hands, even ifnot the
land, of Edom were ah'ead,. dwd in the blood of Ja('ob 17 tlu'i/'
hrotlll'/'. ,. An y whither hut 't her('," prohahly would ery the
C'rowd oflwlpless ('alltive;;. It was like drivin
the shrinking
floc' k of sheep to the butcher's shalll hIes. re{'kin
wit h the g-ore
of th('ir c'oJllpanions. Y ct thereforc were they driven therc to
th(' slaug-htcr. Open markets t1wre were for Jewish slm'es in
ahundanee. "Scll us, only not to
laughter." .. Spare the
r('y-
headed;" "spare my dlild," would g-o up in the ears of thosp,
who, tlwn
h enemi{'s. ulHl{'r!<toocl thcir speedl. Bnt IW! SIlC'h
was the f'oUll'aet of Tyrc and Philistia and EdoUl a
ainst the
l)eol'le of(
od. l\ot one was to be slHlrc.d : it was to be a com-
plete ('ajJtirity; and tlmt, to EdoJll. The bond was fnlfillcd.
TT
//Oso .
tojJpeth /iis Crtrs at tlte cr.'1 of the poor, he too .
/wll cr.'1
mul.
/wllnot /
e hearr/18. Jod JIlention
the like sin of the Phi-
listilU'!< and Phænieians, and forctllld its Imni!'hment. 1D Tlwt
in the rdg'n of J choraUl is the last whi('h Scrillture mentions,
hut wa!' not tllt'refor(', of nece!'sity or prc,bahly, the last. Holy
St'ripture prohably relates only th(' Ulore notable uf tho
e b(lr-
der-raids. l-Ilrepcnted sin is cOlllnulllly renewed. Thosc
] Josh. xiii. 3. 2 Jud. xvi. 21. 3 lb. 4. Its situation was marked in S. Jerome's

7,
Ìi

]
a

:
r

]hey I
d

i

;. r
),

]':
S

;:
::

,
fe
:
'iì
;;;" .oi
li

I
t
s 2Chr.xxviii.18. 6 seeab.p. HiU.not...
1. i 2 Kgs.x\iii.8. · Rawl.Her.i.
73.
from Cuneif. Inger. 9 xiv.2!J. 10 Cunei!: Inscr.in Layard, Nin. & B. p.l-l1. II Pluto
Alex. 2;:;. 12 Arr.1. c. Mela (i. 11.) calls it "large and \\ell lortiRed." 13 see Reland,
p. ;:;30, and not. 2. 14 lit. "Place on the sea " (in Eg) ptian,) Quatremère in Hitt. xÜ. CO

A.\lOS,

7 q nut I will s{'ll(l a fire on the wall of c -.fí[oí"s T
(;aza, which o;hall dcvour the palu('cs ---"ir. 80U. _
thereof: q Jer. 4ï. l.
8 And I will cut ofl' the inhaùitant r from .
I'ph. 2. 4.
Z,'ch. !I. 5,6.

strclllg" Philistine fortn'sses Ulust have
iven frccluent, abun-
dant opportunity for such inroads; as now too it i
said in .\l"a-
bia, " the hm'vest is tll th(' !'trcmg-cr;" and while slllall prutcl.t-
ed patdH's of !'oil in Lebauclll, lIauran, &('. arc' c'ultivat(.d, the
open fcrtile (,clllntry oft('n li('s un('ultivatcd
O, situ'(' it would 1)('
('ultinltcd onlv till' the marauder. AJIlos rcnews the sent('n('{'
of Jod, fun',,:arning th('Ill that, thou
h it scemcd to tarry,
it would COIll('.
Î. Bllt; lit. lInd. TIm,.; had Gaza done, ami thus would
(-ì0(1 do; I will ,
ellcl afire up 011 Gaza. The sentelH'{' CIll Gaza

tands out, prohahly in that it was first in powcr ami in sin. It
was the merehant-C'ity of the five; thc c'aravans part('d from it
or pas!'e(l through it; and so this sale ofthc Jewish eaptin's wa"
ultimatdy eft't.('ted throu
h them. First in sin, first in punish-
ment. Gaza was stron
bv nature amll1\' art. "The aeees

to it all'o," Arriannotie{.s
l: "hl)' throug-h ileep !'and." "Te do
nut hear of its heing tak{'n, exc.t'pt in the first times of Israt'l
undcr thc sl,ec'ial protcction of God 22, ur hy
rcat C'ouC[lU'rOl's.
AIl Philistia, probahly,
ubmitt('d to Da,"id; we hear of uu
pc-
C'ialc'OllCllU'st of its towns 23 . Jts
ie
e ('ost Alexandcr:! months 2 4,
with all the aid uf the ('ng-iues with whic'h 1lC' had tak('n Tyrc,
and the expericn('e which he had therc
aiued. The E
yptian
a(,(,(JIlnts state that when besie
ed Ly Tothmosis I II. it eapitu-
lated
:;. Thcn('cforth, it. lmcl submitt('d neither to E
Yl't nOl"
\ssvria. Yet Amos deC'lared absolutelv that (;aza should lw
ò(.!<troy('d by fire, and it was !'o. Scnmt
'herib first. thcn, after
Jeremiah had foretold auewthe de
trueticHl of Gaza, .\shkt'lclll,
and the Philistiu{'s, Pharaoh KedlO smote Gaza
6. Yet who.
with human fon'si
ht only, would undertake to pronounce the
destruetion of a ('ity so strong-?
14. Állrllll'illl'ut '!tf'tlte illlwhitaJlt/i'om Aslulor/. Ashdod,
as well as Ekron, ha,'e tlwir names from thcir stI'eng-th ; ..\sh-
dud ..the mirrhtv" like Yalcntia. Ekron "the firm-rooted .,
The' titlc of .\:lufo'd implied that it was I'o
'-erfnl to inflict as to
('('sist. It llIay have mcant, "the wast('r". It too was cmi-
n('nt in its idolatry. The ark, when tak('n, was first I'laeecl in
its Da
clll-temple
;; and, pt'rhaps, iu eonsequenec, itl' lurd is
pla('('d first of the fi\"('. iu rec'Olllltin
the trc>õopa!'s oft't...in
s
whic'h th(.y sent to the Lord 28. .\slulod (.\zotus iu the K .'1'. no\\'
a dllag-e, Esdud or SlulomF9,) lay 34 or

() miles from Gaza 30 ,
on the f,!,l'('at route from E
Yl't l\orthwanl, on that whic'h now
too is nUlst uscd cven to Jerusal('m. Ashkclonla\' to the left
of the road near the sea, rather more than half-,,:ay. Ekron
(AliiI', now a \"ÍlIa
e of,'j() mud-hou>õoes 3\) lay a little tu the rig-ht
ofth{' ruad Xorth-"<Ird ti'om Gaza to Lydda (in the same lati-
tude as Jamnia, .Tahneel) on the road from Ramleh to ß('it Jib-
rin (Eleutherol,olis). Ekrou, the furthcst from the
('a, lay only
15 mile!< fl'um it. Ther were then a sU/'('e!'!'ion of fortresses,
strong- from their situatiou, which {'ouM molest auy army,
whieh !'hould c'ome along tlu'ir coast. Transn'rseh-, in rc
ard
to Judah. tlwy ellC'los('cI a !'pace parallel to nl/l
t or" Judah and
Benjamin. Ekron, whic'h by God's gift was the Xorthern line
]5 Soz. V.3. 16 2 Chr. xxi. 16. ]i Joel. iii. 19. ]8 Pro xxi. 13_ ]9 iii.4,6.

, see e.l':. Five years in Damasc. ii. 175. 21 I. c. 22 Jud. i.l, 2, 18. 23 2 Sam. viii. 1.
2. J os. Ant. xi. 8. -I. Anian's description of the siege implies a lonl':er time.
25 .. he entered cbis
lace by combat by force and by convention;" Karnac Inscr. in
Br
ch,p.!J(;."fterßl,.ch. 2b Jer.xlvii.1. 2i ISam.v.l.7. 2s Ib.vi.17.
29 Kinnear, Kairo, &c. I?' 211. Ali bey," Zedoud." Travels, ii.
u:-!. Ritt. xvi. 90.
30 Reland, p. (j08. from IUn. Anton. and Hieros. and Diod. Sic. 3] Porter, H andb. 275.

CHAPTER I.

C HBi[oíes T A
hùod, and him that hoMeth the s('t'ptrp
_
ir. ;
7. _ from Ashkelon, and I will · turn mint, hand
. Ps. 81. H.

IGa

a
ainst Ekron: and t the remnant of the C Hn
oÍeS T
Philistines shall perish, saith the Lor(1 GOD. cir. ;Mï.
t J<r. 4;. 4. ELek.25.1fi.

uf Judah 1, is ahunt the same latItude as Ramah in ßcnjamin ;
Ctaza, the same at Carmel (I\: urmul). :From Gaza lay a !<trai
ht
road to Jeru!<alem ; hut .Ashkl'lon too, .\.shdod, and Ehnm lay
near the hemls ofnlll('ys, whidl ranllp to the hill-eountry lI('ar
.h'rusal('1II 2. This sv4('m of ridl vallcvs. in whic'h, either hv
artifkial irrig"ation 0; natural ah
f)rption',th(' streamswhieh rail
from th(' mountains of J udall westward fcrtili,.('d the eorn-fields
uf Philistia, aftiml(.d cqually a ready approac'h to Philistinc
maraud('rs into the n'r\," lIem.t of Judah. The Crusaders had
to erown with ('astl('.; th
hdl.dlb in a distant ('irele aronnd ..\.sh-
kc1on 3 in ordcr to restrain the ineursions of the )luham)}]e-
dans. ' On SIH'h ot'easions doubtl('ss, the !'amc )}]en-stealin

was often pradic'('d on l('ss('r seales, whic'h here, (Ill a larA"cr
scale. draws down thc s('nt('n('e of God. Gath, much furth{'r in-
land, probably formed a eentre to whieh these maritime towns
c'nlln'r<r(.d and united thdr sYstem of inroads (Ill .J udah.
The

n
-e eiti('s of PhilisÙa had each its own petty kinA"
(Sel'en, our "axle:') ßut all fonned one whole; all debated and
a(.tcd tOA"(,ther on any
l"l'at oecasion: as in the plot against
Smllstln " the !<aerifiee to Dagon in triumph ()\'er him, where
thev peri!<hed 5
the inflÏt'tions (Ill iU'C'Olmt of the ark G; the
g-I c;lt attaek on IsraeF, whi('h God defeatt'd,at :\Iizl'eh; the hat-
tIe when Saul fell, and the dismissal uf David K. The eiti('s (lh-i-
.led their idulatry also, in a manner, hetween them, .\.slulod be-
ing" the ('h ief scat of theworshi p of Dag-on!), A!<hkclon, uf the eor-
responding" worship of Derccto 10 the fish-goddes-:, the symbol
ofthc l'assÎ\'e prineiple ill re-I'rmhll'tion. Ekron was the seat of
the worship of ßaalu'hnb and his orac'le, whenee lw i!< ealled
,. tile god of Ekron n." Gaza, e,-en after it had heeomc an ahode
ofGI'eek i(lolatryand had se,-en temples of(ìl'e(.k g-ods, still re-
tained itsworshil' of its g-ml )larna ("our Lord") as the ehieP2.
It too was probably "nature I3 ," and to its worshil' tln'y were
devoted. .\.ll these eiti(.s were as one; all formed one state;
all were one in their sin; all were to he one in theil' punishment.
So then. for g-reater\'ivitlness, one part ofthc common inftietion
is rdate(l (,f eac'h, while in fal't, aeconling- tu the wont of Pro-
pheti(' didion, "hat is said of each is said of all. Kin
and
people were to be cut oft. from all: all were to he c'onsumed
,,'ith fire in war; on all (;ucl would, as it were, turn (lit. hrin!f
hrick) llis Iffl}Jd, ,'isitinf!" them ancw, and bring-ing- again the
same punishmt'nt npon them. in truth, thc:,c de4ructions
came ulwn them. <Ig-ain <Ind a/!ain. throu,!!;h Sar
on, lI(,zekiah,
Pharaoh.
ebll('hadnezzar, .\.It'xandt'r, tht' :\laeeahees.
..lslldod. rzziah étbout this tim(' brake dOll'1l its wall and
huilt ('itie,
flho1tt h it, to proteet his people from its inroads.
It rel'o\'ered. and was subsequently hesie
ed awl taken hy Tar-
tan, the Ass)rian General under Sar
on 15 (ahout B.C. iW.)
Somewhat later, it su:-;tained the longest sieg-e in m<In's kuon"-
ledg-e, for:..>9 years, from Psannuetic'hu:-; 16 king- of Eg-ypt (about
B.<";.6:t;.) ,nlelwe prohahly. Jeremíah, while he speak
01" .-\',.h-
1 Ja;h. xv.}!. 2 A.hkelon, attheheadofWadi Simsim which
ins on to the Wady el

r.e
n
n
:
':::JI

:(I
ii/

i.
:')i

ri\'!aa:;
l
h
-
t
d
d, !:
h
'I

af

'lhel
i
t
ley called from it, meetiug- the ,alley of Ashkelon at Beit Jibrin. (Iht!. 91.) Ekron near tbe
"ad) -es-Surar, the trunk of the system of valle) s ill X. Philistia, reaching on into the
moun
ains of Judah, and rami!) iU!';!';Teatiy. (Ritt. lU:!, 3.)
3 VIZ. Blanc"he Garde, Td-es-Salieh. (Robinson, ii. 31,3:!.) Soutb ohhis, neit-Jibnn
(Eleutheropohs)
ll the road f
om G.aza; (Rob. ii. :!
, 9. This was fortified 11) the Turks
probahl) to restnm Bedaween mcurslons, as late as A.D. 1551 . Robins. lb. ::!5.) Castellum
Arnal
l at Heit Kube on the Ramleb road to Jerusalem, (Hitter, xvi. 92,3.) and Ibelin
(J amma, or \: ebna) on the North. (Rob. lb. 66. not. 5.) . J ud. x, i. 5, 8, 18.
· Ib.2:3,:!ï,3U. 61Sam.v.8.11.\i.-I,12,H>,18. i Ib.\ii.7. 8Ib.xni.:!,r.,ï.
1 Chr. >.ii. 1!1. 9 see p. Hi:!. 10 Herod. i. 1U5. Diod. ii. -I. 11 2 Kp:s. i. 2.:J, 16.
I
"it. S. Porph. Gaz. c. 9. (in Act. Sdnct. \. tJ35.) ReI. p. ;\13. See "lso S. Jer. in Is.

liclon. (Ìaza, Ekroll, mention", the remnant of .1slulorfl7 ollly.
Yet, after the c'apti, ity, it s('ems to han' heen the fir-:t Philistine
('ity. so that the PhilistilH's were ('ailed .\
hdoditesl\ and their
dialec't .-\.shdoditt' 19. The,- werc !'till hostile to the Jews II!. The
war inwhich Judas )Iaeeitbæus sllOiled .hhdod and other Phi-
li-:tine cities 20, wa
a defen!"Í\e Will' ag-ain4 a war of {''\':terllli-
nation. "The nations round ahout
l," it is said at th(.lwginninA"
ofihe (U'('lIllilt of that year's campai
n, "thoug-ht to destmy the
g-eneratiun of J,l('oh that was amon
thcm, and thereupon they
beg-an tu
lay and destroy the people." Jonathan, tht' hrother
of Judas. .. S(.t fire to .-\.zotus and the ('iti('s roulld about it 2:!,"
after a battle under its walls, to whieh his encmies had dml-
leng-ctl him. The temple of Da
(11\ in it was a
ort of eitadel ;!3.
.\.shhclon is mentioned as a phll'e of strength, taken hv the
great c'oJIIlueror, Haamses 11. Its resolute dd'cn('e and eaptnre
arc represented, "ith its name as a I'ity of t:anaanitcs, on a
IllOnument of l\:arnae 24, Its name most naturall) si/!:,nifies,
" hallg-illg-." This suits, ery well with the
itc ofits present ru-
in!'. which .. hang" on the side of the theatre or are of hill...,
whose base is the sea. This, hmH',-er, prohahly was not its an-
cient site 2;;. Its name oceurs in the war:;.,f the ":\1 ae('ahees, hut
rather as
ubmitting readily 26. IJt'rhaps the inhabitants had
been ehang-ed in the interwning period. Antipater. the I>
I domite fatlwr of Herod, I'ourted, we arc told 2., .. the .-\rah:; and
the .\s('alonitc!<' and the (Ìazites:' .. Towards the Jews their
neig'hbuurs, the inhahitants of the Holy Land." Philo says2
to
the Homan emperor, "the .\.sealonites IHl\'e an irreconeilahle a-
yersion, whieh will eOllle to no terms." This abidin
hatred 29
burst out at the beginnin
of the war with the ROlllans, in which
Jerusalem perished. The .\.scalonites ma
sa('red ;!j(J() Jew:;
dwelling among- them 30. The .Tews "fired .\sealon and ut-
terlv destmved Gaza 31."
Ekron n-;Is apparently not important enou
h in itself, to
han any separate hi
tory. "
e hear ofit only a
/-.rÏwn by .\.Iex-
ander Balas "with the borders thereof in po,.session 32 " to Jo-
nathan the )l,weabee. The valley of Surâr g-ave the Ekron-
ites a readier entrmlce into the centre of Judæa, than r\sealon
or .\.shdod had. In S. Jerome'
time, it had sunk to "a ver)
large ,illage."
The residue of the Pltilistinn Ûwll perish. This IHl!<ò heen
thought to lllean tile rest 3\ i. e. Gath, (nut lllentioned by name
any more as having" ('eased to be of any aecount 3
) and the
towns, dependant on those ehief eities 3i. The common (and,
with a proper name, IlllÍ\"er!<'al 36 ) meanin
of the idiom is, ti,e
rCllI1wld, those who remain uyer ath'r a first destru(.tion. TIn'
words then, like tllOse just bcture, I U'ill hrÏ1.g again JI..'J IU/Ild
against Ekroll, foretI'll a renewal of those first jud
ments.
The politieal streng-th whieh shoultl suryive onc (Iesolatioll

hould be destrowd in those whieh "hould su('eeed it. In taeit
eontra!<t with thë promises of lllerey to the remnant of .T udah 3.,
1;i6Efie

dLif.\57. 1317s
e
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.
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. 191'1
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{;
:

l Ib.v.l.
.
! Ib.x.82,-I.
Ib.83.

Brugsch,Hist.del'Eg.p.l-ki.
2; see on Zeph. ii. 4.
6 1 :\Iacc. x. Sô. xi. C.o. "í Jos. Ant.
iv. 1. 3.

leg. ad Cai. p.1021. ReI. p. 5S;.
Jos.n. J. iii. 2.2. 30 lb. ii. 18.5.
31 Ib.l. This occurred first, uuless the account be a summaIJ. 32 1 :\Iacc. x. 8
.
33 as in Jer. xxxix. 3. Neh.vii. ;2. 3-1 seeon -\m.vi.:!. 3õ soS.Jcr. Thcod.
36 as," the remnant of Judah, "Jer. xl. 15. xlii. 1,';. xliv. :!8. "the remnant of Jerusalem,"
Jer. xxi\. 8. the "remnant of Israel." Is. xhi. 3. Jer. vi.!/. xx:>..i. ï. Ez. ix. 8. :\tic. ii. I:!.
"of Jacob," :\Iic. \'.6, ;. (ï, 8. EUf;.)"the remnant of the house of Judah," Zeph. ii. ;. "the
remnantoL\Iine inheritance," 2 K. xxi. U. "of :\[) flock, "Jer. :>..>.iii. 3. "the remnant which
is left," Is. x....xvii.4. .. g-o forth a remnant," lb. 32. "of :\Ioob," Is. xv. 9. "ofPhilistia," Is.
xiv. 30. and in Amos himself, "the remllantof Joseph,"\. 15." the remnaa' ofEJom,"
ix. I:!. 3; see ab. on Joel, ii. 3
.

IG-1

C HBI[orS T 9
Thus saith the LORD; For thret'
cir. í8i. transg-rt'ssions of U Tyrus, and for four, I
u }

'4

',r will not turn away the ]Hllli.'/loIlCllt thereof:

i
ek' g
: & "hecause they delivered up the whole cap-
s ;;
Ir.:' 4,5. tivity to Edom, and rcmemhered not t the
t

::":of hrotlwrly covenant:
brpl"reJl, 2 Sam. 5. H. ] Kings,). 1. & 9.H-14.

Amos forct(.U
that juc]g-lIlent after judg-ment shouhI fall upon
Philistia, .until the Philistincs ('cased to be any more a })eo)'le ;
as thn dul.
g: The last {'rowning" sin for which judgment is pronounc-
ed on Tyre is the
ame as that of Philistia, and probably was
enat'tcd in ('OIH'ert with it. In Tyre, th('re was this ag-g-rava-
tiun, that it was a viulatiun of a pre,'illu,. treaty amI fricndship.
It was not a ('ovenant only, nor previous friendliness only; but
a !'pe,'ifi(' covenant, fOlllld('d (Ill frieJl(b:hiJ) which tlH'Y tiJl"g-at
and brake. If they rctaÏlH'd the mClllorv of Hiram's inter-
{'OllrS(' with David ånd
ulomon, it was a !"in ag-ainst lig-ht tuo.
After David had eX]lelled the Jcbusites from Jernsalcm\ .EIi-
ram kinK of T.'lre sent messenKer.
tu IJ(l1'ÙI, amI cedar-trees alld
carpcnters aJUllllCls(J}/s; ami the.'1 huilt Ðm'id a hOllse. The Phi-
listines eontrariwisc invaded him 2. This recog-nitiun of him
by Hiram was to David a proofS, that the Lord fwd e,<;tahlislied
him king O1'cr IS/"Clel, aJUI tlwt Ill' Iwd e.ratted /âs kingdum for
His pcople I<;/'(cc!'s .<;ake. lIil"am !'eems, then, to have rt.(,O
-
ni!'('d !'omething- !'uper-human in the ('xaJtatiun of David. Hi-
ram 71'fCS e7'l'l' a 100'l'l' uf IJlll'ÎlU. This friendship he ('ontill1wd
to Sulumon, amI re('o
nised his God as ti,e Gud.
cripture
embodies the letter of Hiram 5; Because tlte Lord Iwtli I07'cd llis
people, Ill' 1m tit made tbee king Ul'('J" them. Blessed be tbe Lord
God of Israel, tlwt made hem'en and earfll,1('lw IUlth gi7'en to I)a-
't.id (( u'Ïse son-tlwt he migld Imilt/ llJll1o/(se for tlti
Lord. He
must have known thcn the value whi('h the piou
It'raelites
atta('hed to the g-oing- up to that temple. .\. latcr trt'aty, of-
fcred hy Demetrius XÍf'ator to Jonathan, makes detai1t'd pro-
vision that the Jews !'huuld ha,'e "6the t{>a
ts and sabhaths and
ncw nwons and the solemn davs and the three davs before the
feast and the thrC'e days after'the feast, as days
f immunity
anti fn'etlmn." The thl'ec days hefore the fea!'t were
.;v('n, that
they mi
ht g-o up to the fcast. Other treaties
'lmra'ntee to the
Jew
rditdous pridleg-('s7. A treaty lwtwcen Solomon and Hi-
ram, whil'h !<houhlnot g-uard for anyreli
'ious pridlC'g-t's JH'eded
hy Jpws in Hiram's dmninion,is illl'on('eivable. nut Jew!< were
living- among- the Zidonians 8. The treaty also, made between
Hiram and Solomon, was
uhsequl'nt to the arrang-ement by
whil'h Hiram was to supply I'edars to Solomon, and Solomon
to furnish the eorn ofwhi('h Hiram stood in need 9 . The Lorcl
gm'e Sololllon !(.ist/o/JI, a.
lIe p,'o/lli.<;ecl him 10 ; and, as a fruit of
that wi
dom, tbere 1('((.
peace he/ween IIira11l and So/fJ/lIon ; and
tlle.'1 turo made a CUl'eUflJlt ll . The terms of that I'ovenant arc
not there mentioned; hut a cO\-enant innllves conditions. It
was not a mcre peace; hut a dil"tilll,t rOl'eJlaJlt, sanctioned by
relig-ious rift.s and by sal'rifie('l1. This hrot/Ie1'
11 CUl'enant Tyre
1'emembered 1I0t, wlwn they delivered up to Edom (l complete
capti,.it.lJ, all the Jews who came into their hands. It secms,
thcn, that that I'ovenant had an espel'ial ])rovision ag-ainst !'ell-
ing them away from their own land. This same provision other
I 2 Sam.v.H. 2 lb. Ii. 3 lb. ]2. 4] KI1;S. v. 1. 6 2 ChI'. ii. ll. Iliram answered
ill wr;I;1I!!, ..'/deh he senC 10 Solomon. 6] }Iacc. x. 34. Jos. Ant. xiii. 2.3. i 1 Mace.
xi. 34. Jos. Ant. xiii. .t. !I. renewed to Simon, ] Mace. xiii. :\,)-10. s see on Joel. iii. 6.
9 ] K!!s. v. i-H. 10 lb. ]2. 11 1""-::1':--::" 12 Strabo xii. 3.4. "This too is said,
!hat the Milesians who first founded Heradea constrained the l\fariandyni, who posse>sed
It before, to act as sert's, and to be lia\,le even to be sold by them, bltlnot bpyoltd Iheir bor-
ders, (for Ihey covenallled as 10 tllis) in like way as the so-called Mnoan-union became serfs

Al\IOS,

JO Y But I will spnd a fire on the wall c HB
[oÍes T
of Tfrus, which shall devour the pahtf'cs dr. ílJi.
tht'reof.
Ì:
;.42r:

.
I I
Thus saith the LORn; For three fe:'
9
8, &e.
transgressions of 7. Edom, and fè1r four, I ti3
eIki. 25.12,
will not turn away the punil.'lwLCllt tlu'reof;
oZt:i:

.
Obad. 1, &c. Mal. 1. 4 .
people madc 12 for love of their I'ountry or their homes; the
Jews, for love of their reliA"ion. This ('û\-enant Tyre remem-
bered not, but hral.e. They knew doubtless why Edom !'oug-ht
to pos!"ess the I!'raelites; but the ('O\'etousne
!' ofTyre fcd the
('ruclty of Edom, and God puui!'ll('d the brokcn '1})})Cal to
Himself.
10. I 1l'ill.
e1/(1 afire upon tile 1('(/1l ofT.'lre. T
Te had long-
ere this hC('IIIIIe trihutary to Assyria. As!'hur-dan-ilml (about
B.C. g:
(),) records his " 13 taking- tributt' from the king-s of ,In the
t'hi('f Phwnil'iau ('itips, as Tyre, Sidon, Bihlus and Aradus."
His sou Shalmanuhar re('onls his takin
tribute from th('m in
his 21st year H(ahout
H(), ß. C.) as did Ivalu!'h 111. 16 , and after
this time Tig-Iath-pileser I I .16, the !'ame who took Darml!'cus and
I'arricd oftïts p('oplc, as also the Ea!'t aud Korth of Israel. The
Phæni('ians had aided Benhadad in his un!'1U'eessful war or
rebellion ag-nin!'t Shahuanubar17, but their eity had n'('eived no
hurt. There was uothiug-, in the time of .\mos, to indi('ate any
ehange of poli('y in the A!'s)Tian conquerors. Tll('Y had heeil
('on tent hitherto with trilmt(. from their distant depcndencies;
they had spared them, ('ven when in arms ag-ain!'t them. Yet
.\.mos says ahslllutdy in the name of God, I 1l'illsencl a.fire upon
the 1('a[[ of Tyre, and the fire did fall, first from Shalmaneser
or Sarg-on his suc('e!'!'or, and then from Nebuehadnezzar. The
Tyrians, (a!.< is llIen's wont) imwrt('d in their annals their sue-
l'es!.<es, or the slu'ees!'ful resistance whil'h thenllade for a time.
They rdate that" 18 Elulæus, Jdnl!.' of Tyre,' redul'ed the Kit-
tiæans (Cypriotes) who had re,'olted. The king- of Assyria in-
vaded all Phænil'ia, and returned, having'mad(. peace with all.
Sidon and Ace and old Tvre, and lJwnv other cities revolted
from the Tyrians, and !'ilrrcndered t
tIlt' king- of Assyria.
Tyre then not obeying-, the king- returned ag-ainst them, thc
Phænieian!o< manning ()() !'hi})s for him." Thes('. he says, were
disper
ed, 500 prisoners tak{'n; the honor of Tyre inten!.<ified.
"The king- of Assyria, removing-, set
uards at thc rh'er and
a(jnedul'ts, to hindcr the Tyrians from drawing' water. This
tlU'y endured for,
years, drinking from the wells sunk." The
Tyrian annalist do('s not n'late the secluel. He dm's not ven-
ture to say that the As!o<yrian king- g-avc up the si('
e, hut, hav-
in
' made the most of thf'ir resistance, hreaj,s oft' the al'eount.
The Assyrian inscriptions I"ay, that Sar
'on took Tyre 19, and re-
eeh-cd trihute from Cypnl!<, where a monument ha!' been found,
bearing- the name of Sarg-on 20. It i!< not prolmhle that a mll-
nan'h, who took Samaria ami Aslulod, receivt'd tribute from E-

rypt, the" Chief of Saba," and "Queen of the Arabs," over-
ran Hamath, Tuhal, Cilicia, Armenia, n'duced
h'dia, should
have returned baftl('d, be('au!'e Tvre stood out a hlo('kade for
.5 year!'. Sinl'e Sarg-on wrested ti-om Tyre its uewly -recovcred
Cyprus, its insular situation wouM not have protected itself.
,cbuehadnezzar took it after a thirteen w'ars sie n 'e 21 .
II. Edom. God had inl}l1"essed O1i Israel its relation of
to the Cretans, and the Pl'lleslæ to the Thessalians." qnoted by Movers, Phæn. ii. 1.
f
;;r
' 4'1
'-
a
.i'ì

T

:'n

: I
Nt:
r Í

t: ili.

1
7'. ,ii. f;; Via
ï

.

i.f
7æ
Ii RawI.
. I;;. p. ,t!W. 18 l\Ienander in Jos. Ant. ix. 14. 2. 19 Rawl.
t;o
' fd

l, comme;o:

h

ri
nSe
:
diJ:: "ïÏt:
ï.
b
lin 1\1 u:
E;et
::\

7-12. see on Is. xxiii.

CHAPTER I.

hrotherhood to Edom. )Io
..s expr('s
('d it to Edom himself!,
and. after the su
pi('ioHs refusal of Edllln to allow Israel to
man'h on tilt' highway throu
h his ft'rritory, he speak.. as kintl-
I) of him 2, as hefore. .Aud 1l'I'eII lI'e pwssed h." from our bre-
tlll'ell, tl,e cf,i/dren of Esall. It wa
the unhindness of worl?ly
I'lIliti('s, and was for
in'n. The reli
ious Im"e of thp E
Yl'tlan
and the Edolllite was, on di!<tÍlH't
ruunds, made part ofthe law.
s Tlwll .
/lldt uut abhor (Ill .EdQmite ; fur Ill' is tllY brother: tlwll
shalt /lot ab/lOr all Er::fll'tiall; herCf7ISl' t!mu u'([.
t a stra/lger ill
his lalld. The grand
.hild of an E
Yl'tian or of an Edomitc was
I.elh....iouslv to bepolHe as an Israelite"'. Kot a foot of J:dom-
ite t('rrit(;ry was Israel to appropriate, however I)rovoked. It
was (;od's g'ift tu Edmn, as IIlIH'h as Canaan to bl'ael. 6 TIW.'1
slllllllJe c{(raid ofyoll, aud .fle shall take exceedillg heed to .llollr-
sell'es. QUllrrel uot ll'itlt tllem, for I I('i/[ giz'e YOIl of their lalld,
no, uot.m lIIuch as the treadillg of tile .mll' oftheff)ot ; fur Illlll'e
gil'ell muunt Sc'ir IllltO .EscllI fùr a possesÛon. From this time
until that of Saul, there is no mention of Edom; only that the
l\IaoniÌl's and the _\malekites. who oppre
sed I
racl6, were
kindn'd trihc!" with Edom. The inerea
inA" strength of Israel
in t Iw ('arly days of Saul seems to ba,'e oeeasioned a conspirm'y
aA"ainst him,
uch as A
allh aftcrwards ('omplains of7; The.'1
IUll'e .
aid, cUllle and let ll.
Cllt tltem Qtffram hein/! allatÏtm, that
the /lame qf Isrllel ma.1/ he 110 more ill remembrallce. For they
Itat'e cU/I.mlted togetba ll'Íth one c(Jn.
eut, tI,e.'lare confederate a-
gaillst Thee; tlte taheJ"llllrles of Edom and the blmlllelites; of
JI()ab amI the Hagarelles; Gebal amI Ammon alld Amalek; the
Phili.
tilles ,dtl, the inlwhitallts of T.IIre; Assllr also isjoined
fl.itll tl,em ; tl,e,11 hal'e heen all arm to ti,e children of Lot. Such
a C'lIInhination beg-an probahlyin tht' time of Saul. 8 Hefought
agaillst alllti.
enemies on eur.'1 side;. against _,roah, and agaillst
tile childl'l'Il of
/mmoJl, alld agaill.
t the kill{( of Edom, alld a-
gaill,
t tile Plâlistilles. They were his ellemies, and that, round
ahuut, encirl'ling Israt'l, as hunters did their prey. .Edolll, on
the S. and S. E.; JIOllh and
/mmon on the East; the Syrians
of ZfJhah un the N.; the Phili
tine!o1 on the 'r. encloscd him
as in a net, and he repul
ed them ulle by one. TT7lic!lCl'er u'ay
he tUl'lIed, I,l' u'orsted 9 them. It fullows 10, he delil'ered Israel
out C!( ti,e hallds n,,(them that spoiled them. The a
g-re
sion was
from Edmn. and that, in combination with old oppressors of
Israel. nut from Saui ll . The wars of Saul ami of David were
defl'nsh-e wars. Israel was reem-ering frmn a state of depres-
sion, nut ()Pl're
sinA"' The 'I'l,lley of saft l2 , where David def('at-
ed the Edlllllites, was a1sodouhtless within the borders of Judah,
since the ri(fI rif salt was 18; and the valley of salt was probably
near the remarkahle "monntain of" salt, 5%mile
Ion/!, near
the end of the Dead Sea 14, whieh, a
beinA" Canaanite, bclon/!ed
to Israel. ltwas al!;o far north of Kadesh, which wasthe utmost
bOll1ulw:'1 of I:dom 15. From that Psalm too of minl.."led thanks-

hin/.!,' and prayer which David composed after the victory ill
tl,e l'ct/llY of.mft16, it appears that, even after that victory, Da-
,id's army had not yet entered Edolll. 171rho ,{'ill bring me
into tllC strung city? who ll'Íl/ lead me into Edum? That same
Psalm speaks of gTievou
sutferin!; before, ill which God had
cast theIll fltf. and scattered them; made the earth tremble alld
cleft it : so that it reeled 18. Joab too had retllrned from the
,rar in the Xorth ag'ainst the Syrians or:;'le
upotamia, to meet
the Edmllites. "'hether in étlliance with the Suians or tak-
ing advantag-e of the absence of the main arnn: there: the E-
domites had inflieted some heavy blow on Isråel; a battle in

1 Nu. xx. 14.. Thu..ailhtlr!l brol,," ISTMI. 2 Deut. ii. 8. 3 lb. xxiii. 7.
4 lb. 8.
lb. ii.4, 5. 6 J ud. vi. 3. x. 12. 7 Ps. h:xxiii.4-8. 8 1 Sam. xiv. 4;.
9 ;:-::;-- 10 ver.48. "11 aS
!I5oflenbeencarele!lSlyassumed. 0122Sam.viii.13.
13 Josh. xv. 62. 14 Robmson,l1.108,9. l' Nu.xx.16. 16 Ps.lx.title. 171b.9.
II Ib.I-3, 10. 19 1 Chr. x\iii.12. !If! lb. 1,5, !I-I:!. :1 2 Sam. \iii.14.

IG.3

whil'h _\lli!-hai !-Ole\\" IRoOO men 19 had been il\deC'i
h.e. The
Edolllitl'''' W('I"I' repuls('d hy the rapid eoullterman'h of Joab.
The vi('tory, according to the P
allll, was
till inf'olllplde 20.
Da,.hll'utgarrisulls ill Edrl7lt 21, to restrain thelll frolll further
outbreak
. Joah aven!red th(' wron
of thc Edlllllih's, eunform-
ably to his ehara,.ter'
2; hut tilt' hu,t that the captain (!( the
Iwst had to go ")1 to hury tI,e slain 23, !'hews the e
tent uf the
dea(Uv blou, whi('h he so fearfullv m"ellg-ed.
Th
store Sl't hy thp hing' of E
Yl't OI
Hadad, the Edmnite
prince who flcd to him 2 \ shew!' hon
Iadly E:.,rYl't employed E-
dom as an enemv to Israel. It has heen !'aid that he rebelled
and failed 25. Ei!'e it renmill{'d under a dependant king- ap-
pointed hy Judah, for I k (.t'ntury 26. (hie attempt ag-ainst J u-
dah is re('orded
7, when tho
e of ::\Iount Seir f'omhined with
l\foab and .\mlllon ag-ainst Jplwshaphat after his dpfpat at na-
moth-A"ilead. They had penetrated heplIld En/.!,'edF\ on thp
road whichA.rah marauders take 1I0W 29 , toward
the" ilderne!"s
of Tdwa, when GOll
et them against one another. and they
fpll hy each other's hand
30. But Jelwshaphat's prayer at thi

time evinees that Jsrad'
had h('cn a def('nsh-ewarfare. Othcr-
wi!<e, he ('ould not have al'l'ealpd to (;0(131, tile chilc/ren rif Am-
711011 ((1Il1 .JlUlI" ((ml moullt Seir, wlwm Tltou 'l'o"ldest 1I0t let Is-
ruel im'(ule wllell tlley came out of tile lalld of EK'Ipt, Ind tlley
turnedfrom tllem, alld destrn.'1ed t"em lIut, "ehoM, the.'! rell'arti
llS, to cume to cast ItS uut of Th.'1 pussesÛCJII, '('//Ích Tholl 11lI.
t
gil'l'Il u.
to inl,ait. Judah held Edum by aid of .g-arri
ons, as
a wild beast is hcld in a eag'p, that they mi/!ht not injure them,
hut had taken no land from theIll, lwr expelled them. Edom
soug-ht to cast Israel out of God's land. Re,.olts ('all not he
without hlood
hed; and so it is perhaps the more prohable,that
the word
of Jot'l32,jor tlte ,'iolence agaill.
t the clâldren of .Ju-
doll, hecause thetl hal'e sited imwcellt blood ill tlteir lalld, relate
to a maSSa(Te ot'the Jews, when Esau I'e,.olted from Jehoram 33 .
\\T e have seen, in the I ndian )Ia
sapres, how e"ery Ih-inA" he-
ing' of the ruling power may, on such oecasion::-;, be souA"ht out
for de
truetion. Edmn
ained its indCJ)endanee,and J{'horam

who !;oug-ht to recover hi!oÒ authority, eseaped with his lifc by
euttinA" throuA"h the Edomite army by nig-ht 3"'. Yet in _\mazi-
ah'
time thev were still on the offensiH,sin('e the battle where-
in ht' defeate(i them, was aA"ain ill the l'alll'!1 of sult 35 . Azariah,
in who
e rci
n Amos prophesied, rcg-ained Elath from them,
the port for the Indian trade 36. Of the origin of that war, we
know nothing-; only the brief word.. a!' to the Edomite Íln-a-
sion ag-ainst Ahaz 3ì, allll yet again had the Edomites cume, alld
smitten ill .Judah, alld carried Cllptil'e a captil'it.fl, attest
pre-
vious and, it may be, hahitual invasions. For no one slwh in-
vasion had been named. It may l)robahly meall, "they did .'1et
a{{aill, what they had been in the habit of doinA". " But in mat-
tcr of history, the prophets, in declaring the grounds of God's
judgment
, supply mueh which it was not the ohject of the
historical books to relate. They are histories of God'
deal-
ing's with His l)eople, His chastisements of them or of His sin-
ful instruments in cha
tising them. Rarely, ex('ept when His
!'1\premat'y was diret'tly ehallenged. do they record the /!round
of the chastisement!' of Heathen nation!'. Hence, to those who
look 011 the surface only, the wars of the lwi/..."hhouring nations
ag-ainst I::-;raellook but like the altt'rnations of peace and war,
vietoryand dt'feat, in modern times. The Prophets draw up
the veil, and shew us the secret groullds of man's mi
deeds and
God's jud
ments.

1 Kgs.xi.16. 23 Ib.15. Itshouldberendered,not,qft....lI.hadslain, but,.."dhe
slelll,
s. ,. IKI!". xi. 14-20. 20 Jos.Ant. \iii.7.6.
6 1 Kj!s. xxii. 47. 2 KJr.!.
iii. 9 sqq. f7 ! Chr. xx. 10. ;:s lb. 2, 16. 20. 29 Rob. i.508. 30 ver. 22-24.
31 lb. 10,11. 32 iii.19. 33 2 Kgs. viii. :!0_22. 34 lb. 21. >> lb. xiv. 7.
2 Chr. xxv. 11, 12. 36 2 ChI. xx,i. 2. 3i lb. xxviii.17.
Gg

IG6

C IF:[oÍS T bccause hc did pursup a his broth{'r
cir. iSi. b with the sword, and t did east oft'
a g

't:
:1.1
: all pity, c an(l his ang-er did tear per-
Mal. 1. 2. b 2 Chr. 2b.li. t Heb. corrupted hi. compassions. . Ezek. 35. 5.

A:\lOS,

petually, and he kept his wTath for ever: cJ1t o íl's T
12 llut d I will send a fire upon 1'eman, cir. 'i87.
which shaH devour the palaces of Bozrah. d Obad. II. 10.

Ber((1(se he did pur.me his broil/er. The characteristic sin
of EclulII, and its IHlIli
hment arc one main suhject of the 1'1'0-
phel'y of Ohadiah, invetcrate mali('e contrary to the law of
kindn'd. Ele\'Cn hnndred years had pa

ed
ir]('e the birth of
their tëJrefather
, Jal'oh amI E
au. ßut, with God, cleven hun-
drcd veal'S had not worn out kindred. Hc \\Tho willed to knit
to
etÌlCr aU ('reation, mcn and ang-cl", in one in Christ" and, as
a means ofunion 2 , made of ol/e blood alluatious of 7/Ieu for tu
dll.ell 011 all theface (!ftlle cartll, used all sorts of ways to impress
this i(ka ofbrotherhoml. Ire furg-et relationship mostly in the
third
eneration. often sooner; and we think it strang'e when a
nation lung- rctains the mcmories ofthosc rclationshi ps 3. God,
in His law, stampcd on His pcoplt"s minds those wider mean-
ing-s. To slay a man wa;: to slay a brother
. Even the Olltl'ast
Canaan was a hrutlwr 5 to Shem and Ham. Lot
peaks to the
men of Sodllln amid!<t their iniquities, 1//.'1 hretllreu G; J aeob so
salutes those unknown to him 7. The dC'scendants of hhmacl
and Isaal' were to be brethren; so were those of Esau and Ja-
('01,8. The bl"Otherhoml ofhlood was not to wear out, aud there
was to he a brotherhood of Im'p als0 9 . Everv Israelite was a
broth('rlO; ea('h tribe was a hrother to every (;ther ll ; the fOl're
of the appeal was remcmbel'ed, even when pa
sion ran hig-h 12.
It enters hahituallv into the Didne ledslation. Tllou sllalt 0-
llel/ tll.,/lwllliu'ide "unto tll.1! hl'Otller l3 ; if t!l.lf hrutller, a Hehreu',
sell //ÌII/self tu theèl.; thou shalt uut .
ee thy brother's O
t. or /âs slleep
go a.
t1"(l.'/ tlmildde thyse{f from tlll'm 15 ; if thy hrotller bp tl'tl.
'en
poor, tl,ell shalt tholt relil'l'e /âm, though a stranger ami a so-
jOllrner, that he rJ/a.1/lh'e ll'it!l tl,ee 16. In that same law, Etlom's
relationship as a brother was al'knowledged. It was an abid-
ing law that horael was not to take Edmu's land, nor to refuse
to' admit him into the con
regation of the Lord. Edom too
rememhered the relation, hut to hate him. The nations around
Israd seem to h.we beenliule at war with one another, huund
together by common hatred a
ainst God's peuple. Of their
wars ind('('d we should not hear; for they had no religious in-
ten'st. They wuuld be but the natural result" of the pas!':ions
of unrcp:('nerate nature. Feuds there douhtless were and fu-
rays. }Hit "0 attempts at permanent (>onqucst or subdual. Their
towns remain in their own possession 17. Tyre docs not invade
Philistia ; nor Philistia, Tyre or Edmn. nut all combine against
Israel. The words, dirl]Jlfr.me /âs hrot !tel' ll'Ítlt tlte sword, ex-
press more than is mentioned in the historieal books. '1'0 pur-
Slle is more than to fight. They followed after, in onler tu de-
stroy <1, remnant, and cast '!ff' all pi(I/, lit. and more strong-lr,
corrupted /âs compassifJn.
, tendemesses. Edom did violent'e to
his natural feeling-s, as Ezekiel. using- the same word, sa)-s of
Tyre, corrupting 18 his wisdom, i.e'l'ervertin
it from the end for
whieh (
od gave it, and so destroying it. Edom "steeled him-
selt
" a
we
ay, "against hi,.. hcU('r feelings," "his better na-
ture," "deadened" them. nut so they do not live ag-ain. .Man
is not master of the life and death of his feelings, any more than
of his natural existence. He can destroy; he cannot re-create.
And he does, so far, mrrupt, decay, do to death, his own feel-
ings, whenever, in any signal instance, he acts against them.

1 Eph. i. 10. 'Acts xvii, 26. 3 as the Scotch. 4 Gen. ix. 5.
, lb. 2::;. 6 lb. xix. 7. 7 lb. xxi... 4. 8 lb. >.:vi. 12. xxv, 18. 9 lb. xxvii.
29,37. 10 E:c.ii.ll. iv.lB. the king and his people Deut.xvii.20. 1Chr. xxviii. 2.
II Dcut.x.9.xVIÜ.2. Jud.xx.23,28. 1 2 2 Sam. ii.26. 13 Deut.n.H. H lb. 12.
I. lb. xxii,1-4. 16 Lev. xxv. 35-39. add Lev. xix, 17. Dent, xxiv. 7, 10, 1-1.

Edom was not simply unfeeling. lIe destroyed all /âs tender
yearl/ing.
19 over suffering, sneh as God has Imt into e,'ery hu-
man heart, until it d('struys them. Ordinary .1Il
er is satis-
ficd and slak('d by its indulgence; malil'e is fomentetl and fed
and im"ig-oratcd by it. Edum ever, as o('(,tlsiun ('a me, gratified
his an1!:er; his anger did tear cuntil/ual/.I!; yet, thou
h raging, as

ome wild ravening- animal, without control, he kept Iä.
1l'ratl,
fur el.'er, not within bUUIuls, but to let it loose anew. lIe retain-
ed it when he ou
ht to have parted with it, and let it loose when
he ollg-ht to lun e restrained it.
""'hat is be!o't, when spoiled, becomes the worst," is pro-
verbial truth. ,,
o As nu ]uve wellni
h is more faithful than that
uf bruthers, so nu hatred, when it hath on('(' be
lln, is UIUI'C nn-
just,no odium fiercer. E(lualitystirs up and inflames the mind;
the shamp of I-,riving way and the love of pre-emÎlll'nce is the
more inflame(l,in that the menUlry ofinfam'y and whatever else
would seem to g-t'nder good will, when OlU'e they arc turned a-

ide from the ri
ht Imth. prodlU'e hatred and eonteml't." They
were pro,-erbial saying-s uf Heathenism, "fien'e arc the wars uf
hrethren 21," and" they who have loved exeeeding-ly, they too
hate ex('eedingly.21" "2
The .\.ntiochi. the Seleu('i, the Gryphi,
the C)-zi('eni, when they learnt not tu he all but brothers, but
('raved the purple and diadems, overwhelmed thenuselves and
Asia too with many calamitics."
12. But [AI/d), in My turn and as a conse(lueIU'e of these
sins] 1(.iU send a .fire upun Teman. "Teman," say Eusehius
and S. J erome 23 , "was a country of the prince
of Edum, which
had its name from Teman son of Eliphaz, son of Esau 2
. nut
even to this day there is a village, ('ailed Teman, abuut 5 (Eu-
sebius says 15) miles from Petra, where also is a Roman gar-
rison, from whieh place was Eliphaz, king of the Themanites."
It i
. however, pruhahly the district which is meant, of which
nOZl'a was then the capital. For Amos when speaking- of ci-
ties, uses some wurd to express this, as the palaces of BeJllwdacl
tlte ll'all of Ga:::.a, of T.lJru.
, of llabfJah; here he simply uses the
name Teman, as he does those uf
Ioab and Judah. Amus does
not mention Petra, or Selah; fur Amaziah had taken it, and
called it Joli:thee], "whidl God subdued," which name it for
some time retained 25.
Bo::.ralt (lit. whieh cuts off approa('h) is mentioned, as ear-
lyas Genesis 26, as the
eat of one of the elective kiugs who, in
time!': befure :\Ioses, reigned over Edom. It lay then doubtless
in Idumea itself, and is quite distin('t from th(' ßozrah ofHau-
ran or Aurallitis, from which S. JCl"Ome also distinguishes it 23.
"There is another Bosor also, a city ofE!'au, in the mountains
of IIlumea, of which Isaiah speaks." There is yet a small vil-
lag-e ufthe like name (nusaira "the little Dozrah") which "ap-
pears," it is said 27, "tn have been in ancient times a consider-
able eity, if we mar judge from the Mlins which surround the
village." I t has now " some 50 houses, and stands on an ele-
vation, on the summit of whit'h a small ca!<tle has been built."
The name- however, "little Dozrah," indicates the existence
of a "
Teat ßozrah," with which it!': name is contrasted, and
is not likely to have been the place itself28. Probably the namo

17 on Moab and Edorn see on ii. 1.
IB Ez. xxviii. 17. II
"r.:-;":"m 20 F. Petrarch. Dial. ii.45. Bas.
155.i. Lap. 21 in Arist. Pol. vii. 7. Lap, 2t Pint. de frat. amore. lb.
23 de locis Hebr. 2' Gen. xxxvi.Il, 15. . 2 Kgs. xiv. 7. 26 xxxvi. 33.
71 Burckhardt, Syria, 407. 28 as has been assumed since Robinson, ü.167.

CfL\.PTER I.

}Gj

Defore
CHRIST
cir.. j8ï..

13
Thus saith t1)e LORD; For threp I transgres
ions of e the children of
\mnlOn, c J:[O?s T
. Jer. m.l, 2. Ezek. 25.2. Zeph. 2. 9. cir. ;8i.

was a eomlllon CIne, "the
tron
plaec" nfit:-, neig-hhnurhood I.
The ßozrah of Edmn i
eithcr that litth' "ilIagc, or is wholly
hlottt'f! out.
I:t Ammull. Tlw
e who recch e their c
istence under eir-
('mnstanecs, in any way like those of the fil'st furefathers of
)loab and _\mmlm: are'known to hc under physil'al as wcll as
intellectual and nwml (li"'adnllltaJ,:'e!<. Apart from th(' worst
horrors, un the OIle
ide reason wa!< stupf'fied, on the other
it was at,th-e iu sin. lIe who imprinted His laws on nature,
has anIle
ed the penalty to the iufmf'tion of tlw

laws. It is
hnown also how, e, en under the GosI'd, tht' Illam dmraetcr
of a natiull remains unehang-ed. The basis of natural charac-
ter, upon whieh
race has to act, remains, under certain limits,
the same, Still more in the unehangin
East. Slave-dealers
know of eertain hereditary g-oof! or e,-il qualities in non-Chri!'-
thUl nations in whom thcy traffic. "'hat marn'l then that .\m-
mon and )loab retained the stamp of their orig-in, in a sensual
or passionate nature? Theirchoiee o.f their idols g-re\\"out of this
orig-inal charadeI' and ag-
r<l\"ated It. They dwse them g-ods
like' themseh-es,andworscned themseh-es hycopying- these idols
oftheir sinful nature. The chicf god of the ficrce Ammon was
1\lilchlllll or )loleeh, the principle of destruction, who was al'-
}Jcased with saeri
ec:s .of
h-inJ,:' ehildren, g1,-en to the fi
e to de-
nmr. :\loab, Lcsidcs its 1(101 Chemosh, had the degradmg wor-
ship of ßaal Peor 2, re-producth'cness the ('ounterpart of de-
!.<truetion. And, so, in fiert'e or degradinJ,:' rites, they \\"orship-
}}ed the power which belongs to God, to ereate, or to destroy.

loahwas the seducer of Israel at Shittim 2. _\mmon, it ha", been
noticed, shewed at different times a pceuliar wanton feroeit y 3 .
Sueh was the proposal of Nahash to the men of Jabesh-Gilcad,
when offerinJ,:' to surrender4, tltat I ma!l tl/rltst uut all !lour rigltt
eye.
{(lidla.'lit for a reproach UlitO (/lll
rael. SUe'h wa" the insult
to Da,-id\; mes!'enp:el's of pea('e, and the hiring- of thc Syrians
in an ag-
re
"ive war against Dadd 5. Such, aJ,:'ain, was thi!" war
of extennination against the Gileadites. On Israel's side, the
I"('lation to
loab and Ammon had been altog'ether friendly.
God ree.alled to Israel the memory of their common descent,
and forbade tht'm to war against either. H(' "peaks of them
hy the name ofkindne5
, the cltildren of Lut, the eompanion and
friend of Abraham. 6 I lcil/not giu thee of their land for a
pussession, because IlulI'c gÍt'ell ;t unto the c!ti!tlrell of Lot for
a )lo,
sessiull. Akin by de
cent, their hbtory had been aJike.
Each had drivcn out a /!iant tribe; Moab, the Emim; Ammon,
the Zamzummim 7. They hml thus pns!'Òessed themseh-es of
the tract from the .\rnon, not quitt' half way down the Dead
Sea on its East sidc, to the J.abbok, about half way between
the Dead Sca and the Sea of Galilee 8. Roth had been expell-
ed by the .\morites, and had been drÎ\'en, )Ioah, behind the
.Arnon, Ammon, behind the strollt:: horder 9 of the upper part
of the Jabbok, what is now the 1'\ahr Amman, "the river of

1 i. "Bezer in the 'Wilderness" or .. plain ,. in Reuben opposite to Jericho, one of the
cities of refuge. (Deut. iv. 4.3. Jo<ili. xx. 8.) ii. Bosor, a" strong and great city" ofGi-
lead. (1
lacc. v. 26,36. Ant.xii. B.4.) iii. Besara, on the confines of Ptolemais, 2Jmiles
from Geba (Jos. Vito f. 24.) iv. Bozrah of 1\1oab, (JM". xlviii.
.) The Bostra whIch the
Romans rebuilt, 2.1 mIles from Edrei, which became the Metropolis of Arabia, and, in Ara-
bic times, of lIauran, (see the description ofthe remains, Poner, Fi\e years, ii. 140 sqq.)
la} too far!'; orth to be any of these. It is probably a corruption of :-:-:-:;':, " house of
Ashtoreth" in Manasseh(Jos. xxi. 27. see Reland, v. Bostra p. 6f>û.) and Bosorra(distinct
from Hosor, 111lacc. \. 2/i, 28.)ma.r be another corruption of the name.
Nu. xxv.1-3.
3 Grote in Smith, Bibl. Diet. v. Ammon. 4 I Sam. xi. 1-3.
· 2 Sam. x_ 1-6. 6 Deut. ii. 9, 19. 7 lb. 10.11, 20,1.
8 N u. ni. 23-30. Of this, Moab had the pan from the Amon to the
. of the Dead Sea,
including Iheplains of Moab (::!!'-: :--::-;?)i. e. the pan ofthevalle\ of the Jordan on the E.
side, opposite to Jericho, the subsequent possession of Reuben. -Gilead, to the S. and E.
of the Jabbok, had belonged to Ammo!:" whence it is said that Moses gave to the2!tribes

.\mlllUn:' Eastward. The whole of what heeame the illheri-
tanee of the :l! trib('!', was in the hands of the Amorites, and
threatened very nearly their rcmaininlr possessions; !o'ÏIu'e, at
4JI'Opr that is htfure !i'IMmlt II), the Amorites were already o"er
ag-ainst the capital of .\mlUon ; at the .\rnon they were but 2l
hours II fl"llm .\r-)Ioab, the remaining capital of )Inab. brael
then, in d(,!<tl'oying' the Amorites, had been at OIH'e aven/!inJ,:' and
re!.;euing l\loah and Ammon; and it is so far a token of fricndli-
ne"s at this time, that, after the ,'ictory at Edrei, the /!reat ;ron
bedstead ofO
wa" plaecd;1I Rahhal, oft/Ie c!tildl"elI of ..111l1ll01l 12 .
Envy, jealou
y, and fear, united thcm to ltire Balaam to Cllrlie
I!'rael i3 , althoug-h the liÏng- of
Ioah was the ehief al'tor in thisJ-l.,
a!' he was in the scdlH'tion of Israel to idolatrv i5. Probahly)[o-
ab was then, and continued to he, the nwrë influential ör the
more powerful, sinee in their fir
t inni
ion of brael, the .\m-
lllonltes camc as the allies of Eglon hing- of
Ioah. Ill' fill/llered
unto ltim tlte cltildl"ell of Ammoll ami Allwlek l6 . Alld thev sert'-
ed l::glon. Yet .\nunon's :;uhsecluent uppre!'
ion must have
been yet more WiC\'ou
,
ince God remimls Israel of His delh-er-
in
tl{em from the .\mmonites 17, not from )Iuab. There \\ e find
_\mmon under a king, and in lea
ue with the Philistine,;; 18,
('ra.
lIillg and Cl'/ls!tillg 19 fur IS .'Iears all the c1tildl"ell of I
l"llel
ill Gilead. The .Ammonite!oò carried a wide inni:,;Îon acro
s the
Jordan ag-ainst Judah, ßenjamin and I
phraim w, until they
\\"('rc subduct! hy Jephthah. Moab i!' not named; but the king
of .\lllmon claims as 1JI.'llClllfl
" the whole whidl
loab and .\lll-
lllon had lost to the .\morites, and they to hracl,fl"fJJIl Arnon
unto Jabbuk and unto Jurdan 21. The ran
e also of' J ephthah's
vÏt'tories includ('d prohahly all that same country from the Ar-
non to the lleig-hhourhood of Rabbah of .\lllmon 23. Thc .\.m-
monites, subdued then, were again on the offensive in the fierce
siege of Jabe!oòh-Gilcad and against Saul 23 . Yet it seems that
they had already taken" from Israel what they had lost to the
.Amorites; for Jabe"h-Gilead was heyond the Jabhok 2!: and
_llbpelt of
lloab, ,,-hither David went to seek thc king- of :\10-
ab ;15, was probably no other than the Ramoth-)fizpeh 2G of Gad,
the
Iizpeh 27 whence Jephthah went ovcr to fig-ht the .\mmon-
ite!'. \\ïth Hanan. kin
of .\nll11on, Da,"id soug-ht to rl'main at
peace, on aeeount of some kindness, interested as it prohahly
was, whit'll his father Xahash had shewn him, when persecuted
hy SauF9. !twas only after repeated attempt!'Ò to bring an U\-er-
whelming forl'e of the Syrians ag-ainst David, that Rahbah was
hesieg-ed and taken, and that awcfill punishment inflil.ted. The
sevcrity of the punishment inflicted on
loab and .\mnHlIl, in
that two third" ofthe fighting men of )loab werc put to death 29,
and fighting mcn of the cities of .AIIIII/fJll 30 were destro
ed by a
g-ha41y death, 1>0 (litTcrt'nt from David's treatment of the Phi-
listint's or the various Syrians, implies ""nne extreme hostility
on their part, from whieh there was no safcty exeept in thdr
destruetion. )loab and .\mnlOll were still united against Je-

the land unto t"" boràe
of the child
en of Ammon, (Jos. xiii. 10.) i. e. Westward, and yet
half the land of the children if Ammon, (lb. 25.) i.e. what they had lost to the Amorites.
" r\ u. Lxi. 2-1,. 10 J os. xiii. 25. 11 Poner, Handb. 30:? " Deut. iii. 11.
13 lb. xxiii. 4. 14 N u. xxii-xxiv. 15 lb. X'CV. 1-3. 16 J ud. iii, 13. 11 lb. x_ 11.
18 lb. í. 19 ':::;_.
.::;_.
lb. B. The two a1literate and equivalent words are
joined as intensÌ\'e. 20 lb. 9. 21 lb. xi. 13. To lb. 33.lle smole them/rom AION'
to .'IJinnith, plinnitlt Was "-I. miles from He.hbon on the way to Philadelphia," i. e. Rab-
bah) tu.ent'l cities and .mto Abel-keramim .. í (Eu.s. 6.) miles from Rabbab." S. Jer. If
A roer is here the best known, that by the Amon, the account describes one line from the
A
o

oab.I

I
,
:'Yfr.d Hesh
o? 6:i:::fr

p
il:
:a:
ti {o

. Gerasa" (Jerash)
S.Jer. de loco Hebr. Both placcs v. ere beyond the JabboJ... The name Jabesh, "dry,"6tiJ)
sur.-ive. in the valley Yabes.(the _-\rabic pronunciation) which, with its brook, ends 111 the
Jordan; or Bgeogr. miles N. of the Jabbok. 25 1 Sam. xxii. 3.
:.'6 Josh. xiii. 26. 27 Jud. xi. 29. :s 2 Sam. x. 2. 2! 11;1. viii. 2. :ill lb. xii. 31.
G g2

IGH

c .rí[ofe s T and for four, 1 will not turn away the ]Jll-

'l
1I;.'iI/llnt'lIt thereof; heeau
e thf'Y have \I frip_
II
,
"
;

"S. ped up the women with child of (;ilead,
I

'.J.1
.t;. g that they might enlarge their border:

Al\10S,

1.1 Uut I will kindlf' a fire in the wall of C lrïtofe s T
h Rahhah, and it :shall de,-our the lmlaeps cir. ï87.
th{'reof, ; with shouting- in the day of hattlt', ..

,
.3i:!

(j.
with a tempest in the day ofthe whirlwind:

:2
:5.
I ch. 2. 2.

hoshaphat 1, and with Ncbl1chadnezzar again
t Jehoiakim!,
whom they had beforc ..ought to stir up al!ain
t thc king of
Babylon 3 . Both profitell for a timc by the distrcs!'t's of brat'l,
magnWling them
elYes again,
t her border \ and taking po"ses-
sion of her eities 5 , after tlIP;2
tribes ha.. bl'ell t'arricd away by
Tig-Iath-l'ileser. Both united in insulting- Judah, and (as it ap-
pears from Ezekiel 6) out of jealousy ap:ainst its relig-ious dis-
tinction. "'hen !;I)me ofthe ..caU('rcd Jews were reunited un-
der Gcdaliah, after the destrtwtion of Jerusalem bv Nehuehad-
nezzar, it was a king of Ammon, ßaali", whu h;stig-ated Jo-
hanan to ml1rd('r him 7. "'hen Jcrusalem was to be rdmilt af-
tcr thc return from the captivity, Ammonites and .Moahites 8,
Sanlmllat the lIorrmite(i. c. out uf Horonaim, which Moah had
taken to itselfÐ,) aUll Tobiall ti,e Serl'allt, tlie Ammonite, were
chietÏn th(' opposition tu it. They help('d on the persecution
by Antioehus 10. Thcir anti-relig-ious eharacter, which shewed
it..elf in the hatrcd of Israel and thc hire of nalaam, was the
ground of the exelusion of both from admission into tlie cmlgre-
gation (!f tlie Lordlur ever n. Thp seduption of
olumon by his
Ammonite and l\Ioahite wives illustratesthc infectiousll('ss of
thcir idolatry. "Thile he made private chapels for all //Ìs
strange 7l'il'e.
, to burn incense fwd .mcr[/ìce to tlleir !(ods H, thc
tnost stately idlliatry was that of Chemosh and l\Iolcch, the a-
bomination uf Muab and Ammon 13. For Ashtoreth alone, be-
f;ides these, did Solomon huild hig-h-places in sig-ht of the tem-
ple of (;tld, on a lower part of thc l\Iollnt of Olh'es 14.
tile..'! hm'e ripped up tile wOl1len1l'ith cMlr/ ill Gilead. Sincc
Elisha prophesicd that Hazacl would be guilty of this samc
atroeity, and since Gilead was thc "'('ene of his chi(.f atrol'ities 15 ,
probahly Syria and Amnlllll were, as uf old, united ap:ainst Is-
rael in a war of ext{'rmination. It wa,; a conspiraey to displat'c
God's peoplt. from the land whieh He had g;wn them, and
themseln's to rel'hu'c them. The plan was effeeth'c; it was,
Amos says, exeeuted. Theyexpelled and inherited Gad l6 . Gi-
lead was desolated for thc sins for which Hosea rebuked it;
"blood had blood." It had been tracked lI'ith h!oud]7 ; now lifc
was sought out tiJr destruction, cven in the mother's womh.
But, in the end, I srat'l, whose extt'rmination .Ammon devised
a.nd in part efleeted, sUn'h-ed. Ammon perished and left no
memorial.
tiwi the.1f migM enlm"/(e their borders. It was a horror,
then, exen'is('d, not ineidentally here and then', or upun a
few, or in suddcn stress of passion, hut upon systcm and in cold
hlood. "'c ha,'e seen latt'ly, in the massacres near Leba-
non, where malc ehildren were murdered on s\'sh'm, how me-
thodkally such savag-eness
oes to work. A mås!oòacre,hcrt' and
there, would not have enlarged their hunlers. They must ha,'c
carried on these horrors then, throughout all the lands which
thcy wished to possess, making place for themselvcs by anni-
hilating Israel, that there mig'ht be none tu rise up and thrust
them from their conquests, and elaim their old inheritance.

1 2 Chr. xx. 2 2 Kgs. xxiv. 2. 3 J er. xxvii. 3. 4 Zeph. ii. 8. 6 On Am-
mon see below. When Isaiah prophesied, Moab was in possession of all the cities of Reu-
ben, Is. xv. xvi. . Ez. xxv. 2-8. 7 Jer_ xl. 1l_l.J.. xli. 10. 8 Neh. ii.l0, 19. iv. 1-3.
9 Is. xv. 5. Jer. xlviii. 3, 5, 3t. 10 1
Iacc. v. 6. II Deut. xxiii. 3. 12 1 Kgs. xi. B.

B Solomon's worship of Ashtoreth as well as of Milcom is mentioned 1 K. xi. 5. The
high places ofChemo:;h and 1\Iolech are alone mentioned there wr. ,. that of Ashtoreth
is mentione
in the account of its defilement by Josiah. .. 2 Kgs. xxiii. ]3. I. ab.3.
. 18 Jer. xhx. 1. . "17 8e
on }los.. vi. 8. p. 42. 18 peut. iii. 11.

oly
. v. 71.4.

Such was the fruit of habitually indnl
ed cO\'etousncss. Yet
who beforehand would have thoug-ht it possible?
14. 11l'ill kindle a ./ire ill the wall of ]lab/Ifill. Rahbah,
lit. the gr('at. called by :;\Ioses IS ]labball of the children of Am-
11!(J1l, and hy later Greeks, llafJatl/lll1ll1l(l1la I9 , was a strong I'ity
with a yet stronger dtadcl. Ruins still exist, SIlIllC of which
probahly date hack to th('sc times. The lower city" 20lay in a
valle\' bordered on buth sides hv barren hills of flint," at t an
hour' froIll its entnUH'e. It lay'on a stream, still called hy its
name
royet or Xahr Amman, "waters" or "river of Ammon,"
whieh ultimately falls into the Zurka (thc Jahbok.) "2] On the
top of the hig-hest of the lXorthern hills," where at the dinr-
r-ence of twon1lleys it abuts upon the ruins oftlw town," stands
the castle of .\nnnon, a ,"eryextensÍ\'e rectang"ulnr huilding,"
followinp: the shapp of the hill and wholly oceupying its ercst.
"Its waUs arc thiek, and denotc a remote antifpiÏty; large
blocks of stone an' piled up without cement, and still hold to-

ether as well as if they had be('n recently plaeed; the I!reatcr
lJart of thewall is entire. "'ithin the ('astle arc se,'eral deep cis-
terns." There art' rcmains of foundations of a wall of the low-
cr city at its Eastcrn extremity2
. Thi,; lower city, as lying on
a rh-er in a waterlcss distriet, was t'alled tile ci(/I of u'aters 23,
whieh Joah had taken when he sent to David to l'Ollle and be-
siep:c the Ppper City. In later times, that rpper l:ity was
r('!'olutely defcnded ag-ainst AntiOl'hus the Great, and taken

not by force but by thirst 2\ On a conspÏt'uous plaec on this
("astle-hill, stood a largp temple, sume of its broken ('ohunns
H
f('et in diamet('r 2õ , probablr the (;reeian successur uf the tem

pie of its idol l\Iilchom. Habbah, the capital of Ammon, can-
not h.u'e es("aped, when Nebuchadnezzar, "26 in the 5th year
of his rcig-n, led an army ag-ainst ('fete-Syria, and, hadl1g- pos-
st'ssed hiIllself of it, warrcd against the AmIllouit(.s aud
Io-
abites, and having- madc aU thesc nations suhjeet to him, in-
vadt'd Eg-YlJt, to subdue it." Afterwards, it was tossed to and
fro iu the desolating- wars hetween Syria and E
'11,t. Ptolcmy
II. called it from his own surname Philadelphia 27 , aud so pro-
bahly had ha(l to restorc it. It broug-ht upon itself the attack
of .Autioehu
III. and its own t'apture, by its old habit of ma-
raudiug- ag-ainst the Arabs in alliauee with him. .At the time
of our Lord, it, with" Samaria, Galilee and Jericho," is said
bya heathen 28 to he "inhabited by a min
led rat'e ufEgrptians,
Arahians and Phænicians." It had prohably already been
givcn ovcr to tile ('ililrlrcll of tile Ells!, the .\.rabs, a
Ezekiel had
tilretllld 29 . In early Christian times l\Iilt'hom was stiU worship-
ped there under its Greek name of I1en'ules 30. Trajan re-
eovered it tothe Roman empire 3 !, and in the 4th eentury it, with
ßostra 32, was still accounted a "n1st to" n most seeured by
strong- walls," as a frontier fortress "to repel thc incur
ions of
ncig"hbourin
nations." It wa,; ('ounted to belon
to Arabia 33.,
An Arabie writer says that it perished bcfore thc times uf
ro-
hammed, and ('overed a large tra('t with its ruins 34. J t became

t
ÞIB
ki
gham, ;r
v
Rî
:;,d

111Ô'. 351.'
'Sam. :/
7
92' 6
oi;1
. i

.pÅa
fï

!;
shewed how the acce.softhe garrison to the water might be cut off. 2> Burckhardt,36O.
2. Jos. Ant. x. !J. ï. 2; S. Jer. in Ezek. xxv. 28 Strabo, xvi. 2. 3-1. Ritt. 1156.
29 xxv. 4. 30 Coins from Trajan to Commodus, see authorities, Ritt. 115;.
H:r:

/1

h. p. 1
:'R
fa
d,r
if lb. 34

fe

,t;h

fÌ

J:;
tt
have known it, as lying on the pilgrim-road to M,ecca) Tab. Syr. p. 91. .

CHAPTER II.

c HB
ofs T 1:> .\nd k their king- shall go intu C'ap-
cir.78;. tivity, hp amI }Iis pri)H't's tugether, saith
· Jer. 19.3. tht, LORn.

CIL\PTEH. II.

I God's fl'rath lIgllillSt J.JIuah, 4 upun JUdllll,

169

Gaud upon Israel. 9 God complailleth of their C HBï[ofs T
uutlwu!..fulness. cu. 787.

rJ1I1CS saith the LORD: For three trans- .
L
'Tcssions of a .l\luab, and for four, I. }
r

8
16.
will not turn away ill(' ]Jlllli
'll1l1(,lIt thereof;
:;t
8
'

a station of pil
rilll!' to MCI"('a, and then, till now, as I:zd\.icl
foretold
, a
t(//;[e fu.r cr:lllel.
and (l coucMng place for flocks. I
IU'II! !..lIullell.fire III the It'ull. It may be that the prophct
means to speal. of !-OIne I"onflagration frolll within, in that hc I
!'ay!' not, as cJscwhere 2, Ilt'il! .send a .tire upon, but, I will kin- I
die a /ire ill. ßut the shouting is the battle-cry 3 of the victori-
011S èuemv, the ehccr of exultation, antidl'atin
its capture.
That ()n!'låu
ht was to be rcsistless 4, sweel'in
, like a whirl-
wind, all before it. The fortress amI walls of RaLhah were to
viehl bcfure the onset of the enemv, as the tents of their eara-
,-ans wel'e whirled flat on the grõund befure the eddying of
the whirlwinds from the dest'rt, burying all beneath them. I
I.'). Ami their king. The king was commonly, in those
natiuns, the centre of their ener
y. "
hell lie alUlllis princes
were gfllle intu ('aptil'ity, th('re wa." no one to make head a-

ainst the eOlUlueror, and renew revolts. Hence, a.... a first step
in the sllhdual, the rei
nin
head and those who shared hi,;
counsels werc remO\-ed. Ammon then, sa\'ag-e as it was in art,
was no iII-or
anb;ed horde. On the eontrary, barren and waste
8.<> aU that eountn- now is, it must once ha"e been hi
hly t'ul-
timted by a settléd and laborious peoplc. The abun
lar;ce of
its ruins attests the industry and habits of the population.
"The whole of the eountry," says Durckhardt., "mu
t hm-e
been extremely well eulth-ated. to harc afforded !'ubsistenee to
tbe inhabitants of so nUlIl\' towns." .. The low hill!< are, for the
most part, erowncd witli' ruins." Of the" 6 thirty ruined or
deserted pla('e!'. which. including .\.nunfln," Iun-e heen e,-en late-
ly "eolluted East of .h
alt" (the rilla,g-e whidl probably repre-
scnts Ramoth-Gilcad, .. about I G miles 'Yest of Philadelphia í"
i. e. .Amman,) !'c\'eral are in Aumwnitis. Little as the country
ha!< heenexl'lored, ruins oflarg-e and importanttowns 11<1\ e beeil
found S.S.E. and S. of Ammfln 8. Two hours S.E. of .\.nllnan,
Bucking-ham rdates 9, "an eleration opened a new view before
U"', in the
<IIlJe diredion. On a little lower le,-el, was a still
more extensive trac'k of culth-atcd plain than that eren whieh
we had already passed-Throug-hout its whole extent were
seen ruined towns in every direetion, both betore, hehind, and
on cadI side of us ; generaUy seated on small eminences; all at
a fo;hort distance from each other; and all, as far as we had yet
seen, bearing" eviclent marks of former opuleney and considera-
tion. There was not a tree in sig-ht as far as thc e,-e could
)'eaeh; but my guide, who had heen orer every part of it; as,o:ured
me that the whole of the plain was covered with the finest soil,
and .'apahle of being-made the most productive corn land in the
world-For a spat'e of more than thirty miles there did not ap-
pear to. me a single interruption of hill, rm'k or wood, to impede
lllulledmte tilla
p. The gTeat plain of Esdraelclll, so justly eele-
bratpd for its p
tent and fertility, is inferior in Loth to thi
plain
of Bel
ah. [
ike Esdraelon, it appears to have been once the
seat of an adIVe and numerous population; but in the former
the monuments of the dead only remain, while here the hahita-
1 Eze
. x:,,,:. 5. see Lord Lindsay, 278-82. Porter, Handb. 30
,5. Lord C. Hamilton's
Journal m 15e1th 0,:\ Prol;'hecy, 2ïO,I. 2 i. 4,7,10,12. ii. 2, 5. 3 Job xxxix. 25.
Jer. xx. 16. Zeph. I.W, &c. · Theet)mol. of
t'::).
SHia, 357. see also
Porte
,_Hd.b.3U7.) 6 Keith, c.6. en
. 274. Ofehe 30 in Dr. Smilks list(Robinson
App. III. 168. ed. I.) se,,:eral are cl
a_rly
. of Ammon, in Gilead, se\eral are not in the
m!ips; some are clearlymAmmomtls. . Eus. Onom. Our copies of S. Jerome have by
::'8

.East. "6 hours" Porter,30í.see309. and Ritter, xv. 1136-8. 8 BucLingham,

t ions of the living- are (''luaUy minded with the tomhs of the de-
parted, all thiekly..;trc\\ n on'r (,\"Pry part ofthe "oil from which
they drew their sustenance." XUI' does the (TOWn, ofllta/ent
of gold u'eight, u,ith precious stunes lO , bdCJIIg- to an ulleivilised
}leoplc. Sudl hord('
too depcncl on the will aJld g-uidauee of
their sing-Ie Sheikh or head. This was a hen'ditarv king-dCJIu ll .
The kinis of AmnIOn had their constitutional a(h-ï""'('rs.' The
e
were they who g-a\'e the evil mul destructive ('ounsd to in!'ult
the emha
sadors of David. Edl king"s have evermore evil
l'ounsellors. It is e,-er the curse of sueh kin,g-s to 11<1\'1.' their
own e\'il, refleeted, antil'ipated, fomented, emieted by had ad-
,-isers around them. 12 Hand ill hand the ll'Ïcked sltallnot be
unjlwtislled. They link to/!cther, hut to drag- one another into
a common dcstruction. Tog-ether they had coun:seUed ag-ain
t
God; king llJld prince.s together, they
hould go into captil'ity.
There is also douhtless, in the word
Ialeham, a
uhonlinate
allusion to the g-od whom they worshipped under the title
Io-
leeh or .Malehom. Certainly Jeremiah seems so to ha\-e uuder-
I'tood it. For, ha,-ing said' of
loah, 13 Cllemo.
h shall go iuto
captirity, !lis priests amI Ilis princes together, hc
ay
as to

\.mmon, in the
clf-same formula and almost in the words of
Amos; 11. iJIalcllll1ll Ûwll go illto raptÏl'ity,!lis prie.
ts and his
princcs together. Zephaniah 15 also speak!< of the idol under the
same name
Ialeham, "their king-. " Yet since .\.nmwn had
kin
s befure this time, and just before their subdual bv Xe-
buchadnezzar, and king Baalis I6 wa
a murderer, it i
l;ardJy
likeh that Jercmiah too should not have indnded him in the
!<entcnce of his people, of who!<e sins he was a mainsprin
.
Prohably, then.
\.mos and Jeremiah toretelJ, in a eompreh{'n-
sh'e way, the powerlessness of all their stays, human and ido-
latrous. All in whieh they tru!<ted should not only fail them,
but should be carried eapth-e from them.
II. 1. JIuab. The relation of )loab to Israel is onh' ac-
eidentally different from that of .\.mmon. One spirit aetliated
hoth, venting itself in one and the !'ame way, as o('ea",ion
sen'ed, and mostly tug-ether 17. ßesides those more formal in-
nlsions, the histt;ry of Elisha mentions one probably of llIany
inroads of blinds of the
1Ioabites. It seems as thou/!h, when
the .1fear entered ill, and with it the harvest, tile banel.s of the
1I(J-
lIbites entered in 18 too, like the _JIiclillnites and J.Jmalel.-ites amI
the clâldren of the East 19 in the time of Gideon. or their
uc-
eeSStlrs the Dedaweens, now. This their eontinual ho
tilitv
is related in the few words of a par.cnthesis. There was no oë-
ea
ion to relate at leng-th an uniform IlCJ
tilitv, whic'h was as
regular as the seasons of the ycar. and the yeår's produee. and
the temptation to the cupidity of .:\Ioab, when Israel was weak-
ened In- Hazael.
he
allse lie hUl'1led the hones oftlte king of Edom. The dee(I
here ('ondemned is unknown. Douhtless it was eonneeÌ('d with
that same hatred of EdoIll, whieh the king of .:\loah shewed,
when hesieged by Israel. .Men are often more enrag-ed ag"ainst
9 Ib: 85. 10 2 Sam. xi.
O" 11
b. x.!. 12 Pro xi.
1. .
xlviii. 7.
14 xhx. 3. '.--
- ',--'::

.::-:: ï
' :-:
.::; =;:;= Am.
-:-:. ..-'::
tö':-::-:
'l:; ==;:. ,--, They
use thesameidiomand words, including the word ï:':-:,notN:;- which Jeremiah hasxxix. 16.
xlviii. 7. S. Jerome here rendersChemosh, and so did the Greek copies which Theodoret
used. Aq. Sym. and Syr. ,. i.5. 18 Jer. xl. H. I, see on i. 13. IS 2 Kgs. xiii. 20.
lit. And the bands of "[oab ruereruonttocome in, (the force of '11:;'-) as the yeCJrcCJme in.(I't
)
19 J ud. vi. 3, 4, 11.

170

C HBí!Ts T be('ause lIe b burned the bones of the king
cir. i8i. of Edom into lilll
:
":J Kgs. 3. 2ï. 2 nut I will send a fire upon
r()ab, and

AM OS,

it shall de,'our the palaC'es of c Kiriotb : and C }

[oÍes T

[oah shall die with tumult, d with shout-
ir.

ing, and with the sound of the trumpet:

1

'I

4
L

a friend or ally who has made terms with one whom they hate
or fear, than with the enemy himself. Certainly, 1l'''en the king
(
f
1Ioab sail' that the battle wa.
tuo sorefor /âm 1, his fury was di-
reded personally against the king uf Edom. He touk wit" Mill
700 elwsen men to cut through to the king of Edolll, ami tlle.1I
could I/ot. Eseal'e was not their object. They sought not to
('lit throll/{h the EdllJllite contingcnt into the desert, but to the
!.iug of Edom. Then he tuok IlÏs eldest suu, i. e. probably the el-
d('st son of the king of Edom 2 whom he eaptured, and '!tIered
IlÏm up as a burnt '!tteriu/{ Oll the 1{'all. Sueh is the simplest
struC'ture of the words; He strO'l'e to cut tlU'Ollglt tu t"e Mug
of Edolll, amI they could nut, al/rilw took /âs eldest SOli, l)-c, aud
t"ere was great iJl(I

]/(itiml agail/st Z<;rael. That il/diguatioll
too on the part of Edom (for there was no other to he indig-nant
a/{ail/st Israel) is best aC'('ounted for, if this expedition, under-
taken because Moab had rebelled against Israel,had oeeasioned
the sacrifice of the son of the king of Edom, who took part in it
only as a tributary of Judah. Edom wuuld ha,-c had no spe-
dal oeeasion to he indignant with Israel, it
on occasion of an
ordinary !'i{'ge, the king of l\Iuah had, in a shocking way, pcr-
formed the natiunal idolatry uf ehild-saerifiee. That hatred the
king of l\Ioab C'arried beymid the graw, hatred whit-h the hea-
then too held to he unnatural in its implaeahleness and unsa-
tiableness. The soul being, after death, beyond man's reach,
the hatred, ,-ented upon his remains, is a sort ofimpotent grasp-
ing at eternal ,-engemlf'e. It wrealís on what it knows to be
insen!'ible, the hatred with whieh it would pursue, itït could,
the lidng' being who is beyond it, Its imputen('e erim'es its
fiereeness, silH'e, having no power to \\Tcak any real re,'enge,
it has no objcet but to shew its hatred. Hatred, whidl death
('allliot extingui
h, is the beg-inning- of the dernal hate in hell.
"ïth this hatred l\Ioah hated the king- uf Edom, seemingly be-
CêlU!'e he had been, though IJruhably against his will, on the side
of the people of (;od. It wa
then !<in again!'t the lm'e of Gud,
and directed ag-ainst God Himself. The !o'ing-Ie instam'e, whieh
we know, of any feud between Moab and Edom was, when E-
dom was engag-ed in a constrained !'erviee of God. At least
there arc no indications of any conquest of caeh other. The
Hozrah of l\Ioah, Iwing in the )Iishor, the plain 8, is certainly
distinct from tl
ßozrah of Edom, whieh Jeremiah speaks ot

at the same time, a!< belonging to EdOlll 4. Each kingdom, E-
dom and l\Ioab, had its own strong eity, Bozrah, at one and the
same time. And if "the rm'k," whieh Isaiah 1'peaks of as the
strong: hold of )Ioab 5, was indeed the Petra of Edom, (and the
mere name, in that euuntry of rot'k-fortn'sses is nu strong, yet
is the only, proof,) they won it from Judah whu had taken it
from Edom, and in whose hands it remained in the time of
Amos 6, not from Edom itself. Or, again, the tribute may
have been only spnt through Petra, as the great centre ofeolll-
merce. Edom',., half-seniee gained it no good, but e,'iI; Mo-
ah's malice was its destruction.

1 2 Kgs. iii. 2(j, 7. 2 Josepnus understands it of the king of !\loab's own son; butthen

f8

;et
t
:c!,;:

r;,v:

:
þ
:

o
he ;:a
i
å

tf

ta
ai;J
fs

etl
;
,
i

sion of Israel himself(Ant. ix. 3. 2.) Theodoret supposes that the Moabites took the king of
Edom [i. e. the heir apparent] prisoner, and so sacrificed him. 3 Jer. xlviii. 21,24,
S.

:
i
i.lf
ac
s

.

.IÖx;. ?:g8. x
VB

id::
h:ëo\i;;ing: th

1

f:!D-

i

about half-way bet"een Damascus and Pa1mryra(see Five vears, i. 232 sqq. ii. 358.) auda
Kureiyeh" ina broad \"alley atthe S. W. base oftheJebellÍauran,"nearthe Roman Bos-
tra with "remains of remote antiquity." lb. ii,191. 8. add Burckhardt, S)ria, 103,4.

The prm'erb, "speak good only of the dcad," shews what re-
verenec human nature dictates, not to ('undenm those who have
been befure their Judge, unle...s He have already upenly condemn-
ed them. "Death," says S. Athanasius 7 in relating- the death
of .\rius (Ill his perjury, "is the emmnon end of all men, and
we ought not to insult the dead, thoug-h he be an enemy; for
it is uneertain whether the same event may not happcn to our-
I'elves before evening-."
2. It .
llClll devuur the }lalaces of Kerioth; lit. tlte cities, i. e.
a collcc,tion of {'itics. It may have reeeh'ed a plural furm upon
sOllie enlarg-ement, as Jerusalem reeeh'ed a dual form, as a dou-
hIe city. The name is, in difiè.'}"{'nt forms, very eomnwn 8. In
the plain, or higll downs of l\loab itself, there were both Kir-
iathaim, "double dty" and Kerioth 9; in Kaphthali, a Kiria-
thaim 10, or Kartan ll; in Judah, the licrioth 12 whenee the
wretehed Judas had his name I
cariot 18; in Zebulon, Kartah U
also, nohic'h reappcars as the Kumidian Cirta. l\Imlb Imd also
a I\:iriath-huzoth 15, "dty of
t)"{'ets," within the Arnon 111.
This alone was within the proper bordcr of Moah, such as the
.\lllorites IHul left it. Kerioth and Kiriathaim were in the
plain l'ountry ,,'hieh Israel had won from thc AmOI'itcs, aud
its possession wuuld illllJly an aggression of l\Iuab. Jero-
hoam II. had prohahly at this time, Lruu
ht l\Ioah to a tem-
}JOrary
mhmission 17; hut Israel only refluired fealty amI tri-
bute of 1\Ioa11; 1\Ioah apIJears, even beforc the eapth'ity of
the 2
tribcs, to have invaded the possessions of Isriwl. Ke-
rioth was JJrohahly a new capital, beyond the Arnon, nuw
adorned with ]lalaces and enlar
ed, as "Paris, Pra/!ue, Cra-
eow 18," London, arc ('omposed of difi'erent towns. In S. Je-
romc's tillie, it had prohably ceased to be 19.
shall die 1l'itlt tumult. Jeremiah, ,,'hen IJrophesying- the de-
struC'tiun of )Ioab, designates it by this same nallle SOJlS of tu-
mult 20.
1 fimne shall devour the corner of
1Ioab and the crown
of the S01lS of tumult. And probahly hercin he explains the ori-
g-inal proplwey of ßalaam, 21 shall smite tlte curne1".
of lJIrmb, amI
deS/ro.,! all the clâldren oftumult 22 .
\s they had dOlle, so should
it be done to theUl; tumults they had caused, in tUlI/ult they
should peri!o'h.
After the suhdual of l\Ioah by Kehuchadnezzar, it disappears
as a nation, unless indeed Daniel in his prophecy, 23 EdOIl/ alld

JIuab and the chief of the c1lihll'cn of .Amll/on sllllll escape out
uf Iâs haml [.Antioehus Epiphanes,] means the nations them-
scire...., and not sl1eh as !'hollhl be like them. Eb:e the inter-
Ularriage with :Moahitish women 2i is mentioned only as that
with w
men of other heathen nations whieh had ('eas'cd to be.
The uld name, Mllabitis, is stillmenticmed; hut the Arabs had
possessed tbemseh'cs of it, and bore the old nmm'. .\Iexan-
der Jannæus .. subdued 25," we arc told, "uf the Araþians, the
:\Ioabites and Gileadite
," and then, again, when in diffiC'ulty,
made it over, with its fortified phwes, to the king of the Ara-
bians 26. Among the cities ,,'hieh Alexander took from the king

9 Jer. xhiii. 23,24. 10 1 Chr. vi. 76. (61. Heb.) 11 Josh. xxi. 32. l
Josh. xv. 25.
13 r-o,-i' "Z:.
l
Josh. xxi. 34. IS N u. xxii. 39. 16 Balak met BBlaam at
a

(!
eojo
/
i.bl ttlle b
t;,.;! .1T1l
:"Krr1a

e:i:.e::::

ca:.
::

J
.tJ e

::

i

i

"a Christian village called Coraiatha, 10 miles W. of l\1edaba, near Baare" [perhaps the
"alley so called, near Machærus, J os. B. J. "ii. 6. 3. Ritter, xv. 51;2.] Of Kerioth he only
tl:

;

'ì l
:ar

S:\\'

ikf

eb
, JI
;eth;a
r=i:i'
1 J
i. )ti:t

dt

'ï
n

binson.
o xhiii. 45.
l Nu. xxi". 17. 2". r-'Zi i. q. i

oj. Z! xi. 41. ,. Ezr. ix. L

. J os. Ant. xiii. 13. 5. 26 lb. 14. 2.

CIL\.PTER II.

c
í[T's T a And I will cut off e the j\}(l
e from the

í8i. _ midst thcrcof, and wiJ1 slay all thc prinf>cs
·
:r:'
t
.17. thereof with him, saith the LOlW.
4
Thus saith thc LORn; For tllrC('
tmnsgressions of .Judah, and for four, I

oftht' .\rahians 1, are citit's thl"tlug-llllut
Ioah, hoth in that part
in whil"h tlH'v had succcedcd to I
racl, and their IH"oper territo-
ry :So of the Arnon 2 .
Ami I will rut ofl" tlte judge. The title þu(ge (
hophet)
is nowllt're used ahsolutcly of a kin
. Holy Scripture
l'eak

in senral places of all tlte Judges of the t'll
th3.. Hosca
, un-
der judgl's, illf"ludc
kings and pril/ces, as.J1ulgmg tlw people.
'I11
wonljudgc' is always used
f one it
,oested
.ith the hig-h-
est, hut not regal authority, as of an theJudg-cs from the (kath
of Joshua to
amud. In like way it (
ufetes) was the title
of the dlicf mag-istrates of ('artha/!e 6 , with mueh the same
authority as the Homau Consuls 6 . The Phænieian histories,
altlwug-l; th('y wouh! not owu that .Kebudmdnczzar nmquered
'I'yre, still {In-n that, afh'r his thirtt'en years' sie
e Î, Baal reip:nt'd
10 years,and after himjudges were set up. one for two months,
a sc('olHl ti)J" ten, a third. a hig-h-prie;;;t, for three, two more for
six, and hetween these one rcig-nt'd for a year. .\ftt'r his death,
they sent for 1\Ierbaal from Babylon, who reigned for timryears,
and 1111 his dt'ath, tll{'Y sent for Hiram his brother who reip:ued
for twenty. The judges then exerl'iscd the snl'reme authority,
the king-'1S SIIllS having- been earried away eaptive. Prohahly,
then, wheu Jerohoam II. reeovercd the oM territory ofIsrael,
1\Ioab lost its kings. It agrees with thi:-., that Amos says, the
princes thereof, lit. ller priTlces, i.e. the prilH'cs of :\Ioab, not as
of Anlllwn, his prillces, i.e. the princes of the kin/!.
4. .For three trallsgressimls of Judah, e.;-c. "
Here too there
is no ditfen'nee of Jew aud Gentile. The word of God, ajur-;t
judg-t', sl'art,th no man's per
on. 'Yholll !'in joins in one, the
sentcll('e of the Jud:!,e disjoin:' not in punishment." 9 As lIllll/.'1
as hm'e .
illm'd without law, ,
h{{ll also perish ll'ÍtllOllt law, lllld
a.
mall.', as /ltll'e Si1lllCd ill ti,e lau', s/uc/l beJlll

ed by /l,e lall'.
"IO'!ll11se other nations, Damas{'us and the re!o;t, he uphraids not
for hm-illg- ("{/.
t 1ll1'll;1J the lall' of God, and de.
pi.w'd I-lis cumllwnd-
menfs; for they had not the written law, hut that of nature
only. So then of them he say
, that the.lJ corrupted all tllCir
C01/lp((ssi()u.
-and the like. But Judah, who, at that time, had
the wurshil' of God and the temple and its rites, and had re-
eeh-ed the law I!nd eommandments and judg-ments and pre-
cepts al1ll testimo
ics, is rehuked and eonyieted by the Lord,
for that it }md east aside llis law llmil/ot kept .flis command-
ments; wherefore it should be Imnished as it dcsened. And
sinee they rt'jeeted and de
pised these, then, in eour!'e, tI,eir
ties deceÍl'ed them, i.e. their idols;" lies on their part who made
thelU and worshil)ped them for the True God, and lies and ly-
ing to them, as dCt'eh'ing their hope,;. For Wi idol is notMug
ill ti,e u'orh/ll, as neither are all the ,'anities in the world where-
of men make idols, but they deceive by a vain shew, as though
they were somethinA". "10 They would not have been decei ved
by their id(ll
, unless they had first rçjel'ied the 1([lI' of the Lord
and not done lIis cOTll1nlludments." They had ,.;inned with a.
high hand, úe.
pisillg and
o rejeetinA" tht' law of God; and so
He despised and I"l'jeeted them, leavin
thelll to be deceh-ed by
the lies whieh they themselves had chosen. So it ever is with
1 xiv. I. 1. compo xiii. 15,4. : Medabaand Livia8 N. of the Arnon. Altalla[E
laim]
".BmileR s. ofit;"(Eu8.) Zoar, near t
e South oftheDead Sea; Oro
æ (Horonalm] on
Edam's boundary. Is. xv. 6. 3 Job IX. 24. P8. ü.l0. cx1viii. n. Pro viiI. 16. lB. xI. 23.

IiI

will not turn away the IJllni,t;lunl'nt ther{'of; c IPí
ofs T
fheeause tlH'Y have despiscfl the law of the cir. í'di.
LORn, and hay,' not k{'pt ltis eommand- f trÑ;

\
ments, and
thcir lit's caused th('1U to err, I r.:r.-is.l1
.
h after the which their tàther"ì lJavc walkcd:
:;;
ji

i
).
10 Ezek. 20. 13. IIi, 18, 2-'.30.
man. :\1 an lUUr-;t either 12 love God'!o; law and hate alld ahhor lies,
or he will despise God's law and cleave to li('
. Hc first in aet
de.
pise.
God's law, (and whoso docs not kt
(,p it, de
pi!'es it,)
and then ht' must 1U'('ds be deccin'd by some idol (If his own,
whieh hc('onws his God. He first ehooses wilfully his own lie,
i.e. whatevcr he I'hooses out of {Ìud, and then hi!' own lie de-
('('h.t's him.
o, morally, liars at last hdieve themst'h-es. So,
whatever false maxim anyone has adopted ag-ainst his I'ous('i-
cnl'e, whetll{'r in },{'Iid or prat'tiee, to ju
tify what he n ills a-
g-ainst the "111 of God, or to t'xplain away what God reveals
and he mi!<likes, stifling- and lying- to his eomwienee, in the end
del'eiyes his ('ons('ìcnl'e, aud at the last, a man helicves that to
be true, whil'h, before he had lied to his nHlscî('lwe, he knew to
he faIse. The Prophet uses a bold word in speaking of man's
dealin
s with his (Ìod, despises. Man earries on the serpent's
first fraud, .fllltl, God indeed said t :\Ian would not willing-ly
own, that he is diret'tly at variance with the Mind of God.
Man, in his powerlc!o;!'ness, at war with Omnipotenl'e, and, in
his limited knowledA"e, with Omniseienee! It were too silly,
as well as too terrible. So he smoothes it ovcr to himself, I!/ing
to himself. " God's word mu!<t not he tak(
n
o precisely;"
" God t'annot have nwant ;" "the .\uthor of nature would not
have ereated us so, if He had meant;" and all the other e
-
euses, },y whi{'h he would evade owninA" to himself that he is
direetly rejecting the )Iind of God and trampling it undcr ttlot.
S,'ripture draws off the YCil. Judah had the law of Gud, and
did not ket'p it ; then, he de.
pised it. On the One side was God's
'YiII, His Eternal 'Yisdom, His counsel for man for good; on
I the other, what debasements! On the one side were (Ìod's
I aweful threats, on the other, His exeet'din
promi!'ões. Yet man
: t'lwse whatever he willed, lying to himselt
and aetin
as though
I (Ìod had nenrthreatelled Or }1rOlnised or spoken. Thi., ignor-
ing of God's known 'Yill and law and revelation is to de!<pise
them, as effectually as to curse God to llis faee 13. This rejec-
tion of God was hereditary. Their lies were those after u'Mclc
their fathers u'alkeú, in Egypt and from Egypt onwards, in the
wildernes!' 1-1., "10 makintr the image of the ealf ofEg-ypt and wor-
shipI)ing Baalpeor and Ashtorcth and Baalim." Evil aC(luires
a sort of authority by time. :\Ien become inured to evil", to
whieh they have been used. False maxims, undisputed, are
thoutrht indisputable. They are in po!'session; and" Iwsses-
sion" is held a good title. The popular error of one generation
hel'omes the axiom of the next. The dcsct'nt of fIle image of
the great gOlhless Diana from Jupiter, or ofthe Coran, beeomes
a thing which Clllmot he spukell against 15. "The lies after u'/tich.
the fathnos u.alked deceive the t'hildren. The children eanon-
ise the errors of their fathers." Human opinion is as dogmatic
as revclation. The second generation of error demands as
implicit suhmis!'ion as God's truth. The transmission of error
against Himself, God !-ays, aggravates its e\'il, docs not excuse
it. "10 Judah is the Chureh. In her the Propht't reprO\'eswho-
soe,'er, wort'hipping his own vices and sins, eometh to have
that as a god by which he is overt'ome; as S. Peter saith 16,
4 xiii. 10. . Liv. xniii. 37. Phrenic. Inscr. inGes. Lex. f Liv. xxx. 7. 7 Jos. C.
Ap. i. 21. 8 Rup. V Rom. ii. 12. 10 S. Jer. 1\ 1 Cor. viii. 4. I
Ps. cxix. 163.
1J Job ü. 6. H see on v. 25,6. 1. Acts xix. 35, 6. 11 2 Pet. ü. 19.

172

BE-fore
CHRrST
cir. ï
ï.

å i But] will s('ud a fire upon .Tudall. and
it shall d('your the palaces of Jc'rusalt'lIl.
()
'rims saith the LORn; :For thr{'('
trans
rt>ssions of Isr.U'I, and for four. 1
willllot turn away the puni-\'}wl('llt thereof;

iJE-r. Ii". '!.i".
. Hos. 8. 14.

117Iereh." ({ 11/(11l is ol'erCOllle, l!f t!le sallie is lie hrollgllf in honcl-
age. The ('m-etous wor!'hippeth l\Jamllwn; the g-luttoll, his
hcll
,l : the imlmre, Daalp('()r: she who, l;t';ug in plmsllre, is
d('([d while she lh'eth 2, the plea!'ure in whi('h she liyeth." Of
l;neh idols the w()rl<l is full. Enry fair form, eyery idle ima-
/!ÏnatioIl, en'rything" whi('h g"ratifi.('s
clf-Im-e, pa!'!<ion, pride,
vanity. intellect, !'ense, eaeh tlw most refilled or the most (1(,-
La!<('d, i!' sUl'1t a lie,
o :won as Ulall lm-es and reg-ards it more
than hi
(;0(1.
5. flcill ,<;('11(1 a.fir{' UpOll .JI/rlah. .-\Jl know n011", how Je-
rusalem, its telll1l1e, and its l'alaecs peri
hed by fire, fir
t by
1'\ dHlI'hadnczzar, then by the Romans. Yet some two centu-
rie
passed. bef()re that first dc
trurtioll eame. Th(' ung-odly
.Jew
flatt('rcd themseh'es that it would nen'r ('ome. S() we
knnw that a.fie':'1 stream 3 will issue and e()me forth from Him;
afire that (,01,.mmeth to destruction 4. aU who, wllCth('r or 110
tht'\" arc in the body of the f'hur('h, are not of the lH'ayenlv
Jer\lsalem: dead mèmhers in the hoth' which helon/.":"s to the
Lidng- Head. And it "iJlnot the le!'s' ('mile, he('aus
it is nnt
regarded. Rather, the v('ry eonditioll of all (;od's judg-ments
i", to be disrcp:arded and to come, amI then most to eOllle,
when they arc most disreg-ardcd.
(). ,.
For three trml-'/tre.\'sio/l.\" of Israel, ami for four. III J
-
raeJ, on whom the Dh-inc !'cllh'lH'e heneeforth rest!', the Pro-
phet 111I11IJwr!'i four elas
es of sin:". running- into one another,
as all
in
do,
in('e all grievous
il1g contain many in one, yet
in
lIIne dCA"rce (li
tinc.t. I) Pen'ersion of justke; 2) opl)ression
of the poor: 3) undeallne!<s: 4) luxury with idolatry.
The.'1 sold tllC rigMeolls for 1I101lf:IJ. It is elear from the
oppo!'it(' statement, tI/flt 1('e 11Ia.,! 1m.,! thl' poor for sU/'er amI the
lleed.'lfor a Jm;,' ()f.
/lOes,that the Prophet i
not !"pcakingofjudi-
{'ial illi(l'lity, but of actual bllyin
and
cIlinp:. The law allowed
a Hchrcw who was poor to sell himself5, and a Hehl'ew to buy
him until the year ofrdea!'e: yet thi
too with the e
l'ress re-
sen-e, that the pureha!'er was forbidden to serre himself with
hilllll'Îtlt ti,e serl,if'e l!f a sl([l'e, hut as (/ !cired serf'ant will a .'J'O-
.iollrner sl/flll he be ll'Îth tl,ee 6. The thief who could not repa)'
what he
toIe, was to he sold for hi.
theft 7. But the law g"iwe
no llOwer to sell an insoh-Cllt debtor. It gTew up in praetice.
The !'ons amI daughters of tlH' debtor 8, or !tis ll'
fe ([lid ('hil-
llre1l 9 , nay e"cn the sons of a de('eascd debtor 10, were sold. Ke-
hemiah rehuked this sharply. In that ea
e, the hardness was

g"gran\tecl hy the faet that th(' di
tre
" had heen fomentpd by
n
ury. But the aggTa,-ation did not l'"onstitute the sin. It
8el'm" to be this mereiless sdIin/.":" bv the ereditor, whic'h Amos
rebukes. The righteoll.
is probably one who, without an)- blame,
beeamc in!'olvent. The pair of shoes, i.e. sandals, eXI)re

the
trivial price, or the luxury for whidl he was i'old. They had
him !'old for the sake ofll a }lair of sandals, i.e, in order to pro-
('ure tlwm. Trivial in thcmsdve
, as being" a mere sole,the san-
dals of the Hebrew women were, at tinws, costlvand beauti-
fUp2, S\U.h a sale eXl1ressed ('(mtempt for man; made in tlH'
imag-e of (iod, that he was sold eithcr for some worthless price,
or for sonH' needless adornment.
. I Phi\. iii. 19. t 1 Tim. .;6. 3 Dan. vii. 10. 4 Job xxxi. 12.
.. In Lev. xxv.3!/. Deut. xv. 12. -;)'=
should be rendered, according to the first sense
of the cOlljugatioll.aelllLimself. Dot, be"S/)ld. 6 Lev. xxv. 39, "10. 7 Ex. Xxii. 2,3.
8 Neh, v. 5. v S.
latt. xviii. 25. 10 2 Kgs. iv, 1. II ""0:1,::1

.

..:\:\108,

hecause k they sold the riA"hteous for silver, c HB
o[es T
and the poor for a pair of shoes; cir. i"8i".
i That pant after the dust of the earth "
4
i8:
:21,.
on tIlt' head of the poor, and I turn aside 1
h
i:s

'l"
the way of thp me('k: m :md a man and his mEzek, 22. 11.
7. Tlmt pant ({fter tIle dust of tI,e earth; lit. the palltas!
with indig-nation, Xot ('Olltent with ha\'Ínp: rent from him the
little hereditary profJert
' whic'h belonged to eac'h Isradite,
these ('reditor
gr\Ul
ed him (Ten the dust, whieh, as a mourn-
er, he
trewed on hi
head l3 , !'ince it too wa
earth. Con-tous-
nc!'s. when it has nothinp: to feed it, cra\'es for wlmt is ahsurd or
impo
sibl('. "That was Xahoth's ,-ine)ard to a kinA" of I
rael
! with his iI'Ol:1J p"I(/('e t "That W<lS .l\]ordeeai's rcfusal to bow
I to one in honor like Haman? "That a trivial
ain to a million-
naire? The sarcasm of the Prophet was the 1
(/rt. piereing, be-
I eau
e it was so true. 1\Ien cm-et thin
s in proportion, uot to
their worth, but to their worthles
ness. 1'\0 on(' c'O\'ds what
he mueh needs. ('ontousne!'s i
the sin, mo
tlv not of those
who ha,-e not, but of tho!'e who have. It g-rmn; ;rith its g-ains,
is th(' lcs
sati
fil'd, the more it hIs to !'atisfy it, and attests
I its own unrcasonablen('ss, by the uscles",ness of the things it
('ra,-es for.
I ([1/d turn aside the 1('ll.1f of tile meek. So Solomon said H, ..1
wi('ked man taketh a /J/.ibe out of the hosom, to perl'er! tIll' W(/.1fs
of.im(!{ment. (;od had laid down the equality of man, made in
Hismrn in1a/.":"e,and h<ld forhidden to favoreitlwr l'oor 15 or ri('h I6 .
I .\1I10S ('aIls these Jwdiffcrent names, whirh entitled them to Im-
man :o:yml'athy ; }l
or, depressnl, 11J1I'(1j; poor, in their absolute
eOluliticl11 : depre.
sed 17, as hadng- hcen brought low; lowly, as
having the special p:ra('e of their state, th(' wonderful meekness
and lowliness of the g"odly poor. But all the
c qualities arc so
many ineentive
to injury to the ung-odly, They hate the god-
ly, as a reproa('h to them; becatl!<e I
he is clean contrar.1J to their
doings, his life is lIot like otller 11Ien's; his ll'ays lire of another
fashion. \roh'cs destroy, not woh'es, hut sheep. Bad men
eir('um,'ent, not the bad, but the
ood. Besides the ea
iness
of the gain, ther(' i
a de,-ilish fas(:illatillp: IJlcasure to the bad,
to O\'erreaeh the simple and meek, because they are sueh. They
lo,-e also to turll aside the way of the mee!.-, by" 19 ttlrning them
from what i!' truly rig-ht amI good; "or from the truth; or again
to thwart them in all their ways and endea\-our
, by open in-
justi('e or by lwrv('rting- justi('e. Ewry art of wrong prepares
the way for the ('rownin
aet: and !'o the turning aside the W(/y
of t!le meek foreshadowed aud prepared for the unjust judg-
ment of Him "TIIO was t!le 1Ileek IInd LoII'(IJ One 20; the scHiug
the righteous for a trifling- "um prepared for the seiii nA"21 t!le
.1/01.'1 One and the Just for the thir(ll pieces of sih'el'. "22 Con-
trariwise, whoso is truly wise, cflrdially wnerates the humble
and ahjeet, the lJOor and simple, and 11refers them in his own
heart to himself, knowing that God has 23 chosen tlte poor, and
the tl'eak tliÏugs of the u'orld, ([1/(1 tliÏn{(s de.
p;sed, alld things
whirh are not; and that Christ hath likened Himself to SUdl,
saying- in the Psalm 24, I am poor ami .mrrmlful,"
tile same d([msel. TIlis is not expressly forbidden by the
law, exeept in the ease of marriag-e, the father being" forbidden
to marT\' his son's widow, and tIlt' son to take his father's widow
to wife 25. .\bominations, unless thev had be('ome known to Is-
rael in Egypt, were not expressly foi-bidden, but were il1duded
in the onc Jarge prohibition, which, as our Lord explains, for-
u Callt. vii. 1. Ez. xvi. 10. Judith xvi. 9.
13 Job ii. 12. ,. Pro X,"ii. 23. :-'
-II rI':;
' with the same image as here ';j'1"'"
I. Ex. xxiii. 3. If lb. 6. 17,., 18 Wisd. ii. 12, 15. IV. S. Cyr.
o S. Matt. xi. 29.
21 Acts iii. 14. t2 Dion. 23 1 Cor. i. 27. S.
Ps. lxix. 29.
Lev. xviii. 8, 15.

CHAIJ fER II.

C HBJ{ofs T fath{'r will go in unto the sanw II maid, n to
cir. 78i. profane my holy name:
II

:ng 8 And they lar th"lII.'U.lt.cs down upon
b Lev. 211. 3. Ezek. 36. 20. Rom. 2. 24.

li3

dothes 0 laid to pled
l' P hy {'vcry altar, C IPí[ofs T
and tlwy drink tht, wine of II the condcmn- _
. 78

ed ill tht' house (If tht'ir
od. ;
:

.:!2;

:n.
1\ Or, .uch a.> /uJve fined, or, mulcted. 1 Cor. 8. 10. & 10. 21.

bade e,'erv offelwc bearing- upon it. Israel mu!'t have!'o under-
stuu(1 the 'Iaw, 5'im?e Amos ('ould upbraid tlwm with thi!', whieh
is llut furhidrlen by the letter of the Jaw, as a wilful in,;ult to
the )Iajesty of God. [tcvcrf'n('e was due from the son
o the
father, e
alllple from the father to the !Of III. But
lOw tl
e tather
was an e
ample of evil to the son
an.d the son sllllled III a way
whif'h ha(llw temptation e
I'cpt Its Irr.I've.rel
ce. Men, !'ated
with ordinary !oòin 5eek incltclllent to sm, III Its very horrors.
Probably thi
sin
as (,OInmitted in ('onnexion with their idol-
worship i. The !Oill of marryill
the father'
wi
IO\
w.a5 fomica-
tÙm /lot .WI 1II11('h as IWlllcd WIWllg the (xelltlles M ; It was un..
knuwn, as !'eelllingly leg-alisjn
what
\'as so unnatura!. ()p-
pres!'ion of the lJOor, wrong-ing- the ng-hteous, pe
"er
lllg- the
way of the meek, laid the
oul (
l'en for any aUIIIUlnahon.
to J1rr
fane _1I.'1 Hol.lI .L\allle, I.e. as ('aBed upon them, as the
people of(;od. {Tod had said, ye shall keeJ111ly (,OI1//1lwuJments
and do t/mn s . I am the Lord, and.lle shall not dt:file 11I.'1 HO(II
lYall/e. For I will be .Ç(lllrtl!ìecl (l/l/(lIIg the children of Israel. I
am t!1(' Lord Irho Sllllrtif.1I .'lOll. The sin
of {Tod's people are a
rcprnaf'h upon Him!Oclf. Th
y hri
lg- .Him, s? to :<ay, in f'on!act
with !'in. The\' defeat the ohject of HIs ereatlOn and re"elatlOlI.
He crcated mail in His hna
f', to bear His likene!Os, to luu-e one
will with lIilll!'clf. 111 eifel.t, throu
h sin, He has created re-
hf>!!', ddimned, unlike. So lon
as Ill' be<lrswith them, it seems
as if 11(' were indifferent to them. Those to whom He has not
revealed Himself, must neNts think that He take5 110 af'f'01l11t
ofwhat III' permits IInnotil'ed. Israel, whom <:.0(1 had separat-
ed frum the Heathen, did, by mingling 1l'ith the Heatllell and
learning t"eir 1l.ork!J'''' all whkh in them lay, to profalle His HO(II
J\flllle. They acted as if the" had 110 other pl1rp05e than to df'-
file it\ Had !OIU'h been thdr ohjeet, they could 1I0t have done
it more f'fteetuallv, thev eould not have done otherwise. In de-
liberate !'in mell 'aet, åt last, in defianee of God, in set purpose
to dishflllOllr Him. The Kame of(.od has e,'er !Oince been hlas-
phemed. on al'count of the sins of the Jews, as though it were
impos!'ihle that (;od should ha,-e dw!'en for Hi" own, a peo-
l)le so laden with iniquities 6. :Kathan's words to David " T"oll
hast gh'f'Il great ocrasioll to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme,
havf' been fulfilIf'd till this day. 1I0w much more, Chri!'tians,
who not only are called" the p(,flplf' of Gml," but bear the name
of Christ ineorporated in their own. Yet have we not known
Mohammedans flee from our {'hri:4ian ('a pi tal, in horror at its
!'ins? "He lives like a Chri!'tian, " is a proverb of the Poli!<h
Jews, drawn from the debasNI state of morals in Soeinian Po-
land. The reli
ion of Chri"t. has no such enemies as Chri!O-
tians. "8.As the devout. hy honollrin
(Tod, !"hew that He is
Holy, Great. :\Io!'t Hij!;h, "'ho is oheycd in holiness, fear and re-
"erenee, so the ungodly, by di!Ohonouring God, exhibit (;otI as
far as in them lies, as if He \wre not Holv. For the" aet so as
if evil were well-p1easinj!; to Him. and it;duce others to di
ho-
nour Him wJ,ercfore the .Apo
tle saith; the lYame of God is
hillspllemed among the Geutiles through you 9 ; and by Ezekiel the

I see on Hoseaiv. U. 2 1 Cor. v.l. 3 Levit. xxii. 31,32. add lb. xx. 3. xviii. 21.
xxi. 6. . Ps. cvi. 35. 5 see on Hos. viii. 4. 6 Is. i. 4. 1 2 Sam. xii. 14. 8 Dion.
g Rom" ii. 24. 10 Ezek. xxxvi. 23. 11 lb. xiii. 19 I
rJ:"';) X,-rWII. ,.,
, as
well as ;-:.,>:;:, is used of the outside cloak, Gen. xxxix, 12,13, 15. It is the more generic
n.arne,lik
our."clot
es," except that it is chiefly used oflarge raiment and t;ven ofthe out-
i
d
h
v:
ìd

s

'

io
h
'
::: \

,1\

.ía
i
h
b
d-

:;i:: :
l
u;:!t

1 Sam. XIX. 13. 1 Kgs. i. 1. It is used also of state robes, 1 Kgs. xxii. 10. 2 Chr. xviü. 9.

Lord saith oftentimes, J'e IUll'e profaned Jlly Ilo(/f

llllle. .And
1 ll'ill sftl1ct
fy Jl.l/ great
Yal1le u-/IÎ,.!t ?l'llS profalled among the
heat/u'n, ll'fâ(./t !Ie IUl/'e }Jrr
falled ill tlte midst of thl'lllIO. The de-
"out then are !Oaid to 1IIllgnif!" sanl'tify, e:t'([/t (Jod; the un-
rig-htemls to profa nc ll, rle.
}Ji.
e, God.
t!. 1'1Il'Y Ift.1I thl'/Ilselzoes dOll'Il. Ttwy condensed !Oin. fiy
a sort of eeflllflillY in the toil of !-Oinning, they blcnded many sins
in one; idolatry, !'en!<ualit), eruelty, and, in all, the ('xpr('ss
breaf'h of C;od's eommandments. The clrJthes Il{'re arc dllubt-
Ic!'s the same as the raiment in the law, the large enfolding-doak,
whif'h by day was wrapp('(} ovcr the long loo!<c shirt 12, the poor
man's flnJv dress JJ('si(les, and hv nig-ht was his onlY bcdding l3 .
God had ëxprcs!"ly clllnmanded fl., If the 11/all be }Joo'r, thou .
ì/((It
not sleep 1l'it" Ids pledge; in any ease thlJll .
/Ullt delil'er him the
pledge again, lI'hen the sun goeth down, tllllt he 11/a.'1 sleep in his
01l'1l raiment, ([Ild ble.<;.
thee; and it shall he rigMermslle,
s to thee
hefore the Lord th.1I God. Here the ga1"1nellt.
laid to pledge are
treat(
d as the entire property of tlw creditors. They stretch 15
thcir listll..'!'s length alon
upon them in their idol-fea!<ts D.,! el'ery
altar. Ezekif'l !oòpeaks ofa state(11 heel, upon whieh they sat, ([nd
a tllh/e prep([red hefore it l6 . Isaiah; Upon a loff,1fllllrl/l/f,(h 1II01ll1-
tain hast tholl set up th.,! bed; el'en thither tl'entest thollup to otfèr
,mcr[!ìce;-thou/Illst enlarged tl1.11 bed; tho/( hllst llll'ed their bed;
thOlI prol'idedst room 17 . In luxury and !-Otate then, and withal in
a shameles!O publif'ity, the)'lay Oil the garments ofthe despoiled
b.1I el'ay altar. Thc multiplication ofaltars 18 was, in its('U: sin.
Hy each of thesf' multiplicd plal'es of sin, they ('ommitted fresh
sins ofluxury and hard-heartedness, (perhap!', from the I'harae-
ter of the \\'or!Ohip of nature, yet grosser sins,) alld drillk the wine
of the (,olldemueel, or (as the E.)1. more exactly) the amerced,
tho!'e whom, unjustly, lwr!'ons in any petty jlldidal authority
had amerced, cxpending in revelry and debauchery in the idol's
temple what they had unjustly extort('d from the opl're!'sed.
There is no mask too transparent to serve to hide from himself
one who does not wish to see him!'elf. Nothing- sen'es!'o well
as relig-ion for that self-deceit, and the less tlwre i!-O nfit, or the
more one-si(led it is, the better it serns. For the narrower it
is, the less risk 111' impinging on the aweful rf'ality of God's truth;
and half a tntth as to God i
mostly, a lie whkh its half-truth
makes plausible. So this dreadfuJ assemblag"f' of ('melty, a-
variee, malice, mockf'ry ofjusti('e, unnatural debauchery, hard-
hearteùnt'!"s, was doubtless smoothed liver to the conseienl'e of
the ten tribes bv that most hideous ingrNlient of all, that the
house of their god was the pla('e of thei; iIl-purchasf'd rewlry.
Men do not sene their idols for nothin
; this eostly sen-iee
at ßpthcl was not for nought. They did HU tlu'se things; hut
they did something for "the Deity" or "I\ature" or" Ashto-
reth;" and so "the Deity" was to be at. peace with them. Amos,
with wonderful irony, marks the ghastly mixture of sin and
worship, theydrank the1l'ille of the amerced-where? ill t!le !lollse
of t!lcir (lod, condemnin
in fi,-e words 19 their luxury, oppres-
sion, perversion of justice, erudty, !}rofanenf's,,", unreal sen-iee

It is the word commonly used in the plural of" rending the c1othes," ;-::",,:,:: being used Gen.
xxxvii. 34. xliv. 13. Josh. \ii. 6. and
'-:':I 1 Sam. iv.I:!; else :I'-:_
, whether of kings or
olhers. It is the word used of .. washing the clothes," except in Ex. xix. 10, 14-. where
1""""::'Z1 is used. 13 Ex. xxii. 2(;, i. H Deut. xxiv. 12,13. I.

', :-t:::-t is not used
elsewhere ofstretching out the person, but it is used intrans. of "turning aside" Is. xxx.H.
Job xxiii. 11. Ps. cxxv. 5; and:-t::"J(like KALil,!, KA,aLa from KALil"') is a place where one
rec1ines at f
!llength, be
.. sofa, litter, or bjer. . 16 xxiii. 41. 11 h ii. Î,8.
IS Hos. VUl. n. x. 1. XII. H. IV :1;";';-:'11 T\'
',r:::' :i'':I
:; '''
,
Hh

Ii.!

c J3ï{ o í e s T 9
Yet destroye>d J the q ...\morite he-
cir. Î
fore them, r whose> ]}('ig-ht ".(t,y like the
Cj

:

3i
" }}('ig-ht of the cedars, and he U'(lS strong
J""h. 21.8. r l'um. 13.28,32, 33.

A
IOS,

as tlJP oaks; yet I 8 destroy('d his fruit from C J3í[O?s T
ahove, and his roots from heneath. eir. 7137,
10 Also t I hroug-ht you up from the ;-
i
i.;;4.2t:
· Ex. 12.51. Mic. 6.4.

and real apo
taey. "That hard-heartcdne..s to the wilfully-for-
gotten pom" i!': ('ompensated by a little Chureh-p:oinp:!
9. Yet [
Jlld I J I (Emphatic) dl'.llro!led. SlIrh wer(' thrir
doingi' ; ..ueh their w(lr
hip of their God. And what had God
dOl/e?' what was it, whieh they thus re1luited?
the .-J1Jlorite. Thc
e, as one of tIlt' mil!htic.,t ofthc Cana-
anitt' tribes.
tand in )I(I
cs for all. l\Io
es, in rchear
inp: to
th('1II the I!(u,dne!,s of (;od and their baeksJiding, reminds them,
lIOn' he had
aid 1 , re Ilfll'e come to tIle m01lJ1taiu of the A II/orites.
fl'Mclt tlte Lord our God giretli .VOlI; and that they, using- this

;ame word, said 2, Bel'aliSe the Lord Illltetll u.
, He Iwtll hrf)/lght
u.
forfll Ollt l
ft!Je land of B,tz'lpt, to ,éu Us into tIle "and of tIle
Amoritr to de.
troy IlS. The a
ed Joshua, in rehearsing- (;od's
p:reilt deed
fÜr Israel, plae('S first by itselfthe destl'uetion ofthe
_\morite before thCIII, with the use of this same idiom,3 I brought
t'Oll iI/to tlie laurl of tlie
JII/orites u.Mrll rlll'elt 011 tlie otlier .
idr of
.Im'd'lll-and I destro!lrd tllem before you. The .\nwrites wel'e
òesecnded from the 4th S(1Il of Canaan 4. At the im'asion of
<:he(lo"'aolller, a pOl"tion of them 5 dwelt at lIazcznn-Tamar or
J:ng-('di, halfway on tlu' "'. sid(' of the Head Sea, and at Hebron
near it G . Thdr corruptioll had not yet reaehcd its height. aIul
the return ofhrael was delayed to the four hundrt'dth year, he-
('((use tIle iuiquit.1J of t!ie Allwrifl' wa
1lot .1let fir/F. "'hen 1,,-
rael returned, the AllIoritcs, (tog-ether with the Hittites and the
JehHsite
) held the hill conntry
. Jel"Usakm, Hebron, Gib('on 9,
and, on tilt'
kirts of the mountains "Testward 10, .Jarmuth, La-
chish, and Etdon ll . They dwelt on the side ofthe Jordan 'Yest-
ward D, be!'id('s the two kint!,'dmns whkh they had f()rllled East
of .Jm"dau, rc<u'hinp: to )lo
mt Hermoll 13 an
l nashan up to the
territory of] )amaseu
. Afh'rward" a small remnant rCllIaint'd
only in the portion of Dan, and in the out"kirts of Judah, fi'om
the South of tlw Dcad Sea, 1\Iaaleh Akrahhilll (S('orpion-}Jass)
and Petra H . Those near Idumca were probahly absorhed in
Edolll; mul the remnant in Dan, after beeolllin
trihutarrto I
-
phrailll H, lost their national exi
tclwe perhap!': amon
tll(' Phi-
li4incs, "inee we hm-(' thenceforth only the sint!,'le noti('e in the
days of
anlUeI, after the ddcat of the Philis'tines, tllere u'a.

'Peace hl'tll'eeJi brael ([ml tile .flm(Jrite.
15.
lT7w.
e IIl'igM wa.
like the IIl'i{.(M of the cpdars. The giant
sons of .Anak were aIllon
tIle .\nwrites at I-Ieh,.oJl 16 (ealled fi,r
a time Kiriath .\rba 17 from their giant father) Debir, Auab, and
tIle J[()/wtaius of Judah ami IsraelIS. Tile l:all".'1 'l Rrplwim 19 ,
S. 'r. of Jcrnsalcm, COlllle(.t" tllis ß"iant raee with the .Amorite..,
as docs the faet that Og, king- of the Amorite!' in ßasan, was of
tlte relllJlmd of the Replwim 20 . ßasan and Argob were, in 1\10-

1 Deut. i. 20. 2 lb. 2ï. 3 Josh. xxiv. 8. '=::.:
': :I"''::-=!oo'':
-':II:": i'-II
N J 0.1,.
tI
':
':: '-":111:": !'IN '1"\-:'::1':):": ':::N' Am. Moses has the same idiom of God's act on behalf of
Ammon nnd Edom. Deut. ii. 21, 22. 4 Gen. x. 16.

':-: '-'::11:": "those Amorites
who dwelt," 8 lb. xiv. 7,13. compo xiii. 18. 2 Chr. xx. 2, 7 lb. xv. 16. s Nu.
{

t:;

t
'
j

iO
'10
iI;s
t;
;;"

L::hfst
U

i
O S-:'

ts,oj e

eutheropolis
11 Josh. x. 3, 5. 12 lb. v.I. 13 Deut. iii. 8. H Jud. i. 3:>, G. 1. 183m. vii. 14.
16 r-u. xiii. 22. 17 Josh. xiv. 15. xv. 13, H. IS lb. xi. 21. 19 2 Sam. v. 18.
20 Deut. iii. 11. Josh. xii. 4. xiii. 12. 21 Deut. iii. 13. 2'l Josh. xvii. 15, 18.
in

:

I

'i
any ;e
i
icxj

e. 2
I;
h
i

iyO
.

"

:if
lkd

:e

ti:hi:

been infl'rred from the context, rather than from any knowledge 88 to the wo
d itself, that

h
à

:'dh S

dr: ;
;d;;i
i

r
;'
hl1.

f;:ifr
s :hf;h

;e t:..

'
'o
fJ'b:

i

ï;
;":

the 8} riac 'Amiro. The LXX. alone has }U-rf';'pOV. Even if--'::N have the meaning" up-
pennost," this would prohably be by way of metaphor from the Arabic Emir(from which
. :i;
ide
z07 p
;
i

l:
e
a7i

P:::r

edi:;'
ï
d

t
ei

}';th

vs
r;h

h
á
hf

ses' time, still ('alled the lalld of 1/rphaim 21 . The Rephaim, with
the P('rizzitt'!", dwelt
tiU in woody mountain!' near Ephmim;
whence, on the t"omplaint that the lot of the sons of Josq)h \Vas
too narrow, Joshua hade his tribe to expel them 22. The Repha-
im are mentioned between the P('rizzitcs atHl the .A1Il()ritc!-i
3, in
God's first promise of the land to Ahraham's seed, and I'crhal)s

omc intennixture of raee p:a\"e the giant stature to the _\mo-
rites. It i
I'lear from .\mos that the report of the spies, all the
people that 1l'e saw ill it 1l'ere men nfMature 24 , was no exa
gcra-
tion, nor did Jo!"hua and Caleh deny this. The name of the A-
moritc 2j i!o< probahly conne.'tpd with "('oll1mandinl!," describing-
!':orne Ilnality of their forefather, which de!'cended to his race.
1l'Iwse heigllt was like the heif{M of cedars. Giant height
is
f)m(,time" a ('a use of weakness. Amos, in a deg-ree lilíe 110-
sea 26 , comhines distim't ima
('s to make up the idea of
tate-
1iness and strent!,'th. The ('edar is t he ideal of f:astern trees for
heig-ht 27 , streh.Ìlinl! forth it!' arms us for lu'otection. "28 It
g-ro\ì'eth to an exce('din
height, and with increasing-time ever
riseth hi!!her." The oak has its Hebrew name from strelll!th 29 .
The mor(' majestic the tall stren
th of the .Amorite, the
nore
manifest that I srael 31J gat 1/ot the laud in p().
.
es.
ioll by their own
sll'ord, who had counted themseh-e!', in !oòig-ht ofthe Amorite, a,

grasshoppers 3l . God, \Vho g-ave him that strength, took it
away, as we say, "root and hrandl," leaving- him no shcw a-
bm'e, no hope of re('O\'erpd life below 32. Having- emnpared
ea(.h .\morite to a majestie tree, he cmnpaJ"{'s the exdsion of
the whole nation to the putting- down ofthat one tree 38, so swift,
so entire, so irrel'O\'erable. Yet the destrtH'tion of the Amo-
rite, a merey to Israel in the purpo
e of God. was a warning-
to Israel when it became as the". God's terrors arc mercies
to thc repentant; God's mereie; ,Ire terrors to the impenitent.
31 re shalllæep
lIy statutes and J1.',.illdgments ami shall not
coll/mit any of tliese ((boTllillatirm.
, wa!" the tenure upon whil'h
the)' held the Lord's land, tliat the land .
pue not pOll Ollt also,
ll'hen .1fe dr:lile it, as it .
pued out the nations that 1l'ere hefore .1101l.
10. Also I (lit. And I, I, emphatic; thus and thus did J'c
to l\Ie; and thus and thus, with aU this merey from the fir!òt,
did I to you,) I brougM .VfJll up from tlie land (
f Eg.llpt. It is
the lanp:uap:e in whit'll God, in the law, reminded them ofthat
great benefit, a
a motive to ohedience 36; I brought thee forth
out of the land of Eg:'lpt, Ollt of the house of bondage; only there,
!'ÏIH'e God had not as yet hrought them up into the land which
He promised them, but they were yet in the wihlernc!'s, He says,
brought them forth; here, brought them up 36, as to a place of
dignity, His own land.

ing of height, it would describe the hi!(h stature of the forefather of the tribe and the tribe
itself. as Rephaim from Rapha', (tall) Enakim from Anak (long-necked.) We use the word
"heights," but we should not inter that" high" meant" a d" eller on heights," a "moun-
taineer." 3) This meaning, "hich writers of late have, one after the other, ascribed to
'-':11, would obviously have been expressed by the word ''''1'''1;'1, as derived from the com-
mon Hebrew word tor mountain, -:-;. (Perhaps this does exist 2 Sam. xxiii. 11, 33.)
4) l'hc"ord (e\"en if it had the meaning,) would !lot be characteristic of the Amorites,since
the Jebusites and the Hittites and the Rephaim equally dwelt in the mountains; and the
Amorite. did not dwell in the mountains only. The apparent object of this unlikely in-
ference from imagined etymology is to find a meaning tor the names of the Canaanite na-
tions, expressive of some local circumMance. But as to the names ofthe sons of Canaan
as also that of Canaan himsell; the attempt obviously fails as to aU enumerated in Gen. x.
15-18. The Perizzites. who are perhaps persons "living in the open country," are not
there mentioned.
6 see all. p. 90. r, Is. ii. 13. Ezek. xvii. 22. xxxi. 3..1 Kgs.)v.
33.2 KW'. xiv. 9 . Comm. in h. ii. 13. ap. S. Basil. Opp. 29 i'
N from "
N i. q. '"IC
as the Latin, "robur." :w Ps. xliv. 3. 31 Nu. xiii. 33. 32 see Hos. ix. 16. Job
xviii. 16. Ezek. xvii. 9. 33 Dion. 3' Lev. xviii. 26, 28. 3ó Ex, xx. 2. Deut. v. 6.
vi. 12. 36 In the Pentateuch :1'-;1'::1 V-IC': j'I"'IC;1',;-:; here C'-:;"J V-II!::! C
I"IC 'r,'
:I:":,

CIL\.PTER II.

C HB;[orS T land of E
ypt, and u led yun forty
cir. i
ï. p'ars throug-h the wilderness, to posspss
..
e
t2
' í. th(' land of tilt' Amuritc'.

1"j

II And I raised up of your
uns for C IFito[e s T
propht'ts, and uf your young men for cir_ i8i.
:It lXazaritcs. Is it not t'yen thus, 0

d;;:
3
;

aJUlle(l.l/fJll forty .lJ('{Irs through the 7cilderuFss. Th('s(' are
the n'ry word!oi of th(' law 1, and remind('d the III of!'11 nmny he-
Ilefit
during- the course of tho!oieforty pears, whkh the Ian' re-
hearsed ; the daily !'upply of manna, tilt' water f
om the ro('
,
the delh-eranl'e from the serpents and othcr penl!', the mal\1-
foM forgiwnes:"es. To he led fort!, Y('{II"S tl/rough the u'ild( 1'-
ne.
,\', alone. had ùeen no kindness, hut a puni!oilllllt'nt. It was a
blending- of both. The aùiding in the wilderness was punish-
ment or aU!oitere merey, keeping- thelll ba('k from the land whkh
thev had !oihewn them!oich-es unqualified to enter; GOtI's leadillg
thein wa
IIis ('(md('8cemling merc'y. The words, taken from
the law, must have re-awakencd in the souls of IsracJites the
ll1emon of Ilwr('ies whic'h tlwr did not mention, how that same
hook rclate!oi 2, .lIe foulld Mill i
l a desert laud, and ill the 1f'a.
te
]wit'lillg Il'ilderlles.
; I-Ie led /lÍ1Il allOut; lIe ill,çtrllcted him; fIe
kept Mm as tile Ilpple of Ilis e.1/e. Tile Lord alolle did lewd him.
sIll tllf u'ildl'l'uess,where thou hast seenlww fllat tIle Lord th.IfGod
hare thee, as a IImll dotli hellr /lÍs SOil, in all tI/e 1('a.lf that ."e wellt
until//e ('{Ime to thi.
place; or that minute tend('r t'are, men-
tioned in the same plaee I, your clothes are not u'a.l'CU old upon
,f/Oll, alld th.1/ sltoe is not lOa.Ull old liPOll tll.1/ foot. But unless
Israel hacI known the law well, the word
would only have becn
yery distantly sug-g-estive of mercy, tllat it must have been well
with them e\"en in the wilderness, since God led them. They
had then th(' law in their memories, in Israel also 4, out distort-
ed it fir negIcl,tcd it.
I I. ..Jud I raised up of .'1/0111' SOIlS for Propllets. Amos
turns from outward merí'Îes to inn ..rd, from past to present,
from miraelcs of power to miracles of grace. (Jod'!' past mer-
cies Ih-e on in tho
e of to-day; the mercies of to-day are the
as!'Ul"anee to us that we hm'e a !ò'hare in the past; Hi!oi miracles
of grae(' arc a token that the miraeles of His power are not our
c-Ondemnation. God had, from the time of .:\Ioses, raisl'Clll}J
J}roplwts. Eldad and .:\fedad 5 were imag-es of those, whom God
would raise up be)'olHl the bounds of Hi!oi promi!oie. The di-
vine Samuel was an Ephrathite 6 ; Ahijah the Shilonite, i. e. of
Shilo in El'hraim, Ih ed on to old ag-e 7 in the king-dom of the
ten trihes after their !ò'1'I1ism, the witness ag-ainst the apostaey
of Jcroboam 8, yet aeknowledg-cd by the king- who!'e rise and
the destruetion of whose hou!oie he prophesied ï. .Jehu, "on of
I1anani, was the prophet of both kingdoms 9; .:\lieaiah, son of
Imlah. was well known to .\Imb, as proplte'''.1/illg el'il concerning
ltil1l 10 ('ontiullaUy; unknown to J ehoshaphat n. That wondrous
pair, marvellous fur superhuman sanctity and lwwer aIllllIlg-
the marvellous miral'les of God, Elijah and Elisha, were both
So1t.
of I
racl, whom God raisl'd lip; Elijah the TiÛ, bite 12, born
douutle!ois at Thisbe, a ,-iIla
e of l\'"aphthati I3 , and one of the
sojourners H in Gilead; Elisha of Abelmcholah 15, on the ,rest
sid.e ofthc ,-allt'V of the Jordan 16. .\nd even now He had rais-
ed up to them of their own SOllS, Hosea and Jonah. Their pre-
sence was the presence of God among them, "-ho, out of the
I Dcut. xxix. 4. [5. En!(.] only slightly transp
sing the -:-':
. In Deut. ::::-1\ ï
I\'
-:":'::: :-::= :';::-1\; here, :-:::; :";;::-1\ -:-:-:: :::::-1\ ï
'I\', 2 Deut. xxxii. 10,12.
3 lb. i. 31. 4 see Introd. to Amos p. 152. & :roou. xi. 26-9. 8 1 Sam. i. 1.
; 1 Kgs. xi,: 2, 4. sIb. ;-14. xv.2\!. 91 Kgs. xvi. I, i,12. 2 Chr. xix. 2. xx. 34_
la 1 Kg.;. xxii. 8, 18. 11 lb. í. I
1 Kg.. xvii. 1. 13 Tob. i. 2. see Reland, 1035.
Eus. and S. J er. mention the village Thisbe. 14 ":oz;'.,:, I. 1 Kg.;. xix. 16.
16 See I Kg
. iv.12. E!,s. and S.
er. say, "itis n<>wa village, in the valley of the
Jor
:ilI, 10 miles South 01 Scythof[hs l
ethshean J and is now called ßethmaela [our

Iho

e:;:li
'[Ña

a

cy
:;oìis
[a httle
;I1:gSa

.

}. Abelmea, 011 the
18 -,'T:, J9 Coffee though invented for vigils, was adopted as a compensation for

ordinary way of His PrO\ idellC'e, ntÍsed them lip and filled them
with His Spirit; alaI where the Presenee uf God is, if thcre is
fear, yet there i!' also hope.
and (!f .'l/Ola ]/0I111,t: men for lYazaritc.<;. Tht' Xazarite was
a fruit of the J-rra('e of (;od in its moral amI reJil{iolI
workiIlg'!',
superhuman in holiness and self-denial, as the Prophets wcre
of that !oiame 1-rraee, conferring' !'uperhuman wisdmn and know-
ledg'e also. Of hoth, (;od !'ays, I raised up. h'aehing' that both
alikc, holine!ois of life and !oiuperhuman wi
dom, were His own
!'l'c,'ial
ift to eac'h indiddual, Hi!' own ereation. (;Ilcl sun-ey-
('d Hi!oi people, ealled, and rai.
ed up hy IIis
ra('e, out of the
erowd, those scmls whil'h re
po*lcd to His c'all. The life of the
Xazarites Wai" a continual protest ag-ain!oit the seU:'indnl
eIH'e
and worldlines!oi ofthe pcople. It was a life above nature. Ln-
le!<s any prophet, like
amucI17, was al!oio a Xazarite, they had
no I'pec'ial offi('e except to li\'e that life. Their life tall
ht.
Xay, it taught in one way the more, b('('ause they had no
pe-
rial gift!oi ofwisdmn or knowledg-e, nnthing to di,-ting-uish them
from ordinary men, exc'el't extraordinary g-raee. They werc
an e,-icIene(', what all might do and he, if they used the !-rrace
of nod. The power of the gra('e of (;ocl shews it!oielf the more
wondrouslv in those who lun'e noug'ht be:-id('s. The e!'scnee
of the Xaz'arite life. as expres!'ed by its name 18, was" !oicpara-
tion," separation from things of the world, with a view to God.
The sCJmration was not, ne('e!ò'!oiarily, for more than a limited
time. In Sut.'h case, it answere(l to the !'trÏC'tness of the Chris-
tian Lent. It was a considerab]e di!oicipline for a time. In
those !:'iIl1J}ler daY!', when lu
ury had not been ,,0 bu!oiY 19, the ab-
solute prohibition of anything- fermented 20, whether from thø
grape or any other substanee
" or vinegar made ofcitlU'r, or any
li(plOr or refre!oihing- fond or drink, made in any way from the
grape, fresh or dry, its husks or its kernels, while it ('ut oft' e, ery
emsion, invoh-ed the gidng- up not only e\'ery drink, in any
way exeiting- or stimulating-, but yery much al!oio, which was re-
freshing. \rater, whi('h in the Ea!oit has !oicldmn the fre..hnc!ois of
ours, was their only drink. This, whirh to individuals may be
an easy rule, would not be so in the main. Tho!'e only think
an undeviating- rule slight, who ha,-e ne,'er tried one, nor !'et
themsd,'es on system to ('onquer self-will. SUdl a rule would
not be aeted upo'n, e
ecpt for God. The long- newr-!'horn hair
was probably intended to in\'oh'c the negleet of personal ilJ)-
pearance. Yet this was the body only of the nlw; it:"
oul was
the dedieation to (;od. The Xazarite not only sl'J)(l1"({ted /tÍm-
self from 22 those earthly things; he .
epllrated lâm.
elf to the
Lord 23: he consecrated to the Lord the days of his .
eparation
t: all
the da./J.
of ltis separation he was hO
1/ to the Lord 25: the sl'jJarrt-
tiOll of !tis God was upon !tis hmd 26. The vow was a /!reat and
jo;iugular thing. Jrhen man or U'Omll11 shallt,ow a .
}lecial1'(Jw
of a iYa:.arite 27. The ritual of the l\'" azarÍte likened him to the
priei;t. (;h'ing- him no prie!'tly office. it yet e,-cn intensified
SOllIe of the rules of the priesthood. The prie!oit \\"a
to abstain

mm

V:,o
!

,i
of wir.eTh

:::gh

i(

)
:
ih

::;'c

n
if
,4

cause it was undefined. S. Jerome enumerates, as probibited under it, "e'ery inebriat-
ing drink, whether made of barley, or juice of apples, or when honey is dec<:cted into
a sweet barharian drink, or liquor is expressed from the daCe, or "hul water IS colour-
ed and thickened by boiled fruit." (Ep. ad X'feotian.) According?, beer, cider, mead

itï
h

:s:)
:b
;g

tb:

:'I:
trbià

. ennented liquor,o "hatever, (hke our
2! Nu. vi. 3. ::J lb. 2.5, 6.
. lb. 12. 2S Ib.8.
lb. í.
2'j lb. 2. -"T
--: -"::
I\
ï:'". In Lev, xxvii. 2. the E. V. renders the same word and form,
-I"':
::<.
t":.J make a ii
Kular VOID.

nh2

17G

C Ifj[oíes T ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.
cir. 'i8ï.

AMOS,

12 nut ye g-aye the 1'\ azarites wine to C HBj[oíes T
cir. Î1ö7.

fi'om wine and !'trong- drink, only U,lll'll he ll'ent into tile taber-
nacle of tile ro/lgrefi(atirm, that Ii{' mig-ht put dflfl'rence hetu'i'en
110111 and unllOllI, and teaclt brad the statutes of the Lord 1: the
X a'zarite, so loÌ1g as he remained SUdl. The prie!'t mig-ht defile
him!'elffor eertain wry near dead 2 ; the high prie!'t alone and
the Nazarite. neitller for fatller nor motl,er 3: amI that fur the
kindred reason; the hig-h priest, because ti,e crOWll of tile anoint-
ing oil of Iâs God was upon lIim; the Kazarite, because tile con-
.
ecJ"{ltion (lMs God wa!' upon IlÍs lIead! IIi!' conse('ratcd hair
was ealled by the !'elf:same name 4 as the mitre of the IJriest.
It al'pNlrs tu have been woven into ,
el'enlock
5, itself a numbcr
of eonsc('ration. If his con!'ec'ration came to an end, that hair
was min/!,"Ied with the saerific(,6, and on IlÍs hands alone, bc-
!'ides the pripst's at his eonse('ration, was part of the oftcrin

lai(17. All brad was, in God's purpo!'e, (1 kingdom ofJJ1'ie,
ts 8;
and, among- th('m, the N azarite was broug-ht yet nearer, not to
the priest's offi('e, but to his eharaf'ter. This must have diffus-
ed itself indefinitely throug-h the outward and inward life.
Further !'trit'tness probably lay in the spirit of the vow. The
outward appearan('e of the r\azarite!' apllears to ha,'e becn
chang-cd by their abstemiousness B . Her ...Ya;;arites ll'ere purer
thall snow; tllf.1f u'ere wlâter thun milk. Their countenanee
had that tran!'parent 10 purity, whil'h !'omctimes results from a
pure abstemious life; as S. Athana!'ius is said to have been
"bloodlcs8." S. John ßapti!'t, the ('Olmterpart of Elijah, ate
only of the food of the wilderness, lomsts amlll'ild hone.1f ; his
clothing was the hair eloth n. Of S. James thc Just it is relat-
cd witl
reference to the N azaritc vow; "12 He was holy from
his mother's womb; winc and strung- drink he drank not, nor
ate any living thing; the razor eame not up upon his head; he
anoinh'd him not with oil, and hI' used not a bath." Xazaritcs
there had heen in the must disorg-anb:ed times of Israel. The
histories of Sam!'on and Samuel stand over ag-ain!'t one another,
as Kazarites who, the onc forfeited, the other persen'red in,
his vOt'ation. Elijah's a!'cetic eharac'ter is as ifhc had been onc
of them. or deep('ned the lines of their rule. Ahaziah's ungod-
ly mc!'!'cng-t'rs deseribed him t'(lIltemptuously as a mall, lord of
Itair, as thoug-h he had nothing- hut his prophet's broad man-
tle of hair, and tile leathern girdle ahout !lis loins 13. The Rc-
chabites, althoug-h Kcnites by origin 14, had been enrolled in
the people of God, and had received a rule from their father,
uniting' with the abstinenee of the Nazarites, a mode of life
whit'll kept them aloof from the corruptions of cities 15. The
rules of their Komadic life were ('onsecrated to C;od, for He
say
16, Tllere shall uot be ('ut qlffro11t Jonadab, the SOil of lle-
clwh, (, 111(111 stauding hefore J.lle for et'n, i.e. as the !'en'ant of
God. God uses as to them the term whit'h marks the service
of the Lt',-ites 17, Priests 18, and Prophets 19. Jmmdab, the au-
thor of their rule, was plainly an ascetic, through whose pre-
sence Jehu hoped to cast a religious eharaeter over hi!' amhi-
tious execution of God's ('ommand 20. But the value whieh
the artful, thoug-h impetuous 2 \ bloodstained, ealJtain attached
to the presenee of the ascetit' s]wws the weight whit-h they

1 Lev. x. !I-ll. 2 Lev. xxi. 1-3. 3 lb. 11,12. Nu. vi. 7. .
T
Nu. v
6 Jud. xvi. 13. 6 1\u. vi. 18. 7 lb. 19. 8 Ex. xix. 6. 9 Lam. iv.7.
10 The LXX. render:"::T Ex. xxx. 34. by ötatþav,j.. 11 S. Lukei.15. vii. 33. 8.l\fatt.
iii.4. 12 Hegesippus in Eus. H. E. ii. 23. 13 2 Kgs. i. 8. The mention ofthe girdle
6he
6 that the hair was the" !(annent of hair," (Zech. xiii. 4. Heb. xi. 3ï.) not the Na-
zante'shair. H 1Chr.ii.55. 15 Jer.xxxv. 16Ib.l!). 17 Deut.x.S.
18 J ud. xx. 28. 19 1 K(ZS. xvii. 1.
o 2 K 1\'8. x. 15, lß,23. J ehonadab, before-
hand, was pre6ent to observe if there were any worshippers of God. in Baal's temple;
his infh
ence was not with the Baal-worshippers, but with the va
illating people:
21 lb. IX. 20.

See Introduction to Hosea p. 6. ObadIah saved the hves of an

had with the people. Stran
e !'i
ht it must have been, the e-
nergetk warrior in his coat of mail, amI the as('etic, as cner-
g-etic, in his hair-t'loth. Deeper far thc t'ontra!'t within. Hut
the more marvellous the contrast, the more it att(
!'ts the influ-
elU'e which the unworldly ascetic had over the world. Like
th(' g-arh of the prophet!', their appcarance was a standing- re-
buke to a life of sense. Like the patriarchs, it profe!'sed that
thl'y were strangers and pilgrims upon tlie earth. They who
soug-ht nothing of the world or of time, were a witness to the
bclicf in their eternal home. The .Kazarites must now have
been a numcrous body, sinee Amos !'peaks of them, as a known
('lass, like the prophets, of whose numbers we hear in('idcntal-
ly 22. Yet the memory of the!'e, who, amid the g-eneral ('orrup-
tion, wen', each in his own s}Jhere, ('entres of pure faith and
lift', is embahued in these few words only. So litHe rea!'on is
there to think that God's comnHlllds were neglet'ted by all, be-
('ause their obscrvance is not related. Amos appeals publiely
to the Ileople, that the faet was so, that God had raised up
a-
zarites as well as prophets among them. He had His little
Jlock 23, Hi
Set'ell t1wu,Ç(llld 2 \ who eseaped the eye even of Eli-
jah. The g-ift of the 1\azarites was a sp{'eial fm-or to Israel, as
a memorial what the g-race of God t'mIld do for man, what man
('ouM do, with the graee of God. His raising up ...Ya;;arites,
out oftlleir !/owig 111en, men in their first bloom of unmarried 25,
\-ir
in 26, life, thcir }}ic'ked" very dwscn men 27," such as fur-
ni...hed the prime of their warriors 28, strengthened that tea('h-
ing'. Even now, one den)ted to God in his youth is a wit-
ness for God, lein-en of the world around him: But the Xa-
zarite had al!'o to hear an outwar(l mark for g-ood, to bl'sin-
g-ular. Hi!' appearance bespoke that he had chosen God. His
YOW was not only a living up to the law; it lay beyond the law,
the free-will oftèrin
of those whom God called. At an ag-e
when so many do things unlawful, to g-ratify pa!'!'ion, these ab-
stained t'ven from thing-s lawful. "Canst thou not do W}Jat
these youths and these maiden8 can? or can ther either in them-
seh'es, Hnd not rather in the Lord their C;otl?" was St. .\ugus-
tine's uphraiding- of himsclf29, 011 the eve of his cOIl\'ersion, in
thoug-ht of tlw
e who wert' living- a de,-oted virg-in life.
Is it not n'e1l tflUs? It were enough that C;od, the Truth,
said it. But He eondemns not, without gÏ,'ing- spaee for excuse
or defelwe. So He deserib(
s the Day of Judgment so. The
books we1"e opelled,-mul the dead 'we1"e judged out of tflOse things
ll'hicllwere written in tile boo/..'s, al'f'Ordillg to tl1eir 1Oorks 31 . Now,
in t]l(' time of g-raee, the question asks, what, written under the
pieture of Christ erudfietl, once converted a sinner;" This ha,-e
] done for thee: "'hat dnest thou fnr l\Ie?" 'Yhat did they?
"'hat had they done? What would they do?
12. But .'l/e {(ll1.'e the ...Yazarites 'Wine to drink; lit. and, (this,
on their part, wm,; the conse(luencc of what God did for them)
ye r(lused the ...Yazarites to drink ll'ine. C;od alJpointed; Israel
strove tn undo His appointment. God raised up .LVazarites, as
a testimony to them; they sought to make His servants break
their vow, in order to rid themselves ofthat testimony. Their

hundred l'rtp!,ets. .1
.gs. xviii. 4. 23 S. Luk
xii. 32.. '4 1
.gs. xix. 18.

:

I

el

i

{P
i
h ;

vt
:i
,
D

ii
s2r:n
hr
":

v

i;nJ

. Ii. 22.
and in the p{ur. Ps. lxxviii. 63. cxlviii.12. Is. xxiii. 4. Jer. xxxi. 13. Lam. i. 18. ii. 21.
Zcch. ix.17. and by Amos himsell; viii. 13. 27

:-:
is, by its fonn, intensive, not
"chosen" only, but "greatly chosen." It is nowhere used without emphasis.
25 Hencein the idiom "shall slay their chosen young men with the sword," &c. 2 Kgs.
viii. 12. J er. xi. 22. xv. 8. xviii. 21. &c. Ezek. xxx. 17. and in the remaining place in
Amos iv.lO. 2'J Conf. viii. 27. p. 152. Oxf. Tr.
30 S. Matt. xxv. 24-30.41-5. xxii.n. 31 Rev. xx. 12.

f'J-L\PTER II.

c J:oIS T drink; and conuuand('d the prophets, Y say-
cir. i8ï. ing-, Prophesy not.
7 lsai. 30. 10. Jer. n. 21. ch. ï. 12, 13. Mic. 2.6.

177

l:J z n('hold, II I am prcso;;;c(l under you, C HBí[oíes T
as a cart is prt:'sscd fhflf i,<; full of sheaves. cir. ï
;.
· Isai. 1. 14. II Or, I u'ill pr,.. y""r place, lU a cart full of .h,a"e. f'r,..dh.

pains to dt'!"trIlY it, is a stron
proof of its power. The world
is mad a
ainst true reli
inn, bel'au!<e it f('els itself ('ondemncd
by it.
Icn set th('mseh-cs a
ainst rclig'ion and the reli/!,"ious,
tl;e Churt'h or tll(' Priestlwml; only when and hc('ause they feci
their power nn God's silk against them. "'hat UH'n dcspi!<c.
they do not op)Jos
. "Tlwy
iII us, they d? Il
t des.pisc w..,::
were true words of a FrelH'h prll'st, as to the rel/!,"n of reaSOII
in the first FrelH'h renllution. Had the mcn in power not re-
speeh'd the
azarites. or felt that the pcople rt.spceted them,
thcy would not Im,-e att('IlIpted to corrupt or to foret' tllt'Ill to
breåk their vow. The word, Clllise thelll to drillli, docs not ex-
I)ress whether they used eonstraint or st'duction. Israel's e(lIl-
seienl'('s supplied it. \"(,t since they persecuted the prop/lets and
Imt thCIll to death, it Se('IllS likely that .\mos means that they
used ,-i(llen('e, either bv fordn/!," the \\ Íne into their mouths, as
the swine-flesh was fori'ed into the mouth of Eleazar" and, in
the Dc('ian I'Pr!<e('ution an infant was made to eat of the idol-
oblation 2, or by threat of death.
will COlllllllllllled the prop/lets, sn.llillg, Prophe.
y 1/ot. God
had ronllnanded the prophets to prophesy. Israel issued and
laid upon tlwm his t'ommands a/!,"ainst th(' commands (If God.
Tht' more God reveals His "ïll, the direrter and more determi-
nate the oppo..;ition of thllse who will not yield. God's per!"e-
'"eran('e in trying" to win them irritates them; they oppose grace,
and are anp:ered at not being- let aIOl)(,. This large statement
of Amos mean'" much more than the prohibition of Amazi-
rul to himselfS. .Jeroboam I. was pre,-ented only by miraele 4
from !"('Ízinjr the prllphet who dellounl'ed the altar at Bethel.
Ahah, during' the famine foretold by Elijah, sought him every-
whcrc to dc!"troy him 5, and Jezehel, after tlw mirade at Car-
mel and th(. death of her proplwt!", swore by her gods to do so 6.
Ahah's last ad was to imprison )Iieaiah 7, the S(1Il of Imlah. for
I'rophe

.ing- hi!< death, when adjurcd by him
elfto speak truly.
.Ahaziah, his !<on, undeterred hv the fire frulll heaven whi('h de-
stroyed two eaptain!'ò, each with his fifty, sent yet a 3rd to take
Elijah, when he proplwsied that the kin
would not ree(wer
from his sil'kness 8. Jehoram, hi!" 2nd son, swore hv Gorl to
destroy Eli
ha 9, laying- the evils of the sieg-e to tlw Prophet,
as the Romans did the edls of their dceaying empire to the
Chri
tian
. )Iil'ah awl Isaiah, a little later, speak of sueh
oPllOsition,in Judah, as habitual 10 ; much more in Israel, where
the oppo
ition to God's law was more fundamental, amI where
God'!'ò 1}J"()phcts had been all-hut exterminated. E,'en .\sa, in
his de
('nerate days. imprisoned Hanalli fCJr prol)hcsying that
he would 1/IIl'e Il'urs ll ; Joash slew Zeehariah SOn of Jehoiada 12;
Amaziah silenccd theprophetwho rebuked him IS, Art thou made
oftlte killKs coul/sel? forhenr. TfTh.1jsllOllldest thou be smitten ?
Jehoiakim sent even into E/..'Tpt to feteh C riah and slew him 14.
Jeremiah's life wa
IIUC eontinuou
encounter with fabe aceu-
satiou!< 15, I'ontradi(.tions by fals(' prophets 16, hatrerl 17 , moek-
eryI8, per
e(:ution 19, imprisOlllllent 2C1 , attempts to destroy him
1.
T
lC complamt was, as here, wherefore dost tlwu propllesy 22 ?
"hat, when our Lord gh'es it as the eharacteristie of Jenlsa-
1 2
acc.
!.18. 2 S. Cn,rian on the lapsed
. 16. p.16V. Oxf. Tr. 3 \ii. 13.
: 1
gs.
1lI. 4. 6 lb: xviii. 10-12. ð fb. xix. 2,3. 7 lb. xxii. ::!(), 7.
1 2 Kgs',I. 9-13. 9 lb. VJ. 31. 10 Mic. ii. a.Is. xxx. 10,n. 11 2 Chr. xvi. í, 10.
2 I
. xx,,'. 20.}. 13 lb. xxv. 15. 16. .. Jer. xX\i, 20-3. b Jer. xx. 10.
XXX\II. 13. XXX\III. 4. 16..Ib. xxiii. Ii sqq. :xxvii. 9,10,14-11;' xxviii. xxix.
17 ,
b. xv. I
.. 18 lb. X\II. 15. xx. í,8. xxiii. 33. 19 lb. xvii. 18. 20 lb. u. 2.
XXX!I. 3. XXXIII. 1. XXX\ ii. 15-2. "íXuiii.6-13. 21 lb. xi. 18-21. xviii. 18, 20-23.
XX
'1. 8 sqq; xxx
. 26. 22 lb. xxxii. 3.
S. Matt. xxiii. 3ï. Q à1fOKT.illOuCTa
.,.ø""''''po<þ1/Ta
Ka.
.60ßo
oiiCTa.

Icm 23, that she was" the slayer of the prophets. the !'òtoncr of
those sent unto her?" ThepnlUld not have slain the prophets,
iftlH'Y could hiu-e silenecd them. )Ien art' loth to
o to extre-
miti('
with Gild; they wiu make an annistice with 'Him; their
awe oflwliness make.. them inwardly shrink from laying- hands
(Ill it. Like the wolfin the fahle, they mu..t hiu-e a plt'a ag-ain!'òt
it; and that plea ag-ain..t those who haw the truth is ohstina-
cy 2i. lfthe Chri!<tians would han ah
taill{'d from com'erting-
the world, they would not han been persel'ut('d. The l:hicf-
priests at first sou
ht
imply tll silen('e the .-\p()..tles 25; then
they enfort'ed their t'ommand with scourg-es 26 ; then persel'uted
thcm and the l:hri
tians to death 27. Direet contuma('Y to {;od's
known voi('e and !'òilencin/!," His messenger, is a last "tag-e of
obduracy ami malice, whieh lcaves C;od no further avenue to the
soul or the people. His means of graee are exhausted, when
the soul or peuIJle not only deaden His ,'oire within, hut ob-
struct it without. One who, through vehemenre of his pa!<-
sions, refuses to hear, is within the rearh of the grace of God,
afterwards. He who !'òtifles God'
word to others ha'\ mostly
hardened his heart deliberately and malit'iously in unlm'e to
man.aswena
eon tempt of God. Hem'e C;od speaks, as though
this broug-ht the day of grare to a elose. .
I:t Beholtl, I WIl pres.
ed ullder YOli. C;od bore His people,
as the wain hears the shea,-es. }Y e .1/o11rseh'es IIllt'eseen, He said
to them by :\lo:-:e

8, how I hare YOli on ccl{.(le's 1I'ing.
, and brougld
you Ilnto A1IyselJ. 29 Tlwll /ltl.
t seeJt IlOw the Lord thy God hare
thee, as a mall doth bear /tis .Hlll, in all the 1(,(IY IIwt ye u'enf, llll-
til ye Cll111e into this place. And by Isaiah 80, He bare tltem ant!
carried them all tlte days of old; and 31, which are borne by
Ic
from t/lehelly,1l,lticll nre carriedfrom the womh.
ow,He sp('aks
of Himself as wearied by them, as hy I:-diah 3 2, tholl hast ll'em'iell
Jlewith thine iniquities; and by )Ialal'hi 33, ye hare ll'earied the
Lord: !Iet .1/e say, whnell'Íth hat'e we wearied Him? Hi
long--
sufl'erin/!," was, as it were, worn out by thcm. He was straitened
under them, as the wain /!,Toans under the sheaves with whieh
it is over-full. The words are literally. Behold I, I [eml'hatip,
I, your C;od, of \Yhom it would seelll impo..:-:ible] straiten my-
self [i.e. of )Iy own "ïll allow )Iy:-:('lf to be straitened] llnder
YOllS4,as thell'llillfllllfor itself, i.e. asfuU as e,'erit can eontain.is
stru iteu ed, groans, as we say. (;od sapo, (the word. in Hebrpw
i" half adh-e) that He allows Himself to be straitened, as in
Isaiah He says, I am lceary to bear, lit. "I let )ly
clfbe weari-
ed.." Ire are simply passh-e under weariness or oppressi,'eness:
God endures us, out of His own fre(' condeseen
ion in endur-
ing- us. But it foUow!;, that when lIe shall eea
e to endure our
many and grievous siw" He will cast them and the sinner forth
from Him.
14-16. Israel relied, ap:ainst God, on his own stren!!th.
Hare ll'e not, they said 35, taken to ll.
horlls h.1/ ollr oll'llstrellgth '!
Amos tell", them then, that every means ofstreng1h, resi!"tancf',
flight, swiftness of foot. of horse. plaee of refuge, slwuld tail
them. Three times he repeats, as a sort of dirge. he s/wl/ llot
deliver !timselJ.
2
see on TE'rt. de s'pect. 1. p. 189. n. f. Oxf. Tr. 2$ Acts iv. 18, 21.
lb. v.-ro.
27 lb. vii. 5ï _9. viii. 1--\. ix. 1,2. xii. 1-3. xxii. 4. 5. 2>! Ex. xh:. J. "9 Deut. i. 31.
30 Ixiii.9. 31 xhi.3. 3" xliii. 24. 33 ii.17. :H The E.:\1. gi,es as a
choice, the rendering, .. I will press) Ollr place. as a cart full !Jf sheave!< p
esseth." But
t
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h
r

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,o
:

it
7
rbi) I
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heX

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' ;

:;;dl
:

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::a
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.
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:

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cOW1tries) likely to be an image ofthe litter crushing ofapeople. 3rI vi. 13.

178

c lítoíes T 14 a Therefore the flig-ht shall perish
cir. i8i. from the swift, and the strong shall not
·
h:'ri\
&c. o.;trengthen hi
force, b neither shall the
; t
b
h
6. mig-hty deliver t himself:
60ul, or, life. 15 Keither shall he stand that handleth
the how; and he that Ù
swift of foot shall

Ps.33.17. not deliver himself: C neither shall he that
rideth the horse deliver himself.
16
\lld he that is t eoura
eous among

tHeb.
d..o,,!! of
liis hew"t.

AMOS,

the mi
hty shall flee away naked in that c lI{oíes l'
day, saith the LORD. cir. i8i.

CHAPTER III.

I The necessity of Goel's judgment against Israel.
9 The publication of it, with the causes tl/creof.
H E
\.R this word that the LOR)) hath
spoken a
ainst you, 0 children of
Israel, against the whole family whid1 I

Tllerefore the.fligM (probably place of jligM 1) shall peri.
h.
They had de
l'h:ed God, aR their plare of rejilge 2 , so tI,e place
of refuge should perish from tlte swift, as thoug-h it were not.
He
houlrl flee amain, but there would be JIO place tojlee unto.
God alone rellell'S strellgth: therefore tlte strollg man should not
strengtheu !tis force or migM, should not be ablp to g-ather or
"collect his strength 3," as we !':ay. Fear should disable him.
TIle halldler of tlte how 4, amI who by habit is a skilled areher,
althoug-h him!'elf out of the immediate reaeh of tlu' enemy, and
able, unharmed, to annoy him and protet't the fug-itins, slwll
not staJld 5. Panic should overtakc him. The migM.1f man,
the jleet of foot should not deliver, yea, the horsemall should not
ddil'er himself; yea, he who, amollg the migld.lf, was .
trOJlgest of
/ûs heart, firm-souled among- those of mig-htiest prowe!<s, sllll/[
}lee Ill/w.1f lIaked, i.e. bared of all, armour 6 or dress, whieh might
encumber his flig-ht in tltllt day, which the Lord made a day of
tcnor, His own day.
saitlt t!le Lord. Probahly lit. the secret utterance 7 of
the Lord. Amo
, more than IIoRea, uses this spef'Ïal authen-
t.ieation of his words B , whidl i!< !'òO eommon in I!'òaiah, Jere-
miah, Ezekiel, awl
e('hariah. lIe claims a knowledge, whieh
thol'e around him had not, and ratifies it by the express appeal
to the diret't, though secret, revelation of (;od; what those
who were not uf God, would deny; what they who were of God,
would believe.
III. 1. Amos, like 1I0Rea, rebukes Israel directlv, Judah
indireetly. He had warned each nation separately. Xow, ere
he eonf'entrates himself on Israel, he sums up what he had be-
fore said to Judah and Israel, in the Pcrson of God. "Y e ha,'e
becn alikf' in My gifts to you, alike in your waste of them and
your sins: alike ye shall he in your punishment." "'hat was
said to Ismel, was said also to Judah: what was direeted first
to the former people, helong-s to us, th(' later. "That Jesus said
to the Apostlei', He said also to the Church, and to single souls,

Tf7wt I sap unto .1/ou, I sa.1/ UJlto all, TFàtr!t.
1. Hear.'le tltis l('orcl. 'Vith that solt'mn threefold call, so
fre(luent in the Old Testament, he summons them thrice 10, as
in the Xame of the Holy Trinity, to hear God's words. "lIThe
Propllt't, at the outset ofthe chapter, rouses t.he hearers to anx-
ious consideration. For the words of the most Hig-h (;od are
to b(' heard, not with a superfil'ial, unawed, wandering mimI,
but with revel'ence, fear, and love."
tltat the Lord hath spoken against (and Up(J}l12) you, (com-
ing down fromlterLl"en ls , both upon and agaillSt them) tI,e wlwle
fami(1f w!Jif'/t I brought up from tllC lalld r!f Eg:lfpt. To Abra-
ham God ha(lsai(P\ in tltee sllllll all tlte families of the earth be

I So

'r.:I probably means in the same idiom, Job xi. 20. Ps. cxlii. 5. Jer. xxv. 35.
2 c

': is so used as to God, 2 Sa.m. xxii. 3. Ps. lix. Ii. J er. xvi. 19. 3 So Provo
xxiv. 5. . as in Jer. xlvi. 9. J'': --:;;;1"'. 5 as Jer. xlvi. 21. Nah. ii. 8. 6 As Livy
speaks of persons" unarmed and naked," iii. 23. or S. Peter is said to be "naked," before he
had girt on his upper gannem, (i.,,..v.ov-roíç) S. J oh. xxi. i. and Virgil directs his husband-
men to " plough and sow naked," Georg. i. 229. i.e. unencumbered with the upper dress.

Messed. So now, in withdrawing that blessing from them, He
takes it away from them, family by family 15. He ineludes
them, One amI all, and Judah also, since all had been hrouglti
Ollt of Egypt.
2. rOll 0111.'1 Ihlll'ek1l0ll'Ju!fallthefamiliesoftheeartll;there-
fore I will punish you for all your illiquities. SUI.h is the one
Ian' of God. The nearer any is orou
ht unto God, the worse
is his fall, and, his trial over, the more heavily is he punished.
1\'" earness to God is a priccle
R, out an aweful, g-ift. The intens-
cst blc!'òsing heemnes, by the abuse of free will, the most (lread-
ful woe. For the nearer God places any onc to His own light,
the more malignant is the choiee of darkness in
tead of Ii
ht.
The more dearly anyone knows the relation to God, in whieh
(;od has placed him, the more terriblp is his rejeetion of (;od.
The more (;ml reveal!' to any, what lIe IS, His essential per-
ft'ctions, Hi!': holiness and lm-e, the more uttel', fearful malig-
nity it is, to lun-e oeen broug-ht face to fa('e with God, and to
have in deed !òaid to Him, H On Thy tenns I will ha,'e none of
Thee." The angels who sinnt'd against fullest li
ht, had no
redemption or repentance; but became de,-ils lG . He too/': not 011
Him the nature of angels. lï TI,e angels w/tic/t kept not t!teir first
e.
tate, but left t!teir Oli'll Iwbitations, He hllU, J"l'serl'ed in ever-
Icl.
tillg clwills under darkness UlltO tI,e judgment of the great
Ðil.lf. Of the fonner l)eople, when their first day of
racc was
past, Daniel says18; under t!te 1(,llOle ltelll'en hath not been dOlle,
ll.
hilth heen done UpOJl Jeru.mlem. Begin, God saith in Eze-
kid 19 , at JIy .Wl1lctullry. Theil they begllJl llt the illlcient 1Itl?1

1l'llÏch were before the house. So our Lord lays down the rule ot
judgment and puniRhment hereafter 20 : the ser/'llJ/t which knew
his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither ditlw:l'OJ"ding
to His will, shall be belltl'll with mllny stripes. Bilt lie that knew
not, mul did commit t/ting.
ll'ol"flty Of stripes, shall be beateJl witll
few stripes. For unto ll'homsoel'eJ" much is gÏl'en, of /tim shall
much be required, llnd to Ielwm men have committed much, of /tint
thl'!!willask tlte more. Tlte time is come, sap S. Peter 2 1, that
judgment must begin at tlte llOu.
e of God.
You O}tllf I Itave Imou'n. Such ('arc had God had of Is-
rael, so had He known them, and made Himsclfknown to them,
as if He had, in comparii'on, disregarded all besides, as lIe re-
mained unknown by them. Knowledge, among nwn, is mutu-
al, and so it seemed as if God knew not those, of whom lIe was
not known. Knowledge, with God, is love, and Sf} He seemed
not to have known those, to whom, although He left }wt }liJ/Melf
Il'itllOUt ll.itness 22, He had !'òhewn no such 100'e 23. "Thence our
Lord shall say to the wieked 24, I nC/'C/" knew you; and eon-
trnriwi!'e He says25, I am the good Shepherd and knOll'
1Iy !'òheep,

7 from the Arab. s at the end of the sentence, here andiii. 13,15. iv.3, 5, 6,8,9,
10.n. ix. 8, 12. in the middle, iii.lO. vi. 8,14. viii. 3,9,11. ix. i, 13. 9 S. Mark
xiii.3i. 10 iii. 1. iv.l.v.I. 11 Dion. l' C
,
,. 13 Heb.xii.25. 14 Gen. xii. 3.
1. Zech. xii. 12. lð Heb. ii. 16. 17 J ud. 6. 18 ÏJ.:. 12. 19 ix. 6-

S. Luke xii. 4i. 8.
I I Ep. iv.Ii. 21 Acts xiv. 1i. ZI Bee on Hos.
xiü. 5. p. 83.
S. Matt. vii. 23.
S. John x. H. see 2 Tim. ii. 19.

CHAPTER III.

Before brougllt Up from tllf' laml ofE
n)t, sayin
,
c
It} .:<; T
elf. ,H,. 2 a You only have [ known of all thl' t
l-
·
e
'
: f3. 6 . milics of the eal,th: b tlH:'reforl' I will t }Ju-
b :::.};

.20. nish yuu for all your ini(luities.

i
tt.ll.22. 3 Can twu walk tog-pther, except they
ft:

1:9. 4í . be agree(} ?
t k

' 4. Ii. 4, 'nIl a liun ruar in the forest, wllPn he
cis;t "po".

and (till kuown of Jllinc. "11\1 ,-riads of dties and lands are
there under the
dlOlc hea,'en, and in them rouutless multi-
tudes; but you alone have I chnsen out ,?f all, made l\Iysplf
known and visihle among- you by many nllradcs, ,'hosen you
out of a bitter unbearable bondag-e, trained you by 1\Iy law to I
be wen-pleasin
to l\h', feneed you ,
'ith IJrot('('!ion, hroll
ht :
you into the land pro
ni:..ed tn your fathers, el
hg-hten
d you.
\\ ith prophe,'i('s." " - 1.'\ot, I decm, as though 111. the tune of I
Israt'l and of the Old Testament, there wpre not, 111 the whole I
world, some
ood mell and prede
tillated ; but be,.ause God did I
not theu chom;t' any nation Or whole pcople, save the ehildrt'n I
of Israel. :For it was meet that that P('ol)le, ofwhieh God willed
to be IIl('iINmtc, should be distin
uished by some slweÏal gnu'e." I
TIIl'rl'.lore Tu'ill pill/ish you. "1 To despise Go(l and to
ne
lel't the Lord's "ïll proeun'th destru,.tion to those who hm'e
k
'own Him or been known of Him, and be
? spiritually made;
Ills own." "I made )-OU My 0\\ n people, frIend
sons. As a I
Father, I cherished, proteeterl, exalted,
'ou. ) e would not
lmve 1\Ie as a l
ather, ye shall have
Ie as a JU(I
e." "3 As I
lsrat'llms, in its elect, been J!,'lorious abo,-e all, so, in the repro-
bate, has it been made viler than all, both before (;od and be- :
fore men." How mUl'h more Christians, and, among Chris-
tians, priests! It has of old becn bt'lieved, that the deepe
t
damnation will he that of un
odlr priests.
y et
in"e ahno!':t all punishment in this life is remedial, the
sayin
admits another meanin
, that (;od would leave no !<in
unl'ha!<tclU'd in those whom He had made His own. Both arc
tnlC n)('anin
!<, fulfilled at different times. (;od chastens in
proportion to Hi!,; love, in the ])ay of J!,'raee. He punishes, in
proportion to the graee and love despised and trampled upon
without repentanee, in eternity. Here," 4 the most merciful,
Ph)Osif'ian, cutting away the eancrous flesh, spart'th not, that I
He may spare; He pitieth not, that He may the more pity. For
?l.hom tIle Lord Im'eth He c/IllMeuet/I, and scourget/t (>l'ery SOli
?(.hom He receit'eth." Hence the prayerS, "Bnrn, cut, here; and
"pare for e'"er." Contrari\\ isc, "6 we should esteem any f"inner
the mort' mist'rahle. when we see him left in his !':in, un!'eour
ed.
"Thenl'c it is
aid 7, TIle tuming aw((!/ of the simple shal/.vlay
them, aud tIle prm.perit!/ of fools shal/ destra.1I them. For whoso
turneth ((/I'a.II from (;od and is prospe/"ow., i8 the nearer to per-
dition, the more he is removed from the severity of discipline."
"8 This is the terrihlt', this the extreme case, when we are no
lflng-er cllilstent'd for sins, when we art' no more eorreded for
offending. I
or when we have exceeded the measure of sinning,
God, in displea!<ure, turneth away from us lIis displeasure."
"II 'nWll you see a sinner, affluent, powerful, enjoying health,
with wife and ('irele of ehildren, and that saying is fulfilled,
10 they arc llot in trrmhle as other men, neitller are t/tey plagued
like other mell, in him is the threat of the Prophet fulfilled, I
1(.ill not "isit."
3. Sacred parables or enig-mas must have many meaning-so

1 S. C') r. 2 Dion. 3 Rup. 4 S. Jerome in Ezek. vii. Sanet. in Hos. iv. 14.
i ap. S. Aug. Bp. Audrewea, Prayers. 6 S. Greg. in Ezek. Horn. xii. lb. 'i Pro i. 32.

Ii9

hath no prey? will it young- lion t err out c I;[Ts T
of his den, if h(' have tah'n nothing-? .-"ir . í8í.
5 Can a hird fall in a "narc up..n tlu-' t

iorlh
earth, where no
in i.v for him? shall O1lP I,i. voice.
take up a snare from the earth, and have
taken nothing- at all ?
(j Shall a trumpet be lJlown in the city,

They are ea!oOt on the mimI, to quieken it and rouse it hy their
very mystery. They are takcu from ohj(,(.ts which, in different
li
hts, repn'!':ent different thin
s, and so !'ug
e
t them. This
series of brief parables have, all of them, this in l'omUHHl, that
t'aeh thiuJ!,' spokeu ofis alternately cause and effect, and wherc
the one is fillllld, there must Uf' the other. From the effcct \"ou
('an ,.ertainly infer the cause, withont which it could not he, ;nd
from the ('au
e you may he surc of the effe,'t. Then, further,
all the images arc of terror and peril to the objc(.ts spoken of.
The Prophet impresses upon their minds both aspeets of these
thin!!s; "evil will not befall, unk:o's it ha!': been prepared;"
"si
ns of evil will not shew themselves, unless the evil be at
hand. " The bird will not fall without the snare; if the suare
ri!':es and !':o f"he"-s itself, the bird is as
o()(l as taken. .As sure-
ly then (the Prophet would say) as the roarin
of the lion, the
rising of the snare, the alarm of the trumpet, hetokens immi-
nent peril, so surely docs the warning- Y oice of God. The lioll
Itatlt roared; u'ho willllot fear? Ag-ain, as surely as the!oOe are
the effects of their eauses, so surely is all inflietion sent by
Him "'ho Alone has power over all thing-s, and is the Cause of
all. Slwll there be el'il ill a Cit.1/, and tlte Lord Itath not dOlle
it? Ag-ain, as these tokens arc given uefore the evil comes, and
the God of nature and of g-raee has made it a Jan' in uature, that
what is fearful should g-ive sigus of coming evil, sO has He made
it a law of Uis own dealings, not to inflief edl, without ha,'ing
fore-announeed it. Sure/.II tlte Lord God 1.1';11 do llotMng, but
Ill' revealeth Hi.
secret unto His sert'ant.
tlte prophets. As no-
thinJ!,' cl!<e is hy "hance, nor happens without cause, lllu,'h less
the ads of (;od. The lion or young lion when they roar, the
bird when it fall!': to the gTound, the snare when it rises, the
trumpet's souml. all have their eause and ground: shall not
then much more the aets and works of God? Shall e\"Í1 happcn
in the ('ity, and have no gTound in the Cause of all causes, God
in His rig-hteous judl,.'1nents? As there is fear, whenevcr there
are tokens and causes of fear, so fear ye now and wateh, lest
the fear o\"ertake YOU and it be too late. The first words then,
3. Call [Tri/Ì] two 11'ulk togetlter, e.1:cept they be agreed?
are at once a
eneral rule for all whieh follows, and have dif-
ferent hearin
's aeeording to those its several a!oOlwets. And,
before all these, it is an appeal at once to the conseÍenee whieh
feels it!<clf Imrted from its God; "so neither will God be with
thee, unle!'s thou art agTeed and of one mind with God. Think
not to have (;od with thee, unless thou art with God ;" as lIe
!'.:aith II, I u'illllot {:o up ill tIle midst of thee, for thou art a stiff:
necked people, le.
t I con.mme tllCe ill tile wa.II ; and 111, if .ye walk
cOlltrar..'Illllto Jle, tllell will I also walk cOlltrar.l/ 111ltO .'lJ01l, and
11'ill JJllJli.
/1 you .yet seven times for your sins. And on the other
haud 13, Tiley shaJlwalk with _lIe in white, for the!1 are wort/I.'/.
"14 God eanllot be agreed with the sinner who justifies himself."
"3 (;od 'Vho rebuketh, and Israel who is rehuked, are two.
God saith, ". e are not
o-reed, in that. Israel, when rebuked,

8 Orig. Horn. viii. in Ex. xx. lb. 9 S. Jer. in HQI;. iv. U. lb. 10 Pa.lxxiii. 5.
11 Ex.- xJ\.xiii. 3. l
Lev. xxvi. 23, 4. ii Rev. jii. 4. H Lap.

180

C HB;[orS T and the people II not lw afraid? C shall there
cir. is;. be f'vil in a city, 1\ and the LORD hath not
U ?o
.

;
n clont' it?
c Isai.
;;. 7. II Or, and8hallnotthe LORD do somewhat?

A:\IOS,

i Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, C HBi[oíes T
hut d llc re\'ealeth his secret unto his ser- cir.757.
vants the pruphets. d gef8.6ii
3.
Ps. 25. U. John. 15.15.

heareth not )Ie, God, rebukin/!. Herein we are not a
ecd.
that I rebuke, I!<rael justifieth himst'lf. Lo, fur !<o man): years
since Jeroboam made the /!olden cah-e,.;, ha,-e I !<ent Prophct
.
and none ag-n'eth, for no one king dqmrted from the sin of
Jeroboam. So then I eame )I)'self, God made Man, rebuking
and reprfwing; hut 1 ye are tlle.1f ll'hÏl'h.iIl.
t
f!1 YOllr.
eh'e.Ç hrfore
11Ie1l. and, bcing- sïc'k, ye !'ay to the Phy!<ieian, we need Thee
not." "2 So long- as thou conf('sse!<t not tIn- sin!', thou art in
a manner Iitig-ati
lg- "ith God. For what (lisplea!<eth Him.thou
prai,.;est. Dc at onc with God. Let what displeascth Him,
di!<please thee. 'rhy past e\"Íllife di!<l'lcaseth Him. Ifit plea!<e
thee, thou art disjoined from Him; if it di!<please thee, by con-
fessing- thy sins. thou art joined to Him." So He awakens
and prepares the !'oul for the following- words of awe.
In I'onneetinn with what follows, tht' words are also the Pro-
phet's dcfenee of his Mission. Israel .mid to the Prop/lets,
Prophe.'I!f 1lot 3. or, The Lord Ollr God hath Jlot seJlt thee 4, be-
cause, while it di!'oheyed {iod, the ProlJhets mu!<t speak COJl-
cemiJlg it 1lot good, hilt el'il. Amos prepares the way t'i)r his an-
swer; ye "OlIrseh'es admit. that t,,'O 1('ill not ll'alk togetller, Wl-
less t";.'1/ be agreed. The seen and the unseen, the words of
the Prophets and the dealing-s of God, would not meet tog-ether,
unless the Prophets were of one mind with God, unlc!'S fiod
had admitted them into His {'oun!"el;;;, and 1l'ere ((f(reed with
them. so that their words should precede His deeds, His deeds
confirm His words by them.
Then, further, ea(.h (luestion by it!'elf suggest!' its own
thou
ht. Amo:,; harl already, in repeatin
Joel's word.., spoken
of God's V oiee, under the imag-e of a lion roaring 6. Hosea had
likened Israel to a silly clore, 1l'itlwltt Ilead 6; on the other hand,
he had likened God's loud call to repentanee to the roaring' of
the lion, the ('onversion of brael to the return ufthe do,-e to its
home 7. As the roaring of the lion cau!'eth terror. for he send-
eth forth his terrihle roar when he is about to spring on his
prey 8, so God threaten" by His Prophets, only when He is a-
bout to puni8h. Yet the lion'!, roar is a warning to escape.
God'!' threatening- ï,.. it warning to betake them to repentanee,
and so to escape from all fcar, by fleeing from their
ins. If
the season i!" neg-lccted. wilt thou reseue tlw l)rey from the
lion's graf'p. or thyself from the wrath of Gud?
Again, the hird taken in the ;;;nare i!' the image of those drawn
dow;1 from hem'cn, where vllr c01ll'ersation' i.
9 and the soul
may ri!'f' free toward!' its God, "10 drawn up by the Spirit to
hig-h and hea,-enly thing-s." Such souls, being allured by the
thin,g'!< of earth, are entangle(l and taken by Satan; as, on the
other hand, the smd, e
'caJ1ed as a bird out vf tI,e snare (if thefou'l-
er)1, i!" a soul, set free by Chri!"t and rCf'tored to Hea,'en.
In tIH' la!<t likeness, the Prophet eomes nearer to the people
themselves, and the trumpet is, at OIlt'P, the well-known token
of alarm among men, and of the loud voiec of God, wakenin

them to repentance 12 and still oftener, warning them of the
approach of judg-ment 13, or !'ummoning- man before Him H.
"1. (:Ìod's V oiee will not always be a still 8111a1l1'oi('e, or whis-
pered only among- the Angels, 'or heard as from the ground, It
will be heard terribly in the whole world." " 16 \Yhatc,"er is
1 S. Lule xvi. 15.
S. AuI'(. in Ps. lxxv. Lap. 3 see ab. on ii. 12.
:
ü:ï11.iii. 2. 1 xi. 10,ll
i. 2. H
.
i

.
'fe
o::

;ii.\
' xiii. í.
Jphitili:
g:
10 Art. xvii. 11 Ps. cxxiv. í. n Is.lviii.l. Joel ii.15.

said in Holy Seripture is a trumpet threatening-, and \\ ith loud
yoÏ!'e sinking- into the hearts of believers. If we arc rig-hteous,
we arc called by the trumpet of Christ to hli:;s. If we are !'in-
ncrs, we know that we arc to suffer torment." Is tl/ere el'il ill
the ci(" ami t!le Lord hatll }lot done it? E,-il is of two sorts,
e,-il of sin, and evil of punishmcnt. There i!" no other: for
evil of nature, or evil of fortune, are evil!', by God's Prm'idence,
punishing the evil (}f sin. "Ii Evil, which is sin, the Lord
hath not done; edl, whif'h is punishment for sin, the Lord
bring-eth." The PrO\ idelll'e of God g-overnin
amI eontrollin

all thing-!<, man doth ill which he wills, HI as to suffer ill whi('h
he will;;; not. Only, e,-il ,,-hic'h is by God's Providenee the pu-
nishment of !'in is in this life rcmedial, and through final im-
l'enitenee alone beeomes Jlurely judicial.
"18 Rcfer not, the Prophet would say, the ills which ye suf-
fer and will sutler. to any other eau!<es, as men arc wont to do.
God, in His displeasure, sends them upon you. And that ye
mav know this the more eertainlv, whatenr He shall !<end He
",ili first renal to the Pruphct!' ånd by them ye shall be fore-
warned. See then that ye despi!'c not my word!<, or the words
of the other prophets. )Ien ascribe their slitlering-!" to fortune,
aceid('nt, any f'au!<e, rathcr than the di!'plea!<ure of God. The
intemperate will think any thing the eau!<e of their illness ra-
ther than their intf'mperanee, Men love the thin
s of the
\,-orld, ami cannot and will not be per!'uaded that so many eyils
arc broug-ht on them by the things whieh they love. So then
God explains through the l)rophets the punishment whieh He
purposes to bring on men."
ï. Surel!1 the Lord God will dv [For the Lord GOD doeth]
1l0tlâllg, but He re1'eliletll His secret llnto His serl'(mts tlte pro-
phets. So our Lord saith 19, .AmL llOll' I have toleL you before it
mUle to }lass, tlwt, when it is come to pll.
s,!le ]JUl.', beLiel'e. "-hile
it i!" yet a secret counsel within Himselt
He admitteth to it His
:;:en-
nts the prophet!". The same word si
nifies "sef'ret 20" and
., !'eerct eoun
cI with a friend." So"
I God re,"ealcd to I\oah
that He would bring- the dclug-e, and to Abraham and Lot, that
He would destroy the cities of the plain, and to Jo!<eph the ï
years' famine in Eg-ypt, and to )Ioses its pla!-'11c!", and to
Ioses
amI Joshua all the ehastisement:-: of His people, and to Jonah
the d('strut'tion of
ïne'-eh, that they who heard of the eOlU-
ing punishment, mi
ht cither a,'oid it by repentance, or, if they
should de!"pi
e it, might be more justly IHmished. And!'o now
the Lord is about to reveal throu
h Amos, His sen-ant and pro-
phet, what He willeth to do to the 10 tribes, that, forsaking their
idols and turning- to Him, they might be frecd from the impend-
in/.( peril: whieh is of the great merey of God. He foreteUeth
evil to I'ome, that He may not be eompelled to inflict it. I
or He
,rho forewarneth, wiHeth not to punish sinners."
"
2 So He inflit'ted not on Egypt any plag-ues by the hand of
Moses, but He first forewarned Pharaoh amI the Egyptians by
him; nor the sufferings by the Ammonites,
lidianites and Phi-
listines, related in the book of J nd
es, but He foremonished
Israel b
' Jo:-:hua 23; uor did He inflict on the Jews that destrue-
tion by Titus and the Romans, but lIe foremonished them by
Christ 2
and the Apostles. 80 neither will He bring that last
I 13 Is.xviii.3. Jer. iv. 5. vi.!. Ez. xxxiii. 2-6. Hos. v. 8. viii. 1. Rev. viii.
14 1 Cor. xv. 52. 1 Thess. iv. 16. IS RuJ.'. 18 S. Jer. 17 S. Aug. c. Adim. 26.
18 Rib. 19 S. Joh. xiv. 29. compo lb. xtii. 19.
"::1. used here. 21 S. Sec.
22 Lap. Zl Jos. xxiii. 12-16. xxiv. 19, 20. 2-1 S. Luke xix. 42.44.

CIL\PTEIl III.

IRl

c lr
io
es T R e The lion hath roared, who will not !J
Puhlish in the palaces at .Ashdorl, C }rj[o
es T
cir. i8i. fpar? tlt(, Lord (;0)) hath spokt'n, C who can and ill the palac('s in th(' land of Egypt. cor. i1>i.
;
c
:
: 20. hut prophesy? I amI say, .Asscmhl.. yourscln's upun the
&;;. 20, :W. I Cor. 9. Hi.
d
,!'trut'tinn un th('" nrld, without ha\"iu
fir
t
('ut th(' Pl"o p
ets Ii throu
h decp and oft('U uarro" iu
ntlle
s 13, dowu whi('h the ar-
and _\u
d
, whn, !'ouudin
with the s('n'u trlllllpt't
, shall prn- I lIlie
of Salllaria lIli
ht rt'<tdily pnur, hut" hieh. like Thcrmn-
t'laim it throu
lwut the world I." I pyla', mi
ht he hdd hy a haudful of IIIt'U ag-ainst a larg-e host.
R 11u' Liun hath ruared: 1l,I/fJ willllot fear
) The Lord The hroad ntle ncar the hill nf Dothan H, along-" hil.h the bliud-
(;od IUlfll .spokell: Il'l,o ml/ hilt prophe''.I/:' }. .e. th('rc . i
I'a.u
e r ed
yrian army top(/w
d }:Ji
ha to
alllar!a, e:'!ltr<H'ts into
for, 011 tn f('ar. wh('u the Lord mareth from Z/fm ; hut If ye f('ar .. a uarrnw ,'allt'Y 16. ' hefon' It readle!'
aJnarta. I he author of
not: (;où'
prophet
dare not hut f('ar.
o S. Paul
aith
, 1/('- II tht' hook 411' .Judith, whn klww wdl the enuutry, sp('aks of" the
('esÛty i.
iai
i I?J(JII me; .Yl'a,. wue i

lIIto me if I prea('h lIot the I i pa
sag-es of the hil!-I'llUntry" ncar J)t
thailll," hy" whil'h "that'
(;O,fpel! rur if I do tIlls tllll/,
1l'IIIIIIgZI/, I IU(l'e (i/"lward : hut : was an eutraucc lIltn .J udæa, aud It wao; ea
y to
top th('m
if a
uillst 1/I1/lI'ill, a dispul,wlti(JIl ofth(' (;n
pd is ('ommitted IIlIto I' that would I'omc up, hel'all
e tilt' pas
ag(' wa
!'trait for twolllt'n
;ne
and S. 'Pet('r and .John 3, ll'hethn' it he rigltt in tIle sigltt of I at the nw
t 16." .. 17 A !'eri('
of long-" iuding ril\ im's npen from
God to Iu'arken UI/to !/OU mUI"I' thull unlo (;od,judge.'le! For u'e I, the 1Il0uutain
to the plain; the
(' w('re tlU' pass('s
o oftt'n d('-
rtt/IJwtlJ/lt speak tlte tMltgs which wc IUll'e seeltaml Iteard. .Mo
e
fcnd('d hy the · hllrns IIf JII
eph. the ten thousanù,. of Ephraim,
was not ('xcll!'t'tl, thou
h
Iow of Sp('cI'h; nor I:,aiah, thou
h of and the thousands of
Ianass('h' agaill
t the inntd('rs fmm the
pollutt'd lip!': nor .Jcremiah, lJe('au
e hc was a I'hild: hut (;od :Korth:' "ïthin these lay ..l
the widc mf'ky rampart" whif'h
said \ 8m/ Ilut, I am tl clÚld; fur thull sltalt gu to all tltat 1 felH'('d in Samaria from the N. "19 The filH' round swclling- hill
ÛIflIl,
UllitIICC, alld 1l,IIflt,WJCl'er I CUlIllltWld tltee, t Iwlt sltalt ,
}I('ltk. of Sa1llaria, now t'ultivated to the top, [about 1100 feet above
.\.nd Ezekit'! 'ra
Liddcn 5, hc lIut rebellious, like t/illt rebl'lIious th(' 1'ea
u. alltl ;
O() from it..: fI\\ n yall('y
1,] !'tands alone in the
ItOWIe. _\.nd wlwn .J('n'miah would keep !'ilelH'e, he saith 6, lIi,
lIIid
t of a great ha
iu of
ome two hours lor 5 mile
] in dia-
lI"urd Il'a,
ill mille Itellrt as a IJIlrllillgjirt\ sltut up ill 7/I.1f hUiles, meter ,;urrOllllded by hi
hcr mountains on every !'hle." .. 22The
ami I WIIS wCllr,'/ ll'itlt furbeariltg. Ulill I cOlllrlllut
tay. ,'iew from it!<
ummit pn's('nts a !<plendid panorama of the ft'r-
H. PIlMi,
h lye. th(,y arc the words of (;od, eommission- tile ha
in and the uwuntain!< arolllld. te('ming' "ith large vil-
ing His prophd
.] ill [Oil] tIle Jlalace,
uf A.,lulud, [i.e. Oll the flat ! lag-e
, and inf'lude
not Ic,..
than :!j d('g-rt'e
of the 31 ('ditt'rra-
rtlof
of th('ir hi1!,"h building-!', whcnl'e all can h('ar] allll ill [011] tlte I nean."
ueh a plan',outofreaeh, in tho!'I' days, frmn the neigh-
lJUlm'es ill tlte laud of Eg.'/pt. ";Since ye di
hclie"e, I will ma- houring- heights, was wt'll-nig-h imprt'gnahle, ('xC'ept by famine.
nifest to .\.shdodite!< and Egyptians the transgn'ssions of whieh But its inhahitant
must ha,-c had handed do\\ n to them the
ye an'
uilty." .\mos had already pronoun('cd God'!'
en- 1II('lIlOry. how those heig-hts had OIlCC be('11 peopled. whik t'U'ir
tenl'e on tlte }lala('es of _blulor! and all Philistia, for their sill,.. I ,-alleys wen' thron
ed \\ ith all the hosts 2"1 of ßenhadad. his f'lta-
agaill!'t lIim
c1f in IIi
{wople -. Israel now, or a little later, riot
and his horsemen; and the monntåins, in \\ hiC'h they had
t'ourtetl Lg
-pt 9. To friend then and to foe. to tIlO
C whom they trust('d to !'hut out the enemy, were the pri!'llII-wall
ofthdr fa-
dn'ad(,tI amI those whoJII th('y ('ourt('d, God wllulillay op('n their mish('d p('ol'k. From tho!'t, hei/!."hts. "2-!. the Syrians ('oulll
sins. Üllltempt ami l'lmtumely fro1ll an em'my ag"g-r;u-ate
uf.. plainly di..ring-uish the famishin/!." inhahitants of the f'ity. The
fering': man dm's not help whom h(' d('spi
eth. Tlte.1f were ull adjaeent,'irde ufhill
w('re
o densely occupied, that not a man
ashfllllnl of a pl'ople ll'ho c01l1d 1I0t pr(!/it tltem, saith I
aiah 10 !'uh- f'ould push t hroug-h to hring- provisions to the Iwleag-uert'd I'ity. .,
s('l}uentl
', of E
H't in rt'g'ard to .Judah. From those palat'e
, The eity, Iwing- huilt on the ..ummit and terraeed !'id('s ofth('
already dllonwd tu destruI,tion for their !<ins, the SUIHIIHlns was hill, unf('nced and unC'OIu'eaIed by walls whkh, ('è\.I'('pt at its
to go, to ,"isit Samaria, and s('e her SillS, amid graC'e whieh those I base, 'n'n' unneeded, lay open, un!'heltert'd in e,-ery part from
peoplt' had not. .As our Lord says II, It ,
/mll be mm'e toleruMe the /!."aze of the I)('sieg-ers. TIlt' surroundillg hills 'n're one
for 80llom allli GOllwrrlm ill tllll Da.'/ (!f ,fwlgmellt, tltall for larç:(' aIHphith('atre, whenl'e to behold tht, tra!!."edy of I
rael
5,
tlwt ";/.1/. Shame tmrards JIIan sun-i, es shame toward.. God. and ('II{'mi{'s were ill\"Íted to he the
pe('tator
. They ('ould
"ltat nwn are not ashall!ed to do, they are, apart frolll any ('1111- 1'ee it
failiine-stri,'ken inhabitants totter along- tlws(' op('n tt'r-

('q
lcIII'es. ashamed to eonfc,;s that they han' dont'. Xay, to ra('e
. Sin had broug-ht thi
eha,;tis('nu'nt upon th('Ill. Gnd
aVOid a little passin
shalll(', tlwy ru!<h upon l'l'erltl,
tillg ,
/Ill1J/e. had furg-iven thelll then. "
hen God "1111 had, hy His Pl"II-
So (;11(1 e!l
ploys all infel'ior motÍ\-es, shalllt', f('ar, hope of thin
s ph(,t, foretold their relief th('n 26 , nuw by Hi,; Pn'phet called a-
pre
ent, If hy any means 11(' I'an win lI!('n. not tn ott'cnd Him, new tho
p enemie,.. of
amaria to those
anw h('ight,; to hdlllid
Assl'IlIMe .'/(J/lr,
eh-e,
UPUII the mUll/ill/ills (!f "
'(llnaril/, i. ('. her sin
, what I'ould thi
mean hut that He !'uDlmoued th('m to
thuse ,;urroundin
it. Samaria wa,; eho
en with IIIUl"h human m-pn!!."e what He
umlllOlJed th('m to hehold ? It" a,; no figure
wi!<dmn.ror the
tron
t'al'ital of a
1I1all p('ople. Imhedded in of spceeh. God an'lIg-es. as Ill' emnforts, not in word. but in
m
HllItalll!', at
(1 O
lt .ot allY of the usual routt'
12, it lay. a lI!OUU- deed. The triuIIII,h of thu
e enemi('
Dm"id had ('!<pt'('ially de-
!aIll-fastll('s
tn. a l"Ieh ,'all('y. .Armies might "'urge to and fro prel'ated 2" Tell it not ill (;ath, Jlubli,
/1 it 1101 ill tile streets of A s-
III the valky of Jczreel, and he uncolI
cious of its exi!'tenee. kelrm . ic.
t tile t1au cr/ders of tile Plâlistilles rejoice, lest tIle daugh-
The way from that gn'at \ïlne
to
a1l1aria lay, e\"ery way, tel'S oí tile u1/('ircl
l/Icisl'li triumph. To these brad was to be

I Rev. viii. 2. 2 1 Cor. ix. 16.17. 3 Actsi\. 19,
O. 4 Jer. i. i. . ii.8.
e xx. 9. 7 Theod. S see on i. 6-11. 9 Hos. vii. 11. xii. 1. 10 X""X. ;;.
II S. Matt. x. 15. 12 E,,:n the. route from
eisan (Beth-shedn land Zerin (Jez-
r;el)
o Ram!e
and EI\Y

la
,r;.. of Samar,a. paSSIn!/: throu!!,h the ,-alle} of '\ abud to
I era<m and Zelia. (Hob. 111.1:.:.-4.) 13 'laundrell pa,.ed "throu!!,h narrro\\ val-
leys for four hours," before he reached Caphar AJah. taking the road to the left of Arab
(-\rraheh)and H.amaand "o\er Selee." p. ii, 8. .. The wav from Sanur to Jenin ran uni-
formly through a narrow \\adi (" a sort of defile,'" ,\ ilson,'Lauds, &c. ii. 8-1.) opening into

the plain of Esdradon." (V. de Velde, i. 367. Rob.ii. :n4.) 14" A huge hill. cover-.
ed over wilh ruins." Y. de \ .,Ide, i. 36 I. I. lb. :3iO. 16 iv. 7. This was pro-
bably a pr,>verbial expre-.sion. 17 Porter. Hdb. 3;;0. .. Almost all travellers ..re
compelled to draw conc1u<ions Crom the well-known descent from
eha'te through Sallnr
to Jenin. But the general n .ture of the ground cannot be doubted." Stanley, l'al. :!16.
Is Y. de Y. :\73. 19 Hob. ii. :,IH. 2u Poole, ill \ . de ,- elde, :\Iemoir. 17->.
21 Porter. :341. r. Rob. ii. :Jtl7. 23 2 "g>;. \ i.
I.
. '-. de \ dd". I. :,,; _
::. :\lont. ""
Kgs_ \ii.

Sam. i.
O.
1 i

]-;2

A
lOS,

C f[B;[oí"s l' mountains of Sam aria, and behuM tl)(' II saith tlw LORD, who store up violen{'{' C If''ì{ví\ l'

gTc'at tumults in tIll' midst thert'of, and and II rul)bery in their palace's. cir. 7S7.

;<
fo-ns. the" oppn'sspd in the midst thereof. II II Therl'fore thus saith the Lord GOD;:!
K.i{.';lií.

Jer. 4. 2Z. 10 For they g know not to do right, I h An mh'el'sary tll(')'(' .o;IUlIL bi' ('ven round ïi)
ir 18. 9,

a
'aLiIlg--stodi. Th('y \H're like' tile U'OJJ/(l1I set ill tile llIid.
t I,
amid nut' ('lwin'ling- !<('a nf aI'('using- iu,;ulting- fae('s, with 111111('
to pity, nom' to inter('('(k, non(' to !'Il('w ml'l"I'y to tllt'm who
I/(Id sllell'ed 110 me/,(
II. Faint imag-e of tlw "IWIII(' of that Day,
whell 1I0t nH'n'!< dced!< only, but 2 till' .
e("rt'ts of all Ilea rts sllall
be 1'('I'ealed. and 3 tlle.1l,
/1ll1l hegin to S".'I to the ulO/(lltaiJJs, Fall
011 us, ami to the Mils, ('01'('1" us ; and of that ,
/wllle there will
1)(' no end: for it is el'l'I"lrlstiJJg 4. I
alld 1J{,/IOfc{ tl/(' great tumults, i. e. the alarm". re!'tle
sm's!',
di,..orders an(1 confu"ion of a p('oplc intellt 011 g'ain; turllin
I
all law upsidc down. tlU' tumultuou,; noise of tilt' oppn'!'!<ors I
and OP}H'('ssed. It i,. the wOI"I1 which Sololllon u,;es \ Better is
little It,itll tile /t'lIr of the Lm'rl, tlul1I {.{rl'llt trt'f[Mlre aud tu-
mult tlll'J"ell'ith, the tumult,; and r('stl('s"m's!< uf ('ontinual

ainin
. .dnd till' o}Jpl'l'ssl'd, OI.I)('tter (as in tilt' E.l\I.) the op-
pres.I'ions 6, t he manifold pnr-n'pcated acts hy whiC'h men \\-ere'
('rushed ami trampl('d on.
in the 1IIitht thereof, admitt('d within h('r, domidkd. I"t'ig-n-
ing- therp, in hcr \'ery ('e'ntre, and nc\-el' departing" out of hel',
as the P"alllli"t sa}'s 7, /rid(('dlles,
is in ti,e midst' tlll'reof; deceit
and gltile depart not Jj'om 1,('1" .I.treets. _\foretime, (;od slmrcd
IIi,; I'eople, that His
Yft1l1e sllO/lld uot b IJe pollittI'd blfore the
lIeatheu, 1l1llOIlf( 1('//fI1II tlll.'1 ll'ere, ill whose sight I made .JI.'lselj'
InWll'lIllllto tllelll ill hrillging theil/forth out (!I'tlie lmul of Eg,llpt.
l\:ow He SUllllllon!' tho,;(' !'ame heathen a" \\'itllc1oÕ
('S that I,;rael
was justly ('olld('mm'd. Thesp sin,;, I}('in
sins against the
moral law, tlU' HeatlU'n would e(}Ju!eIII n. .:\Ien eomkmn in
otlU'rs, what th('v do themst'lH'S. ßut ';0 they would set' that
(;od hat('d ,;in, tiIT whii'h Hc spared not His ;I\H1 pcople, and
('(lUld the Ic,;s triumph O\'C'r God, wh('n they 1oÕa\\" the people
whom (;od had pstablislwd and proteC't('d.
'ivcn up to the
king of Assn-ia.
" w. .Po;. [llUlI] tlll.1f ImOll' Ilot to do rigid. They Iw/'e Ilot
knml'n 9 , th('y ha\'e lost all s('n!'(' and knowlerl
e. how to do rigid
(lit. what is stl"fligld-.f0l'll'(l/'d 10 ) beeau,;p they had so long- e('a"pd
to do it. Jt i!' part of th(' miserablp blindness of sin, that, whilC'
the !'ooul ae(luircs a (lui('k insi
ht into edl, it becomes, at last,
not paraly!"('d only to do g-oml, hut unahle to lwrC'('i\'p it.
o
J c1'cmiah says II, t Ill'.'1 are ll'i.
e to do el'il, bitt to do good tlle.tll/({l'c
uo kn(Jlf'ler

e. "'helle(' of the Clll'i
tian S. Paul say1oÕ, I Il'ould
l((ii'l' !IO({ ({'ist' unto thflt lI'M,.II is good, tlml silllple ('OIu'l'l'1/ing
el'i/ u . People, step by !'tt'l', lose the {,,)wer of under,;tandin

either 1!,'ood or ,,\-il, the IO\-e of the world or the Im-e of God.
Either be('IIIlU's .. a stran
e lan!?,1.mg;e" to C'ar,; ae'eustonU'd to
the sOllgs oj' Ziou or the din of tiIC \\
orld. \\'h('n our Lonl ami
God callic to Hi10Õ own, they 1oÕaid, 13 we low/(' tllat God .
}Jllke /(nto
Jfo,
l's: as for tlli.
IIIllJ/, Il'e kllOll' not wl/em'e He i
'. And this
hlindncss was wl"fl1l
ht hy COH'ÌflUsm's!' which Mimleth the e./jes
,'ven of tile lI'ise a, as he adds;
lT7/O ,
tore nit. with indig-nation, the .1.torers 15 ] ll'itll l'ioll'Jl('e
ami /"o!J!Jer.'I. They ('(111M not IHHIC'rstilllfl what was rig-ht, while
th('y habitually did what was wrong-. They ,
t{Jred Itp, as they
de('med, thp g-ains and fruits; the rohbery and inju!<tiee they
!<aw not, b('('ause they turned away from ,.eeing-. ßut what i!<

I S. John ,iii. 3. 2 Rom. ii. Hi, 3 S. Luke ",xiii.
O. . Dan. xii. 2.
" Pro x'. 16. 6 as in Joh ",xxv.
. Eccl. i,". I. The word, like ollr npp,essions,
i. a pa__i\ c, IIJ,1de active b\' ils use as an ab
tract, 7 Ps. Iv. n. · Ezek. J.X. 9.
9 -:o--;..
:.. 10
:-:
. II iv.2:!.

I stored up, is not what wastes away, but what abid('s. 'rho
doubts it? '1'h('n, what they tr('a
ul"t'd, wer(' not the peri
hing
thin:!!< of ('arth. hut, in truth, tlI(' ,.ins themst'lves. a" (116 t rea.mre
rlu:mtll agaillst tile Da.'1 of wrath alld rl'l'l'latioli of till' righ-
teousjudpllellt of God. Strang-e trea
ure, to he ';0 diligpntly
a('C'unlUlat('d,
uarded, multipli('d! Y (,t it i", in t
lf't, all whieh
rcmain,.. Ii
o i!oò III' tlwt !t{.'letlt uJI trea.\'Ilre for himself amI is
lIot rich tOl{'({rd (lod. IIp add". a" an a
gravati()Il: ill tlleir}Ja-
la('l's. ])d'ol"lued as is all opprcs,;ion, yet ItJ oppress the pOOl', to
iJlf'rN(se his riches 1\ ba!< an unnatural hideouslws,; ofits own.
"'hat was \\Tung' from the poor, laid up ill palal'e,
! Yet
I what cI!<e i!< it to ehea}It'Il luxuri('s at the CI/!oòt of the wages
of the poor?
I I L Tlle/'efore thus .mith the Lord God. There wa!oò no 11U-
I man redn'ss. Thp oppres!'or was mig-hty, hut mig-hti('r the A-
veng-('r of the pOOl". l\lau would not help: th('rt'!'ore God wfluld.
..In ad/'eI"sar.'l thcre !"hall JJe, e!'ell mil/ill about till' lalld; ]it.
/ll
euem.'l, amI around the lalld! The Prophet !'peak!', as :,('e-
l ing- him. The abruptness tell,; how !'luldenly that ellt'my should
come. and hem 19 in the whol(' land on all side!'. "'hat an unitv
in their de,;tnlf'tiou! He sees one elielJIII, ami him e\'err
wlwrt'. all a rtJuII d, eu('ireling', ellf'omIlilssing-; a
with a lid, theï"r
whole laud. lIarrowin
in, as he atkalle'crl, until it closed a-
round anrlllpon them. The eorru})tion was nniver!'al. so should
be the re(Juital.
.dlld III' .
hall bring d(J1('n tll.'1 .
trengtll from (i. e. aW({.'1 frolll)
thee. TIlt' word bring dOll'1i impli('s a loftim',,!< of pride wIJi('h
was to be hroug-ht low, a!' in Obadiah 20, tlleJt('e lI'ill I bring thee
rllJ11'n; and in bai:.h 2\ I will bring dOWIi tlwir .IlreJtgth to the
('f{rth. ßut furtlwr, their stn'ng-th was not only, as in former
opprps"ions, to bp brought dowli, Imtfortll fl'lJlII tileI'. Tlly pa-
laces sllall be s}Joih'd; those palaees, in which th('y had heaped
up the spoil
of th(' oppressed. :\lan's sin!' an', in God's Provi-
dene('. th(' mean,; oftlwir punishment. 22/roe to tllee tlmt spoil-
est [({ud, i. e. whereas] thou wcrt not spoihd, and dertlest tread/e-
rOils!.'!, lind tl((.'1 dealt 1I0t treadll'r(}llsl!1 with tI/ee! 1l'I/ell tllOu
perfeetest .
poilillg, tI((JIl slla!t he spoiled; wilen tllOu (/('complisll-
est dl'lllilig (read,erou.\'(II, the.tlshall deal treacllerous(tll!'ith thel'.
Tlu'il' spoiling- !'hould ÍIn-ih' the !'poiler, their oppression!< should
attraf't tlw oppn'!'sor, and th(,y, with all whieh they hdd to be
thC'ir stn'n:!th, shoultl
o .forth into eaptivity.
..23 Thl' Lord 1l'Ï1I he justified ill His sa.,!ings, and in Hi!'
works, wheu H(' exef'uteth jtu]
ment on liS and s1mll be
dml'l'd. e\"('n by the mo..... unju!<t judg-es, It,hen lIe i.
j/(dged2
.
He eÍh's the .\shdoditt,,; and Eg-yptians as judg-e,;, who w('re
witn
ssC's of His b.enefits to this people, that they mi
ht see
how Justly H(' IHIUI!<hed tllt'll1. And no\\" the hard('Il('d Jew!'
them,;e!ws. Turks and all Hagarem'!'. mi
ht !J(' ('all('d to lJ('hold
at flllee our ini(luitie", and the mercies of the Lord, that we lire
not (,(I/Isumetl 2". 1ft h(,sC' \H're gathen'd on thc mountains of
Samaria. and survey('d from aloft our sins, who worship l\J am-
1111111 and Yain-g-Iory and "('nu!< for (;od, douhtless thc l'iamc
of God would throng-h us he Lla!'phenu'd among' tilt' heathen.
· Jmag-ilU' )'(lur,,('l\"('s "ithdrawlJ till' a while to the summit of

I
Rom. xvi. 19. 13 S. John ix.
9. I< Ex. xxiii. 8.
í.) =-;:N-:;:-. 16 Rom. ii. 5. I, S. Luke xii. :!l.
"OJ \er. -l. 21 l
. hiii. 6.

lb. xxxiii. I.

Lanl. Hi. !?:?

J. ::1--::10::-: a
before (ii.
18 I'r. ",xii. lG. 19 -::

Rib,
. P.. Ii. 4.

CIL\PTER III.

C HBìf"ïs T ahout the land; and IU' shall 1n'in
down
Lir. ,,,- thy stren
th from thee, and thy palm'es
shall J)(' spoiled.

1
3

12 TIllis saith thl' LORD;
\s the !o.hep- (' 1
I[oíe
T
herd t taketh out of thc mouth of thc lion Li ,
-
twu legs, ur a picec of an par; so sluùl thc t

::'
rell..

(IIlH' lofty mIHmtain,'
ay
tlH' hle
!<ed martyr Cyprian 1, '"i('w
th('n('e the fa('e of thin
s. as thc,' Jit' h('lwath ,'oU. "our:,dffn'e
from (',,,,tad of earth.' f'a..t nmr e\"c,; hither' and 'thither, and
marl;: tin' turnwil... of thi,; hiittm v \
-orld. You too. re('alled to

df-I"('1l\('mhJ"(lIl1'l'. will pity the
\'orld; and, lIIade 1l\orc thank-
ful to GII(I. will ('on1!J"atulate yoursdf "ith d('('l'('r joy that you
have e
<<'al'('d it.
e(' thou the Wfi)'; oJ,strul'Íe<<1 hy Landit
, tI,C

ea,; infe
ted hy l'iratt'
. war difti1!<('d ('\ ('ry where hy the ('alllp'!<
hlood
taiul'd fi('I"('cllt'
!< : a ""rId reeking' "ith mutual :-:Iaup:h-
ter; and Iwmi('ide, a ('I'ime in illdÏ\'iduals, ('all('d \'irtue whell
wrou
ht hy nation
. ..\"ot inno('eJU'e hut th('
('ale ofit
feroeit\"

ain!" impiJlJity for
uilt. Turn th
cye,; to the eitic
, thoil
wilt
l'e a Pl'OI,led <<'on<<'ours(' more mdaJlf'holy than any soli-
tude' Thi!< and mueh mure whieh he sa"
uf tIlt' life of the
(.('n
ile,;. how it fit,; in with our',;. any eanjl;d
e. \nmt
n'at-
er nHulm',;
than that men, ('alkd to hean'nly throm'!<, :,;hould
('lin
to trifl('
of carth ? immortal mun g-lued tu l'assin
, pe-
rishable thinf!
! men. redeemc(l bv thc Blood of .Jes\l,; Chri,;t.
for luert' "To
lg their brethrelJ. red(.('III('d J,y th,' salllc Pri,'(" the
!"anH' Bluod! l\"o JJIarn'l then, that the Chureh i,; affiieh'd.
and elu'OIl1pa,;,;('d by UII
('en cnemic
, and her ,;trength drawn
down frmll her spoil('d hou,;e,;.1'
..
amaria is al,;\) e\'ery ,;oul, whil'h "ilkth to plea,;e man hy
whom it thinketh it may hc holpen, rather than God, and.
hoa
ting- itself to be I,;rael, yet worshippcth tllC g-old('n l'aln',;,
i. e.
old. ,;ih-er. honor,;, and plea
ure
. Let men aliclJ from th('
lig-ht uf the Gospel ,;ur\"ey it.
tlllllult.\", with what ardor of mind
ri<<'he,;, 1,lea..ures m'e
oug-ht, how ambition is !<ern'(l. how rc:,;t-
Ie

and di4url)('d till' soul i!< in cat('hing- .It nothing-,;, how
for
ctf\ll of (.od the ('n'ator and ofh('.l\"enly thin
,; and of it!'df.
ho
\- minded, as if it \H'I"(' to perish with tile hody! "ltat tu-
mults, wllt'll amhition hids one thill
, lust another, a\'aricc
<lnothcr, wrath another, and, lilíC
trollg wind
Oil the sea.

trong. unbridled pa,;,;ions
tJ"ive toç:ether! They kuml' 110t
to do r
!.(Id, bad end,;
(loilill
acb ill thelll!<dn'

ood. They
trea,mrc up l'Ïolnu'e, whereas they ou
ht to trea
ure up g-rae('
alld ('harity agaillst that Day whl'n {.od
halljudg-e the
('c'ret,;
of JllI'n. .\1\[1 when thl'v a!'erihe to thl'll1seh-e
anv hCJl('fits of
thc DÏ\"ine men'y. and a;lY worl;:
(llea
ing- to God; which they
may ha\"e dOI\(' or do, what eI
e do they than .
tore up robher!1 r
So then the llower
of the
oul are spoiled. when truths a
to
right a<<.tiou. 01\1'1.' known and under
tood by th(' ,;oul, fade and
arc ob!'('ured, when tht' memory retailleth nothing- \I."efuI, "hen
the will is !>poiled of \ irtues and yields to \"i('iou
aflh.tion!<."
I:!. ./,
tlte sltepllad tnkptll [rather, rf'scueth 2] out of tI,e
moutlt (
f tl/{, lioJl tll'O Il'{!s [properly, the shanl\.. the lower part
of the k
below the knee, whkh in animals is dry,and bone only
and worthlcss] or a pie('e [the tip] of fill ear, so [i. e. !'o few and
of
h

;hlreatis
":[h:iS.
'.Yq. Sym
. it

d

'h

i_nfe

;

i
";
tß.:
a

a8 a proper Ud.II1E'. Ollale, it has become 3 fashion to render it," and in the damask of a
couch:" But J)the facnhat Ezekiel (x,,\ii. ]8.) spea!..s of wine and "..Idle u'ool, (the raw
maten.al)..s the exports of .Damascus toTyre, seems a decisÌ\ e proof. that the manufactures,
for wh,ch Dama_cus has m moùern tmll's been"" celebmted, did not exist there then.
i.

:

:
,
f:

t

Îr

i:

e

li
'
'.:TI

'
h:

h

e
:

f

:r

or i
comp
ring!ln Arabic worn. a) The.word "hich. though foreign, had been natural-
,sed m ArabIa belore Mohammed, "as" Olma!..so." This occurs in old poets [Amrulkeis

. 10. Ham,:
. :!G5.6: 55
:.)
choliasts or Lexica mention corruptions of chis ; "mida!..so,"
d,!..amso, ' dnnkaso.. butpo trac.e of these has) et been obsef\-ed III the actual language.
The "llpged forms, Dml,,-'ako, Dmm;at..o. D.masko, ("hich alone wonld h,,,e corres-
p'onded "ith the Hebrew word) have no existE'nce, e","ept in error. see Fre) t. Lex. Arab.
n.;;j. The "ord "dim
\...o" 's probabl), ft"O!fl its different forms. acorrup<<ed and foreign
M-ord. But the corruption has no near relation to the name of the city, Dim,lshko. It

w('al\., !'o bared and
poiled, a merc n'Jllnant,] .
fUlII tl,f' rMldrul
(
f luftel he ta/.-ell (Jut [rather, re,w'II"'{
] tl",t now tllI'ell at ease
ill Sft1llaria ill ti,e ('orller of ft 1J('d, alld ill Dft1llasrlls . in a courll.
or, I'ather ill DalllflM'us, a cO/((,/,.
ow, that
oft. rounded. ob-
long-, hill of SanHu'ia. ,,"a
(IJI(' lar
c lu:\.uriou:-: <<'IHH"h. in whieh
it
rieh and
rc3t rl'
tcd !'('<<'urely. proppcd an,l cu
hiunt'd up on
both
ide
, il" what i
!'till thc pla<<'e of dig-nity. tIll' rorlll r of a
ht'fl, or' Dh an,' i.e. the inn('r eorner" here the t" 0
id(',; ml'et.
Vama,;('u,; al
o, whieh Jerubuam had" un for brad, "as a
eanopicd eouch to them. in whieh they
tayt'd th('m
eh e
. It
i
an image of li
tle

ea
e amI
e('urity, lil.e that of tho
('
whom the false pl'ophl,te
-;t'
h1l1('d into earele
s
tul'idity a'" f(/
their
ollls; ,
ell'illg pil/Oll">; tn aI/ arm/lOll's, ur u'ri.\"ts.J.. n-hcreoJJ
to lean in a dull inertne
!<. (n ,-ain! Of ..II those who then
d,,-elt at ea!'e and in Iu:\.ury, the Good
heJlheJ"(1 I1im!<df ,;lwuld
reseuc ti'oJII the lion, (the enemy, in the fir:,;t in4anc'e the .\s-
syrian.) a small remnant, in the ,;i
ht of the enemy and of man
of littll' a<<'eount, hut pre('ious in the sig-ht of (;ud. The ene-
my would lea\'e them perha(l
, a,; not worth n'IlIO\ ing. ju!'t a
.
when the lion ha
denlllred the fat and the stron
, the :shep-
herd may reconr from him sOJlle slight piece uf :.-kin or e:\.tre-
mity of the bonc
. Amo
then, a!< well as .Joel :;. preach('s that

aJlle
olemn ,;entence, so repeated throughout thc prophets.
(( remn(/nt only sllflll1Je ,Wired. So douhtless it was in the ('ap-
ti\'ity ufthe ten tribes, a,; in the n'st.
u it was in Judah, "hcn
ccrtain of the poor oj the laud only were left for t"illedre,
sers ami
for 1Ill,
/J(llld/J/ell 6. In the GO
(leI, lIot /J/(IIl.'1 wise 1//l'lI ({fter the
flesh, 1I0t 1/Ul/I.'1 1II
!.(ht.'I, lIot lI/all.'1 1loMe werf' called 7, but God
rhose the poor (!ftMs world, riell illfaitll 8: and the (
uod
hqJ-
herd re>õeued fi'om tile mouth of the lion th(J
e whom man d('-

piscd, yet who Iwd ears to hear. After the (k
trJU'tion of .Je-
ru,;alem by the Roman
, a puor rcmnant only c:'eaped. .. \I The
spirit ofprophe,'y furesaw both ('apti, itie
, the end wla'reufwas
to <<'onfirm the faith. not in one pla<<'e only but in all the earth.
and !'o a ,;lig-ht remnant wa
re.
eued fl"fJ1II the 1/wuth 0/ the lirm,
i. e. from the
Iau
htt'r of tIll' de
tro) ('r
. and permittt'd to JÏ\'e,
that throuç:h them, as a witJl('

and munUJlJent. the justice of
(;od might be known from age to age, and the truth of the
Seripture
mi
ht be evcrywhere horne about by them,
till" it-
lH',,
ing- to Chri
t thp
OII of God, \\110 is kno" n by the law and
thl' pl"Ophet,;. lIaple
s remnants,
o tfiken out for the I!oud of
other
. not their own!" .\s the
e remnant!' of the animal
hew
what it wa
whieh the lion de4roy('d, y('t arc of no further pro-
fit. so are th('y now a memOl'ial of what they once were, \\ hat
graee through their ,;ins they lun-e 10:'1.
,.10
Iany
ou},; "iIIlwri,.;h, hc('aust' they trust in their OWll

trcngth, and no more eall on God to have JIIcJ"('y on them than
if they could ri,;e of them
dves and enter the wa} of salvation
wouldh3\ebeen strange that Arabs, speaking tt>e same, and Hebre..-s, a kir.m-ed dial,'ct.
should haw corrupted the name. as Europea. s ha\e "ot. 1\or docs all
nati." Sehnli2st
connect Dimakso with the cit\ D..mc.st"Us. b) The meaning ofthis "ord Dimak<o, "as IIOt
"mallufactured," hut "raw.ilk.." Fre
t. from Kam. Dj. II is silk" thread." "h,ch can b..
.. t\\ isted." Amrulk. .. raw whjtesilk or "hat is li!..e it 111 "hitene"" and sofm""s." Ahulala
in Tebriz. Sdloll. ad Ham. p. 500. The gannent made of it was called. in the p3ssi\ e parli-
ciple, "modamkaso,"" e. made of"
imak.o." The
lInctuation.ofthe I-
ebr';.""'"l(
i

certamly\ariedhere,r'::;:"':' fat \\hat 's elsewhere and m \mos h,msdf (,.3. J. v. 2..)
-=,"-_=-::. yet there are rno other nriations in pronouncing the name, -':;-::--1 Chr. x.iii.;;.
;:'::-::'-:! Kg.. ,<\i. 10. It ma\' have been pointed "", b) those "ho, like Abell Ezra,
ues
-
ed from the COlitext. that ;::-=-::-:: was i. q.

;:::: On the other h.and, \ery old and.'ery
accurate }ISS. ha\e here too theusu
1
u
ctu3non. . set' De .!1("s
,. · !,ZE'
. "'".'_

.
" see on Joel ii. 3:!. p. ]31. _ Kgs. .x,<v. 1:.. Jer.ln. !G. . 1 Cor, ,.
(j.
8 S. Jam. ii. 5. 9 Rup. 10 Rib.
I i 2

IS!

<: d"
[oÍes T ehiMren of Israel be taken out that dwell
cir. ïl'ï. _ in
amaria in tlU' ('orner of a bed, and

;i':'i;
':' " in Damas('us in a ('OlU'h.
];1 [Ipar ye, and b.stify in the house uf .Ta-
('uJ" saith the Lord (
()D, the Gud of hosts.

\l\'fOS,

1-1 That in the day that I shall!! \"Ïsit the c æÏN
l'
trans
l'essions of I sracl upon him I will al
u _ cir. ï87.
visit the altars of ßethel: and the hurns ofthe II
:;:"
j
":'.
altar shall he cut off, and t
,ll to the ground.
I.') ..And I will smitf, i tllP winter hou
e i Jer. 36.
2.

without (;(1([. They trust in th(' power of thcir friends, or
tb._, frÍt'nriship of prilH'cs, or th(' d(wtrines of philosophers. and
repose in them as in a ('oueh of Dama!<('u!<. But Chri!<t the
(;ood Shephcrd will n's('U(' out of the mouth of tI,e /ion, who
{(1J(.tll abollt .çl'ekillg U-1101II lip lIIa!J del '1m,., what i:; la!<t and of
Ic'ast ('sle('m in this world, who have any thing' wlwrehv the
(;uod Shl'pherd ('an huM them. The le,
s si
;lify the (Îesirl'
to
(/ to hear th(' "Tord of (;(ld; the extremity of the car, that
ohedicn('e was not wholly lost. For if any h('/!,'in cn'n ill part
to ob('" the word of God whie'h he hath h('ard, God, of lIi!< fa-
tht'I'ly' nwJ'{'y, will ht'lp him and kad him on to perf(,(,t ohc-
dic'nce. The leC,"s also denoh' dl'sire 1, wlwreln-, as hv ('ertain
st('ps, tlH' soul ;lpIH'o;U'hcth to (;orl or departcth fr('nll Him.
Yet if a soul would lw san'd, d('sires suffi('(' not; hut if to these
ubedi('lwc to the heavt'nly ('ommands be added, it shall be res-
("ued froHl the Hlouth of the lioll. "
I:t IINlI' !/l' alld t,'..;tUll .'Il' ill [rather unto or aptÍnst 2 J tI,l'
1101l.se of bml'! ; first hem' yourseh-e!', then t('st
f.'I, i. e, solemnly
protest. in th(' Name of (;ud; and /Jl'arll'itness Ilnto and agaillst
theIll, so that the sol('Hln words mav sink into th('m. It is of
littl(' avail to testifl/, Ullless we first Ii
ar ; nor ('an man bear 1('it-
1/ps.
to what he
ioth not know; lIor will words mak(' an im-
Jirl'.
.siou, i. e. leave a trace of'thcllls('h'cs. he
tamped in or on
nH'n's !<ouls, unlc
s the to'{)ul whic'h uttcrs thcll1 hm'e first heark-
{'Iwd unto thelll.

c.,'flitll tll/' Lord (;od of hosts. "So 3 thundercth. a
it were,
th(' authm'ity uf the Holy Spirit, thrcmg-h the IIHJllth of the
!o'hephercl. Foretellin
and IH'otc!<tin
the destnlC'tioll ot"the al-
tar of Bcthel, he sets hi!; God a:!."aillst the C,"od \\'hom Israd
had dHl!o'en lIS tll(,'ir
and worshil;pcd there,' tlte Lord (;od of
h(}.
ts, ag-ainst 4 till' .similitudc' I
f a ra(f that eateth 1/(/.,/. Xot I,
a
hq,lH'rd, but so speaketh my God ap:ainst your g-ml."
1-1. In till' IIfI.1/ that I sllalll'isit the trausgl'cs.\ious of brael
upou Mm, 111'i11 also I'isit [U}JOIl] the altar.

f Bpthel. Israel
th('u hOlwd that its fa]sc worship of .< natun'" would anlil it.
(;0(1 !<ays, ('ontrariwi!'o(', that when III' shouhl punish, all thcir
falsp \\ or...hip, so fill' from helping thelll, should itsdf be the
manifest ohje/"t of His disl'lea!<ure. .\
ain (;od attests, at onc'c,
His lon
-!mfferin
and His final retribution. Still hact He
forehorne to punish, being slrm' to fll/ger find of great goodnes.s ;
but \rhell that day, fix('d by th(' Dh ine "Ti...dolll, should ('0111(',
wher('in II<,
hould vindic'ate His own holiness, b\' endurinC," thc
!<in no lon
cr, th('n lIe would I,isit tlteir tJ'/l/Isgr
ssioJl.
, i. e. all

If thelll, d"-d and uew, fm'g-oU{'n hy 1111111 or n'lIIelllhercd, u}Jon
thelll. S("ripturp
peaks of" \'isitin
off('IIf'es upon" he('aus(',
in (
od's PI'o\'ideuce, tht' sin returns upon a man's own head.
It is not only the f'ause of hi,.; heill/!," punislU'd. hut it bec'omes
part of his puni,lnnent. The mClllory of a mali's !<ins will he
Imrt of hi!< etel'llal sutfcrin
'. E\-cn in this lif(" .. 1"t'lI1ors(';' as
.distinc't frolll I'ppentan('e, is the <. gnawin
" of a lIIan's own
-('(lIIs('iem'(' for the follv of his sill. Then al!o'o God would \'Ïsit
npon th(' false wOJ'shi p . It is thclUg-ht that (;od \'Ï:;its less

peedily ('\'('n
rave sins a
ainst Himself, (so that man does
lIot appeal falsdy to Him and malic lIim, in a way, a llartner
I S. Gre
. on Job L. vi. n. 2;:;.
As in Dent. viii. 1!J. I festif" u[!aillst !IOrt tl.is da!l
tlwf 11e s/",ll ,,1f',.[!1 peris!.. Ps. 1_ 'i. hear, 0 Israel, und I f"i/ll.slit'l uf!ainst tl.ee; I U1II
God. fll11 God. coml\, PI\. l,<xx. 8.1 f<'ill t,'sli{j'IJ.1lto tl.ee. "from R:lIp. · 1's. cvi. ::0.

of his o1'fè.'n('p.) than sin!o- ag-ainst His own ('reatun', lIIan. It
nHI\' 11(' that, .
ll-l\h'rc'iflll as 1I(' i!<, III' bear!< th(' rathel' \\ ith
!<in
, illvolvin/!," ('orruption of th(' truth as to Himself, so long
as they arc dmlP in ignorallC'c, 011 a('('nullt of the igllorant
wor.\ltip 5 of HiIllsl'lt: or the ti'a
ments of truth n-Ir i('h they C'OIl-
tain, until tll(' ('\ il in them Im\'c it
full swav ill moral C,"uilt 6.
"Î \\'ond('rful is the pati('!H'e of God in ('ndurÍli
all tho
(' ;-rimes
a!H1 injuries whi('h apIJCrtain dirl,etly to IIimsl'lf; wonùerful
IIi!< waiting- for rt'pcntanC'e. nut the dc('ds of /!,"lIilt whit'h \'io-
late human sndety, faith, alld justi('c, hi.l
tt'n jud
'nl('nt and 1111-
ni!<hment, and, as it were, with a Illllst cfl('l"Ìual ('ry ('all UPOII
the nivine l\Iincl to punish. as it is written \ The l'oil'e of thy
brot!ll'l"'.
blood I'rietlt UlltO .lI(' from tlte g1'OUlld, Amluow cllrsl'd
art tltOIl, /)'1'. If thcn upon that very
"'1we /!,'uilt a/!,"ainst God
IIims('lf tll('re 1)(' é\('('unlUlatl'd th('!-(' otll('r sins, this
o in-
{'reas('!' the load, that (;ocl !<l'ecdily ('asts it off. Hnwen'r Jon

then Israt'l had, with impunity, f?;iwn itsdf to that ntin. alien
worship, this e\'Ïneed th(' patipn('e, lint the apprmïll, of (;od.
Xow. when tht.y arc to he plUli!'lH'd for th(' fil/lI.th trans/!,"res-
sion, they will he punisheù for
he first, !<e('()IJd and third, and
!<n, most g-ri('\'ously; whl'n brou
ht to punishmcnt for their
othel' sins, th(,y should suffer tiu' their otllPr guilt ofimpicty and
superstition."
AmI the IlIJrus of tlte altar. This was tlte onp g-reat altar 9
for hnrnt ofl'è.'rinl!:s, set up by Jcrohoam, in imitation of that of
(;Oll at J('rusal('m, who!<(' doom was pronolllu'cd in the a('t of its
would-he ('ons('('raticn. lIe had ('opiecl faithfully it,. outward
form. .\t {'a('h (,Ül"Iwr, where th(' two sides met in fill(', rosc
th(' Iwrlt, or pillar, a ('ubit hig-h 10. there to sa('rifi..e \'Ïetims 11,
thcn' to p](I('C the blood of atonement 12, So far frolll atoning-,
they them,.cln's wen' t!ll' unatoned sin of .h'/'oboltJIl wlu'rebv 13
he ;lrUl'e Israelfrolll fo/lmt'ÍlIg t!le Lord, alld II/(ufl' ,1,('/11 siit a
grl'at sin. These \\'P1"e to be (wt '!tI: hewn don-no with riolene('.
A eentury and a half had pa!<sed, sillee the man of God had pro-
!lIollllC'ed its
enten('e. They
till :;tood. The day was not yct
('ome: JO!'oiah was still unborn; yt't .\mo,.;, as pen'mptorily, re-
I news the sentt'nc'c. III r('j('('ting- these, wlwn'on the atoncment
wa!' mad(', God pronounecd them out of f'on'nant with Himself.
IIercsy makes itself as lik(' as it c'an to the truth, but is thcre-
by the morc dcc'('i\ iug. not thc les,; deadly. Amos mentions
the altar.s of Betltd, as well as till' It/tar. .Jel"llhoam made but
I Olil' altm', k('eping' as f'lo!<e as he could to the Divinc ritual.
Hut false worship and hen's)' (','er hold their ('OIU.!'(" de\'elop-
I in
themseln's. They II('\-er stand still wh('re thev be/.:'(III,
I hl
t spread, like a (,(lI/('
r H. It is a test of h('n'sy, likë 1('pr
Jsy,
I that it spreads ((bJ'(JUd I5 , }Ireyinp: on what at first seemed
sound. The O!H'!H'
!< of the .\ltar had relation to tlJ(' l
nit\' of
(;od. In Sam aria, they \\'or!<hil'llf'd, they !.'liell' uot 1(,I/([t 16, 'not
God, hut sonl(' portion of IIis manitilld oJl{'rations. The many
altars, til/'bidd('11 as thev wcn', \H'I'C more in harmonv with
the rdic:ion of Jeroboam', e,-en he('au,.;(' thev w('re a
ain,.;i (
od's
I law. IIf.resy developes, becoming- more (,
lI1sistent, by having
le:;s of truth.
I 15. Alld I will .
lIIite tlte ll'illter Itouse lI'ith tlte summer

& Acts xvii. 23,30. xiv. 1(;. 6 Rom. i. 7 Mont.
xiii. 1.5. 10 the size under the second temple.
13 21
gs. xvii. 2L 14 :1 TÏ1n. ii. 17.

S Gen. iv. 10.11. 9 1 Kgs. xii. 32, 3.
11 Ps. cxviii. 2ï. 12 Ex. xxix.. l
.
1. Lev. xiii. 16 S. John. iv.
:!.

CIL\PTER IY.

C Hnt
r
T with k th(' summer housf'; <lnd I the huus('s
,"r ,1\-, uf h ory shall pel'ish. and the g-reat huuses
: tV
f
;-

.
han han' an
'Ild, saith thc LOIW.
;\!I.

CIL\PTER n?

llert'pmt'dll l,ruelfor oppressiun, 4 fw' idulatry,
() UI//I fur tlleir ill('orrigiblt ness.

]b.')

II EAR this word, ye a kine of ßashan, C Ifí[T' T
that m't' in tlw mountains of
amaria, _CIf. ;,.,;.
whieh oppr('ss the pour, whi..h ('rush tlw.

c
.

: Uì.
needy, whi('h say to tllt'ir mastcl's. Brinp:,
and let us drink,
2 bThe Lord (;on hath sworn hy his ho-bPs.
9.<><..
linl'ss, that lu, the days shan come upon

IIOIISt'. '-"on idolatry, there f"IIu\\ luxury and pride. "So
w('althy wcn' they,"
a
s s. .ft'rollle. .. as to I"'SS('
'" two !<ort,;
of hou
e,;. tlu' wintf'/" It,IItS" being- tlll"lwd to th(' South, tlte S/lll/-
mer 1/OIl,
l'to tll(' 'orth.,..o that. aC('(II'diug to the variet)' ofthc

l'a"'on!<. they mig-ht t('llIper to them the.lu'at aI
d ('old. " Yet of
thl'
l' Illxllri(',;, !'OO mu('h more naturalm th(' La
t, where 1'1lm-
Iller-heat i,; ';0 inten,;e, and th{'n' i
so little pro\"Ï!'ion a
ain!<t
,'old) th(' only in,;tall('(' l'xl're!<
ly re('ord('(1. h{'side,; thi" pla('e,
i!oi t!le u'illtl'r Itou.\'(' 1 (If J('hoiahim. In (;n'e('l' 2 and ROllll' J ,
th(' end wa.. attailH'd. a
with u
, hy Xorth and South rOOlll!oi
in thl' !<anH' hou..('. Tll('se. whidl .\mos rebukes. were liI"e our
town and ('lIIl1ltry h(lIlse,;. "epanltl' n'sid('nc('
. since th{'y were
to I)l' d(.,;trll,-ed, 0111' on t II(' lit her. I cory 1/fJ1t.
es were hou
e!<,
pallllell('d, or inlaid, with i\ory. Sueh a palan' .\IHlb hlålt
.
B, en SlIloulIIn ill ,,/litis glor.'1 had bllt an inll"Y thronc 5. Else
iI'or.'1 j1(t/(/('t's 6 arc only mentioued, as Imrt of the
pHuolieal

l(l/'Y of the I\:in
uf g-Iory. tIt{' Chri,;t. He add!<, and tlte great
[or 1I/{/1I.,/ 7 ] luJ1tse.o; sl/([I/ It([l'e (ll/ nul, .Wlitlt tlte Lord. So pro!"-
pero11!< ,,"cre they in outward
hew, when .\mo,; foretohl their
de..tructilln. Th(' desolation should he "ide a" wdl a
mig-htv.
All hesidc,; ..hould pa..,; away, and the Lord .\lone abidc ï"n
that D.1\". "
""hat then shall we, if we would be rig-ht-minded,
learn Iw'nce ? lIow utt{'rlv nothinl! will all earthh' ul'il!htness
anlil, all wealth. g-IOI'V, OI:uuC'ht h
'
idt's of luxurv. if the love
uf (jod he wantinl!. ånd ri
ht<'IIUSlU'S'" be nut lu:ized by us!
Fur trf'flsures (!( u.;('/;,.,II/l'.o;s pr(!!it notlting; hut rigltteollsness
dl'lil'nctll frum r!t'tlt!l
."
IV. ì. IINlr!lf' tltis, .'Ie t.int' of BaslwlI. The pasture!" of
Bil..han wcre \-er) ri('h, and it had its name prohably from it

rÍl'hnc!",; of soil 10. Th(' llatanea oflat<'r time!' wa!' a pr(willt,(,
onh- of the kiul!dom of ßa
han, ,,'hieh. with IHllfof Gilead. \\ a!<
g-Ï\ i'n to the half tribe of )Janas!<ch. For the ßashan ofOg- in-
('Iudcd Golan 11, (th(' eapital of the ,;ub
equent (;alllonitÍs. now
Jaulân) Be(',;htel"ah 12 (or .\
htarnth 13,) n'ry prohably Bostra 1\
and Edrep5, in Hauran or .\uraniti,;; the one on it,; S. horder.
the other perhaps on its Xorthern boundary towards TradlO-
nit is 16. Its Eastern extremity at Salkah 17, (Slilkhad IS) is the
Suutllf'rn puint of Batanea (now ßathaniyyeh) ; Arg-oh. or Tra-
choniti.. 19, (the Lejah) "-a,; it.. X. Ea4el"ll fenee. \\"l'stward it
rc,U'hed to
Imlllt IIerlllon
o. It included the ';llb,;e1luent dh i-
l'ions. {jaulouitis. .\ul"anitis, ßatanea. aud Tral'honitis. Of
the
e the mountain ranC'e on the X. \\". of J aulan is ,;till '.21 even-
wh('re cluthcd \\ ith lIak-forl',;ts." The .\nl-el-Bathanveh. "
2th

elllllltry of Batanea or llashan, i
nut surpas,;(,(l in tl
at land for
till' beauty of its s('enery. the ri('hne
s of its pa,..tures, and the
e}".tI'nt of its oak-forest
:' "The .\rab... of the desert ,;till pa!<-
ture their flocks on th{' luxuriant herbmre of the Jaulan 23."
It!< pal'ture,; arc
poken IIf by Micah 2
m;d Jeremiah 2;;. The
I -':
!.
xx. i. 22.. Eldon. J..ill
"!,f :\Ioab, had ollly .. a cool upper room," :-:-;:':::"' õ"':"
J ud_ Ul. 24. >..en. mcm. Ill. 8.9. 3 Pall. de re rost. i.
. 4 1 Io..gs. xxii. 3!1.
o lb. X. 18. bPS. xlv. 8. 1 a
the same word. ::-::- ::-:::1 are Udllslated.
Is. v_ 9. 8 S. Cyr. 9 Pro x. 2. 10 In Arab_" a soft smooth soil:' On
the richness of the Ard-el-Bathan} eh, 8t'e Five year", ii. 52, ;, 8. (j0, 71, 8
. 1
j, !I. on
Jaulan. Port. Hdb.
jl, 4. 11 Deut. iv. 13. 12 Josh. xxi. 2i.
13 1 Chr. ,vi. 71. 14 Sf'C ab. on i. l
. I. Deut. i.4. 16 Five years, ii.

O-3.
11 Dcut. lIi.lO. Jos. xiii. 11. IS }'ive) ears, ü. 18-1-6. .. Ss.tl\,.hat .. llurc\"h. S) r. [1[1.

animal" fed tIlI'n' W('I'e anlllng- the !'trong-(.!<t and fatte
t 2/5.
IIence the mall' animal" b('('ame a proverh ttlr the mig-hty un
th.. earth 27. the bull!< fumi...hed a t
(Ie ft,r fierce. Ilnfl'elin
, efl('-
mie

'". .\mo!< howen'r !<peah
of kille; not, a
Da\ id, of blllls.
He upbraids th('m not for fic]"('('m'i"
, but for a morc dl'li('ah'
and wantun unf('elin
n('",,,, th(' fruit of luxury, fullne,;,; nfun'ad,
a lif(. of s('nse. whieh d{',;troy all h'mlerness. dull the mind, "ban-
ker out th(' n it,;." deaden thc spiritual ,;en
('.
The female nalllt', lein(', may equally brand the hn.ury and et:.
femimu'v of the rich men. or the Cl"lU'ltv of the ri('h \Hlmcn. uf
Samaria". 11(' addn'",;('!oi th('
e kine in both
exes. both male and
tl'male 2
. The reproachful name wa.. th('n probably ÍIltcnd('d
to shame both; men. whu laid asid(' their manline"'s in the deli-
cacy of]llxury ; or ladies. who put otf the h'nd('rm'"s of n oman-
hood hy oppn's
ion. The ehal"ach'r of the oppre
sion was the
:,oame in both ('a
e,;. It wa,; n roudlt, not direl'tlv I" thol'(' who
ren-H{'d in it,; fruit,;, bllt throu
h the ,;eduetion (
f
ne whu had
autllllrit\- m-er them. Tn the ladi('
of Samaria, tllri,.lord wal'
their hu
band. as the hu,;band is ';0 call cd ; to the nohles of Sa-
maria. h(' n a
thdr king', who supplied their e""tra'ïlg-anees and
dcbaueherie
hy g-I'ant!<, extorted from the poor. .
ll'hich opprn
. lit. tile o}ljJre.
sing! The word expn'
ses that
tlwy hahitually oppn'..,;('d and ('l"u,;hed the poor. They did it
not dire('tIy; perhap
tlU'y did not know that it \\ as done; the

,;oug-ht onh-, that th('ir on n thirst for lu,,"ul"\ and selt:'indul-
gen'ce ",hould I){' g-ratified, and knew nut, (a!' tilOse at ea!"e often
kuow not now,) that their lu}".uri(',; are eontinually \\ atered by
the h'ar,; of the poor. tears ,;hed, almost unlmo\\ n exeq)t by
the
Iaker ofbnth. But Ill' ('ount,; wilful ÍI.rnoran('(' no (',,"('use.
.. JJe who doth throug-h anotlwr, doth it' himselt
" !'aid the
heathen pl"lwerb. (;od ,;ay,;. t!wy did oppre.
s. were ('Ontinllal!."
ojJjJl'essiuf.{ 30, tlw.
e in Iou' estate 3\ and {'rllsltiug tlte ]Joo" (a word
i" u:;ed expre.....;in
the ,-ehemelu'e with whidl they ('rll.o;l,ed 32
them.) They ('rlt,
/led them, only through thc eontinual demand
of plea!'ure,; of
en
e, re('kl('

how they were pnll'llred ; }Jriug
allli let ItS drink. Thev invite their husband or lord to juint

elt:"indull!elH't'. .
:1. Ti,e Lord (;od l/ntll S/l'um hy Hi.ç Iwl;lless. They had
,;imwd to profane IIi" HU(/J
:{/me33. (;od i"wcar,; hy that holi-
IW';S whi('h they had profaned in th('m!'eln'!oi on whom it \\ as
called, and \\ hieh they hatl caused to Iw l'rofmwd by others.
lIe pledg-cs His own hnline",;. that lie \\ ill ;l\"en/?"e their un-
holine,;s. ',3' In swearing- b.'IIIis Iwliness, (;ml sware by Him-
splf. POI' lIe i,; the !"upreme unereated Justice and IIolim',;
.
Thi
ju,;tiee eaeh, in hi,; deg-rce.
Iwuhl imitate aud maintain
on eal.th, and tlwse had ,;aerilq!Íou..ly violated and uver-
thrown."
])a.'ls shall come [lit. are cuming] ltjJonyoll. God's Day
.. Fi\p y. ii.
6
-;
_ 210-:1. 20 Devi. iii. 8. Josh. xii. 5. xiii. 11. 1 Chr. v. 2::.
21 I-ï.e years, ii.
!I. Z' lb. 2IÒï. add 5;. 8, ..i, t:!:{. 2:1 Porter, Hdb.4.11. 2. On
the Jehel Haman, see llurc\"h. S}r. ::09.
. vii. II. no Jer.1. 19.
. Deut. """ii.14.

. Ez. xxxix. 18.
Ps. xxii. l
. 29 .. Hear ye, your Lord, upon you, the) shall
take "ou," are maS('uline; .. t"at oppress,that crush, t}lOt say, your posterity, ye shall go out,
ead. LJefore "er, and ye shall be caBllorth." tcmilline. 3u The force of Ihe partl<.il'les
ã-;---=::-:-:. ':"".::::-
4 31 =..;-; 3
;-:';'" 3J 'l
ull Ìi.;-. :J,.I fron) Lap.
hu
"pplies it to princes and judge..

IRG

ßcfore
ChRIST
eir. í
7.
,. Jer. I(j. II..
\I"h. 1. 15.

ft"'- 12. ;;,

rou, that he wiU ta1((
you away c with
hoo1{s, and rour posterity with fishhonks.
3 And d p> shall
o out at thc hr(>(l('hes,
t',-ery cow at t!tat whit.1t i,\' hef(U'c her; and

.A
10S,

II )"<' shall ('ast tll(,11l into thc paIaec, saith C IPï{oíes T
ilie

.

-1
e Come to ßcth-cl and transgress; ?,;';l{
asl
at f (Tilg-aI lllultip1y tram;
ression; and
:'

:
í
the palace. . Ezek. 20. 39. I Hos. 4. 15.8: 12. n. ch. 5. 5.

and ('temity arc ever ('omin
. 11(' reminds them of their t'on-
tinual aplll:oa('h. He says Lnot only that they will ecrtainly
('01m', hut thev are e,'er cO/lli//!;. Thev are Iwlding- on their
1"teady cOllr!'(': E:lt'h day whi't'h passés, they adn
nec a day
elo!5cr upon tilt'
inner. .:\1 en put out of their lHind
what Il'ill
('(Jme; th('y put far tIle evil da.'l. Th('refore {
ml
o oftl'n, in
Hi
noti('es of woe to I'ome 1, "rin
,. to mind, that those da.'ls
are e,'el' roll/ill!: I; tllt'y are not a thillg- whi('h
hall b(' only;
in God',. pUll"'
e, they already w'e; and with um' uniform

teady noi,.ele

tread are colI/illg UpOIt the !<inner. Tho
e duys
,
//((11 ('(JlI/e upon .110ll, headly ('harg-ed with the di"pl('a!<ure of
God, ('rushing- you, a
ye ha,'c ('ru!<h('d the poor. They eame
doubtles", too, unexp('etedly upon them, as our Lord I-my",
and so that da,1f come u}JOJl ,1fOI/ 1lI111Il'(lres.
he [i. e. oJleJ 1l'ill take .I/OU au'a.'l. I n the midst of their f'e-
('urity, they "Iwuld on a sudd('n be tahell away dolently thUll
the abode oftlll'ir luxury, as the fish, whclI hooke(F, is lith'd out
of the wat('r. The ima
e pictures:l th{'ir utter hdple
!<II('

. the
('Olltt'lIIpt in whieh they would he had, the ea
e with whi(,h they
wouhl be lifh'd out of the flood of pl('a
ures in whi('h they had
imm('r,,('d thelll!<eJve
. Peopl(' ('an he rel'kl(',,
, at la
t, ahout
thl'JIlsel\"C
. so that th('ir poMerit.ll ('!<('apc, and they t"('IlI,;dn'

:-;un-h-e in th('ir otf.';llring-. Amus forctell
, then, that the"t' also
should he swept away.
:t re shall go out througll the bl"Cflehes. Samaria. the
pla('e of tht'Îr ea
e and ('onfidelll'(', l}('in
hroken throng-h, tIH'Y
should go forth one by one, eaelt straigM fJ(:fol"e 11l'1", looking uei-
ther to th(' rig-ht nor to the left, as a herd of ('("'-S go one after
the other throng-h a g1.p in a fen('e. Help and hope have ya-
ni....hed, and their hurry l'ell-nwll after one anotlwr, re('kless and
de"peratP, as th.. animals who,;e life of scnse they had (,hosen.
and ,lIe .vItali cast them into tIle /la/af'e, or, lwtter, (
ÏIlI'e no-
thing has hecn named whieh they cuuld east) mst .11(Jl/l"seh'es
.
TIll' word may del"crihe tJl(' hl'adlong" 1II0tion of the animal, and
the de
perate g-('stures of the Iwpl'le
". They should ca
t
themselve!< from palace to pala('e. frolll the palace oftheir lux-
uries to the palace uf their ell('lIIie
, from a
elf-ehos('n life of
!'('n"llcm,;n('ss to he eonl'uhines in the harelll. If the ruler
arc
still inelllded, it was n'
ern'cl for the rich and noble to hecollle
eUll1wh" in thc palaec of tht'ir .\!<s
-rian or Babylonian ('on-
(}\I('ror
, as Isaiah fon'told to Hczekiah:;. It is another iu-
!'tan('c of that g-reat law of (;od G, ll'herell'itllal a mall sinnetll,
b'l tllC Sf/me shall lie he torll/ented. The,- had li,"ed in luxllrv
ànd wantunnes,,; in lu"\:ury and wantom;ess they sllOlIld lin:,
hut amid the jealousks of an Eastern hareIll, and at the ca-
priee of their scn"ual eonquerors.
The word howe,'er rendcn'd, to the palace " oeeurring- only
here, is ohseure. The other IlIO"t probahle conjecture i,;, that
it is a name of a country. tlte mOUlltain.Y of
Jlonfllt> i. e. perhaps

x:xi

;
i.it8:\!
ii

t'xti

-i
11;: J
'1f.5.iï
;à'.
ae
t\r;;,.x.;

' fi. í . xxx. 3.
2 The fem, ;-.-.:. ;-.::Ö, \\ere probably used to distinguish the artificial ho,!k from the
actual thorns. ;:---;:, ::'
:;;. 3 see Hab. i. 15. Ezek. ""xix. 4, 5. 4 :-::;-:
;:;:- is ren-
dered aetiv!,ly by the rigid Aquild, and so pointed in all collated :\ISS. but one. It is n'n-
dered passIvely by the LXX; impel'!<onally, by J"n. "they shall carry you captive;"
both.a.s paraphrases. The Hiphil is used ofa person's o\\n actions, in rrg-ard to certain
(luahl1e<<, their actinl( on themselves. . Is. xxxix. 7. 6 \\Ïsd. xi. It;.
7 :-::.-:-;-;-. Kimchi accounts ï-:-"" to only bea stron!!"er pronunciation ofï":-II. It is
BOme objection to this, that Amos five times\\rote the word in its ordinal) \\ay. Yet there

Armt'nia. Thi
would dcseribe
H'cllratdy ('n(JUg-h the ('ountry
to whkh tll('Y n ere to he ('arri('d; IJl Iloud Dall/ascus; tlte r-ities
(!l tlte JUedes: The lllain
en!<(' is the sallle. They "IHluld h(>
east forth from the
ecne of tlwir pl('a!<ures and oppn'ssion, to
he themselve
th(' oppressed. The whole imag"e i!< one, whidl
an in"pircd prophet alonc ('ould u"e. The J'('l'roofwa!< not from
man, hut frolll God, unn'iling- their
ins to th('lll in th('ir true
hidc(lUsm'l"s. :\Ian think" nothing of being lllurc d('g-raded
than the brutc", "0 that he ('au hidc from hilll"elf, that h(' is !<o.
4. COllie to Gilga/ aud tl"llusgress. lIa\"Ìn
tilretolcl tlwir
eal)th-ity, the l,rophct tries irony. But his irony i
in hidding-
tlH'm g-o on to do, ,yhat they w('re doing- ('arne
tly, what they
were ,;('t upon doing-, anti would not be \\ itlulrawn from. As
l\Iieaiah in il'OIIY, until atljul"t'd in the l\" allle of God, joined
Ahah's l'ourt-pri(,
t
. biddill
him go up to R(l//lotll-Gilerl(l
,
wh('re II(' wa!< to p('I'ish ; 0(' Elijah "aid to the pri(,,,tl" of Baal 9,
():'I aloud. for Ile is {l god; or our Lord 10, Filf :l/e up tilt'll tl,l'
1J/l'flsU/'e of.1/OII1' f(ttllers; so Amos bid" them do all thcy did. in
their divided scrvice of God, hut tells thl'm that to multiply
all sueh
erviee was to multiply tran"g-ressiou. Y ct thcy wcrc
diligent in their way. Their offerings were daily, as at Jeru-
saJ(:m: the tithes ot the third year IÌ for the PCIOÌ' was paid, as
(;ml h:ul ordained 12. TheY'H're plllH'tual in these part
of the
ritual, ami thou
ht lllueh of their punctuality. ::-;0 well ditl
tllt'Y ('Olmt tll('lll!<cln's to stand with God, that there i
no meu-
timi of "iu otf('rin
or tre!o.pa!<s oftl'ring. Their iòacrifi,'es weN'
,mcrfli("(,.'ôUftllfllik.
t.;i1'iJlg audfree u,ill ojf"aings. a
if out of ex-
uhcrau('e of d(',-otiou, !<ul'h as David said that Ziou would of-
fer. wheu (;od had heen faroul"ab/e aud gmciou,
l/1lto her IJ.
These thing-,; ,they did; they proclaimed and pub/islled them,
lik(' the hyptl('rite
whom OUl' LOl'(l r('..ron'", sOll/ulillg a trum-
pet In/ore t Item H, wh('u they did alms; l'ro('laiming- the,;e pri-
,-ate otfcring-s, as C30d hadc 11l"lJ('laim the "OI('IllU al""emblies.
For ,
f) ,111' lot'e. They did it, be('ause they liked it, and it ('o"t
thelll nothinl!:, for whieh they ('ared. It was more than most
Christian
,,:il/
aerifie(" two' fifte('nths ufthcir \"Carly income,
if they /.!."ave the yearly tithes, whidl wen' to l,e "hi.red with
the poor al"o. But they would lIot sacrifice what God, ahovc
all, n'(luired, the fundamental bn'ach of God's law, on whieh
their kin
dtHn re
ted, tile sill widell Jeroboam lIIade Israel to
sill. Th<-y did what thcy liked; they w('re 1'lcas('d with it, and
they had that pl('asure for their mùy reward, a
it is of all whieh
is not clout' for God.
But amid thi,; boa,;tful servie(" all was self-will. In little
or g-n'at, the ('alf-wor!<hil' at Bethel, or the u,;e of leaven in the
sa('rifice. they did a
they willed. The Prophet seems to ha,'e
joined purposely the fundamental ('hang-t', by whieh Jerohoam
suh:.:tituted the worship of naturc for it" God, ami a minute al-
teratioIl of the ritual, to shew that Olle and the "ame temper.

is ahundant anaIop:y for the change of:-: and II, Most of the old \" ergiong regard the word
as (i ploper .Nalne, siznple or fmnpound. uth
nlountains of Armenia;' Ch. S
r. S

nl.
.. the hill of nomman or Remman," LXX. Armon i. e. Annen;a, S. Jer. asil ;-:.-: I, q.
'
":, "The hill )/olla." Theod. in S. Jerome. To that also the arlide is an objection.
AI
oihl

:e

i

I;

ring. U to a lof,y n

:-iir
7
b. iously a conj

ts

att. xxiii. 32.
B So E. , . rightly, accordin!!; to the idiomatic use of
',=', .. days," for one circle of
days.i. e. a year. Lev. xxv. 29. Jud. xvii. 10. 1 Sam. xx.ii. ï. &e. To"bring tithes
ev
ry three days," would be too strong an irony, as being a contradiction.
l
Dcut. xiv. 28. xx.i. 12. 13 Ps.li. If', 19. 14 S. Matt. .-i. 2.

CIL\.PTER ,,
.

IR7

C ,Fftrs T g hring- your sil('rifi('c's en'ry morning, k the frc'p offc'ring-s : I for t this lik('th yon, 0 c lí[T
T
cir. ;/'.i. h and your titht's after t three years: ye childrl'n of Ismc'l, saith the Lord GOD. "ir. i8i.
.

". :!
.
i And t offer a sac'rifice of thanksgiving II G
r Anel I also han'
iH'n you c'lpanness k :!\
v. 2:!.18,
h Dellt 1
. 2R. . . 11 ' I f . I . II . . I f Hellt. 12. (i.
t ileb: tt.r,.,. WIth Ipilven, and prcwlalIH (lIltl pn) l!oo 1 0 teet 1 m a your l'ltlPS, allc want () I 1',.81. 12.
ve,crs of d"ys. · Lev. ;.13. & 23.1;. t Heb. oDcr bll hamil/g. t Jleb. so Y" 101''',

sdf-will, rt'Ï
II('d ill all, dif,tat('d all they did. The use oflea- haH'
ung louder aud stron
el' than the trihe of J Ullah or the
,'cn iu thl' thin
,; s,u'l'ifi('('d Wit!< fi,rbi;\den, uut of a ,",YlI1ho- hlH1!<e of Hadd in the t ell1 (11(' of the Lord, IWI'ause ye arc
lic' 1"('a!<OIl, i. e. n;,t in its('lf, but as rI'I'I"t'!<elltillg" sUI11(,thill
ch;c' ll lI1ore.' A1I the,;c thing-s arc said, not with the int('lItioll of olle
'1'11.' J:astcrn h'H\'('n, like that uS(>11 iu FnuH'e, ('on...i,;tin
of willill
, hut with the indi
uation of One tiH'sakiu
, as in
what is sour, had the id('a of tleeay and ('orruptiou I'onne('ted mauy othcr in,;t,uu'e,;. As that whic'h thc' samc' Lonl,;aid to
with it. 1I('nl'e it wa,; unfit to he offered to God. For what- I llis hetmy('r 9 ; what !holt dOl'S!, do ,/uidd!!. Aud in the Re-
en'r was thc ohj('I,t of any sac'rifie(', whethcr of ..tonclllenf OJ' ,'elations 10 \\e n'ad, I/e that i.
lf1
illst, let MmlJf' llI!iflst still;
thanks
idn
, {I('dedioll ill it... líÍud was ess('lItial to the id('a ({lid hl' thut is .filth!!, let Milt be jiltll.'1 .
till. The,;e thin
,;,
of otferi II;. Hell('(' it was exprcssly forhidden 1. lYo lIIeat of- . and t hc n'st of thl' like' !"ort, arc llot th(' worùs of one l'OmllHlIu]-
fering, u'/o"(." .lfl' sllflll bring unto the Lord, slmll be lIIade 1l'ith I in
, or, or IIis own "ïll, ('oneedill
, but 11('rmiUiu1!: aud tiu'sak-
l{,(ll'l'lI ; for .lfe .
/1ll1I hum /w Il'fll'l'lI ill all.'1 o/ft'rillg of the Lord "iu
. .For III' 1l'a.
not

/lfIl"({J{t, (f/ï.wlonl sait/l ll ) that the./f
IIIwlc' h!l.tire. .\t other tilllc,; it is ('xl'rcssly eOlllnHuuled, that" U'l'l"l' a 1lflJ(gld.1f gem'ratioll, aJllI tlwir malice was illbrl'll, aud
ulIl{'(ll'elll'lIIIl'eru[ should IJI' used. In two C'a
('s ouly, ill whiC'h 1/ tllllt their cogitatioll IICI'a would be ('hanged."
the ofti.'riu
wa... uot to 1)(' blll'lled, wcre oftl'riug"!< tn he made' Pro{'lailJlallll publish tl(('P'l'" ollt'rinp;s. "12 .AeC'IHlnt mudl
of Ic'a,'eul'd hl'('ad, I) th(' twn Iml\'es offirst-fruits at ]>entel'o!<t 2, II of what ye oft'er to (;od, and think that ye do great thin
s,
ëIlHI 2) au otti.'riug" with whi('h tilt' thank offering" was (ll'eOIll- as though ye hOllllured God ('clI1di
n1y, and wen' uuder uo oh-
pauied, aIHI whidl was to be the pri('st's 3. The speeialllU'(lt lig'ation to nffer ,;ueh
"ifts. The whole is
aid in irnny. Fur
offcriug' of the thallk ott'erin
was to be without lem-en 4. To I sl/lIIe there are, wltn apprceiate nWg'nifil'ently tlU' gifts aIllI s('r-
(,IIf;..,. a s{l('r(ti('e of tlulIIksp;ÍI'ilig with l('([ren was a (lireet iu- ,-jees whieh they oft'cr to (;od, and think th('y have attaiucd to
friu
euH'ut of Gnd's appoiutmellt. It prlweed('d from tlw great p('rfCf,tion, a,; thou
h thcy made an ade(luate return to
same thUlH' of mind, as th(' brea('h of the g'n'ate:<t. Sdf-willl the Oidn(' henefits, not wci
hillg' the infillite dig-nity of the
wa,; their ouly rlllt-. \rhat tlt('y willed, tlwy kept; and what Dh'ine Majesty, thc iIll'umparable gTeatnes
ofthe Didue be-
the\" willed, the\" hrake. Alllos bids th('m thcn C'o on, a,; thev Befits, the fmiltv uf their nWII ('onditiou alHl the imperfcc,tion
òid: in theit. wiifuluess, hn'akiug God's eommal
ds of sct }I\II:- ' of tlwir servil'e: Ag:aillst whnm is that whil'h the
a,'iour
post', and kecping" thell1 by al'l'ideut, j !'aith 13, Ir!Jell.1le shall hare done all those tMllg.
u'/dch al"e COIlt-
"5This i,; a lI10st g-ra,-e mode of speaking', wltel'eby He uon- 1JIfLJulnl.7!ou, sa.lf, l1
e are wlpr(!/itable .
el"l'([llts, 1l'C hal'e dOlle
saith, 'l:CIIIH' and do SCI and so.' and lIe IIim,;elt' 'Yho
aith thi,;, I th([t Il'hi('II'l'aS our dU(1f to do. lIeß('e David saith u, all tllÍngs
hat(,th those same' d('eds of their's. He so speak(,th, not as eome of Tllee, ([nd of Thine Oll'lt lIare 1l'C
Ì1'e/l TlIl'e."
willing', hut as ahaIHlonin
; not a!< ilwiting, but as expel- 6. ..1ml I, I too 15 Illll'e girell you. Su('h had heen their
ling; not in exhortation, hut in indignation, He suhjoins thcn, gifts to God, wurthl('ss, heeau
(> destitute of that ,,-hieh alone
(as the ease n'fluired,) fm' .m .'Ie Im'eel. As if lIe said, 'I there-I God relJ11in',; of lIis cTeatllre,;, a 1(I\'ing. simple, I'inf,!:'le-hcartt'd,
tore say, cOllie to Betlld whel'l' i
your g'od, your ealf, hel'ause Joyalobcdi('nee. Sn then God had hut one
if1 whil'h lIe eould
so .'1e lrll'nl, ami hitherto ye 11<1\'e C'ome. J therc.forc !<ay, tl"ftJIS- he!<tow, OIW only out of the rÍeh storchousc of Hi,; mereies,

rl'SS, bCI'au!<e ye do transg-r('!<s. and Y(' will to transgres;;;. I !'inee all be,;idl''; \\'ere ahused,-C'hasti,;ement, Y d thi!< too
say, ('ollie to Gilgal, when' 'n're idols 6 long- before Jerohoam's is a
n'at f,!:'ift of God, a pledge of Ili.
Ion', \\'110 willeclnot
I'aln'..., heeallse ye e011le and yt' will to C'011le. I say, 1IIultip(l! that they should p('rish; an earue,;t of
I'eate
fm-ours, had the)"
trau:
gressi(lII, hel'ause ye do multil,ly it, and yet will to 11Iulti- used it. It is a g-rcat
ift of God, that II(' should ('are for us,
ply It. [,;ay, In'illg .1flJllr sncrf/ì('es. I){'('aus(' yc oWer them and
o as to chasten us. The chas;tis('nwnts too 'n'I'e no ordinary

(' will to oit'er thcm, to whom yc ong-ht not.-J sav, otler a chastisements, hut tho,;e whieh God forewarned in thc law, that
Sfll'I"((i('e of tl/(I1l!.'.\
iz'iJ/!( 1l'itll lerll'eII, beeause ye s
di" and lIe would scnd, ami, if they repentcd Ill' would, ami(1 the dms-
r. e wIll to do it, lem'ened as re arc with tile old l{'(lI'CJI of IIIll- tise11lents, forgh'e. This famine God had sent e,-erywhere, ill
!Ice all
/.ll"i,",..ednes,
, ag'ainst th(' whol(' authority of tl1f' holy all their cities, and in all tlleir places, g"reat ali(I small. Israel
an.d sl'lI"ltuallaw, whil'h forhid(kth to oit'cr in !<al'rifice any thollg"ht that its I'al\-('s, i. e. nature, gil"e thc11l. th('se thing's.
tllln
1
;n'elU'd. Thi!< 1'1('as(,th your g-od,;, that
(' he I('a,-cncd, She did /lot knoll', God saith, tllat I
lIl'e her corn alld 1l'Íne
and \nthout 7 the llllleal"l'lled bread of siJ/('eJ"it!1 allll trutll. alld oil; but said, Tlle.
e arc 111.11 rewards that 111.'1 lfJl'eJ"s hm'e
To them then "wlcr(/Ìæ the sarr(!i('e of tllfl1lk.\gil'ing with Il'a- !(ir'l'/l /lie 16. In the pmn'rs anti operations of" natlln'," they
l'eII. heC'ause to :\Ie re, hcing sinners, cannot otter a sc('ml\, forc-at the God and Author of natUI"('. It \\'as th('n the di-
sal'rifiC'

'f pr
is", .\IHI so doing-, proclaim ({J/d puMish fll
rel"t eorrel,tin of this delusion, that God withheld those po\\'-
.free (!tfl'J"l1l
s. for so yc tlo. and so ye will to do, honorin
the cr
and fundinn!< of nature. Su mi
ht ] ,;rael learn, ifit "ould,
sal'rific'('s whit'h ye o!f('r Ì1! your (,a"h-es "ith the same m;mes, the' nlllity of its wor!<hip, fl'Om its fruitlc
sl\('ss. Some such
wl
erehy the éllltlwl"Ity of the' law nameth thn,;e whil'h are'
reat famines in the time of 1:lijah and EJi!<ha 17 Scripture re-
oHI'I'ed. unto l\
e ; .'J/lnd (1fèriJ/g.
, and peace (!tfèring,
; and I cords; but it rdates thcm, only \\ hen God visihly intc'rposed
proclalln thl'n
wlt/
the S()IlIIrl (ltr/flllpet ({nd Iml"p, with til/l- to hrin
, or tu remon" or to Jllitigatc tlH'Jll. ,\1\10'; h('re
bre/aml dan{'wg, 1I'lth st1"ing.
and organ, upou the ll'l'll tUUl'd ,;peaks of oth('r famines, whidl Gud ,;ent, a
lIe foretold ill
(:'Imlmls and the IOlill (:'ll1Ibals, that so
e may bl' thought to the law, but whil'h produced no g-elluine fruits of repentance.

1 Lev. ii. 11. a,Id \i. 17. 2 lb. xxiii. 17. 3 lb. vii. 13, H. 4 Ih. U.
, Rup. 6 Jlld. iii. 19. E. 1\1. 7 1 Cor. v. S. S Ps. d. 9 S. John xiii. :!7.

III xxii. 11. 11 xii. 10. 12 Dion. 13 S. Lllke xvii. 10. ]
1 Chr. xxix. IJ.
.. -:11 =;.
emph3tic. 16 Hos. ii. 8, 12. I, 1 Kgs. xvii. xviii. 2 Kgs. viii. l-L.

IH

(' lffors T bread in aU your plae('s: m yet have y(' not
_ cir. íS7. returned unto me, saith the LORn.
n,
:
,:'(j3
I. 7
\nd also T have withholden the rain
ì

g
2
i7. from rOll, when tlinl' n'C1'l' )"('t t]H'f'e
months to t])(' han"est: and I caused it tu
rain upon une t'ity, and caused it not to
rain upon anot]wr city: une piet'(' was
rained upon, and the pict'e whereupun it
rained not withered.
8 So two m. three cities wandered unto

A:\lOS,

011(' dty, to drink water; but t])('y wer(' not C HBj[otS -r
satisfied: n yet han' yc not returned untu cir. í
7.
. I ] L .
-
m(', !'Imt 1 t 1e ORD. 11. . .
!) 0 I have smitt('n you with hlasting and 0 B

t. i.8i;
2.
mildew: \I when yonr gardens and your II
:'l:

de
vineyards and your fi
trees and your olin' t::"
c
a;;d
trces im'reased, p the palmerworm dt'vour-:
:r
,
l
::-
ed tltem: yet have ye not returnt'd unto q io

.
.
me, saith the LORD.
10 I hëwe sent among you the pesti]en{'e

uncl./le returned not Ilnto lJ/e. 11('
a\'s not, that thev" 1'('-
furneclllot at all." but that they I"l'turn-ed not /l'!wll.'/: qllitc
barf, to (;m/ 1 . Nay, the eml'hatie
aying, .'lc did not returJl
'Illite to Jle,
o as to rcaeh ){(', implies that they did, aft('r
a fa
hion, n'turn. ISI'ëWl'S wor!<hip was a half, haltin
2, wor-
ship. nut a half-wcu'!<hip is no wor!<hil' ; a half-rep('ntanee i

no repentance: Tep('JltaJu'e till' onc sin or 011(' set of !'ins is no
rel)('ntanec, unl('s,. the
olll n'lH'nt of all whieh it ('ëU1 rc('all
wherein it disl'lea!<('d its God. God doc
not half-for
in';
!<o neither IlJII,.t man half-n'l'cnt. Yet ofit
cme flluclanU'ntal

in, the worship of nature tiH" God, 1,.I'a(,1 would nut rep('nt.
And
o, whatever tlll'Y did was not that entin' rCl'entatu'(',
upon whieh (;cl{l, in the law, had prmni!occl for
i,'cnc!'
; rc-
pentan('c whic'h
topl'ed
hort of nothin
but f
od.
,. AmL I, 1 too 3 1t11l'C witMlOldl'll tbe mill. S. Jeronll',
dwelling- in Palestinc,
ays. that "thi!' rain, wh('n tbl"ee
IIlfJJtfh.'ò .lIef I"clIlfLÌlled /llltil han'cst, wa!< the l([tt('1" rain. of the
vcry .!.:"r('at('
t ne('('
!'itv for th(' ficld,. of Palc
tin{' and the
thirst
'
r(lund, lest, \\ lien the bladc i,. swelling into the ('rop.
and
t'llIkrin
tlI{' wh('at, it !'lwuld dry up thron
'h laek of
moistlll'('. TIlt' time intended is the
pring, at the cnd of .\-
pl'il, whclll'e, to the wheat-haJTl,
t, therc relllain three nwnths
May, June, .July." "God withheld the rain that they might
cndure. not only la{'k of hread. hut buruin
' thirst and l,('nu-
ry of drink al;;o. For in the!<c l'la('('s, when' wc now lh'e,
all the water, ('x('ept
mall fountain
, is of ei!<teru
; and if
thc wrath (If (
od shouhl withhohl the rain, th('re is g-rt'at('r
peril of tllir
t than ofhunl!:er, ;;ueh as S('ril,ture relatt's to have
cndun'd for three H'aJ"!< and six mcmth,; in the dav
of thc
prophet Elijah. .fnd I('st th(,y !'hould think that - thi,; had
hd'allen tll('ir I'Ïtie
and pellplc. by a law of natnre. IIr the in-
fluenc'e (If the
tar
, or the variet,- of th(' sca
ons, 11(' !'ay;;,
that 1I(' rained upon one city and its fielcls, amI from anlltlier
withht'hl the rain."
Thi
wa
a se('ond vi
itation of (
Cld. First, a g-cne.-al fa-
mim'. ill all tlteir citie.'ò;
eeondly, a di,.c'riminating ,'i!'itaticm.
"Natul"C'" po!os{,!-i!'es no discrimination or pow('r (lver h('r !<up-
"lie!'. S('cHling- waste i,. one of the my
t('ri('s (If (
od in nature;

to ('lIllSe it to raill Oil tile eadlt whl'rc IW //I([1l i!<; on tlte 1l'il-
rlerlll'Ss 1l,lll'reiJl there i!' I/O 1IIali. Ol'dinarilv too, God 5 mak-
dlt His .mll to rÜe 011 tlte et'iL alld 011 tlte
'()(Jd. allll ,'òl'1l1letlt
1'([;11 Oil tlte just a/lll (}}i tlU' 1lJ!iu.\'t. nut (;()d do('
not t'n!'hu'e
HiIH
df, (as Ill('n wonld have it) to Hi!' 0\\ n laws. AHlO
ap-
peal
to tlWlIl, that Gild had dealt with th('m, not a('('Clrding
to Hi,; ordinary law
: that not only God had g-iven to one dty

1 '-':;0, see on Joel ii. 12. and Introd. to Am. p.I52. 2 1 K
s. xviii. 21. 3 -::s :;:,",
· Joh x"xviii. ::Ii. . S. Matt. v. 4,., 6 Such is the ('ommon force of
;-
r:.
;
:e1:
t;.ol

f.I

.belongi
gTh

:;;

ì:; t

,iin6
uth ii;, aÎ>

ii
. 2I

.xI
:
I.am. v. U. 9 Dcut_ xxviii. 2:!. IU :--::-;-: (here, and Pro XX\. ,.)

thc rain whi('h Hc had withheld from anothcr, hut that lIe
had made the !>aJllc difl'cl"e/u'c as to
lUaller piet.f's of gTound,
the inh('rited portion,'ò of individuals 6.
ome
uC"h ntriatiou

han' hcen ob
('n'('d in Pale
tine IIOW 7. ßut this would hm'c
hccn no iudieation of (;od's Providcn{'e, had not the con,.ci-
enee!': of men rc,.poncled to the Prophet's al'l'('al, and rc('o
-
ni
ed that thc rain had he('n giv('n or withllClldell ac'('ordill
to
thc 1'('nih'lwe or illlpt'nitcneè, the deC'p('r or more mitigated
'idolatry, the gTcatcr or le!':s
infuhlt'ss of the llcople. \\Te
han" th('n, in th('
(' f('w words a law of God's dealing with
Israel. God, in Hi,. word, revcals to us the meëUlin
of His
daily val"Íation
in the worlíÍngs of naturc; Jet,
C'arcely in
some instalwcs, whieh men {'an
('ar('dy ehuk, do thcy think
of God the Creator, rather than of" nature," His ('n'ation.
8. Two or t!lree citÍl',
lCWldereclullto one ('i(lf. Those thcn
who were }Illlli,.hed, were more than tho!'e who wcre reprie,"-
cd. The wClrd ll'(///(Iercd, lit. tremMed, ('xpre
ses the unste:uly
reelin
gait of those exhau!'ted, in lJuc
t offood
. They sta
-
g-ered throu
h weakness, and uncertain, amid the general
drou
ht, whither tCl h(,take them!'('ln's. Thi!< was dOlw, nClt in
puni
hment hut to lll'al. God paus('(l, in order to
ive th('111
opportunity to repent: in dced' lIis lon
-sufl'erin
only
1U'w-
cd to themselves and to other
, that they wouhl not: aud .I/e
returlled llot Ullto
lI(', saitll tile Lord.
n. I hm'e smitten .1/011 ll'itl/ blasting; lit. (/11 exceeding
scorcllÍlIg, sueh a
the hot East wind produced, and Wi e.
'reed-
iug mildcll', a hli
ht, in whieh the ear
turn untinwly a pale yd-
low, and ha,-c 110
rain. ßoth words arc doubly intensive.
Th('y stalUl tog-etlU'r in the prophc('y of .Mo
("s 9, amon
the
othcr
eour
c!' of disobcdience; and the mention of th('!'('
would awak('n. in those who would hcar, the mcnlOry of a lOIlg-
train of othcl' warnin
s and other judgnwllts.
lrheu .I/ou)" gfll"llens-illCJ"('flsed; beUcr, as E.l\1. the 111111-
titude 10 (
f .110111" gardells. The g-arden of the East united the
orchard 11, herb l
, and flower g-ard('u. It ('ompriscd what was
ne{'e

ary for u!'e a
well as what was fragrant. It furnished
part oftlieir sUPllOrt 13. It!': trce!> 14, as welÍ a!< the /!arrlcn I5 ge-
nerally, bcing mostly wah'J"('d artifi('ially, it wa!' beyond the
l"('adl of ordinary drought. The tre(', planted b./f tlte cllll/meis
(
f u'aters 16, was an ima
e of ahiding fn'shlU's!-i and fertility.
Yet Iwither would the!<c ('s{'ape God's sentence. On these
n(, !'ent the locu!<t, which, in a few hours, lean's all, flower, herb
or trce, a,; dead 17.
1 n. Illlll'e sent lI1Jlong you t!le pestilellre lifter the manner
of Egypt; i. e. aft('r thc way in which God had dealt with E-

is i. q. s::-
. The word and the construction are probahly Ihe same as in Ecd. i. HI.
11 .lob viii. 1(i. Cant. iv.1:\, U. vi. II. 12 Dcut. xi. lfJ, Cant. iv.I
. vi. 2.
13 Am. ix. H. Jer. xxix. .S, 28. 14 Ecd. ii. 6. I;; Cant. iv. 15. EcclUl!.
""xiv. 30. 16 Ps. i. 3. ./er. xvii. 8. add Is. lviii. n. Jer. xxxi. 12. contrariwibot
Is. i. 30. I, see on Joel i. 7. p. 106.

cIL\.PTER lY.

C IPí[ores l' 1\ q after tllP manner of E
ypt: your
cir. i87. yonng men Imve slain with the

.;9t

/!!. sword, t and }ui\"e taken away your
te
: ;1'.
i, horsl's; and [ han' II HU It. the stink uf

: i8. 50. your ('amps to ('ume up unto )"our nos-
t Heb. with /11
cap/;,.i/!! of .'Iour hor'
8. 2 King. 13. 7.

IS!)

trils: r yt't Imye ye not returned unto C J}[ors l'
mt:'. saith the l..mw.
7'::37. _
I]] haye overthrown som(' of you,: 7 j e:.;.6 iu . 24-,
as (;od uverthrew ·
odom and Gumor- j

i. 13. 19.
rah, t and re Wf'rc as a firehralld plucked, :':
j,

:
:.
Jude 2:3.

f!:ypt 1. God had twiC'e promi,;ed, \\ h.en . the !1I
nlOry o
th

plag-ues whieh lIe s('nt on I'
g-ypt wa,; stIli fresh.,
f tlwu 71'1/t ll1-
ligeJ/tl.llltmrken to tlte 7'oil'e (
f tlte Lord tlt.'1 (;ml,-I u'ill pn. t
1l00/e l
f' tIll' disease.
Uf/Oll tltee u'!liclt Ilult'e brought uf/on. the E-
Kllf/tinJ/.
. ('ontrariwi"e, God had tiln'\\"arnf'd thcm III that
'sàme pl"fll'h('('y of )[OS('s. that, if they di"olwyt'd Him 3 , He will
brillg Uf/Oll t!tee all tlte cli.
ea.çe.
of Egypt u,ftich tlwu IN/st afraid
of, alld tltnl .
//f(1I clem'e unto tllee. Eg-ypt was, at times, sllh-
fe
t to gre
lt \"Ísitation
of th(' plag-lle 4,: it i" said to he its hirth-
plac'e 5. Pak"tine was, hy natnn', lwalthy. HenC'e, and 1111
ac'C'ollnt of the ft'rrihlelU'!<'; of the "C'Ollrg-(', God ,,0 ottcn speaks
of it, as of His own spec'ial sending. lIe had threah'U('d in
the' law 6; I will .
ellfl a pestilence ujJon ?IOlt 7 ; tlte Lord thy God
7l,ill make the pestilence c1eal'e unto .'IOll. Jeremiah !'ays to
the false l'rlll'hct Hananiah
; Tlte projJltets tlwt Illll'e hl'ell he-
fore 1//e altd beforl' thee of old hotlt prophesied against 1I1l11l.l/
c(J//lltrie.ç allll against great kingdollls, of u'ar allli (
f el'il allli
of pe.
till'J/ee. Am liS hears witness that tho,;e vi,;itations eame.
J('remiah 9 anel Ezekicl lo prophesied them anew, to
ether
with the sword and with famine. I';l"ael, having sinned like
E
'11It, was to he puuished like Eg-ypt.
AIIlII/fll'e talielt tlll'llll 'lour IlOr.
es; lit. as E. 1\1. with the
c(lf/til'i'." (
f .'IOllr Itorses. . Aft('r famiue, droug-ht, loeusts, I'es-
tilem'e, follow('d that worst sl'our
e of all, that throu/!.'h man.
The po,;scs!'iou of the plain of Jczreel, so well fitted ti,r ('anll-
ry, prohahly imhwed I"rael to hreak in this re,.;peet the law of
:\Io,;es. I1azael left to JellO(/lutz but .fìP.lI Iwrselllell alill teu
clwriot.s aml telt tllO/(.
l/ll" footmen; lor tlw king of ^':'lrÙt Inul
de.stro.'led them, alllllwd lIlade tltem like the dust b.ll tlt,.es!tiug.
Their armics, in,;tcad of beiug- a dcfl'uee, lay unburied ou the
ground, a fn'sh
ollrc'e of pestileul'e.
II. I Itt17'eOl'erthrnll'n some of .'1 Oil. The earth'lualíC is pro-
bablv n'!'ern-d to th(' last, as beiug- the rarest, and ,,0 the most
!'l'el'ial, vi!<itation. Frecplent as earthquakt.s have been on the
horder!< of Pale,;tine, the greater part of Palestine was not on
the lim" whic'h was ('!'peeially shakcu by them. The line,
dlÍefly \'i!'ited by earth(luakes, was alcm
the eClast of the :\le-
diterranean IIr parallel to it, chiefly from 1'yre to "\ntioeh and
Al('l)po. Here were the gn'at histori.'al earthqual;:es, whieh
wen' the sc'our
e!< of Tyn"
idclll, ß('il"ut, Hotrys, Tripoli", La-
odieea on the !:;ea; whieh shattered Litho-l'rosolwn, prostrat-

in;, r
:rw;
:
.:

:h:!;i
i

:

c

'

ít '::fth

ft'f

':it
lt

?,f :
t

ett
Gen. xxxi. :;.3. 2 E'<. xv. 21t Deut. vii. 15. 3 Deut. xxviii. GII. add 'li.
· .. A violent plague used formerly to occur about once in 10 or 1:J years. It was al-
w
ypI;;,
;
rÁ1
':
r
t ,

i. tt9.n'

n
lexandr
aiev
'
x
i. '

k. Hdb' 1 Eß

/
xviii. 21.
s xxviii. R. . ,<iv. 12. xxix. 17.18. xxxiv. Ii. 10 v. 12, vi. ll. &c.
11 see authorities in Ritter, Erdk. xvi. nl. x,ii. 37. 119.2:!5. 2c19. 3:
-G. 31ì5. 4:3i.599.
(;00, i. 8:
(;. u
. 10:11. n;;.í-i. 6+. i-l, 5.83,8. l:!Oft 150t 165t, e.8. lill, 3.3. -1.1. ,'):!, 6.
The terTible
arthquake of 18.1i which reached the interior or Palestine from Tyre to Beth-
lchem and Hebron, and Northward to Beirut, Cyprus and Damascus (auth. in Ritter,
xv. 25
. :
05. xvi. :J1O,
8. (Hi. xvii. 33-t, 5. :
ö5, -106.) was, from its extent, exceptional.

. noo perished at
ntioch in one earthquake which destroyed Beirut, Biblos with all
Its mhabltants, and Sldon in pari. Ritt. xvii. 43i,8. l
lUtter, X\ii. 1315.
t3 S. Jer. on Is. xv. .. The Hauran, besides being basaltic, has on
the East a very remarkable volcanic country, occupying 2 degrees of latitude (3:!-3-t)
a.nd I! lonp;itude. "surpassed perhaps in eXlent, but scarcely in intensity by any
hke fonnation in the world." See Wetzstein, [its discoverer] Reiscbericht des Hau-
ran, p. e.-20. and woodcuts of e,<tinct volcanoes.
I. Baronius, P"lI:i, f'leuri, Tillemont, the Univ. Hist. (Mod.) only mention the follO\dng
earthqua!"l'O! as .t1Hicting Palestine. i. Rn earthquake on Julian's attempt to rebuild the

ed Baalhek and Hamath, allli ';11 IIften affii,.tN! AnticII'h and
.\Icppo 11, while J>ama!oÕells wa" ulII!'tly ,;pared H. Ea!<tward it
may llil\-e reached to
afed, Tiherias, and tlw IIauran. Ar-:\Ju-
ah peri!'lu'd hy an earth(lllake in the c'hildlwlltl of S. Jel"llme 13.
ßut, at least, the eddence of carth(luak('s, exc'cpt }I('rhap,; in
tll{' ruins of the lIallrun H, is !'Iig-htcr. EarthlJuak(',; there have
IJ('en, (altllllug-h fewer,) at Jcrusakm. Y d 1111 the whole, it.
!o'cellls truer to say that the !'Idrts of Pah.,;tine were sllhj('('t tll
destrllctÍ\-e eartlupmke..., than to affirm this of eentral Pales-
tiue 15. The earthcpml;:e mu!'t ha\"e heen tilt' lUorc terrihle, he-
I'au!'e umnmtcd. Om' or more tcrrihle eal.thcluake", ov('r-
throwing- cities, mnst hm"e been !'cnt, hefore that, on oeca!'ion
of whic'h .\mos eolleC'ted his l'l"Ophe('ies. For his I'l"IIl,hc('ies
were utten'd tll'O !leftrS before that earthquake; and thi!< earth-
(luuke had prel'eded his prophcey. I Ol'l,rtht"l,Il', God !'ap;,
Ill/WIIg .'Iou, as God ol'ertlt,.ew Sodom aud GOllwrrlw. lIe uses
the wlll'd, espee'ially ll!'t'cl by l\Io!'es ami th(' prophets of that
dread ovcrthrow of Soclolll and (;omorrha, wheu they \H're
turncd, as it were, up!'ide down. The earthquake hi at all
times the more mystt'rious, IJeeau!'e unseen, UllilnnoUlH'pd. UI1-
looked for, in!'tantalU'ous, eOlUl'lcte. The
rouncl under a
man's fept !'celUS )1IJ long-er !'ec'ure; his !'hdtcr is his dc"true-
tiun; men's houses heeome their
ran
!'. "llllle c'iti('s must
hm"e lwcn utterly m-erthrown, for lIe I'ompares the overthrow
wr()u
ht alllOllg them, to the overthrow of tlte cities Of the plain.
Other ,-isitation!' han herald" sent Lefore them. ,\- ar, pes-
tilenc(', famine, seldom break in at olll'e. The earthquake, at
011('(', buri('s, it may be, thonsands IIr tellS of thousands, eaeh
stitfencd (if it were so) in that his last deed of evil; cadi hou,;e-
hold with its own forUl of misery; eal'h in its !'el'arate vault,
dead, dring, l'rushed, imprisoned; the relllnant indeed" sur-
viving," for most whom they lo\"ed were gone.
o II(' says;
lIud :I/e, who ('!'eaped, were a.
a.fire braud, pluelæd out of
tlte lml"uiug. On<'c it ha(l hecn green, fre!<h, frag-rant, with
leaf or flower; now, sc'orc'hed, eharred, hladu'ncd, aU hut eon-
I'IlUled. In itselt
it was fit for nothing, but to be cast ba('k
into the fire whence it had lwen I'eseued. Man wouhJ so deal
u'ith it. A re-creation alone could restore it. Slig-ht ('mbleUl
of a !'oul, whose freshness sin had withered, then (;11(1',; se,-ere
judgment had half-eonsumed
in it,;elt
nU'('t only for the ever-
la!<ting' fire, from which yet God withdraws it.
temp'le, A.D. 363. (from Ruf. H. E. i. 38,9.) ii. a shock only, A.D. 3!J
. (from S. Jer. c.

f;'
2 a
à' ;;::

I

í
;

i!f,

f
Ä

'g;;

':
'Tlì;

'I
a

[tg
Iì<;fc{
:
o
t
i. 531.) v." in Palestine round the Jordan and throuf(hout Syria," A.D. i 16. (B,'r. i.
Pag. it.) also from Theoph." nldny thousands, lea, countless, perished; Churches and
monasteries fell in; ami chiefly in the desert of the Holy City." (fheoph. A. i:38. i. 651.
ed. Class. \"",1. Diac. L. xxii. Bihl. P"tr. xii. 811.) ,i. "no
Iight one," l\.D. i56.(Bar.
xv.) from the smne. [A.D. i48. i.e.ö:!. Class.] ,ii. a seureeartll'juakeat Ramleh and its
vicinit). A.D. lOGe.. radiating along the coa.t South",ard., from Renaud. Hist. Patr. AI.
4:13. Von Raumer (Palest. !II. ed. 1.) '1uotes '-itriaco. who speaks chiefly of the sea-coa.t,
and specifies 'l'yre (in G,'sta Dei p. lOUi.); a .hock A.D. llO;;, ,1I\0ther A.llH. de_

f)t11

n

:i
f

t

k:' (

;
9b
2
'0

Od
fi

eh
;IC

k"'d
:}:r
b;
.?' S

;
J. 3-ffiO ,'or bis li59 unserer Zeitrechnung in his Geseh. d. \ eränd. d. Erdöberfl. (1'. iv.
I:J:!:-t30.) (as extracted for me) adds, at most, one only al1eeting Palestine (
n common with
Syna) A.D. llS2, but does not name the authonty. (That of1353, 4, IS not related to
have aflected Palestine.) Cedrenus also only adds one A.D. 53:!,3, "pervading the whole
world "nd la.ting -to days." He mentions Arabia, Pall'O!tine, 'Iesopotamia, o\ntioch as
suflerinp; b) it. (i. 6i -to ed. Bek!".) Abulfàraj ,Hist. Dyn.) adds none. The list in Ber_
ryat, Collection Académique T. vi. p. -tSS-Gi5. adds one, A.D. G50, .. in Syria, Persia, es-
pecially in Judæa;" but without naming any authority.
Kk

]!}O

c J3í[oí e s T out of t1w hUl'ning-: U yet han' P' not

. 7Si. rl'turnpd unto me, saith the LORD.

U ver.ô.

12 TIll:'refore thus will I do unto thee,
o Isr.ll'I: ((lid hel'ause I will do this un-
to thee, x prepare to meet thy f
od, 0
Israel.
13 For, 10, he that formeth the moun-
tains, and createth the II wind, Y and de-
clareth unto man what i.v his thou
ht
z that makl:'th the mornin
darkness, a and

· See Ezek.
1:j. 5. &: :!2.
30. Luke
a.31,S:!.
:i Or, B}J;ril.
y P
. VJ!I. 2.
Drill. 2.28.
Z ch. 5. 8.
&8.9.
. Deut. 3:!. 13.
& 33. 29.
:' lie. 1. 3.

..:L\IOS,

treadeth upon the hig-h places of the c nRj[ots T
earth, b The Lmm, The god of hosts, is _
. i8i.
his name. b I.ai. f7.1-.
J er. 10. 16.
ch. 5. 8.
&9.6.

CI-L\PTER Y.

I A lamentation for Israel. 4 All exllOrtatioll
/0 repentallce. 21 Goel rt:iedetlt their h.lfpo('Titirnl
serl'ice.

H EAR \"e this word whil'h I a take up. Jff. 7.29.
. E zek. 19. 1.
a
ainst you, ("'I'll a lamentation, 0 1'..:17.2.
house of ] srael.

12. Therefore tlllls ll'1"l1 I do unto thee. God says mOl'e
by His !<ilt'llf'
. Hc had emmleratf'd !'òlU'('('s!<in' !'òêourges.
Kcm-, with His hand uplift('d to strike, He mentions none,
hut !'òays. thns. "1 So men too, loth to namc ('viI!'ò. whieh they
fear and detl'
t, say, God rlo .w to me, and more also. (;od
using- the lallguag-e of mcn," "
ha\"ing- !'òaid, thus 1l'ill I c/o
unto thee, i!'ò silent as to what He will do: that !'o. I!'òrael
han
ing- in !'ò11!'òpense, as having- lwfore him eaeh !'òort of llU-
nisluuent, (whi('h are the more tt'rrihle, because he imagines
them onc by OIW) may ind('ed r('pent, that (;od infliet not
what He threaft'ns."
pr"jJare to meet tli.1f God, in judg-ment, face to faee, fi-
nal to th('m. .\11 the judgments whi,'h had bcen sent hither-
to were hut heralds. forerunners of the judg-nwnt to cmne.
He lIim!'elf wa!'ò not in them. In thl'm, He passed no sen-
tem'e upon Israel. They were medic'inal, c'orrectÏ\'e; th(T
were not His final sentenee. LXow, having tri('d all wa
-s of
recovering them in vain, God !'òumnHIII!'ò tlwm hefore His
trihunal. ßut although the judg-ment of the tcn trihe
, as a
whole, was final, to individuals there was pla('e for n'p('ntanee.
God newr, in this life. hids peopk or indi, idual!'ò pr"}Jare to
meet Him, without a purpose of
00(1 to thos(' who do prepare
to rt'eeÍ\'e IIi!' sentence ari
ht. He !'òaith not then, " eOlne and
hear your doom," but, prepare to meet tli.'1 (;od. It has hope
in it. to be hidden to prepare; yet more, that He 'rIlOm they
were to I'rcpaI'e to meet, was tlieir (lorl. It must hm-c recur-
red full often to the mind of the tf'n trilws during their unre-
!'tored ('aptidty of above se'"en centuries before tÍ1e Coming- of
our Lord; a pcriod a!'ò long- as the whole existclH'(' of Rome from
its foundation to its dl'eay; as long- as our history thml our
king-
tephen until now. Full oft mu!'t they have thought.
c. we have not met Him yet," and the thou
ht must IUl\"e
da\\ ned upon them; 'It is beeause H(' willed to do tlllls with
us, that He hid u!' prppare to meet lIim. lIe uwt us not, when I
He did it. It was then !'òonwthing- further on; it is in the )Je,;- I
siah that we art' to meet and to see Him.' ,c 2 Prepare to meet
th.'1 (;od, rceddng" ,dth all eag-erne!'!'ò the Lord eoming unto
thee." So then. in this further sense whi('h lay in the word!'ò.
"1 he (as did Hosea at the end) e'ílwrt!'ò the ten tribes, aft('r I
they had been lcd captiv
b}: the. .c\!'òs}Tians, uot to de!'òllolHl, \
Imt to I'repw'e to lIwet tlielr (,tHI, I. e. to aeknowl('dg-c and re-
('('ive Chri!'òt thcir (;od. when the (;ospel !'òhould be prt'adled
to
helU by the .\postles." "1 God punisheth, not in eruelty,
but inlm"e, IIc warns tlwn thos(' whom Hc strik('!', to ulUÎf'r-
stand what He means by the!'òe puni!'luuents. not thinking-
themsch-es abandoned bv God, hut, (',"('n wlwn thev !'eem Illost
ca!'t away and reprohate, rousin
them!'elH'!'ò, ill 'the hope of
God's lUerey through Chri!'t, to eall upon God, and prepare to

I nib.

S. Jer.

meet tlieir (;od. For no one's salvatFon 1!'ò !'o de!'perate, no one
i!'ò so !'òtairwd with nery Idnd of !'in, but that God eonwth to
hilll hy holy in!'pirations, to bring haek the wandercr to lIill}-
!'elf. Thou th('refon" (J Israel, whoever thou art. who did!'t
onef' !'('rn' God, and lU1W selTt'st vile!'t pleasun',;, when thou
fet'le!<t God cmllin
to thee, prepare to meet Him. Open the
door of thy h('art to that 1ll0!'t kind and hene,"oll'nt (;uest,
and. when thou lware!'òt His Yoiee, deafen not thyself: flee
not, like .\dam. For He sceketh thee, not to jud
e, but to
sa'"e thee."
I
" .For 10, I-le that furmeth the mountains. Their (ìod
whom they worshipped was but nature. Amos tcll,; them, 'Yho
thei,. Uod is, "'hom they were to prepare to meet. He de-
st'rihe!< Him a!< the Cn'ator of that, whieh to man s('ems mO!'òt
solid, to g-o furthe!<t bad;: in tinws past. ßefore the en'rhl!'òt-
ing- mountain!' were, <-.od IS; for He made thcm, Yet God is
not a Creator in the pa!'òt alone. He is a continual "'orker.
Andforll/eth tlieu'ind, that fine!'òt !'uhth'!'òt ('reature, alone invi!'i-
hIe in this dsihkworld ; thc most immatel'ial ofthin/!s material,
thc breath of our life, the imag-e of man'!' ('reated immaterial
!'òlJÍrit. or en'n of God's un created pre!<em'e. the mildest and
the most terrifie of the a
ents around us. But the thou
ht
of God, as a Creator or Pre!'ò('l"\'er without, affe('ts man but
little. To man, a !'imll'r, far more impn'!'ò!'ive than all ma-
j('sty of f'reati,-e lJOwer, i!' the thoug-ht that God know!< his
inmost !'òoul. So he adds; amI declareth unto mall wl",t is M.

tllOlf!:{/d, i. ('. his meditation, hefore he puts it into words. God
know
our thoug-ht... more trulv than we ourseh-cs. 'Ye dis-
g-uise thelll to o
lr!'òeh-es, know"not our own hearts, wi!'h not
to know them. God reveals us to our
el\"e,... A
IIc
a\"s 3,
T!te !teart is deel'itflll al}(ll'e all 'hings ;-1l'!tO can knoll' it?' I,
tlie Lord. .search tIle !teart; I h:ll the rei/lS, el'e/l to gil'e el'e/'!I
mall a('('fJrdi/l{!.' to !tis 1{'a.lls and according to the frnit (!f his
doings. )fan'!, own ('onsf'Íenee tclls him that (;od's Imowledg-e
of his inmo!'t !'elf is no idle kno\1"I('d
e. 4 If ollr !tea rt comlemll
us, God is greater tlwn our liead and knuweth all tllings.
T!tat malætlt the morning darkness. If tile light be('ome
darlmes.s, fuJI(' great t!tat darkness! From the knowl('dg-e of
man's heart, thc Proplwt goes on to retribution. Morning- is
the symbol of all whic'h is beautiful, c'heering-, radiant, joyous
to man: darkness etfa('c!'ò all these. Thcir Gnd, he t('lIs them,
('an do all thi!'ò. He ean (luem'h in gloom all the magnifi('ent
heaut\" of His own f'reation, and make all whieh gladdcned the
ey('s of man, "one unh-ersal blot." Ami treadet'" upon t!te high
plaæs of tile earth. He treadetll them, to tread them Ulukr.
He humhlcth all which exalteth it!'òclf. " Gud walketh, wh('n
He work{.th. lIe j,.. without all. within all, cOlltaindh all,
worketh all in all. lIenee it is sáid, He 71'alketh on tile wings

3 Jer. x\ii. 9,10.

4 1 S. John iii.
O.

CIL\PTEIl \T.

c J3í[ O rs T 2 1'11(' yir
in of Isra('l is fall('n ; slw shall
cir. ï
;;. no more rise: shf' is forsakt'n upon hcr
land; tI'('I'(' ;.
uon(' to rais(' hl'r up.
3 For thus saith tll<' Lord Gon; Thl'
(.ity that went out b.II a thousand shall
}(>a\"l' an hundrcd, and that whid. went

oftlte1('illC/ 1 ; III' walketh (JII the IIl'igMs of tlte sea 2: Ill' walk-
etll Olt the f'Ïrf'/{it of It/'(ll'elt 3.
Su('h was Hc, "'110 made IIim
clf theil" God, The Author of
all. the L"l'lwlder uf all, the Suhduer of all whieh exalted it-
st'lf, 'nw
to()(1 in a speeial l"/'lation to man's thoug-ht
, and
'Vim punished. .At I1i
eell\!ma,!d
tand all the he!:oots of hea-
ven. "'(luM thev 1111\'1' Hun tor them, or ag-alllst thelJl?
'" ould they he at'l)eace with IIim, hetilre they met Him, faee
to faee ?
Y. 1. In orclcr to impre!':s Israel the more, Amos beg-ins
this his third appcal hy it dirge OHr its de
trlH'tiell\, mourning-
oveJ" tho!:'e who were fun of joy, and thou/!,"ht them
elves safe
amI enviable. .\s if a Ih'ing man, in the mid
t (If his pride
and luxury ami buoyant rce'kles
ne

of heart, eould see his own
funeral proees..ion, imd hear, as it were, moeJ" hirn...elf the' earth
to earth, ashes to ashe", dllst to dust.' It would g-i,"e solemn
thoughts, even though he should impatiently put them from
him. Su must it to brael, when after the ti(1e of ,'i(.tories of
Jerohoam II., .\mos said, H('fll" tltis leOrf! Il'McI, I Wit I
fti/lg "P,
as a hea,'y weig-ht, to east it down against or upon .1,Iou, a fu-
neral dirge, () he)Ul"e of Israel. Human
reatness is so un-
stable, human strength so fleeting-, that the prophet of deeay
finds a response in man's own e'onsc'icnee, however he may
silCIU'e or re...ent it. He would not resent it, unless he felt
its foree.
" 4 AnlCJs, an [
raelite, lIlemrneth over Israel, as Samuel oyer
Sauls, or as Isaiah says 6, I will "weep hiffel"(II; lahour not
to (,(JlIlfol"f me, ber"aw\(' (l ti,e .
poililtg (
f tI,e c/augltta of 111.'1
people; illlag-cs of Him who wept ovcr Jerusalem." "So are
they hewailed' wIlli know nClt why they arc bewailed, the mClre
mh;erahle, beeause thev lmow not their own mi!'erv."
2. Site Ita tit flll/l'Il: sIte sltall I";se 1W more, tI;e 1';I"Kin of
ISI"ael; site Iwtlt been d((slled dm/'/( ll}J(Jn !tel' la/(d, tlleJ'e ;S ]lOJle
to raise Iter up. Suc'h is the dirg-e, a dir/.!,"e like that of David
over Saul aml.Jonathan, over what om'e was lovely and mhdl-
t), hut whieh had perished. lIe !'pealis of all ås past, ànd
that, irremediahl
-. Israel is CIne of the thin
s whieh had been,
and whiC'h would never a/!,"ain be. He ('aIls her tenderly, tlte
'viq:i/( of Ismel, not as hm'ing- retained he.. purity or her fcalty
to God; still less, with human boastfulness, as thoul!,"h she had
as yet heen unsuhdued by man. For she had been faithless to

(;d, and had bc('n man): times conquered by man. 1'\or does
It ('ven secm that (;od SCI calls her, be('ause lIe once espoused
h('r to Himself. For Isaiah so ealls llah
-Ioll. But S('ripture
seems to speak of ('ities, as women, ÌJeeause in women h'nder-
ness is mO:oot seen; they arc must tenderly /!,"uarded ; they, when
IHire, arc most 100'ely; they, when eorrupted, arc most dehased.
IIelll'e""i (;Cld sa)'s CIIl the one hand, 8 I rememhel" tltee, tlte love
of t !tiue e"
pollsa/s ; on the other 9, Hear, t/WIl Itar/ot, tlte ll'(J/.rf of
tlte LOl"d. "'hen He daims her faithfulne!'s He ealls her,
betrothed." A
aiJl," 7 whcn Hc willt'th to sig"nit\, that a eit\'
or lIatie)H has been as tcnderlv loved and anxio'ul"ly g"uar(i-
(.d, wlwther hy IIim!'elf or by õthers, He ealleth it t 7 il"gill, or
when He would indicate its beauty and lovely array. Isaiah
1 PS, cÏv. 3.
Job ix. S. 3 lb. 'xxii. 14.'
· from Dion. . . Sam. xv. 3;;. Ii Is. -.xii. 4. . from !tib. S Jer. ii. 2.

IDI

forth b.'1 an hundr'cd shaH leav(' ten, to the c J
o
e S T
hou!o.l' of lsrat'l. cir. íSi.
..t
r For thus saith the }.j(lRH unto tlw
house of J sral'l, b
('ck ye Ull', c and r c b 2 Cbr.15. 2.
shalllivc :

:

. 13.
.) Uut s('('k not d neth-(>l, nor cnter into

i4

:3.

saith 10, ('Ome dO/I'll alii/ sit ;u ti,l' dltst, 1'h:
i/( rf((/(glttcr of ]lfth.lJ-
lou, i.e. them who Ii\'ed:oot hefClrc in all delieae'Îes, Iiii(' a vir/!,"ill un-
der the shelter of hcr hCllue. FClr it fuUClw
, fiJI" tholl .
hlllt JlU
lIwrc be ('al/c'rt teuder ((1/([ delicate."
1(Jf'e pitiahlc', till' their
tenderness and delieél('y, is the cli..tress uf \\"onH'n. .\nel SCI
he pietures hcr as already fallen, tills/,ed (the wClrd imitates
the SOIllHll1) to the earth UpOIl Ill'I" (J/(,II gl"ound. An army
may he lost, amI the nation recovcr.
he was dasltcd dOl/'n
UpOIl her OWIl groulld. In the ahode of h('r stren/.,rth, in the
midst of her n'semrcc
, in her innermu!;t retreat,
he !<honld
fall. 1 n her
elt
she fell powcrl(':oos. And he adds, she has 110
/JIll' to I"a;se !ter "P; nune to ha,.e ruth upon her: imal!e of the
jucll!ment on a lost soul, when the terrihle sentence is spoken
amI none ('an intercede! Site .
//((lI /wt rise agaill. As she
fell, she did not ag-ain rise. The Pruph(.t helwld" heyond the
eil!,"hty five
'ear!'; which separated the prospel'ity undcr .Jere-
hoam I I., from h('r eaptivity. .\s a pcol'le, he !'ar
,
he sltould
be restored no more; Ilor was I'he.
3. Tlte city thltt wellt met hy a tlwll.mlld, (i. e. prohahlv
that
ent out a thousand fi/!,"hting' men, as the word !l'ellt o/("t
is often used for, wellt Ollt 12 to fi
ht,) sltall/IIl"L'e, lit. Ûwl/ I"eta;lI,
all It"ndl"ed. She was to he dec'imatecl. Only, tilt' tenth alollc
was to he resern'd alh'c; the nine-tenths wcrc to he dcstrun'd.
.\IHI this, alilie in lar
er plaecs ami in the small. The
'itv
tlwt 1('Cllt forth ((II !unu/red shall retain ten. Smaller place's
ese'ape for thcir obseurity, thc largcr frum their streng-tit and
!'ituation. One ('omnwn doom was to hct
lll all. Out uf all
that multitude, one tithe alone was to be preserved, '-"i de-
dieated to God," that remnant whieh God always promised
to re
erve.
4. Seck ye JIe alld .11e shall lil'e; lit. seek ..lIe alld lire.
\\Tonderful c'onciscness of tlte word of God, whie'h, in t\\'o
words 13 , eomprises the whule of the C'I'('ature'
duty and his
hopes, hi" time and Itis eternity. The Prophet uses the two
imperath'es, inoneing both, man's duty and hi
reward. He
doe
not speak of them, as cause and effec.t, but as one.
\Yhere the one is, there is the other. To
eek God is to live.
For to seck God is to find Him, and God is Life and the sourc'e
of life. I
or
iveness, grace, life, enter the soul at once. ßut
the seeldng- is clilil!,"ent !;ceking: 1.J.. .. IS It is not to seck {;od any-
how, hut as it is rig-ht and mcet that He should bc
oul!ht,
longed for, prayed for, "'ho is so g-reat a Good. eelllstantly. fer-
vently. yea, to our power, the more constantly and fenently,
as an Infinite Good is more to be long-cd for, more 10\ ed than
all t'l'eated good." The ohjecf of the sear('h is (;od Him<.:elf.
,""eeIL .Jle, i. c. seek (;od for Himself, not for anything out uf
Him, not for His
ifts, not for anything to he Im'ed with Him.
Tlti:oo is not to seek Him purely. All is found in Him, hut by

eeldng- Him first, and then loving- Him in aU, and all in Him.
Ami .'Ie shalll;re, first by the life of the body, escaping the
enemy; then hy the life uf gTaee now, and the life of
lory
hereafter, as in that of the Psalmist 16, YOUI" !teal"t shalllil:e w/w
seek God.
5. But [Alld] seck 1l0t Bet/lef. Israel pretended to se(.k
12 see in Ges. T
?s:z:\

,i. ú5 i3 ..;-:. .:.

..., Is.
!'
:
. 15 Dio
. :-:'=::1
6 Ps. Ixix. 32.
Kk2

lÐ2

Before
CHRIST
cir. 7Ri.
. ch. 8. 14.
rHos. 1. I;;.
&10.8.
fiver.i.

(m
al, and pnss not to e ßeerslleha: for
(;il
al shall surely
o into ('aptivity, and
f ßeth-el shall ('ome to nought.
6 g Seek the LORD. and ye
hall lh-e;
lest he hreak out like fire in the huuse of

AMOS,

.f oseph, and dcyo\1l' if, and t/I{'J'C bc none to c HB
ofes T
quench it in ßeth-el. cir. i8;.
7 Ye who h tnrn judgment to wormwood, h ch. 6. 12.
and leave ofr ri
hteouslwss in the earth, ,
8 Scck him that maketh the i seven I i:'
tk

God in ß(.the\. .\1lI0

ets the two
eeking-!<, a!< ineompatihle.
The g-od. wor!<hipped at Bethel, wa!< 1I0t the Olle God. To
sed{ God there wa
to lose Him. ..
eel{ not (;od," he woultl

ay, "and a phalltom, whieh will lead from Gild."
Alld pass lIot to Becrsheha. .JerobClam J. pretended that
it wa!< tOil mueh for Israel to g-o up to Jerusalem. Alld yct Is-
rad thought it not too mUl'h to goo to the e"Xtreme4 point of
Judah tuwards Idumæa \ perhap!<, four times as far South
of Jerusalem, as Jerusalem lay from ßethcl. For Beer!<lll'ba
is thouc:ht to ha'"e lain to'ome thirtv miles South of I1ebron 2.
which is twenty two milt'!o; South
f Jcrusalem;J ; while Bcthel
is but twelve to the Nurth. So lIlueh pains will men take in
!'elf-willed
eITiee. and vet not see that it tal{es awav the exeuse
for uegleetiug- the true: At ßeershcha, .\braham -i called IlpOIl
the uame û,f the Lord, the everlasting God. Th('re God reveal-
ed Himself to Isaae alld Jaeoh 5. There, ],ceause He had so
ren-alcd Himself, Judah made a place otïdolatry. whieh Isracl,

eeldnc: nought besid(.s from .Judah. soul!:ht. Beersheba was
still a town v' or large villag-e 7 in the tillw' of S. .Jerome. 1\ ow
all is swept away, exeept "
some foundation!< of ruins," spread
over:! of a mile, ., with
wareely olle stolle UpOIl allother
""
The wells alone rClllain lO , with thc alleient names.
Gilga{ sha{{ sure
11 go into mptil'i(II' The verhal allusionto'
in the Prophets are somctimes artifi('ial ; sometimes, they de-
,'elope thc meaning of the word ibelf, as when Zephaniah
to'ays 11, Ekroll [prohably the firm-rof)till{!] sha{{ he uprooted;
sometime
, a!o h('re, the words arc eonnected. althoug-h not the

ame. In all eato'es, tht' likene

of sound wato' eall'ulatt.d to fix
them in men's memoric
, It would be so, if une with autho-
rity ('ould say, " Paris périra 12,"" Paris shall peri!<h," or" Lon-
don is undone."
till more would the word
, Hag--g-ilg-al
g-alo yigleh, ueeause the name Gilgal
till retained its first
meaning", tlte {{reat rolling 13, and the word jOÎIU'd with it had
a kindred mcaning u. Originally it probably means, "swept
dcar away.:' God first ro/fed ([ll'a,11 tlte reproaclt of Egypt 15
ii'om f1i
people there. Then, when it made itto'elf like the
heathen. it !'hould itself be rolled clear away 16. Gilg-al was
orig-inally in Benjamin, but I!<rael had probauly annexed it
to itselt
as it had Bethel and Jerieho 1 7 , both uf which had
bcen assig-ned by .J o!<llUa to Benjamin 18.
.dnd Betltel shall come to uougld. Ho
ea had called Be-
tI,e{, Uod's house, by the name of Betl/([l'eu 19, ralli!.ll-Iwuse.
Amo
, in allusion to this probably, drups the firto't half of the
name, and say
that it shall not merely be IlOuse f
ft'll1Ii!.,/, but
AI'en,1'Ill/i!.'1 itself. "By sin the !'(IlII, whieh was the house or
temple of God, uecomes tht' temple of vanity and of devils."
G. Seek 'ie tlte Lord allfi lie sltall lil'e; lit. ,yeek tile Lord
a1/(lli1'e; heing united to Hiìn. the Fountain of life. He re-
impresse
on thcm the one
imllie need of the l'l'('aturc,
seck God, the one true (Ì:od as He ren'aled Himself, not as
worldly mcn, or the politieian", (If Jeroboam's eourt. or the

I Jos. Ant. 8,13,7. 2 Robinson, i.2oo. Eus. and S. Jer. have twenty. 3 Euseb.
S. Jer. v. Arbo. 4 Gen. xxi. 33. . lb. xxvi. 23,4. xhi. I. 6 S. Jer. Qu. ad
Gen. xxi. 30. 7 de loco Hebr. 6 "an de Velde, ii. 127. 9 Robinson,i.204.
10 There are now se'"en "ells, 2 large and separate frum the other5. But Moses speals
of one" ell only, dug by Abraham and reopened hy Isaac, Gen. xxi. 30. xxvi. 18,32, 3.
\I
;c
;;e 6til;
;
s

:
;'I
lí

l:
;.ere. H'3
;h
d

:tfi

tilh

iIer .:

:

calf-priests, fahled uf Him. Seek .fIim. For in Him is all;
without Him, nothing.
le,
t He hreak Ollt {ikefìrc in Betltel. Formerly the Spirit
of God l'atne vchemently down
o upon Samson
1 and Saul 22
and Da\"Íd
3, to fit them as instruments for God; as dill the
Evil spirit, when (Ì:od departed from Saul 2i . So now. unleto'';
they repented, God Him!<clf would !'uddenly
hew His power-
ful Prescll('e amonl! thcm, but. as He had l'e,-ealed Himselfto
be 25, Tlte Lord tlt.1/ (;od is a I'nu,mming J.ì're. And dCl"fJ//r it,
lit. alld it [the fire] Ûwll de1'ollr, a1/(1 there be none to quel/clt it
ill [better, for ] Bethel. Bethel, the ecntre of their idol-llOpe!<,
so far frllln aiding- them then,
hallnot be able to help itself,
nor shall there be any to hell' it. The fin' of God kindles
around it. and there b none to queJl('h it for her
v.
" 2ï The whole plaee treateth of JII('rl'y and ju
ticc. The
whole ground of mcn's punishment, ealamitics, eondemuation
i!< aSl'ribed to their own fault and ne1-!."li
elH"e, who nc
le('t the
dclh'eranee often promised and offered thcm hy God, and 2b{0t'C
darkness rather t/l//11 ligM, he('a1(,
c their deeds are e/'il. \\110-
ever is not s<l\'e(l. the whole blame lies in their own will and
neg-ligenee and malice. God, "Tho 2911'iUeth nnt that al/.I/
sllOllld pCl'ish, hut that all should come to repelltauce, Himto'elf
unsoug-ht, sed,!', cntreat!o, ecase!'; not to monish, exhort, set
he fore them their guilt, that they may eea!'e to prepare SUI'It
evil for themselves. But th('\" neither g-ive Him entranee, nor
hear His entreaties, nor admit the warnings ofthe Didne mcr-
cy, whieh if they neg-Iect. they mu!'t neèd,; he made over to
His justice. The g-o()dness of God is wanting- to 110 one, to'aw
those who are wantin
to them
eh-es. "'herefore, ha,'ing of-
ten hesought them Iwfore. lIe im-ites them \"ct ac:ain to sal-
vation, InÌtting- forth that His Xame, so fu1Ï of ];lysteries of
nU'rey; Seek tile Lord alld {il'e," seek Him \\'ho IS, the rn-
chang-eable. He Who had willed their
alvation, to'till willed
it, tiw He c/1/t11ges not 30. "Ill' adds threatenin
,;, that those
whom He ealls to life, He mi:!,"ht either allure by promises, or
!'eare from death throug-h fear of the impending- cvi\."
ï. re '7('ho turll. Tho"c whom he calls to seek God, were
men filled with all inju
til'e. who turned the sweetnes!' ofju!';-
tiee intu the hitterne!<s of wormwood 31. Moses had used gall
and U'{)}'lIIll'OfJd as a prm"erh 32; {est thae be amoug you II root
thnt beareth gall and 1l'Orl1l1I'OOel; tlte Lord Icill uot spare
!Jim, hut then tlte auger of tIle Lord aml I-lis Jealous.'1 shall
smoke against that mlln, and all the curses tlwt lire 'll'l'ittell ill
tllis book ,ylwlllie UpOll Mm. The word of Amos would remind
them of the word of l\Ioscs.
a1/(!fe/ll'e Q/f'righteousness in the earth; hetter, aml.
et riglt-
tenuslle.YS to rest nil the grol1lul 33 . They dethroned ri
hteous-
nes!';, the representative amI vice-gcrent of (Ì:od, ami matle it
rest on tilt' ground. TIIP little horn. Daniel says 3\ should cast
truth to tile ground. These to'eem to have blended outra;!"e with
insult, as when the Lord OUI' Iligldeo1l,mess 35 tool, our fle
h,

15 Josh. v. 9. 16 see i"!"':";' Jer. Ii. 25. 171 Kgs. xvi. 16 Josh. xviii. 21, 2:!. 19 i\'.
15. x. 5.
The ""me "ord is used in all these places. 21 J ud. xiv. 6, HI. xv. 11.
22 1 Sam. x. 6. xi. 6. 23 lb. x\i. 13. 2< lb. x\iii. 10. 2ó Deul. iv.
4.
25 as in Jer. iv. 4. 27 !\tonl.
S. John iii. 19. 29 2 S, Pel. iii. 9. 30 'Ial. iii. 6.
31 S. Jer. 32 Deut. xxix. 18,20. 33 1":-::-: is used ofc.tSting forth. Ku. "h:.9.
d

rifyVl
\:I[h
Os

;

O

g

ì

â;
=
;

n::'s
,!'u
a
ili
:2.xx
.

.

.o

CIL\..PTER \r.

C IP'ì[ofs T stars and Orion, and tnrnc.'th the slmdO\,
cir. i/'.i. of dl'ath into tlw llwrning-, Ie and makcth

.r:i, 1

'l
' the day darl
with lli
ht: 'that I ('alleth fur'
ch. 9. 6.

]!)3

HU' waters of tIll' sea, and ponrl'th tlU'1ll c If
o
e S T
out upon the féU'l' of the earth: m The _cir. i:<

J JORn ;s his name: mch.4.13.

they pllt Oil Him the .w'arld ruhr, wul the CrOl('1l l
f tltorus Upllll
Hi!'Ò IIca(l, and bowee/ tIle knee hefore 1lim, amlmucked 1lim,
amI th('n crllrijìee/ 1lim. They" depo
('d " her, ., set hcr
down," it may he, with a m(lI'k makc-I)('lie\"e detcrell("e, a!"
men nllw-a-dap" in eivil tel"m!'Ò, d('l'o!'Òe (;0(1, ig-Iwriu
Him
and His ri(
ht (wer them. '1'hl'\' !<t't her on the t!l"ound, and !'ÒO
left her, tl
' imag-e of Gmt This they (li(l, nllt ÏI
one way 0111y,
hut in all the wav
in whieh thev ('ould. Ill' dm's not limit it
tll the rig"'eollsll'es.

hcwn in (ioin
justi('e. It indude
all
transiu.tion!'Ò hehn't'u man and man, in whieh rig-ht enter:<,
all buying ami selling-, all etluity, all gidn
to another his
due. All the band
of !ooOf'ietv were di!'Ò!'ÒIIln'd, ami rig"'eml.
nes.

wa!o' pla('ed on the gl'OUlHl, to'he trampled un by all in all thing-so

. Seek Him tltat maketlt tlte ,
e"eIl ,
tars.
lislJ('lief ef-
fa('es the tlwut!'ht of God as He Is. It retains the name (;od,
hut nH'an!'Ò sOIl'lething- (Iuite ditll'rent from the One True (;(1(1.
So meu !'Òpolie of ., th(' Deity," as a sort of Fir
t Cau
e of all
thiu
s, aud did not I'el'('cin
that they only meant to own
that thi!'Ò fair harnwnv 111' thint!'s t'rt'atcd was IIOt (at lea!'t a!'
it now e
ists,) sdf-exi!'Òtl'nt, a
HI that they had 10!'Òt !'ight of
the Per
onal God \\110 had made Imown to them Hi!; '\ïll,
'Yhom thev werc to bdievc in ohev fcar lon
. ., The Heitv"
was nil ohfl't.t of fear or IO\-e: It
'as ìmt a c(,ld (,ollfe:<!Òï"nn
that the,. did not mean to he Athci!'Òt!Ò, III' that thl'v meant intd-
leetuaU;" to admirl' tht, el'pation. Sueh confe!"!'Òio;ls, even when
not unt'OIN'illu!'ly .\thei!'Òtic, beeome at lea!'Òt thc parent!' of
.\theism or Panthci!"m, ami slide in
en!Òibly into either. For
a Fir!'Òt l:au!'Òe, who is ('oneeived of as no more, is au ahstrac-
tion, not (iod. God is the Cause of an eau,.;es. All thiu
s lll"e,
and ha\"e their relation!' to eaeh other, a!Ò cause and effe('t, hc-
('au!'e He!,,(1 ('reated them. .\ "Great Fir
t Cau!Ò('," who is only
thou
ht of as a Cause, is a mere fi(.tiun of man's imag-inini,
an attempt to appear to a('eount for the mp;terie" of bciu/!.",
without owuing- that, !'inl'e our "ein
is fmm (;od, we are re-
sponsible ereatures whom lie l'reated for Himself, and who
arc to yield to Him an at'('(lunt of thl' u!'Òt' of ollr bein
which
He g-ave U". In liIie way, l!'Òrael had prohahly so mixed up
the thoug-ht of God with Xature, that it had lost sight uf
Gild, as tli!'ÒtÍlH't from the creation. And!'Òo Amlls, after
appealin
to their eonseienc('!<, sets forth God to them a:< the
Creatllr, Di!'Òl'ol:'er of all thing-:<, and the Ju:<t God, who r('-
drc
:<(.th man's ,"iolenee and inju..tice. The set'en stars, lit.
tIle heap, arc the
trildng- clustel' of "tar!'Ò, ('alled hy Greeks amI
Latins the Pleiad('s \ which eon!'Òi!'Òt ut/larger star!'Ò, and in an
t
f aho\"e forty. Orion 2, a eonstellation in one liue with the
Plciade!'Ò, was cont'eh-ed by the Arabs and S
rÌans al!'Òo, a!' a
g-ig-antil' fig-ure. The Chaldee also render!'Ò, the" ,"iolent" or
., the rebel." The Hebrew title Cesil fool, add" the idea of
an irJ"('Iig-i()u
man, whieh is ahoo th
:meanin
of Ximrod,
rehel, lit. ., let us rchel." Joh, in that he speaks of tI,e
hands of Orion S, pit.tures him as "boUlul," the .. belt" heiI.l

the bllnd. This falls in with the later tradition that Xilll-
I'od, whu, as the founder of Babel, was the fi
st rebel R-

1 :-:'
(i. q. Arab. kou,!!ah, "heap,'lis rendered .".;\..áèa by S}mm. Theod.here; by

heLX
. Aq. anll S.
er. In
ob XXXV1l1. 31; by the LXX. also Jobix. 9. (the two names
Af!KTOUPOJl and .".^uaða, ben.g transposed.) The Syr. and Ch. retain the Hebrew word,
"Inch the" Arab. trans!. in Job.renders "Thora}ya," .. little multitude," the Arabic name
ofth,:"
lelades. 2 AqUIla and S.Jerome here, S. Jer. in Job ix. 9. the L}, \.. in
Is. Xill. 10. amI Job xxxvüi. 31. render, .. Orion." The Ch. in Job has
?'E
; its plural

g-ain!'t hod 4, wa!' repr('!'Òented hy the easterns in thl'ir g-I'tlllp-
in
of the !'tars, as a g"iant ('hained á, the
afJ1(' eon",tdJation
which we call (kil/n.
allll tUJ"l/etil tlte Slllldow
l dcath into tile 11/orning. This
i!Ò no merc alternation of ni:.d1t and day, no "hindling" of" eat'h
dit\" out of ni
ht." The shado/(' of dcath i!< !'trietl\" tht' darknc,.;s
.of'death, or of the gra\"e 6 . It is u!'Òed of darkll(.!'!' illten,.;e a:<
the darlme!Òs ufthe g-ra'"e 7, of g-Inom 8, or lIloral henig-hteuin.!; Ð
whieh secms to ca!'Òt the sluulfJll' (
f r!nlfh over thl' !'tllll, of dis-
h'ess whid1 i:< a,.; the forcruuner of d('ath 10, or of thing"'. hiddpu
as the gran, which God alone eim hring to Ii
ht 11. The word
is unite(1 with darknes!'Ò, phy!'Òieal, moral, mental. hut alway!'Ò as
intcn!'Òifyin
it, beyond any mere darlme!'Ò!Ò. Ånws fir!'Òt !ooets
forth the power of (;od, then Hi!; g-oodne!':<. Out of (',"err ex-
tremity of ill, God ('an, will, dill's, deliHI'. He '\110
aid, let
thrre be lig'" ((]ul tit ere ll'a,
l
!{/d, at OIH'e ehan
eth any depth
of darkne!'!'Ò into li/.:"ht, the death-darkne!'!'Ò of !Òin into tht' dawn
of grace, the hopelc!'Ò!'Ò ni
ht of i
11Oranl'e into the day-star.fronl
fJ11 high, the niJ!,'ht of the g-raH into the eternal morn of the
Resurre('tion whieh knoweth no
t.ttillg-. But then on impe-
nitenl'e the eOlltrary follo,,-!'Ò;
alld I/lllkrth the dll.'! dark 1dth nigld; lit. awl darkenetl, da.'!
illto nigM. .A
God withdraws tlte slwdoll' of death, so that
there
houhl he 110 tral'e of it left, hut all is filled with His
li
ht,
o, ag-ain, when His lig-ht is abu!'Òed or neg-Iet'tcd, lIe !'o
withdraws it, as, at timc
, to leave no traee or gleam of it.
CUllseienee beconl('s benighted,
o a
to !Òin undouhting-ly:
t
tith i!'Ò darkened. !'IJ that the !"oul no more enn suspeets thl'
truth. Hell has no litð1t.
Tltat Clll/etltftJr ti,e lcaters of the sell. This ('an he no uther
than a memory of the flood, ll'lteu the waters pret'ltitl'd 01'/'1' tlte
eartft 12. The Prophet speaks of nothing partial. He !'pNlks ot
,
ell and earth, eaeh, as a whole, !'tanding- ag-ainst the othel'.
Gud clllletl, thl' ll'aters uf tI,e sea and }Jollreth tltem Ol'eJ" tlteface
o.f tltl' eartlt. They seem e,'er threatenin
the land, hut for
Him 13u'/lich hath placed tlte smut for tI,e bound l
f tlte ,
ea, tlwi
it CllllllOt }lass it. Xow Gud ('ails them, and 1lOIlrs them Ol'a
tlte face, i. e. the whole surfaee. The flood, He promi
cd,
,.hould not ag-ain be. Hut it i!'Ò the imag-e ofthat uni\"er"aJ de-
!'tructioll, which shall end man'!Ò tholl
ands of years of rcheJ-
lion a/!.'ain
t God. The words then of Amos, in' their simple
t

ense, speak of a future universal judt!'Il1ent of the inhabi-
tants of the earth, like, in extent, to that funnel' judg-ment,
when {;od brought ill tlte fiooe/upon tile u'orld oftlte llJlgodl.'! H.
The word
han been thoug-ht al!Òo to de:<el"Ïbe that daily
man-c1 of (iud's Proddenel', hon'. from the salt briny sea,
whi('h ('ould brin
hut barrenne
,.. He, In- the heat of the
un,
draws up the m
i!'Òture, and diseharges it ant'w in life-giving-
shower!' on the !'urfaee of the earth. God's daih- ('are of us,
in the workin
s of Hi!' l'reatures, is a witness 15 ol His relation
to us as our Father; it i
an earnest also of our I'elation, antl!'o
of our aceountahlene!'!Ò, to Him,
Tlæ Lord is His name. He, the One Self-existent rn-

here; in 18aÎab, the Heb. word. The S}r. here and in Job has "jaboro" (the Heb. -':

)Iighty, Gen. x.8.) The Arab. in Job, the same. 3 xxx\iii. 31. · Gcn. x, 9,10. xi. 4-9.
Josephus (Arch. i. 4. 2.) does but de\elope Genesis.
Chron. Pasch. p. 36. 6 Job iii. 5.
x.21, 2:!. xxxiv. 22. xx,""iii. Ii. Ps.xxiil. 4. Jer. xiii. 16. ; Jobxx\iii.3. s lb. xxiv. n.
9 Is. ix. 2. (1 Heb.) 10 Job x\i. 16. Ps. xliv, 19. nii.IO, 14. Jer. ü. 6. xiii. Hi.
11 Job xii. 2:!. 12 Gen. vii. 24. 13 Jer.v. 2:!. H 2S.Pet. ii.5. I_ Acts xi\.li.

HJl

C .J3ít?s T 9 That sh'engt11eneth the + spoiled a-
cir. ï!;
g-ainst the strung", !-oO that the spoiled shall
tH
b.spoil. eome a
ainst the fortress.
D lsai.2!J.21. 10 nThey hate him that rehuketh in the
01 Kings 2. 8. gat<" and ther 0 abhor him that "ipeaketh
upri
htlr.

A
lO
,

1] Forasmuch tht'rcfore as your tread- C INf r ; S T
inA" Ù; upun the poor, and ye take from cir.78;.
him burdens of wheat: Pye have huilt hous- PPo:'

,

.
es of hewn stone, but ye shall not (hn'll

I
il
i.lt3.
in thelll; P' lun'e planted t pleasant yine- t
:
: 1.6.
yards, hut ye shan not drink wine of them.
J'

.

chan
eahJe (;m1. who rerealed I1illl
cJf to their forefather
,
amI t'orhade them to wurship Him under any form of their
own de,-iec.
9. Tlmt strengtllClleth tile spoiled, (lit. spoil E.1\I.) prohably'
That maketll del'astation tn .çmile 011 thl' strong 1. The smile,
in an
cr, attests both the e
tremity of an
er, amI the eonsei-
OHsne
s of the ease, wherewith the offent'e I"an be puni
lH'd.
They were >:trnn
in their own stren
th : strong', as they deem-
ed, in their fortr
ss; ,,
strong- with' an evil !'tl:ength, Ìil;:e one
phrenzied a
ain!'t his phrsi,'ian:' But their !'treng-th wOHM
be weakness. Desolation,,, hen God willed, would .wlÏle at
all whieh they accounted might, and would cOllie agaills! thl'
fortres.
, whieh, as they deemed, ('1ft '!tf' 3 all approaeh.
10. Tlle.'1 hate llim that rclmket/I. The gate i
the well-
known place of ('OIH'tlUrSe, where just or, in Israclnow, Hnjust
jud
ment was
in'n 4, whcI'p all was done which was to he
done pnblil'ly 5. Samaria had a larg-e arpit 6 hy its ehief
ate,
where two kin
s cOHlt1 hold eOHrt. and the 400 false prophets
and the people, in gl"eêlt IlUlllbcr
, could gather 7, and a mar-
l;::et ('ouM be held 8. .To!<iah bral;:e du" n an itlol-shriue, whil,h
was in one of the gate!' of .Teru
alcm 9. The prophets !'eized
the opportunity of findiug- the people tog-ether, and Erea,.heci
to them there. So it was e,-en in the da,"s of
olonwn o. lf7s-
dnm crieth "without; she uttl'rcth her l'oi;e ill the streets; she Cl"i-
eth ill tile chief place of C01U'OIll'se, in the openings of the gates,
in tile rit!1 she utteretll her words, HfIIl' lung, .lle simple (JIles,
ll'il/ .1Ie IOl'e sill/plirit!I'? fy'c., amI again Il, Sill' stalldeth in tile
top of 11
!{h places, h.1J tI,e ll'I'.1f, in the meeting of the }Jatlt.ç. ^
he
rrieth at the gates, at tile entr.'1 II tile city, at tllC cominE: ill at
tllCdonrs; lìtfn !IOU, 0 men, 1 cal/,L')-r. Jeremiah mentions two
occasion
, upon whit'h God bade him to rcprove the king- and
people in the
ates of Jeru
alem 1
. There doubtle
;; .Amos
and Hosea reprm'ed them, and, for reprO\-ing, wcre Iwtee!. As
Isaiah !':ay;; 13, tlle./I la.'1 a snare for him tlwt 1"epr01'etlt ill the
gate. The
- !'inned publicly. and therefore they wcre to he re-
huked puhlil'ly. They sinned ill the gate by injustice and op-
pression, and therefore were to he rehuked hefore all, that
others also miglltfear H.
Alld tlle!labhor Mm tlUlt s]Jeaketh upriglltf./!, lit. perfect!.'I.
The lJrophet
spol;:e pet/eeif./!. "15 for they SPOliC the all-pcrfect
word of God, of whieh Da,-id !'ays 16, The lall' of the Lonl is
per,/l'rf, cO/werting tile soul." "Carnal eyes hate the light of
truth, whit'h they ea
t al"ide for e
eerahle lies, cl(lsin
to them-
seln'", the fountain uf the Didnc merev 15." "2 Thi
is the sin
whic,h hath uo remis
inn; thi
is the' sin of the strong- aud
mi
hty, who
in not out of i
lIorancc or weakne
s, hut with
impenitent heart proudly defcnd tlwir sin, amI Illite Mm that
1"elml.:eth alld ah//Or Mill ll'ho dareth to speak per,fectl.'l, i. e. not
thiugs whil'h please them, hut resi
tin
their e, it" This.liIiC

1 The E. Y. has follo"ed a conjecture of Jon. and Kimchi, founded on the context
of Job ix. 2ï. x. 20. Aquila, ò puõ,;;.v, and S. Jerome, sllbridells, agree with the
Arabic use, "hich suits all the places in Heb. "smiled, was j1:laddened, "as cheered."
Others here, "made to daWlI," from the Arab. 2 Rup.
3 The force of-:;:;-:, 4 Dent. XX\'. t, Job v.4, xxxi. 21. 2 Sam. xv. 2.
rch:-
i

it

. xxix. 21. s 2 K;.
ii

.iv. 1, II. g Ib
J

ii. 8. ' II

': i.x
k

:
11 lb. \iii. 2-4. 12 x\ii. 19. xix. :!,

all other good of God and evil of man, met most in and ag-ain!'t
Christ. ,,!) 'Vho i", he who rebuked in the gate or who .çpake
pl'/:fectf.ll? David rcbuked them, and spake mneh Iwrfct,tly, allli
so they hated him and said Ii, 1l,ll(It portioll 'l(Il'e u'e in lJm'id,
or ll'hat inheritanre hare we ill ti,e SOil of Jesse'? Him al
1I who
spake these very words, and the uther prophets they hated and
ahhorred. But a
thc re
t.
II this too, is truh' and induhi-
tably fulfilled in Chri
t, rehuking justly and speåking perfeet-
Iy. Hc Him
clf saith in a Psalm 18, '1'lIe.'1 t/wt .mt ill the gate
spake against .'Ill'. wherefore, when He had !':aid 19, !Ie tlwt liat-
etli .'Ill', Illltef!l )1..'1 Father alsn, and, IIUW the.1f Illll'e botl, seell
alld hated hoth
111' ami JJ..'I1.'af!ler, He
ubjoinl'd, that t!le word
lIIigld be fll(/il/ed t!lat is writteu ill t!leir Iwl'. the,ll hated .'lIe
withollt a callse. .lhm'e all then, we understand Christ, "Thom
they hated, relmkillg ill the gate, i. e. openly and in puhlic ; as
He said 20, 1 .
pake ope'lll.'! to the 1('orld, aud ill seaet l/lIl'e I
s,tid lIothillg. lIe alonc !'pake pcrfectly, TVIIO did 110 Sill, nei-
tiler lI'as guile foulld ill His UlOl1tl, 21. In wi
dom also and doc-
trine, He alone
pal;:e perfeetly, perfeetly and !'o wonderfully,
that the '!t!icers of the chief prie.
ts alld Pharisees who were sellt
to take Him, said,
Yel'er UlIlII spake like this Jlall !)2."
" 23 I t is a great l"in to hatc him who rehukt.th, esp(,,'ially if
he rclJUke thee, not out of dislike, but out of lo,'e, if lIe doth
it betll'eeu tllCe alld him alrme 2\ if, t"killg u'it!l him a brother,
if afterward, in the l'rcsem'e of the Chureh, so that it may be
evident that he does not hlame thee out of an)" love of detrac-
tion, but out of zeal for thine amendment."
II. Forasmur!l tllerefore, (since they rejected reprotlf, he
prOnOUlH't's the sentpnce of God upon them,) as your trertdillg
is UpOIl the poor. Thi!' cxpre
ses more habitual trampling- on
the poor, than if he had said, .'Ie treflll UpOll the poor. They
were {'vel' trampling on tl}()
e who wel'C already oflow and de-
pressed eondition. Alld ye take from him hurdells of Il'lIeat,
presents of ll'I,(,(lt. The word always si
nifie
pre
ent
. ,"ohtn-
tary 25, or im'oluntary 26, what was carried, offered, to anyone.
They received ll,lleat from the poor, eleansed 27, wimw" ed, and
,mid the refuse 28, requiring- what it was wrong to receive,
and sellin
what at the lea
t it was disg-raceful not to giTe.
fiod had expre
sly forbidden to 29 lend fuod for illterest. It
may be that, in order to cvade the law, the intel'est was eaIl-
ed II present.
re hare Imilt IlOuses of lIe1l'n stoue, The houses of Israel
were, perhaps mo!'t eomm
nly, built ofbriel;:30 dried in the !'un
only. At lea!<t, huuses built of hewn stone, like mo!'t of our's,
are pronrhially contrasted with them, as the more solid with
the more ordinary huilding-. 31 TIIC white bricks are fallen
dOIl'II, aud lI'e "will build ll'ith heu'n stoues. .And Ezpkiel i
bid-
den to dig- thl'lm
h the wall of his house 32. Houses of stone
there were. as appears from the direl'tions as to the unhealthy

13 xxix. 21. 14 1 Tim. v. 20. 15 Ln. 16 Ps. xix. i.
I, 1 Kg-s. "ii. 16. IS Ixix. I:!. 19 S. John Xv. 23-
5.
o lb. x\iii.
O.
21 Il'et. ii. 22. 22 S. John vii. 45,6. :!3 S. Jer. 24 S. Matt 'n'iii.
I:;-li.
. of the" :\Iess" sent, Gen. xliii. 34. 2 Sam. xi. 8. ofthe gifts of one
superior in rank, Esth. ii.IB. Jer. xl. 5. 26 ofa contribution appointed by Divine
law, 2Chr. xxiv. 6-tJ. Ez. xx. 40. The rnasc.
':;
is used of tril)Ut
, :!Chr. xvii. II.
2, Such is -:. as distinct from :-::::":, the name of the grain, wheat.
s Am. \iii.G.

Lev. xxv. 3;. Dent.,."iii. 19. 30 ::.::;
3IIs.ix.lU. 32 xli.5".

f'IL\PTER ,...

Before
CHRIST
cir. ï'ðï.

12 For I know your manifold tr..ms
r('s- I
sions and your mighty sins: q they affiid th(' I
just, they take II a brihe, and they r turn
aside the poor in tJw gate Ji'olll tlw;,' 1.;::ht.

q ch. 2. 6.
II Or, a
ran!om.
r Isai. 29. 21.
ch. 2.;.

}!).j

1:J Th('I'('fol"{' ! the prud('nt !o.haJI J..('l'P !o.i- C J3f{ o í e s T
lenet:' in that time; të.r it i.'I un ('viI time. cir. ."' ..
1-1 Seek
()od, and not e,"iI, that ye may . ch.6. 10.
Ih-e: and so the LOlli), tilt' (;ud of hO!o,ts,

aeeretion
, ('ailed the lel'ro
y of the hou
e 1. It may bp. how-
e,-er, that their Iwu!'es of l,ell'll ,
t()ne, had a
mo(}tl\l'd !'urface,
like 0111' ., ashlar." .\ny how. thc
in of hn:ury is not simply
lIlea
ul"ed h\' the things themsdve!<, hut hy their relation to
oursdn's mid our ('on
lition also; and \\ ron
i
not cstimated
hy the extent of the g-ain ami loss of the two parties only. but
hy the injury inflieted. These lIIen, who huilt hou
es, luxuri-
ous for tllt'm, had \1TUn
thllll the poor their lh in
. as those
do, wlm beat down the wag-es of the )wor. Theretitre they
were not to take posses
inn of" hat was their own; as Ahah,
who hy murdcr po
sessed himself of Xahoth's ,-ineyard, titr-
feited his throne ami his life. (;od, in the law, ('onsulted
for thc tceling whi('h desires to entel' into the fl"Uit of a lIIall's
toil. \\llen they should g-o to war, they were to proelailll,
2 u 'lmt IJUlII is tllt're t!tat hath IJ/lilt (I nell' IWll.ve, and Illltlt
not dedicated it ? let Mill {{O awl returll to ltið hOllse, le.vt he die
ill the !Jaffle, awl another mall dedicate it. ..-Jwlll'lwt malt is
he tlwt hath plalltnl (I l'Ùle.llard (lwl hath not eateu of it:' let
Mill go and refllrll llntu !lis IWll.
e, lest he die ill ti,e battle ami
lInother 11/((/1 eat of it. Xon (TOll re,"er"l'd aU thi
, and with-
dl'cn- the tender'IO\"e, wherchy He had provided it. The
words, from their proverhial eharaeter, express a l'rineiple
of Gud's jud
lllents, that "...on
dealing, whercby a man would
seeure himself or ('nlarg-e his inherit
uH'e, de!'troys both. 'n1O
puorer than our Lord, bared of all upun the Cross, of ""10111
it had been written, 3 They persecuted ti,e poor helples.v mall,
tlmt tlte.'l might sla,ll him 1{'hu iNlS l'/'.t'ed at ti,e Item.t, and of
whom the Jews said \ Come let IlS kill /limo that tlte ill I, 1'1' i-
tallce may be our's? They killed Him, the) said 5, lest the llo-
iII(lII.
take a/l'((,'1 ullr place awl Il((tioll. The l'Ùle.llard /l'as tak-
ellfrum tbem; their plare dc
troyed, their nation di
per
ed.
12. J.
or Ilm(}lI'; lit. Ilwl'(' knoll'n. Thev th()u
ht that
God did not know, be('au
e He did not aveng-e; ås the i)sahlli
t

ays, 6 Tb.'ljwI7111ent.v are far ((bol'e out of his .vight. )Icn who
do not a(.t with the thoug-ht of God, cease to know Him, and
forg-(.t that He knuws them. Your mmllfold transgressiolls;
lit. mall.'1 are ,'1uw' transgressiuns (lI/(lm
E:Id.'1.'I(Jllr siÚ.
'. Their
d
eds, tht'y kncw, wen' mig-hty, stron
, ,'ig-orous, de('ided.
(;lId
ay
. that theil' sins were so, not many and great only.
IHlt migld.'I, strong, "7 is
uin
not out of ignorance and infir-
mity, but out of proud
tn'n
th:" .. s strml7 in the "l'prc!'-
SiOIl of thc poor and in prO\-oliÏng God," and bring-in
down
His" rath.
o AS
'1th says of the prosperous:l; Pride eIlCO/ll-
pl
sseth tllem, a.v a elmill ; tlle.llllre corrupt, tillY speak oppressiun
u'lclæd1.1/ ; tbe.'1 .
peak frum on b
!!II.
. The.'1 l!lli.ict tbe jllst, lit. '!!flictas of the .iu.
t, i. e. sueh as
h
.l)Itllally afflH.t.ed him: whose habit and (luality it wa... to affli,.t
hUll. Our VCI'SlOn mostIv renders the word ellemies. Od:.d-
nally, it signifies (!!flicting: perseclltinf{ enemies. Yet it is u!<Led
al
o of the enemies IIf God, per hap... !'lll'h as Iwrse('ute Him in
His j'ellplt., ?r il

is
on when in the flesh. Thp unjll
t hate
thcJust, as IS saulm the bouk of "ïsdom 1o ; Tbe llJl<lodh, said.
Tbere/ore let ItS I
e in ll'ait for the rigldeolls, berau
e h
is not
for o
/r turn. m
d l.
clean cnntmr.'l to ollr doillgs: I,I' upbraidef/I
u.
wltll uur o/!e1Ull1lg the lall'. He profi'sseth to hm'e the knou'-

I L..v. xiv. 31-18.
DC\lt. xx.,'j 6.
· S. )fau. xxi. 3S. . S. John xi. ciS. 6 Ps. x. 5.
9 Ps. h'liii. U, 8. III ii. 1,1
-15. II Acts iii. U.

3 Ps. cix. 15.
i Rup. 8 Hu
.
12
um. XXX\. :!
.

lel(E:e l!f (;od, aml he cal/etl, hÙme(f the r!tild uf the Lord.
111'1('(1,0; /lllllle to repnJl'e our tlwlI
lds. Ell. Ï!i grill'OIls lmto w;
eUIi tu helmld ; fur hi,
I
fe i.v lIot (I.
ot lia 1IIell'.o;, ltis l('((!I,o; ((1'1' of
((lIotlwr filSMoll.
o when the Truth ilnd Hig'htt'uusne
s eame
intu the world, the Sel'ihcs and Pharis('c
hah'd Him be,'ause
Ill' rel'l"ovcd them, dellied 11 and el"u('ified tf,e Iloly VIII' awl
the .Iu.o;t, ami de.
ired fl murdaer to he granted unto them, haters
and elll'lldes (!f tlte Jllst, and pretl'rriu
to Him the unju
t.
That talcI' a hrille, lit. a rWIMJ1II. It IIIay he that, t'untrary
to the law, whi('h forhade, in thp"(' smne n ords 12, to take all!1
rall.mlllfor ti,e I
fe of tlte mllrderer, tlu
y touk some ran!"om to
set ti'ee ri('h IIIurderers, and so, (as we havc "een fur mau\"
p'ar!" to be the effeet of unjust acquittal!',) hlood was shcd witil
impunity, ali(I was shcd the more, hecause it was disre
ard('d.
The word, however, i!< used in one I'la('e apparentl) of an) IJribe,
throu
h whkh a man conniws at injustice 13.
l:t Therefore the prudent shall keep silenre ill that time.
The time IIIay be either the time uf the ohduraey of the
wil"ked, or that of the comnwn punishment. For a timc IIIay he
ealled el'il, whether evil is done, or is sufl'ered in it, as .Jaeob
Fays 14., .Fell' alld el'il hm'e the da.'ls of the Yl'flrs of m.'1 life been.
Of the fir!"t, he would perhaps !"ay, that the opprcssed poor
would, if wi!<e, be !"ilent, not eomplaining- or aceusing-; for, in-
ju
tiee hadng- thc mastery, ('umplaint would only bring on thelU
fre!"h suftl'ring
. .\nd again also he may IIIean that. on ap-
eount uf the inporrigihle
less of thc peopie, the wise and the
pruphets would be silent, hceause the mure the pcol'le were
rebulied, the mure impatient amI n-or
e they be('ame. So our
Lurd was silent before IIi,. judge
. as had heen foretold ufHim;
for !"inee they would not hear, Hi
!"peakin
would only in-
('rea
e their condelllunation 16. If I tell .IIUII, .'Ie lcill lIot be-
lil'l'e; aml
f I also ask ,1 IOU, .'1e 1I.ill /lot llllSll'er .lIe. nor let .lIe
g'J. So God said hy Solomon 16: He that reprOl'eth (l srorner
getfetll MI1I.
el.f shame, ami he that relmketll a Il'icked mall g-ettcth
Mmself a blot. And our Lord bids 17, Girl' /lot tlull lI,/tidl is
Iw1.'1 unto dOf{s, ((1Il1 ea,o;t lmt .lfollr pearls before sll'ine. They
hated and reje(.ted those who rehuked them b. Since then
rebuke profited not, the pruphets should hohl their pea('e. It
is a fearful judgment, when God" ithholds His warning-so In
time!" of punishment al
o, the prudent liceI' sil('lJ('e. Jntense
afflictiun i
dllmb (lml o}1elleth not its moutl" ownin
the hand
of (Ìod. It may be too. that _-\lIIos.liIie IIosea1 9 , e
pres:;es the
u
elessuess of all reproof, in l"e.
a..d to the must of tho
l: whom
he eallcd to repentanee, e,-en while he continued earnestly to
rebulie them.
1-1. ,
'eek good and lIot 1'61, i. e. am/.vel'k /lot el'Ï/20. Amos
a1rain talie
up hi!' warllill
. .veek /lot Bl'fliel; see/'" ti,e Lord.
XO\\" they not only did {'i'il. but they sOllg/d 21 it diligeutly;
they were dili!("ent in doin
it, and so. in bringing it on tlw1I1-
sd\'cs: the\" sought it out ami the oecasiuns of it. )Ien
., 2
cannot
eek good without first puttin
away 1',;1, as it is
written 23, ceflse to do e61, INI/'Il to do lI'ell." J"e cwuwt sen'c
Gud and _1Iammoll. He bids them use the samc dili
ence in
seeldng !:('ood whieh tIle" now used for e' il.
eek it al
o whul-
ly, not s'ppking- at onp ,,-hilc good. at another, e,il, but wholly

-;; ";;
:
7.
pl
ing the ,erb.

14 Gen. ",hii.
.
1< ,..r. 10.

S. Jer.

lõ S. Luke xxii./,., 8.
19 iv. 4, Ii. "0

im-
::J Is. i. 16, I..

13 1 Sam. xii. 3.
I, S. )latt. ,-ii. ".

I =-
.

IDG

C Jj{oIs T shall be with you, t as ye Imye spoken.
, "1

'3

'. I,,,) u Hate the P\"iI, and lo\"e the good,
ups.3-
. H. and t'stahlish judgmt'nt in the g-ate: x it
& 97. 10_
,

m3Pic:iq. Illay he that the Lcmn God of hosts wilJ
2J,::ing
19:4. he g-ru('ious unto tlIt' remnant of J oSl'ph.
Joel 2. 14. .
}G Therefore tIll' LORD, the (;od of

..\:\108,

hosts, the Lord, saith thus; "?ailing shall C J?f[ofe s T
bi' in all streets; anti they shall say in all dr. ï X 7.
the hig-hways, ..Alas! alas! and they shall
('all the hushandman to mourning, and
Y such as are skilful of lamentation to y Jcr.9.lï.
wailin
.

(lod, ami Him "'h" i!" (;""d. .. He !o'cdi:eth
ood, wIlli bt'licv-
cth in Him 'Yh"
aith \ I am tlte goud Shepherd."
That ."Ie 1JUl!1 live, in Him Who is the L{fe; aud su the
Lord, the Gud of hosts, shall he icitlt .'IUIl, b
Hi
holy Pre!òence,
ATa('(' and proteetion, as .'l/e Itare ,\j}()kl'U. Israel luoked away
frlllll the
ins whereby he displ('a!o'ed t;od, and looked to his
halt:"wor
hip of(Ìod as entitling- him to all whil'h God had pro-
mi!'cd to full ohedienl'e. ..
Thev
'Ioried in the nohlene!'s of
their birth after the flesh, not in iillitating" the faith and Jive!" of
tIlt' patriardl!<. So then, bel'an!"e they were de
e('nded from
Abraham, they thoug-ht that (Ìo(\ must dcfend them.
u('h
were those Jews, to whom the
a,"iour
aid 3, If !Ie ll'ere .A-
hraltam's seed, .'1e /l'ollid du the 1l'orks uf
-1brahal/l ; and Hi!' fore-
runner 4, tlâuk nut to ,WI.II icitllin YUllrseh'e,ç, ll'e luwe .Abraham
fur our father." They wi!"hed that (;od should abide with
them. that they might 5 abide in the land, but they earcd not to
abide with God.
),"). .lIate tlte evil and 100'e the gwd. Man will not ('ea
e
wholly to ,
eek el'il. unle
s he hate it ; 1I0r will h... seek good. un-
]e!'s he Im'e it. ..6 He Iwteth eril, who not onlv is IIOt over-
('Olne by plea!"ure, hut hates its deed!"; and hè lUl'l,th guud,
who. not unwilling-!y ur of IIcl'c!'sit,. or thHn fcar, doth what i"
g-OCHI. hut be('au!'è it is
oCHI." ..7E,"il of "in m\l
t he hated,
in and for it!'df; the sinner must not be hated in himselt
but
only the evil ill him." They hated him, who reprowd thcm;
he bids tlU'm hate sin. They set dml'll rigldeolislless OIl the
groulld; he hids them, estab/Ü/I, lit. set Ilpjirml,lI,jlUlgment in
the gate. To undo, a!" far as anyone ('all, the etlcets of past
!o'in, i!' among the lir!'t-fruits of repentanee.
It 111((.'1 be tlwt the Lord (Jud of Husts u'ill he graf'iolls.
"7 lIe speaks so. in rt'gard of the ehangcahlencss and Ulu'er-
tainty, not in God, hut in man. Tlu.'re is 110 fluestion but that
(.;od is gral'ious to aU who I/(/te el'il and lol'e good; but lIe
doth not alway!' deliver them from temporal ealamity or I'ap-
tivity, heeause it is nut for their "alnltion. Yet had I!'racl
!'ated el'il amllrJl'ed good. perl'hanee Ill' would have delh'ered
thcm from cal'ti\"Ïty, althou!!,h II(' fl'ef{uentJy said. they "hould
be ('arried eaptin. For so lIe !'aid to the two trihcs in Jert'-
miah 8, Amend your lI'a.IJ'
, amI your dnings, and I tl'ill ('Wise
pOll to dwell ill tM.ç place." But since God knew that mo!'t uf
them would not repent, He saith not. ll'ill be graciulls unto Is-
rael, hut, unto the "em/wilt uf Joseph, i. e. 9 the "emJ((l}(t, accord-
ing to tlte electioll of grace; sueh as had heen the seun tlwl/sand
(('Iw IJ(Jll'ed not tile knee untu Baal; those whu rt'],ented' while
tile rest !('ere hardelled. He !'ay!', Joseph, nut, Ephraim, in or-
Ilcr to reeall to them the deed!o' of their father. .'aeoh'!o' hle!'!"-
iug on Jo!"eph de!"ecnd('d upon Ephraim, but was forfeIted by
.Teroboam's sin wherewith he made Israel to sill. "loJuseph
in his deed!' and suffcring-s was a type of Jesus Chri!'t, in "110m
the remmant is sin"ed." .A remnant, howeyer only, .çhuuld be
.mud; so the Prophet says;

1 S. John x. 11. 'Dion. 3 S. John viii. 39. 4 S.
Iatt. iii. 9. IPs. XXX\ ii. 3.
6 S. Jer.
Dion. 8 \ii.3. 9 Rom. xi. 4, 5. 10 Rup. It Is. xxiv. 21. I
The ::-:-

Ilf

.

isa

b

t
:
';'b:
=á aÎa
ee
.

h;;:ie.xiX. 15, à7'i?is

tth
OH

con-,truction. 'l
e E. \". h
s follo\\el K imchi in as.uming a transposition, \\ hich is, how_

16. Therefore tIle Lord, tile God of Ilosts, the Lord. For
the third time in these three last ver!'es .\Inns ag-ain reminds
them, by 'Yho"e authority he !'peak!o', IIis "'ho had reHaled
Him!'elf a!i: I
1 JI, the
elf-existcnt Gud, (;od hy nature and of
nature, the Creator amI H.uler and Lord of all. vi!'iblc or in-
vi!"ible, ag-ainst their fal!"e g-od!', or fil'titious !o'ub!'titutcs for the
true God. Herc, o,-er and above tho!'c titles, HE I
, i. e. HE
Alune I
, tlte God of Ilosts, Go.l (
f all tMllgs. ill lteCll'en aml
eartlt, the Iwaven}Y bodies from wlw!'e influences the idula-
ters hoped for good, and the unscen evil heing-s II, who !"edueell
them, he add!< the title, whi('h men most "hrink from, Lord.
lIe 'rho so threatened. wa!" the Sallie who hatl ah!'olute power
over His ereatures, to di"IIO"c of them, as He wiUed. ) t eO!o'ts
men nothing to own (;ml, as a Creator, the t:ause of eaUSl'!",
the Orderer uf all things ])y l'ertain fixed laws. It sati!o'fies
I'ertain intl'lle{'ts.
o to own Him. "'hat man, a sinner,
shrinlis from, is that the Gml is Lord, the absolute dispo!'cr
and ))aster of his sinful !'elf.
(('ailing ill all streets. lit. broad places, i. e. markct-plaees 12.
There, where judgments were held, where were the markets,
wherc eon
equcntly had been aU the manifold opprcs!'ion

through inju4il'e in judgments and in dealin
!', and the wail-
ing-s uf the oppre!"scd, wailillg !'houhl come on thcm.
the,,11 s/wll sa,ll in all the 1t
!.Jll1(,(I."S, i. e. st,.eet,
. ala,
! alas!
our, 1l"Oe, (('oe. It is the word !'o often u!'ed by our Lord; ll'oe
Ill/to pOll. This is no imag-ery. Truth has a more aweful,
i:oòtemer, reality than any imag-ery. The tcrriblene!"s of the
propht'I'Y li('!' in its truth. \Yhen wal' pre!<sed without on
the walls of Samaria, and within wa!o' famine and pe4ilenl'e,
woe, woe, woe, must han' e('hoed in e,'en- !'treet; for in everv
!"treet wa!' death and fear of worse. 'y ct ima
ðue every
!'oUlHI of joy or din or hum of men, or mirth of I'hildren, hush-
ed in the street!'. and woe, woe, 1roin
up from enry street ofa
metropolis, in une unmitigated, un('hang-Íng-, ever-repeated mo-
notony of g...ief. SUl'h were the I're!o't'nt fruiti:oò of sin. Yet what
a mere shadow of the inward c-rief is its uutward utterance!
ami t/ze.1I sltall call tlte IlIls/wndman to mourning. To cul-
tivate the fields would then only hc to provide food for the
enemy. IIi!' oeeupation woultl he g-one. One uni,-ersal !"or-
row wouM
h-e one unin'r!o'al employment. To this, they
would l'all those un!'ldllcd. with theil' deep stroJ)
voices; they
would, by a llUhli{' act, proclaim (('ailing to 13 tllO,
e .
ki{flll in
lamentation. It wa!'. a!' it wel'e, a dir
e O\'er the funeral of
their eOlmtry. A!", at funeral!', they em'ployed minstrels, hoth
mcn and women H, who, b) mournful anthem!' and the toudling"
plaintÍ\ enc!'!" of the human voil'e. shouhI !<tir up deeper depths
of sorrow, !o'O here, over the whole uf Israel. And a!" at the
funeral of one respected or helm"ell, they used exelamations
of woe 15, ah m,lI brnther! and ah sista, all lord, alt /tis glor.lI, so
.'cremiah hids them 16, call and mal.:e Illlste, and take lip lliNtil-
iug for liS, tltat our e!les 1IIay run d01("u with tears: fur a 'l'uice

ever, only aSl11uch as to say that the two idioms are equivalent, as they are. "Tocall
the husbandman to mourmng." or to "proclaim mourning to tbe busbandman" me,lII the
same thing. thou
h the Hebrew words can grammaticallv only mean the last. t4 2 Chr.
x""v.24. The \\ord skilful is masculin", -;;-:... so in S::\Iatt. ix. 23. I;; ..,., 11l.!!S.
xiii.29. Jer. xxii. IS. Amos uses a shorter form, found here only,
,.,
:-:. 16 ix.lï.19.

CIL\..PTER Y.

C }lU;[oíes T ]7
\nd in all vine-ran]" .r.;/lfill br wail-
cir. ;1'7. ing : for z I will pass throu
h thee, :saith
.
:h.li: g: the LORn.

If)j'

18 a 'Y oe unto yon that desin> tit(' day of c W;ïri ST
the LORD! to what ('ml i.y it for, ou ? b thc cir. i87.
I t . tl r . I k I " t } ' } ;:J:sai. ã. 19.
( ay 0 IC .ORD l.r.; ( ar 'nc
,"" ant 110 Ig It" Jer. Ii. 15.
b J er. 30. i. Joel 2.2. Zeph. I. 15. Ezek. 12. :?2, 27. 2 Pet. :3.4.

of/l'((ilil/
is II efl I'd nut of Zi01l. Ilml' fire u'e spoiled! ,<1 Injoy.
men lon
to impart their joys to other:-, and exhort them to
jov with tll('m. Our Lord
arl('tions this, in sp..al.:in
of the
<<.;lOd
hel'll('rd. '\'1m ("tiled IIi
friends and nejg"hl
ours to-

ethcr. "':ioice with
Jle, for I hlll'e foU/u[ tile slleep l['IIll'h 1//([(1
lost. :\"or is it anv thin
new, that, when we have recel\-ed
any
reat hcnefit fr.olll God, we ..al! CH'n the inanimatc ('rcation
to thank and prai
e <<;(1(1. So did Da,-id ofttimes and thc thre{'
children. So too in
orrow. \\'hen anv thin
adn'r
f' has be-
fal!('n us, we im ite en'n sen
elc
s thin

to
ricn' with us, as
tllUu
h our own tear

uffi('ed not for:-o
reat a sorrow." The
sam(: f('cling' malH'" tlrc ri..h now elothe thosc of their house-
}wld in nw"lrnin
, whi('h made those of old hire mourller
,
that all mi:.:-ht be in harnwnv with their grief.
I ï. .1
ul iu alll'i1le.llard
shall he wailing. \11 joy should
be turncd into
orrow. ""here aforf'time was thc, intage-
!'huut in thankfulness for the ingathering", and antieipating
g-ladlU'
!< to ('(/1)1(', th('re, in the souree of their luxury,
hould
be wailing', the forerllllllel' of l"orrow to ('ome. It was a vin-
tage, not 'of wine, hut uf woe.
, For I /l'ill }lass tit rough YOI[. In the destruetion of the
firstborn in Egypt, (;orl did not ]Hl.U through, hut passed m'er
thelll, and they kept. in menwry thereof, the fea4 of the Pa,.,.-
over, Xow Gml would no longel' ]HlSS Ol'er them and thf'ir
!'ins. Hc
ay!', I If'ill }Ja.
,
thro/(glt tllee, liS Ill' then
aid 2, I
fl.ifl pas.
tllro/lgll tlte la1/d of Egypt thi,
/light, ami ll'i/l smite
all tI,e .firstbol'll nf the laud of Eg.'lpt-altli a
ui1/st all the
gods of Eg.'lpt I will e.ucute.iudgmeut. .\s God !'ays hy Ho-
sea \ I willllot enter the city, i. e. He would not make His Pre-

ence f('lt, or tal;:e cop1Ízanee, when to take co
nizanee would
be to pnni"h. so here. contrariwi
e, He says, I will }lass through.
taking- exact and !'e,-ere a('eount, in judgment. S. Jcrollle
further !<a)"!', .. !'o oft('n as this word i!' uscd in 1I0ly S('ripture,
in the per!'on of God, it denotes punishment. that III' would not
ahide an)fln
them, but would pass throu
h and leave them.
Surely, it is an imll
e of this, that, when the J ('wS wuuld have
ca"t our Lord headl"n
from the brow of the hill whercon their
I'Íty was built, JIe jJussetl through the 1Ilid.
t of thrill"'. !'o that
the,- eouldnot "('f' Him nor know Him. alld ,
() wellt IIis 11'([//.
Anil thi!<. when He hadju
t told them, that Iwne ofthe widO\
's
of '"mel "ere fed by :Elia.., or the lepers ('lean
ed by Eli
ha.
sa\'e the widow ofSarepta. and Xaaman the Syrian. So should
thcir lepros)" dea\ e to them. and the famine of the word of
(;od anrl of the oil of the Holy SI'ÍI'it ahide among thcm.
while thc (;entileto' wcrc washul b\" Hi
laver and fed with the
bread of life." .
. I H. Jrne uuto .'Io/[ that desire [for yourseh'es 6] the Ða.1f of
tile Lnrd. There were morkers i1/ those dall'y 6, as there are no""
and a!< therc "hall be in the last. And ås the ,çmtfèrs ill the
last da.,,.
6 shall say, JfThere is the promise of His coming? so
these said 7, let Him make speed aml hasten His work, that zee
7//(1.1/ see it, alld let tlte COIl1ISf'! (!f the I/o!.'1 Olle of Israel draw
7tigh alld mme, that we may klloll' it. Jeremiah eomplilined 8;
tllf'.'! m.II /llItO me, where is the word of tlte Lord t let it come
nOli'! _\nd God
ars to Ezekiel 9 . SOil 'OfJllllll, what is that pro-
f'erb that .IIe hm'e ill tlte lalld nf brael. .m!lillg, the da.lls are pro-
IO/lged, aud ('rery l'islO1I faÎlet/t ? The t'isioll that IIC seeth is

1 from Sanct.
I The force of:"Jo::""2.

2 Ex. xi;. ]2. 3 xi. 9. 4 S. Luke iv. :JO.
G :! Pct. ill. 3, 4. Jude 18. i Is. v. ]9. s x\ii. ]5.

for 7/1(/11.'1 da!ls, aud he proplle.
id/( f!f tbe time.'i fur '!/f: .. Thl'Y
would shew thcir coura
e ami strcn
th of mind, In' lon
ine-
for the Day of the Lord. 'whieh thc pr
'l'het... ti,rdoId: in w'hkl,
(;11(1 wa
to shew forth His power on the disohedi('nt." .no Let
it ('OHl(', what these prophets threah'n till thcy arc hoarse, let
it eome, let it eUlne. It i
e\'el' h(,ld out to U
, and IU'\'er
('omes. ". e do not helie\'e that it will eome at all, ur if it do
('ome, it will not he !oo dreadful after all: it will go a!' it ('ame:'
It ma\" be, however, that the\' who !'('offerl at .-\1II0
, dol;:ed
theil' l
nhelief undcr the form õf dc!'iring' th{' Co'ood dan:. whieh
(;od had prollli
ed hy .Joel afterwards. '.11 There is I;nt," they
wOllld say, "so nm!'h of f'\'il in thp ('apth ity. as tlH're is of

ood ill what the Lord has prUJlli
ed afterwards." Amo...
meets the hypo('I'by or the
l'otf. b)' the appeal to their ('on-
scien('es, to Il'lwt nul is it to ."011
Th('y 111111 nothing in l'IIJIl-
mon with it or with Gorl. \\'hate,"er it had of e-ood. was not
fur
ueh a!' them. 7'/te J)a.ll of tlte Lord is dal"jiJ1e.
s, and J/ot
ligltt. Like the pillar of tIll' doud between J ...rad and the
I:gyptians, which hetol;:ened God's Pres{'lwe. every day in
whieh He
hew
forth Hi
Pre
en('e, is a day of lie-ht mul dm'k-
ness to thuse of different dmra('h'r!'. The prophet!' tin'cto\rl
both, hut not to all. The!'e !'l'offer
either denipd the ('omin

of that day altogether, or d{'nied its terrors. I:ithf'r way, they
di
helieved God, amI, di
hdie\'Ïng Him, would haw no !'hare
in His prUlni
(''', To them, the Day of the Lord wOllld he un-
mixed darkne"'
, distres!', desolatinn, destrudion. without onc
my of gladne!-,.. The tempers of men, their belief or di
hf'lief,
al'e the to'ame. as to the Great Dav of the Lord. the J)av of J udg-
ment. It is all one, whether nien deny it alto
ethe"r or deil Y
it
terrOl's. In either case, thev denv it, slH'h as God has ur-
dained it. The worrl.. of Amos
ond
mn them too. The lJall
oftlte Lon[ had ah'eady he!'ome the nanw for eHry da)' of judg-
ment, leading- on to the La
t Day. The principle of all (;od's
jud
ments i
one and the same. Onc and the :.:ame are the
l'haraetcrs of tlwse who arc to be jlldg-ed. In one and the

ame way, is eaeh judg-ment looked forward to. nel!lel'terl, pre-
pared for, believed, di
helievl'd. In onc and the
ame way, our
Lord has taug"ht us, will the Great Day come, as the j II d1!JIl en ts
of the flood or upon SOdOlll, and will find men prepared or un-
prepared, a
they were then. "'ord!< thcn, whic'h de...erihe the
dlara('ter of any day of Judgment, do, al'('ordinl! to the )lind
of God the Holy {;host, dc
eribe all, and the last also. Of
this too, and that ('hicfly, beeau
e it is the greatest, are the
words sl'ol;:en, Jroe unto llll/(, wI/() de.
ire, amiss lIr ra
hly or
scornfully or in mi!'helief. the Va.'1 of the Iord, to u'lmt ('Jul
is it for yo/(? The Va.'1 of the Lord is darkne,
s a1/(I not ligltt.
" 12 Thi
!<Ollllds a strangc woe. It had not seemed strane-e.
had he said, · "'o{' to nm
who fear not the Dav of the LOI:d.'
ror, · not to fear,' belOl'lgs to bad, ungudly men. . llut the good
lIIay de!'ire it, so that the .-\.po
tJe !'ay:- u. I desire to depllrt and
tn he tl'itll (,Ilrist. Yet en'lI tlteir de:.:ire is not n ithout a !'ort
of fcar. For H 1l'I/O call sa!" I IIlll'e made my Iinat dean f Yet
that is the fear, not of sJavt's, but of !OOIlS; nor hath it torment IS,
I for it hath 16 stroJ/g cons()!rttioll llirough Iwpe. "'hen then he
say!.oÖ, Iroe llJ/tO !IO/( tlwt desire tlte D(I.'1 (
f tlte Lord, he I'clmk-
eth their boldne
s 17, 1{'ho trllst iu tltemsell'es, tlwt tlte.,! are righ-
teolls." "At one and the same time,"
ays S. Jf'rOIlH', .. thl'
I 9 xii.

,
j. 10 from Lap. n S. Jer. " Rup. 13 Plnt.i.

.
14 Prov.xx.!I. Iõ lS.Johniv.I:;. 16 Heb.vi.18. Rom.v.2. Ii S.LuJ.;e!Ix,.iii..
Ll

H)R

C .fífoíes T 19 c As if a man did flee from a lion, and
cir. iSi. a bear met him; or went into the house,
c Jer. 48. 44. and leaned his Imnd on the wall, amI a
serpent hit him.
20 Shull not the day of the LORD 1)('
darkness, and not light? even very (lark,
and no hrigl1tness in it?

A
IOS,

21 , dJ hatc.ldespiseyour feast days, and C J
Ts T
eI will not 1\ smell in your solemn assemblies. _ dr. 78

22 CThou
h yc offpr me hurnt offerings d rs
;: 1

;
'.
and your mpat offerings, I will not ill'('ept t'

.61/f.i
tltem: neither will [ regard the II peace of- Ú

's
jll.
ferings of your fat beasts. YJ;;/oollj
23 Take thou away from me the noisp f
Ìi
.6f
'
'7.
n Or, thank offering..

l'lJnfidenc'c of the proud is shalíen off, whll, in order tu appear
righteous before IIIell. are wont to long- fur the Day of Judg--
lUeut and to say, '\\' ould that the Lord would c'ome, would that
'
"e might be dissolved and be with Christ,' imitating the Pha-
I'isee, who spake in thc (;uspcl \ God, ] tllllllk Tllee, thllt ] arn
not ll.
otller melt are. For the very fac't, that they de
;Íre, and
(1011111. fear, ti,e I),,!! ({f tile Lord, shew!;, that they are wOl.thy
of punishmellt, sinc'e no lllan is /l'ithout Sill
, ami tlte stars are
uot pitre ilt Flis sigM 3. And He 4 concluded all ultder sin,
tltat lIe lIIi
1tf IIm'l' merl:'! U)JOll all. Sim'e, then, no one C.Ul
judge concerning the Judg-ment of God, and we arc to gil'e ac-
COllllt l!f e"er.,! idle lI'rJI'r/ \ ami .'01, '!tfered .vaCl"!/i/'C.v 6 daily for
his S(IllS. lest they !'houJd hav{' thought something" pcn"erse-
Iv ag-ainst the Lord, what rashness it is, to lung- to reig-n
a:lone 7.-In trouhles ami distresses we arc wont to say,' would
that we mig-ht depart out of the body and }J(' frecd ii'om the
miseries of this world,' not Imowing- that, while we arc in this
flesh, we ha,'e plac'e for rt'pentanC'e; but if we depart, we shaH
hear that of the prophet, 8 in Itell 1l'11O will
il'e T!tee tltanks?
That i
tlte Sorl"OIl' of tld.,; ll'orld'J, whieh worketh deatlt,
wherewith the Apostle would not have him sorrow who had
sinucd with his fathel"s wife; the
orrow wherehy the wretch-
ed .hulas too perished, who, SIl'([/l()ti'l
dlt)J with Ol'erllllll'l, sur-
1'0/{.10, joined murder 11 to his ßetrayal, a murder the worst of
murders, so that whel'e he thoug-ht to find a rt'medy, and that
death hy hang-ing was the end of ills, there he found the lion
and the hear, and the serpent, under whieh names 1 think that
different punishments arc intended, or else the devil himself,
who is rightly ealled a lion ur hear or I';erpent."
19. As if It mall did flee from ([ lioll. The Day of the
Lord is a dav of terror on every side. Before and behind,
without and
vithin, ahroad ulHlër the 1"00f of heaven, or un-
der tl>(' shelter uf his own. en'rvwhere i" tel"ror and death.
The Sn'ian bear is said to ha,"e lJe('n fiereer and more sanlg-e
than the lion. For its fiereeness and voraeityl
, God made
it, in Daniel's vision, a symbol of the empire' of the l\Iedes.
From both lion amI hear there might be e"c'ape by flight.
"'hen tlU' man had Icaned his haud trustfullv Oil tlte u'all uf
llis own hou
e, ((lill the sel7Jnd hit !tim, ther
was no escape.
lIe had fled from death to death, from peril to destruction.
20. Slmll }lot the ])(/.1/ ({f tlte Lord be darkness't' He had
de!'eribed that Dav as a dav of inevitable destruetion. SUi'll as
man's own conscience and p:uilty fcars antic'ipate, ánd then
appeals to th('ir own eonseÍences, "is it not so, a.... ( han' said?"
:Men's consciences aI'e truer than their intelleC'ts. However
they may employ the suhtlety of their intelle(t to dull their
conseipnce, they feel, in their heart of hearts, that there is a
Judg-e, that g-uilt is punh:hed, that they are guilty. The soul,
is a witness to it!' own deathlcssness, its own accountablene!'s,
its own punishableness 13. InteUeet earries the question out of

I S. Luke xviii. 11, 12. 2 2 Chr. vi. 36. 3 Job xxv. 5.
4 Gal. iii. 22. ó S. Matt. xii. 36. 6 Job i. 5. 7 1 Cor. iv. 8.
I Ps. vi. 5. 9 2 COT. vii. 10. 10 lb. ii. 7. II S. Matt. xx-vii. 3-5.

it:o.t'lf into the reg'ion of surmi
ing and disputings. Consc'ience
is eompelled to rceeive it baek into its own court, and to give
the sentcnee, which it would fain withhold. Like tlH' god of
the heathen fable, who dmng-ed himsclfinto all surts of forms
but when he wal'; !<till held fast, gave, at the la
t. the true answer,
eonseÍpIl('e shrinli:s bad., twists, writhes, evades, turns away,
but, in the end, it will.lII
wer tl"llly, when it nlUst. The Prophet
then
turns quicl. l"Ound upon the conscience, and says, " tell
me, tor \"flU InlOw."
21. . ] !tate, ] r/e.
pise .%ur feasts. h.rael dave to its heart's
sin, the worship of the true God, under the idol-form of the
ealf; el
e, it would fain he consc'ientious and serupulous. It
had its/easts qf solemn joy 14, and the restraint of its solemnlts-
scmblies 15 , whic'h all were eonstraincd to ke('p, abstainin
' ii'om
all servile worl.. They om'l'ed 1l'hole IJlemt o#i:rings, the to-
ken of selt

a('J"ifiee, in whic-h the !'aerifiC'cr retained nothing to
himself, hut gave them fl'pel)' to God. They offered also
peace rdlërings, as tokens of the willing- thankfulness of souls
at peace with (;od. 'Vhat they offered, was the best uf its
kind,fittfed beasts. Hymns of praise, full-toned ehorus, instru-
mental mw.ic! 'Vhat Wil!< wauting-, bl'ad thought, to see lire
them the favor of God? Love amI ohedienee. ]f .'Ie 100'e .iJle,
kel1J Jl..o/ commandments. And so those things, whereby they
Iwped to propitiate God, were the ohject of His disrleasure.
] !'ate, ] despise, ] ll'illllot a('cepi with g-ood pleasure 6; 1 will
not Tl'gard, look towards, ] willuot !'ear, -will not smelf. The
\,"ords, I will not smell, I'eminded them of that threat in the
law 17, ] ll'i/l make ./four cities waste ltmi hring YOllr sanrfuaries
unto desolation. and] ll'illlloi smell the S(ll'our of .'Iollr sll'eei
odollrs. J n so many ways does God declare that He would not
accept or endurc, what they all the while were building- upon,
a!' grounds of their aC'l'eptanee. .And yet !'o seeurc were they,
that the onlv sacrifiee which the v did uot offer. was the sin or
trespa!'s offéring-. 'V orshipping" nature," not a holy, Pcrson-
aI, God, they had no sense uf unholiness, for which to plead
the .
toning- Saerifiee to come. Truly eaeh Day of Judgment
unveIls much self-deceit. How mueh more the La!'t !
23. Take tllOli awa.1f from J.l/e, lit. from UpOll A1Ie, i. e. from
being a burden to Me, a weig-ht on Me. So God says by Isai-
ah l
, l!onr new moons llml your appointed fea.
ts Jl..1f
oullwt-
eth ; tlley are a burden UpOIl 11fe; I alll U'c(lr1f to hear tl,em.
Their songs and hymns were but a confused, tuniultuous,Jwise 19 ,
since they had not the harmony of love.
For t Aud] file melol
1f of t!t.
l'iols '1l'illuot I1mr. Yet the
nehel, probably a sort of harp, was almost exdusively eonse-
crated to the !'ervice of God, and the Psalms wcre (;od's own
writin/r. Doubtless they sounded harmoniously iu their own
ears; 'Imt it rem'bed nõ further. Their meloily, like llulI'h
(,hurc'h-music, was for itseli
aml ended in itself. "2() Let Chris-
tian chanters learn hem'e, lIot to set the whole devotion of

12 Dan. vii. 5. 13 S
e Terlul/ian's short but remarkable treatise "ofthewitneS!!
oC the s

lt.r;.1:;;t.23fxf. Tr. IS i. 14: 4

. :: ;

' lit. restr

nLp. 16 ;-::0'11

CI-L\..PTER Y.

BefoTe of thy sonO',., . fOl' I will not heal' the mdo-
C H R I ST.'
,'
cir. if'ï. dv of tl,," dols.
<<-

i

: .2-1. g liut let jud
lUcnt t run down as wa-
t lIeb. roll. tcrs, and ri
htcousness as a mighty stream.

I!)!.

2,-; h H.", c ye off('r('d unto me sacrifi('('s C HB
oÍes T
and offering-s in th(' wilderness torty year
,
ir.

o house of Israt'l ? h f,,

t: ]
: fI:
:W ßut ye Imye horne " tlu> tahermU'Ìl' i of
G
eh:!O. 8.
II Or, Siccuth !Iour ki"K. I I King". 11. 33. Acts Î. 42, 43. See h. 43.23.

P:hnmh- in a c-Cllld \"lIil'e. !';ubtletv of uwdulation and rapid
intonati(;n, &1', '(llHL\"Crin
like bir(i!'. to til'kle. the ear!' of the
curiou!'. takc them olfto thcm
e1n's aud away from prayer, le!'t
the\" hear from (;od, I will not IIear tile IIIdod!/ of tllY l"Ïok
Let them learn that of the .\po..tle I, I Il'ill sillg witlt the ,""pi-
rit, llIid [will sillg 1l'itlt tlIC llluil'rstalldi
I,!!. a!so." "2 !f. the
P"alm pray!', pray; if it !<orrlnv,,: "orrow; It It I!' g-IÎ.I(
, reJII1I'
;
if full of hope, hllpe; if of fear, fcar. For whatever I: th('
eIlI
"ritten, i!' our mirror." "311m\" man) are loud In VlI1ce,
dumb in heart! How many lip
an' ,.ilent, hut their love is
loud! .'or th.. ear,. of (;..d arc to the hcart of man. .\>: the
cars of the hodv arc to the mouth of man. "0 the heart of man
is 10 the ear.. ot' (;od. :\Ianv arc heard with e1u"ed lips. and
many" ho I'rr aloud m'e not .heard." ., 4 God sap" I willlwt
hear: as lIe sa,s., prrtise is not ,vecml!1 in tile J1wutll (!f a sin-
ner, and fo. to t/I
llJiKfJflf!1 saitll God, u'lmt Im"
t th()
l to du, to
rleclare JIIf statutes 1 and 7, he that [ltrnefh (lIl'(l.'1 Ills ear from
IIl'flring tI;e lall'. Cl'en !tis pm.'ler
hall he alJUlIlinfltioll. It .is
not meant hen'by that the wil'kctl oug-ht wholly to ah!"tam
fJ"Om the praise of God amI fJ"Om praycrs. hut that th.ey sho
lld
he dili
ent to amend. and know that throug-h "IIl'h IIl1pertct't
!'el"\-i('
's they eannot he sa"ed." The Prophet urg-c.. upon
them the teri-ihlenes
of the Dav of Judg'ment. that thev mi
ht
fee) amI flce its terribleness, bef
re it t'o
lIe"', Hc imprésse
Oil
them the fruitll'",.nes" of their prayers. that, amending-, ther
mic-ht so III'a,', that GOII would hear them.

:!-1. Bltt'[
:llld] letJ{(l
gment run down [lit, roll E.:\I.] like
11.'ater. The dutic" of either table inl'lutle hoth; sineI' there i..
no true lo,-e for man" ithout the Im-e of God, nOl' any real
love ur duh to God without the Ion of mau. :\Ien ,rill ex-
chan
theï"r ,.in" for otlwr sin>:. Thev will not break them off
unlc;s they he conwrted to God. ß
lt the first outward step
in eom er"icJII. is tel hreak off ,.in. Ill' hid!Ò them then letJudg-
ment, whi('h had hitherto e,-er heen perrerted in its ('our,,('.
roll Oil like a mi
hty tide of ll'ater.v, ,.weeping- hefore it all
hindran('c
, oh"tructed by no lJOwer, turned a
ide hy no hribery,
but pllnrìn
on in one perpetual flow, reaehin
all, refreshin

all, and rigldeuusness like tl l/Iigld.1f
or ceaseh'"s 1 strealll. The
word ('tlIlUl may
i
nify strong or perennial. "llenl'e the se-
venth month, ju!'t befOl'e the eal"ly rain, was ('aIled tile mouth
l;;tlutllilll \ i. e. the month of ti,e pereuuial Jj'trealJ/,v, when thcy
alone fluwed. In the meaning )ll'/"í'llIzÏal, it would stand tal'it-
)v contrasted with .
treams ll'/iicll fail or lie 9. True ric-hteons-
lie"s j,. not fitful, lik(' an intermittin
l"tream, Hheme
lt at one
tillie>, the>n disappearing', but eontinuous. unfailing'.
:!.J. llcu'e ye otlered [hetter, Did 111' '!tlt r] unto .lIe sacri!ìces
and otlerings r brad ju
tified himself to himself by hi!Ò half-
sen iee. Thi... had heen his wa y from the first. 10 Their I,eart
ll'fl.
unt whole with GIld, Jleith
r abfllie tlu'll in His CUl'ellllJ{t.
He thou
ht to be a('ce>ptcd by (;od, hel'au
e he did a l'ertain
honlaC'P to Him. He> aeknowle(kcd God in his on-n wav. (ìod
sets hetèJre him another in4anl'
of thi,. half-,.en-ice aiHI what
it i!'!òued in :-the sel"\ ice of that gpnel'ation whieh lIe brought
out of Eg-n)t, and whit'h left tl;eir boncs in the n-i)dcrn
'"s.
The idolatry of the ten tribcs "as the I.e,"ival of the idolatry
1 1 COT. xiv. 15. 2 s. Aug. in Ps. xxx. EnaTT. iv. [po 2113.0"f. Tr.] L.
3 S. Aug. in P.. cxix. r n. !). T. T. p. -1iO. O. T.] L. . Dion.
· Ecclus. x\. \1. ð I's.1.1f;. ; Provo xx\Iii. 9. 8 I Kvs. \iii. 2. 9 =.:

of the \\ ilderne,.s. The ten tribe.. owned as the furefathcr
of
their worship those first idolaters n. They idcntified them-
seh-es with sin whic'h they did not c'ommit. ßr al'l'rO\'in
it
and c'ol)yinf!' it, they made that !';in thdr own. .c\... the Churc'h
of God in all timc!< is one al\(l the same, and 1I..
ea ,.a'"
of
(;od'
ri
ion to JaC'lIh 12, there lIe ,.pake ieith us, !';o that
reat
opposite camp, the city of the de,"il, has a c'llIItinuous e
i
tt'nee
throu
h all time. These idolatel'" were.fìlliug up tile measure
of their ttlrefathcrs. and in the end of tho
e ttlrefatlwr,.. who
I;erished in the wilderness where they "irlll('d. the
llIight be-
hold tht'Ír own. ..h (ìod rejeC'ted the dirided servic'e of thcil'
ttlrefathers. so He would thl'Ír's.
God doc" not
a,- that thev did not offer
a('rifice at all. but
that they did not oifer unto Him. The Ulltu .lIe is emphatil'.
If Gild i,. not spn-ed wlwllv and alone, He is not sen-ed at all.
"13 He r('garde>th not the> õfl('rin
, but the will of the ofl't'I'er:'
Some "ae'rifil'es were offered dur"inC' the thirt\' ei
ht H'ar.. and
a half, after God had rejcI.ted that
'eneration: mid let)" them to
di.. in the wilde>rnes,.. For the rehellion uf Korah and his I'om-
pany wa!< a elaim to exerei
e the priesthood, a
.\al"lln was ex-
creising' it H. ,nLen atonement was tu be macle, the liu coals
\\ ere alreadr on the altar 15. These, howe,"el', were not the
the will ofl:prin

of the people, but the IIrdinanl'e of (Tud. per-
fonned by His priest,.. The people. in that they went after
their idol,., had no share in nor benefit from what wa" offered
in their name. So )Io,.es say!' 16, tlle.'1 sa(,I"!!ìced tu clel:iis, uot to
God; and Ezekid 1 7 , Tllei,.lIear! weut ({fter tI,eir iduls. Tho"e
were the
od!' of their afl
.ctÌons. whom they ehose. (;od had
taken theUl for Hi
people, ali{I had beC'oUlc their God. on the
eondition that they should not a
soeiate other g-mls with IIim 18 .
Had they 10n'd God ""ho made them, they wmIld ha,-e lond
none he
ide,. Him. SineI' they cho,.e other gods. these were the
ohjec.tl" IIftheir 1m c. God was, at nlU..t, an object of their fear.
.\s He l"ai(l hy Ho:'e>a 19, tlleir hl-ead i,
fur tllemsdus, it shall not
ellter intu the I/l)u,
e nf the Lord, !';o here He asl;:,., and hy a!';k-
inf!' dt'nies it, Dic('le oll"n uuto .lIe? Idolatry and here
y f('ig-n
a
od of their own. The\' du not own God a
lIe has reveal-
ed Him,.elf; and, sinee tiwr own not God as He is, the p:od
whom they worship, i" not the true God, but some ereature of
their own ima
inin
s.
ueh as they conl'eiw God tu hp. .\nti-
Trinital'ianism (lenie
to God Hi,. e,.sential Reing-, Fat hcr,
on,
and Hoh- Ghost. Other hcre"ies I'efuse to uwn Hi,. aweful
holine
>:' and ju..til'e; others, the depth of His IO\-e and con-
de
eension. Plainly. their god i.. not the one true God.
So these idolater
. while thev a,.,.oeiated with God c-()(I
of
c'ruclt\' and lu!"t, and looked tó thclll for thin
:s whjl.h 'God in
His h(lline

and lo\'e refused them. did not 'own God, a!< the
One Holy Creator, the Sole Di!òl'oser of all thin
s.
BU(lle hal'e home [lit.
Jud .lfe bare] the taberuarle of.lfollr
Jlolu("h [lit. .'Iour king, whence the> idol )Iolol'h had its name.]
He as!ÒÌg"ns the rea!';on. wh\" he had denied that the\' saaifil'ed
to God in the wilderne"s. . Did .tIe ntler sacri!ìces 111; to _JIe. aud
!Ie hare t i. e. seein
that ye bare. The tn 0 wel'e ineompatible.
Sinc'e they did can:1f about the taherJlacle of their killg, ther did
not I'eally worship God. lIe whom they chose <I" ,. their king,"
Jer. x\ .IS. =';) Is. Iviü.ll. 10 Ps. Ixx\iii. 3i. 11 See IntTod. to HO!'. p. :!.
::

:
u"j' [;=.i6. 11 ::.
6
eT. 18 ;x
x

i.5, 9, fgOix. 4. fee
b

'.
:
Ll2

200

Al\IOS,

Before '\"OUr )Ioloch and Cbiun your ima!res, tbe star II of your !rod, whicll ' . "e mmle to '\"ourselves. Before
CHRIST oJ . '--' . u oJ CHRIST
_
r
ï
dr. iRï.

was their g'od. The tahel"llacle ur tl'nt was probably a little
portable !'hrillC',
uch as DeUletl'ill!Ò the !Òih'er!Òmith and tho!Òe
of his eraft made tilr the little !Òtatues ofthcir goddpss Diana 1 .
Such al'e mentioned in Eg-yptian idolatry. .. They earry
furth;' wc are told 2, ,. thc imaJ!,'e in a sJUall !Òhrine uf g-ilt wond."
of I/Oll/"
Uolorh aud ('/tÏuu. The two elau
e
JUu!Òt be read

epar
lÙ'ly, the taIJel"llacles of Jlolorh [stri"tly, of you/" king,]
amI (,l1iun.l/ou/" iJ//age,
. The two dallse!Ò, the tahl'/"ufll.le l
f.'IOltr
king, aJIII (,hiun your ill/ages 3, arc altog-ethcr distinet. They
corre!Òpllllll tn one another, hut they UlU!Òt not bc l'ead as one
whole, in the spnse, the tal)('I'JUll'ie of .'I(JIlJ' kiltg alld of (,hiull
.llollr ill/ages. The rend('ring- of the last dall!<t' is un('crtain.
GOlI has so IItta(1j aholi,
hed the idols 4, throu
h whom Satan
l'onte!Òted with Him the allc
ianl'e of IIis pcople, that we hm-e
no I'ertain knowlcd
e, what thcy were. There nHt). be som

l'OIllH'l,tion bctween the god whom the Israclite!Ò in the wil-
derness worshipped as th
ir king, and him whuse wOl'ship So-
lonwn, in his del'ay, brou
'ht into Jerusalem, the
od whom
the .\mmonites worshipped as the king, llfl/J//I/olech, or, a!Ò he
is 1IIlI'e eaIled,
Jloleclt \ and thrce times JlilcllOm 6 (perhaps an
ah!Òtract. a!Ò some used to spcak of " the Dei!.I/.") lIe is mostly
I'alled Hall/lJwlerh, the Ammonite war of prOlwuneing what
the IIebrew!Ò ('aIled Ilfl1J//llclech, tile king. But since the name
designates the god only as the l..-ing, it may ha,-e becn gÎ\'en
to diffcrcnt god!Ò, whum the heathen worshipped a!Ò their ehief
g-Oll. In .Tewish idolatry, it became e(luivalent tn Haal 7 , lord;
and to avert his displeasure, the Hebrews (as did the Cartha-
ginians, a Phænil'ian people, down to the time of our Lord 8,)
Imrnt their own childr('n, tl,eir SOliS ami their da/lglttas, alh-e
to him. Yet, even in thcse dreadful rite!Ò, the ('artha
dnian
wur!Òhip 9 wa
more eold-blooded and artifieial than that of
Phænieia. But whether the king, whom the ]
raclitcs wor-
shipped in the wilderness, wa!Ò the same as the .\mmonite :\10-
le..h or no, those dreadful sacrifices were then no part of his
worship; else Amos would not have sl'okcn of th(' idolatry,
as the ('flJ'J'/ling abOld his tahcl"IIacle ouly. He would lune de-
serilwd it by it!Ò g-reatest offensi\"Cne
!Ò. Tlte king wal" a title
also of the E/!.'n,tian Deity, Osiris 10, who was idcntified with
the sun, and whu!Òe worship I!'l"ëlclmay pruhahly ha,-e brolll!,'ht
with th..l1l, as wcll as that of the ('alf. his !Òymbol. .\g-ain, most
ufthe old translators hav.. rctain..d the Hehrew word Chi,/f.'I/lJllI,
either n'!!:arding it as a propcr name, ur unable to tran!Òlate it.

ome latcr traditilln identifies it with the planet Saturn 12,
which. under a difft'rent name, the .\rahs propitiated as a ma-
)(','olent being- 13. In S. Ephrem's time, the hcath('n Syrians
worshipped" the I'hild-devollrinl!,' Chivan H." Israel, howp,-er,
did not learn the idolatry fl"Um the nei
hhouring- Arahs. sinl'e
it is not the .\rab name uf that planet 15. In Egyptian, the

I Acts xix. 24. 2 Herod. ü. 63. 3 ::1::;'''0 :-'::J:-

::1;)'''0':. r";) :-
,

Is. ii. lB. · The idol, called .I[oleeh,] Kgs. xi. 7. had been called .}lilchom, lb. 5.
8 I Kgs. xi. 5, 33. 2 Kgs. xxiii. 13. 7 J er. xix. j. xxxii. 3.3. " "Even to the
days ofa Proconsul under Tiberius." Tertull. Apol. 9. p. 20,1. Ox!: Tr. and not. k. G"S.
quotes;\ Phænici.m inscriptions, attesting the Punic child-sacrilices to Baal. Thes. p. 'i!)5.
9 As described Diod. xx. ]
. The Rahhins, however, speal. of the sacrifices to ;\Iole('h
in exal'r!y the Sdme "ay, Carpzofl; Ant. 8';. -1-84. 10 Plutarch. Is. et Os. c. lU.
II The S}r. writes Chevon; Jon. CMun; Aq. and Symm. in S. Jer_ ('/tion. The Rep/'an
of the LXX. nlay be only a difterenl way of '\Titing Chevan, the Greek translator, here as
elsewhere, substiluting - for;) : or it may be an Ej() ptian equi,-alent.
12 In Persian, in the Dahi.tan, it is said, "The ima
e of Kei\\an was of black stone."
Lee's Lex. v. :-:-=1<' The Bundehesh, in enumerating the planets, places Kir'un, the lifth,
as docs the Codex N asaræus (ed. !' orb. p. 54.) hut all these are comparatively modern.
'fhe Copt-Ambic li<t of planets, "hich explains Rephall by the Arabic Zoc/ml i. q. Sa-
turn, m"y very probably have its name Rephall from the Greek. 13 Poco spec. Hist.
.\r"b. p.IO:
.I:!O. e'l. White. 14 Serm.1i adv. Hær. 01'1'. S}r. ii. 438. 10 The Ka-
muos explains the Persian Kaivan by the Arabic name Zod",l. 16 "The Coptic name

name ofChun!<ll, one of the I:! g-uds who
('verally w('re tllOu
ht
to preside ove1" the l
1ll0nth!Ò, appear
in an ahrid
ed form,
l:hlln!Ò or Chou 16. lIe was, in their mythology. IH'ld to he
"the clde!Òt S(1Il of Amlllon Ii ;" his nallle is !'aid to !Òig-nit\.,
"1
pow('r, Illi;!:ht;" and he to be that ideal of mig-ht, worshiÍ,-
ped a!< the Ep;Yl'tian IIereuIcs 19. The nallle Chun e
tended
into Phænieian 20 and AS!Ò)Tian 21 proper names. Still Chon is
not Chi,'nlll; and the fad that the name was retained a
<.:lIOn
or churi in Phænicia (where the worship was borrowed) as wcll
a!Ò in _-\s
\Tia, i... a
Tll\lnd for hesitatinl!; to idcntifv with it the
wor(l Chi;-plll, whieh has a certain likene..s only t
1 thc abridp:-
ed nallle. S. JeroJllc's Hebrew teat'lH'r on the other hand
lmew of no su('h tradition, and S. Jeromc renders it iJ//age 22 .
And eel.tainly it i!Ò most natural to rend('r it not as a name, but
as a common noun. It may prohably mean, tlte p('cle.
taI23, the
basis of.ll{)lir images. The PI'ophet had :<pulien ofthcir images,
as cow'red over with their little s/,,.illl's, tI,e slu'ines of your
kiJlg. Hel'e he may, not improbably, spcak of them, as fa
t-
ened to a pede
tal.
ueb wcre the god.;, whom they eho,.;c for
the One h'ue (-;-od. god
. ('arried about, ('o,-ered o,-er, fixcd to
thcir pla,'e, le!'t they should fall.
The wor!Òhip was ('el.tainly slime form of !Òtal'-worship, sin('e
there foHows, tlie star 0/ !Iour god. It took plaee aft('r the
wllr!Òhip of the calf. For S. Stephen, uftel' hm"ing !Òpolien of
that idolatry, says 2\ Tlieu God tumed allli {.{at'e tltem ujJ to
ll'orship the l/fIst of he(weJl, {is it i,\' ll'rit/f'JI iJl the book of tile
propliets. Cpon their rebellions, God at last gave them up to
themiOelvcs. S. Stephen eaHs the g-orl whom they ',"or!ÒhipP('d,
llcpllllJl, quotinJ!,' the then existing- Greek translation, "hm'ing
reg-ard," S. Jerome says, "to the meaning- rather than the
words. This i!Ò to be observed in all Holy Scripture, that Apo!'-
tit'., and Apostnlie men, in eiting- testimonies fl'lIm the Old
Testament, reg-anI, not the words, but the meaning. nor do
they tollow the words, step by step, provided they do not de-
part from tlJ(' meaning-."
Ofthe spccial idolatry there is no mention in 1\Io!Òes, in like
way a!' t!-te mention of the worship of the" g-oat 25," a !Òe('(llld
symhol of the Pantlwistil' worship of ]
g-ypt 26, is eontained
only incidentally in the prohibition of that worship. Aftcr the
final rehellion, upon whil'h God rejected that g-eneration, Holy
Seripture talies no ael'ount of them. They had failed (
od;
they hml forfeited the di!Òtinl,tion, for \\"hieh God had I'reatl'd,
}1l'e!Òervt'(I, taught them, revealcd lIim
elf to them, and had, by
g-reat mil"ade
. resl'ued them from Egypt. Then('eforth that
generation was east aside unnoticed.
Wlticll .lIe made to .lIOu,."e!t'es. This wal" the fundamental
fault, that th(')- made it fO,. tlicmsel/'es. Instead of the taber-
nacle, whieh God, thcir king-, appointed, they bare ahout tlte

Paschôns or Pachon is resolved into Pa-chons," that ofChonsor Chonsou; the name of the
god who, according to the monuments, presided over this month." Brugsch, Eg. p.lIi:!.
I; Birch, from sl..b in the Brit. :\Ius. (quoted b)' Bunsen, lEg. Stelle, i. -1-60.)
IS Birch. lb. 19 "They say that Hercules is in Æ
ptian c..lIed Chon, X;;'"." Etym.
1\1. see Sir G. Wilk. in Ra\\1. Herod. ii. ;1>. note. "The Egyptians called Hercules Chon."
L. Girald[ 01'1" ii. 3:!i.J from Xenophan. Antioch. Drus. but the authorit} given is wrollg.
20. SancllO,lÎathon, C/llmasun.;\To,ers, Phæn. i. 291. 21 Chinzer -

-j::, Cinneladan
ï:
':
"Ï;) in Ptol. Id. ib. 22 TheOllotion dIso tTanslates it as a noun. "J j";) fromj';)'

.. ...o\crs \ iia 42. 2;) :::..-..
:, Lev. xvii. 7. rendered in the E. V." devils; " but -..:;:,
lit. "the hairy," is Ihe Hebrew n"ame of the goar, as hircus li'om hirtus, hirsurus. The name
for" de.ils" in the Pentateuch IS :'-oz) Deut. xx"ii. Ii. Jerohoam endeavoured fruitlesslv

?n
';;:;'
;/:
:

7
:;';p. 1[2 ë'1,:. e :'

l.)'S

!ïo;, t:d

t
d)
fJ

S b'::'

:' f
ii
nii:::;:l :
,

"he-guats,"as ',-Igalim, "ith which it is joined, is of "calves,"
26 .Pan, or :\Iclides, worshipped nllder th" goar,.
as
ature ill Oil" gr
at
gg
egate, the.o](
-
est 01 theIr gods, accordlllg to themselves (Herod.n. 115. add 4(i,) as bemlt,lUtact, the pnllcl-
pIe oflife, apart frum its Author. In Eg) ptiall idolatry, the goat was accounted a sl'eci.J
manifestation of that principle.

cIL\PTER Y.

201

Before
C H R I ST
cir. i"'..

2i Thcrcfor(' will I ('ilUS{' you to
o I into captivity k beyond Damascus, saith c :
oíeST
I k 2 Kings Ii. 6. cir. ïb7.

t((ha/l((de of Mm whom thpv took for their kin
; and for the!

en in' which lIe p:a' (" th
:y cI,?se /lell' gods I tiJr tl\(:III
eln'
, i
\\'Ill'rca
(;od mad" them for IIIIII
plf, thcy mad(' for thelll- I

eh-c
,
(I(I
.lIlt IJftheir ownmiml. .\11 idolatry i
)Òdf-will, fir
t I
dlCloi"il

a
od, and then enslawd to it. !
ii.' TI;erefore [
/lIdJ this hcinA" so, suc'h havin
hccn their
way from the IwginllinA" until mm-, ll'ill I call.çe .'1ou to go into
rrl/;til'it.'l be/lolld j)fl/lIflSCIl.Ç. . Syria wa!< the mo)Òt I,
owe
ful cl!e- :
m,'I". wholll Gild had herctoforc c-Imstened thelll -. I. rom Sy-
riLl IÌc had r('('cutlv, for the tillie, dclin'red them, aud had
.rin'U ()amaseus i,ito thcir hand)Ò 3. That day of p:raee had I
been wasH'(I, a!H1 thcy w('n' !<till rcbellioui". .\'Oll' (jod would
hrinp: a
aiust thcm a mip:hticr cupmy. Danwi"('u!<, the !'eelle
of thcir' triumph,
hould be their pathway to captivity. God
would ('{(/(.Ç(' them to go illto capti,.it!l, IIOt to Ða}Jt{(sclls, whellee
they mi:,:'ht IHu"e ea
ily returned, but hl.'lolld it, a)Ò He did, in-
to the ('itie.
of tlte Jlnles. But li"rael had, up to the time of
.\moi" and beVlllul it, 110 elH'my, 110 war, be/loml Damascus. Je-
1m had proh;lhly paid tribute to Shahnanubar king' of .\i"-
suia, to ,.;trenp:then himself!. The .\ssyrian
lollarch had
,,:arr{.d ap:aillst lsracl's cnemies, an(1 i"ccminp:ly reecin'd some
ehe(.k frum them 6. .\
aill)Òt },.:racl he had !<hewn no hostilitv.
Hut for the eoni"pirae
- of one )'et to be born in private lit'è,
olle of the "ill'tains of Israel who, by murder, beealllc its

O\"crciA"n, it lIIip:ht IHl\-e ('ontinued Oil in its own land. The
.hi"'Tian monarehs uecded tribuH', not slaves; nor did they
ellll;loy ISl"ael as slaves. Exile was }JUt a wholesale imprison-
mellt ofthe natiun in a larp:e hut safe prii"on-houi"e. Had they
been i"till. ther were mort' pl"Ofitable to AS

Tia, as tributa-
ries in thcir own land. There was no tt'Jllptation to rcmO\"e
thcm, when .\mos }Irophcsied. The temptation l'aJlle with
1'0litil'LlI intrip:ues whieh had not then c'ommcllt'ed. The then
A
s\Tian monarf'h, Shamash"a, defcatcd their enemie,.; the Sv-
rÏLuis, united with and aitlill
the ßabdonian)Ò 6; tIle'! had thën
had no i"hare in thp ol'po,.ition to .\ss}Tia, but lay
ilfe in their
mountain-thstness. It has hcen said, "7 .'\Ithough the kin
-
dOJII of h.racl had, through Jerohoam, rc('ovcred its oM bordcl's,
yet f'areless insoleUf'e, lu
ury, unriA"hteou!"I1c
", mllst briIlp: the
eI('"tnwti'lII of the kinp:dom whieh the Prophct tèwetell !". The
PI'ophpt does hut dimly forebode tlU' superior powcr of .-hsy-
ria." Solomon had dedarcd the truth b, lligltteoll.mess e:ntl tellt
a ll((tioll, hilt .
ilt is a rt'proach to ((I(!! people. But th('rt' are
many surt!" of deeay. De('ay doei" not involve the trani"llUrta-
tion of a people. Xay, dc('ay nould not hring it, but the con-
trary. .A nU'I'p luxurious pcople rots on its on-n
oil, and would
Iw Icft to rot thcre. It was the little remnant of energy, poli-
til'al .'ahalliIl
, warlike spirit, in Ii"racl, whieh bro\i
ht its ruin
f"om man. Idolatry," insolenec, luxury, unrig-hteousness,"
bring down the disl,ll'ai"ure of God, I10t of mall. Yet .\mos fore-
told that r;od would brinA" tlU' destruf'tion throup:h man.
Th('r were too, no worse than thcir ncighhonrs, nor so bad; I10t
so bad ai" the .h!<
Tian!'Õo themselvei", cxeept that, God IHn"inA" re-
nalt'd Himself to them, they had lUorc lil.?:ht. The i"ill then,
th('IHlni"hmcnt. the mode ofllllllishmcnt, bclon
to the Didlle
ren'lation. Suc'h
in!o' anti worsc have cxisted in Christian
llatiolls. Ther were in part i"ini" dir('ptly aA"ain4 {;od. God
rei"('r\'es to Himself, how and whcn He will punish. He hato:
mllle,,!'(1 no sUf'h vi"ible laws of pUIli..llIUCIlt to a nation'!" !"ins,
that mall ('ould, of hi)Ò own n i!o'dom or observation of lIod's

ways, foresee it. They throu
h n hom He wilkd to iuflif'Ì it,
and wholl1 .\moi" pointed out, w('r(' not 1'1'11\ okeel hy tlwse sini".
Thcre was 110 eonnec.tiflIl Letweell Isracl's I're
eIlt sin
, and .\s-
syria:s future
cnA"e<
n('e. 1\0 Ea
t
'rn elespflt c'are)Ò fo)' thc 0[1-
pn'!<i"IOIIS of hI!< suhJ(,(.ts, so that 11I
own trilJllt(. is cflllef'ted.
See the u"hole raIl
e of
Iohallllllcdan rule I1n\\". .\s far too
as we know, licit her AS

Tia I10r any uth('r power had hither-
topullisheel rehellillUi" natiCIIIi" by trall!<IIfJrtiIlA" thelU \I; mill "er-
tainly lsracl had I10t yet rehellcd, or meditated rebellilln. lIe
oIlly \\'Iw (,oIltrol
the rcbe1liflus wills of mcn, amI thrnuc;h
t}.u
ir selt:'will work
out l
is OWII .all-wi..e "'ill and lUan's J;u-
lIIshment, f'ould kIlow the futm"e of Jsrael alld .\)Ò!<\Tia. alld how
tl
r(!u
h t.he pride of .\ssyria lIe would bring d.;wn the l,ridc
of
alUal'la.
It has hcen well said by a thouA"htfu] obser\"Cr of the world's
hii"tnry, " \\llOsocver attcmpti" to prtll'he!"), not bcinp: in!<l'ir('eI
is a fool." '" e Enp:lish know our own sins, man\" anti
ric,

ous; we know of a nl
t rcip:n of ,"iol('JH'e, mllrdcr: blai"piu.m ",
theft, unelealllu'ss, ('O\"etou
I1ess, di)ÒllOIIcst dcaliup:, lII1ri
ht
-
ousne!"s, alld of the brcaeh of evcry t'ouHnandllleIlt of God: we
kIlow wellIlow of an instrumcIlt in God's HaIlds, not far off, like
the ASi"
TiaIl, Lut withill two hours of our f'oast ; armaments
hm-e h
en eollel'ted; a harhour is bcinp: formed; our OWIl eoa..t
openly examined: iron-shectcd ,'csscli" prcpared; I1ip:ht-!<ip:nal!J
provieled; SOIllt' of our own alicnah'd population orp:aIli
ed;
with a vicw to our iIlnl)Òion. ". e reeot!nii"e the likelihood flf
the Ílwasion, fortify our ('oast, arm, I
Ot as a profei"..ioIl, hut
for se('urity. Our }Jreparations tcstify, how widc-i"l'read is
0111' ('xpeC'tation. Ko one
ean'ely doubh that it will he. "\ et
who dare prediet the i
sue? "'ill God permit that s('(Jurge
to c(Jllle? will he prevail? \\'hat n'ould be the t'xtcnt of our
!"uff('rings or lo
s? how would our ('ommeree or our Eml'il'e he
impain'd? \\" ould it be di.';Jl)cmhered? Since no man ean
affirm any thillp: as to this which is cl(J)Òe at hand, !'inep none
of us would darc to affirm in God's Xame in reA"ard to am"
one
ta
e of all thii" future, that thi!J or that would or wllul(1
not happen, thcll let men hm'e at lea
t the nwdestv of the
magieians of Ep:Yl't, and
('cillp: in God's prophct
ihc
(' ah-
)Òolute l'redietions of a future, suc'h a'i their own wii"dom, un-
der eireum!<tarH'e
far more favourahle, eould not dare to
makc, own; 10 TMs is tlte FilllÇer nfCod. Xot we alone. "'e
scc all Eurllpc shaken; we see powers of all i"(II"t)Ò, hea,-inp: tu
<lIlt] fro; we s('e the Turkii"h power rpady to dis!'oh-e, stay('d
up, like a dead man, unly by un-Christian jcalousi('s of Chris-
tians. Some thinp:s we may partially p:uess at. ßut with all
our means of knowin
what ]m
ses ever
where. with aU our
knowledA"e of the intcrna] imlHllscs of nations, lwaring, as we
do, almo
t e,-crr pul!Òe whieh beats in the p:rcat European sys-
tem, knowing the dii"eascs whi,'h, here and there, threaten
eonyulsion or (lissolution, no one dare :"take his human n-ii"-
dOlll on any absolute prcdietion, like thei"e of the
hepll('rd of
Tekoa as to VamasC'lIs 9 amlIi"rael. To
ay tbe like in {;ml's
Xamc, unlcss inspircd, we should kuow tu be blasphemy. God
Ilimi"clf set the alternative hetore mcn. 11 Let ([II tlte IUltiollS be
gatltered tngl'tlter, ami let tile people he ((.
semMed: u.ltfJ al/mllg
tltem calt dee/al"e tltis, alld SIIl'Il' liS former tMugs? Let t!tem
brillg fortlt their ll'itlll'S.
I'S, that they may he justffied: ur let
tltem !tear, ([1ll1 say, It is trutll.
S. St('phen, in flllOting this prophecy, substitutes ßahylon

1 Jnd. v. 8. : 2 Kgs. xiii. ï. 3 lb. xiv. 25, 28. from Cuneir. Inscr. .. De Wette, Einl.
. 232.
4
ee Jntrod. to Hosea, p. 2. . See ab. on i. 4. ti Rawl. Herod. i. 466. 8 Provo xiv. 34. v See ab. on i. 5. r.1: 0,1. lQ Ex. ,iii. l!I.

11 Ii. xliii. 9.

202

c JÏ
oIs T the LORU, 1 whose name IS The God of
cir. 787. hosts.

I ch. 4. 13.

CIL\PTER YI.

T/'e 1t'antonness of Israel, í shall he plag/led
witlt desolation, I:! a/ld their incorrigibleness.

A:\IOS,

T OE a to them that II al'e at ease in C HBífoíes T
"" Zion, and trust in th(' mountain of
H
.
Samaria, which (l)'C named b I' chief of the il

.k:T
' :!4.
nations, to whom the house of Israel came! b ìE;

9. 5.
2 c Pass r e unto d Calneh, and see; and

:/;
tfó
ib.
from thence go ye to e I-Iamath the great : d lsa
aL
n9.
· 2 Kings 18. 3-1. cir. i94.

for Dmnaseu
, a
indeed the citie.ç '!f the
lIede.ç were further
than ßabylon. Perhaps he sct the name, in order to remind
them, that as God had bmug-ht Ahraham lout '!f tlte la/ld of
tile Clwlcleall.ç, lcaving- the idols which his fat/leI's luul.çerz'ecl 2 ,
to serve God only,
o they, scn ing- idols, werp earricd baek,
whenee .\hraham had elllue. tiJrfl'Íting-, with the faith of Abra-
ham, the promi
es ma(le to Abraham; aJicns and outt'ast!'.
Sait/I tlte Lord, the Lord '!f JIosts, the Lord of the hca,-en-
ly hosts for whosp wor
hip they forsook (;od; tlU' Lord of the
host
on earth, who!'e mini
try He elllplo
's to punish those
"ho rehel ag-ainst Him. ..
For He hath many hosts to exe-
eute His judg-lIlent
, the ho
ts of the A.
!'
Tians, the Medes
and Per!<ians. the (;reeks and Roman
." All creature!': in hea-
yen ntHI in earth are. as lIe sa
's of the holy Angels \ 71Iinis-
t!TS 0/ His, t!,(lt do Jlis pIPll.mre.
'1. 1. 1roe to them that are at ea.
e. The word 5 alway!':
mean!'
ueh a
are reeklesslv at their ca
e, the ('areles.ç ones, !'uch
a
tho!'c whom hrael bids," 6 rise up, tremble, he tro/lhlecl; for
1uall.'1 rI(I.'IS (l1I([ years shall.lle he tl"Oubled. It i!;. that luxury and
ea!<e. which sensualize the soul, and makp it dull, !'tupid' hard-
heartcd. ny one carncst, I'as
in
word, the Prophet warns
his own land, that I'rcst'nt sinful case ends in future woe.
7 Tíoe U/lto tltelll tlmt laugh 1101(': for t1Il.ll .\'h(/1I 1JIOW'Jl ((nd
1l'ee]J. "3 lIe forctell
the Ile!'truetion aud eaptivity of both
Judah and Israel at ol)('e; and not only that eaptivity at ßa-
bylon, but that wherchy they are di
persed unto this day."
I..lIxlIry ;md Ilcepe
t f:ins of the flcsh were rife in that g-cnera-
tiou 8, whi<<'h slew Him "Tho for our !'akes becanI{' poor.
And tr/lst in the moulltaill of Sail/aria, not in God. Sa-
maria was strong- 9, rc!':istt'd tilr thrt'e years, and wa!' the last
t'ity of Israel whi<<'h was taken. The king of ..-ls.ç.llria ('((me up
thrm(glwut all tlte land aUl[ went up toSamaria, and besieged it 10.
ßenhadad, in that former !o'ieg-e, when God dclh-ered them n,
attemptpd 1111 assault. but famine ollly.
"ThÏl'h are nlllned tlte Chili of the nations; lit. the uamed of
the ('/,it'( of the natiolls. i. e. tho!<e who, in Israel, ,,-hil'h b," the
distinl!:
li
i1Íng- fa'"or of God was dlÍef of ti,l' natio/ls, 'were
them
t'I\"Cs, marked, disting-llished, named. The Propht't. by
one word. refer
them bat'k to those first princcs of the 1'011-
g-reg-ation, of whom Mosci: used that same word 12. Thcy
were heads of the houses of tht'Ír fatlwrs 13, renolt'ned of the
cOllp:regation, heads I
f tluJIlswu[s in Israel H. As, if anyone
wcre to eall the Peer
, "Barons of Eng-Iand," he would carr

m: haek to tlH' day
of l\Jag-na Charta. althoug-h six eenturip

and a half ac-o. so this word. oe<<'urring-. at that time 15, ht're
only in any Scripture since )Iosps, ('arried haek the thoughts
of tht' dc
ent'ratp ari
tot'raey of hrael to the faith and zeal
of t
leir f
)refathcrs. ll'llllt thëy Olw:ht to ha'"e heen, and w/llIt
th(') wcre. _\s Amalek of ol(i wa
first of till' u((tioJ/S 16 in its
1 lct. vii.
. 2 Josh. xxÌ\'. 1
. 3 Rup. 4 Ps. ciii. 21. 5 :":::0:-=.
6 I.. xxxii. 9-11. 7 S. Luke vi. 2:;. 8 Sf'f' S. John ,iii. 9. Rom. ii_ 21-24.
S. Luke xi. 3
1. 4:!. S.
Iatt. x"\iii. U, :!:\,
6. 9 See all. on iii. [I. 10
K
. xvii. 5.
II 111. vii. 6. '
Num. i. Ii. IJ lb. 4. 14 111.16. I. The phrase of l'um. i.

xi.c

J

l
z:
e(
ili:k
o
f

t
l
e
r

C

P

I::;U

'

'-k?,

t,x";.
;h.lt
P.,nt. i. 9ï. 16 Nu. xxiv. :!O. 17 Ex. nii. 8-16. So Onk. S. Jf'r. Pseud-Jon.
18 x.9. 19 XJ"ii.
3. 20 Gen. x.1O. 21 Seeab. Introd. p. 119.
: S.Jer.

cnmity a
ainst the people of God 17, havin
, first of all, shewn
that impla('able hatred, which .\mmon,
Ioab, Edom, evine-
cd afterwards. so was Israel fìrst of natio/ls, as <<'hoscn by
God, It beeame, in an t',il way,fìrst of natiolls, i. e. distin-
g-ubhed alm,"e the heathcn, ùy rt'je<<.tinl!: Him.
to 1l'hmll the house of lçrael ('a me. or !t((l'e come. TIl('V were
like those prinl'es of oÚI, raif:ed above others. I
racl c;,me to
them for judg-ment; and they, re
ardless of duty, Jived only
for self-indnl
cnee, etfeminaey, and pride. S. Jerome renders
in the same
{,II!'C, "that enter pompously the house of Israel,"
lit. eliteI' fOI" tltemsell'es, as if they were lords of it, and it was
madc for them.
2. Fliss Ol'er to Calneh. He bid!;. them behold, East, Xorth,
and "T e
t. !'un'ey three ncig-hbouring kingdom
, and see whe-
ther Hod had not, even in the
ifts of this world, dealt better
with h;rael. "'hy then so rcquite Him? Ca/neh, (whieh
Isaiah ealls ('lIlno IB, Ezekiel, ('wme 19,) was one of the four ci-
ties, built by "Kimrod ill the Zemd of SMnllr 20, tIlt: hl'ginning of
his kingdolll. From that time, until thi
of Amos, no mt'n-
tion of it ot't'ur
. It. probably, was more than onee eonquered
by the .\ssyrians 21, Iring, as it did, 011 t hp Tig-ri...., some 4U miles
l'crhaps from ßabylon. Henee it was said, umler its new Hame
Ctt'siphon 22, to ha\"f' becn huHt, i. e. rebuilt, by the Maeedoni-
ans 23, and again by the Parthians 2\ whose '.25 king..; made it
their winter-residcnce on aecount of its
oo(l air." It was a-
new destroyed by Sen'rus 26, n'huilt byL Salwr II. in the 4th
Century27. Julian's g-enerals }H.ld it impreg-nable 2B . hcing built
on a lH'nillsula, surroundc([ 011 thrce sidcs by the Ti

Tis 29. It
became tht' !'cene of relwatcd perset'utions of Christianity 30;
Xestorianism was fm-oured 31. A eentre of Per
ian luxUl'y, it
fell at once and for e,-er before Omar 32 , and the Pcrsian cmpirc
lwrishcd n ith it. It was replaeed by the neig-hbouring- Bag--
dad. The historv illu4rate!' tht' tt'Uiu'ih> of life in those well-
chosen sites, and 'the eharaeter of the 1'Ia;'e, ofn-hose conque
t
Hczekiah boasted, and with whieh Amos t'ompared the land
of Israel.
(.;0 thence to HCl11wth the great, orig-inally, a Canaanite
l{ing-dom 33. The entrance to it was assig-ncd as the NOI.tlU'rn
border of Isracl3
. In Ðadd's tinI{' its kinl{ was at war with
the kin
of Zobah 35, and madc Ilresents to 'Ða,"id on his suù-
dual. In SoloIl1on'
time it had fal1cn under thc power of the
king- of Zohah, whcnt'c it was called Hamath-zobah. Solmnon
won: it from him, ineorporated it with Israel, and built towns
in its territory 36. The" Hamathites" were, under th('ir own
kintr. united with llenhadarl, the Hittite!':. and the Phænieians
in tÌwirwarwith Shahuanuhar, and defeated bv him 37 . Ezekiel
spcaks of the border of Damasclls and tIle CO;,St of Hamath 38,
as of lllat'es oflike importam'e; and Zet'hariah 311, of their joint
suùdual by Ale)>.ander. To judge from the present site, it ill
here. S. Ephr. Jon.
Procop. B. Pers. ii. 28. 24 Plin. vi. 26. n. 30.
It cerlainly existed beforf', Pol)b. v. -1;;. 2ó Strabo. xvi. 1. 26. ,,110 speaks ofil as
e"\isting already. 26 Dio Cass.lxn. Sev. 9. 27 .Mirkhond. Hist. d. Sass. in De Sacy,
.Mem. sur la Perse, p. 316. 28 Amm. xxiv. ï. 1. 29 Kinneir, Geogr. .Mem. of
the Per.;ian Empire, p. 25:!. 30 Ass. B. O. i. 185 sqq. iii. 2. Iii sq'l. Acta Mart.
31 o\.ss. iii. :!. lxxnii. 32 Abulf. i. 2:;:
-5. Ritt. x. Ii:? .... Gen. x. lb.
M iIoum.x,<xiv.í,8. Josh. xiii. ã. 302Sam.viii.9,1O. 38 2Chr. viii. 3.4.
3; Cunei!". Inscr in Rawl. Her. i. 4G3, 4. 38 Ezek. xhii. 16. xh-iii.l. 39 ix. I, :!.

CIL\PTER YI.

(" Jr{Ï"S l' then
o do\\ n to f Gath of the Philistines:
_ eir. '
'_ g IJ(' tlw,'I hetter than tlU's(' "king-lImns? or

?

'3

. 6. their hord('r grt'att'r than your horder?

:"1
:- t 3 Ye that h put far away the i ('vii day,
9.10.

03

k anll ('ause 1 the II s{'at of yiolt'm'f' to ('orne C HBj[ofs T
near; cir. ,S';.

-1 That lit. upon ht'ds of ivory, and k
:;.5i{!'
II strt'tt'h themsdn'o; upon their t'O\wlll's, I

:
:i,'fz

11 Or, abound u,ith .uperjluitie.. lion.

!'mne n'
IJ('('t
rcscmblt'd
amaria. It lay in a narrow C)\'al
,-alle'- of the Ornntt'
; it
eitadd on a round hill in the t"t'ntre.
The
'ih. ri!<e
up the
teep
ides of the hill
whieh illelo
e it 1 .
Ya
t witter-wheels), !'ome of a diameh'r of 6jS, H(UIO 4fect,
raise the watcr of the Orontt's to
ul'lJly, hy aid of a'l'U'dlwt".
the upper I'ity. or to water the m'i
hbourin
g-ardt'ns. ..5 The
"'e
tern pm.t of its territory is the
ranarr of
orthern Syria:'
Even when _\Iltioehu" Elliphanes I'alled it after himself J:pi-
phania. its inhabitallt
ealled it after its old name 6.
lf'ntion
o('{'ur
of it in the (Tu
adcs 7. In thl' 1:3th Cf'ntun" it had it

Clwn well-known IJrince 8; and ha.. !;till a pOl'ulati;1I1 of some
30,000 II.
(;ath [Trillepress] mu"t, from its name, have been situat-
('d in a ril'h countrv. It la, OIl thc eonfines of Judea and Phi-
Ibtia; for Rehoh,;am fortified it as a horder-fortrc
!' 10. It
had b('cn I'ontrari,,-i
c ti)rtifit'd by the Phili
tines a
ain
t Ju-
dah, since, whcn Dadd took it
ltt ({f the haml r{f the PMlis-
tines. it luul the title II metltegammah, "bridle of the mother
city," or metropolis. It had at that tinlP dall{:hter tml'lts 12
dt'pendant upon it. It mu
t also IUl\-e ht'en near )Jil'ah'

hirthpla('(', JI()resheth Gat/t, i.e. )Jllre
heth of Gath, whieh in
S. .Temme'..;13 tinw was" a small \"illag-c near Eleutheropolis,"
(Bethg-abrin.] Of (;ath it"clf, S_ Jcrome "ays, "14. It is onc
(If the fixe eitit's of Phili
tia, ncar the eont1nes of Judea. and
now too a very large \"ÏUa
e on the way from Eleutheropuli

to Gaza." Eusehiu" sa\"
15, "about the .?th mile
tf)ne from
Eleutheropolis to Diosp"olis," rLydda.]
inee the Philistines
carried thc .\rk of God from ..hlHlod to Gath. and thelwe to
Ekmn l6 , it secm
likely that Gath Jay Ilearl'r to _.hhdod than
Ekron. althoug-h neces"arily more inland than either, silH'e
it was a bordcr citv to Judah. The TcI-t's-Safiveh (,OrI'C
-
ponds with these (:onditions, l)-ing- at the entrånee of the
Shephëlah, ahout 5 milc
frum Beit-Jihrin on the road to
Lydda, I Ludd.] It" 17 rises ahout WO feet above the Eastern
ridg-e whieh it tprminatcs. and pcrhaps :!:JO m.t'r the plain
whi('h t('I'minate
its \\' estern ba!'c. The ruins and suhterra-
nean I"e
en"oil's
hew that it is a site of high antiquity, g-reat
strcngth, and importanl'e." Gath had at this time probably
heen taken hy rzziah who broke dowlI it
1l'a1l 18 ; and sinec
it is not mentioncd with the other four Phili
tine cities, ,,"hose
Sl'ntelwP is pronounced by .\mos 111 him
clf, Zephaniah 20, and
Zcehariah 21. it i
prohahlc that it ne"er rel'oyercd.
Be tllt'y hetter than these kill
doms ? The Prophet seems
PUI"P{)
ely to say h'",s than he mi
ht. in ord('r that his hear-
er" mitrht ha'"c to !<upply the more. Calneh, Hamath, (;ath,
had Ilot hcpn more g-uilty ag-ain!'t God than Ephraim, yet pro-
bahly they had aU been ('onquered: Gath h," Judah; Hamath
by I
rad 22 him!'elf; Calneh by Assyria. Both Shalmanubar

1
o
. S'juire, i.I} Walpole )1 em. 3

-5, 2 Seetzen puts them at 250.
achlass, i.

3-1". m Rltt. X
ll, 10!:!.. Burckh
rdt(Syri8.146.) says, "about a dozen" supply thl' city
It_elf. 3 S'lUlre, I, c. . dt le""t I
feet," Burckh.1. c. 4 Thomwn, The Land, ii, ::!ï8.
· ßurckh. l-J7. fi Jos. Ant. I. ß. 2. S.Jer. Qu. in Gen. x. 15. 7 Ritter, 1033.
e Abulfeda. 9 Burckh..rdt, lb. 10 ::! Chr. xi. 8. 11 2 Sam. ,iii. 1.
romp. 1 Chr. x,iii. 1. 12 :-:'.:
1 Chr.lb. 13 Præf. ad ì\lic. 14 In !\lie. i. W.
1;; v.. I.';
(in J08hua) where he ex{>lains it to bl' the place where the Enakim dwelt, i.e.
the Pluhstme Gath. Under" the lmgs" v. r.øeà, " '" hither the Philistines remo\ ed Ihe
Ark from AS!Idodt he savs, .. t
ere is yet a very la\'f!e vill
e called Giththa. on the road
between Ant.patns and )amma. And another, Geththaim." This. which Eusebius
fou!l
{>robably in some other authority. wonld make Gath the most
orthenI of the
Philistme to" ns, and near the sea, "hich is inconsistent with its being near -'Iorcsbeth

and
hama
iva cnnqucred in ßahyillnia 1!3: ëlJHl Shama"iva
"2
dcdares that he tonk ahovt' :!OIJ town
" in Haln-Ionia.
AnlO
. then, uphraids Israel for their ing-ratitude, hotli a
to
the orig-inal g-ift of their g-ood land, and it
f'llIltinuanee. The
Heathcn had !'uffert'd; tile!!, the (!:uiltier, had bel'n sIJared; ) et
still thcv at'ted no othcrwise than the!'c Hcathen.
" 25 "'"hat
pacious, what wide hord('r havc we. houndlt'"s
a" the life of(h,d nnd eternity! " "26( hlr hup('s and the hounds
of our hli

arc mea
lIred. not Jike tlwst' of the wllrldh. and
ung-odly, by the limits of a pctty time IIr hy this dllt of ('arth,
hut hy thc boundless spm'e of eternity and of hea,-en; so that
we mar say cllnfidently to the ungodly, l
not our border tI'ider
thcm 'lour border 't"
:i. re that ]Jutfar fliNty. Probably 1('ith (Cl"ersirJ/l27. They
hade that day as it wt're. be g1me. The Hl'hrf'w idiom e
-
prt'

es, how they would put it oft
if they eould; a!" far a!' in
them lay, they as.
if:;lterl a distaltce to it 28, althllu:.:-h they euuld
not remon the day it
elf. The ail da.,! i
that same da.'! of
the Lord, whit'h tht' scoft'ers or mi"hclievers professed to ItJn

for 29. The thou
ht that the Lord ha
a Day. in whieh to judge
man. fret" or fri
htens tlU' irrt'lil!;ious, and tlU'v u
e dit1'crent
wayS to I!;et rid
f it. The
tron
harden thcuiscln'
a
ain
t
it,
listo
t the bclit'f in it, or di
b(
licn it. The wcak a
d '"0-
Iliptuou,.: shut their e
(''' to it. like the hird in the fable. a" if
what they drcad ""mIld cease to be tht're, beeause they cease
to see it,
and cause the seat [lit. the se.
sion, sittiltg J of l'ioleuce to
cmlte near. Th(',- di
mi

('(l the thoutrht ofthe na,- of al'ClHlllt.
in order that they mig-ht !'in u ith ie
s fear. Tlie) put from
them the judg-ment of God, that they might exerci
e viulcnee
OHr His I'reature". )Iel1 do not lmt away tilt' thoug-ht of (;od,
except to im"ite IIi" Enemy into their
oul
. ßut thf'rc" ith,
thcy brought near another seat of l'irJlence, not their OWIl, but
upon thcm. Thcy broug-ht ncar what they wi
IH'd to put
away, the day, in which, throug-h thf' ,-inlelwe of thc A"s
rian
,
(Tod would a'"cng-e tJwir own. "3f L{,t them consider this, wh"
put no hnund to their sins. For the more they uhcy their
own will, the more thev hasten to destrlldion ; and while they
think they drau" nig-h to pleasurcs, they do draw nidi to en'r-
la!'tin
woe!'."
4". TI/((t lie upon heds (i. e. sofas) of il'or.'l, i. e. prohahly in-
laid with ivory. The word llliA"ht, in ibclf, e
prc"'" f'ither the
bed. in whit'h tJwy slept by night, or thc I)h"an, 011 which thc
Ea!'terns lay at tlwir mcal!' ; amlstretch tltemseh'es. lit. are pour-
ed out 3\ stretching- their li
tJe
,.; lcng-th. di
sol\"Cd. uunern'd. in
luxury and sloth. upon their couche'\.l'erhaps und('r an awnillg- 3J :
and eat tlie lambs, prohably fatted lambs S3 , out oftheJioC'k. chu-
!'ell, selected out of it a
the be
t, and cah-es out of tile midst of

and a frontier-town of Judah. lfi 1 Sam. v. 8. 10. 17 Porter, Hdb. 253, 4.
IS 2 Chr. xxvi. 6. 19 i. 7, 8. 20 ii.4. 21 ix. 5. 2-
Seebcl. ver. 14.
23 Cuneif. Inscr. in Rawl. lIer. i. 464. no lb. 406. . 25 Rib. ."5 l:a1"
7; As in :-.;:.: from -,-,: i. q. :--::. In the other place where It occnrs, Is. lxn. 5. It IS
united with batred, "expelled with aversion." In
Kgs. xvii. 21. Cheth. t<.,: is used of
J eroooam dril"Ïng the people a" ay from following God. ::. Th
lorce of:>,
::9 ch. v. 18. 30 Rib. 31 As in Arab. and
) r. In Heb. it is used of a \lne pourinJ;
itself out, in luxuriance, Ezek. xvii. 6. of a curtain overlapping, Ezek. x'tvi.12, 13. of a
head-dress hanging mer, Ezek. x"iii. 15. of wisdom poured a\\a) allligone, Ju. xlix_ 7.
32 ,:;-:p like the Ardb, 'arsh. see Judith xvi. 23. 33 As in Dl"lIt. x"...ii. H.
Ps. x"<X\ii. :!O. IS.ull.xv.9. Jl'r.li. .to.

20-.1

c ]r
[ores T and eat the lambs out of the flock, and
cir. i

. _ the ealn
s out of the midst of the stall;
iï b
:iql

V
;: 5 m That II chant to the S 0l1ll (I of tIle

A
[OS,

viol, fl}l([ inn'nt to tJlcmseln's instruments C IPj[oreS T
of musi('k, n like David; cir. ,Ri.
G That drink II wine in bowls, and " Ò

.
::vt:
of wine.

tile .çtall ; i. e. tlw plaee where they we're tied up (as the word 1
mean!':) to he fattcd. They were
tall-fed, as we say, and these
peopll' had thc be"t dwsen for them.
,,
He shl'u-s how they drml' nigh the seat (!f l'ioleu('e. They
lay on beds or cII\lI'hes of ivory, and t'xpcnded tll1'reon the
IIlIIney wherewith thcir poor brethrcn w('re to he fed. Go now,
I
ay not unto the hou
es of noble..., but unto any hou!<e of any
rich man,
ce the gild('d and workcd ('ouehc
, ('urtains wmT'n
of silk and g-old, and walls eovered with gold, while the poor
uf Christ are naked, shiwring-, shrivellcd with hunp:er. Yct
stranp:er is it, that while this is everywherc, sean'e anywhere
is there who IIOW hlames it. ;"Y{)Il' I sa)-; for there were for-
merly. 'Y f' array,' S. .Amhrose says 3, , wall
with /!,"ohl, men
ye hare. The naked erics hefore your door and you neg-le(.t
him; and are ('areful u'ith what marhle!'õ you clothe your pan'-
ment. The poor secketh money, and hath it not; man asketh
for bread and thy h()r
c ehampeth g-old. Thou delip:ht('st in
costly ornament
, while others have not meal. \\That judg-
Jl1t'nt thou ht'alJcst on thyselt
thou man ofwcalth ! Mi
crahle,
who hast power to kecp so many soul" from dcath, and hast
not the will! The jewel of thy rin
eouhl maintain in life a
whole population.' If sueh things are not to be blamed now,
then neitllt'r were thcv formcrlv."
5. That chaut to' the l'o;ce 'of the (lIre, accompanying' the
t'oice of the (lIre with thc human voice, g-idn/!," vo('al cxpre
sion
and uttcranee to what the instnllllental ulU!'õie 1'poke without
words. The word, whieh Amo,.; alone Hses in this one plaee,
describes probably 4, a hurried flow of unmeaninp:, uneon-
sidcred words, in whi('h the rhythm of words and music was
every thing, the sen
e, nothing; much like most glce". The
E.l\I. "lJlun-er" has also !'iomc t'(Hmdation in the root, hut docs
lIot suit the idiom so wt'll, which express('s that the a(.t was
sonwthing- done to tile l'oiceof tIle (lire, a('eompanyinA' the n11l-
!;ie, not altcrinA' the llIusie it
df. In faet, they would p:o tog-e-
ther. .\n artifieial, effcminate musk whi('h should relax the
soul, frittering- the melody, amI di:-;pladnA' the power and ma-
jesty of divine harmony hy trieks of art, and p:iddy, thought-
less, heartle
!'i, soullc...s ver!òifying would be nH'et eompany.
]}c1)a
ed musil. is a mark of a nation's deeay, and pronwte!'i it.
The Hchrew mU!'iie set'ms to hel\'e bCl'n ,-ery
imple; and sing-
inp: appears to hel\'1' heen rescrved almost exelusively for so-
Il'llln ot'('asions, the Templc-sen'iee, or the /!,"reetinA' of \'ie-
tory 5. Singing melt (lml singing 1l'omell were part of the
state of Da\'id and Solomon 6. Else the music at the teast
of
the rieh appears rather to be mentioned with blame 7. SonA's
tllI'Y had 8; hut the sonp:s, for which the Hebrew exile!< w('rc
cdehrated, and whieh their ßab)-]onian mastcrs re(p1Írpd tht'm
to sinA', the songs of Ziou 9 , wcre the hymns of the tpmple, the
Lord's song.
(llld Ì111'cnt to tltemselt'es in.çtrll1nellts of musir. The same
pRins, which David employcd on music tô the honor of God,

I i'
"'

Rib. 3 de l'abuthe, c. 13. 4 The central meaning of the Arabic root is
ce anticipating another; II then hurry, neglig-ence, excess, inadvertence in act, and, ill
speech, exaj:"
eration in praise, and( conj. iii.) .. got the first word," .. spoke precipitately,
the tongue outrunning the sense." A]m'] 'Valid applies this last meaning, that" they
poured out words and measured out defilements." He says also that the corresponding
Arabic participle is used of those .. who extemporise poetry, i. e. sing extempore without
thought." See the Arabic in Ges. S 1 Sam. xviii. 7. 6 2 Sam. xix. 35.
Bcel. ii. 8. 7 Is. v. 12. xxiv. 9. 8 Pro xxv. 20. 91's. exxxvii. 3, 4.
10 I t is connnonly used v. ith abstn:.ct nouns as :-"'::.-.::-,,:, ,;,,:;
-, i"N,
":T
. ót',.-ices, evil, va-

they emplop'd on their lig-ht, cIH'lTating-, UllIlleaninp: music,
and, if they were in ('arnest enonp:h, justified their in\'entions,
hy the cxamph' of David. 1\11lt'h as ]leol'le han jU!'itified our
deg-radcd, "cnsualising-, innllO(!t-st dam'ing-, hy the rclip:ious
daneing- of Holy S('ripture! The word ('an mean no other
than del'Ì...ed 10. David then did dCl.ise and illl'eut instrllnwnts
ofmu!'iie for the servi('e of God. III.' introdll('ed into th(' Tem-
ple-ser,'ice the use of the string-ed instruments, the kiwlfIr, (thc
(lire) amI the nchel (thc 1/(11]1) in addition to th(' ('ymhals.
\\'hcn('(' thc!'ie, in ('ontra!'it with the tl'ulIIpet!'i, are call('d thf' Ù,-
strwuent... of lJal'Ìtlll. Prulmbly, in adapting- them to tIlt' Tem-
IJle-service, he, in some way, iml'ro\"cd the cxistillA" ill4ru-
ment; having heen, in carly youth, remarkahle for his skill
upon tht' hal")J 12. As he ele,'ated tIn' ehanU'ter and powers uf
the, perhaps rude, instrument whil'h he found, and fitted it tu
tht' !;cni('e of timl, so the
e men refincd it douhtlc
s, as they
tlwu/!,"ht, and fittt'd it for the
erviee of luxury and
'cn!'iualitÿ.
nut what harm, they thoup:ht, in amending the musie of
their day, sinee so did D<n"id?
6. That drink tl'ille ill howls (lit. as E.l\1. drill!." ill hOlt,ls.
lit. sprinkling l'essels, of ll'illl'.J The word i!'i ch.ewhere u!'icd
only of the lunl'i..., out of whidl the blood of the !'ial'rifiee was
sprinkh'd. Probahly Amos was rctcrring to the fir!<t oftcl"Ïng-
of the Prin('es in the wilderne
s, with whom he had already
taeitlv eontrasted the!òe Prim'es 13. TIIl'11 had shewn zeal t'(,

God i'n oftt'ring' the ma1'sÏ\'e silver howls 'for the scrvil'e of the
taherna('h': the like zeal had thcse princes for the service of
tht'ir own god 14, their hel(lJ. It may he too, (silu'e mishelief
and sl'n
uality are necessarily irre,"ercnt) that they u!<l'd for
their rt','ds ,'es!'ids whieh had at one timt' been employed in
sprinklinp: the blood of their idol-s<u'rifiee
. There wa!< no ad-
ditional desccraticllI in it. The g-old and siln'r vessel,.; of the
Temple wcre eonst'erated by being- offered to riod, hy His hal-
lowing- of the Temple throuJ!,'h His PreSelll't', hy hcing used in
the tn,i('al saerifices. The g-old and sih er, ('reaturt'!ò of God,
w('re dt'sl'('ratt'd by being eml,loycd in idol-wor
hip, of whieh
indced sen,.;uality was a part. Their employment in this lux-
ury was only a eontinuanee oftheir dc
eeration, whieh it did
hut illustrate. It is nothing- inc'l"t'dible, siJl('e among' Chris-
tian
, the ttliltS of the Chul"l'h ha,-e bcen turned into horse-
tr(IUKhs hy seets who di
belicvcd in Bapti!'im. The ycssds
were, probahly, large, silll'l' those otfcred for the talwrnade
weig-hcd ïO shckcl
. Private luxury ,-ied with the fic.titious
sanl.tuar}', whieh aped tht' salH'tuary of (Toel. P('rhaps .-\.mos
would eXI'res!'i the ealJa('ity of thcse ycs
els hy !'iaying-, that
drin!.- ill hOlds of l/'iue. Like swine in the trong'h, they illl-
mcrsed thclllst'lves in thcirdrink, "15 swimming- in mutual swill."

\ll this they did, he expre
scs, habitually. He !'il'eab of
these their aet
in a form eXl'res
ing an ever-renewed l're
cnt,
the putters-of I; the 1!lerS Oil cOl/ches of Ìl'or!!, the Ollt-.çtretched,
tI,e eating, the drillking, lUcn whose lives were spent in nothing

"ify, or with ;, and the inf.; but always in the meaning of "devising," "inventing." It is
usëd of those gifted by God" to devise devices," i. e. as it is explained, to u'ol'k in !fold
and in silt"p,- a1ld ill brass and ill settiJl{! of St01lf'.
. Ex. x'\':xi. 4, 5. It is used also of war-
like machines, and their in'\"entor i as our Engineer, Engine, conIes from ingenium.
An embroiderer, who needed continual invention, is called ::OZ;':-;: his work, the work of
an inventor (see Ex. x."vi.l. E.]\L &c.) S.Jerome's renderjnl(, "like David, they think
th
lt
hëtr

::i

6.':

.oJt'

d"
t'ìl

t l
t
r

";2its

. xvi. If>, ]8, 23.
t3 Hengst, Auth. d. Pent. p. !IV. see alJ. p. 152. .. I'llil. iil. 19. I. Thomson, Autumn.

C HBj{oíes T anoint
cir. 787.

the

CIL\PTER '
I.

20.3

tht'mseln'

with

l'hier uintments: 0 hut they arc not gric,-- C 1?}[orS T
o Gen. 8i. 25. cir. ;
ï.

thecatillf:. thedrillkillg, men whn
e lin
s WCrt'
I)ellt illllothiug
elsc ; the voluptuarie..., sell
lIalists, ..
ood-fdlows" of I
rael.
alloint tlteillsdus ll'Ítll the ('//Íef ointlJlellts. .\lIl1illtill
the
bOth- was a
ort of ne('es
arv 1 in the hot climatc of the Ea
t,
for hodily health. ...Yot to <
noillt the hmly wa
the exeeption,
a
in lIlourning- 2 . nut lIeccs
arie
bec'ollle a n'hiclf' for luxnry.
For health, olh t'-oil suffieed3. }<'or the serVÍc'e of (;0(1, a rÌC'h
ointment wa
appointed. to whieh odorous
ubstallce
, myrrh,
eÎnnallll)n, the oduriferous rc'cd, and ('as
ia" g-ave a scent emble-
matic of the frag-ranc'e of holim'...s. In order to scparate what
wa!< sU'I"NI from ordinary uSC!', God forbade, on pain of death,
to imitate this ointment, or pOllr it Oil tlte jlesh (!f mall 6.
Luxun- vied \\ ith reli
ion, ami took to itself either the same,
or oint'lIU'nt more co...tlr. Tiley anointed theJJlse{,'es 1,'ith tlte
cldff [kind] of ointllleJlts 6 ; thosc' whic'h held the fir
t, hig-hc!<t
rank anlllng- them. ]\" othill
bf'tter or so g-ood wa
left for
what thcv thoug-ht to be the sCl"\'Ïce of God, as, in times a lit-
tle past, 'any tJ;ing- was thoug'ht g-ood enoug-h for a Church,
nothill
tuo good for a dwelling-hou
e. Gor
eous adornments
IIf ma;l 's IH
u
e wcre thou/!,'ht
1)lcndour au
1 good tal'ite and
fit employmellt of wcalth; ;;light adornment of the house of
God was tllCIug-ht supcrstition.
Bilt [.1 ml] they are not griel'ed [lit. griel'e 1I0t themsell'es 7,]
admit no
rieF, shut out all
rief, .for the 'ftflictiou. lJit. hreach]
of Joseph. The name of the Patriarch. Ephraim's father,I'e-
called hi,. ,.uffèring from his brethren. 8Hi
brethren east him
into a pit fl'it/wut 1l'ater 9, probably an empty leaking well,
(muph a,. was that into whieh Jeremiah 10 was cal>t,) damp,
fctitl, and full of loathsome ercatures. Thev II sa/(' tIle all-
f!lli,çll o.f Ms solt/wllen he besought tht'm, and t
'ould not hear.
ßut what did thev? 12 TllUI sat dOll'll to eat bread. So did
the!<e rieh men de
l with all their brethrcn, all Ephraim. Thev
suff(.rt'tlnot in, or with, any
uft'ering-, prel'ient or future, ofin'-
dh idual
or the wbole. .. Ca
t oft. thou
ht," " ca
t oft' ('are,"
is the mottu of sen
ualists and of the worldly; .. seize JOYOllS
the pn'
ent hour, and It'a,-c the future,"
aid the heathen 13.
This wa" the effct't of their luxurv and life of !'ense. The
Prophet rceounts, they
tretehed' theml'elHs li
tJe;;
ly, ate
eholC'e food, san
g-Jecs, drank deep, anointed themselves with
the v
ry bC's! oin
ment. and grin'ed not thcm!<eln's for any
suffcrll1
s of thclr own fle
h and hlood. It followed, of ne-
ces
ity, from the re
t. Luxury shuts out suffering-, heeause
a?y vivi? knowledgt' of or dwellin/! upon suffering-s must Jl('eds
dl
turb Its ease. Selfish wt'alth per
uades itself that there is
no
uffcrin
, kst it should bc fon'ed to think of it . it ll'ill think
di
tr
...... either too little, 1'0 that it ('an relieVE' it
eìf, or so g-..eat
that It. pannot be relic
'ed; or it will philosol'hi
f' upon distress
anti nnsery a
thoug-h It were bt'st relie,-ed hv it
ownluxurie
.
Any how it" ill not know or hear of its dctail
. it will not ad-
1
1Ït
ricf. "Ii
Iereilcssness is the own daug-htcr ofplea"ure."
1
7'Ms "ll'a,ç tlte iniquify of thy sister Sotlom: pride, flllue,çs of
hread, and cllrele,çs ease Itad she and her dallglders; alld the
lumd,/ fI'e poor alld need!1 she strengthened }lot. "
ee
t thou,"
say
S. (hry
ostome 16, ,. how he hlamcs a dcli('ate lifc? For
in these words he a('c'us{'s not em-etml,.ne
s, but prodi
ality
only. And thou eate
t to exccss. (hri
t uot {'ven for need.
thou '-arious pakcs, lIe not
o much a
dr\' bread. thou drink

e!'t choke wine, hut on Him thou hast no't bCl'tO\
'ed 1'0 much
as a cup of ('old water in His thirst. Thou art on a soft, em-
.,1 :! Cllf 6 xxviiL 15_, : 2 Sal}1. xi!. 2. 3 Dent. xxviii. 40. . Ex. xx'!:. 23-5. 5 lb. x'!:uiii.6. 11 Gen. xlii. 21. 12 x'!:Xvii.25. 13 Hor. 14 Lap. U Ez. xvi. 19. 16 Horn.
3_,3. ::1":-:: ;"'":11" 7
''''';J II' S from Sanct. 9 Gen. 1o.XX,ü. 24. 10 Jer. ,48. in S. Mall. I, ltibera. I
S. :\Iatl. xxii. 2, 1. ,. S. Luke X\. 23, -J. 20 1 Kgs. h'. 23.

hroidcred bed; He is p(.ri,.hing- with thp ('old. ße then the
hanquets f')par from eovctclU
nc

, yet they are ac'('ur..ed,
)J('causc, while thflll doe
t all he\'ClIld thy nccd, to Him thou
/-..;\-e
t Iwt even His need; and tliat, Jiviill!: in lu'\.ury on what
is Hi
."
And yet what was this luxury. which the Prophet ,.0 ('CHI-
cJemns? '\"hat, in u
, wcre
implic'ity. ''"hat !'f'arce any line
thou
ht of dilllini!<hing-, while two million
, c'lo,.(, bv. wen'
wasting- away by famine's horror
;-ehair
or
ofa
iniaid. fat
lamh or vcal; \\ ine; perfumes: li
ht mu!<ic. The most dcli-
eate ing-rcdient of tho!'c perfume
. cinnamon. entcrs into our'
food. .. Loohing at our times," I'ays a "Tift'r at the f'lo
e of
the I (ith eentury Ii, " I marvel at the
parene
s of tll(' anc'ient
,
and think that it would be well \\ ith u
, if any alJon the poor
wcre f'ontent with what were. of old, dclif'adc
to king-s and
noble
. Happy wcre thc
e tim{'!', if they {'ould imitate e, en
what thc prophets blame in noblf'
.-In the Go
pcl, the King
\\110 made a marriage .fea,yt .for lIis S01/ said, I hm'e prppared
.Jly diuner, my U3:en and .fat/iugs are killed, aud all tMugs
are re(u(II; come unto the marriage 18. 'Yhen a fatted mIl
was killed for a fcal't it was thoug-ht the be
t dlcer, as when
.\braham entcrtained .c\nl!:els. or in that feast of the I,'ather
who, when Hc had receh-ed haek His son, said 111, bring Mthel"
the.fattl'tl calf and kill it, alUl let ItS eat alill be mar,lI : for fhili

1I,Y son f('as dead and is aliz'e again. So then the Prophct ac-
('u
es the nohles ofluxun-. becau!'e thev ate fat oxcn and Jamhg.
For the table of Solomõn, the wealtl;ic
t of monarehs, there
were brou
ht fat oxen, am/ o.t'ell out of tlte pa.ytul"es, sheep, be-
sides hal"t ami roehuck {lIId.falloll'deer (1m/fatted .foll'ls 20.
1"-'JZv
whatever i
produecd in l'iea or earth or sky, mcn think to be
horn to satisfy their appetites. '\110 eould repount the mani-
fold fctrms of food and condimcnt
, whieh all-inventing- g-Iut-
tonv has de,'i
ed? Books had to he written; no memon'
sufficed. )n this opean. wcalthiest patrimonies han di"f'hari-
ed themsclve
amI di,.appcared. .Amon
the Romans. Fahiu
,
for devouring hi" patrimony, wa
called (iul"/!:e,. [whirlpool.]
''" cre this the praetice 1I0W, he would have man)" g-reat men
surnamed frolll him, who, poor through g-lllttony, prey on
thc patrimollic
of the poor, retain the property of tllf' ri('h
a
ainst their wills, and Ih'e on what i
anothcr's.-It wel'e little
to con!<U1lle whole patrimonies in luxury, were it not that the
virtues and nen-es of the mind wcre also con!'umed and vi{'e,.
of all sorts crept in.-Shame to t'oPJ the luxury of H('athell,
and despi
e their carf' for maintainin
temperance.-\\' e need
not old examplc!', sueh was the frug-ality of our SlJaniard!<, if)
ycars a
o, beforc they adopted foreip:n manners, that the rich
I had hut JUutton, roa
t and boiled, at their table!', noble,. alone
had llOultry. ". ell wt're it then, that, in matter of food, n e
did only. what the Prophet in his time blalUcd."
pain ha,.
sunk under it
luxury to a third-rate power. "'hat ean a\\ëlit
En
laml? \Yhat ean await it, when the Propllt't's bJame were
prai!'e, and Dins is the pattern and ideal of the f'harity of
mo!'t of us. and luxury. vanity, and sclf-indlllp:ence are held to
be the bC'st way of ministering' to the poor? )Ian-cllous" im-
itation of Christ! " Onec, to .forsake all wa!' to folloll' Chri!<t.
l'mv, to pOS!'t'SS all, heap up all, to eXlwnd nothin
sa, e on
I splf. and to shew mercy 011 the poor by allowing them to mi-
nistcr to our luxurics, i!', aecordin
to the new phìlo
ophy of
wealth, to be the counterfeit of <":hristian eharity.

1\1 III

206

c lí!ots T pd for thp t affliction of .Joseph.
<ir. i8i. ,.,-r Therefore now shall they go cap-
t Heb. breach. tin' with the first that
o captive, and
the hanquet of them that stretched
themsclyes shall he removed.
p Jer. 51. 1-1. 8 P The Lord GOD hath sworn hv him-
Heb. 6, 13,17. .
self, saith the LORD the God of hosts, J

A
IOS,

ahhor q the excellency of Jacoh, and c HB
ores T
hate his pala('es: therefore will I deliver
' i8i._
up the city with all t that is therein. q i
ef.":!
. 21.
9 And it shall come to pass, if there t 1ì

' 7.
remain ten men in onp house, that they

:!"
J.ne..
shall die.
10 .And a man's uncle shall take him up,

í. Therefore now [i. e. shortly] shall tlll'!1 go captire
teith the .fìrst [at the head] of those u'/10 go cap t;, 'e. Thcy
had !'Òought cminent'(.; the)'
hould have it. "1 Yt' who are
fir!'Òt in riehcs.
hall, tht' fir!'Òt, f'ndurc the )-oke of f'apth ity, as
it is in Ezekiel 2 , begill frolll
JJ..'I srlllctuar,,1/, i. e. from the de-
struction of the Temllie whieh is holy. For S might!lllIl'n shall
he miglttit.If tormented; and i, to tl'hom mell hal'e committed
much, of Mill the.If will ask the more."
And the banquet, prohahly, the screech. The root, radsakh,
whose eon!'Ò(IIHlIlts contain Illost of those of onr screedl, !<igni-
fies the loud sharp ery, whic'h the mind c'annot eontrol, either
in re,'clry or distress. Hf'rc it i
J,,'obahly, thc drunkt'n
scream, or rcckless ery of revelry, who!<f' sensclc!'Òs shrilhle!<s
is more pierc'ing, in its way, than the Sf'ream of distress, of
whif'h J('rcmiah 5 Uses it. For it is the !<('ream of tlU' death
of the !'Ò0l1l. Amos seems to havc IHll"}JO!'Òcly joined together
similar, harsh, !<ibilants or guttural sOllnd
, in order the more
to cxpre!'Òs the harshness of that scream of luxuriou!'Ò self-in-
dulgcn('e.
JIirdsakh serlikhilll, the screech of the outst1'etched.
Of thi!'Ò he
ays, it shall depart, and for ever. III that t'ery
da.1f all his thoughts perish 6. It !'hall depart; hut by what
5'hould it he rq)laeed to those to whom it was tllt'ir god and
their all? On earth, by siege, pe
tilenee, death or captivity:
after death, hy 1lf'1l to thc unrt'pentant.
R The Lord God. Ht' "'ho alone IS, and '\'110 Alone hath
llOwer, Iwtlt Sll'OI"ll b.'l Himself, lit. by His soul; as our se{(
eomes from the samc root as SOil I. "1 So God ...aith in I
aiah í,
YOllr new moom mul your appointed fcasts
lIy soul Imteth ;
not that God hath a soul, but that He !'lwaks aftcr the way
of human fedings.
or is it an\' marvel that He eondeseelUls
to speak of Hi
nsdf, as hcl\'in
a !'md, !<eeing He speaks of
Himself a5' having thc other members, feet, hands, bowel,.,
whieh élre less precious. than the soul. In God the Father,
the head, hands, and the rc!<t are not mcmht'r!'Ò, but ùy tllt'se
words a diversity of power
is expresscd. So al
o hy the soul
is intended not a suhstanee, hut the inward affeetions, and the
seat of thought whercby God indicates His "ïll." In truth,
it is one and the same condesf'ension in Almighty God, to use
of Himself any words takcn from our nature, our thought,.,
arts, ft'elings, a
those taken from the memhers of the hod\'. It
is a ,-et g-rcater eondesecn!'Òion that God should eonfirin the
trutl; of His word hy an oath. For tl'e eall God to witness,
lest, hy reason of tht' \ël!'Òt reign of falschood among' men, we
should be thought not to speak true. ßut for God to act as
though He needed the assuranr(' of an oath in ordt'r to be he-
lieved. is more eondt'scending, than for Him to speak as though
Hc had a soul or limbs, sueh as He gave to man. Yet God,
8 .willing more alJlwdalltt.1f to shell' UI/to the heirs of His promise
the imlllutahilit.1f of His counsel, cOI!/irmed it hy an oath. He
S1l'm'e b.1I Himself sa.lfilll[. surely Messing I u'ill Mess thee.
þ.
ow, when Israel had, hy apostacy, forfeited that blessing,
and a portion of it was to be withdrawn from him, God af-
I S. Jer.
ix.6. 3 Wisd. vi. 6. 4 S. Luke xii. 48. · xvi. 5. s Ps. cxlvi. 4.
; i. H. 8 Heb. vi. 17, 13,14. 9 Am. viii. 7. 10 Ps. xlvii. 4. II Lev.

firms hy an oath that rejection of h.racl. If the words, h.l/
His soul, are emphatif', they relate to those attributes in God
of whieh man's holy atfe(,tions are an imag-e. God's love, jus-
tiee. righteousne!'Òs, holines!-, were f'oncerned, to vindirate the
opprcs!'Òcd and punish the oppressor. To these He appeals.
Our oaths mean, .. As God is true, and as He avenges untruth,
thi!'Ò whieh I say is true." So God 5'ays, "As I am (.od, this
is true." God then nlUst ecase to bc God, if Hc did not hate
oppress.ion.
I abhor the e.Tcelll'1lcy of J'lcoh. The word e:J:Cellency
is used of the l\J ajp!'ty of God Himself; thcn, !'ince man's re-
lation to God is his only real greatnt'ss, God speaks of Him-
self as the E:t:cellem:'l of Jacob 9; then of that excellelll"!f whidl
God had g-iven to Jarob 10. That e.l'cellenl"!f of their strength,
Hc had forewarned them in the law, that He would hreak n,
Xow that I!'Òrael took as. his own what he held from God, his
e:t:cellelll'.1f bt'('ame pride 12, and God says, I ahhor it, as a thiug'
loathsome and abominahlc, alld !tate lti.ç 1mlflces. For they had
heen built, adorned, inhahited, filled with luxury, in thc mid!'Òt
of, and out of, oppression and hard-hearted eXëu,tion. He calls
them Jat'ob, perhal'!<o as Hosea does 13, to remind them of the
pm'ertyand low estate of their forefather, out of whieh God
had rai!'Òed thcm, and the faithfulnes,.; of their forefathcr in it,
in contrast with their luxury and unfaithfulness.
Therefore [A lid] 1 tl'ill de/h'er up; originally, shut up 14,
then, shut up il/ the hands 0.(15, so that he should have no es-
cape. Here, where thc cnemy is not spoken of, it ma) mean,
that God shut up the cit.'!, 5'0 that there shoulrl be no
oing
out or eominl' in, in the straitness of the !'ieg-e, whcreupon
follows the ft'arful deseription of the ra,-agcs of the pestilenee.
TIle city is, what wa>; to them, above others, the city, tht' plaet'
of their luxury pride and boast, where lay their !'trength,
Samaria.
9. If there shall remain tell men. Hc prohahly still de-
nounees the puni
hment of the rieh inhahitants of the palaees,
sinee in thcm only, of old, would there be found tell men. They
died, it scems, at onee, and so prohably throug-h the plague,
the common companion of the siege. The Prophet had before
f'olllllClred them to Sodom. It may be, that, in this mcntion
of tell men, he taritly refers to the history of that destruction.
Then God promised: not to de!'Òtroy the ëity, if there were ten
righteous in it 16. Here wert' tell left, not in one ('ity, hut in
one house. Had God forgottcn His Im-ing-kiruhlt'!<s? 1\0!
but, in Samaria, not even ten who remained orer, and so had
sun'hoed after the ehasti!'t'ment had beg-un, turned to God. All
then wcre to be taken or de
troYed. The miseries of its threc
years' sie
e by Shahllaneser mclY be filled up from those of its
earlier sicge hy ßenhadad 17, or from tho!'Òe of J erusa[em. Tht'
!'utfcrings of a 5'it'ge are ill proportion to the obstinat'Y of the
defcnee; and Samaria resi
ted tor twiC'e the time in which Jt'-
rusalem was rcdueed by famine at its first eapth ity.
10. And a man's uncle-and he that burnetlt him-lit. and
xxvi. 19. 12 hence ,.1<,
u
ed of pride Pro xvi. 18. &c. 13 xii. 12. 14 Lev. xiv 23.
xiii. 4, 5, &c. I. wiùi"f'
or (Am. i. 6, 9.)
. 16 Gen. xviii. 32. 1; 2 Kgs. vi. 24-29.

CHAPTER \YI.

207

Defore
CHRIST
cir. i
i.

and })C that hurneth him, to hrin
out the
bones out of the housf', and shall I'ay unto
him that i.t; by the sides of the house, Is
t},ere yet (UI.'I with thee? and he shan say,
1\0. Then shall he 'my, r lIold thy tongw':
· for II we may not make JI}('ntion of thl'
naulP of the LORn.

II Fur. lwhold, t the l.oRD commandeth, C 1?í!otS T
U and }it' will smite tlu-
n'at house with
r. ;

II hre<U'ht's, and tll(' little house with defts. : !
i3.5:5.11.
12
í
hall horses run upon tht' ro('k? II
:
ping..
will IIIl(' plow t/'l'l'(' with UXt'n? for x ye'

i.

. 4.
have turued jll(I
lUent into
all, and the
fruit of rig'htpuusne!ols intu }it'mlUf'k:

r ch. 5. 13.
· ch. 8. 3.
II Or, th'Y
will.."t, or,
halle not.

there sllllll take him up /iis llllde (md !tis Im/'Iler, i. e. his unek not name God's Xame, for ft'ar of bringing frc
h edl upon it-
who, a
hi
next of I.in, had the r'arc of hi
intcrment, wa
!'elf. .\11 these ground
for not naming thc X an\(' of (
(Jd and
him!<cJf the burner. ßl1rial is the natural followin
out of the .)ther'" yet worse, r('r'ur, a
ain and

iÍn, under the },re,.sure
word
, dllSt tllOu art allt/unto du.
t thou sludt returll. The com- of a
t'neral .!OmMen dc
trut'tilln. Sur'h tinl('
hrin
out the
mon I;un in
-plaees, (sur'h a
"e find in tht' history of the Pa- soul tolig-ht, as it i
. Souls n hir'h ha\"e ,.inned away the gra('e
triar('hsf wcre tllf' natural cXl'ressirlll of the belief in the Re- of Gild and are bcyond it
r{'a('h. l'a

urwln'erred amirl the
surr('r'tion. Thr' bodi('s rt'
ted tog-ether, tu be raised togt.ther. thronC"ing" at'ti\"ih' of ordinary life. Thcy arc arre
ted thcn.
The heathen bUrJlcd the hodi('s of Christian martus, and
cat- Thev 'mu'st t'IHIOS
then or Il(';'er. Their illwhang-('rl a,'er..ion
h'red their ashc
in nUl("kcn- of the Re
urr('r'tiOIi 1. The hea- froni God then. un\"Cil
what th{'y had I)('cn hetiJre. TIley
then noti,'ed that it was nUltter of piety with the Jews" 2 to ehuose OIH'e mort'. dcliberatel
, in the fae(' of Grill's judgment
,
bury ratll('r than to hurn bodi{'!<." The only exeel'tirms are the I what they IUI(I hahitually cho
r'lI heforc, and, hy the dreadful
hi40ry IIf Saul, and this pla('e. Both Were ('a
{'s uf emt'rgeney., nakedness of their elwiee of e, il. I)('eome now unmiti:!;atedlv
The men uf Jabe
h-Gilcad dOllhtl{'s
burnt the hodies of Saul e\ it The Prnphct gives one in
tanee of thi
utter mi
cry ,;f
and his StillS 8, for fear the Phili!<tine
mig-ht di
inter them, if body and soul, I)('eause detail uf lIIi
ery
ets the n hole ealalllity
buried, and renew tht'ir insult
ul,on tht'lII. The hraelites more before men's eye
. In one l'i(.turc, they
ee aU. The
....iII buried what wuuld not he di
turl)('d or ('(mid he erlllccal- word
, or what the words impl
-, that, in extreme t'alamity. mt>n
I'd-the hones. David soh'mnly buricd their relllain
in the mcntion not the Xallle of (;od. eome true in different minds
sel'ulr'hre of Kish, Saul's fath('

. So prohably here also, it out of differcnt ('hara,'ters of irrelig-ion.
is mentioned as an ag-g-r<n-ation, that olle who }(I\-ed;; them, had It has also hcen thou/!ht, that the brief answer, hush! dlls-
to IlIIm their hodie
. He dm's not say. why: hut mentions it, es thc dialo
ue. The unele a
ks, is t/lere yet wit It thee? He
as one feature of the ('OlllnlO11 sulferin
. Parent
, hrother
., answers, ..Youe. The othcr rejoinJoi Hush! and the Prophet as-
all, ç:one, a man's un('le wa
his" burner." There was no I Joiig-ns the
roull(l ; for tile lYame of the Lord is 1I0t to be nam-
other interment than this, the mo
t alicn from their affee- led. Ifmen havt' not sou
ht God earlier, thcy have, whcn His
tions and rcJicion. It may have heen on ace(Hlllt of the ex- I hand is heavy upon them, no heart, nor timt', nor thought, nor
treme infeeti(;n. (the openi;,g of a forA"ottt'n hurying--plaee of faith to seek Him.
those who died of the pla
ue of London prOdlH'ed a viru- I I L The Lord commwu[etll and Ill' 1l'ill .w,ite. "6 If Ht>
lent di"ea",(" thouç:h I} ('entury had elapsed) or from the de- cmnmandeth, how doth Hc
lIIite? If Hc smiteth,how doth He
lay of burial, when, death reigning all around, there had heen i command! In that thing whieh lIt' cOTIITl/auds and enjoins His
none to hun- the dead. I ministers. He Himsdf i
seen to .m,;te.-In E
n)t the Lord
lIe wh" i
b!1 the sides, i. c. the furthest part, of the "uu.
e.! dedares that He slew the first-born, who, we read. w{'rc slain
He \\'as the one surviver of the ten, and he too, siek. The I by the de.
tr(J.l/er 7." The brellr/les denote prohahly the larg-er,
(Iue
tion, I.. there yet any u,it" t/lce? enquires whether there I tI,e cleft the
mancr ruin. The greatcr pile was the more
wa
au) (lilt>, alive, to
lIe('our, or dead, to burn? There was I g-reatlv destrll\"ed.
none. .\11, (','en the bodies, had now heen remm'ed; one only 12. Thc two imagcs hoth rcpresent a toil, whid. llIen
remaincd, of all the hum, din, and thronç:. in that abode öf
would eondemn as ahsurd, destrueth-e, a
well as fruitless.
]u
ury, olle nnly ill tIll' e..rtremi(/I of it
untt'nantcd rhamhers. ; The hllrsc's hoofs or his limb
would be broken; the plow-
Prllbabl) the siek man was
oing- to spcak of God. The uneJe [ ing-gear would 1)(' dc!<tro
'ed. The Prophet gains the atten-
IJl"eah", in upon his .Xo! \\ ith 111lÛI ! for l('e IIUl.1/ 1lot make //Iell- I tion by the qllc
tilln. "ltat then? thcy ask. The an
wer
tioll (if tI,e
\'mne of tlw Lord, Time
of plague are, with thc I is implicd by the /01', whieh follows. Ye are thcy, \\ ho are
most, times ofrcli
ious dcspair. They who had not feared God I so doin
. As absurd i
it to seck ç:ain from injll
tir'e and 01'-
in tht'ir pr(l
perity, do nothin
hut fear Him tllt'n. Fear, ,\ ith- : pression, to whieh God had annexed loss and \\ oe, temporal
out love, turns man more awa\" from God. He feel
t!ten the I and eternal. More ea!<y to ('han
e the eours(' of nature or
J)l'e
em'e and power of (;or1 ,n;om he had forgotten. lIe 0" n!' the use of thin
s of nature, than the course of (;od's Prm'i-
Him as the Authur of hi
Illiseries; but, not ha\"Ïng- known dencf' or thl' la
\-s of His ju
t retrihution. They had ('hang-cd
Him hefort', he hnows Him now in no other relation. The tlU' I'wcet law
o
ilistice and efluity into the gall of oppn'
sion,
words th('n, for 1lot to be mentioned is the ...Yame of the Lord, I and the healthful/rllit 0/ rigldef)llsue.ç.
, wbcreof they had re-
arc, cry pmbably the voie(' of dC
}laÏl'. ., It i
uscle..
to name ceÍ\'ed the seed from God, into the life-destroying" lJOison of
Bimnon-, ". e did nut name His Xame in life. It is not for liS sin. Bctter to IUl\'e ploughed the roek with O.l'ell for food!
to namc it non-, in d('ath." It miç:ht bc tIlt' n)ir'e of impatient For now, where they looked for pro"'l'erity, they found, not
a\ersion. whieJt would not hear to hear of God. the .\uthorof barrenncss, but death.
its woe; or it mhrht be the ,-oiee of superstition, whkh \\ ould Others 8 understand the qucstion as the taunt ofunbelie\"ers,
2 Tac. His/v

e. g. Ep. Eæl.
'
eS

)
e
d.gd. fin. Eus. H'4 E i S

. xxi. 12-14.

:n::it
f

ï::i

;i;
r

;

h!;ï';e
:
l;
b::' o
ï;i
f

"hj;

a

. ol

:

The name of the uncle is from" love" (-:-:); probably, the one most loved out of the . BOul's love. God. Cant. and Is. v.I. 8 S. J er. 7 Ex. xii. :!=!. 8 Sanct.
1\lm2

208

Before
CHRIST
cir. it)ï.

J:J Ye which rejoice in a thing- of nought,
whit'll say. Have we not taken to us horns
by our own strl'n
th ?
IJ But, lwllOld, y I will raise up against

., Jer. 5.15.

A:\IOS,

you a nation, 0 house of Israel, saith the c J
roÍes T
LORD tilt' God of hosts; and they "han af- cir. ï87.
fliet YOli from the Z entering in of Hl'uw.th. Nu.m. 34. It
unto the II rker of the wildprness. II b
:

I
ÿ.6.;.

trusting in the strcng1h of Samaria, that when horscs !oiLlluhl
run on their rocky eminclu'e. or the oxen pillug-h thcre. then
mig-ht an enemy 1001,; for 'p:ain frum inve!oitinl!," the hill of Sa-
maria. "Shall things whieh are against nature he don('?"
., Ycs," the Prophet then would answer, "for ye have done
against nature yourselves. Ye have rlulilged .i",
ti('e, the so-
lac'e of the opprt'
sed. illtu 1('orl/m'ood, the hitterne
s of Oppl'C
-
sion. ". ell may what y(' think abm-e the laws of physic'aIlla-
ture bc done, when ye have violated the laws of moral nature.
". ell lIIay the kss thinp: be dllne, your deiStruction, sceure as
by nature ye seem, whcn ye ha"\'e done the greater, violatinp:
the law
of the God of nature." Amos, however, when he
rt'fi.'rs tll the sayings of the unbclie,'ers, distinguishes them
from hi
own.
13. TT7/() rlfÏoice (lit. ti,e r
íoicers! Amos, as is his wont,
speaks of thcm with contempt and wonder at their foll
', tlte
rçjoir'ers! mueh as we say, the eowards! tIle rcncp:ad('!" !) ill
a tltil/{( (
fl/(JlIght, lit. alwll-tltillg, (1/0-u'ltit, 1Wllgltt) not merely
in a thing "alucle
!', but in a IIO/l-tlti/l,!f, that has no existt'ncc
at all, as nothing has any !<uhstantial existence out of God.
This 1/O/I-tltil/g \Va" tJwir power, !"trcnl!th, empirc. whic'h
thcy thoup:ht they had, hut whic'h was soon to shrivel away
as a srroll.
TT'llÍch .m.lf, (as before. t/IC S(f.'leI's! they who have thi
!-tlY-
ing hahitually in thcir mouth;) IUll'e u'e 1/ot taken tu ollrselzoes
horl/,ç r The horn is the wcll-knCl\nl snnboJ of!<trenl!:th whieh
repels and tos!'es away what opposes it, as the buÌl doth its
assailant.
\Io!'es. in hi!' ble!'sinl!:. had u!'ed this !oi\"mbol, of
the stn.n!rth of th(' trihe of .Iost'l;h, ami, a" being
; blessing,
he sJ'oke' of it, a!' the !rift of God 1. His gI01:1f is like the.first-
ling (
f },is Imllm'k, and /âs 1t01"1lS (fre LiT.-e the IlOms uf Imtfi.tlo,ç ;
1l1itll tltem he shall puslt the people together tu the ends uf thr:
carth ; al/d the.1f (fre the ten tlwll.wmds of Epltraim, ((1/(1 they
are tlte tTlOlls(JJuls of Jlana.
seh. To this hlessing, douhtlcss,
Zedpkiah the falsc prophet referred 2, whcn he lIIade him IlOrns
(
f iron, al/(l said to .\Itab, Tlms saitlt tlte Lord, 1l.ith tltese shal!
tlwll j1llslt the ")ll'i(fl/s, untU thou I/((st ro/(su/Ilerl tl,em. TIle
Psalmi"t said, tit rough Thee u'il/we lm.çh down 01(/' enemies, as
with a horn 3; and add!", Fu,.lll'illnot trust in 111.1/ hUll', neitllt,,,
sltall 1II.1f ,m'ord Sll1'l' me. Fol' TItOll Iw,
t ,
lll'ed IlS from uw'
enemies. Israel asnihecl Gucl's !rift to himself. Hc had heen
reJ'eate{lly and grcatly victorious; he had eonC}uered c\"Cry
enemy, with whom hc had of old heen at strifp; hI' aseribed
it to him!'t'lt
and furft'Ítell it, lJ.'I our uwn .çt/"l'Jlgtlt. he said,
in!'tearl of. h.1f the help uf (;orl ; as if we were to ascribe our In-
dian detories to our /!,'enerals or our armies, amI to substitute
self-praise for Te Demlls on days of thanksg-iving-.
"
The siuuer n:.ioicetll in a liOn-tiling. Sin is a Iwn-t//Ínl{
I) as beinp: a thing of ncmght, i. e. vain and valuele!ois. 2) Its
pleasure is flceting-; whenee the Psalmist !'ays 5. all tlte men,
1l'íwse hal/ds are might.ll, IWl'efmmd uotltiul{. :i) Sin hrings the
sinner to nothing. i.p. destruc,tion and death, temporal and eter-
nal. 4) Sin is tllP privation of g-ood; hut privation i!< a mt're
nC!rative; i. e. nothing. 5) Sin del)rÎ\'es of God Who is All and

1 Deut. xxxiii.17.
2 1 Kp:<. xxii. 11. Henw:t. Amh. d. Pent. i.lOI. 131. 3 r.:;:: Ps. xliv. 5-;.
Vi:'
.OIll
aìb. 16." l'
glÌ

x

vii.

. See ab i1 p il!.:. x/lorn. X1
i'S
;Luke :,.1[irü:

the Creator of all. 6) Sin i
nothing, bepaus(' it deans to and
joys in creaturcs and o})I'osPs them and pr(.fers them to the
l:reator. For ereatures, eClll1lJared to thc Creator, are sha_
dows of things, not the "cry thinp:!', and !'o are nothinp:. For
thc Being and name of God is, I ...\:\1 That I A:\I 6, i. e. T Am
He 'nw .\Ione hU\'e true, full, solid, dernal, infinite, Being-.
hut CTeaturel!' partieipate from l\Ie a !'hadow of their true be:
ing; for their being" is so poor, brief, fleeting", unstable, Jwrish-
in
, that, eompared to l\Iine, they may rather he t'aid. not to be,
than to be. So tht'n as ercatures have no true bcing',
o nei-
ther han' they true good, hut only a !'hadow of good.-So al-
t'o as to truth, wis(lom, power, ju!'tic'e, holiness and other attri-
butcs. These have in God their real being; in ereatures a
ha-
dow of bein
only. \\'henc'p (;od is ('ailed in Sc'ripture .\IOIlC
\\Ïse 7, Alone :\Ii!rhty 8, Alone Immortal 9, Alone Lord 10, .\lolJe
Holy 11, Alone Good 12; beeause He Alone ha" truc, full, Ull-
created and infinite \\ïsdom, Power, Goodne!<s, &c. ßut thc
sinner, in that he deli/!,'hts in ereatures not in the Creator, de-
lig-hts in a shadow, a nothing, not in tht' true Dcin
. But, ht'-
eause the!<e !'hadows of creature:; amid tbe dimne:-s of this life
appear great to man in his blindness, (as the mountain!;, at
Sllnset, cast broad and d(.cp !oihadows.) hc admircs and pur!'ue!';
the!oie
hadCl\rs, like the do
ill the fable, who, sceing' the sha-
dow of the meat in the water, magnificd in the "'ateI', !.;natch-
c.d at it, and so lo
t the lllcat and did not attain the !<hadow.
o Lor'd' di!oipel our darkncss, lighten our ere!', that Wf' may IO\'e
and seek, not the
hadows of honors, ric'hes, and l,leasures,
whieh, likp meteors, dazzle hcre on earth our mind's eye, but
may, with fixed gaze, behold, love, and ('OlllpaSs the real ho-
nor!', riehe!<, pleasures themselvc!<, whic'b Thou hast from eter-
nity laid up and prcpared in heavcn for those wholm't' Thee."
14. Rut [.For,]-it 1('as a non-thing, a non-cxistent thing-,
a phantom, whereat they rejoieed ;-fur hehold I raise up alUl-
tirm. God is said to raise up, when, by His Pruvidcnef' or
His g"raee. Hc eall!' forth tho!oie who had not bt't'n ealJcd be-
fore)or the offiec for whieh lIe designs them. Thus, He rais-
ed up judg'es 13, delh'ercrs H, prol'ht'ts 15, Nazarites 16, I'ricsts 17,
kinl!:S 1", calling eaeh spparately to pcrform what Hp !rave
them in ehar/!e. So He is said to 1'aise up even the e,-il minis-
ters of His p:ood '''ill, whom, in the C'ourse of Uis Pl"CIvidcnee,
He allows to rai!oie themselves up aloft to that cminence, so of-
ten as, in fulfilling their own had will, they bring- ahout, or arc
examl'lcs of, His righteous judgment. Thus God raised up
Hadad a!' ((It adl'ersarl/19 to Sulomon, and ap:ain Rczon
o; and
the ('haldees 21. So again God says to Pharaoh, For tltis hare
I raÙed tl,ee up, 22, tu shew ill thee
Jf.lf power. So here He
says, I1('i[[ raise up against you a natioll, and tltlY shall (
f-
.flil't,1/oufJ"011l tlte enterinf( i1/ uf Hall/atlt. Israel, under Jero-
Iwam I I. had reeoycred a wider extent of territoJ"\', than had,
in her Northl'rn portion, belonl:"ed to her since thë better days
of Solomon. Jcroboam 23 re('oz'ered Dama.çclls (fl/(l fla Il/a tit ,
whieh belonged to Judalt, unto Israel. He restU1'ed, as God
llromised him by Jonah, tlte coast uf Israel frullt the cntering
(
f HlIlIllltll untu the Sell uf tlte plain. Tile entering uf Hamath

14 lb. iii. 9-15.
Deut. >.viii. 15.

o lb. 23.

13 J ud. ii. 16-18.
15 Am. ii.n. Jl'r. xxix. 15. and of the Prophet like Moses
16 Am. ib. Ii 1 Sam. ii. 35. Ie
S,un. ,ii. 8. '9 I KI1S. xi. I
.
21 Hab. i. 6. 2
T"",:-::;õõ Ex. ix. 16. 23 2 Kgs. xiv. 2S, 25.

ß,r.'TC
CHRIST
clr. j!iï.

f'IL\PTER VII.

CHAPTER YII.

209

II ract. 10 Amazi({!t cOlII}J/ai/U,t!t of
1mus. 14..11/10.<; c IPl[o{e
T
ÛIC'lI'l'tlt !tis calling, 16 ami
Jl/la:;,ia!t'sjlfclglliellt. Clf. ï"ï.
] TI,e judgments of tll(' ![msslwppl r.<;, 4 ({lid (!f tll(' I, , L
.fire, are dírnterl 1i!1 tile pra.'ler (!f
ll11os. í /J.'I tile 'l ,I1US hath tl)(' Lord (..Of) sht'wed
1l'U/l of a plllJi/blille is si
llf/icd the n:jectiull of Is- unto mp; ami, hchold, lIP fnrnwd

(,xl'r('!oo
es the utJn(J
t
ortht'rn hmuulary I'rollIi:.wd to J
racll.
But thi;; dm's not in it
elf cxpre
s whethcr I1alllath it!<(,lfwas
Ï/wluded. Hamath however, and even l)ama
('lls it
elf
were
i,woqwrated in the b(lund
of l
ral'l. The then J.,'Tt'at
H'(lIIrl!:e of I:-;rael had he('(IIII(, part of it
:-trength. South-
ward, .\111111(1n and t'H'n .\Ioah, IUIII heen takcn into its hor-
ders. .\11 the (,(lUntn- on the othcr
id(' of J(lrdan was
their's, from I1amath a'nd Hanla!<('lIs to tllf' South of the ])f'ad

ca. a !':pacc ilH'hHlinl!: fOllr d('
r('es of Latitude, a!o: much a

from Port
lIl(Juth to Burha1ll. .\mos dcs('ribeo..: tIlt' extension
of till' kinl!:dmn of I
rael in the sclf-
ame term:, a
the llook
of I\:ing-s; only he name!': as thc SoutlH'rn extremity, the
rit'er of tile ll'iIdl'rlleSS, instead of tlte sea uf t Ite wifrlerlless 2.
Tile sea uf t!le wilderness, i. e. thc Dead Sca, mig-ht in it
elf he
either its l\'"orthcrn or its Sout!wrn extn'mity. The word,
used bv Amos, defines it to 1)(' the
outhcrn. For hi;; ll
e of
tilt' na;nc, ril'eJ' uf tI,e wilderness, illl(llic!< I) that it wa
a
"ell-known boumlary, a houndary as well known to I;;rael on
the South 3, a;; tIle entering ill uf Ilcwwt1, was on the Korth.
2) .\s a houndary rin'l', it must have bcen a river on the East
Clf thl' Jordan, ;;ince ßcnjamin formed their houndary on the
,rest of Jordan, and mountain pas:-;e:,;, llot rivcr:,;, separated
them from it. :i) From its name. ril'eI' of tile wildel'lIes.'!, or the

-Irahall, it must, in :,;mne important part of it;; eourse, lun-e
flowed in the 'Arabah. The '_\rahah, (it i
now" ell known,)
i:,; no otlwr than that deep and remarkable deprcs
ion, now
ealled the (.hor, which extcnds from the lake of (;ennesareth
to the Rcd Sea 4. The Dead Sca itself is called hv l\Ioscs too
tlte sell of the Arahah 5, lyilll!:, a:,; it does, in the middle of that
depre;;siCln, and didding- it into t" (I, the ,-alley of the Jordan
above the Dead S('a, and the Southern portion whieh extends
uninterrupted from the Dead to the Red Sea; and ,,-hieh also
(althoug-h Seripture has less o('('a!<ion to !'peak ofit) Mo
('s raIls
the '.\rahah 6. A river, whieh tt'll from )Ioab into tht' Dead
Sea, without pa!<sing throu
h the Arahah, would not be ('idled
.. a riycr (If the .\rahah " but, at the most "a rin'r of the sea
(If the .\ralmll:' Kow, be
ides tilt' improbability that the name,
tile riNI' of tile Amlmlt, slwuld hm-e hef'n suhstituted for the
familiar !lillllt'!<. the .Arnon or tht' Jabbok, the .\rnon doe!< not
flow into the Arabah at all, the Jabbok is no wav ('onm.('tcd
with ,!ht' Dl'ad Sca, the eorre;;ponding b(lundary in the ßOllk
of Km
s. Thcse were hoth hO\lIldarv-rÏ\'ers, the Jahhol.
having- bc('n the Xortll('rIl limit orwhat .\ioah and .\mllHlnlost
to the .\morite; the Arnon heill
the Xorthern bordcr of
.:\loah. But there is a third houndary-riycr whieh answl'rs
all the eondition;;. :ì\loah was hou:.ded' on the South bv a ri-
,-er, whi,'h Isaiah ealls the brook of the u'iIlUll'S, Xahal Iia'ara-
'
im 7, iU'ro,,!< wl!ieh ht' foretcll!' 'that they should transport
tOl' safety all wIndt they had of value. .A rin'r, now ('ailed in
it:,; upper part the "'mli-d-.Ahsa, and then tllf' "'adi-e!<-Safif'll,
whieh now too '" has more watcr than any South of the Y crka "
r.Tahhok] "divides the distril,t of IÙ'rek ti'om that of JebiÙ,
the ancient Gchalene," (i. e. .\Ioab from Idumæa.) This rh-er,

1
urn. xx-.:iv. 8. : 2 f
.s. ::::::: ::::J

::

::=

_
Th:s" altogethf'r e"cIu
es thd Kid;

!'(\\hich' G<,s
lIi-;'
would make it.) Indeed the
KlIlron 18 I)no b
rder-rlver at all, flo\\mg will';.. Judah. 2) It does not belong to the
Arabah at aB, flowmg from J t'rusalem, mostl) through deep peq1el1llicular deliles, to the

after flo" in/!." from East tll \" c!-t and ;;0 forming- a Southern
boundary tll
Ioah, turns to the X(lrth in thc (;hor or .\rabah,
and flClws into the S. extremity of the Dead Sea
. This river
then, an!<wf'ring- to all the (';"lIlitinns, i
dnuhtl('
s that of
,,'hieh Anw
:-;poke, and the hmuularv, whit-h Jcroh(lalll re-

ton'd, illdudcd .Moab al
o, (a;; in the" 1II0J't pro
pcrous times
of Israel,) sinef' l\loal,s Southern horder was 110"- hi
horder.
]srael. th('ll, had no cllemy, "'cst (If thc J
ul}hratc:-. Their
...tr('ng-th had also, of late, bcell ÏIJ('r('a!'in
steadily. J t'hoa
h,
had, at thc l'rmlli;;e of Elisha, thri('c defeated the S
rians,
Hnd reeO\-en'd ('itics whieh had Iwen lost, llrohably (III the
\re;;t alsn of Jordan, in th(' h('art of the kingd(llll of Israel.
"'hat .Telwa!<h had beg-un, .JewIJoam]1. durin/!." a reign of
forty nile ycars, ('(lIItinued. ProPhet
had foretold ali(I dcfineù
the
U('('csses of hoth king
, and so had marked them ont the
more t(l be the
ift (If God. I;;rael aserihed it to hilll
elf: and
no\\' that tht'
nemies, whom Israel had feared wcre sub-
dued, (;ml says, 11l'ill rai,<;e up WI ellemy, ami tlley slwll ({f-
.flict tliee frum tI,e ellte1'Í/lg i" (
f llamalli IIl1to ti,e rirer r!f tile
wilderuess. Tht' whole
eene (If their triumphs should be one
seClle of afllietion alld woe. This was fulfilled after S(lllle forty
tive years, at the invasiou of Tig-Iath-pileser.
"II. The visions of this f'hapter f'ontinue the diref'Ì })I"O-
phecy of tlU' last. That el(lscd in the prophe('y of the afllietion
of Israel throu
h the AssHian: this fOl"{.tclls three
radatiolls,
in ,,- hidl it tool\: placc. That spoke of a reeo\'f'ry of Israel af..
t('r its f'xtreme df'pression untlcr lIazacl ; thc first of these vi-
sions exhibit it as a field !<horn to the 1{round, :-;hooting- out
aile"" hut threatened with a frcsh de:-;tructi(ln. The f'ha
tbe-
ments arc three-fuld. TWII, at the interre

inn (If _\mos, stop
short of utter destruetion; the 3rd was final. Eill'h al
o in-
ereas('d in severitv. Sueh were the three im'a!<ion!' of the .\
-
:,;yrians. Pul, im:ited hy
Ienahem, amid eivil war, to e
ta-
hi ish him 011 his throne, eXiu'ted only a hem-y fine. Tig-Iath-
pile!'er, eaJled in by Ahaz al!:aimt Pckah, earried off the in-
habitants of the Ea!'t and x"orth of Israel; the inva..don of
Shahnaneser ended the empire and it
idolatry.
1. ami be/wid Ileformn[ (i. e. IleINlslorl1liJ/g.) Thc very
least thin
s then are as mueh in His infinite l\Iind, ao..: wltat we
eount the. /!."rcatt'st. Hc has not ;;imilly lIIade "law!' flf natm'e,"
as mf>n speak, to do Hi;; w(lrk, and eontilllw thc g-ellcrati(lns
of tilt' world. He Himself was still framing- them, g-Ï\ ing them
heing-, as our Lord saith, Jllil .Father ll'orkdh ltitllel"fo, awl I
u'ork 10. Tlu' ;;anw power òf God is seen ill ereatillg- the 10-
eu
t, as the r nÍ\-erse. The ereature eouId as littlc do the
Oil(' a:,; the other. nut further. (ì"d wa;;fra1J/i/lg them for a
spel'Íal end, not of naturc, but of IIi;; moral goverunwllt, in
the eorre(.ti"ll of man. He was framiug tlte IOCllst, that it
might, at His apP(linted time, lay waste ju
t tho!<e tríH'ts
whieh He had appointed to thcm. (-ìod, in this vi!<ioll, open;;
our eyes, and lets us :,;ec Himself, framing the punislullent for
the d('serts of the sinncrs, that so when hail. mildf>w, blight,
eatel"].iIIars, or some other hitherto unknown disease, (whieh,

Dcad Sea (
ee ab. p. HI.) 3) It falls into t
e W. si

ofthe Dead
ea. not i!:!o i

orth-
ernexlrf'ITuty. 4 Burckh. Syr. 141,:'. Hoh.ll. 186,7. Deut.1\l. I,. IV. 49.
6 lb. ii. 8,9. (translate<ll"ai..) see more fully StRlde
, PaJ. 48ï. 7 Is. "',. 7.
s Burck". lb. /.Ill. 9 :Sf'e Yan de ,- dde's nlllp or Kit'pert'8
in Porter's Hùbook, or Robinson's map. 10 S. John v. Ij.

210

Cl
eftÍeST II grasshoppers in the heginning- of the
eir. ;87. shooting- up of tht' latter growth; and, 10,
U
;;,

en it 'l('fl.<; the latter growth after tIlt' king's
lllowin
s.
2 ..\nd it eame to pass, th"t when they
had made an end of eating the grass of
the land, then I said, 0 Lord GOD, for-
give, I heseech thee: a 1\ by whom shall
J aeoh arise? for he is small.

· Isai. 51. 19.
'"er.5.
II Or, u,ho
of (or, for,)
Jacob shall
stand 1

AMOS,

3 b The LORD repented for this: It shall C JífoIS T
not be, saith the LORD. eir. 787.
J
Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed b

.32. 31\.
unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD call-

:.\
i

'
ed to contend by fire, and it devoured the
great deep, and did eat up a part.
5 Then said I, 0 Lord GOD, eease I he-
seeeh thet': e by whom shall J aeob arise? ver. 2,3.
for he is small.

bt'f'ause we know it not, we ("all by the namc of the ("rop whil'b
it annihilates,) wa
tc our crops, 'H' lllay think, not of sCI'on-
dary causes. but of our Judge. "I Fire aud h([il. .mOlI' ([/l(I,'a-
Jmlfl's, storm.lf I('iud, fullil His ll'ord 2 , in strikin
sinner:o; as lIe
wilk To be indignant with thcse, werc like a dop: who hit
the stone whf'rcwith it wu!< hit, instead of the man wIlli thre"-
it." "3 lIe who df'nies that he was stri('ken for hi
own fanlt,
what does he but aeeust' thf' ju
ticf' of Him "Tho smiteth?"
gJ"Clsshoppers, i. e. loeusts. 'l'hc namt' mar ,'err pO!'õsihly
be derin'd from tIU'ir creeping 4 simultaneously. in vast mnlti-
tudc
, from thf'
round, whil'h i
thf' more oh...ervahk in tI)('
e
crl'ature!<, whieh, wht'n the warmth of spring hat('he
tbe
ep:p:s, f'reep forth at cl1lce in myriads. This first meaning- of
their name lllust, howe\'cr, ha\'e been ohlitt'rated br use (as
mo
tly haPl'clls) since the word is also used by
ahum of a fly-
ing 10f'u,.;t ã.
The king's mowings mus;t have bcen
ome re
alia, to Illt'et
the state-(>xpen
es. '1'1lf' like custom
tilllin
ers on, here and
there among" U!', the .. fir
t mnwth" or "first vcsture," that
with which the fields art' fir:o;t dad, bclon
ng to one per!'nn;
the pa!'tura
e aftern-ard!'Õ, or "after-gra
s," to other,.;. The
hay-harvcst probably took plac'e some time befnrc the corn-
han'est, and the latter gmss, after-
rass, (Ieke,;;h) prnbably be-
gan to sprinl! up at the time of thc latter raill (malkn",h). Had
the I!ra
s het'n mown after this rain, it would not, ullder the
burnillp: ,.;un of their rainlc

summer, hm-e "'prunp: up at all.
At thi,.; time, thcn, ulJOn n-hiC'h the hope of the year dqJcncled,
ill tIle bi'ginuing of tlte shooting IIp 0/ tIle latter grasJJ', .\mos
saw, ill vision, God forlll t]l(> loeust, and tlte greeu herh of the
land, (the word inC'ludes all, that n-hic'h is /or tIle serz'ice (
f
'/lUlU a
w('U a!S for heast
,) de
troyed. Strikinp: emhlcm of a
state, reeoH'ring after it had bcen mown down, and ancn- O\'er-
run hy a nU1llt'rous enemy. Yet thi
necd but be a ptls!<in

dc,.;olation. "Touhl they abide, or would they C'arry their ra-
yages elsewht'rc? Amos intereedes with God, in word
of that
first interct'.,;sion of .:\Iose"" fm:t.;Ï'l'e IWU' 6. R.lf ll'II01/1, he add""
sl(((ll.Jacuh ari.
e'? lit. 117m .
/Ulll In('oh arise? i.e. whn is hc
that hc ...tumld arise. so wcakened. so half-dc
troyed? Plainly,
the de,.;trllf'tion is more than one in\'a",ion of 10C'u",ts in one
year. The loeusts are a symbol, (as in Joel,) in like way as
the fnllon-ing ,-i",ion", arc symbols.
3. The'Lord I'l'pentl'lífor this. God is sai(l tn repellt. to
hal'e strong compassion Up Oil or ol'er 7 c,-il, n-hit'h Ht' ha
eithcr
infliC'ted B, or ha,.;
aid that He would infliet 9, and which, upon
repentance or IJraycr, lIe su!'pends or ('hcC'ks. Here, .\mos
dne
unt intereedc uutil aftt'r the jud/..'1nent had been, in part,
inflicted. He prayed, when in ,'ision the loeu
t Iwd made WI elld
0/ eating the gra.
s of the land, tlnd when the/ire had eatellllp II

1 Lap. 2 Ps. exhiii.8. 3 S. Greg. on Job L. xxxii.
. 4. L. 4 from the Arab.
jabaa. . See Pref. to Joel, p. 99. 6 I\nm. xiv. 19. 7
, :::-:
8 Dent. xxxii. 36.
I Chr. xxi. 15. 9 Ex. x"-",,ii. 12. Joel ii. 13. Jon. iii. 10. Jer. xviii. 8. 10 Job

part. Nnr j until I
rael had suffered what these visions fnretoM,
was he small, either in his own or in human sight, or in rt'la-
tion to his p:encral condition. The this then, 0/ u'hich Gud
repellted and
aid, it shallilot he. is that further undefincd evil,
which Hi,.; first infliction thrcatellt'd. Evil and deeav do not
die out, hut destroy. Oppn'!<sion doe<; not. wcary it"self out,
but increa
es. Yi
itations of God arc tnkens of His displt'a-
sure, and, in the order of His Ju
tic'e, re
t on the sinner. Pul
and Til!lath-pilc
er, when they eame n-ith their armies on Is-
rael, were in
trument
of (iod's cha...tenin
. .\e('ording to the
ways of God'", Justif't', or of man's ambition, the evil bcg-un
would haw cnntinued, but that God, at tlU' prayer of the Pro-
phet, said 10, flitl,erto shalt tholl ('ome, and 110 fllrther.
4. (;od called to contend h.'l./ire; i. e. He called His pcople
to maintain their eause with Him b.'l./ire, as He says ll, f 7l'ill
plend in judgmCIlt with him [GogJ 7l'ith [i. e. "./1] pestilence and
Mood; and, 12 h.1l./ire and by His su'ord 7l.ill tile Lord plead ll'ith
all.flesl1 ; and, 13 Tlte Lord standeth lip to plt'cul amI standeth to
jlU(!je tlte people.
Ian, by rcbelJiun, challenl!c!ò God's Om-
nipot('nf'e. He will haH none of Him: he ,\'ill find hi,.; own
happine!<s for himself, apart from God and in defian('e of Him
and His laws; he plume", himself on his su('('es"" and af'counts
his strength or wcalth or prosperity the test of the wisdom of
hi
)JOIif'Y. liod, sooner or later, i\f'Cf'pts the challenl!e. He
bring's thin
s to the issue, which man had ('hosen. He ellters
intojm([(l/u'nt Hwith him. lfman t'
f'ape!< with impunity, then
he had eho
en well. in rejertinl! God and choo!'in
hi!'Õ own
\\ëlY!'Õ. If not. what folly and mi,.;erv was hi'S short-
hrhted
ehc;iee ; !<hort
liwd in it
' gain: its loss, eternal! Fire !':tands
ai' the 5'ymbol and sunlluary of God's mO!'õt terrihlt' jud
ments.
It spares nnthing, leaves nothinp:. not e,-en the outward form
of what it destro)'s. Here it is IJlainly a 5'ymbol, sinee it de-
stroyS tbe sell al
o, which shall be destroyed onlv hv the firt'
of tile Dav of Jud!!ment, when 15 the ele,;'entHhåll
lIelt 7l,ith
/en'ent Ilec;t, t!tr- ea
th also ami tIle I('orks tlwt are therein slwll
be Imrllnl lip. The sea is ealled the great deep, only in the
mo!'Õt solemn lang-uage, as the hi!'Õtory of the ereation or tht'
flood, the p",ahn!ò and poetieal books. Hcre it is uspd, in
order to mark the extent of the desolation rf'prcsented in
the vision.
amI did eat lip a part. rat]wr lit. the portion 16, i. e. prohably,
the definite portion fore-appointed by God to capth'ity and de-
solation. This prnbably nul' "ersion meant by a jJart. For
altluHll!h God eall!'Õ Him
elf the Portion of Isracl 17 , and of those
who are His 11\, and reeÏl'rocally He rails the ppople the Lord's
portiou l !), and the land, the portion
o of God's pt'ol'lc; yet the
land i!'Õ nowhere called ahsolutely the portiou, nor was the
country of the ten trihes spccially tile portioll, gh en by God.

xL"<Viii. 11. 11 Ezek. xxxviii. 22. 1
Is. Ixvi. 16. 13 lb. iii. 13. 14 lb. H, <<c.
I
2 Pet. iii. 10. 16 ;;:':-::"II'
Ii Dent. xxxii. 9. Jer. x. 16. Zeeh. ii. 12.
IS Ps. x\ i. 5.lxxiii. 2(). &e. Jer. x. 16. 19 Jer, XÜ. 10. ::0
líe. ii. 4.

CIL\PTER YII.

C HBí[ois T G T]1f' LORn rt'lwntp(} for this: This also
cir. ï8ï. shall not hl', saith the Lord GOD.
i
I Thu
hE' she" cd Ille: and, behold,
the Lord
tood upon a wall mflde hy a
plumhline, with a plumhline in his hand.
8 And the LORD said unto me, Amos,
what seest thou? ...\nd J !o>ahl, A plullJb-

RatI1l'r {Iod exhibits in vision to the Prophet. the ocean burned
up. and the portioll of Israel, upon whid. lIis juò
'"lnents was
first to fall. To this .\mos points, as the portioll. (;od knew
the purtioll, which Tig-lath-Pileser would destroy, and. when
he ('ame and had carried captin' the East and Xorth of h.rad,
the pious in Israel would reC'ognise the seC'ond, more de,.olat-
inl!," s('ourl!,"e, foretold hy .\mos; they would own that it was at
thc praycr of the Prophet that it was stared and went no fur-
ther, and" onld await what remained.
5. (;. As uur Lord repeated the !'ame words in the Garden,
so .\mo!< interceded" ith God with word!', all but one" the same,
and with the same plea, that, if God did not help, Israel was
indeed helpless. Yet a seeund time God spared brael. To hu-
man si
ht, "hat so stran
e and unexpected, as that the As-
syrian ami his army, havin
utterly destroyed the kin
dom of
J),l1naseus. and earried away its p('oplc, and hiu"ing- de,-oured,
lik(' firc. more than half of Israel. rollcd baek like an ebb-tide,
swept away to rava
e other countries, and spared the capital?
.And who, loo1.in
at the mere outsid(' of things, would have
thought that that tide of fire was rulled back, not by anythin

in that day, but by the Prophet's prayer some 4ï years be-
fore? .:\1 an "nuld look doubtless for motives of human poli..y,
whieh led Til!,"lath-pileser to aecept tribute from Pekah, while
he kill('d Rezin; and while he ('arried off all the S,-rians of Da-
ma"('u,.. to lea\"e half of Israel to be J"('mo,-ed bv Í1Ïs suecessor.
Humanly !'opeaking-, it was a mi:oótake. He "sl'otched" his ene-
my only, and left him to make alliance with E;:ypt. his rival,
who disputed with him the possession of th(' eountries whieh
lay between them. If we knew the detail" of Assyrian policy,
we mi
ht know what indUC('d him to turn aside in his eon-
quest.' There were, and always are, human moth-es. They do
not interfere with the wound in the mind of God, \\'ho direct

and controls them. Even in human contrivances. the wheels,
interlacing- one another, and acting- one on the other, do but
tran!'omit, the one to the other. the motion and impulse whi('h
the,' have receiwd from the eentral for('e. The revolution of
the' earth around its own eentre does not interfere with, ra-
ther it is a eondition of its re'-olvin
round the centre of our
srstem, and, amid!'ot the alternations of ni
ht and day, brin
s
ea('h sewral portion within the influence of the
un around
whieh it renllws. The affairs of human kin
dum
have their
own subordinate centres of human i",liey. yet {-\"en therehy they
the more revolve in the {'ircuit uf Gud's appointment. In the
history of His former pcople God
h-es us a I!,"limpse into a
hidden order of thin
s, the secret spring- and power of His
wi!<dmn, whi.-h sets in motion that intri('ate and eomplex ma-
chinery which alone we see. and in the sight of whieh men
IO!'oe the consciousness of the unseen ag"ene\". "'hile man
i'trh-es with man, prayer, sugg<'sted by God, ino\'(
s God, the
Ru]er of all.
ï. stood UPUJl [rather O'l:er 2] a wall made by a plumhli71e ;

I D - 1

:-;. CNU:. for r:Y.J!.'!rg;r;:'
Ion. Ex. XXJilll. 1:.., 11.

I This lies in the ';ords
:r ::.
.
5 2 Tim. ii. 19. 6 L;ill1. ii. 8.

211

line. Then said the Lor.l, fir-hoM d I will C l?í[T!s T
set it plumhline in the midst of m\" people "if. ibi.
I I I . u . I I - d See:!Àings
srae ; to WI not a
mn pass I)V t Will any 21. 13.
more: ' . .

/t
ï.
9 f And the hig-h plaees of Isaac shan. ;h.
:
: 8.
he desolatf', and the sanduaril's of Isr
u'l (

:;-
h;

1 III I . I t I 1 . 11 ' . Gen_ 26. 23.
Ism J{' ill( was e; an< g WI

Sf' agalllst & 4ô.l.ch. 5.
I Fulfilled, 2 Kmgs 15. 10.. 5.
f\

lit. II u'all uf a plumMine, i. e. (as our's has it) 1I,ade strail!,"ht,
perpendicular, "!I it. The wall had been made hy (( lead or
plulJIblille; hy it, i. e. a"('nr(lin
to it, it should he d(.stroycd.
(;od had made it upril!,"ht, He had
h-en to it an unde, iating
rule of right, 1I(' had watched over it. to 1.('('1' it, as lIe made
it. XU" He stood Ol'er it, fixed in lIis Iml"}JII:oe, to d('stroy it.
Hc marked it
inf'fJualities. Yet thi
too in judg-ment. lIe
i destrovs it b\" that same rule of ri
ht wherewith He had Imil1
I it. ß
" that'law, that ri
ht, th"s
Prm-identialleading-s, that
,
race, whieh we ]1(\\"e rc('eh ed, by the snllC we are jud
('(l.
H. AII/os'f "3 He call" the Prophet hy name, a" a familiar
friend, known and appron'd hy Him. as He said to )Io!<es". I
liIlol(' tllee by II (III/e. For 5 ti,e Lord klloweth lI,em that (Ire His.
TfTlwt seest tllou'f God had twice heard the Prophet. Two
judl!,"lllents ulwn His people He had mitigated, nut upon their
repentanee, but on thc !'òing-Ie intercession of the Prophet.
.\fter that He willed to be no more entreat(.d. And so He ex-
hibits to Amos a symbol, whose meaning He does not explain
until He had l)rc)J)ounced their domn. Tile plumblille was
I used in ImlJillg don n, as well as in huilding up. "'henee J e-
I remiah !'Oars 6, The Lord lIatli purposed tu elestro.lf tile 1('(l1l of
the elaug/der of Zion; He hatll stretched Ollt a lille; Hc lIath
I not 1('ithdrall'1I His lIalld from destro.1/illg; tllerefore lie maelc
tllc rampart and /('all to lament: and Isaiah 7; lIe sllllll .
trctch
out upon it tIle line of 1t)llsteness B ({nel the stolle of emptiness 8 :
and God said of Judah II, I leill stretch o['cr Jerusalem tile li1le
of ,
""mwria and tile plummet of the hOl(SC of .Alwh. dcc'or-
I ding'ly God explains the vision, Be/wid I will set, i. e. shortl)',
I [lit. am settillg] a plwllhlinc ill tile midst of JIy peuple braet.
I The waU, then, is not the emhlem of
amaria or of anyone
city. It i!< the streng-th and d('fence oftbe whole people, what-
{',ocr held it t,,
ether, and beld out the enemy. As in the vi-
sion to ßelshazzar, the word Tekcl, lIe 1l'eiglled, wa" explain-
ed 10, Thou art ll'eiglled in tile Iml(/1u'e.ç and art fmmd l('((1lt-
lng, so {Ìod here applies the plumbline, at onee to COI1\ iet
and to de!'troy upon con\"Ïctiun. In this Judg-ment. as at the
Last Dav, God would not condemn, without ha,inl!," first made
clear the'ju!'tiee of His condemnation. He sets it ill the midst
of His people, she" ing that He would make trial of all, one by
one, and condemn in proportion to the guilt of ea('h. But
the da
- of grace heing past, the sentence was to be final. I
ll'illllot pass h.lf tl,em, lit. I ll'illnot pass Ol'er [i. e. their trans-
gres
ions] to tllem 11 (IllY more? i. e. I will no more forgh-e them.
9. The 1I
E{h places of Isaac. He probably ealls the ten
tribes by the name of Isaac, as well as of Israel, in order to con-
tra"t their deed.. with the hlamele\o
. J!,"entle piety of Isaac, as
weU a,. the much-tried faithfu]ue:,s of Israel. It hai' been
thought too that he alludes to the first meaning- of the name
of Isaac. His name was g-Í\-en from the joyous laug-hter at
the unheard-of promise of {;od, to gÏ,-e children to those past
age; their high-pla('es should be a laughtcr, but the laughter

7 Is. xxxiv. 11.
I 2 Kgs. =1. 13.

8 .:-:

:-::" as in Gen. i. 2.
10 Dan. v. 2ï. 11 as in vili. 2.

212

Before
CHRIST
cir. ï8ï.

th(' house of J ('rohoam with the sword.
10 -,r Then Amaziah h the priest of Beth-
el sent to i J erohoam king of Israel,
ayinA",
Amos hath conspired against thee in the

b 1 Kings 12.
3"
I 2 Kings H.
23.

AMOS,

midst of the house of hracl: the land is
not ahle to hear all his words.
11 For thus Amos saith, Jprohoam shall
die by the sword, and Israel shall surely

Before
CHRIST
cir. í8ï.

of 1llm'kery1. Thc sanctuaries were perllal's thc two
reat
idul-templ('s at Bethel and Dan, over against the une sanc-
tuary uf {;od at Jerusalem; the Mgh places were thc shrines
of idolatry, espeeially where (;lId h.ld shcwn mcrcy tu the Pa-
triar('hs and h;rael, but also aU ovcr thc land. .AU were to be
wasted, bccause all wcre idolatruus.
11eill rise agaiust tIle house u.f Jerohuam leitll the sn,ord. !
(;od speaks after the manner of men, who, having- been still,
arise a
ainst the ohjeet of thcir enmity. He makcs Himself,
so far une with thc instruments of IIi.. sentenec, that, what I I
they du, lIe ascribcs tu Himself. Jerobuam Ii. must, from his
military sueeess, have becn popular among his peuple. Sue-
ces!Òful valuur is duuhly prizcd, and he had both valour 2 and I
succcss. God had slll'ed ISl"llel hy his IWI/(L 3. A weak su('ees-
sor is often bornc with fur the merits of hi!Ò father. Thcrc
were nu wars from withuut, whi('h eaJled fur !oitrung military
enerl-'"Y or talent, and which mi
ht furnish an cxcusc fur su-
persedin
a fainéant king. Ephraim had 110 ambition of fo-
reign glory, to gratify. Zcclrariah, Jerubuam's !ion, was a
sen!Òualist 4; but many scnsualists have, at all times, reigned
undisturbed. Shallum who murdcred Zechariah was simply
a r01lspiratur 6; he rcpresentcd no popular imlHllse, and was
slain him!Òdf a month 6 after. Yet Amos foretells absoluteh'" I
that the hou!oie of Jerohoam should perish by the sword, anti I
in the next g-eneration his name was clean put out.
10. Amadall, the priest of Betllt'l, was probably the high-
priest, in imitation of the High Priest of the urder of Aaron
ami of (;od's appointment. }'or the many high I'laees around
Bethel rcquired many idol-priests; and a splendid eounterfeit
of the ritual at Jeru!Òalem, which shuuhl rival it in the eyes of
Israel, was part of the pulky of the first Jcrohoam. Amaziah
was at the head of this imposture, in a l'o
ition probably of
wcalth amI dignity among his people. Like Demetrius tlte sil-
versmith 7, he thou
ht that the craft wherehy he had his wealth
was endangered. To Jeruboam, however, hc
ays nothin

ofthe!Òc fears. To the king he makes it an affair of !Òtate. Hc
takes the king by what hc expected to bc his weak shle, fear
fur his own power or life. Al/lo.
hath cuuspiretl against thee.
So to Jeremiah 8 tlte captaill of tlte ward said, Thoufallest
uway to the Chalclæans. And the priIwes 9; Let tltis 1IIail he}Jut
to death, for thus he weakenetfl tI'e hands of ti,e men ofwar tlUlt
remain ill this cit.1f, aud tlte IUI/Ills of all the people, in speakiug
sllch wo/'{!.y unto them: fur tld.
mall seeketh not tI,e 1eelfare of
this peuple, but the Illlrt. .\nd of our Lurd they said to Pilate,
10 If thou let this JEan go, thou art nut Cæsar's friend. lVllOSO-
ever 1tUlketh !tim.
elfa king, is (Ill enemy to Cæsar. And of the
Apostles ll ; these 1IIl'U, heingJeu's, do e:t'ceedingl.'l trouMe our city,
ami teach cllstoms 1l'hicll are llOt lawful for llS to Teceil'e, neither
to obser1'e, being Romans; and, 12 these tlwt IUll'e turned tlte
1vorltlupside clown are cume !tither alsu---and these all do COIl-
tl'lll"!! to the decrees of Cæsar, sa.1finE;" that there is lUlUther kiul{,
Je.ms. And so the heathen, who were ever conspirin
a
ainst
the Roman Emperors, went on aeeusing the early Christian!o.
as dh;}oyal to the Emperors, factious, impious, because they did

I so the LXX, and, from them, S. Cyril and Theodoret.

Kgs. xiv. 28.
J"\

::I.' personal bravery. 3 lb. 27. 4 See on Hos. vü. 7.
p. 45. and Introd. p. 5. i 2 Kgs. xv. 10. 6 lb. 13, 14. 7 Acts xix.
ø Jer. xxxvü. 13. 9 lb. xxxviii. 4. 10 S. John xix. 12.

not offer sacrifices for thcm tu tlilse gods, but prayed fur them
to thc True (;od 13. SOUle douhtlc!<s, moved by thc wurds of
Amos, had forsaken thc state-idolatry, reformcd their Ih'es, wor-
shipped God with the Prophct; perhaps they werc called ill
contempt hy his namc, " Anwsite!Ò" or "Judaizers," ami were
eOllnte(1 as /,is adherents, not as the worshippers of the une truc
Gild, the God uf tlu>il" fat/lei's. \\'hence .\maziah gaincd the
pica of a cunspirary, of which Amos was the hcad. For a COlI-
spiraC.1f cannot be of one mau. The word, by its foree, signi-
fies " banded 14;" thc idiom, that hc .. banded" othcrs "tlJ
e-
ther against 15" thc kin
. To us .Amaziah attests the power uf
God's word by His Prophet; the land, i. e. the whole people, is
not ahle tu heal" !tis l{'urds, being shaken throug'h and through.
II. For thus Amus saitlt. Amo!Ò had said, TllIls sui/h the
Lord; he never fails to imprc!Òs on them, \\Thosc words he is
speakin
. Amaziah, him!Òelf bound up in a s,rstem of false-
hood and impm;turc, which, bcing- a ereature-worship, g-a,-e
itself out as the worship of the truc God, bcIieved all Le!<idcs
to be fraud. Fraud always suspeets fraud; thc irreligious think
devotion, holinc!Òs, saintliness to be hypocrisy: vice ima
ines
virtuc to be well-masked ,"icc. The false pricst, by a sort uf
law of corrupt nature, supposed that Amos al!Òo was false, anil
treats his words as the produce of his own mind.
JerOhU(ll1l shall die h.1f tlte slVord. Amu
had not !"aid this.
The false prophet distorts the last words of Amos, which wcre
yet in his ears, and reports to Jcroboam, as said of himst'lf,
what Amus had just said of his IWllse. Amos was opposed to
the }1opular religion or irreligion of which Jeroboam was the
h('ad, to the headship over whkh he had sueeeeded. Jerobu-
am, likc the Roman Emperors, was Hi
h Priest, Puntifex .ì\Ia'\":-
imus, in urder to get thc popular worship under his control.
The first Jeroboam had himself eonsecrated thc caJt:'pl'iests 1;;.
Amos bore also the message from God, that the reprieve, l-,ixen
to the house of Jehu, would not be extended, but would end.
Amaziah would act on the personal fears ofthc hing, as thoug-11
thcre had becn SOUle present active conspiracy against him.
A lie, mixed with truth, is the most deadly form of falsehoocl,
the truth serving to
ain admittancc for the lie, and eolour it,
and seeming to require explanation, aml being something to
fall back upon. Sinee thus much is eertainly true, why should
not the rest bc so? In slander, and heresy which is slander
ag"ain!Òt God, truth is used to cOlnmend the falsehoud; and
fal!Òehood, to destroy thc truth. The poison is reeeh-cd the
more fearlessly because wral't up in truth, but luses none ofits
deadliness.
aud Israel shall sure1.1f be led aU'a.v captill('. This was a
suppression of truth, as thc other wa!< a falsification of it.
Amaziah omits both the ground of the thrcat, and the hope of
escape urged and impressed npon them. On the une side he
omits aU mention of what e,"en sueh a kin
as Jerohoam would
respeet, the denundation of oppression
f the poor, inju!Òtice,
violence, robbery, and all their other sins again!Òt man. On
the other hand, he omits the ealls to repentance and promises
un it, seek ye the Lord alld live. He omits too the Prophet's

II Acts xv;. 20, 1. 12 lb. xv;i. 6, 7.

: ç;

!;b

j;:S;;
i!st

j,
:r/'
' s

a!
J:
: )3
i
-ig

v.
;. "

9

:
2 Kgs.x.9. xiv. W.xv. 10, 15, 25. xxi. 23. Soalso-

. :"-
::r'

CIL\PTER YII.

C JJ["is T be Ipd away captive out of their own land.
cir. ill;. 12 4\lso Amaziah said unto Amos, 0
thou s
er,
o, flee thee away into the
land of Judah, and there eat bread, and
l)rol)hesy there:
1:\ k Uut prophesy not a
uin nny more
at ß(.th-c1: 1 for it is the king's II chaIwI,
und it is the t king's court.

t ch. 2. 12.
liKings 12.
32. &, 13. 1.
II Or,
.nnct....ry.
tHeb.
hou,e of tlte
kingdom.

213

1-1 '1 Then answered 4\mos, and said to C IPítoÏS T

\maziah, J 1('(1.'; no prophet, neither If'US I dr. ;b,.
m a prophct's son; n hut I l("fl.V an herdman, m 1 Kings 211.
and a
athcrcr of II sycomore fruit: riCings 2. 5.
1,
And the LORD took me t as I fol- : t: r:'
lowed the flot'k, and the J ,ORn said D z

:
3. 5.
unto me, Go, proI)hcsy unto my pco- \I

dfif,"
pIe Israel. t 1::kinZ m

intereession for hi
people, and
elects the one prophe(')" which
cuuld
iH' il mere politi('al charac'ter to the whoJe. Suppres-
8ion of truth is a vet subtler charaeter of fah;ehood. Hence
witnesses on oath' arc required to tell, not the truth onl
-, but
the whole truth. Yet in daily life, or in accusation of others.
in detraction, or e, ii-speaking, men daiJy aet, as though 8Up-
pres
iclIl were no lie.
12. Jeroboam apparently took no account of the false
priest"s message. Perhaps the memory of the true prophecit's
of 1:lisha as to the SU('('('sses of hi" father, and of Junah as to
his uwn, fulfilled in his own person and stilI reeent, inspired
him \\ ith a rererence for God's prophets. To know his mo-
th'e or nwth'es, we must know his whoJe chnral'ter, whic'h we
do not. .\maziah, failing of his purpose, u
es his name as far
liS he dm'es. Seer, f.[O .flee thee. He probahly uses the old title
fur a prophet, in refcrence to the visions whirh h& had just re-
lated. PerhaJt
, he used it in irony also 1 . 'Thou who seest. as
thou deemest, what uthers see not, {';s;Ollll1'Y ! t';s;on;.
t !' .flee
thee, i. e. for thy good; he acts the patron and the counsellor;
to the land of Judah, and tl,ere eat bread, and there ]Jrophe

I!'
". oddly men always think that those whose profession is re-
li
ious make a ga;n of Kodliness. "He i
paid for it," they say.
" \\llO
e hread I eat, his
ong- I sing." Iuterested people can-
not eUII('eive of one di!"interested; nor the worldly, of one un-
worldly; nor the insineere, of one !"ineere. Amaziah thou
ht
then that Amos, eomin
out of Judah, must be speakin
in the
intere!'ts of Judah; perhaps, that he was in the pay of her king.
Any how. prophec'ies, sueh as his again!"t Israel, would be ac-
ceptable there and be well paid. The words are courteous,
like so mueh JJatronising langua
e nu", as to God or His re-
velatiun. His Prophets or IIis Apo;o;tles, or His Dh-ine word.
The wurds are measured: the mean in/( bJasphemy. Perhaps,
like the Seribes and Phariseps afterwards, hefeared the people 2.
"3 Seein
that there were many among the peuple who heard
him gladly, he dared not do him any open wrong, lest he should
offend tlwm."
13. It is the king's chapel; better, as in the E. )1. sanc-
tuary 4. It is the name for thp sanctuarlj of God 5. Let them
make
l[e II sanctuary, that I may dr;'ell among them. JYe
shall rel"erl"llce
1[ y sanctuary: I am the Lord &. It is most of-
ten spoken uf as, Tile sanctum"!! 7 ; eh;ewhere, but always with
emphasis, of re,'ercnee, sanctih', de,-otion, protection, it is call-
ed H;s sanctuary; 111)1 sanctu;IT!/; Th.1J sanctuary; the sanc-
tllar.1! of the Lurd, of God, uf his Gocl 8 ; whenee God Himself is

aJ
ed a .foianctllar.1! 9, as a place of refug-e. In three places only,

s It. ealled the sam'tuary of I!"rad; her sanctum"!!. God,
III HIS threat to east them off, says 10, I tl';!1 br;ng your sanc-
tuar;es to desolat;un; Jeremiah laments ll, the hel;then hlll'e
entered into her sanctum"!! ; he sa)"s 12, the place of our sanctu-
t .. Eitherin iron\,

ex

oX

.
becanse
inlJ:;:' (as below) S. Jer.

::

· Ex. XX!. 8. 6 Lev. xix. 30. xxvi. 2. ..
ÿ':,",
68 tunes. In reference to the tune before it was built, it is caned a .anctuary, Ex. XX\. 8.

ar,r,' ;s a glorious Mgh thrune from the beg;mânt:, ina!lmuch as
God was enthroned there. In this ease tuo it is the Sll1lctua-
r.1! fur brad, not a mere property of Israel. The ,mllctua'"!J oj
God could not be called the sanctuarv of anv man. One Ulan
could uut so apprClpriate the smlctu;lr.1J. (;od had ordained
it for Him!'elf. His Presence had sanetified it. Heres\" in
unconseiousness, let" out more truth than it means. A 'I;i
h
priest at Jeru!.'alem could not have said this. Hc knew d;at
the temple was the sanctuary of God, and could not ha,-e call-
ed it the k;nKs Sll1lctrtlll'Y. The sanctuary at Bethel had no
other
anetion, than what it had from the king. Jeroboam
I. consecrated it and its priest
13 ; and from him, it and the,"
had their authority. Amaziah wished to u!<c a popular plcå
to rid himself of Amos. Bethel was the Mug's saurtuary allll
the hOllse, not of Gud, but of the kingdom, i. e. the house, whi('h
had the whole royal sanction, which with its wor;o;hip wa
the
ereature uf royal authority, bound up in one with the kingdom,
and belonlðng- to it. Or it may be, a royal holtse h, (not a palaee,
ur eourt, for the king's palace was at Samaria, but) a royal tem-
ple, the state-Church. So the Arians betrayed their world-
liness by dating one of their Creeds from the Roman Consuls of
the year, its month and day, "15 thereby to shew all thinking
men, that their faith dates, not of old but now." Their faith
was of yesterday. "They are ,,'ont to say," says St. Jerome,
.. the Emperor eommunieates with us, and, if any one re
ist
them, forthwith the) ealumniate. 'Aetest thou a
ainst the
Emperor? Despisest thou the Emperor's mandate?' And
yet we ma}" think, that man}" Chri!'tian kinJrs who have per-
seeuted th(' Church of God, and essaved to establi
h the Ari-
an impiety in the whole world, surpa!<s in guilt Jeruboam
kinJ! of hrael. He de!'pised the message of a false priest, nor
would he make any an!.'" er to his !'uggestions. But the!'e. \\ ith
their many Amaziah-priests, have slain .\mos the prophel
and the prie
t of the Lord by hunger and penury, dungeons
and exile."
14. I tl'as 710 prophet. The order of the words is emphatie.

Yo prophet I, and 710 prophefs SOIL I; for II herdsman I, ami
dresser 'If sycomores. It may be, Amos would meet, for the peo-
ple's sake, Amaziah's taunt. He had a livin
, simple indeed,
yet that of the prophets was as !>imple. But ehiefly he tells
thcm of the unusual charaeter of hi
mission. He did not be-
long to the order of the prophets, nor had he been edueated in
the sehools ofthe prophets, nor had he any human traininJ!. He
was thinking of nothing less; he was doing the works of his ('ail-
ing, till God took himfrom follmc;ng the.flock, and /(a\"C him his
commi!'sion. <(16 He premises humhJy what he had been, what
he had been made, not by merits, but hy /!race, that he had
not assumed the prophetic offlee hy hereditary riJrht, nor had
he begun to pruphesy out of his own mind, but, bcing under the
2 Chr. xx. 8. 8 In all,23 times. 9 Is. viii. U. Ezek. xi. 16. 10 Lev. xxvi. 31.
II Lam. i. 10. 12 Jer. x\;i. 12.
13 1 Kings xii. 31-3. I
It has not the an. asl"'-::
':
I""
has, Esth. i. 9.
Ii S. Ath. Counc. Arim. Sel. i. 3. Treat. ago Arian. p. ;ti. Ox. Tr. 16 Rup.

n

214

Refore
CHRIST
cir. 787.

IG .,-r Xow therefore hem' thou the word
of the LOIw: Thou !'ayest, Prophesy not
against T sral'l, and 0 drop not thy H'O},d
against the house of Isaac.
17 p Thel'efore tlms saith tlw LORn; q Thy
wife shall he an harlot in the city, and thy
sons and thy daughters shall t
111 hy the
!\word, and thy land shall he dh-ided hy
line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land:
and Israel shall surely go into captivity
forth of his land.

o Kl

l
: 2.

P See Jer.
8.
12. &
9.
l,
25,31, 32.
q hai. 13. 16.
Lam. 5. 11.
110".4. 13.
Zech. U. 2.

..Al\IO
,

CIL\PTER YIII.

Before
CHRIST
cir. 7:--7.

I By a basket of summer fruit is sI,ell'ed t/IC pru-
pinqllity of ]Srllpl's end. 4 Oppressiun is reprot'cd.
II ...1 famine uf the word threatened.

T Hrs hath the Lord Gon shewed un-
to me: and behold a hasket of sum-
mer fruit.
2 .And he said, .Amos, what seest thou?
_\nd I said,
\ basket of summer ii'uit.
Then said the LORD unto me," The end is · Ezek. 7.2.

neces
ity of oheying, he had fulfilled the grace and the com-
mand of God \Vho inspired and
ent Him." Twice he repcat
,
Till' Lord took me; the Lord said unto me; inculcating that,
what Amaziah forbade, God Lade. All was of Gud. He hatl
but obeyed. '<1.\s then the .\po!<tlcs, when the S('ribes and Pha-
risees forbade them tu teaeh in the Kame of Jesu!<, answered,
2 Ire 7/I1l.çt obe.1I God 1'ather tllllll 71Ulll, so .\nw
, when forbid-
den by the idol-priests to prophesy, not only prophesies, shew-
ing that he feared (;od bidding, more than their forhidding-,
but II{' boldly and freely denounees the puni
hlllent of him who
endea,'ourcd to torbid and hinder the word of God." "3 lIea-
ven thundered and ('omIlHIIHled him to prophesy; the frog eroal
-
ed in answer out of his mar
h, propllesy no more."
16. .\maziah tlwn was in direct rebellion and contradi('-
tion against God. lIe was in an offiee t'l)rbidden bv God.
God'

\-ord eame to him. He had his ehoiee; and, a
lilen do,
when entangled in evil course
, he ('ho
e the more con
ciously
amiss. He had to re
ig-n his lucrath"e tlffiee and to submit
to God
peakin
to him throu
h a shepherd, or to stand in
dirc('t upl'o
ition to (;od, ami to confront God; and in
ilenc-
ing .\mus, he would !òilem'e God. But, like one who would ar-
rest the lig-htning, he draws it on his own head. Amos eon-
tm
ts the word of Amaziah, and the wurd of (.od; "3 Hl'llr tholt
the 1l'ord of the Lurd; Thou sa.'lest; prop/les./I uot agail/st L
-
mel. Tllerejure tlllls saitl, the Lord. K ot onl
- will I not cea"e
to prophesy ag-ain
t Israel, but I will al
o prophesy to thee.
Hear now thine own part of the prophecy."
Drop uot. The torm uf ('xpre
sion, (not the word) is pro-
bably tal,en from :\roses 4. JIy doctrine shall drop as t!le rain,
my .
peech shall distil as the dell'; as the small rain upon the
teucler herb, and as tile showers upon the gras.ç. :\Iicah slleaks
of the word as used by those who forbade to pruphesy, as
thol'gh the prophecy were a eontinual weari
ome droppillf.[.
God"s word ('omes as a g-entle dew or suft rain, not bcating
down but refre
hing; not sweeping- away, like a
torm, hut
sinking- in and softenin
even hard ground, all but the rock;
gentle,
o as they can bear it. God's word was to men, stwh
as they were to
'"ard" it ; dropping like the dew un those who
received it ; wearing, to those whu hardened themselves ag-aini't
it. It drops in measure upon the hearts whieh it fertili!<e
, be-
ing adapted to their capaeit)" to receive it. .\nd so contrariwise
a
to the judg-ments with which God's prophets are charg-ed.
"I The prophets do not dii'eharge at Olwe the whole \\Tath of
God, but, in their threatenings, denounce little dropi' of it."
I ï.T/I.1! ll'ife s/lll11 he a /wrlut. The
e were, and
till are,
amon
the horrors of war. Hi" own
entence ('omes last, when

I S, Jer. 2 Acts Y. 29. 3 Rup. . Deut. xxxii, 2.

The recent horrors about 1\1ount Lebanon h.lYe renewed Ihis description, shewing

he llatl seen the rest, unable to hinder it. Against his and Ilel'
own will,
he
hould sutf('r this. .. I Great is the grief, and in-
credible the di
g-race, when the hushand, in the midst of the
eity and in the presence of all, cannot hinder the wrong- done
to hi
wife 5. For the husband had rather hear that his wife
had been slain, than defiled." '''hat he adds, tll.1I claugldlrl;
(as well as his sons) shall fall b.1/ the sll'orcl, is an unwonted
barbarity, and not part of the .\s
yrian customs, who ear-
ri('d oft. women in great nnlHber
, as wives for their soldiery 6,
Perhaps .\mos mentions the unwonted cruelty, that the ewnt
might bring home the more to the minds uf the people the
prophe('ies whi('h related to themselves. "'hcn this had been
fulfilled before his eyes, "IAmaziah himself, who now gloried in
the authority of the priesthood, was to he led into captÏ\ ity,
die in a land polluted by idols, yet not betilre he saw the peo-
ple whom he had deceived, enslaved and captive." Amos clo
es
by rcpeating- emphatically the exaet words, which Amaziah
had alleged in his mes
ag-e to Jerobuam ; aucl Israel sllall sllre-
(I! go iuto captivi(11 forth uf lIi.ç laud. He had not said it be-
fon' in the
e precise words. Kow he says it, without reserve
of their repentance, as though he would say, "Thon ha!<t pro-
nounced thine own sentence; thou hast hardened thnelf
again
t the word of God; thou hanlenest thy people against the
word of God; it remains then that it should fall on thee and
thy people." "3 How and when the })rophe('y ag-ain
t Amaziah
was fulfilled, Scripture does not relate. He lies hid amid the
mass ofmiseries 7 ." Scripture hath no leisure tu relatc aU whidl
hefaUs those of the viler sort. "The majesty of Huly S('rip-
ture (loes not lower it
clf to linger on baser persons," whom
God had rejected.
\'111. I. Thlt,
hath the Lord God shewed me. The sen-
tenee of Amaziah pronouneed, Amo!" r
sumes j\l
t where he
Icft uft
hefore rl.maziah broke in upon him. His H'hement
interruption is like a stone ca...t into the deep waters. They
close m-er it, and it leaves no trace. Amos had authenticated
thc third vi
ion; Tllus IIath the Lord God slwll'ed me. He re-
smnes in the self-!òame calm words. The last vi
ion dedarcù
that the end was certain; this, that it was at hand.
a basket of slimmer fruit. The fruit was tlle latest harw
t
in Palestine. '''hen it was gathered, the cirde of husbandry
was eome to its close. The sig-ht gives an idea of ('omplete-
ness. The symbol, and the word expressing- it, coindde. The
frnit-g-athering (kaits,) like our" erop," was eaUed from" cut-
ting'." So was the word, end, " eutting-oft
" in kets. .\1 har-
vest-time there is no more to be done for that crop. Good,
or bad, it has reaehed its end, and is cut down. So the har-

how the wror,!!" to the Christian woman was a devilish triumph over the helpless relation.
6 Fox Talbot, Ass. (exts. 7 see above, Introd, p. 153.

CIL\PTER YIlT.

c .riiofe s T ('ome upon my people of Israel; b I will not
cir. it'ï. a
ain pass hy thf>1ll any mort'.
:

:I.'
a .And c tIlt' sun
s of tht' tt'mplf' t shall
t

'howl. he howlings in that day, saith the Lurd
(
ou: t/"..rf' shall be manv dead hmlif's in
· ell. 6. 9,10. en'ry pl:u'f' ; d they shall t:ast them forth t I
t
e:'lent. with silent'...
· Þ

3tt u. 4
I Ilear this, () ye that e swal10w uP:
'e
t of I
rae
wa
come.. The .,,
Iwl
cou

e of
od's prm'i-I
denee
, merl'les, dm
temnl!
, YI
ltatlOn
, In4ruI'twns. warn- I
ing", in!'1l,irations, were eompleterl. Trhat cOlllcl l/fll'e been I
done 1/lore to J.(II l'Ïne,lIard, God a
ks 1, that I hal'e not done in I
it f "To the works uf sin, a'" IIf holine

, there is a helðnning,
progres
, completiun;" a" :<owing' of wild oat
," as men speak,
and a ripenin
in wiekedness; a maturity of mel1'
plan
, a!<
they deem. a maturitv for destructiun, in the si
ht of (
(I(l.
'fhére wa
'no nwre to'be done. Hea,'el1ly il1fl\l('nce
can hut
injure the ril'em'(1
inner. as dew. rain, su'n, but injure the ri-
lJened fruit. brad was ripe. but tor destruction.
3. TI,e .
ollgs uf the temple ,
/m!l be hUlclings, lit. slm1/1
holl'P. It
haU be, as when mirthful mu
i(' is !'uddenly broken I
in upon, and. throu/!,'h the sudden agony of the ..ing:er, end:< in I
a shriek or yeU ofmiser
'. "'hen sounds uf joy arc turned in-
to wailin
, aU must be complete sorrow. 'fhey arc not hush-
ed only, but arc turned into th('ir opposite.
inee Amo.. is

pe<lkin
to, and of, l
nlel, tIle temple i
, doubtless. here the

rreat idol-temple at ßcthel, and the songs wC're the choralmu-
!'Oil', with whit'h they ('ount('rfeite(l the teml'h:-musie, as ar-
ranged by Dadd. prai:<ing: (they could not make up thcir mind
,
whi('h.) Xature or" the God of nature," but, in truth. worshil'-
IJin
the ("reature. The temple wa
often strOlIf!ly built and
(III a height, and, whether from a vag"ue hupe of hell' from (
ud,
(a
in the
iege of Jeru
alem by the Roman
,) or from
ome
human trust, that the temple mig-ht be re
pe('ted, or frum f'on-
tidence in it

trenf!1:h, or from all together, was the la:<t refu
e
of the aU-hut-f'al'th'e peuple. Their last retreat was often the
sI'ene of the la
t reeling-
trife, th(' battle-err of the a!<slilant
,
the shrieks of the defencele"'s, the /!,'roans of the wuunded. the
ag-onisC'cl err of un)'ielding de
l'air. - ::-;mne sueh scene the Pro-
phct probahlr had before his mind's ere: for he adds;
There shan be 11l(iII.'! dead bodie,
, lit. AJlnn.'l the corp,
e ill
(','er.'! place. He sees it, not as future, but Iwfore him. The
whole ('itr. now
o thronf!ed with life. " the oppres
or's wrong,
the proutl man's contumelv," lies hefore him as une s("ene of
death: e, err pla('e thronied with eurpse..:; none c
empt; at
home. abroad, or whif'h 11(' had ju
t spuken of. the temple; no
time, no plHce fur honourable burial. The.'!, lit. he casts forth,
hush! l
af'h casts forth tlw
e dear to him, as 3 dum: Oil the
fnre (
f the eartl,. Grief is too strong- tiJr words. Li
-ing- and
dead are hu
hed a.. the l!:Ta,-e. " L:J.rge cities are lar
e suli-
tude
," for want of mutual lo,'e: in God's retribution, all their
din and hum becumes anew a
olitude.
4. Ifear pe tlds, ye that sll'a!lfJlL', (or, better in the same
sense, that jJaut for) the need.,!; as Job says \ tI,e hireliug
pnlltefhfo
tlte el'ening. They panted for tIle poor, as the wild
beast for Its prey: and that to make the poor or, (hetter, as
the Ht'brew text,) the meek., those not poor only, but who,
through poverty and affiietion. arc poor ill spirit also, to fail.
The land being divided among all the inhabitants, they, in

l.j

the needy, even to make the pour of the c Jí[of's T
larltl to fail. dr. iSi.
.) Sét\-jl)
, 'nlCn will th{' I ltH'W Inoon hI'" Or monlh.
. . t :loch. I;j. 15,
goone, that we mav sell ('01'1) ? and f the sah- lfì.
1mth, that we ma): t s{'t forth wheat, @ mak- t

:ri:;'Õ.il.
in
tilt' el'hah small, and tlw s}wk('l
rl'at, t :'
:

r;h"
and t falsifyin
the halauees by tlt'et'it ?
:

;,:eH!s.
(j 'nut! w{" may lmy the poor for h sih'cr, h

:
:ß.
onlt'r to layJielri fojielrl 6 , hall to rid thems('h-es of tll(' }loor.
They did rid them:<e!ves of them br opprC',.sion of all sorts.
5. Trl'Cllll'ill the ueu' 1/Ioon be gone t 'rhe
- k('pt their fes-
th'als, though weary aml impatient fur their elu
c. Ther k('l't
sahhath and festh"al, "ith their hodie!<, not with their JIIind
.
The P
almi:oõt
aid 7, TVh('1l slwll I come to appear before the
presel/ce uf Gud t These
aid, JlerhaJl!< in their hearts fmly
which God reads to them, 'when will this "'en"ir'e be un'r, that
we may be our uwn masters af!ain?' They loathed the re:<t of
the sabbath, beeause they had. thereon, to re:oõt from their
frauds. He instanees the new 71/0011S and sabbaths, bCl'ause
the
e, recurring' weekly or monthly, were a regular hindrance
to their cm'etou!'ness.
The eplutlt was a measure containing í'2 Roman pints or near-
ly l-to Ln
li!<h Bushel; the shekel was a fixed w('Í
ht, by whieh,
up to the time of the Capti, ity
, money ,,-as
till wei/!,'hed;
and that, fm' the price of bread al!'o 9. They int'rea:oõed the
prif'c both way:oõ, di
hone
tly and in h) pocrisy, paring down
the quantity which they suld, and ubtaining more silHr by fic-
titious weights, and weig-hing in une,-en balances. AU such
dealin

had been eXl're
sly forhidden by God; and that, as
the condition of their remainin
in the land whkh Gud had
I!iven them 10. Tlwlt slmlt nut hal'e in tlr.1f 1)((;: diurs Zl'eiglds,
a great ami a small. TllOlt shalt not hal'e in thy IlOltSe dh'ers
mea,mres, a great aml a sllwll. Bltt tholt .
/utlt Iml'e a perfect
flIuljltst ll'eight; a perfect and .iu,
t measure shalt tholt IUll'e,
that tll.,! da.lls ma.,! he lengthened ill tI,e land ll,ltich tlte Lord
tit.'! God giz,eth t!tee.
in in wrong measures, OIH'e J)('g-un. is
ullbroken. AU !'in perpetuat('s it:oõelf. It is done a
ain, be-
('au:<e it has been done before. ßut sins of a man's dailv uc-
cupation are continued of nece!'
ity, beyond the simlJlt' i'or('e
of habit and the enr-inereasing dropsy of eOHtousness. To
internlpt sin i!' tu ri
k detectiun, ßut then how eountless the
SillS, which their poor sla'-c
mnst needs eommit hourly. when-
e,-er the oecasion eumes ! .\nd yet, althoug-h among u
human
law reeognises the ])h-ine law and annexes punishment to
its hreaeh, coyetuusne:<!' !'ets both at nuught. "'hen human
law was enfnff'ed in a dty after a time of n('
Ii
en("e, scan'c)y
a weight was found to be honest. Prayer went ul' to Gud on
the sah!wtl" and fraud on the poor went up to (
ud in every
transaf,tion on the other
ix dav!'. "'e admire the denuncia-
tions of Amos, and condemn thë make-believe ser\"Ïce of God.
.\mos denounces u
. and we condemn ourselves. Righteous
dea}jn
in weights and mea
ures wa
one of the eondition:< of
the exi!<tence uf God's formcr I'eople. ".hat must then be
our national condition before God, when, from this one sin, so
many thousand, thousand
in" go up daily to plead a
ainst
us to God?
6. That ll'e 11I((.1f bliP, or, intli/!nantly, To Im." the pour! lit.
the '!f/lirted, thosc in loll' e
tate. Fir"t, by dishonesty and op-
pressiun they gained their lands and goods. Then the poor

I [
. \....
.;.;.,.. our ")ell" or "ho..I," ululo. 3 Jer. \iii. 2, &c. is almost aJwa) 8 the best.
f vii. 2. 5 The E. Y. has followed the correction ofthe Kri. The textuaJ reading 1 "'il1
xx. 3\1. Jer. xxxii. 9.

6 Is. v. R. iPs. xlii. 2. 8 2 Sam. x\iii.l:?
v Is. Iv. 2. 10 Deut. xxv. 13.15.
N'n2

216

C HBj[oíes T and the needy for a pair of shoes; .llea, and
cir. 787. sell the refuse of the wheat?
I ch.6. 8. 7 The LORD hath sworn hy i the excel-
k ::

'9
' 13. lency of .J acob, Surely k I will never forget
any of their works.
1 Hos.4.3. 8 IShall not the land trt'mble for this,
and everyone mourn that dwelleth there-
were obliged to !òell themselves. The slight price for which a I
man was sold, shewed the more contempt for the image of God.
Before 1, he said, the 7lee((v were sold for a pair (if salldals ;
here, that they were hou
ht for them. It seems then the more I
likely that such was a real I)rice for man.
and sell the refllse [lit. the fallillg] of wheat, i. e. what fell
through the sieve, either the bran, or the thin, unfilled, g-rains
whif'h had no meal in them. This they mixed up largely with
t.he meal, making a gain of that whieh they had OIH'e sifted
out as worthless; or, else, in a time of dearth, they sold to men
what was the food of animals, and made a profit on it. In-'
fancy and inexpericlH'e of f'upidity, which adulterated its bread I
only with bran, or sold to the poor only what, althuug-h unnou-
rishing. was wholesome! But then, with the multiplied hard- I
dealing, what manifoldness of the woe! !
7. h.lf the excellenc.lf of Jacob, i. e. by Himself 'Vho was its I
Glory, as Samuel calls Him 2 the Strength or the (;lory of Is-
rael. Amos had before said, God sware by His Holilless, and ,
h.'l Him.o;elf or Hi.y SOil I. 1"\ow, in like way, He pledges that,
(;Iory wherewith He was become the glory of his people. He
reminds them, lVI/() was the sole Source of their glory: not I
their ealves, but Himself, their Creator; and that He would
not furget their deeds. I will not forget (w.v, lit. all; as David,
and S. Paul say, all flesh, all living men, shall not he ,jllstt/ied,
i. e. none, no one, neither the whole nor any of its parts. I
Amos brin{rS before the mind all their doings, and then says,
of all and each, the Lord will not forget them. God must'
cease to be God, if He did not do what He sware to do, punish :
the oppressors and defrauders of the poor. \
R Shall not the lalld tremble for this? "s For the greater,
impresl"iveness, he aSf'ribes to the insensate earth sense, in-
dignation, horror, trembling, For all creation feels the will of I
its Creator." It shall rise up whol(V as ajlood, lit. like tI,e ri-
ver. It is the Egyptian name for rirer 4, whieh Israel brought:
with it out IJf Egypt, and is used either for the 1"\ile, or for one I
of the artificial trenrhes, derived from it. And it shall he cast I
Ollt and drowlled, lit. .o;lwll toss to mulfro as the sea, ami sink 5 I
as the river of Eg.lfpt. The Prophet represents the land as I
heaving like the troubled sea. As the Nile rose, and its f'ur-
r('nts met and drove one against the uthcr, ('overcd and
drowned the whole land like one vast sea, and then sank ag-ain, I
so the (.arth should rise, lift up itself, and heave, and quake,
shaking off the burden of man's oppressions, and sink again.
It may be, he would describe the heaving, the rising and fail-
ing of an earthquake. Perhaps, he means that as man forga1
all the moral laws of nature, so inanimate nature should be
freed from its wonted laws, and shake out its inhabitants or
overwhelm them hyan earthquake, as in one grave.

1 ii.6. 2 1 Sam. xv. 29. 3 Lap. 4 .1", the same as the
lemph. iaTO. .'1';) i. q.
.K";) i. the old reading. as appeared from Ecclus. xxiv. 2í. ;; The kethib \":F:zi
is pro-
bablya 2nd peculiarity as to a guttural in Amos (see ab. p. 152.) as adillerent pronuncia-
tion of what standE in tile kri, \":
P'Z)
. 6 Is. vii. 6. 7 lb. 2.
s 2 Kgs. xv. 29. 9 lb. 30. 10 lb. xvii. 1-9. 11 Horn. 2 on the Statues,
. 2.
12 Hitzig says," Since tile SUn was to set at noonday, and since, just before, mention
was made ofthe death of Jeroboam," [rather of the destruction ofthe hous
of Jeroboam,

A1\IOS,

in ? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; C }
j{o
es T
and it shall be cast out and drowned, mas cir. i8i.
h!1 the flood of E
ypt. meh.!). õ.
9 And it shall come to pass in that day, 791.
saith the Lord GOD, n that I will cause the D

i
i

io.
sun to
o down at noon, and I will darken
e
:i:: J
'
the earth in the clear day: Micah 3. 6.

9. I will calise the Sllll to go down. Darkness is beaviest
and blaekest in contral't with tbe hrip:htest lig-ht; sorrow i!; sad-
dest, when it comes upon fearless joy. God commonly, in His
merey, sends heralds of coming sorrow; very few burst suddenly
on man. 1"\ ow, in the meridian brightness of the day of Israel,
the bla('kness of night I"hould fall at once upon him. Not on-
ly was light to be displaced hy darkness, hut then, when it was
most opposite to the course of nature. Not by gradual decay,
but hy a sudden unlooked-for crash, was Il"rael to perish. Pe-
kah was a military chicf; he had reigned more than seventeen
years over Israel in peace, when, together with Rezin king of
Damascus, he attempted to extirpate the line of David, and
to set a Syrian, one SOil of Taheai G, on his throne. Ahaz was
weak, with no human power to resist; his heart tvas moved,
and the heart of M.o; people, as tile trees of the forest are 71w7.ed
u,;th theu';nd 7 . Tip:lath-pileser came upon Pekah and carried
off the tribes beyond Jurdan 8. Pekah's sun set, and all was
night with no dawn. Shortly after, Pekah himself was mur-
dered by Hoshea 9 , as he had himsclfmurdered Pekahiah. After
an anarchy of nine )'ears, Hoshea established himself on the
throne; the nine remaining years were "'pent in the last con-
vulsive efforts of an expiring monar('hy, subdual to Shahnane-
ser, rebellious alliance with So, king of Egypt, a three years'
siege, and the lamp went out 10.
mill I will darken the earth at noon-day. To the mourn-
er "all nature seems to mourn." "Not the ground only," says
S. Chrysostome in the troubles at Antioch 11, "hut the very
substance of the air, and the orb of the solar rays itself seems
to me now in a manner to mourn and to shew a duller li
ht.
Not that the clements ehange their nature, but that uur e)'es,
confused by a cloud of sorrow, cannot receive the light from
it's rays purely nor are they alike impressible. This is what
thc Prophet of old said mourning, Their Slln shall set to tllem
at 110011, ami the day shall be darkened. Not that the sun was
hidden, or the day disappeared, but that the mourners could
see no light even in midday, for the darkness of their grief."
No eclipse of the sun, in which the sun might seem to he
!'hrouded in darkness at midday, has been calculated whieh
should ha,'e suggested this image to the Prophet's mind. It
has been thought, however, that here mig-ht be reference to
an eclipse of the sun which took place a few years after this
prophecy, viz. Feb. 9. 784, B.C. the year of the death of Jero-
IJOam II 12. This eclipse did reach its height at Jeru
alem a
little before mid-day, at Ilh 24 m A.l\I. 1S . An accurate calcula-
tion, however, shews that, although total in Southern latitudes,
the line of totality was, at the lungitude of Jerusalcm ur Sa-
maria, ahout II deg-rees South Latitude, and so above 43 de-
grees South uf Sam aria, and that it did not reaeh the same la-

vii. 9. the mention of his own death being merely a distortion of Amaziah] "we Ilave to
think of the total Eclipse which took place in the year of his death, Feb. 9. 78J, which
reached its centre at Jerusalem about I." 13 .. 9 A. M. Greenwich time, or
at llh. 24 m A. M. Jerusalem time." Letter ofthe Rev. Robert Main, Radclille Observer

:
I

h

:t
de d

1
t

:;;n
Mr.
1
i
ki
ldi'id;:

fed
ï r
IQI
irl:

:

i

iX

sistant to compute under his own superintendence the circumstances of the Echpse of784,

CHAPTER YIII.

BefoN 10 And I will turn '"our feasts into
CHRIST .J
cir.7Si. mourning, and all your s()n
s into lamen-
o }:
M: :7. 3 . tation; 0 and I will hrin
up sackdoth

Z;;"lï.18. upon all loins, and haldness upun cycr)

titude as Samaria until near the close of the eclipse, ahout (H
cI('
rees \\r('4 of Sam aria in the Ea4ermno....t part uf Thibet. l .
..
The central edipse commenced in the Southern Atlantic
Ocean, IJassed nearly exactly over St. Helena 3, re
ehe
l the
('clIltincnt of Afl'ica in Lower Guinea, tni\"er
ed the IIltenor of
.\t"ril'a, and left it near Zanzibar, went through the Indian
f Þcean and entered India in the Hulf of Gamhay, pa....sed be-
twcen .\
ra and Allahahad into Thihet and reaehed it!' end un
the frontier.... of China." The Edipse then would hardly ha,'e
been notieeahle at Samaria, certainly "ery far indeed from an
cdil'....e of ....m.h ma
lIitude, as coul(l in any degree corre....pond
with the expre........ion, I u'illl'llu-se tlte sun to go dOlVn at noon.
An.hbi....hop t" ssher ....ugge....t...., if true, a differcnt e?i
lCi
lencc.
"
There was an eclipse of the sun of about 10 dl
lt.... III the
Julian rear 3923 (B. C. 791,) June 24, in the Feast of Penteeost;
another, of about 12 digits, 20 years afterwards, 3943, B.C. 771,
J'\ov.
, on the day of the Fea....t of Tabernacles; and a third
of more than II di
it...., on the fullowing- year 3944, )Iay 5, on
the Feast uf the Passover. Consider whether that prophecy of
Amos does not relate to it, I will calise the Slin to go down at
1l00n, aud I will darken the earth ill tI,e clear day, aml I ll'ill
tllm YOlir feasts illto lIlo11rJling. "'hieh, as the Christian Fa-
thers ha,-e adapted in an allegorical
en
e to the darkne
s
at the time of our Lord's Passion in the feast of the Pa
sover,
80 it ma\" have beell fulfilled, in the letter, in the....e threc
reat
e('lipses 'which dal'kened the day of the three festivals in whieh
all the I
Iales were bound to appear before the Lord. So that
as, among the Greeks, Thales first, by a....tronomical science,
prediet('d eclip....es of the sun 5, so, among- the Hebrews, Amos
fil.....t seems to ha,'e foretuld them by inspiration of the Holy
Spirit." The eclillses, pointed out by r ....sher. mnst have been
the one total, the others very considerahle 6. Beforehand, one
should nut ha,-e expected that an eelipse of the sun, being itself
a regular natural phænomenon, and ha,'ing no connection with
the moral
overnment of God,
hould have been the subject
of the Prophet's prediction. Still it had a religious impres-
siveness then, above what it has now, un an'oUllt of that wide-
prevailing idolatry of the sun. It exhibited the objec.t of their
fal"e wor:ship, shorn of its light and passive. If Arehhbhop
L'ssher is right as to the ma
uitude of those eclip....es in the
latitude of Jerusalem, and as to the correspondence of the days
of the solar ycar, June 24, Nov. 8, l\Iay5, in those years, with the
days of the lunar year upon which the respectivc feasts fell, it
would he a remarkable corre....pondence. Still the years are
!'OIuewhat arhitrarilychosell, the seeond only B,C. 771 , (un which
the house of Jehu came to an end through the murder of the
weak and
ottish Zechariah,) cor"cspond<ing with any marked
e,-ent in the kingdom of Israel. Un the other hand, it is the

B. C. Feb. 9. wllich had .. originally been calculated by Pingré (Mém. de I' Acad. des Inscr.
vol. 52 in which the year isgiwlI i8.3. B. C. In the I' Artde,'érilìerlE'S Dates, T.i. the years
are all altered by one unit, to make them agree with tbe mode of reckoning in onlinary chro-
nology.) Mr. Quirling, employing Hansen's lunar tables and Hansen's and Olufsen's 60-
brtables, found, thaton the gi.en day, there was an eclipse, "hich would howe.er be very
..ma1\ for Palestine, and that the apparent diameters of che sun and moon were 80 nearlyequal
that at no place could the totality be of more than 4{).. duration. The general conjunction
"as at!Jb_ 1... M.(Greenwich timC'. i.e.ll b . 24 m . Jernsalem timl'.) of Feb. 9. and the Geo-
centric Semi-diameters of the Sun and :\Ioon were 16' i". 25 and 16' 0". 88. at Greenwich
noou." .. Pingré's calculation must ha.e been tolerably accurate; for he gi-'es ll! A.
1.
Paris time." I Mr.
Iain has kindlv furnished me "ith a detailed
acrount of the path of the ('entral eclipse from which the fõllowing statements are taken,
"It begau-l()O 13'lat. 347 0 49'long. at 19 b 1 m (i b 1 m A.M.) Greenwich Time, and ended

.

21]

head; p and I will make it as the mourning C Jí{o
es T
of an only SOil, and the end thereof a:-. a cir. ;."i.
hitter day. p

h
'I

io.
11
Dehold, the days COllIe, saith the

more likely that the words, I will cali.fle the SU11 to [{O dfJll'lt
at norJll are an imag-e of a sudden re,'erse, in that )lieah also
u....es the wurds as an image 7, the Slm shall go down upon the
prophets amI the day shall be dark upon [ur, Ol'er] them.
10. I will turll .'1our feasts into 1Il011rninf[. He rec'urs to
the sentence whÍl'h he had pronounced 8, before he deseribed
the a,-arice and oppression which brought it down. Hosea
too had foretold, II I u'ill calise all her mirth to cease, her feast-
days, i)"c. So Jcremiah describes 10, theJoy of our heart is ceas-
ed; our dance is turned into mourning. The book uf Tubit
hears witne
s how these saying
of AlIlo
lived in the hearts
of the captive l
raelites. The word of (;od seems ofttimes
to fail, yet it finds those who are His. I rememhered, he
said 11, that prophecy of Amos, your feCl$ts shall be tumed into
mourning.
The corre!<pondence of the....e words with the miracle at our
Ble!<....ed Lurd's Pa
sion, in that tlte eartlt u'as darkened in tlte
clear !la.lI. at noon-day, was noticed by the earliest Fathers 12, and
that thc more, since it took plaee at the Feast of the Pas....m.er,
and, in puni
hment for that sin, their feasts Zl'ere turned illto
lllOllrlling, in the desolation of their eountry and the cessation
of their worship.
I will bring up sackcloth (i. e. the rough coarse hair-
cloth, which, being fa
tencd with the girdle tight m-er the
Joins 13, was wearing- to the frame) will !Jaiclness upon el'er.1I herul.
The mourning of the Jews was no half-mourning, no painless
change of one colour of becoming drei"s for another. For the
time, they were dead to the wodd or to enjoyment. A
the
clothing was coarse, uneomely, distre
sing, so they laid a....ide
every ornament, thc ornament of their hair also, (as En
lish
widows ui"ed, on the same print'iple, to cover it.) They shore
it off; each sex. what was the pride of their sex; the men their
beard
, the women, their lon
hair. The strong words, bald-
lIess, is balded l "", shear l5 , hew otf l6 , elliarge thy baldness l7 , are used
to shew the completeness of this expression of sorrow. 1'one
exemptcd them....elves in the unÎ\'ersal sorrow: 011 el'ery head
came up baldness.
Aud I will make it (probably, the whole state and condi-
tion of things, everything, as we use our it) as the mourning
of an only SOll. As, when Hod deli,-ered Israel from Egypt,
there u'as not, among the E
yptians, II house u'here there lCUS
not one dead 18, and one univer....al cry arose from end to end of
the land, so now too in apostate Israel. The whole mourn-
ing should be the one most grie,'ous mourning of parents, over
the one child in whom thev themseh-es seemed anew to live.
alld the end tltereof as'll bitter day. Most griefs have a
re....t or pause, or wear themselves out. The end of thi,. should
be like the beginning, nay, one concentrated grief, a whole day

at. + 32 0 35'lat.l()()042'long. at 22 h 32m"(lO h 32m) Gr. Time." Samaria is 82 0 15'lat. 3.';0
U'long. "The path of the central eclipsewas-14lat.3()o 6'long. ;-10 lat. 38 0 41'long.''

!\lr.l\Iain'sletter. 3 E.ery place here mentioned was "rigorously
co nputed" by :l.fr. Quirling. 4 U_rii Annales. A.
. 3213. p.4.5. f?1. 5 see
R ,wi. on Herod. i. j4. T. i. p. 212... 6.
lr. :\1am tell
me that lII.t
e old mode
of marking eclipses the whole was diVIded mto 12 dl(l;I1>!. ",?that echpses.of 12 dl
nts ..ere to-
ta!; tho"" ofll and 10 large. 7 }hc. II. 6. C'tc':'
:-: '7 '::':'::
,1<:" Am.
'::;
T
-;;

C6. 8
ers.3iren. iv. 33.12."

r:\n :\1 arc. iv. 42.
.
;;: T:'
'
ii. 23. p.58. Oxf. Tr. S. Cyril, Cat. xiii. 25. Eus. Dem: Ev. x. 6. . .
13 See ab. Joel i. 8 13. p. 107.109. 1< Jer. x... 6. 15 n3 l\hc.l. 16
Jer. vii. 29. ' 16 7":3 Is. x.. 2. 7-3 Jer. xh'iii. 3i. although less strong than '-3,
is harsher than the ordinary 1"I
3. 17
lic. I. C. 18 Ex. xii. 30.

218

c IlBI
ries T Lord GOD: that I will send a famine in tll('
cir. 7 f',
land, not a famine of hread, nor a thirst
q J Sdm. 3. 1. for water, but q of hearing- the words of
I:
L
7
'26. the LORn:
] 2 And they shall wander from sea tu
sea, and from thf' north even tu the
east, tlH'Y shall run to and fro to seek

AMOS,

the word of the LORn, and s}mll not find it. C HBífoÏs T
13 In that day shall the fair virgins and _cir.

young men faint for thirst.

I I TI tl r b } ' f
rHos. 4. 15.
'"i ICV tat swear y 8 t If' SIll 0 .,a-. lJeut. 9.21.
. . 1 TI G 1 () D I . h t Heb. u"ay:
In arIa, an< say, lY TO(, an, lyet ; See Acts. 9.2.
and, The t manner t of lleer-slH'ha liveth;
}
:

23.
even they shall fall, and neyer rise up again. t
I:t

.

of bitter
ricf summcd up in its ("lose. It was to bc no pass-
in;..:- trouble, but onc whieh shou1d end in bittertlf>ss, an uncnd-
ing sorrow and de
trueticm; ima
e of the undyin
death in hell.
II. ÁYut a famine for bread. He does not d('nv that thc're
shou1d be bodiÏ y fami;lc too; hut thi
,
rievous as "it is, would
be less
rievuus than the famim' of whieh he "'peaks, tile fa-
m;lIe uf tile 1Vurd of the Lore!. I n distress wc all
o to (;od.
"1 They who now cast uut and despise the prophets, when
they shall sce themselves besie
ed by the enemy, shall he tor-
mented with a g-reat hung-er of hearin
the word of the Lord
from the mouth uf the prophets, and shall find no one to li
ht-
en their distresses. This was most sad to the. people of Gud ;
2 we see not our tokcns; tllere is not one propllet more; tlære is
not one u'itllus wI/(} ll1uirrstandetll, how 10Ilg." Even the pro-
fanc, when they see no help, will have rceourse to God. Saul,
in his extremity 3, enquired uf tile Lure!, and He allswered Mm
not, neitlll'r b.lI dreams, nor h.1I Ur;/lI, nur b.1I prul'lIets. Jero-
hoam sent his wife to enquire of the prophet .-\hijah about his
son'!' health 4. They sought fur teUllwralrclief unly, and there-
fore found it not.
12. Tiley slwllu'(lIldl'r, lit. reel. The word is used of the
reelin
of drunkards, of the swayin
to amI fro of trees in the
wincl, uf the quh-ering of the lips of une agitated, and then of
the unsteady seeking of persons bewilclered, looking- for what
the v know not whcre to find.
From sea to sea, from the spa of
GaÍilec to the Mediterrancan, i. e. from East tu 'Yest, and
from. the i.Yorth C7'en to tile sUJlri.
illg, round a
ain to the East,
whenee their seareh had be
lIl, whcrc light should he, and
was not. It may be, that Amos refers to the deseril'tion of
thc land by Moses, adapting it to the then separate cunditiun
uf Ephraim 5, .lIoltr Smtih hordeI' shall be from the e:rtremit.'1 (
f
the Salt sea \Dcad sea) East1l'llrd-mui ti,e goings out of it slud I
be at ti,e sed, ami for the IVestcrn burder ye slwll h(l1'e the great
sea/or a border. .r1nd tlâs sllall be your ÁYort II border-U1ld
the burder shall descend and shall reach to the side uf the .
ea of
Clâllllereth Eastward. Amos dues not mention the South, bc-
cause tllere alone, where they mi
ht have found, where the
true wor!<hip of God was, they did not seek. Had they !"oug-ht
God in Judah, instead of seekin
to ag
randise themselves by
its subdual, Ti
lath-pileser would probably never have come
against them. One expedition only in the se,-enteen years of
his reign was directed 'Vestward 6, and that was at the peti-
tion of Ahaz.
The prÏIwiple of God's dealin
s, that, in certain conditions
of a sinful people, He will withdraw His wurd. is instanced in
I..rael, not limited to it. God says to Ezekiel 7 , I wi//make
th.'1 tungue cleave to tile rouf of th.'1 7IIuuth, aud tlwu shalt be
dumb; ami shaft not be tu them (l reprm'er; fur ;t is a rebel/i-
uus holtse; and Ezekiel sap, 8, IJestructicm slwll ('mile upon de-
.ytruc(i(J1l, amI rumultr slwll be upou rumour, ami they .çlwll seek
([ 'v;Ûrl1l from ti,e prophet, ami tI,e lwv slwll per;sll frolll the priest
J Rib.
Ps. \xxiv. 9. 3 1 Sam. xx\'iii. 6. 4 I Kings xiv. 2, 3.
& l\um. xxxiv. 3-12. 6 Raw\. Herod. i. 471). ' Ezek. iii.
G. s vii. 2('.

!Tom S. Chr)"s. ill Is. vi. 1. Horn. 4. T. \'1. p. 130.

ami cOIlIlsel frum the allciellt.ç. "9 God turns away from them,
and cheeks the grac'e of prophecy. For sinee they ne
lectecl
IIis law, He, on His side, sta
-s the prophetic gift. .Aml the
word 1('(IS l'redoll.ç in those da!IS, tllere 1('(IS no upeu 1.;,Ç;OIl, i. e.
God did not speak to thelll through the Prophets; lie breathed
not upon them the Spirit throu
h whieh they spake. He did
not alJpear to them, but is !<ilent and hidden. There was si-
lence, enmity between God and man."
13. In this hOlleles!<ne!<s as to all relief, thosc too shall
fail and sink under their sufferings, in whom life is freshest
and !<trongest, and hope most buoyant. Hope mitigatcs any
!:;uffcrin
s. "'hen hope is gone, the powers of life, whieh it
sustains,
'.e way. TIley shall.fa;nt for thirst, lit. "shall bc
mantled over, cO\'ered 10," as, in tilt't, one fainting seems to feel
as if a veil eame over his brow and cyes. TMrst, as it is an in-
tenser suffering than hodily hun
er, indudes !<utferings ofhody
and mind. If e"en o,-er those, whose life was firmest, a veil
eame, and they fainted for thirst, what of the rest?
14. JVlw swear, lit. the sweariug, they who habitually swear.
lIe assi
ns, at the end, the
round of all this mi
ery, the for-
sakin
of God. God had command('d that all appeals hyoath
!'hould be madc to Himself, "TllO alone gO\'erns the world, to
"110m alone Hi!< creatures owe obedience, "Tho alone reven
es.
11 Tlum s1wlt fear t/le Lurd tlly God ami serve Ilim ami swear
b.'1 His .lYame. On the other hand Joshua warned them 12,
.1Yeither make mention uf the 1/a1lle of tl,e;r gods 1/ur ('all
e tu
Sll'rar b.lI them nor serl'e thcm. But these Sll'are b.1J the sill of
Samar;a, probably tI,e ca{f at Bet/lei, whieh was nigh to ::5a-
maria and the centre of their idolatry, whence Hos('<l ealls it
th.'1 ('alf 13. Th.'1 ('([If, 0 Samaria, Iwtll cast thee 0/1: T/le calf
r!f Samar;a shall be broken ill p;e,'e,ç. He calls it t/le gu;it of
Samar;a, as the !'ouree of all their
uilt, as it is said of the
prim'es of Judah usin
this sanu' word 14, the.1f left the house uf
tI,e Lord God u.f their fathers, and served idols, ami1('1"(lth ('(lllle
upon .Tudah and .Terusalem fur t/zis t/leir trespass. And sa.'I, tllY
f(od, 0 Dan! li'veth, i. e. as surely as thy
od liveth! hy the life
of thy
od! as they who worshipp('d God said, as t/le Lord liv-
eth. It was a direct substitution of the creature for the Crea-
tor, an a!<erihin
to it the attribute of God; as the J.àt/ler hatlt
life in Hill/,çelf15. It was an appeal to it, as the Aven
er of
false-swearing, as though it werc the moral Governur of the
world.
The mmmer of Beer,ç/æba lh:eth! lit. the u'ay. Thi
may
be, either the reli
iun and worship of the idul there, as ::5. Paul
says, I perseruted t!lis u'a.11 unto tile deatll 16 , whem'e Moham-
mcd learnt to speak uf his imposture, as "the way of God."
Or it might mean the actual way tu Brersllelm, and llla
' sig-
nify aU the idolatrous plaees uf worship in the way thither.
Thev seeIll to hm'c made the wav thither one ]ong a,'enue of
idol
, euhninatin
in it. For J(;siah, in his great destruetion
ofidulat ry 1 7,gatlll'1'ed all the prie,çts frulll tile cities of .Turlall, and
10 Tbe metaphor occurs both in Heb. and Arab. 11 Dent. vi. 13. x. 20.
I
Josh. xxiii. í. 13 Hos. viii. 5, 6. 14 2Chr. xxiv. l
. I. S. Jobn v. 26.
16 Acts xxii. 4. add Lx. 2. xix. 9,23. I, 2 Kings xxiii. 8.

.

Before
CHRIST
cir. ';8ï.

CI-L\ PTEIl IX.

CfL\PTER IX.

219

The certainty of tile desolation. 11 The re-
storing of tile tabernarle of Dal'id.

II Or,
chapiter,
or, knop.
II Or, ICound
them.
a Ps.68. 21.
Hab. 3 13.

I
L\ "T the Lord standing upon the al-
tar: and he said,
lUite the II lintel of
the door, that the posts Illay shake: and
n a l
ut them in the head, aU of them; and

I will ..lay the last. of them with 0)(' C :
oÍeST
sword: b he that flceth ofthclH shall not flee cir. ;b7.
away, and hl' that est'apeth of t1)('m shall not b ch.2.1

he delivered.

c '
houp,-h they di
into hell, tlwuce. r
: 139.8,
shall Hunc hand take them; d tlUHI(rh the, II Job 20. 6.
I . } h :--. Jer. 51. 53.
C 11U) up to caven, theu<'e will I hring Obad.4.
them down;

difilecl tbe Mgb-places, u,/lere the ]Jrie.
.ts .Wlcrt/ice(
froJll Gehalt
to Beerslleba : only, this may perhap
slml1ly de
crIhe the whole
territorv of Judah f."um Korth to South. Any how, ß('er
heha
stands f'or the good wor
hipped there, as, ll'hoso Sll'are b.1/ tIle
Temple. sU'are, uur Lurd tells us 1, by it and by Him that dU'ell-
etlt therein.
IX. I. I saw tbe Lurd. He saw God in ,'isioIl: )-et God no
more as hefore asked him what he saw. God no lon
er shews
him
'1\\blems 'of th(' destrl1(,tion, but the dcstructiun it!;eU'.
Sinee Amos had just been
peaking of the idolatry of Sama-
ria as the /rround of its utter destruction, douhtless this vi-
sio;1 of sut'Ì. utter destruction uf the p]aee of wor
hip, with
and upun the worsllil'pers, relates to those
ame idolaters and
idolatries 2. True, the eondemnation of Israel would he('ome
the ('ondeUlnation of Judah. when Jud..h's sins, like ISl"ael'!<,
should beemne complete. nut directly, it can hardly relate
to any other than those spok('n of before and after, l...rael.
The altar, then, Ol'er 3 which Amo
sees God stand, i
ðoubtles!<
the altar on which Jerobuam !'arrificetl, the altar whieh he set
up on-r ug-ain!'t the altar at Jerusalem, the centre of the calf-
worship, who
e dt'struction the man of God furetold un the
dav uf its dedi('ation. There where, in eounterfeit of the
a-
erï"fices which God had appointed, they offered would-be-aton-
ing- saerificcs, and sinned in them, God appeared, standin
, to
behold, to judge, to condemn. Alld He said, smite tlte lintel,
lit. tile chapter, or capital, prubahly so called from croll'ning
the pillm' with a globular form, like a pomegranat('. Thi
,
the
pllrious outward imitation of the true saIlI'tuary, God
commands to be tötriC'ken. that the posts, or prohably the thresh-
holds. /lta.'1 shake. The building was struck from abon, and
reeled to its base. 1t does not matter, whether any blow on
the capital of a pillar would make the whole fahric to shuke. I
For the bluw was no bluw of man. God g-h-es the command
probahly to the Angel of the Lord, a
, in- Ezekiel's ,-ision of I
the de
tnl{'tion of Jerusalem, the cbanre to destroy was
h'en
to six men 4,
o the fir
t-burn of EgYl)t, the arm)" of Sènna-
cherib, were destroyed by an Angel 5 . An Angd stood with
his sword over Jeru
alem 6, when God punished David's pre-
suml'ticUl in numbering the peopl('. At Olle blow of the hea-
venly .\g-ent the whole building shook, staggered, fell.

.bl([ Cllt them in the ltead, all nfthem i. This ilia)" be either
hy the direct agellry of the Angel, or the temple it
elf ll1a
' be
repre
ellted a
falling on the head of the worshippers. A!' God,
through Jehu, de
troyed all the worshippers of Baal in the
llOuse of ßaal, so here He foretells, under a like image, the de-
struction of all the idolaters of Israel. He had said, t!ley that
S1{'ear 1).1/ tile sill of Samariu-shall fall alld llCl'er rÙæ up agaill.
Here he represents the plaee of that worship, the idolaters,
1 S. Matt.xxñi. 21. 2 S. Jer. Theod. understand it of" thl! altar" at Jerusalew.
3 not, upon. 4 Ezek. ix. 2. . Ex. xii. 23. 2 Kg,. xix. 3", 5. B 2 Sam. xxiv.
1,15, 16. j Others render. b,"eak them, i. e. the capitals. in piece. on thl! head of flU of
tllt!m; but
::
signifies cut, woun.d, rather than break; and the plural c: is more naturally
referred to the same objects as :.
;) than to the .mgular -':-t::. six. 9. 9 2 Kings

as it seems, cro,,-ded there, and the cunlluand gh en to destroy
them all. All I
rael was nut to be destroved.
Yot the [('([st
grain wa
to fallujJon the (,(Irth 8. Thosc th
n here rcpresented
a,.; destroyed to the la
t man, must be a di
tint't class. Tlw
e
destroyed in the templc must be the worsbil'l'('rs in the tem-
ple. !n the Temple of God at Jerusalcm, none entcrcd ex('cpt
the priests. Even the spaee between tile }lorclt find tlte altaI"
was set apart for the prie
ts. But heresy is lIecei"
urily ir-
rt'\-erent, Le('ause, not wor
hippill
the One Gud, it hmi no
Object of re\"erenl'e. Hen('e the tcmple of Baal was full from
end to end 9 , and the wor
hippers of the sun at Jerusalclll
turned tlleir backs to/l'ard the Temple, and U'orsltipped the SlOt
tou'ards tile East, at the door of the Temple, htiz{'eell thp porclt
aud the a/tar 10. The worshippers of the cakes were COIll-
manded to kiss 11 them, and so must ha,'e filled the temple,
where the" were.
_Jnd I will slay the last of them. The Angcl is hidden to
destroy those g-athered in open idolatry in une place. God,
by His Onlllisdence, reserved the rest fur IIis own judgment.
All ereatures animate or inanimate, rational or irratiunal,
stand at His cummand to fulfil His will. The mass of idola-
ters having perished in their idolatry, the re!'t, nut erui"hed in
the fall of the tellllJle, would fain flee away, but Ite tlwt }leetlt
sltallnot }lee, God says, to any g-ood to them,<:ell'Cs 12 ; yea, al-
though they should du what for man is im}lo
siLle, they should
not escape God.
2. Hcight or depth are alike open to the Omnipresent
God. The g-ran is not
o aweful as God. The sinner wuuld
gladly dig througlt into hell, bury himself, the Ih-ing amun/r
the dead, if so he cuuld escape the !'i
ht of God. But tltem'e,
God says,
1Iy hand shall take them, to place them in His pre-
sence, to receh'e their sentence. Or it
like the rebel angel!',
they eould place their throne ([II/id the stars 13 of God, tllellce u'ill
I bring tllem dozel/, humbling, judging-, eondemnin
.
3. (Ie had contra
ted hea,-en and hell, as places impussi-
ble for man to reach: as Da, id say
, 14 If I ascend iI/to hem'en,
Tlwllart there: If I make 111.1/ bed inllell, helwld Thee. Xuu', of
places in a manner aece
sible, he cuntra
ts )Iount Carmel,
which ri!<es abruptly out of the sea, with dcpths of that o('can
whieh it onrhangs. Carmel wa!< in two ways a hiding- plaee.
I) Thrullg-h its caves (some say 1000 15 , smne 2000) with whit>h
it is perforated, whose entrance sometimes
careelv admits a

ing-le man; so close to eaeh other. that a pursuer' would not
discern into whieh the fugitive had ,-anished; so serpentinc
within, that, "10 "tqJS a})art," !<ays a tra,-elJer 16, .. we coultl
hear each uthers' ,'oices, but ('ould not see eaeh other." "17('ar_
mel is perforated by hundredfold g-reater or lð,.er clefts. Even
in the garb of loveliness and richness, the maje
tic :\Iount,
x.21. 19 Ezek. viii. 16. xi. 1. II Hos. xiii. 2. I
tlte force of :::-:
. 13 Is.
xiv. 12-1". 1< Ps. cxxxix. 8. I. .. The caves in Cannel are exceeding man
-,
especially on the ". It is saidabo,.e lOOO. In one part, there are 400 close tOA'etlter." ".
Rlchter.65. .. more than 2000," :\Iislin. Les Saints Lieux, ii. "G. in Smith's Bibl. Dict.
16 Schulz, Leit. d. Hochstens, v. 186. Paulus, Reisen, ,ii. 43. Ij v. Schubert, iii. 205,

220

Before
CHRIST
cir. i8ï.

3
\nd thongh ther hide tllPmseh-es
in the top of Carmel. I will seart'h and
take them out thence; and thou
h they
be hid from my sight in the bottom of
the sea, thence will I command the ser-
pent, and he shall bite them:

A:\IOS,

-1
\nd thong-h they go into ('apth-ity C Jíi7s T
before their enemies, e then<'e will I com- cir. ï
. _
mand the sword, and it shall slar them : . },
:;t:
.3;k
and f I will set mine eyes upon them for I f

\
: :
:
evil, and not for
ood. Jer.41.11.
Õ And the Lord GOD of hosts is he

bv its clefts, ca,-es, and rocky battlements, excites in the
,,:anderer who sees them for the fir!'it time, a feeling of min-
gled wonder and fear.-A whole army of enemies, as of na-
ture's terrors, could hide themselves in these roek-c1efts." 2)
its summit, about 1800 feet above the sea \ "is eovered with
piIH'S and oaks, and lower down with oliye and laurel trees 2."
These forests furnished hiding- places to robber-hordes s at
the time of our Lord. In those eaves, Elijah probably at times
was hidden from the persecution of Ahah anù J ezebeI. It
"eems to be spoken of as his abode 4, as also one rt'sort of Eli-
sha 5. Carmel, as the "'cstern extremity of the land, proje('t-
ing into the sea, was the last place which a fugitive would
reach. If he found no safety there, there was none in his
whole land. Nor was there by sea;
And though the,.l/ be hid [rather, Idde themseh'esJ from
lI.y
si{(ht in the hottom of the sea, thence u'ill I command the serpent.
The sea too has its deadly serpents. Their classes are tèw;
the indh iduals in those classes art> much more numerous than
those of the land-serpents 6. Their shoals have furnished to
sailors tokens of approaching land 6. Their chief abode, as
traced in modern times, is between the Tropics 7 . The ancients
knew of them, perhaps in the Persian /!ulf or perhaps the Red
Sea 8. All are "9 hi
hly venomous" and "lOven' feroeious."
" n The ,-irulence of' thëir "en om is e(lual to tlmt of the most
I)ernicious land-serpents." All things, with their will or with-
out it through animal instinct, as the serpent, or their sa\"a
e
passions, as the .\ss)"I"ian, fulfil the will uf God. As, at His
{'ommand, the fish whom Hc had prepared, swaUowed Jonah,
for his prel"ervation, so, at His ('01mnaud, the serpent should
cume forth from the recesses of the sea to the sinner's grcater
suffering.
4. CaptÍl'i(lf, at least, seemed safe. The horrors of war
are O\'er. Men enslave, but do not commonly destroy those
whom they have onee been at the pains to earry capth'e. Amm;
describes them in their misery, as goi1lg wi11ing-ly,
Iadly, i1l-
to capth'ity before their enemies, like a floek of sheep.. Yet
thence too. out of tIle captil'ity, God would command the sword,
and it should slav them. So God had forewarned them hv :\10-
ses, that captivit'y should be an oceasion, not an end,of!<Íaug-h-
ter. 12 I will scatter you a 111 ong tile lleathen, and u'ill drml' out
a s'/.l'Ord after .you. 13
-1lld among these nations shalt thou.lÙul
110 ease-and tilY life sllall hallg ill doubt before thee, and tllOU
sltalt fear day alld night, alld shalt have none assurallce of

I V. de Velde, 1lem. 177. , Richter, 66. 3 Strab. 16.2.28.
4 I Kinl(S xviii. 19. 5 2 King!! ii. 25. iv. 25. 6 Cantor, in Zoolog. Trans. T. ii. n,
d

Ei :
o." ;

ZOl;
I

ï:
h

':Pj
;e

,:

:
dJ:
t
:;'fb." bo:;
, ''?T
;
Hydrophidæ are found exclusi,'ely in the se3S of the wanner pans of the Eastern He-
misphere. on the coasts of the Indian and Pacilic Oceans. Some of them occur as far
South as the coasts of N. Zealand and Australia. A few are found occasionally in salt
;:;

a

h:
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'
e

Th

I

o

:e
'I:;
;el:

t

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dn

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great dread by the fishennen in whose nets they are not unfrequently cauj!;ht." Circle
ofthe Sciences, T. iii. p. Ill. Dr_ Rolleston (Linacre Prolessor al Oxlord) who kindl)"
supplied me with these lacts infonns me that up to this time the hydrophidæ have only been
found "in the Indian and the Pacific and the seas which are their dependencies;" but he
drew my attention to the extreme warmth of the Red Sea and the causes of that warmth.
H;
;
f
i

h

:iS':a f:'d t1:: P

ia':

lft
eb
,:i:=rt
7

Iirilh=
c

:
tèe

thy life. The book of Esther shews how cheaply the life of
a whole nation was held h)' Eastern conquerors; and the buok
of Tobit reeords, how habitually Jews "-ere
lain and eil!<t out
uuburied l
. The aeeount also that Sennacherib I. a,'cng-cd
the lo!'s of his army, and ill Ids lcratlt killed /nail.,!, is alttlg-ether
in the character of AS!<)Tian eonquerors. rnwittin
ly he
fulfilled the command of God, [will commaud tlte sll'ord aud
it sllall sla.,! tllem.
I 'will set mine eyes upon them for ez'i/. So David says,
16 Tile eyes of the Lord are ot'er tile righteous, a1ll1 His ears are
open to tlleir pra.,!ers. The Face of the Lord is against tl!em
that do el'il, to root out the remembrance of tlleJllfrom off' tIle
earth. The Eve of God rests on eaeh creature whi('h He hath
made, as entiieJy, as if He had el"eated it alone. Every mo-
ment is pas!'ed in His unvarying sight. But, as man sets his
eye on man, watehing- him and with purpose of evil, so God's
Eye is felt to be on man in displeasure, when
orruw and ca-
lamity track him and overtake him, coming he knows not how,
in unlooked-for ways and
trange e\"Cnts. The Eye uf God
upon us is our whole hope and stay and life. It is on the Con-
fessor in prison, the Martyr on the ra('k, the poor in their suf-
ferings, the mourner in the chamher of death, for good. "'hat,
when e,-erpvhere that Eye, the Soun'e of all g-ood, rests on His
creature only fur e,'iI! aud 1I0t for good, he adds; not, as is the
wont and the J"\ature ofGud; 1I0t, as He had promised, if they
were faithful; not, as perhaps they thought; for good. lIe ut-
terly shuts out all hope of good. It shall he all cvil, and no
good, sueh as is hell.
5. And Who is He Who should do this? God, at "Those
command arc all creatures. Thi!< is the hope of His sen'ants;
whenee Hezekiah hebrins his prayt'r, Lord of hosts, God of /s-
raeP7. This is the hopelessness of His enemies. Tllllt touch-
etll the laud or earth, aud it shall melt, rather, hath melted.
His "ïll and its fulfilment are one. ]8 He spake, and it ll'as;
He COll111111uded ami it stood fast. His "ïll is first, as the
cause of what is done; in time they co-exist. He hath no need
to put forth His strength; a touch, the slightest indication of
His "ïU, sufficeth. If the solid earth, how much more its in-
habitants! So the P!<almist says, 19 The heathen raged, the
kiugdom.
'were mm:ed; .fIe uttered his 'L'oice, the earth melteth.
The hearts of Inen Ulelt when they are afraid of His Prescllee;
hUUlan annie!' melt away, dispersed; the
reat globc itself
shall dissolve into its ancient ehaos at His "ïll.

although their observations need confirmation from further researches." Schlegel, p. 400.
The accuracy of Pliny's statement as to their venom, ..hich modern enquiry has ("on-
firmed, (Schlegel, p, 4b8. Duméril, Erpétologie vii. 1316-18. Cantor, p. 303,6,9,10, n. Or..,
above) shews that he must ha,-e known the creature. .. The most beautiful kind of snake
in the world is that which lives in the waters too; they are called hydri; i'ifmor in ve-
nom ton01le of the .e'-penl.... N. H. xxix. 4. 22. More than balf oftbe Red Sea is within
}
:

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:

hardt says (Syria, 4,(9) of the Gulf of Akaba, "the sands on the shore everywhere bore the
I impression 01 the pas:;age of serpents, crossing each other in many directions. A}"d [an
Arab lisher] told me that serp"nts were very common in these pans, that the fishermen
were very much afraid of them." But these must have beeu land serpents. It is possible
I that both the Hebrews and Pliny kuew of them through the commerce ..ith India.
:3
;

\i

?
65, 6. t41;
t:f.I
7. ii.3. 1t Id j ;;3rL.18_ t6
:.

xI1J
:
" Is. xxx\Íi. 16. 18 Ps. xxxiii. 9. 19 Ps. xl> i. G.
..

cIL\PTER IX.

c líio:eST G It is he that buildeth his "t i storips in
cír. 'ie-i. the heaven, and hath founded hi
II troop
/I

ms. in the earth. he that k l
aIlt.th for the wa-
f Heb.
(JRemsions. ters of the sea, and poureth them out up-
;1 Ö;'
n
l
: 13. on the face of the earth : 1 The LORD is
:

:::f3. his name.

221

7 .1re re not as children of the Ethio- C HBj{oíes T
pians unto me, 0 phiIdren of Israel? saith 713;.
the LORD. Have not I brought up Israel
out of the land of E
n)t? and the m Phi- mJer.4i. 4.
Iistines from D Caphtor, and the :;yrians D Deut.2. 23.
froIn 0 Kir ? D

\
k 4.

6. He that lmildetll Hi.., stories. 'fhe word commonly
means steps, nor is therc any rea
on to alter it. "'e read óf
the tlârd hem'ell I, the Ilertl'elis (
l hem'eu.., 2; i. e. hc<u-cns to
whieh this hea,'en is as earth. The,' arc different ways of ex-
pre!'
ing- thc Ya!'t unseen
pa('c whiëh God IUl!' creat
d, divid-
ed, as wc know, throug-h the di
tance of the fixed star
, into
eountless purtions, uf whit'h the lower, or further remuvcd,
arc but as step.., to the Pre
ence of thc (;rcat I\:ing-, where,
abUl'e all 11e(Il'e1lS 3, Chri
t sitteth at thc Hig-ht Hand of (;od.
It ('OnH'
tu the samc, if wc supposc the word to mean llpper
rhambers -I.. The metaphor would still signify heavcns aLove
our hean'ns.
Ami hath fOllllded JIis troop [lit. 1J(11l([5] in the earth; pro-
bably, fOllnded His arelt upon tlte earth, i. c. His ,-i!'ible hem-cn,
whi('h !'eem
, like an arl'h, to span thc earth. 'fhf' whole then
de!'cribes" all thing-s vi!'ihle and irn'i!'ible; " all of this our solar
sptem. and aU heyond it, thc many gradations tu the Throne
of God. .. 6 He daily lmildetll Ifi,., stories in tile Item'ens, when
He rai
eth up His saints from things below to hea,-enly places,
presitlin
o'-er them, ascendin
in them. In de,-out wayfarers
too, who
e cO/ll'ersation is in .IIeal'en 7, lIe ascendcth, sublime-
Iv and mereifullv indwelling their hearts. In those who have
the fruitiun of Himself in tho
(> Hea,-ens, Hc ascendeth by the
glory of heatitude and the loftiest contemplation, as lIe walk-
eth in tll(l
c who walk, and resteth in tho
e who re!'t in Him."
Tu thi!' description of His power, Amos, as hefore 8, adds
that sip:llal instanee of its exereise on thc ungmlIy, the flood,
the pattern and type of judg-ments which no
inner escapcs.
God then hath the power to do this. "Thy should Hc not?
Are ye not as children of the Ethiopiansllllto JIe, 0 children
of Lçrael! Their hml!'t and confidelJ('{' was that the\" werc
ehildren of tIle Patriarch, to whom (;od made thc prõmises.
But thcy. not following the faith nor doing- the dee(b of Is-
rael, who was a prillCr' u'ith God, or of .\braham, the father of
thc faithful, had, for Bene Israel, children of Israel, become as
Bme Cllsltiim, cltildren of the Etltiopialls, descendants of Ham,
furthe
t off from the knowledgc and g-ra('c of God, the un-
challg-eableness of whose ('olour was an emblem of unehang-e-
ahlene!'
in evil. II Call tlte Ethiopian clwllge !tis skin, or the leo-
pard his spots? tit en may ye also do good, that are accustumed
to do el'iI.
Hal'e I not brought up [Did I not bring up] brael out of
tlte land of Eg!lpt ? .Amus blends in onc thcir plea and (;od's
answer. God. hy bring-inp: them up out of Eg-ypt, had pledg-
ed IIis truth tu them to be their God. to IJrot(.et and preserve
them. True! so long as thev retained Gud as thcir (;od. and
kf'pt Hi
laws. God'chose dIem, that thev might choos(' Him.
Br f'asting Him off. as their Lurd and (
od, they cast them-
seh-es off and out of God's proteetion. By ('strangin
them-
selH's from God, they bel'ame as strangers in His sight. His
act in hring-ing- them up from Egypt had lu!'t its mcaning for
them. It hecame no more than any other event in His Pro-
I 2 C:or.
ii. 2. 2 Deut. x. 11: 1 Kings viii. 2i. Ps. cxlviii. 4. 3 Eph. iv. 10.
o as "
f I""
:;":I were the same as I"',.
:oo. " . It is used of" a bunch of hyssop,"
(Ex. xl1:.22.) "
!,nds 01 a }"oke,:' (Is. hili. 6.) .. a band of men,': (2 Sam. ii. 25.) hence in
Arab. IJad slgrunes an arch, as linnly held together, as our apse IS from the Greek å.........

I vid(-ll('e, hy whi
'h Hc broug-!,t up tIle PIt
/is
ille.<i from
'
lpMor,
\\-110 yet were ahens from JIlIJI, and the ð,llrlwtsfrom IÚr, who,
He had foretold,
hould hc carried Lac'k thither.
This inunig-ration of the Philistines from t:aphtor must have
I taken plaee hefore the return of I
rael fl'om E
Tpt. For 1\10-
se!' !'ays 10, Tlte Caph/orim, 1cho came forth from Caph/or, had
at this time destm.l/ed tlte Al't'im whu dwelt in l'il/ages unto
Ga::;alt, and dll'elt in tlleir steml. Ån entire change in their
affairs had al
o taken place in thc fuur ccnturics and a half

inec the day!' of Isaac. In thc timc of Abl"aham and Isaac,
Phili!'tia was a kingdom; its eapital, (;erar. Its king had a
standing army, Phieol being- the l'Uptaill of the host II: he had
also a privy councillor, Ahuzzath 12. From the time after the
Exodus, Phili
tia had eeascd to be a king-dom, (;erar dislp-
pears from history; the power of Philistia is cunf'entrated in
fh-e ncw town
, (;aza, .\shdod, .\shkelon, Gath, Ekrun, \\ ith
fh-e heads, whu con!'ult and aet as one 13. The t:aphturim
are in some sense also distinet from the old Philistine!'. They
oceupy a distriet not co-extensive with either the old or the
new land ofthe Philistines. In thc time of Saul, another Phi-
li
tinc elan is mentiuned, the t:herethite. Thc .\malddtes made
a maurauding inroad into the South country of the Chere-
thites 14; which immediately afterwards is called 15 tlle land of
the Philistines. Pruhably thcn, therc were (lifferent immi-
grations of the same trihe into Pale
tine, as there werc dif-
ferent immigrations of Danes or Saxons into En
land, or as
there have Let'n and arc from thc old wurld into the nc\\",
America and Australia. They were then all merged in one
eommon name, aj English. Scotr'h, Irish, are in the L nited

tate,o;. The fir
t immi
....atiun may lun-e been that from the
Casluhim, out of 1dwm came Plâlistim 18; a se('ond, frum the
Caphtorim, a kindred people, sinec they are namcd next to the
Casluhim 17, a
de
('endants of .\Iizraim. Yet a third werc
doubtle
s thc Chercthim. But all were united under thc one
namc of Phili
tines, as Britons, Dane
. Saxons, Xormans, are
united under thc one name uf EJlg-Ii
h. Of thes(; immigra-
tions, that from Caphtor, e,-en if (as seems probable) sCf'und
in timc, was tlw chicf; whidl agrees with the great ac{'e
sion
of strength, which the Phili
tines had reeeiwd at the time
of thc Exodu!i ; whence the .\lediterranea'l had ('ome to be
called by their name. the sea of the PMlistines 18; and. in )10-
s('s' song- of thanksgiving, tlte inhabitants of PMlistia are nam-
ed on a lcvel with all the inlwbitants of ('anflau I9 ; and Gud led
His peoplc by the way of .\lount Sinai, in order not to expose
them at once to so powerful an enem

O. .\ third immi1!ra-
tion of Chel'ethim, in the latter part of the periud of the Judges,
would account for the sudden increase uf strength, whit'll they
seem then to ha"e reeeh-ed. }<'or" hereas heretoforc those
whom (;od emplored to ehastcn Israel in their idolatries. were
kings of .\lesopotamia, 1\1oab, Hazor, .\lidian, Amalek, and thc
children of the East 21, and Phili!Õtia had, at the Leg-inning of
the period, lost (;aza, Ashkelon, and Ekron 22, to Israel, and
ð Dion. 7 Phil. iii. 20. 8 v.8. ') Jer. xiii. 23.
10 Deut. ii. 22. II Gen. xxi. 22. xxvi. 2ô. 12 lb. xx.-i. 26. 13 see ab.
on i. 6.8. 10 I Sam. xxx. H. I' lb. If 1. 16 Gen. x. H. Ii lb.
, IS Ex. xxiii. 31. 1& lb. xv. H,5. 20 lb. xili. 17. 21 Judg. ili.-x. 5. 22 lb. i.IS.
00

222

C If'ìfoíes T 8 Behold, p the er es of the Lord Go/)

i__ m'c up un the sinful kingdom, and I q will
: J:
:
õ. 11. dcstrov it from off the fact' of the ear.th ;
&: 31. 3;;. :16. .. tl t 1 . ll t 1 1 t
Obad. Hi, Ii. sann
m WI no utter y (es ror
the house of .Jacoh, saith the I
nRn.
t ::

v:
rtSe 9 For, 10, I will ('olllllumd, and I will t sift

....\l\I()
,

the house of Israel among an nation
, like C HBí!o;
T
as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not i
i.
the least t grain fan upon the earth. t Heb.atone.
10 All the sinners of my people shall die
hy the sword, r which say, The evil shall r ch.6.3.
not on,'rtake nor pren'nt us.

n as I'el'ulsed by Sham
ar, theJlf'eforth, to t}u' time of David,
they h('c'ame the great sc'cml'
e of Israel un the 'Yest uf Jordan,
as Alllmon was on thc East.
The J('wish traditions in the LXX, the Vulgate, and three
Targ-ulll!<, a
'Tee that Caphtor was ('appad()('ia, whieh, in that
it e
h'lHled to the Blaek Sea. lIlig-ht 1)(' ('all('cl I, sea-coa.
t, lit.
,. habitable land 1," a!Ò c'ontrash'd with the sea whieh wasll('d
it, whether it surround('d it or nu. The t'hcrethites mi1\" ha"e
been ('ClIne frum Cretc, an intermediate resting-placc hi their
]))i
ratilllJ
.
, 8. Belwld the e.lIes of ti,e Lord are upon the sinflll killg-
dom. The sillful killgdom may mean eaeh sillfltl killgdom, as
St. Paul says 2, (;od will render u/(to ('I'ery mall according to
his denls,-1futo tllf'JJ/ 1dw do not olu:1! the trutll hut ohl'.'1 1ll1-
rigldeousness, trihulatioll alld anglli
h upou el'er.lI soul uf 71I1l11
tllllt doeth {'l'il, of the Jell' /irst, ami also of ti,e (ieutile. His
E!le.
are 011 the sÏJ{fid kingdolll, whatsoen'r Clr where!Õoe'-er it
bc. and 1'0011 Isriwl also: alld I will dlwtl"O.11 it from oIl' the f(/('e
q( t/le earth. In this ease, the eIHIJha1'i1' would 1)(' on the, .. I
will not "ft('rill destrov." Gucl wCluld de!'-troy sinful kin
dOlJl!o.
yet I!<rae!. aIti1Clu
h sinful, lIe would not liiter
lf de!<tr;,y, but
wuuld leilre a }"('mnallt, as He had so oft('n promised. Yet per-
haps. and nwrt' probably, tht' c'untra..t is hetween the ki/lg-
limn and t/le IUJ//se of l
rael. The /..-illgdom. being founded in
sin, hound up inseparably with sin, God !Õays, I will dn;tro.lf
from (!II' tile face (
( t/'e eartb, and it eeased for (',-cr. Only.
with the kin
dClln. lIe says, I I/'ill not lifterf.1! destro!1 the bouse
of J((('uh. to whom wpre thp promises. and to whose seed, whu-
..oe,-er were thc true Israel, those prumises should be kept. So
lIe eXl,lains;

t, For lo! I Il'ifl m1J/mwul ! lit. lo! ,'ieI'. I am C01l1l11l11uliug.
He draw!< their att('nticlIl to it, as somethin
whieh !"hall shorth-
be: and Í1wuleatf's that He is the se('ret disposer of all wllieÍt
shall bdúll them. JI/ld I will sift the house of br((el ((1J/uug (/ll
uatio/ls.
\mos enlarg-e.: the prol'hee)' of Husca, the.1/ .shall he
Il'llJlderers alllollg tilt' IIltfioll.
. He adds two tllC1u
hts; the \"Ï-
olem'(' with whieh thev shall bl' shaken, and that this their uu-
St'ttled life. to and fro.
hall he not amfmg (be /latiuns ouly, hut iu
all nations. In evcry (l'larter of the world, and in well-ni
h
e,-ery nation iu en'ry (llUlrtc'r, Jews 1..n-e }wen found. The
whole ('arth is. as it were. (HIe nlst si(',-e in the Hands of (;od. in
whieh Israel i!Õ !'haken ti'om one end to the other. There hu!'
h('pn olle 1'('as('I('ss tossin
to and fro, as the corn in the sien'
is tw,!Õ('d thlln side to side, and rests nowlwre, till all is sith'd.
Eac'h nation in whom they have lwen found has been an in-
..trument of their beiu
'shaken, !<ifted, slTered. the
rain
from the dirt and ehaff, And yct in their who),' c'Olnpass, /lot
the lettst grain, no solid c'orn, not one g-rain. !ohoulcl fall to
t"e l'lIrtb. The ehaff and du!<t would he bluwn awav bv the
aÏl'; the dirt whic'h I' la, e to it would fall throu
h ; In;t u
olle
grai/l. (;od, iu all these f'enturies, has had un e
-e on each soul
of His peuple in their di':l)('rsion thmug-hout all lands. The
righteous tuo have been tòhakcn up and duwn, through and

: Rom. ii. 6-9.

1 ""It from "I.,It.
a RO:ll. xi. I, 2, 5.

5 Heb. xli. 12.

4 Rib.

throug'h; yd not one soul has been lost, which, by the bell' of
(;od's Holy Spirit, willed truly and earne!"tly to be sand. Be-
fore Christ came, they who were His, believed in Him \\'ho
should ('ome; when He came, tbe}' who were His were con-
verted to Him; as S. Paul !'aith 3, Hath God cast au'a.ll His peo-
pie? (;od forbid! For I also am WI brllelite, of the seed of
.1 bralUlm, of the trihe f{( BeJy'amill-God Iwtl! uot cast away
His people ll'hicll He fore/mew-At tltis present time also there
is It reUllimd, according to the eleethm of gr((('e.
" 4 \\lmt is here said of all. {;od doth dailv in each of the
elcct. Fur the\' arc the wheat of {;od, whieh, iil urder to be laid
up in the hean
nly gamer, must be pure ti'Oln chaff and dust.
Tn this end lIe sifts them by affiietions and trouhle
, in youth,
manhood, uld age, whercsO('ver they are, in whatsoc,-cr Ol'C'U-
pied, and pro,-es them ag-ailJ and again. .\1 one time the elect
enjoycth tranquillity uf mind, is he(lewed hy heavenly refresh-
JIIents, prayeth as he wiUs, lo,-eth, gloweth, hath no taste for
ou
ht eX('C}Jt God. Then a
ain he is dry, e
l'erien('etll the
h('a,-en to he a
hra
s, his l'l'ay('r is hind('I"('d by distracting
t hou
hts. }Ii", feet al'e as lead to dced!Õ of ,-jrtue, his hautls hal/g
drm'JI, hi,; knees are feeble 6, he dreads (leath; he stÍt'ks fast . lan-

uishes. lIe is
hakcn in a
ie'-e, that ht' may mistru
t self,
l'hll'C his hupc in Gud, and the dust of vain-
Iory may he !"ha-
k('n off. He is pron-d, that it mar appear whether he ('lean to
God for the n'ward of present enjoyment, or for the hnpt' uf
fUhll'e, for lun
ing- fur the
Iorr uf {;od and fur low of Him-
self. God. sutt"ereth him also tu be sifted by the devil through
,-arinus temptations to sin, as he said tu the .\pustle, ,,
ïlllUll, lo!
Sfefl/nlwtlt desired .110u, to sift ./jUlt l/S w/,eat 6. nut thi
is the
l'owcr of God, this IIi.:
race to the el(.(.t, this the devil attain-
{,th hy his
iftinp:, that the dust uf immoderate self-love, of vain
l'onfid('IU'e, of love of the ,rodd, should faJI 0'1': this Satan ef-
f('l.teth not, that the least decd whieh appertaÏlwth tu the in-
ward house amI the dweIlin
which they prepare in their souls
for {;ud, shoulcl peri!'.h. Rather, as we see in holy Job, virtues
will Ïlwreasc, g-row, be strengthened."
lO. All tlte sillners of lily people shall pel'ish. .\t the hl!<t,
when the long-sufl'('ring of Gud has been despis('d to the ut-
termost, His Pro\"Ïdem'(' is exact in His justiee, as in His
1(J\"c. Å
not oue gmiu should fall to tile eart", so not one
sinner should eseapc. "7 Xot bl eause they sinned afnretime,
but heeau!<e th('y pcrsevered in sin until d('ath. The .Ethio-
pians are ehan
ed intu sons of God, if they repent; and the
suns of God pass away into .Ethiopians, if they fall into the
depth of sin."
1171ÏcI, say, The f'l'il slwll liot fJl'ertal.-e nor prel'e71t llS.
Their se('llrity was the c'ausCc' of their destructiun. They pe-
rished the more mis('raMy. heing- buoyed up by the false eonfi-
denl'e that tht'y should nut Ilt'ri!<h. So it Wit!< in both dcstruf'-
tions of J('rusalt'm. Of t}t(' first. Jcremiah says to the false
pl"opht't Hananiah 8, Thus s((ith the Lord, TI'
1l hast bmken
ti,e yokes of 1{.ood j bllt tholl sllflft make for thelll yokes of iron;
and to Zedekiah 9, Obey, I beseech tllee, the l)oice of the Lord,

7 S. Jer.

ð S. Luke xxii. 31.
S Jer. xxviii. 13.
lb. xxxviii. 20,23. add xxvii. 9, 10,19.

('IL\PTER IX.

Before
CHRIST
,8,.

II
. In tha.t day will I raise up the ta-
· Act\ll5. 16, 17.

bernacle of Dayid that is fallen, and t duse Before
t Heb. hedgt, or, wall. C H ,
i
S T

u'hiel, I speak ltnto thee; so slwll it be well Itnto thee, a/l({ tll.'I
so1l1 shallli,'e. Bat if tholt refltse to go fort/l-tlwlt sludt not
escape Ollt of their Iwnd, bllt shalt be taken b.'1 ti,e Iwnd of tI,e
Icillg of Babyloll. allli tluJ/t shalt IJIlrn tlds cit.'1 wit/l .fire. .\1
the seeond, while the Chri...tian!', ,mindful of uur Lord's word...)
fled to Pella, the Jew... were, to the last, enl'oura
ed h} their
false prophets tu re...i"'t. .. The cause of thi... dc!'trudion;' at
the burning" of the temple,
ays their 0" n hi...torian 1, .. wa
a
false l,rophet, ,,'ho on that day prol'laimed to tho...(. in th(' I'ity,
't;nd comma/uls to p:o up tu the temple, to J"t'ceive the si
n... of
deih erance.' There were tno, at that time, amon
the people
many prophet!< suhorned hythe tyrant.... hiddin
them await the
help from God. that tlu.y mig-ht nut des{'I.t, and that hope
l11i
ht IH'(','ail with those, who were aho,'e f('ar and restI'aint.
l\Ian is sunil persuaded in ealamity. And when the (leceiwr
promises release from the e,-ils" hich are upon him, the ...uf-
ferer gi,'es hims('lf wlwlly up to hope. Tlw...e d('eeiHr... then
and liars ag-aiu...t God then mi!<perslladed the wrctelwd people,
:W that they neithcr reg-arded, nor Lelie,'ed, the plain e,-id('ut
prodig-ie..., which fore-tukeued the coming- desolation, hut, like
men ...tupifi('d, who had neitlwl' eye!' nor mind, di...uheycd the
warning's of God."-Then, haring- related HIlU(' of the prodi-
Jries whieh uccurred, he adds 2 ;-"ßut oftlH'...e !'ig-n"" !'OIne they
interpreted after their own will,
nme tlwy d('spi
('d, until they
were eom"ietcd of folly by the ('apture of th('ir ('ountl'y and
their own destruetion."
o too now, none <Ire ...u likely to pe-
rish for e,-er, as they wlw sa.'I, The eril shall not ol'ert"ke Its.
" [ will repent hereaftcl'." "[ will make IllY pp,u'e with God
hefore [rli('." ." There is time enou
h yet." "Youth is for pl('a-
sure. age fÌlr repentance." .. God will furg-Ï\"e the error... of youth,
ami the heat uf our passiuns." "An
time will do for rCl'ent-
aIJee; health and stren
th promise long- life;" .. I Nllllwt du
without this or that 1/0/('." ., I will turu to (.od. onlv not ,'et."
,. GO(I is mereiful and full of comlHt!<..ion." ßeea
Jse Satan
tllU'" deludes thousand... upon thousand... to their de...truetion,
(.nd I'uts away all !'ul'h vain hopes" ith Hi.. "-ord, .111 the sill-
ner.s of JEfI people slUll/ die w!âch say, the ez-il slUll/llot ourtake
nor come /I pOll IlS.
II. III tlUlt da.'1 I u'ill raise up. Amos, as the p.'opheb
were tau
ht to do,
um.. up hi... propheey of woe" ith this one
full promise of o,-erfl(1\\ ing- g-ood. For the ten trih('",. in their
separate ('ondition. there wa.. no hope, I1U future. III' h<ld pro-
nounced the entire de...tnwtion of ti,e kingdoll/ of I..rael. The
ten trihes were, thelU'efnrth, only an a

reg-ate of indh-idual!',
Jroorl or had. They had IW separate I'orporate existenee. In
their spiritual existence, they !'till belonged to the one f
nnily
of Israel; and. Lelon
ing to it, were heir.. uf the promi..es
made to it. "'hen no longer ...eparate, individual" out of its
trihcs were to hecome ,\plJstle", to their ,,-hole people and to
the (;entile:;:. Of indidduals in it. (.od had declared His jud
-
llwnt, antidpating the complete exal'tne...", of the JudgmeÙt
of the Great Day. .All t!le sinlle1'S of Hi
people should die an
untimely death b.'I the sword; not one uf tllO
e who were the
true grain
hould peri..h with the chaff.
He now foretell.... how that sah'ation, of tho:;:e indeed His
own. should be effecte(l throu
h the house of J)a,'id, in whose
line Chri...t wa!'ò to eome. He speak!< of the hou..e of David,
not in any terms ofruyal g-reatnc
s ; he tell.., not of its palace:;:,
1 Joseph. B. J. 6.5. i 2. 3 2 lb. i 4. 3 Jon. iv. 5. Gen. xxxiii. Ii.
4 from ï:::: i. '). ï''::' i Gen. X"'<xiii. 1,. 6 2 Sam. xi. 11. , Is. i. 8.
Job XX\ ii. 18. 8 Le\. xxiii. 4-3. · lb. 40. see on Hos. xii. 9. p. ;9. 10 Ps. xviii. 11.

223

hut of it!< ruin!'. ('nd('r the word tflbl'J"Jlflcle, hI.' prnhahly
hl('nd
the ideal'Õ. that it ..houM he in a I'oor l'OIHlition, aud yet
that it
Iwuld be the IIlcan'" wherehy (.od slwuM I'rotel't IIi..;
people. 'I'll(' Sll('C(t!" t((be/"Iladc, (tran",latcd booth in .Jonah S,)
was ori
inalh- a I"Ude hut. t'c,rmt'd of illtertll'illPfP hranche..._
It is u...
d of the eattle-!<h('d " and flf the rnu
h h'nt... u,,('d hv
...oldiers in war II or Ity th(' watl'hman in the ,ineyard 7, an;l
of tlws(' whercin (;od made tlte c1tildrclI of brael to dwel/,
whell n(, brollg'" tit em out of ti,e lfllld of J.
!?,1/pt fl. 'I'IU' name
of the feast of Taherllflrlnì, Silecotlt, a... wel\ as the rude h'm-
porary hut.. 9 in whidl tlU'y wcre eOlulllanded tlJ (I\n'll. a
...o-
I'iah'd the name with a state of IlUt"-ard 1'''' erty ulUlPr (io,}'",
proh'I,tion. n(,IU'c. pcrhal's, the word i", (,lIIployed al..o of the
..eer('t plaee of the Pre..ene(' uf (.od 10. Isaiah. a.. well as .\mo..,
...(.(.m.... in the use ofthc ..ame "ord 11, to hint that what i", poor
and mean in man's sight would he. in the Hand... of God, an
ett"('etual protel'tion. This h/lt of ])fll"id was al
o at that time
to he fallen. \\llen .\nw.. prul'lU'sied. it had heen w('akelU'd
by the sdli"'m uf the h'n trihe..., hut Azariah. its king-, W:I...
mighty 12. .\mo!' had already f'llJ"(.told the destl"lll'tion of the
prtluresofJerusalem b,II.fì/"e I3 . Xow he adds, that theahidin

I'(mdition uf the house of David ..lulUld be a !'tate of de('a,'
and ,n'akne..."" and that from that ..tate, not human ",trcn
rtl;,
but (.od Himself !'òhould raise it. I u'ill raise "p the IlIlt r!(
Dal'id, the (nllen. lIe docs not ,.av. of tlwt time. ., the hut
that i.'ì falle;)." as if it wert' aln'ady f
lllen. hut the hilt, tllefrdl-
en H, i. e. the hut of whieh the dmral'ter !'Iwuld thcn be its fall-
ing-. its eatlul'ity. So, under a different figllre, [",aiah prnl'he-

ied, Tllere shall cOIne forth a rod Ollt of tI,e ..dllIllP 15 of .Jes.w',
amlll Brancl, shall pitt fortllfrom its roots. '\1lCn the trunk
wa", hewn down {,,'en with the
rouIJd, and the rank gra...... had
cO\'ered the stUIlIP, that rod and Branrh shnuld ('ume forth
whi('h :;:llOulrl rul(' thc earth. and to which the (;entiles should
seek 16. From tlwse words of .\mo!o'. .. the
on of the fallen.'

beeame, alUon
the Jews. one of the title.. of the Christ. ßoth
in the leg-a I and m
-..;til'al sehool!'ò the word... of Amos are al-
leg-ed. in I)roof of the fallen condition of the house of "add,
when the Chri..t should come. ,. \\'110 would expeet," asks
one Ii, .. that (
od would rai..e up the fallen tahernade of Ua-
,-id? and yet it is said, I will mise up the tnbernar/e of Ðm'irl
le/dell is fallen t!ml'n. _\nd who would hope that the wlwle
world should becmne one Land? as it i", written 1\ Theil I ll'ill
turn to ti,e p('ople a pure langllage, that the.'llI/a!1 all call1l[loll
tile /lall/e of tl/(. Lord, to .'ìC/"l'e 11ill/ with one sllOlllde/". This
i.. no other than the king- )Ies..iah." And in the Tahnud l9 ;
.. R. Xa('hman said to R. I...aae: IIast thou heard" heIJ · the

on of the fallen' shall eome? He an..wered. \\'110 is he? R.
X <H'hman ; The :\[es!o'iah. R. h.aal'; I", the l\lessiah
I' eaIled?
R. Xachman; Yes; III tllat day Iu'ill rai.'ìe lip ti,e tabernacle of
Ð(ll'id u'hich is faUm down."
And close IIp, lit. ll'alluj1, the brenclles thereof. The hou...e
of Dadd had at this time !'u
tained hreache!'. It had YCt
more !'('rious hreadll" to !'u!'tain then'after. The fir",t gréat
breach wa.. the rendint:" off of the ten tribe:;:. It !'u!'òtained
breache
. throug-h the "A!'ò!'}Tians; and yet more when it..clf
was carried away ('apth-e to ßabylon, and !'òO many of it!' Te-
!'idue fled into EJrypt. ßreachc,. are repaired h
' npw stone!';
the Ios
('s of the house of Ð,H'id were to be filled up by ac('e..-

Job xxxvi. 2!1.
l

';' Is. xi.I.
,Ioc. gen. n. IS. 1" 70.

11 10. iv. 6. 12 2 Chr. xxvi. 6-15. 13 ii. 5. 14 i"
!::1
;& lb. 10. I, Here,hilh Rabba S. 8S. fin. quoled br Schoen/!".
I' Zeph. iii. 9. 1. Sanhedr. f. !'6. 2. Schoeug. de
Iess. p. 1\>.
002

22-1

c HB
T">S T up the hrt'aches thereof; and I will raise
'i
'i. up his ruins, and I will build it as in tlH'
days of old:
t Obad.19. 12 t That they may possess the remnant

A
IOS,

of n Edom, and of all the heathen, t which c l:[oÍ
., T
arc called by my name, saith the LORD _

that dot'th this. t
I
b:' :H.18.
13 Behold, x the days come, saith tbe :f;
a":..
om
· Lev. 26. 5. is called.

ion!' from the Gentiles. God Himself should close up t!le
hrenc!les; so should they remain dosed; and tI,e {{((te.\' (
f !lell
s/'oultl 1/ot prel'ail (fgflill.
t the Churl'll whil'h IIc builded.
Anw
heap
(Ill one another the words implying- dt'struetinn.
A I"tt, and that falling ; breac!les; ruins; (lit./lis rltinated. Ids
r!('stru('tÙ)JJ.\'.) But IIC al!<o
peaks of it in a way whieh ex-
eludes thE idea of tI,e I"tt of Daz'id, bein
,. the ro\-al Dvnastv"
or ,. the king-dmll of Judail." Fur h(' sl;eaks ofit: not ,is an ,
b-
!'tral't thing-,
ul'h as a king-dmu is, but as a whol(', consi!<tin

of iJUlh-iduals. Ill' speaks, not only of ti,e l/Ilt of Dm'id, but
of" tI,eir (fem.) hreaehe!'," "hi,
ruins," that God would" huild
I,er up." "that tlle.1f (mase.) may inherit:" using- apparently
this nlriety of numbers and gcnders 1, in ord('r to shew that he
is speaking- of (lnt' lidnl{ whole, tilt' Jewish Chul"l'h, now rent
in two by the g-rNlt sehism uf .Jeroboam. hut whil'h should be
rt'united into one both-, members of whi,'h shOl.ld win the
Heathen to the true fa"ïth in God. "I will raise up," he says,
" the tahernade of David, the fallen. and will wall up tlleir hrpa-
ehe,;:' [the hrea,'hc:-; ofthe two portions into which it had been
rpnt 1 and I will raise up Ids ruins l the ,. ruinatt'd places" of
Da,-idJ and [ will Luihl IIer [as one whole] a!< in tlu' days uf
old, [hefore the rent of the ten tribes. when all worshipped aii'
one,] that tlu"y," (masc.) i. e. individuals who should go furth
out of her, " mav inhcrit, &e."
1:2. Tllat tI;e.1f ma.11 pU.
.fjess, rath('r, inllerit, tbe remnant of
Edom. The restoration was not to he tor themselvcs alone.
1\0 I{ifts of God end in the immediate ohjel't of His hounty and
low. They were r('!'tored, in urd('r that they, the first ohjects
of God's merdes, mig-ht win others to God; not Edom only, but
(lit 1UtliollS, UjJOlIll'!loIII, Gmt ,.ay
,
11.1/
Ymlle is called. Plainly
then. it is nu temporal suhjugation, nor any earthl)' kin
dom,
The word
. "pOll 11'110111 tile l/([1)le is called, invoke. in any case.
hclon
ing- to, and being- owned by, him whose name is called
upon th('m. It is said of the wife hearinl{ thc name of the
hushand and heeuminl{ hi
, let tlly uallle be ('allee/upon us 2 .
\\"hcn Jacob speeiaJly adupts Ephraim and Manass{'h as his
uwn, he sa
's, let m.1J JUlllle be named upon tllem, aJlll tile uame
of 11/.1/ fatllers, Abrallam ane/ Isaac 3. In relation to {;od, the
words are us('d of person" and of places espel'iallyappropriat-
ed tu God; as the whole Jewish Cll\ll"I'h and people, lIis Tem-
I)le\ His Prophets 5, the eity of J('rusalem G by ,-il.tne of the Tem-
ple built there. Contrariwise, Isaiah pleads to God. that the
Heathen u'ere llel'er called hlf Tlllf ..I.Ymne 7. This rehltion of
lwing" called by the
Yame òf Go(l, was not outward only, nor
wali; it ineJfedÍ\-c. Its eharal't(>ristil's were holiness imparted
by {;od to man, and protpetion hy (;od. Thus :\llIses. in his
ble
sing on Israel if obedient, says 8, Tile Lord sllall e.
tclbli.
h
tbee ml holfl people unto ifill/self, as He Imtl1 Sll'orn unto thee, if
tbou .
/mlt keep tlw COlII/lulJulll/ents of tile LONl th.1f God, alld
'Walk in His ll'a.lfs; and all people of 'he eartl, slwll ,see tllUt tIle
l....allle of tile Lord tb.'1 God is called ujJon tbee, alld tlley slwll
fmr tllee. .And Jeremiah says to Gud 9, TIIY word ll'as unto
me thejo.lI and rdoiciJ/g of m.'I heart; for Th.1f lIame was called
upon me, U Lord God of Hosts.

Israel then, or the Jewish Chureh, was to inhl'rit, or
take into it!<elf, not Edom only, but all nations, and that, hy
their Lel"n
inl{ to God. Edom, as the brother of Israel and
yet hi!< implacable enemy, stands a!' a symhol of all whu wcre
alien from God. over ag-ainst His people. lIe says, ti,e residue
of Edolll, because he had foretold the destrul'tion whil'h was
first to "ome upun Edom IV; and Huly Scripture everywlwre
speak!< of thos(' who should be converted, as a remnallt only.
The Jews themselves arc the kc('pcrs and witness('s uf these
words. "'as it not foretold? It stands written. Is it nut ful-
filled? The whole world from this eountl'y to China, and from
t:hina round a
ain to us. as far as it is Christian, and as, year
by year, morc arc gathered into the fold of Chri:-;t, arc the in-
hcritance of those who were the seed of Abraham, Isaac and
J,u'ob.
S. James quoted thcse words in the Council of Jerusalem, to
shew how the wurds of the Prophet were in harmony with
what S. Petl.r had I'elated, how 11 God at tllefirst didl'isit the
Gentiles, to take Ollt of them a peoplefor Ilis
Yame. IIelluotcs
the words, as the,- stood in the n'rsion which was und('rstood
hy thl' (;entiles ,,:ho ",lIlle from Antiol'll. In it the words arc
paraphrased, hut the meaning- remains the same. The Greek
translators took away the metaphor, in order, prohahly, to
make the nwaning more intelligible tu Greeks, and paraphras-
ed the Hehrew words, imagininl{ uther words, as like as mig-ht
be to the IIebrew 12. They render, "that the re!iidue of men n 'ay
seck, and an the nations upon whom 1\Iy name is ('aIled."
The toree of the proph(.ey lies in these last words, that ,. the

ame of God should he ealled upon an nations." S. James,
then, Iluoted thl' words as they were familiar to his hearers,
not ('orreeting those which did not impair the meaning". In
so doing-. he shews us inddentally. that en'n imllerfcction of
translation docs not empty the fulness of God's word. The
words, .. shan seek the Lord," although not representing any
thing- expn'ssed here in the ori
inal, Ol','ur in the l'orrespond-
ing- prophecy of Isaiah as to thc root of Jesse 13, lit that da.1f
tllere slwll be a root (i. e. a s\U'ker from the root) of Jesse,
u'Mc!l .'ìball stand for an ensign of tile people, and to it 8ball the
Gentiles seek. It may be, that
. James purposely uses the
plural, tbe 1l'orc/s of the propllets, ill order to include. tOl{ether
with the Prophet Amos, other Prophets who had foretold the
same thinl{. The statenlt'nts, that the Jewish Church should
inherit the Gentilcs, that the l\"hme of God should be called
upon the Gentiles, and that the Lentilcs ..hould seek the Lord,
are parts of one whole; that they shouhl be called, that they
shouhl obey the call, and, obeying, be enrolled in the une fa-
milv of God.
. 13. Behold, the da.1/s are ('oming. The Day of the Lord
is e,'er coming- on ; every act, good or Lad, is drawing it on :
enry thing which fills up the measure of iniquity or whkh
"hastens the a('eomplishment uf the number of the c1eet:"
all time hastens it by. TIle ploug!lmall sllal/ overfal.-e tlll'1'eaJ1-
er, and the treacler of grapes Mill that sOlL'eth seed. The image
is taken from God's promise in the law 14; rOllr thresldllg slwll

Is.iv.I.
-xxxiv. Iii.

1 Hengslenberg, Christologie, i. 447, 8. ed. 2. S Deut. xx\iii. 9, 10. g 1. c. 10 see ab. p.l06.
J Gen. xlviii. 16. . 1 Kings viii. 43. Jer. vii. 10, 11, 14, 30. 11 Acts xv. H. 12 As though there had stood =-:N for ::!',-:N; and
1::--:' for '-=---,
5 Jer. xv. 16. 6 Dan, ix. 18,19. 'i Is. lxiii. 19. _ the diflerence in each case lying in one letter. 1J Is. xi. 10, H Lev. xxvi.;;.

CIL\lJTER IX.

c J
of S T LORD, that the 1)low01an slmll overtake the
if',. reaper, and the treader of A"rapes him that
tHe},dr:u>- t soweth seed; Yand the mountains shaH
y J
l
:tI8.
II Or, drop II sweet wÌIw,and all the hills shall mdt.
Kj:" 3
':'n;: 14 z An(! I ,\
iI11Jring n.gilin tl1C lllal}ti,-it)..

22;)

of my people of Israel, and. & they shall c f:
í:oÍs T
huild the waste dtie!', aud inhabit. tltem; ;:",.
and t1lf'Y shan plant vineyards, and drink. IS

.f)li.4.
the wine thereof; they shan also make

f)
6.
g-ardens, and eat the fruit of the))).

rearh Ullto tlte t'intage, ami tlte l'illtage sltall reac!l unto tile
sowing time; whi('h is the order of a/!"riculture. The han'est
should he !'o t'llpious that it should nut he threshed out until
tbe '-Ìnta/!"e: the ,-intal!"e so larl!"e, that, instead of endin
.
a.. u..ual, in the middle of the ïth month, it shuuld t'ontinue
on to the seed-time in
O\ ember. .Amos appears purpo!'e-
Iv to ha,-e a1tel'c(1 this. He dest'ribes what i
whollv beyond
];ature, in order that it mi/!"ht the more appear that he' was
speaking- of no mere /!"ifts of nature, but, under naturalemhlems.
ofthe abundance uf /!"ifts of
race. Tile plougllmall, who breaks
up the fallow
'Tound. shall ot'ertake, or throng. the reaper.
The plouglmulIl lUi
ht tltrollg, or Join 011, to the reaper, either
fullowing upon him, or b('inl!" followed by him; either prepar-
in/!" the soil tor the han-est which the reaper g-athers in, or
breaking it up anew tor a fr('sh harHst after the in-
atherinl!".
But the \-intag-e falls between the hanest and the seed-time.
If then by tlu: }JlougllllulIl tllrouging 011 tile reaper, we undcr-
stand that the han-cst should, for its abundance, not be O\-er
hefìJre thc fresh !'eed-time, then. "im'e the ,-intag-e is mUt'h near-
er to the !'e('d-time than the harvest had been, the wurds, he
that tremlt'th out the grapes, him tlwt sOll'eth tI,e seed, would
onlv ..av the same }('''S toreihl\". In the other way, it i
one
cmitimious whole. So vast w
uld be the
oil to he'cultivated,
80 beyund all the powers of the cultinltor, and yct1'O rapid and
unceasing the /!"rowth, that seed-time and han-est wuuld be
but one.
o our Lord says \ Sa.'1 not ye, There are .'Iet four
1//ollths, and then cometh harl'est? be/wid, I say Ulitt. .'1oU. Lift
up .'Iour eyes, ami look OIl the.fields; for t/te;,1J are ll'hite already
to IWJ"l'est. .Four IIWIlt/tS ordinarih' intern'ned betwccn seed-
time and han-cst. Among these Samaritans, seed-time and
har'-e
t wcre one. They had not. like the Jew!', had teacher,..
from God; yet, as soon as our Lord taug-ht them. they beliewd.
But, as !'eed-time and han-est should be une, su should the
vintag-e he ('ontinuous \\ ith the followinl!" !'eed-time. Tile
treaeler of g1"apes. the last crowning act of the year of culth-a-
tion. should join on to him that SOll'etll ,lit. drall'eth forth,
80weth bruadea;.t, scattereth far and wide the) seed. All this
is beyond nature. and so, the more in harmony with what went
hefore, the e,.;tabli..hment of a kinl!"dom of graee. in which the
Heathen should lun-e the ...Yame of God called UPO]l them. He
had foretold 2 to them, huw God would send famille Oil the
land, not afamille (!f bread, 1l0J" a thirst for u'ater, but of hear-
ing the ll'OI'ds of the Lord. Kow, under the same image, he de-
clares the rcpcal of that scntence. He foretells, not the fulnes...
only of God's I!"ifts, but their unbroken continuance. "3 All
shall s\I('eeed one another, so tllat no day should be ,'oid of
eorn, wine, and g-Iadnes
." And they shall not follow only
on onc another, but ..haH all go on tog-ether in one IJerpetual
round of toil and fruitfulne,.;s. There shall be one unceasin

inpourinl!" of ri('h('s; no break in the hea,-enly hushandry; h;-
bour shaH at OIu'e yield fruit; the harvest shall but encourage I
fre!<h labour. Thë end shaH ('ome s\\ iftly on the beginnin
; I
the end shall not clm.e the pa..t only, but issue forth anew. I
Sueh is the charaeter ofthe toils of the Gospel. .\11 the works I
of grace go on in harmony together; each helps on the other;
1 S.John iv. 35. i
2 viü.lI. 3 S.Jer. 4 Rup. . see ab. p. 94, 5.149. ø
:;;',:r1'l

in onc, the fallow-g-roUlul uf the heart is brohen up; in allothel',
seed is "own, the be/!"illning of a huh- t'(mn'rsation: in anuther.
is thc full riehnes" of tlu' ripcned f"nÜt, in a(ham'ed holine
;.
or the blood uf :\Iartyr... .\nd so, al
o. of the ministers of
Christ, some arc adai)ted e"pe('ially to one offit'e, somc to
another; yet all tOl!"ether carryon IIis one work. .-\11, too,
Patriarl'll
, Prophet!', Apo",tles,
hall meet t()
ether in one;
they who. before Christ's l:oming-, ,.
so" cd the !'('('(1. the pru-
mises of the Blessed Seed to eOlUe," and they who entered illt,}
their labours, not to rlispla('e, but to complete them; all shall
r('joice together in that Seed which is Christ.
Ami tlte nlUlmtains slwll drop s1t'eet ll'ille a1/(1 all tI,e hill...
shall melt. Amos takes the words uf Joel. in ordcr to id('n-
tify their prophecies 5, yet streng-then!' the image. For instead
of saying, tlte hills shall flow u'itlt mil/c. he SlY!'. tlleY shall melt.
disso/z'e themsell'es 6 . Sueh ",hall he the abundann' and super-
ahundance of ble..sin
, that it ",hall be a", thou
h the hill.. dis-
sulved them!<c1ves ill the ridl !'treams which the')' poured down.
The mountains and hills may be snnbol... in reg-ard either to
their hei/!"ht, or their natur.il harrenness or th
ir diffi('ulty of
eultÏ\"atilln. III past times they were scenes uf idulatry ï. In
the time of the (;ospcl, all
hould be changed; all slu)uld be
above nature. All ",hould be obedient to God; all. full of the
g-raees and g-ifts of (;od. "lmt was exalted, like the Apustle
,
:<houhl be exalted nut for it
clf, but in order to pour out the
:<treams of life-giving doetrine and truth, which should rctì'e",h
and gladden the faithful. An(l the les!'er heig-ht!'. tIle !till...,
should, in their degree. pour uut the same streams. E\"Cl"r
thin
. heretofore barren and unfruitful, !'hould o\-erflow "ith
spiriti.al hlessing-. The mountains and hills of J udæa, with
their terraeed
ides dad with the ,-ine. were a natural snubol
of fruitfuhle",s to the Jew",. hut thev thems{'}vcs euuld not' think
that natural fruitfulnp"s wa
me.;nt under this imag('r). It
would ha,-e been a hyperbole as to thing-s of nature ; but what,
in natural thing!'. is a hyperbole, is hut a faint shadow uf the
joys and rich dcli/!"hts and glad fruitfulness of grace.
1-1. Ami I will bring agaiu the captil'i(1J of .111..1/ people.
"
here all around is spiritual, there is no reason to take this
alone as earthly. .\n earthlv re!'toration to ('anaan had no
value, except as introdUl,tory to the "'pi ritual. The two tribc

\H're, in a great measure, restored to their own land. when
Zal'lwriah, being 8.filled ?l'Ïtll the Jlo(11 Ghost, prophesied, as
then ahout to be aecomplished, that God bath visited aud re-
deemed His people. {IUd hath raised up a IlOrn of salr'atiou to
us ill the house of His serl'mlf Da,.;d, as He spake b.'I tlte mouth
of IIis holy prophets-that lce, /}eing delh'ered from tI,e Iwmls
of our enemies, migltt seTl'e llim 1l'ithout fear, in holille.'ìs allll
righteousness before Him. So our Lord said 9 ; .'Ie slwll kUOll'
tlte truth, ami the truth shall make you free.-"'ho.'ìoel.'er com-
mitfeth sin, is the serum! of sin.-I.f the .S'(1ll shall 11lake you
free, .'Ie shall be free indeed. _\nd S. Paul IO , The lall' of tile
Spirit of life in Christ Jeslls has made me free from the lllll' of
Sill and death.
AmI the.,! shall huild the Il'a.'ìte [rather shall/mild ll'flste ll]
citie.'ì. "As theywho are freed from raptivit)'and are nu longer
7 5I.'e ab. p. 80.
8 S. Lukei.68-70,4, 5. g S.Johnviii.82,4,6. 10 Rom. viü. 2. 11 ThereÏ5noartide.

2:!G

C IF}[ors T 15
\nd I will plant them upon tlleir
ihi. land, and, b ther shall no more be pulled
b ISdi.lìO.21. Jer. 32. 41. Ezek. 3-1,. 2ts. Joel 3. 20.

\:\IOS.

up out of their land whieh I have giv- C HB
o
es T
en them, saith the LORD thy God. iBi.

in f('ar of the enemy, bu;1d riUes and plant t'Ï1u-.l/ards and gar-
dens." 1'0 shall these unto God. "This." says one of old 1,
"ne('ds no e
position, sinee. throug-llOut the ,;-odd, amid the
desert of Heathendom, whieh was I)('fore des('rh,d bv God,
Chur('h('
of Christ ha,-e aris('n, whidl, for the firmness ot' faith,
lllay he ealled cities, and, for the !{Iadll('ss of Iwpe u,Mclt TIlak-
eth llot aslwllled. t';nc,.'Iards, and for the sweetness('s of eharity,
/!arden!' ; "herein they dwell, who haw build('d thcm throu!{h
the word; when('e they drink the wine of gladness, who form-
ed thcm by pree('pts; when('e they eat fruits, who advaIl('ed
them by ('(lUn
el
, be('ause, as he ll'ho rea petit, so he too who
buildeth su('h cities, and he who planteth such l'Ï1U'yarcl,
, and
he who maketh sueh gardens, 1"ece;uth u'ages am[ gatlleretlt
fruit unto life eternal 2."
Ij. And I n.m plant t/,em upon their ml'n laud. The
promises and thl"t'ateninp:s of (;od are, to indh-iduals. eondi-
tional upon their eontinuin
to be uf that eharaet('r, to whieh
Gud annexes thus(' prumi
es or threats. "3 The Gud of aU
often prOlnis('
, when those who reeeh-e the promi
es. by joy-
inp: in ini(Jllity hinder those promis('s from taking effect. .At
time!< also lIe threatens heayy thinp:s, and the! who for tht'Ír
offt'nces were the objeets "ftllOse threah, being, throug-h fear
ofthem. ('onn'rh'(l. do not in aet expcri('lu'e them." The two
tribes re('eh-ed some little shadow of fulfihnent of these pro-
mises on the return from Babylon. TIIl.l/ 1l'ere planted;n tlle;r
ml'n land. The n(lIl-fulfihncnt of the rest, as well a
the ed-
dent symbolic dmraeter of part of it, lllust ha,-e shewn them
that sueh fulfilmcnt was the be!{inning, not the end. Their
land was ti,e Lord',
land; hanishmcnt frum it was banish-
ment from the speeial pre!"elll'e of God, from the p]aee w]lt're
He manifested Himself, where alone the typil'al sa('rifi('e
, the
appointed means of re('Olu'iliation, ('mlld be offered. R('stora-
tion to their own land wa
the outward symbol uf restoration
to God's fayor, of whidl it was th(' fruit.' It was a ('ondition
of the fulfilment of tho,;e other IIl'mnises, the Cuming' of lIim
in ',"horn the promises "-ere lai(l up, the Christ, He was 1I0t
simply to he of Da,-id's s('('(1. a('('ording to the flesh. Prnpheey.
as tinw went on, de('lan'd His Hirth at Bcthldlcm. His reHla-
tion in Galilee, lIis Coming to His Temple, His s
ndin!{ forth
IIi
law from J erusaIcm. \\ïthout !'ome rt'storation to their
own land, the
e things (,(HlId not be. I1<rael was restored in thc
flesh, that. after tll(' flesh, the Chri!'t mi!{ht be horn of them,
where God foretold that lIe should be horn. But the tempo-
ral ti.llfilment ended with that E,-ent in time in which the\" were
to issue, for whose sake they were; I1is ('oming'. The;' were
but the ,-estihule to the spiritual. _\1' shadow
, they eeas(.d
when the
un arose. _
h mean!". tlwy ended, when the end,
whereto they ser,-ed, came. Ther(' was no need of a tell1lJorai
Zion, when He 'Yho was to 1<('I1I} forth Hb law thcll('e, had
('0ll1e and sent it furth. Xo need of a Temple when lIe ,nw
wa
to he its Glory. had eume, illumined it. and was gone. Xo
need of one of royal birth in ßethlehem, when the Tí'rgin had

I Rup.

3 Theod.

S. John iv. 3G.

{'onceil-ed ([nd borne a SUlI, and God had been with u,s. And so
as to other prophel'ies. All whkh were bound to the land of
Judah, "'ere ael'omplished. As the true Israel expanded and
cmbrm'ed all nations, the wllllle earth became lite l([nd of God's
peopl('. Pale
tine had had its prerup:atives, beeause God mani-
ti.'sted IIimselftlwl"t., was worshipped there. "'hen (
od's p('o-
pic was enhlr
('d, so a
to inllerit tile he([t/len, and God was wor-
shiPI'('(1 cn'rywherc, lIis land too was everywhere. His IJro-
ll1ises aCI'Olnpanied I1is peolJle, and thcse were in all lands. His
word" then, I I{';II plant tllemupon their (J'/{'lllalld, ([nd they sh([Ll
no more be ]JIl/lerlup out of tlle;r laud ll'/tich I IIllt'e gil-l'/l them,
expallIled "ith their eXIH1J1sion. It is a promise of perpetu-
ity, like that of our Lord; Lo! I am w;tll you alzeay, et'l'/l tu
tI,e end 01 the u'orld. The gates of /,ell sllallllot p1"el'llil {/g(tÏnst
the Church, the I'cople of God. The world may gnash its teeth;
kings may oppre!'s; llersel'utors may haras
; popular rag'e
may trample on her; philosophy may scoff at her; unlwliefmay
deny the promise
mad(' to her; the powers of darkness may
rap:e around her; her own ('hildren may turn against her. In
nlin! "i She may he !'haken by persecutions, she eannot he
uprooted; she may be tempted. she ('annot be on'n'ome. For
the Lord God .\Imip:hty, the Lord her (iod, hath promiseù that
lIe will do it, "'hose promise is the law to nature."
Saitlt tI,e Lord tI'l/ God. ., 5 0 hrad of God, U Catholic
Churdl, to be g-atherell out of Jews and Gentiles, doubt not, IIC
would say. th
- promisf'd happine!'s. For thy God "'ho loYCth
thee amI "'ho from cternity hath ('hosen thce, hath comll1and-
('d me to sa\" this tu thee in His Xame." .. I lie turneth too
tll the car 0'1' each of us, giving us joy, in His word,
([itlt tbe
Lord tll.1f God." "
They too who are plants which (
od hath
phmft'd, anù who ha,-e í'0 profit cd, that through them many
daily profit, slutll be pl([nted UpOll tlleir 01('11 ground, i. e. em'h,
in his order and in that kind of life whieh he has dlO
en, í'hall
strike deep roots in true picty, and they shall he so prt.s(.rvNI
by God, that by no fOl"('e uftemptation1< shall they he uproot('d,
but each shall say with the huly I'ruplwt 6 , I am like (L greeu
oli"e tree ill t!te !touse of God; I trust in the merc.,! of God fill"
pur a1/([ el'er. Xot that every tree, planted in the ground of
the Church militant, is so firm that it cannot 1)(' plul'ked up,
but many thf're are, whkh aI'(' not plueked up, heing protel't-
cd by the Hand of .\Imighty God. U bless('d that land. wh('re
no tree is plul'ked up. none is injun'd by an)' worm, or decays
throllg'h any age. "How many great, fruitbearing, tree
do we
see pluckcd up in thi!< land of ealamity and misel'Y ! ßless
'd
day, when we shall be there, wher(' we need fear no storm!"
Yet this too abideth true; nOlle shall be plucked up. \\ïthout
our own will, neither IH1!'sions within, nor temptations without,
nor the mali('e or wile
of
atan, ('an pluck us up. Xone can
be plucked up, who doth not himself loose his hold, whose rout
is twisted ruund the Roek, whieh is Thou, 0 Blesscd Jesu.
For Thou ha!"t said í, they sh([llllet'er perish, neither slwllany
pluck them out ol_iJIy H([lld.

4 S. Jer.

Rib.

7 S. John x. 28.

e P
.lii. 9.

I:NTRODUCTION

TO

THE

PROPHET

OBÅDI.L
H.

TilE !oiilence of Holy Snipture as to the Prophet Obadiah
!oitand
iu J"('markable contrast with the anxiety of men to
kno,,'
omething- of him. It were e,en waste låhour to ex-
amine the combinations, by whieh, of old, the human mind
tried to ju
tify it
longing to know more of him, than God had
willed to be preserved. 1h'n goo over them with the den' of
triumphing in the superior
agacity of later dap-, and slaying-
the slain. It was it good and pious feeling- which longed to
know more of the men of God, who
e prophe('ics He has pre-
sen-ed to u
, and, with this dew, looked about whether they
eould not identify their benefactor, (
ueh as eadl Prophet is'
with some one uf whom more dct3ils are re('orded. I1enep
ther hO(Ied that Ohadiah mig-ht l'ro,-p to haH been the faith-
ful prott'f.tor of the prophets under Ahab, or the
on of the
Shunamite. whom Elijah reealled to life, or the Obadiah whom
Jeho
haphat sent to teaeh in the cities of Judah a or the Le-
,'ite who wa
seleeted, with one other, to be the O\-er
eer set
over thc rcpair of the temple in tlH' rcig-n of Jo
iah b. Fruit-
less g-uc

es at what (;od has hidden! God has willed that
hi
name alone and this brief prophpcy should he known in
thi
world. Here, he is kno\\ n unlyas Obadiah, " worshippcr
of (;11(1 c."
Y ct these g-uesses of piou!lí minds illustrate this IJoint, that
the arrau
er of th(' Canon had some other g-roulHl upon whidl
he a,..sig-nell to Obadiah hi!< plaee in it, than anv identification
of the Prophet with any other person mentione(Í in Holy Serip-
ture. Filr when'as, of the Obadiahs, of whom Holy S('ripture
mentions more than the name, two Ih'ed ill the reig-n of .\hab,
une aft('r the captidty of tlH' ten tribes, th(' Prophet is. by the
f,'amcr (If the Canon, placed in the time of .- zziah and .J ero-
l)(Jamll., ill which those plaeed hefore and after him,flouri!<hed.

Iodern,.., Inn-ing- ,..li
hted these pious lon
ing-s, are still more
at fault in tlæir way. (.erman eritie
have a!<
ig-ned tu the Pro-
IJh
t dates, remm-ed from caeh other by aho\"(' öOO
"ears ;just
as Ifmcn doubted,jrom internal el'irIeJll'e, whether a work were
written in the time of "ïlliam the CoulJueror or in that of
Cromwell: of S, Louis, or Louis XYIII: or wÌlether Hc,..iod
was a eontemporary of Callimaehus, and Enniu
of Claudian;
or the author of the Xibclun!!ell Li('d li,"ed with Sf.hiller Sueh
differ('nec, whif'h seems g'I"';te!<que. as soon as it is apl;lied to
any other case, was the fruit of unbelief. Two or rather three

· 2 Chr. xvii. i. bib. xx"{iv. 12.
· Obadiah is" wonhipper of the Lord;" Abdi or :\bdï.,h, "the servant of Lhe Lor I."

weat facts are spoken of in the propheey, the {'apture of Je-
rusalem, and a two-fold puni
hment uf l:dllIll ('onsequent on
his malieious triumph over his brother's fall; the one thruugh
Heathen, the other thruugh the rc
tored Jews. The punish-
ment of Edulll the Prophet clearJy foretells, as yet tu come;
the destruction of Jeru,..alem, which, aceording- to our ver,..ion
is spoken of as pa4, is in reality furetold also. Cnbelief deni('s
all pruplwcy.
trang-e, that unhelief, denying the existence
of the jewel-God's authentie and authentieated voice to man
-SIIOUId trouble itself about the a
e of the casket. Yet so it
wa,... The prophet... of Israel u
ed a t"asdnating- power uver
I those who dpnied their inspiration. They denied prophe(')",
but empluyed themsclws about the Prophet,.., Cnbclief, qeny-
ing- prophecy, ha(l to find out two events in history, whieh
I should eorrespond with these e,-ents in the Prophet. a capture
of Jerusalclll, and a !'uh
e(luent,-it could I\ot say, eon,..e-
fluent,-sufl'criug- on tl\(' part uf Edum. And sinee Jeru,..alcm
I wa!ò first taken under Shishak king- of E
ypt, in the 5th rear
of Hclwboam, ß. C. 9ïO, aud Ju,..ephu,.. relates d, that ß. C. 3(JI,
\ Ptol('my Lag-us treaeherou,..ly g-ot pussession of it under plea
of offering- saerifiee, treated it har,..hly, took lllany captin' 1'1'0111
I the mountainous part of Judæa and the places round Jeru,..a-
. lem. from Samaritis. GeriLim, ami settlpd them all in EI-,'Tpt;
I unhclieving- ('ritieism had a wide rang-e, in which to \"<lI'ilIate.
_\nd so it red('d to and fro J)('twe('n the fir,..t and last of these
periods, ap:reeing that Obadiah did not prophe,..y. and db:a-
greeinp: as to aU be!"idcs. Ei('hhorn e, a,-owedly on his prim'i-
pie of unbelief, that Gud's I)rophet,.., when they slJUke of detail-
ed events, as future, wcre really d('saibinp: the pa,..t, a..,..umcd
that the last fi\"C \"erses were written in the time uf _\lcxander
Janueus. two centuries later than the latest, about n. L
2 f.
As thoug-h a Hebrew prophet would speak of one, detestable
for his 'nlllton f'rueltv g, as a Sadour!
The r('al question as to the ag-e of Ohadiah turns upon two
point
, the une external. the other illternal. The extcrnal is,
, whether in rpgard to those ,-erses which he ha..: in CCllllnwn
with Jerpmiah, Ohadiah g-athered into one, verses whi,'h lie
I seatter('d in Jeremiah; or whether .Jeremiah, in rencwing- the
, prophedes against I:dom, incorporated wrses of Oha(liah.
i The que,..tion, internal to Obadiah, i,.., \\ hether he slwaks of
the eapture of Jeru,..alcm in the l'rol'hetie or the real past, and
I a Ant. xii. 1. 1. · Einl ins A. T. iv.
5;0.
I t i. e. thre
)"ear. before his death. J05. Ant. xiii. J
. i. & see J05. lb. xiii. 1 i. ahd 15.

22H

IXTRODUcTIO
TO

(a
d(,termining- this,) whether he reproves Edom for past ma-
li('e at the capture of Jel'usalcm, or warns him against it in
thc future.
The Emdish ,-ersion in the text suppo
es that Obadiah re-
prm"es f(lr' pa
t sin. For it renders; Tlum sllOllldest lIot hm'e
looked (J/l tI,e da!! of th.,! brotlter, ill ti,e da.,! lchcll lie became a
.
tr(l/"'er . neit/,er ÛWllldest tlwll IUll'e 1'ejoiced Ol'er ti,e rftildren
of J,
:lal: ill tI,e cia.,! of tlteir dest ructioll'; neitller sltmtldest tlUlll
I;(tl'e '
J1ok('Jl prowll.'! ill ti,e da.'1 of their di,fjtres
h. The Engli
h
margin
jves the other, as a probable rendering-, do not heltold,
f)'c. Rut it is absolutely c('rtain that al with the future for-
hids or d('preeate
a thing- future. In all the' l)assag-l's. in which
al o('('ur
in the Hebrew Bible i , it !'iA"nifie!' "do not." \\'e mi
ht
as well sav that ,. do not steal" means" thou shouldt'
t not
hm-e
t(lleil," as sav that 1-'eat terell, and do not look, means
"thou
h(luldest nõt han look cd." It is true that in a vidd
for III of fl'wstion, bdonA"ing- to
tron
feelin
, the soul g-oin

back in thol1g-ht to the time before a thing- happened, can speak
of the pa
t as yet future. Thus David says k, Tlte death of
fool.
.'ìhall A/mer die? while mournin
over his bier; or Job,
'IHn-in
said to God, U'I,.,! didst Tltoll'brillg me fortlt from the
11'omh;> pla('es him
elf as at that time and says I (literally,) I
.
hall 1'.'ï1ire, and eye sltall 1/ot see me; as if llwd 7Iot beell, 1
shall be; f1"OfIl tlte u'omb to tI,e grcil'e 1 shall he carried. He
contemplates the future. as it would have been, had he died
in the birth. It was a relative future. ". e could almost. un-
der str(ln
emotion, use our" is tu" in the same way. '\' e
eould render, b
llJ11er to die tlte deatll of fools? But these
ca!'es IHn'e nothing to do with the uniform idiom; "do not."
,y e mu
t not, on any prindple of interpretation, in a !'ingle
instan('e, as('ribe to a eommon idiom, a meaning- whi('h it has
not, hecau!'e the meaning ,,-hieh it has, does 1Iot !'uit us. There
i.'ì an idiom to express this. It is the future with 10, not
with al.
It ag-rces with this, that just before ro, where our Version ren-
der
, tlulll wert as olle of them, the Hebrew (as, in our Bibles,
is mark('d by the Itali('s) has only, tltOIl as one (!f tltem! not
expn's!'ing- any time. The whole ,-erse expresses no time as to
Edom. III tlte da!l of thN standillg 011 tlte other side, ill the day
of strangers carr.l/ing captiz'e llis migltt, and strangers entered
/tis gates and ca.'ìf lots on Jerll.mlulI, tholl too a.'ì olle of tltem.
This too i
a question 1Iot of rhetori(', but of morals. 'Ye
('an not iJlla
ine that .\hni
hh' God, '''ho warns that lIe ma\"
not !'trikt',
'-01lld eig-ht tin <res repeat the exhortation,-a repé-
tition whieh in itself has so mueh earnestness. " do not," " do
not," "do not." in r('
ard to sin whieh had been already end-
(.d. _"h to J1a
t !'in, God exhort
to rf'pent, to break it oft., not to
renf'W it. H(' docs not exhort to that whieh would be a ('on-
tradicti('n even to His own Omnipotence, not to do what had
been aln'ad\' done.
'\('('(JI'din
to the only meallin
, theil, whieh the words bt'ar,
Edom had not vet f'nnunitted the sin a
ainst whieh Obadiah
wanl!< him. and'so Jerusalem was not \,'et dc
tro\'ed, when the
Prophet wrote. For the se,-enfold n, 'tlte da.v (if tlty brotlltr,
(which is explained to be tlte da.,! of his cnlamity,) tlte da.'1 of
tllPir destrudio1/, the tla.,! of distress. the mention whereof had
just preeedcd, can be no other than tlte da.'lll'I'f'11 stranger.'ì
carried a/N(.,! ltis .'ìtrellgth, a1/(1 foreigners entC/"etl Iti.
gates,
ami ca.rt luts Oil .Ferllsalem. But no da\" was the da\' of utter
destruction to Jeru,.;alt'm, except that 'of its eapture by 1\e-
h '"er. 12. and so in Ver. 13, 1 i. I Calasio's Concordance furnishes 207 instances.
k 2 Sdm. iii. 33. 1 Job x. 18, 19. m ver.11. D vcr. 12-14.
o 1 Kin
xiv. 23-27. p 2 Kings xxiv. 2 Chr. x,<xvi. 6, 7. q 2 Chr. xxxvi. 10.
r 2 Kin!(S xÌ\". 13. . Der Prophet Obadia, p. 4 sqq. t Jer. ,<Iviii. 29,30.
from J.. xvi. IÒ; Jer. xlviii. 31. from Is. xv.5. xvi. 7,11; Jer. xlviii. 32. from Is. x,i. 8,
(/,10; Jer. xhiii.3-I-. from Is. xv. 1-6; Jer. xhiü. 36. from Is. x,i. 11. xv. 7; Jer. xhiii.

huchadnpzzar. Its capture hy Shishak 0, or by the Cha1dees
under P Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin q, left it uninjured; Jcho-
ash, when he had defeated Amaziah, broke down a lIart of its
walls onl\' r.
The rciation of Obadiah to Jeremiah aA"rees with this. The
arA"ument in proof of that relation has been !'o carefully drawn
out by Caspari., that little is nt'eded e
cept clearly to e
hibi t
it. Few indeed, I ,..hould think, (unless under some strong
contrary bias) could read the five first nrses of Obadiah in
the book of the Prophet himself, and, as they oc('ur, scattered
in the 4mh ehapter of Jercmiah, and not be eom'inl'ed that
Jeremiah reset the words of Obadiah in his own prophe('y.
Thi" i!', in itsdf, probable, becau,..e Jcremiah certainly in-
corporated eight ver
t'!' of I
aiah in his prophe('y ag-ain
t 1\10-
ab t, and four of the ,..ame Pruphet in his propheey aA"ain
t
Babylon", in addition tu sewral allu,..ions to hi" prophecies
eontained in a word or idiom, or mode of expression v. In like
way, he clo"es his prophe('y ag-ain
t Damaseus, with a verse
from the propheey of Amos again,.;t it x; and he in
erts a vt'rse
of Amos ag-ainst Ammon in hh; own prollht'q' a
ainst that
people Y. This is th(' more remarkable, be('.lUse the propheey
of Amos against eaeh people consists of three \'erses unly.
This, of course, was done d('si!rne(Uy. Probably in renewing
the IH'ophedes against those nations, Jeremiah wished to point
out that those fonner l)rophceies were still in force; that they
had not yet been exhausted; that the threateninj!;s of God
were not thc It'ss certain, because they were delayed; that
IIis word would not the le
s eome true, beeause He was long-
sufft'rin
. The insertion of the!'p former prophecies, longer
or shorter. arc a characteri
tic of Jeremiah's prul)hel'ies again"t
the nations, of'currin
, as they do, in those again
t Babylnn,
Damaseus, l\Ioab, Ammon, and thereforc probably in that
also against Edom.
The eight verses, moreQ\'er, common to Obadiah and Jere-
miah form one whole in Obadiah; ill Jeremiah they are scat-
tered amid other verses of his own, in pred
cly the same way
as we know that he introduced \'erses of I
aiah again!'t ::\Ioab.
But besides this .lllalo
y of the relation of the prophecy of Je-
remiah to that of Isaiah, it i" plainly more natural to suppose
that Jeremiah enlar
ed an existin
l)rophecy, adding to it
words which God
ave him, than that Obadiah Imt together

('attered sayings of Jeremiah, and yet that these !'ayin
!', thus
"e,-cl'ed from their eontext, !"hould stiH lun-e formed as they
do, one compact connected whole.
Yet thi
is the case as to tht'se '"erses of Obadiah. _\part,
for the time, from the poetic imag-ery, the eonnection of
thou
ht in Obadiah's propheey is this; I) God had cOJllmand-
cd nations to come against Edom, 2) determining to lower it ;
3) it had trust('d proudly in its strong- position: 4) )"et God
would bring it down: and that, 5) through no ordinary spoil-
er, hut ß) by one who should sear('h out its mo
t hidden trea-
sures; ï) it
friends should be its destroyer
; 8) it
wisdom,
and 9) mig-ht !'houhl fail it, and W) it "hould perish, for its
malice to its hrother Jacob; the erowlling- a('t of whi.'h wou]d
ht' at the ('apture of Jerusalem: (11-14) but God's day was at
hand, the heathen should he requited; (lj, 16) the remnant of
Zion. being delivered, would dispossc
s their dispossessors,
would spread far and wide; (lï-2U) a Saviour should arise ont
of Zion, and the kin
dolll should be the Lord's. (21)
Thus, not the eight vcrses only of Obadiah, five of which
37. from b. xv. 2,3; also Jer. xlviii. 43, H. from Is. xxiv. 17,18. D Jer.1. 16. from
Is. xiii. 1-1; Jer.l. 39. from Is. xiii. 21. 20; amI Jer.1. -le0. from Is. xüi. 9. . Jer.
1. 2. reters to Is. xlvi. 1; Jer. 1. 8. to Is. xlviii. 20; Jer. I. 23. to Is. xiv. 6. 4; Jer. I. 25.
to Is. xiii. 5; Jer.1. 34. to Is. xhii. 4; Jer. I. 38. to Is. xliv. 27; Jer. Ii. 11. to Is.
!<iii. Ii. . Jer. xlix. 2;. from Am. i. -Ie. 1 Am. i. 15. in Jer. xlix.
3. besides the allusion in ver. 2. :-:'"::-:;-:: :-"-:"'. and
:i""':;"
1<:.

reeur in Jeremiah, and thre(' other!':. to which he allude!':, !'ta1U1 1
in do
e c'onnel"tion in Olmdiah, IJut they t'<<lrm a part of one
well-arrang-ed whole. The eonneetielll i

Cllnetimes very elose
indeecl; ao; when, to the proud clucstiun of Esau, 11/i .'Ioridelli
arets a, ll'11U u'ill bring me dOll'n to t!le grouud 1 God answers,
tllOu g . I, t!lOIl place th.1/ nest alllong /lie stars, 1IIishslmlll oridcca b, I
theuce 1I'ill I hl"Ïllg tl,ee dOlcn,
Jeremiah,on the eontrary, the mourner among the prorhet
.
i
plaintÎ\'(', e,-en in his prophec-ie
al!ainst the I'nelllie
(Jf(ìCld'
I
people. Evcn in this prophe('y he minl!les words of tendcr-
ness c; Lea/'e
/I.I/ fatllerles
children, I 1/'il! preserl'e tli.em alil'e; I
ancllet tIll/ 1l'ldOil'S trust III Jfc. Jerenllah, íUTordlllg-ly, ha!'
a
u('ce
si'on of striking- pictures; but the c'onnet'tion in him
is rather one of oratory than of thoug-ht. His ohjed i!< to im-
pre!<s; he
loes impres
, by an accumulation ufinH
g-es.oftc.n'or I
or desolatlOn. Closenes
of thoug-ht would not aId Ills ohJect.
and he neg-Iee.ts it, ex('ept when he retains the order of Oha- I
diah. But plainly it is mo
t probahle, that tlmt is the orig-inal l
form of the prophe('y, "here the urder i!' the
equen('e of
thought. That sequenee is a dlara(.teri
ti('. not oftlU'
e ,-erses
onlv of Ohmliah, hut of the whole. The whole twenh' one
'-er
es of the Prophet pur
ue one eonne(.ted train uf thòug-ht,
from the hednning- to the end. Xo one yerse could he dis-
plaeed, witl
out inJurinA" that order. Thoug-hts flow on. the
one out of the other. But nothing is more illlprohablc than
to suppose that this eonnected train of thoug-ht was produc-
ed by putting together thoughts, which originally stood un-
conneeted.
The slig-ht variations also in these vcrses, a
they !'tand in the
two prophets, are ('hartu.teristie. '''here' er the two prophets
in any degree mry, Obadiah is the more eoncise, or abrupt;
Jeremiah, as belon,g-s to his pathetic character, the more flow-
ing-. Thus Obadiah beg-ins, Thus saitll tile Lord God, of Edom.
A report ll'e IWl'e hearel from tl,e Lord, and a messenger among
the lieathell is sent; Arise and let us arise against lieI' to hattle.
The words, Thlis saitli the Lord God, of Below, decJare that the
whole prophecy whic'h follows came t:rolll God; then Obadiah
bursts forth with what he had heard from (ìod, A report we
hm'e I,eaI'd from tlle Lord. The words are joined in meaning-;
the A"ranllnati('al eonneetion, if n'garded, would be incorreet.
Again, in the word
, 1l'C I,uz'p ileaI'd, the Prophet joins his peo-
ple with him
elf. Jeremiah suhstitutes the more pre('i
e, I
hlll'e heard, tran
poses the word
to a latt'r Imrt of the pro-
pheey, and so ohviates the diffi('uIty of the eonncction: then
he !'-uh
titutes the regular furm, shallfnch, for the irre/!ular,
sllldläch; and for the one ahrupt sentem'e, Arise, will arise ll'e
agail/.
t her to battle, he suhstitutes the Hehrew parallelism,
(;atller .lfe ,1jourselz'es and COllie agaiJlst liP/' ; and arise to bnttlp.
Kext,Ohadiah has, Behold! slllalllwl'e I made thee amoug the
natioJls; despised art thou e:.æeediJlgZII. Jeremiah eonneets the
\'ers<, with the prec'edinp: by the addition of the partide for,
and make
the whole flow on, depelHlinA" on the word, I hau
madp. For behold! small hal'e I made thee amollg tIle heatheu,
despised all/ollg men. Ohadiah, di!òreg-arùinp: rules of parallel-
ism, say
; TIIP pride oj tll.'lileart hath deceil'ed thee, dweller in
To('J.'-clefts, his lofty seat; who sa.l/s ill /d.s heart, u'110 u.il! bring
me dfJll'u to the earth? Jeremiah, with a softer flow; Tlty
alarminglless Iwlh deceiL'ed thee, t!le pride of tlly heart; dll'eller
ill tile clefts of the rock, 1I0ldiJlg the height of a /till. Obadiah

· ï-:-' .
-:._.,",
ver.3. b ,-:.-.:-. ="I:
ver.4.
. xJix. 1I. d xlix. 7. compo ii. U. ,iii. 19. xiv. 19. xviii. U, 20. x'(ii. 28.
xxx. 6. xxxi. 20. xlix. I. · xlix. 8. compo xlix. 30. xlviii. 6. r xlix. 13.

mp'. xxiv.
: xxv. g, IS. xxix. 18. xlii. 18. xliv: 12,22. besides other accumulations as
m Yll: 3t. XXII.
. or lesser degrees of aC
llmlllatlon, Culnessof language being a charac-
tensuc of JeremIah. " Khx. Ii. compo xvili.16. xix. 8.1.13. Lam. ii.15.

OB.\DL\II.

22t)

ha
Y('IT holclIy; 'I'ho1lg11 thml e.ralt as thp engle, and /lllmgh
all/id stars !ìet th.'1 nest, thence 1I'ill I bring thee dOIl'II, slIi/l,
tlte Lord. Jeremiah contraet" this, umits an idiom, 1'111' hold-
ne
s, almust alone in IIchrew, t'eim beiJl cornbim Silll, will
tllOllgh amid ,
t([r.
,
et, and has only. wilen thml e./'altest, as WI
eagle, tll.'lllest, tbellre ll'ill I bring tlu'p dowlI. sait;' tile Lord,
where also, throug-h the IIInis"ion of the weIrds " amid stars,"
the word "thelll'e" has, in Jcremiah, no e
aet antcC'cdent.
In like way Jeremiah smooth!< down the ahrupt al'peal, If
thieL'es Iwd come to tllee, if .'ìpoilers of tlie night (bOIL' ill.t tllml
l'Ilt olr.') ll'ill thc,,1/ lIot stenl /lleirelUJ/lgh? If grape-gntherers
lwd come to tbee, will tlle.'l Ilot lem'l' glenJliJlgs t .J eremiah
c'hanges it into two ewn half ,'er!<es; If g1'llpe Kntherer.'ì harl
come to thee, u'ill thpYllot lem'e K'etlnillg.
? If /ltiel'elì h.'III
t(M,
tlle.'ll/([(I spoiled their el/ougll. _\g-ain the;) bold worcl
of ()JJa-
diah, eil.. upr!tphe,m .ESIlIl, lIil/1t 1Iwtslllll1wi,., lit. l/(lll' are E,mu
outsenrrhed, sOllght Oltt his hidden plares, Jeremiah
uhstitl\tes,
For IIIlll'e laid lmre Esall; II/lwe discovered his IdtldCJl places,
al/d he (,((1I1/0t he hid.
Again e"en, an Enp:]i
h r('acln of Jeremiah will ha,'e notie-
eel that Jeremiah lla
many idioms or phra
es or imag-e:" whic'h
he has pleasure in repeating-. They are charíH'tt'ri
tie' of his
sh'le. 1\ow, in these \"erses whic'h Ohadiah and J('remiah
lu;,-e in common, there is no one idiom whif'h Ol'curs elsewhere
in Jeremiah; wlH'reas, in the other Hr
e
of the JJrophecy of
Jeremiah ag-ainst Bdom, in whil'h they are, as it \\ cre, inlaid,
there are several suc'h, so to say, fa,-ourite turn!< of expre:,:,ions.
.\!' sUl'h, there ha,'e heen noti('ed, the short ahrupt que
tions
with which Jeremiah opens hi" prophe('y against J:d())n d; h
leisdoJll I/O 1//ore iI/ Ten/llll? the hurried imperath-es acc'umulat-
ed on one another e, Flee, tllrl/, clll'ell deep; the a('cmuulatiun of
words expressive of de!<olation f; Bozrah shall hecome a deso-
latioll, a reproar/I, a 1l'aste and a rllrse; and all her cities, per-
petllal1l'1lstes; the combination of the two strong worth" slm"
he stupEfied, slwllldss, in amazement at her overthrow; g Bl'er./I
olle u'lw goeth h.'1 her shalf be .
tllpt/ietl rwe say" stnlck dumb"]
alld slmll hiss at all her plaglles. SUf'h a
ain are the cmllpari-
son to the m'erthrow of Sodom and Gmllorrah h ; the ima
e of
,. the lion eoming- up from the JJride of Jordan i;" the hurden
of the
e propheeies, I< the dn.1/ of the destrlll'lioll of Edolll and
time of hi.
l'isitatioll. I Jrh!!refore hear 11e the cowlsel of the
Lord against Edom and His purposes 1l'hic/1 lIe Ims jJIl/1JOserl
to/l'ards Temal/. Then also, whole ,-er
es are reJJeated in these
prophecies m.
Out of lß nr
e!' of whieh the prophecy of Jeremiah ag-ain"t
Edom consists, four are identieal with thos{' of Ohadiah ; a
fifth embodies a ,-er
e of Obadiah's; of the eleHn whic'h re-
main, ten have some turn!' of e
pn'ssion or idioms, more or
fewer, which recur in Jeremiah, either in tlwse prolJh(,,'ies
a
ainst fordg-n nations, or in his JJrophecies generalIy. Xow
it would be wholly improhable that a prophet, selecting Hrses
out of the pruphecy of Jeremiah, should have selectcd pre-
eiseh' tho
e whieh eontain none of Jeremiah's charal'teri"ti('
eXIH"essions; whereas it perfec.tly fits in \\ ith the supposition
that Jcremiah interwm-e "er
e
of Obadiah with his uwn pro-
phecy, that in the verses so interwoven there is not one ex-
pres
ion which o('eurs elsewhere ill Jercmiah.
One expression, whieh has been cited as an e
eeption, if it
is more than an acddental ('oincidence, the rather confirm...

from the vision, 1 Kings ix. 8. aI50 Ezek. :uvii. 36. Zeph. ii. 15. h xlix. lB.
comp.I.40. I xlix. 19. compo i. 4t. . k xlix. 8. compo xlvi. 21. I. 2;,
31. xlviii. 44. ,ï. 15. X. 15. I xhx. 20. repeated I. 4.5. r'=-:;::;:? =::

occurs more in Jeremiah than in any other Book: xi. 19. xviii. 11, 18. xxix. II. xJix.30.
m xlix. 18. repeated xlix. 33. 1. 40. Ii. 43; and xlix. 2:!. in xJ\iii. 40, 1.

Pp

23U

IXTRODCcTIOX TO

thk nhadiah. in one of the earlier ver
e
whic'h Jeremiah
ha
lIot here ellll'lo
ed. !<ay!<, To the border IUll'e sent thee fortll
tlu: IIICIt ofth.'! C(Jl'ClUlIlt ; the mell '
fth.tl peace ha/'e deceÏl'ed thee,
l/fll'e pre1'fliled against thee; tll.'1 bread [i. e. the men of thy
IJI"ead. thcy who ah' hread with thee] IUll'e laid a sliare ulider
tltee. [n the middl(' ufthis threefold retributiun for their mi
-
dealing- to their hrot lU'r J mlah, there occur t he word
, the 1111 1l
of th.t/peace, whit-h are prohahly takcn from a P
allll of Da-
,id n. But the word IlÍsh",lIÏul'ha, ,( IWl'e deceil'ed tltee," eorre-
"ponds to the wurd IlÍsl,,,,lâeclw 0 in '-. 3. "del'ei/'ed tltee hath the
pride of thy heart." The deceit 011 the part (If their allies 'HIS
the fruit and c'on
equelH'e of thl'Ír self-deeeit throu
h the pride
uftheir own lH'aI.t. TIU' ,'erst' in Obadiah then stands in I'un-
neeticm with the l}reecdin
, and it is char,wteri"tic' of Oba-
diah tu make one pm.t of his prophec'y bear upon another, to
"he'" the eonne(,tiun ofthoughts ami events by the ('ollnet'tion
of WOI"(]5. The taunting wurds against Zedckiah, which Je-
remiah puts into the mouth of the women It'ft in the ]wu"e,
when thcy !'hould he broug-ht befure the king of Bahylon':-<
princ'es". TII.lI frielld.
, lit. the 11If!11 of tll.ll peace, ItCl1'e set tltee
011, !tis",itllllca P, will Itm'e prel'rlÏled a{{([illst tltl'e, may ,'ery pro-
hahly be a reminisc'em'e of the word" of Obadiah (althou
dl
cmly'the wurds, mell (
f tlt.'1 peace are the "ame:) but they
"taml in no connet'tion with anv other words in Jeremiah, as
tho"(' of Obadiah do with the' previous word.
The prophecy of Jercmiah in which he ineorporated the"e
wonls of Ohadiah, it "elf also speaks of the de"truction of Je-
rusalelll as still future. For he sap. to Edom q , Lo ! tlll.1! 1(.ltose
,judgmellt ll'flS not tf) drillk tlte cup, slwl/ illdecd drillk it; ([lid
.vhalt thou be lIJlpunislled? Tltm( shalt not be wlPllllislted; for
tholl sl/fllt indeed (h'illk it. It is plainly wrong, (as even our
own Yer!"ion has done,) to rench'r the
c1f-"ame expres"ion
slwtlw .llislttu a
past, in the fir"t plaee, IUll'e a.v.VIlredly drunken,
and as future in the second, ki ,
//(/tl/() tislttehr,fortl/(JIl slw/tsw'e-
Z'I (h'i"k of it. Sinc'e they must be future in the second pla('e,
so must they alsu in the first. Jeremiah too el
ewhere eon-
tra"ts, as future, God'
dealin
s with Hi
own people and with
the nations, in thi
seIf-
ame form of words. · TIllis "'(litl, the
Lord of IwÙs, re slwll certainZI! drillk ; for lo! I bq;ill to hring
e/'il (m the cit.1! Il'llÍch is ClllIed b.1! JI.'I

ame, awl shall .lfe be
utter!.'1 wlpu/lislted'f re slndl llot he 11IIjJunislted; for 11l'iI/
('(Ill for a ,
II'Ol'd upnll all the inllflbitants of the earth, saitll tlte
Lord of hosts. The form of w()rd
t, Mllneh hair llIwcld 1Ilecltcl
leltaI'M', in itself recluire
, at least, a proximate fUt\JI'e, (for
Milnell with a partiC'iple always denotes a future, nearer or
further) and thc words thelll!sclves were slwken ill the fourth
,-car of Jehokiam.
. In that "ame fourth year of Jehoiakim, Jeremiah receind
frOlh God the command to write in that roll whidl Jehoiakim
burnt when a little of it had been read to him ", all the 11'O1"ll

tlwt [haz'e spoken Ullto tI,ee agail/.St lsmel allli against Judah
(wd agaiwd all tlte Iwtions,.fJ"OIll the day Ispake unto thee,fJ"(JlII
the dalfs of Josiah el'eIl Ullto t!tis dav. After Jehoiakim had
bm'ut 'tlH" roll. that same ('olleC'tioll' was renewed, at God's
c'onIllHmd.1l'itl, nuw.1f like lI'ol'ds.... "Kow immediately u}lun thi
,
foU()\\'
. in the hook of Jeremiah, the colleetion of propheC'ies
ag-ainst the forei!!n nation
, and in thi
('ulleetion three ('on-
titin some notiee Lthat thev were written in that 4th nar of
aTehoiakim,and only the t,,:ulast,those again
t Elam and Baby-

: '!l
'[

:
i

1
=:'I'
-:;

'li:
;JI
;' J
'I::

i:

'::is

:i:

EzeJ... xnii.
4. · Jer. xlvi. 10,20,21. xhii. 2. . Jer. xh i. 2,13,26. xlix. 28, 30.
: ;
;.;!

iO
'17
i
:,
;
:
_,.
,,-
.,JJ

ìtt: f;:. It

.

ï-;: -

.

í
:

lon, whic'h may have heen added to the colleC'tion, hear any
later date. The prophec'y again"t Bahylon is at it" ('lose
marked a!< a whole by it"elf w . For Seraiah h; bidden, when he
had eome to Babylon, and hadlllade WI ellli of readiug tlte book,
to hilld a stolle upon it, and ('(1st it illto the Eupllmtcs, and say,
TIIII,
shall Babyloll .sillk, alld shallllot l'ise agaill fl'um the el'ii
1l'lIÍclt I bring upon her. 'l'he
c chapters tlwn as to ßabylon,
althou
h ('cmne(.ted with the preeeding, in that they are' pro-
pheC'ie!< a
ainst enemic" of God's peul'lc, are marked as in oue
way detaehed from them, a hook" by them"elves. And ill eon-
fürmity with this, they are
tated. in the bt'ginniug, to ha"e
been "ritten in the 4th year uf Zed('kiah. In lik(' way, the
prophec'y ag'ainst E]am, whic'h was uttel"l'd in the beg-i;miIlO'
of the reig-n of Z('dekiah, wa
oeea
ioncd probably by mi
dced

of that thcn sanlge people, serving, a" they did. in the army
of the Chaldees) ag-ainst Jeru"alem, when Kcbut'hadnezzar
took Jelwiakim C'aptive to Babylon. It is (Iistingubhed from
tlw earlier lu'ophe('ie!<, in that Elam wa" no inveterate enemy
of {;od'!< IH'ople, and the instrument of his ehastisement was
not to be ßabvlon.
Tho"e earli{.r l'rophedes (ch. xh'i-xlix. 33.) against Eg-v]}t,
Phili
tia, (in('ludin
Tyrc and Zidon,) l\Ioab, Ammon, l
d{Il11,
Dama"cus, Kedar and the kill
doms of Hazor, all have this in
eonllllOn; J) that they are direeted against old and inwterate
enemies of (;od's people; 2) th('y all threaten destru{'tion from
one
our('e, tlw Korth', or KebllC'hadnezzar him!<clf, either
naming a or deseribing- him b. They are then probably one
wholp, u book of the vi
itations of (;od upon His enemies
throu
h Kehudmdnezzar. But the fir
t of the two l'l"Ol}he('ies
a
ain"t E
ypt relates to the expedition of Pharaoh lXecho
against .\s"yria, the utter m-t'rthrow of whose nlst armv at
the Euphrates he furetcls. That owrthrow took placë at
Cardlemish in the fourth year of Jehoiakim c . The next pro-
phecy ag-ainst EgY]}t relates to the expedition of lXebut'had-
nezzar a
ainst it. whidl tÌJIlowed inlIuediateh- on the ddèat
of Pharaoh d . The third prophecy again"t PI;i1i"tia was, be-
fore Phar(lo!t smote Ga:;a e; but this was probahly on his
march a
ain!'õt As
yria in that same fourth rear of JdlOiakim,
before his own power was hroken for e'-er.
But "im'e the prophecy of Obadiah wa!< anterior to that of
Jeremiah, it was probahly long anterior tu it. For Jeremiah
prohably inC'orporated it in order to !<hew that there was Yl.t
a fulfilment in
tor{' for it. And with this it agree!'õ, that Oha-
diah does employ in his l,ropheey language uf Balaam, of a
P!<alm of D",-id, of Joel and Amo!<, and of no later prophet.
This {'ould not well have been otherwise, if he lived at the time,
when he i
1}laeed in the serie!< of thc l\Iinor Prophet". Had
he lived later, it is inc'CIlU'eivable that, using of
et IHlrlJO
e,
as he doe
, lan!-"lmg-e of Joel and Amos, hi
propheey should
exhibit no traee of any other later writing. The expre
siolls
taken from the book of Joel are remarkable, eonsidcring- the
small extent of both hooks. :O;ueh are undoubtedly the ph
a"es;
it, Jenl!'õalem. slwll be 1/lJliness, kode,'ìlt f ; In
lImlUt ZÙm tltere
shall be a remnwll g; ròr Ileal' is tile Da.1f (!f the Lord II; I
1l'Í1/ return tlt.'1 recompense upon tlt,l! Item[i, the phrase yaddu
gOl"al k for" east lot!<." These are not chance idioms. They
are not langua
e of imagery. They are di:,tinguishecl in no
poeti('al or rhetori{'al manner from idioms which arc not used.
They are not employed, because they strike the senses or the

::
:: :-:-,...:- ;];:;,--:" ï':; -:-:"
Joel iii. á.

h ;]"
;:-
:
:;-.. ::.- :.-; ": Db. 15.

i'
-
;-: ?":::-: .. ::.- :.-;- -
Joel i. 15. I 1=
-:: .::.=' j

' Db. 15. ::::s-:: ::::'
; ::-::s
Joel iii. 4. :::=s-: ::
":: -:-:=:-:. iii. ,. I;
-'; ...,. Db. n. Joel iii. 3. elseonl) in
Nah. iii.l0. Elsewhere with
-" there are united :-:-', j":'=:-:,
.::;-:, j:":'
-:::"I. Dot "'''''.

Oß
\DL\n.

imaginati"n. One prophet doe!< not borrow the imag-ery of
another. They aI'e part "fthe reli
iou... languac:t' ofpropheey,
in whieh when rdi
iou!': truth had "n('e b('en embodied. the
prophets halHle(1 it
ll from one
enel"ation to another. The
e
words were like some notes of a loved and familiar melody,
whil'h bl"llu
ht back to the soul the whole !o'train, of which
the\" u ere a lJart. Tile na,! of tlte Lord lun-ing been de!'Ocrib-
ed in such aweful maje'ity'by Joel, thelll'cfol.th the saying-,
llnlr is the nay of the Lord, rq)eated in hi,. own simple words,
eonveveò to the mind all tho,.e ein'umstances of au'c, with
which' it wa!o' ill\'e!o'te(l. III like wav the two word,.. it sllftll be
IwliJless, su

e,.ted all that fullle
,. '-'f thc outpouring- of (;ml's
Spirit, the sole Source of holiness, with whi('h the word,.
were asso('iateu in Jocl; they arc full of the (;ospcl promi,.;c,
that the Chureh should be 1I0t holy only, but the depository
of holiness, the appointed instrument through whi('h God !
would difl'use it. E(l'Hllly ehara('teristie i:-; that other expres-
sion; III JIOllllt Zioll sltall be a rem I/lill t. It gÏ\ es promi-
nelH'e to that truth, so contrary to flesh and blood, whieh S.
Paul had to de,'el"pe, that llll were Ilot [smel who ,,'ere of l
-
mel l . It presented at once the posith e and negative side
of God'
mereie!o', that there would be salzoatiOiI ill JIoulit ZiOIl,
but of a rellmallt only. So, on the other side, the use of the
idiom m;;,.ltwnas ac/âca raakob, repeated hut intensified from
that of Joel mëc!w1nas bene relllldah, continued on the wit-
ness ag-ainst that abiding "in for which Joel had foretold the
desolation of Edom, Ids l'iolellee tOll'ards Ids brother Jacob.
The pr"mise in
\mos of the expansion of Jacob, that tlle.1I
111([.11 illlierit tI,e residue of Edom, ami 11llllations upon u,lwm
11111
Ylll/le i.
called, is, in like wav, the basis of the detailed
promise of its expan,;;ion in all dirëetion
, E. 'L K. S. whieh
Ohadiah, like Amos, begins with the promi,.e, that the people
of God should inherit Edmn: Alld the South shall illlierit Jlount
Esall, and tile pill in tile PMlistilles. .\mos, taking Edom as a
,;;pc('imen and type of those who hated God and His I)('ople,
promises that they and all nations should become the inheri-
tam'c of the (,hurch. Obadiah, on the same /!round, ha, in

d('dared God's sentence on Edom, describes how each portion
of the peol)le of God
hould be enlarged and o,-erspread be-
nmd itself.
. \\'hile tllUs alluding- to the words of Amos, Obadiah further
embodies an expres,.ion of Balaam, to whieh .\mos ah;u refers.
Balaam says, Edom sllllil he WI lieritage (rer{'shah) Seir also
Û/(/ll be WI heritage to his enemips; and Jamb slwll do Ntliallt-
(1/ ; amI olle out (
f Jacob shallluwe domillioll, and slwll dc.çtroy
the 1'emnllllt (,.arid) out n.fthe dt!l. The union of these two de-
elaration!Õ of Balaam, (one only of whieh had bcen employed
by Amm.) cannot he aeeidental. They lic in the two adjaeent
ver!'es in caeh. The hOllse of Jllcob shall be afil'e, alld ti,e
house of .To.
epll aflame, alld tile house of Bsall stubble, ami the.1I
shall bU1'1I them, ami del'ow' tllClIl; amI tl,ere shall he liO l'ellt-
JUUlt (saI'id) to tile IIouse of Bs([u ; for the LOl'd Iwtll spoken it;
and thp SOl/th shall inherit (yercsl'u) tI,e mO/(lit of Esau. In
the fourth verse, also, Oha(liah has an idiom from the pro-
phecy of ßalaam, which oceurs nowhere hesides; strollg is
tit.'! dwelliug, and place (l'e,
i/1l !.-illliN'lut) ill tile ro('k t/'y lint m.
This infinitive hcre is a 'crv vivid but anomalous eonstrue-
tion. It ('annot be by ae('idel"lt, that this idiom occurs in these
two plaees alone in the Hebrcw Seriptures.
. This t'mployment of prophetic lang'uage of earlier prophets
l!Õ tht' more remarkable, from the originalitv and fre!'Ohnes!'O of
Ohadiah'!' own dictioll. In his 21 verses he'IIas sevcral word:;

___ .. I R
m. ix. 6. m I'um. xxiv. 21..0b.4. .
11 Y
,our fork, where two wa)"s part, v. U. ï':';:
": _.G. ';:;?
v.!J.

t':l v. í. .
;:

2:Jl

whil'h occur nowhere else II. They arc mostly ,.imple word..,
and infl('('Ìions (If word... in use. :Still they were probahl) fram-
ed by the Prophet himself. One, who hilll
elf adds to tIll' ,.ton'
of words in a lau/!,"uagc, ha" no oeea
ion to borrow them of
another. Ohadiah adopts that other prophetif' lall
ml
'e, not
as needinc: it to expres... his 0" n mean in/!, but in order to

ive to it a fre:;h force and hearing-.
. liut on the !"ame ground, on \\
hieh Obadiah eml)loy!'O the
lang-uag-e of prophets u ho Ih e(1 before him, he would hm'e
u
('d the words of later prophets, had hc Ih'cd later.
The framin
of singl(. words or form" b the least part of
the originality of Obadiah's style. \Ïvidnc,...., eonnc('tedness,
power, are charal'tel'i4ie,. of it. .\!< it beg-ins, !'u it f'olitilllle,.;
and ends. It has no hreak..., nor interruptilln
. Thou
ht fol-
lows on thought, as wave rl.lI,. upon wave, but all marshalled
to CIIle end, marl'hing- on, eolumn after column, to the g-oal
whkh (;od hath appointed for them. Eaeh ,-er!o'e g-row,.; out
uf that whieh wa,. before it, and carries on its thought. The
eadenl'e of the words in the orig-inal is a sing-ular bÌending- of
Imthos and !Õtreng-th. The patho... of the cadelU'e consi!'Ots in a
!o'omewhat long- sustaincd mea!o'lIre, in which the Prol)het dwell,.
ou the ouc thought whieh he \\ islws to impress: tlU' foree, in
the fpw brief words in whi('h hc sums up some sentenec, That
lengthened flow will ha,-e ,.truck even an Engli,.h reader; thc
(,Olu'isene...!Õ ean onlv be seen in Hebrew. Tho
e,j words, Ilmi'
are E.Ç([u ollt.
(,(lrch
d ! olltsought /,is secret places! have been
already alluded to. Other such iustanee,. are, Bill telJ/l1lal,lm
with ,,'hich v. j. doses; gllm olta/, ('('((clwd mehem, "thou too
a... one of them," v. II ; caa.
/'er '((.
itllf[, ye'aseh lac after the
long" exhortatiun in v. 12-14. or the 3 word,. "elwilt eelo Iwi/(,
which l'Io,.e the de,,('ription in v. IG, Ii. or tllO,.e three whÏl'h
so wonderfully sum up the whole prophe,'Y, l'eha.'letlwll ladol/al
IWl1l1llelltclwh, alld tile killgdom sllllll be tlte Lord's. E,'en the
rel)etition whit-h oeeurs iu the Prophet, add.. to the same ef-
fect, a,. in the two brief words be.'lom nochl"O, be!IOm obdam, he-
yom ::.al'a/', be!/(J1Il eidam, heyo/lt eido, "ith which he doses
eaeh elau...e of the exhortation a
ainst malil'iou... joy iu the ca-
lamitv of their brother. The dmracteristie, ,'ivid detail in
de
cril)fion, and. in the midst of it, great eonciscness without
samene,.s,o('eurs throughout Obadiah.
It would then he the' nlOre strang-e, that a propheey so brief
and so eonueeted as that of Obadiah 1'hould ha"e been se, ered
into two, (one part of whi('h is to belon
to
ome earlier pro-
phet, the other i
to have been written after the destru{,tion
of Jerusalem.) hut that the moth-e of thi... di,.ruption of the
prophecy is apparent. "The ora('le on Edom presen'ed nnder
the name of Obadiah CIlJl," !'Oays one 0, "in its pre,.ent form, be
of no earlier date than the ßah
'lonish CaptÏ\ it)". The dc-
!ootruction and entire de,.olation of Jeru
alpm is here ue,.I'rih-
ed; the Prophet himself" rote amon
the exile:oö." It C(lJIJ/lJt
be of an)" earlier date, aeeordin
to thi.. writcr, beeause, in his
belief, there CIlwwt be any eertain predietion of details of the
future, or anv knowledg-e of that future, bevond tho,.e dim
anticipations' whi('h m;m's own cOllseÏence 'and the snn'ey
of Gud's urdinary Prm-idence ma
- sug
e!<t; II canllot, "hich
pre!'upposes another cwuwt, that God cannot re,'eal Himself
to His creatures.
ßut thcn this writer also eonM not altogether e
eape the
impres
ion, that
Teat part (If this propheey must belong to a
J)eriod long" before the rapth'itr. The only way of reeOll('ilin

these contradietions, this JIIust of internal evidell('e, and thi,.
('((wwt of anti-dol'trinal prejudice, \\'a:; to dÏ\-ide in twain this

v. 16. ',:::::. searched 0111. v. 6. are v. ords peculiar in this sense to Obadiah:
::':;) ..":-: _. 3.
occurs only in Cant. ii. U. 0 L"ald, Proph. i. 398.
pp2

232

IXTRODT.;cTIOX TO

living whole, ami to a
sign to the earlier period
ueh portions
relatin
to Edom, a
contained no allusion to the destruetion
of Jeru
alem. This then is done. "Further ill\-e
ti
ation,"
the writer proceeds, " shews, that the later prophet employed
a fra
m('nt of an earlicr prophet as to Edom. )lore than half
of what is now extant, i. e. v. 1-10. half of ". Ii. and L lHo Ity
their eontents, langua
c, amI colouring, indicate very elearl
'
SllI'h .1Il earHer prophet; and moreoV('r, about 1ihe same time
Jercmiah employcd the carlierfra
mellt, in that very much out
of "erscs 1-9. recurs in Jen'miah, but nothing" of the words
whieh bdon
most ,'isihly to the later prophet, II-Hi. 19-21."
i. Xmr, plainly, as Jeremiah is not here to tcll us, why he did
ineorporate in his Pl"lll,lwcy eertain n
rses, and did not refer to
eertain other ,'erses of Obadiah, it is, in the last de
I'ee, rash
to make a posith-e inferenee from the mere fm.t of his not em-
plo
in!!; those verses, that he had them not to employ. lIe docs
emhody in his propheey the th'e fir
t verses of Obadiah, and
there thc eorresllOndenee between the two Pmphets almost
eease
. The tlwugltt of ver. Ö. hut not one word of it reeurs
in Jeremiah P; to vcr. ï. there i" no allusion "hatner; of
Yer.
. a
ain, the thought is retained, hut only one 1l'ord, and
that, in a timn alto
t'ther different q. This eighth Hrse is the
last in Obadiah, to which Jeremiah refers. Ewald then has
to manufacture his "earlier prophet" out of those fi,'e first
verse
, whieh Jeremiah does embody; of other two, (If which
the thou
ht only re('urs in Jeremiah; and five more r to which
there is, in Jeremiah, no allu!'ion whate,'er; and ha,-ing euUed
these ad libitum out of the whole ehapter, he ar
ues a
ain
t
the IlUn-existence of the rest on the g-round that Jeremiah
does not employ th('m, whereas Jerel
liah e(lually docs not
cmploy fi,-e of tllO
e, the existence of which at that same tin1P
Lwal(l aeknowled
es, and to two others Jeremiah alludes hut
,'ery di
tantly. Since Jeremiah's not alludin
to five of these
Yer
es, does not prm'e, accordin
to Ewald, that they did not
then exist, neither does his not employing the remainder provt'
it as to them.
ii. .Teremiah assigns no ground for the punishment of Ed om,
except his pride; nor doe
he, in any of those prophecies as to
those lesser nation
, fi,retell anything LIS to the future of J u-
dah. This was not assi
ned to him, as his subje(.t here. lIe
ùoes in the prophecies a
ainst E
n't and Bahylon, for those
were the great dynastie", (Ill whom, in human e
'es, the e'\.is-
ten('e of J I\(lah depended. There he foretdl
, that God would
make a full C'nd of all tIle nations u'hitlwl" lIe had dril'P1l them,
hut not (
f Jacob His sernlllt B. The future lot of Judah, as a
whole, did not depend on those little nations. It may he on
thi
gT(JIIIHI, that Jeremiah foretells their destruction and the
restoration of 1\Ioah and Ammon t, and is silent as to Judah.

\g-aill, the imIH('diate punishment of all these petty nations
throu/..::h Xchuchadnezzar was the suhjed of Jeremiah's pro-
phecy, not ulterior sutrerin
at the hand" of Judah.
ow
these
ubjects, the l'i()lcnce of Esau against hi" bmther Jamb,
as the ground ofEdmn's punishment U , the future enlargemcnt
of JaeHb v, amI an ulterior retribution on Edmn W throu
h Ju-
dah, O('('upy mo
t of those vcr,.es of Obadiah, to whid
there
is 110 allll
ioll ill .Jeremiah. This aeeollnts (if there were any
need to aeeoullt for it) for the ahsence of allusion to almoto't

P Jer. xlix.. 10. q ShaUI,lOt destroy (.:"-::s
) tlle wise? Ob. 8. Is wisdom perislled?
:--::10: Jer. xlI". 7. r i-\l, 10, Ii, 18. . Jer. xhi. 27. 8. see also I. 4-8. 19, 20, 28.
33, -t. Ii. 5. 6,10,4.3. ' }"lviii.47. xlix. 6. u 10-14. In 15, 16, Obadiah, having re-
hearsed the o!fence, repeats the sentence. . 17-21. w 18. I Hos. i.1-. Am. v.
27. ab. p. :!Ol. \i. 7. ix. 9. Y Hos. ix. 17. ab. p. 61, 2. Am. ix. 9. . \er. 20.
. · "CPa n"u occurs three times in Cunei/om, l11SCriptions in a list of Asiatic na-
R
i:eb:tT:;E

i
í

;
I

I\.
t

at"p

a)o
nt!ri
sN
; <J

i

I. 28. b
fore lonia in Col. 1 of the Inscription of13isutun 1.15." Aftcr it had beeu dec)"_

all of Obadiah to whieh Jeremiah does not allude, both as to
the part whi('h Lwald a('eounts for in !tis way, and as to mu
t of
that part whieh he leaveto' unaccounted for.
But alto
ether, it must be said, that God's Prophets em-
ploy freely, as God taught them, what they do empluy of the
former Prophets. They do not I'opy them in a meehanieal
way, as if they were simply re-writing a work whi('h lay be-
fore them, so that we should have to ae('uunt for anythin

whieh they did nut think
ood to repeat. In making- the like
u
e of Isaiah'
propheeyas to 1\Ioab, Jeremiah makes no refe-
rence to the five first verses.
iii. So far from .. "ritin
among" the exiles," Obadiah im-
p1ic,.; that the Captivity had not yet eommeneed. He speaks
of J IIdah and Benjamin, as in their own land, and foretells that
thev shall enlar
e themseh-es 011 all sides. Hosea and Amm;
had, at that tim'c, prophesied the final destl"lll'tion ofthe MIIg-
dom x of Israel and the dispersion Y of the ten tribes. In eon-
formitv with this, Obadiah foretdls to the two tribes, that they
shouhi O('euI}y the vaeated plae('s of the land uf promise. In
contrast with this enlarg-ement of Judah and Benjamin, he
speak
ofthuse already in captivity, and prophcsies their re,.;to-
ration. He speaks of two bodies of present exiles .. the ('aptivi-
ty of this ho,.t of the ehildren of Israel," "the eaptivity of Je-
rll
alem whieh is at Sepharad." Of these he probably says',
TIle capth'it.1/ of t!tis Iwst of the c!tildren of lsmel which are
amon
tile Canaanites as far as Zarephatlt, aud tlte captivity of
JeJ'usalem. 1l'//Ïdt is in SeplwJ'(l(I, shall possess tIle cities of the
Soutll. Both these sets of eapti\'es must have been limited
in number. Tho
e of Jerusalem at SephaJ'lld or Sardis a, the
eapital of the Lydian empire, could only have been such as
were exported by means of the sla"e trade. The only puhlie
settlement of Jews there, was ill times long
UbSe(l'1Cnt, about
n. C. 200, when .\ntiOl'hus the Great, in ordcr to cll('ek the
seditions in Lydia and Phrypa, "bremoved thither at much eost
2000 Jewish families out of Mesopotamia and Babylollia, with
thcir
oods," on aCl'ount of their tried faithfuhwss and zea-
luus ser\"Îee to his forefathers. This remontl, ae('ompanied
with g-rants of land, exemption from tribute for ten
-('ars, per-
!'onal and religious proteetion, 1cas a eontinuation of the com-
mew'ed dispersiun; it was not a captiz'it.'1. They were the de-
s('cndants of those who mi
ht have returneu to their country,
if they would. They were in the enjoyment of all the tem-
pOl'al benefits, for which their forefathers had bartered their
lwrtion in their own land. Therc was nothin
peculiar why
they should be sin
lcd out as thc object" of God's promise.
Je'
-s wcre then di
l}('rsing- everywhere, to be the future (lis-
eiples or perto'eeutors of the Gospel in all lands. Seleucus
Nieator, a ('entury before, had found Jews in A
ia and Lower
Syria, and had
ivcn them like privileges with the )Iaced?-
uians and (,reeks whom he settled there. Jews had shared his
wars. .Alexander had, at Alexandria, be"towed like privileges
on the Egyptian Jews c. In s
ch tim
s, then,
here w
s .no
captil'it.1/ at Seplwmd; no LydIan empire; notlll
l
to
1
tlIl-

uish the Jews there, from any others who remamcd willmg-
ly expatriated.
. On the other side, the plaee which the Prophet assigns to
those eapth-es on their return is but a portion of Judah, tlte

phered. De Sacy identified the CPRDof the Inscriptions with the "Sepharad" ofOba-
(

Ji.(

ï
p
lv
mp
:="

í
,es
i
i.s,!

if

Soid:
tf:
'lp
fï )lt

<;
R
i

the Greeks 'omitting the" or ph, and adding, according to their "ont, their termination
to the Asiatic name. S. Jerome's Hebrew instructor told him that it meant the" Bos-

drï'fsh;' t:
ti

h:þ
';,":s.b

ad";
b

r
h
h:r

ed o';6i
r ;

j

:

t
kf

,;
the::1 \\ hich he ought not, and leaving out the "'I whieh he oughtto have accounted for.
b Jos. .-\.nt. xii. 3, 4. c Josephus (Aut. xii. 3.1.) contrasts them "iththe "IO'K,aCJi,alll.

l" ; ,
, "t

fJ+-"

1 .' . " " .')CI1-4'1t OF" /IIOUI'tTAINS
f/:'C t:I;
Q-Oo
():':" 'J . ca \ ) ,'}
' .;=:.; ,
Co.
q., A. -Q.;)

.. 1 "J .... .. \
\....
.'
o 0 '.
(. J. -' >-
Co Oc -"- -,. '"' di . ,) >

. Ii
l Q

t
.. ;
.: ":;J J. " k "(-C (* .
.

..,
: O.J.
,}) \(
...

t7
'> ./
\.
-- ::--.;;;E . . ...0..
.. () n. ",..0 -- S. I T E -: .

... 01..... - "0 . _'" '" _I - -
. ..
.t, <, - _

':::)/_ ,or /:
r: "
(Ïf

:" 1 ;;'.,#- --...

T
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cities of tile SOlltll, which he docs not represent as un}Jeopled.
In like wav, whether the worùs as to Israel arc rendered,
" ll'/tÏch ar
among ti,e Ca}laanites as far as Zarepllllth." or,
"!;haU possess the CW/fllmÏ/es as far as Zareplwth," in either
case the Prophet must be speaking uf a wry limited number.
Had he been speaking' in refcrenee to the ten tribe... or their
restoration, he would not have assig'ned their t('rritory,
"Ephraim, Samaria, Gilcad," to the two tribes, nor wuuld he
ha\"c as
ig-ned to them so small a trart. This limitt'd number
of capth'
's cxaetly agrees with the state of thing's, supposing'
Obadiah to have lived, when, aceording to his place in the
Canon, he did live, near the time of Jot'l. For Joel denounces
God's judgmcnts on Tyre, Zidon and Philistia tor sellin
nn-
to the Grcl'ians the childrcn of Judah and Jeru!'alem. The
e
capth-es, of whom Obadiah speaks, werc
oJlle probably yet
un,",uJd, at San'pta, and some at Sepharad or Sardi:; among- the
(;recialls. On the other hand, it is ineoneeh-able that Oba-
diah would have eontrasted the present captivity, " tlâs eapti-
vityofthe ehildren of Israel," "the captivity of Jeru!'alem whieh
is in Sepharad," with Judah and Benjamin ill their aneient
l}o
ses!ooitlns, had Judah and Benjamin been, when he wrote,
themseh-es in captivity in Babylon, or that he would have pro-
}}hc:;ied eoncerning- some little frag'ment of Israel, that it should
be re:;tored, and would have passed over the whole body of the
tcn tribes, it
when he prophesied, it had bcen in captivity. l\'"or

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233

is there a/!ain any likelihood, that by" this captivity of Jerusa-
lem in Sepharad," Obadiah means any captives, among' whom
he himself was, (whieh is tlU' whole ground-work of this theo-
ry of Ewald) for, in that ease, he would probably ha'"e ad-
dressed the eon
olatinn and the promise of return to them (as
do the other prophets) anù not ha\'e !<poken (.if them only.
.A tcU" years hence, and this theory will be among the thing's
whkh ha,-e been. The ('onne(.tion of thought in Obadiah is
too 1'10;;:(', the rharacteristics of his sh'lc O(:eur too uniformly
thrOllg'hout his brief prophccy, to admh of its heing thus dis"-
loeated. Kowhere, throughout his prophecy, ran one wm'd or
form be alleged, of which it can even be said, that it was used
more frequently in later Hebrcw. All is one original, uni-
form, united whole.
.. Obadiah," says Hugh of S. Yirtor," is simple in language,
manifold in meaning; few in words, abundant in thoughts, ac-
cording to that, 'the wbc man is known by the fcwness of
his word,...' lIe dirceteth his propheey, according to the let-
ter, a
ainst Edom ; allegorieally, he inveighs against the world;
morally, ag'ainst the flesh. Bearing an image of the Saviour,
he hinteth at His Cuming' through 'Vhom the world is destroy-
ed, through "110m the flesh is subdued, through "'hom free-
dom is restored." "_\.mong' all the prophets," says another d,
" he is the briefest in number of words; in the grace of mys-
teries he is their equal."

d Isid.lib. alleg. s. Scr.

oJ
..

PLA
OF THE RUI-XS OF PETRA A
D ITS E
TRANCES. From Laborde, see p. 235.

23-1

Before I The destrud;oJl of EdoJJ/, 3 for tlte;r pride, I
C
r
5
ï
T 10 mlfl for their 1Cl"OUg Ullto Jacob. Ii Tlte sal-
ratioll (lwlrirf(J]:1I (!f Jacob. I
a Isai. 21.11. TIlE .. f 0 1 1 . 1 Tl . tl tl I
& :3-1-. 5'0 Vl
lOn 0 me Ia 1. HIS Sa! 1 Ie
f:!
"tiJ
. Lord Gon a concerning Edom; b 'V t'
Joel :3. HI. :\tal. 1. 3 b Jer. -19. U, &c.

OBADIAH.

lUlYe heard a rnmonr from the LORn, and
an ambassador is sent amonA' the hea-
then, Arise ye, and let us rise up against
her in battle.
2 Behold, I have made thee small amon

Before ,
CHRIST
cir. 587.

Y RR. 1. Tile ri.
irJ1l of Obadiall, i. e. of th.e 11'm'shipper of God.
The Prophet would be known only hy that which his name
import
, that he worshipped God. He tells us in this douhle
title, throl1
h whom the propheey came, and from "'hum it
callie. His name authentkated the prophe.'y to the Jewish
Chur('h. Thenceforth he dIOse to remain whollv hi(ldcn. lIe
entitles it a risioll, as the prophets ,,-ere called s;el's\ although
he relate
, not the vision which he saw, hut its suhstan('e and
meaning. Prohahh' the future was unfolded to him in the
form or' sights
prcåd out hetilre his mind, oi whi('h he spoke in
"'ords gi,-en to him hy God. His language consi
ts of a sue-
eession of l,i('ture
, which he may IHu-e seen, and, in his pir-
ture-lallgua
e, descrihed. "2 As prophe('y i", call cd the u'ord,
heeal1sc {;od
pake to the Ilrollhets within,
o it is ealleù vi-
SiOIl, heeause the prophets saw, with the eyes of the mind and
hy the light wherewith they arc illumined, what God ,,'iIl-
eth to he known to them." The name expres
es also the
certainty of their knowledge. c, 3 Among the organ
of our
senses, sight has the most e,'ident knowledg:e of those things
,,-hi.'h arc the ohjeet of our scnses. Hence the contemplation
of the things whidl are true is ealled ,';,
ioll, on aeeount of the
e,-idelll'e and assured certainty. On that
round the prophet
was eall('d seer."
Tlws saitll the Lord God cun('erllillg Edolll. This second
title state,.;, that the whole whieh follow,.; is from God. '''hat
imllIe(liatcly follows is said in Ohadiah's own pcrson; but all,
wlwther so spoken or direetly in the Person of (;od, was alike
the word of God. God !'pake in or hy the prophets, in both
ways, !<im'e 4 propllec.1I came ]lot b!/ tIle lcill of mall, but holy
well uf Gud .
pake as they were 1I/fJl'ed It.'! the HO
II Ghost. Oba-
diah, in that he uses, in regard to his whole propheey, words
whi..It other prophets use in ddi,'ering a direct message fl'om
God, a
.'ribes the whole of his I,ropheey to God, at" immediately
a... other prophets did any words whieh God eonuuanded them
to speak. The words are a rule for all prophecy, that all eomes
direetlv ti'om God.
,iTe lun'e Iteal'd a rumour, rather, a report; lit. a !tearing,
a tMng heard, as I
aiah says ã, "'[w hath helin'ed our repurt r
A I'ep()/.t is eertain or uneertain, according to the authority
from ,,'hom it comes. This repurt was certainly true, sinee
it wa
fl"OlI/ lite Lord. lly the plural, Ice, Obadiah may ha,'e
a!'!'oeiated with himself", either other prophets of his own day
as Joel and Amos, who, with those yet earlier, as llalaam and
David, had lll'ophesied against Edom, or the people, for whose
sakes God made it known to him. In either ease, the Prophet
docs not !'taml alone for himself. lIe hears" ith "the goodly
eOllllmny of the Prophets;" and the people of God hear in
him. as Isaiah sap. again G, tit at ll'Mch I ItUl'e heard from the
LO/'d of hosts, tile God of Israel, IUll'e I dpclal'eel Ullto you.
Allllall alllbassado/' is sellt mlWIlt{ tIle !teatltell. The alll-
bas.'fulor i
any agent, ,-isihle or invi
ihle, scnt by God. Hu-
man powers. who wish to stir up "ar. send human me!<sengers.
All thing-
stand at God's command, and whate,-er or whom-
soever He emilloys, is a messenger from Him. Hc uses our
1 1 Sam. ix. 9.
Rib.
3 Comm. in Is.
S. ap. S. Basil i. 383. . 2 Pet. i. :?1. 5 liii. 1. 6 xxi. 10.

language to U!<. He may hm-e employed an angel, as He says7,
He SlIlt t'/'ilallgels among tlltlll, and as, through the permi,.;-
sion g-inn to a (lling spirit 8, He exeeuted His jlHlglllents on
Allah, of his own free will helievin{r the evil spirit, and dis-
heliedng Himself. So \) God .
ellt WI edl spirit bet'll'een Abi-
meln'll flIul the l1Ien of SI,ecllf'lII, allowing His rebellious spirit
to bring about the punishment of e,-il men, by inflaming yet
more tIt(' e,-iI passions, of whit'h they were sla,'es. Evil slli-
rits, in their malice and rclwllion, "hile stirring ul' the lu!'t
of ('OIHlue!<t, arc still God's me,
Sell{{erS, in that He overrules
them; as, to S. Paul 10, tlte thorll ill tlte jle.
lt, tl,e messenger of
Satall to Imllèt /tim, was still the gift of God. It u'as giz'C1l
me, he says.
Arise.lle alld let ItS rise. He who rouseth them, says, Arise
!/e, and they (luiekly eeho the words, ((lid let us arise. The
will of God i!' fulfilled at once. 'Yhile eager to aceomplish
their own ends, they fulfil, the more, the pUl"}lose of God.
\\'hether the first agent be man's own pas!'ions, or the e,"il
spirit who stirs them, the impulse sllreads from the one or
the few to the many. llut all cateh the spark, ca!'t in among
them. The summons finds a ready respon
e. Arise. is the
command of God, ho" ever given; let us ((rise, is the eager
respon!<e of man's avariee or pride or ambition, fulfilling- im-
petuously the secret "ill of God: as a tiger, let loose ul,oa
man by man, fulfil!' the will of it
owner, ,,-hile sating its own
thirst for blood. So Isaiah hears 11 tIle nuise of (l II/ultitude ill
tIle 1I1OllIdaills, like ((s of a great people, a tumultuous 1I0i.
e of
tlte killgdollls of lIatiollS gatllereel togetlter. The .Medes and
Persians thought at that time of nothing les
, than that they
were instruments of the One God, "-hom they knew not. But
Isaiah eontinlles; The Lord of hosts musteretlt the !tost of tile
battle; amI, when it was fulfilled, Cyrus saw and owned it 12.
2. Belwld, Ilun'p lIIade tllee slIIall. God, hadng- dedared
His future jlHl
l1lent on Edlllll, assigns the first ground of those
jud
ments. Pride was the root of Edom's sin, then envy; then
followed e"\..ultation at his hrother's fall, hard-heartedness and
hlood,.;hed. .\.11 this was against the disl)()sition of God's
Prm-idenee tor him. God had II/ade him slI/all, in numbers, in
honor, in territory. Edom was a wild mountain people. It
wa,.; stl"on
ly g-uar(Ied in the roek-girt dwellin
, whieh God had
assi
ned it. Like the S" iss or the Tuolese of old, or the in-
hahitants of :\Immt Cauea!'l1s now, it'ltad !"trength for resis-
tance throH!!.'h the adnmta/!,"es of it;;; situation, not tor ag
res-
sion, unle,.;s it were that of a robber-horde. But lo\\'ncss, as
lllen use it, is the lllother either (If lowliness or uf pride. .A low
estate, aequieseed in h): the /!,"race of God, is the parent of low-
liness; when rebelled a
ainst, it
enerates a
reater intensity
of pride, than greatness, bc('ause that pride is again,,;t nature
itself and God's appointment. The l,ride of human great-
ness, sinflù as it is, is allied to a natural nobility of charaeter.
Copyin/!," perwrtedly the greatness of God, the soul, when it
reeeÍ\-es the Spirit of Gild, f'a!"ts oft' the
Iou
h, and retain,;
its nobility tl'ansfi
'1.Ired hy /!,"raee. The eoneeit oflittlencss has
the hideousl,less 0.1' those monstrous combinations, the more

7 Ps. lxxviii. 49.
9 Jmlg. ix. 23. 10 2 Cor. xii. 'i.

8 1 Kings xxii. 21-23.
11 Is. xiii. -I. 12 Ezr. i. 1, :?

Oß
\DL\II.

23.5

c :IN
T the heathen: thou art g-reatly despised. I d('('cived thee, thou that dn-cHest in c J'iiors T

r . 58i. 3
The pridl' of thine lH'art hath the clcfts c of the rock, whose hal,ita- cir. 5't'oi.
· 2 h.ings 14. i.

hideolls, bceause unnatural, not a ('orrul'tion only but a dis-
tortion of nature. Edom ne,-er atteml,ted any thin
nf 11111-
ment by it
clf. Tlloll art great!.,! despised. ,,- eaknes,.:, in it-

clf, is ncithcr de!<l'ieahle Jlor r1e!;pised. It is despised only

wl\('n it vaunts itself to he what it is not. God tcBs :Ldom
what, amid its pride, it was'in itself, despicaMe; what it would
then'after be, despised 1.
3. Tile In' hIe of tilY heart Imtll deceiz'ed thee. Kot the
!'trenl-,rth of its mountain-fa4ne
se,.:. strong thou
h they were,
deceived Edom, but the pride of iii... heart. That strength was
but the oeca
ion whieh ('allcd forth the pride. Y ct it was
stnlllg in its ahode. God, as it were, admits it to them. Dwell-
er ill tlte cleft!; of tile rocks, the loftiJ/e.
s (
f /tis habitatioll.
"The whole Southern ('O\mtry of the Edomites," says S. Je-
rome, .. from Eleuthcropoli
to Petra and Selah (,,'hieh arc the
pos
e
sions of E
au.) hath minute dwellings 2 in eaves; and
on aeeount of the oppressi, e heat of the sun, as being a south-
ern pro\"Ínce, hath under
round eotta
es." Its inhabitants,
whom EdllJn c
pellcd 3, wen' hence ealled Horite", i. e. dwell-
ers in eaves. Its chief ('it v was eaBed Selah or Petra," roek."
It was a eity single of its kind amid the works of man. .. -I TI,e
eagles l'la('cd their nests in the rockyea\-es at.. a heig-ht of sen-
ral hundred feet above the level of the valley." "-I The power
of thc ('ollf'eption ,,-hi('h would frame a ran
e of mountain-
roeks into a memorial of the human name, whieh, once of no-
ble name and hig-h bepl"ai
ed, soug-ht, through mig-ht of its own,
to dad itself with the iml)eri
hablene

of the eternal \Y ord,
is herc the same as in the contcmporL
ry monuments of the
tcmple-rocks of Elephantine or at least those of the Eg-yptian
Thebes." The ornamental building-s, so often admired by tra-
veBer
, helong to a later date. Tho
e ne
ts in the roeks, piled
over one another, meeting- you in e\'ery recess, lining- eaeh fre"h
windin
of the vallie
, as eaeh opened on the diseoverer 'i, often
at hei
hts, where, (now that the face of the rock and its ap-
proaeh, l)robahly hewn in it, have ('rnmbled away 6,) you ('an
s('arecly imag-ine how human foot e,-er eJimbed Î, mU!'ot ha,-c
been the work ofthe first hardy mountaineers, whose tèet were
like the chamois. Such habitations iml)ly, not an lIllf'Í\'ilised,

I "'.:; is at once a passivepanicipleand an adjective. : habitatiunculas. 3 Deut. ii. ]2.
4 Schubert, Reise, ii. 428. ed. 2. 3 "The most striking fealUre of the place consist.,
not in the lact that there are occasional eXCÆnations and sculptures, like those above
described, but in the innumerable multitude of such exca\ations along the "hole coast
of perpendicular rocks, adjacent to the main area, and in all the lateral vallies and
chasms." Rob. ii. ];;
j. "What remains are the mere débris of what the precipices once
presented to vie".-:\Iany oCthe exca\ations are so difficult to reach and some are .uch
mere wall or surCace, that it appears as if the whole front of the rock, to a considerable

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mdeed astonished." Miss :\Iart. Eas(ern Life, iii. 2, 3. "I do not doubt that by calcula-
tion of all in the outh ing ravines, you might count up thousands, but in the most po-
pulous part that I could select, I could not number in one \ iew more than tiftv, aud ge-
nerally ml,
h fe\\er. It is these imm..nse ramilications, rather than their concentraled
eftect, that IS remarkable; and this, oC course, can no more be ...en in on.. \ iew, than all
the streets of London." Stanley, 88. 6 )Iartin, ab. note i. She speaks also
o
"short and odd staircases, t"isting hither and thither among the rocks," iii. 19. "little
tlighlsof
teps",:,atlered O\er the slopes," ii. 319. "\\ here\er }our eyes turn along the ex-
ca\ aled sides 01 th
roc
s, you
steps often leading to nOlhing, or to something which has
crumbled a"ay; ohen with theIr first. steps \\om a"a\, so that they are now inaccessible,"
Stanley,91. "the thousa1!d eXCa\atlOns" beyond, 1b.90. "T(.ere[in (he SiJ..]theYdre
most numerous, Ihe rock IS honey-combed with ca\ities of all shapes and sizes." lb. 9I.
7 " 1;1 ad then the ancient builders 01
hese rockworks wings like the eagle, "ith which

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..me image o
wing<. E,,:ste
Life, ii. 3

. iii..
O. ' 8 Burckhardt, S}r. p. 42ï.
On the left side 01 t.he nver, he ad,
s, . '.s II; rising
ound extending westwards for near-
ly .}of an hour, entIrely cO\en'd "Ith similar rernalDS. In the right bank "here We
ground is more ele\ated. ruins of the same description are also seen." '

only a hardy, aeth-e. people. In tho
e narrow nilli('s. !'CI
"corched by a southcrn sun, they were at on('e the ("(I(lle
t
!'ummer dwelling-s, and. amid the dearth offirc-n ood, the nïu'm-
(,,.;t iu wiuter. The dwclling,.; of the lh jng- and the sepuh'hres
of the (It'ad were, HPl'arently, he\\ n out in the same suft red
sand!'tone-rol"k, aud perhaps some ofthe dn elliu
s oftheeadier
roek-dwellers Wl're ('(Hlverted iuto g-nn es hv the Xahathæaus
and their su('('es!<urs who li\-ed in the valley. . The ('entml spa('c
has tmecs of other human hahitatiuns. ,,8 The g-ruund is ('0-
vercd \\ ith heaps of hewn stunes, foundation,.; of building
and
\'estig-e!' of paved ,.;tn'ets. all ('leady indieatiu
that a lar
e eity
OIlC'e existed here." "UThey oc('upy two mile
iu ein'umferen('e,
aftùrdiu
ruom in an oriental ('ity fur 30, or 40,000 inhahi-
tants." Its theatre held" 10 ahuH ::J()()O." Prllhahl\" thi,.; ('itv
hel(ln
ed alto
ether tothe later,Kabatæau, Roman, orChristiail
times. It,.; (\xi4ence illu,.;tratf's the e
tent ofthe am'ieut ('itv of
the roek. The whule spaee, rocks and nùlies, imhedded in'the
1lHluntains whi('h g-irt it in, lay im'isihle e\"Cn from the !'oUlll-
mit of )IoHnt II or n.
o nestled was it in it!' ro('ks, that an
enemv eould oulv know of its existcnee, an arm\" eould onlv
al'l'rõar'h it, thiou
h treachery. Two known ål'proaches i2
ouh-, from E. and 'L enter into it. The least rcmarkahle is
des
'ribed a,.; lyiug- amid ..]3 wild fanta4i(' mountains," " ro('k

in towering masses," "over steep and !'lÌppery passe,.;," or
,. windiu
in reeesse
below." !:-'ix 14 hour,.; of su('h passes led to
the ,,- c!<tern
ide of Petra. The Greeks ,.;puke of it as two
days' journey from their ",,-orId 15." Al'proaeh how yuu would,
the road IHY through defiles 16. The Greeks kne,,- but of '.IÎ one
as('ent to it, and that," (as they dcemed) "made by hand;"
[that from the E.] The )I.,hammedans 1l0W think the Sik
or ehasm, the two miles of ra,-ine hy which it is approached,
supernatural, made by the rod of Mo,.;es when he struek the
rock 11>. Demetrius," the Besieg-cr]9," at the head of
()()() mcn.
(the 4()()() infantry seleeted fllr their swiftness of foot from the
whole army20.) made repeated assaults on the plaee, but .Othose
within had an easv vi('tor\" from it... eOlllmamling- heig-ht."
'.21 A few hundred inen miiht defend the entranee' ag-ai
lst a
large army." Its width is de,.;cribed as from 10 to 3i, tcet 22,
9 Robins. ii. 13R. 10 3000. Burckhardt, lb. more tban 3300. Rob. Ü. 13-1.
11 Stanley, 8i. "Petra iL<elf is entirel} shut out by the inten eningrocks.-Th.. !!Teat fea-
(ure of the mountains of Edom is the mass of red bald-headed sandstone rocks, mtersect-
ed, not h) vall!,ys but by deep seams. In the h..art of these rocks! itself in\ isibl", li..s
Petra." See" oodcut. I: In ("('gard to (he brook 01 \\ adl :\Ius..., Robmson
says, .. no one could (ell in what direction the \\ aters, when swollen, find their wa} s (hrough
the clift's. This only is certain that the Wad} does not, as Wady
Iusa, extend down
to the Arabah," ii.13i. Dr. Wilson (l8-li)sa\s," the water found a sllblerraneous.."it by
tbe passage througl, the rocks on the W. sid
õfthe valle}, (hrough "hich they now tIow."
ft
f7: :cS

ti
un
,
'Å 'I:
tì
a;u:(h::":;

':f:

nb
hoîï
w of the hill:.
t'

i:

h:
our very narrow path. layover these whitish hills, now up, now do"n, and then and then
again "e were slipping and jerking down slopes of gaudy rod... t'or near!) an hour longer
we were descending the pass, down We "ent and still down, at length "e came upon Ihe
platfonn aOO\e the bed of the torrent, near which stands the onl} edifice in Petra." lb.
319 2f,. 14 lb. ii. 3lG-19, I. "Tijç oì-.oup.,v"ç. "The place "as
stro'ng in the extreme, but un"alled, and two da}s journe), &c." Died. Sic. xi". 95.
]6 see tbe accounts in Burcl..hardt, Syria, -l:H. Laborde, c. 8-10. Eng. Tr. Lindsay.
p. 220-30. Irb} and '1. c.8. Rob. ii. 1Oi. Stanley,
ï. 9
. 17 Diod. Sic. xix. 9i.
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\\orn from the chiselled face of the precipices." Mart. ii. 31i. "One
triking leature of
the" hole scenery is, that not merel) the excavations and buildings, butthe rocks them-
selves are in a conslant
tate of mouldering decay. "1ou can scarcel) tell where exca\a-
tion begins or deca}" ends." Stanle\, &'. IS Stanley, t>!J. 19 l'oliorletes.
W DlOd. lb. 96. 21 Blirckhardt, 4.34." The footing is extremely bad, and the
=:f
n":
h:r
:
e?olf.:dm
:::
o
o
ì,;
:,

::-it

s
b

U
(

::rfo

uì'Æ
be capable of holding it against a gt<'at .uperiorit} of numbers." Captains Irby and :\1.
c. 8. :-
:\1 art. iii. 11. "The \\idth is not more than
u't suffici"nl for tI\l'
passage of two horsemen abreasl, the sides are in all parts pel}Jendicu.ar." I. ò: :\1.1'.12;".

23G

Oß.ADL\II.

c HBí!oÍ
" T tion is high; d that saith in his heart, 'Yho I 4 e Though thou ('xalt th,l1 8C lf as the ea- c HBí!oI
T
cir. í 8
shan hring me down to the ground? I gle, and though thou f set thy nt'st among cir. í'r;ï.
d Isai. U. 13, 14, 15. Rev. 18. 7. . Job 20. 6. Jer.49. 16. & 51. 53. Amos 9. 2. r Hab. 2. 9.

"1 a rent in a mountain-wall, a ma
nificent gorp:e, a mile and a
half long, winding- like the most flexible of rinn:, between
ro('ks alnllJ
t pn-,'ipitous, but that they oyerlap and erumhle
and craek, as if they would erash oyer you. The hlue !'ky
only just yisible abm"e. The \"tilleyopens, hut contraets ag-ain.
Thcn it is honeY-l'ombed with cayiti('s of all shapes and !:>izes.
Closing- OIH'e more, it opens in the an'a of Petra itself, the tor-
rf'nt-hed pa!"sillg- IIOW throu
"h ahsolute de!"olatioll and silenee,
though !'trcwn with the fra
mellts whieh shew that Will ollee
entered on a splendid am" busy city,
athered almig- in the
rO('ky banks. as along the CJua
's of some
rcat "Kortherll ri,-er."
Beyond this immediate rampart of rueks, there lay between
it and the Eastern Empires that nlst plateau, almost unap-
proadlable hy an enemy who knew not its hidden artifil'ial
re!"ervuirs of waters. But even the entrance gained, what
gain beside!", UIlle
s the people and its wealth \\
ere betrayed I
to a surpri,..e? Striking- as the rOI'k-g-irt Petra was, a g-em in I
its mountain-setting, far more man'c1lous was it, when, as in
the Prophct's time, the roek Ït!'elf was Petra. Inside the
defile, an ill\"ader would be outside the eih' n-t. He might
himsdf become the besieged, rather than 'tlie I)csieger. 'In
whieh of these eyries alon
all those ravines were tlie eagles
to be found? From whieh of those lairs might not Edum's
lion-sons burst out upon them? 1\1 ultitudes
m-e the invaders
no a(h-antage in sealing those mountain-sides, where. oh!'er,"ed
themsclns L by an un!'(.('}l encmy, they would at la!'t have to
fig-ht man to man. "'hat a hÏ\'ouae were it, in that narrow
spot, themsekes eneirded by an enemy everywhere, anywhen\
and visiblv nmdlere, amon
those thousand ea,'es, eaeh larger
cave, ma
- be, an ambusc

de! In man's sight Edom's bo'ast
was well-founded; hut what before God?
Tllllt sllitlt ill /tis !lellrt. The heart ha.. its own lang-uap:e,
as distinl't and as definite as that formed by the lips. mostly
deeper, often truer. It needeth not the lan
ua
e of the lips,
to offend (;(1(]. .As He answers the heart whit'h seeks Him,
so also lIe repli{'s in displeasure to the ht'art whir'h despises
Him. "'1w shllll hring me clown to thp eartll? Stwh i.. the
lan!-"uage of all sclf-Hlffir'ient securitv. "Can .\.Iexander flv? "
answe]:ed the Badrian chief from a'nother Petra. On thë se-
cond uig"ht he was a prisoJler or !"lain 2 . Edom probably, un-
der hi" 'nlO ? inelUlled God Himself, \\Tho to him was the Gild
of the Jews only. Yet men now too include Gild in their de-
fianee, aud scan:cIy veil it from themsel\-{'s by speaking- of" for-
tune" rather than God; or, if of a coarser sort, they do not
even ,-e1\ it. as in that emnmon terrible sayinl!, "He fears nei-
ther God nor deviL" God au!'wcrs hi" thought;
4. TllOugh thOll e.l'alt thyself [or, thy nest] like the eagle.
The eap:le builds its ne!<t in plaees weIl-ni
ðl imlcce!"!'ible to
man. The Edmnites were a race of eagles s. It is not the
lanp:uap:e of poetry or exag
eration ; hut'is poeti(', hecause so
true. ..lnd t/wugll thou set th.ll uest ill the stars. This is men's
lang-nage, strang-e as it is. "-l I shall totH'h the stars with my
erm'-li ;"" I shall strike the star,;; with my loftv crown;" "since
I ha,-e touched hea,-en with my lance." :-\s Jõb says 5, Though
!lis e.1'cellenc.1/ mount up to the hearens and /,is head rea rh et/t
unto tI,e clouds, yet he shall perisll.fol" e1'er. like /tis Ol('ll dung.
And haiah to the king- of Babylon, the type of Anti-Chri"t
and of the Evil oue 6, 1'1wll hast said in th!l!teart, I U'ill e.l'alt
1 Stanley, 89-91.
Q. Curt. ..ii. 41. 2. L. Arr. iv. 18. 19.
3 Eee p. 235. 4 Ovid, II orace, Lysimachus in Plutarch de fort. A lex. L. ii. Lap.

1//!1 t!t1'Oue abot'e the stars of God; tllY pomp is brollgld d01l'u
to the grare, tI,l' ll'Or11l is spread lflldn thee, (wd the ll'OrmS co-
l'el' thee. "-The heathen saw this. Esop, whcn a!'ht'd, what
doeth God? said, , He humbles the proud and exalts the hum-
hIe.' And another B , '\\'hom morning's dawn beholdeth proud,
The settin
sun beholdeth bowcd.'''
"DThey
dlO hoa!'t of bcing- Chri!<tians,and arc on that g-rouml
self-!'atisficd, prmnisin
thpm!'dves cternallife, and thinking
that thev nced not fear HcIl, bel'ause tht>y are Christians and
hold the' faith of the
\po!"tJes, while their lh'es arc altog-t'ther
alien from Christianity, arc !'twh Edolllitel', priding them!'el\'Cs
heeause thcv dwell in elefts of the rocks. For it suffil'cth not
to belie,-e ,,:hat Chri!"t and the Apostles tau
ht, unless thou do
what they eommandcd.-'l'hese sl)iritual Edomites, from a
certain love, or some fcar of future torments, arc moyed by
g-rieffor sin, and
ive themselves to rel'cntance, fastin
s, alms-
g-Ï\-ing-, which is no other than to enter the defts of the roeks;
beeause they imitate the work... of Christ and the holy Apos-
tles who are ealled rOI.ks, like those to whom J olm !'aid 10, () !Ie
generation of ripers, ll'fto hrLtlt ll'w'ned !IOIl to flee .from tI,e
ll'Nlth to come? But, since they have no humility. thcy become
thereby the more inflated with pride, and the more of such
works they do, the mOrt' 1)leasures they allow themselves, and
become daily the prouder ami the wil'keder. TI,e pride then
(
f their h('((r( deceil'Cth them, heeause they seem in many
things to foHow the deeds of the holy, allll they fear no ene-
mies, as thou
h they dZl'elt in defts of tlte rocks. They cx-
alt their throne, in that, throug-h the shadow of lofty deeds,
ther seem to have many below them, mount as high as they
ean, and phH'e them!'ch-es, where they think they need fear
no peril. ßut to them the Lord saith, TI/Uugh tltou e:ralt tliy-
se{f, as tlte eagle,-tltence will 1 brillg t!tee dOlCIl. For, how-
e,-er exalted they be, and howevcr they seem
ood and p:J"eat,
they arc hrougltt dflU'n to tile ground and out fJ'OIll the caverns
of the roek!', when-in the)- deemed that they dwelt seeurely,
in that they lapse into o,-ert !'hameful sin; ,,'henl'e all l)er-
ceive, what they were then too, when they wer
tlwug-ht to
be rip:btenus. .\.nd !'trikinp: is it, that they arc eoml'ared to
eagles. For although the ca
le fly aloft, yet them'e it looks
to the earth and the eareases and animals whieh it would
denmr, a
.Tob writes of it 11, Site rlll'elleth amI ahidetlz upon the
rock, upou tlte C7"ag of tile r(}('k, alld the strollg place. prom
thellce ,
he seelcetlt the prey; lieI' ('leS helwld ({far of!,; I,el' young
oues also suck up blood, alld ll'here the slain are, thel'e is she.
So these, whilp they pretend perf('etion, never turn their eyes
away frOJn earthly goods, always ('asting them on honors, or
wealth, or pleasure, without whil'h they count life to be no
Jife. "Tell too is it called their nest. For, toil how they may,
in seeking an as!'ured, restful, seeurity of life, yet what they
build, is a nest made of hay and stubble, ('on
trneted with
g-reat toil, but li
htIy destroyed. This seeurity of rest they
lose, when they are permitted, by the just jud
ment of God,
to filII into undeanne!"s, ambition or foulest
ins, and arc de-
prived of the p:lory which they unjustly g-ained, and thei,. foll!1
becomes /Jlllll{fest to all. Of such, among- the Apostle!', was the
traitor Judas.-ßut the rieh too and the mighty of this world,
althoug-h they think that their possessions and what, with
great toil, they have gained, when they have raised them-
6 xx. 6, í. 6 xiv. 13. 11. 7 Lap.
S Sen. Here. fur. lb. V Rih. 10 S. Matt. iii. 7. 11 Job xxxix. 28-30.

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23R

Oß
\DL\.lI.

c Jlror:'T the stars. then('e will I hring thee down,
cir. 'it-'i. saith the LOR)).
.-; If g thil'H's ('ame to thl'(', if rohhers hy
night, (how art thou ('ut off!) would they
not have stolen till they had enoll
h ? if the
h De
lt.

'.
l.
rape-g"ather('rs ('amp to thee, h would they

il;3.(j. not ll'an' II ,';Onl,' grapes?
II

'''1igS? 6 How are flIP thillg.ç of Esau sl'ar('llt'd

g Jer. 49. 9.

out! h"If' are his hidden thing-s sou
ht up! c J1í["?s T
7
\.ll tht, men of thy eonfedt'raey lun-e cir_ 'i
'i .
hroll!rht thee """11 to the hord(>r : tithe t lIeb.
nH'n'that were at pea('1' with thee han' de- "

;
;:::f
. .. 1 Jer. 3
.:!:!.
('enOed thee'. lIlul prennled a!ramst tht'e; t Hcb.
. . Ihe 'len vf
t flt"!1 fhuf ('(If thy hrea() han> la]() a wound tJ'.1J b,.ead.
und('r thee : k tha,' is none understanding k

i.I9.11.
II in him. II Or, vf it.

seh'es ahon' others, are most firm, it i" hut that ne
t whic'h
they han' pltwc'd amung' tIt(' star
, !-1II11l tu hc di
sil'atl'd by
"ind a!H1 rain."
;,. If tMaes callie to tlu'(', Tht' Prophet de
("rihes their
futm'e puni
llInent, by ('ontl'a4 with that \\"hi('h, as a 1lI.tl"aud-
ing- pcol'le. thcy wdl knl'w. Thicn'
and rohllt'r
spoil unly
fiJr their petty end. They take ,,"Ililt ('om('
to hand; what
thcv ('an. tIlt'\" c'arr\" oft..
IUlrtne..;s oftime. diffi('ult\" oftrans-
port. ncc'es!-it
. of I;ru'-iding- fill' a retrt'at, limit tllt'ir I'hllld('r.
"llt'n tlwy have /.:"org-ed tht'lUsdn's. tlwy d('part, Tlleir plun-
dt'r is limited. The gm}Jc-gatllera IcaH's /.:"l('anin
s. (;od pro-
mise" to His own pcuplc, under the "'anl(' iIllUg'I'. that they
shuuld ha, e a remnant left 1. GINlllill/{ gm}Jes sllall he Ilft ill
it. It
hall he, (IS gl(,((lIillg gmJ1e.
. 1l'11('1I tllf' I'Ïlltap:e is dOlle.
The Prophl't anti('ipate
the c'cJlltrast hy a hurst of sympathy.
In the name (If (;011. IIf' nwurlls on'r the r1estrlwtillll whieh
he fo]"('-alllloUlu'es. He lamcnts on'r thc de4ruetion, l'H'nof
thc deadly ('nemy of his pCllple. Holl' art tlwu dl,.\"tm.'led! So
tilt' nU'1I of Gild art' wont to c"l'rcss their ama:ll'nwnt at the
g-reatness of the de
trlU,tion IIf the ull/.:"odly. 2 Hol(' are 111e.'!
hroug-ht iutu desolatio/l as iu a //lOll/eut! :;1/oll' Imth the oJ1-
)Jl"e.
,WJI" I'cased! Holl' art tltollfalll'u fl"oll/ heal'I'II, () Llt/'lin
,
ml (!f tlte lIuJ/'u;ug ! .j. Holl' is tIle IUlI/lIJ/n of tl/{' II'lmlt' ('(11.tll
('lit aswulel" ami hl"ukeu ! 1mII' is }JalJlllou hl'("(JlI/e a d(solat;rJ1l
1lI1WUg the natious! 5 Hol(' Ü ",.fte.')IfIc1c ta/il'u! I/oI(' is tIle
)Jl"aisl' (
l tIle whole ew.tll ,mlJJ/'is('d!
n. 1-/01(' al"e the thill
" of Estill sefll'rfted out! ]it.1/fJ/(, (ll"e
E.mll mtf.
e(ll"('hNI ! i. e.
:sa
l, a
a whole and in all it
pal.t

amI in all its hclllllg-in/.:"s, all its people and all it
property, Ollt'
and all. The name EStill !-l)('aks of them as a wholl' : the plu-
ral ,-erb, al"e olltse(ll"clled, repre
ents all it
parts. The wonl

i
nific!< a dilig-ent
eareh and tra('king lIut. a>: in Z('phaniah 6 ,
I lI'ill seal"dt Ullt .In/{s(llcl/t ll'itll calldlcs, as a man holdcth a
lig-ht in e\"Cry dark ('OrHcr, in seekin
diligcutl
' SUlIJ(' small
thing- whit'h has heen lost. Tlte ftiddeu tMllgs, i. ('. his hid-
den tl"ca
un'
, (ll"e ,WJ/lgltt up. The elwmy who shlluhl t'omc
upon him, should makt' no passing foray. but shouhl ahide
tlwre. seekin!!,' Ollt of theÏl' hoJ('
ill the rod,!<. tlll'm
dH'S and
their trea
ures. Petra. thrllu
h it
rucky ralllpart
, wa
well
!oòuitpd, a,,; XilleH'h in the hu
e ('il"('uit IIf its mas
Í\'e wall.;
wa
well huilt. to he tJlf' rec'('pÌill'le of ra, in. .\nd now it wa

g-athel'ed, a
all rapim' is. fir
t or la
t. fllr the
poilcr. It was
safe
torcd up thert', tll be had 1'01" the
eekin
. Xo exit, nil
way of e
c'al)('. Bdom. lately !-II full of malic'ious ('IH'rg-
, so
proud.
hould lit' at the proud foot of its ('onfJut'rm" a
l'a

i,'e
a
the sheep in this ]arg'c shamhle, or as thc inanimate hoards
whic'h they had laid up and whic'h were III1W tmdæd (J/(t. Soon
after Obadiah's prol)heey, Judah, under .\haz, lo
t a
ain to

Ils.xvii.6.xxiv.I3. 2 P'.hxiii.19. 3 Is. xiv.
.12. . Jer.I.
3. 5 Ih.li. n.
· i. I::!. .::! Kinw; xiv. 6. s lb. xiv.

. 9 The Hebrc" te
1 has :-":'-
. \\hich Ihe
E. Y. renders S)rians, but \\hich is not the p!uralof:-s. The hri correct. :'":'-
. "hich
\\ould indeed be the plural of::'-
, bUI \\hich is no\\here used lor Edomiles. It mighl
ha\"e the mealùng, hO\\e\er, Ihat single" Edomites" (not, "Ihe children 01 Edom" ndtion-

s
I'ia. Elath 7, whic'h it IUttl now under rzziah I"t'c.tlvcn'd
,
The
'ews wt're n'plac,t'd. it is unet'rtain wlll'thcr by l:dtllllih's
or hy
mne trihe of
yrians 9. If

rians, thcy wt'rt' then
fricndly: if l:clolllitt,.... Elath itself mu
t, (III tht' IIl'o"imah' ('ap-
tidty of
yria. Imn' hef'onu' the ahsolute l'os
('!-siclll of Edmll.
Either way. ('ommer('e a
ain }loured its wealth into Edolll,
To what t'!HI! tolw possessed and to a

randizt' Edmn. thou
ht
hcr wealthy and her wi
e meu: to Iw s('an'lU'd out and 1,lun-
d('n'd, said the word of (;od. .\nd it was "'".
I. All thl' lIIell (!f tll." ('OI
fedl"'a(:', Illl/'c hrougltt t/we ('1'1'11
to tll(' !Jon/a. /)e!-tnlf"tioJl iI'Ò mort' bitter. when frit'nd
aid
in it. Edmn hatl all allln
with unnatural hatrcd persecllt-
('II hi
bl"Othel', .h\l'oh.
o. in (;od'
just judg-ment, its friends

hould Iw auwn
it
destroyer
. Those ("fJI
tèdel'ates wt're 1)1'11-
hahl\" :\Ioab amI .\nIllHHl. THe and Zidon, with whtlm th(,v
uniti'(1 to rt'si4 Xt'hIH'hadnezzar 10, and s('dueed Zedeldah t

rehel. although :\Ioab,.\mnulII, and Edmn turncd a!!:ainst him 11.
Thc
e then, "hi'
a,-s, st'nt them to tlu' border. .. Ü SO" ill tlwv
tahe the adn'r
ar;"s part, that, '.l"Íth him, they will drÍ\-e thee
fiwth frlllll the hllrd('r
. thrustin
thee into f'apti, ity, tn g'ain
fanmr" ith the cncmy." Thi
thcy would do, he aJd
. throu
h
min/.:"Icd treadlt'ry and, illlcn('e. Tile 11/l'1I of th.,! /I('((('e Ilfll'C
dl'('ciI'NI, h([/,e prez'([ilnl ([gaillst thec. A
l:dmn turned pea('e
with .'udah intll war.
o those at l'eiu'e with Edmn should use
dl'c'eit mul \"iolen('c al!.l,in
t tht'lll. Iwiug admitted. perhaps. a

allies within their bordcrs, and thcn hetra\'ing the scc-ret of
their fa
h'e
sl'
to the enenn'. a
the Thc!-
i;lia;ls dealt toward
the (;rceks at Thernwpylæ. - It wa
to he no ellmnHHl dec'c it,
110 IIICI'e failm'e to hdp tlwm. The Illcn of tll.'1 hr('(ld Illll'l' laid
a If'(J/(lid \heth'r, ([ sl/fll'e 13) umler tllee. Pl'rhaps Obadiah
tlwug;ht of Dm-id's wOl"lls H. mille oWlifamiliar ji'ielld, ill I('lwJIj
1 trllstl'd.u'110 did eat (!f 111.'1 hread. hath I{t
ed up !tis heel a/!,'"imt
II/e. .\s th(',- had done. so !'Ialllld it lJe done to them. Tlu'll
tlwt take the'sl('on/. our Lord says!" ,
/UlIl perisll b.'l tl/l' .
"'(Jrli;
!<o tlwv who shcw bad faith, art' the ohje("t
IIf bad faith. as I
a-
iah Si;y
16. The l'rm erb whit-h sa
-s. " there is honllr anwn

thien'
." atte
ts htlw limitcd
1H'h mutual faith is. It la
ts,
w hilt' it se('Ill!- u
eflll. (U)iuliah'... de
('ription relates to one and
tht' sanI(' ('la
s. the alli('
of Edtlm ; hut it lI('ighh'ns as it I!:oe

011; nllt c'onfed('ratt's only, hut those (,ollfcdcr
'tes. fricnds; nllt
friends only, hut fri('nds indt'hted to them. familiar fricnd
;
tho
e joincd to tht'!U throng'h that tie. so rC
l'('c'te(1 in the ]:a
t.
in that tht',- had caten oftheir bread. Tlwse handed with them
should, with
igns of ti'il'lJ(l
hil'. eondlwt them to their lJordt'r,
in order to expel them : tho
e at l)('af'e
hould prevail ag-ain
t
them in war; tho
e who ate their bread should ref}uitc them
with a
nal"t'.
Thcre is IlOlIe ltllderstal/(Iillg ill Mm. The hriefword:ö: c'OIll-

:

)h:

li
di

e
r.

e!t
;:a;sp

:;

i

e
o
te;:
'i
lf

r,:

i
ili

:

';f.llfa

erreading. 'fheLXX and' ulg. render " EdomÌles." 10 Jer. xx\ii. 3. II Zeph. ii. 8.
Ezek.
xv. I
Theoo. 13
"": frol1l-',(a soher form probablyof-';: in aliJ..emcan-
ing.) H Ps. xli. 9. I;; S. :\Iatt. x>.\i. 5::!. 16 Is. xuiii. 1. see ab. p. IS::!.

OIL\DLUI.

2:m

Before
CHRIST
elf. ;:-\7.

8 1 ShaH I Ilot in that day, saith the
LUlW, eyell cle
troy till' wise IIIt'lt out of
Edom, and unù(,l'
tanùin
out of tlU' mount
of Esau ?
!t .And thy mi!!,"hty m 1I1t'1I, 0 n Teman, shall

he dismayed, to the' cnd that ('H'ryOlw oftlH' C HRriot's T
HlUunt of Esall lIIav he ent oft.,,, slan
hÌl'r. _ rÎr.
""i

] ,. .-r F ( I 0" I .' t tl ' 1 0 f;
n. 2i. .u.
"11 or r,.'1 no ene(' a!!,"allls lY )ro- 1'_. I.,;. i.
t her J èwoh shame shall ('on'(' thc(', and r7..;,\::;.I
.
p thou
halt be ('lit oft" tur eH'r. p tnt
\/
:

Ial. I. t.

I Job:;. I:!, 13.
hai.:!\I.U.
Jer. -1\1.;.

m t;,

.:tlû.
o Jer. t!J. ï.

I'l"i"e hllth f'aU
(' alld e/f(,f't. Had I:dolllllllt bcen "itlwut llll- I crmr(' hrutislt. llr,lI' ,w'.'1 .'1(' UlltO Pharaoh, I am flu's(1II (!f the
del"stallflill!!. he had llot oeell t11\l'" Iwtnl\ e(l; and" hell h('traY- l ll'i.
e. tlll'SOIl f!f aJl('Ï( lit !.i/lgs;> Irlrere (Ire tlu" ;> rdw ((/.(' tlIII
cll ill hi.. ....(,
,lIl.itL 111' wa,.. a... OllC stlll'ificli. Pl"ide ami ...elf,I'lIll- Il'i.
e:' amI let tlwlII tell tlu'(' IIfIIl'. (lmlld tlu'lIl 'kJloll'. what thl'
fidcllf'C Iwtrav 'man to hi.... fall; whell he i!< t
lIh'n, "'f'lf-ellllfi- Lord (!f ho,
ts hath 1J/lI"jJfJ.
('(1 U}lOII 1;;,!!.'I}lt. .\lHlllf.r IIdah. \0 I
dellf'e h(\tl'ayi'd I",,,,,..es r('adil) illto dc....lmir. III the ..1II11!en
/:ill make ,.,
id the ('(mll.
('1 !if.Jad(lh aml,/t I"/wt!CIJI ill this place.
:-Iuwk. the mind f'ollal'''('''' )Ien do llot ll"'e the rc....om:c.l'''''' hll'h II I he
ne
' of the 'm
'I.11 t
l1nk that they h
'ld th

1" "i....'lo.m ami
thl'\" yet ha,'e he('au"'(' what thcy had on'rn,hwd. hills th('m. all (.IIII!" natural
Itt...., IIHlel'elidallth- of the (.1\'("'. ..ud h,-
{-n
h;c (,ollfill
'nl'l' is thc parent 'of undue tèar. Th(, Jewi"h " the cn'\lt'" of Hi!" \latural Prm"idenf:('. a!" hen' h
IIi" W/Il'li.
historian rclatc", how, in the la"t dl"eadful "ie!!l', when the out- II "Ill'" s thl'ou
h "ome "udden "ithdra\\ al of theil" \\ isdolll, that
er wall he
all to
h-e way, ..1 tl'ar fell Oil thc tyrant". lllorc ,e- it i" IIi". not tht'ÍI"'''. )Iell wmiller at the ..udden failure, th..
helllent than the Ol'l'a"inll ('ailed for. FOI". hefm'(' thc l'll('lllY flaw ill thc well-al"l"an
('d lllan, thc 011(' OH'I"-l'unfidl'nt ad "hif'h
had muunted, tI\('y were pamly"ell. amI r(',uly to flce. You ruin" the whole !"f'heme, th(' (I\'cr-"h,'('wd!H''''" \\ hil'h I"'tray"
J1\i
ht "ce lI\('n, atill'etilllc "tuutheal.ted alld in"oleIlt in tht'Ír it"elt
IIr the mHlcTliuntahll' on'l""i
ht. Thc
arc alllazcd that
impiet
, I'I'fIIlf'hiIl
and tn'mhling',
n that. wil'k('d as they "-en', OIle..o shrcwd ,..lw\lld oH'rlook thi" or that. and thiIlk nllt that
the ehan
(' "a'" pitiahle in the l''Xtl"f'lllc.-Herl' e
pceially one I1c, in "-hose Hand" arc our I"I\H"'" of thou
ht. supplied not
mi!..:'ht leam the powcr of God upon the un
mUy, For the ty- ju"t that insig'ht, whel'eon the wholc ùqlendeù.
rant" harcd th('Ill,;eln'" of all se,'urity, and, ufthcil" 0" n a("('cll'(l. !).
111,z th." lIIigld.'l, U TUJlllII, slutll hI' tlislI/ft.'led. The
c'allle down from the tower". whel'e nn tilJ"{'e, hut famine allllw, heathen. lllore l"elig'iou"ly than we. a"I'l"ilwd l'anif' to tlU' illl-
f'oliid hare taken them. For tlw..;e threc to" ers ,,-cre "tron
er II mediate aetion of olle of thei,'
od!". or to :\'ature ù('ifi('d. Pan.
than any en
ines." i. e. the {-nivers(': \\Tflll
a" tn the hein
Whlllll they
!.jIIOI"([J(tt.'1

. ,",Iwll I IlOt ill tlwt ITa.rl l'I'l'll de,
t1"fJ.'1 tlie l,.;se out (!f /l'rJr.
/lIilpetl; ri
ht,in aSf'rihin:-:- it to what ther tlwu;.!:ht a Bi,-ille
Be/olll." It wa" thell no l'lI1l1mOn. 110 n'eoH'rahlp, In"" of wi,,- II a
en('y. lIoly
eripture at time,.. di"eurer" the hidd('n a
I'ncr.
dllm; fi,r God, the .\utlwl" of wi
(
lIIn,
Iad d(,,,troyed it. '
'he" that we may al'kno,,
kd!!e
;o
l"s Hand in tlw..e t
'I'rlll''''. whieh
heathen had a l"'on'rh, .. whom hod ,nllcth to de,.troy, he fir"t 'n' 1',Ulllot a('count for,
o It relates. on lJ('('a"wn of Jona-
delllcn t.., "
o Isaiah fon'tells of .J udah", The ll'i.wlollt of flfl'i I" than'!" "Iau
h tCI" or t hc Phi \i,.;tine
al"I'i"on. II Tltai' l('ft,\' (( t 1"i'1I/-
ll'isl' ,
ltftll puish. ami the llndastllluling (!f tltei,. p,.udent slwll hlillg ill ti,e IlOst (lml ill thejil'/d, (lnd (/JllfJJ/g (II/ till' people: t/Je
hI' Md. Edllm wa" I'clehrated of old till' it" wi"dmu. Eliphaz, g(lrri.wn awl tlti' sJloilel"s. tl/{'.'/ also tl"l'lllhlcd. ftnd tltl' ('((dh
the ehicf of.r ob'
fri('IHI". thp n'pl"esl'ntatin' of human wi"dom, quaked, .
o it hecftlJ/t' a t,.etllhlinp: fl"oll/ God. or in 0111' f'Olllllwn
"as a '}'emanite 3. .\ n'sti
e of the nam(' of th('
huhites, word.) a l'alli(' from GUll. .\11 tlU'n failed Ldom, Their allic"
whcllee callle annthel" of his fri('nd... probahly "till lin
ers and fl'iellds hetmred thelll; (;011 took an-ay their wi:;dlllll.
alllon
the mountain" of Cdmn 4. Edom i" douhtle"s ineluded "-i"dulll \n'
turned into witl(',,"'ne
... and l'ouraA't' into f"lIwanl-
allHlII
the SOilS (
f the .Ellst 5. ,,-ho"e wi
dom i" "pt a" a l'Olllltel'- if'('; to tIll' elld that ('l'er.'1 0111' frolJ( IIllJllIlt Esall 11111.'1 Le Cllt
part to that flf E
ypt. the hi
he"'t human \\ i,..,lolII of that pe- olf' h.'1 slaugldl'r. The PI'lIpl\('t "lllIl.. up briefly God's ('nd in
riml. In "hieh that IIf
ololllon would he ml'a"'ured. Solo- all thi". The immediate IIIcan" were I1HIIl'S tl"caf"hen-. UHIII'"
IIWIl"'S ;"isdolJ( i'.l'c('fled the wisdolJ( of all the cl,ildN II (if tIll' East ,-ifllel\f"e, the failure fir n-i"dolll in the wise, amI of f'oill"a!!e in
f'(JllItf,:" (lml all tl,e wisdolll of Eg.'lpt. In Bm'uf"lI. thcy are the braw. The end (If aU. in Gm!",. "-ill. was their dl'4ruC'tion,
"till mentioned anHm
the chid" tyP('''' of hnman wi,..ò(lm. 6 It 12 .11/ tMIlKs u'ork togl'fher tll good to tlwðc Il'lw Luu Gud, and
(wi"llom) Ilftth Ilot h,'ell h('(u'd (!f ill ('If(lIlaltll, Jl(,ither hath it to evil t(l tllfl
e who hate Him.
beeu senl ill Thl'lI/all. Tile AWU'('Jll'S that seek Il'isdolll IlpOIl B." slall{{ldl'l",lit. ji'OIlJ sl(Juglde,., may mean eith('r the im-
mdlr, the 1I/eJ"l'h(lIlts (!f Jft>J"(l1l alld of Thelllllll. ti,e (lIltlwrs of nlt'diatc or the di4ant ('au"'e of their Iwing' Cllt '!/!: t'Íther the
faMps (J1ll1 s('((l"d'i'I".\' mtf (if flIlllastalidillg. nOlle of tlll'Sl' I"H'e means whic'h God ('lIIploy('d 13, that Edolll was l'ut oft' by fll1(,
ImfJIl"1l till' W(l.', r!f ll'i.w/olJ(. or ,.('II/ell/b('" het" }laths. 'nlelU'e
rcat
lau
hter hy the enemy; (II' that \\ hieh 11111' cd God to
J erellliah " in u"in
these word" of Ohadiah, "ay
, Is u'i.w{olJ(
Í\-e them (1\'('1" to de4nwtion, their 0" n slaugldll" ofthcil" br('-
110 Ifwrp ill Tl'Il/llIl'! is c(J/lllsel peris!'etl .frolJl the prudellt ;> is thren, thf' Jcn-s. a.. it foJlmr,,;
tIll iI. ll'i,wlfJIlI l'alli.
IIl'd? lIe
peak
', a.. th(lu
h Edmn were a 10. .For thy l'iolellf'p agaill.
t th." L,'otl,a Jaf'oIJ. To hrael
kuO\rn <lbml(' of human wi"dolll. so that it wa" 4rau!!(' t hat God had eoul\I1auded H, Tlwll ,
/llllt lIot abhor (lit EdOll/itl'; for he
it wa" fouud thcr(' no morc. Ill' "peaks of the EdllIllite" is th.'! hrotlfl'l'.-TIIl' cMltlrw that are lJl'gottell nf tl,elJ( ,
/1ll1/
as prlldellt, disl'rimiuatiug b , full of jU(l
llleut, aud wouder" II ellta illto tI,e cOllgn'gatioll f!f tI,e Lnrd ill th('i,. tM,.d gl'JleJ'a-
that I'flun..d ..Iwuld ha,-e p('rislll'd ti'OlIl them. The,- had it tinll. Edmll did the f"flutr-arv to all tlIis. /ïolellf't' in('lude

emiueutly then, bctill"(' it perÍ.l'hi',{, They thought thcIII"eh e.. an
nrt.. (lfill-treatmeut, fl'fIlII'lme with whom .. mif!.'ht i" ri
ht:'
"i"'(>; they wcre thflll
ht "0; hut God tool, it away at th('ir bemuse it i.
ill tIll' pfJIl'e,. (!f tl(eí,' Illllld 15 to do it. Thi,. the

utmost necd.
o He :-a
'" of J:
ypt, 9 Ill'ill dl'stl"O.'1 the ClJllIl- had dou(' to the de"l'cndants of their hrotllt'r. ami Ilim, their
set theret!f. TIll' CfJflIMel of tI,e 1l'ise CfJIlII,
ellors (!f' Plut,.aoh is be- twiu-hrother, Jal'ob, They helped the Chalda'an:- in hb 0\ er-

I Jos. B. J. vi,
.... 2 >."i". 11. 3 Job i,. 1. v Is. xix. 3, n, 1
. 10 Jer. xix. ï. \I 1 Sam. >.i,". 1:;.
· "S.ihhan, a ruincd place in the S. mountains of the GIIOCH." Burckl). SH. p. II 1_ 12 Rom. ,iii, :!
. 13 as in G('D. ix. ll. all Jln1. slla1l7l0 7Iiore be ('ul off '''1'': ;--:'
-1Kingsh.3U, 611ar.iii.:!:!,3. ,-:o.lix.ï.'" ;:.::::
11lcuu"r,,>Jtllf'Jlad. I. Dlut.>....iii.;,t'.(8,9. H,.b.] I. 'liL.ii.:!.
Qf{2

2-10

C HBí{o[e S T 11 In tIle day that thou stoodest on the
eir. ï
7. other side in the day that the stran
ers
\I Or. cm"ried II carried away eaptin' his foret's, and fo-
aUHll/ ],;s
sllhÙ""ce. rei
ners entered into his gatt's, and q cast
q Joel 3.3.
Kah. 3. 10. lots upon .J erusalem, even thou wm;t as
\I

01,
,"t
. one of them.
r
.5
.:!7.lï. 12 But 1\ thou shouldest not han' r look-
&- 59.10. Mie. 4. 11. 8: ï. 10.

OB
\DL\H.

ed on " the dav of thv In'otllCr in th(' duv Refore
.. . CHRIST
that h,,' he('ame a strun
er ; nt:'Ìtllt:'r !'hould- cir. 7b7.
est thou haye t rcjoict'd oycr tIlt' dlildn'n' f S i33[)3.
of Judah in the day of their destruction; t þ

V
.
n('ither shouMt'st thou hm"e tspoken proud-
lf::rs
8.
Iy in till' day of distress. t
!;:,;ijieà
13 Thou should est not have entered into Ut.'/11louth.

thro,,', rejoi('('(l in his ealamity, thought that, hy thi
I'uopera-
tion. they had se('ured themseh'es. '''hat. when from tho
e
samc (,hiildee
, those sam(' ('alamitics. whil'h the,- had aidcd to
inflil't on their urotlwr, eame on thcmseln's, whcÍl, as they had
hetrayed him, they 'nre them
ch-es hetrayed: a
thcy had ex-
tllt,,'d in hi
on'rthrow. so their allies eJ("ulted in thl'ÍI"s! The
slull/lf' of which the Pr;'l'hd spakc, is not the healthful distre
s
at th(' e\"Í1 of sin, hut at its (',-ils and di
appllintnwnts. Shame
at the e,-il whil'h !,jn is, works n'])('ntan('e and turns aside the
anger of (;.,d. Shame at the e\'ils whi('h
in brings. in itself
lei
d
to furthcr
ins. and ('mlless, fruitl('s
, shame, . Edolll had
laid hi
plans, had sUl'('ee(h'd : the wheel. in God's Pro\'idenl'e,
turned ruullli and he was ('rushed, So IIosea said \ t!lell
.
11fl1l be aslulIlled tlu'olfgll t!leir OW/l cOllltsels. And Jeremiah 2,
u'e lie d01l'1l in Ollr sllllme aud Ollr coufusion coreret!lll,
; and
na\"Íd
: let mille acll'er,mries be dot lied ?l'ith shame, a/ld let
tltem t'Ol'er tl,ell/selres 1('itl, their OU'1t couf/tsÏrm as with a mall-
tie. A
11111' cO\'ert'd and im'uh-ecl in a
loali:, ean find no war
to enH'r
e; as one whom the waters I'over 4, i
buricd under
tl1('m inextrieahly, so, where"er they went, whatner they did,
shame eO\'el"ed them. So the lost shaH rise to shame a/ld ever-
lastillg ('(J1ltempt 5.
'PluJIl shalt he Cllt (ifr.fo]' el'er. ()ne ,,'onl expresse(l the
sin. l'Íole/lt'e; four words, IIn'r a
ain
t it, eXllI"CS" the
ellte/l('c ;

hame e'H"ompa
!<in
, e'-er1astin
excision. (
od's sentelll'e;;
are not I'lIIlll'lcted at on('e in thi
life. The hralll'hcs are Illp-
pe(1 off: the tn'e de('ays; the axe is laid to the root: at last
it is eut dllwn. .\s the senten('e on .\dam, ill tlu: day that tl/Oll
eatest the/'('(!f tholl shalt .
IlI'el.'1 dit., was fulfilled, aitilllu
h .\dam
did not dic, until he had eompleted !,;
() years 6, so was this on
EdIllH. althou
h fulfilled in stages and hy de
r{'es. Adam hore
the
t'lltt'lll'e ;.1' death ahuut i;l him. 'I;he Ù30 \"Cars wure out
at la4 that frame, whi('h, hut ti.r Sill, had I.wen immortal. So
Edom rc('cived this selltcn('e uf excision, 'l'hil'h was, (Ill his
final impenitence, complet('(l, althou
h (.t'nturics witnesst'(l
th(' fir
t earnest olllv of its exe('ution. Judah and I
dolll stood
over again
t t'al'h otlwr, Edmll ever hellt on th(' cxtil1liltion ot
Judah. .\t that first destrul'tion of Jerusakm, Edom triumph-
ed, lla::.e !ler, /'a::.e !Iei', ere/l to the groulid. Y et, thou
h it
tarri('d Iong-. the
t'ntenee was fulfilled. Judah. the bani
hed,
sun-ived; Edllln, the triulllphant. wa
, in Gml"s time and aftcr
rel'cated trial
, Cllt (1ffor erer. Do we manel at the
lowncs

of God'

cnten('e? I{ather marvel we, with wonderin
thank-
fu]ne
s, that His
('ntelH'('
, on nations or ind.i\'idual
, i
r(' slow,
yet stand we in awe, bel'ause, if unn'l,ealcd, they are sure.
('cnturics, to Edom, ahated nllt their furep or I'crtainty ; length
of lifp ('hanges not the 1"inner's doom.
II. file tlte da.!1 that tlw/t stoodest 011 tI,e otl,er side. The
time when they !<o stood, is not defined in itself, as past or fu-
ture. It is literally: III ti,e da.'1 (
f th.'1 stll/lfliug our f1g(LÍllst,
i. e. to g-aze on the calamities of God's l)('ople; ill the day of

stl"llllgns Cfl}'r.'liug all'a.'1 /tis ,çtrengt h, i. e. t!le .
t/"('ugt!l (!f th.1I bro-
ther .Jacoh, of whom he had just sp"kell, ll/tdfo/"(.igllers elltered
i/lto ltis {{ates, aml cast lots Oil Je1"llsalelll, tholl too as olle of
them. O/le of them they were Ilot. Edmn "-as IHI stran
cr,
110 ali('n. no part of the inmding- army: he whose stn'n
th they
('arricd away, wa
, he hadjust said, hi
brotl,er Jacob. Edmn
burst the honds of naturc, to hccome what he was not, as O/le
of tltem. Ill' purpIIsely dill's Ilot say, flHm too wast (hayitha) as
Olll
(!f tltem ; as he would have said, had he wished to e
].rpss
what wa
]Iilst. Ohadiah seein
, in propheti(' ,'ision, the de-
struction of Jcru
alcm, and the share whi('h the Edomit(.s took
thcrcat, deserihe
it as it is hcfore his eyes, as past. "-e sce
I,..fon' us, the encmy carl"ying- off all in which the human
stren
th of Judah la y, his fOl"l'cs and his substaJlI'e, a nd I'a
tin

lots on Jerusalcm. its people and its l'os
essions. III' de-

I'ribes it as llast, yet 110t more so, than th(' visitation it
elf
whidl was to ti,uow, some centuries afterwarcl
. Of both, he
speaks alikt' a,.; past; of both, as future. He !'peaks of thelll
as past, as hein
so heheld in His mind in Who
e Xame he
sl'eak
. God's eertain knowled
e does not interfere with
0/11' fret' ag-eney. "7 God eompelJeth no on(' to sin; yet fore-

'eth all who shall sin of their own will. lI(m' then should
HI' not justly a,-enge what, foreknowing, III' dot's not eOIl1-
I'd them to do? For as no one, b
his memory, ('mnpelleth
to he dune thin
s whieh pas
, so God, hy His foreknflwlcdge,
doth not eOllllld to be done thin
s whil'h will he. .\nd as
llIan remelllbereth some thing-s whil'h he hath done, and yet
hath not done all whil'h he remelllbereth;
o God fun'know-
et h all thin
s whereof I1c is Himself the .\uthor, and yet is
not IIims4'If the Author of all whi('h He foreknoweth. ()f
those thing-s then, of which He is no evil .\uthor, lIe is the
ju.;t .\venger."
12-14. Bllt t!tOll slwllldpst 1I0t, rather it means, and ('an only
mean 8, (as in the E. )1.) .dndlook /tot (i. e.
aze not with plea-
sllre 9) 011 tlte dll.'1 of tll!1 hrotltel' in ti,e till.'! (!f !tis hemming it
stranger 10; ulld r
ioice /tot Ol'er the dâldrell uf .Judah ill tl,e da.1I
(
f tlteir clest"lldio/t ; lllld elllargl 1Wt th.'1 /lWlltlt ill ti,e (hl.'1 (
f
distress. Ellter 1lot i/tto the gate of JIy people ill t!le dll!1 of
i t!leir ('(Jlwnit,1I ; look /tot, tltOIl t(.o, 01t IlÍs qtflictioll ill ti,e day
of !tis Cfllamity; llJUt Ill.1/ not hml(l
OIL !tis suhstllltce ill the
da.1I (!f !tis calwJ/it,11 ; Alld stalld Ilot Oil t!le CroSS/l'll.l/, to (,Ilt off
/ús fllgitil'es; llJUt sltllt 1I0t up his ]'elllJl(l1lt.
ill ti,l' da.'1 of dis-
tress. Throughout these three "erse
, Obadiah u
es the fu-
ture only. It i
tllI'voi('e of earne
t, emphatic, dclwrtation and
entn'aty, not to do what would di
plcase God, and what, if done,
w(luM he punished. III' dehorts them from malil.iolls I'('joie-
ing' at their hrothcr's fall. fir
t in look, then in word, then in
a('t, in ('ovetolls ]wrti('ipation of the
poil, and lastly in mur-
d('r. l\Iali('iou
g-azin
on human ealamity, forgetful of man's
('ommon orig-in and ('ommon liahility to ill. i
the w(Jr
t form
of human hate. It was one of the contumclics of the Cross,

I "'<.6. 2 iii.25. 3 Ps. cix. 29. 4 Ex. X\. 10. . Dan. xii. 2. 9 as in ;\Iic. vii. 10. 10 Others, of his sl.-ant!e unheurd of calf/ntit.'1' Others,
6 Gen. v. 5. ï S. Aug. ùe lib. arb.iii. ,I, . See Introd. to Obdd. p. 228. of Itis being rejected as astranger by God, as 1 Sam. xxÌjj.ï ,eBtrangtd a.Jer. xix,4, Ei-

Oß.ADL\II.

HefoTe
CRRI ST
CiT. ïfl.ï.

tbe g-ate of my people in the day of tlH'ir
calamity; p'a, thou shoulclest not have
looked on their afflietion in thp day of their
calamity, nur have laid IUlIul.y on their
II suhstanee in the day of tlll'ir ,'alamity.
1-1 'Neither shouMt'st thcm have stood in
the l'rossway, to I'ut ofl:' thosl' uf his that
did csc'apc; nl'itllt'r shunldcst thou have

II OT,jOl'ces.

2..H

1\ cI('lin'r('cl up tho
c of his that did remain c lr'ì{o
e S T
in tilt' day of distress. cir_
p.;.
1 . I , . ] 1 . II OT, 6/1111 lip.
.) U 'or t lC I av of thl' LImn t.y near up- Ps. :n. /I.
on all tlU' ]U'ath(',; : x as thou hast dnne, it U 3
=f3

/
} ] I I ] I I ] ]1 1 Ezt'k.
5. 15.
'ò Hl )C I HlU' unto t )l't' : thy rewarc S Hl I1,lb. 2. 8.
return upon thine O\'"n head.
1(; y 1'ur as yc have drunk upon my 7

-i
!J

2.
huly mountain, .'to shall aU thl' heathen
Op
t
'Fiï.

tlu'.fl gaze', tlle.fllook withjllY UpOIi JIe 1. The rt:.io;,.illg tJl'('r tlH'm
was (loubtless, as among- sa\"a
('s. ac'('ompanit'd with
rima('es 2.
Then fllllm,; wortIs of insult. Tile l'Jt!((rp,'Íllg tIll' 1I/Ollt/' is ut-
tering- a tid(' of lar
(' words, ht'n' a/!,'ainst the 1't'1I(lle of (iod ;
in Ezekiel, a
ain
t I1:mscIf'!: TliIl.'ì wit/' your /llfJllt/' ye IUll'e
elilarged ((gail/.
t .lIe (flill Illll'e J/lilltiplinl your U'ords ((gail/st
JIc. I h((l'e heard. Th('n'on follows Edom's ('omin/!,' vet dos-
er, cnt('rin
tIle g((te (!f God's pe(JJlle to sharc the (,clll
lucror's
triumphant
aze on his ealamity. Thcn, the violent, Im
y,
layin
the hands on the spoil. while others of them stood in
('olel blolld. takin
the fork where th(' way
(mrtcd, in ordt'r to
inten'ept th(' fUI!.'ith"es bdin'(' they were disper
ed, or to shut
thcllIu(I with the ellt'my, drh'inl!," thelll hac'k on thdr pl1r
l1ers.
The Prophet beholds the wholc ('ourse of
in and per
et'ution,
aUfI warns th('m ag-ainst it, in the ord('r, in whic'h, if t'ommit-
tt'd, th('y would c'ommit it. '''ho would keep dear from the
worst, mu
t stop at tht' be
inning-. Still Gild's wal'ning-s a('-
t'ompanr him, sh'p by step. .At eac'h
tep.
ome mig-ht I<'top.
The warnin
, altllClu
h thl'own away on the llI()st part, llIi;..dlt
aJTC!';t the few. .\1 the worst, when the g-uilt had been l'on-
trat'ted ami the punishment had ensued, it was a warnin/!,' for
their posterity and for an thereafter. Some of these thin
s
Ed()m eertainly did, as the P
almist prays 4, llt'/Ilt!lllher, U
Lord, to the cltildrell of Er!mn tIll' cla.'1 uf Jerusalem, wlw.wticl,
L(f.ll hare, la.'/ hare, l'l't'll to tlle.ffJIl/ulatÙm in /'cr. .\nd EzekieP
alhulillg to thi
language of Obadiah 6, he('ause thou Iw.\.t Iwd (l
j1C1ïJetuallwtJ"l'lI, aJl(llwst s/'ed the blood (
f tlte dtilclren (
f l
rael
L.II tM force (
f the sW(JJ'd ill the time (
f their calami(lI, iu tIle time
t/'at their iniqlti(1I Iwd all cnd, there furl', ((s 1 lit'e, saitlt tlte
Lurd God, I /l'ill prl'jJUre thee unto Moud, allll Moucl .
/1ll1l pltr-
sue thee ; .
itlt tllOli hast not Iwted blood, et'en Mood sl/(/II pltrsue
tileI'. 'ïolellC'e, bl()lId
hed, unrelentin
, deadly hatl'ed a
ain!<t
the whole (leople, a long-ing for their extermination, had been in-
"eterate ('hal"élC'teri
tÍt's of E
au. Joel and Al1WS had already
deilollllC'ecl (;ml's jl1d
ments again
t them ti,r two forms
f
this haft'('d, the lIlunlcr of settl('rs in their own land or oftho:se
who were sliM to them 7. Obadiah warn!< thcm al!:ainst yet a
third, inten'eptillg thdr fug-itivcs in tht'ir es('a(
c ti'on; the
more powerful enemy. Stand not in the f'J"os.m'flY' \\11OS0
puts himself in the
ituatilln to (,lIJllmit an oM sin, (lcws, in fact,
will to renew it, and will. unless hindered from without, t'er-
tainly do it. Prohahly he will, throu
h sin's inhercnt pow-
er uf g-rowth, do worse. Having- ancw ta
ted blood, Ezt'kid
!'ays, that tlH'Y !'ought to disl.lace God's people and renw,-e
God HilllsdP. Becallse tlwlI ha.
t said, the.')e tll'O }lations and
tllese two countries shall he mine, ami "ll'e u'ill pos..,es.
it. wlll'reas
the Lord ll'((S there, thl'rt'lore. as I lit' 1', .weith the Lord Gud, 1
u'ill el'en do (u'('(J]'ding to t/,ine anger, ami according tu tltine
elll'.'/, 1l'ItiCIt tlwlt Iwst itsI'd Ullt of thy hatred ag((inst tlle/ll.

ther of these meaninl(S suits the word -::: Job x,<,<i.3. ,'ejection, reprolJ(/t;on, or, as ours,
strallk-e calcmli(I/. AllY how it i. not ""re calamity, as neither is it In Ambic.
1 !'s, xxii. 17. 2 as in Ps. J\xxv. 19. x,<x\iii. IV. 3 Ez. xxxv. 13. . Ps. cxxxvii. 7.

];). FOI" tI,e da.'1 (
f tI'e Lord is /t('ar UpOIi (([[ tlte he((theu.
The PI'lIph(.t ollc'e more elltc'rf'('!< Ids warlling- hy 1'1't'ac'hin

jUcl
III('lIt to C'OIllC. T/'e drt.fl (!f tlte Lord was alrt'acly known 9,
a!'; a day of judg-lIIent upon all JU(thllls, in whit'h Gocl would
Þ"
l5(' (([[ t/'e hmtlleu, espeeially for th('ir outra
es a
aillst Hi

pellple. EdClln mi
ht hope to esc'ape, '\"t're it aim\(' threaten

cd. The Pruphet alllHllIllc'ep; one grcat law of (;od's n.trihu-
ti()lI, one rult' of His ri
ht(,ous jud
ment. ..b tholl Itw-t doue,
it .
/1ll1l be' duue Ulito tltee. Heathen justiee flwned this to
be ju!ot, and plac'ed it ill the month of their ideal of justice 10.
lJlt'SS(,r/ Ill', says t he Psahlli
t ll, tllftt rec(J//IjJl'uses Ulito t Itee ticI'
deed ll'ltidt tltOIl did.
t to I/S. Blessed, beeaus(' he was the in
tru-
mellt of God. Havin
laid down the rule of (;oll'sjucl
lIIent,
Jle resullles his scntent'e to Eclom, and sp('aks to all in him.
In the day of Judah's calamity Edom mad(' it
eJf iI
oue of
tltelll. It, Jaeob's brother, had rallked itself auwlIl!," the ene-
lilieS of God's people. It then too !<hnulù be swept away in
olle unin'rsal d(.
tn1t'tion. It takes its plaee with tIlt'm. un-
distin
ui
lU'd in its doom a" in it..
uilt, or it stands out as their
repre...elltative, having- the
rcatt'r guilt, I)('('ause it had the
g-reater light. Obadiah, in adopting Jc)('l's words 13, tlt.'1 rell'((rtl
s/'((II retl/rll I//I,J/l tltiue o/('n Ile(((I, prOlwullf'es therewith on
Edom all tho
e tel'rihlt' judgment", eontaincd in the sentence
of retrihution as they had been expandcd hy Joel.
Hi. For as .111' 1Illl'e dmllk. Rewlry always followed hea-
then ,'ietory; oftcn, des('('l"aticlll. The Romans hOl'e in tri-
umph the ,-essels of the seeond tcml'le, Xelmdlilclnezzar ear-
ricd awav the saered ves
els of the fir
t. l
dolll, in its ha-
tred of Gc".d's peol,le, dcmbtlc

reg-arded the destnlC'tion ofJe-
rusalelll, as a vietory of polythei
1ll (the god,., ofthe nahylcmi-
ans, and theit. own g-od (;oze,) over Go(l, as Hyn'allus, in his
tnrn, refjuire(1 them, when c'lIIu]uered, to he t'il'eUludsl.d.
(;od's 110(11 llIollutaili is tI,e hill uf Zioll, inelucling- mount )10-
riah on whic'h the temple ",toml. This they dcse('I'ated by
idolatrous revelrv, as, in eOlltrast, it is said that, when the
heathen ellemv liad been d('stroved, mOllut Ziou
llCIuhl he 110-
lilless 13. Brut'aI, unfeelillg, ex('e
s had been one of the
ins on
whi('h JOI'I hall del'larecl (;od's sentcIH'e, 1-1 t!te.1I cast luts uu Jly
people; t!te.'/.
old a girl for u'iue, tllllt tltey m

1tI drillk. Hca-
thcn tempers remain the samc; umlc-r like ('in'umstmll'es, they
repeat the same drc'le of sins, amhition,jealousy,eruc1ty. hlood-
sh('(l. and, when their work is done. exeess, ribaldry, prufane-
ness. Thc' eCIIIII'I(.tion of sin is the eomnu'ncement of llUnh.h-
lI1ent. .As .'11', he says, heathen yourselves amI as one t.ifthe
heathen, Illn'e drl/llk in profane re,-elry, on the day of your hro-
ther's ('alamity, upun J1.'IIIO(/f llIollutaiu, (kfiling it, so sltall all
'/'1' !teatltell drink eontinualh". Hut what drau
ht ? a (Irau
::ht
\,-hieh shalllwver cease, cOlitilll/ally ; yea, tlte.'! sltall dl"iuk fin,
anti shall swallow dOl/'ll, a full, large, maddening drau
ht,

5 xxxv. 5, 6. 6 :-:-N .
::1 ver. 5 refelTing to the Ihñce repeated :--N ::"::"
:
N ::'-::'.
Ob.13. 7 Joel iii. HI. .-\111. i. 6, 9, 11. "Ez. x'<Xv. 10, 11. 9 Joel I. 15. 11.1.31.
10 Rhadamallthus Arist. Eth. v, 5. 11 Ps. cxxx\ii. 8. 12 iii.7. 13 ver, Ii. 14 iii.3.

2-12

c HnífO{
T drink eontinuallr, rea, tJwr shall drink,
cir. ;'::Ji.

Oß
\DL\II.

and they shall II swallow dnwn. and they C IJ\[ores T
II Or, s"p "1" cir. ;
i.

wlJ('l"('hy they
haJJ reel alld l'el'i
h, ((/1(1 tl/(:'I sh((lllH' ((.\' thollgh
thnl Iwd III'/'C" hn'll. " L Fur wllO
u ('lcan.th nut tu Hilll "'hu
!':aiÏ-h, I "\ \I. i
nut:' Th(' twu elll'" uf e"c'c

and uf (
ud'
\\ mth
are not altug"ethcr di
tinl't. They an' juiJl('(l. a,.; c'au,.;e a 1111
ett'('c.t, a
heÔllnillg- aud ('ncl. "'hu
u ch'inkC'th the ch'allght
of
infllll'h'a
m'(', wht'th('r e:\.e('...
ur uther, clrinkcth thercwh h
the I'IIP uf (
IIII'
anger, C'(III
lIl11ing" him. !t]

aid uJ tlu' Ha-
In'lun of the wurill. in wU1"Il... n'I'V likc to th('
e; "..Ill nlltiollS
1';[l'e d,.lIl1k or t IIf' Il'ÌlU' of !tCI' !iJI'lIi;,([t ;fJllS-I'I'II'U I'd l,eI' as ,
he has
"I'II'{I,.dnl YO
I ; in the [";IP II'I;i('h sllf' huth.fillnl..fill to ha double.
_/lllllltÌtJ/lS are, in the fir
t in
tan('('. all whu had hcell I('aglled
a
aill
t (;ud'
pcuple; hut th(' widl' tel'IlI, ll11nutÌtJ/ls, e(llllpre-
helld
all. who, ill tilllC, hCI'ollle like tlH'lII. It i,.; a rull' of
GUd'
ju
ti('e for all timC',.;. _\t ('aeh alld at all tillle."" Gud re-
quite... th('111 tu the IItterlllu
t. Th(' ('llIltinUlIll
drinkin
i

flllfiJJ(.d in ('al'h. EaC'h drinketh the C'IIP of Gud',.; an
I'I', till
dcath alld in d('ath. (
ud ('lIIl'luy
('adl natilln in turn tit
i,'e
that c'up tu tll(' uth('r.
u EduIII drank it at thc hand of Ba-
hyl,,", and Bab\'lulI fruIII thc .:\lede
, and the .:\Iecle
alld Per-

ï"an,.; 1'1'(1111 thc )Ial'cdunian", and th(' .:\lac'C'dunian
frlllll th('
RUlllau
, alllI the,- fr"l11 th(' Barharian
. But ('al.h in tllrn
(h-ank c'olltilluou!'i\', ulltil it bCI',IIIH' a.'" tlwugh it had lII'n'r
)J('en. To
\\"allll\" Ill', and I)l'
wallowcd Ul; iu tum, is the'
w"rld',.; history.
Thc detaib 'uf the fir4 4a!!;e of tIlt' e"t'Í
iun of Edom are
not
i\'eu.
lerellliah di4iuc'Ùy
tl\'
that Edmu
llIIuhl hc
II1,-
je('Íed tu XehllC'hadm'zzar 3. TI(/(:
.with tile LOl'd ; make thee
IJ/)/I(I,
flml/lokes, ((/1(1 pllt tlu'''' UpOIl th.llned.. ((1II1.
end thelll to
thl' killp: {l EdOl/l, 11/1(1 to the king l{ Jlollh. LInd to tIle killg of
tlu'
JJlI/II()uili's, a/l(l to tIll' kiug 0/ T.II,.IIS, amI to tll(' kinp; l{ Zi-
dOli, h.'1 thc'lllIud of the IIIC'ssl'ugel's whil'h cOllie to Je,.usalelll 1lI1-
to Zl'lldâah kiug (!f Juduh, fllIIl l'IJIIIIII({1ll1 tltem to ,m.ll to tlll'il'
mastl,,.s,-l Illll'e gil'en all these lalld,
illto the halld
{
YelJll-
cltadlle:::.":;al" I.ill,!.!.' 'lBlIh.'lI'JII, JI..'1 SI'I"/'lIl1t. IIuly
(.,.il'tur('
áH's
U
l/(lth prul'hecT and hi4cll"Y; hut (;ocl i... at 110 I'aill
tu d('ar,
('ith('I' tlH' likelilwlld of IIi
IIÍ
tllry, or the fulfilmcut of IIi
pro-
ph('l'Ïe
. 'fh('
('uding" of mc

eug-el"
fi'om the
e ll('tty killg-

to Ze(Jt'kiah lllllk
a
if there had I)l'('n, at that timc, a plan tll
fn'e thcm,,;('IH'
jllintly. prohahly by aid of J:
ypt, from the tri-
hute to XdmI'lHlclnc7.zar. It lIIa,- 1)(' that XdHlI'hadlU'zzaJ'
knew of thi" h'ag"IH', alUll'uni
h('d"it afterwanl
. Ofthe
c
ix
kin

, we know that he "uhdm'd Zed('kiah, thc kiu;.:'
tlf Tyn',
1\Ioa1, and .\mlllllll. Zidllu dtlnbtle

\llnllitted tll him, a,.; it
had aflln.time to
halmmH'
cr -1. But,
iuee XclHII'hadu('zzar
nrtaiuly pllui
hed fOUl' "ut "f the
(' !<i" kill
!<, it i.. I'robahle
that they W('l"C puui
lll'd fllr
lIlIIe comnllln c'au!<(', in whieh
I:dlHll al
o wa
imillil'at('(l. In any c'a
e, ,n' kuow that I:dmn
'H(!< d('
"latecl at that tillle. .:\Ialtll'hi, after the I'aptiyity, whcn
I1phraidiug I"racl 1'111' hi
uuthankflllncs
to Gild. hears witnes!'

I Glo
s. 2 Re\'. ',<,iii.3, r.. 3 "",ii. 2-4. 6. 4 :\Ienanderin Jos. Ant. i"<. U. 2.
. 'Ial,i.:?, 3. 6 -\nt."<.!ì.;. i :\1,<1. i.
. 8 see Introd. to ;\lalachi. 9 Diod.
Sic. xi". !II-f'. 10 see I 'lacc. \'_ :?!-:!i. ix_ 35. Jos. .-\nt. xii. 8.3. "<iii. 1. 2. Aretas
of Petm ai.led the Homan'
, n. C. ,Igainst J e\" and ldunn..ans. lb. ,,\ ii. 10. !I.
II Straho's words are, .. The ldumæans are f\; ahatæans, but iu a sedition ha\ ing been

;
h
e
J

ri
:ta
d e

b

h
:,
oi
n:rsìi;

I

r
a::

G
;
r the), &c." The identil
ing
12 The Arabian historians a8sen that Ihe Xahathæans "ere S\ rians: the Syrian writers
..quail) cI,lÎ/JIing them as 5J ri,ms. This "as first established ôutof the original unpuh-

i

tï;:
a

tl
::)I
cll

ï

du ifJ

;

il

;

t.ie T Di
ì
c

Yi.
;
t

qT
iii.
(

i
'
n n
h

d
r

:ì::::

-,
c'

:

;
{
t
A

í

ii

i

atl?;

'
:
tinned to Ihe in .. the mat>he< hel\,een thc 1\\0 Ira!".." (Djauh. and Kam. in Qu Itr.
p.;; I.) remained heath('n (.ee ('h\wls, i. 8:?I,
. ii. f;:!!1.',(iI,6.) \\ hence the S) rians used
tile nanu' ...-\jJ',pjl (as di
tin('t trotu OronlOio) U Aramæan, "to
igl.lify Loth" Xabd,thæan,"

that r:dlllll had I)('('u made utterly (h'
lIlatc 5. 1 hm'I'lol'nIJa_
mb, llmi E,'llll ll/lll'e hated, llml laid /,is 1I/oltutllill.
((1Il1 hi.s he-
ritlfge lI"flsll'.I;J/' tlu'jarkal.\' (
f the l('ilrll'l"lIe.u. The lI('c'a..:iun IIf
thi,.; d('
olation \\.I!< doubtlL'...
till' nHlrc.h of :Xdmc'hadnczzar
ag-ain
t E
Y)lt, wlll'n, JO
(1Ih\l
rdatl''''' III'
uhdUl'd .:\Iuah and
_\lIlmlll1 G. Edom lay in hi
war.frlllu .:\Ioah tll Eg-n,t. It is
prllhahlc, anyhllw, that h(' th('n found uI'ea
illn. I if hI' had it
not a;,:'ah"t thl' P('tty state. whCl
e
lIhllli

iclll \I'a
needed to

Í\'e him fret' pa

ag"c hdwccn the Head
ea and the <<;ulf of
.\kaha, the important al'c'e
"; whic'h J:dlllll had r('fu
ed to h-
I'ae!. as hc l'alllC lIut IIf E:,:'ypt. Then' I:dmll '\(I
sc'ut rod" to
its IJlJrrlc'rs, i. c. mi...lL.d to ahandon it
,.;tl"lIng" fa
tncs
e

aud
II,
falliu
into till' haud
of "ehllf'hachl('zzaI', it lIlet with the
lI
ual lot of the C'llIlcl'lI'l"e(1. IJhuIII('r, death, c'al'tÍ\ it\". l\Iala-
I.hi do('
1I0t ,crhallr allude tll the prol'heey of ()h,lIlit'lh ; fllr hi,.;
offic'l' ,'elated to the re4urcd I'cIII'I(' of<<
c)(l, not to J:dolll. Hut
wherea
Ohadiah had l'rllphesi('d thc "laug-IItI'r of l:dom aud
the
eaI'l'hin!!-' lIut (If hi
trea
lIre
, .:\Ialaehi al'pcal
to all the
Jew
. their immediate nei!!-'hho\lr
, that, whl'n'a,.; .J,lI'oh was
in g"n'at cl(';':'("('I' n.
ton'd through the lon' of Gild, Edlllll la \"
UlIII('r His ('ndurill
di"'l'lea
un' ; hi.... IIlcl\lutain,; "ere, ami ,n'I:('
tll ellntin\l(' to b(. ;, a wa
te; h(' was i 1I/pIJl'l'J"i.
h['(1 ; h i
plal'es
were (It-'';lIlate. :\1 aladli,prolJhe...yill,,
: towarcl,.;' -11;;, n. c. fore-
told a further de"olatillll. .\ I'Clltun- later, wc' find the l\aha-
tha'ans ill trancluil and ('4ahli
hcd p;,s
e

ion of p(.tra. lun ill1-\"
tlll'I'(' d('l'o"itcd th(' 'H'alth of their JlH'IThalldi!<e, attellclill!!;
fairs at a di4alll'(', an'ng-in!!-' thelU
d\'('
on the (;elleralof .\I

tig-IIIIU
, who took ad\"antag'e IIf tllt'il' ah
elll'e to ,.;url'l"ise theÍl'
retJ'eat, Iwldill
their on-n ag"aill
t the elllHlul'l'01" of J'tolellJ"
who had reell,'ercd
yria and Pak4iIH'; in pll,.;
c

ioll of aÌI
th(' mountain
arllund them. n-Iwnee. wlwn .\lItÏg-IIIIU"'_ dl'S-
l'airiu
of \"ioleJl('e, tried hy fal
cllClCl(I tll lull :th('n; illto ,.;('e\l-
rit,-, the\" tra\l
lIlitt('L1 to Petra 1,\" ficn- hea('oll
the tidill"'
uf
th
appr
mc'h of hi
arllly9, 110\'- th(';- eHllle to replac'e EdCIIIl,
we kllllw not. The" 'H're of a ral'e, wlllllh' di
tinc.t. aC'ti"e
friend
of the )laceilbces 10, while the I(htll;æan
'H'I:e tht'Ír
deadly ('JI('lIlies.
tnIho I"elate.... ll , that th(' J:domitt,
"n-ere ('x-
pelled frolll tilt' eountry of the :Xabatha'an
in a ,,('dition, alld

II joined themseh'es to thc .h'w,,; and
hared tlU'ir I'\l4om!'."

inl'e the all(',u:cd inellrporaticm alllllllg" the .J('w
i
true. al-
tllllu
h at a later l'erilltl. ";11 may al
o thc ('xl'ul
illn 1,y the
Xahathæ,lII!< he, altlwu
h not th(' eau,.e IIf tlH'i,' illc'1II1J11ratioll.
It would 1)(' anoth('r in4an('(' of n'cl'lital by God. that" the
JJlI'/i {!f their l'fJl{f('dl'l'I((:'1 b/"lJllgld thcm to tht'ir IJO,.d('/", thc' JI(('Jl
,{their pem'e p,.e/'ailnlllgaimt them." .\ llla..
of \'ery n\riecl
('\'id('III'e ('4abli
hc
a
an hi
tOl'i('al ('erta;nt,., that the Xaha-
thæan
were of .\ramaic' 12. nlll (If .\rabie, or'itÔn. The,' were
inhahitants IIf SlIuthern .:\leslll'utalllia. and, al'I'oI"lling"' tll the
0Id('4 eyidelll'e shurt of IIoly
('I"il'tLlre, wcre the eal"Ii(.
t in-

and" Ileathen." (Bar Ali. Lcx. :\IS. sub v. See Larsow. p. !ì-16.) Elan (in Zeitschr. d.
Dentsch. Morg. Ges. 18;;;;. p. :?3;;, (j.) contends that Ihe ro.ahatha-ans of Petrd "ere Arabs,
on the following grounds; I) thestatement
of Diodorus. ("ix. !H.) Strabo, ("<\i. :!,3
. Ih. 4,
:! & :!1.) Josephus, (-\nt. i. I:!, -1-,) S. Jerome and some later "rit..rs. :?) The statement
01 Suidas (A,D. 9N1.) Ihat Dusare" an Arab idol, "a' "orshipped there. 3) The -\rabic
name of Aretas, !"in
01 Petra. -I) Ar,.hic names of places, near Petra. }:'our 'U<-ll are
ll1eged; A,.illf/p!a (if the.ame as litis Ghurundel) Iii I,ours from Pelra: (Porter, Handb. p.
5t'.)1'.,,,,/a,(8ite unkho"n:)Allm'a, a degree Xorth, (Ptol. in Heland.-I-1
3.)E/;i,cloEelO Pc-

:; ;

:atso t
J
s
:

::,;\;:
o K

th

I
d,:,:I
j,
'il'
I;

t
"Jt Gt:,ii:e:
J
r

í

,e p
t
ladelphia and Samaria, .. a mi"ed rac(' of Egyptians, Alabians and PhU'nici.ms," (
3-J.)
dml speaks of ,. :'\abathæan .\rahia" as a ,hsl;nct country (,,\-ii. I, :!I.) JosephuE, and
S. Jerome ((
'l. in Gen. 25,1
.) follo"ing him, include the "hole countr
from thc Eu-
phratls to Eg) pt, and sO some" hosc language "as Aramaic, "-\s to
) Dn,ares, though at
first ali Ar,lh Idol, "as worshipped far ami" idc, in Galatia, Bo<tm. e\ en Ital
(see coin

in Eclhel, Tanini, in Zoega dc Ohelisc. p, 205-7. and Zoega himself, p.
U;).) -\s to-8)

(' lFíN
s T shall ht' as thnn
h tJu'y had not 1)('('n.
cir.;" ì
]7
Z But npnn mnunt Zion a shall I...
· i

: 1\ Ilt'lh-eranl'c, II and thert' shan h" holin.'ss ;
" Or, th
rlll",t eorape. II Or, it shall be ho/". Joel 3. 1;.

hahitaut
, hefore the ilHiI!"illuof thc ('hall(æau
l. Tlu'ir I'IIIIU-
try. (rak. ., t'xt('IUled h'nc:thwa'-
2 from
11I
1I1 IIr XiueH'h tll
.\iladau. and iu hreallth frlllll' Callt'
ia to Jlulnlll." Sn'iau
'\Tit('I'
I'laillled that thdr'!" wa
the (l/'illlil'nlllau!-:'lIa!-:'e\;' )10-
hanllllerlitU write,'!", whll dt'uy thi,.;, will/it that thl'ir lau!-:'IHI!-:'('
Wit!" S'Tiitl", .\ leal'u('d S,';'iae ",'itl'r ", I'alls tht' thrce ('hal-
fle(' mill/I''' iu Dauid, Shafli';lI'h. )II'!"ha('h, .\ht'duf'C:II, Xaha-
th<t'au. Thl'
un idllg' Wllrt!", of their ItIllt!uae:I' are 1;III,.tly Sy-
riac,6. )llIhanlJlwdau writt'r,. "U}lI'II,.(, tht'1Il tll be de,.I'I'llIlct!
ii'lIlII _ \ralll "'1111 IIf Shclll '. OUCI' thcy 'H're a IllnH'rful natilln,
with a hic:hh' I'ulth atcd lane:llac:e
. (hI(' IIf theil' hook!". ",'it-
teu befort' the d(.,.t"III'tilll
1Ir' '\ïll('H'h and Hahyilln II. it:-df
lIH'ntillu:- an aUI'it'nt litt'rature, "1't'l'itil'ally IIn ag'I'i;'lIltllJ"{', 111('-
clil'iIU', blltany, aud. that faYlluritc stlHly 111' the l'haldæan,.. as-
tro(o
y, ,. th(: lIIy4cri(',.," stat._\HI/....hil; awl a H'l'y e\:feu,.h-t',
('Iahoratt', !"y4elll 111' ,.ymholieal rel'l"I:,,.eutatioulU. Hilt tlu'
Chald('es 1'lIufl"eJ"(.d th('m; th('y wert'
lIhj('('Ì" of :\'('hlll'had-
lIezzar, awl it i,. iu IHII'nllluy with th(' latt'r plllif'Y of tht' f.a,.t-
('I'U IIIl1l1al'I'hie!", tll
III'I'""'(' that '\"elllll'haduezzar plae('d thelll
iu Pctra, to hllid iu ..h('I'k the revolted Idulllæan,. n. ]}iodo-
1"11'" 12 rdatt'" that the Xahatha'all" there" wrllt(' in S'lritt(." a
leu 1'1' of n'IIIII1l"traul'e to .\II tiC:IIlHl!<. ".\ trilw IIf Iiahyloni-
an
" wen' still. in the üth 1'('I;tun, ,. at Kamk-)Ioha I.i," ü()
!-:'t'II!-:,ral'hil'al lIIih.!" fl"llm Pt'tra. Any how, n. ('. :H2, I:dlllu
hafl ICIlle: b('t'u t'xl'dlt'd frlllil hi
nati,'e ulllllntain.... lIt' wa,.
lIlIt th('n' allllllt :tC. -120, the ae:e 111' )Ialtwhi. Prllbahlv tllf'n,
aft ('I' th(' e:\ l'ul...ioll tilrt'tilld by Ohadiah, he uen'r ree'on'red
his filrnwl" (11I,.
e!"!"ion.., hut c'llIItiulI('fl his rohh('r-life allllI
the
the kings name,l by Jo'ephus, (see the list in '-incent's Comme
e, ii.
;3.(j.) Areth,..,
:\Ialdm., Ol>odas, may be equall
Aramaic. and Oboda. has a more Aramaic sound.
An} ho", the :\abathæans, if placed in Petra b
Xebuchadnezzar, ",ere not conquerors,
.lI1d may ha\e recei\ed an Arab kin!( in the four centuries between J\ehuchadneuar and
the first Aretas known at I'etr..... 'Vhat (-hange. those settled in Samaria underwent!
As to 4) the uames of places are not altered by a g,urisou in a capital. Our English
.!.tmes "ere not changed e\en by the
orrnan conqupst; nor those of S:nnaria h
the
.-\5<\ riau. Ho" manY live on till now! Then of the lour name', none occurs until after
the ('1lTistian era. Tliere is nothing to connect them with the Nahathæans. They may
have læen gi\'en l>efore or long after them.
I "'Ih" :-;,Ihathæans, "ho "'ere inhahitants ofthecoulllryof Bahél before the Chaldæ-
an
.'
_ a

I';
II

ic
g::cË

it
,
[

6
ri
\
,

t

r:; \f
; i;

bfr
I

'

:;e\ eh
formed a part of Ihose \\ hom \\e call ;Sabits or S
rians: ",ho form one people ami speak
ane language. That of the :\abits differs onh in a fe", letters, but the hasis of the lan-
guage is the same." (Quatr. p. 5!J.) "The Chalðees" [he mean. ì'\abath"l'ans] .. are an an-
. cient people" ho dwelt in Ir..k and :\Iesopotamia ; of them \\ere the Ximrods. king> of
the earth after the deluge; and of them \\ as nakhtnasr (
ebuchadnezzar) and their tOlague
wa
S} riac, ami the
did not di<use it, until the PersIans came upou them and subdued
theIr kin!(dom." (Ha.üi Khal. p. ;0.1.)
G
d
;

;
"
J
:,

,
IOI:
li'?

lt:
àli:i
ec
ll
í;er:

S;
'
i;:;t

:s

ï;;a

.a.

(lkh...an-alsafa (
u..tr. 91.) "The primiti\elanguage which Adam spoke \\dS that no\\
used by the Chaldpes; for \brdham \\ as Chald..e b} birth, aud the lan"uage \\ hich he
lparnt of his fathers is that ßtlll u.ed among us Svro-Chaldees." (Patriarch :\I;c!.ael,
Chron. lb. 91.2.) .
4"The S
riac "ritin!,: is that ofthe
almth:I':lIJs and Chaldel'S. Ignorant men main-
tain that it is th
prinuti\ e \\ ritin!!:, 011 account of its !treat autiquit
. and that it is used
b
thc mo_t ancIent I,eo"le; but it is an error:' Ibh Khaldun, lb. 9
.
;; Abulfaraj, p. j t. "
,'buchadn"z7ar j:,I'e Hdnaniah, 'Ii<hael, and .\zari1h, Xaha-
thæan name., Shadrach, &c." 6 Word. 01 the Xabathæan dialect are pre>erv-
ed both in S
ridc and Arabic Lexica. On those in S
riac See Quatr. 1O
sqq. Lar-
.ow, p. lii-:!t;. The .",-rabic are gi\en by Golius and Fre) tag. 'i :\Ia'udi,
(from Quatr. !,"a
sla
ion, p. ;)(j.) "Among the sons 01 'lash, son of Aram, son of Shem,
,on "f r-.oah.ls r-;ahlt,lromwhom are spTUnga)) the Xahathæansand their kings." .. :\a-
hit, SOli of
Iash, ha. ing thed his re>idence at Robel, his des,'endams seized alilrak.
Th('
e
abatl"!,ans ga\ e kin(r.' to Babel, who co\ ered the land \\ ith citi"., introduced ci\ i-
]IMt!On, allil re'
"d \\ ith unequalled glot'}. Time l!.ts taken ;may their grcatrJe.s and

mf,'re; ami theIr descendants, III a state of dependance al1d humiliation, are ntoW dispersed
X abr:t

so

: J(:

J
d

b;t:
J tt
,
'

;
f IH

e
:
d

::
e

I:h:

o
sn

;
nnder
imrod." "The Chd1rl,eans are the sallie as the S\Tians. formerlv called Kaba-
t
"'an.." (lb. p. 5!>.) "Th..lI.imrods ",ere the kings ofthéSnians, "honi the Arab_ caIl
K abathæans." "The :\abathæalls sa) tlMt Iran ""s theirs, that the country belo"ged to

Oß
\DL\II.

2-13

amI t}w hOIl"(, of .JaI'OU shall pnss.'ss thl'ir (' :í
íes T
pO
!o;t'ssi()lIs. cir. i"'j.
I Ll \ 1 tl 1 f ' J J b } II 1 b I_ai. HI
Ij

,.., .J. nl 1<' lOU!o.l' () . ill'u. !'. Hl U' a ,lech. I:!. fJ.

:-:uuthel"ll hord('I"" IIf .J IIdah. UlH'hallg('11 by (;IIII'!" l'"l1i:-hllll'lIt,
th(' !"all/I' de;"lh' ('IIt'III\' of .Judah.
J ï. }Jut L _i/l(( U/;Oll lill J J[(J/tllt Zioll slmll bf' (!t.li,'pl"flltrf',
III'. (lit l's(.ftpPfI "Plllllftllt, (/Ilf/ tlu'f"{' ftllf/ it= slmll/J(' Imlilll'"s. Th('
siftille: tilll('" of thc ('hul"I'h al'(' tlH' triulllph 111' th(' "orhl ; thc
jUdt!.lll('lIt of thl' wllrld i,. th(' r(,,.toratillll IIf till' ("hul"I'h. III
till' tl'i\lllll'h IIf the world, th,' lot wa,. I'a
t 1111 .1t'l"u!"alelll, h('r
!-Oon,. "('n' l'an'ietll'a1'th e allfl
Iaill, hl'r hilly 1'1:11'(':- 'H'n' d(.-
"I'I'ratt'd. (hi tilt' t!":-Ì1'III,tioJlllftlH' lIatillll,.. -'llIlIlIt Zillll ri,.('..
ill ('aim lIlajt'
ty. as },dill'e ; a I"l'//I/lflllt i!< I'pl'l:lI't'fI tlll'rt', ..rh'r
it,. ,.iftill
'; it i,. a
.liJl 11(llilll'ss; IIlIt }wly IIlIly. hilt a dlilllJld IIf
hllliJl('s,. ; {[(If/ the hOliSP (!f .l(/f'ob .
/mll poss('.
s tlwil" pOS.
l'ssÍfI/lS;
.lit. illlwl"it thf'i,. illlwJ"Ìtmu'f's,) eith('r tlU'il' own fllrlll('I'IIlI:-:-I':--
sinll.... n'I,t'h ille: and illh('/'itiu/.f fro III the eIII'III\', "hat th('\' had
1114: 'IIr thc ill'tU'l"itltJ/('('S of tl
e natillll.... Fur -th(' whillc ,
'odtl
i,. tit(' illheritaIH't' of thc (,hul"I'h. as .It'SIl!" ,.aid tll thl' .\po!"tI(.!",

IIIIS of Zion. H C(I.'ll' alld tl'(U'h till lI(ttiolls, Iwpti:ill,/.! tlU'1II ill
thp .\"flI//P (
f tIle Father ([/Iff (!ftlte Ç,'OIl ([/1(1 of tlIP 1101." (;Imsf.
15 (;O."f' into ([1/ tIle ll'orld 1IIt// pn.{(t'h tllf' (;ospd 10 eret:tl ('/"('(1-
ture. Hillillt,!",; i!" its titl('-d('ed,. tll thc inhel"itatlf'l'/If thc "1II'ld.
that IlOlinc
,;, whil'h \\,1'; in thp IIppf'/" cllIlmher in JI(Jl/ItI Zion,
the 1'1"('';('111'(' (If (
IIII tht' Hilly Glw4, i.."uing' in IIIII
tcadl-
ing', holy SI'I'i}ltm'e,., holy ill
titlltiou.., hlll
Sanalllcnh, holy
1iH'
.
IR IJa,-ing' Ô,-ell, in sUlIlluary, the r('
tnratillll and ('\:l'all-
sinu of .Tudah, Ohadiah, in mllre detail. tir,.t 1Il('utilln,. a fllrthcr
eha,.tiselllellt of f.doJll, (plÏte tli!<tinl't froJll the forlller, I II the
fir"t, for whi..h (;ntl ,;UIIlJlllllled the heath('II, tlwre i,. 110 Jllt'n-

them, ami that th..) once posscssell it, that their l.in!(S "'ere the
imrods, of whom ,,"as
the ","imrod in the time of .\brdh,ulI, amI that I'imr"d was the name 01 their kinJ2:s;" (lb.

:til
r
'

:
h
:I
,

o;
?
ì

e
"ri
e1=
;ri

r
'

e
'
;f
;
'Ä

s\

ur\ï:x

d
:;

a kin" of the ","abathæans, \\ho lived III the to"n' of Irak." lb. liO.
s Ír'lhe 1:lth centut'}, there ...ere still three chief dialects of Suiac, 1) Aramæan, the
dialect of Edes>a. Haran, and
I esopot"mid. :!)Palestine. that of Damasc'I', Lcbanon.and
the rest of inner, (i.e. proper) S
ria. :3) The Chaldt'e-Xdbathæan, thatofll"'lIIountain-
eers ol_\.s) ria, ami the \ iUages of lrak. (Abu1faraj, Hisl. .\r"b. p. ill.) Ofthe!'e the :\d-
bat/Ia'an '" a' ollce the purest; afterwards, it a i'pears to ha\.. be..n corrupled b
contact \\ith

P:
::e

:

:
::
Æ
:t

b;e:;i':. in TI:

,ï
:

Otï
'
;t

,t,s s:

.
:1

r:'1:

1
is the most elegant of the S}riac diaiects- The inhabit.l1\ts of ndbel spoke it. \\ hen God
conlounded Ihe lan!,:uages, and men disper>ed in difi..reht countries. the langua!(e of the
inhahitant
ofBdhel r..mdined unchdnl'e.r. A< for the !\abathæan spokcnin\iII,lges, itis
a corrupt S\ riac and full of\ icious idioms." (in Arab. Hist. Quatr. !1,5.) Barhebræus "')S,
.. S)riac, niore than an
other language, being spread o\er counlries lar apart, under_
"ent changes so great. Ihat tho.e who speak ditlerenr dialects of it do not understand ,'ach
other, but require an interpreter. as if th..}" spoke forei!(llianguage>. The dialects are
three, that of S\ ria, that 01 Palestine, and that of Ihe Eastenl.. This, more than the
rest, has adoptëd \ery anomalous forms. and a-similated ilSeIt to the Chaldee. The S}-
riac is spoken at Ealessa, "elitene,
Idrde; of those ",ho u>e Ihe }'a.teru, the Ke-torian
Christians are conspicuous." (Gramm. S'r. Quatr. 9j.)
"In the Febrest (-\. D. 915;.) it is said t!.at Xahathæan waspnrerlhan S
riac, amlthat
the people of Bab
lon spoke it. but that the I'ahathæan spoken in \.i1lages "as ineleg"drlt

:
';e
' :
t

;;'p

'nt;

Îi:'I
::,e
;

!

;s
c
:: (1

";:"1
1, sfb

'
riac, and
9 Q'latr. 45, G. "The temples of llab
lolI \\ere "ill standmg." I
. Ibn \\ ahshi

ah
the Chaldæan, who states that he tr,UI.lale..l the "r-; ah.uhæan .\grlcultllre into \rabie
from Chaldee," a'crib..d to it a fabulous antiq\lit
. (ap.
Id\"rizi in Chwol.. i. G!I
I.) Ibn
A",\\am, "ho used it largely, sa
s that it was" built 011 the " ords of the greatest \\ i'e, and
melltions their name
and numbers. " (p.S, 9. Ch\\. i.jOli.) "It ",as adapted to the climate
of Rab) Ion e!'p"ciall}, al](l 10 countries \\ ith a similar climate." Ssagrit. its original author
ap. Ibn A,,-wam, i. p. li2. (Ch",. 1. G\I'J.)
W Quatremere, p. 1O
sqq. Ch\\oI8. i. 10;. "The Chald:pans, before them the Syri-
an', and in their time the Xab1tll'!'ans. ga\ethemselves eagerh to the study ofma!(1c, as-
trolog}, and tali'man.:' 11m IIclmld. ill Qu,ltr.61. "Cll'l
olsonstatesthathehas foulldin th,
fra!(lIIents of these <litlerellt \\ riti
Ij(S, \ ery lofl
: sj'.eCl!Jan?1IS on
llIlos."phy ,md n
tural his-
tot'}", and a \'ery remarkable pohtlcal and socIal legIslatIon: Llbranes are mentIOned; all
the hranch

of religio
s and protane I
te
tu

! I.
'st
f}., blOr.
phy,
c. appear there \ery
de\..loped. Renan, H,st. d. L:m
ues Senllt.lII. _. 'I. I. p. _'3!J. "
\I I find this same conjecture m Quatremère. t2 XIX. !IIi.
U Steph. ßyz. v. AòapoÍi7ro)",.. qlloted

Quatremère,p. f.;. H S.l\latt.
XX\ iii. 1\.1. 10 S. :\l.lrk }.\I. I;).

2-14

OßADI.AH.

C :
tts T fire, and the huuse of .Juseph a flame, and
cir. íl!i". the huuse of E!';au for stuhhle, and ther
shall kindle in them, and devour tJH'm ;
and there !';hall nut he (III!I remaillill
uf the

tion of Judah, tIll' d('!<olati.on of who
t' holy City, Jel"U!'alem,
for the tillie, and their own ('al'tivity i!' IH'('
UPP;'
f'(1. In the

ee(lIld, which follows on the rc
tlll'atioll of it!' rcmnant, there
is no IIIcntionof heath('n. Ohadiah, who!'e mi
",ion wa!' to J 1I-
dah, gins to it the name of tllP whole, the Imllse uf Jacob. It
alonc hall the true wOI"!'hil' of (;od, and His lll'omi!'('s. Apart
from it, tht'I'e was no onenes!' with the faith of the father!', IW
fore!'hadowing- !'at'rifice fur
in. Do('!' the IUJI(se ufJo.w'ph ex-
Pl"('!'s the sallie in other word
? or doe
it mean. that, aftcr that
iiI's! dc
tl"ll('tioll of Jel"llsalcm, EI,hraim !'Iwuld J)(' <lgïlin unit-
ed with .J udah? .\
aph unite
, a!' one, tIle .wm (lJ((('()h ((IIlIJu-
seph I , 1!'J"aclandJosf'ph
; ISl"at'I,.Ja('oh, .TosPl'h 3 . Zeehariah 4
aft('r tht' f'aptivitr,
peaks of tllC Imuse (
f Judah and the house
of Ju.
eph, as together forming onp whole, Antos, ahout thb

ame time, twi('c !'l'('aks of Ephraim 5 under the name of Jo-
seph. Awl although .\saph uses the name of Jo!'eph, as Oha-
diah dot's, to de!'igllate Ismd, ineludillg- Ephmim, it docs ]Jot
!'l'cm likdy that it !<houhl he USf'd of lsrad, exdlHling those
whose s)l('('ialname it was, "'hile then lIo;o;('a and .\IIWS forc-
told tilt' ('ntire destrudion of the kingdol/l uf Israel, Ohadiah
foretells that some should Iw there, aftel' the destrul'tion of
.Jerusah'm also, united with them. And aft('r thc d(,!'t!'uction
of Samaria, there did remain in Israd ofthe l}Uor peoplt-, many
whol"(.turllcd to the wor!'hipof God. Heu'kiah invia'd Eph-
raim and )la1Hls!'eh to the passo\"('r 6 , frum ß('el"sheha to Dan 7 ,
addl,t'ssing thcm as the remn((lIt, thut al'e e.
/'apetl out of tIle
IWlIlls (
f the /dllgs of .<1ss.ll]"ia
. Th{
more }mrt mod.:ed 9 ; yet
dil'CI"s (
f .AsheI' JIllIllisseh (lI/d Zabulun lO f'ame front the fir!'t,
and aftcl'wanls l1WII.'1 of Ephraim and Is.wu.lutr as well as
1I((-
nasseh and Za 1m Ion 11. Josiah dc!'troyed all the plaees of idola-
try in ßetheF
and tlU' cities of ,"ÙwulI'i(( 13, of JIallllsse!t (JIld Eph-
nlÍII/ ami Sill/eull l'l'ell Ulito :'Útphtali14. JIllllllsseh, Ephraim,
and all tIle /"e/J/1UlI/t of brael gan
money tiJr the rCl'air of the
teml'l(', and this was gathered hy the Lel'ites 7l,Iw kept the
doors I:'. After tht' rencwal of the ('o\"cnant to ke('p the law,
Josiah /"eJ//ol'ed all tile abmllililltions uut of all tile cuul/tries tI/((t
pertaitU'd to the childrell of brae! amI made all fuunt! ill Israel
to St'lTe the Lurd t liei r G()(/16.
The heathl'n eoloni
ts werc placed h.11 the killg (
f Ass./lria in
Samari" aJUI the cities thereo.flï, prohahly to h(lld the people
in thc ('(luntry in cheek, The rcmnant of the liollse of Juseph
dwelt in the opcn (,o.lllltry and the \"illa
es.
.And tile lioll.
e of E.wm fur sfubMe. At some time after the
first dcsolation hy Xcbul'l;adnezzar, Esau fuJfilled the hoast
whil'll .\Ialachi rc('ord!oi, 1('e 1('ill return ((lid hllild up the deso-
late pl(l('es 18. Prohahly durin
the oPPJ"('ssi(lIlof Judah by 1\n-
tim'hus Epillhanes, they pos!'esscd them!-dves of the South (If
Judah, hordering on their own ('ountry, and of Hebron 111, 12
miles fr(lm Jerusalclll 20 , wherc Judah had dwelt in the time of
:Kehemiah
l. Judas.:\Ia('('aJJæus was reduced tu
2ffJrt
f.I/Betll-
Zllr, lit. house (l the Tock, (20 miles only from J('l"u,.;aleIll 23 ,)
thllt the people might IUll'e a d('.rellC{' ((gainst ldlllllæa, .i\Iare-
sha ami .\'dorailll, 2;) lllil{
s S. ,,
. of J erusalcm, Ileal' the road

1 Ps. hx,ii. 15. 2 Ps. Ixu. I. 3 Ps.lxxxi. 4, 5. 4 X. G. 6 v. 15. vi. G.
e 2 Chr. xn. 1. 7 lb. 1'1. 8 lb. Ii. 9 lb. 10. 10 Ib.l1. II lb. 18. 1
2 Kings
xxiii. 15. IJ lb. 19. H 2 Chr. XX
IY. 6. 15 lb. 9. 16 lb. 33. 17 2 Kings xvii. :!1..
18 M.II. i. -l. t9 I Mace. Y. ð5.
u Eus. Y.'Apu;'. 2t ro;eh. xi. 25. 2
l1\1acc.
iv. G1. 23 Eus. 2t J08. Ant. xiii. 15. 4. 25 lb. v.l. 22. 2ð 1 :\Iacc. v. 3. 27 lb. (\5.
28 lb. xi. 6.3,6. 29 lb. xiv. 33. 3U lb. xiii. 53. 31 AnI. xiii. 9. 1. "12 lb. xv. 7, 9.

huuse uf E!';au; fur the LORD hath !';poken if. C Ir'ltoisT
19 And flll'.'1 (if the suuth c slmlJ pm,:o,pss cir. ï'òï.
the mount of .E!';au; d ancl fht,.'! of the plain : ::
h
g:

.
the Philistine!'; : and they shall po!';ses!'; the

to Gaza, were citics of Idumæa 2,1.. Thc whole of Simeoll was
ah!'orlll'd in it 25 , Edmn was still on tht' aggressÍ\'e, when Ju-
das
Ia('caha'u!" SJllotl' tht'Jll at .\rrabatcne. It wa
" 26 be('ause
th{'y h('!'et Israd round about," that .. Juda
fou
ht again
t
the ehildren of :E
au in hluJllea at Arrabatene and gan- thcm
a p.Teat overtlww," His sC('(lIld battle against thcm was in
Juda'a itself. He" 27 fought against the I'Ilildren of Esau in
the laud towards the South, where he ."nwte IIdJl"on and hel'
daug-hters, amI pulled down its fortrt'ss amllml"llt'd tht' towns
thcreuf round about." About 20 years afterwards, Simon had
ag-ain to reconr ßt'thzur
b, ami again tu furtify it, as still
lYing on the horders of Judah 29 . Twenty year!' latpr, John
Hyr'canus, son of Simon 30, "31 !'ubdued aIÏ tilc Edmnites, and
pcrmittcd them to remain in the eountry, on c(lIldition that
they would rel'eÍ\-e cÍI'clInH'ision, and adupt tÌle laws uf the
Jews." This they did, euntinul's Josephus; "and thent'efurth
hc('ame .Jcws." Outwardly they appear to havc gh'en up
thcil'idolatry. For although Jos('phus says, .' 3! the Edomites
(l('('fJllI/t [not, ae,.ountedJ I\:oze a god," he rclatcs that, after
this fort' cd adolltion of .kwi!'h ('ustoms, Herod made ('o!'tohar,
of the si\('enlotal family, pl'efcl't of Idumæa and Gaza 32. Theil'
charaeter rcmaincd UlH'hang-cd. The Jewish hi40rian, who
knew thcm well, descrihes th{'m as" 33 a tumultuous di
o)"(l{'rly
race, e,'er aJive to ('ommotions, ddighting in chang-e, who went
to {'ngag-ements as to a fca!'t:" "3,1. hy natun' mo!'t santg-e tilr
!'lau
hter," :-J, ß.C, they took part in the !<edition against the
HOlnans 35 , using, as a prett'xt prohahly, the F('a!'t of Pentc('o
t,
to whidl they '\"l'nt up with those of Galilcc, .Tel'if'ho, the ('oun-
try beyond Jordan, mul " thc Je"-s themseln'!"." Ju!'t bcfore
the last siege of .Jcrusalem, the Zealots !'('nt for them, on pre-
text that the I'Íty was hl'trm-ed to the Humans. "All took
arms, as if in defence of thcir metropolis, and, 20,000 in num-
Jwr, went to Jerusalem
6." After massaeres, uf which, when
toM that they had been d('('cived, they themsclws rt'llented,
they )"('turIWd; amI 'H'I'e, in turn, wasted by Simon the Ge-
ra
(,lIe. "3ï He not only destroved eities and dllag-cs, hut wast-
(.d the wlllll{
country. . For as' YOllmav see ,n,mfwholly bared
lw loellsts, so the 'army of Simon Ú'ft. the ('ountry'behind
tJ;em, a des('rt. Some thint.:'s thcy burnt, oth('rs the'y razed."
After a short space, "he returned to the remnant of Edllln,
and, ehasing- the people on all sides, constraim'd the many to
flee to Jerusalem ;18." There they took part against the Zea-
10ts:!9, "were a great part offhe war 40 " a
ainst tlw Romans, and
peri!-hed, "41 ri,"als in phrt'nzy" ,,-ith the wor
t Jews in the time
of that extl"cme, sll)lt'rhuman, wiekedness, ThelH'durth theil'
name disappcars from hi
tory. The" gn'aÌ{
r part" of the
remnant of the nation had peri!-hed in that dn'<\llful extcl"lni-
nating- !'iege : if any still sllrdved, they retained no knownna-
tional existen('t'. Ambian tradition prt'ser\"es the memory of
three Jewish Amb tribcs, nonc of tl){
Edomites.
I H. Allll th('y of the ...'i/JIlth shall jJo.
.
ess the mouut o.f Esall.
The Umreh was now hcmmed in within Judah and flenjamin.
They too were to go into eaptivitr, The Pl"lIl'hct looks be-

33 Id. B. J. iv. 4.1. 3t lb. iY. 5.1. 35 Ant. nii.l0. 2. 36 B. J. iv. 4. 2.
It wou1<\ seem from Josephus that their lighting me:, were already reduced to this nUIII-

:;rthe'

'
:dr

nc
hr

I
O

.un
/
nl
I,
h

a:;::
I
ì'
i:

lie

:
' ,
::sd !o

:
:::ì:
ed, and all took arllls." &c. 37 lb. iv. 9. ï. The Edomites were again in þossession
of Hebron. Simon took it. 38 lb. 10, 39 Ib, 11. .0 lb. vi. 8. 2, 41 lb. vii. 8. 1.

C lfiiofs T fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Sama-
dr. i87. ria: and H{'njamin .\h"lljJfJs.fU'.o;s (
i1l'ad.
20 ...\nd thp eaptidtr of this hust uf the
childl't'li of [srael shall /JfJsJ'('.'1J-J that of the
.1 Kings Ii. ('anaanites (,l'('ll. e unto Zarephath ; and till'
9,10.

On
\DL\n.

-1.)

('apth-ity of Jerusalem, II whi{'h i.'1 in Se- C æj[oÍ
T
pharad,f shall possess the citil'S of tll(' south. cir. ;'2' _
21 And
sayiours shall ('OlHt' up on mount /I
:' .h;llhat
Zion to jud
t, the Ulount uf Esau ; and the '%:;
:::1.n
h kingdom shan he the LORD'S. s 1 Tim. 4. H/
::;;
g:
J:
b Ps. 2
. 28. Dan. 2. 1-1. &. i. H, 2i. Zech. U. 9. Luke 1. 33. He\.ll. 15. & 19. (j.

nmd the I'aptidty amI the },t'tlll'n, and tdls how that orig-inal ,wlI'iours, ll'lw should ,WlI'e them from the hands (
f tlte;r C nell/ies.
ill'omi
e to Jaeol)l slwuM he fulfilled; Th!! seed sit all be as tIle
o there
hollld he thereafter.
u('h wel"{
J nclas ::\1 al'I'aha'u'"
dust of the earth, ami thml shalt break forth to tIle "
eM, aJl(1 and hi
hruthcr
, ami Hyr('an\l
, .\lc'\aIul('r, .\I-i
tohul\l!'O.
to the Ea,
t, amI to the .Yorth, and to tlte Soutll; mul ;n thee They art' said tn a,
ceml a
to a l'laee of di!!;nity, tn ascelld Oil
ami ill tllll ,
eed sludl a[/ tIle famil;es of the earth be Messed. .lIullId Z;OIl ; not to g-o up thitlwl"Icard, hut to dwell and abide
Hu
ea antI .\mo", had, at this time, prophe
icd the final (kstrue- I ill Hit. whic'h aforetime was Ikfilcd, whkh now wa.. to ht' Iwlv.
tion of the king-(lmn of I
rael. Ohadiah dt'
f'ribes Judah, as lIe end
, as he he!ran, with 3IIHIIlt Zion, the '10ft, !till, where
e
l'andl'(l tu it
former hnllIHls inl'lndin
Edom and Phili
tia, (;od was l'lca
ed to dwell 15, to ren'alllim
elf. In hath, i
the
and ,)('('upyin
the tcrritury of the ten tribe
. TIle SOflth 2 , i. e. judg-ment ,,1' E",au. 3Iount Zion
taJl(I", m'cr ag-ain
t
Iount
they of tllP Iwt and dry country to the
lInth of Judah hnr- L
au, God's hoh' mount a!rain
t the lllllUntains of human
dcring- on I
dllln, shall possess the 7JWunta;m of .E.mfl, i. e. his pride, the (,hun:h ag-ain
t the worM. And with this il;!'rees
mountain I'lHlIltry, (Ill whieh they bordcred. _\nd the plaill, the offi('e assig-nt'd, whidl is alnlll
t nWl'e than that of lIIan.
thev on the ". e4, in the g-reat maritin1t' plain, the Sheph;;[ah, lIe be
an his IH'ol,heey of the ddi\"Cranf'e of God'!< people, III
sho;.ltl
pread n\"Cr tht. f'ountry of the Phili
tin('
, so that the I .lImmt Z;on slwll he (lJl escaped remnant; he elHb, sal'irmr,
,çllflll
sea should be thcir boundary; and on the Xorth, lI\'er the f'nun- a,çcend on
lIuunl ZioJl : he began, it shall he IlOliuess ; he do
c
,
try of tlIP ten tribes, tllefieldsof Ephraim ([ml tltefields of .{;,'a- ([nd tlte kingdom shall be the Lord's. Toþu(!!.'{" the mount of
maria. The territory ofBeJ!iamin being- thus induded in Ju- ESllll. Judg-e", appointed hy God, jlHI
e ni
l'Poplc; Sad-
dah, to it i.. assig-IH'd the country on the other side Jordan; ours, raised up by (;od, deli,.er them. But nn('e nnly dnes Lze-
([nd BC'I!jmnin, Gilead. kid
peak of man's jlld
ing- another nation, as the in
trulllent
:.>0. .And tlte capth'i'.ll of tltis Iwst of the cltildrell of I.
/"(lel, I of God. 16 I, tl/e Lord, hal'(' '\JJOkell it-ami I ll'ill do it; I ll'ill
[it must, I beli('ve, be rendered 3 ,] u'hirh arc among- the C{[)UUlJl- liot {{O hack, ueithCl" u'ilL I ,
pare, neither u'ill I rppeut; ([C-
ites, as far as Zareplutllt, mul tlte capt;l'it.ll of Jerusalem ll'/âch cording to thy u'a.lJs ami according to thy cloillg,ç shall the.1J
is ill Sepharml, shall possess the cities of the South. Obadiah fudge thee, sa;/It the Lord God. But it i" the l'rerog-ative of
had de
I...ibe(1 how the two tribes. whose were the promi
es to God. And sn, while the word Saviours indudes tlw:.e who,
the house of David, should spread abl"llad on all sidcs. Here before and afterwal'd
, were tht' instruments of God in !'Oa\'in

he repre,..cnts how Judah should, in its turn, rt'f'ei,-e into its Hi!< Chureh and people, yet all
adours shadnwed forth or
hosmn those now earried away from tht
llI; so should all again hal'k the one Saviour, "-ho alone has the oft'we of Judge, in
be one fold. "'hose kingdom, and as
odated hy Him with Him, 17 tIle s([ints
Zareplwth (probably "sm('lting--hon
e," and !'Oo a plae(' of sIUlllj/l((
'e tIle ll'ol'ld, as Ht
said to His '\l'ostleslS,.'le tl'lâch have
!.'lave-Iahour, prnnoUlwed Sarepta in S. Luke'\') hdonged to Si- follml'ed .lIe, ill the regeneration u'lleIl tI,e .SoU ollllall shall Ût
dlln 5 , lying on the sea 6 ahout half-way. between it and Tyre N . ill tI,e tlll'Olle of H;s {[lory, !Ie also shall sit Up 011 tll'eh-e tlllymes,
The
t'
,e':e then, probably, eaptives, l;lat'ed by thl' 'l'rrian
'i for Judging the tll'ell'e trihes of L
l'llel. And the last ""nl
1lI11
t
the timt' in safe keeping- in the narrow plain 9 between Leha-, at all times ha,-e reI-aIled that great prol'he('y of the Pas
ion,
non and the !'ea, intereepted by Tyre it!oòdf lO from their home, and of its fruit
in the ennwrsion of the lIeathen, from which
and awaiting to 1)(' tran
ported to a more di
tant slm-ery.' it i
taken, the twenty seeoml Psalm. The outward int'orpo-
The
e, with those already sold to the Grecians and in slavery I ration of Edom in J,idah throudl fhrcanus wa
but a
ha-
at Sardis, fllrm one whole. They stand as reprt'
entatiYes of dow of that inwarù union, when' the kiug-dom of (;od wa" es-
all who, whatt'Hr their lot, had been rent off from the Lord's, tahlisht'd upon earth, and Edmn was cnfolded in the one king-
land, and had been outwardly senred from Hb heritag-e. i domof Chri4. and its cities, whenee had i
su('d thc wa
ter
awl
21. And .\'(ll';ours shall ascend Oil _lIuwd Zion. The bod\" deadly fo('s of Judah, hecame the see
of Chri
tian ßi
lw}ls.
!'Ohould not be without it!' head; Sa,-ioUl'!' there !'hould be, an
l : Ami in this way too Edom was but the representath-e of others,
those, sUI-I'e
sh'ely. The title was familiar to them of old, I aliens from and enemies to God, to whom His kin!!;dom eame,
11 The children of Israel cried unto the Lord, J/7w mi,
ed them in whom He reigns and will I'ei!rn, g-Iurified for e,'cr in IIi"
up a slll'iollr, ((nd lIe slll'ed them. .dud the Lrll.d gave unto Is- Saillt
, whom lie 'has redeemed with His Ul04 pret'ious Bloud.
Tael a sal'ÌIJllr 12, ill the time of Jehoahaz. Xehemiah say.. to AIUI the kingdulIl shall be the Lord's. :\Iaj('sti('. ('ompre-
God 13, Accordillg to Thy manifold mercies, Tholl gal'est 'them hensiye simplieity of prophecy! .\ll time and eternity, the

1 Gen. 'U' iii. 14. 2 ::
2 3 The difficulty arises from the nece,;sity of supplying
somethin/,: to fill up the construction of
"
,:::> -'l:
lit. which the Canaanites. Onr trans-
lation, following the Latin, h.as, shall "",sess tllat of the Canaanites. In this sense, we
should have expected ::"::'::
-:;
:-N, that which belongs to the Canaw,;tes, the object
having, in all the preceding instances, been marked by the :"1<. and ;::> -::
not being the
Hebr
for" lhat w
ich belongs to." On the other hand, the Hebrew accent, the pa-
rallelism, and the ull1lonn use of the accusathe here, point to the rendering, "fLJhich are
amonJ( tile Cmwanites," "hich is that of the Chaldee, "hile the construction is that of
the LXX. and S) r. ;
-:;, .:::; ;-:1:- ;:-:;-: :"
:" corresponds with ::;:;.-. i"'?:."; the -:;

:"!:-:: -:, ::"2:::::> with -:-!::::: -:;
; and then the remainder, "shall inherit the rities of the
South," ::;::-: .-;: i"'

:;-'. is the predicate of both, in exact correspondence v.ith the pre-

de
:

:

:h C:=I

:eaîa
1
Ii
e:: ;:

;:.:?, ûom the corres!'i

:
. 1 Kings xvii. 9. 6 Phocas, Loc. Sanct, in Reland, 985. ; RusS<'gger, Rei-
sen, iv. H5. note. .. Sarafend," in "hich the old name is nearly presened, (R..Jand, ib.)
is a liule inland. It is 41 hours both from Tyre and Sidon. (Russ. 14.-" tj,) The maps
are "lOng. Id. 8 J os. .\ nt. viii. 13. 2. 9 "Its breadlh is no-
where more than l an hour, except aronnd T)-re and Sidon, where the mountains rerreat
some.. hat further. In some places they approach quite near to the shore." Rob. ü. -l;3.
10 In the tenn, " the Canaanites as far as Zarephath," the starting-point is naturally
the confines of Canaan and Israel, and so Zarephath is the furthest point N. of Judah.
II Judg. iii. 9,15. 12 2 Kings xiii. 5. 13 ;S..h. ix. 27. H not:'
nor;;: but::.
.. Ps. ii.6.lxvÎÜ.16. 16 Ezek. xxiv. H. I, 1 Cor. vi. 2. 1'1 S. M..tt. xix. ::8.

Rr

2-1G

truA"g"les of time and the rest of eternity, are summed up in
those three words 1; Zion and Edom retire from sight; both arc
comprehended ill that one kingdom, and God is all ill a[/2.
The strife is ended; not that ant'Íent strife onlv bctween the
{'viI and the good, the oppr"essor and the oppn';scd, the sub-
duer and the subdued; hut the whole strife and di
olwdience of
the creature towards the Creatur, man again!'t his God. Out-
ward l'ro
perity had passed away, sinl'e David had
aid the
A"reat words3, the kinEfdom is the Lord's. Dark days had come.
Obadiah saw on and I)eyond to darker yet, but knits up all his
I'rol'heey in this; the kingdom slllllllJe the Lord's. Daniel saw
what Obadiah foresaw, the kingdom of Judah also brokcn; yet,
as a capth'e, he repeated the same to the thell monareh of the
world, -I tIle hammer of the whole earth, whidl had broken in
}}ieccs the petty kingdolllof Judah, and (
arried (
aIltive its peo-
pIe; 6 the God of heave1l shall set up a kingdom,
(.ltich shalllle-
vel' be de.
tro.1fe(l. Zechariah saw the poor fragments which
returned from the captivity and their poor estate, yet said the
same 6; 'TIle Lord shalllJe king orer (tit the earth. All at onee
that kingdom came; the fishermen, the tax-gathercr and the
tentlllaker were its cavtains; the seourge, the elaw, thongs,
raek, hook!', sword, fire, torture, the Tl'd-Illlt iron scat, the
cross, the wild-beast, not clllployed, hut endurcd, were its arms;
the dungeon and the mine, its palaees; ti('ry words of truth,
its 1 slllll]J arroll's in the hearts of the IÚ'ng's enemies; for One

2 1 Cor. xv. 28.

3 Ps. xxii. l
...,,::-
:-J;
\

'

b Dan. ü. 44. add vii. H. 2í.

OBADIAH.

spake by them, lnlOse n
orcl is with power, The !'trong senSe
of the Roman, the acuteness of. the Gr'eek, and the simplicity
of the Barbarian, cast away tll('ir unbelicf or their mishcliet

and joined in the one song B, the Lord God Omnipotent reigll-
et1t. The imposture of l\lohanlllwd, however awefuUy it rcnt
off ('ount1css numbers from the faith uf Chri..t, still was t'(lre-
ed to
pread the worshill of the One Gud, '\'ho, whcn the Pro-
phet!' spake, seemed to be the Gud of the Jews only. 'Yho
could foretell such a kingdom, but He "TIm Alone eould found
it, "Tho Alone has fur these eightc(
n centuries preserved, and
now is anew enlarg;ng' it, God OmnipoH'nt and Omnisl'ient,
'Yhu waked the ll{
arts which He had made, to believe in Him
and to lm-e Him? 9 Blessed peaceful lángdom even here, in
this ,-alley of tears and of strife, where God rules the soul,
freeing it from the tyranny of the world and Satan and its
own passions, inspiring it to know Himself, the Highest Truth,
and to love Hillll\'ho is Love, and to adore Him "Tho is Iufinite
l\Ictjesty! ßle!'sed kingdom, in which God rd
ns in us by
grae(
, that He may bring us to His heavenly kingdom, where is
the manifest vision of Himself, and perfect love of Him, hliss-
ful society, eternal frnition of Him
elf; .nowhcre is snpreme
and certain security, se('ure trarHluillitr, tranquil
e('urity,jor-
ous happiness, happy eternity, eternal blesscdne!'s, hle!'
ed
vision of Gocl for ever, where is perfect love, fear none, eter-
nal day and One SI,irit in all!"
6 Zech. xÏ\,. 9.
; Ps. xlv. 5. s Rev. xi'(.6. 9 from Lap. 10 :Medit. c. 37. ap. S. Aug. \Î. p.512. App.

\ïew of the Rocks of Petra from Aaron's Tomb.

I
TRODUCTIOX

TO

T II E

PROPHET

JO

tH.

The Prophet Jonah. who wa!' at once tIle author and in part
the
uùjel.t of the hook whieh bem's his name, i
, beyond ques-
tion, the same who is related in the hook of KiIl
s a tu han
been Gml's messen
er of comfort to I!'racl, in the reign of Je-
rohoam I I. Fllr his own name, in En
lish "Dm'e," as well
as that IIf his fatIwr, Amittai, "the Truth of God," (II'curs no-
where cl!'òe in the Old Tcstament; and it is whoUy improbahle
that there should have been two l)ropheb of the same name,
I'ons of fathers of the same name, when the names of both son
and father were so rare as not to occur d!'òewhere in the Old
Testament. The phu'e whieh the Prophet occupies alllon
the
tweh'e a
rees therewith. For Ho:-ea and Amos, prophets
who are known to have prophesied in the time of Jeroboam,
anrl .Joel, who prophesied he fore Amos, arc pla('ed before him;
Micah, who prophesied after the death of Jeroboam and (jz-
ziah, is placed after him,
..\. rt'markahle amI mUt'h-misunderstood expres!'ion of the
Prophet shews that his mission fell in the later part of his life,
at least after he bad already exercised the prophetic office.
Our tran!<lation has, .Tunah rose up to.flee from the prese/lce of
tIle Lord. It has been a!'ked b, ., How could a Pmphet imagine
that he could flee from the preseIH'e of (;od?" Plainly he
eould not. Jonah, so conversant with the Psalm!', doubtl('ss
knew well the P
alm of Dm'id c, IVhither shall I go from Th.lJ
,S'pirit. and whitlter slw/l I.flee from TI/.'I presence "? lIe could
not hut know, what e\-crV instructed hraelite knew. And so
criti('!'ò shlluld have knowil that slwh eouM not he the meaning".
The words are used, as we say, "he went out of the king's

a 2 Kings xiv. 2.'). b Davidson, in Horne's Introd. ii. \158. · Ps. cxxxix. 7.
d It is -:Ó-:, uot ":;;":1. But
.
. -:;;;, aud ;-:-
" ":;;;''':1, ,,'hich correspond to oneanuther,
have very ddìnite meLinin
. ;-:"
"I "':t:' is "before the Lordi"
.õ" ":::..-::-.: is "from being
befor/' the Lord." :"'.
. .
;;., is used in a variety of ways, of the place where God specially
manilested Himself, the tabernacle, or the temple. With verbs, it is used of passing ac-
tions, as sacriticing, (with diltterent,"erbs, Ex.xxix.II. Lev. \ii. I-Î. 2 Chr. vii.4.) or sprink-

:

b

,&

\
;'.

\
j
i
f:,e;?:ï:
;ïp!e

;,(
$

:
Ji\

r
:
;
ei;';b
}

Him, (J udg. xx. 23.) or of abiding condilions, as \\alking habitually, (!'s. Iv. U
dwelling,
(Is. "xlii. 18.) or standing, as H is habitual Minister, as the Levites, (Deut. x. 8. 2 Chr. xxix.
11. Ezel... xliv. I5.)ora prophet, (1 KingRxvii.I. Jer. xvi. 19.1 or the priest or the ;'oiazarite.
(see ab. p. 1,6. co!. 1.) In correspondence with this, :""õ' -
;:
-: signifies" from before the
Lord." It is used in special relerence to the tabernacle, as of the tire which went forth
from the Presence of God there, (Lev. ix. 24. x. 2.) the plague, (
um. xvii. 11.) (Heb. xvi.
46. Eng.] the rods brought out ((\um. xvii. 2-1.) (Heb.lO. Eng.] or theshewbread removed
thence, (1 Sam. x"i. Ii.) And so it signifies, not that one fledfrom God, but that he remov-
ed Irom standing in His PreSl'nce. So Ca;.. went out from the Presence of God, (-
Ó":1,
Gen. iv. 16.) and of an earthly ruler it is said, a man "went forth out of his presence,"
(Gen. xli.
. xlvii. 10, &c.] and to David God promises, "there shall not be cut ofl'to
theeamanlrom before "Ie," i. e.from standing before "Ie," (.
Ò":1 1 Kings viii. 25. 2 Chr.

l)l"{
sent'e," or the like. It is literally, lie ro.<:e to.flee from !Je-
illg in tlte Pre.
ellce of tlte Lurd, i. e. from standin
in His Pre-
senee as His Senant and )Iinister d. Then he mu
t llêl\"e so

too(l before; he must have had the office, whÏl.h he sought to
abandon.
III.' was thcn a prophet of Israel, born at Gath-hel'her "a
small villa
e" of Zabulon e, which lies, So Jero1l\e "ays, "two
miles 1'\"(111\ Sepphorim which is now called Dioeæ
area, in the
way to TiJwria!'ò, where hh; tomb also is pointed out." IIis tomh
wa
Mill shewn in the hills near Sipphurim in the 12th eenturv,
as Benjamin of Tudcla f relates; at the san\(' plat
e, "gon a roeky
hill 2 miles East of Sepphuriah," is still pointed out tit(' tom b of
the Prophet, and "l\]oslems amI the Christians of Kazareth
alike re
anl the \'i1Ia
e (el-:;Ueshhad) as his native village."
The tomb is cn
n now vencrated by the ::\Ioslem inhabitants.
But althoug-h a prophet of brael;he, like Daniel afterwards
or his great predeces!<or Elisha, had his mi
!'ion also beyond
the bounds of Israel. \\'henever God brou
ht Hi!'ò people into
any relation with other people, lIe made Him!'òclf known to
them. The mode of His manifestation varied; the fact remain-
I ed uniform. So He made Himself known to I;gypt. throu
h
I Joseph and ::\Ioses: to the Philistines at the ('apturc of the ark;
to the SHiam; bv Elisha; to
ebuchadllezzar and Beh.hazzar
I by Daniel, as afiaill to Darius and CHUS. The hindrallces
interposed to the edict of Darius perp
tuated that knowled
e
amon
his sueeessors. Yet further on, the IIi
h Prie!<t J ad-
dua shewed to ..\.lcxandcr the propheey of Daniel "b that a
I Greek should destroy the Persian Empin
." For there i
no
,"i. III. compo Is. xlviii. 19. Jer. xxxiii. 18. of Israel) and Da\id prays, "Cast me not
away from Thy presence," lit. "from before Thee," (!'s.li.H.) Aben Ezra noticed the dis-
g

t

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t

:;;:;\h

su
i
:
e:i
h

:

rdl!=

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eþ:

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o

':tj'
d
e ,ci

and in the prophecy of Jonah I have not found that he fled "=;;":1, . from the face of
the Lord' bill -:;;;,>:, . from before Ihe Presence of the Lord;' and it is written . As the
Lon\liveth, before" 110m I stand,' (n:Ò) And so, on the olher hand, it is alwa
s -:;;
-:. And
so it is, . And Cain went out "
;;;''':1 from before the presence of God '-And it is written
. to go into the clefts of the rocks and into the fissures of the clilt- trom the fear (-s.::

r:;: '
;:":1) of the Lord,' (Is. ii. 21.) and, (in Jouah) it is written, to go with them from the
Presence "
à":1-I<'::
of the Lord (Jon. i. 3.) and the wise will understand." In one place
(1 Chr. xix. IS.) .:Ó" is used, not with :-;-::1 (of which alone Aben Ezra speaks) but "ith
o.
. The idiom also is diltereut, I)sinee the two annies had been engaged lace to face, (as
Amaziah Mid, . Let us look one another in the face,' 2 Kings xiv. S. and the like idioms,)
but 2) chiefly, in that
.:-. -:;;;":1 is, by the force of the tt'rm, contrasted \\ ith the other
idiom
.:-:. ":;;." and therefore cannot be a n1l're substimte for ":;;-:- e J o8h. xix. 13.
f p. 44. 2. eù. Asher. S Porter, in Smith, Bib!. Dict. p. 656. v. Gath-hepher. A
Je"lsh traveller, A.D. 1637, places Ihe tomb at Caphar Kena (1<:-;-.1 "There is buried
Jonah son of Amittai, on the top of a hill in a beauliful Church of the Gentiles," in Hot-
tinger Cippi Hebr. p. ï", 5. h Ant. xi. 8. 5. J us[in alludes to the meeting, xi. 11'.
Rr2

2-18

IXTRODUcTIO
TO

roUlHI to que
tion the aceonnt of Jo
ephu
. The mission
thcn of Jonah to Kineyeh is in harmony with {
od's oth('r
dealin
s with heathen nations, althllug-h; in God's manifold
wisdom. not identical with any.
Tu hra('1 the historv of that mission re,'ealcd that !omme
fact whil'h was more fuÏl y dedared hy S. Peter i; [pereeil'e that
God is lW respecter of perJ501/.
; hut ill el'elY natioll Iw tlmt fl'lll'-
eth Him ami w()rl(('tlt 'righteollslless, is ar('eptl'l[ tl'ith [-limo
This ri
htcous jud
ment of God !'tands out the more, <Ilike
in tlw history of the mariners and of the Kinedtcs, in that
the ('harader of both is cxhibited ath'anta1!:eously, in cIIJnpa-
ri:<clIl with that of thc PWllhet. The Prol)hct brin
s uut the
awe, the humanity, the earne:<tne:<s of the natural rcli
ioIl,
and the final cClIlversicm of the sailors, and the zcalous rel'clI-
tanc'e of the Nine,-ites, whiJc he ne
le(
ts to explain his uwn
charaeter, ur, in the It.'ast, to soften its hard <1Il/!,"les. Rather,
with a holy indifti.'renc'e, he has left his character to he hard-
ly and unjilstly jud
ed h y those who, themselws sharin
his
infirmities, share not his exc'ellencics. Disobedient lI1lC'e, he
cares only to teaeh us what God tauc:ht him fur us. The ma-
rincrs wère spared, the Hebrew Prol,hct was c'ast fi,rth as
guilty. The Xinedtes werc fOI'g-h'en: the ProI)het, rclmliCd.
That other moral, whieh our Lord inc'uleated, that the he a-
tht'n helieved amI repented with Ie
s lig-ht, thc Jews, amid so
mueh gn'ater li
ht, repented not, 81,.0 lay there. to be drawn
out bv men's own eunsciences. ., To the eondemnation of Is-
rael,''' says
. J crome \ "J onah is sent to the Gcntiles, bec'ause,
whereas Kinf'H'h rC})ented, I,.;racl perseyerc(l in his inicluity ."
But this is only a seC'clI1dary result of his l)ropheey, as all Di-
vine history mu:<t be full of teaching-, beeau,.e the facts them-
!'ekes are in,.trueti"e. Its instructivene,.s in this re,.pcC't de-
pencls wholly upon the truth of the faets. It is the 1"('al repen-
tanc'e of the Kincyitcs. which ),ecomes the rClJI'oaeh of the im-
penitent Jew or Christian.
E,'en amon/!," the Jew
, a Iar
e schoo], the Cahhalist", (aI-
tlll1ug-h amid uthcr f'rror,) interpreted the history of J ollah as
teachin/!," the resurrection of the dead, and (with that remark-
ahle c(JI'reetne,." of com hi nation "f different passag-es ,,1' Holy
R(
ripture whic'h we often find) in union with the prol'heC'y of
Hosea. "IThe fish's belly, where Jonah was endosed, signifies
the tomh, where the hody is eovered and laid up. But as
Jonah was
iYen ha('k on the third da,', so shall we also on the
third day ri
e ag'ain and Iw restorecl tc; life. As Ho:<ea says m,
Oil the tltird da." FIe will 'raise us up. alld we sl/ftllli1'e in His
sight." Talnl1ulic Jews n identified Jonah with their
lessiah
ben Joscph. whom they expeC'tcd to die and rise a
ain. The
deeper meanin1!," then of the history was not, at least in later
time:<, unl\cllllwll to them, a meaning whieh entirely depended
on its truth.
TIll' hi:<torr of his mission, .Jonah douhtlc
s himself wrote.
Such has hcen the uniform tradition of the J {
ws, ami on thi!'õ
prineiplc alone wa
his book phu'f'd among- tIll' propIU'ts. For
no hooks were admitted among- the prophets but tho,.e whieh
the arran1!,"er of the Canon heliel'ed {if this was the work of
the g-reat synag-u1!,"ue) or (if it was the wlll'k of Ezra) knell', to
have been written by persons ealled to the prophetie office.
Hence the Psalms of Da\"id, (althoug-h many arc prophetic,
amI our Lord deelares him to have been inspired by the lIoly
Ghost 0,) and the hook ofDanicl, were 1)laecd in a separatf' dass,
beeam
e their authur
, althou
h eminently endowed with pl'O-
phetic 1!:ifts, did not exereise the pastoral offiec of the Prophct.
i Acts x. 3
, 5. k in Jon. i. 1. I Menasseh B. Israel de resurr. mort.
c. 5. p 3(;. from" the divine CabLalists "ho, from the history of Jonah, prove, by way
of allegor
, the resurrection of the dead." lb. p. 34. m vi. 2. (Eng.) see al>. p.,
.
D see in Eisenmenger, Entdecktes J udenthum, ii. 725. 0 S. !\latt. xxIi. 43.

Histories ofth(
prnphets, a!'1 Elijah and Eli,.ha, stand. not un-
der thc'ir 0" n mlme:<, hut in the hooks of the prophets willi
wrote the1ll. Xor is the hook of Jonah a history of the 1>1'0-
phet, hut ofthat clI1e lI1i
siCI11 to "Kine,.eh. Everÿ notic'e of the
Prol)ht't is omitted, exc'cpt what bears on that mis:<iclII. The
huok also he1!,"in,. with just that same authentic'ation, with
whic'h all other pl'Ophetic' hooks beg-in. As Hosea and .Joel
and l\IÏI'ah amI Zephaniah open, The u'urd of the Lord that
ca111e unto Hosea, .J()l'!, _lIicah, Zeplwlliah, and other prul'hcts
in other ways aseribe thc'ir hooks not to themselves, but to
God, so Jonah open
,
JJ1(1 the u'OI'd (l tIll' Lord ca11le unto .Jo-
1I([h, the son (
f A1I1itfai, Sfl."iug. Thi!o! insc'ril,tion is an inte-

ral part of the book; as is marked by the word, .m/liug. As
the hi!<torieal hooks arc joined on to the sac'red writin1!,"s be-
fore them, so as to form onc eOlltinuous :<tremuofhi,.tory, by
the aud, with whieh they beg-in, so the hook of Jonah is ta-
cit]y joineclon to oth('r books uf other prnphcts hy the word,
aud. with which it commem'es p. The Irords, Tlte UJord of the
Lord callie to, are thc ac'knowleclged furm q in whic'h the com-
mission of God to pr()phe
y is rcc'orded. ] t is used uf the c
om-
mi,.:<ion to deliver a sing-Ie prophec'y, or it deseribes the whole
eolleetion of pro})heeies, with whieh any prophet was t'ntrust-
ed r; The 1l'OI'd (
f the Lord 1l'lâclt ca111e to JIicalt or Zepha-
1Iiah. But the whole hi,.tory ofthc prnphef'Y is bound up with,
and a secluel of those word,..
1\01' is there anything' in the 8tyle of the PW1)het at vari-
ance with this.
It it strang-e that, at any time I){'ymul tIle hahyhood of cri-
tic'ism, anv arg-ument should be drawn fi'II1II the fac.t that the
Prophet ';Tites of him "elf in thc third per,.on. l\Ianly c'riti-
eism has heen a!'hamecl to u:<e the ar'
ument, as to the com-
mcntaries of ('æsar or the .\nabasis ot'Xenophon". Howe,'er
the 1!,"enuinencss of t}wsc wurks mar have hcen at tim(':< clues-
tioncd, here we were on the 1!,"l"Cmnd of /!,"enuine critids1ll, and
no one "enturcd to lI:<e an ar
ument ,.0 palpahIy idle. It has
been pointed out that minds so ditfcrent, as ßarl1('hræus, the
g-reat Ja('ohite histllrian of the East t, and Precleriek the Great
wrote \If themsclH's in the third person; as did also Tll1wydi-
des and Jo,.ephus v, even after they had attested that the his-
tory in whieh they :<0 speak, was written by themselve,..
But thc real g-rmllullies muc'h deept'r. It is the e3."l'('ptioll,
when any saered writer speaks of himself in the 1Ïr:<t llerson.
Ezra and "Kehemiah do so; for tl1('Y are g-idu
an iI('eount,
not of God's dealillg-s with His peoille, but uf their own dis-
eharg-e of a definite office, allotted to thf'm by man. Solomon
does so in E('desia
tes. hecau
e he is
i\'inc: tlw hi:<tory of his
own eXl'erif'I\('e; and the vanity of alÌ hunian thin1!,"s, iil them-
selves, eOlllcl he attf'sted so impressÍ\'cly hy no une, as by one
who had had all whic'h man's millll ('CI11M imag-ine.
On the contrary, the Prophet,.. unless they !<peak of (.iod's
rcvelations to thcm, !>l'eak of themsclve
in the third }Ier:<on.
Thus .\.mos relate,. in the first person, what God shewf'd him
in vision w ; for (;ocl spoke to him. and he answ{
red and plead-
ed with God. In relating- his l'er:<ecution hy Amaziah, he
passcs at c}])('e to the third; x .Am a;;. ia!t said to .Amos; Tllell
amll'C1"ed .Antos and .wtid to Anw;;.ia!l. In like way, Isaiah
!'peaks of himself in the third l)erscHl, when relatin1!," how GO/I
sent him tom('('t Ahaz Y, ('ommanded him to walk three yt'ars,
naked and harefoot z; IIezekiah's messag-e to him, to pray for
his peopl(', allll his own propheti(
answer: his vi;:it to He-
zekiah in the king's sic'kness, his warnin1!," to him, his pwpheey
S.l\Iark xii. 36. P see more on Jon. i. 1. q Gesenius, Thes. v.
=., r )fic.
i. 1. Zeph. i. 1. · see Henggtellb. Auth. d. Pent. ii. Wi -9. t Hengst. ii. nO.
from Ass. B. O. ii. 248 sqq. . 13. J. ii. 20,4. 21. iii. 4, 6, ï, & 8. w Am. vii.
1.8. viii. 1,2. ix. 1. " lb. vii. 12, 1-1. 7 Is. ,"ii. 3. · lb. xx. 2, 8.

of his I'eem'ery, the sig-n whieh at God'
elllllmalHl I
aiah g-m'e
him. and thc mean
of healing- he appointf'd a. .'e('('miah. the
uWUI'JI('r on'r hi!oÒ pcople nWl'e than any other propllt't, "p('ak

and eomplain
to his God in the mid
t of his prophcef. In
IHI other proph(,t llo we
('('
(I much the working's of his inmo
t
!<o II I. Siwh
ouls would nHl!<t lI
e the fir
t per
on; fill' it i!< in
the u
e of the fir
t pf'r
on that the soulpour
it
eJfforth. In
relating- of himself in the third l'el'
lJn, the Prophet rp
tI'ains
hiJllsclt

peaks of the c,'ent only. )'t.t it i
tllU
that .'e('('lIIi-
uh relutes alnlll
t all whieh hd'('U him; Pashur'
sJIlitinJ! him
aJl(lputting- him in the stocl\
b; the g-atherin
of the pcople
a
ain
t him to put him to (leath, hi
hearing- Ldill'(' the prilH'f's
of Judah and hi
dt'li'-f'I'iUH'e c; the ('onte!òt with I1anuniah,
when UmulIIiah hroke olt' the
nllholi(' \"okf' from hi" neek
and prol'he
i('(llies in the name of God, 'and Jucmiah fore-
told hi!oò death d, which followed; the lettcr,.; of Shemaiah
ag'ain
t him, and hi
own l'rophe('y a
ain!<t Shemaiah e: his
trial of the H('ehahite!oò amI hi
proph('('y to them i; the writinJ!
the roll, whieh he !oòcnt ßar'u('h to rcad in God's hou
e, and its
renewal when Jehoiakim had hurnt it, ami God'
('Ull('ealinp;
him and ßarueh from the king's emi!oòsarics g; hi!< purpose to
Iean
Jeru
aleJll when the intcrral uf the la
t
if'p;e g-an' him
liherty h; the fal!oò(' aeeusations again
t him, tilt' desi
n
of thc
prin('('s to put him to death, their plunp;ing- him in the yet
deeper pit, where was no water hut mire, thc mildcr treatment
throug"h the intl'rce

ion of Ehedmclel'h; Zedekiah's inter-
course with him i; his liheration hy X cbuzaradan, his e}wiee to
ahide in the land, his residenee with (;edaliah k; Johanan'
hv-
I'O('I'itical ellfluirin
of (Ìod by him and disobed.ienee 1 , hi
heilig-
('arried into Eg-ypt III , the in
olent answer of the Jews in EJ!ypt tu
him and hi.. dcnundation upon them n.
\ll thi
, the iU'('Ount of
whieh lII'('upie
a !'paee, many times larger than the book of
Jonah, Jercmiah relates as if it werc the histon- of
ome other
man. So did (..od teaeh IIi
prophets to forg.ct themseh-e!<.
Hap;p;ai, \\"hm:e prophe('y eOIl
i
ts of exhortation
whil'h (..od
direeted him to addres
to the l,cople, speaks of himself,
olc-
Iy in the third persun. He ewn relates the (Iue
tions wI1Ïeh he
put to the prie
ts and tlwir answers still in the third llerson 0;
"then said Hap;p;ai;" " then uns\\"ercd Ha
g-ai." Duuiel relates
in the third per!<on, the whole whi('h he docs p;i\"e of his histo-
ry; how when young he ohtained exemption from the u
e of the
ronliluxuries and from foml unlawful to him: the favour and
wi
dllln whi('h God g-a"e him P ; how God !<an'd him from death,
re'-ealin
to him, on his prayer, the dl'('am of Xcbuehadnezzar
and its meaning-; how Xc1)lU'hililnezzar made him rul('r (n-er
the whole llrodnee of ßabylon q ; how he wa
hrou
ht into ßel-
!'hazzar'!,
cat impiuu!.- fl'ast, and intelll1.('ted the writing- on
the wall; and 'ra
honoured r: hO\r, under Ðariu!O. he pel'
c\"er-

d in hi
wonted prayer aJ!ainst the king's command, was ea
t
mto the den of lions, was deli\"ercd, and pl"o
pe1"ed ill the rei{.(1l
oJ: Ð(lrill
(lnd ill tlte rei
n of (1/I"IlS tI,e PerÚall s. "-hen Da-
IlIel pa

es from hi
torv to relate d
ion
"ouch
afed to him-
self, he allthentieated tl)em wit'. his own name, I J)aniel t.
It is nu longer hi
own history. It b the rcnolation of (;od by
him. In likl' way, S. John,
,'hen referring- to him
df in the
histury of his Lord, calls hilllself tile di
ciplc u'IW1}l Jcsus fol'-
ed. In th(' RevelatiuJl!', he authenticates his yision
hv his own
name; U I.lohn. Moses rclatt
s how God ('ommiUldéd him to
write thing
whieh he wrote, in the third per
on. S. Paul,
: Is.
,:,x
'ii. 2, 5,
; 2].. xuviii: I, 4.! 21. bIer. xx. 1,3. c
b_ H\i: i,
, 1:,24.
h

ii."2-
. \tiJï: ]". i :;"xX:
i.l':i.!Ji2

8. :x

2:5. g xxx'r:'x
:

6: 2li,
I,X

:
m ,,\iii. _
xliv. 1.3.20,24. 0 Hagg. i. I, 3,12, 13. ii. I, 10.13, 14.20. P Dan. i.
6:en
. _ q 11.13-27. *!' -17. -19. r v. 12, 13,17,29. . ch. vi. t vii. 1.;.28. \iii. 1.
la, 2,. IX. 2. x. 2, i.. XlI. 5. u Rev. i. 9. xxi. 2. xxii. 8. v :! Cor.. xii. :!_-I..
w lb. 7. " ] Cor. iv. 3. 7 .. Vo e heed not;' says Rosenmuller. Præl: c. 7." the

JO
..\II.

2.tn

when he has to speak ofhi
tI,-erpnwering re,'clations,
ars v, I
knclt' a II/(III in Christ. It S('('IIl
a
if he ('oultl not
I'cak of
them a
\"ou\'h
aft'd hI hilllsdf. He Ids liS see tlwt it was him-
sdf, when he !o'peaks of the hllmiliation
", whidl Cod
aw to hc
nf'cc

ary for him. To onlinan- nU'n it would he ('on('('it III'
hyp()('ris
- tll write IIf th('m
dn'
'" in the third pl'r
on. They
would ha,-e thc al'pearan('e ofwl'Ítin
impartially ofthelllsdn's,
of ab!<tr<u,ting thelJls('h-e
from thcm
cln'!<, whcn, in J"l'ality,
they were cvcr }I('('
('nt to themseh cs. The mcn of (..lid wcre
writin
of the thin

of God. The,- had a G(I(I-
Í\ en imlifli'r-
cm'c I;ow they thcillselws would bë tllOlIJ!ht of b)- man. Thcy
rdated, with the same holy UJl('UJl('CI'n, their praise or tht'Ír
hlame. .Jonah has exhihited himself ill his illfirmiti('
,
ueh
as no other hut himsdf would have drawn a Pl"Ophet of Cod.
lIe ha
left hi
('harader, unexplaincd, un...oftened; he ha... Icft
himself Iyin!!; under God's n'l,roof; ami told us nothillJ! of all
that which (;od lon-d in him, ami which made him too a (,1111-

en instrument of God.
Icn, whilc thc\" measure Dh inc
thin

, ur charactcr
formed by (..od, hy whi
t would he natural
to themseh-es, meas\ll'e hy a ("l"Ooked rule. x It i,\" fivel:'1 SIIIflI/
tltillg, say
S. Panl, tlmt I .
//fJlthl beJudged of you, or of IIUlI/'S
jlll/gIlU'lIt. Xatul'(
doe..; not mcasure gra(
e; 1I0r the human
spirit, the Ði\"ine.
.\
for the f(ow words, whieh pel"s(Jn
who disbelie,'ed in mira-
des sdeeted ont of tlw hook of Jonah as a plea for remo,-inJ!
it f
"lr down hcyolld the perilld when those mil'aele
took phw('},
the\" rather ilHlieate the eontrarv. Tht'v are all C"('nuine I1e-
hl"c
,- words or fi,rm!', exe{'pt tl;e one .-\.ramai(' I;amf' till" the
deeree of the king of Xine,-eh, whieh Jonah naturally heard in
Xine\"eh it
cIf.
.\ writer', ('(lually unhdie,-ing-, who got rid of the miral'le...
h\" a

umint!: that the hook of Jonah wa
meant onl\" filr a mo-
ri
li
ing- fi(,Ùon, found no eounter-e,-id{'Il('c in the' lant!:lwg-e,
hilt a!<erihed it unhc
itating-Iy to the Junah, !Oon of .\mittai,
who prophesi('d in the rcig-nof Jcrohoam II. He saw the no-
thin
ncss of the
o-ealled proof
whieh he had no longcr any
interest in maintainin!!;.
The examination ot thl'
e words will re(!uire a little detail,
yet it may
cn-e a
a spe{'Ímen, (it is 110 worse than it
nci
h-
hours) of the way in whit'll the di
helie,'inJ! sehool pick('d out
a few words of a Hebrew Prophet or sedion of a PI'ophet. ill or-
der to disparage the
'enllinen('...s of what they did 1I0t hdie'"e.
The words arc these;
I) The word.
ep"illa", lit, .. a de('ked ,-es,..d," i
a g-enuine IIc-
hrew word from s((pl/(lI/, "cO\-ered, eeilcd a." The word wa

horrowed from the HclJI'e,,', not Lv S,-rians or (,halde('
onh-
hut by the .\rahian
, in none of whieh
lialeeti' is it an oriJ!im;1
word. .\ word plainly is orig-inal in that language in whi('h it
stand
eonneeted with other nlCanin!!;
of the
mne root, and
not in that in which it
tands isolated: Xaturalh' too, the term
fi'r it declæd ,-t'
sel would be borrowed by inhuui people, as the
Syrians, from a nation li\"Íng-on the
ca shllre, lIot ('onversely.
This is thc fir
t oeeasion for mentionin
a clerked vc
sel. It i

related that Jonah went in fad .. belll\
" deek," ((,(IS gUile dOll'1I
into tIle sides of tlte decked l'CSSe!. Three time
in those n'rse
b,
whf'n Jonah did not wi
h to exprf's
that the n'

el was dt'ek-
('d, he uses the eommoll IIcbrew word, olliY.'lah. It wa
tlll'n
of set purpose that he, in the same \"erse, used the t\\ 0 words,
oll(lJyah and
l'p//ÍI/ltll.
opinion of those who think that Jonah himself committed to writing in this book "h
t
betel himsell
sinre we do not admit that any real histo<) is Cúntained in it." .. Fonner-
1'.;n:
e
!;::fJ

:; ti:
o
:
n
fl

"
dhl\

cl
;là
:ori
t

t:. doubted that the. P;
E

Memordbil. St. G. p. G!J. ø it::) .. cOH'r" occurs in Talmudic (as derived
from the Hebre"> not in ChaId. In .\rabicit means" planed," smoothed, swept the earth,
not" ceiled. " So our deck is from !be Dutch dekken, to CO\ er. b i. 3, .1, 5.

2.jO

I
TRODUCTIO
TO

2)
lI((ll(lcll is also a genuine 1It'1I. word from melaclt, .mlt sea,
as (íXIEVS' from ãxS' "salt," tlwn (mast'.) in poetry "brine." It is
furmed !<trid)y, as othcr Hebrew words denoting an occupa-
tion c. It ducs not oe('ur in earlier hooks, bceause "seamen"
are not mentioned earJi('r.
:3) Rflb ImrllOhe/, ,. ('hicfof the !'Oailors," "eaptain." Rah is
PllIrni('ian also, and this was a Phæni('ian vessel. It does not
lIt'('ur earlier, heeause "the captain of a yessel" is not lUention-
ell ear]j('r. One says "ùit is the same as SlIr, cMt;/(1f in later He-
IIn'w." It (I('eurs, in ([Il, only four times, ami in all eases, as
h('re, of persons not IIehl'en-; Kelmzaradan rab Tab/Hle/dm e,
cflptfliJl of the guard;" rab Sari.
illl f, " ehief of the cUllu('hs ;"
eol rab bait/w g," every offi('er of his house." Sar, on the other
hand, is never Ilsed except of an (!/fice of authority, of one who
had a I'laee of authority giv('n hy one hig-her. It m'('urs as
lIIU1'h in the later as in the earlicr books, hut is not used in the
singular of an infcrim' office. It is used of military, hut not of
any intt'rior seeular, eOlUmand. It would probably have b(.en
a solceislll to have said Sflr hachuhel, as mueh as if wc were to
!'Oar "prinec of sailors." ClllIbel, which is joined with it, is a
Hellrpw not .\ramaic word.
4) Bibbo," ten thousand., " they !'Oay, "is a word. of later He-
brew." C/,'rtainlv neither it. nor any inflection of it oecurs in
the Pentateuch, 'Judges,
amuel, C'anti('les, in aU which we
have the word reba/wit. It is true also that the form z'ibbo
or derinltive forms oc('ur in book.;: of the d.ate of the Captivity,
as Daniel, ('hnmie1cs, Ezra, and K ehcmiah h. ßut it also oc-
('urs in a Psalm of Hayid i, and in Ho!'Oea k who is acknow-
kdg-ed to han prophesied in the days of Jcroboam, and so
was a eontemporary of Jonah. It might have l)('en, aeeord-
in
ly, a form used in Korthern Palestine, but that its USe by
David does not justify slU'h limitation.
5) }ïtlt'([sh.
/wth," thought, purposed," is also an old Hebrew
word, as appears from its u!'Oe in the Humber elez'('l1 J, as the
first nllmlJer whieh is conceÍ\'cd in thought, the ten being" nUJn-
lwred on thc fing"ers. The root O('curs also in Job, a Psalm m,
ami the Canticles. In the Syriac, it does not occur; nor, in
the extant Chaldee, in the sense in which it is used in .Jo-
nah. For in Jonah it is used of the mereiful thoughts of GmI;
in Chaldee, of the C\'il thoughts of man. ßesides, it is used in
Jonah not by the Prophet himself; but hy the !'Ohipmaster,
whosc words be rclat('s.
ö) The use of the abridged forms of the relative .
/le for asher,
t,,-i('e in ('omposite words hesllellemi n, he.yhelli 0, (the fuller form,
naasher lemi P, also ot'curring) and once in union with a noun
sllehhin q.
Tht're i!'O ah!'Oolutely no plea whatever for making thb. an in-
dieation of a later style, and yct it occurs in even' strine: of
words, whieh haye Iwc'n assumed to be indieations of
mch style.
It is not Aramaic at all, hut Phænidan r and old Hehrew. . In
J)hænieian, esll is the relative, whieh corresponds the more
with the Hebrew in that the foUowing lettcr was doubled, as
in the Punie WOl"ds in PJautlls, s.'l/llullOm, siddonerim., it en-
ters into two Proper names, both of whieh (I('('ur in the Pen-
tateueh, and one, only tlwre; Jletl/llslwel t , "a man of God," and

1Iisllllel 11, the same as Michael, " who is like God? " lit. ,. 'Yho

C r:
"" d see Gesen.12M.

e 2 Kings xxv. 8. f Dan. i. 3.

g Esth. i. 8.

h In 1 Chron. xxix. 7. twice, Daniel once, Ezra twice; Nehemiah thrice. J C-:-'::I"
I's. Ixviii. 18. k viii. 12. Ch. 1 -;;::/ ":-:1::: So A.E. Kim. m Ps. ex/vi. 4.
lo:I
;.7 Åsiat
;Ä

: p. 1

:: 10u

vd.l

;
,s, ;8
8
S. J

s'l;/1;
;:

i:t

r_e
'

:
" Every one skilled herein kno\\s now, that in Punic :l:N. is the relative pronoun." Roed.
lb. Add. Em. 113. . Plaut. Pællul. v.I. 4.6. see Ges. t Gen. IV. 18. u Ex.
vi. 22. Lev. x. 4. also in Daniel and Nehemiah. . Gen. vi. 3. w Hence perhaps
in the song of Deborah, Judg. v. 7. x Judg. vi. Ii. 2 Kings vi.n. Twoofthe instances
111 the Lamentations are words in the mouth of the heathen, Lam. ü. 15, 16. 7 i. 6.

is what God is?" Probably, it ot'curs also in the Pentateueh
in the ordinary lang-uage v. . 'Perhaps it was ust'd more in the
(lialc('t of North Palcstine w. Pmbably it was al!c'o the sl'uken
languaA"e ", in whi('h abridged forms are used in alllang-uaA"es.
Hew'e perhaps its frt'quent use in the Song of
olomonY, whieh
is all dialugue, and in ",hidl it is empllly(
d to the entire ex-
clusion ofthe fuller tin"m; and that, so fl'equently, that the in-
!'Otanees in the Cantieles are nearly t of thllse in the whole Old
Testament z. In addition to this, halt' of the whole numlJ('r of
instan('es, in whieh it O(
('urs in tht' Dihle, are tiJUud ill another
short book, Eeclesiastes. In a book,('ontaining" only2'22 vcrses,
it occurs ()() times a. This, in itselt
refluires some ground for
its use, beyond that of mere date. Vf books whi('h art' really
later, it docs 1/ot (I('('ur in Jeremiah's prol'he('ies, Ezckiel, Da-
niel, or any of the ö later of the l\Iinor Prophets, nor in Nehe-
miah or Estbpr. It (I('C\lrS once only in Ezra b, and tn-ke in
the first hook of Chronkles c, whereas it oeeurs four times in
the J udg-es d, and onee in thc I\:ings e, and once probahly in
Job f. Its use hdonp:s to that wide prindple of condensation
in IIehrew, blending in one, in diffcrent ways, what we express
by selmrate words. The relative pronoun is (
onfessedly, on
this ground, very often omitted in Hebrew poetry, when it
wonld be us('d in prose. In the Cantif'l(
s Solomon does not
onee use the ordinary separate relative, asher. Of the 19 in-
stances in the Psalms almost halt
9, occur in those Psalms of
pecnliar rh).thm, the g-rmlual Psalms g; four more O('ellr in
two other Psalms h, which helong to one anothel", the latter of
whieh has that remal'kable burden, f01" His 'l1Ierc.lJ endureth fur
eur. Three arc clllulensed into a solemn denun('iation of Ba-
bylon in another Psalm i. Of the ten Psalms, in whi('h it oe-
ei'lrs, four are aSf'ribed to Dm'id, and onc only, the 13ïth, has
any token ofhelonp:ing to a latcr date. In the two passages in
the Chronides, it O('curs in words doubly ('())upounded c. The
prineiple of rhytlnn would ac('ount for its O('('urring- four times
in the fi,'e chapters of the Lamentations k of Jercmiah, while in
thc 52 chapters of his prophecies it dot's not o('eur once. In
Job also, it is in a solemn pause f. _\ltop:('ther, there is no
proof whate"er that the use of she for a.yher is any test of the
date of any Hebrew book, sinee I) it is not Aramaic, 2) it occurs
in the earlil'st, and :
) not in the latest hooks: 4) it!'O use is idio-
matic, and nowhere exeC}Jt in the Canticles and Eeelesiastes
docs it pervade any hook. Had it belonged to the ordinary
idiom at the date of Ezra, it would not have been so entirely
insulated as it is. in the three instances in the Chronicles and
Ezra. It would not have O('t'urred in the earlier books in
whieh it docs o('cur, and would hm'e oecurred in later books
in which it docs uot. In Jonah, its use in two plaees is pe-
euliar to himself, occurring nowherp else in the Hchrew S('rip-
tures. In the first, its Phænieian form is used hy the Phæ-
nician mariners; in the 2ml it is an instan('e of the spoken lan-
guag(
in the mouth of the Prophet, a native of Korth Pales-
tine, and in answer to Phæni('ians. In the third in!oitanee,
(where it is th(
simple relative) its use is evidently for con-
densation, Its use in any case would agree with the exact
eircumstances of Jonah, as a nath'e of
urth Palestine, con-
versing with Phænician mariners. Thc only plea of argument
(2) 7. (2) ii. 7, 17. iii. 1,2,3.4, (1) 5, 7. iv. I, 2. (2) 6. v. 2, 8, 9. vi. 5, (2) 6.(2) viii. 4, 8,
12. . It occurs in all, I belie,"e, 132 times, apart from its use as entering into the
two proper names. Of these 29 are in the Canticles, Gl; in Ecclesiastes, 19 in the Psalms,
1 in Genesis, 1 in Job, 4 in Judges, 1 in Kings, 4 in Lamentations, 1 in Ezra, 2 in Chro-
nicles. a Eccl. i. 3, 7, 9,(J) 10, 1l,(2) H, 17, ii.9, n, (2) 12, 13,14,15,16, ii, 18,
OO

.
OO
"

B

m
,
oo

3, 10. (2) vii. 10, U, 2J. viii. 7, U, Ii. ix. 5, 12. (2) x.3, 5, 14,16,17. xi. 3, 8. "Ii. 3, 7, 9.
b viii. 20. . 1 Chr. v. 20. :::-n
::"D xxvii. 27. ::--:-:::':1. d v. 7. vi. Ii. vii. 12. viii. 26.
e 2 Kings vi. n.

=:::
. f xix. 29. ending with '--:"D. g Ps. cxxii. 3, 4. cxxiii.
2. cxxiv. 1,6. cxxix. 6,7. cxxxiii. 2, 3. b cxxv. 2,8, 10. cxxxvi.23. i cxxxvii.
8,(2) 9. The remaining are Ps. cxliv. 15. :-:::"D and cxlvi. 3, 5. k ii.I5, 16. iv.I!J. v. 18.

has been /{ained hv ar
nin
in a eirl'1e, a
sumin
without any
e,-en 1'lau
iblc
ro'II1I(" that the Sun/!" of
tlltlnW;l or Psalm...
f
David wcre lat<., 1)(,l'ause thev had thi,.; form, allli then u
ing-
it a
a te
t of another hook h(:in/{ late; i/{lwring- alike the ear-
lier h(lllk
whil'h haW' it antI the'later ho
,k
wl;idl haW' it not,
and its ('
('('l'tional use (exeel't in the Calltide!< and Eede
i-
a
te
,) in the l)(
oks whieh have it.
í) It i!< diffil'ult tu know to what end the u,.;e of mmlflh, c. ap-
point I" or c. prepare," is alle
ed,
inee it ul'eur
in a P,.;alm of
David m. Jonah u,.;es it in a !òl'eeial way as to acts of (;011'8
Prm'idenee, "l'n'l'arin
" before, what He will!" to ('ml'loy. Jo-
nah US('S the wur(l of tlu' "prel'arin:r" of the fi,.;h, the palm-
dll"i,.;t, the worm whil'h !"llIIuld d(.,.;truy it, the East wind. lIe
evidently used it \\ ith a !"et purpo
e, to e
pres
what IHI other
word ('xpress('d ('qnally to his minrl. hm, (;011 prcpared by His
Provirl('IH'e the instruments whit-h lIe willed to employ.
8) TIU're remains only the word used fur the dceree of the
kin
uf .Kinewh, t((({Ill. This i" a
yriac word; and .U'eord-
in
dy, sinl'e it has now heen a!"I'('rtained beyond aU question,
that the lan
'1li1
c of XineH'h was a dialeet of Syriae, it 'HI!<,
with a IIehrew prununl'Îation n, the wry word u
ed of this
oel'ree at
ïne'-eh. The employment of the !"peeial word i" a
Imrt of the "ame at'curaey with \\"h
eh Jonah relatcs that the
oel'ree u!<ed wmi Ìs!<ued not frum the kin:r unly, but from ti,e
Mug ami //Ís lIobles, one of those minutc tlHII'lws, whidl OC'-
eur in the writing-" of those who des('ribe what tile,. have "een,
but supplyin:r a t'aet a" to the As"yrian polity, wllÏ,:h we should
not uth('rwise ha,-e known, that the nobles were in some way
a
stleiah'd in the deerees of the king-.
Out of these ei:rht word
or forl
l
. three are na\'al terms,
and, sinee I
racl was no seafarin
people, it is in harmony with
the hi40ry, that the"e terms should first oceur in the first pro-
phet whu left the land of his mi.."ion by
ea. So it is also,
that an .\

yrian teehnil'al term ,.houhl fir"t oceur in a pro-
I)het who had he en "ent to .Kine,'eh. .A fifth word QI'eurs in
Ho!<ea, a euntemporary uf Jonah, and in a Psalm of Da,-id.
The abrid
ed
rammatical form wa" Phænieian, not .\ramaic,
was u"e(l in e(lIlver,.;ation, Ol'('UrS in the olde
t proper names,
nnd in the :\"orthern tribes. 'fhe 7th aud
th do not oeeur in
.\ramai(' in the meaning- in whieh thev arc u,.;ed bv Junah.
In tmth, oftell as thèse fal"e C'ritil'Í
ms han becn repeated
from one to the other, they would lIot have heen thou/{ht of at
all. hut for the mirades related b,' .Tonah, whieh the (Ieviser"
of these f'ritkisms did nut belie, e.' A hi
torv of mirades. such
ns tho,,(' in Jonah, would not he publishe(l åt the time, unlc""
they were true. 'f1w"e then who did not belien that God
worked any miracles, were forced to have some plea fur say-
in/{ that the hook was not written in the time of Jonah. Pre-
ju
li('es a
in!"t faith ha,'e, !'ometimes openly, sometime;: ta-
('itly, h('en the ruling p.'inciple on whieh earli('r portions of
Huly Sl'npture have been c1a"sed amon
thp later by critiC's
who di!<belie,'ed what those bouk,.; or passages related. Ob-
yiously no weight can be
Í\'en to the opiniun" of eritics, who,.;e
critiei"ms arc founù('d, not on the !òtud,' of the lan
ua!!e, but
un unbeliet: It has reeentl y been said; .C 0 the juiut deeisiun

1 The word oceul'S in Arabic also in this sense, which is a primal)' meaning ofthe root.
and allied to its use is the transposed Greek form, "."..... II> Ps.Ixi. 8. .. ::
;? for :::.:;.
Ð
lr.G. Vance Smith, Prophecif'!lconcerning
ïneveh.p. 25;. \\ho however(p. 29-&.)
ri
htly rejects their gro'fnds. ,Ihe occ!,rrence oft
e words..dlscussedabove, as inadequate.
f:/p

I;n
the

;:;
:;
,h;

ehe
KI.Pp

: Jc

h.
6.'1 H
\;;id

r
:

;;;
zu::,
ú

i

bilien, P
vf.';

Ttïu

: Pr
I

':.dU 564. y' J

n
'
:
í:

12!1. . !\Iaurer, Præf. in Jo
. p. 426. . l>l's. and E\\. above, l;mbreit tacitly
drops it out of "Ihe ,"elve." b ,.::
. i.... the word describing how the \\ind "s\\ept
along," as we say; Jonah also uses it of casting out, along, from the vessel, i. 5, 12,15.

JO:\_\II.

2:;1

of Ge:,enius, De 'Y cUe and Hitzig- ou!!ht to 1Je final." .\ joint
r1cei..ion ('ertainly it i" not. For Hc W cU(' plal'es the I",ok of
.ronah hetiwe the l'aptÍ\ ityP; (;e
eniusq and J:wald r, wh('n pru-
ph('I'y had lun
l'ea"'cIl; Ewald, partly on aeeount of it" mira-
('Ic,.;, in the jth I'entun-, n. C ; amI JJitLÍ/!", with hi" wunh.d "iI-
fulnes" and in"lIlatcd'-u's'" uf (Titit'ism, huilt a theOl'v that the
hook is of Ec-yptian orig-in un his uwn mi"take that tile /;ilifli'J/I
:rrew only in E
ypt. and phwell it in the :!nd ('('ntury, ß. C. the
times of the 31ae('ahees'. The intenal is also filled up. LH'ry
!"ort of date and ('ontradi(.torv ground", for tllU"'" dat(.,.; have
heen as,.;ic1u'd.
o then one 1;la('c
the huuk of Jonah in the
time uf Sennadleribt, i. ('. of Hezd\.iah: anuther under Ju
iahu;
another hetilre the CaptÍ\ ity'; allotller tun ards the end uf the
Captidty. after thl' de,.;truetion of Xillevl'h hy('ya
ares"; a fifth
lavs ('hid" ,.;trl'!<s on the arg-umcnt that the d('4rul'tion of Xi-
nènh is nut mentiolled ill it x: a sixth Y prefcrs tll(' time -af-
ter the return from the Captivity to it,.; clu".e ; a
eH'nth duuht-
ed nut, "from its ar
ument and purpu,.;e. that it was written be-
fore the lIl'd('r of prophets eca,.;ed "" others uf the same sl.hllol
are as (lo,.;itive from its ar
uments and eontent
, that it mu!<t
ha\-e bcen written after that order was closed a.
The style of the hook of Jonah is, in faet, pure and simple
IIt'brew, eorn'spoudin
tu the simplieity of the narrati,'e and
of the Prophet's eharaeter. .Althou
h written in pro:-e, it has
IJoetic lan:ruag-e, nut in the thanhsgh in
only, hut whenever it
suits the suhjeet. These expre!<"illlls arc pcculiar to .Jullah.
Sudl are, in the accuunt of the storm, "the Lord cast b a st("llll

wind," .. the '-('!o'scl tl/Ought c to be bruken," ,. the !o'ea ,.;Itall be
silellt d ," (hu!"hed, as we say) 1. e. C'ahn; ,. the wind was advanc-
ing and !o'tormin
e," as wi.th a whirlwind; [the word is u
ed as
tu the !o'ea by Jonah only,] ,. the meJl pluu
hed" or ,. du
f" [in
ruwin
] "the sea stoudg from its ragin
." Abo "let man and
hl'a"t cluthe themseh'es h with sackcloth," and that tuudlin

expre!""ion, c. son of a night i, it [the palma Chri"ti2 eallle to he:"
in
, and son of a nig-ht [1. e. in a ni:rhtJ it peri,.;hed." It i" in
hanuuny with hi" !o'implil'ity of dmraeter, that he is fond of
the uld idiom, by whil'h the thought of the ,'erb i!' earried on
by a noun formed frum it. ,. The men feared a
reat fear k,"
.'It displcased Jonah a great displeasure I," "Jonahjo.'led a

reat jO.'1 m." Another idiom n has been obser,-ed, which oc-
curs in 110 later huuk than the Jud
e!".
But in the history evcry phrase i; vivid and !!raphie. There
is not a word whidl does nut advance tlU' histor\'. Thcre is
no reflection. .\11 hastens on tu the ('olllpletiOli, and when
God has given the key to the whole, the buok clo"es with His
,,-ords of exceeding- tenderness. lingering in our ear". The
Prophet, with the same siml'lkity and beginning "ith the
same words, say" he did nut, and he did, uhey God. The huuk
opens, after the first authentkating word", ..Jrise, go to .'llie-
Ul" that great d(lf, alid cr.1f against it; for their It'Ïckedne.'!s is
come up befure Jle. God had bidden him arise 0; the narra-
ti ,'e silllpi y repeat s the word. .1ml JOlla11 arose P ,-bu t fOl' what?
to flee in the ,-ery opposite direction frol/1 heiug hefore the
Lord q, 1. e. from standing in His Pre!"elH'e, as His sernlllt and
minister. He lost no time, to do the contrary. After the mi-

< :-::::;"': i. 4. the only place where it is used of lifeless thing!'. ð ;::-: ì.1I,. 12. wed of
Ihe men inthevessel, Ps. cvii.30. ofceasingofstrife,Pro\'. xx\i. 20. < -?:::
ï
':-: i.1I.13.
r -:-- "Æquor arare." Yirg. Æn. ii. 780. Ov. Trist. i. 2. 76. It
;::;,":--"::;. i. 15.
h -:::"1" iii. 8. I :-::'''
-i? iv. 10. k ì. 10, 16. :-
.... .
-.., 1 iv. 1. -:-:;- :;-...
II> lb. 6. :---:::;
-:::;'. D --? with the info (for -:;:) iv. 2. colI. Jud. iii. 26. (Delitzch
in Zeitschr. f. Lutlt. Tbrol. 18.to. p. 118.) But t\Vo passagesdonotfuntish an induction.
:-::-:- for -..,. iv.ll.(mentioned ib.) cannot pro"ean)' thill!!,. sjnce it occurs, 2 Chr. xxv. 9.
";h
1.ord S:it.;;:;:r
::e;,;J'
::;j

;.oto

k

;

e first wo
d ::e t
b.

7:

2:)2

l
TRODrCTIOX TO

ra('ks, hy whkh he' had he{'n both punii'hctl and delin'red, the
hj
tory i,; rt'
umerl with tlJ{' same simple dignity a,; before, in
the same words: the disobedien('e being' llotic'cd only ill the
wurd, ([ se('OIu[ time. And tile 1('ord of tile Lord c([we to Jo-
uall ([ se('oml time, -w1.'ling.
/ri,
e. go to
YiJl('l'cll, tll([t grcat ('il.'l,
([wl cr.'1 Ullto it tlwt Cl:'I1l'//Ícll I say Ullto tllce. This time it
follows, Aml JOl/all ([rose ([wlwellt to
Yillel:e1I.
Thcn ill the history itself we follow thc Prophet step hy step.
lIe aro
c tu flee to Tarshi,;h, went down to Joppa, a perilous,
yet the only s('a-llOrt for Judæa r. lIe finds the ship. }lays its
.fare, (one oftlwsc little totwhes of a tnle narrath-e) lTod sends
the storm. man does all he ('an: and all in ,-ain. The c'haracter
of the heathen is hrnup:ht out in eontra4 with the then sleep-
in
('ons('i{'IWe and de
pondeney of the Prophet. ßut it i!< all
it! aet. They [Ire all aetÏ\-ity; he, simply passiw. They pray.
(as they t'an) e(ll'h man to his god,;: he Ï,; aslecp : they do all
they ('an. lip:hten the ship, the ship-ma,;ter rouses him, to pray
tu his (;0(1, sinee thdr own prayer
avail not; the')" propo
e
the lots. ea
t th{'m: the lot fall
on .Jonah. Then follow their
hricf éI!'c'umulated {'nrJuirie
: .Jonah's ('aIm answer, in('reasin

their f('ar: thcir cIHluiry of the Prophet himself, what they are
to do to him; his knowledg-e that he mu4 he ea4 O\-er; the
unwilIin
ness ofthe lIeath('n : one nwre fruitle
s dfort to save
hoth tlu:mseh-es and the Pruph('t: the in('reasing' ,-iulem'e of
the storm: the pray('r to the Propht't's God, not to lay itmu-
c','nt hloml to them, who oJ)('
-cd His Prophet; the f'a"ting- him
forth; th(' instant hn,;h and silence of the sea; their eonH
r-
sion aIHi sacritke to the true God-the whole stands before us,
as if we saw it with our own e,'es.

\IHI yet, amid. or perhaps a
a part of. that ,-ividness, there
i!' that charact{'ristic of Sf'ripture-narrath-e
. that smue things
evcn seem impI'obahle, until. on thoug-ht, we disl'O\'er the rea-
son. It Ï,; not on a fir
t reading. that most pen'ei,'e the natural-
m's,; ('ither of Jonah's decp !"Ieep, or of thc inc'l"ease ufthe ma-
rÏIwrs' tear, un his aC'C'CHlnt uf him,;elf. Yet that d('ep slecp
harmonis{'s at least with hi
Ion!!: hurried flig-ht tu Joppa, and
that n1ll(l(I with whiell m{'n who have taken a "Tong- step, try
to forp:et themseh-es. He relates that he l('as gOlle dOll'n ., i. e.
hetiwe the sturm began. The !"ailor
' increascd fear surpri!<es
us tht' more, since it is addcd, "they knew that he had flcd
from Iwfore tIlt' presem'e of God. because Ill' Iwd told tllem."
Olle word explaincd it. lIe had told them. from "'hose st'r-
yiee he had fled. but not that He, against "-hom he had sin-
m'd, and Who, they would think, was pursuin
His fl.tg'itin,
was" the )Iaker of the sea," whose raging was threatening
their Ii,-es.
Again, the history mentions only. that Jonah was {'ast over;
that (;ud prepared a fish to swallow him; that he wa,; in the
belly of the fish threc tla,-s and three nip:hts; that he, at the end
of that time. I)rayed to' God ont uf the fish's belly, and at the
dose of thc prayer was ddiwred. The word "prayed" ohvi-
ously iIH'ludes "thanksg-h-ing" as the aet of adorin
lu,-e from
the f'reatllre to the Creator. It is said that Halll/([11 pra.lfed t;
hut her hymn, as wi'll as Jonah's, does not ('ontain one pe-
tition. Both are the olltpourinp: of thanksgh-ing' from the
soul to whieh God had
.'i.nn what it Iwd praycd for. As, J}('-
fore. it wa,; not !'aid, whether he prayed. on the ship-master's
upbraiding-, or no, so here nothing' is said in the history, ex-
eept as to the last moment, on whieh he was ('a
t out on the

. i, ii. r 1 t{
:.:: 8: f. Chro
, :::

.and;
ftÍ

fi

\

{l)
h; i;;
:s as tranquilly
as if on land," sa) seven Jahn, as an obj"ction. Ein!.
126. '" S. :\latt. xiIi. 52.
. Jon. ii. 5. Ps. hi". 2. 7 Jon. ii. 3. Ps. xlii. 8. . Jon. ii. 2. Ps. cxx. I.
. Ps. xxxi. 22. ':'I-T;
b Jon. ii. 4. [5] .:-:;-;
c Ps. cxlii. 8. d ii. ï. (8)
c Ps. xxxi. i. r ii. 9. g
.
:; i:::::
ii. 3. -:-:: of the currents of the se3, 4.

dry g-round. The prayer inddentally suppli{'s the TC!'t. It i!'
a simple thank
giving- of nne who lwei prayed. and Iwd hc('n
d('lhcred. u I criedwdo the Lord, aml He heard 1//e. In the
fir,;t mcrt'v, he saw the earne
t of the re
t. lIe asks for no-
thing', he 'only thanl{s. But that for whieh he thanks is the
ddi,-cralu'e frum the perils of the ,<;ea. The thanksg'Ï\-in
f'or-
rc
pollds with the plain words, that he prll!ll'Cl Ollt (
f tlle.fìs/,'s
bel
ll. They are sllih'd to one so praying', who look('d nn in
full faith to the future ('omplction of his d{'lh-erance, althollg-h
0111' mind
mig-ht rathcr have IJ('CIl fixed on the af'tllalp('ril.
It is a thanl{sgi,-ing- uf faith, but uf
tronger faith than many
modern
hm-e been ahle to eon('cÎ\'e v.
The hvmn itself is a remarkable hlending- of old and new,
as our Lurd
aysW; Then/ore is tlte killgdom of It em 'ell like a
IUIlt.ç(,itolda. 1('110 b";ll
etlt Ollt of //Í,
treasllre 7leu' alld old. The
PI'uphet teaell{'
u
t
u
e the' P
alms, as well a,; how the holy
men of old u
ed them. In that g-reat nWlUcnt of relig-iuu
life,
tilt' well-rememhert'd Psalm
,
lH'h a
he had OneIl u,;cd them.
wcre hrought to his miIHI. ,nmt had heen fig-ure,; to Dil\-id or
the !<ons of Korah, a
X, tile waters {[re come ill el'ellllllto 1lI.l/solll;
Yall '1'1'.'1 hilloll's {[lld Th.'lll'al'es passed Ol'cr me, were strict re-
alities to him. Yet onh- in this la
t senteIH'e and in one other
sentenee whi{'h douhtl(:ss had hec'ome a IWI)\-erh of af'C'epted
prayer, z I cried out of 1lI.1f trollble lillto tlte Lord ([Jul I/e IleaI'd
1//(', does Jonah use exal,tly the word,; of earlier Psallll
. Else-
where he ,'arks or amplifies them. aeC'ording to hi
own sp{'eial
C'ireum
taIH'es. Thus, where David :mid, "the wat{'rs are cOllie
ill, even unto mv soul," Jonah substitutes the word whidl de-
serihed be
t the' eondition frolU whieh God had delinred Mill,
"The water compassed me about, even to the
oul." "'here Da-
,'id said a, .. I alii cut qjr fl"Ulll before Thine eyes," expre
sing
an abidinp: condition, Jonah, who had for disobedicIH'e heen
east into the sea. uses the strong word, "b 1([111 ca,çt out from
I)('fore Thinp eycs." David say,;, .. I said in my ha,;te;" Jo-
Ilah
illlply, " J said;" for he had desernd it. Da,-id
aid c,
.. when my spirit was overwhelmed" or "fainted within me,"
Thull lillPll'est 1lI.1f path;" Jonah substitutes," "'hen my soul
fainted \\ ithin me, Irememhered tile Lord d j" for whcn he re-
belled, he forp:at Him. Hm-id said, "e 1 bate them that ohsern
lying nlIlitie
;" Jonah, who had him
df di
oheyed God, says
mournfully, .. f They that ohs('rw Irin
,-ani ties, forsake tlteir
Ol('ll mC1"l
If," i. e. thcir God, "'ho is Merc')".
.\ltogether, Jonah's thanks
.'i.,-ing is that of ont' whose mind
was stored with the Psalm,; whit'h were part of the pubJie-
wor
hip, hut it is the languag-e uf one who uses amI re-easts
tIlt'Ill freely, a
he was taug-ht of God, nut of one who copies.
1\0 UIW "erse is tak{'n entireh' from any P!"ahn. Th{'re are
orig-inal expres,;inns everywhere g. The ,,'ords, .. I "ent down
to the ('uttin1..':s-ofl' of the mountains;' "the !'ea-,n'ed bound
around m," h
afi; "the earth, its hars around me tilr e,-er;"
perhap,; tlie {'oral n'efs whit'll run ..long all that !'horc h, \'iviðly
{'xhibit him, sinking-,entang-led, impl"i
oned,as it S{'eIll
, iuextri-
c'ably : he goes un; we should expeet !'ome further deseription of
his
tate; but he adds. in five simple words " TllOlt hrnllgldest up
m.'llife .frolJl cOl"mptioll, () L';Jl"rl my God. ,,- ords, somewhat like
t hcse la4, oecur elsewhere J, t1lOlt hast brougld up 1II.1f ,wlllfrom
/tell, agreeiIlA' in the one word" brought up." ßut the ma-
je;:ty of the Prophct'
('OIu'eption is in the eonnectioIl of the
thuup:ht; the sea-weed was bound round his head as his grave-

'-N-:' -.-- -'::J 6 ---- -...:;> 7 ::J:"_
.--- -.-.-- ..-s- Ib '-,-, ---- 8 h" Consi
rl
;abie- q
'
l;titi
s 'of c
ral-aie f
u';d'in the-adj

el
;e;.:;' w: G. Br
"-;;
: writing of Jaffa:
Travels, p. 360. .. Coral-reefs run along the coast as far as Gaza, which cut the cables in
two, and leave the ships at the mere) of the the storms, None lie here on the coast,
"hich is fuller of strong surfs (brandill
,) and unprotect
d against the frequent West
"inds:' Ritter, ii. 399. ed. 1. I -;-;,1< ;-;.;-;, "r; :-:-::;-:
:;.
J Ps. LXX. 3.

doth('s; the
olid bar!' of the deep-rooted earth, were around
him. alld-(;od brought him up. .\1 tht' t']o!'t' of tht' thanl{!'-
g-ivin.l', Sah-atioll is tile Lord's, the delivcrarH'e is f'OInplt'ted,
as though God had only waited for thi!' .u't of f'muplete faith.
So could no ont' have written, whu had not him!'clf been de-
livered from !'uch an extrcme peril of dro" nin/!.', a
man eoulll
not, of himself, eseapc from. True, that no inHw;e
o well t'x-
pres!'e,; the m-erwhdmedness untlel' affiil,tion or temptation.
as t]1(' lwe!'
ure of storm by land, or hein
overflood('d hy the
wan's of the !oiea. Human poetry knows of ' 'a sea oftruubleo,;,"
or ., the triple wave ,}f e\ ils." It e
pres!'es hon we are simply
passÍ\-e and powerll"!'s under a trouble. whieh leaves us neither
hreath nor power of motion; und('r whieh we ean be hut still,
till, by God'!' merey, it (lasses. "". e a.re sunk, ov
rhead, d
('p
down in temptations. and the masterful eurrent I'" !'w('elnn

in eddies on
r us." Ofthi!' sort arc those ima
es whieh Jonah
took fl"llm the P",alm!'. But a de!'('ription s
minute as the
\rhole of Junah's, would be alleg-ory, not metaphor. ""hat. in
it, i!' most dcsl'riptiw of Jonah'", sitnation k, a!o; "bindin
of the
.,;ea-weed around the head, the sinkin
down to the roots of the
mountains. the bars of the earth around him," are Jleeuliar to
this thank!'
irin
of Jonah; the,' do not ol'eur elsewhere, for,
eXl'ept thr
ugh' miracle, they ,,-ould be images uot of p('ril
but of dcath.
The same ,'ividness. and the same steady direction to its end,
eharaeteris('s the rest of the bool{. CriÙes ha,-e wondered I,
win' Jonah does not sa", on what shore he was east furth,
"h
- he does not de!'crihe his long- journt'y tu Xinewh, or
tell us the name of the A!'S)Tian kin
, or what he himself did,
when his nIi,;sion was elo,;ed. Jonah speaks of himself, only
aJo relates to his mi,;!'ion, and Gud's teaehing through him: he
tells us not the l{ing's name. but hi,; deeds. The des.....iption
of the !'ize of :Xinewh relllarlmbly corresponds alike \\ ith
the ancient aeeounts and mudern im'esti
ations. Jonah de-
st'ribes it as "a dty of three days' journ
y." This ob,-iously
mean'" it" cireumferenee: for, unle!<s the "ity were a f'irde,
(as no cities are,) it would have no one diameter. .A person
might dest'ribe the an-rage leng-th and breadth of a city, but
110 one who gave an
one measure. by days or miles or any
other measure, ,rould mean any thing else than its eireumfer-
enee. Diodoru!' (probably on the authority of Ctcsias
stat('s
that "rn it was wdl-walled, of unequal length!'. Each of the
longer shle", was 1;)0 furlongs; eaeh of the shorter, !)lJ. The
whole I'Íreuit then heing 4t-iO furlongs [()O miles] the hope of
the founder was not disappointed. For no one aftern"ards
built a city of !<ueh compass, and with walls so magnifie('nt."
To Babylon" Clitarehus and the eompallions of .\lcxander in
their writingi:, as,,:igned a cÏreuit of 3(;.') furlung'
, adding' that
the number of furlon!::"s wa!oì confurmed to the number of davs
in the year n." Ctesia,;, in round numbel'
. "aIls them 36(fo;
Strabo,

K;) p. .All these a('eounts ag-ree with the
tatement of
Straho, " :Xinevch was much larg-er than Babylon q." The 6()
miles of Diodorus exaet]yeon'e,,:pond with the three days'jour-
nev of Jonah. .\ tranller of our own at the heginnin
of the
I jÏ:h eentury, J. (
art\\I"ig'ht, state
that with hi
own è
es he
traeed uut the ruinous foundations. and IÓns their dimen-
sion
. "r} t
eems hy the ruinous foundationL(wliÏch I thorough-
'!Jl'Ïell'ed) that it was built with four sides, but not equal or

k see below "n ii. 5.6. 1 Hitzig, Jona,
3. Jahn added, as the current objection., the
omissions," what ,ices prevailed in r\ineveh," [it is incidentally said, "violence," iii. 8.]
how Jonah b.rought þome to the in
"bitants the sense ot their guilt; by what calamity,

dcl
t
:":

ïi
h:
' 0\"t;6

l1
,ì::;:
t

t

e:
:nag

t

;e:h

i
\:
::
God's pardoninl( mercy to the penitent healhen. m ii. 3. So too Q. Curtius v. 4.
Q Diod. ii. i. 0 in Diod. I, c. p x,i. 1. 3. q lb. 3.

JüXA\H.

253

square. For the two longt'r !'ides had each of them (a" we

ucs
), 150 furlong:
, the two shorter side
ninety furlon
!',
whil'll alllllunteth to four hundrcd and ei
hty furlun

of
g-round. which makes three
f'ore miles, af'('(,untin
t'ight fur-
long-!< to an Italian mile." Xo one uf thl' four great llIllUllll
,
whkh He around thp site of andent :Xinen-h, Xilllrud, Kou-
)'ulljik. Klwrsahad, Karamles
, i!< of suffidcnt nwnu'nt or ex-
tent to he identifi('d with the uld Xint'H'h. But th(',- arc f'f)Jl-
lleeted tog-t'ther by tht' sam
'ness of tht'ir remains. . Tog-ether
thl'y form a parallclog-ralll, and thi", of exal't(y the dilllt'n-
"iun
a!'signed by Jonah. ". From the :Xurthern extn'mitv
of Koupllljik to Ximrnd, i
abuut It-i miles, the distam'e frUl;1
Xilllrud to Karalllles
, ahollt ]:?; the oppo!'ite sillt',;. the ",ame."
" A n"'ent tri
onollletrical sllr\-ey IIf the country by l:aptain
Jones pruves, I am infurmed," sap, Layard t, "that the !.:"reat
ruin!< uf Kouyunjik. Xilllrud, Karamlcss, and I\:Iwr!<abad form
,-ery nearly a pel.feet parallelog-ram."
This is perhaps also the e)!.planation, how,
eeill
its ('ir-
cumferenee was three dav!" journe\", Jonah entered a da\"'s
journey ill the dty and, at' the f,loo,;e fir the period, we find him
at the East side of the dty, the opposite to that at whieh he
had entercd.
lIi
preaching- seems to han la
ted only this one day. He
ll'ent, we are told, olle da.'l',
joll,.ne!J in tIle cit!J. The I,jO sta-
dia arc nearly 19 miles, a day's journey, so that Jonah walked
throug-h it froUl end to end, repeating- that une cry. which
God had cUIllmanded him to ery. ". e !'eem to see the
uli-
tary figure of tllP Pruphet, dothed, (as was the prophet's drc
s)
in that one rough garment of haircluth, utterin
the ('ry "hi"h
we almost hear, ecllOing- in
treet after
treet, "õd arbaim yom
\"t'nine"eh nehpát'heth ", "yet forty days and :Xin(',-eh 0\ er-
tllro" n." The words whif'h he says ht' eried and said, belong'
to that one dav onl\'. For on that one dav onl\". "as there
still a respite òfff)l"t
'1 days. In ulle day, thp'g-raeë
f God pre-
,'ailed. The conversion uf a whole peoIJle upon one day's
preaf'hing- of a single !'tl"ang-er, stand,; in eontrast with the
many year
dllrinp: whieh, God says u, since tlw (/a,1/ tlwt .'Iullr
fatllers Cll1ne fortll out of the lalld of Egypt unto tllis day, I
Iw/'e sent unto !JOIl all JI..'1 servants tlte jJropltets, daily rising
up earl.'1 and senc/in!: thl'm, ,1fet tlte.1I Itearkened not unto JIe.

Iany of us Im,-e wondered ,,-hat the Prophet did on the uther
thirty nine days; people ha,-e imagined the Prophet preaeh-
ing as muderns would, or telling them his own wondrou
"tory
of his de
ertion of God, his minwulOlI'" puni
hment, and. on
his repentanee, his miraculous dcli\'eranee. Jonah says no-
thing of this. The one puint he hroug-ht out wa,. the emn'er-
sion of the Kine, itcs. This he dwell.. on in eirt'Ulustantial
details, His own lJart he
uppre
s('!'; he 'rould he. like S.
John Baptist, but the vuiee of une erying in the wild waste of
a t'itv of ,iolenee.
Tliis !'imp]e Ul('

ag-e of Jonah bears an analogy to what we
find elsewhere in Holy Seripture. The g-reat preacher of re-
penta nee, S, John Baptist, repeated doubtless oftentiult's that
one cry x, Repent .'Ie, for t/le king(lom of hem'en is at Itallr/.
Onr Lord nmeh!'afed to be
in His o,,-n offiee with those !'clf-
!"ame word,; Y. And IJrubahÌ y , among the eÏ\-ili"pd but I"a,'agc
inhahitants ofXine,-eh, that one ery wa.. mure impressÏ\e than
any other would ban been. Simplieity is always impres
ive.

r Mr. John Cartwright, The Preacher's Travels, :Kine,eh, c. 4. Lord Oxford's Collec-
tion, i. 745. London,li-l,j, abridged in Purchas, T. ii. p.l-1ó5. . La}ard, è\ine,eh,
P. 2. c. 2. T. ii. p. 2-4i. note. t r\inev. and Bab. p.l;.tu. c.'pt. Jones,
although treating Ctesias' account as fabulous, slates "the entire circuit is but 61l
English miles." Topograph) ofKine,eh,Journ. ..h. Soc. T. X\.p. 303. See Plan, p. 234.
Q Jer. vii. :!.3, add I;
. xi, i. x>.\.3,4. 'uvj. 5. x"i".19. x>.xii.33. xxn.11, 15.
JJiv.4. " S. :\Iatt. iij. 2, 7 lb. iv. 1;. S. )lar\. i. 13.

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MAP OF" THE ENVIRONS
OF' NINEVEH.

REDClC';D 'RON THE T/f/CONONETRICA L SURVEY
MADE BY FELIX JONES, INDIAN NA VY,
AIDED BYJ,M.HYSLOP,M, D.

IXTRODUCTION TO JOX.AH.

Thev were four words whieh God raused to be written on the
wali amid neh,hazzar's impiuus revelry'; J.1Ielle, melte, teke!,
uplwrsill. ""e all remember the touehing' history uf Je
us
the son of .\nan, an unlettered rustic', who, "afoul' J('ars before
the war, when Jerusalem was in eomplete pea('e and afflu-
enee," burst in on the people at the feast uf talwruades "ith
oue oft-repeated ery, ".\ voi('e from the East, a voiee from
the 'Yest. a voiee from the {'(}HI' "inds. a voiee on J ('rusalem
and the temple, a voiee on the brideg'rooms and the brides,
a voiee on the wholc people;" huw he wcnt about throug'h all
the lanes of the city, repeating', day and ni!!ht, this one er)O;
ami when seourged until his hones were laid bare, eehoed every
lash with" woe, woe, to Jerusalem," and continued as hi" daily
dirg'e and his one response to daily g'oud or iU-tn'atmt'nt, "woe,
woe, to Jerusalem." The mag'istrates and even the cold Jose-
phus thonght that there was !"omething in it abo,'e nature.
In Jeru!'alem, no etl'cet was produecd, beeause they had
filled up the measure of thcir sins and God had abandoned
them. All conversiun is the work uf the g-raee of God. That
of Xinen-h remains, in the histury of mankind, an insulated
instanee of Gml"s overpowering- g-raee. All whieh can be point-
ed out as tu the hook of Jonah, is the latent suitableness of the
instruments employed. ". e know from the Cuneiform In!<erip-
tions that .\ss'Tia had heen for surcessÍ\'e
enerations at war b
\\ ith Syria. kot until the time of h'alush
r pule, the Assyrian
monareh, probably, at the time of Jonah'" mission, do we find
them tributary to .\ssvria. Thev were hereditary enemies of
A
s
Tia, and p'robably their ehiefopponents on the"Xorth East.
The breaking- of thcir power then, under Jeroboam, whieh
Jonah had t'(,retold, had an interest for the AS!<
Tians; and
Jonah's prol,hecy ami the fart uf its fulfilment may ha,'e
reached them. The history of his own deliveranee, we know
from our Lord's own words, did reach them. He u:as a S
!{11 d
ulitn tlie -,-Yinel'ites. The word, under whi('h he threatened their
destruetion, pointed to a miraeulous (I\'erthrow. h was a
turning upside down e, like the on'rthrow of the fixe eities of
the plain which are known throug'hout the Old Testament f,
and still throug-hout the :\Iohammedan East, by the same
name, "ahnoutaphikat g, the o,'erthrown."
The .\ssyriaus also, amidst their eruelties, had a
eat re-
verelH't' for tlU'ir gods, and (as appears from the inseriptions)
a
('rihed to them their national greatness h. The variety of
ways in whieh this is ð.pressed. impli('s a far more personal
belief, than the statements whit'll we find among' the Roman!;,
and would pnt to shame almost every En
lish manifesto. or the
speeehe
put into the mouth of the Qut'en. They may have
been, tl\('n, the more prepart'd to fear the prophe('y of tlwir
de!<truetion from the true God. Lavanl relates that he has
,. known a Chri:.:tian prit'st fri
hten a' whole )[us
ulman town
to rt'pentam'e, by proclaiming- that he had a Divine mission to
announee a euming earthquake or plag-ue i ."
The
e may have be{'n predisposing- causes. nut the com-
pletenes
of the repentanee, lwt outward only, but inward,
"turning' from their e,-i\ wav," is in its e:\.tent, nnexampleù.
Tlw fa(.t ce
ts on the autl{ority' of One greater thall Jonah.
Our Lord relates it as a fa('t. He ('ontrasts people with peo-
ple, the penitent heathell with the impenitent Je\\ s, the in-

· Dan. v. 25. · Jos. de B. J. vi. 5.3. b see above on Am. i. 3. p. l,ji. eRa...!.
Herod. i. luG, 7. d S. Luke xi. 30. e as Judl(. vii. 13. Job ix. 5. xxviii. 9. f Gen.
xix. 21, ::!;';. Deut. xxix. 2:J. Am. iv. 11. Jer. xx. 1(,. Lam. iv. 6. g from Cor. ix. 7l.
liii. 53.lxix. 9. h TI
us in one inscription, " Ashur, the ((her of sceptr.-s and croons,
tl
e appomter of soverelgnt);" .. the gods, the guardians 01 the kingdom of Tiglath-
plleser, jl;a\e jI;O\ernment alld laws to my dominions, and ordered an elliarged fromier to
my territory";" "the) wirhhp]d the tribute due to Ashur my Lord õ" the exceeding lear of
the P'?\\er of .\shur, my Lord, o\ernhelmed them; my valiant senants (orpo\\ertul anns)
to wlüch Ashur, the Lord gave strength." "In the sen ice ot m
Lord Ashur;" "\\ horn Ash-

')--
_.>ð

ferior messeng-er who pre,'ailed, with Him!'elf, '''110m His own
received not. k TIle men of
Yillel'elt shalt rise up u,ith thi..,
generatiolt alld slwll condemn it, because they repellted at tlu:
preaching ({f JOllas, and behold. a greater thall Jmms is /rere.
The chief !oÕuhjeet of the repentalll'e of the Xine\'ites agrees
also remarkablv with their ehara('ter. It is mentioned in the
proclamation ot' the king and his nobles, "let them turn evcry
one from his evil way ami from tile l'iolnU"e that i.. in their
hands." Out of the whole eatalo/.,'1le of tlwir sins, ('(lIlsrience
sing-led out 1'iolence. This Ïr1l'idl'ntal notice, ('untained in the
onc word, exadly cOiTesponds in !;ubstanre \\ ith the fuller de-
seription in the Prophet X ahum, " 1 "'(Ie to thc hlollfly eity; it
is all full of lies and robbery; th(> prey d('lmrtcth not." "mThc
lion did tear in pieees enoug-h fur hi
whelps, and strang'led
for his lionesses, and filled hi!oÕ holes" ith pre.1f and hi..; dens \\ ith
rm';n." "n Cpon whom hath not thy wickedness [ill-doing]
}mssed ('ontinually?" ,. The .\ssyrian re('ord
," says La)ard 0,
"are nothin
hut a dry regbt{'r of military campaigns, spoli-
ations and eruelties."
The dircI,tion that the animals al
o
hould he included in the
common mourning-, was aceording to the analllg'Y of Eastern
eustom. "'hen the Persian
eneral :\Jasi
tiu
fell at the hat-
tie of Platæ'a p , the" whole arn
v and
Iardoniu" ahm-e all, madc
a mourning, sl1m'illg the1n.
eh';s, alld the horses, and tile he([st.

of burdell, amid surpa
sin
wailing-- Thus the Barbarians
after their manner honoured :\Iasistius on his death." .\lex-
ander imitated apparently the Persian ('ustom in his mourn-
ing- for Hephæstion q. The charact{'ristic of the mourning' in
eat'h ease is, that they inl'1uded the animal.. in that same moul"Il-
in
which they made themselves. The Xine\"Ítes had a right
feding-. (as God HiJII
clf says) that the mereies of God were
over man and hea
t r; and so they joined the heasts" ith them-
seh'cs, hoping- that the Creator of all would the rather have
merev on tlwir common distress. · His tellder mercies are Oller
all His u'orks : t Tholl, Lord, shall sm'e both man ami hea.
t.
The name of the king eannot yet be ascertained. nut since
this mission of Jonah fell in the later part of his prophetic
office, and so probably in the latter part of the reign of Jero-
Iwam or e,'en later, the A!"syrian king- was prohably Ivalush
III. or the Pul ufIIuly Scripture. Jonah'
human fears would,
in that ease, have been soon fulfilled. For Pul wa!< the first
As
wrian )Jonarch throug-h whom Israel wa;; weakened; and
Gmi had foreshewn hv Al
WS that thmug-h the third it would
bc destroyed. Chara
teristic, on aCcoUl;t of the earnestne
s
which it implies, is the ac('ount that the men of Xine,-ch pro-
elaimed the fast, hettlre tiding-s rearhed the king- himself.
This i;; the plain meaning' of the word
; yet on a('{'Ullnt of the
obviuus diffieultv the\' lUH"c been rendered, ane! Il'ore! Iwd come
to the king u . Tile ae('ount is in harmony \\ ith that nlst c,-tent
ofthe ('it). as of nahylon, of which ""the resident
related that,
after the outer portions of the city were tahen, the inhahitant

of the central part did not lmow that they were taken." It
could sl'itrt'elv ha,-e oecurred to tine who did not know the fart.
The history of Jonah, after (;od had spared Xinewh, has
the same charaeteristic t01U'hes. He ka,-es his own charac-
ter unexplained, its severity rehuked b) God, unexcused and
un palliated. He had some special repugnance to be the mes-

ur and
il)ep have exalted to the utmost wishes of his heartõ'...the great gods, guardians
ofm) steps," &c. Journ. -\-siat. Soc. 1860. x\iii. p. Hicl,8. IiU,cI,fi. (and others Iì2,I!,lbtl,1.)
19::!,8. ::!Ol;, 10. H.and Ra\\l. Herod. i..15i. 5Si.andnote ì. .
lIle\. and Bab
l. p. (j:3::!.
note. k S.
Iatt. xii.H. I iii.I. m ii. 12. D iii. 19. 0
ille\eh and Bab. þ.631.
p Hcrod. ix. ::!4. Plutarch Aristid.c. H. see Ra\\linson's note on Her. T.iv. p.40l.
q l'lutarcb Alex. C. i2. .. he commanded to sha\e a\l the ho,,*,s and mules, as mourn-
ing." r See on Joel i. 2ü. 1'.111. . l's. exlv. 9. · Ib.xxx\i. i. u The Vulg. has
rightlv, "et pervcnit." Lap.de explains this \\Tollgly, "icl est, quia penenerat," The E, V.
smooths tltediffieulty wrongly b) rendering, .. For \\ord came." · Herod. i. 191.
ss2

2;'6

IXTROD
cTIOX TO

f'cng('r of merC'v to the Xin(',-it('s. For t!lis calise, he
avs to
Gml. Ij/ecf be.r(J
'(' to Tars/lislt; fur I kllew tlwt TIIfJIl art a'mer-
c
r/(I God, alld r('jJellte.
l Tliee of tlie e"il. The ('irc'um
tances
of hi,; time explain that r('pU!!nallC'e. He had already he('n
employed to prophef'Y the partial restoration of the boundari('s
of l';I'ael. Ill' was the contemporary of Ho,;ea whu foretold
uf hi,; people, the ten triht's Y, tile.'! slmllllut dll'ell in tIle Lord's
Imul, tlw.'1 sliall eat llllcleall t/lings ill .d.
.
.'lria. God. in g-i,-ing
him his eommi",;ion to go to
ine\.t'h, the C'apital of .hsyria,
and cr.'1 agaillst it, as,;igned as the rea"on, for its ll'Í('kedlles.
is
collie lIjJ /n/ore .lIe; word,; whic'h to Jonah would
u!.!'g-e"t the
memon' of the wickednt'ss of Sodom and its destruction.
Jonah ;,'a,; a Prophet, but he wa" also an h;l"aelite. lIe was
eomnwmkd hy Gocl to ('all to rel'entanee the capital of the
(,clllntry by which hi,; own people, nay the people of his God,
wel"e to be ('arried eaptive. And he relwlled. Ire know more
of the love uf God than Jonah; for we lla,-e known the lo\'e
of the Inearnation and the Rpdemption. And yet. were it
IlHuI(' known to us, that some European or .biatie people were
tu earry our own p('ople eapth-e out of our land, more than would
be willing to C'oufess it of themselve,;, (whatp\'er senst' they
mig-ht haw of the awefulnes of God',; judl!mt'nt!O. andwhatewr
feelin!!s IwlclIlging to our eumnwn humanity,) would still in-
wardly n'joice to hear that sueh a ealamity as the earthquake
at Lif'bon hefell its capital. [t is the instin('t of self"preserva-
tiun and the implanted lon' of c'ountry. Jonah's murmnring-
relatecl solei v to God's mere,- ,;hewn tu them a" to this world.
For the Xin'e\'ites had rel'ëntcd, ami so were in the g-raC'e of
God. The older of us l"('mt'mher what awefuljoy wa3 felt when
that three days' mortal strife at Leipzig- at len
th was won, in
whieh JOï,OOO were ldlled or wounded z; or when out of6-lï,OOO
men who swept aC'ro,;,; Europe (a nm,;!< larger than the whole po-
pulation of Xi neve h) only "
;;, 000 e!'c'al'ed; l:!.j, 000 were slain
in battle, la
,OOO perished by c'old, fatigue and famine s." A
few )'ears ago, how weI"C Sebastopol and the Krimea in men's
mouths. althoug-h that war i,; reputed to ha,'e cost the five na-
tions involved in it 700,000 lives, more, probably, than all the
inhabitants of Xineveh. :\Ien forget or abstract themsclws
from all the indh-idual sufft'rinl!s. amI think only (If the l"('sult
of the whole. A humane historian says uf the battlp of Leip-
zil! h, "a prodigious "aerifiee. hut one whic'h, g"reat as it was. Im-
manity has no cau,;e to regret, for it delivered Europe from
Freneh hondag-e. and then-m'ld from rt'volutionarv ag-!rressiclII."
H(' f'a
s on the RUf'sian eampaig-n ofXapoleon ie, ,,'the faith-
ful thruu/!hnut Europe repeated the word... of the Psalm,
Effiavit Deus et dissipantur."
Look at Dr. ArnoM's description of the i,;.sue of the Russian
campaign. ..d Still the flood of the tide rOf'e hight'r and hig-her
and e\'ery suc'eessÍ\'e wa,-p of its advanee f'wept away a kin/!-
dom. Earthly state has never readlt'd a prouder pinnaelt',
than when Xapoleun in June, 1812, g-athered his army at Dres-
den, that mighty host, unequalled in all time, of 450,000, not
lllt'n mcrely but, eflh,th-e soldier,;, and there reeeh-ed the hom-
age of suhjeet king-f'. And now, what was the principal ad-
vel'sary of this tremendous power? by whom was it eheC'ked,
resisted, amI put down? ny none, and by nothing but the di-
reC't and manifest interposition of God. I know no languag-e
so well fitted to de,;('ribe tllP ,-ietorious ad, anee to
Io;;eow,
and the utter humiliatiun of the rt'treat, as the lang-uag-e of
the prophet with respeet to the advanee and suhsequent de-
stnlC'tiun of the ho,;t of St'nnaf'herib. Irhen tJley arose
early in the murning, he/wid they 1/'cre all dead corpses, ap-

7 ix.3. . Ali
on, Hi
t. of Europe, c. 81. T. "ii. p. 25.5. . lb. c. ;3. T. xi.l!J9. c. ; l.
Ib.2:!J. b .'-lisoll,l.c. c Alis.xi.213. d Leetureiii. p.liï-9. e "Worùsofthe

plied almost literally to that memorable night offrost in whic'h
:!O,OOO hor"es p(.rished, and the strength of the Freneh army .
was utterly bruken. Human in"trunwnts no doubt were em-
ployed in tile remainder of the work, nor would I deny to G('r-
many and to Rus!<ia the
dories of that great year ItH:
, nor to
Eng"land the honour of her, ieturies in
pain or uf the C'rown-
ing vietory of "'at{'rloo. llut at the distanC'e of thirty)-ears
those who livcd in tll(' time of danger and n'memher its mag-
nitude, and now cahnlv review what there was in human
strength to a"ert it, nll
st ac'knowiedge, I thinl{, heyond all
contrm't'rsy. that the deliveranee of Europe from the dominion
of Kal'uleon was eflh,ted neither by RU
sia nul' hy (;('rnHmy
nor hy England, hut by the hand of God alone." Jonah pro-
bably pieturecl to himself !'Cllne sudden and almost painlef''; de-
struetiun whidl the word, ol'erthrull'lI, SU
!:
csted, in which tht'
whule dty would be eng-ulphed in an instant and the }lower
,,-hirh threatened his p('oplt', the people of God, brok('n at OIH'e.
God reproved Jonah; hut, before man c'ondemns him, it were
well to think, what is thp pre,'ailing" fet'ling in Christian na-
tions, at any signal ealamity whic'h befalls any pt'oplp who
threatt'n their own power or hunur ;-we eannot, in Chris-
tian times, !Oay, their e
istence. "Junah," SIY!< an old tra-
ditional f'aying- among the .Jews e, "sought the honour of the
son, [Israt'IJ amI sought not the honour of the Fatht'r."
An unin"pired writer would dClUbtless at least ha,-e brought
out the relie,-ing points uf Jonah's character, anclnot have
left him under the unmitigatt'd een"ure uf God. Jonah tells
the plain truth of himself, as S.
Jatthew relat{.s hif' own deser-
tion of his Lord among the Apustles, or S.
Iark, under the
guidalU'e of S. Peter, relates the' great fall of the g-reat .\pustle.
.\mid this, Jonah remains the same throughout. It is ont'
r,;trong" impetuuus will, bent on having" no share in that which
was to bring destrut'tion un his people, fearle,;s of death and
ready to g-ive up his life. In the same mind he gh-es him-
s('lf to dpath amid the storm, and, when his mission was ae-
C'ompli"lwd, asks for death in the words of his great prede-
eessor Elijah, when he fled from Jeze1wl. Ht' probably jUf'ti-
fied his impatienee to himself by the prt'C'edent of so grpat a
prophet. nut althoug-h he C'omplainf', he complains to God of
Him"elf. IIaving' f'Cllnplained, Jonah wait,;. It may be that
he thought, although Gud did not execute lIis jud/!ments on
the 40th day, He might still fulfil them. l-h. had bt'en aef'US-
tomed to tht' thuught of the long-suffcring of God, delaying
p,-en when lIe strud{ at last. "Considering- with himselt
" says
Theodorui', ..the greatnes" of the threat, he imagined that sCllne-
thing might pen'hanee "till happen e"en after this:' The pa-
tienee of God amid thp Prophd's impatienee, the still, gentle
inquiry, (su('h as He often puts to the eonsl.ienee now.) Ðoest
tllOll u'cll to he angry? and lIis final C'onvidion of the Prophet
out of his own feclin!.!'f' towards oue of God's inanimate crea-
tures, none would liave ventured to picture, who had not
lmown or experieneed it.
In rcgard to the miraC'lef' in Jonah's history,o,'er and abm'e
the fa{.t, that they oeeur in Huly S('ripturt', we have our Lord's
own word for their truth. He has sct lIis seal on the whole
of the Old Testament f; He has direC'tly authentiC'ated by His
own Diyine authority the physic'al miraelp of Jonah's preser-
,-ation for three dayi' and nights in the bellv of tht' fil'h g, and
the vet
Teater moral miraèle of the conversion of the :\ine-
vitt's". 'He sp{'aks of them both, as fact!'!, and of the stay of
Jonah in the fish's belly, as a type of His own stay in the heart
of the earth. He speaks of it al...u as a miraculous sign i.

Rabbies of blessed memory." Kim. 011 Jon. i. f S. Luke xxiv. 2-1,. g S. )Iatt. xii. 40.
h lb. 41. S. Luke xi. 32. i S. Matt.
ü. 38.10. S. Luke xi. lG, 29, 30.

The
crihe
and Phari
ee
, unahle to an
wer His refutation
of their hla..;phemy, imputin
His mir<u'I('
to Bcelzebub, a,.k-
cd of Him a mira('ulous !-i
n k from [h'a\"en. Probahh', thev
meant to a"k that one sig
l, for whi('h tlll'Y wer'e ahnl)
'; ('I'a,:-
ing. ContiJluuling" Hi" fir"t Coming" \\ ith His ,.eeond, and inter-
11l'eting-, <u'eording- to thpir wi
h('!<, 111' Hi" first ('omin
all
which the propll('t" forpto}d of tlU' Sccond, they wcre ever
looking- out for that IIi
('umin
in glory ll'Ïtll t!ie clouds of
Ilem'ell l . to humble, as they thou/.:'ht. their own as \n'U as His
enpmies. Our Lurd an,.,wers, that this their cra,'ing for a sign
wa" part of their faithlc

ne

, An el'il aud adulterou,v gene-
ration seeketll after a sigu ; and t!iere slUlI! 110 s
!.{n be gil'ell
them, bitt ti,e sigll of ti,e Prophet JO/las. lIe use
three times
their' 0\\ 11 word sign. He speak
of a miraculou

ig-n, the sigll
o/.To/las, a mirade which wa
the
ig-n of something- heyond
itself. h For as .Jonas 1{,(1.
tllree da.l/s and tluTe lIigMs ill tile
11'lwle's belly, so s!iall the SOil of .Jlll1l be tI,ree days allli three
nigMs in tllP heart of tlte em.th. lIe gm'e them a sign from
earth, not from IIeann; a mirat.lc of humility, not of glory;
of dclivcrarwe from death, and, a
it were, a resurn'etion. .A
sigll,
ueh a>: Holy Scripture speaks of, need not at all timcs
be a miraculous, hut it is always a real. sign. l
aiah and hi

sons, by rcal names. gh-en to them hy God. or the prophet by
his walking- barefoot, ur Ezekiel by "pnbulic aet", were "i
ns ;
not b\' miraeulou!< hut still b\' real acts. In this ea
e, the Jew

aske(i for a miraenlou
sigli; onr Lord prollli
es them a mi-
raculous sign. althou!!:h not one sUI.h as the\' wished for, or
whieh wouid sati!<fy them; a miraculuus sign, of whieh the mi-
racnlous pre
er'-ation of Jonah was a type. Our Lord
ays.
.. h,Tonah (('as three da,-" and three ni
hts in the whale's hell\'."
and no one who reali y bclie,-es in Him, dare think that'llC
was nut.
It i
perhaps a part of the "implicity of ,Jonah's narratin,
that he relates the
e great miraeles, as natura})y as he doe" the
mo
t ordinary ennt
. To God nothin
is g-reat or small;
and the Prophet, deeply as he feel
God'
merey, relates the
means which God cmployed, as if it had been one of tho
e
enry day mirades of His puwer and 1m-e. of which men think
so little beeause God \\ orketh them e\'erv dav.
God prepared a grcat .fìsh, he say", (;
d p;'epared a palm-
christ; r;od prepared a ((,01"IIl; r;orl prepared a 'uliement East
teiud. \\'hethcr Jonah relate
God':o; ordinarv or His e:-..traor-
dinary "orkinA's, Hi
working;; in the way in whieh He up-
hohleth in being the creature" uf His "ïll, or in a way whieh
im-oh-es a mirade, i. e. God's aetin
in "ome unusual way, ,Jo-
nah relate" it in the same way, with the same simplieity of
tnltll. His mind is fixed on God's Pro,idenee, and he re-
lates God's a('t
, as they bore upon (;od's Prm-idential (kal-
in
s \\ ith him. lIe tells of God'1'Ò preparing the East "'ind
n-hieh smote the ImlnU'hr;st. in the "ame way in whieh he
!'peaks of the supernatural gro\\ th of the palnwhrist, or of
(Tod's Prm-ideuce, in apl)Ointing that the fi"h should swallow
him. He mentions this, which wa" in the order of God's Prm i-
den('e; he nowhere stups to tell us the .. how." How trod
eonnr'ted the Xinedtes, ho\\- He su4ained his life in tllP fi
h's
belly, he tells not. He mentions only the great faets theUl-
seh'es. and lea,-e>: them in their mysterious greatne;;s.
It i
not strang-e, that heathen Sl'otfer
fixed upon the physi-
eal miracl('s in the history of Jonah for their scorn. They

k af1/JEioll. 1 Dan. vii. 13, H. S. )fatt. xvi. 2ï.xxiv. 30. xxvi. 64. S. Luke x'Ci.2,.
1 Thess, iv. 16. Rev. i, ï. m KÏj-rO'. D K,!-rwð,!. 0 ð'Àtþi"á. -r, Kv"a.
'TE lI.ai ;LTO'TE "Lfi
ov Ë^7)"Ta& Kij'TOÇ. Od. xii. 3;.. p Hi
t. Anim.. iii. :!u. T.. ii. :!:)8..
q de alim. fac. ili. 3.. T.iv. 3-19. Sostratus in Athen. vii. 66. sa}s that" the Pelamus
(a tunny)" h,.n exceeding large is called ..ij-ro.... r Lex. Y. ..apxapía.. . Halieut.
1.3ü0-3b2. · The tV'j'a,,,a, Àáp.Ißj or Àú/"a (our "lamia ") KW"TPív'I" 'j'C<).'õ"

JOX..\H.

2.')7

could have no appreciation of the great moral miraple of th('
('onversion of a whl/le Heathen citv at the voice of a single
unknown Prophet.
UI'h a ('(IIlH'r;ion is unexampled in the
whole revelation of {;od tu man,
Teater in it!oÒ immediate ef-
f('(,ts than the miracle of the ()av of Pente('o"Ì. ßefore thi"

tupendou
powcr of God's grac'e u, er the unruly \\ ill of sa-
va
c. yet edueated, men, the physieal miradc
, Irreat as they
are, shrink into uothinlr. The widding' and swaying- of half
a million of human wills, and turning thpIII from Satan to God,
is a power of I-'Ta('e a
Jl)lll'h ahm'e and beyond all ('han
es of
the unrpsistin
physieal ('reation, a
the spirits and intclli-
/!ell('c
whi('h Gud has ercated arc higher than insl'ntient mat-
ter. Physical Jl)irade
arc a new exen'i
e of the ereatÏ\-e pow-
er of (;U(l: the mm'al Jl)ira('lc
were a !'ort of first-fruit of the
re-ereation of the Gentile world. Phn;ieal mirades "ere the
simple e"\.erci
e of the "ïll of {;od ; tl;e moral mirades were,
in the"e hundred" ofthonsamb. Hi
o"erpowerin
graee, pour-
ing it.;plf into the heart of rebellious man and re-crcating" it.
.\s many
oub as there were, Sll many mirades were tht're,
greatcr even than the ('reation of man.

The mirac'les too arc in harmony with the nahll'e around.
The IIe'hrew", who were, at thi" til;le, not a maritime people,
sean'cly knew probably of those va...t nwn
ter", whieh our ma-
nifold re!ieardles intu God'
animal kinlrdom ha,-e laid open
to us. Jonah "peaks only of a greatfìslt. The Greek word no,
by whkh the LXX translated it, and whieh our Lord used, i
,
(like uur .. eetacea" whit'll is taken from it,) the name of a ge-
nus, not of any individual fish. It is the equivalent of the
greatfìsh of Jonah. The Greeks u
e the adje('th-e", as we do,
but thev al
o use the suh
tantÏ\'e whi('h oeeUr
in S. )Iatthew,
Thi
de.
ig-nates a cla
s which includes the whale, but is ne,-er
used to de
ig"nate the whale. In Humer o , it inelude" dolphins
and the" dog." In the natural hi
torìans, (as Aristutle P,) it
designates the whole class of sea-ereature
whidl are vivipa-
rous, .. as the dolphin. the seal, the whale;" Galen q add
the
Zy
æna (a
hark) and lar
e tunnies; Phutius says that" the
Car('harias," or white
haI'k," is a specie
of it r." Oppian
re('Olmts. as belongin
to the Cete, sewral species of sharks t
and whales u, some with names of land animal
x, and also
the blaek tunnies Y. _Elian enumerates mOst of these under
the same head z. Our Lord's words then would he renden'd
more literally, ill the .fìsll's bel/.lI., than in tlie ll'ha!e's bel(11.
Infidels seizcd eag-eriv on the fa{'t of the narrowne
s of the
whale's throat; their em-il applied only to an in('orreet render-
ing" of modern "ersillns. Pi
h, of !<udr size that they can swal-
Iowa man whole, and whieh are...o formed a
naturally to
swallow their prey whole, have been fuund in the )Jediterra-
nean. The white shark, haying teeth merely ÏIwi.;Ï\-e, ha
no
ehoiee, except hetwepn swallowing its prey whole, or eutting-
oft' a portiun of it. It eannot Ilold its prey, ur swallow it
pieeemeal. Its yoracity leads it to swallow at once all which
it ('an b . Henee Otto Fabricius relates.," it
wont i
to swallow
do" n dead and, sometimes abo, Ih-ing men, whieh it finds in
the sea."
A natural historian of repute relates d , "In 1758 in stormy wea-
ther a sailor felt overhoard from a frigate in the )!editprranean.
A shark wa,.; do
e hy, whkh, as he was s\\ immin
and erying-
for help, took him in his wide throat, ;;0 that he forthwith dis-
appeared. Other sailors had leapt into the sluop, to help their

åKa,,/Jía., )..;o.,p',,'1, and probably the ....ápða;\... D The tþ{,aa;\o., (i. q. ph}'seter
Linn.) and ?rp;'a'T
ç. So XiwlI,1I"áp-'aAi.ç, KpI.OÇ, üaUla, -Y"^lÓÇ, a....vp.Jloç.
7 /,.Àa,,8vII"'''. . de animal. ix. 49. · S.
Iatt_ xii, 40. b "It swallow,;
even thing ..ithout che"iug." P. du Tertre. Hist. des Antilles,ii. 203.
R;t:

uK:r?:

IL
c:"th
11: p. 2G8. quoted b
-

h
r
;
k
cl

I

;:;

;:i.stem d.s

2'>8

IKTRODUcTION TO

comrade, while yet swimming; the eaptain had a g-un whieh
!<ton d IIn the de('k dis('har
('d at the fish, "hi('h struek it so,
t hat it ('a
t nut the !<ailor which it had in its thruat, who was
taken up, ali,-e amllittlc iujured, hy the sloop whi('h had now
eome up. The fi:,;h was hal'pooned, taken up on thc frigate
and dried. The eaptain madc a present of the fish to the sai-
lor whn, hy God's Providt'nce, had heen
o womkrfully prescr"-
cd. The sailor went round Europe exhihitin
it. lie eame
to FrarH'onia, and it was puhli('ly exhibited here in Erlang-en,
as al!<o at
Ilrnberg" and othcr places. The dried fi"h was de-
lineated. It was :!O feet long", and, with expanded fins, nine
feet wide, and weip:hed :J92-1 pounds. From all this, it is pro-
hahlc that this was the fish of .Jonah."
This is bv no means an iusulatcd a('eount of the size of this
fish. Hlum{'nba('h estates, "the white shark, or Canis .('ar('ha-
rias, is found of the size of 1O,(1){) Ihs, and horscs have heen
found whole in its stomaeh." A writer of the 16th ('enturv
on .. the fish of Marseilles f" says, "they of l\ïce attested t

me, that they had taken a fish of this sort, apprmu'hing to
40()U Ills weip:ht, in whose hody they had found a man whule.
Thosc of
Iarseilles told smncthinp: similar, that they had once
taken a Lamia (:';0 they still popularly ('all the Carchariils) and
found in it a man in a coat of mail [Iorieatus.]" Rondelct
says, "g sometimes it g-rows to sueh size, that, pla('ed on a ear-
ria:.?:e, it ean hardlv be drawn hv two horses. Ilun-e seen one
of ;llOderate !<ize, 'whidl weig-hcd 1000 Ibs, and when di"em-
bowt'lled amI cut to pieces, it had to he put on two carriages."
" I have seen on the shure of Saintonge a Lamia, whose mouth
and throat were of sueh vast size, that it would easily swallow
a larp:e man."
Riehardson h, speaking of the white shark in N. Ameriea,says
that tlJ('Y attain the leup:th of :
O feet, i. e. a 3rd larger than
that whieh swallowed the sailor whole. Lacepède speaks of
fish of this kind as "more than 30 feet long- i ." "The eon tour,"
he midsk. .. of the upper jaw of a requin of:JO feet, is about 6fcet
lonp:; its !<wallow is of a diamet('r proportionate."
"I In all modern works ou Zoology, we find :JO feet given
as a eUIllmon leng-th for a shark's bodv. Now a shark's body
is usuallv onlv ahuut elC\"en time:. thc'length of the half of its
lower ja;,'. ëOJlSe(lnently a !<harl{ of 3Ù feet would hm'e a
lowcr jmv of nearly six feet in its semieireular extcnt. Even
if !<u('h a jaw as this wa,.; uf hard hony ('onsistclU'e instead of
a yipidinp: eartila/ÓJlous nature, it would qualify it!< possessor
for engulphing- one of our own spceÍcs most ea,.;ily. This power
whi('h it has by virtue of its cartilap:inous sl{cleton, of stretch-
ing hemliug' and
'iehlinp:, enahles us tu umler:;tand how the
sharh ('an swallow eutire animals as lar
e or larg-er than uur-
seln'!<. Such an ÏIH'ident is related to have oeeun:edA.D. 1802,
on tI'e authority of a Captain Brown who found the body of
a woman entire with the execption of the head within the sto-
mach of a shark killed bv him at Surinam lll."
In the Mediterranean'there arc traces uf a yet Iarg-er race,
nowextinet n . "0 However Iarg(' or dang-erous the existing ra('e
may be, yet from the magnitude of the fossil teeth found in 1\1al-
e :Katurgesch. v. S'lualus, Carcharia.. f P. Gyll. de Gal!. el Lat. nom. pisco
:Massi!. c. !i!J. A.D, 1;;;\5. g de piscib. xiii. I:"!. relerred to by Bochart.
h Fauna Boreali-Americana, p.289. i LaceI'. Hist. des Poissons. i. p. 180.
. k I
. p. 191. "'V e have ascertained, from .everal comparisons, that the contour of one

I

\;h:
s:h':

i

I
heÔ
;I

:I

:
il

St

e :
;'
i
:t':
er
:J'i

1tondelet and other authors. that large re'luins can swallow a man who
e." I ;\1 S.
statement furnished me by Dr. Rolleston, Linacrc Prof. Oxford. m Buffon ed. C"
S
mnini" POio;sOIl.S, iii: J? W. E
I. 180:\' . n This appears fron.' the fo!lowing statement
wIth wluch Prof. PhIllips has )..mdly furmshed me. "The earhcst notIce of them which
has met my e
'e is in Scilla's very curious work, La vana Speculazione d;singa,mata.
l' apoh, IGiO. Tav. iii. fig. ]. gives a fair view of some of their teeth" hich are stated
t? have becr; found in 'un Sa'so <Ii :\Ialta'; he rigbtly enouJ!'h calls them teeth of Lamia
(I. e. Shark) petrified. Mr. Bowerbank, in Iteports of the Brit. Associ.ltion, 18.31, giws

ta and elscwhere, some ofwhidl measure 4
ivehes from the
point to the ba!'e, ami n ilU'he.. from the point to the all
le, the
animal to whi('h thcy bclun
ed, mu!'t have mudl ex('eeded the
present !<pecies in
ize." "The mouth of a fi!o'h of this
ort,"
says Blo('h P, "is armed with 400 teeth of this Idrul. In the
Isle of Malta and in Si('ily, their teeth arC' found in gTeat num-
bers on the shore. :Katuralists of old tool{ them for tongues
of serpents. They are so cum pact that, after having- ren;ain-
ed for many centuries in the earth, they are not y(.t decayed.
The (luantity and !<ize uf those whi('h are fuund, proves that
these ereatureli existed formerly in gTeat number", and that
some were of extraordinary size. If one were to eal('ulate
from them what "houh], in proportion, be the !'ize of the throat
which should hold such a number of sueh tecth, it ought to be
at least
or 10 feet wide. In truth, the
e fish are found to
this dar of a terrific siz('.-This fish, celebrated fur its voraeitv
and eourage, is found in thc l\Iediterranean and in almost every
Ocean. It generally l{eeps at the lmttom, and rises only to
satisfy its hung-er. It is not seen near !<hure, execpt when it
pur,.ucs its IJrey, or is pursued by the mular q , whieh it docs not
venture to approach, even when dead. It swallows all sorts
of aquatic animals, alive or dead, and pursue" especially the
sea-('alf and the tunny. In its lHlrsuit of the tunny, it some-
times falls into nets, and some have been thus taken in Sardi-
nia, whieh wei
hed 400 Ibs and in which 8 or 10 tunnies were
found still undi
estcd. It attacks men wherever it can find
them, whenee Ùle Germans eall it 'mensehen-fresser' (men-
eater.) (;unner r speaks uf a sea-calf 'ofthe size of an ox, whieh
had also heen found in one of these animals; and in another a
reindeer without hurns. whi('h had fallen from a rock.' This
fish attains a length of :!.J-::JO feet. l\lüller s savs that one was
taken near the I siand of St.l\Iarguerite whieh wëip:hcd 150'J Ibs.
On opening- it, they found in it a horse, quite whole ; which had
apparently been thrown ovt'rboard. 1\1. BriilJIliehe sayst, that
during his residenee at Marseilles, one was taken near that
('ity, ]5 feet lon
, and that two years before, two, much lar
er,
had bcen taken, in one of which had been found two tunnies
and a man quite dressed. The fish ,.,'ere injurf'd, the man
nut at all. In IjüO thcre was exhibited at Berlin a reqnin
stuffed, :?O feet lon
, and 9 in ('ir('umferelwe, where it was
thiekest. It had b('en taken in the
Iediterralwan. Its vora-
eity is so g-reat, that it does not spare its own sl)ecies. Leem U
re]atef:, that a Laplander, who had taken a relJuin, fa
tened it
to his canoe; i"oon after he missell it. Some time ath'r, having
taken a Iaq!:er, he fOllnd in its stomaeh the requin which ht' had
lost." 'ox The larp:e Australian sharl{, (Carcharias g-laueus)
whit'h has becn measured after death 3j feet long, has teeth
about :!
inches long-:'
Such faets ou
ht to shame those who speak of the miracle
of Jonah'!' pres('nation through the fish, as a thing less eredi-
ble than any other of Goll's mira('u]ous doing-so Th('re is no

reater or l
ss to OmnilJotence. The creatiOl
ofthe Univcr!>e,
the whole stellar system, or of a fly, are alike to Him,
illlple
a(.ts of His Divine "ïll. lIe spake, ami it tl'GS Y . "'hat to men

measures of these teeth, and estimates of the size of the animal to which they belonged.
His specimens are from hntlolk, frcm the Red Crag, "here sharks' teeth, of several sorts,
and a vast \ ariety of shells, corals, ,",c. are mixed with some remains of mostly extinct
mammalia. The marine races are also for the most part of extinct kinds. These depo-
sits in Suffolk and ::\lalta are of the later Tertiary period; specimens derived from
them ma
' he found on the shores no doubt, but there IS also no doubt of their original
situation being in the stratified earth-crust. The living sharks to "hich the fossil animal
may Imve most nearl} approached are included in the genus Carcharias, the teeth being
beau:ifully sHrated on the rog-es." 0 Stark, Animal kingdom, p. i\lI.
. P Hist. des
l'oissons, i\. 3].
. xi. q Physeter )lacrocephalus, Linn. The Spermaceti "hale.
I r J?t:sJ.e;f
;'i;
'
. i

t 683. Schr:f
i

ß

.'i)?

ellsch. T, i
. t.

: p. 150.
. Prof. Phillirs, :\IS.letter. He adds, "but our fossil shar)..'. tecth are -l
to eH
n 5
inches long. Its length h,ls been interred to have reached fi.3 feet."' 1 rs. xxxiii. 9.

!'eem tIle grcate.;t miracles or the lea!'t, are alike to Him, the I
mere Let it be of His .\lI-lIoly 'rill, ac.tin
in a ditferent way
for one ami the same encl, thc illstruetion of till' intellig"t'nt c'r('a-
tures which He has made. Eac'h anù all subscl"\'e, in their
sen'ralplaees and oeea!<ions, tilt' sallie end of the manifold
\\ï,.:dolll of God. Em'h and all nf the,.:e, whieh to us secm in-
terl"Uptions of His nrdinary wnrkin
s in nature. were from the
be
inning, hefm'e III.' had ereated anything. as muc'h a l'art uf
IIis Divine purpose, as the el'eatioll of thc rnh-er!'e. They
are not clisturhanees nf His law!'. Xi
ht does not disturh day
whil'h it ('Ios(',;, nor day ni
ht. 1\"n mnre doe!' any wol"l{ whic'h
God, before the c'reatinn of the world, will('d to do, (for',lnuJlt'1i
U/lto God are all Ilis mays f,.om the begillllilig of tile Il'orld,)
interfcre with anv other uf lIis worldllg"!'. IIi!' working"!' in
nature, and Hi!' ,,:orkings abm'e nature. ti.lrlll ()IIC harlllo
linus
whule. Each are a part of His ways; eaeh is e!'sential to the
manitcstation of God to us. That wonderful order amI S\"l11-
metn' of Gud's ereation exhibits to us senne etHuences or" thc
DivÍI;e "ïsdmu and ßeauty and Power and (;o(l(hle!'s; that
regnlarity itst'lf sets forth tho!'e nther foreknown op('J"ations
of God wlH'rchv He worketh in a wav diffcrent from IIis oJ"(li-
nary u;ode uf w
)rking in nature. "They who know not Gild,
will ask," says S. Cyril", "how was Jonah }Jrðerved in the fish?
how was he not eonsumed? how did he endure that natural
heat, and live, surrounded by sueh moisture, and was nut
rather di
ested ? For this poor body is very wcak and pel'ish-
able. Truly wonderful was it, sUl"}lassing reason and wonted-
ness. ßut if (;od be deelared its .\nthor, who woulcl any more
di!<believe? For God is .\ll-powerful, and tl"ansmouldeth easi-
ly the nature of things whkh arc, to what He willeth, and no-
thing resisteth His ineffable Will. For that whi('h i!< perish-
able can at His "ïll easily heeome superior to ('orruption ; and
what is firm and unshaken and undc('aying" is easily !<ubjec'ted
thereto. For nature, I deem, to the thing-s whieh be, is what
seemeth good to the Creator." S. Augustine well points out
the inconsisteney, so common now, of exc'('pting to the une or
the other mil"aele, upon grounds whieh would in truth apply
to manv or to all. "b The answer" to the moekel'Y of the Pa-
gans, "is that either all Didne mil"aeles are to be'disbelieved,
or there is no reasoll whv tlds should not be believed. For we
should not hclie"e in Christ Himself that III.' rose un the third
day, ifthe faith of the Christians shranl{ from the nlUd{cry of
Pagans. Since our friend does not put tllP question, Is it to be
helieved that Lazarus rose on the 4th da\-, or Christ Himself
on the third day, I much mal"\'el that he 'put this as to Jonah
as it thing ineredible, unless he thinl{ it easier for one dead to
hc rai,;ecl from the tomb, than to be pre,;ened alive in that
,-ast hell" of the fish. :K ot to mention how vast the size of
marine c:reatures i" !>aitl to he by those whn have witnes
ed
it. who eould not eoneei\'e what numhers of III en that
tomach
eould ("ontain which was feneed by t}w,;;e rihs, wen known to
the people at Carthage, where they were set U}J in public ?-how
vast must have hcen the opening" {)f that mouth, the door, a"
it were, to that ('ave." ,. ßut. troth, they have found in a Ðh-ine
miraele, something- whieh they need nut believe; \'iz. that the
gastric juice whereby food is digested could be so tempered
· Acts xv. 18. · onJon. c. 2. beg. b Ep. 1O
. q. 6.
31.
an

j

:.,
heTh:d;r.,

t

:

b
t
t

o
:
:i::;

I::.i
d :'

'l

;
;
:
tiÏ

S. Jerome, Ep. ad Aug. Ep. II:!. n. 22. their ;\1 SS. had cicciam or '''I'''la!,. If this IS right,
S. Jerome must ha\e meant Chaldee by S}riac, the word being retained in Jonathan.
Only if S. Jerome had meant that the "Syriac" word was th., øame, one should ha\e
tho..ght that he would h,\\ e said so. The Peshito has probably been corrupted out of
the L
X. d on Jon. iv. 6. · Robinson, i. 553. I Dioscor. iv. 161.
g Diosc. ib. Galen Lex. Hipp. p. 82. also Paul.1l.:gin. vii. 29i. h Herod. ii. !H. '
I xv. 7. k Samuel B. Hophni, A.D. 1054, ap. Kim. Resh Lachish(:!nd '
cent. W 011, DibL H. ii. 881, 2 roll. Ii!.!.) sa)'s that" the 011 of Kik" (forbidden in the

.JO
AII.

2,')9

a
not to injun. the lift' of man. lIow still less c)"{,dihle would
the\' ùe('111 it, that tlw,;e thn'e JIlen, c'a...t into the t'ul"llac'e I",
the'impious king, walked lip and down ill the mid,;t IIf the fire'!
If thc'lI thc')' rpfu"'e to helie,"e WI.'! mira('lc,; of (;cl(l, they must
be aUS\H'I'('d in another way. ßut they ou
ht not to cllle..tion
any Olle, as tI\(Iu
h it were incrcdible, hut at un('e all whic'h
are as, IIr e,'eUllIore, man-ellous. IIp wh(lprol'o!-cd these (I\I('S-
ticH\s, let hilll b(' a Chri!<tian now, lest, while he waits fir,;t to
finish till.' que!<tion,; (In the su'rpd bOllks. he C'OIll(' to the cnd
of his lif(., hefore he have passed from death to life.-L(.t hilll,
if he will. first asl{ cluesti(lus suc'h as he a!<ked c'cHlc'erning"
Chri,;t, aud thosc few
reat que,;tiou,; to whieh the rpst ar'e
subordinate. Hut if he think to fini,;h all su('h questious as
this of .Jonah, before he heeclIIlI's it CIII'istian, he Jittlp al'pre-
eiates human mortality ur hi,; own. For they are eountle,;s;
not to be finished before a('eeptiug" thp faith, lest life he fiui..h-
('d without faith. nut, )"(.taining" the faith, they arc suhjec'ts
fur the diligent study of the faithful; and what in them hc-
conIC'S elear is to he communieated without arrogane(', n hat
"till lies hid, to b(' horne withuut ri!Òk to sah'aticlJ)."
The other physi('al miracle of the rapid prudut'tion of the
Palma Christi, whic'h God created to m-ershadow Jonah, was
plainly supernatural in that extreme rapidity of rrrowth. dse
in cunformity with the ordinary eharaeter of that plant. "The
kikaion, a,; we read in the Hebrew, ealled kikeia [or, Elkel"Oa c,]
in Syriiu' and Punie," says S. .Jerume d, "is a shrub n-ith broad
leans like vine-leaves. It gives a wry dense shade, ,;ul'pnrts
itself un it.. own stem. It
row.. nw,;t ahundantly in Pales-
tine, e

peciany in ,;andy spots. If you east the seëd into the
g"round, it i,; soon cluickened, rise.. marn'lIously into a tree,
and a few days what YOIl had beheld a herb. you Jook up to,
it shrub.-The kikaion, a mirade in its instantaneous exis.
tenee, and an instmwe uf the power of God in the pruteetion

ivcn hy thi.. IÏ\-ing" shade, fullmnd the eour
e of its own na-
ture." It is a nath'e uf all Xorth .Uric'a, Arahia. Syria. India.
In the ,'aUcy of the .Jordan it !-till gro\\"!o; to a "Iar
e size, and
has the charader," an eycwitne!<s writf's., "of a pcrennial tree,
aJtlwugh u..ually deseribed as a hiennial plant." 'H It is I)f
the size of a small figtree. It ha.. leaves like a plane, only lar-
I-!:('r, smoother, and darker." TIIP nanlP of the plant i,; of Egyp-
tian ori
in, kiki; which Dioscorides and Galen identify with
the croton g; Herodotus with the
ilieyprion \ \\ hich, in the
f01"l11 se,.;cJi('yprion, Dioscoridcs mt'nticH/,.; a!' a name
iven to
the kiki or l{roton f; Pliny i with the Rieinus al,.;o, (the Latin
name for the croton) our Palma Christi; Hebrews k with the
Arahic Elkeroa, whieh again i.. lmown to be the Rieinus. The
gTowth and occasional perishing" of the Palma ('hristi ha,'e
both something analogous to thp gruwth and dceay rdatcd
in Jonah. Its rapidity of growth is remarked by S. Jerome
and Pliny. who sap-, "i in Spain it !ohoots up rapidly, of the
hei./,\"ht of an olive, with holluw stem," and bram'hes f.
..1 AU the speeies uf the Hieinus ...llOot up quiekly, and yi('ld
fruit within three months, and are sO multiplif'd frum the seed

hed, that, if left to thelllseh-es, t}wy would oeeupy in ,;hort
space the whole countrr." In Jamaica, ., In it g-rows with !<ur-
prising rapidity to the height of 15 or 16 feet." Xiehuhr says",
lIIishnah Shabbath, c. 2. to be u
ed for lights on the sabbath) is the kikaion of Jonah,
(Kim.)" The oil of Kik" is the .Aa.al' KíhlVUV 01 Galen (Lex. Hipp. p. 58.) the "oleum
cirinum" of Pliny. (xxiii. 4.) Resh Lachish identified the kikaion with the Alkeroa'

:

Iß
tI\
i

Z?

4
'!.:

i!a:'

f
n

;;d
:

Tr
sSh
bb;
h,s

.

./

"some" in Rartenora.(Ib.)alsoexplain it of the keroa. R. Rar Bar Channach, (early
3rd cent. Wolf, ib. 8S0. coil. 8í9.) identities it with the Zelulibah (Kim.) which again is
expldined to be the Elk<'roa' (respons. Geonim in Roeh. Hieroz. ii. 24-. p. 4:!. ed. Lripz.)
and whose oil is called "oil of keroa" i. e. the castor or croton oil (Buxt. Lex. Tahn. v.
to:=',
,:;;.) ) Uumph. Herb. Amboin. vi. 46. T. iv. p. 92. m Long's
Jamaica, T. iii. p. il2. D Deser. del' Aub. p.130.

r:.
(,;
-....1';1...... ,.) r'

RI cI1'\US cO
nIUXIS.

FLORA GR.'ECA, Tom: ix. Tab. 952.

JO

\n.

21H

"it lla
the appeararH'e of a tree. Each hranrh of the kheroa " in whiC'h thC'y dwelt durin
the feast of Tabernaeles. wao;; tu be
has (1Il1y one leat
"ith (i, ï, or H indentures. This plant was II a sh.Hh', symholisin!!' (
od's un'r!'hadowin
tlH'm in the wilder-
near a strt'am whieh watered it ad('(luately. At the end uf Ol't. I Jl(''''S ; the Sm'('ah it!'elt
not any thin!!," ad
('ititiuus, was to he
I jöj, it had, in j months,
rown abuut H feet, and hore. at OI)('e, I their !'hade; yet it wa..; hut an imperfeet l'roteetiun, and was
Huwers and fruit.
('en and ripe." This rapidity of p:ruwth indeed intt'nded !'II to hc, in order to symhulise their pilgrim-
has onl.y a !'ort of likenes,.; to thc m.irad(', whi
'h quiel;:ene
l, in II state. 1I('n('e th(' ('untrinUlC't'!' amlllt:! thusI' wh.o wi
hed.to he
a way far ahuy-e nature the powers unplanted III nature. I he at ('ase. to prote('t themselves
and h('lu'e the 1lI('onn'llIenee
d('struetiun may have heen altugether in the wav uf nature, ex- whi('h (;od turned into an in!'tf\U'tion tu Jonah. I:,-en" the
eept that it hapÍJened at that pr
C'ise HWm('nt, wlien it was to be II .-\rahs," Layard b.lIs u" b in a
ine\'eh !'ummer, "strud;: their
a I('!'!'on to .1unah. "OOn warm days, "hen a small rain falls, bhu'k tent!' and Ih"ed in !'heùs, ('(IIl"'Íruded of rC'eds and
ra!'s
Lla
'k e.
terpilla
s are
encrated in
Teat nUluhers un.
his plan
, II ?lonp:"
!)(' hank
of .the rh'e
." .. The Iwats of summer mad(: it
whwh. III one llI
ht, su uftt'n and :.<0 !'uddenly ('ut off Its le<l\-e
, 1II11'0ssIhle to live III a wlute tpnt." Layani'!' re!'lIur('e uf a
that only thl'Ír hare rih" rcmain. whieh I have often ubsern'd I '.. n'eess, ('ut into the bank of the rh-cr whpr(' it rose l'('rl'en-
with mueh wund('r, as tlwu
h it were a ('opy of that destruction dienlarly frum the water's edge. s('re('ning the front with reeds
of oM at Xine'"eh." The Ridnus of I ndia and .\ssn'ia furnishes . and boughs uf trees, and ('uverin!!," the whule "ith !'imilar
food to a dilfcrent eaterpillar from that of .\mho
'na P, but the materials." eorn'sponds with the hut of Jonah, ('overed by
aceount illustrates the rapidity of the destruetion. The word the Kikaion.
"worm" is elsewhere also u!'('d eolleptÏ\-ely. Hut of a sinde wurm X 0 heathen "wolfer, as far as we know, when hp heC'ame ac-
unly q, and uf ('rcatures whidl, in Gud'!:, appuintmcnt, dl"\"uur quainted with the hh..tury uf Jonah. likened it to any heathen
the vine r. There is nothing- in the text, iml'lyin
that the filhle. This was n'!'cr\'ed for so-('alled Chri!'tian
.
omc hea-
ereature wa!' one whidl gnawed the stem rathcr than thp lem-e!'. I then mopked at it. a'" the philosophers uf
Iar,;'-hill m(l('ked at
The peeu.liar word, smote.
i; pruhably used, t? eurrespond \\ ith I the resu
re(,tion of Christo. "This sort uf qm.stinn:' [about Ju-
the mcntul)l uf the sun snl/tll/
t un the head of Jonah. nah,] saul an heathen. whu professed tu be an cnqmrer, ." I 11a\'e
These were miraeles, like all the uther miraC'le,; of Spripture, obsen-cd to be met with broad moekery hy the pa
an".cV' They
ways, in whi('h God made Himself and His power knuwn to us, mo('k('d, but they did not insult the history by likenin
it to any
shewin
Himself the Lurd of that nature which men wurship- fable uf their uwn. S.Jcl"Ome, who mentiun!' incidentally that
IJt'd and worship, for the present eonversiun of a I!reat peuple, "e Joppa is the pla('e in whi('h, to this day, ro('ks arc puinted
fur the ('onyietiun of Israel, a hidden pruphe('y of the future out in HI(' !<hure, where .\ndromeda, being buund. wa" onpe (Ill
ponversion uf the heathen, and an example of )"('pentance and a timc fn'ed by the help of Persens," does not seem aware that
its fruit" to the end of time, They have no difficulty except I the fable could be broug-ht into any ('onneetion with the histury
to the rpbelliousness of unbelief. I of Junah. He urp:C's on the hPathen the inC'onsistenC'v of be-
Other diffiC'ulties people have made fur themselns. In a lie\"Ïng" their own fables, which he!'idp... their nHlf\-ellousne!'

plank-ruof('d booth sm'h as ours, Jonah wuuld not have need- ; were often immoral, amI refusing- to believe the mira('les uf
ed the !<hadow of a plant. 0ln"iously then, Jonah's booth, Scripture histories; but the fable of .\ndrol1leda ur uf Hesione
even if we knew not what it was, \yas not like our's. A Gcr- I du not enn o('rur to him in this re!"pel't. "f I am not ig-norant
man eriti(' has chosen tu treat this as an ab
urdity. .. u.\l_ that to some it will seem incredihk that a man ('ould be presen"-
tlwuJ!:h Junah makes himself a shady bouth, he still further ed alh"e 3 days and ni
hts in the fi!'Õh's helly. These must be
needs the O\'ershaduwing- kikaiun." Junah however, being- an either believers ur unbelie\-ers. If belic\-er!', thcy must lIe(.ds
Israelite, made booths !'ueh as Israel made them. Now we believe IIllU'h grcater things, how the three youths. ('ast into the
happen to know that the Jewish sueeah, ur buoth. bein
furm- burning fieryfurnaC'e, werc in su('h sort unharmed. that not e, en
cd uf the interlm'ed bralH'hes of trees, did nut eXl'lmle thc SUII. the smell uf fire touched their dre!<!'; hun" the sea retired. and
". I' knuw this from the rulcs in the Talmud as to the eon- !'tuod on either !-idc riJ!:id like walls, to make a way for the peo-
struetion of the Suceah or ,,, tabernacle" for the fea!'t of Ta- pIe pas"ing (wer
how the rag-I' of lions, al!
a\-ated by hunl!er.
bernades. It lap down" ." .-\. Su('cah whose heip:ht is nut ten 'look('(1.. awcstril'ken. on its prey. amI touched it not, and many
palm!<, and which has not three sides, and whil'h has more slln I like thin
s. Or if they be unheliewrs. let them read the 15
than !'Õhade [i. e. more (If whose fluur b penetrated by lip:ht huuks ufOdd's metamorphoscs. and all Greek and Latin stOlT,
through the top of the SUPI'ah, than is left in shade] is 1'1"0- and there they will !'ee-wlH're the fuulness of the titbles I're-
fane." And a
ain "", .. ,nwso spread(.th a linen doth uver the dudes the holiness ufa divinc oriJ!:in. TI,ese tMugs the.1/ heliel'e,
Sucl'ah, tu protet't him frum tlU' sun, it is prufane." .... x "llOsu amI that tu (;ud all thing-s are pussihle. ßelieyinp: fuul things,
raiseth aboye it the dne IIr gourd or i\-y. and su ('un'rs it, and defendin
them by alleging- thc unlimited pO\1"er of Gild,
it is profane
but if the ruof be larger than they. or if one eul they do not admit the same power as to things moral." In
them. thev are lawful." "y "ïth bundle!' of straw, amI hundle:" Alexandria and in the time of S. Cyril, the old heathen fables
of wuud, ånd hundles of fagl!ot!'Õ, thPf do not cuver it, and all wcre tri('ked up ap:ain. He allude" then tuLy('ul'hron's ycr'sion
these, if undune, arc lawful." ,,= They C'onr it with planks uf the story of lIerelllcs g, in urder, like S. JprUlne. to puint
aecordinp: to R. .Judah
and H. )leir forbids
whuso putteth out the im'on!'isteney of belining heathen titbles and rejet't-
upon it one plank of fOllr palms' breadth it is lawful, unly he inp: Dh ine truth. " 'Ye," he says. .. do not u!'c their fabl('s to
I1lU"t not
leep under it." Yet all held a that a plank thus eunfirm thinp:s Diyine, but we mention thcm tu a p:uud end, in
broa(l was to overlap the booth, in which case it would nut .1IIswer tu unbelievers, that their )"('e('h'pd histories ton do not
('over it. The I'rineiple of all these rule!" is. that the rude hut reject such relations." The llhilusophers \\ ished at once to

o
ur:nPh. lb. p. 9-1-. P Sir ":. Hooker kindl} pointed this out to me. referring to a
descnptlon and picture of the caterpIllar, or silk-"ornl. the Phalæna C) nthia or the Ar-
rind}. Silk
"orm."Î1
the pnn. Trans. T. iii. p. 4
. lie also kindly pointed out to me (he
dra"mg 01 (he Rlcmus m the Flora Græca, T. 1"<. Tab. 9;;2, gÏ\en on a reduced scale on
the opposite page. as the best r
presentation of the Palma Christi. q ;-.,
-;-;-, as
we say" the "orm which pre)s on tlIe dead bod), Is. xi\". n. (and hence the wOI'm u:J.ic1.

dieth 7101. Ib.lxvi. 24.) ":':: r.,
,:", the cochineal Imlb," kennez. r Deut. x't...iii.39.
. 'õ:-
Jon. iv. ï. t lb. S. D Hitzig, KJ. Proph. p. 1(;U. . Massecheth SueLa,
i.
. f6
c

:tca.
. i'om tob a

st

'J

,. Succsh: I
:4.P
.39. b
n
:"l\

:
C Acts:\.' ii. 3;. on Jon. ii. '2
in S. Au
.
Pj
?'
'ii
b::".f' ïÎ;
9p. 376. C on Jon. i. 3.
Tt

2G2

IXTRODrCTIOX TO

defend their own fa}JJcs and to attack the Gospel. Yet it was
an unhappr arg-umentum ad hominem. l\Iodern infidelitv
would find a likeness, where there is no !'hadow of it, The
two heathen fahlcs had this in C'ommon; that, in order to a,'el.t
the ang-er 111' the g-od", a virg-in was e"\:posed to be denmred by
a "ea-mon!'ter, and deli,-erecl from death by a hcro, who "le,i"
the mon"ter and marrÍC'd the prinC'e!'!' whom he ddi, en'd.
This. as g-iven by
. Crril, was a form of the fable, lon
"ub-
Sef}Uent tu Junah. The original simple form of the "torr wa

thi", "hApollo and Poseidon, wi"hing- to make trial of the in!<u-
lenee of Laomedun, appearing- in the likem'!<s of me II, promi"ed
fur a eon!<ideration to fortifv PC'r
amus. "'hen thev had fur-
tified it, he did not pay thpm tl
eir hire. Whercfôre .\pollo
sent a pe...tilcnee, and Poseidun a sea-mon4er, east on shore
hy the floud-tide, who made IUl\-Of'k of the men that were in
the plain. The ol"aC'le said that thev shuuld be freed from
these misforhllle", if Laomedoll wouid set his dau
hter He-
sione as tilOd for the monster; he did so set her, binding- hcr to
the roeks near to the plain; Herf'ule", sednl!,' her thus expos-
ed, promised tu save her, if he mig-ht ha,"e from Laumedon the
hor,,('s, which Zeus had
iven in c'ompensatiun fur the rape of
{;anpllede. Laomedon sayin
that he would give them, he
sle,,- the nllln,:ter and set H esione free."
'Chi!< !'imlJle story is repeated, with unimportant variations,
hy Diodorus SiC'ulus i, Hy
inus k, Odd \ Yalerius FlacC'us Ill.
E ,-en latel', the yuun
er Philostratus. depif'tin
t he story, has no
other fa('t" n. An uld i('on repre"ents the c'onfliet in a wa,' in-
cunsistent with the later form of the sturv o. .
The stury of .Andrullwda is told by Ap(;llodurus P, in part in
the n'ry same words. The 1'\ en'id
were angered by Cassiope
the mother uf .\ndromeda, for boasting her"elf mure beautiti.11
than they, Then folluws the same hi "tory, Poseidon sendin

a flood-tide and a !"ea-monster; the same afh'iee of the urac'le;
the settin
Andromeda in chains, as food for the sea-monster;
Perseu,,' arrÏ\'al, barl!,"ain with the fhther, the killin
of the sea-
mon!'ter, the deliverarU'e uf .-\mlrumeda. Fable as all this is,
it docs not se('m to have been meant to be fahle. PHn,' relates.
"q 1\1. Scaurus, when .Edile, exhibited at Home, am
n
other
man-cis, the bones uf the monster to which .Andromeda was
said to have been exposed, whic'h bones were hroug-ht from
Joppa, a city uf Judæa, being- 40 feet 101lP;, in height greater
than the ribs uf the Imlian elephant, and the ,'ertebra' a fout
anrl a half thiek." He dcscrib('s Juppa as "seated on a hill,
with a projecting rock, in which thev shew the traC'es of the
ehains of .\ndrumeda r." Josephus' says the same". Pau-
sanias relates, "t the eountry of the Hebrews ncar Juppa sup-
plies water blood-red, very neal' the !"ea. 'fhe natives tell, that
PCr"('I1S, whcn he had slain the munster to whieh the dau
hter
of Cepheus was e"\:posed. wash('d oft' the blood there." i\le1a,
followÎngperhaps his Greek authurityU, speaks in the present v,
"an illustrious trace of the presen'ation of Andrumeda by
Pers('u", they shew va!-'t hon('s uf a !'ea-monster."
ßut. whetl
er the authors ufthese fables meant them for mat-
ters of fad, or whether the fables had any symbolíc'al mean-
ing-, they have nut, in any form whieh they received until long-
aftcr the time uf Jtlnah, any eUlUl.eetion with the book of Jonah.

h Apollodorus, iii. 4. 1. I iv, 42. t Fab. 8!J. I JIetam. iv. 202-15.
Ill. Argon.}i. 451.-516. n Imag.12. 0 in ChosiJ. amI in 13e
er, SplCil.
AntJq. p. 1,,1, It represents Hercules laurel-crowned and bene comatu.. Fabric. ad
Sext. Empiric. p. 2,1}. p ii.13. q X. H. ix. 5. rIb. v. 13. . B. J.
iii, \I. 3. ' IV. 35. u So Yoss conjectures. . i. 11. W Euripides (in
P,utarch de aud. poet.) speaks of the animal as .. rushing frum the Atlantic sea." (Fragm.
Amlrum. T. ix. I'. 15. ed. ;\Iatth.) Tacitu., in giving the heathen notions of the orlgin
of the.J e"s, s,'n, "11I0st think that the) are o1!spring of Æthiopians, whom, wl,..11 Cep/<euB
WflS kin/( (uf Æthiopia) fear amI hatred compelled to change their abode." (Hist. v. 2.)
O\id still placed the scene in Æthiopia,(:\let. h. 668.) and ascrihed the Oradeto Ammon.
(\\;0.) x i.:!. 3". ed, Kr. Y v. 1
. . \. 1
1. . Lucian, de dea S)ra, attests

The history of Andromeda has in common with the book of
Jonah, this o
lly, that, whereas .Apollodorus and the anC'ients w
plaeed the seene uf her hi
tory in .Ethiupia, \\ riters who lived
"ome c'enturics after the time of Junah remuved it tu Joppa,
the !;eaport whence .Jonah touk !'hip. "There are sorne." says
Strabo', "peaking- of hi!< own day, "who transfcr .Ethiopia to
our Phænic'ia, amI say that the matter!; uf .Andrumeda took
place at Juppa; and thi", not out ofig-nnrallf'e of plac'es, but ra-
ther in the form of a mvth." The tran!;fer, duubtl('s!<, took
place in the 8\)() year,; whï"c.It elapsed between Jonah and Strabo,
and was oC'l'a
iuned perhaps by the pel'uliar idolatry of the
c'oa"t, the wur!<hip of _\targ-atis or Dereetu. Pliny, at least,
immediateh' after that !"tatement abuut the chains of .Andro-
meda at .ruiJpa, subjuins, "Y The fabuluus Cetu is wurshipped
there." Cetu is duubtless the same as " Dereeto," of whic'h
Pliny u!'es the same epithet a little afterwards". "There," at
Hiempoli", " is worshipped the pJ"lJdig-ious Atargatis, whif'h the
Gre('ks I'all Dereeto." The Greeks appear, (a" their way was)
on o('easion of this worship of Ceto, to have transferred here
their own storv of Andrumeda and the Cetos.
Ceto, i. e. Dëreeto, and Dag'un were the corresponding- male
and female deities, under whose names the Philistines wur!'hip-
ped the }lower whieh God has implanted in nature to repJ"lJduee
itself. ßuth were fi"h-forms, with human hands and face.
De)"('etu or _\targ-atis was the Syriac Ter'tn, whose worship at
Hierapulis or Mabug- had a far-known infamy, the same alto-
p;ether as that uf Rhea or Cybele a. The maritime situatiun
of Philistia probablr led them to adupt the fish as the symbol
of prolific reproduction. I n Holy S('ripture we fiml chiefly the
worship of the male god Dagun, lit. "g-reat fish." He had
temples at Gaza b, and Ashdod c. whither all the lords of the
Philistines assembled. Five uther plaees are named from his
worship, four near the :"ea coast, and one C'lose to Jopl'a it"elf d .
But in later times the name of the g-oddess beC'ame more pro-
minent, and, among the Greeks, exdush'e. _\targ-atis or Der-
ceto had, in the time of the l\1aC'C'abees, a C'clebrated temple at
Carnion e, i.e. .\shteruth Carnaim in Gilead, and, iU'eording to
Pliny, at Joppa itself. This furnished an easy oecasiun to the
Greeks to transfcr thither their stUl"V uf the Cetos. The Greeks
hadpeopled.Juppa f , before Simon retouk it from .Antiodms. In
Jonah's time, it wa" Phænil'ian. It was not coloni"ed bvGreeks
until [, eenturies later. Since then Andromeda is å Greek
story whieh they transferred to Joppa with themselves, the ex-
istenee of the Greek ston', at a later date. can be no e\"Ídenee
for" a Phænidan leg-end,'; ofwhieh the rationalists have dream-
ed, nor can it have any ('onneetiun with Jonah who Ih-ed half
a millennium before the {;)"('('ks C'ame, eig-ht hundred years be-
fore:; the story is mentioned in eonneetion with Jopl'a.
"ïth regard to th.. fable" of Hercules, Diudurus Sieulus
thuudlt tl
at there was a bitsis of truth in them. The storv
of H
rl'ules and Hesione, as alluded to In' Homer and told b,'
.\pollodorus, luoks like an account of the'sea breaking- in UPOil
the land and wastinl!," it ; a human saerifiee on the point of be-
Ïng- uffered, and I'reHnted by the removal of the e,'il throug'h
the building- of a !;ea-wall. Gig-antic works were commonly at-
tributed to !'l1llerior ag'ency, guod or e,-il. In Homer, the men-
the celebrity of this dreadful ...o
ship; among the Syria,"!s S. J
mes of Sarug at
ests its
prevalence in Haran (Ass, B. O. I. 3
8.) and Bardesanes, In S
rla generally \'lth lis spe-

!

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h
l
i

!
1

:

.JÌi
h
L
d
)
i be

t
:r. p. :!Uj,
r

I
i
i.r

.Sic. [ii. n S:

v.1. 1 :\Iacc. x. 8:3. xi. 4. d 1\ Betlldngon (" temple of Dagon") in the S. W,
of Judah (,Josh. xv. fl.) and so, near PhiÍistia; 2) Another, III Asher also near the .ea;
3) Cflphar DflgOll l" village of D.") "a very larl1e villa
e between J.amni? and Diospolis."
(Euseb. Onom. sub. v.) 4) Beit Dtjflll [Beth DagonJ about 6 mIles:IS. \\.01 Ramlah
(Rohinson, Hibl. n. ii. :!32. see map) accordingly distinct from Cflphm'DlIgoII, and 4-!
hours from Joppa; 5) Another Beit Dtjfl7l, E of lSablus.(Ib. :!S:!.)
e 2 Macc. xii. 26. r 1 Mace. x. ,5. xiv, 34.

.JO

\II.

2G:J

tion of the sea-wall i5; prominent. '(
IIe led the way to the other expl'dient. a5; flim
r. to !'ern- hi.. purpo..e! l1u' majes-
lofty wall of mounded earth of the dh inc 1I('rcules, which the II til' sillll'lie'ity uf Holy SI'I'ipture and its moral
reatn('s.. ..tatul
Trojan.. <lI
d
Iinerva made for him, that, el
ldill;
the sea-nwn- uut the more, in I'unt
a..t ,yith the
lIlmeanin
fahle... with
,hil'h

tt'r, IH' nn
ht escape, when he rushed at hun froUl the beach men han' (hu.(.d, amulmul'h self-applause, to ('om pare It. _\
toward.. the plain." In any ra!"e a mon
t('r, whieh came up II more earlU'st, hut mi,.;led.mind. evcn while unhappily di..hciiev-
fl"llm the sea and wasted the laud, i,.; no fi!<h; no
ha.. tll{'
tory ::t!{ the mira
le of Jonah, hel(1 the cO!t
parison, un. g-round of
of oue ,\ ho destro.,!ed such a IllOlIster, any hearlll
on that of reasun, ludH'ruus; hut nut the le..s fnvoluus and t1"1"e, ercnt,
oue whu
e life God preseI'ud by a fish. Xor is the likenes"' l as applied to Holy
e'ripture t."
really mcnded by the later nr,.;ion of the
tory, orig-inatinp: in It was assumed hy those who fir..t \\ rote ag-aill'.;t the hook of

n AI?'iarulriall h, after .the b
ok of
oual
IHull
een trauslated Jonah.. that the thanks
h-
I
g in it. wa.. latcr
hal
Jouah, ,. a
mto Greek at Ale
alHlrta. '1 he \\ nter of the Cassandra, \\ hu I eento h'om the Psalms." I hey nhJeeted that It dul not allude
lived at lea..t fi,-e centuries after Jonah, represents IIcreule.. a., I to the hi..tor
of Jonah. One critic repeated ath'r the othcrl1,
" a lion. the olr..pring- ufthree nig-ht!<, whieh aforetime the jag-- , that the P!<alm wa
a "mere ('ento" of P,.;alms. However un-
/!ed-toothe
l dog of:rritun lapped up in hi.. jaws;
nd he, a Ii, ing true, nothing- was Il'
s douhted. :\. later eriti(' f
1t that. the
can er of Ins entraIls, !'('urehed by the steam of a cauldron on P
alm must ha'-e been the thank";g"I\'IIIg' of one deh, ered from
the firdess hearth... shed the hristles of hi., head upon the I g-reat peril of life in the !<ea. '" The imag-es," he says v, "arc

ruund. the infanti('ide waster of my ('ountry." Iu that form tuo definite, they relate too ex('lusi,ely to sueh a ,.;ituation, to
the !<tory re-appears in a heathen philusupher j and an Alex- I ' admit of bein
understuud va
'1.u'ly of any g-reat peril to life. as
andrian father I., but, in buth, as burrO\\"Cd from the .\lexan- may P
alms 18 and 42, (whil'h the writer may han had in his
drian poet. Others, who were una('(luainted \\ ith Ly('ophrun, minet' or Psalm 12-t." _\nother. to whom attention has heen
heathen I and <";h ri..tian DI alike, knew nothing' ofit. One Chris- re('ently drawn, maintained the early date of the thanks!!;i, ill
,
tian writer, at the end uf the 5th century 0, a Platonic philo- and held that it eontained
u mueh of the fir:.t part of Junah's
supher, g-ives an accuunt, distinet from any other, heathen or history, that that history mi
ht be founded on the thank!<
iv-
Christian, prohahlyeonfused from both. In speaking' of mar- ing- w. This was one step haekward toward.. the truth. It is
,-cllous deli,'eranee
, he says; ".\s Hercules too is sung" [i. e. admitted that the thank!"g-Ï\ ing- i.. g-('nuine, i.. Jonah'.., and re-
in Greek poetr)
"when his ship was broken, to ha,-e been I lates to a real deliH'l"ance of the real Prophet. liut the thanks-
swallowed up by a l.etos, amI, having- come within, was preserv- giving- would not suggest the history x. Jonah thanks {;ud for
cd." I n the mid..t of the II th centurv after our Lord, ..ome wri- hi,; ddin-ranee from the depth!; of the sea. from \\ hich no man
ters on Greek fable, in onler to g-et rid of the very offensive J euuld be delivered, e'-cel't by mirade. lIe describe!' him
elf,
story of the conception of Hercule.., interpreted the word of I not a
struggling with the wa,-e!', but as sunk beneath them tu
Lycophron whit'h alludes to it, of his employing, in the de- the bottom of the sea, whence no other enr rose Y. Jonah
struction of the mon..ter. three periods of :H hours, called does IIOt tell (;(1(1. how He had delinred him. \\110 doc!":: lie
., nig-hts" from the darkness in which he was envelul)e(l. Truly, I rehearses to God the hopeless periJ, out of whieh He had de-
full often han those words of God been fulfilled. that P melt shalt' livered him. On this the soul (Iwells; fur this is the g-ruund
tllm awa.,! the;" ears from the tmth, aml shall be tllmed unto I of its thankfulness. The delivered soulloHs to describe tu
faUes. :\1l'U, whu refused to believe the history of Jonah, al- (;od the death out of whid. it had been delivered. Jonah
though attested hy our Lonl. considered .-Eneas Gazæus, who
thanks God for one miraele; he gi,-es 110 hint of the other,
lived aboutl3 eenturies after Jonah, to be an authentic witness I whil'h, when he uttered the thanksg-h-ing, was IIOt yet ('um-
of an imaginary Phænician tradition q, 13 centuries before his pleted. The thanksgh-ing- bears witness to a miracle; but
own time; and that, simply on the ground that he has his name does not !'ue;c'e..t it
nature. The history supplies it.
from Gaza; whereas he expressly refers, not to Phænieian It is instru(,tiH that the \\ riter who, (lishelicving- the miraele..
tradition but to Greek poetry. in the book of Jonah, " restores his histury ." by efiaein
them,

ueh are the ..tories, whieh became a traditional arg-ument I has also to" restore the history a" of the Saviour of the worJd,
among unbclie, ing crities r to justify their disbelief in mirades I h
omitting I1is testimony to them. Rut thi.. is to suhjcet
al'eredited by our Lord. Flimsy spider-webs, which a critic the revelation of Gud to the variations of the mind of His crea-
of the same school brushes away., as soon as he has found some tures, believing what they like, disbelie, ing what they dislike.
w II. xx. 1-1-1-8. .. .. L}cophron the obscure," ifit was his work, lived un_ I Geser.ius, De '" ette, Bertholdt, Gramberg.(Religions-Id. ii. 510.) Knobel, (Prophetismus,

er Ptolemy Philadelphus, B. C. 28.'3-24,i. Niebuhr, following and justil)ing an (\Id Scho- (ii. 3;:!.) Goldhorn, Friederichsen, Forbiger, &c. . .. \\ hat has the myth of Per-
hast.(KI. hist. Schrift. i. 4.'38-50) places the writer of the Cas>'andra not earlier than I!IO,' .eus, right!) understood, and with no foreigu ingredients, in common" ith the history

e
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ê
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t

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pa.<ssagesinterpolated. i SIXtuS Empiricns, (about 3rd century) adv. Gramm. I corresponding m}th of Hercules and Hesione, can serve either to confirm the truth of
1.12. p. 255. It S. Cyril AI. quoting L)cophron. Later Greek "Titers, as Isaar the miracles in the book of Jonah," [as though the tmth n('t'ded support &om a fable]
Comnenus(A.D.105i,)add to Homer's fable, that Hercules leapt armed into the jaws of I .. nor to explain it as a popular heathen tradition, inaEmuch as the analogy is \00 distanr
the monster,and.so cut him up (de præterm. ab Hom. in Allat. Excerpta Yar. p. 27 -t.) The and indefinite to explain the whole. Unsatisfactory as such parallels are as soon as we
E
pre
E

oc
a (A.D. 106;, &c.) adds the new and false interpretation of'Tp.óa....po.. look, not merely at incidental and secondary points, but at [he
entra] point to be compar-
(V tolet. 1U' tllOl5On, Anecd. i. 3-14.) but also the oldexplanation(Ib. p. 211.) These, as aJ- ed," &c. Baur (in IlIgen Zeitschr. 1837 p. 101.) follo,,
b) Huzig. Winer also rejects it.
so Theoph} lact (A.D. lOi7,) and Sixtus, shew by their relation their acquaintance with . .. In classical philology "e should simpl) add, 'to thmk this in earnest were ludicrous õ'
Lycophron.
see p.. 2
2. 1. A scholiast On Homer(lI. xx. 2-15.) having given the . but not the less frivolous and irre\"erenr,' we may well add in the criticism of Scripture."

tOI'), adds" The hIStory IS m Hellanicus." But 1) had this history been in Hellanicus, BUllSen, Got! in d. Gesch. i. 35-1-. Eichhorn "ould not decide which was taken from the
It would ha\e been known to writers (as Apollodorus &c.) who used Hellanicus. 2) It is other. Einl. 57;. ed. 1. u Eicl>horn, De Welte. Rosenmuller, Bertholdt, Hitzig,
only a .gene1'3!.statement, that the history in the main was in HeIlani
us, n?t .extending Jlaurer, s.c. (Eichhorn
mits the beauty oCthe Psalms et!'
I?yed.) T Ewald
to detaIls. 3) Such statements as. . thus relates Pherecydes,' . The h,storv 18 m Acustl- Poet. Bùch. d. A. Test. I. 12:!. .. Bunsen, lb. t. 359 sqq. x The
!lus,' do not alw:,)s exbibit the account of the writers whom he quotes, but he frequently heathen ode in praise of the god of the waters" hich appears in ..Elian (Hist. Anim.
mterweav('8 a

story out of ma!1y authors, and inserts what he had read elsewhere. " See xii. 45.) about 220, .-\.D. (Fabr. Bib!. Gr. iv. 21. I.) contains the whole fable about Arion
Stun, Hellamct F
. n. XX\"t. ed. Cant. forbiger de L) cophr. 1827. p. 16. Porph) ry (B. C. 625, or 615,) being thrown O\erboard treacherously and borne to shore on the backs
8peaks of the .. Barbanan c
stoms of Hellamcus," as, "a mere compound of the works of I of dolphins. The ode then did not suggest the fable; (as Bunsen makes it) for it con-
Herodotus and Damasus;" m E
s. Præf. Ev. X. 3. m l'Oot TheodorusorThe- tains it. TheDoJphin, playing as it does about vessels, was a Greek s\mbol ofthesea;
odoret, or S: Jerome {fond as he IS of
uch allusions) nor the early author of the Drat. and the human figure upon it a votive offering lo
a eafe _arri> al. _ W elck

i> es 6 fables
ad Græcos m S. J ustm, although refemng to the fdbleson Hercules. u Æneas of petsons, dead urali>e, brought ashore by Dolphms. (" elck
r, KI. Schnlt. 1.90,1.) The
Gazæus.. S
Gall. T. x. Pr<?leg.
. 12. 0 Gall. x. W. or p. 37. ed. BoÌ8s. I symbol was turned by the fertile Greek into the myth. J Bunsen, in his Epitome of the
>> 2 TIm. IV. 4. q Fnedenchsen, Jonas, p. 311.2, &c. r Bauer, Rosenmüller thanksgiving, omitted the characteristic part of it, p. 3t>>. · Bunsen, ib. 372. · lb. 379.
Tt2

2GJ

Our Lord Himself atte!'ted that this mira('le on Jonah was
an ima
(' of His own entombmcnt and Re:,urrertion. He has
compared the preachin
uf Jonah with His own. He com-
pares it as a real histury, as He do('s the eomin
of the Queen
of Sheba to hear the wisdum of Solomon. MUdern writers
lJave lost !'i
ht of the prÏIlI'iplP, that men, as individuals, amid
their infirmitics amI !'ins, arc but types uf man; in their his-
tory alone, their office, their sutfering-,., can they be imag-es of
their R('d('emer. God puurtrayed duetrines of the Gospel in
the ritual of the law. Ofthe offi('es of Chri
t and, at times, His
histurv, He
ave sume faint outline in offiees whiéh He institut-
ed, or'per
ons whose history He g-uided. nut they arc types
only, in that which is of Gmt Even that which wa!' g-ood in any
was no type uf His gomlness ; nay, the mure what is human
is re('ord('d of them, the less they art' type.. of Him. Abraham
who a('ted nHu'h, is a type, not of Chri
t, but of the faithful.
I!'aac, of whom little is re('orded, except his sacrifiee, becomes
the type of Christ. l\Iel('hisedek, whu l"omes forth once in
that great loneline!'s. a King- of Rig-hteou!<ness and uf peace, a
Priest of Gud, refreshing- the fatll{'r of the faithful with the
saerifieial bread and wine, is a type, the more, uf Christ's ever-
lasting' lu'ie!<tllOod, in that he !'tands alune, without father
without known des('ent, without known beg-inning or end, ma-
jestic in his one office, and then disappearing- from our sig-ht.
Joseph was a type of our Lord, not in his ehastityur his per!'(lIIal
virtues but in his history; in that he was rejected by his bre-
thren, sold at the price of a slave, yet, with kin,ldy authority, re-
eeh-ed, supported, pardoned, g-laddened, feasted, his brethren
who had !'uhl him. Even so the historv of Junah had two as-
pel'ts. It is, at onee, the hi
tory of his IiIis!'iun and of his own
personal cunduct in it. The!o'e are quite distinct. The une is
the history uf God's duings in him and thruugh him; the other
is the aceount of his own soul, it!' rebellions, strugdes, eonvic-
tion. .As a man, he is him
elf the penitent; as a Pruphet, he
is the preadler of repentance. In what was human infirmity
in him, he was a pieture of his people. whose eause he espous-
ed with too narrow a zeal. Zealuus too for
he honor of God.
althoug-h nut with God's all-enfulding- love, willing- that that
honour should be vindieated in his own way, unwilling" to be
God's in!<trument on God'!'; terms, yet silenced and subdued at
last, he was the imag-e and lesson to tho!o'e who murmured at
S. Peter's mission to Curnelius, and who, only ,,-hen they heard
how God the Holy Ghost had eome down upon Cornelius'
hou!òehold, held their peace and glorified God, sa.'ling, then Iwtll
God to tile Gentiles also granted repentance unto life b. "That
coinciding vi!'ions to Cornelius and S. Peter, what evident
miracles of power and of g-raee, were needed after the Resur-
rection to convince the Jewish eonverts of that same tnIth,
which God made known to and through Jonah! The con ver-

b Acts xi. 18.

JONAH,

!'ion of the Gentiles and the !'a\-ing of a remnant only of the
Jews are so bound tog-ether in the prophet!', that it may be
that the repug-nance ufthe Jewish convel.ts was fuunded on an
instinctive dread of the same sort which so moV('d Junah.
It was a superhuman luve, throug-h whidl S. Paul contemplat-
ed tlleir fall as the riches of the Gentiles c .
On the other hand, that, in whi('h Jonah was an imag-e of
our Lord, was very simple ami distinct. It was where Jonah
was passive, where nothing- of his own was ming-lcd. The
!'turm, the casting- over of Junah, were the works of God's
Pruvidence; his preservation throug-h the fish \Vas a miraele
of (-iod's power; the conversion of the Ninevites was a mani-
f'i,ld miraele of His p;ral'e. It might ha,'e plea!'ed Gud to send
to eunvert a heathen people une whom He had nut so deliver-
cd; ur to have subdued the will of the Prol,het whom lIe sent
on some other missiun. Rut now sign answers to !'ig-n, and
mis!'ion shadows uut missiun. Junah was first delivercd from
his three days' IJurial in that living- tumb by a sort uf Resur-
rection, and then, whercas he had previously been a Prophet
to Israel, he thenceforth IJecame a Prophet to the heathen,
whom, and not brael, he ('unverted, amI, in their eon version,
his, as it were, re!<urrection was operath-e. The eorresI)On-
denc{' is there. \\' (' may lawfully dwell on suhordinate details,
how man was tempest-tust and butfctNI by the ang-ry waves
of this perilous and bitter world; Christ, as one of us, p;ave
His life fur our lives, the storm at once was hushed, there is a
deep calm of inward pea('e, and our haven was se('urcd. But
the great uutstanding fads, which our Lurd Himself has puint-
ed out, are, that he who had heretofore heen the Prophet of
Israel only, was, after a three days' burial, restored throug-h
miracle to life, and then the heathen were convert('d. Our
Lord has set His seal upon the faets. They were to Israel a
sacred enigma, a hidden prol'hee)., waiting for their explana-
tion. They were a warning-, how those on whum God then
seemed not to have pity, might become the objeet of His pity,
while they themselves were cast out. Now the man'ellous
eurre!'pumlenee is, even un the surface, a witness tu the mira-
cle. Centuries before our Lord came, there wa!' the history
of life preserved by miraele in death and out of death; and
thereupon the history of heathen I'onverted to God and ae-
eepted by Him. Is this, even a doubting mind mig-ht ask,
accidental coincidence? or are it and the other like IT'sem-
blances, the tracing of the.fillger of God, from \\Thum is all har-
mony, 'Yho blends in one all the gradations of His creation,
all the lineaments ufhistory, His natural and His moral world,
the shadow of the law with the realities of the Gospel? How
should such harmony exist, but for that harmonising Hand,
'Yho "binds and bleiIds in one" the morning and evening of
His creation?

· Rom. xi. 12.

Hefore
CHRIST
dr. ï
U.

CIL\PTER J.

CIL\PTER I.

2(j.;

I ,"mali, .
eut to ....Yinf'l'elt,fieetlt to Tarsltis/t. 4 III
i.
hetlTa,lIed h!1 ct tempest, II tltruu'll into tlte ,
eu,
Ii and su'ul/uu'ed hy a/is/to

N O'V the' word of the Lmw ('all1(' C Ifitrs T
unto B II Jonah the Soil of
\ll1ittai cir, ;:-.11,
. · 2 K illgsl.[2.>.
sarmA", II Called,
2 .Arise, go to Xincveh, that b g.'eat eitr,

:
:;.1:! 39,
b Cen, 10.11,12. ch. 3. 2,3. & 4. II.

CII_\I'. I. vcr. 1. "}\
Olc' tlte 1l'ord of tI,e Lord, lit. Alld, /)"C. This
is the way in whic'h the
('V('r<
l in
pired writer.. IIf the Old
Testament mark that what it wa,. g-i,-en them to write,
wa,.; united on to tllU!"C sa('red bouks whil'h God had g-ivcn to
oth('r
to write, ami tèlrmed with them ont' euntinuous whole.
The word, .-IlId, implies thi",. Jt would du su in any lang-uag't',
and it docs so in Hehrew as nnwh a.. in anv uther. .\s neither
we, nor any uthe.' people, would, withuut åny meaning-, u
e the
wurd, .Ami, so neither did tlU' Hehrews. It joins the four fir
t
books of )Io",es to
'ether; it earrie
on the history thruu
h
Jo!"hua. Jud"e",. the book", of Samuel and of the I
inl.!:s. .\ftt'r
the eaptivit)
Ezra and Xehemiah beg-in ag-ain whe;e the his-
toric", ht'fore left utI'; the hreak of the eal'tidty is brid
ed unr;
ami Lzra, going- haek in mind to the hi",tory uf God'", people
before the capti,'ity, resume", the histury, as if it had been of

'cstt'rday, AIIlI ill tltc.fir.
t year of q,1'lls. It juin", in the story
of the book of Ruth befure the captivity, and that of E!<ther
afterward
. .\1 time's, even prophets employ it, in using the
narrath-e form of themsdves, as Ezekiel, .Ami it u'as in the
thirtieth year, in tile fourt/ill/Oldlt, ill thejifth clay of the month,
ami I was in tIle captivit!1 11!1 tlte rirel' uf CI,ebar, tlte heavens
opened mul I saw. I f a prophet or hi40rian wishes to detaeh
hi!< prophecy or his history, he docs
o; as Ezra probahly ht'gan
the book of Chronides anew from Adam, ur as Daniel makes
hi.. prophecy a whule by it
elf. But then it is the more ub-
\"iou
that a Hebrew proplwt or histurian, when he doe
begin
with the word, And, has an ohjc(,t in so beg-inning; he uses
an universal word uf alliangua
es in its unifurm meaning in
alllang-uage, to join things tug-ether.
And yet more lll'eciscly; this furm, And tlte word oflhe Lord
came to-.m./lillg, occurs o,'er and U\'er again, stringing tugethcr
the pearl!< of great pri('e of God's revelations, aud uniting this
new revelation to all those which had preceded it. The word,
.And, then juins on histories \\ ith histories, revelations with
revelations, uuiting- in one the histories of God's wurks and
words. and blending the books of Huly Scripture into one Di-
vine hook.
But the form of words must have sugg-ested to the Jews
another thoug-ht, whieh is part of our thankfulness find of our
being, ItlteJl tu the Gentiles also !wth God giz'en repentwcce unto
life. The words arc the selt"-same familiar words with whieh
some fl'esh re,-elatiun uf (Ìod's Will to His people had so often
been announced. Now they are prdixed tu God's message to
the heathen, and so as tu joiu on that messa
e tu all the other
messalres to Israel. '" ould then Gud dt'al thenel'torth \\ ith the
heath{.n as with the Jews? ,,'ouIJ they have their prophets?
"'uuld thev be included in the one familv of God? The
mission of jonah in itself was an earnest thåt the" would; for
God, who docs nuthing fitfully or capriciously, in that lIe had
beg-un, gave an earnest that He would earn' on what lIe had
begun. And SQ thereafter, the g-reat prophëts, Isaiah, Jeremi-
ah, Ezt'kicl, were prophets tu the nations also; Daniel was a
prophet among them, tu them as well as to their captives.
But the mission of Junah mig-ht, so far, have been something
eXe'eptional. The enrolling his book, as an integral part of
the SeriI)tures, juining on that prophecy to the other prophe-
1 Acts. xi. 18.

eies tll ISrëlel, was an earut'!<t that they were to he parts uf
line '"'ystem. But then it wuuld he sig'nifiC'ant also, that the
rel'ord,.; of God's pruphel'ies to the Jew,.;, all emhodied the a('-
eounts uf their imp('nitenee. Here is in!"erted among' them an
aecllunt uf God's revelatiun to tht' heathen, ami their l'('pent-
anee. "2 So many l,ruphets had been sent, so many miral'les
\\Toug-ht, !"o often had C'aptivity hecn fè)reanno\ll\('ed to tht'm
fur tht' multitud(' of their sins, and they nevel' repented. Xot
for the l'('ign of une king- did they cease from the wlII'
hip of
of the calves; not one of the kings IIf the tcn trihes departed
from the sins of Jt'rohuam; Elijah, ,",ent in the "TorI! and Spirit
of the Lord, had done mallY mira('I('s, yet ohtained no ahan-
dllnment of the eah-e",. His miraeles cffected this onlv, that
the people kllen' that Baal was no good, and cried out, tlte
Lord lIe is the God. Elisha his disC'iple followed him, who
a!<l,ed for a donhle portiun of the Spirit of Elijah, that he
JIIight work mure mirad('s, to bring lnlt'k the people.-He died,
and, after his death as hefore it, the wor
hip of the cah-es ('un-
tinued in Israel. The Lord marvl'lIed, and was 'nan' of Is-
rael, knowing that if He sent to the heath('n they wouid hear,
as lIe saith to Ezekiel. Tu make trial ufthis, Jonah was ('ho-
sen, of whum it is recurded in the buok of Kin!!:!< that he pro-
phesied the restoration ofthe burder of Israel. "'hen thcnlw
be
ins by saying, .And the u'orclof tlte Lord came to JUllah, pre-
fixing the word
lnd, he refers us back t(1 those fortller thin
',.,
in thi
meaning. The ehildrcll lUI\-e not hearkened to what
the Lord C'ommanded, sending to them by lIis s('n-ants the
prophcts, but ha\-e hardened their neeks and givt'n themseh-es
up to do e,-il hefor(' the Lord amI pruvoke Him to angcr; and
therefure the 1l'ord of the Lord came to .Jollah, saying, A rise aml
go to AYillereh that great ciI.Ij, llml preach Ullto Iter, that
o
hracl Hlay he shewn, in ctllnparison with the heathen, to he
the more guilty, when the Xinevites :;huuld repent, the ('hild-
ren of hraell'ersen
red in unrepentant'e."
Junah tlte son of Amittai. lloth names oeeur here only
in the Old 'I'estamcnt, J ()uah si
nifies "Dove," _\mittai, "the
truth of GIld." Some of the names uf the Hehrew Prophcts
o
suit in with their times, that they must either ha,-e heen gi\-en
thelll pruphetil'ally, or assullled by themseh'es, as a sort of
watchword, analo/.!:ous to the prophetÍl' name
,
Ï\-en to the
sons of Husea and Isaiah. Sueh were the name
of Elijah
and Elisha, "The Lord is my God," "my Gud is sah-ation."
SUe'1t too !oieems to be that of Jonah. The "dove" is (',-ernvhere
the SVlllbol of "mournin
Ion." The side of hi
eharat'ter
n-hieÎ. Jonah re('ords is'that of his de fed, his want uf trust
in God, and so hi,. unlm in/! zeal agaiust tbose, who wt're to
be the instruments uf God ag-ainst his people. His nallle per-
haps pre
erves that character by which he willed to he kuuwn
among his people, one who moaned or muurned o\"er them.
2. Arise go to ....Yiue'l'eli, tlwt great 6(1/. The .\ss
l'ian
histury, as far as it has yet been diseovered, is very bare of
evcnts in regard to this periud. "'e have as yet the names
of three kinlrs onlv for l'")() Veal's. But As!"uia, as far as we
know its history, '
'as in its iueridian. J list 'before the time of
Jonah, perlHll's ending in it, were the vietoriolls rl'Íg-ns of
Shalmanubar aud Shamash-a ; after him was that of 1 valush
, RuI"

2GG

C HB;[orS T and cry ag-ainst it; for c their wickedness

780. _is come up before me.
c Gen. 18.
O, 21. Ezra 9. 6. Jam. 5. 4. Rev. 18. 5.

JOX.\H,

3 But d Jonah rose up to flee unto Tar- c Jí{oíes T
shish from the presence of the LOlm, alld
i

d ch. 4. 2.

or Pul, the fir
t aggre!'
ur upon Israel. It is dear that this
was a time of Assyrian greatness: silwe God ('ails it that great
cit.l/, not in relation to its e
tent only, but its power. A large
weak city would not have been ealled (l great ci(/junto Gm(1.
.And cry against it. The substance of that cry is recorded
aftern-ards, but God told to Jonab now, what mcssage he was
to cr./j aloud to it. For Jonah relates afterwards, how he
expostulated now with God, and that his expo
tulation was
founded on this, that God was so mereiful that He would not
fulfil the jud
ment whit'h He threatened. Faith was
trong
in Jonah, while, like Apostles" the lòuns of thunder," befure
the Day of Pentet'ost, he knew not" what
pirit he was of."
Zeal for the people and, as he doubtless thought, for the g-lo-
ry of God, narrowed I(,,-e in him. He did not, like ::\Io!'es,
pray 2, or else Mot me also out of Th.1/ book, or likc St. Paul, de-
sire even to be (lll anathema from Christ 3 for his people's sake,
so that there mig-ht be more to love his Lord. His zeal was di-
rected, like that of the rebuked .\postles, against others, and so
it too was rebuked. nut his faith was strong. Hc
hrank
back frmn the offi("e, as believing, not as doubtÏl
g, the might of I
God. He thought nothing uf preaching, amid that multitude
of wild warriors, the stern me
!'age of (;od. He wa!' willing,
alone, to t'onfrunt the viulence of a {'ity of6oo, Ü()O, who
e elta-
racteristic was ,-iolence. He was ready, at God"s bidding-, to
enter what K ahum speaks of as a den of lions; 4 The dll'elling
of the liolls alld tile fæding-place of the young liolls, wl,ere the
lioll did tear ill pieces enough fur /lis whelps, alld strangled fur
his lionesses. Ht' feared nut the fiercene!'!' of their liun-nature,
but GIIII's tenderness, and lest that tenderne!'s should be the
destruc.tion of his own people.
Their wickedness is come up hefore
1Ie. So God said to
Cain 5, The voice of thy brotlla's bluod crieth unto
1Ie from the
ground: and of Sodum 6, TIle cr.1/ of Sodom alld Oomorrah is
gl'eat, bemuse their sill is t'er.lJ grievous; tile cry of it is come
up llJifuJIc. The ll'Îckedncss is not the mere Illass of human
sin, of whit'h it is said 7, the wlwle wurld lirth ill'lL'Ìckecbless, hut
e,-il-doing 8 towards others. This was the eause of the final
sentenee un 1\ine,-eh, with whidl r\ahum doses his pruphe(.y,
upon 1l,llOnl hatll not th!! 'lL'ickedness passed co71tilllwl(lJ? It
had been assigned as the
round of the judg'ment on I!'rael
through
ineH'h. 9 So shall Bethel do unto you, 011 account of
tile 'lL'ickedlless of.llUlu' wickedness. It was the ground of the de-
struf'tion hy the flood. lOOod saw that tIle wickedness of man
was great upon tIle ew.tll. Gud represents Himself, the Great
Judge, as sitting" on His Throne in hea,'en, Un!'een but AIl-
seeing, to "'hom the wickedness and oppressiveness of man
against man goes up, al)pealing fur His sentenee ag-ainst the
oppressor. The cause seems ofttimes long" in pJeading-. God
is Jong-suffering with the oppressur too, if so be, he will re-
pent. So woultl a greater g-oocl c'ome to the oppressed also
if the wolf be('ame a lamb. nut meanwhile," 11 every iniqui-
ty has its own voice at the hidden judg-ment scat of God."
Mercy itself ealls for vengeance on the unmerciful.
3. But [.And] JOllah rose up to.fiee-f1'Om tile presence of
the Lord; lit. .from being before tile Lord 12 . Jonah knew well,
that man could not escape from the Presence of God, 'Yhum
he knew as the Self-existing, He \Yho alone IS, the Maker of

1 Jon. iii. 3.
Ex. xxxii. 32. 3 Rom. ix. 3.
I Gen. iv. 10. 6 xviii. 20,21. 7 1 John v. 19.
evil, suffered or mfucted. 9 Res. x. 14, 15.

4 Nah. ii. 11, 12.
10 8 6:n

.a

]ost alwa}'s

heaven, earth and sea. He did notjiee th en from His ]Jrc.
ellre,
knowing well what David said, 13 whither slwll I go frum Thy
's)Jirit? or u'hither shall I.flee from Th,1! presellce? If I take tile
'lcings of tile llwrllillg, and dv-'el/ in the uttermost parts of tile
,çe(l, et'ell tI1ere Ûwll TII!! hand leadllle ami Thy rigid band
shalllwld me. Jonah fled, not from God's Presence, hut from
standing before Him, as His servant and minister. He refus-
ed God's serviee, bel'ause. as he himsdftells God aftcrwards 14 ,
he knew what it would end in, ami he misliked it. So he
aeted, as men often du, who mislike God's eonllnamls. He
"et ahout removing- himsf'lf as far as 1)O

ible from being" under
the influence of God, amI from the place where he could ful-
fil them. God bid him go to 1\ineveh, whic'h lay Xorth-East
from his home; amI he instantly set himself to flee tu the then
furthermost \Y l'!'t. Holy Seripture sets the rebellion before us
in its full nakedness. The word of the Lord came Ullto Jmwll,
go to
Yinel'eh, alld Jonall rose liP; he did sOlllet hing instant-
ly, as the eonsequf'nee of (;od's command. He ruse up, not
as uther pruphets, to ohey, but to disobey; and that., not slowly
nor irresolutely, but to fiee, from !:'tallding before the Lord.
IIc renoUlU'ed his office. So when our Lurd came in the Flesh,
tho!<e who flmnd what lIe said to be Iwrd sa./!ings, went it\\-ay
from Him, and 'lcalkecl no more witll Him 15. So the rid, young
man went azca.'1 sorrouflll, 16 for he Iwd great posses.
iolls. They
werc perhaps afraid of trusting- them
eh-es in His Presptwe;
or they were ashamed of staying- there, and not doing what He '
said. So men, when God seeretly calls them to prayer, go and
immerse themseh-es in bu!'iness ; when, in sulitude, 11(' say!' to
their souls something whieh they like not, they eSt'apc' His
Y oiee in a thrung-. If He ealls them to make saerifi('es for
His poor, thcy order them
eh-es a new dress or some fresh
sumptuousness or self-indulgence; if to eelihaey, the
' engage
themselves to marry forthwith; or, contrariwise, if He calls
them not to do a thing-, they do it at unee, to make an end
of their strugg-le and their obedience; to put obedience out of
their power; to enter themscln's un a course of di!'ohediem'e.
Jonah, then, in this part of his history, is th(' ima
e uf those
who, when God calls them, disobey His call, and how He deals
with them, when He does not ahandon them. He lets them
have their way for a time, eneompas
es them with difficulties,
so that they shall "17 flee back from God displeased to God
appeased."
"18 The whole wisdom, the whole hliss, the whole of man lies
in this, to learn what God wills him to do, in what state of
life, calling, duties, profession, employment, He wills him to
sprve Him." God !"('nt each one of us into the world, to fulfil
his own definite dutie!', and, through His grace, to attain to
our own perfection in and through fulfilling them. He did
not create us at random, to pass through the world, doing what-
ever self-will or our own pleasure leads us to, but to fulfil His
"Yill. This "'ill of His, if we obey His earlier calls, and seek
Him by pmyer, in obedience, self-subdual, humility, thought-
fulness, He makes known to each by His own secret draw-
ings, amI, in absence of these, at times by His Prm-idenee or
human means. .\nd then, " lV to follow Him is a token of pre-
destination." It is to place ourselves in that orrler of things,
that pathway to our eternal mansion, for which God created

11 S. Greg. Mor. v. 20.
13 Ps. cxxxix. 7, 9, 10.
17 S. Aug. in P8. lxx.

Ii Not" .
;:
but .
;:

; see Introd. p. 2-t7.
14 iv.2. II S. John vi. G6. 16 S. Matt. xix. 22.
18 from Lap. 19 Bourdaloul'_

.

CIL\PTER I.

2Gj

C l
ítoisT w('nt down to e .Joppa; and he found a !o.hip
oin
to Tarshish
cir. ;$. e Josh. 19.46. 2 Chr. 2. 16. Acts 9. 3û.

so he paid t]lC fare c HB
oïs T
Cll. ;
I.

us, and whkh Gud c'.'catc(l ti,r us.
o Je
us
ay
I,
}
I slleep
"em'
}1." l'oir'e and I kno/(' t Itnn. ((ml tlle.'1 fO[[(J/l' Jfp, (lnd I
gi/'e UlltO t"elll eterllall{fe, and tlte.'! sl"t1I11el'er prrisll. lleitlter
slwll ((ll.', man plllrk t"em out of JIll lflllld. In the
e ways,
God has fureordain('d for us aU the g'ral'('s whic'h we need;
in the
e, Wl' shall h(' free from all temptations whidl mig-ht In
too hard for u
, in whil'h our own
l'eeial weaknc
s would he
mo
t eXl'o
ed. 'l'hu
c way
. whieh men ehoo
e out of lIIerc
natural tastc or fanc
, are n\tl
tly tI\II
e whkh expose them to
the c-reat(.
t p('ril of
in and damnatiun. For they c'hoo"e them,
ju
t beeilll"C' such pur!<uit
flatter mo
t their 0\\ n inelination
,
and g'Í\ e
eope tu their natural "trength and. their moral wcak-
nes".
o Jonah, mislikinlr a duty, whi('h (;od g'avc him tu
fulfil, sf'parated himself from Hi
!'erd('e, tilrf"eited his past
calling, lo"t. as far a" in him lay. hi" plaec anwng' "the g-ood-
ly fdlow
hip of the prophet"," and, but for (;od's 0\ ('rtakin:!
c:rac'e. would IHl\"e ended his days amonC" the di
ohedient. A"
in Huly
('ripture. I)a\'id !'tand
alonc òf saint", who had been,
after their ealling'. bloodstained; a" the penitent Rubbcr stand"
alone conn'rted in death; as S. Peter stands !'in
ly, reealled
after denying hi" Lord; "0 Jonah stands, the one Prophet,
who. hadnC" ohend and then rehelled, was constrained bv the
o,-erpowe.'ing' Proyidenee amI Ion of God, to return and
el"\-e
Him.
<.2 ßeing- a Prophet, Jonah eould not be ignorant of the
mind of {;ncl. that, a('('ording to His great '\ï
dom and Hi"
un
earehable judgments and His untraceable and ineompre-
hensihle way!<, H(" through the threat, was pro\'iding for the
ì\ine\'ites that thev shuuld not sutfer the thinc-s threatened.
To think that JoÍIah hopcd to Md(, himself i;1 the sea and
elude hy flight the g-reat Eye of God. were altogether absurd
and ignorant, whil'h
hould not he belie\'ed, 1
ar not of a pro-
phet, hut of no other sensible person who had any moderate
knowledg-e of God and His !'upremc power. Jonah knew all
this hetter than anyone, that, planninC" his flig:ht, he ehang--
ed hi
p1a('e, but did not flee God. For neither eould man.
hiding: him"clf in tlw hosom of the earth or (Iepths of the !'ea,
or ascendinp: (if pt'",sible) with \\ inp:s into the air, or entering'
the lowest hell, or en('irded with thic'k clouds, or taking- anv
other c'clUn!'el to secure his flidlt. This, above aH thinC"s and
alone, ('an neither be eSf'ape
1 nor re"i"ted. God. ".I
en He
wiUeth to h01d and
ra"p in His Hand, He O\'ertakcth the swift,
haffieth tht' intdlip:ent, onrthroweth the strong, boweth the
lofty, t.\IlH'th rashne

, subdueth mig'ht. lIe who threatened
to others the mig-ht\" Hand of God, was not him"clf iC"norant of
nor thoup:ht to flee: God. Let us not believe this. . Hut
inc'c
he saw the fall of brad amI perccÏ\-ed that the prophetic A"raee
wou1d pa
s O\-er to the Gentiles. he withdrew him
clffrom the
offic'c of preachinc'. and put uff the command." .. S The Pro-
phet knllweth, the Huly Spirit tea('hing him, that the repent-
anee of the Gentiles i!' the ruin of the Jews. .\ lonr then of
hi" f'ountr\". he docs not ,,0 mw'h en\"v the deliverance of Xi-
nc\"eh. as \
"iU that his own euuntry should not perish.-
ecing-
too that his f('How-prophet!' are
ent to thc lo
t shecp of the
house of Israel. to exeite the peop1e to repentance, and that ßa-
laam the !'oothsayer too prophesied of the salmtion of Israel,
he grievcth that he alone is chosen to be sent to the
\ssyrians,

I S. John)C. :!;, :!q. 2 S. Greg.Xaz.Apol. pro fuga. prope fin. 3 S.Jer. on Jon.i. 3.
4 rd, on i. 4. . Gen. x. -I. 6 1'8. IxxÏ1. 10. SIr:lbo iii. 2. H. i Jer. x, 9. 8 Ezek.
xxvii. 12, :!5. 9 Pliny (iii. 3.) speaks of Carteia as so called b)" the Greeks; in Î\. 36.

the enemie
of brael, amI to that !!}"('ate"t cih" of the cnemics
where \nl'" idolatry ami i!!normwe of (;od. Yet more hc feared
le
t they, on Of'ei;",ion ut' hi
preac'hing, heing- {'Ol1\"erted tu re-
pentanc'e, 1srael should be wholly for
aken. For he knew by
the same
pirit wherehy the preaching' tu thc (;entiles was
entrusted to him, that thc hou
e of I!'rad wuuhl then peri"h;
and he feared that what was at onc timc to be, should take plaee
in hi!' own time." <... The flight ofthc Pruphet mar abo be rc-
f('rred to that of man in p:en('ral who, desJlbinp: the ('ommands
of God, departt'd from Him amI g'a\'e him"elf to the wodd,
where sub!<e'luently, thwup:h the storms of ill and thc wreek of
the whole wurld rag'in/! ap:ain!'t him, h(' was c'lImpelled to feel
the Pre
ence of (;od. and tu return to Him "lHlm he hall fled.
".hence we under"tand, that those thin!!" al"o whieh men think
for their p:oud, when ag'<lÍnst thC' "ïll of (;od, arc turncd tu de-
struetiun; and help not only does not henefit tho!'c to whom
it is g'i\-en, but tl\fl
e too who gin it, are alike crushed. .\s
we read that EA"H)t wa
cOllfluered hy the .\ssyrians, heeau
e
it helped Israel ap:ainst thc Will uf Gud. The ship i!' elllpcril-
led ,,-hich had reeeiwd the emperilled; a tempest ari"cs in a
eulm; nothing is sef'ure, when Gud is a!!ainst u..."
Tarsltislt, named after une of the sons of Ja\"an 5, wa
an
ancient mer,'hant-city of Spain, once prm-erhial fur its wealth 6 ,
which supplied J udæa with sil\"Cr 7, Tyre with nil wallller of
riches, with iron also, tin. lead 8. It was knm, n to the Greeks
and RonI<III", a" (with a harder promm('iation) Tartes
u
; but,
in our first eentury, it had eithcr ceased to be, or was known
under some other name v.
hips destincd fur a voyag'e, at that
time, so long, amI built for carrying mert'llandise, were natu-
rallr among the larp:est then con
tructcd. 81,;1's (
f Tur.slti.
h
corresponded to the <. Ea"t-Indiamen" whieh some of u
re-
member. The breaking' of sltips of Tar
hi.sl, ".If the East ll'incl lO
is, on account of their size and geneml safety, instanced as a
"'pcl'Íal token of the interpositiun of (;ud.
.Ami ll'ent dUll'1l to Juppa. Juppa, now Jaffa, wa
the
one well-known port of J!;:racl on the :\Iediterranean. Thi-
ther the eedars were broup:ht from Lebanon for hoth the fir
t
and sceond temple n. Sil;lOn the :\Iac('abec" 12 tuok it again
for a ha,'en, and madc an entrance tu the ble" uf the sea." It
was suhscfJuentlydestrop'd by the Homans, as a pirate-haven 13.
At a later time, all de!'eribe it as an unsafe hm en. Perhaps
the "hore ('hanged, since the ring'!<, to which Andromeda was
fabled to ha\'c been fastened, and which probahly were once
u"ed to moor \"cs"cls, were hig'h ahove the sea. Perhaps, like
the Channel J
lall{I", the navip:ation was safe tu those whu knew
the eoast, un!'afc to other",: To this port Jonah u'ent dOll'll
from his nath-e country, the mountain district of Zabulon.
Perhaps it was not at this time in the hands of Israel. At
lea
t, the !'ailors were heathen. He 1l'e1/t down, as the man
\\ ho fell amoIlg' the thiews. is !'aid to have gOlle clo1l'nfrom .Je-
rusalem to J( riellO H. He u'ent d01l'1/ frum the pla('e which
God honourecl by His Pre"ence and protection.
And lIe paid the fare thereof. Jonah d('
('l"ihes eireulU-
stantially, how he took e\-er
stcp to his end. lIe went dn\Yn,
found a
troIl
-built ship g-oin
whither he wi!'hed, paid his
fare, embarked. He seemed now to have done all. He had
severed himself from the country n here his uffiee lay. He

he identifies Gades. theCarth
ginian Gadir, with the Roman Tartesus. Strabo says,"snme
ii

lï:he fi
)ì
c

i

5.Ta::j

.
: ii
. 9. 3
o a
db
;ë
'J
i. 2.

2

S t
f
;'

:

2GS

Refore
CHRIST
Clf. i811.
f(
l

Juh 1. I:!.
.'\: :!. i.
g 1'<. IOi. 25,
tHe".
rast 101.th.

thereof, and went down into it, to
o with
them unto Tarshish f from the prespnce of
the LORn.
4
But g the LORn t sent out a
rea1
wind into the sea, and therc was a Illig'hty

J01'\
\II,

tempest in the sea, so that the shil) WatS C IFítores T
t IiI\:(' to he broken. cir. iSO.
5 Then thc mariners were afraid , 'md t H e

thought to
pried cyery man unto his good, b and cast h

bÁ

ni7.
furth the wares that 'l('CJ'(' in tIlt' ship into 18,19,38.

had Il() further step to take. 'Yimls and wan's wlluld do the
re
t. lIe had but to be still. lIe wcnt, only to bc bJ"(lught
bat'k again.
"I siil brings our soul into mlwh sen"elel'sness. For as tho
p
overtaken by headne
.; of head and drllnkenne!<s, arc burne till

imply anrl at random, and, he there pit or prel'ipiee or what-
eH'r ('\
C below them, they fall into it unawares;
o too, they
who fall intn
in, intuxicated by thdr dp
ire of the objet't, know
not what they do, see nuthing- before them, pre
pnt or future.
Tdl me, Fl('pst thou the Lord? '" ait then a little, and thou
shalt learn from thc event, that thou I'anst not es('ape the hands
of lIi

prnmt, the sea. For a

t)On a
he embarked, it too rO\l
-
cd its w.n-es and raised the])) up on hi
h ; and as a faithful !<er-
nlIlt, finding' his fellow-I'hn-e
tcaling- some of hi
ma
t('r's pro-
perty, I'ea
e
not from givin
endk
s tl"Ouble to tho!<e who take
him in, nntil she recU\'er him, so tuo the sea, finding and re-
cog'ní
ing her fellow-sernmt, harasses the sailors um'ea
ingly,
ra
ing-, roaring, not dI"a

ing them to a tribunal but threat-
ening to sinl{ the ,-es
eI with aU its men, unless they resture
to 11('1' her fellow -s('rvant."
',2 The
illIl('r ari,
es, bepause, will he, nill he, toil he mu4.
If he shrinks fI'Um the way of Gud, because it is hard, he may
not yet be idle. TheI'e is the wav of ambition, of t'O"ctUII!"-
IlP!'s: of pll'a
\Ire, to he troddpn, whit'h certainly arc far hard-
er. ''''e wearied unr
clves3,' say the wipked, 'in the way nf
wì('kedlle
s and destrut,tion, yea, we have gune thrul1
h d('sert,.:
where there lav no wav; but the way of the Lord we han' not
known.' .J omi.h wuuld not ari
e, tõ (rll to Nin
\!Ch at God's
('omIUand; yet he must need,.: arise, to flee tu Tarshish from
beforc thc Pr('
encc \If God. "'hat g-oud ean he have whu flee-
cth the Good? what li
'ht, who willingly forsaketh the Light?
[-Ie goes dowu to .Foppa. "'herever thou turne,.:t, if thou de-
part from the "Till of God, thou A'oest down.-\\lmtenr g-lory,
riehe,.:, pO\H'r, honor,., thou gainest, thou risest not a whit;
the more thou advance,.:t, while turned from God, the deeper
and deeper thou p:oe
t down.- Y et all the!<e things arc not had
without paying- the price. At a pri('(' amI with toil, he ob-
tains wbat he desin's: he re('eh'e
nothing- g-l"atis, but at a g-reat
priec pureha
es to himself
torms, g-ricf
, peril. There arises
a g-reat tempest in the sea, when various eontradietory pas-
sions arise in the h('art uf the sinner, whieh take from him
all tranquillity and joy. Therp is a tempe!'t in the sea, when
{;ud s('nds stron
and dangerou," disease, whereby the fI'ame
i
in peril of being broken. There i!< a temp('st in the Sf'a,
when, thro' rh-al,.: or comlwtitors for the r.:ame pleasun's, or
the injun'(I, or thl' eivil mag-istrate, his g-uilt is dist'o\"Cred, he
is laden with infamy amI odium, punished, withheld from his
wonted pleasures. 4Tlle./Ill'11O go dowJI to tIle sea ofthis world,
awl do lJltsille,
s ill miglt(lf u'atas-tlteir sOlllmelteth lI11'lI,1f be-
{'all.
e of tremble; the,/Iree! to aud fro ami stagger like (l d/"lmk-
('II mall, alld all their u'isdo/ll is !ill'al/owed up."
4. Bllt [Ami] the Lonl sent out [lit. {'ast along.] Jonah
had done his all. Now God's l)art began. This he expresses

:c
'J.s2r7.m, 5. detL;
: n. 3. T'6 ii itlWi. 9, 3. I
:

bÄnt. X/9

s

:
;

thal HerOlJ. made the port of Cæsarea," behH'en Dora [in l\Ianasseh] and Joppa, smalJ.

by the word, Aud. Junah tuok !tis mea
ures, 1I1id now (Ìod
takes His. Ill' had let him IH1\"e hi
way, a
He often deals
with thol'e who rehel against Him. He lets theIll have their
way np to a ('ertain point. He waits, in the tranquillity of
His .Almig-htincss, until they have clI1upleted their prepara-
tions; and then, when man has end('d, He IJf'gins, that Illan
mav see the mllre that it is His doinlo(". "5He takes thu,.:e who
flee' from Him in their flight, the ,,
ise in their coun
cls, ,.:in-
ners in their ('lI1weitfoj and sin,.:, and draws them IJaek to Him-
self and compds them tu return. Jonah thouA'ht tu find rest
in thp sea, and lo! a tempe
t," Prubably, God summoned
hal'k Jonah, as soon a,.: he had l'ompleted all on his part, and
sent the temppst, soon after he left the shore. At least, such
tempe,.:ts often swept along that shore, and were knuwn by
their own spe('ial name, lihp the EurUl'lydon oft' Crete. Junah
too alone ha(1 gune duwIì heluw det'k to
leep, ami, when the
!'torm eame, the mariner
thought it pos,.:iIJle to put baek. .Jo-
s('phus says of that !<hure 6, ".Joppa having by nature no Im-
ven, fur it ends in a rtm
'h shore, mostly abrupt, but for a
,.:llOrt spa('e having projectinui', i. e. deep rocks and I'liffs ad-
nlIleing into the sea, inelining- on eith('r side towanl,.: eaeh
oth('r (wh('re the traees of the chains of .Andrumeda yet shewn
a('eredit the antiquity uf the fahlc,) and the Xorth ,
'indIJCat-
ing- right on the shore, and dashing the high wa,-es agaihst
the rocks ".hieh reeeive them, makes the i'tation there a har-
bourless sea. As tho
e from Juppa were to,.:sing- here, a t.:trong
wind, (ealled by tho!<e who sail here, the bla('k
orth wind,)
fall
upon them <It dayhreak, dashing- strai
htway some ofthc
ship" against eaeh other,
Olne again
t the roeks, and !<ome,
fiJ}"('ing their way ag-ainst the ,,,n-es to thc open !':ca, (tor they
fear the rOt'ky shore-) the breakers towering above them,
sank."
Tile ship ll'as like [lit. tllOugld] to be broken. Pcrhaps Jo-
nah means In' this vcr\" vivid imag-e to e
hibit the mure his
own dulness.' He ascribes, as it w
re, to the !oihip a sense of its
own dan
er, as it heaved and rolled and creaked and fjuÏ\-pred
umlcr the weig-ht ofthe sturm whkh lay on her, ami h('r ma
ts
groaned, and her yard-arm!" !'hi,.ercd. To the awakened eon-
sl'ience e'-ery thing scentS to have been alive tu God's disl)lea-
sure, ex('ept it
clf.
5.
-J/Ul rried, eZ'e1:l/ man unto !tis God. They did what
they ('ould. "7 Kot knowing the truth, ther yet know uf a
Providcnce, and, amid religious error, know that there i!< an
Ohjcct uf r('\'ercnce." In i
norant'e they had ret'eived one
whu uffpnded God. And now God, TVllOm the,lf igllol'(lllt(1f 1l'or-
s!tipped 8, while they ('ried to the gods, who, they thought, dis-
po,.:ed of them, heard tlwm. They escaped with the 10":8 of
their wares, but (;od sand their lives and revealed Himt.:clfto
them. God hears ignorant })}"ayer, when ignorance is not
wilful and sin.
To l
!!,.hteJl it of them, lit. to lighten from against tl/em, to
ligMen what was so mud. ag(till,
t tltem, what so oppressed
them. ., 7 They thought that the ship was weighed down by its

tm'ns on the sea-shore, with bad harbourage, on account of the strong blasts from the
South-"-est, which, accumulating the sed-sand on the shore, admit of nO quiet moorage,
bnt merchants must mostly ride at anchoront at sea." i S. Jer. 8 AclS xvii. 23,

CIL\.l)TER I.

2fift

Before
CHRIST
cir. i:>O.
i 1 Sam. 24. 3.

the
ea, to lightpn it of them. nut .Jonah
was
onc down i into the sidl's of the ship;
and he lay, and wa,., fast asleep.
() So tIlt' shipmash'r ('aml' to him, and
said unto him, \\lmt meanest thou, () sleep-
er? arise, k ('aU upon thy God, 1 if so he that.

k P.. 107.28.
Joel 2. H.

God wj]] think upon us, that we perish not. c J3í{ o í e s T
i
\ud they said c,-ery OIH' to his f('Uow, cu. i:;O.
Come, aud It,t mo. m ('a..t lots, that wc may m i

h. 7. 14,
know for who!oie cause this c,-il is UPOIl us.
o

r.'
o.

o they east lots, and the lot fell upun

o
\

3s.
.Jonah. Acts!. 26.

wonted ladin!!;, and thev knew lIot that the whok wei
ht wa

that of the fÎlgith'e Pr;lph(.t." "1 The sailors ('(l.çt fo
tll tI,eir
fl'Ores, hut the !'hip wa... not li
hteI\('(l. For the whole wciA"ht
I'till r('nmiued' the budy uf tht' Prophet. that hf'.u-y burden, not
fn)Jn the nature uf the hudy, but from the burden of sin. For
nothin
i... so onerou,; and hea,'v as ...in and di...ohedience.
"'hence al...o
cehariah 2 repre
entëd it under the imag"e oflead.
And David, describin
its nature, !"aid 3, nI.'1 ll'ir'kedlles.çes are
gOlle Ol'eI' m.ll head; as 11 Ileaz:'I'JIlrdl'll the,1! (ire too hem'.'1 for
me. .\ ud Christ cried aloud to those who Ih"ed in many sins 4,
Come unto JIe. all .lJe t/tat labour alld are hea
'!I-ladeJl alld I
u,iI/ refresh ./jOll."
.TrJ/lah ll'a.ç gOlle dOll'll. prubably before the beginnin
of
the ...torm. not ...imply before thc li
htenin
of the n's...el. He
cuuld hardly IHu-e fallen a...kep then. A heathen ...hip was a

trange pla('e for a prophet of God, not as a prophet, but a...
a fllgitin; and ...0. probahly. a...hamed of what he had ('om-
pleted. he had withdrawn from sight and Iluti('e. He did nol
embolden him
elf in his ..in, hut !;hrank into himself. The
<,ou...('ielwe mo...t commonly awake
, when the :,in i
done.
It ...tands aghast at it...elf; but Satan, if he ean, cuts off it
re-
treat. Jonah had IlU retreat no"', 1Ulle!<s God had made one.
Aml ll'(/,\' fast asleep. The journey to Joppa had been
long and hurried: he had.fled.
orrow and remor...e t'fllnplet-
cd what fatig-ue began. Perhaps he ha(l g-h-en himself up to
sleep, to dull his conscienC'e. For it is said, he Ill,l! dowll ami
fl'fI.Ç fast asleep. Grief produees !'le('p : whence it i... said of the
Apo!'tles in the night IJefure the Lurd's Passion, when Je
u

rose up from prayer alld ll'as come to llis disciples, He found
tllelll sleeping for sorrull' 5. "1 Jonah slept hem-ny. Deep
was the sJeep, but it wa
not of plea...ure but of grief; not of
heartlc......ne......, but of heavy-heartedne...s. Fur well-di...po...ed
sen-ants "oon feel their sin..., as did he. For when the sin has
heen done, then he knuws its frightfulness. For sueh is sin.
"'hen born. it awaken!" pang
in the soul whieh bare it, contrary
to the law of uur uature. For:,o soon a!oi ll'e are born, we end
the tra,'ail-pangs; but sin, so soon a" born, rends with pan
'i
the thoug-hts ,,-hich cOIlt'ei\,ed it." Junah was in a deep sleep,
a sleep by which he was fast held and bound 6 ; a sleep as deep
as that from which Sisera I1enr woke 7. Had Gud allowed
the ship to sick, the memory of Jonah would have been that
of the fugitive prol}het. As it is, his deep ...leep ...tands as an
image of the lethargy of sin. "8 Thi!< most deep sleep of J 0-
llah signifies a man torpid and slUlubering in error, to whom it
sufficed nut to flce from the face of Gud, but his mind, drown-
ed in a ...tupor and not knuwing the cli!'plea!'ure of (-
od, lies
asleep, steeped in security."
û. TfTlwt meanest tholt? or rather, u,lwt ailetlt thee? [lit.
u,hat i,ç to tllee?] The shipmaster ...peak... of it, (as it was) as
a sort of di...ease, that he should he thus asleep in the common
peril. TIle shipmaster, charged, as he by office was, with
the COIllmon weal of tbose on board, wouid, in the COIllIuun

peril, ha,-e one ('ClmmCIll prayer. It wa;. th(' Proph(.t"... offic'e tu
call the hcathen tu pra
ers and to eallin
UPOII (;od. (
ud re-
prm-ed the Sc'rihe!' and Phari"ees b
thc mCluth Clfthe children
\\ ho cried Hr/.mww II; JOllah hy the ",hipma,.ter: Dil\ id by
Ahi
aillO; X aaman by hi!" servants. X ow tuo he n'pru\"l's
worldly priests hy the (le\'otion of laymen, seeptie intellect by
the simplieity uf faith.
If,
o be that God1l'ill tMnk upon u.ç, [lit. for Il.Ç] i. e. for
good; a!" David !"ays ll, I am poor allli need,ll, the Lord thillketlt
upon
lit. for] me. Their callillA" upun their 0"11
od... had
failed thcm. Perhaps the shipma!'ter had !'een !'Clmething spe-
('ial about Jonah, hi... manner. or hi", pruphet's g-arb. He docs
not onl\' call Jonah'
(;0(1, thl! God, a... Dariu... ....1\.... to Daniel
th.'1 (;(I([ u, hnt al,.o the God. aèknuwINIg-ing" the (;ud "'hum Jo-
nah wor!'hipped. to be ti,e God. It i... not any heathen prayer
whi('h hc a...k,. .Jonah to Cltf('r. It is the prayer uf the erea-
ture in it... Ileed to God \\110 ean help: but knowing" its 0" n
iII-de...ert, and the sqmration between it...df and (;od, it knows
not whether He will help it. So Havicl say!' 13, Remember llOt
tIle sillS of m.1! .1louth nor m.'1 tran,çgreJi,çjons; aCClirding to Th!1
merc.'1 rememher Tholl me for Th.1! f(ooclnesS' sake, (J Lord.
"lThe ...hipmaster knew frum experi('IU'e, that it wa... 110 c'um-
mOIl
tonu, that the !'urg('s were an intlic,tiCln bornc dClwn from
God, and abm"e human ",kill, and that there wa... no g-ood in
the ma...ter's skill. For the state of thin,!!s needed another
:\Iaster "110 ordereth the heavens, and e
and the
uidance
from on hi,!!h. So then thev ton left oar
. !'ail
. ('ahle!". gave
their hand
rest frum rowin
, and stretched them to he
"en
and ealled on God."
7. COllle, aud let us cast lots. Jonah tou had probably
prayed, and hi... prayers tuo were not heard. Prohahly. too,
the
turm had some unu...ual character about it, the !'uddenness
with whieh it bur
t upon them, its violence, the (ptarter \\ hel1('e
it came. its whirlwind force. "8 The\' knew the nature of the
sea. and, a", experienced ...ailor:" wëre aequainted \\ ith the
elmraeter of wind and storm, and had the...e waves hecn sueh
as they had known before, they wouM never ha,-e snug"ht by
lot fur the author of the threatened wreck, or, by a thing un-
certain. soug-ht to e...c'ape eertain peril." God "Tho sent the
storm to arre...t Jonah, and to eau...c him to be ca...t into the
sea, pro,-ided that its character should ...et the mariners un
divining. why it came. Even when working- great mirac'le
,
God hrin
... about, throug-h man, aU the forerunning- e,-ents,
all hut the last aet, in \\ hieh He put... furth Hi... mi
ht. .\s, in
His people, he directed the lot to fall un Aehan ur on Jona-
than, so here He o,-erruled the lot
of the heathen ...ailor... to
a('c'ompli...h His end. "
\\T e must not. on this preeedent, forth-
\\ ith tru
t in lots, or ullite "ith this testimony that from the
.\ct... of the Apostle..., whell Matthias wa
by lot elected to the
-\pu",tolate, since the pri, ilege... (If indh-idual... eanllut furm a
common law." .. Lut...," ac'curding to the elld... tUI' which they
were cast, were H for i) dh-iding; ii) consulting; iii) dh illing.

1 S. Chrys. lb.
2 v. 7. 3 Ps. .xxx\ii.i. 4. 4 S. Matt. xi. 28. . S. Luke xxii. 45. 9 S. )Iatt. xxi. 15.
· The Hebrew form IS passive, c-:-
, .. The same word is used J udg. i\". 21. 12 Dan. vi. 20.

s S. Jer.
10 1 Sam. xxv. 32-3 t II P.. xl. Ii.
13 P.. IX\. i. 14 Aquin. 2.2. q. 95. an. 8.

uu

270

c J
OI[eS T
Then sai{l they unto him, D Tell us, we
CÎr. ;:;(1. pray thee, for .whose cause this evil ;.y upon
n :s

,.7il.!J43. us ; "
hat i.y thine o{'cupation? and whence
comest thou? .what;s thy country? and of
what people m't thou?

JOX.\II,

9 And he said unto them, I mn an He- c J
oÍes T
brew; and I fear II the LORn, the (;od of he a- _ cir. ;

ven, 0 whir-h hath made the
ea and the II <JJöf
ll.
dry [aud, 0 X
t;i
:
-I.
10 Then were the men t e
ceedingly t ;:
ift
::'

i.) 'fhe lot for dividing is nut wrong- if nut used, 1) "1 without
any neec!'sity; for this would be to tempt f
od:" 2) "if! in ease
of necessity, not withuut reverenee of (;od, as if Holy Serip-
ture \\ erc used for an earthly end," as in determining any se-
cular matter by opening the Bihle
: 3) for ubjects whieh ought
to be deeided otherwi!<e, (as, an office ought to be gh'en to
the fitt('st:) 4) in depcndanee upon any other than Gud. 3 Tile
lot Ü cast illto tile lap, hltt tile /l'lwle disposing of it is tlte
Lord's. So then they arc lawful".j, in secular thing!< which
cannot otherwise be ('om-enientlv distributed," or "5 when
there is no apparent reason why; in any advantage or disad-
'-anta
!."e, one should be preferred to anothcr." S. Augu!<tine
c,-en alluws 6 that in a time of plague or perse('ution, the lot
might be cast to deeide who should remain to administer the
Sa
raments tu tIle people, Jest, (Ill the one side, all should be
taken away, or, on the other, the Churdl be deserted. ii. The
lot fur ('unsulting, i. e. tu deeid(' what une shoultl du, is '\Tong,
unlcss in a matter of mere indifferen('e, or under inspiration
uf God, or in some extreme necessih- where all human means
fail. iii. Th(' lot for divining, i. e. ti., learn truth, whether uf
things IH'('sent or future, of which we ean ha,'e no human
knowledge, is wrong, except by direct inspiration of God.
FOl' it is either tu tempt God who has not promised so tu re,-eal
things, or, against (;od, to seek superhuman knowJedge by
ways unsanetiuned bv Him. Satan mav readilv mix himself
unknmHl in sueh eliquiries, as in nwsmerisn{. Forbidden
ground i!< his own I,ro,-ince.
God onrruled the lut in the case of Jonah, as He did the sign
whidl the Philistines sought. " Î He made the heifers take tÌlC
way to llethsh('me!'h, tlH
t the Philistines mig-ht know that the
plag-ut. ('ame to them, not by chaIU'e, but from Himself." "oThe
fugith'e (Jonah) was taken by lot, not by any virtue of the 10h,
espedaHy the lots of heathen, but by the "'iJl uf Him \rho
guided the uncertain lots." "9 The lot betrayed the culprit.
Yet nut e,-en thus did thev cast him over: but. even while SUdl a
tumult and stol'm lay on them, they held, as it were, a court in
the nssel, as though in entire p
af'e, and allowed him a hear-
ing- and defence, and sifted e,-ery thing- aeC'uratcly, as men who
were tu g-h'c aeellllllt of their judg-ment. Hear them siftin/! all
as in a court-The ruaring s('a aeellsed him
the lot f'OIwit'ted
and witnessed against hi
n, yet not e"en thus did they pro-
nounce a
ainst him-until the accused should be the a('eUSer
of his ow'n sin. The sailllrs. uneduC'ated, untaug-ht, imitated
the good order of court". "'hen the sea seal"ce állowed them
to breathe, whence such forethoug-ht about the Pruphet? By
the dispusal of God. For God hy all this instructed the Pro-
phet to be humane and mild. all but saying aloud to him; 'Imi-
tate these uniw4rueted
ailors. The\" think not lightly of one
soul. nor arc unsparing- as to one bod
-, thine own: B
t thou,
for thy part, g-a,'est up a whole city with so many myriads.
'fhey, discowring thec to be the cause of the evil", whieh be-
fd them, (lid not even thus hurry to condemn thee. Thou,

I Aquin.1. c. 2 from S. Aug. Ep. 55. ad inquis. Januar.
3 Provo x,i. 33. 4 Less. de justit. &c. ii. -13. Dub. 9. L. 5 Id. quoting
S. Aug. ùe doctr. Xt. i. 28. "If an)' have a superfluity which ought to be given to such as
have not. and cannot be gÏ\ en to two. and t\\O come to you. of ... horn n"ither is to be
preferred to the other from want vr any urgent necessity, you cannot do any thing more

having- nothing-
'hereof to accuse the l\'ine,-ites, didst sink
and destroy them. Thou, when I bade thee go and by thy
preaehing eall them to repentance, obeyedst not; these, un-
taug'ht, do all, compass all, in ordcr to reeoyer thee, already
eondemncd, frum punishment.' "
8. TelL ItS, for u'llOse muse [lit.for 'll'/wt to U'11011I.] It may
be that the
thought that .Tonah had Iwen g-uilty to\\ ard some
other. The lot had I'uinted him uut. The mariners, still fear-
ing to do \\ rung. ash. him throng-ed (luestiuns, to know
hy
the anger of Gud folluwed him: 'll'11U1 hast thou done to 'll'11011I f
'lclwt thille occupatioll!' i. e. either his ordinary oe('ul'ation,
whether it was displeasin7 tu God? or this I'artieular lmsilless
in whidl he was engag('d, and for which he was eome on
board. Questions
;) thronged have been admired in human
poetry, S. Jerome says. For it is true to nature. They think
that !<oJlle one of thcm will draw forth the answer whieh
they wish. It may he that they thoug-ht that his euuntry, or
}1eoplc, or parent.s, were und('r the displeasure of Gud. But
perhaps, mure naturally, they wished tu" knuw all about him,"
as men say. Thcse questiuns mUi't have
one home to .Jonah's
eon!<cielH'e. TrIad i!< tll.'l husiness? The uffice of ProJ)het
whi('h he had left. fT"lIl'lIce comest tllOlt r Frum standing be-
ti.,re Gud. as lIis minister. Trlmt th.1/ country? of ie/wt people
art tholt? The }wople uf God, whom he had quitted for hea-
then; not to win them tu Gud, as lIe cunllnande(l; but, not
knowing- what they did, to abet him in his flight.
TF"I/flt is t/lÍlIe ()C('ujJatioli '? They should aslí themselves,
who havc Jonah's office tu speak in the "Kame of God. amI preach
repentanC'e. "10 "'hat should be thy business, whu hast l'un-
seerated thp.elf wholly to (;od, whom God has loaded with
daily benefits? who apl'roaehest to Him as to a .Friend? Trhat
I is th.1J business? To live for God, to despise the things of
earth, to behold the things of Heaven," to lead others hea-
venward.
Junah answers simply the ecutral point to whidl all these
questions tended;
9. I am flIl Hehrew. This was the name h\" whif'h hrael
was known to foreigners. It is used in the Old Tf.stament, only
when they are spoken of by foreigners, or speak of themselves
to foreig-ners, ur when the sa('red writer
mention them in con-
trast with forei
nersl1. So Jo
eph spoke of his land 12, and the
Hebrew midwives 13, antll\luses' sister H, and Gud in lIis eoUl-
mi!<sion to .ì\loses 15 as to Pharaoh, and 1\lo:;es in fulfilling it 16.
They had the name, as hm-ing' passed the rinr Luphrates,
"emigrants." The title might serve tu remind themseh-es, that
they wert' st1'llngers and pilgrims li, whuse fathers had left their
home at (.od"s command and for God, "7 passers hy, through
this world to death, and thruugh death to immortality."
And I fear tile Lord, i. e. I am a wurshipper of Him, most
commonly, one who habitually stands in awe of Him, and so
une who stands in awe of i'in too. For none really fear God,
nOlle fear Him as SOliS, who do not fear Him in act. To be

just than choose by lot, to ... hich that sho"ld be given which cannot be given to both."
also in Aquin.!. c. 6 Ep. 2
8. ad Honorat. n. I
. '; Lap. 8 S. Jer.
9 S. Chr
s. lb. p. 313. 10 Sancll, II In all 32 times in the O. T.
12 Gen. xl. Iii. IJ Ex. i.19. U lb. ii. 7. 10 lb. iii. IS. vii. 16. LX. I.
16 lb. V. 3. I'; Heb. xi. 13.

CI-L\PTER I.

Before
CHRIST
cir. ï80.

afraid, and said unto him, \Yhy hast tllOU I
dune this? For the men knew that }w flf.fI
from tilt' }))'CSl'Ilf'l' of the LORn, bceause he
had told them.
II
r Theil said they unto him, \Vhat

2jl

shall w{' do unto thee, that the sea t may c lj[ofs T
he ('aim unto us? for the sea II t wruu
ht, -.---c: iJo. ï
.
I t Heb. mU'1
anf was tt'mpl'stuOU!o,. be8ilent
12 And )w said unto them, P Take me up, II {);:n ;:;"
and cast me fèu.th into tlH' sea; so shaH tht' :::::::::.
t Heb. went. p John 11. 50. pedUOU8.

afraill of God i
not to fpar Him. To he afraid of God keep

men a\\.n o from (Tod; to fear Ciod draws thcm tu Him, IIt're
hmH'nor:Jonah prohahly meant to tell them, that the Ohjeet
of his fear and wor
hip was thl' One Self-existin
{jod, lIe
'Vho alone IS. "'11IJ made all thin
s, in "lwsc hands arc all
thing--:. lie had told them before, that he had flpdfrom being
befure tl,c LORU, Th('v had not thoul!ht anvthinl! of thi-:, for
tl;ey thol1g-ht of the L(;RO, only as th
God u"fthe 'Jews. Xow
he adds, that lie 'nlOse scrvÏl'e he had thus fOl'salíl'n, was
the God or I,eal'ell, wI/(} made tlie sell (llId dr11lalld, that sea.
whuse ra
in
terrificd theUl and threatened their ]in
. The
title, tlie (;od of he{/1'eIl, asserts the dOl'trine of the ercation of
the ht'avens hy God, and lIis supremaey. Hence .\.hraham
uses it to his spn-ant \ and Jonah to the heathen marin('rs.
and Daniel to X ehu('hadnezzar 2; ami Cyrus in at'knowledg-ing-
God in hi" prodamation 3, After his example. it is u)oO('d in
the deerees of Oarius 4 and .\.rtaxen:e
5, and the returned ex-
iles use it in gÎ\'ing al'eount of their bl1ihling the tempII' to the
(jm-ernor 6 . Perhaps, from the habit of intercourse" ith the
heathcn, it is u
cd onee bv Daniel 7 and bv Xehemiah 8. )Icl-
('hisedek, not perhaps hei;lg acquainted ,,:ith the sp('ciaJ name,
the LORO, bles
ed Abraham in the Xame of God, tlte Possessor
or Creator of hem"en and earth 9, i. e, of all that is. Jonah, by
using- it, at on('e taug-ht the
ailors that there is One Lord of
all, amI why this evil had fallen on them, heeau
e they hall with
them him)oOclf, the reneg-ade sernmt of God. "IO"'hen Jonah
!'aid this, he indecd f('ared (;od and repentell of his :,in. If
he ]ost filial fear by fleeing and disobeying, he reeoHred it by
repentanee."
10. T/ICIlI('ere the 1IIeIl e.l"ceedillgly afraid. Before. they had
feared the tempest amI the 10:':' of their liw:,:. Xow they fear-
ed God. They fcared, not the creature but the Creator, They
knew that what they had feared was the doing of Hi,.; .\.1-
mig-htine,.;:,:. They felt how awcful a thing- it wa:, to he in IIis
Hands. Sueh fear i:, the beg-inning- of eonv('rsion. when men
turn from dwelling- on the distrc-:'ses whieh surround them,
to God "'ho :,ent them.
117/1/ hast thOll done t1âs? The\" arc word:,: of amazement
and "ol
der. "'hy hast thou not' obeyed :'0 g-reat a (jod,
amI how thou
htest thou to e)oOeal'e the hand of the Creator?
,no \rhat is the mv!'tery of thy flil!ht? "'11\- did one, who fear-
ed God and had r{.,-elation,.; f;'Oln' God, flee; sooner than go to
fulfil thcm? \nlY did the worshippt'r of the One true God
depart fl"Hm his (;od?" .'11.\ sernmt flee from his Lord, a :':on
frolll hi
Father, man from his C;od!" The incon!'isten('y of be-
lienr
is the marvel of the youn
Christian. th(' repul)oOion of
tho
(' without. the hardening- of th(' unbe]ipwr, [f men reallv
be]iewd in eternity, how could they be tllllS inllnel"sed i;1
thing-s of time? It the)' helie'-ed in 'hell, how eould thcy
o
hurry thither? If thcy heliewd that God died for them, how
('ould they,.;o rt'lluite JIim? Faith without love, knowledg-e
without ohedi{'nl'c, consdous dep(.ndanee and rehellion, to be
favoured by l;od yet to de)oO],ise IIis fanmr, arc the strange!iOt

I Gen. xxiv. ï. 2 Dan. ii. 3ï,H.
4 Ezr. Ü. 9, 10.
lb. ,ii. 12, 21, 23.

3 2 Chr. xxx\"i. 2.'3. Ezr, i. 2.
6 lb.,. n, J2. ; ii. 18.

marvels of this mysteriou" world. All nature seems to ('ry
out to and a
ain!'t the unfaithful Chri..tian, "ll'h!1 hast tholt done
this f And what a li'llY it i..! .\. sC/lft'er has late!) said truly.
"12..1\.\'owed seepti('ism ('annot do a tenth part of the injury to
praetieaJ faith, that the eonstant s}wctal'le of the hug-e ma
s
of worldly unreal belief doe!<." It is nothing- strang-e, that the
world or unsanctified intclleet shoulù rcjcet the (ill
peJ. It is
a thing of {'our,.;e, unle!'s it be l'IHlverteli. But, to know, t/l bc-
]jl'n
. and to d.isohev! To di
ohe,' God, in the
aml' of (i/ld.
To I'I'O)lOS(, to ha]vé the Ihin
(;os].cl, as thc woman wlw
hall hilled her I'hild l3 , and to think that the poor '1uh-erin!!: rem-
nants \\ /luld be the living C ;ospcl any more! As though
the ""ill of (iod mig-ht, lik(' tho
e 10\\ er forms /If lIis animal
l'J"eation, be divillc(l endle::>sly, and, ke{'l' \\ hat frag-mcnt-: we
will, it would stilllw a living whole, a '-e
scl of Hi

ril'it!
ueh
unrealiti('
and inl'onsistelll'ies would be a sorc trial of faith,
had not Jesu)oO, ,rho 14 knell'1l'llllt is ill1llan, forewarn('d U
that
it shouhl be so. The ,.;('andal,.; ag-ain..t thc Gospel,
o 1'llIItrary
to all human opinion, are but a testimony the more to the
Dh ine knowled
e of the Redeemer.
II, TV/wi s/wllll'e do llltfo tllee? The\" knew him to be
a prophet; they a..k him the mind of hi
G
d, The lot
had
marked out Jonah as the eau
e oft}Je storm; Jonah had him-
"elf admitted it, and that the !'torm \\ as for his ('au
p. and. I'ame
from /iis God. "11 Great was he who fled, g-rcatcr lIe ,rho re-
quired him. They dare not g-Í\-e him up; they ('.IIl11ot eoneeal
him. The\" blame the fault: the\" eonfess their f('ar ; th('" ask
him the reiuedv, who was the aútllOr of the sin. If it' wa)oO
fault,- to receh=c thee, what can we do, that {iod should not
be al;/!"ered ? It is thine to direct; ours, to obey."
Tlte sea u'rouglti lIncll('as tempestuous, lit. INl!; going and
whirling. It was not only ÏllI'rea
ingly tcml'e
tuou)oO, hut, like
a thin
alive and obeying it-; )Iaster's ""ill, it \\ as holding- on
its f'ourse, its ,\ iJd wa,-es tos
ing them:,:elve
, and marchin
on
like battalions, mar
halled. arrayed for the end for whieh they
were i'ent, Imr
lling- and demanding the runaway slave of (i(l(1.
"11 It INIS going, as it was hidden; it 1('(lS going to a'-eng-e its
Lord; it ll'llS going, ImrsuinA" the fugitive Prophet. It wa!:
swelling e, ery moment, and. as thoug-h the !'ailors were too
tardy, was rh-il1!! in yet g-reater surges, shewing that the ,-en-
g-eanee of the Creator admitte(l11ot of delay:'
I:? Take me lip and cast TIle into tile sea. Seither might
Jonah have !'aid this, 110r lIIig-ht the )oOailors ]\<I\-e oheycd it,
without the e011l1nand of {
od. Jonah lIIidlt "ill alone to
peri
h, who had alone oft'endcd ; hut, without C the eommand of
God, the Gh er of lif"<-, 11cithcr .Jonah nor the sailors midlt
di,.;po,.;e of the life of .Jonah. But God will(.d that Jonah
should he east into the sea, whithcr he hatl g-OI1P for rcfug-e,
that J511'llerewitlwl he hall siultC'd. hl/ the Ml1Ile also I,l' lIIig-ht he
punished as a man; and, as a PruÌ,het. that he midlt. 'in hi:,:
three days burial, prefig-ure Him "'110, after His Rc
urrl'e-
ti011, shouM cOIn-crt, 110t Xillevch, but the world, the ny of
whose wickellue5s went up to God.

S i..t. 5. ii. 4, 20. 9 Gen. xiv. 19. 10 Dion. 11 S. Jer.
12 In the Times. 13 I Kings iii. :W. 14 S. John ii. 25. 1;; Wisd. xi. 16.
uu2

272

C HB;[oíes T spa he calm unto you: for [ know that
cir. í80. for illY sake this great tt'llll)est is Ul)On
you.
tHeb. digged.' la Xen'rtheless the Illen t rowed hard
'I Provo 21. 30. to hring it to tlU' land; q hut they could
not : for the sea wrou
ht, and waS tellll)es-
tuous a
ainst thelll.
1.1 "'herefore they eried unto the LORn,

JOX
\H,

and said, 'Ve hesee('h thee, 0 LORD, we c JRies T
he!'eech thee, let us not l)erish for this cir. i80.
III an 's life, and r lay not upon us innocent r Deut. 21, 8.
hlood : for thou, 0 r ,ORD, · hast done as it. Po. 115.3.
pleased thee.
15 So they took up .Jonah, and cast him
forth into the sea : t and the sea t ccased t i

;8
2-1.
from her raging. t Heb. stood.

For I kilO/I' that for my sake. "I In that he !Oars, I kJtow,
he mark!< that he had a revelation; in that he sa
's. tltis grl'ftt
storm. he marks the need which lay on those who cast him in-
to the
ea."
l:
. Thl' men rowed hard, lit. dug. The word, like our
"ploughed the main," descrihes the g-reat efforts which they
made. _\.mid the ,-iolence of the stOrIn. th('v had furled their
sails. These wert'" orse than uscle:o<s. The \,-ind was off short',
sinpe by rowing alone they hoped to
et b,l('k to it. They put
their oars wdl and firmly in the sea, amI turned up the water,
as men turn up earth by dig-g-iIlA". But in ,'ain ! God" iIIed it
not. The :o<ca went on its way, as before. In the dcsC'ription
of the d('luge, it is repeated, 2 the 1NLters iJtcrea.
ed alld hare
lip t!le ark, alld it was lifteduJ1 a!Joz'e t!le earth; tlte waters iJt-
creased greatly UpOII t!le eartlt ; alld the ark ?l'ellt upon tIle face
of the 1l'{tters. Tht' waters rag-cd and swelled, drowned the
whole world. yet only bort' UI) the ark. as a "teed bears its I"Í-
der: man was still, the waters obeyed. In this tempe:o<t, on the
contrary, man str()\'e, but. instead of the pcaee ofthe ark, the
burden is. the \ iolellee of thc tempest; the sea u'rOllgld alldll'aS
tempestuous agaillst them. "3'fhe Prophet had I)rollouII eed sen-
ten('(' a!!aill
t him:o<clf, but they would uot lay hands upon him,
stridng hard to get ba('k to land, and espape the risk of blood-
shed. willing- to lose life rather than l'ause its loss. 0 what a
chang-(' was there. The lJeople who had :o<erved God, said, Cru-
cify Him, Crueify Him! These are bidden to put to dcath; the
sea rag-eth; the tempt'st commandeth; aud they arc careless
as to their own safety, whilt' an::l.ious about another's."
14. T171l'1"l:.fore [A
/(l] tile.,! crÎl'd unto tlte Lurd. Tltey cried
no more each man to !tis god, but to the One God, 'Yhom Jo-
nah had made known to them: and to Him thev ('ried with
an earneSt, submis
iYe, cry, repeating" the words or"beseeching-,
as men do in
reat earnestness; we hl'seecll Tltee, 0 Lord, let us
llot, we heseech Tlll'e, perish for tile life of t!tis man (i. e. as a
penalty for taking" it. as it is said, 4 1l 'e ?l'W slay !timfor t/le life
of ltis brotltn, and, ;; life fur life.) They secm to have known
what is said, 6.'1 011 1' blood of your lives tvi/l I require; at tlte I
Iwnd of n'el:,! beast will I require it and at tlte hand of man;
at tlte halld '!( el'ery man's brotlta 1l'ill I require tile l
(e of mall.
Irhoso sheddeth man's blood, b!1 man shall ltis blood he shed;
for ill tlte image of God made He mall. "3 Do not these words
of the sailors set'm to us to be the confession of Pilate, who
washed his hands, and said, I am clean from tile Blood of t!tis
.1lall? 'flU' (
entiles wnultl not that Christ should perish; they
protc!'t that His Blood is innocent."
Aml/ay 1I0t upon us iWlOcent blood; innocent as to them,
althou!!h, as to this thin!!, guilty he fore God, and yet, as to
Gud also, mol"C innocent, they would think, than they. For,
stran
ilS was this one disobedience. tlteir whole life, they now
knew: was di:,:obedicnce to God; lâs, but one act in a iife of

I Alb. }'I. : Gen. vii. li,18. 3 S. Jer,
4 2 Sam, xÍT. 7. i Deut, xix. 21. 6 Gen. ix.5, G. ;- 1 Pet. iv. 18.

obedience. If God so punishes one sin of the holy, 7zl'Itere sllall
tile lillgodl!1 and .
Íll1ter appear? Terrible to the awakened
consC'ience arc God's cha
tenings on some (as it seems) single
ofl'ence of those whom He loves.
.Por Tholl, Lord, [T17w kllowest tlte hearts of all mell,] hast
dOlle, as it pleased Tllee. 'Y onderful, ('oJl('i!'e, confession of
faith in these new ('Oll\'erts ! Psahlli:o<ts said it s , 1I'lwt.wever
(;odll'illeth, that doeth He ill heal'en alld ill earth, in the sea
alld ill all det'þ places. But these had but just known God,
and they re:o<olve the whole mystery of man's agency and God's
Pl"Ovidence into thc three si1l11Jle words II, as [Thou] 1l'illedst
[Thou] didst. " 3 That we tuok him aboard, that the
tol"ln
ariseth, that the winds rag-e, that the hillows lift themst'l\-es,
that the fu
itive is betra
-ed b
' the lot, that he point:o< out what
is to be done. it is of Thy "'ill, 0 Lord." ..3 Thc tcmpest itself
!'peaketlJ, that Tlwlt, Lord, hast dOlle as Tlwll 1l'illedst. Thy
\\ïll is fulfillt'fl by our hands." "I Observe the eounsel of God,
that, of his own will, not by \'iolence or by neces:o<ity, should
he be cast into the sea. F(lr the casting of Jonah into the
ca
sig-nified the entranee of(,hrist into the bitterness of the Pas-
sion, which He took upon Himself of His own "ïll, not of ne-
ee
sity. 10 He was otlèred up, ami 111' willingly submitted.llim-
self. And as those who sailed with Jonah were delivercd, so
the faithful in the Passion of Christ. II If ye seek
lle, let these
go their 1l'a.z/, that the sa."ing migltt he fu{filled which Jesus
spake, Of them which Thou gavest me, I have lost JlOne."
15. They tuok up Jmwh. "3 He docs not say, 'laid hold
on him', nor' came upon him' but lifted him; as it were, bear-
ing- him with respect and honor, they east him into the sea,
not re
bting, but yielding himself to their will."
The sea ceased [lit. stood] fr01ll his raging. Ordinarily, the
waves still swell, when the wind has ceascd. The sea, when
it had rect'Índ Jonah, was hushed at once, to shew that God
alone raised and quelled it. It stood still. like a scn'ant, when
it had aceompli!'hed its mission. God, "'ho at all times saith
to it, 12 .lIitherto shalt tlWll come alld 110 further, and here shall
tlt!1 proudzNwes he sta."ecl, now unseen, as afterwards in the
Flesh, I3rehuked the 11'Ítuls and tht sea, and there was a great
calm. "3 If we t'onsider the errors of the world befl)l"C the
Passion of Christ, and the eonflieting bla
ts of divers doctrines,
anti the vesst'l, and the whole mee uf man. i. e. the ercature of
tlw Lord, emp('rilled, and, after His Passion, the tranquillity of
faith, and the p('ape of the world, and the
ecurity of all things,
and the ('oll\-ersion to (;od, we shall see how, after Jonah was
('ast in, the !'ea stood from its rag-ing-." "3 Jonah, in the sea,
a fu
itÍ\-e, shipwref'ked, dead, sawth the tcmpcst-tost ve:o<sel;
he !<anth the heathen, aforetime tos
ed to and fro by the
error of the world into divers opinions. '\.nd. Hosea, Amos
Isaiah, Joel, who prophesied at the :o<ame time, could not amend
the people in J udæa; whence it appeared that the breakers

o Ps. cxxxv. 6. cxv. 3.
11 S. John xviii. 8, 9.

10 Io.liii. 7,
13 S.
Iatt. viii. 2(1.

I: 9J

x

i
2 ;
I(

c Jj{ors T 16 Then thp Ulen
_ cir. ï8 0._ LORn exceeding-Iy, and
II k

itl. sacrifice unto the LORD,
t
:
'as::;i_ yows.
fiee unto the LORD. Q"d l'OIad I'OU'S.

u feared tIll' I
t offered a
and made'

coultI not be calmed, san' by the death of
IIim typified hy] the I
fugith-e."
16. Alld tIle men feared the Lord with ([great fear; beeau!ie,
from the tranquillity of the sea ami the eea"ing of the tempest,
they !'aw that th(. Prophet's word,.: were true. This g-rcat mi- '
raele I"ompleted the eonn'r,.:ion of the mariner,... God had re-
nw,-ed all human eau!<e of fear; and yet, in the same word
a;;
hefore, he says, thl'.'1 fmred a great fear; but he add,.:, the Lord.
It was th(' !!reat fear, with which e\"Cn tht' di,.:eiples of Jesus
feared, when they !'aw the miraele::- whidl He did, which made
e'"en Peter ,.:ay 1; Depart from me, fur I alJt a sillfulll/aJl, 0
Lord. E,"ent" full of wonder had thronl!ed upon them; thing,.:
beyond nature, and eontrary to nature; things whieh betoken-
e(t" fIis Pre!'ence, ,rho had 'aU thin!!" in His haIu{,.:. They had
seen ".iJlcl aml storm fu(filliuf{ Ilis Il'Ul"ll2, and, forerunners of
the t1!<herlllen of Gali]ce, knowin!! full well from their own ex-
peri('n<,e that this wa,.: abm"e nature. they felt a g-reat awe of
GOtl. So He I"ommandcd Hi::- people, TllUu shalt fear the
Lurd th.'l Gmf3, for th.'! guod ahl'a.'I,ç.J..
Aud (!tlèred a sacrifice. Douhtle,.:",as it was a lar/!e deeke(]
\"c,.:"d and bound on a long Yoyal!e, they had Ih'e ereatures on
board, whidl they cuuld offer in saerifice. But this was not
enough for tlwir thankfnhw,.:s; tl'e.lJ {"OIl'ed {'OIl'S. They pro-
mised that thev would do thereafter what thc,- eould not do
then; "5 that t"Iley would Il(',-er d('part from Him \\ThOlll they
had beg-un to wor,.:hip." This was true lo,-e, not to he eon-
tent with aught which they could do, but to ,.:tretl"h forward
in thought to an abidiug' and enlarg-ed obedience, as God
should enable them. .\nd,.:o thev were doubtless enrolled
among- the people of God, first-friÜts from among the hea-
then, won to God \\'110 O\"errulcs all thin!::",.:. through the di:-õ-
obedience and repentance of His Prophet. Perhap", they
were the fir
t preachers among the hcathen, and their account
of their own wonderful delh-eranl'e pre}mred the way for Jo-
nah's mis:-õion to Xinenh.
17. .LYme the Lord had [lit. And the Lord] prepared.
Jonah (as appears from hi
thank":l!:i,-in
) wa,.: not s\\ allowed
at once, but
ank to the bottom of the "ea, {.od preserving
him in life there by mirade, as He did in the fi,.:h's belly.
Then. whcn the sea-weed was twined around his head, and
he seemed to be already buried till the sea should pH up her
dead, God prepared the.fìsh to swallow Jona/I. "6 God could as
ea!<ily ha,-e kept Jonah alive in the sea a.. in the fi!'h's belly,
but, in onl('r to }Jrefig-ure the burial of the Lord, He willed
him to be within the fi
h whose bellv was a!' a grave." Jonah
does not "a
what fish it was; and '-mr Lord t
ü used a name,
signifying" only one of the wry }arge"t fi"h 7. Yet it were no
greater miracle to ereate a fish which should swallow .Jonah,
than to presen"e him alive whell swallowed. " 8 The infant
i,.: buried, as it were. in the \\ omb of its mother
it <,annot
breathe. and yet, thus too, it Ih-eth and is prcsen"cd, wonder-
fully nurtured by the will of God." He '\ïw preserves the em-
bn-o in its Ii, ing g-rave ("an maintain the life of man a;; ea,.:ilv
without tlw oUh
"a'rd air as with it. The
ame Divine 'nil pré-
!iervcs in being the whole creation, or creates it. The ::-ame "-iJI

I S. Luke v.S.
2 Ps. cxhiii. S. 3 Dcut. \;. 13. 4 lb. 24. . S. Jer. 6 Dion. .. see ab. Introd. p. 25ï.

CHAPTER I.

273

17
X ow the J ,ORn hatl I)repared C Irj[oreS T
a g-reat fish to swallow up .1 onah.
\nd
;so
_
Y Jonah was in the t helly of the fish &
I

t:f.4U.
Luke II. 3').
three days and three nj
hts. t H"b. bowels.

of God kcpps us in Jife by hreathing thi,.: outward air. "'hieh
prescrved Jonah without it. How hili!! will 1II('n think of(.od,
a!i if He were man, of the Creator a
if He were a creature, as
though <,reation were but on(' intric'ate l'i<,pe of ma,'hinen",
which is to g-o on, ring'in!::" its re
ular chang-e!< until it
hall l;e
worn out, and God were ,.:hut up, as a :-õurt of main!'pring within
it, \\'110 might he allowed to be a primal Fort'e, to S('t it in mo-
tion, hut must not he allowed to vary what lie ha.. once made?
.. \\-e mu!'t admit of the agency of God," :-õay thc,.:e men 9 when
they would not in name be .\thei,-t,.:, ., once in the hcg-inning-
of thing,.:, but must allow of Hi,.: interferenee as :-õparing-Iy as
may be." :\Io,.:t wise arntlll!<,ment of the ercature. if it \\ ere
indeed the g"Od of it,.: God! :\Iu:-õt c'on,.:id<,rate provision for
the non-interference of it!< :\Iaker, if it could but ":CI'lire that
lIe would not interfere with it for e,-er! Ac'ute physical phi-
lo!'ophy, which. by it,.: olllniputent word, would undo the .\cts of
God! Heartless, :-õen!'ele,.::-õ. sightle,.:s, world. whic'h exi,.:t,.: in
God, i,.: upheld by God, whose en>ry breath is an effiuen('c of
I God's love, and whic'h yet H'('S Him not, thanks Him not,
thinks it a grcater thing to hold it,.: own frail existence from
some imag-ined law, than tu he the ohjed of the tendcr per-
sonal eare of the Infinite God, '\'\10 is Lo,-e! Poor hoodwink-
ed soul", whieh would extinl!uish for them"eh-e,.: the Light of
the world. in order that it may not eelipse the rush1ight of
their own theory!
And JUllal,' U'(/S ill tl,e belly of the fisl,. The time that
Jonah was in the fi!'h's belly was a hidden prophecy. Jonah
does not explain nor point it. He tells the fa('t. a,.: Scripture
is wont. Then he sing-lc" out one, the turning })Oint in it.
Doubtle!'s in tho:-õe three day:-õ and ui!!hts of darkn<,,.:s. Jonah,

Iike him who after his conver,.ioll beeame
. Paul,) meditated
much, repented nuwh, !<orrO\H'd mueb, for the love of God,
that he had ever offended God. purposcd future obedicnce,
adored God with wOlUlerin
awe fur Hi,.: judgment and merl"Y.
It was a uarrow hume, in ",hii'll Jonah, by mira<,le, wa,.: not
consumed; by mirade, breathed; by miracle. retained hi,.: !'cn-

('s in that fetid place. Jonah dOllbtle,.:,.:, repented, marHlled,
adored, loved God. But, of all, (.od has singlcd out thi,;; CIne
lloint, how, out of ,.:ueh a place, Jonah thanked (jod. .\,.: lIe
delivered Paul and Sila;; from the pri:-õon, when they prayed with
a loud ,"oice to Him, so when Jonah, by inspiration of His
Spirit, thanked Him, He delivered him. To thank God, IInly
in order to obtain fresh p:ift" from Him, would he but a refined,
h) pocritieal form of !'elfishne,.:,.:. SUI.h a formal act would not
be thanks at aU. \\' e thank God, beeause we 10' e Him, be-
cau,;;e He is So infinitcl" Good, and .so good to U":, unworth,-.
Thanklessne,.,. shuts th'e door to Hi,. p
rs"nal merci('s to u-;',
hecause it make,.: th('m the occa,.:ion of fresh
ins of our's.
Thankfulnes,.: "'ets God'::- e!isential GoÜ(lne!'
fr<,e (so to :-õpeak)
to be good tu u;;. He can do what He delight... in doinp:, be
good to u
, without our making His Goodne:-õs a ,.:ource of
harm tu u,.:. Thanking Him through His p:raee, we he('ome
fit n!'seb for larger p:r;l('cs. "10ßle,.:"ed he who, at enry gift
of p:race, rcturn
to Him in "-hom is all filllne!oi" of p:race,.: to
'nlOm when we shew ouri"cJws not ungrateful for gifts receiv-

9 ,,, estminster Review.

10 S. B:
:
fr
. 2;. c. pessim. \it. ingratilUJ. i. 11-l
.

27-1

Hefore
CHRIST
- ci r. ;1<0. I TIle prayer of .J(mall. HI lIe i.
deli,'erpd frnm
t Ite }ish.
T HEX .J onah prayed unto the LORD his
God out of the fish's helly,
2 .And said, I a cried \I by reason of mine
atHiction unto the LORD, b and he heard me ;

CIL\PTER II.

a Ps. 1
0. 1.
& 130. I.
& 112.1.
I.am. 3. 55,
56.
II Or,
Ollt of mine
affliction.
bPs. li5. 2.

JOì\
\H,

out of the helly of II hell cried J, and thou Hefore
heardest my w>ice. c
r
i
T
a c For thou hadst east me into the det'p, II
; w: ave .
in tilt' t midst of tllP seas; and the floods c

'ïJ
it
.'ompassed me ahout : d all thy hillows and 1
s
b.i2
e7.t.
thy wayes passed over me.
4 e Then I said, I am cast out of thy e Ps. 31. 22.

t'd, we make room in o\lr
('lves for
ral't
, and beemne meet for
re('civin
y('t more." But Jonah's wa
that spepial ('harac'ter
of thankfulne

, whiph thank", God in the midst of ealamitics
from whieh there was HO human exit; and (
nd set Hi
,..eal
on thi
!<ort of thankfulness, hy anne"in
this delin'ran('e,
whic'h has cons('prated Jonah as an image of our Lord, to his
wonderful a('t of thanks
i\"Ïng.
II. 1. Tltm [
:1JULJ .J(JIUllt prfl.1ff'd, i. e. wlH'n the thre(' days
and Hights were passed, he uttered this devotion. The word
pm.'led inchuks thanksgiving, not petition only. It is said of
Hannah that she pm.'led 1 ; hut her canticle is all CIIlt' thanks-
gh'ing- without a single petiticlIl. In thi
thank
giving .Jonah
say
how hi,.. prayc'rs had heen heard, hilt prays no more. God
had delivered him from the sea, and he thank
God, in the
fi
h's belly, as undisturhed as in a Church or an oratory, ,..ecure
that God, "'ho had done so nlUeh, wouM fulfil the re,..t. Jlc
('aIled (
od, llis God, '\'11\) had in
o many wa\"s sllPwn Himself
His, hy IIis revdations, by His inspirationS: by His ehasti!<e-
ments, and HOW by His mcrcy. "2 From the
e words, Jmwll
}lra.lled wilo the Lord llis God out of the .fisll's hell.1J, 'H' per-
ceh'e that, after he felt himself safe in the fi\;h's bdlv, he de-
spaired not of God's mercy." .
2. I cried hy rmsmt (
f mille lffllictiOIl, nr, out of qffiictio1t
whipb eame to me. Su the Psahni
t thanked God in the same
word,.., though in a different order 3; To tile Lord ill trouble
to me I mlled, and He Ite(t/'d me. He mlled, and God heard
and answered. .. 2 Be docs not ,..ay, I ml/, but I cal/eeL; he
does not pray for the future, but gh'e,.. thanks for the past."
Strange cause of thankfulnes,.. this would sepm to most faith,
to IJP alive in su('h a grave; to abide therp hour after hour, and
day after day, in one unC'hanging darlme
s, carried to and fro
hcl})lessl)', with no known ('scape from his f(,ticl prison, ex('cpt
to death ! Yet spiritual light
hclIle on that dcpth of dal"knes
.
The ,",Iradous creature, whieh np"er o})ened his mouth !'ave to
destroy life, had ,.;waUo\\"cd him, to save it. "2\\'hat looked like
death, became safe-keel)ing," and so the Prophet who had fled
to a,-oicl doing the \\ïU of God and to do his own, now willed
to be horne ahout, he luww not whithpr, at tlH' will, as it seem-
ed. of the huge animal in which he lay, hut in truth, whither
God diret'tcd it, and he ga,'e thank
. God had heard him.
The first token of nod's l
)erc'y was the earnest of the whole.
G(Id was dealin/! with him, was "luoking on him. It was enou
h.
Out of tile helly of I,l'll cried 1. The dt'ep waters were as
a grave, and he was ('CHmted amollg tlte de(1l14. Death seemed
so certain that it was all ont' a
if he were in the \\"mllh of hell,
not to be re-born to life until the last Day.
o David said 5,
TIle ballds of death compassed 1I1e r01llld aho1lt; and, 6 TllOu
hast drawll my l{fe out of hel/. Tht' water,.. choked his sl)eecb ;
bnt he pried with a lond pry to God \\'ho knew the heart.
I rried; Thou Ileartiest. The words ,-ary only by a kindred
letter 7, Sfâ
.l'tl'ti, Slwma'ta. The real heart's-ery to God ac-
1 1 Sam. ii. 1. 2 S. Jer. 3 See Introd. p. 252.
4 r!õ;. Ixxxyiii. .1. 50 P
. xviii. 5. 6 lb. xxx. 3. ï
::'=.:J --;"';;-'1) S Tert.
de Drat.
17. p. 31I. Oxf. Tr. 9 S. Aug. ill Ps. 30. Ellarr. 4.
10. oee others ref
rred

('ording to the mind of Gud and Hi!< heariIl
are one, whether,
tiJr man's good, lIe seC'm at the time to hear or no.
"H Not of the voiee but of the heart is God the Hearer, as
Hc is tht' !-'eer.-Do the ears of Gml wait for i'ound ? How
thell could th(' prayer of .Jonah from the inmost bt'lly of the
whal{., through the bowels of so grcat a ('reature, out of the vel")'
bottomless del)ths, through so grt'at a mass of water,.., make
its way to Heaven?" "
Loud el")'ing to Gml is not with the
voiC'e but with the heart. .l\]any, silent with their lip:" hm'e
erie(l aloud with their hcart ; many, noisy with their lips, could,
with heart turncd away, obtain nothing. If then thou ('riest, ery
within, where God heareth." " IO.Tclllah ('ried aloud to (
od out
of the fish'
belly, out of the deep of the sea, out of the d('l'ths
of di
obedienee; and his prayer rea{'hcd to God, \\Tho res('lwd
him from the waves, brought him forth out of the ya,..t crea-
ture, ab
olved him from the guilt. Let the !:inncr too cr)'
aloud, whom, departing from (
od, the !'tonn of desires ()\-er-
whe!merl, the malignant Enem)' denmrt'd, the wave!'; of this
pre
ent world suC'ked-under! Let him own that he i!'; in the
depth, that so his llrayer may rea('h to God."
3. ÞÒ,. Tltou Iwrlst [didst] cast 1IIe into tlte deep. Jonah
continues to desc'ribe the extremity of peril, from whieh {;od
had already deli,-t'rcd him. Sweet is the memory of perils
past. For they !'peak of God's Fatherly eare. Sweet is it to
the Prophet to tell (;od of His merPÏes; but thi,.. is sweet only
to the holy; for God's mere)' ('on\"Îcts the careless of ingrati-
tude. .1onah then tells {;od, how He had ea,..t Him vehement-
ly forth into the eddyillg ll (It-ptli, where, when Pharaoh's arm)'
s({lIk like a stone 12 , they never rose, and that, in tile lu'art or pen-
tre (
f t!le seas, wh{'nce no !'trong swimmer could es('ape to
shore. Tile floods or flood, [Jit. Tiu,.,] the sea with its ('ur-
rents, .m"/"(JUllded him, encompassing him CIll all sides; and,
above, toss('d the multitudinous wm"es, pa!Òsing O\-er him, like
an army trampling one prostrate umler foot. Jonah remem-
bered wcll the temple-p
ahns, amI, using their words, united
himself with those other wor!<hippers who !'an
them, and
taught us how to ,..peak them to (;od. The sons of Korah 13
had poured out to God in these sclt:'same words the sorrows
which oppre
sed them. The rolling billows 14 and the break-
ers 15, whic'h, as they burst upon the rock
, shiver the ve,..,..el
and crush man, are, he says to God, T1Iine, fulfilling Thy \ViII
on me.
4. I mn cast out (
f TII!/ ,çigM, lit. from before Tldne eyes.
Jonah had wilfnlly withdrawn from standing in God's presence.
Xow God had taken him at hi
word, and, as it seemed, cast
him out of it. David had said in his haste, I mil cut (Jft: Jo-
nah
uh,..titutes the stronger word, I ([1/1 cast .fortlt 16, driven
forth, pxpdled, like the mire and dirt 17 which the wa,-es drive
along-, or like the wa,'cs themselves in their rc,..tlcs,.. motion 18,
or the heathen (the word is the same) whom God had driven
out before Isracl 111 , or as .\.dam from Paradise 20.
to on Tert. I. c. p. 310. 11. v. 10 S. Greg. ill Ps. 6. PælliL L. 11 :-::,.:iõ

I
Ex. xv. 5. add 10. 13 Ps. xlii. i. 14 i-:" I. j--::I:l:O:> 10 see Introd. p. :!52.
Ii Is. lvii. 20. IS lb. 19 Ex. xxxiv. II. and PieIoftell. ::0 Gen. iii. 24.

CH
\PTER II.

c HBj[orST si
ht, yet I will look again Ctoward th}
-"i
:JS
holy temple.

i

.s
. 38. 5 The g waters cOllJpa
s(.(1 Inf' ahout,
Lam. 3. 51. {'l'rn to the soul : the depth dosed me
round ahout, the ,\ ccds were wrapped
ahout m\' head.
t Heb. () I w
nt down to the t hottoms of tlU'
cuttings off.
mountains; the ('arth with her hal's l{'a,

Q--
_,oJ

ahout me for cycr : p't hast thou hrou
ht c JI{oÍ
T
up my life h from II ('orruptiuu, 0 Lmw
8
._
my (;od. Û ß
,}2;

i.
7 \\Th('n my soul fainted within me I re-
memlJt:'r('d the Lmw : i and my prayer eame IPs. 18.6.
in unto tl1l'e, into thine holy temple. 10: 2 Kings Ii.
t; They that ohscr,-e k lrin
vaniti('
for- };:'.31.6.
sake their own mercy.
'
G

9
'

ret [(JTlly] I williouk again, He was, a
it \\ ere, a ca
t-
away, ea
t out of (;od's
i
ht, unhecdcd by Him, hi.... prayer....
unhëard. the storm unabated, until he wa
ca
t forth. He
eould Ill)' IUll"er look with the bodilv eye even towards thc land
wherc God :ìlcwed the man-cis o{ His mcrey, and the Tem-
ple where God was wOl'
hil)ped continually. Yet what h(' could
not do in the both', he "ould do in his ....oul. This was his onl

re!'ource. "If i be cast away, thi
one thing \\ ill [ do, I will
still look to God."
Iagnifi
ent faith! Humanly speaking,
all hope was gone, for, when that huge ve:,scl eoul
sca
ccly
IÏ\-e in the sea, how should a man? when (..CHI had gIven It no
rest, while it contained Jonah, ho'" slwuld He" ill that Jonah
!'hould escapc? Xay, God had hidden His Fat'e from him: yel
he did this one. this only thing; onh- this, "once more, still I
ll'ill 'ldd to IfJok to God.'; Thftherw
rd would he 101lh, so long
as his mind wt remained in him. If his soulpartcd from him,
it slwuld
o' forth from him in that gaze. God gave him no
hope.
a\"e that He prescn-cd him alive. For he seemed to him-
!'elf forsaken of (;od. ""onderful pattern of faith which gains
strength even from God's secming de
ertion! "I am ('ast ve-
hementl
furth from before Thine cyes
yet this one thing" ill
I do; mine eye!" shall be unto Thee, 0 Lord." The Israclit(.s,
as we see from
olomon's dedieatitln-prayer. pra.'Inl toward the
temple" where lìod had set His Xame and shewn His glory,
wlwre wen' the saerÏfices whieh foreshadowed the Great Atone-
ment. Thitherward they luoked in prayer, as Christians, of
old, prayed towards the East, the seat of our ancient Paradise,
where our Lord shall appeal' unto them that look fur Ilim, a
second time untu sahatioll 2. Toward that Tt'mple then he
would yet look with fixed eye S for help, where God, "-ho fills
hea,-en and earth, shewed Him"elf to sinncrs reeoneiled.
5. The waters compassed me about ez'ell to the soul. 'Y ords
\\ hieh to others were figures of distress, " the lcaters hm'e come
el'en to the sUIlI, were to Jonah realities. Sunk in the det'p seas,
thc water strm'e to penetrate at e,-el")' olJening. To draw
breath, whieh sustains life, tu him would ha'"e been death.
There was but a breath between him and death. The deep en-
compassed me, encirding, meeting him whithersoe,-er he turn-
ed, holding him imprisoned on every side, so that there was
no escalw, and, if there otherwbe had been, he was hound 1Il0-
tionlcss. tlte U'eeclll'llS ll'1'apped aroll/ui my head, like a
ra\"e-
band. The lceed was thc wen-known sea-weed, which, e\"en
near the !"urface of the sea where man can struggle, twines
round him, a peril e,-en to the strong s\\ imlller, entangling'
him often the more, the more he stru
gles to extrÏeate him-
self from it. ßut to one hclow, powerless to struggle, it was as
hi
winding-sheet.
6. I IUllt dUll'll to tlte hottoms, [lit. the clIttings f!tf] of tile
mOlllltaills, the" root!''' a!' the Chaldee 5 and we call them, the
1 I Kings viii. 29, 30. 3.3. &c.
2 Heb. ix. 28. 3

:;-::,- is. "look intently towards," as )Ioses at the bush.
Ex. iii. 6. 4 Ps. lxix. 2. See ab. Introd. p. 25
. i Jon. here.
6 "The road is very dangerous; for the bottom is a mere bank or rocks, which extend the

hidden rOl'k", whieh the mountains pu"h out. as it wen'. into the
:o:ca, and in whi,'h they end. SUI'h hiddcn rlll'k
extend along'
the whule length of that cuast 6 . These wcre his dungcon-walls;
the ('arih, her hllr,\-, thosc lon
!'ubmarine reef" of rm'k, hi" pri-
son-bar", /l'ere llrOlllld him fur el'/'I' : the sea-weed,., were his
I'haim: : and, evcn thus, when things were at their uttcrmost,
Tlwulwst hl'flugM IlP 1II.'!lffefrolll corruptiun, to whidl hi
hodv
would ha\"e fallen a prey. had not God sent the fish to deli,-er
him. The delin'rance for which he thank" God i
alto!!ether
past: Tlwll brouglttest me lip. lIe ealls tile LORD, m!1 (ì;,d, b(.-
eau"e, being the (ìod of aI!, He wa
especially hi!' God, fOl' whom
He had done things of
ueh marvdlous 1m-c. God love
eaeh
"oul which He has made \\ ith the same infinite love with which
He Im-es all. "-hence S. Paul san; of Je
u" " 11'110 lul't'd me
awl gm'e Ilimse(f for me. He lovès eaeh, with the same undÏ\-i-
dcd love, as if He had ereated none besides; and lIe allo\\" l'al'h
to say, JI!I God, as if the Infinite God belonged wholly to each.
So would lIe teach us the oneness of union betwcen the soul
whieh (;od ]OH!<, and which adlllit
IIis Im-e, and IIilll
elt:
ï. 1T7len m.'I soul fail/ted, lit. ll'aS cuz'ered,1l'itlâll me, was
dizzied, m"erwhdmed. The word is u
ed of actual faintne
"i
from heat 8, thir
t 9, exhaustion 10, when a film euml'
over the
eyes. and thc brain b, a!' it were, mantlcd over. The suulllfthe
pious ue,-er is so full of {;od, as when all thing_" else fade from
him. Jonah eould not but have remembered Gud. in the tem-
pest; when the lots were cast; when he adjudgcd himsdf tu be
cast forth. ßut \\ hcn it eame to the utmo
t, then he
aYs, I
remembered the Lord, a!< though, in tIlt' intense thought of{ ìod
then, all his former thought of God had been forg'l'tfulnt'
s.
So it is in eHry !Stron!r ad of faith, of 10H, of prayer; its
former !'tate seems unworthy of the name oftilith, love, prayer.
It bclieHs, lows, }Jrays, as though all before had been forgl't-
fulne

.
..4ud llI!1 jlra.ller came ill unto Thee. X 0 sooncr had he so
prayed, than God heard. Jonah had thou
ht himsdf Cd
t
out of His sight; but his prayer entcred in thither. His I/O!!I
temple is douhtles" His al'tual Temple, whitherward he pray-
ed. (;od, "-ho is wholly everywhcre hut the whole of Him
nowhere, was a!< much ili thc i'emp]c as in hea'-en: and had
manifested Him
elf to Israel in their degree in the Temple, as
to the blessed saints aud an!!els in hea, en.
8. The.'! that obserl'e I!ling l'wtities, i. e. (by the forcc
of the I1ebre\\ form 1I,) that dili
ently watch, pay deferen('c
to, court,
ue, 'Nlllities uf z'mtities, vain thin!rs, whil'h prm'e
themsl'h-es ,ain at last, failing- the hopes whieh trust in them.
:O-;uch wen' al'tual idols, in whieh men opcnly prote"sed that
they trusted. SlU"h are all thin!!s in whil'h men trust. out of
God. One is not more yain tÌtan another. .\11 IHl,-e this
('mUllion })rÏueiple of vanity, that men look, out of God, to
whole length or the coast. I [ is thought that the sharp rocks" hitch pierce to [he 8Urrace
of [he sea are the remains of Ihe Isle Paria, mentioned b, Plin}' .. 31." )Iislin, Les
Saints Lieu.'t, ü. 13i. .. Gal. ii. 20. s Jon. iv. 8. 9 Am. .iii.
10 Is. Ii. 20. 11 ::--"::",::0;

27ß

JO
AH,

Reforp D nut I WillI sacrifice unto thce with the l l han' vowed. m Salvation is of thc LO R D. Before
CHRIST CHRIST
dr, ,SO. ,.oice of thanksgiving; I will par tltat that 10' And thc LORD !5pake unto the cir, ,1>0.
I P.. 50. H, 23, & llù. 1"18. Hos, 14.2, Heb. 13. 15. -;;;- Ps. 3. s.--

that whieh has its only exi:,tenee or permanenee from God.
It i:, then on(' g-('nel'al maxim, including all nH'n's idols, idols
of the flc:,h, idols of intelleet, idols of amhition, idol
of pride,
idols of self and self-will. .Men obserl'e them, as
CI(ls, watt'll
them, hang- upon them, never lo!'e sight of them, guard them
as tlHlu
h they could keCJJ them. ßut what are they? ('ling
1.,U/tities, hreath and wind, which none can g-ra!'p or detain,
vanishin!!: like air into air. .\.ml what do the\' who so oh.
erl'e
them? All alike forsake their own mercy; i. ë. God. "'nlf)
e
property is, always to have mercy," and \\110 wouM he l\1ercy
to them, if they would, So Dadd calls God, 11/.'1 _1Iere.'I 1 .
Ahraham's !'ernmt and Naomi praise God, that He Imtlt not
forsa/ic}I His merry 2. Jonah docs not, in this. exdude him-
self. I1is own idol had bcen his false love for his country,
that he would not ha,'e his people go into eaptivity, when
God would; would not ha,'e 1\inen'h prescn-ed. the enemy of
his country; and by leaving- his office, he left his Gml.forsook
his Oll'n Jlerc:'I. See how God speaks of Himself, as wholly
bclonA"ing to them, who arc His. lIe ealls Himself t!leir Oll'll
1IIere!l. "3 lie !'aith not, tlte./f 1l,I/(j do 'vanities (for "'vanit.ll of
1.'ll1lities, and all t/dl/gs arc vanity) lest he should scem to ('on-
dcmn all, and to deny mercy to the whole human raee; hut,
tJle.ll 1.l'IlO obserl'e, guard 1.'(fnities, or lies. tlte.'I into the aff'ee-
tions of whose hearts those 'L'llllities have entered; who not
only do l'llllities, but who g/({lrd them, as luving- them, deem-
ing- that they have found a treasure-These forsake tlteir own
JJleN'!!. .\lthough 111('1"(:'1 b(' offended, (ami under 1\Ierey we
may understand God IIimsdt
for God is 5 gracious and full of
compassion; shill' to anger allli of great meN".'!,) yet He doth
not for,mke, cloth not abhor. tltose Il'lLO guard vallities, but
awaiteth that they should return: these eontrariwise, of their
own will. forsake .illerl:lI !'tanding and offering- It!'elf."
n. Bllt [AI/d] l.l'it!l tIll' 'Voice of th(wkWil'illg l.l'ill 1 [ll'ould
I.fai/l] saC1'!!ìce unto Thee; 1.l'hat [llUl'e lJll'ed, [would pa.ll. He
does not
ay, I will; for it did not depend upon him. \\Tithout
a further mim,'le of (;od, he pould do nothing-. But he says,
that he would ne,'er mOl"(' for
ake God. The law appointed
!'aerifiees of thanksgiving- 6; these he would offer, not in act
only, but with words of praise. He would pa.'I what Ill' had
1.'ol.l'l'd, and ehiefly himself, his life whieh God had given back
to him, the obedience of his remaining-life, in all things. For
"7 he t!lat keepeth the law brillgetlt ojl('rillg,
enollglt; he that
taketlt heed to tIle COmmll1llb/lents r!lfèretll a pellce-q.ftèrillg.
.Jonah negle(.ts neither tilt' outward nor the inward part, nei-
ther the boti" nor the soul of the commandment.
Sall'llti
n is of [lit. to] t!le Lord. It is wholly His; all be-
long-s to Him, so that none ('an share in hei'towillg it; none can
have any hope, san' from Him. He US('S an intensÏ\-e form, as
thou
h hp would say, strong- lIIigltt.'I sa/Z'atio1l 8 . {;od seems of-
ten to wait for the full resig-uation of the soul, all it!' powers
amI will to Him. Then He ('an !'hew nwrpy healthfully, when
the soul is wholly surr'emlered to Him, So, on this full eonfes-
!'ion) Jonah is restored. The Prophpt's prayer end:, almost in
promi!'ing the same as the mariner,... They made 1.'OWS; Jonah
says. [leill pa.'I tllUt I hlll'e 1.'OlI'ed. Devoted servi('e in thecrea-
ture is one and the same, althoul!:h dÏ\'erse in degree; and so,
that Israel mig-ht not despise the heathen, he taeitly likens the
act of the new heathen ('on verts and that of the Prophet.

3 S.Jer.

1 Po. cxliv. 2.
· Eccl. i. 2.

Gen. xxiv. 27. Ruth ii. 20.
;; Ps. cxlv, 8. 6 Lev. vii. 12-15.

II. And t!le Lord
pllke Ill/to tlte./ìsh. 9 Triml and storm
fu!!ìl His l.l'orcl. The irrational ereahn'('s have will,..._ God
had commanded the Prophet, and he disoheyed. God, in !'ome
way, commanded the fish. He laid His will upon it, and the
fi.!'h forthwith oheyed: a pattern to the Prophet when He re-
leased him. "loGod's \\
iII that any thing- !'hould be t'ompleted,
is law and fulfilment amI hath the I,ower of law. Kot that
Almighty God ('ommanded the fi!'h, as He doth us or the
Holy Angels, uttering in its mind what is to he done, or in-
sertinA" into the heart the knowledA"e of what Hc chooseth.
ßut if He be said to command irrational animals or elements
or any part of the ereation. thi!' !'iA"nifi.cth the law and eomnHmd
of His Will. For all things yield to His \nll, and the mode
of their ohedience is to us altog-ethcr ineffable, but known to
Him." "Jonah," says S. Chrysnstome, "11 fled the land, and fled
not the dislJleasure of God. He fled the land. and brou
ht a
tempest on the sea: and not only himself gained nil g-ood from
flight, but broug-ht into extreme peril those also who took him
on board. "Then he sailed, seated in the vessel, with sailors
and pilot and all the tackling-, he was in the extremest peril:
when, sunk in the s('a, the sin punished and laid asidc, he enter-
ed that vast ,-essel, the fish's In'lIy, he enjoyed f.,'Teat fearlcss-
ne!'s; that thou mayest learn that, as no ship availeth to one liv-
ing- in sin, so when freed from sin, neither sea destroyeth, nor
beasts consume. The wa,'es received him, and chuked him
not; the ,'ast fish receiTed him, and tiestroycd him not; but
both the huge animal and the element ga,'e l;ack their deposit
safe to God, and hy all things the Prophet learnt to be mild and
tendcr, not to be more cruel than the untaught mariners or
wild wans or animals. For the sailor:, did not g-ivc him up
at first, but aftcr manifold eonstraint ; and the sca and the
wild animal guarded him with nHleh benevolence, G'Id dispos-
ing- all thc
e things. He returned then. preached, threatened,
persuaded, saved, awed, anl('nded, stablishcd, throug-h that one
first preaching-. For he nceded not many days, nor eontinu-
ous exhortation; but, by speaking- those words, he broug-ht all
to repentance. ,nlerefore God did not lead him straight from
th
,'esscl to the city; but the sailors gave him oyer to the sea,
the sea to the vast fish, the fi!'h to God, God to the l\îne,'jtes,
and through this long- circuit broug-ht back the fugitive: that
He might instruet all, that it is impossible to escape the Hands
of God. For eome where a man may, drag-g-ing sin after him, he
will undergo eountless troubles. Though man be not there, na-
ture itself on all sides will "ppose him with great vehemence."
" 12 Sinee the elect too at times strh'e to be !'harp-witted, it is
well to hring forward another" ise man, and shew how the
eraft of mortal man is eomprehelldpd in the Inward Counsels.
For Jonah wislU'd to exercise a prudent sharpness of wit, when,
being- sent to preaf'h repentance to the l\ïnevites, in that he
tèared that. if the Gentile," were ('hosen, Judæa ,\"OuM be for-
saken, hc refused to di!'charg-e the office of preaehing. He
",oug-ht a
hip, chose to flep to Tarshish; but forthwith a tem-
pest arises, the lot is cast, to know for whose fault the sea was
troubled. .Jonah is taken in his fault, plunged in the deep,
swallowed by the fish, and carried by the ,-ast b('ast thither
whither he set at naught the eonllnand to go. See how the
teml)est found God'
r
lIlaway, the lot hinds c him, the !'ea re-
ceives him, the beast encloses him. and, beeause he sets himself

7 Ecclus. XXX\. 1. s :"::-::',':1:' 9 Ps. cxlviii. 8.
10 S. Cyr.oIl Jon.ii. init, II Horn. on the Statues, v. 6. 12 S. Greg. Mor. vi. 31.

CHAPTER III.

C I?í[ofP s T fish, and it YOIuited out Jonah ulwn the
cir. il\O. dry lund.

CIL\PTER III.
Jonnh, sent again, iJl'Nichetlt to tlte ...Yillevites.
5 lljJUIl tlteir r{'pelltull('e, W (;od repeuteth.

277

A 1'\D the word of tlH' LORI> came unto
.J unah the second time, saying-,
:! ..Arise,
O unto Xinevch, that great
city, and prea('h unto it the prcu('1Jing that
I hid thee.

llefore
CHRIST
<.ir. i
O.

a,gain!'t oheying his
Iaker, he is earried a eulprit hy his pri-
son-house to the IJlace whither II(' had be('n sent. \\'hen God
eOlllnHIIHlcd, man would nnt mini....tcr th(' propll<'ey; when
God enjoined, the heast ('ast forth the Prophet. The Lord
then taketl, ti,e "ll'ise ill their own ('I'({(tiIlC,çs, when lIe bring-eth
baek to the !<el,,'iee of His own \\TiII, that wh('rehy man's will
('olltradi(.ts Him." MJonah. flecin
from the perils ofl'rea('h-
ing- and sah'ation of souls. fell into p('ril of his own life. \\'hen,
ill the ship, he took 011 himself the peril of all, he !;aved hoth
himself and the ship. He fleù as a man; he exposed himself
to peril. as a prophet." "2 Let them think so. who arc sellt
by (ìod 01' hy a superior to })r('aeh to hereti('s or to heathen.
"'hen (;od {'alleth to an offi('e ur ('(Illdition whose objeet it is
to Ih'e for the salvation of others, He g-ives g-rape and means
neeessary or expedi('nt to this end. For so the sweet and ('are-
ful ordering-of His Providenee re<}uireth.-Greater IJeril await-
('th us from God our Judg-e, if we flee His {'allin
as did Jonah,
if we use not the talents intrusted to us to do His Will and to
His glory. \Ye know the parable of th{' scrvant who buried
the talent, and was condemned by the Lord."
And it "oJJlited out .Jollall. l'nwilling-, but constrained, it
cast him forth, as a burden to it. "3 From the lowest dl'pths
of death, Life eame forth vietorious." "
He is :oowallowed by
the fish, but is not ('onsUlued; and then ('all" upon God, and
(marn'l!) 011 the third day is g-ivcn baek with Christ." "5 "'hat
it prefig-IIl"f'd, that that vast animal 011 the third day gave baelí
alive the Pl'Ophet whil'h it had swallowed, no need to ask of us,
sin('e Christ explaincd it. As then Jonah passed from the
ship into the fish's belly, so Christ from the wood into the
tomh or the depth of dt'ath. And as he for those empcrilled
in the tt'mpe
t, so Christ fur tho
e tempest-tost in this world.
And as Jonah was first enjoined to prea('h to the Kil)(,,'ite
,
but the preaching- of Jonah did not rca(.h them before the fish
east him ti)rth, so propheey was sent beforehand to till' Gen-
tiles, hut did not reach them until after the rt'snrrection of
Christ." "ßJonah prol)hesied of Christ. not so mueh in words
as hy a snffering- of his own; yet more openly than if he had pro-
e1aimed hy sp('cd] His Death alHl Resurreetion. l
or why was
he re('eived into the fish's belly, and given back the third day,
except to si
llify that Christ would on the third day return
from the dccp of heH? "
8. Iremens loolís on the history of Jonah as the imaging
man's own history. "Î .\.s He allo;,"ed Jonah to be swall
we
l
by the whale, not that he should perish altogether, hut that,
being vomitcd forth, he might i}w more he subdued to God,
and the more g-Inrify God "Tho had g-inn him such unlooked-
for ddivcl'ane(', and brin
those XinC\'ites to solid repentane{',
conwrtiIlA" them to the Lord \\110 would free them from death,
terrifiC'd hy that
ig-n whieh hefd Jonah (as Seripture says of
them, TI/f',l/ turned ei'eI:lf lJlallfrom his ez.illl'fIY, (l-je. . . . . ,) so
from till' he
inning, God allowed man to he swallO\wd up by
that vast Cetos who was the author of the transgression, not
that he :oolwuld aJtogetht'r }wrish, hut preparin
a way of sal-
vation, which, as fore signified by the word in Jonah, was

I I.ap. from S. ('hrys.
from Lap. 3 S. Jer.
4 S. Greg. Naz. I. c. 6 S. Aug, Ep. In:? q. G. n. 31. 6 de Ch-. Dei, X'-iii. 30. 2.

formed tilr those who had the like faith as to the Lord as Jo-
nah, and with him Pllnfesscd, IfnII' tlU' Lord, l'fc. that so man,
n'('ei,-ing- from God unlook('d-for sah-ation, might rise froll) the
dt'ad and glorify God, &c-. . . . . This was the longsntrcrin
:
of God, that man might pass through 1111, and at
kno\\"lt'dA"(' his
ways; tllPn ('())uing- to tllP resurrc('tiun and knowing by trial
from what he had been delivered, mi!!'ht he for ever thanld'ul to
(;(1(1. and, hadng reecived frolll Him the gift of ÍlH'orruption,
might love Him morc (for hc to whom mueh is forA"iven, low.th
1I1111'h) and know himself. that he is mortal and weak. and un-
d(,I'stand thc Lord, that He is in suph wise
] ighh' and hnmor-
I tal, that to the mortal He can g-ive immortalitv and to the
I thing-s of tinH' eternity." -
I III. 1.
-Jlld tll{' word of tlte Lord ran/(' a .
erond time to
.Tomllt. "8Jonah, delivered from the whale, douhtless went
up to Jl'rusalem to pay his vows and thank God there. Per-
haps he hoped that God wonld he content with this his pu-
nishment and repentan('I', and that lIe would not ag-ain send
him to Xinevch." Any how he was in some settled home, per-
haps again at Gatlllwpher. For (ìod bids him, LJrise, go.
"9 But one who is on his way, is not biddcn to arise and go."
{;od may ha,'e allowed an interval to elapse, in order that
thc tidinA"s of so great a mirael(' might spread far and wide.
But Jonah does not supply any of these illl'idents 10. He does
not speak of himsclflO, but of his mission only, as God taught
him.
2. Arise, go to
Yi1/el'e1t tl/(d great cit,l/. auc!prearll [or ('17/]
unto it. God savs to Jonah the self-sanH' words whieh H(' had

aid hefore; onlÿ perhaps He gÍ\'es him an intimation uf His
pl1rpo!'1' of mercy, in that He
ays no more, CI:'/ against Ita,
but, ('/:'/ Ilnto her. He mig'ht cry ng(lin,
t one doomed to de-
struetion; to rr.i/ unto Iter, seems to imply that she had some
interest. in, and so
ollle hope from, this ('ry. TIll' jJ/"eadting
tlwt I hid thc'e. This is the only notice whi('h Jonah relates
that God took of his di
obedieil('e, in that H{' eharg-ed him
to obey exaetly what He commanded. ,,]] He does not say
to him: whv diiI"t thou not what I eommandcd?" lIe had rè-
buked 'him 'in dl'ed; III' amended him amI uphrairlell him not.
" 11 The rchuke of that !'hipwreek and the swallowing- hy thl'
fish sl1ffi('ed, so that he who had not telt the Lord ('ommand-
in
, l1Ii
ht understand lIim, ddh-ering-." Jonah mig-ht ha,-c
seenlPd unworthy to be again inspired by (;od. ßut 1l'11O1ll
tI,e Lord IOl'etll, lIe elllls/eneth; whom He eha"tcneth, IIp
loveth. "12 'I'll{' hard diseipline, the sewrity and length of th('
!'('ourge, were the earncsts of a great trust and a hi
h des-
tination." Hc knew him to be ('hanged into anoth('l' man,
and, by one of Hi,.. most spceial favours, gh'es him that !'mne
trust whieh he had hefore deserted. ., 9 As Christ, when risen.
commended His sheep to Pctcr, \l"iser now and more fernnt,
so to Jonah risen He commends the ('onversion of Xine\"eh.
For so did t:hrist Risen bring ahout tilt' eonver!'ion of the hca-
then, by sending His _\i)Ü4ies, caeh into ]ar
e prm-in('es. (
!'
Jonah was sent alone to a larg-e city." ,,13 lIe hids him de-
clare not only the !'entence of God, but in the selt:'samc words;

9 Castro

iii. 20. p. 213. ed. :\12.ss. L.
10 Fee Introd. p. :!::i3. 11 S J cr.

13
Iont.

S L:>.p.
1
f.om Sanel'.

xx

278

C J3ífT>s T 3 So .Tonah arose, and went unto l\ïne-

il".

o'_ yt'h, a('cordin
to tl)(' word of the LORD.
t
(t:t.fJ't
oW Xineyeh was an t exceeding- great
r
:
g:6. & ('ity of three days' journey.

.TOi\ AI-J,

4 .And Jonah beg'an to enter into the c :
{oÍeST
eity a day's journey, and a he cried, and. l'ir.:JRII._
. I "1.T f . I I ,-. I I II I See Deut.
SaH, 1 ct orty ( ays, alU ...,meye ISm Je IS. 22.
overthrown.

not to ('on,.,Ïllcr his own estimatiun or the ('ars of his hearcrs,
nor tu JIIill
lc !'oothill
with S("'Cl'e words. and (,oll\-e,- the
me,.sag-c illg-eniou!'ly, bilt \\ ith all freedom and !'e,'erity to de-
dare opcllly what was eOJllmarul(>d him. This plainness,
thong'h, may be, le,.s aeceptable to peol,le or prinl'(>!'. is oft-
times more useful, always more appro\"t'd by God. Nothing-
!iOhould be more !<
u'red to the preaeher uf God's word, than
truth and simplieity and inviolable salH'tity in d(>lin>ring' it.
l\ow alas, all this is ('han!!ed into vain shew at the will of
the mllititnde and the breath of popular fa,-or."
3. AJ/d .lrJlwll w'o,çe and u'eJ/t unto -,YiJ/el'eh, as readv to
obe)', as before to di!-'olwy. ßefore, when {;od !'aid tliose
same words, he llI'o.
e llIu[jled; now, lie m'use and .went. Trne
c01l\-ersion sh(>w!' the same (>ncr!!\' in servillg' (;od, as th(> un-
emn-erted had hefl)re ,.hewn in

r,'ing self cor error. :0; a Ill's
spirit of fire, whieh persecuted Christ, 'g'leamed in S. Paul like
lightning- throu.!!.'h the world, to win souls to Him.

VÍJle"eh was all eJxeediJ/g great cít./f; lit. grl'llt to God, i.e.
what woultlnot only appear g-rcat to man who admires thillg-s
of no iu'('ount, hut what, being really g-reat, is so in the judg--
ment of God 'nlO cannot be deeein-d. God did aecount it
gTeat, "Tho says to Jonah, SllOlild nut I spare
Yillel'el, tit at gl'eat
rity, ll'hícll Iwtl, JJlore titan si.r score tlwl/sWlll tlwt cwowt dis-
cern b(.tll'eeJ/ tlleir rigid l/l/J/d ((I/([ tlleir left
It is a different
idiom from that, when S('ripture speaks of tile }}lmwtflins q.f
(;ocl. t be cedars (
r Gocl. For of the
e it speak
" as IHwing their
firn\1le
s or their beauty from God, as their .\.uthor.
Of fllI"ee cla.,/,ç'juurne.,/, i. e. sixty mile:; in eireumferenee.
It .was a g-reat c'ity. Jonah speaks of its
reatness, under a
name whic'h he would unly have used of real
Teatness. Yari(>d
accounts a
ree in a:;cribili g this size to Xine'
eh I. An Ea!'tern
l'Ít
cndosing- oftcn, as did ßabylon, ground under tillage, the
only marvel is, that sueh a spa(>e was enclosed by walls. Yet
this too is no marvel, when we know from inscriptions, what
mas."es of hnman stren.!!tll the g'reat empires of old had at their
command, or of the more than threeseore pyramids of Eg-) pt 2.
In population it waf; far inferior to our metropolis, of which.
as of th(' suburbs of Rome of old, "3 one would he!<itate to
say, wll(>re the eity ended, where it beg-an. The suburban
parts arc so joined on to the eity itself, and g-ive the spectator
the idea 111' boundless l(>n!!th." An Eastern would the more
llaturnllv think of the eÌreumferenee of a citv. because of
the hroåd places, similar to th(> houle,'ards or" Paris, which
elwird(>d it, so that men could walk around it, within it.
"-I The building-s," it is related of ßahylon, ,. are not brought
dosc to the walls, but arc at about the distance of an ac're
from it. And not even the whole eity did they O('cupy with
house.. ; 80 furlongs are inhahited, and not e,-en aU these (>011-
tinuously, I suppose bec'allse it secmed safer to live sl'attered
in
e,-eral l'lm'es. The rest th(>y sow and till, that, if any 1'0-
reig-n force threaten them, the b(>si(>ged may be supplied with
timd from the soil of th(> eitv itself." Xot ßabylon alone was
spoken ot
of old, a.... " 5 ha,:ing the eircumfereilCe of a nation
rather than of a <'itv."
4. .Am[ Jonah began to ellter tI,e city a day's.Îollrney. Per-
l see ab. Inlrod. p. 253, 4. : 67. Lepsius.
3 Dion} s, Hal. T. i. p. 219. L. . Q. Curl. v. 4. õ Arislot. Polito
iii, 2. .. You cannot judge whether a cilv is one or no bv there being' walls. For it
"ou/d b" possible to carry one "all round Peloponnesus; arid perhaps Babylon is some-

haps the day's journey cnabled him to tran>rse the c'ity from
end to end, with his one hricf, deep cry uf woe; ret fort!1
dfl./fs mll[ ...Yinel'eh Ul'ertlll'uzl'n G. He prophesied an utter over-
throw, a turning- it upside down 7. He does not speak of it as to
happen at a time beyond those da) s. 'fhc close of the forty
days ami the destruction were to be one. He docs not say
stI:ictly, }-et fort!/ clays alld
Yillel'elt shall be ot'atltrull'n, bui,
ret fOJ"'.'/ clays (/m[
Yille"elt (Jl'ertlll'()/I'II. The last of those
forty days was, ere its sun was set, to !'ee Xineveh as a thiJ/g
oz'eJ.thrU1('II. Jonah knew from the fir:,t {;od's pm"pm:e of
merey to Xinc,-eh ; he had a further hint of it in the altered
commission whi('h he had ret'eivcd. It is perhaps hinted in
the word ret. "8 If God had meant uneonditionallv to over-
throw them, He woultl have m-erthrown them with
ut notice.
rei, al"'ay
denotes some 101lg-!'uflering of God." But, taught
by that sevcre discipline, he dischar1!es his office stric.tly. He
eries, what God had biddcn him to ery, without resen-e or ex-
ception. 'I'll(> sentence, as are all God's thrcatenings until the
last, was eonditional. ßut Gud does nut say this. That sel1-
tenee was now within forty days of its completion; )'ct even
thus it was remitted. \\T onderful (>neourag-ement, when one
Lent sufficed to sa,'e slime six hundred thousand souls from
peri
hinp: ! Yet the first visitation of the t:holera was checked
in its progress in England, upon one day's national fast and
humiliation; and we have secn how general prayer has often-
times at once opened or dosed the heavcns as we needed.
" .A few years ago," relates S. Aug-ustine 9, "when Areadius
was Emperor at Constantinople (what I say,
ollle ha'"e heard,
some of om' people were pn>sent there,) ditln()t God, willing
to terrify the dty. and, by terrifyinp:. to amend, clln\'Crt, cleanse,
change it, reveal to a faithful servant of His, (a soldier, it is said)
that the eity should perish by fire from heaven, and warned
him to tell thc Bi
hop ! It was told. The Hi!'hop dcspised it
not. but addressed the people. The city turned to the mourn-
ing of )JCnitellce, as that
ill(>veh of old. Yet lest men should
think that he who said this, deceived or wa
depeh-ed, the day
whic'h God had threatened, came. '''hen all were intt>ntly ex-
peeting the issue with great fear...., at the beginning- of nig-ht,
as the world was being darkened, a fiery cloud was scen from
the East, small at first, then, as it approached the eity, gradu-
ally enlarging, until it hung terribly over the whole city. All
fled to the ChuJ"('h; the place did not hold the peopl(>.-ßut
after that great tribulatiun, whcn God had aecredited IIis
word, the {'loud began to diminish and at last disappeared.
The lwople, freed from fear for a while, ag'ain heard that they
must 1lli
Tat(', be('ause the whole eity should be dbtroycd on
the next sahhath. The whole people left the dty with the Em-
peror; IW one r('maincd in his house.-That 1llultitude, ha,'-
ing- gone some miles, when g-athered in on(> spot to pour forth
prayer to (;od, suddenly saw a g-reat smoke, and sent ti)rth a
loud (>rv to (;0(1." The eitv was saved. ,,"That shall we
sav?" adds S.Au
ustine. ""'ås this the ang-er of God, or rather
His merev? ,ÙIO doubts that the most I;lerciful Father will-
ed by terrifying- to eom-ert, uot to punish hy destro)-ing? As
the hand is lifted up to strike, ami is recalled in pity, when he
thing of this s< rt, a1.ld erer!/ r!'!/ which had the circumferm
e of
nation rather tlla!,
of a city, at the taking 01 WhlCh they s
y that some parts 01 the Clty.lId not hear of It
for three days." 6 lutrod. p. 2;;3, ;- lb. p. 2;;5. 8 Castro
9 de eJú:id. urb. c. 6. (L.) add Paul. Diac. L. 13.

CIL\.PTER Ill.

Before
CHRIST
cir. ;I"U.

.;
So the peopl(' of Xineyeh b h('lie,-ed I
God, and prot'laimed a fast, and put on I
saelH'loth, froUl the greatest of them even
to the least of them. :

b 'laU. 12.41.
Luke 11. 32.

whu was to bc struek is terrified,
o was it dOlle to that eity."
\rill allY of God's warllillg-s UOll' move our g-reat llabyloll to
repcntaIlC'e, that it be not ruilled?
.J. Ami the ]Jc'o]Jle uf _\'ÌJlel'elt helil'1'l'l1 Gnd; l"trietIy, helier-
eel in Gud. To helie't'e ill God e}.presses more hcart-helid', than
to heliel'e God in itself need eom-e,'. To beliel'e (;od is to be-
lieve what God sap;, to be tI'ue; to h
liel'{' ill or uu (;od expresl"es
not helief 0111), hut that belief restillf! in God, tru
ting- itself alld
all its ('CJIwerlltoi with Him. It eomhilH'''' hope and trust with
faith, alld Im'c ton, l"in{'e, without Im'e, there ('annot 1)(' trust.
They believed then the prea('hillg- of Jonah, alld that lIe, in
"Those
allH' Jonah spake, had all power in hea'-en and earth.
But thcv bclie,'ed further in His Unkn()\\"l Jl1erl'Íes; they cast
themse]ve!; "1'011 the g-oodness of th(' hitherto 1lIIkUOll'U' Cud.
Yet they helie,'ed in Him, as the Supreme God, lite ohje('t of
awe, tlte God (Ellihim \ IIaelohim 2 ) although they knew Him
not, as lie Is 3, the Self- Exi
tent. Jonah docs not sa
' how
they were tlms persuaded. God the Holy Ghost relatcs the
wOlld('rs of God's Omnipotenee as eommoll every-day thin1!.'s.
Thev are IHI man-cis to Him "110 wrnug-ht them. fIe rolll-
man"ded aud tlley u'ere done. lIe spake with power to the
hearts whidl He had made, and thev were turned to Him.
.\ny human means arc seeoudary, utte;ly powerless, except in
Ilis hands \\'ho Alone doth all thin
s throuf!h whomsot'ver lIe
doth them. Our Lord tells us that Jonal, himself u'as a sign
uuto tlte J.\-iuel'ites 4. \\'hether th('n the mariuers spread the
hi!<tory 5, or howsoever the Xinedtes knew thc personal his-
tory of Jonah, he, in his own person and in what befcll him,
was a sig"u to them. They belie,-ed that (;od, "'ho a,-eng-ed
lti,y disohedience, would a"en
e their's. They believed per-
haps, that (;od must have
ome great mercy in store for
them, \\110 not only sent His Prophet so tiu' from hi,.. own
land to them who had ne,'cr owned, never worshipped Him,
Lut had done such mig-hty wonders to subdue His Prophet's
resistanee and to make him
o to th('m.
And proclaimed a fast llud pllt 011 sackcloth. It was not
then a repentanee in wOl'd only, but in deed. A fast was at
that time entire abstinence ti'om aU food till e,'ening', the hair-
ploth was a harsh g-armcnt, irritating and affiietiw tu the body.
They who did so, were (as we may still see from the .Assyrian
scull'tm'es) men of pampered and lUÀurious habits, uniting
sensuality and fierceness. Yet this they did at onee, and, as it
seems, for the 40 days. They proclaimed afast, They did not
wait for the supreme authority. Time was ur
ent, and they
wouhllose none of it. In this imminent peril of God's dis-
pleasure, they aeted as men would in a conflagration. 1\1('n
do not wait for orders to put out a fire, if they can, or to pre-
vent it from spreadinf!. \Vhoever they were who proelaimed it,
whether those in inferior authority, each in his neig-hbourhood,

r whether it spread from lllan to man, as the tidings spread,
It was doue at onpe. It seems to have been done bya('dama-
tion, as it were, one comlUon erv out of the one eommon terror.
For it is 8aid of thcm, as onë succession of a(.ts, tlte men of

I iii. 5, 8.
lb. 9.
3 :-.:-:" occurs once only in this chapter, of God speaking to Jonah, Hi. 1. 4 See ab.
p.
;;ü, 7. _.' D!on. sugge8ts this as a conjecture. Abe!1 E7ra quotes the same from
It. Je>ua. KWIChl says the same. 6 )Iont. 7 It IS, the u'ord -::-::-:. " see
Lex. 01 the Old or
ew Testament v. -::-:, ..".0<, pí,p.u. Su in Arab. Aram. Æthiop.

279

G For word ('ame unto the king' of
in('-
veh, and he arose from his throlle, and 11('
laid his rohe from him, and eon'red him
with sat'kdoth, C and sat in aslH's.

Before
CHRIST
cir. i80.

c Job 2. 8.

...YiUl'l'ell helin'ed ill God, am[ ]JrfJ,.fa;JJll'f[ (J fast, aud pllt 011
.Wlckclotltfl"OlII tltc'ir great to tlteir lit tic', cvery a
e, sex. ('on-
dition. ',G \\T orth) of admiration is that e"eeeding ('clerity and
diligen('e in takinf! ('ouw.;d, whieh, although ill the same {'ity
with the king-, pcreeiwd that thcy mu!-t pJ"IIyide for the eOlI}'-
mon and immincnt ealamit\', not waiting to a!-e('rtain labori-
ously the kill,g's }Jlcasure.". In a eity, (;0 miles in eireumfer-
enee, some time mu
t needs be lost, before thc kin
eouhl be
approill'hed; and we know, in some measure, the forms rc-
(p1Ïred in approaehing Eastern 1l10narehs of old.
G.
Fur ll'ord NlIIU', rather, .rlud tlte matter 7 NlJlle, i. e. t]w
"w]lOle accullllt" as we say. Tlte word, ll'ord, thrulIdwlIt Huh'
Seril'ture, as in so many'languag-es, stmuls for th
t whil'h is
reported of". TI,e whole acc(Jullt, viz. how this stranger. in
strall
c austere attire, had ('OJIIC, what had happened to him
before he pame, how he preached. how the peoplc had helieved
him, what they had done. as had just been related. came to
tlte king. The form of words im}Jlies that what Jonah relates
in this ,-erse took plaee after what had heenm('ntioncd hefore.
People are slow to carry to sm'ereigns matter!> of di
tress,
whieh they ('annot help. This was no matter of lwril from
man, in whieh the ('ounsel or energ-y ofthe king- could be of use.
.Any how it came to him last. But when it camc to him, he
disdained not to follow the example of tho
e below him. He
was not jealous of hi..: prerogatin', or that his a(h-ipe had not
been had; hut. in the eomnwn I)cril, acted as his subjcets had,
and humbled himself as they did. Yet this king was the king
of
ïne'-eh, the king", whose name was dread('d far ami wide,
whose will none who disputed, prospered. "G He who was
accounted and was the
r('at('st of the king"s of the earth, was
not held haek by any thought of his own splendour, g-reahlC"'s,
or dig'nity, from fleein
as a suppliant to the mercy of God,
and ineiting others by his example to the same earnestness."
The kinf!s of .\.s
rria were reli
ious, aeeording" to their Ii
ht,
They a!<eribed all their ,-if"tories to their g-od, Asshur 9. "'hen
the king came to hear of One "110 had a might, suph as he
had not seen. he belicved in Him.

1J1llhe arose frum !tis tltrolle. He lost no time: he heard,
mill he al"Ose. ""It denotes
reat earne
tness, haste, dili
elH'e."
,Jnd he laiel his mhe //"01/1 !tim. This 'm
the ]arg-e eostly up-
per /!arm('nt. so ealled from its amplitml('IO. It is the uame
ofthe
oodl\' Babvlonian g-arment ll whieh .Aehan eO\'etcd. .As
worn by kilif!s, it\\"élS the llIost magnificent part of their dress,
and a spceial part of their state. Kin
s \\"cre huried as they
li,'ed, ill splendid apparel 12; and rieh a(lornments were buried
with thcm l3 . The kin
of
illenh dreads 110 ('har
e of pre-
ripitancy nor man's jud
n1('nt. ..5 He cxehan
es purple. g-oltl,

ellls for the simple roug-h and sordid sad{('loth, amI his thron('
till' the most abjeet ashes, the humblest thing" he eoultl do. ful-
filling a decper degree of humility than is relatt'(l of the peo-
ple." Strall
e ereùulity, had Jonah's messa
e not been true;
stran
(' madness of unbelief whieh does not repent when a
Greater than Jonas cries u, Bepmt ye, fur tlte kingdom of Itea-

Ges. adds Pers. and Genn. .. Sache from" 88I;en," .. Ding." 9 Cuneifonn Inscrip_
tions, see ah. p.
55. 11. h. 10 .--
. It e'lpresses size, not mal!11iticellce, since a .. ide

ì':
(t

I

I
:

prophets

te;
:i,:d

, (Zech. xiii. It. J

.i
\

' l

lJ 1,1. xv. 3. 4. X\ i. i.l. 14 S. )Iatt. iv. Ii.
X x2

280

C HB:!oreS T 7 d ...\nd he caused it to be proclaimed
cir. 71'0. and t published through
inevch hy the
d
;e

.:!
5.3. (lccree of the king and his t nohlcs, saying",

:
: S;::
, Let neith('r man nnr beast, herd nor flock,
"'en.

JOX
\H,

taste any thing: let them not feed, nor C :
oÍes T
drink watcr : cir. 780.
8 But let man and beast be covered
with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto

Veil is at Itawl. Strang-e g-arb for a king, in the eye!o; uf a l\Jx-
uriou
a/.,rc; al'l'eptable in Hi
"Tho said!,
r tlte migM.'I works
1l'liÍrlt IIlll'ehem done ill youlwd been done ill T.lfre ami Sitloll, tlle.'1
woulcllull'e repented loug ago ill s([(.kclotlt amL as!les. "2 )lany
wi
h to l"CJwnt, yet so a
not to part with their luxuries or the
,-allity of their dres!<, like the Greek who said he would 'like to
be a philosopher, yet in a few thing-s, not altog-ether.' To whom
we mar answer, 'Ildicate food and ('o!<tly drc
!o; agree not with
peniten('e; and that is no g-reat grief whil'h IH','er eomes to
lip:ht.'" "3 It wa!o; a marvellou
thinp: that purple wa
out\-ied
by sackcloth. Saekdoth a\"ailed, what the purple robe a,-ail-
cd not. "lmt the diadem a,'complished not, the ashes ac-
(.oml'lished. See
t thou, I said not g-roundl(.

ly that we should
fear, not fastin/!,' but drunkenne
s and !Õatictv? For drunlif'n-
nes,; and satiety shollk the ('ity throup:h ånd throug-h, and
were about to overthrow it; when it was reelinp: amI about to
faU. fasting stablished it." "4 The king had ('onquered cne-
mies by valour; he cOllfluered God by humility. "ï!o;e king,
who, for the savinp: of his l'ellple, own!< hilll!<elf a ,.inner rather
than a kinp:. He forg-et
that he is a king, fearing God, the
I\:inp: of all; he rcmembcreth not his own power. coming to
own the power of the (;odhead. !\Ian-eHow; ! ,rhile hc re-
mem1Jereth not that he i,.. a king of men, h(' beginneth to be a
Idng of righteou
ness. The prince, bccoming rclig-iou
, lost
not his empire but ('hanged it. Before, he held the princedom
of military di,..cipline; now, he obtained the princedom in hea-
YCllly diseiplines."
7.
1mL I,e caused it to he proclaimed aw/ jJuhlÜhed through
_Yiuet'ell; lit. And he cried ([J/(I.
aÙI, I)'c. The cry or proelama-
tion of the king ('orre
ponded with the cry of Jonah. "'here
the I'rul'het',.. cry, calling to repentance, had reached, the llro-
c1amation ofthe kin
followed, obeyin
. B!I tlte decrce of the
kiug ([Jul !tis lloMes. This is a hint of the political state of

ìne'-eh, bevond what we ha,-e elsewhere. It was not then
an ab
olute "nlOnarchy. At least, the king strenp:thened his
eonllualll! by that of his nobles, as Darius the :\letle scaled the
den of li:ms into whil'h Daniel was east, with the sig-net of his
lords as \\"cll as his uwn., tlwt the purpose might lwt be changed
concerning Mm.
Let neitlter mml lzor beast,I)'c. "G _\rc hrute.. too then to
t2t
t, hor,..es and mulcs to bc clothed with sackcloth ? Yes, he
says. For as, when a rit'h man dies, his rc1atives clothe not
only the men and maidser,-ants, hut the horses too with sat'k-
eloth, and, givinp: them to the groom
, bid that they should
follow to the tomb, in token ofthe p:reatness ofthe calamity and
im'iting nil to sympathy, so also whcn that eity wa
about to
perish. they dad the brute natures in sackeloth, and llUt them
under the yoke of fasting. The irrational animals cannot,
through words, learn the a;lp:er of God; let thelll learn throu
h
hunger, that the intli.,tion i!< from God: for it
he say
, the ('ity
should be overthrown, it would be one grave of us the inhabi- :
tauts aud of them al!<o." It ,,'as no arbitrary nor wanton nor ,
careless aet of the king- ofXine\"eh to make the dumb animals I
share in the common fast. It proc('eded probably from an in-
distinct consciousuess that God cared tür them also, and, that

I S.
Iatt. xi. 21.
! Rib. 3 S. CblJ!. Horn. T". de Pænit. n.4. ii.3lJ.

S. :\Ia.:cimusinJon. Bib!. I

tlle.'1 were not guilty. So the P!'almist look
d on God's care
of His ('reature
as a fre,..h ground for nmn'
tru,..t in Him 7, ()
Lord, Tlwu preservest lIIall and beast: .JImt' e.
'('cLlcnt is Tit.'!
loz'ing-kindness, 0 Lord; tlterefore the chiLdren of men put tl,lÍr
trust under tlte slwdOll' ofTh.z/ll'ings. .\s our Lurd teache
that
God's carc of the
parruws is a I'ledp:e to man of (;od'!' minute
unceasing- eare for him. so the
inevites felt trulv that the erv
of the p(;or l)rutc
would he heard by God. And 'God contirni-
cd their judgment. wh('n He told .Jonah of the mucll cattle 8, as
a ground f(lr havinA" pity on Kinenh. The moanings and lo\\'-
ings of the animals, thcil' ,'oiees of distn'
"" picrce man's heart
too, and mu
t ha,-e added to his sense of the ('ommun misery.
Ignorance or Ilride of human nature alone could think that
man's sorrow is not aided by the,..e objcets of sense. l\'ature
was truer in the kinp: of Xineveh.
t3. Let mall and beast be cot'ered 1l'Ítll sackrloth. The p:or-
p:eous caparisons of horses mules and eamels was part of
Ea!<tern magnificenee. "'ho knows not how man's pride is
f('d hy the sleekness of his stud, their" well-appointed ., trap-
ping,.. ? Man, in his luxury and pride, would have everything
reflect his glory, and minister to pomp. Self-humiliation would
have enrythinA" reflect its lowline

. Sorrow would have
ewrything- answer to it"
orrow. Men think it strange that
the Iwr!<es at Xine\'eh were covered with saek('loth, and for-
p:et how, at the funerals of the rich, black horses are chosen,
and are e10thed \\ ith black vch'et.
And C/:'1 unto Godmigldil.'1, "with mig'ht which conquer-
eth judgment." A faint praycr does not express a stronp: de-
sire, nor ubtain wbat it docs not strongly ask for, as having
onlv half a heart.
"..-Jm/let tltem tUr1/, e'l'er.1l manfrom /tis evil-wall' "GS ee what
rell10nd that inevitable wrath. Did fasting and sackeloth
alone? !\u, but the chanA"e of the whole life. How docs this
apP('ar? From the Prophet's word it,.;elf. For lIP who
pake
of the wrath of God and of thcir fast, himself mentions the
rCl'oneiliation and its cause. And (;od saw tlteir 1l'orks.
"That works? that they fasted? that they put on sackcloth?
Hp passes by these, and says, tltat et'ez:'1 one tumed from his
ez'illl'((!IS, (lIll/ God repented of tlte el'illl'hich He Iwd said that
He ll'ouLd do UlltO tltern. Seest thou, that not the fa!Ot pluek-
cd them from the Iwril, but the change of life made {;od pro-
pitious to these heathen. I say thi
, not that we should (lis-
honor, but that we may honor fa
tinA". For the honor of a
fÚst is not in ahstineuee thlll) food, but in avoidanee of sin.
So that h(' who limiteth fasting- to the ab
tinencc from foot}
only, he it i,.., who ahm-e all disholloureth it. :Faste!<t thou?
She\\ it me by it
\\'orks. ''''hat works?' a
kest thou? If vou
see a poor mim, ha,'e mercy; if an enemy, be rel'oIlciled; if a
friend (loing" well, envy him not; if a beautiful woman, pass on.
Lct not the mouth alone fast; let eyes too, and hearing. and
feet, and hands, and all the members of our bodies. Let the
hands fß!<t, I'kan from rupillc and m-arice! let the feet fast,
holding baek from going to unlawful sights! let the eyes fa,..t,
learning ne,-er to thrust them
elves on beautiful objel.ts, Ilor
to look curiously 011 others' beauty; for the food of the eye is

Pat!. T. vi. f. 28.

Dan. vi. 17.
7 Ps. xxxvi. G. 7.

8 S. Chry's. on the Statues, Horn. iii. t.
8 iv. ult.

CIL\PTER III.

c }r
oí"s T God: yea, e Il,t them turn every OIW from
dr. iSO. his evil way, and frolU f thc viulcncl' that is

::: gg:
: in their hands.
s 2Sam. I:!. 22. T . .
Joel 2. 14. f) g" ho can h.ll if God ,nIl turn and rc-

2S1

pent, and turn away from his fierce anger, C }Pí[oíeST
that wc perish not? cir. ;
jj.
10
h
\nd (;od saw thi'ir wor){s, that h Jer. 18;.
'
Amos t. 3, G.
they turned from their (',-il war; and (;od

/!azin
.-Let the ear ton fast; for the fast of the cars i!' not to
hear detraetioJl!' and ('alumnie!'. Let tht' mouth too fast fl'oJll
foul words and repl'oaclles. For what hoot!' it, to ah!o'taiJl from
hirds ami fi!'h, while we bite and de,'our OUl' hrethren? The
rlt'traetm' preys on hi!' hrother's flc!'h."
He sars, eachfmlll his el'il1t'''.II, because in the general Jlla!<S
of eorruption, ea('h man ha!' his own !'pecial heart'!'-sin. All
'H're to return, hut by forsaking, each, one by one, hi!' own ha-
hitual fa,'ourite !'in.
And .frum tllC riu/enre. Tí"o/cllre is sin
led out as the spe-
dal sin of Kineveh, out nf all their cl'ilu'a.'1 ; as the Anrrcl said 1,
tell His rlis('iplcs and Pda. This was the g-iant, Gnliath-sin.
"'hen thi!' ,..hould be effm'ed, the rest would give way, as the
Philistines fled, when their champion was fallen to the earth
dead. Tlwt is in th(,ir hands, lit. ill their palms 2, thc hollow of
their hand. The hands heing the instruments alike of using
violelll'e and of grasping' its fruit!', the violelU'e clea,'es to them
in both wars, in its guilt and in its gains. So Job and David
say 3, while tI,ere was 110 (.iulence ill my !tauds; and Isaiah 4, tlte
l('Qrk of I/'ickedness is ill their hal/ds. Hepentanee ami restitu-
tinn ('leal' the bands fl"Om the f.!,'uilt of the \"Ïolence : re!'titution,
whi('h f.!,'ives baek what was wronged; repentanee, which for
love of God, hatc!' and quits the sins of which it repents. "I\:eep
the winning, keep the sinning." The fruits of sin arc temporal
f.!,'ain, eternal lo!'s. '" e cannot keep the gaiJl and escape tht'
loss. \\llOso keel)s the gain of sin, loves it in it
fruits, and
will have them, all of them. The Hebrews had a saying-,'.5"Tho_
so hath stolen a beam, and used it in huilding- a ,g-reat tower,
mu
t pull down the whole tower ami restore the beam to its own-
er," i. e. re!'toratiun must be made at any e04. "He," they
say 6, "who ('onfes
es a sin and does not re!'tore the thing-
!'itolen. is like one who holds a reptile in hi!' hands, who. if he
were washed with all the water in the world, wouM ne'"er be
purified, till he cast it out of his hands; when he has done thi
,
the first sprinkling cleanses him."
9. TVltO Cllll tell if God lL'ill tllm and repent? The Xine-
,-ites use the same form of words, whieh God su

ested by
Joel to Judah. Pcrhaps lIe would thereby indi('aì-
that He
had Himself Imt it into their mouths. " 7 In uneertainty they
repentell, and obtained certain men'y," "8 It is therefore
left uneertain, that men, being doubtful of their sah-ation,
may repent the mOI'e ,-ehemently and the more draw down on
themseh-es the mer('r of God." "9 )Iost eertain are the pro-
mi
es of God, whereby He has promised pardon to the penitent.
.\nd yet the
inner may well be uneertain whether he have
ohtaiI;e(l that penitence 'which makes him thc ohjel't of tho
e
promises, not a sel',"ile repcntanee for fear of lHlIlislnnent, but
true ('ontrition ont ofthe love of God." And so by thi,;; uncer-
tainty, while, with the fear of hell, there i!' minilell the fear
of the loss of God. the fear of that loss, which in itself im'ulns
80nw lo,"e. is, by His grace, turned into a contl"Ïte 1m-e. as the
tf'I'rified soul thinks TVltO He is, "llOln it had all but lost,
"'110m, it know
not whether it mav not losc. In the ca!'e of
the Xinedtes, the remi!'sion ofthe teinporal and eternal puni:,;h-
ment was bound up in one, !òince the only puni!'luuent whieh

1 S. Mark xvi.;.
4 Is. lix. 6.

;

t
mchi.

3 Job xvi. Ii. I Chr. xii.Ii.
6 in Mere.

Gml had threatcne(l was temporal, and ifthis was f('r
Í\-cn, that
forgin'ness was a tok('n that IIi!' di!<l'leasUl'c IHld ('e:l!<e(1.
'oIOThey know not the h-sue, yet they nerrle('t /lilt rel'entanee.
They arc Uluu'fl"ainted with the method Ill' the lovjn
-kindlH'
:"
of God. and thc," arc dlilll
ed amid ulI('('rtainh-. Thev had
no lither Xine,-iÚ,s to look t
, who had repented aiul heen
a\'e(l.
Thcy had not read the Prophets nor hcard the Patrim'('hs,
nllr henefited hy eOllll!'el, nor partaken of instruetion, nor had
they pcrsuaded them!'eh-es that they shouM altllgt'ther propi-
tiate God hy rcpentan('e. For the threat did not euntain this.
But they (lullhted and hc!'itatcd ahout thi!', and yet rcpentt'd
with all earefulne!'s. "That aC('OIl1lt then !'hall we g-ive, when
thest', who ha(l no good hUIles held lIut to them as to the i!'!'ue,

ave e,-idcnee of sueh a ('hang-e, and thou. who mavcst he of

ollli eheer as to God's love f
r mcn, and hast man\- times rc-
ceh-ed many pledg-es of IIis eal'e, and hast heard th
PI'ollhets
and Apostll's, and hast been in!'tnH'ted by the e,-ents them-
sekes, strh-est not to attain the same measure of ,'irtue as
thcy ? Great then was the ,'irtue too of these mcn, but nnH'h

Teater the lovin
-kindne
s of God; and this rou may see from
the ,-el'Y
reatness of the threat. For on thi!' g-roUllll did He
not add to the sentence, 'but if ye I'epent, I will spare,' that,
casting amonf.!,' them the :,;entem'e unconditioned, He mi
ht in-
erease the fear, and. increa!'ing- the fear, mig-ht impel them the
more !'peedily to repentan('c." " 11 That fear was the l"u'ent of
!'ialvation; the threat removed the peril; the !'entenee of O\'er-
thl'ow stayed the overthrow. Xew and marn'lIous b:sue! The
sentence threatenin
death was the parent of life. Contrary
to sel'ular judg-ment, the sentenec lost its force. when pas!'ed.
In sl'l'ular courts, the passin
ofthe !'entem'e g-iws it ,-alidity.
Contrariwise with God, the pronouneing- ofthe !'entence made
it invalid. For had it not heen llronounced, the sinners had
not heard it: had they 1Iot heard it, ther would 1I0t have re-
pented, wonld not have a,'erted the chastisement, would 110t
ha,-e enjoyed that man-cllous dclh-erance. They lied not the
city, as we do now [from the earthquake] but. remaining. esta-
blh:hed it. It was a snare, and they made it a wall; a (luick-
sand and pref'ipice. and thcy made it a tower of safety."
"11 "',11' Xine,-e!l destroyed? Quitt' the contrary. It aro!-t'
and hecame more glorious, and all this intcrvening- time has
not efl'a('ed its g-lory, and we aU yet eelcbrate it and marvel
at it, that thenceforth it has become a mo!'t safe harhour to
all who !'in, not allowing them to sink into despair, but call-
inf.!,' all to repentanee, both hy what it did and by \\ hat it

ained from the Providenee of God. l)ersuading U
ne,-er to de-

pair of our salvation, but li\"Ïll
the be
t we ('an, and setting
before us a f.!,'ood hope, to be of g-00l1 cheer that the end will any
how be
00(1." "12 "'hat lCGS Xine,-eh ? They ate, tlte.'1 drulIk;
tlu'.11 bought, the.'1 sold; tlle.'1 phlllted, tlle.'llmiMed; they
a\"e
themÞ>c1ves uI' to perjuries, lies, drunkellllc!'s, enormities, ('or-
ruptinn
. This 1/'a.'l Xine,"eh. Look at Xineveh now. They
mourn, they grie,-e, aI'C saddened, in saekeloth and ashes, in
fastin
s and prarers. "'here is that Kineveh? It is O\"cr-
thrown."
10. And God SCllL' tl,cir l(,OJ'ks. "13 He did not then first see

7 S" Aug. in Ps. 50. L. s S.Jer. g in Lap. 10 S. ChJ')s. On Statues, Hom. v. n. 6.
11 lb. n.5. 12 S. Aug. Serm. 3tH. de res. n. 20. IJ Rup.

28

c JI[oíes T repented of the cyil, that hc had said that
cir. 7
O..

JOXAII,

hc would do unto them; and he did it not. c :íioíes T
cir. ibO.

them; lIe did not then first see their saekdoth when the,' co-
\-ercd thcl1l
ch-es with it. He had scen them 10n1r befor(> He
sent the Pruplwt thitlwr. while Israel wa
slaying the prophets
who announeed to them the eaptidty whieh hung over tlU'm.
Hc knew certainly, that if He were to send the }lrophet
far 011'
to the Gentile,.: with sueh an announcement, they would hear
and repent." God saw them, lookcd upon them, al)pr,wed
them, a('eq)ted the :Kinevites not for time only, but, us many
as IH'rse,'el'ed, for eternity. It was no (
OmmlHl relwntan{'e.
It wa
the penitence. which our Lord sets forth as tlte pattern
of true rq1Cntance bcfore His Coming-. IThe 11IeJl of .i.YillC'L'eh
slwllrÜe ill judgment 16th tlti.
{:enemtio/l and sludl cOlldem/l
it, becam'e thc.'/1'epellted at the preaching of JOllah, and be/wid
a grcater tlwn Jonah is here. They belic\ cd in the One God,
before unknown to them; they humbled thelU
elves; they were
not a
hamed to rl'lJent puhli,'ly; they u
cd g-reat stri(.tness
with them
eh-es : but, what SI'ripture ehiefly dwdls upon, tlU'ir
repentanee was not only in protc
sion. in beIict
in outward aet,
but in the fruit of genuine works of rt'l)entance, a changed life
out of a changed heart. God saw their 1['ork.\', t1wt t/Il'./f turned
froll/ tlteir ailu'rl.'/. Their whole way and course of life was
c,-il ; they broke off, not the one or other sin only, but all, tl,e"'-
whole (l'il 1l'a.'l. ,.
The Ninedte
, when ahout to perish, ap-
point them a fast: in their bodie
they ehasten their souls with
the scourg-e of humility; they put on hairdoth for raiment;
for ointment they
prinkle themseh'es with ashes; and, pros-
trate on the ground, they lil'k the dust.-They puhlish their

'"llilt with groans and lay open their secret misdeeds. E,'ery
age amI sex alike applies itsdf to offil'es of lUournin
; all
ornament was laid aside; food was refused to the suckling-,
and the ag-t', as yet un
tained by sins of its own, bare the weight
of those of otlU'rs; the dumb animal,;: lal'ked their own food.
One ery of unliliC natures was heard alonA' the eity-walls;
along all the houses eehoed the piteous lament ofthe mourners;
th(> earth bore the groan
of the penitents; heaven it
clf echoed
with th(>ir ,'uiee. 1'hat was fulfilled; 3 TIll' pra.,/CI" of tlte hllll/-
hie pieJ"f'ellt tlte douds." "4The :Kinedte!:> were ('onverted
to the fear of God, mul laying aside the e,'il of their former
life, betook themseh-e!< throug-h repentmll'e to vÍl.tue and rig-ht-
eou
n('s", with a eourse of penitence so faithful, that they ehang'-
ed the sentenee already pronouneed on thelU by God." ,.5 As
soon as IJrayer took po
session of them, it both madt' them
rig-hteou
, and forthwith eorrected the eity whi('b had been
hahituatcd to Ih'e with profliga,'y and wiekedne!<
and law-
le
sIle!o;s. .More powerful was prayer than the long- lIsag-e
of
in. (t filled that eity with hem'enly laws, and broug-ht
aloll
with, it temperance, lo\"ing'kindncss. /!entleness and care
of the poor. For without these it cannot ahide to dwell in the

oul. Had any tht'n entered :Kine,'eh, who knew it well before,
he would not hm'e knuwn the city; so suddenly had it spl'un

baek ti'om lite most foul to godliness."
And God repented of file el'il. This wai; no real change
in God; rather, tht' obje(.t of His threatening-s was that He
miA'ht not do what Ill' threatened. God's threateninA'
are
eonditional, "unless they repent," as are His promises, "ifthey
endure to tlte end 6." God said afterwards by Jcremiah 7, At
what instant I s/wll speak cuncerning a natiull and concern-
ing a kingdum, to pluck up llnd to pull dozell and to destroy it,
1 S. }Iau. xii. n.

S. Amb. <1e Pænit. c. G. L. 3 Ecclus. xX"'-. Ii. 4 S. Chrys.
lImn. quod nemo læd;tur r.ï.i a seifso. ã de precat. i. inter dub. S. Cbrys. T. ii. i'M.

iftlllli lllltirm, against u'lwm I Iwd )JrollOllJICed, turn fl"Om tlteir
el'il, I ll'ill rl'}JPld of the e-L'Ï1 t"at I tlWllgld to do unto t"elll.
"b .\s t;od is unchanA'eahle in nature. so is Hc UIlI'hang-eable
in ".11. For no one ('an turn hach His thoughts. Fur thlHlA'h
some seem to ha,-e turned ba(
k I1i
thul1g-hts hy their depre-
cations, y(>Ì this was I1is inwanl thou1rht, that they should he
able by tileir dq're('ation
to turn back His sentenée, and that
thev ioòhould reeeÍ\-e from Him wherein' to avail with Him.-
,nien then outwanllv His
entenee seeineth to be ('hauged, in-
"artily His counsel i
uuehanged, becausc He inwardl

order-
eth each thin
unchang-eably, whatsoe,-er is done outwardly
with chang-c." " 9 It is said that He repentl'd, hecaH
e Hc
changed that whil'h Ill' s(.emed ahout to do, to destroy them.
In God all things arc disposed and fixed, nor doth He ml
.thing
out of any sudden I'oun:scl, which He knew not in all eternity
that He should do; but. amid the mo\'ements of His ert'aturc
in time, whieh He g-o\'t'rneth mmTellously, He, not mm-ed in
tinlt', a!ò by a sudden will, is said to do what He disposed by
well-ordered ('auses in the immutabilitv of His most sel'I'et
counsel, whereby thing's whieh come to knowledg-e, each in its
time, He hoth doth when they are IJresent, and alr(>ady did
when they wcre future." "10 God is subject to no dolour of
repentance, nor is He deeciwd in anything-, so as to wi
b to
corre(.t wherein He erred. But as man when he repenteth,
willeth to ehan
e what he has done: so when thou heare!'t
that God repenteth, look for the chan
e. God, althoug-h Hc
ealleth it 'repenting,' doth it otherwise than thou. Thou
doest it, because thou hast erred; He, because He m'engeth
or freeth. He chang-ed the king-dom of Saul when He repented.
.\nd in the Yery place, where Seripture saith He 1'epenled, it
is ,;:aid a little after, He is not a man tllllt He sltould repent.
'''hen then He changes His works through His unchangeable
f'ounsels, He is said to rCIJent, on account of the change, not
of the counsel. but of the aet." S. .\ug-ustine thinks that
God, by u
ing- this language of Himself, whi('h all would feel
to be inade(luate to Hi
l\Iajesty, meant to teach us that all
lang-Hage is inade(luate to His E
cellences. "11 'Ve say these
thing-s of God, beeau,;:e we do not find anything hetter to say.
I sa
, 'God is just,' be('ause in man's words I find nothing-
better; for He is beyond justice. It is said in Seripture, God
i.\just and 100,ctlt justice. But in Scripture it is said, that
Gud 1'epentetll, , God is ig-norant.' "'ho would not start back
at this? Yet to that end Seripture condescendeth Iu'althfully
to those words from which thou !oÒhrinkest, that thou shouldest
not think that what thou d(>eme
t 1rreat is said worthily of
Him. If thou a;.;k, 'what then is s
id worthilv of God ?'one
may perhaps answer, that 'He is just.' Another more g-iftt'd
would sa
, that thi" word too is surpassed by IIis Lxcellence,
and that this too is said, not worthily of Him, although !<uit-
ably aeeording to man's ealml'ity : so that, when he would
prove out of Seripture that it is written, God isjllst, he Illay be
answered ri
htIr, that the same
eriptures !my that Gud 1"e-
penteth; so that, as he does not take that in its ordinary mean-
ing', as men are wont to repent, SII also when He is
aid to be
ju"t, this docs not corre
JJnnd to lIis !'upereminenee, although
Seril)ture said this also well, that, throu
h these words such
as ther are, we may bt: broug-ht to that whieh i
unutterahle."
""'hy predietest Thou," asks S, Cln'y
ostollleU," the terrible

6 S. "Iau. x. 22. 7 x, iii. i, 8.
e S. Grel(. :Mar. '" i. n.46. 9 S. Aug. in Ps. C\. n. 35. 10 Id. in P
.
cxui. n. Hi. II 1<1. Senn. 3.n. n. 9. 12 D
pænit. Horn. \. n. 2. T. ii. p. 311. L.

lll'fi.re
CHRIST

Z:;f.!.'_1

cIL\PTER n T .

CH...\PTER IY.

.J onah

Jonalt, repining at Goel's mcrr.'!, 4 is reproved
h!! tI,e t!!PC of (I gourd.

2R3

B rT it displeased
('l'cdingly, and he

cx- C lr
[u
es T
yery cÌr. i,"O.

was

angry.

thiu

whieh Thou art ahout to do? That I may not do what
I I'rcdiet. ,nl('refm'e also He threatened helI, that lIe may
not hrin
to hell. Let word
terrify you, that ye may he freed
from th(' aUlruish of dl'eds." "1 1\len thn'ateu llUni
hment
and infli('Ì it. l\'ot so God; hut l'IHltnll'iwi
e, He both prc-
diet
and delay
, and tCI'rifie
with word
, and le1n-es nuthin!{
undone, that lIe may nut hrin
what He threaten
.
o Ill'
did with th(' Xine\"Ítes. He Iwnds lIi
how. and hrandi
hcs
lIi

n-ord. mill prcl'ares Hi

}Iear, and inflict
not the hlow.
"'ere not the Prol'het'
word!; how and
}Iear and sharp sword,
when he
aid, .llet forf.l! cla.'ls (lIlci .Yi/ll relt .\'!tal/ he clestru.,!ccl .oJ
But Ill' di
ehar!{ed not the shaft; for it was prepared, not to
be
hot. hut to he laid up."
cc!! "llCn "e read in the Seri])tures or hear in Churchei' the
word of God, what do we hear hut Chri
t? AmI helwld a
greater t!tall JUlias i,\' here. If they repented at the cry of one
unknown sen"ant, of what puni
hment shall not we he worthy,
if, whcn the Lord preaeheth, '\110111 we IHl\'e known throu
h
so many henefits heaped upon us, we rcpent not? To them
one day suttieed; to us shall so many months and year
not

uttil'e ? 'fo them the o,'erthrow ofthe city wa
prcached. and
40 day!; were
ranted for repentance: to us etcrnal torments
are threatened, and we bm-e not half an bOlll"s life eertain."
.dllctIle dicl it not. God willed rather tbat His prophecy
should
eelll to fail, than that repentmlf'c should filiI of its
fruit. But it did not indec(l fail, for the eondition lav e'(-
l}f"e

ed in the threat. "Prophecy," says Aquinas 8 in refer-
elf('e to the
e eases, "eannot ('ontain anythin!{ untrue." For
"propheey is a I'ertain kn()wled
e ill1pre!"
ed 011 the under-
standin
uf the Proplwts by revc!ation of God, by means of
certain teachin!{. ßut truth of Imowled!{e is the same in the
Teacher and the tau
ht, becam.;e the knowledge of the learner
is a likene
s of the kuowledg-e of the 'feaeher. And in this
way, Jeromc saith that' pru'phcey is a sort of si
n of Divine
foreknowled
e.' The truth then of the prophetil' knowledge
aud utteranee must he the same as that of the Dh-ine know-
led
e, in whieh there ean he no crror.-But althou
h in the
Di\'Íne Intdleet, the two-fnltl knowledge [of thing's as thcy
arc in thelllseh-e
, amI as they arc in their eauscs,] is always
united. it is nut always united in the prophetic J"cwlation,
heeau
e the impression made by the Ap;ent is not alwap; ade-
(platl' to His power. 'Yhencp, sllluetimes, the prophetic re-
ydation is a sort of impressed likeness of the Divine Fore-
knowledge, as it beholds the future eontiug-ent thin
s in them-
selns, and these always take place af; they are prophesied:
as, Be/wid II l'irgin sl/flll {'{Jllcelz'e. But somctimes the pro-
phetie rc,'clatioll i
an impres
e(J likeness of Di,'ine foreknow-
ledge, as it knows the order of eause" to effeets; and then at
times the C\"ent is other than is foretold, ami ,-et there is
nothin
untrue in the }lrophel'Y. For the meailin/.!: of the
prol'he('y is. that the disposition of the inferior ('au
es, whe-
ther in nature or in human al'ts, is such, that !iu('h an effe('t
WI mId follow," (as in re
anl to Hezekiah and :\ïne,'eh)" 4 which
ordcr of the eause to the (.ft'eet is sometimes hindered hy other
thin
s sup('rn'nin
." .. 'fhl' "ïll of tfod." he !iays 8g-ain"ö, "be-
inp; the first. universal Cause, docs not e
('lude intermediate
causcs, by virtue of which certain effeds arc produeed.
\nd

lId. in Ps, ,ii. , Rib.
s 2.2. q.Iil. art. 6. 4 lb. q. Iii art. I. b I P. q. 19. art. 7. concI.

sinc(' all intcrlllediatc ('au,..('s arc not adequate to the power of
the First Cause, tlll're arc many thin!!"s ill the Powcr Kno\\'-
led
e, and "ïll of God, whil'h 'arc not ('olltained in tiu. onler
ofthe inferior causes, as the resurrel,tion of Lazarus. "llen('e
mil', lookin
to the inft'rior ('.tU!<C!o, mip;ht !'a,', , LaLanI... will
not ri!:>e a
ain:' whcreas, lookinp; to the Fir
t Divine Canse.
he 1'lHlhl !'ay, 'Lazarus will ri
e ap;ain.' .\ml em'h of these
(;od willeth, ,-iz. that a thin
!'hould take place alTordinp; to
the inferior cause, whi('h yet !'hall not take plal'e, ilI'('onlill
to
the
uperior canse : arul I'onvcr
dy. So that God sonH'tilllCs
pronoUlll'cs that a thing shall he, as far as it i
Nmtained in the
lII'der of inf('rior cau
('!', (as, a('eordinp; to the di
position of na-
ture or of de!-erts) whil'h yet doth not take plal'e. hecau
e it
is otherwi,..e in the superior Di\"Ïne cau!<e. As whcn He fore-
told to Hezcliiah, 6 ,""e( tll.'l IIouse ill order, for tl/fJll sllalt dic-
amIllo/ [;,'e; whi..h yet did not take plal'e. he('ause from eter-
nity it was otherwi
e in the IÙwwled
e and "'ill of God whi..h
is \inehan
('able. \\'henc(' GI'egory saith ï, 'thoug-h (;od ehanlr-
cth the thing, His counsel He !loth nllt change.' "'h('n thcn
lIe saith. I 11'ill repent R, it is ml(lel.
tood as :o:aid metaplwri-
I'ally; for men, when they fulfil not what they threatened, secm
to repent."
1 \'. 1. "lwl .Tullall U'((S di,\pleased e.uecdiugl.'l. It was an
untempered zeal. The Prophet hilllselfrel'ords it as sUl'h, and
how he was reprm"ed for it. lIe would, like many ofns,
O\'ern
God's world lwttel' than God Himself. Short-
ip;hted amI pre-
SUlllptuOUS. Yet not more short-sighted than thnse who, in
faet, (luarrel with God's Providenee, thc existenee of e,-il.
the bafliin
of
olld, .. the prison-walls of ohstacles and trials,"
in what we would do for God's glory. "That is all diseontent,
hut anger with God? The marvel is that the rebel was a pro-
phet! ..9\Yhat he desired was not unju!"t in itself: that theXine-
\"Ïtes !'hould Iw punished for their past sin
. and that the sen-
tem'e of God pronoUlH'ed a
ainst them should not be reeallcd,
althoup;h they relJCnted. For so the jud!!"e han
s the rolJher
for theft, howe,-er he repent." lIe sinned, in that he disputed
with God. Let him east the first
tune, who ne\"Cr n'joiced
at any O\'t'rthl'ow of the enemies of his I'ountry, nor was glad,
in a 1'0lllnUln warfare, that they lo
t as many soldiers a!" we.
.\s if (;od had not instruments enou/rh at His "ïll! ()r as if lie
needed the .\ssyrians to punish h:ra'el, OJ" the one nation, who
e
arlllics arc the tcrror of Europe. to punish us,
o that if they

ho\\ld IJCrish, I
rael !'hould therefore hm-e e:-<eaped, though
it peri"evered in sin, or we !
And IIC ll'as 1'er!1 (lug':'I, or, it may be, rCl"Y grin'eel. The
word expre
se
also the emotion of burning griPf. as when
Samuel \\ a

rie'-ed at the rejection of Saul. or Dm-id at the
breach upon L
z;;(lltlO. Either way. he was disl'lcased \\ ith what
God did. Yet so Samuel and J)m-id took God'
doin/r
to
heart; hut Samuel aud David were grie,-ed at God's Judg--
ments; .Tonah. at what to the Xine,'ites was lllerey, only in re-

ard to hi
own people it seellle,l to im-oh-e judg-ment.
I...ip-
ture says that he was disl'lea
ed, ht'eause the :Xine\"Íte
Were

pared; but not, why this displeased him. It ha
been thought.
that it waF; jealousy for (;od's
Iory amonlr th('se heathen, a,..
tlwudl the l\ïne,-itcs would think that (;od in 'Yhose 1\anlP he
spak
had no certain knO\dedgc of thing" to clime; and su that

6 I
. XXX\ iii. 1.

r or. x.... 3:? n. /ì:J.
8 Jer. niii.8. ' Lap. 10 2 Sam. ,i. S. 1 Chr. xüi. 11

2H-l

ßefore
CHllIST
cir. ïtiO.

2
\nd he prayed unto the LORD, and I
sa!(l, I pray thee, 0 LORn, l{'ll.Y not this my I
saying', when I was yet in my country?
Therefore I a fled before unto Tarshish :
for] knew that thou lld a b graeious God,
and merdful, slow to all
er, and of
reat
kindness, and repent cst thee of the evil.

· ch. 1. 3.
b Ex. :\ i. 6.
Ps. 8 1 1. 5.
Joel 2. 13.

JO

\H,

s c Therefore now, 0 LORD, take, I he C J3íi o rs T
sce('h thee, my lite from me; for d it is 1>et- c

. 780;
ter for me to dip than to lin'.

:r:
I

U,.4.
-1
Then said the LORD, II Doest thou II

i Ihou
well to be angTY?

5 Ho .Jonah went out of the city, and sat
on the east side" of the dty, and there made

his fault was mistI'ust in God's 'Yistlom or Power to \'Índieate
IIis own honour. Rut it s('pms more likely, that it was a mi
-
tak('nlmtriuti
m, whil'h itllllizetl the well-heing uf his uwn and
God'" pClIllle. and desired that it
enemy. the appointed in
trn-
ment of its chastisement, shouhl he it!'df de!'troyed. Scripture
bein
silent about it, we eamwt know ecrtainly. Jonah, under
(
od'" inspiration. relates that (
lJd pronuulll'ed him "Tong-.
IIa\"Ïng ineurred God's reproof, he was ('areless about JIIcn's
jud{!.'ment, and left his own charal'ter open to the harsh jmlg-
ment of men; teadlinl!: us a holy indiffcreIlI"e to nHIII's opinion,
amI, in our ignormwe, earefulness not to judge unkindly.

.
/I/d lie pr([yed UI/to the Lord. Jonah, at lea!'t, did
not murmur or complain uf God. He eomplaitwd to (
od of
Himself: He expostulatcs with Him. Shortsighted indeetl
and too wedtled to his own will! Yet his will was the wdl-being
of the p('ople whus(' Prophet God had made him. He teHs
Gild, that this it was whieh hc had all along dreaded. He suft-
ens it, a!' well as he can, by his word, I pra!J Ther, whieh ex-
presse
deprecation al\(l submi!'!'Í\-eUl'ss. Still II{' does lIot
lwsitate to tell God that this was the cause of his first rebel-
lion_ Perilous to the soul, to speak without l)enitence of 1'01'-
Iller sin; yet it is to God that he speaks, and sO God, in His
wonderful condesl'ension, makes him tcaeh himself.
I knoll' tlwt TllOu art a gmC'Ïofls God. He repeats to God
to the letter IIis own words In' JoeJI. God had !'o rewaled
Him!'elf anew to Judah. He ilad, douhtless, on some repen-
tanee whieh Judah had used, turned away the e\-il from them.
And now, hy sending him as a I'reaeher of repentalwe. He im-
plied that He would do the same to the enemies of his country.
God eonfirms this hy the whole sequel. Thenceforth then
bI'ael knew, that to the heathen al!<o God was intensely, in-
finitely full of graeious and yt'arning lore 2. nay (as the fill'lIl
ratllt'r impJies S ) mastercd, (
o to speak) by thc might and inten-
sity uf Hi" gral'ious 10H, S/Oll' to allge/" and delaying it, great
ill IfJl'illg-tend(,1"1Ies
, and abounding in it; and that towards
them al!'o, when the eril is ahout to be inflicted. or has hcen
partially 01' wholly inflil,ted, He will repent of it amI repla('c
it with good, on the first turning of the soul or the natinn to
Gud.
:l Tltere.fore llOll', 0 Lord, ta/ce.l beseec!t Tllee, m.'!I{fefrom
1IIe. He had rather die. than see the evil which was to eome
upon his country. hnpatient though he was, he still ca!'t him-
self upon (-ìod. By a!<king" of God to end his life, ht', at least,
('omlllitted himself to the sorerei
'n di:-posal of God. '.4S ee _
in
that the Gentiles are, in a manner, entering in, and that
those words arc being fulfilled, 6 TIIl'.I! hm'e mOl'ed 11Ie toJea-
lOll",!! ll'it" that whieh is not God, and I ll'illlllo'l'e them tojea-
10fls.'! ll'itll those whieh are not a people, I It'ill ]Jrol'oke them to
angel' 1('it" afoo/is" lIatioll, he despairs of the !<ah-ation of Is-
rael, ami is connrl!'ed ,rith great sorrow, whieh bursts out into

1 ii. 13. 2 ï

, ::-

, both intensives. See on Joel ii. 13. 3 in that both words,
ï:
' ::--:-, although adjectives, partakeofthe passive fonn. 4 S. Jer. ó Deut. xxxii. 21.
6 Rom. ix. 3-5. i }'osid. Vlt. S. Aug. 8 ::'-::-"", do well, is used almostadverbialI) of
.. doi1lg a thing very perfectly," and by a deep iron)", in one place of doing evil very per-

words and sets furth the ('auscs of grief, !'aying in a manner,
, .\m I alonc chosen out of so many prophets, to announce dc-
struetion to my people through the sakation of others?' He
g"I'ie\"ed not, as
()IIle think. that the multitude of nations is
sawd, but that hrael perbhes. "'hence our Lord also wept
o,'er Jeru!'aleIU. The Apo!'tles fir!'t preached to Israel. Paul
wi sheth to bel'ome an anathema for his 6hretll1'ell, w"o are Isra-
elites, whose i.I' the adoption and the glor.1J and tlte covenant, am{
I tile giving of tile {all' alld the selTice of God, am{ tIle promises,
1(.llOse are the fatluTs, and of wh01/l, as concernillg tile fiesll,
I Christ came." .Tonah had disehar
ed hii' offiee faithfuIlv now.
Hc }wd done what God f'onmH\J;ded; God had done by hin;
what He willed. Now, theIl, he prays to be dis('hargwi. So
S. Augustine in hi!' last iIIne
s prayed that he might die, bc-
forc the Vandals brought suffering and devastation 011 hb
count ry 7.
4. - And tile Lord said, Doest tlwll1l'eIl 8 to be aIlP,T!!? God,
heing appealed to. answer... the appeal. So does He often in
prayer, ùy some secret ,"oice, an;;wcr the enquirer. There is
right ang-er against the !'in. l\loses' anger was right, when he
broke the tables 9 . God sc('rt'tly suggests to Jonah that his an-
ger wa!' not rig-ht, as our Lord instrueted IOS.James and S.JollU
that their's was not. Thc (lue!'tion relates to the quality, Ilot
to the .!rreatness of his an
er. It was not the vehemenep of
his pas'sionate de!<ire for I
nlcl, which God reprm"es, but that
I it 'l"a
turned against the Kine,-itcs. ,'II "That the Lord says
to Jonah, lIe says to all, who in their offi('e of the cure of souls
are angry. They must, as to this same anger, be ref'alled in-
to themselves, to regard the ('aus(' or object oftheir anger, and
weig-h wm'ily and attenth'dy whether they do well to be angr.lJ.
For if they arc angry, not with mCIl but with the sins uf men,
if tllt'y hate and Iwr!'eeute. not men but the yie('s of men, thcy
I arc ri
htly angry, their zeal i
goud. But if they arc angry,
not with sins but with men, if they hate, not ,"ices but men, they
aI'e angered amiss, their zeal is bad. This then which wa!' said
to one, is to be watehfully looked to and decided by all, Doest
t 1I011 ll'ell to be angry? .,
.
. So JOllah went Ollt of the cit.1J 12. The form IIfthe words
implies, (as in the Ellg. V.) that this took place after Jonah was
('om-ilH'ed that God would spar
Xinc\-eh; and sin('e there is no
intimation that he kne"" it by r('velation, then it was probably
after the 4() days. "13The days Iwing now past, after which it
was time that the things foretold !'hould be aeeoml'li"hed, and
His anger as yet taking no effcI.t, Jonah understood that Gu(l
had pity un Nine,-eh. Still ht' docs not gin' up all hope, and
thinks that a respite ofthe edl ha" been granted them. un their
willingness to ('epent, but that some effeet of His displea"urc
would come, sinee the Jmins of their repentance had not
Nlualled their oft'l'n('es. So thinking in himself apparently,
he departs from the city, and waits to see what will ù('eomc

feedy, (see bel. Mic. vii. 3.) but it is nowhere used, of a PMsion or quality eJlisti,,!!, (pas-
(
h
Ii'2
d
ri

;

:rxeX) J
:a
;s
:h
1

,

t. 9 I

:x"x
f." r9
t
g"fL

eearf.r%5:
11 Rup. :Z Some render, ccntrary togranunar, ,. AUllJunah had gone, &c." 13 S. Cyr.

CIL\PTER 1\"'.

Before
l"HRIST
cÎr. i."II.

llim a hooth, and
at und('r it in the
shadow, till he might S(,l' what would
})('('omc of the ('ity.
6 ...\ud the LORn God lu'ppared
a II t gourd, and made it to ('OUI('
up on'r Jonah, that it lHi
ht he a
..hadow on-I' his head, to delker him

" Or,
""Imcrist.
t Heb.
Kikajon.

2
5

from his g-ripf. So .Jonah t was (>
_ Before
cet'din

lad of the !rourd. ("
/\

'I
ï Hut (
od prt'pared a worm wh(-'11 t ::i:
d :
"
the mornin
r05le the IIl',-t day, and it great joy.
smote the gourd that it witlu'l'c'(1.
H ...\ ud it ('.lIue to pass, when the StIll
did ari....e, that (
od prqmred a II n-he- Or,.ile..l.

of them." "IIC' C'xpe('te(l" allparently ..that it would either
fall hy an earth(luake, or hc burned with fire, like
ollom."
,.1.Tonah. in that he built him a tahernaC'!c and
at m-er
a
ain
t
inen'h, awaiting what should happen to it, wore a
diffcrl'nt. forcsi
nifyin
('hanwter. For he I'reli
lIred the ear-
nalllt'ople of I
l'acl. For the"e too were !<ad at th(' !<ah-atinn
(If the Xiue' ite". i. e. the redt'mption and delh'el"anc'e of the
(
entil('", "'henc'e Chri"t c'amc to ('all, not tl\(' ridlteous hut
"innel'S to repcntant't'. But the O\-er!<hadowin
'.
ourd O\-er
Iii,. IlC'ad wa" the promi"e" of the Old 'I\."tament (}(' tho"e of-
fice" in whic'h, a" the \pO,.tlc "ay", there was (l slJ(uloll' (
f
good t/Jillg.
tv rome, prntet'ting them in the land of prCllni"c
from temporal evil" ;-all whieh al'e now emptied and tluled.
4\nd now that pC'ople, havin
lost the temple at .Tel'u"akm and
the prie..;thoCllI and saC'rifice (all whic'h was a "hadow of that
whic'h was to (,(1l11C) in it" C'allti,-e di"pcr"ion, i" "C'orched hy a
n'hel\wnt IU'at of tribulation. a" Jonah h\" the heat of thc
un,
ancl grien'!' g-l'eatly; and yC't the sah-atioil of the heath..n and
tllC' penitent i" a('(
ounted of morc moment than it

riet
and
the
hadc'" whic'h it lon'd."
n. And the Lord God prepared a KVllrd, [(I palmcltrÏ1d,
E.)r. ri
htly.] "
(;od ag-ain commandcd the .
ollrd, a" he
did the whale, willin
only that thi" "hould be. Forthwith it
!'prin
,. up l)('autiful and fuB of flower. and !'trai
htway wa" a
roof to the whole booth,
hadowin.
it like a hower, to hi"
exC'eeding eomfort. The Prophet J"('joiees at it exC'eedingly,
"" being a gn'at amI thallkwCll.thy thing. See now herein ton
the "implieity of hi
mind. III' wa" grie,'cd exeeedingly. be-
('au"e what he bad prophe
ie(1 ("ame not to pa!:s; he rejoi('('d
exc'eedingly for a plant. .\ blameless mind i" Ii
htly mowd
to g-hulne"" or son'ow. You will "ee thi" in C'hildren.-For a"
peClple whCl are not "trcmp:. easily fall, if "ome one p:i\"('
them
no ,-ery 4rcmg- push, hut tcnlC'he" them a" it were with a li
hter
hand, "0 tClO the
uilcle,." mind i" ea!<ih- C'anied iHrm- by anv
thin
whic'h illlp
'I" en' grie,'e" it." Little a
the ...Ì1elter (;f
the palm-c'hri"t \\ as in it"elf. Jonah JllU
t han' louked upon
it" "'ilcldcn g-rc",-th, a!' a fruit of (
od'... g-oodness toward" him,
(a" it was) and then perhap" went on to think (as peClplt' dCl)
that thi" f<lnll' of (;od
hewed that lIe meant, in the end. to

rant him what his heart was !<et upon. Tho"e of impul"h-e
temp('r<lment" are e,-er interpreting- the ac.t" of (;od'" Prm"i-
denee, as bearing on what they "trongly de"ire. Or again.

I S. Aug. Ep. 1O:!. q.6. n. 33. 2 S. Cyr. 3 The root :;-:- signil}ing to clil, Ihen 10
t

:

:'.e

b

I

!.fr
:

e.:)'::{
h

;'

R
';t,,?(

':t

f

;

t

i

"dumb," i. e. siIe!,I,) til
meaning site..1 has been deri,-ed from Ihis la"l sen3e; Ihal õf
'"ehel1lm
com';S either dIrectly from the root. (as we speak of a " cutting" "ind, although
our cultu.g "!lids are cold,) or from "deafening," (Kim.) a3 "e speak of "a deafening
n<
ise": and as strol}
"i
ds do :1Ìnder h
ring; or, as matter offact, from the strong dl)'

"nds" III Autumn,"111
hlch "ay ...--;:.-.... !S d
ri,ed directly from :;.-
e.aril/!! (i;e. plough-
mg) I.me, Ex. "XXIV. :!l. The Enghsh , erSlOn "vehemenl "hes morem che direct mean-
ing of th
rout, ,than "silent," and agr(>es with the descriplion, although not "hat one,
unacquamled with Eastern nature, would expect. r"ext to this, the harv..,.t or autumn
wI
I

ie:.n:"seB
b
H
(:jJ

r

ble. e Rich: t';;

Z
c

:'f.\

j{
3
'
; E

a_the moon ro'e ahout 111, an intolerable puff of wind came from che N. E. All "ere im-
mediðtely,ilem as if che, had felt an e:mhquake, and then exclaimed in a di.mal tone
, th
Sherki i. come: This W.I
inl.-e,' che s.- \\Iuch dreaded She' ki. and it l:es conti

they ar
l1e, · (;od tlll'OW" thi" or that in our wav; therefore
Hc' mei\ll!' us nClt tCl rdilHl'li"h it for Hi" !<akt'. Init to 11I1'-c it.'
ßy thi" "udden mil'aeulous "hdter a!!ain,.t the hurnin
.h-

yrian "un. whic'h God prm'ided for Jonah, He f.l\"oJ"('d his
waiting- cm there. So Jonah may IHu-e thought, inteqH"etin

rig-htly that (;od willed him to "tay ; wrongly. why lie "0" iI1ed.
JClnah wa
to wait. nut to "ee what he de"ired, hut to l'ec'eÍ\'e.
and be thc ehannel of the in"truc.,tion whic'h (
od meant to
('oll\-ev to him and throutdl him.
ï: "'hell tIle 1I1Ol"I/illg rose. i. C'. in the earliest dawn, be-
fore the ac.tual
unri"e. I
or one day Jonah pnjoyecl the rC'-
freshnwnt of thc I'alm-C'hri!<t. I n earl y dawn. it ,.till prCIIlJi"ecl
the "harlow; ju!<t ere it ",IS lllCl,.t needed, at (
od'
eOllllnalld.
it withered.
t!. God prepared a l'chemcJ/t S,
E.)J. follo" ing- the ('haI-
dee, silent, i.e. sultry] East willd. The wind" in the l:a"t, hlow-
ing over the "and-de"erb, illten"dv inc'l'ease the di"trc"" of
the heat. .\ "ojU\ll"ncr de"C'l"ihe" 0;1 two oc'c'a...iou" an .hs\"-
rian summer. "! The change to "umllWl' had heen as rapid ;I

that whit'h ushered in the
pring-. The verdure of the plain
had peri
hed ahno!'t in a day. Hot ,,-incls. eoming from th('
desert, had hurnt up and earried away the !ohruh".-The heat
was now almost intolerable. \Ïolent whil'lwind" oeea!<ionalh-
!Owept O\-el' the faec of the eountry.'
.. 5 The
I'rillg- wa
110\\'
fast pa!'sill
away; the heat he(
allle daily g-reater; the ('orn
wa" c'ut ; and the plains and hill" put on their !'ummer-elothin

of dull parched yellc)\\-. Tlte J1(f.
tltre is u'itlteretl, the Ilcrbage
failetll; the green grass is liot. It wa.. the sea"cm too of the
Sherg-hi", or bUl"lling- wind,; from the South, whic'h oc'('a!'ion-
ally "W('pt m-er the fa('e of the (,ullntry. dri\"Îng- in their "hort-
lin'd furye'-el'ythin
he fore them.-"- e all went bclow[g-roundJ

oon after the sun had l'i"en, and remained there fin the tun-
nel..] without ag-ain seeking the open air until it wa" far òown
in the ". e"terll horizon." The"
herghi ., mu"t be rather the
Ea"t-wind. Sherki, whence
irCl('eo.
At
ulimania in KClor-
di"tan (about 2
de
l'ee" E. of XÍ1wwh, and t of a degl"ce South)
"6 the !'o ll1u('h dreaded
herki "eem" to hlow tÌ'clln an) quar-
ter. fnllll e. to X .E.-It i" g-l'eilth-feared fllr it" ,-iolenpe and re-
la"ing- clualitie"." -.1 hot, "torm): and
in
ulal"ly relaxing- and
cli"piriting." Suftil('atin
heat Î!< a eharaderi"tic of thc"e ,-e-
hement "ind,;. )Iorier relate" at ßu,.hire; .. ó.\
ale of" inti
hlew from the Southward and E""tward with slll'h ,-iolenc'p.

nued blowing ever since with jrreat ,iolence from the E. and r". E. the" ind being heate.1
like OUT Bagdad S,lUm, but I think softer allll more rela.xing. This wind is the terr,,!"
of Ih....e part<:' lb. 165. .. The extraordinary pre'-dlence of the Sherki or Ea<lerl

wind this
ear, rendeTS this season intolerabl
hot and relaxing" The} h3d not had a
days together free from this wind since the beginning 01 the summer." lb. :!i1. "In Ihe
summer the climale is pleasant, except when the Easterl} wind blows, "hich it does wilh
prodigious violence sometimes lor S or 10 da
s sucussÌ\el
. The "\lid is hot and relax.
Ing in summer, and "hat is very curious, ic is not fdl at the dIstance 0/ 2 Dr J hOllrs." lb.
11:J. "This is asserted b} eur} one \II Ihe eountr
." lit. l:!,j. . lb. ii. 35_
M :!nd joume
, p. .g. He conlinu",," "Again from the :!3rd to the 25th, the" ind u.ew
violend
from the S. E. accompdni
d b}' a most sul10caring neat, and continued to hIm'
wilh the same Hrength until the next day at noon, ... het. it suddenly veer<,d round to the
N. W. with a violence equal to "hat it had blo"n from Ihe opposite poinl." And aga;n.
(p. !Ii.) .." hen there "as a perfect calm, panial and strong currents of air would an.e
and fonn whirlwinds, which produced hi
h column_ of sand aU O'H the pldin. They
are !ook.d upon
s the slEn t f gre.lt h,'ac. Their slr<:n
lh was \ el") 'driOUS. I'reqllL.m]y

Y)"

28ß

Before
CHRIST
cir. ,:;0.

ment east wind; and the sun heat upon
the head of .Jonah, that lIP fainted, and
wished in himself to die, and said. e It IS
better for me to die than to Ih-e.

ever. 3.

JO
..AH,

!) ....\nd God said to Jonah, II Doest thou c :1
oles T
well to he ang-ry for the gourd? And he cir. ,to.
said, II J do well to he angry, l'l'Crl untu 1\

u

al1.lJ
death. II ö

ï
:
greatlyallgr!I'

that thre(' of our lar
l'st tt'nts were Jen
Jed with the g-round.
The wilul broug-ht with it sueh hot ('urrents of air. that we
thmw:ht it mig-ht be the l'rec'ur"or of the .";aIlWUJI deseribed hy
Charclin, but upon eluluiry, we found that the autuIlln was

eneralh" the ,.;('ascm for that wind. The 81ml wind ('ommit

reat nlmges in this di!<ÌI'iet. It blows at nig-ht from about
midnig-ht to sunrise, c'omes in a hot bla!-t, and is afterward!'
sIIC'ceeckd by a ('old line. Ahuut () years ag-o, th('n' was a sam
during- the sUlllmer months whic'h so totally burnt up all thc
ellrn, then near its maturitv, that no animal woultl cat a blade
of it, nor toueh any of its g-i'ain."
Thc' SIlII h(,(lt ujJOJl the Itead of .Jollalt. "I Few European
tl"a\"eller!< ean bra\'e the perpendic'ular rars (If an Ass
Tian sun.
E,'en the well-seasoncù Arab sed,$ the shade dllI'ing- the day,
and journeys hy nig-ht. unk!<s driven forth at noontide by neC'es-
sitv, or tilt' lon- of war."
. He 1l'ished ill IlÏlm'elf to die. [lit. he asked as to 1lÏ.
soul,
to die.] He prayed t'(w ùeath. It was still the same dqwndance
upon (;od, c\-('n in his selt'-will. He did not murmur, but
prayed {;od to ('nd his life here. "-I)('n men arc already \'ext'd
in soul by deel) inward g-riefs, a littlc' thing- often oversets pa-
tience. .Tonah's hopes had heen rc\-iHd hy the mel"f'Y of the
palnlC'hl'ist: tlwy J)erished with it. Perhal)s hI' had bet'(Ire him
the thClul!,'ht of his great pr('deC'essUl', Elijah, how he too wished
to die, when it sf'emed that his mission was fruitless. Th(>v
diftt'red in love. Elijah's preac'hing. miracles, toil, suftèring-
,
seC'nlt'd to him, nut only to be in ntin, but, (as they must, if
in vain,) to mId to th(' g-uilt of his peuple. God eorreeted
him too, by showing him his own short-
ig-htedlless, that he
knen' not of tlte sel'en tltollMl1ld 1c11O had ?lot bowed tlteir knees
unto Baal, who were, in part, doubtless, tlte tral'ail of his
soul. Jonah's mh."ion to his I)(,o}lle seemed al
o to be fruit-
less: hi
hopes for th('ir wcll-being- were at an end; the tem-
poral mercies of which he had been the Prophet, \H're ex-
haustcd; Xineveh was
pared; his last hope was g-Ollt'; the
future
(our
e of his l'f'ople was maintained in might. The
Jo;oul "hrinh into it
t'lf at the si
'ht of the impendin
visitation
of it
eCHIntry. But Elijah's zcal was for his peopl(' only and
the
lorr of (
od in it, and so it was pure low. Jonah's was
direetcd agaimt the l\'inevites. and so had to be purified.
H. J)oest tlwlt 11'el/ to be an
l:'1 'f ,,2 Set' again how AI-
mig-hty God, out of His boundless Joving--kilHlllt'ss, with the
yearning- tendernes,; of a father, ahno
t clisporteth with the
siml'lieity of holy souls! Hc
had('s him by a paln1C'hrist: the
Prol,het rejoic'es in it eXl"t'eeling-ly. Then, in God's Provi-
denc'e, the caterpillar attac'ks it, the burning Ea
t-wind sHIites
it, sht'wing at the same time how verr necessary the relief of
its shade, that the Prophet might b(' the more
ri{'ved, when
depriwel uf sllC'h a
ood.-He a
keth him skilfÜlly, was II('
very grit'\'e(l? and that for a shrub? He cnnfesseth, and thi.,
beeom(,th the defenC'e for (;od, the Lover of mankind."
I do well to he augry, unto deatlt. "3 Yehement an
er
they threw dO\'11 our tents." Burckhardt, when professedly lessening the general im-
pression as to these winds, says, "The worst efleet [ofthe Semo11m "a violent S. E. wind")
IS that it dries np the water in the skins, and so far endangers the traveller's salety.- In

ho
':;
t

th

I

)

tif i
a/
:
t:
7

:ti
:

t
ili
:

nl s

d

:dì

h
into the air, "hich assumes a reddish or blueish or }"ellowish tint, according to the na-
ture and colour of the ground, from which the dust arises. The Semoum is not always

lea(h-th mcn to long- and love to die, espeeiall)- if thwarted and
unable to remO\'e the hindranee whic'h ang-ertoò tll('lU. f'or then
vehcnlC'nt ang-er 1J('g-etteth vehement sorrow, grief, de
pon-
dem'y." '\
e have eat'h,his own palnwhrist; and ()uqmlnl('hri
t
has its own wllrm. "4 In Junah, who mourned when he had
disc'harged his CJffi('e, we
ce tlIOSl' who, in what they seem to
do for God, eithcr do Ilot seek the g-lory of God, but smne t'ml
of thcir own, 01' at ka
t, think that g-lory to lie whel'e it does
not. For he who s('ek(,th the glory of (joel, and not Ids O1I'Jl 5
thin
s, but tho
c of Jcsus Chri4, ong-ht to will what God hath
wiJIed and done. If he wills aug-ht else, he dec'lares plainly
that he
oug-ht himself, not God, or himself more than God.-
Jonah soug-ht the g-lory of God wherein it was not, in the
fulfilment of a propheey of WO('. And dlOotoòing to be led by
his own jlUlA'mcnt, not by God's, whereas he oug-ht to have
joyed exC'eeding-ly, that so many thou
al1ds, being rlead, 'il'ere
ali1'e ag(tÏll, being- lost, were .foUJld, he, whcn there 1t'lIS Joy in
lieal'en a]}long the angels of God Ol'C1" so many reJ)enting- sin-
ner!', was q//lirted 1l'itlt (( great qtflirtion and was ang-ry. This
eHr befals those who wish tlwt to take place, not what is best
and most pleasing- to Gud, but what they think nUlst useful to
themselves. "'ht'nee we see our very great and C'ummon er-
rol', who think our peape and tranquiJlity to Jie in the tillfil-
ment of our own will, whereas this will and jud
ment of our
own is the ('ause of all our trouble, So then Jonah prays and
tacitly blamc!' God, amI would not su much ex('use as approve
that, his former flil!,'ht, to Elim lrlw.
e f'!/es are too pure to behold
illiqlli(II.-.'md sinc'e all inordinate aftèeticJII is a IlUnishment
t/) itselt
and he who depar.teth from the ordt:r of (;od hath no
stahility, he i" in such anguish, because what he wills, will not
be, that he longs to die. For it eannot but be that his life,
who measures every thing hy hi!' own will and mind, and who
followeth not God a!' his Guide but rather willeth to be the
guide of the Divine "
iIl, !'houlcl be ti'om timc to time trou-
bled with g-reat sorrow. But "ince the merciful (/}ul gmdolls
Lord hath pity on our infirmity and g-ently admcmisheth us
within, when Ill' sees us at varianee with Him, lIe forsakes
not Jonah in that hot g-I'ief, hut loving-Iy blanlt's him.-How
restless sueh men are, we see from Jonah. The }Jalmdlrist
grows c,v('r his head, and lie ll'as e.rceecliug glad of tI,e palm-
christ. Anv labour or diseomfort tlwv bear very ill, and bein

aceustomerl to endure nothing and foÏlow their .own will, they
arc tormented and cannot bear it, as Jonah did not the sun.
If any thing-, howe\-er slight, happen to lig-hten their grief.
they are immoderately glad. Soon gladdened, soon g-ri('red,
like childrt'n. They h.u'e not learned to bear any thing mo-
derateJv. "'hat marHJ then that their jov is soon turned into
sorrow'? They are joyed over a palmchri
t, which sOOß green-
eth, soon drieth. (l'1Ïékly falls to the g-round and is trampled
upon.-Sueh are the thing-s of this world, whidl, while pos-
!'essed, seem gl'eat and lasting; when slUJdenJy lost, men see
how vain and passing they are, amI that hope is to be placcd,
accompanied by whirlwinds: in its less violent degree it will blow for hours with little force,
although willi oppressive heat; when the "hirl"ind raises the dust, it then increases seve-
ral degrees in heat. In the Semoum at Esne, the thermometer mounted 10 12)0 in the

=
:eth
u
l
frl

dsÎ

;
1 rTh:i:o

nÆ

:
abl

ft:

he ts

I

:
' i

:h
fi

stops perspiration, dries up the palate, and produces I';reat restlessness." Travel. in Nubia,
pp.20f,5. I La}"ard, I\in. and Bab.3G6. 2 S. C}r. 3 Lap. 4 Rib. ;; Phil. ii.:!.l.

CIL\PTEll n y .

Before
CHUIST
cir. ;80.

10 Then said tJH' LOllI), Thou hast \I had
pity on thl'
ourd, for the whieh thou hast
not lahoured, neither madl'st it gruw;
whidl t came up ill i.L night, and perished
in a niA'ht :

II Or, rpared.

t H eb. CDa.t
the son qf
the nigM.

:!Hj

11 ..\n<l should not 1 spm'e
incYeh, C Ififo;e s T
(that g-reat c'ity, whc'r('in are morc than
" i
.
si
sc'on' thousand l'('l'sons that ('an not r
1'3
l'3.
discern hetwel'n thch' ri
ht hand and their K Deut.l. 3Ð.
left hand; and also lIlUCil h eatth' ? h
\TI:
.

not in them Lut in their Creator, ""w is r nehan
eable. It
is then a great di
pe!l
ation of God toward,; u
, when those
thin

in whi('h we tuok e
pe('ial plea
ure arc taken away.
:Xothin
ean man IHn-e sO plca
inl!:, green, and, in appearanee.
so la
tin
, whieh has not it
own worm prepared by (;od,
whereby, in the dawn, it may be
mitten and die. The dmnge
of human "ill ur envv di
turbs ('ourt-favor; manifold aeei-
dent
, wealth; the 'ïu:yinl!: opinion of the people or of the
great, honors; disease, danl!:er, pm-erty, infamy, pleasure.
Jonah's pahuehrist had one worm; our'
, many; if other were
wantinl!:, there is the restlcssncss of man's 0\\ n thoughts,
whose i.lod is restlc

ness."
10. Tlwu Iwe/st pit.'! OIl the }laimelll'ist. In the fedin/! of
our common mortality, the
oul eannot but yeal'n O\-er deeay.
E, en a droopin/!," flower is
ad to look on, sO beautiful, so frail.
It belon
s to this passing world, where nothin
Im"ely ahides,
all thin
s beautiful ha
ten to eea
c to be. The natural God-
implanted fceling- is the
erlll of the spil'itual.
II. Should I 1Iot spare f lit. have pi!.,! and so spare. God
waiws for the time the fact of the repentance of Xinevch, and
speaks of those on whom man must have pity, those who ne-
Hr had any share in its
uilt, the I
O, 000 ehildren ofXine,-eh,
"I who, in the weakness of infancy, knew not which hand, the
}'
!jllt 01' the left, is the stron/!,"er and fitter fur e,'ery u...e." He
"-ho would hm-e
pared Sod om for ten's sake, might well be
thought to spare :\ïne,-eh for the 120,OOO's sake, in whom the
inborn corruption had not developed into the malice of wilful
!:<in. If the
e 12(),OOO were the childrt'n undcr 3 years old,
they were -} (as is calculated' of the whole population of
i-
ne,-eh. If of the 600,000 of Xineveh all were g-uilty, who by
rea
on of age eould be, aùove -L were innocent of actual sin.
To Jonah, whose eye wa!:< evil to Xineveh for hi
peoplc'!" sake
God !'ays, a!< it were, " 1 Let the spirit whieh is willing
ay to
the flesh whieh is weak, 'Tlwll griel'est for the }Jalmchrist,
that i!', thine own kindred, the Jewish people; and shall not I
,çpare ..\-ina'eh tlUlt great cit.'!, !'hall not I prm-ide for the sal-
yation of the Gentiles in the whole world, \\ ho are in i
no-
rallce and el'ror? For there are many thousands amOlI
the
Gentile!', who go after 2 dumb idols noen as they are led, not
out of malice but out of ignorance, who would without douht
COITet't their ways, if they had the knowledge of the truth, if
they were !'hcwn the difference hetzceen thei,. rh:M hand and
thpir left, i. e. hetween the truth of God and the'lie of men.' "
But, beyond the immediate teaching to Jonah, God lays down
a prineiple of His dealings at all times, that, in IIis ,-i!'itations
of. nations, He, 3 the .Fàtlter of tlte fatherless aml judge of the
tl'ldows, takes especial account of tho!'e who are of no aC'eount
1 Rup. 2 1 Cor. xii. 2. 3 Ps. lxviii. 5. 4 Gal. iii. 27. 3 Lap.

in man'!"
ig-ht. and defers the imp('nding- jud/!,"ment, not i.lr the
sake of the wisdom of the wi
c m' the eOUl'au:e of the hra, e, Imt
for the helple"
, weak, and, a!" yet, illlw('('nt as to aetual sin.
How mueh more may we think that lIe regard" tho
e with pity
\\ ho have on th('m not onlv the n'('('nt undfa('('d tl.,U'('" of their
)Iaker'" Hands, hnt hm-ë heen I.(.born in t!t(' Image of Christ
His Only-ßel!-"otten Son! 'I'IU' infant
elothed with Clll'ist

mu!'t he a
l'ceial treaslIl'e of the Church in thc Eye!" of (;od.
"5How mUl'h gTeater the nU'I'ey of (jud than that (',-en of a
holy man; how f
r hetter to flee to the jud/!,"ment-!<eat of God
than to the tribunal of man. Had Jllnah been jud/!,"e in the
eause of the Xine,-ite", he would hm"e passcd 011 them all, al-
though penitent, the
ent('n('e of d('ath for their 1'''4 guilt,
!J('cause God had }mssed it lwfore their repentanee.
o Dm-id
said to God; 6 Let us fall }WU' into the Imml of tlte Lord; for
J lis mercies arc great; amI let me uut fall into ti,e Illlml of man.
"'hence the Chun'h profe

es to God, that mer('y is the eha-
raeteristic of Hi" puwer; ,; 0 God, who s}wwest Thy _\hllil!:hty
power most chicHy in she" in/!," mercy and pity, mereifully grant
unto u,; such a measure of Thy /!,"r.H'e, that we. running the way
of Thy eommandment
, may obtain Thy l.'Taeiou!< prollli...e
, and
he made partakers of Thy hea, enly treasure.'''
"
\I!:ain, God hel'c teaf'hes Jonah and u,; all to eonform our-
:-elyes in all thinl!-"!' to the Divine "ïll, that, when He command-
eth any work, we should forthwith bedn and continue it with
alacrit
- and eoura/{e; when lIe bids il
cease from it, or de-
prin
s it of its fruit and effeet, we !'hould forthwith tranquill)
cease, and patiently allow our work and toil to la('k its end and
fruit. For what is our aim, s,n-e to do the "'ill of God, ami
in all things to conform oun.elves to it? But now the "'ill
of Gud is, 'that thou slwuldest re
ign, yea destroy, the work
thou hast begun. .\equie!'ce then in it. Else thou ser\"C!'t not
the "'ill of God, but thine own faney and eupidity. And here-
in eonsists the perfeetion of the holy soul, that, in all acts
and ewnts, adverse or pro
llerou!<, it should with full re
ig--
nation resi
n it
clf mo,;t Inunbh- and entil.eJy to God, aud ae-
quie
ce, hallpen what will, yea: and I'ejoke'that the "ïll of
God i
fulfilled in thi.. thinI!-", and say with holy Job, The Lord
f;{ll'e, Tlte Lord hath taken (l/('llIl; blessed be tllc
Yame of the
Lord-S. I
natiu
had
o trans'ferred his own will into the
"ïll of God, that he said, , If perchance the !'OI'iety, which I
have be
lll and furthered" ith such toil, should be di"s()h-ed
or IJCri
h, aftel' pas
ing half an hour in prayer, I "hould, by
God'" help, have no trouble fl"Om this thin
, than whkh none
sadder eould befall me" The sainb let thelll
eh-es be turned
this way and that, round and round, by the "ïll of God, as a
hor
e by its rider."

e 2 Sam. xxiv. 14.

1 Collect for the eleventh Sunday after Trinity.

Y)' 2

INTRODUCTIO

TO

THE

PROPHET

l\IICAH.

)Iieah. or :'.Ii('aiah, the )Iorasthite, wa,. ,.0 called. probably.
in order to di
tin1!.'uish him f!"llm hi

Teat prcòe('c

or, l\li-
C'aiah,
on of Imlah, in th(' rei
n of Ahab. lIi
name was
!<lwken in it
fullcr form, by the dder
of the land whose
worrl" Jcremiah ha
pre!'crn'd. .\IHI in that fullel' form hi

name i" known, where the Greek amI Latin tran"lation
of
the SeriptUl'es are u"cd a. fiy the Syrian", and by tilt' .Jews b
he is still ('ailed, as hv us, )Iieah. The fullest and orig-inal
form i" )lieaiahu. t. ,,:ho is like the Lord?" In this fullest
form, it is the name of one ofthe Le,-itcs "ent by Jehoslmphat
to teach the lleople c, as also of the mother of king- .\"a d , (the
same name serdng sometime
both for men and women.)
Then ael'onling" to 'the hahit of abridg-ing- namc", in all I'oun-
trie", amI e"l'eciaHy tlw
e of whieh the proper Ilame IIf the
Lord i
a part, it is dh-er!<cIy ahridg-cd into )Jieaihu, )Iil'ahu e,
whenee Mieah is readih- formed. on the same rule a" :'.lieaiah
itself from )Jieaiahu. . The forms arc all found ilHlift"erentlc
The idolatruus Lc,-ite in the timc of the Judg-('s f, and the s(;n
of Imlah 11', arc both ealled in the same dIapter Jlicuillll and
_lIicn!t; the fathfT of ont' of .Jo
iah's offiC'ers is ealled JIicuia!t
in the book of King-s h, JIicu!t in tll(' Chronicles i.
The Prophet's name, like those of Jo"hua, Elijah. Elisha,
Ho"ea. Joel. Obadiah. was si
nifi('ant. Joshua's, we know,
was ehan
ed of S('t purpo"e k. The I"('!'t seem to ha,-e been

h"en in (;od's Prm-idelll'e, or taken by the Prophets, in or-
der to emuwiate truth
eOllf'erning- God, opposed to thc idola-
tries or self-d('IH'lUlanee of the people. But the name of l\Ji-
eah or .:\Ji('aiah, (as tlte elders of tIle laud 1 ealled him on a "0-
lemn oc('asion, smne 120 years afterward
) eontained more
than teaehing. It wa... ('a
t into the form of a ehalleng"e.
T17w is like the Lord? The form of words had been im-
pre
sc(l on Israel by the song- of )IlIses after the delkcranec
at the Red sea m. In thc days of Elijah alHl that first
Ji-
t'aiah, the
trift' between God and man, the true PI'ophct and
the fal
e, had been ended at the battle of Hamoth-Gilead: it
C'eased for a time, in tIlt' reigns of Jehu ali(I his sueec..."OI'
.
bc('a\1"(', in eonsequent'e of hi
partial obedien('e, God, by Eli-

ha and Junah, promis('d them g-ood : it was ag-ain resumed.
as tbe promi"e to Jehu wa
expiring-, and (;od's prophets had
a Jlhx<<;aç is used by the LXX in J.'r. xxvi. l
. and
Iicah i. 1. as also in the other
places ,,1I!,re th!' name occurs,,,,,"cel,t Keh. xi. Ii, 22. where tiJr
:--:, they ha\e JII'X å .
Josephus calls both prophets JII,xaiaç, :\Iicah son of Imlah, Ant. S. U. 5; and our pr?-
phet, Ant. 10. G. 2. The Yul"ate uses for hoth. )Iichæas. b They suhstltl!.ted :-:::"J In
the Kri in Jeremiah. C 2 Chr. >.\ii. ï. d Ih. xiii. 2 e :! Cllr. X\III. 8. Keth. ,
I -:-
;':: J ud. xvii, 1. -1. :-:;:--: 5, 8, 9, 10. II
:-
;..., I Kings nii. 8. 2 Chr. x\iii. ï. I

ancw to proclaim a me!osage of woe. Ilast tllOu f01t1Uf me,
U milte cltem.'1 n? and, 0 I Illite Itim. for !Ie dotll uot l'ro]Jlles.1f
good c(JIu'e1"ltillg 1IIi', but edt, Ahah's wonls as to Elijah and
\Jieaiah, were the types of thc sub
equcnt eontratiietion of
the false prophets to Hosea and Amos, whieh dosed only with
the dc
truetion of Samaria. Xow, in tht' timc of the later
.\lil'aiah, were the first dawnin
s of the same
trite in Judah,
whieh ha!'tencd and brou
ht about the destruetion of .Teru-

alem under Zedekiah, whi'eh rc-appeared after the Captivity p

and was the immediate ('au!<òc of the se('und destruetion under
the Romans Q. .l\Jil"ah. as he dwells on the meanin
of names
g-enerally. so. doubtless, it is in allusion to hi" o"
n, that. at
the ('lose of his propheey, Iw ushcrs in his announcement of
God's ineomparable mercy with the wurtls r, TT7w is a God lilæ
unto Tltee t Before him, whate,-er disobedience there was to
(;od's law in Judah. there wa
no systematiC'. or
anised. op-
position to His prophets. Therc is no token of it in J ocl.
From tht' times of )Iieah it is newr missin
. ". e find it in
eaeh prophet .I1owe,-er brief the remains of' !'ollle arc,) who
prophesied directly to Judah, not in Isaiah only, but in Ha-
bakkuk. anti Zephaniah t. It deepened. as it hastened towards
its deei"ion. The nearer God's jud
ment
wcre at hand, the
more ohstinately the false prophets denicd that they would
l"ome. The
ptem of fal,.:e prophecy, which ro"e to its hei
ht
in thc time of Jeremiah, whieh met and thwarted him at
e,-ery !'tep u, and òe('ei,-ed tho!'e who wi"hed to be òe('eÎ\'ed,
was dawning in the tim(' of )Ji('ah. False proplwey aro,,(' in
Judah from the
elt:"
mne l'aUH' wlwnl"e it had arisen in Israd,
because .Tudah's deepenin
corrulltion drew down the prophe-
de!' of God's displea
ure. whieh it was popular to di"lwlieve.
False pruphet'y was a g-ainful ol'('upation. The f.ùse prophets
had men's wishcs on their sidf'. They had the people with
them. JIfI people Iou to !lare it so x,
aid God. They forbade
I )Jicah to prol,hesy}; prophesied peaee', when God foretold
('\"ÍI; prophesied for gain B, and prodaimed war in the :Kame of
God b a
ain
t those who fed them not.
.\t sl;('h a time was l\JiI'ah ('ailed. His name which lw him-
self explains, was no chance name. To the Hebrews, to whom
namcs werc so mueb more significant, parts of the li\"Íng lan-
:-;.-
2Chr. x\iii.14. b 2 Kings xxii. 12. t 2Chr.xxxiv. 20. k
um. xiii.W.
I Jer. xxvi. Ii, 18. m Ex. xv. n. D I Kings xxi. 20. 0 lb. xxii. 8,18.
p N"h. vi. 14. Q seeab.p.222,3. r\ii.IS. oi.5.ii.l. 'i. 12. useeJer.v.13,31.
vi.I:!-lï. \iii.IO-12. >.iv. 13-16. xx. 1-6. xxiii. 9-end. xxvi. ï, 8,n. xxvii. 1-1-18. xX\iii.
xxix. 8,9,21-32. x Jer.v.31. 7 ii.6. . iii, 5. a iii.n. b iii 5.scenote.

guag-e. it reealled the name of his gol'eat predec'e
!'ior, hi
stmul-
ing- alone al!'ain4 aU the pJ"CIl'hets of .\hab. hi
I'ruplU'c'y, his
!"uff"erinf!, hi
e, id('nC('d truth. The truth uf prophecy was set
upon the i:-
U(' of the hattle hefClre Rallloth-( ;ilead. In the
pre
enC'e of .Jt'lw
haphat, king- of Judah, as well a!< of Ahah,
the 400 prophct.... of .\shtaruth had prolllised to _\hah the pl'ize
he lon
ed for. One solitary, di
r'rilllinating ,oic'(' was heal"ll
amid that c'lamorCJu
lIlultitudc, forcwarninf! .\hah that he
would peri
h, his people \\ ould be !<C'atten'd. Ou the one side,
was that loud triulllphant dwru" of c all the proplltds, Go up to
lla11/otll-(;ih'ad, awl )Jro.\per ; for tllC Lord .
//flll ddi/'er it into
the killg'.
!taud. Un the other. oue
Cllellln Hliee, exhihitin

before thcm that sad slle('tade whieh the uwrrow'
slln
JlOuld
witues
d, I S{Ill' (III Israel scattered u)JOJl t!te Mils, a,
.
!lee)J
that "m'e 'l/ot a slU'pllerd, all/I the Lord said, tllese IUll'e JW J}/as-
tel', let t!lem return el'el:'1 IIIllJl to M.
!louse iJl pearl'. :\IiC'aiah
was smittcn, iIllPI'isoned, aud. appareutly, ended his ministry,
appealing' from that small audi('net' Clf the arlllie
Clf hmel and
.Tudah to the whole wodd. whieh has en'r sinc'e 10Clkcd baek
ou that strife with intercst and awe; e .FIear fIe peopll'.\', e({(.h
oue of tllew. God, who
uided the "reher shooting- at a l'eJl-
ture f, fulfilled the word
whic'h lIe had put into the Prophet"

mcmth. (-iod'
word had found .\hah, altlwudl disguised; J(.-
hoshaphat. the empcrilled g, I'eturned hUlne, to relate tht' i

uc.
The conflid bt'tween (;od's truth and idol faJsclwod wa
doubt-
less long remembered in Judah. And uow, when the strife
had penetrated into Judah. to be ended sOUle 1,0 II year
aftcr-
wards in the dcstrul'tiou of JerllsalcUl, anothcr :\Iicaiah aro
e,
his name th(' old watC'hword, TrllO is like tl,eLord? He
pr(,/i
ed to hi
prophcey that
ame
Ulnnwn" i to the wlwle
world to bdwld thc i!<suc' of the confliC't, whic'h God had onee
aecredited and, in that iss\H', had g-h-en an earnc"'t of the dc-
tory of His truth, there thene('forth amI for eH'r.
The Prophet was born a ,-illaf!('r, in :'.Iol'(-!<heth (-iath, "a vi\-
lage j '" S. Jerome say
; ("a little \"illag-e).J" in S. J('nllne'

own days.) .. East of Eleuthel'opoli:-ö:' where what was" I fOl'-
lIIerly hi!< grave," was "uow a Chureh:' SillC'e it was his birth-
plaee and his burial-l)laee. it wa
probably hi
hOUle al
o. In
the beginning ufthe n'ign of Jehoiakim. t!le elders of t!le laudru
sp(.ak of him with this :-ömnc title, tI,e J/orastltite. He linf!('r:-ö,
in hi.... prnphec'y, among- the towns of the maritime plain (the
Shephclah) wh('re his hirthpla('e lay. .\Ulong the ten pla('p

in that m i
hbourhoodn, which he !'eleet
for warning and for
(
xample of the unÍ\-cl'sal C'aptidt
-, is his nath-e ,iIlag-e, .. the
home he Im"ed." But the ehief scene of hi
ministrv wa

Jeru
alem. He name
it in the beg-inning- of hi
l'rlll
heey.
a
the plat'e where thc idolatrie
. and, with the idolatries, all
the other
ins of Judah were eOllcentraterl. The two ('apital".

amaria and .Teru!'alem, were the c'hid" uhjeet" of the wurd of
(:iod to him, heeau
e the e(\lTuption uf eaeh ki ng-dmn stream-
ed forth from them. TI\(' sins which he rebukes are ('hieth-
tho:-öe of the ('al'ital. Extreme Opprt>:-ö:-öion 0, violew'e amon

the ric'h p. hrihing- amclllf! jucl!!l'
. prie!"ts, prophets Q; buildinf!
up the eapital e,-en by ellst of life, or aetual hlulldshcd ':
po-
liation .; expulsion of the powedes,;, women and chilùrcn frllm
!heir Iwn.U's t: ('o'-etllu"ne
s u; .{:heating- in dea!ing" x; pride Y.
f!le!'e, of ecmr

. may he mamfoldly repeated III le
ser plac'es
IIf resort and otJud!!ment. But it is Zioll and .Jerllsalem whkh
are so built up lcitl, Mood'; Zion and .Jerusalem, whieh are, rill
that g-round, to be ploll'ed a.
ll.fidd l ; it is tIle dtll, to whieh tllC
Lord's ,'oice criet!t B ; who:-öe ric!t mell are ful! o/z'iole1lce Q; it is
< 1 Kings xxii. I
. d lb. Ii'. < lb. 28. f 34. K 30-3. h from the beginning of Jo-
cham's rei!!n. I Hen
t. Ch,isc. i. 4i3. I Onom. k Præf. to
Iic. I Ep sr.. ad Eu-
s

ch.
pitap
. Paulæ
.14: i.(iUt1.." ':' Jer. .,!,.xvi. Ii. ]8. n i. 11-15. 0 iii. 2,3. ii.
. P vi.
1_. q 111. 11. Judges dud pnests, Vll. 3. ' 111. 10. bloo
hed also, vi:. 2. 0 ii. 8. 'ii. 9.

)lICAII.

289

the dftllglder of Zioll b, whic'h i... to g/Jf/Jdll out /Jf the C;/.I/ find
t:'J to ]lah.'l/rm. E"'l)(,c'iall
. th('y an' th(' hcad:-ö and prin..('... IIf
the p('Clpk c, \\ hOIll he upbraid" fllr IH'rn'r
iclll of ju
tic'(' and
tOI' ol'pl"e
"ioll. CH'n tlw
oud kill
:-Ö of Judah :-öe('111 to hm e
Le('n pmH'rlc,,:-ö to n'
train the p:em'ral c'orruptiun.
)1icah, aC'C'ording- to the title whidl he prdlx('d tll hi
1'1'0-
I'heey. was c'allcd tll the pruphetic' Clffic'c !oClluewhat lah'r than
I
aiah. His millistn' hel!'anlater. and encled earli('I'. For .-z-
ziah, in whose rcig-n i,.;ai<
h hel!'<lIl to I'rlll'hesy. wa
d('ad hefiwe
)Iieah wa" ('ailed to hi" offiec; and )Ii('ah prohahly wa
c'alled
away early in the J"('igll uf f[('ækiah, wh('I'ea!< SUllie IIfthe ('hi(.f
l'uhlie .U't!< of Isaiah':-ö milli:-ötry fdl in the I ïth and ] :-ìth year

of the reign of Hezekiah. Jut'!, Amus, Ohadiah, Jlluah, had
clouhtl('

been \\ ithdl'awn to their n'st. Hos('a alom'. ill .. grev-
haired mi!!llt." wa
stilll'rotcstillg in vain a;rain
t the det'J,ci,-
ing corrn)lticllls of l:-örael.
The eontents of Mieah':-ö propheey amI his relatiun to I"aiah
agree with tilt' inseril'tiun. lIi
prol'hec'y IHl
indieations of
the time
of Jotham. perhaps al!<o of tho,.;e of .\haz: OIle !'ig--
nalr)J"CII,heey, we knon hi:-öturicalJy, was uttered in the rei
n
of Hezekiah.
It i
uow owned. well ni
h on all hand!<, that the great l'ro-
pheey. thl'ee Hr
('
of whic'h I:-öaiah prefixed to hi
:!nd c'har-
ter, was orif!inally ddh-en'cl by :\IiC'ah. But it appear
frum
the elllltext in I
aiah, that he d('livered the prllphec'
in that
:!nd I'hapter, ill the reiç:1I of Jotham. Other langual!'e of )Ii-
('ah also bcloll

to that same reil!'n. :\"0 one 1UH\ think:-ö that
)Ii('ah adopted that g-reat l'rul'heey from I
aiah. Tlie pruphe-
ey, as it stand
ill )Iieah, is in elo
e e(lnll{'c,ticlII \\ ith what prc-
eedes it. He hacl :-öaid", tI,e 1/Iollntflin of t!le !louse s!lall be as
t!le lâglt plares f
r ti,e forest; hc :-öuhjoins in..tantly (;od'" re-
ver:-öal of that :-öentenee. in tI,e latter dlll/.
. e And in ti,e IfI.
t dfl/I.

it slwll be tlwt tile 1Jwwtlain of the ÚJ/l.
e of tI,e Lord .
/wll ill'
estaUi.\'hed on tllC top of t!le lI;ollJ/tain,
, an;' peoples slw!lj{rJ/l'
unto it. lIe had said, Zion shall he plowed as a/Ù"", aJlrl.Je-
rJ(salem s!lall become Ileaps; he add
forthwith. in re'-er
al of
this f, tIle law .
hall go f'lrtl, .from Zion, ((nd tile lC(Jrd f
r ti,e
Lord .fro1il .lerll.
((leJ}/. The two sl'ntenc'e!" arc joined a
clo
('-
ly a
th('y eall be; Zirm slmll he plOll'ed (IS ajield, aml.Jerll,m-
Inn s!lall berome !leaps, ((1/([ tI,e lJ/(JIlJJfain (!f the !lollse Ûwll
hecu11te ltiglt places qf a forest; al/([ it .
/lf/ll be, in tI,e last d(/.'Is,
t!le f/lfJl/Jltain (
f tI,e IlOuse of tI,e Lord .
//(/ll be (ahiding-Iy g) es/(c-
Mi
//e(1 on tI,e top of t!le mOllntains. I
,-ery read('r would uu-
del"!<tand. that the cle,-atiou intendcd, wa
!'piritual. nllt phy-

ieal. They eould not fail to under
tand the 1UPtaphor: Clr
ima
ine that the )Ioullt Zion. on part of whieh. (:\lcJllnt :'.10-
riah.) the IWllse of t!le Lord "tood.
lwuld be phy"ic'ally plac'ed
on other hill
. liut tIlt' eontra
t is marke(1. The promise i

the s(.tJucl of the woe; the abiding- ('olldition i" the ren'I'
al of
the
enteuee of it
de
olation. E,'en the word
allude. tIle (111('
to the other h.
In Isaiah. there i
no sueh eonneetion. After the first ('hap-
ter and it
summar\" of rebuke. warniu!!. threatcning. and fi-
nal weal or woe re
tiul!' on eaeh C'las!<.L Isaiah, in hi"
e{'ond
ehaptt'r. bef!in" his l'ror'heey auew n ith a fresh title; i TI/(, u'orcl
t!lat Isaiah the SOll fl
/.J/lOS salt' c(mrerning .Judah {{ml.lau-
salem; and to this he prefixe
thrce ,-el'se
thnn :'.ric'ah':-ö pro-
l)hccc He separate
it in a mill'ked way f,"om the pre('pdint"
:-öum,itary, and yd l'onne(.t.... it \\ ith :-öome other prllphec.y hy
the W(l('(1.
/.ml ( He him
clf marks that it is not in it:- ori-
ginal pla
e here.
o then. in the prol)het :\fieah, the elo
e
vii
;
. 2.i iü
;J: I
, i
\. 7f
/? oK irt Is2
ot
;

:9but
.;

;!;_. <
i'i
'e
':
: ;

::..;

iv. 1. to the r:-:;-; -;-; iii. 12. the ;-:.;-:- to the ;-.;-;-. Hengst.

'ii. 1.

lii.2.

2HO

I:\THODCCTIOX TO

1'lInllt'I,tilin with till' flll'I':':-lIin:.:- marks th.lt it ;S in it
uridnal I th(' fntul"l'.
ul'h h
he" i
l1l'd iu hi
IIT!'11 way. n I\""iu
future
I'la,"': ",aiah lIIar\"I'III'III:l'u"l
ly that in his 1'1"1}1'11l'I'
it i
nllt. I by I
in
al't... . .

Hnt I"aiah'" I'I'ul'hl'I'
hl'lun
s II) a tinll' ufpru"I'I'rit
: ,",ul'h:1
lit'ah l"l'Ill'wl'(1 u!Hkr IIt'Ll'kiah the I'rol'hf'I'Y of thl' UUI'I"
II" .Intlah hatilltlt. anl'r thl' n'i
u uf .llItlll\lll. It" a" a tilllt' I tlt'
tJ'ueti(}J1 uf &It'ru..al1'm. whil'h he hadl}ruIWUlIl"I'd nuder .10-
IIf
Tl'at warlil.l' "tJ'('n
.th. dit1'u"t'd thwu
'h th(' "holl' land. thmll. The Pruplll'b tlillnut h('t'dl"l'l'eatiu:.:- thl'III..1'h ('S. Elo-
Thl' laud" a.. full
. withuut l'llll. uf
'ultl. "il\l'r.l'hariuh.lwr"I'''. (IUl'ut as tll('
"l'rt'. thl') an' thl' mUI'I' 1'lul\Ul'nt hl'I'au"e do-
1)1' lufty luu\"" UlIlI han:.:-htinl'''''. Tht' illl.l
t'" "hidl folluw I I\,"'I"'(''' a
uot their ()bjl'l.t. L'I'U I}Ur Lt)l"lL with Dh int'
111'1'
h:lIhn\.. uf thl' l)a
IIf jUlI
'IUI'nt. l\IIdl'
h'!H1 heYtl!HI .Iu- wi..dom. aud thl' UWI'('. I'rohably. bl'I'.lU"l' III' had Hi, ine TÇi

Ilah: hut tl1l' sin" l'I'bul.I'11 an' thl' "in.. of "tl'l'lu!..th UllIllllkht. 110m. l"l'I"'ah'll iu Hi.. h'adlin
thl' ..am(' "ul'II... Tho"e '''H.tI..
"I'lf-l'linfilll'I1I'I'. 1)I'IH'I,.."ÍI)u. mauifoltl ii.'lIIall' IU
III'
aud bra- sank till' 111'1'1'1'1'. bl'I'.lU
I' oftl'U l"l'I'I'ah'll.
o )Iil'uh rt'I'('at-
'I'I'
Ill. baiah I'rul'lll'o,il'" that t;1Il1 "ouM takl' a" a
thl'ir ('lllht\lhtll'"'' ufll'ntillll'.. tho..e "IH.tI... "hil'h he fir:'t uttel"l'd in
"tl"t'n
th n. 'I'llI'u thl'
,.till h.lll it. &Iutlah tJ'U..h'll uot at thl' lla
.. 1)1' .10tham: /Ùm slla/l be plml"H1 I;ke a.field mId .Ie-
that tillll' in (;1II1 11tI1' in fllrl'i
n IIlliUlll'l'... hut in "1'lf. \ et. rll,wII III sllall bertlllle IIeaps. 'Illd tI,e "wIII,la;" I
f Ille 11fJ1I..
(' as
"Will the tinll' of _\111\1. tru"t ill fun'i
1l hl'lp infl'I.It'd tllI'lII to 1"('IIi
1I pl(lf'e,
ofllll'filrt,
/. Oth'li.lluriug" thost' p('rhap,. thir-
tht' ('!HI. I:,,'u 1I1'Ll'\"iah. "h('11 hI' ret'I'iH,..1 th(' nll'S..('Il:':-I'r.. ty
('ar... 11l' l"l'I'I',lt('tI thl'm ill "lill. .\t till' la..t. thl'
"rou
ht
of :\h'I'odul'h-hahulau ". 1'1'11 illto tht' "nal"l': IUlII .Iu"iah 1'1"0- U
l"l'at l"l'l't'llt.UlI'l'. IIlld (Ida
t'li. it Illa
be ti.)r l:k>
t'''
. tht'
hahh lu..t hi.. liti.'. a.. a \"a"..al of .\,..., ri.1 '. Thi" uniou 1)1' iu- ll('..tnll'tiou" hidl ht' ".1.. t'I)Il..traiu("d to forddl. E.u'h- iu
hl'I'l'Ìlt ..trl'u
.th a!H1 \1I1I'OI1l'I'I'I1I'llul';.. abuut ti.)I"l'Í
u uid i.. JUl the da
.. uf Jt'lwiab.im. ahout I:.'.
('.\
.,n('r" .\rd... ill th(' l;u1l-
Udl'IJ1lalt' h',.t of Ila
,. .1I1h'riul' tu .\haL. li(' as..t'mbly "l1l'u Jl'l"l'lllillh ,\i,,, 011 trial fl)r hi.. lift'. Ihe
/-
Hnt "hU't' ",aillh 1'1'I,th.l'd to u 1'1"1)l'h,"'Y ill tht' 11a
'" of .10- ,1tJ".
of III IfII,,1 ..aill t'
l'lil'itl
. that thc
n'at l'o!Her..iou at
thalll thi..
rl'at I'I'ul'hl'I'
uf )lil'ah. thl'll :\Iil'ah'.. I'I"l)pht't'y thl' bt'
illllillg" uf tlu' rei:':-Il uf HeLl'b.i.,h. IU'
" of that kill
him-
lIlu..t Imn' I.t't'll ah'I'atf
c'UI'n'llt. ru till'sl' SIIII(' (Ia
.. I}f self." a
"rought b
the h",,'hill
of :\Iil'ah. 01 rll
1I ros
lip,
..tJ'I'Il
.t h it l",hm
'''. that :\ I il'nh l'ouhl pl"l)pht's
a.. 1\
::ift. t ht' ..ny.. &h'I"l'lIliah. ('f!'rillill ollll
I'l, rs ,
,. I"
I,,,,d. alld
pll/.;e 10
l'Uttill
ot1'.1 of 11U".
t,
",,,I ,'II"riul.
. tht' Iil'..trul,tiull ,
f ,';Iies :uul "II Ille "
IIIbl.lI lif Ille pm pie. sa.II;lIg. _l/i("fl/a Ihe _llurlzslAile
,
/rf)ll
IUl"t ,.s. nil. ill " hil'h J \Ulah tru..fl'll ill"te.ul uf (;l)d. The propll,..
;
ill Ille d".lIs uf 1/I':.e"i,,11 1.;'lg ,!f .",dall, sa.";lIg. rlllls
l)roplll'I'y i.. n t'uUllh'rpart of Isaiah's, I..aiah 1}J'I\pllt'si('(1 I' sailll III
I ar,l ,
,. IIo..
ts. Zitm sll,,/I b
pIIJllgII
lllil.
a.field. 'Illd
tln
t)f .lmkllll'lIt. ill " hil'h all thl'
l' t hill
'" shouldl", I"I'IlWH'tf : .I,.rlls"I,.III sll,,/I I,,.('om
II,.(lps. (",d III lIIulIula;ll
llile 1I111'

. lIS
:\Iil'ah furl'tohl that thl'ÍI' I"I'uwnLi
houhl bt' n ml'I"I'
to tho,;c III,. hi
/a plllN'S u/III luresi. ]);(11/(;.,.l..-i,,1. !..iug 0/ .Il1tllllt. allli
"hu trust ill l"hri"t. IIU .I11d"II. pili lIim III 0/110 d,."III '! lJid I,r uoll",.ar III Lurd,
()ll tilt' l)t hl'I' hnllll. tilt' Utll'I' tfi
1twatÌl)lwf sl)l'it't
. th(' bu
t" alllllw
j'''"ght Ilir Lard. 'III(IIII
Lard rf7N"Hlrd lli'H ofille er.jl
ill
of nil tht' llW..t "''''1.(,..1 bmuls "hil'h hillllulUll It) nuUl to- 1I..!Ii,,1I lit IIml prullu""N'd clgllillS/ Illem t

1,tllt'l" dl'..l"riht'll ill his I""t l'hnph'l"r. pl'rhal'
bl'lull
IIIU
t fl) It IIIU
hUH' hl'eo that ..ill
le propllt'l'
whÏt'h :\Ii('ah ,.c) tlt'-
tl", mi..l'I"l\blt, 111'I'ny ill tht' r('i
'11 uf .\lmz. TIlt' itlulatry ..pu- Iin'I"I'd: ..Oil\(' ha" t' thou
ht tlmt it "a
hi" wholt' book. .Ie-
"I'll of ul"o bl'h)ll
s I'l"ubabl
to thl' tinU' of .\Imz. III &10- 1"1'llliah. ut (;1)([".. 1'1)lllllliUlll. nt Ollt' time uUt'I"l'tl
illdt' 1)1"0-
tham'.. tillll' s. Ille
"ple ,
"rrflìN'd ",,,1 bllrllt'll i"r"".

sliU ill pht'l'it'" : nt iuwthl'r. tht' ,.unnnnr
()f iLiI hi,. l\rophel'il'
. This
III" high pltll"t.
:
l't. untl('r 1\ "ill

o hi
hl
pr1\i
l'd '. t lu'
(' un' l)nly i.. l'l'rtaill. that tlU' prt)phl'l'
. " ht,thl'r tht'''e wUl"lls al1)lle
Ill't li"l'h' to ImH' ht'l'n ill.1t'ru..nll'lIl. But )lil'l\h. ill tht'n'r\ or tht' bl)ok l'ltlltuillill
tlU'Ill." a
tldÌ\ert,(L to nil &hulab. anti
ht'Ull of ili.. pr()phl'I'
.
Iwa\\.. l)f &1t'ru..nll'm" n
tilt' l.t'ntl't' l;f that (;0.11110\ t'll t'w pt'ople thn)u
h tlu'w to n'pt.'ut3m'l'.
tlU' ilh)\ntril'.. of J\Uh,h. Thl' nllu..ioll nlsl\ to l'hihl-,;:wrifil'c'
Tht' "1\1'11... n
tht" llt'('ur in &ler("lIIiah. un' tb('
allll'. and ill
hdl)n:.:-" tu thl' tillll' of .\h.\z. "Ill' ,.al'rifil'l'IL ..Oil.. Ill' hi" OWIl x, tht' "iUtU' onlt'r. 8.. tiu',- ,.tund in )Iil'ub. Onh' iu &1t'relllil,h
mul ,
'ho.." "."'rifit'l' otl",
prl\bahly imitatt'll. The Illt'ntioll of tllt't'I)IIIUlttll 1\lurul h'rÕlilmtioll i.; :,ub,;titutetl ti.)r tht' rur('r and
th(' "I'l'l'inl itll)\utr
IIf tbt' tin\('.
III,. .
/"I"/I',
uf O",r; an Itl)('tÏt' forlU u,.t'tl b
:\lil'nb
. Tht' e/(/rr
. tbeD. who quotM
kt"pl. fIIlll ,III lilt' II"f,rl.s,! '11I,.lIlJl,st"!' .III"b. hdl)n:.:-to tht'
.un(' tht'm. 1)l"ubab\
kllt'\\ th('In. not frum trnditiou. but fwm the
I"l'i
lI. it ht'in
1"1'1'()J'tll'll of .\lIU" l'Sl't'I'ian
", Ii
"'IIII..-t'C1 ill III "rith'u hl)t)k oftlw 1'1"t)l'ht,t. But thO
t' dlLt'r.. "I't'i.\k of )Iil'ah.
W".US ,
tl^ ki,,
s,
' J..nlt'lllIlll ma(/1' (1/
'"f' Nlulll'Il ilHa
-
ltlr ll.ra- .," t'
t,rt'i..in:.:- bi
propheti(' l)dìl't' in tht' liay.. t)f IIl'zekiah.
Ii", : tht, "pl'l'i
LI ,;in oftht' IW\ls(' I\L\h.th. That dISrl\l'Ìl'r too Tht'
do not !'a
. It,. pl'1.tp^r..
i d, "hidl mi
ht bat,t' bt"t'n a :õill-
"hil'h Ill' lk..nilws. that. I\mill uU thllt itlc11atry. l)r.U'tit':ù ir- ;Lt' iwt: but. It INIS proph,.
:,,;ug. An,II"'" Ilibbalt. a forlU of ..})t'al..-
n'Ii
'it)u, nlul "it'kl'lh",..... tht'Y 1t'l11I1 lip'''' III L'n/. alld s"i(/. in
" hit'h i.. l)nl
uÑ.'tll)f an .,biliiu
. habitu.LI. at,tion. The
'
/s 1101 lilt' / 'l't/IlNWll
u.
t Utili ,.,'iI ,.'111 rolll,. ItpOIl ",
.; \HLS ..a
al..o. "bt' "a.. habituull
prt)pht',.
in
. and h('
ai(I:' i. t'. as
ju..t tlw l'Iutr:U'h'r of .\1",1. Xot until tht' entl of hi.. 1"l'Ì
n Wib Wt' :,houhl ..
l
. .. in tlw l'OU
t' t)f bis pn)pht'''
in:.. in the da

t)t
h(' ..II t'lUhith'n'tl h
(;1)11'.. t'hn..ti..l'lUt'nt". tlmt ht' t.ll)..t'd II i,. !It'Lt'kinh. ht' :'nitl:'
till it 'H1S to (IIIIII
JHVplt' qf JltJøA tlmt
h'lUpll' II. 1"1' to tlmt time. t" l'n uOt'r hl' hUll t't,,)it'tl tht' bmzt'u bt'
ill it. rht' d(I('r
..a

o. alltl la
i'tn'
" 1lpt.1J) it b
r('pe3t-
I\ltnr I\t n
UlHl"I'U:'. ht' ..tillhl'pt "l) a lLh Ítll'tIIÙIt'
'iJUll't' h\ (;t\ll. ill
it. Did Jl .,.l.i,,11 l.-iug uf Judllit (lnd all JltdøA pltl hi..
I- rijab. t Iw II i;.::h Prh,..t. I\t ttw kiu
'
t'Omm.UllL. ofti.'n'tl the III el/llo dr1I/A'! It Inu..t hl\\(' ht"t'n tht'll l)n
t)Ine uf tht' !ITeat
..;\l'ritlt't,.. for thl' \..in
I\Utl the 1"'01'11'. whilt' .\Iuu uSl'tl I'" I fl'stÏ\ aLl". "bt'll 11/1 JItJalt "as g".ltbt'red h}
ether. that )1icab
br",,.llllll,,r. 10 t'IlV"iN' b.1I -. ,!'hi.. w.,
ju"t tht' h:Llf-"t'r\ it'c ..I) "pakt' to th('lU.
"hil'h (;I)tI b
'Ii('
\h njN.t". It i
tht' ohl hi..II'ry l\f lUau'
I'n)babl
.
hortl
aftt'r\\"anl
. in thtl..(' 61':"
t'
of Heze-
Imlf-,.t'I'\"it't'. faith" ithout lon', "hit-h l'nn itks, that ,,"lmt it b.iab. )Iil'uh'" t)tlil't' on t'i.\rth dO
lL Fl)r. aAt the out
l't and in
lwlil'H'.. but Ions Ill't. "bould 1)(' tlOUt' fllr it. anti it"l'lf t'IH\l'ts tlU' ,.ulllmur
of hi
prt)pht"t.
. not ÌIlt'idt'ntall
. he "p('a\..s t)f
"hnt it I)n'ti.'
. I'rijl\h"
,.s to t\l1i.'1' the hI" ful .s:\t'ritll't'.. tì.)r th(' de,.trUt.tion of
I\lllaria. whil'h took 1)laN' in tht' 4th year
tht' kin
I\ud the l)l'tll'll': .\hn;t, wa
to l)bH\in kill)" 1e..lgt' of of 11. l'ki.ù,. .'" :'till to t't.\lne: and. howt" t'r pr&ldical ùr par-

, Is. ii.:-. n. I 1

1. - üi. 16, !oS. · ììi.l-3..
· 1-<.. "'"\:'\ ". r :: }..'np "\:, 'ù,
.
('hr. H"T.
... '"i. , ""', T. 1
n. H.
r \....

.. .::
..

\.
.
::"'......
X'T.wl.::Ctw.1
v......
l' .

· i.. i-
T TÌ.16. ·
C
. D'
o :: !I,:
:ni. 1
.

" :: K
..:!:

),2fhr. =
&. u-riii,
_-I.
. Jcr.UTi.l;.... · :-71_;""7.

tial iclolatr\" contimH'd. su('h idolatrv a.. h(' throu!!hout de- I
('ril}('
. did ilOt t'
i
t after the rt'formåtinn b\" Ilezeki.th. This ' I
c'om t'r
ion. then. of thc kin
and of som(' e;lIl
icl('rable part of
Judah" as probably the c'losin
han e"'t of his life, aftcr a
long
eed-tillle of tt'ars. So (;od allc)\\-ed II i

.'n ant to depart!
ill prac('. Th(' rt'fnrmation it
df, at I('a..t in its fnlne
s, took
J}lélet'
ftt'
the king-clmn of Samari
had con.l(,
o an end,
inee I
Jlezehm.h
messen!!ers eould. unhmdt'red, 111\ Itt' all I
rael to
join in his
t'at P,'

lInr. Prohably, then, )Iic'ah li,t'd to I

et' tlU' fir
t rlan nin
ont\" of tht' first rt'formation "hieh God
wrc}\\!!ht In Hi
words. . I
.\t 'the cc;mmelU'emcnt, tlwn, of IIc7c'kiah's rei!!n b(' collec't-
('d the suh
tanee of what (;ocl hacl tau!!llt h\" him. rt'-ca
tin
it.
S? to spt'ak, and ret.ain
n
of his sl.}oht'n pj.ophee
'
o muc'h as I
hod willed to rt'mam for U"'. .\s It 4ancl
, It belml!!s to that
{'arh' tinw (If IIt'ukiah's rei
, in "hirh the !"ins or'.\haz still
Ih cd on. Cnrruptinn of n;anner
had heen Iwreditary. In
.1ntham'!, reign tno. it is !'aid e'\.pre
!'I
, in ecmtrast" ith him-
self f, ,lte people ,,'ere ...till doing ('orruJ1t
l/. Idolatry had, un-
dt'r .\haJ:, T('et'Ï\ ed a fanatic impulse from thc kin!!, who, at I
last. set him",('Jf to clost' the wor
hip of Gocl r;. The strt'n!!th I
nf .10th.nn'!, rei!!n nas !!one: the lon!!in!! for its re!'toratic}JI
led to th(' "ron
and dc
truC'th'e polic
', a'
ain4 whidl Isaiah
had to c'ontt'nd. Of this )Iieah !'a"
. sueh !'hould not be the
strNI!!th of the fntllrt' kingdcnn of r;od. Idolatry and op-
pre!'sicllllh t'd on: a
ainst these, the inheritat}('(' of thosc for-
mer rei!!ns. the !'olt' rc
iduulII of Jotham's might or Ahaz' po-
lie\". the br('aeh of the la" of lo\"c of God and man. l\licah con-
et'iltratt'd hi
" ritten propheey.
Thi
hook al
o ha
rpmarkable s, mmetr\". Each of its three
dh isions i
a whole, beginninlr" itli upbraiiHn
for sin. threat-
ening- (;ocl's jud
nwnts, and elldin
"ith prmni
es of fntnre
lIlt'rc'\" in Chri4. Tlw t".o later di, isions Iw!!in a!!ain with that
i'anw'eharacteri,,;.ti(', Hearye h , with whi('h
Iieàh had opened
thc whole. The thrce dh-isions ar(' also ('onne('tt'd, as "ell b\"
It'

er r('feren('es of the later to tlw former. as alsn bv tlw ad'-
,anc(' of tlw prophecy. .1udah eouM not be trll!'ted liow "ith
any siml}lt' dt'daration of God's future mer('
. They sUJ}J}osed
thems('h es. imp('nitent a"i tlwy wt're and" ith no purpose ofrt'-
pentan('t', to he the ohject!' nf hod's cart'. and !'t'eure from evil.
1- nmÌ'\.t'd promi,.:(' of g-ood would but foment t his irreligious
apathy. lIen('e on the promi
es at the end oftlw first portion i,
alld tlteir king shall pas,,, before them alld the Lord at tile Itead
of them. he turns abnlptl
'I., _/Ild I said, Hear. Ipm.1/ .1/ou. Is
it 1I0t for .'IOll to klloU' jwZ!:1JIl'1lt;> The ]}romi
e had been to
Jacob and the remnant of Israel i. lIe rene" s hi!' summons to
thc k /Iead,,, of Jamb and the pr;uces '!f the hou.se of Israel. In
like way, tl\(' last st'ction, opening" ith tbat wonderful plead-
in
of (;od" ith His Iwople, follow!' upon that unbroken de-
claration of God':, mert'Íes, ,,'hi('h ibeJf is:"ues out of the pro-
mi
ed Birth at Bethlt'llem.
There i
al
o a sort of pro
e!'
in the promi
l"
elf the three
parts'. In tl\(' fir!'t, it is of deliveratu>t' !!t'nerally. in languag-e
taken from that fir:"t cleliHratH'e frmH E
ypt. Tlw 2nd i
ob-
jt'ctiH, the Birth of tht' Redeemer. the eonver
ion of the Gen-
tiles, tilt' re
toration of the .1ew
, tlw e4abli
hment and nature
of His hingdmn. The third i
mainly subjectÏ\-e, man'
rt'l}en-
tanct', waitin
upon God, and God's forg-iycne"',.: of his sins.
Throughout. the nwtropolis i!'õ ehicfly àddres
ed, as the main
st'at of pre..t'nt e,il m and a
the centre of the future ble!'!'-
r 2 Chr. xxvii. 2. K lb. xxviii. 22-g,,;. xxix. 7. h ch. iii.-v. and ,-:ï. vii.

if;Y 2. It iii. I. p \v

t
?h:tti
: +77, 8. m!lee a
. r.-1;
i+-1G
i:\
5: i
:
(utterabiding destruction of Jerusalem) iii.12. iv. 10. v. 3. r ii.12, 13.
i....6, 7. 10. ,ii. II. 12.15. . CaTpz. Introd. p. 365. in Hav_ ii. 364.
I Is. x. 21-34. xi,. 25. xxx. 31. xxxi. 8,
. xnÜi.6, 7,21-35. !\lie. v. 5,6.

l\IIC
\H.

291

in!!s: where the reig-n of the long--promi..ed Ruler ,.:hould be ";
,,'hencc the revelation of (;nd
hould goo forth to the heathen o.
whitht'r the
('ath'rcd and di
per":ed people
houltl he
athcrcdl':
Throu
hout thc pruphec'y abu, )li('ah ul'braid
the salll('
l'Ia

of !'in
. wrong dpaling- of man to man. opl'rt'
!'iclII of tlu'
poor: by the ri
h". Throug-hout, tll(>ir future ('apth ity and dis-
Iwr..wn arc either prediC'tt'd q. or a
sumcd as the ba
i!' of the
prt'dic.tion of g-ood r. Throu
hout,,, c !'ce the contemporary
of thc prophpt I
aiah. n('sidt'
that g-reat prediC'tion. "hi('h
I,.:aiah ill
ertt'd ,-erbally from )lieah. we sce them. a
it wl'rt',
,.:idt' by side. in that eity of (;od's ,i
itation and of lIi
mercy,
proplU'"'ying- the
amt' resl}ite, the same plan. of C'al'th ity and
clelh-eranC'(' from it, tll(> same ulterior mcrc'it'
in Chri4. '.s The
more to e
tabli,.:h thc faith, God willed that I!'aiah and )liC'ah
!'hould ,,;.peak to
etll(>r, as "ith one mouth, and u..e sueh
a
reenwnt a
might tl\(' more cOIn ict all rt'bel,,:' .\!<suia
was then the monardlY of the world;
.t't hoth prophet
i}ro-
mist' delinranee from it t; both foretell tll(> ('apth ity in the
then
ubordinate Babylon u; both, thc dt'lin'ran('e from it x.
Both slwak in the like way of the g-ath('ring tog-ether of God'!'
pt'ople from land,.: Y, to some of whic'h they wt're not
-et di
-
Iwr!<ed, I!<aiah prophe!'ied the Yirg-in- Birth of Immanuel';
.:\licah, the Birth at Bcthldll'm uf Him 117lOse goings fortll
haH been of old, from l'l'erlast;llg -. Both Si}('.ck in the likt'
way of tIlt' reverence for the Gt'ntile" thereafter for ht'r \ by
reason of the presence of hcr God. r:, en, in outward 1I1an-
nt'r, l\IiC'ah, rt'prest'ntin
himsclt
a
one who fl'l'lll mourlling
and !l'ailillg, stripped ami Ila/il'd c, is a sort offorerllnncr of the
snnholi(' aC't
IIf Isaiah d. )fi('ah had thi
also common" ith
I
aiah, that hc ha
a predominance of comfort. lie i!' brief
in upbraidin
e, indi
nant in eastin
ba('k thc pleas of the falsc
prophets f. concise in hi
threatenin
s of woc g, sa,-t' where he
lingt'rs mournfully OHr the desolation h, large and flo" ing- in
his des('riptions of mercy to c'ome. He sec!< and pronounee!'
the coming punishment, a
ab:wlutely certain; he doe
not call
to repentanct' to avt'rt it; Iw kno" s that ultimately it will
not be anrtt'd ; h(' St'('
it irrespe('tiHly of time, and !'ay
that
it willl){'. 'finw is an ac('ident to tlw link of causc and cifec.t.

in consummatcd would be the cau
c: puni
hment, the effeet.
He
poke to tho!'e who knt'w that God pardoned on repentance,
who had latch- had before them that marn'lIou!' instanee in

ïue,-('h. Hë da!<he!< to the !!round their falsc seeurih, bv
reason of thf'ir de,.:eent from Jacob I., of God',.: Pre!'euc"e alilOlI

them in the Teml}le I; the multitude of their otrerin
s amid
the multitude of their sin
m. He rt'jt'cts in God'
name, their
faist', outward, impenitent, lwnitem'e; and thereby the mor('
imp]ics that HI' woul.l a('c'ept a truc repcntance. They kncw
thi
, and wert', for a time. sc'art'd into penitence. Bnt in his
book, a!' God willed it to remain. he is rather thc prophct of
God's dealings. tbau the dirt'C't preaeher of Tl'p('utance to in-
dh iduals. Yet Iw is tbc morc an c'-an
eli(' preaeher. in that he
spcaks of rClwutan('e, only a
the g-ift of God. He dOl's not
i
nore that man n1U
t a('eept the grace of God: but, as haiah
foretells of the da
-s of the Go
peJ, the ;do/s fIe s/ml/ lltterlp
abolish ",
o )]ieah first foretells that God would aboli,.:h all
" herein man relit'd out of God, all wht'reinlw pridt'd himself o ,
(','ery form of idolatry P, and sub
equently dt'!'('ribe
the future
evang-eliI' rt'pcntance, ,.:ubmj,;;,.:ion to, and waiting upon God
and Hi
rig-hteou
ne
s q; and God's frt'e plenar
' for
.iHnes," r.
::\1 ieah's ral}id unprepared transitions from each of his main
a b. xxxix. 6. !\lie. iv. 10. x Is. xlviii. 20. Mie. ib. , Is. D. II sqq.
N
eH:
: t
. . v
i'i
t seen:t;' 2 Eng.
1'1

b

2,3. II Is.
1

5

i. 1

e9_W:
:

:
.I
Ü:i
_
-X' K ii. 3, \
:
:i.+,l:\1ij

1
6.
ii.4,!3
. 6, 7. h i. 10
1
;.i
/i
:
o v.9, 10. . ,.11-13. , vü.8, 9. · lb. 18. 19.

2D2

t
TRODrCTIO
TO

th('IIH'S to another. from uphraidin
to threatenin!!,'. from threat-
enin
to mel"('Y and then hack ag-ain to uphl"aidill!!,', i
prnha-
hly a part of th:lt SllIIe yi, id I'erl'cptioll of the ('olllwetion of
!'in. eha
ti!'rlllent!'. for
Ï\-cnc
!', in the will and mind of (;od.
HI' !<ee
tlH(1)) al\(l speak... of thclII in the natural S('qlU'nce in
whil'h they were exhibited to him. Ill' eonnect
1\IO
t eOlu-
lIIonly the' sin with th(' puni
hlllent by the oue word. Ih('/'('-
fm'e", 1)t'l'au!<e it wa... an ohj('et with him to
hl'w that eonuee-
tiou. Till' mer,'i('s to emlle he
uhjoin
('ither s1H\Ilcnly with-
out any eonjunetiou" or with the
impl(' ami. An Eu;::li
h
r('ader lo
es
ollle of the for('(' of thi

illlplil'ity hy the para-
l'hra
e. whieh. for the ..imple eOl'ula, !'uh
titutcs thc inferenee
(lr c(lntrast. 1!I{'I"e/ore. l!Iell. hul. JII)Ill'il/islanding u. which lie
in thc !'uhjeets thl'lll!'eln
. .\11 I:np:li!'h rpad('r lIIic:ht ha,-e
bet'u puzzled, at t1r
t
ip:ht, hy the IIwnotlll)(m
sill!l'lieity of
the a/l(l, ami, joinin
to
ether the meution of eYent
, whi('h
staIHI, either as the ('ClI\tl'a!<t III' the eon"'('(ll1('n('(' of those whic'h
I'l"el'ede thl'm, Tht' En
li!'h ,-er!'ion aeeordindy ha
I'ou,..ult-
ed for tht' readel' (If' ht'arer. hv drmriuO" Ollt for him the C(II\-
trast 01" eou,..e'luell('(' whieh 'Iay b('u
th the !'urfal'e. Hut
thi..: p:ain (If dearnes
ill\-o!\-('d
.h-ing- up :-00 far the maj('!'ti('
simplkity of thl' PruplH't, \\ 1\0 at times !<peaks of thinp:
as
they lay in the J)Ï\-int' )linù, and as, one by one, they would
Ill' ullfoldl'd to mall, without cxplainiug' the relatiou in whieh
the," ,..tood to one auother. :\lieah kuen' that sufl'l'riu,!,fs 'H're,
in God's purpo
e, tra,-ail-paius. .\nd so, imnwtliat
ly after
tht' dcnuneiation of l'uni!"hlllt'ut, he adds
o eallllly, "X
-Jud
iu thc la
t day
it shall 1)(';" "Aud thou, ßcthldlem [:ph-
rata:' Or in the midst of his dc
eril'tion
of mereie.., he
speak
of tlH' intern-uinp; troublcs, as the way to thcm. Y lYoll'
wh!1 dosl Iholl cr!J aloud :'-pallgs /wl"e 1([læu l/iee. as a ll'O-
II/flll in INl/'ail-be iu pain-Ilwu ,çlwlf go ez'en uulo B([b.l/-
fou; l/ie/"e s/iall Ih()ll be defh'l'I"nl : or, zTherefol"l' will Ill' girl'
Ihee up IInlil Ille lillle. f'jL i. c. he('au!"e He ha
the
t' g-ood
thinp;
iu 40re for thee, He will give Ihee lip, Ilufil flIP lime
('Oml'
.
,nth this g-reat simpli('ity :\fieah unites g-reat vh-idness and
euerp;y. TIIU
in predidinp; puni
hmeut. he u
e
the form of
c'omuHllld, biddin
them, a
it were, execute it on thelll
eh-e
R;
.A/"ise, depa/"I : a
, iu the Grt'at Day, our Lord !'hall say, De-
pa/"I, .'1(' i'1lI'sed. .\ud sin('e God d(;('
in u
or by u
wl;at Ill'
eommauds to he doue. II(' u
es the imperatiye to Zion, alikc
as to hel yictories oyer God':,; euemie'" b, or her state of an-
xiou!' fear c.
To that
allle ,idduess helml!!,' hi
rapid ('hang-es of l)('r
on
fir p;end('I'; his
lUld('n flne
tion
d: hi
unlllarlü'd dialo
ues.
The c'han
es of per
on and gender oceur in all HdJrew poetry;

.
ot;. G. \i. 13. but i. U. ii. 3, 5. iii. G, I:! t ii. 1
. iv. 13. u Tllerefore,
i. 6. \i. 13. \ii. ï. t1lell, iii. i. vii. 10. bltt,iii. 8. iv. 1,4, I:!. v.
. \i.16.(or, iv.5. 1I0t".;t1l-
standi>>f!, vii. 13. I iv. 1. v. 2. (1. Heb.) add vii. ï. Y Í\. 9. '. v. 3. [2. Heb.]
: t. ii
Oii:l

iÙi

'_ ]r;. i;:
?: 3,6, 10, 11. \i
.
8. ]3. . i. 11. twic:. v . 1. (i:-/
: t
f(

:

o

e returns tOit

l

;,åe:iï: 13. (ï wo:d:;' 3.

iii'. i
:

:?
k l
:
(.J worlls) I v. 13. Heb. (5 wor<1s) v. 10. (G word.h. 11. (ï words) tD Out of the
]5ï ,erses in Hosea's 11 last chapters, 111 contain fewer than 1
words each. 4(, only
11 words or upwards; Oul 011-6, 01 which the book of r>ahum consists (exclu<1ing the title)
14 ouk have more than 13 worJs; out of;;;; of Hal>dl.kuk. lì onlv ha\,' more thdul3.
11 I.i 'licah,1-8 out of 104 ; in Joel, 30 out of í2; iu Obadi"h, 10 -out of21.
o There is less dilt"rence between a verse of U words. distributed t.'J,+3 and one of 11,
distrihuted 3
,42. than in a verse whose 10 words were di.tribnted 3:!,32 or 82:3,2.
P The following snmmaQ- of these lesser di, isions, wh;ch are most!} marked by the H e-

i

c

u
t
}
l.I),e:
a
l
fr
re 0s;'
i
i
::
:
=t
f

ee

:tl11;l\s,

II

J
e

h
:"

=
matically belong together, one might think th"t the cadence separated them into 3 and :1;
another might take them all together. But thIS is a malter of detail oul} ; the principle i<
unmistakeable. Again, w
)t(ls which ha, e b

n artificially j.oi!,ed t.agether ,in Hehrew by
the !\Ial.keph, I h,l\e considered as
words, II each had a <hstlllct Idea. 11ms .:<, "hen
the mere sign of the .object, I have not counted; w hen it is the prepositIOn, "with:' I have
counte<1 ;t. In the following list, the verses are ranged according to the number of the words
contained in each \"erse, beginning with the highest. The numbers on thc right h"l1<1 in-

all han' their elllphasi
. He addre
!'t's tllt' people or place as a
wholc. [(em.) then all tht' indi,-idual!< in her c: or turns away
and !'ppak
of it 1 : or. e(lIltrariwi!"e. lmving-
polien of the \\"hoh'
in the third pcr
on. h(' turn!" round and drives the warning-
home to individuals!:. The ,-ariations in the la
t n'r
e of
c'h. "i. an' unexampled for rapidity en'n in Hchrew.
.\1lI1 n't thc flow of hi
word!" i!" smooth and mea
llrecl.
"ïthout d('partin
from the ('OIwi!"cncss of Hebrew poetry.
hi
('adPlwe. for t he mo
t part, is of the more prolon
ed sort,
a!" far as any pan be ealled prolonp:cd, whcn all is so ('lIIu'ise.
I n
ome H '-erSl'!<, out of 10-1. hc is markedh' bricf, where ('(111-
ei!"CII('!"
('orresponds with hi
subject, a
il; an abrupt appeal
a!" to their !"in
h, or an cn('rg(,ti(' announC'cment of jud
ment i
or of lIH'r('y I., or in that rcmarkahlc prophet'}' of both I, how
God wlluld, in mt'rpv, eut off all grllunds of human tru!"t. EI
e,
whereas in
ahullÍ and Habakkuli, not (luitt, !, and in the
elt"Tn last ehapter
of IIo
ea mueh lc
s than !, of the verse

eontain more than l:
words 01, in )lieah abm-e } (a
, in Joel,
nearly
-) ex('('cd that numher ". Tht' ver
es arc also distri-
butt'd in that e'-er-'-aryin
ead('ll('e, whereby. in Hebrew poe-
try, portions of their short sentenee!' being- ,!,frllllped top;ether,
the harmony of thl' whole i
produeed by thc varied di
posi

tillns of the
e le

er p:roups of 2, :
, 4, and but rarcly j word
;
!'eareely any two vel"
('
exa(.tly corresponding-, but all hcin

united hy tit(' blending- of similar ('atlencl's o. In )Iieah, a
in
all Hebrew pOt'try, the eombination of :
words is the most
frPfluent. and thi
, sometimes by it
clf. 'Sllluetinlt'
in union
with th(' numher -1. makin
the sac Ted numh('r ï; or, with 2.
making- a nUlllher whkh we find in the tabernacle, hut whid.
dwell
more in the heal"t
of the di
eil}le!" of the ('l"\U'ificd.
The same exaet rh,"thm seldmn r('('ur
, and that. naturalh-,
phiefly in the
hort
l" '-er
cs, the lonp:er admitting- or requir-
ing- more ('omhinatioll!'. "'herc,-er also there is more thall
one pause in the vcr
e. a furtlwr and vt'ry consitlcrnble varie-
ty (If rhythm may be produC'cd, e'-t'n whclI the !"cveral dauses
of two verses ('ontain the !'ame number of words in tilt' same
order. The llitferenee of cadenC'e is far more inflllell('ed In'
the pla('t', wherc the \'('r
e is ùi, idetl, than by the exaet mm;-
Iwr of word
contained in it. The rhetorical forec of the di
-
tribution of the words into the st"-eral clauses, depends mainly
npon the pJaee of the .\thnach or semicolon o. The ....allle ex-
aet rh
thm, ,in whi('h both the salllP numher of worù
oeeur
in the ver
(', and the '"erse is dh'ided in the same plaee) reeur!<
only
even times in )1 il'ah, in vcrsc
('apable of a variation.
The other four ease!' of repetition oeeur in short vt'r,..('s whieh
ha,-t' ont' dh-ision onlyI' a('eording to the l'laee whcrc the main
division uf the verse falls.

dicate the lesser divisions into which each verse may be distributed. The comma in each
set of numbers marks the place of Ihe Athnach 'Jr semicolon. The Roman numerals in-
dicate how often anv cadence is repeate<1.
\\ ords
'umber of W"ords in each le..er di\ ision.
24 :J33f:!2,-tJ 43:!,3:!tì4
22 1-';,534 u.'J:\:
,4f
21 :!:H,4:!3:!32 4f:\:\,.34.
20 :!:3:\3:\,33 33
,:n34 3383,14 -tJ33,32:!
19 3H.4-t 34,:!:153 3:!,H:!.J,
18 -1;3,3:!:33 31:!,-I-2:\ 323:!,

Ii HM:! 3
3:\,2:! 3,f3t:3 :!:!:!3,332
Ifi :!:!:!,t:33 34.'3:3,8 33.4:!2:! 44,H
15 3:!,;\:!.5 3$\;\,:3 1-;\:!,:3:3 4-'J,:!:33 43,323{ii) 181,133 4.3':\32 3223,32
14 3:\.ii3(iiì 34,34 :!:n:!:!,:!2 4-3,f3 432,32 333,:!3 33,823 4'3,52 33:!,33 13,331
43 3
".} 3313 .}"N.) 3:\ .}.,.).) 51

:
{
:! 3

i
f3
il

3

f.
2
j:i? ;;

1-

: If.
1:!
32.:33 4-:!,3:!(ii) 33,:3:! 2:3,:\:\{ii) 2f,3:! :33,:!3(ii) 4:322
2,t.3 32,12
,),) 334 3') '3'} (ii) 3')'\') 3'}o)'!(ii) .),) 33 .).).).).} 4-33
f

,:!
4:i" 3:':33 -I-:!,3 -
2
3:! -3:3,3
-, ----,
"
4-,:;(
) 3:icii) 3,22
3,:3 (ii) 22,
.
3,2(ii}

13
I:!
11
10
9
8
7
6
.5

IIi
description of thc destruction of thc citics or village..
of Judah corresponds in vividncss to I
aiah's ideal mareh of
Sennacherib q. The flame of war spreads from place to place;
but )licah relieves the
ameness of the de
('ription of misery
hy e,'el'Y ,-ariety which lang'uag-e allows. lIe
peaks of them
in his own per
on r, or to them; he deseribes the calamity in
past' or in future t, or hy use of the imperative u. The ver-
bal allusions are crowded to
ether in a way unexampled cl
e-
whcre. )Iodcrns ha,-e !'pokell ofthem, as not after their taste,
or ha"e apolo.!{ised for them. The mi
hty Prophet, who
wrou
ht a repentance greater than his great contemporary
Isaiah, knew well what would imprcss the people to whom he
spoke. The Hebrew names had definite meauin/!s. ". e can
well ima
ine how, a
name after name pas
ed from the Pro-
phet's mouth, ('onneeted with somc note of woe, all around
awaited anxiously, to know upon what pla('e the fire of the Pro-
phet.'s word would next fan: and as at last it had fallen upon lit-
tic and mighty round about Jerusalem, the names of the places
would ring in their ears as heralds of the coming woe; tlwy
would be like so many monumcnts, inscribed beforehand with
the titles of departed greatness, remindin/! Jermmlem itself of
its portion of the prophecy, that "evil should come from the
Lord unto tlte gate of Jerusalem.
'" omlcrful must have been his lightning-flash of indigna-
tion, as, when the false prophet or the people had forbidden
God's word to be spoken, he burst upon them, y Thuu, called
house uf Ja('Qb, sllOrteued is God's Spirit? Or these His doings?
And then follow the plaintive descriptions of the wrongs done to
the poor, the peaceful " the mothers of his people and their lit-
tle ones. .\nd then again the instantaneous dismissal, a Arise
mid depart. nut, therewith, wonderflÙ also is his tenderness.

To facilitate comparison, I subjoin a like analysis of the other prophets mentioned.
Hosea, eleven last chapters.
22 422253,4 3244,54
21 4433,34 5,24222-1.
20 32,33324 3333,-14
19 1343,32
23,:H
18 4,4334 332,2332 22.'12,423 41,3223
17 13,3322 33.32,33 23,4.'123 3223,223 333,323 3223,43 3.1.12.4
16 2323,24 32,3422 233,323 21214,24 3223,33 3232,33, 33,253 42,433
15 3-14,4 2323,23 3332,4 (ii) 223,242 333,33
14 4-3,43 oW,33 5,432 44,42 43,232 324,32 4-22,42 33,2222 33,44 3224,3 33,53
4,
2 32,333 14,333
13 33,43(iii) 31-,4-2 4M3(ii) 4-,333 4,54 34,33 323,32 223,33 22,234 33,34
12 4,-\.4 432,21 33,33(ii) 222,222 32,3.J, 42,42 222,33 223,32 43,122 43,23 43,32
32,4.'3
11 24,32 32.
,3 32,33 233,12 33,23 42,23 132,14 32,42 32,33 33,32 4,43 23,222
10 43,3(ii) 33,4(ii) 3,34 32,32(ii) 44,2 2-1,4 222,22 4,33 33,22 322,3
9 5,13 25,2 3,33(ii) 33,3(iii) 232,2 2,322 32,22(ii) 32,4 22,23 22,32(ii) 4,32 13,32
2,3-1 5,4 24,3
32,3(ii) 23,3(iv) 2222 224(ii)
13,3(iii) 4,3(iii) 3,4 (ii) 2,23 22,3 2,32 23,2 31,3 33,1 U,2
4,2(il) 3,3(iii) 13,2(ii)
3,2(Vli) 21U U3
Joel.

8
'i
6
5

25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
1-1
13
12
II
10
9
8
'i
6

334-,3534
322,1-H332
354.J,,223
42:1,4423

J

m

224..H3
22,+133 33,4.'15
3.'332,42 24.';,33 353,33 1422,35
33 ',42 2242,6 4!M
2223:3,3 2432,22 22222,32 3-1.1,4 23,2323 333,33
,3õ
53,33 33i,4 36,23 U.32,4 3332,3
34,33 3,55 33,34
44,-1 34,_2-'3 2222,4 5,
2-1,33 4.'3;32, 32,223.

:

2

1
22
'3,

)?2i3

i) 32,33 3,224 32,-12 222,5 4,.'331 44,3 223,22 2222,3
32,22 (iii) 2,43 5,22
3.23 22,22 4,22
13.'3 3,4(ii) 3,22 22,3
3,3 (iv)

21 4.'333,323
19 4.'323,43
18 33.32,133 34,3-14 4252,32

Obadiah

l\lIc..\II.

293

nurninf; as arc his dcnun('iation!' ag-ainst the oppressions of the
rich b, (and words le

vehcment will not pit'I'('e hearts uf stunc)
thcrc is an under-current uf tcnderne

. His rebllke
e, inee
nut indignatiun only against sin, but a tender sympathy w!th
the suft'er('r
. c He is afflicted in the afflictions whieh he has
to denounce. He yearns for hi
})eol)le d; nay, until our Lord's
Coming, there is scarcely an expressiun of such yearniub' long-
in!{: he hungers ami thirsts for their g'ood e.
God's individual ('arc of lIi
peuplc, and of eaeh soul in it,
had, sinee Davitl's time r and even sinee Jaeob g , been likened to
the carc uf the shepherd fur each single shecp. The Psalms of
Asaph h must have famiJiari
t'd the peoplc to the image, as re-
lating' to them
dves as a whule, and David's deep P
alm had
united it with God's tender eare of His own in, and over, death.
Yet the predominance of this imagc in Micah is a part of the
tendcrness of the Prophet. He adopts it, as exprðsing', morc
than any othcr natural image, the hclplessne
s ofthe creature,
the tender individual care of the Creator. He forestaUs our
Lord's words, I am the good Shepherd, in his description of the
Messiah, gathering the remnaJlt of Israel together, as the sheep
uf Bozrah i ; His people are as a floek,lame aud despisecl k , whom
God would assemble; His royal scat, the tou'a uf tlle flock I ;
the Ruler of I
rad should stand, unresting, and feed them m ;
those whom He shoulcl employ agaill
t the enemies of His peo-
ple, are shepllerds u , under Him, the true Shepherd. He sums
up hi
praycr for his people to God, as their Shepherd 0; J.èed
Th.1I peuple with Tlt.1I rod, the flock of Thine heritage.
Directly, he was a Prophet for Judah only. At the begin-
ning of his bouk, he condemns the idolatries of both capitals,
as the central sin of the two kingdoms. The destruction of
Samaria he pronounces at once, a; future, absolutely certain,
17 4242,32
16 5434 32422,3
15 334,23
14 43,4.'3
13 332,23 42,34 4232,2
12 35,22
U 32,33 42,32
10 4.3,3
9 3,33
7 4,3 32,2
5 32

Nahum.

î

g;
2 3233,44
18 32,337
16 3i,2322 23,12131

1 ii
i
iif
22
1
i
2i:g:J 4J:::2

g

:g
3 3

e-
2

fï) 414,3 42,222 222,222

't33i:;

f
'

t

23,24322,22
9 32:22 (ii)' 23.22 ,--

8 23,3(il) 24,2 22,22
7 22,21
6 13,2 31,2
5 3,2
24 4i,4-!H
20 4334,33
19 333,1423
18 43,254 3332,4.3
17 45,35 422,22-'32 õ4,44 333,53
15 34,-\.4 332,3
2 33,234
,233 4.'3,4-1. 13143,3 33.33,3 333,42
14. 4.'3,322 332,33 33,-t.i
g

(it)'
3,:(

:
2 3
ii4
}i,33 322,4 4-2,14
9 33,3 (ii) 4,5 24,3 42,3 23,4
8 3U,3 22,4 3,32
7 3,4{ii) 4,3(ii)
6 3,3 [iv]
'I Is. x.28-32. 'i.B, 10. see note. . 9.10, II, 12. t 8. a 11,13,16.

i.12. "T ii.7. . 8,9. . 10. b ii. I, 2. Ï1i.l-3, 9-11. Yi.l0-12. vii. 2, 3.
c i. 8, 9. ii. 1, 2. vii. 5, 6. d i. 8-10, 16. iv. 9, 10. e vii. 1. I Ps. xxiii.
K Gen. xlix. 24. b Ps.lxxiv. l.1xxviii. 52.lxxix. 13.lxxx. 1. Iii. 12.
t iv.6. 1 lb. 8. ID ,.."&_ [Eng.3. Heb.] D lb. 5. [4 Heb.] 0 ,.ü. U.
ZZ

Habakkuk.

29-1

abiding- 1'. Thcre h(' leaves hcr, dedare
her U'OlllU{ illcllrah{e,
and I'a
ses forthwith to Judah, to whom, II(' says, that wound
should Im!<s, whom that same cnemy should reach q. There-
after, he mention!< incidentally the infcetion of Israel's sin

l'n'ading- to Judah r. Els(', after that first sentence on Sama-
I;a, the namcs of J aeoh (whi,'h he had g-h"en to the ten trihes")
and l!<rut>1 arc appropriated to the king-dmn of Judah I: Judah
is mentioned no more, only hcr eapital U; even her king-s are
('alled tile kings of L
J"(lel x. The tl'n tribes are only induded
in the gencral re!'toration of the whole). The future remnant
of the t
w tribes, to be restorc(l after the captivity of ßuhylon,
are called by tlu'mselvcs the l'el1l1UlIIt of Jacoh': the
Iessiah
to bt> horn at Bethlchem is foretold as tile nt/er ill Israel n: the
ten tribes arc ('alled the remnallt of .flis hrethrl'1l, who were
to retllm to the cllildrl'1l of Israel b, i. e. Judah.
This the more illu
trates the g-enuinenes
of the insl'ription.
_-\ later hand would ha,-e been unlikeh- to ha"e mentioned either

amaria or those earlier king-s of iudah. Ea,'h part of the
title ('orresponds to sOlllethin
in the prophccy; the name
_lli('(llt is alluded to at its clo!'e; his birthplaee, the )..l]oras-
tMte. at its beginning-: the indieations of those earJier reigns
lie thert>, alth,;ug-h n
t on its surface c. The lUention oc'the
two capitals, followed by the immcdiate sentenec on Sam aria,
and then hy the fuller expansion of the sins and punishment
of Jerusalem, cuhninatinA' in its sentenced, in .:\Iieah, eorres-
lJOnds to the brief mention of the punishment of Judah in
ÅnHls the Prophet of Israel, and then the fuUer expansion of
the sins and punishments of I"rael. Further, the capitals. a"
the fountains of idolatry, arc the primary object of God's dis-
pleasure. They arc both specially denounc('d in the eourse of
the prophecy; their spe,'ial o,-erthrow is it,retold e. Thc title
corresponds with the content" of the prophecy, yet the objec-
tions of modern critics shew that the correspondance docs lie
on the surface.
The taunt of the false priest .\maziah f to Amos may in it-
self !'ugg-est that prol)hets at Jerusal('m did prophesy again!'t
Samaria. Alìlaziah, any how, thoug-ht it natural that they
should. Both Isaiah and Micah, while exercising- their office
at Jerusalem, had regard al
o to
amaria. Dh"idcd as lsrael
and Judah were, Israel was not vet cut off. Israel and Ju-
dah were still, tog-ethcr, the one pëol'le of God. The prophets
in each had a care for the other.
l\Iicahjoins IJimselfon to the men of God before him, as I
ai-
ah at the time, and Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Ezekiel,
:mbse(lut'ntly, employed words or thoughts of Micah g, )Iicah
alludes to thc history, the laws, the promises, the threatenings
of the Pentateuch; and that in such wise, that it is plain that
he had, not traditinnal lam; or traditional history, but the
PentatetH'h itself before him h. Xor were tho
e bool.s before
himself only. His book implies not an a('quaintanee only, but
a familiar aC{luaintance with it on the part ofthe people. The
title, tlte {{[lid of l\ïmrocfi, tI,e house of hOlldage k, for Egypt,
p i. 6. 7. 'I i.9. r i. 13. . i.5. I Jacob, ii. 7. iii. I, 8, 9.
Isrnel, i. 14.15. iii. 1,8,9, v. 1, 3.vi. 2. a see ab. p. 289. z i. 14. 'f Jacob, all
oj
/'Íí;.
i. (
: ttr
b
tallt of

':,'

'p. 290." v.;, 8.

ir.'I
.eb.] a e i:
:
\
.eÈ;

t
;

P

20-
.s:
d
ef
;I:
the ;1=

asPari M
c

'6
tlíl
b.) :ro
Ga:;

\b

k vi. 4. compo Deut. vii. 8. xiii.5. Ex. xüi. 3, 14. xx. 2. Else only in Josb. xxiv. Ii.

)UcAH,

tIle aUusions to the mirarulous rlclh'erance from Eg'ypt 1, thc
hi,..torv of ßalaam ; thp whole !'ummarv of the mereies of God
fmIll the Exodus to Gilg-al m, the fitithfidness plcdg-ed to .\bra-
ham and Jacob u, would ùe unintpllig-ible without the know_
lcdg-e of tht' Pentat('Udl. Even
ingle e:\ pre"'sion
arc taken
from the P('ntateueh o. E
peeially, the whole sixth chapter is
grounded upon it. Thence is the appeal to inanimate nature
to hear the controversy; thelU'e the mereies aUt'g-ed on God's
pal.t; the offering-s on man's part to atone to (';od (eJ>.cept the
one drt'adful superstition of .\haL) are from the law: the an-
swer on (;od's l)art is almo
t verbally from the law; the sins
upbraided are sins forbidden in the law; the penalties pro-
nounced arc also those of the law. There are two allusions
also to the history of Joshua P, to Da,"itl's elegy over Saul
<nul Jonathan q, and, as before said, to the history of l\Iicaiah
son of Imlah in the hook of Kings.
ing-le expressions are
also taken from tJle Psalm!' r and the Proverhs a. In the de-
scription of the peace of the king-dom of Christ t, he appears
purpo
ely to have reversed God's description of the animosity
of the nations against God's people u. He has also two dta-
raf'teri"tic e:xpre
sions of Amos. Perhaps, in the image of
the darkness whi('h should come on the false prophets x, he
applied anew thp imag-e of Amos, adding the idea.. of sl)irit-
ual darkness and perplexit)- to that of calamity.
The lig-ht ami !'hadows of the prophetic life fell deeply on the
soul of l\Iicah. The captivity of Judah too had heen foretold
before him. :Moses had foretold the end from the heginning,
had set before them the eaptivity and th(' dispersion, as a
puni!<hment which tht> sins of the people would certainly bring
upon them. Hosea presupposed it Y; Amos foretold that Jeru-
salem, like the cities of its heathen enemies, should be burned
with fire '. )Iicah had to declare its lasting desolation a.
E\"Cn when God wrought repentance throug-h him. he knew
that it was but for a time; for he foresaw and foretold that the
dt>lh'cranee would he, not in .Jerusalem, but at llab)"lon b, in
captivity. His prophecy sank so deep, that, aboY(' a century
afterwards, just when it was about to have its fulfilment, it
was the propheey whidl was remembered. But the sufferings
of time di!<appeared in the light of eternal truth. AbO\'e seven
centuries rolled hy, and :\Iil'ah re-appears as the herald, not
now uf sorrow hut uf salvation. 'Ybe men from afar, in the
nobility of their simple b('lipf, asked, fYhere is he IIwt is born
I{ing of the Jews? A king, jealous for his temporal empire,
/!athered all tho
e learned in Holy S('ripture, and echoed the
fluei"tion. The answer was givcn, unhe
itatingl)-, as a well-
known truth of God, in the word
of :\Iicah. For thlts it is
u'J'i/ten ill the Propllet. Glorious lleerag-e of the two con-
temporary prophets of J udall. Ere Jesus was born, the .\ng-eI
allllouneed the birth of the Virgin's Son, God with US, in the
words of Isaiah. "'hen He was l,orn, He was pointed out as
the Obje,.t of worship to tbe first {'onverts from the heathen,
on the authoritr of God, through
lieah.
and Judg. \i. 8. also from the Pent. Casp. I see oIJ ii.I3. \ i.. 4. vii.1.5.. .m æe

'-
;
'vii. 14. j'.:

ii
ii1.0èasp. p s:.,

i

.i
i.1
: ;,
:;

.\t: -:;:

a

:
428-30. see on ii. 1. iii. 2, 3. vii. 2, í. 8, 10. . Casp.
0-2. see on VI. 9, II.
e i\. 3. Joel iii. 10. u 101";0:7,'-:-:; -
ii.3. Am. v.13. and "-:;;0: ii. 6.11.Am.
vii. 16. Casp. 4
. z

ic. iii. 6. Am. ,iii. 9. 1 See ab. o
Hos.
vi. II. p. 42, 3. · 11.6. a ili.12. b IV. 10.

CHAPTER L

Before
C Ii RIST
cir. 7:;
-ï2ô.

I JIicnh sltcu'eth tllC ll'rath of God against Jacob
for idolatry. 10 I-/e e.rlwr/dlt tu mfJllI'I';lIg.
T IlE word uf the LUlw that came to
a 1.\Iicah the
[orasthite in t1)(> days of
Jotham, Ahaz, (lml Hezekiah, kings of Ju-

· Jer. 26. 18.

CIL\PTER 1.

2D.')

dah, b which he saw conccrning- S<unaria C :
T
T
and J el'llsalem. cir. i;j -i"!
2 t Ileal', all ye people; c}lCarken, 0; :.'
'b
Jï,,

,
earth, and t all that tht'rpin is ; and let the

/':Jfl
'm.
l..urd GOD d be witness a
ainst you, the < E
i
ti

I.
Lurd frOll) e his holy temple. t Heb. the
4 Ps. 50. 7. Mal. 3.5. · .Ps. n. 4. JOnah 2. 7. Hab. 2. 20. fJ:::::;.

Cu \P. 1. Y 1-; It. l. Tile wurd or the Lord tllat came to _lIicah-
tt'/del; he sal{'. X'u two of thc prophets authcnti('atc their
prophccy in exat'tly thc samc way. They. one and all, havc thc
!'òame simple statenH'nt to make, that this ,dli('h they say
is from God, and through them. A latcr hand, had it added
thc titles, woultl ha,'e itwmed all upon one model. The ti-
tle was an e...!O:ential pm.t ot"the propheti(' hook, a!O: indi('atin
to
the people afterwards, that it was not written after the event.
It. was a witne
s, not to the prophet whose name it bears, but
to God. The prophet bare witne!<s tu Gild, that what he de-
Ih'ered ('ame from Him. The c\"Cnt bare witn('
s to the pro-
phet, that he said this truly, in that he Imew what God alone
('ould kno\V,-flltnrit\'. )Iil'ah blends in one the facts, that
he rl'lated in" ord!' g-ï"H'n him hy God, what he had !'een
pread
before him in prophetic ,"ision. Hi
prophecy na..:, in one, tI,e
u'orcl of tlte Lord u'/âch came to /âm, and a sight ll'/âclt he saw.

licah omit:' all mention of his father. IIis great predec'es-

or was known as l\lieaiah SUit of fllliah.
Ii('ah, a villager,
would bc lil10wn onh' IH' the name of hi
nath-e village.
o
'Kahum names bim!'(:lf ille Elkoshite; Jonah is relate(I'to he a
nath-e u.f Gfltlt-heplter; Elijah, the Tishbitc, a sojourner in the
dl'
pised Gilead! ; Elisha. of .\bclmeholah; Jeremiah, of Ana-
thoth: forerunners of Ilim, and taught by His Spil'it "'ho
willed to he born at Bethlehem, and since this, although tuo
little to he eounte(l among the tllOllsalUis of Judah, was yet a
royal ('ity and was to he thc birth-place of the Christ, was
known only as Je.ms of
Ya-;;m'eth, tlte
Y([:([relle. "Ko prophet
speaks of himself, or is spoken of, as horn at Jeru
alem, the
1101.11 ci(lI. They speak of themseh"es with titles of lowlines
,
not of greatne:òs.
l\lic'(
h dates his prophetic office from king-s of Judah only,
as the only king-s of the line appointed by God. Kin
s of Is-
rael arc mentioned in addition, only hy prophets of Israel.
Hc names Samaria first, because, its iniquity being most nearly
full, its puni
hment was the nearest.
2. llear, all .1Ie people, lit. ItMr, ye peoples, all of them.
Some 140, or 150 years had flowed by,
inee )licaiah, son of
Imlah. had clo
ed his prophecy in the!-c words. And now they
burst out am'w. Prom age to a
e thc word of God holds its
course, e\"Cr reeeiving new fultilnients, llen'r dyin
out, until
the end !'hall come. The signal fulfilment of the propheey, to
which the former l\Iieaiah had call1'cl attention in these words,

'as an earne".t of the fulfilment of this pre!<ent mc!'sage of God.
I/{'{(rken, 0 em.tlt, and all that therein is. The peoples or
tlatiuns are ne,'er .Tudah and Israel only: tlte cart/' flnd the fitl-
1UWS thereot' is the well-known title of the whole earth 2 and till
its inhabitants.
Jo".es3, .haph4, Isaiah", call heaven and
earth a". witne!'ses against God's people. Jeremiah 6, as l\Ji-
cah here, SlUllluons the nations and the earth. The conte".t
between good and evil, sin and holine..s, the kingdom of God
..1 1 KjIS. xvii. I. 2 In the two. passages quoted for the contrary, Jer. viii. IG. Ezek.
Xli.
9. the context shews that ',--10: IS and can only be. land, not, earth, Jer. The snorting
of h.BI.orBeB is heardfrom. Dan. and they came a'll! devoured the land and the fll/ness there-
of; where tl.e land to whIch they came could plam!;y be Judea only. In E.tekiel it is not
e, en tile Imld, but I.er la1id. Say unto tile people oj the land; ThuB saitll tile Lord God of

and the kingdom of Satan, e,'erywhere, hut most ('hieflv where
I God'!< Presence is neare!"t, is ct spn.tacli' to ti,e ll'ol"ld, ÙJ ltllf:l'ls
and to men 7. The natiCIIl!'ò arc witnesH's of God a
ainst Hi...
own people, so that the!'e should not sav, that it w
!' for want
of faithfulne!òs or justi
'e or }lower 8, but'in His ri
hteous jud
-
ment, that He ca!'t off whom He had f'ho!òell. :-'0
hall thc
Day of Judgment reveal His right('(J/t.mess 9. I/earken, ()
eartll. The lifeless earth 10 tremhh'S at tlte Presence of God
and so reproaehes the dlllnes!o; of man. ß,' it he SUJUIlWIl

man to listen with great ren'rcllee to the Y óke of God.
And let the Lord God be 1l'itness against 1I0lt. Xot in
words, hut ill deeds \"e !'hall know, that I speak ÌlOt ofmn.elf
hut God in me, when', what I dec'larc, Hc shall IJ\" His Pn';
Il(,

fulfil. But the nations are appealed to, not l;lereh" Lecau
e
the judg-ments of God on I
rael shoultl be macle knowil to them
by the Prophets. He had not yet spoken of h;rael or Judah,
wherea!" he Iwd spokeu to the nations; !tear, .1Ie peoples. It
s('em
then mo!'t likely that here too he i." speakín
to tllem.
E'Try jU(I
lIlent is an earne!"t. a forerunner, a part, of the fi-
naljudg-ment and an en!Õiample of its prindples. It is but "the
hl!<t
reat link in thc chain," whi,'h unite!oi God's dcalin
s in
time with etcrnitr. (
od's judg-ments on one imply a jud
-
lIlent on all. lIis jud
ment
in time imply a Jud
ment he-
yond time. Each sinner fecl
in his own heart a respon!"e to
God's visible judgments on another. Each !òinfulnation may
read its own (ioo
J) in the !"entence on ea('h other nation. (;o
l
judges eaeh a('eonling to his own measure of Ii
ht and /!TaC'e,
ac('epted or refu!<ecl. The Heathen shall he jml/!,"ed by the law
u:ritten in tlteir IIC(trt ll ; the Jew, by the law of :\Ioses and the
Ii
ht of the prophets; Christians, by the law of Christ. TI,e
wurd, Chl'ist saith 12, that I /'m.e s}Jolæll, tlte same slll/ll.illdge
ItÏm at tI,e last Day. God Himselfforetold, that the heathen
should know thc ground of His jud
ments again!O:t His peo-
ple 13. ..l11natiuns shall S(I!I, 1l:1lerefol"e hatli the Lord dune tltllS
unto t!tis land? '1-7wt meanetlt tlte I,eat of tltis great anger?
Tlten men s/'all say, Bemnse tlll'!/Iwl'e fursaken tIll' cut'elttwt
of the Lord Gud oftlteir fathers which He tIlltde 1l'lth them, 1l'hell
IEe ImJlfgltt them forth Ullt of the It/nd of Eff.'l/1f, Ey"c. But in
that the heathen knew why God !"o punished IIi!" I)eople, they
came 1"0 far to knO\r the mind of God; and God, '''ho at 110
time 14 left Himse(f witllOllt 1l'Ílness, bore frc!<h ll'itlll'SS to them,
and, !'o far as they negleeted it, against them. A Jew, where-
nr he is seen throughout the world, is a witness to the world
of God's judgment
a
ainst sin.
"15 Christ, the fait/iflll TTïtJll'ss, shall witness against those
who do ill. for those who do well."
Tile Lordfrom His holy temple. Either that at Jerusalem,
where God shewed and rcnaled Himself, or Heann of whit'h
it was the illla
e. As Da,'id says IV, The Lord is ill His //(J
r;
temple; tIle Lord's tI/roue is ill !leaven; and contrast
His dwelI-
the land of Israel,-l1wt lIe.-land may be desolate/rom all thef..lne.. thereof. S Deut.
xxxii_ I. 4 Ps.l. ï. .
i.2. 6 vi. 19. .. 1 Cor. iv. !t.
sEx. xxxii. 12. :K'lm. xiv. 16. Josh. ,ii. 8, 9. 9 Rom. ii. õ. 10 Ps. cxiv. ï.
xcvii. 5. \I Rom. ii. 12-15. 12 S. John xii. 48. IS Deut.
xxix. 24,5. 11 Acts xiv. Ii. I
Dion. )6 Pi. xi. 4.
zz2

296

c IF
oÍes T 3 For, behold, f the LORD cometh

r. í;;
'L;:!6. forth uut of his g place, and will come

f)

iif
' 3
1. down, and tread upon the h high places
L 2'3a
':' 13. of the earth.
Amos 4-. 13.

in
in hcan'n and His comin
duwll upon earth. 1 He bOlced
tile Iteat'ens also am[ callie dOll'n; and h-aiah, in like words 2,
Behold, tbe Lurd cometh out of His place to pU1lish tile iullU-
Mtauts of tile earth fur tI,eir iniquity.
3. J.òr, behold. the Lurd cometh furtll, i. e. (as we now say,)
is coming .fortll. Ea('h day of judg-ment, and thc la4 also, are
ever drawin
nig-h, lloisclc
sly as the nightfall, but unl'easing-
ly. Vut (!f His Place. ,,3 God is hi(lden from us, except when
He shew('th Uimself by His Wisdom or Power or .Justice or
Grace, as Isaiah saitli 4, lérily, Tlloll art a God 11"ho hidest
TI'llse{f." Hl' seellleth to be absent, when lIe doth not visibl

work either in the heart within, or in judgments without; to
the ungodly and unbelieving He is absent, 5far abore out uftheir
sigltt, when He does not avenge their seoffs. tlH'ir sins. their
irreverem'p. .\g-ain He seemeth to g-o forth, when His Power
is felt. " 3 ""hence it is said 6, Bow Thy 11l'Ul.:ens, V Lord, a1/([
cume dU1l'n ; and the Lord saith of Sodmn 1 , I ll'ill go dOll'nuoll'
alld see, 1l'hetller tlley IIll1'e dOIll' al/ogetlll'r according to the cr.'l
of it, ll'Iti('ft is l'UlJIe unto J.1Ie. Or, the Place of the J nfinite God
is God Himself. For the Infinite sustaincth Itself. nor doth
am-thin
out of Itself eontain It. God dll'el/eth also in li
ltf
1l11"appl"l
ac/Ulble
. ""hen then Ahnighty {;od doth not m
ni-
fest Himselt
lIe abideth, as it were, in His Ull'1l Plnc'!. "'hen
He manifests His Power or "ïsdom or J ustiee bv thpir effects,
He is said to gu furth out of His Place. i, e. out
,f His hidden-
nef's. .-\g-ain, sinee the Kature of God is Goodness, it is pro-
per and eo-natural to Him, to be propitious, lm,-e mercy and
spare, In thi!Ò way. the Place of God is His mercy. ""hen
then He passl'th from the sweetnp"'s of pity to the rigor (If
equity, and, on aC('O\lnt of our sin,... sheweth Himsclf severe
(whieh is, as it were. alien from Him) He goeth forth out of
His Place." "9 For He Who is ,g"entle amI,g"raeious. and Whosc
:r\ature it is to haw mercy, is' ('onstrain
d, on your account,
to take the secming- of hardness, which is not IÏis."
Hp ('omes im-i!'ibly now, in that it is He Who punisheth,
throllJ!'h whate,-er power or \\ ill of man He useth ; Hc shews
forth His Boline:,.s thr()u
h the punishment of unholine
s.
But the words. whieh are image-languag-c now, shall bc most
('xactly fuifilll'd in the end, when, in the Person of our Lord.
He shall l'Ume visibly to judge the world. '<10 In the Day of
Judg-Ulcnt, Christ shall come dowll, accordin/! to that Xature
whit'll He took,fmm His Place, the hig-hest heavens, and shall
cast down the proud things of this world."
And leil/ mme dou'll; llot by chang-e of place, or in Him-
!'elf, but as felt in the punishment of sin; and tread Up01l the
Mgh places of tile earth; to bring down the pride of those n
who" 12 being- lifted up in their o\\"n eoneeit and lofty, sinllin

through pride and proud through sin, were yet tTeated out
of earth. For 13 why is earth and aslles proud?" ""hat seems
I Ps. xviii. 9. , xxvi. 21. I Dion. C xlv. 15. 5 Ps. x. 5. 'Ps. cxliv. 5.
ISillx

m. i:.

j:bif
'.

' 12 ;u
.Ti:;"È
c

. x.;. Si/;r Cor .

.
6!R
!.

:
lõ Henderson here. 16 See ab, p. 189. 17 Deul. iv. 24. 18 Ixvi.15.
,19 Hence some :\ISS. mentioned in De Rossi's, 219. have (as a conjecture) I""
':.::-:" the
hili.... 20 Sancho 21 see PB. xcvii. 5. 2'1 See S. Hi!. In Ps.lvii.
f. ::::-: is

-:
:. (
x
:

\

:' (P
: I
viii

,rn;

r!r
h
eb
t:;'ero

'h
i

:.

(
a

::

.
37.) then, morally, chiefly of lear.
See Ges. Thes. sub \'. from the Punic, Monum.
Phæn. p. 418. .. There are many waterfalls ill Lebanon, one very near and to the N. of
the Dama.cus road. I have also seen one in Anti-libanus on the ri\er Barada, a little
IIbove AMI. The strearn, named Sheba, wlùch springs from the perpetual snows of

1\11 CAR,

4 And i the mountains shall be molten c ll
ìiors T
under him, amI the "Valleys shall be cleft, cir.758-726.
as wax before the fire, m;d as the waters J t

l5
'
that are poured down t a steep place. iS
1
;J:
:3.
t Heb. a de.cent. Hab. 3,6, 10.
mightie
t and nHl!<t firm, is unto God le
s than is to man the
dust und('r his feet. The hi
h plal'es were also the special

('enes of an unceasing idolatry. "God treadeth in the good
and humble. in that He dwelleth, walketh, feastcth in their
hearts H. ßut lIe trl'Udeth IIpUlt the proud and the e,-il, in
that He f'a..teth them down, despiseth, l'ondenllU'th them."
4. And the 111OIIntai1ls shall he molten under Him. It has
been thou
ht that this is ima!!:l'ry, taken frum HIlt-ani(' erup-
tions 15; but, althou
h there is a very remarkable volcanic di!--
trict just oubide of Gilead 16, it is not thought to haw been
active at times so late as the
e ; nor were the people to whom
the words were said, familiar with it. Firc, the real ag'ent at
the cnd of the world, is, meanwhile, the symbol of God's anJ!'er,
as being the most tprrible of His instruments of destruetion;
whem'c {;od re,-ealed Himlielf as a consumillg .fire 17 ; and, at
this time said by Isaiah 18; J.òr be/lOld, tile Lord leill come with
.fire-tu rC1lder 11is angel' withfmy, and Ilis rebukewit/lfiames
uf.fire.
_1ml the 't'alleys slwll be cllft as ll'llX before the /ire. It
seems natural that the mountains should he cleft; hut the val-
lies 19, so low already! This speaks of a yet deeper dissolution;
of lower depths beyond our si
ht or knowll'd
e, into the very
heart of the earth. "20 This should they fear, who will to be
so low; who, so far from lifting themsclvc!'ò to heavenly thing-s,
pour out their affcctiuns on things of earth, meditate on amI
100-e earthly thing-s, and, forgetful of the heaHnlr, dlOose to fix
thcir eyes on earth. These the wide
apin
ofthe carth whieh
they 100'ed. shall swallow; to thcm the cllft 't'allies ...hall open
an e'-erlastin
sepulehre, and, ha,-ing reeeh-ed them, shall ne,-er
part with them."
Hi
hpst and lowest. fir!'t and last, shall perish before Him.
The pride of the highest, kin
s and prim'es, prie!o.its and judges,
shall sink and melt away bellmth the wcig'ht amI )Iaje'"'ty of
Hi!Ò glory; the hardne
s of the lowest, whi('h would not open
itself to Him. shall be eleft in twain before Him,
As ll'a.I: before thefire 2 1, mcltin
away befure Him by 'Yhom
they wcre not softened, vanishing into nothingness. :Uetals
melt. ('hanginJ!' their form only; wax, so as to ceast' to be 22.
As tlleu'aters puured dOll'll (as a stream or eatarat't, so the
word means 23 ,) a steep place. Down to the ,'err edge, it is borne
along, one stron
. smooth, unbroken current; then, at onee, it
seems to
ather its strength, for one great effort. Hut to
what cnd ? To fall, with the g-r('ater foree, headlong, s('attcred
in spray, foam and froth; dissipated, at times. into vapour, or
ree1in
ill
iddy eddies, ne,-er to return. In Judæa, where the
autumn rains set in with g-reat vehemence 24, the waters must
have been often seen pourin
in their little tumultuous brool{-
lets down the mountain side 25, hastening to disappear, amI dis-
appearing the faster, the more Hhemently they rolled along 26.
f

:j
fH
k:' e1!h:n.ì
id
:t
daa;o

I:l
?;;::
:he

î

e

d'
\

' I

io:

Gennesareth ;" (Hev. G. Williams, :\IS.letter)" a fall of lillO feet in aLout 10 miles.
On the Westem bank, high abuve the rocky bed of the torrent, the water was running ra-
t

d

.
th(Id
eëot'8:

r
hë

n
hï8to
1
n

ìO)op

rg

c

:tl:
af
11õ
f I;::
river Adonis (Five )'ears, i.
!l5.) From the heil1;ht at which the streams rise in the Leba-
non chain, there must be many greater or lesser falls.
. Hence the Hebrew name
=:;,
.. heavy rain," for \\ hieh \\e have no one word, is used of the autumn and \\inter rain, Cant.
ii. 11. :. I have seen this e!feet tor above h"lf an hour (15 miles) on the mountain coun..
try near the lakes in a thunderstonn. 26 .. The decrease of the \\ ate,:" (s\\oJlen
by the raillS in the mountains) is usually as rapid as their rise." Burckhardt, S)na, p. l\H.

cIL\PTER J.

297

C HBj[oíes T 5 For tll(, transf(ression of .Jaeob i..
aU
cir. í58-í2G. this, and for the sins of the house of Israel.
'Vhat is the transgression of J aeob? is
it not Samaria? anti what urc the hif(h

places of .J udah? (l)'C ,hr.'1 not .J erusalf'm? C }
ï{oÍe S T
6 Therefore I will make Samaria k as an cir. i38-í26.
J f } fi 11 d 1 . f ' . k 2 Ki ngs 1 9.-
leap 0 t Ie e ( , an as p antmgs 0 a nne- 25. ch. 3. 12.
yard : and I will pour down the stones

Both ima
e!' exhibit the inward emptiness of
inncrs, man's
utter helplessness befm'e God. They need no outward impuh:e
to their destruetion. c,l \Vax endurcth not thc nearne:<s of the
fire, and the waters are carried headlong'. So all of the un-
godly, when the Lord cometh, shall be dissoh-eù amI disap-
pear." At the end of the world, they shall be gathercd into
bundles, and cast away.
5. For the tramgressioll of Jacob is all this. Kot for any
chang-e of purpose in God; nor, ag-ain, as the etfeet of man's lust
of conquest. None could have allY power ag-ainst God's peo-
ple, unless it had been gin'lI him by God. Thu!<e mig-htr
Io-
narehit''S of old exbted but as God'
instruments, espeeially
towards His own people. God !o'aid at this time of .\s
yria,
2 Assllllr, rod of JIille anger, and the sir!!" in his IUII/d is .JIinr
indigllation; and S,
YUli' hm'e I brollgM it to pass, that thou I
sllOuldest he to la.'1 waste cllfenced cities into ruÍlwus !leaps.
Each seourge of God chastised just those nations, whic'h God
willed him to ('hasten; but the espeeial object for whieh em'h I
wa..<; raised up was hi" mh:sion against that people, in whom
God most shewed His mercies and Hi!' judgments. 4. I will
seml him against Cllt ungodly natioll and against tIle people of
JJI.I/ wrath will I give him a charge. Jacub and Israel, in this
plaee, comprÍ!:;e alike the ten tribes and the two. The)' still
bare the name of their father, who, wrestling with the Angel, I
hecame (( prince with God, "
hom the}' forg-at. The name I
of Jacob then, as ofChri!òtian now, stamped as deserters, those
who did not t
le deeds of tI?eir f
th
r.. IJI1lllt, [rather If/I/O 6] is I
the transgresswn of Jacob? IT !to IS Its eause? In whom does I
it lie? Is it not SmllU1'ia? The metropoli,; must, in its own
nature, be the source of good or evil to the land. It i
the I
heart whose pulses beat throughout the whole system. As
the !'eat of power, the residenee of justice or injustiee, the
plae(' of eounsel, the concentration of wealth, whieh all the I
11l0
t influential of the land \"Î!oÕit for their !'e'"eral occa!oÕions,
its manners penetrate in a de!-,'1'ee the utmost corners of the
land. Corrupted, it becomes a focus of corrulJtion. The blood
passes through it, not to be purified, but to be diseased.
Samaria, being founded on apostacy, owing its being to re-
bellion ag-ainst Gud, the home of that policy whieh set up a
rival systelll of worship to His, forbidden by Him, bec'ame a
fountain of e,-il, whence the !'tream of ungodliness overflowed
the land. It beeame the impersonation of the people's sin,
"the heart and head of the body of sin."
And what [lit. lrh 0 5] are the high plares of Judah? are they
not Jel'USlllem? J eru!'alem God had formed to be a centre of
unity in holiness; t!lither the tribes uf tile Lord were to go up
to the testimony of Israel; there was the unceasing- ,,-orship
of God, the morning and e\"Cning sacrifice; the Feasts, the
memorials of pa!<t miraculou:-: mercies, the foreshadowing-s of
redemption. But there too Satan placed his throne.
\haz
brought thither that most hateful idolatrv tbe burninO" chil-
dren to )Ioloeh in tIle 'l.alley of the SUll ClflÍi:mom6. The
e, '; he
made him altars in et'elY corner of Jerusalem. Thence, he
e:ctended the idulatry t
all Judah. BAnd ill el'ery set'eral
cIty of Judah he made 'ugh places to hurn incense unto otller
I S. Jer. 2 Is. x.5. S lb. xxxvii. 26.
4 lb. x.6. , "':j always relates to a personal object. and apparent exception
may
bered'Jced to this. So AE. Kim. Tanch. Poe. . 2 Chr. xxviii. 3. 7 lb. 24.
@ lb. 25. 9 lb. xxxi. I, 10 2 Kings xvi. 10-16.

{rods, and prol'ukecl to cl1lga tlte Lord (;ml of his fathers.
IIczekiah, in his reformation, "ith all Israel, 9 went Ollt tu tIle
cities of Judah, aml brake the images in pieces aml heu'ed dowll
the statues of Lbherah, aml tltreli' d(J/('1l the high plllces ([ml tIle
altars Ollt ufall.Tlldah amllll'l!Îamin, a:-: lIludl as out ofEphra-
im aml JIanasseh. :Kay, by a perver:<e interdtange, Ahaz took
the brazen altar, consecrated to God, for hi:< own divinations,
and as:<ig-ned to the worship of God the altar l'opied from
the idol-altar at Dama!òeu:-:, who:<e fa:<hion IJleased hi!ò taste 10.

inl'e God aml TJllllJWWIl Clll/I/ot be .çerred tog-ether, J eru:<alcm
was beeome onp great idol-temple, in whidl Judah broug-ht its
sin into the \"Cry fat'e of God and of His wor,;hip. The I/O(II
City had itsclfhef'ome sin, and the fountain of unholiness. The
one temple of(ìod wa
the single prote,;t ag-ainst the idolatries
which encompassed and bcsieg-ed it; the incen!<e went up to
God, Illornin
and c,-ening-, from it; from every head of every
strcet of the dty 11, and (since .\haz had brought in the worship
of Baalim 12, and the rites of idolatry continued the same,) from
tIle roufs of all their llOll.
esI3, went up tlte incense tu Baal; a
worship which, denyin
the l'nity, denied the Being of God.
6. Tllerefore [lit. ./mlj I tt'illmake Sll1nllria as a lleap of
the field, and liS pllilltings of (l rine.1jarc/. "I The order of the
sin was the order of the punishmcnt." Sam aria's sins were
the earlie!òt, the most obstinate, the mo
t unbrolien, bound up
with its being a!' a state. On it then (ìod's judgments should
first fall. It was a crUlCll of pride H, resting un the Ilead (
f tile
riclt l'alle.l/s, out of which it rose. Its !òoil is still rieh 15. "The
whole is now cultivated in terraces 16," " to the summits 17. "
Probably, since the sides of hills, open to the !'un, were cho
en
for vinevards, it had been a ,-ine,'ard, before
hemer :<old it
to Omrï"18. ".hat it had been, tliat it was ag-ain to be. Its
inhabitants east forth, its houses and g-orgeous. pala('es werc to
become heaps of stones,gatllered Ollt 19 to make way for ('ulth-a-
tion, or to hccomc the fences of the wg-etation, whil'h :<hould
succeed to man. There is scarce a sadder natural si/!,ht, than
the fra
ments of human habitation, tokens of man's Ìahour or
his luxury, amid the rich heauty of nature when man himself
is g-one. For they are tracks of sin and punil'hment, man's re-
bellion and God's judgment, man'!, Ull\' orthiness of the gomi
natural gifts of God. _\ century or two ag-o, traHllers c.20 speak
of the ground [the site of
amaria] as ,;trewed with masses of
ruins." Xow these too arc gone. "IS The stout'S of the tem-
ples and lJalaces of Samaria have bcen earpfully remo,-ed from
the rich soil, throwu tog-(,ther in heap!<, built up in the rude
walls of terraces, and rolled down into the valley below."
"21 .\bout midway of the ascent, the hill i
surrounded hy a nar-
row terraee of woodland like a belt. Higher up too are the
marks of slig-hter terraces, once oceulJied perhaps by the
streets of the ancient cÍtv." Terrace-cultivation has su('ee(,d-
cd to the terraced stree'ts once thronged by the busy, luxu-
rious, sinful, population.
Allil I R.ill puur dfJlt'Jl tile stones thereof into tIle t'nlle..'/, of
which it was the crest. and whieh it no\\' proudly suney('(l.
God Himself wouhl ('ause it to be 'poured duwn, (he U';l'S the
word which he had just used of the vehemence of the ca-
II Ezek. xvi. 31. 2 Chr. xxviii. 24. 12 lb. 2.
13 Jer. xxxii. 29. .. Is. xxviii. 1. I. Porter, Hdbook, p. 345. 16 lb. 314.
Ii Rob. ii. 304. 307, 18 1 Kings xvi. 24. 19 Is. ". 2. 20 "Coto\"icus in
the 16th, and V on Troilo in the litb century.n Rob. ii. 307. not. 1. II Rob. ii. 30
.

298

C HBj{oreS T thereof into the yaUt'y, and I willI diseoyer
_ cÏr. ;;;ß-j:!( ;
the founuations thereof.

tZ
S:'2

', H. 7
\B(l all the
raYen jma
es thereof
12. shall be beatt'll to pieces, and .ùl the m hires
thereof shall he burned with the fire, and all

MICAH,

the idols thereof will J lay desolate: for c Ne{ïr; s 'f
she gatl)('red it of the llire of an harlot and eir. 7;;lI-j21;.
they shall return to the hire of an harlot. D Ls

.21: 3.
8 Therefore D I will wail and howl, 0 10 fs":i'.
o
;:
will go stripped and naked : P I will make p

t. 30. 2().
Ps. lU:!. 6.

taraet l .) "
Thl' whole fac'e ofthis part ofthe hill
uggests the
idea that the buildings of the an('ient ('i1\' had becn thrown
down from thc brow of the hill. .A,:eending to the top, we
went ronnd the whole :,<ummit, and found marks of the same
prol'ess en'rpdlCre."
Ami I [l'ill disl'ol'er tile foundations tllereo.f. The desolation
is entire; not une stoue !lft u}Jun anutller. Yet the very words
of threatening ('ontain hope. It was to be not a lIeap unly, but
tile plalltings (
f (l vine.'lard. The Ileaps ÌJetoken ruin; the
t'ineyard, fruitfulness ('an'd for by God. Destro
'ed. as what
it ",IS, and turned up"ide down, as a ,-ineyard by the share,
it should he('U1l1e again what God made it anù willed it to be.
It should a
ain beeome a ric/' nt/ley, but in outward desola-
tion. It,: splendid palae('s, its idol templ('s, its IWllses uf juy,
should he hut hcaps and ruins, which are cleared away out of
a ,incvarù. a" onlv chokin
it. It was built in rebellion and
sehi,:ni, loose and 'not heldÚ1g-ether, like a Ilertp of stones, ha-
ving no cement of love, rent and torn in itself, having been
torn both from God and His worship. It could be remade
only by heing wholly unmade. Then should they who beliewd
be braIwhes grafted in Him 'Vho said, 3 I alii tile rim:, ye are
tlte hnl1lclles.
í. ..<J/t(l all tile grm'ell images thereof slmll be hrokeu in
pieces. Its idols in whom she trusts, so far from prote(.ting
her, shall themselws go into eapth-ity, brokl'n up for the goM
and silyer whcrcof the, were made. The wars of the .\ss,'-
rian,;: being religiou
wårs 4, the idolatry of Assyria de
troyèd
the idolatrv and idols of Israel.
./I/d a'll the !tires t/taeuf shall be burned witlt thefire. .All
forsaking' of {;od heing spiritual fornication from Him Who
made His creature
for Himself, the !tirl's are all which man
would gain by that desertion of his God, aU employ('d in
man's intcrcour
e with his idols, whether as bribing- his idols
to gin him what arc the
ifts of God, or a,.; himself hrihed by
them. For there is no pure senice, san' that of the love of
God. GIIII .\lone can be Icwed purely, for Himself; offerings
to Him Alone arc the creature's pure homage to the Creator,
goin
out of it"df, not looking- ba('k to itself, not seekin
it-
self, but !'tretehing forth to Him and seeking Him for Him-
self. \Yhatc,-er man gÍ\-es to or hopes from his idols, man
himself is alike hi:, objeet in both. The iii re then is, alike what
he gin", to his idols, the guld whereof lit: makes his Baal 5 , the
offering
which the heathen used to lay up in their temples,
:md "'hat, as he thought, he himsl'lfreceived ba('k. Eor he
gave only earthly thin
s, in order to re('eive baek things of
earth. He hired their sen'ice to him, and his earthly
ains
were his hire. It is a !'trong mockery in the mouth of God,
that they had these things from their idols. Hc "peaks to
them after their thoughts. Yet it is true that, although God
overrules all. man dOL's I'('('cÍ\-e from
atan 6, the god of this
lI'orld 7, all which he gains amiss. It is the pril'e for which he
sclls his soul and profanes himself. Yet hercin were the hea-
then more religious than the Christian worldling. The hea-

I ver.4. 2 Narrative ofSeouish Missi<'n, p. 293,4. in Henderson. 3 S. John xv. 5.
4 See below Iutrod. to Nahum. . See Has. ii. 8. ab. p. 16. 6 S. }Iatt. iv. 9.
7 2 Cor. iv. 4. a S. Jer. 9 Rom. i. 23. 10 lIesiod. 'E.K:H. 354. L. II Pindsr

then did offcr an ignorant !'ervice to they knew not "hat.
Our idolatrJ' of mammon, as being less ab4rat.t, is morc cddent
self-wor"hip, a more visible ig-noring and so a more open de-
throning of God. a worship of a material prosperity, of which
we seem ourselves to be the authors, and to which we habi-
tuallv immolate the !'ouls of men, so habituallv that we haye
ceasëd to be eonsl'Íous of it. .
And all tile idols thaeof'il'ill Ila.71 desolate, lit. make (l
desolatioll. They, now thronged by their worshippers, should
be deserted; their place and t('mple, a wa!'te. He thri('(' re-
peats all; all ha gr([l'en imagl's, all her llires, all her idols;
all should be de!'troy('d. He !:mbjoins a threefold destruetion
"hidl should onrtake them; so that, while the Assn-ian broke
and carried off. the more precious, or burned wliat could be
burned, and. what could not be burned, nor was worth trans-
porting, should be left d('solate, all should come to an cnd.
III' sets the whole thc more ,'ividly before the miJl(1. e
hibiting
to us '"0 many separate pictures of the Ulode of destruction.
For frum the !tire uf a Iwl'iot sill' gathered them. al/d to
the /tire of a Iwrfot thc.'! slwlL rl'illrll. .. B The wealth and ma-
nifold provision which (a
she thought) were
ained by forni-
cation with her idols, shall go to another harlot, l\inen'h ; so
that, as they went a whoring in their own land, th('y should
g'o to another land of iùuls and fornÍt'ation, the ,hsyrians."
They 9 tumed tlleil' glory iI/to shame, ('haIlKing the gluT. II uf tlte
ill"ol'1'uptible Gud into all image made lil.-e Ullto rorl'uptible
1IIan ; and so it should turn to them into shame. I t sprun

out of their shame, amI should turn to it again. "Ill got, ill
!'pent." J:vil gain, cursed in its origin, has the cur,:e of {;od
upon it, and mak('s its gainer a ('urse, and end" a('('UI'!'cdly.
..
Iake not ill g-ains,"
ays e,'en a Heathen 10, .. ill g-ains arc
equal to losses;" and another u," rnlawful sweetness a most
bitter end awaiteth,"
Probably, the most literal sen
e is not to be e
I'luded. The
degrading- idolatrous eustom, related of Babylon and Cyprus 12,
still continued among the Babylonians at the date of the book
of Baruch 13, and to the Christian era H. S. Augustine speaks
of it as having existed 15 among the Phænieians, and Theodo-
ret IC says that it was still practised by some in Syria. The ex..
istence of the idolatrous eustom is presupposed by the prohibi-
tion bv :\lo!'es 1ï ; and, in the time of Hosea self-d('sccration was
an id(;latrou,.; rite in IsraepB. In the Day of Judgment, when
the foundation of those who build their hOllse upon the sand,
shall he laid hare, the riches which they
ained unlawfully shall
be hurnt up: all the idols, whieh they set up in:,<tead of God.
.. 19the vain thoughts, and llseles!' faneies, and hurtful forms and
images which they l'ieture in their mind, defiling- it, and hin-
dl'ring it from the steadfast contemplation of dÍ\'ine thing-s, will
be puni"hed. They were the hire of the :,oul whidl went astray
from God, and they who conceived them will, with thcm. be-
('ome the prey ag-ain of that infernal host which is unceasingly
turned from God."
So Therefure I will [wollld 20 ] u'ail [prol)erlybeat21,i.e. on the

Isthm. vii. 67, B. L. 12 Herod. i. ]!J9. 13 vi. 48. H SIT"bo. ni. 1. 20.
15 dabant. de Civ. Dei iii. 10. 16 on this place. 17 Deul. xxiii. 18. 18 See on Has.
iT. 14.p.3]. 19 DiaD. 20 HethrieeIepeat:;theoptative:-::I::.to::-:?'::-N
:-:"5:to: 21.,t:J

CHAPTER I.

2DD

c. :F-o

'! a wailing- like the (lrag-ons, and mourning
clr. 1,,1!_/
h. as thC" t owls.
t tlj;.

i
:

D For II her wound is incurable; for q it
If Or, she is griet'ot.sly 6Ïck oj her wounds. q 2 King. 18. 13. lsa. i. G, 7, ß.

brea:,t,] amlllOwl. 'Let lUe alone,' he would say, 'that I may II
vent my sorrow in all ways of eXl'rc:,sillg'
orrow, beatill
on
the brea,.;t amI wailing, using- all 'lets and sound:, of g-ril'i'.' It is
as" e would say, 'Let me lUonrn on,' a nwurlling- ilU'xbanstihle,
be('au:,e the woe too and the cause of g-ricf was U1H'ea!'in
.
The Pruphet becomes ill word:" probably in acts too, an imag-e
of his l'eol'll', doin
as they should do hereafter. lIe mourns,
IJ('eau:,c and as they would have to mourn, hearing eha!'tise-
ment, bereft of alloiltward cmucline:,s, an example al:,o of re-
pentanee, sinee what he did were the eltief outward tokens of
mourning-.
1 u:iIl [ll'(mld] go stripped [clespoilecP] mul 1laknl. lIe
explains the acts, that they represented no mere vohmtary
mourning-. Xot only would he, rC}H"cscnting' them, {(o bared
of all garments of beauty, as we say" half-naked 2," but cle-'Jwiled
ah.o, the proper term of those plundered and stripped by an
enemy. He slJeaks of his doing, what we know that Isaiah did,
by God's command, n'presenting- in aet what his people !'lwuld
thereafter do. ., 3 'Y ouldest thou that I should weep, thou
must thy!'clf grie\"(' the first." Micah doubtless wcnt Hbout,
not !'peaking- only of grief, but grieving-, in the habit of one
mournin
and lu'reft of all. He prolong"": in these words the
voi('e of wailing-. choosing unwonted forms of words, to carry
on the sound of
rief4.
Ill'ilI IIwk; a wailing like tile dragons [jackals 5] and
mOllrning as tlie owls, [ostricltes 6 .] The ery of both, as heard
at night, i
\"Cry piteous. Both arc dulplul creatll1'e.
, dwelling
in desert and lonely plaees. "The 7 jackals make a lamentable
howling- noi:,e, so that tran'llcrs unaequainted with them would
think that a company ofpeol'le, women or chiMren, were howl-
ing, one to another." "Its howl," says an Arabic natural his-
torian 8, "is like the crying of an infant." ,,"T C heard
them", says another 9, "through the uight, wandering- around
the ,-illag-es, with a continual, prolong-ed, mournful cry." The
ostrieh, for!oòaking- its yuung- 10, is an image of bereavement.
"u
h the ostrich for/!ets her cgg-s and leaves tl,em as though
tlle!1 were 1I0t her's, to be trampled by the feet of wild beasts,
so too shall I goo l'hildles
,
poiled aml naked." Its skrecch
is spoken of by traHllers a
"12 fearful, affrig-hting-." "13Dur_
ing the lonesome llart of the night they often make a doleful
aml piteous noi
e. I han often heard theIll groan, as if they
were ill the g-rcatest agonies."
"141 will grie,-e from the heart over those who peri:o;h, mourn-
ing for the hardnes
of the uu:rodly, as the .\postle had 15 great
hmt'illess and contiuual sorrow in his I,eart for his brethren,
the impenitcnt and unbelie,-ing Jews. Again he saith 16, f('ho
is weak and 1 a 111 1I0t l{'eaR 't TVlto is '!!IèIll1ed, (lJul IIJIlrn not?

I Barefoot is expressed in Hebrew by :'h'. Since then Micah does not use the reeeivt'd

';%t{

:rii'

iili

L
i

I(

g::

nl

TJ:i

:'d
s

e
'i
;:;
i

p. li8. n.6. Seneca s
ys: " Some things, thoul(h not [exactly] true, are comprised under
the same word, for theIr likeness: So we call ìlIiterate, one not altogether uninstructed, but
who haa not been advanced to hIgher knowledge. So he who has seen one ìlIhabited and in
rag<,.sa)s that
e had seen one 'naked.'" de benef. v. 13. Sancho 3 Bor. A. P.IO:!, 3.
. 4 1,
.:: and
:I
'
carryon the soun
of :"1
''::'IC- '::
.'Z;, the textual reading, is doubtless

hg
l
o
his

a;d
h
l::n:

:"t
: ;

i

:I
. anÊ

f b

:

r
ut, conll
oTh:
j:"O. which occurs only in !ht' plural :;:)-:1"'. is distinct from tht' j"::- plur. ::-:-::-. although
they touch on each other, In that r:!'\ sing. is written ::'::- Ezek. xxix. 3. and the po-
etic plur. of 1!".r:I"I. occurs in the text, Lam. iv. 3. TheS)r. (and Chaldee, properly) and
Tanchum o!tent!mes render it "jad.al." Pococke filõt, of modems, brought out this
meanIng. See hIS note here. G The :-::" :"':: "female ostrich" (the ::-:::":;"1 probably

is ('ome unto Judah; he is ('ome unto thC" c }

oÍes T
gate of my people, ("'('It to .Jel'usalcm. _ dr. ;58-i21;,
] 0
r Ul'clare ye it not at Gath, weep r 2 Sam. 1. 20.

For bv how mudl the soul is nohler than the bo(h', azul bv
how ;nueh eternal damnation is hea,.icr than allY' tempor
l
punb.hment, so mlH'h more vehemently
houltl we !!;rievc and
wecp fi,r the IJl'ril and perpetual damnation of souls, than fur
bodily !'ÍI'knes
or any temporal evil."
9. Fur her [Samarin's] wOlllul l7 , [lit.ller ll'oulld,
, or ,çtrokes,
the word is uscd e=,pccially of those inflicted by Gild l
.) cach,
one by one,] is incll1'ab!c. The idiom is used of inflictions on
I the IJC1dy p"litie l9 or the mÏIuPo, for whi('h there is no rcmedy.
The l('OIlIIÚS were very sick, or irH'urahle, not in themsclvc
, or
on (;ud's part, but on Israel's. The day of g-ra('e passes away at
last, when man has so stecled himself ag-ainst
race, as to he
morally dead, ha,-ing deadened himself to all capacity of re-
pentanee.
Þùr it is rome linto [quite up to 21J .Judah; he, [the enemy.]
is come [lit. hath reached, touched,] to [quite lip to 21] tllC
gate of my people, evcn to [quite up tu 21] .Jerusalem. "uThe
same sin, yea, the same punishment for
in, which overthrew
Samaria, shall come even unto, quite up to, Judalt." Then the
Prophet suddenly changes the gender, and, as Seripture !'o
often docs, !'peaks of the one ag-ent, the centre ami impl'rso-
nation of the coming evil, a!ò swecpin
on ovel' J mlah, quite up
to the gate (.if his people, quite up tu Je/"llsalem. lIe docs not
sav here, whether Jel"u!'alem would he taken
2; and
O, it seems
lil{ely that he speaks of a calamity short of excision. Of Is-
rael's wounds only he here says, that they are incltraMe; he
describes the wasting- uf e,-en lcsser places near or beyond
Jerusalem, the flight of their inhabitants. Of the capital it-
self he is silent, except that the enemy 1"l'Uched, touched, struck
against it, quite up tu it. Probably, then, he is here de",crib-
ing the first visitation of (;od, when.23 .S'emwcherib C(l1ne up
against all tile fenced cities uf Judah ([ud tuuk tllem, but Jeru-
salem was
pared. God's judg-ments ('omc step by step, leav-
ing- time for rqJCntance. The same enemy, althouA"h not the
!oòame king, eame a/!uinst Jerusalem who had wasted Samaria.
Samaria was probably a
strong as Jerusalem. IIezekiah
I praycd; God heard, the Assyrian army perished by mirade:
Jeru
alem was respitcd for 124 years.
I 10. Tell it not in Gath. Gath had probahly now cea!òed
to be; at lcast, to he of any account 2 ",. It shews how David's
ele
liwd in the heal.ts of Judah, that his words are used as
a pr
nrb, (just as we do now, in whosc cars it is yearly read,)
when, as with us, its ori:rinal application was prohably lost.
True, Gath, rcdueed itsclt
might njoi(.c the more mali('iou
ly
over the sufferings of Judah. But David mentions it a" a
cbief scat of Phili!oòtine "trcnhrth 25; now its streng-th was gone.
The hlaspheming of the enemies of God is the sorest part

:

)h:r f

i

h
li:
.

:

called fr
mp?cdJ

::t::d

;d :
se;i

ri:
';
:
8 lJemiri, in Boehart, iii. I:? T. iii. p. 181. ro. Leipz." It howls by night only." Id.
9 Olearius.ltin. Mosc. et Pe
. iv.lÏ. Bach. Ib_ p. U";j. 10 Job xxxix. 11;. 11 S. Jer.
12 Sandys' Tra,-els. L. ii. fin. 13 Shaw, Travels, T. ii. p. 3
!I. 14 Dion. I. Rom. ix. I.
IG 2 Cor. xi. 29. 17 The construction of the E. , . is beyond question prêferabl" to
that of the E. )1. I t is the common emphatic idiom, in which the plural subject and sin-
r.:
a
f::â.c
d:

n

to I
Xt

1

1)

.
vili.t
;,I
I:t&

g

ert!

iii. ult. Jer. xxx. 12, 15.
o Jer. x. 19. xv. 18. :"1
:-:: in ]';ahum "end Jer. X:l.X. 15. is ex-
actly equÌ\-alent to the

:to: in :Micah. In Jer. xxx. I:? ,-::-:
-:":IC stands parallel
:1

:t
:

I

;;'

t;
; t;
;'it do:
t :

:.ri[yt

c

t: tt
a
í:
e, q::'I;'
;I:

wh1ch it reaches. 1t does not, probably. 2 Kings xviii. 8. See above p. Ii:! co!. ].
:13 2 Kings xviii. 13. 24 se" ab. on Am. vi. 2. p. 203.
. Par-oIl1e1 with .-\shl..eloll.

300

B:fore F' not at all : in the house of " Aphrah

i
.i - , l
l- .
_ ,J
s roll thyself in the dust.
II J.
:

is, II Pass ye away, /I thou t inhabitant of
"

:'tt=6ih"t Saphir, ha\"in
thy t ShaUll' naked: the in-
/H"=

'

:
2L hahitant of II Zaanan ('amc not forth in the
','ess. 'Isai.
O. 4. & 47.:!, 3. Jer.13. :!:!.
ah. 3. 5. II Or, tile cow. try offlocks.

)IICAH,

mourning of II Beth-ezel; he shall receive c }
1ïÍe S T
of you his standing. dr. 758-7:!6.
12 For the inhahitant of
Iaroth II ,vaited II

c: nem".
carefully for goud : but u evil came down II
.

;
d.
from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem. a Amos 3. 6.

of 11 i
('ha
ti
(,IIlent
. "11('11('(' I )avid prays 1, lei 1101 mille f'1le-
mil,s e.1:ull Ol'er TIle; and the
lIns of Korah, 2 Trilh a sll'ord
ill 11/.'1 lJ(mes, mille elll'lllie.ç reprUflr!l me, 1l'hile Ihe!1 MI." dail.'l
Ulllo me. 1l'lwre i,; IIIlI God? and Ethan 3; T!lOlI Iwsl made all
his ellnllies lu r(:.ioir'
. Remember, Lord, t!le reproar!l of Th.1l
Sl'rl'wll-ll'!lerewit/, Tltille l'Ilemies have repruarhed, 0 Lurd,
1l'hereu'ilh Ihe.l/ hm'e repro(lrllPd Ihe foulsleps of Thille WlOillled.
It is hard to part with home. with country, to sec all de
o-
late. whic'h onc e,'er Icl\'e(l. Hut far. far above all. is it. if, in
the disg-ra('c and desolation, (;ocl's honor seems to IJP injund.
The Jewi,.h people was then Gild's only hOIlle on earth. Ifil
c'ould be exting-uished, who remained to honor Him? Yk-
torie
o,-er them
eemed to their hcathen Ileighbour,; to bc
victories over Him. He
eemed to be di
hOl;ored without,
bec'ause thev had fir
t di
honored Him within. Sore is it to
the Chri
tiail, to see God's cause hindered, His king-dom nar-
rO\H'd, the Empire of Infidelity ad,'an('ed. Sorer in one way,
heca\1
e he knows the priee of
ouls, ti,r whom J e
us died. But
the world is now the Churc'h's hCllne. "The hol\- Church
throul!"hout all the world doth acknowledge Thee! " . Then, it
was iirt in within a few miles of territory, and sad indeed it
must have been to the Prophet, to see this too hemmed in.
Tell it 1101 i/l (;all" to the
(ms of those who, of old. defied God.
"'pep 1I0t at all. [lit. It'eepill{.; 4, 1l'ec]J 1101.] \\. eeping is
the stille
t expression of gricf. \\' e speak of" weeping in si-
lence." Yet this also wa'"' too ,'i!!ihle a token of grief. Their
weeping- wouM be the joy and laug-hter of God's enemies.
III tlie house of
/phrah, [prohably, III Betltleaphrah] Toll
III.l/se{f ill Ihe dust [hetter, as the text, I 1"01l 1Il.,!self ill dust 5.]
The Prophet cho
c unusual naUles, sueh as would a
sociate
them!"ph-es with till' meaning-
which he "ished to convey,
so that thenceforth the name itself mig-ht reeaH the prophecy.
As if we were to say, .. In .\she I roll my
elf in ashes."
There was an Aphrah near J('rusalem 6. It is more likely
that )Ii('ah should refer to this. than to the Ophrah in Ben -
jamin 7. He shewed them, in his own person, how they should
mourn, retired out of sight and hidden, as it were, in the dust.
"S\\ltaten'r gripf your heart Jllay ha,-e,lct your face have no
tears: g-o not forth, but, ill tlie IlOuse uf dllSI, sprinkle thyself
with the ashes of its ruins."
All the places thenceforth spoken of were in Judah, whose
1 Ps. xxv. 2. 2 Ps. xlii. 10. 3 Ps.lx.nix. 4-2, 50,
4 The conjecture of Reland (Pal. p.53 I.) .. in Acco weep not," as if-::1 were for -::::1, is
rgainst the Hebrew idiom, and one of the many abuses of Hebrew parallelism, as if He-
brew writers were tied down to exactness of parallelism, and hecause the Prophet men-
tions the name of a city in two clauses, he must in the third. The Prophet never would
have used one ofthe commonest idioms in Hebrew, the emphatic use of the Inf.Abs.
with the tinite ,"erb, unless he !tad meant it to be understood, as anyone mw;t wulersL"md
the three Hebrew words, ':::ro
N .:::, The sacred" riter. wrote to be understood. It is
(.ontrary to all principles of language, not to take a plain idiom in its pl..in sellse. The
Verss. \ ulg. Aq. S
mm.so render It. The I.XX. (from a reading in which, ó, 'Eva".íp.
or ÒI iv 'AX'/p, Ueland made his ò, iv 'AX':') is full .of blunders. They render also '
I'"
as if it were ":::r t àIlOtKO
op.iI.71.; r'
:::, :1; õu(olJi ':"":-E
" "aTa')'{À.wT
. "rhe':) is but seldom
omitted in Hebrew. (Of the instances given by Geseni
s, p. 97
,
:: for ?:::: is the Chal_
dee name of the idol; ":1 lor "..:1 uncertain, at m( st ;
':> for
".:..
(Ps. xx, iii. 8.) wrong.
;.t

. ::::

.t

6.iR

i
='ot:!r:;s

}
:
:

:
:::

r:;"
ì;;fI
;. :- ':;tr

nounceable by other nations, has a remarkable tenacity. Uftbe n'ry many Hebrew names,
containing this lett
r, which still survive in Arabic, our Ii,ts exhibit onl
- two or three in
....hich it has been dropped; and perbar s none in which it has been exchanged for ano-
ther lettH." (i. 25õ. n. 2.) His only instances are Jib for Gibeon (where the" hole syl-
(d
:b
f
l)ü.n

:d'

;f;(

h ido
tl
ii.;3
k31
J h

f
he;a!;

:ili::;e

sorrow and desolation arc repeated in all. It is one varied
hi
tory of sorrow. The name!' of her dties, whether in them-
seh'es ('aIled from some gift
of God, as Shaphir, (heautiful; we
ha,-e Fairford, .Fairfield, .Fairburn, .F'airli
ht,) or contrari-
wise from some dcfet't, l\Iaroth, Bi//erness (probably from
hra('kish water) Ac'hzib, lyin
, (doubtless from a winter-tor-
rent which in !'òummer failed) su
/!est, either in ('ontrast or
hy tllPmseh-es,
ome note of evil and woe. It is .Judah's his-
tor\' in all, g-iven in different traits; her" beautv" turned into
sháme; her
clf the neither to go forth nor to ,: abide; " look-
ing for good and finding evil; the strong (Lachish) strong
only to ftel'; like a brook that fails and de('eh'es; her inheri-
tance (l\Iareshah) inherited; her!<elf, takin
refu/!e in dens and
caves of the earth. yet eycn there found, and bereft of her glory.
'Yhenee, in the end, without naming Judah, the Prophet j,;ums
up her sorrows with one call to mourning.
11. Pass.'le (llNI!1 [lit. Pass 111011 (fem.) ull'a.1l to orfor your-
se/l'es 9, db'reg-arded by God and despised b
' man] pa,ç.
the
bounds of your land into ('aptivity, tholl illiwhitant of Sha-
J1l1ir,haz'ill
IlIyslwme naked, [better, illnukerlness, and shamel O ]
Shap//Ír [fair] was a village in Judah, between Eleutheropolis
and .Ashkelon l1 . There are still, in the Shephelah, two vil-
lages ealled Sawafir 12 . It, oncefai1", should now
o forth in
thc disgrace and dishonor with which captives were led away.
The inhabilants of Za(fJwn came 1I0t f01"lh. Zaanall
(abounding illfiocks) was probably the same as Zenan of Ju-
dah, which lay in the She!}hëlah 13. It, whieh formerly ll'ent
fortli B in pa!'òtoral gladness with the multitude of its flocks,
shall now shrink into itself for fear.
Tile 1IlOltnting uf Beth-E::;el [lit. house of root, finnly root-
ed] slwll takefrum .'lOll ils slandiut( 1". It too cannot help itself,
mm'h les
be a stay to others. Ther who have been wont to
go forth in fulness, shall not go forth then, and they who
abide, strong though they be, shall not furnish an abiding place.
Xeither in going out nor in remaining, shall any thing bc se-
cure then.
12. For the illhabitant of Jfaroth rhit/erne5se5] waited
rarefully for good. She 1l'aited c(lr
fltll!J 11 for the good which
God gives. not for the (;ood which God is. She looked, long-
ed for, good, as llleu do; but therewith her 10JlgÍl}
ended.
She 10DA"ed for it, amid her own e,-il, n-hich brou
ht God's
in which, in the transfer into another though cognllt
language, :v has been dropped
at the end, and one at the beginning of a word, none in the middle. It> fact also
Aceo (Acre) "as probahly never in the possession of Israel. It is only mentioned in the
Old Testament, to say that Asher did..., dri... oot its rnhahitant8(Judg. i. St.} This in-
terpretation which has become I!"pular, I) violates the Hebrew idiom; 2)implies a. very
improbable omission ofa "tenacIOus letter;" 3} is historically unnatural, III that the Pro-
phet wou1d thus forbid Judah to weep in a eity where there were none eveu of Israel. Yet

f
:t:
àt ,
:rn
:.e

d:;

Ye

í;/\b

r H

d
:

.Ewal,?

g

Sribb:::

:-:
:,s:;
usual, to be preferred to th
.
rrection, the
!Ï, "':1
;:t'\:"1. 6 R. Tanchum of
erusa-
lem, her". 7 Josh. X'lll. 23. 1 Sam. Xlii. 17. 8 S. Jer. Rup. 9 m,:> '-:1:V.
IV ThE' construction, 1"':::: ;-:--::, is like?":::.: ;-:'Z' meek"'88 rif!hteOU81lt"s6 Ps. xlT. 5. :->':1::1 is
the quality. sham.. 11 Unom. 12 Scholz. Reisen, p. 25';. Rohinson, ii. 34.
""
s, kThere are three villages of this name near each other." .. There ia yet a village

;r
t:
ehh
Srl\

f1
::' [

d
lzá
;

}m) Das }:3eij'0
h.n:
:J!

t
33. "There is a village Zanabra, 1 hour S. E. of Moresha," Schwartz. ;4. 1. 111::,
whence 1:11::, is itselfprobablr. cormected with I!C::-. I.. I have preferred tbe di
i90n 01
the Syr. and Y ulg. because, If joined as in the E. V. the last clause has n<>defilllte sub-
ject, and there is no allusion to the mearung of Beth haezel. 16 '::':"1 is used in the
sense of 1,.
", Gen. viii. 10. and in Hif. Jud. iii. 25. in Pil. Job xxvi. 15.. and in Hithpal.
Ps.xxx,.ii.7. Heretoo it has the construction 01"';::-;_ \\ith? as it has III Job xxvi. and

CHAPTER J.

301

clf1t
esT 13 0 thou inhabitant
cir. ;50. hind the dlario1 to the
· 2 Kings 18.
14, Ii. ..Ilt' is the heginning of

of x Lachish,
swift hl'ast:
thl' sin to

jud
IIl('nts upon her. J.1Itlrotll is mentioned here only in Huly
Seripture, and has not been identified. It too was probably
sel('('ted for its meaning-. Tlte inhabitant of hitterne.
.çe.
, she, to
wholll hitternesses, or. it may be, rebellioll,ç I, were as the hmue
iu whieh she dwelt, whirh ever eneireled her, in whirh she re-
posed, wherein
he spent her life, waited ftJr good! Strang-e
eontradidion! yet a eontradi(.tion, whieh the whole un-Chris-
tian world i
eontinually enaeting-; nay, from whi('h l:hristians
have often tu be awakened, to look for g"ood to t hemseh-es,
nay, to pray for temporal !!.'ood, while Ih'ing- in bittern esses,
bitter ways, displt'asing" to (;od. The words are caleu]ated
to be a religious prlH'el'h. "LÍ\'in
in sin," as we say, dwellin,!:
in hiffenu'sses, she looked for good! Bitterllesses! for it is 2 (ill
evil thing- allll bitter, tllllt thou hast forsaken tlte Lord thy God,
and that JI,/ fear is not ill tl,ee.
But [F(;r] evil C(l1lle down from the Lord wtlo the gate
of Jerusalem. J t came, like the brimstone and fire whi('h God
rained upon Sodom and Gmuorrah, hut as yet to tlte gate of
Jerusalem. not upon itself. "3 Evil rame down upon them from
the Lord, i. e. I was
rieved, I ehastened, I brcm!!.'ht the Assyri-
an upon them, and from 1II.1/ ang-er came this affliction upon
them. ßut it was remo\'ed, JI,II Hand pre\'ailing and mar-
,'ellously reseuing- those who worshipped :\1 y :\1 ajcsty. For tIlt'
trouhle shall cOllie to tlte gate. Bnt we know that Rahshakeh,
with many Iwrsemen, eamc to Jerusalem and all-hut t01l1'hed
the gates. But he took it not. For in one night the Assyri-
an was consumed." The two for's are
eemingly eo-ordinate,
and assi
n the reasons of the foreannoUlwed evils 4, on man's
part aud on God's. On man'!', in that he looked for what
could not so eome,
ood : on God's, in that evil, which alone
('ould he looked for, whieh. amid man's evil, r(HIld alone be
good for man. rame from Him. Losing the true Good. man
lost all other good. and dwelling in the bitterness of sin and
proroeation, he dwelt indeed in bitterness of trouble.
o tltOIl inltabitant of Lachish, bind the l'lllcriot to tlte swift
beast [steed.] Laehish was always a strong rity, as it!!; namc
probahly denott'd, (}H"obably " compaet. 5") It was one of the
royal ('ities of the Amorites, and its kin
one of the fi,-e, who
went out to battle with Joshua 6. It lay in the low country,
Shephï'lah, of Judah', bctween Acloraim and Azekah 8 , 7 Roman
miles S. of F.leutheropolis 9, and so. prohably, eloseto the hill-
country, althou
h on the plain; partaking perhaps of the ad-
vanta
es of both. Rehoboam fortified it. Amaziah fled to it
from the conspiraeyat Jerusalem 10, a
a plaee of !'tren
>1;h, It,
"ith .\.zekah, alone remained, when K ebuC'hadnezzar had ta-
ken the rest. just before the eapture of Jerusalem n. "-hell
SennaelU'rih took all the defence'/ cities of .Tlldah, it seems to
have heen his last and proudest romluest. for from it he sent his
contemptuous messag-e to Hezekiah 12. The whole power of
the great king seems to ha,'e been called forth to take this

a.
t has. not in the sense ?,fthe E.
f." was grievro." Such an idiom as :I1C

n, "to

e_ In
am for (l
t) good, does not occur in Hebrew, and would be equivocal, since the
1
lOm IS used for. l.onged for (expected) good."
V1 also, "grieved," occurs only Jer. v. 3.

sed oft!

". w
l!hlßg" ofth.e.buth-panl(s. it is joined with no preposition; in the sense
leared, It IS Jomed only wit" the!D, 'J!D, ']!JX), of the object of fear.
I C'
from ;rD occurs J er. 1,21. 2 J er. ii. 19.
3 S. Cyr. 4 3-11. . from the Arab. The biliueral
root 1
seems to have been an onomato-p'oet. In Arabic the sense of .. slriking" oc-
curs 111 ,

. II

, n

. m
, ,

, I

, r
), 1I

. C
). Thence the idea of p'arts "impinging
0':, on h e a!
o:
er:' .. cl

v!ng cLose I:!," i
II
?, n
), ,
), [griping, '
).J .
); "cleaving close
toget er, compact, !II '1=17, '
7, 1I
7. fhese senses account lor all the Arabic

thp daughter of Zion: for the trans- c

o
es T
grf'ssions of Israel were found in tl)t'e. cir. ;:-'11.
1-1 Theretore shalt thou y gh-e presents T

i

sl'5ii:
H,1:-', 16.

strong-hoMo The Assyrian bas-reliefs, the record of the l'on-
<tuests of Sennaeherib, if (as the ac'('olUl'anyinl!,' inseril'tion is
deryphered,) they represent thc takinf.!," of Laehi"h. exhil,it it
as .. 13 a dty of f.!,"reat ('xtent and iml'ortam'e. dcfended by dou-
ble waUs n-ith battlements and towers. and I". fortificd out-
works. In 110 other seulptnrt.s were so lUany
Irmed warriors
drawn up in array ag-ainst a hesie!!.'('d ('ity. .\.
ainst the forti-
ti('ation" had been thrown up as lUany as ten hanks or IIlt/nnts
eOlUpadly Imilt,-and Sl',-en battering-rams had already beell
rolled up a:.:-ain
t the wallS:' Its situation, on the c
tr(,lUity
prohahly of the plain, fitted it for a del'ôt of ('a, aIry. The om'ill
steeds 14, to whieh it was hidden to hind the c'hariot, are men-
tioned as part of the magnificenee of Solomon. as distinct
from his ordinary hor
e
1;,. They were m;ed hy the posb of
the king- of Persia 16. They were douhtless part ofthc !otrength
of the kinf.!,"s of Judah, the ca\.alry in whieh thcir statcsmen
trusted, instead of God. Kow, its swift horses in which it
prided itself should a,-ail but to flee. ProhalJly, it is an ideal
picture. Laehish is bidden to hind its chariots to hm'
es of
the utmost speed, which s}lOuld carry them far away, if
their
treng-th were e(lual to their swiftness. It had g-reat
need; for it wm; subjected under Sennaeherib to the t"onse-
(plences of Assyrian eOluluest. If the Ass)Tian aercHlnts re-
late to its capture, impalement and flayin
alh'e 1í were aIllong
the tortures of the eapth e-people: and awefully did Senna-
eherih, in his pride, a'-ell
e the :sins af.!,"ainst God "-hom he
disbelieved.
She is the lJeginning of tile Sill to the daughter of Zion.
"l
She '\ as as the /!,"ate through whieh the trulIsgrcssions of Is-
rael flooded Judah." How she eame first to apostatise and to
be the infectress of Judah, ScriptUl'e does not telJ us 19.
he
!'('arrelr bordered on Phili"tia; Jerul'alem lay hehn-cn her and
I srael. But the course of sin follows 110
eographical line!'.
I t was the g-reater sin to Laehish that she, loeally so far rcmo\'-
ed from Israel's sin, was the first to import into Judah the
idolatries of Israel. Sniptllre does not !'ay. what seduced
Laehish herself, whether the pride of military streng-th, or her
illlpOl.tallee. or emnmercial intert'ourse, for her swift steecÚ,
with E
!:ypt, the common parent of Israel"s and her sin. S('rip-
ture does not give the g-enealof.!,"y of her sin, hut stamp
her as
the heresiarch of Judah. \\' e know the faet from tills plaec
only, that she, apparently so removed ii'om the oc'('asion o
. Si
l,
herame, like the propag-ators of here
y, tht' authorcss of enl,
the eause ofcountles" loss of souls. Beginning of sin to-,what
a world of evil lies in the th ree 20 words!
14. There/ore shalt tholl gÏl'e [bridal] preseJds to JIores
elll
Gath. Therefore! sinee Judah had so bet'om.. a l}artaker of Is-
raers sins, she had broken the connant, when-by (;od had !!.'iven
her the land of the Heathen, and she should Imrt with it to
aliens. The bridal presents, lit. the disTIl issals, were the dowry
1
words, beginning with -þ. The only Hebrew roots, 80 beg;rming, are ,

, .took, and .'
'?-
6 Josh.x.3. . lb. xv. 33. 39. 82Chr.xI.9.
g Onom. 10 2 Kgs. xiv. 19. 11 J er. xxxi,. 7.
12 Is. xxx,'i.1, 2. 13 Layard, Ni
l. and. Bab: 1!- H9.
14 The .:o:r1 was undoubted Iv a swift horse. probably from Its rapId strlkmg of the earth.
(Arab.) The word is uset! ofrfdinl( horses in S
r. Chald. Talro. ::Sasor. see (jes." horses of
good breed and young," R. JOIMh in Kim. lb. I. 1 Kgs. iv. :!S. Eug. (v.:'. Heb.)
16 Esther viii. HI H. I; La'ard, lb. and 150. 18 S. Jer. IS Uosenm.
and others from hi:n, by mista\..e,
ttribute it to a suppo
ed sit
t!oD of.Lachish, "l)ing
on the úonlier of" Israel; wherea. It ....as part of the cham of lortlfied CIties furthest re-
moved from Israel on the S. W. 2IJ
mcen nTIO :1 1 Kgs. ix. 16.
A A a

302

C :
o:eS T II to Moresheth-gath : the houses of 1\ z ..\ch-
cir. ï50. ziIJ shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.
!\
í;!ti;,alie. 15 Yet will J hring an heir unto
:

'.
t.
. thee, 0 inhabitant of II )Iareshah: II he
II Or, the J!lor.I/ of /orad.hall come,
c.

IIcAH,

shall come unto b A<lullam the glory of C
e
ÍeST
Israel. dr. 7.50.
16 .Make thee c lJald, and poll thee for : 1
h
:
k 7.
thy d delicate children; enlarge thy bald- Ls:J
2

i
'
d Lam. 4. 5. Jer. 7. 29. & 16.6. & 47. 5. & 48.37.

"ith whieh the father .'òent (lll'(lY 1 his daughter, to helong to
another, her lord 2 or hushand, ncver more to rHurn. J.l/o-
re.o;netn, [lit. inneritrlllce,] thc inheritance whieh God g-a'"c her,
was to he parted with; shc was to be laden s with g-ifts to
thc enl'my. Judah
hould part with hcr, and her own trca-
snre al
o.
The houses of Achzib slwll 'Ie a lie. A('hzih. so eal1ed
l)rolJahly from a'1{'inter brook (achzab) was to become what its
name imported, a resouree which !"houJd fail just in the timc
of need, as the winter brooks in thc drought of summer.
4 Trilt ThOll be 1Into me a.f afailing hrool.', waters u'ldch (Ire 1I0t
.'tltre? This Achzib, which is rel'ounted between Kcilah and
l\lareshah 5, was probably one of the oldest towns of Pales-
tine. bein
mentioned in the historv of thc Patriarch Judah ð.
Aftcr ha,;ing sun-h'ed abo,-e WOO )-ears, it should, in timc of
need. fail. The kings of Israel are here the kings of Judah.
".hen this prophecy was to be aeromplisht'd, thc ten tribcs
would have ceased to ha,-e any politieal existenee, the rem-
IIant in their own land would ha,-e no head to look to. except
thc line of David, whosc g-ood king-s had a care for them.
l\lirah then. havinp: prophesied the utter destruction of Sama-
lia, speaks in aeeordance with tbe state of things which hc
foresaw and foretold 7.
].J. ret will I bring all heir [the heir 8, him whom God
had appointed to bc the heir,
ennaeherib] unto tI,ee, 0 ill-
habitant of J[areshal,. Jlareslwh, (as thc original form of its
namc denotes 9,) lay on thc summit of a hill. " Its ruins only
were still !'òeen," in thc time of Eusebius and S. Jerome, "in the
second milt' from Eleutheropolis 10 ." "11 Foundations !'till remain
011 the south eastern part of the remarkable Tell, !'outh ofBetb-
Jibrin." Rehoboam fortified it also 12. Zerah the_Ethiopian
had come to 13 it. probably to besiege it, when .\sa met him, and
God smote theÆtldopillmhefore him, ill the ralle.1I of Zeplwthah
thereat. In the wars ofthc l\Ia('('abees, it was in the hands of
the Edomites 14 . Its capture and that of Adora are mention-
ed 16 a
the last aet of the war, before thc Edomites submit-
tcd to John Hyreanus, and were inrorporated in Israel. It
was a powerful city 16, when the Parthians took it. .\S )Iieah
writes the name. it looked nearer to the word "inheritance 17."
lJlllreshah (inheritance) shall yet havetheheir of God's appoint-
ment. the encmy. It shallllot inherit the land, as promised to
the faithful. but shall itselfbe inherited, its people dispossessed.
"'hilc it, (and so also the soul now) held fast to God. they werc
the heritagc of the Lord, by His gifts and graec; when, of their
own free-will, those, onee God's heritage, berome slaves of sin,
they passed and still pass, ag-ainst their will. into thc }wsses-
sion of another master, thc _\ssyrian or Satan.
He [i. e. the heir, the encmy] shall come Ullto Adllllam,

I Jud. xii. 9.

3 N n;;,,')1/ c'm
lit." bridal presents on )Ioresheth
Gath." Hitzig thinks that in ,..,-"c there is an allusion to 11V111C, "espoused;" but this
wonld be a contradictory image, since the bridal-presents "ere given in espousing, not
to one already espoused, alld therwere to begi.en not to Gath but to the invader.
4 Jer. xv. 18. S Josh. xv. 44. ð in the ulliengthened fonn :i'I:I Gen. xxxviii. 5.
7 See ab. Illtrod. p. 303, 4. B E"'1':-r 9 :!C'K-O (Ii-om 1:'1f'1) Jos. xv. 44. 10 Onom.
\I Rob. ii. 67, 8. I
2 Chr. xi. 8. 13 lb. xi\. 9 sqq. 14 J08. Ant. xii. 8. 6.
I> lb. xiii. 9. 1. lð lb. xiv. 13.9. Ij ;'lire like 17VJ1D. In the Chron. it is spelled
as in Micah. IS The Eng. :\Iarg. has, ill thesamegeneralsense,ll"toAdllllam.hali
"o:;eJ!

lorY'J3o

j::
' I
<;eë'

i
i
: 1. 12i;2
eh.2:i
0:ö.xii. 1
6 2

c
. ri:
:
:r; lee S.Jer. ab. p. 235. 2B Rev. G. Williams, :MS. letter.

the glory of Israel l8 ; i.c. hc who shall dispos!'ess l\Iare!'òhah, slwll
come quite un to Ac/Ill/llm, where, as in a plaec of safety, the glory
oflsrael, all in whieh she
'loried, "hould be laid up. .Adullam
was a very ancient eity, being mcntiollcd in thc history of the
patriareh J udah 19 , a royal eit y 20. It too lay in the Shc]lhelah 21 ;
it was said to hc ]022 or 12 23 miles East of Eleutherol'oli!'; but
for this, then' seems to bc seareely place in the Shephelah.
It was one of thc 15 cities fortified by Rehobom1l2
; onc ofthc
16 towns, in wltic'h (with their dependant villages) Judah
settled after the captivity 25. It contained thc whole army
of Judas l\laeeahæus 26. Like Laehish, it had probably thc
double advantages of thc neighbourhood of the hills and of the
plain, !'eated perhaps at thc roots of thc hill
, sinee near it
doubtless was the lar
e Clll'e (l..1dullam named from it. Thc
line of caves, tit for human hahitation, which extcnded from
Eleutheropolis to Pctra 27 , beg-an '" est ward (If it. "28The ,'al-
ley which runs up from Eleutheropolis Eastward, is full of
larg-e caves; !'òomc would hold thousands of men. They arc
very extensivc, and some of them had evidently becn inha-
hited." "28The outer chamber of one cavern was 2ïO feet ]OUI?,'
by ]26 wide; and behind this were recesses and g-allerie;,
probabl
- leading- to other chambers which we eould Hot ex-
plore. The massÍ\'c roof was supported b)' misshaped picees
of the nativc limestone Icft for that purpo
c, and at some
plaees was domed quite through to the surface, admitting both
light and air by thc roof." Thc name of ..1c/lll/am
ng
ested
the memory of that ca,-c, the refuge of thc Patrian'h Den-hI,
thc first oftheir line of king-s, in extreme isolation and peril of
his life. Thither, thc refug-e now of the rcmaining- glory of Is-
rael, its wealth,its trust, its boast,-the foe should come. And
so therc only remained one common dirge for all.
16. illake thee bald, poll [lit. shear 29] thee for thy delicate
children. Some speeiaJ ways of cutting- the hair were forbid-
den to the Israelite
, as being idolatrous customs, such as the
rounding the hair in front, eutting it away from the temples 30 ,
or between the eyes Sl. All shearing- of the hair was not for-
bidden S2; indecd to the Nazarite it was t'onllnanded, at the
close of his ,"ow. The remm'al of that chief ornanwnt of the
eountcnanee was a natural expre
sion of grief, whieh revolts
at all personal appearance. It belonged, not to idolatry, but
to nature 33. Thy deliCllte children. The ehangc wa!'ò the more
bitter for thosc tended and broug-ht up delicately. Moses
from thc first spake of speeialmiseries which should fan on
the fellder anef t'er.1I delicate. ElIlarge thy baldness; outdo in
gricf what others do; for the eause of thy grief is more than
that of othcrs. Thc point of eomparison in the Eagle might
either be the actual baldlle
s of the hcad, or it!" moulting. If
it werc the bahlne
s of the head, the word translated eagles'!',

9 seeab. on Am. viii. 10. p. 217. co1. 2. 30 Lev. xix. 27. against Arab idolatry. See
Herod. iii. 8. 31 Deut. xÏ\-. 1. JjI as Hitzig says. 33 See Job i. 20, early Greece, (II.

:)4

:
i

' {t

i
t
s7:.19
h

i;
,
;

ced

?
:
Wi

p

;
1..
ersians, (lb. ix.
34 The etymology,(Arab. nasara" tore "ith the beak,") belong!' rather to tbe eagle with
its sharp, than to the vulture with its long, piercing beak. (The II. amoos, Freytag's autho-
nty for rendering "a.r vulture, only Sll) s" a bird," adding that it is the name of "the con-
stellation," i. e. Aquila. In Ulug Begh Tab. Stell. 49, 50. the okab and the"a$r both oc-
cur as namel! of the constellation. lI.azwini in Ideler [Sternkunde p. 3851 sa l s that tbe
'okab is three stars of the fonn of the flyill
nasr. Leo Afr. [Deser. Mr. ix. 56. sa)"S that
.. the largest species of eagle is called !l;esIr." 2)
Jlless1le$herbethe golden Eag e,there is
no Hebrew name for it, whereas it is still a bird of Palestine, and smaller eagles are mention-

CHAPTER II.

C H

fÏr; T Bess as the eagle; for they are gone into
cir. í5U. captivity from tbee.
CH..\.PTER II.

1 Against oppression. 4...d lamelltation. Î A re-

303

proof of iJ?iustice and idolatry. 12 A promise of c :
oíes T
restoring Jacob. cir. i30.
W OE to them a that devisc iniquity,. Hos. i.6.
and b work evil upon their beds! bPs. 36. 4.

although mo
tly u!òcù of the Eap:lc it
clf, might herc compre-
hend the Yulturel. For entirc bahlne:-::-: is so marked a fcature
in the vulture, whereas thc "bald-headed Eap:le" was pl"Oba-
hly not a bird of Pale
tinc2. On the other hand, David, who
lived so Ion/! anwnp: the roek:-: of Palc
tine, and Isaiah seem
to have known nf effeets of nlOultinp: upon the Eagle in pro-
ducinp:, (although in a less de
I'ee than inothcr birds,) a tem-
porarydiminution nfstrength, whi/.h have not in modern times
been cOlllm(mly ob:-:en"ed. For David says s, Tlwu slutlt re-
new, like the eagle, th.1I youth, whieh :-:l'eaks of fre:-:h strenp:th
after tcmporary weaknes!ò; and Isaiah \ Tlle.1I that trust ill
tile Lord s/utll put forth 5 fres!1 strength; the!! shall put forUt
TJillioJl-feathers 6 like cagles, eOlllpal"Ín
thc fresh
trenp:th
whieh
hould
ueceed to that whic'll was p:one, to the eagle's
reC'onrinf.!," its strong pinion-feathers. ßoehart howe,Ter sap;
unhe
itatinp:ly, "7 At the beginning of
pring-, the ral'aciou:-:
birds are suhjeet to shedding of thcir feathers which we call
moulting." If thi!< bc so, thc eoml'ari
on is yet more ,-h-id,
For thc baldness of the vulturc belcmgs tu it!< matm'ed streng-th,
and could only be an externallikencss. Thc moultillg- of thc
eap:lc im"olves some degree of weaknes:-:, with which he eOl))-
IJares .Tudah's moul"Ilful and weak condition amid the luss of
their ehildrcn, g"olle into cal'tidty B.
Thus clo:-:es the first genc.-all'ortion of the prophecy. The
peol,le had ea:-:t asidc its own Glory. God; now its sons, its
pridc and its trust, shall p:o away from it.
"9The eaglc, larin
aside its old feathcr)O: and taking" new, is
a symbol ofpcnitence and of the penitents who lay aside their
formel' c,-il habit)O:. and hecome other and new men. True. but
rare form of penitencc!" S. Gregory thc Great tllUS applies
this to the !oòieg-e of Rome by the Lombards. ,'lOThat happen-
ed to her whieh we know to hayc hcen foretold of Judca hy the
Prophet, elllm:/[e thy baldness like the eagle. For hairiness
befals man in the head only, but the eagle in its whole body;
for. when it is ycry old, its feathcrs and pinions fall from all its
body.
he lost her feather
, wholo
t her people. Her pinions
too fe!1 out, with whidl shc was wont to fly to the prey; for all
her nnghty men. throu!!,"h whom she plundered others, perished.
But this which we speak of, thc breaking to pieces of the city
ed in !he same verse, Lev. xi. 13 ; viz. the ossifraf!e,C"'Ð, and the black eagle, :'1'''1/, so called
f
om Its strength, like the valeria, of "hich l'liny says, .. the melanætos or valeria,least in
sI
e, renlarkableforstrength, blackish in colour." x.3. Thesame list of unclean birds con-
tam
al
tl
e ",,/ture,
. Deut. ":.iv. 13, (as it must be, being a
regarious bird, Is. xxxiv.
15.) mUg dIfferent specIe. õ(Deut.lb.) the f!ier-eaf!le, (i. e. Geve

vulture] ea!(le, g) paetos,
or \ ultur percnoprerus, (Hasselquist, }'orskaJ, Shaw, Bruce in S:Ivigny p. 7i.) partakinJ(
of the
haracter of both, (em Lev. xi. 18. Deut. xiv. H.) together with the falcon (:'1111

v. Xl. I
.) andhau-k, with!ts subordinate species, (1:tJ'[)
y]) Lev. xi. 18. Deut. xiv. 15.
. In tlus case, ,,,../Il,r,. bemg a name taken from a quahty common to birds of prey,
m
ght at onCe
a genenc term, corresponding '0 the modern term, (aves) rapaceø, and
mIght also desIgnate "hat all account the king of birds. Its Greek name åt-ròv is doubt-
le,;s the Hebte
., t)'V, (Bochart ii. 2. p.170.) a generic name for birds of prey . The G)P-
aeto
fom]s a h!,k bet"een the vu)t
re and. t
e eagle. . Seeing the pre) afar,l.oftyflight
out of human sIght. strength of pmlon, bUlldmg nests m the rocks, attributed m H. Scr.
to the flesher, belonK also to the \ulture. The feeding on dead bodies belonllsespecially
to the \ ulture. altho
h affirmed of eagles also if the body be not decayed. The Arabic
flas,: seems to
OJ!
p,:se the
lture also. . See in Boch. ii. 2i. T. iii. p. 79 sqq. Leipz.
Sa\lgny sa) S, . :r"sr
s a gene,:c name .whlch has always been translated Aquila, but now

h.!:..people
d Arab:.
natur
hsts use It to designate the !(reat vulture." (Descr. de I'Eg.
1. ",,) and 01 Okab. Okab IS a generic name, but it becomes specific for the small black
ea(!;le "hich, p
operly
p".aking, is the 'Ok;;b." (lb. 85.)
"The only' bald-
h,eaded Eagle IS an Ame';"'e:,n rather than an
uropean species. Thou!(h it is not e"clu-
s1\'
ly of the new world, It IS
et lard) seen 111 the old, and then chiefly in the r..- orthern
latItudes." Dr. Rolle.ton, MS_ letter, Yoho kindly guided me to the modem authorities
quoted abovt;.
Ps"ciii.5. 4 xl. 31. & nJ Ì!)"n', 'i,n to sll('('eed to (as in Arab.
whence C
ahph) IS used of the fresh shoots of grass, (Ps. xc. :;, 6.) of tbe stump of a felled
tree, putbng forth fresh suckers, J Db xit'. ï. then, causatively, of the putting forth fresh

of Rome, wc know has heen done in all the eities of thc world.
Some were de
olated hy l,estilence, other:-: denmreù by the
sword, others raeked 1,,- famine. others
wallol\-ed by earth-
(luakes. Dc
pise we th
'1Il with our whule heart,at lcå..t, when
hrcmght to noug-ht; at h'a!oòt n ith the end of thc world. let us
end our eagcr'ness after thcworld. Follow we. wherein wc can,
thc dceds of the good." One whose eommentaries S. J ermne
had rcad, tlllls applies this ,'cr
c to the whnlc human rac'e.
"0 soul of man ! 0 eity, onc'e the mother of saints. whiC'h wast
formerly in Paradise. and (Iiclst cnjoy thc delig-hts of different
tree,.;, ami wast adorned most beautifully, non Lein
cast down
from thy plaec aloft,and broug-ht down unto Babylon,and ('ome
into a plaee of captivity, and havin
lost thy
lory, makc th('c
bald and takc the habit of a penitent; and thcm who didst fly
aloft like an cap:lc, mourn thy son
, thy offspring, which from
thce is led captÏ\'c."
CH \1'. II. The Prophet had declared that evil should ('omc
down on Samaria and .Terusalem for their sins. He had
l'ronounecd them sinners against God; he now speaks of
their hard unlodngness towards man, a)O: our Blessed Lord in
thc Gospel speaks of sins against IIim
clfin IIi:, memhers, as
the g-round of the condemnation of thc u ieked. The time of
warnin
i
past. lIe speaks as in the person of thc Judge,
deelaring thc righteous judgments of God, pronouneing scn-
tenee on the hardened. hut bles
ing on tho
e who follow Chri)O:t.
The !'ins thus visited werc done with a higb hand; first, with
forethoug-ht:
1. Jro'e, all woc, woc from God; "11 the woe of temporal
captivity; and, unle,.s ye rcpent, thc woe of cternal damnation,
hangeth over you." Jroe to them t!lat del"Îse illiqltit.lf. They
det'ise it, "\
they arc not Icd into it by others. but inHnt it out
of their own heart
." 'fhcy plot and furceast and fulfil it
c,"en in thou!!,"ht. Lcforc it comes to ad. .dud ll'ork erilujJoll
tbeir beds. Thoughts and imaginations of evil are wurks of
the soups. Upun their heds H , whieh ou!!,"ht to be the plaec of
holy thought. and of communin
with their own hearts and
with God 15.
tillness must be filled '\"Íth thought, good 01' bad:
if not with good, then with bad. The chamber, if not thc

anctuary of holy thoughts, is filled with unholy pUl"})o:;e
and
drength, ih contrast Yo ith the exhaustion and uuer stumbling of the )"ouJJg and strong. In
Arab. conj. iv. one of its many special meanings is"put forth fresh feathers" alter moulting.
6 Bochdrt ii. 1. T. ii. p. 745. So the LXX 7I'npo<þv';aova.v. S. Jer. assumentpennas.
So also S) r. Saad. :'1'3:1'1 is used of bringing flesh on tbe bones, (Ez. xxx,'ii. 6.) Pllttingon
the figures of Cherubim on the veil. (2 Chr. iii. \.1.) gold ona shield, (1 hgs. x. Ii.) dres
,
2 Sam. i. 2-1-. Am. viii. 10. The E. V. (lit. "the) shall ascend a pinion p.e. with lIìi-

;)

::.

:

;; :.?
;
Ë

i:,oi

k

fi.r ;

i

Fn;;:
hidfr

he

i;
elfa
d
the pluma{!e; as is:ruN Job xxxix. 13. In Ps.lxviii. 14. /mJ1I must be tbe pinion-fea-
thers, not the pinions; and so :T1:l11 in Ps. xci. 4. In Job xxxix. 2G. the denolll. "all'
might mean the same, (Boch. lb.) the first hemistich describing the acquiring the new lea-
thers. the 2nd the emigration of the ha" ks. Tbe radical meaning of ,JII is .trength.
i Bochart, Hieroz. ii. 1. p. 7 -U, 5. Tile Kamoo. quotes, among the 10 characteristics

I

i

t

f::;
:::'

;

,
fI

h

i

T
fii.h;
g;
,g b
,

sê

in his 'ItPalwao<þ. gi ,'esremedies tor llldking &esh feathers put forth fast, (c. 17.) and grow
quick,( c. 18.) and against diseases in n.oultin!(,r c. 3:!.' she"int; that birds of prey are liable
to the same laws as other birds. (See Bullon, Hist.
at. i.H,5. 69, ifl.) CU\ier says, "In

h
tê

t
::: o\
'fsu:

'b
Ïe
F
I

e t

d!:s

htR

Å
:

t)

i:hi
tJ
:;

tltat the names
lelanaetos and Mogilnik (in Gmelin) only de!<cribe it when moulting.
(CU\'ier Anim. Kingd. vi. 33.) So then the change at moulting is so great, that the royal
e,'gle. when moulting, has been thought to be four diflerem species.
· In Greek also the loss of wealth b
- pilla!(e is compared to moulting, not in Aristoph.
Av. 28-1-6. 0111\, but in Philonratu., "he moults as to the wealth," p. :!i3. 9 Lap.
10 in EzeJ... Horn. 18, fin. L. 11 Dion. 12 Rup. Rib. 13 Ps.lviii. 2.
14 See Ps. xxxvi. 4. U lb. iv. 4.
A a2

30-L

l\IIcAH,

C æ
.
es T wht'n the morning is 1i
ht, they practisc it,
dr. i3(1. hceause c it is in the power of their hanel.

is:7: :
8
!J. 2
\ nd they covet d fields, and take t]U'1It
l)y violellec; and houses, and take tJU'1It
away: so they II oppress it mall and his
house, evell a man and his IU'ritage.

U Or,
d.efmud.

3 Therefore thus saith the Lord; ßc- C HBíN
T
hold, against e this family do [ devise an -=!r

. 1 fi I . h I II t · Jer. 8.3.
<""I, rom W lIe ye s li.t no rcmove your
necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: f fort 'i:
h:
:
J:
this time i.'l cvil.
4'1 [n that day shall one g take up a pit_If Hald.6.

ima
inatioll
. l\Jan's la!'t alld first thou!!:hts. if lIot of good,
are eS)l(','ially of vanity and evil. The Psahni
t says 1, Lord,
IUIl'e Illot remembered Thee ill 7II;1f bed, alld thought UpOIl Tltee
when I71'as 7l.akillg? These men thought of sin on th('ir bcd,
and did it on waking". lrlteu tIle 1//orning is ligld, lit. ill the
ligld (
f the lIIurnillg, i. c. instantly, shamclessly, not shrinking
from the li/!,"ht of day, not ignorantly, but knO\\ in/!,"Iy, d('Ii-
lwratdy,.in full Ii/!,"ht. 1'íor a
ain through infirmity, hut in
the wantolllH'SS of llIi
ht, bemuse it is ill tlte pOlVer of tlteir
IW/I(12, a!<. of old, Gml !'aitP, This thl'.'1 begill tu du, alld now
nutMllg 7l.ill he restrailled frmll tlll'm 1l'!lil'11 tlte.1! hal'e imagilled
tu do. "
Impiously mi/!,"hty, and mighty in impicty."
6
ee the nccd of tlH' daily prayer, .. Vouehsafe. 0 Lord, to
kecp us this day without sin;" and" Ahui/!,"hty (;od, ""ho hast
hrouA"ht us to the 1J('
inning- of this day, dcfend u!' iu the samc
lIy Thy mi
hty power, that we may fall into no sin, &e."
'l'he il\usitlllS of the ni!!,"ht, if sm'h be permitted, have no power
ng-ain4 thl:' praycr of the morning-.
2. .And tllelle()Vet fields alUl take them 1n11.ioleuce, [rend
them fIll'a.'1 ] WI;I/wlise.
, alld tal.-e them awa.ll: Still, first thcy
sin in heart, thcn in al.t. And yet, with them, to covet and
toroh, to desire ,lIId to t<lke, <Ire the same. Theyw('re prompt,
instantalH'UllS, without a s,'ruple, in violence. So soon as
they ('Q\'etcd, they took 6 . Desired, a('qnired! Coveted, rob-
bed! 'They saw, they eO\'etcd, they took,' had becn their
past history. They did \-io\t'nl'e. not to one only. hut, touehed
with no mercy, to whole families, their little ones also; the.1}
IJppl"e.
sed a mall aml !tis IWll.
e. They !oòpoiled not g-omls only,
but life, (I lILlllt (lnd !lis illheritw/I"e; dcstroying him by false
aeeusations or violenee and so seizing upon his inheritanl'e 7.
Thus Ahab first eoveted Naboth's vineyard, then, through
J (,zebel, !-ole\\ him; allli "8 thcv wlw del'(J;u'ed widullw' 1/()II,
es,
ditl at the last plot by night a
ainst Him of "'hom they said,
COllie, !l't us kill ffilll ami tile illheritance ,
//({Il be ou/"'.
; amI
ill tlte morning, the.'! pral'lisl'Il it, leading Him away to Pi-
late." "9\Yho of us dc!'ires not the villas of this world, for-
getful of the po,.ses8ions of Paradise ? You see men join field
to ficld. and fence to fem'e. "'hole pJaccs !oòuffiee not to the
tiny framc of one man." '<10 Such is the fire of ,'onrupis-
cence, raging- within, that, as those seized hy burning fc\'ers
cannot rest. 1111 hed suffices them, so no houses or fields ('(Intent
thes('. Yet no more than sl'ven fcet of earth will suffit'e them
Soon. n Death onlv own!<, how small the franH' of man."
:
.
uch had bee'n tht'ir habitual doin
!oò. They had donc
all this. he sap', as one ('ontinuous act, uJ; to that time, They
were habitually del.i.
er.
of illiquit.lf, dOe/"s of el'if1 2 . It was
ewr-renewed. ßy ni
ht they sinned in heart and thought;
hy day, in at't. And so he speak
of it in the present. Tlte.'!
du it 13. But. although rcm'wed in fresh <lI'ts, it was one un-
broken (,ollrl'C of ,J('tin
. And!'o he also u!'es thc form, in
which the Hebrcws "poke ofunintcrrupted hahits, They llal'e
I lxiii. G.
This phrase can have no oth..r
;::
:

2
N
h.

i5
g. Prov. iii.;

rrespondin
P1t
";
with Ihe n
a

% DL

:
6 The force ofl
1Jl11Cll. 7 Compo the woes. Is. v. 7. on oppression; 8. CO\'etousn..ss.

Theoph. I S. Jer. 10 Rib. II Juv. Sat. x.li2, 3. I
V1 '))11), rll':wn.

cOl'eted, they hlll'e robbed, they Itllve takell a . Now came God's
part. .
Therefure, tI/IiS .çaith the Lord, fOinre they oppress whole
families, belwld I will set 1\Iyself agaimt t//Ís wholc /a1llilyI6;
sinee they dCl'ise illiquit,lf, belwld 1 too, l\lp,elf, by 1\Iyselt
in
1\1 y own Person, WIl devising. Y cry aweful is it, that _\Imighty
(;od sets His own Infinite "ÏSdlllll against the devices of man
and cmploys it fittin
ly to punish. ' I am devi"in/!," no com-
1IIon punishment, but one to bow thcm down without es('ape;
all eZlil from u./tich-lle turns suddcnly to them, ye shall 1Wt
re1lloz'c YOilr necks, neitlter slwllyego/lll11gldily.' '<10 Pride then
was the soun'e of that Loundle

('ovetousness," since it was
pride which was to be bowcd down in puui"hment. The
punishment is proportioned to the sin. They had done all
this inpl"ide ; thcy should have the liberty and !'elf-will where-
in they had wantoned, tamed OJ' taken from them. Like ani-
mals with a heavy yoke upon them, they shonld live in dis-
graced sla,'ery. The ten tribes were ne,'er able to witlulrmv
their necks fl"om the yoke. From the two tribcs God removed
it after the íO years. But the same sins against thc love of
God and man iJrlIU
ht on thc same IHmishiuent. Our Lord
a
ain spake the woe ag-ainst their covetousness 16. It !'till shut
them out from the sen'iee of God, or from rCI'eiving- Him, their
Redeemer. They still spoiled tIle goud.
17 of their brethrcn. In
the last dreadful siege, "18 there were insatiahle lon
ings for
plunder, searehiu
-ont of the houses of the rieh; murdcr of
men and insult!' of women were enaeted as sports; they drank
down what they had spoiled, with blood." .\nd so the pro-
phecy was for the third time fulfilled. They who withdraw
from Christ's ea!<,- voke of ohedicnec shall not remove from
the yoke of punisl
ment; they who, thr()u
h pride, will not
Low down their necks, but make them stfff;
hall be bent low,
that they go not upri
ht or haughtily any more. 19 Tlte Lord
alone shall be e:nilted ilt tlwt Day. For it is all el'il time.
Pcrhaps he gh'es a more special mcanin
to the words of
.\mos 20, that a timc
fmoral el'ÎI will be, or will end in, II time,
fnll of ez'il. i. e. of sorest calamitv.
4. III tlwt day shall vile taÚ up a parable agaimt .1/011.
The mas/wI or likelless may, in itself, he any spee('h in which
one thin
i
likened to another; I)" fi
ured speech", 2)" pro-
verb," and, siu('e snch proverÌJs "'ere often sharp sayings
aA"ainst oth('rs, :3) ,. tauntin
figurative speech." But of the
person himself it is always said, he is made, beCOllle.H1 prOl.ah21.
To ta!.'e lip or utter such a speech against one, is, elsewhere, fol-
lowed by the specell itself; 22 Tlwil shalt take up this parable
against the killg of Rah.'llolI, aml say, t).c. 23 Shall not all these
take up a }Jarable against him, amI .Wl;'/' t)-c. Although then
the uame of the Jews has passed into a proverb of1'epruach 2 \
this is not contained here. The parablc here must be the
same as the dolefullmlleJltatioll, or dir/!e, whieh follows. No
mockery is more eutting or fiendish, than to repcat in jest
13 1111:'11'. 14 11f\\'] 1)1] 11On. 15 as in Am. iii. 1. p. li8. 16 S. Luke
xvi. 13, 11. xi. 39. S.l\latt. xxiii. 14. 23. 25. S. Mark xii. 40. 17 Heb. x.34.
IS J06. B. J. i\'. 9.10. add V. 1. 19 Is. ii. 11.
20 v. 13. 21 Deut. xxviii. 37. 1 Kings ix. 7.2 Chr. vii. 20. Ps. xliv. 15.lxix. 14.
Jer. 1xiv. 9, Ezek. xiv. 8.

Is. xiv. 4,
i Hab. ii. 6. :14 Jer.l. c.

CHAPTER II.

3u.3

C HBI[ofs T rahle a
ainst you, and h lament t with a
cir. i:;o, doleful lamentation, llml say, \\r e ue utterly
h "Sam I Ii . 1 I ' I I I h I I . f
t Ïleb. ;"Úh . S]>01 C( : I IC mt Ie aUg"t'f t lC portIOn 0 my
a lam""tation ofiamentataom. I ell. 1.15.

word
by which one hemoans himi:clf. The dirg'e which I
rad
should ,i
e of themsch-es in sorrow, tht' en('my
hall take up in
deri.!'ion, as Satan docs douhtless the self-condemnation of the
damned. " I )Ien do any evil, underg-o any peril, to anlid
shame. God brin
s before us that dcepcst and ctcrnal shamc,"
the slut/lie and everlastiug coutempt, in prescncc of Him
clf and
ang-cl
and dt'vils and the g'ood
, that we may avoid shamc by
avoidin
evil.
And la/llent witll a dolefallamentation. The word
in
Hehrew are varied inflections of a word imitating' the sounds
of woe. It is the voiee of woe ill all langua
cs, becau
e the
voice of nature. Shall1l'fâl tl wail (
f woe 3, It is thc fnneral
dirg-eover thedcad I, or of the li,-ing- doonH'd to die 5 ; it is sOllle-
time!< the mea
lIred mourning' oft hose employed to eall forth
!;Ol"'OW 6, or mournin

enerally 7. .AmonA' sueh eleg-ie
, are
stillZion-song-s 8. (elegies onr the ruin of Zion,) a1ulnulUrnings
for the d('ad 9. The word u'oe is thri('e 10 repeated in Hehrew,
in different forms, a('eordin
to that sulemn way, in \\'hieh the
extremest g-ood or e,-il is spoken of; the threefold blessin
,
nHlrning' and evening, with the thrice-repeated name of God 11,
impre

ing upon them the mystery which de,'eloped itself, as
the Di,.inity of the :\lessiah aud the per!<onal ag'eney of the
Ho]y Spirit wcre unfolded to them. The dirge whic'h foIlow
.
is pllrl'o
ely in abrupt brief words, as those ill trouble speak,
with scaree In'cath for utteranee. Fir
t, in two words, with
perhaps a softened inflection 12, they e"-press the uttcrness of
their desolation. Then, in a threefold seutenee, each clause
consisting- of three short words, they ,..ay what God had done,
hut name Him not, beeause they are an
ry with Him. God's
ehasti!"emellts irritate those whom the,' do not subdue 13.
The portion of my people He changëth;
How remonth He (it) as to me!
To a rehel H our fields He diddeth.
They act the patriot. They, the rieh, mourn over "the portion
of /1/.1/ l,eople" (they say) whieh they had them
eh-es despoil-
cd: they speak. (as men do,) as if thing,;; were what they ou
ht
to be : they hold to the thcory and knore the fa(.ts. As if, be-
cause (;od had òivided it to Hi
pcople, therc'fore it so ,'emain-
cd! as if, bec'au!"e the poor were in theOl'y and hy Gud's law pro-
vided for, they werc so in fact! Then they arc enra
ed at God's
dealings. He re1JlfJl'et1t the portion as to me; and to whom
ginth He our field!" ? To ([rebel! the .\
sHian, or the Chal-
dee. _ They haddcprivcd the poor of their \!(;rtion of the Lord's
lami lo . And nowtheyman-cI that God r('sumes the' posses!<ion
of His own, and requires from them, not the fourfold 16 only of
their !<poil, but His who]e heritage. '" ell mi
.ht AS!<\Tian or
ChaJdee, as thcy did, jeer at the word, relleg;ule. They had
not fursaken their
ods ;-but ]srael, what was its whole his-
tory but a turning bac'k? Ii Hath a nation clwuged tlleir gods, I
u./ticlt .l/et ar!' I/O gods;' But J.I..'J people l/lwe clwngecL tlleir glory
for that winch doth not pre/it.

. 1 Rib.
Ps. Iii. ß. 7:, Is.lxvi. 2-1., 3 õ1':tJ .:tJ õ1õ1] from We sounds, "1:'1 pas-
SIm, 1õ1 1õ1 Am. v. 1ß. ':'I Ezek. n. 10. I'!:'I, i. q. :'I:'IIC Ezek. xxx. 2. 4 Jer, xxxi. 1';.
s Ez. xxxii. 18. 6 Am. v. W. Jer. ix. Ii, I!'. 7 1 Sam. vii. 2. J er. ix. 18.
_ s n'J1
Furst s. v. 9 :"1'1:)'" J d. to There is no plea for separating :'1':'1) I
In the

se. .. it has be,en," like "fuit lli,um." By itself :'1':'1) would rather he, "it came
to ä ass. "CIt also.. wh
ch follo",s, explam
what the pro\'erb and dirf:e is, as in Isaiah

n Habakkuk. 1 he smgle word õ1'õ1J, aetum est, is no dirge. The femini.ne and mascu_
hne together make up
who!,: as in Is. iii. I; or
t mi!(ht stand as a superlati\'e, as in the
Eng. Marg. 11
wn. VI. 24-26. 1. U'WJ '1111 The ., for thel repeating the

people: how hath he remoyed it from mc! C HBí[ofs T
turnin
away he hath dh-ided our fields. cir.73IJ.
;) 'fh
l'efore thou shalt )ul\-e none that "

:;;::
.

Sueh was the m('aning- in their lip"', The word llil'ideth
had the more bitterness, be('au...e it wa... the rever...al of that
fir
t dil'is;ou at the entranl'e into Canaan. Th('ll, with the use
of this !'ame word lB. the divi!oion of the land tlf the heathen
wa!' appointed to them. Ezekit'l, in hi"
Teat spnhl/liC' ,-ision,
aftcrwards prophesicd the rcstoratioll of Israel. with the ust' of
this same term 19. Juel !'puke (/f the parting' oftheir land, un-
der thi!< same tcrm, a
a !'in of the hcathen 20 . Xow. they "ay,
God dh'idetlt ourficld.ç, not ttl us, but to the Heathen, wlw"e
lands He g-ave u
. It WllS a c'hange of aet: in illll,cuitenC'e,
th(,y think it a ehang-e of purpose or will. Hut what lics in
that, we be ufterZl1 despoiled? ])e
poiled ofeverythin
: of what
the
- felt, templ/ral thing-s ; and of what they did not f('el, spi-
ritual thing-.... Despl/iled of the land of promi!"e, the good
things of this life, but also uf the Prc'sence of God in I1is Tc'IIl-
pIe. the grace of the Lord, the image of Gud and evcrla!'tin

glory. Tlleir portiou wa
c1/flllged, as to them!'eh-e
and with
others. As to themseh'es, riC'hes, honor, pl('asure, their uwn
lal1ll, were chang-etl intCl want, dis
racc, !'ulfe,'in
, captidty;
and yet more bitter wa
it to see others gain what they by thcir
own fault had ftJI.feited. As time went on, and their' trans-

Tes!<ion deepened, the exchang'e of the purtion of that fi,rmer
pcoille of Gud became more etJIuplete. The ea4in
-ofl" of the
Jews wa!' the g-rafting--in of the (;entiles. 21 Sl'eing .,!ejmlge
!!flltrseh'es will'or/h!! of n'erlllsting life. lo! we turn to the Gen-
tiles. And!Oo they who were 22 lto peopIP. bec'ame tI,e people of
God, and theywho were His people, bceame, for the time,2:> not
JI.1J people: and 2-' tlte adoption r!f ,ÇOltS, ltnd tIle gllJJ:I/, mul tile
eOl'enWtts,([Iu{ tlte lall'gil'iug.(t1ul tlte sel"l'ice ofGod,alUl tlte pro-
mises, came to us Gentiles, sil1l'e to us Christ Himself our God
hi essed for Cl'('r ('(1I11e, and mad(' us His.
HOlll l/fIth He rell/O/'l'd. The wonls do not say what He
remond. They thought of His
ifts. the words in(:lude I1illl-
s('lf25. They sav How! in amazement. The ehan
e i
so
grcat and hitter,'it eannot be said. Time, yea eternity cannot
utter it. IIe Ill/tll dh'ided our fields. The land wa!< but the
outward symbol of the inwarò' heritag-e. (Onjust gain, kept
ba('k, is restore(l with usury; 26 it taketh (//C'll!1 tile life of the
oll'ners tllerer}f. The vineyard whereof the Jcws said, tlte ill-
herit(/Jlre slw;l be onrs, wås taken from them and
i\"en to
other!', e,-en to Christians.
o now is that aweful ehange
hcg-un, when Chri"tians, leadng- God, their only unl'hanging
Good, turn to earthly ,-anities, and, tor the grace of God whieh
He withdraws, have these only for their' fleeting- portiCln, until
it shall he finally exehanged in thc ])ay of J ud
ment.
; Son,
remember that t!tOlt ill thy lifetime receil:etlst thy Kood tMugs,
(tndlikeu'ise La':,;(lI"llS e'L'il thiugs; but now lie is comfortnl amI
t1WIl art tormented.
Israel defendcd himself in impenitence and !"elf-righteous-
ne
s. He was alread,- the Pharisee. Tlu' doom of sueh was
hopclesl'ì. The l)}'ophèt breaks in with a renewed, Tlterefore.

sound 00. 13 See ab. on Am. vi. 10. p. 20i, 14 11:JJ1&', .. backsliding, .. oc-
CUl'1> Jer. xxxi. 22. and, of Ammon, xlix. 4. This rendering is favoured by th
('outr"st be.
tween the '
and the JJ11:'
, and giws an ade:luate meaning to the
in the :JJ'II:'
; "hertHs,
a.\ra

híl
8
i:!

' i
1
:ff.ertll1ous, a:
Ë

xit
.s
ps

.o
ft. 6. S. Luke xix. 8.
17 Jer. ii. n. 18
um. xxvi. ';3, ;;5, 6. Josh. xiii. 7. :).iv. 5.x\iii. 2. ã.lU. xix. 51.
19 xhii. 21. 20 iv. 2. [iii. 2. Eng.] 21 ACls xiii. 41;. 22 Rom. x. 19,
23 Hos. i. 9. 24 Rom. ix.t, 5. :. 11'0' is mostly transiti\"c; it "'as in-
transitive ver. 5,and is so (ifnot K,d)Zcch. iii.13. :. Pro\'.i. HI, 27 S.Lukexvi.25.

306

c ll
ors T shaH k east a eord by lot in the eongrega-
_ cir.730. tion of the LURD.
k Veut. 32.8,9. 6 1\ t I Prophesy ye not, saIl thclI to tltem
II
;OPhes.'1 that prophesy: they shall not })rophesy to
;

Sf
Z
Y them, that they shall not take shame.
t &eb. Drop. 4"c. Ezek. 21. 2. I lsai.30. 10. Amos 2. 12. & 7. 16.

He had already prophesied that ther should lose the lands
which they had unjustly gotten, the land which they had pro-
faned. He had del'eribed it in their own impenitent words.
Ko\\" on the impenitence he prunounces the judgment whieh
impenitenee entails, that tlley should not he restored.
5. Therefore tltUlt shalt Itave nOlle that sltall cast a cord hy
lot in the congregation oftlteLm'd. Tholl, in the first instanec,
i!< the impenitent Jew of that day. God lJad promil'ed hy
Hosea 1 to rel'tore Judah; l'hortly after, the Prophet himself
foretells it 2. Kow he forewarns these and such as these,
that they would luwe no portion in it. They had 3 neither
jJart nor lot in this matter. They, the not-Israel then, were
the images and ensamples of the not-Israel afterwards, those
who seem to he God's people and are not; members of the
body. not of the soul of the Church; who ha,'e a !<ort offaith,
hut ha,-e not love. Sueh was afterwards the Lçrael after tlte
fleslt, whieh was broken qj/; while the true Israel was rèstored,
pas!<ing out of thcmselvcs into Christ. Such, at the end,
shall he those, who, being admitted by Christ into their I J01 '-
tion, renounee the world in wurd not in deed. Snd1 shall
have .. 4no portion for ever in tIle congregation of tlte Lord.
For 5 nothing df!/ìled shrill enter tltere, 1I0r R'lwtsoet'er R'orketh
ahOlnillation or a lie, but they which (/1'e u'rittell in the Lamb's
book of life."
The ground of their condemnation is their resistanee to light
and known truth. These not onlv 6 entered not in, themselves,
but, being hinderers of God's word, tltem that were entering ill,
thev hindered.
. 6. Prophesy ye 1I0t, say they to them that proplle.çy; tltey
slwll not prophes.1f to tllem, that the. "If sllllll not take shall/e.
The words are very emphatic in Hebrew, from their briefness,
Prophe.ç.1f not; the.1f slwll ill deed pl'Ophes."If ; they slwll not pro-
phe,ç.1f to tltese; shall/e slwll not depart 7. The people, the
false prophets, the I)oliti('ians, forbade God and l\Iieah to pro-
phesy; Propllesy not. God, by
Ii('ah, reeitcs their prohibition
to them!<clves, and forewarns them of the c'onsequenecs.
Proplles."If .'lfe not, lit. d1"Op not. Amaziah and the God-op-
posing 11arty ha(l already given an ungodly meaning to the
word 8. 'Drop not,' , distil not,' thus uneeasingly, these same
words, ever warning, ever telling of 9 lamentation and mourn-
ing and woe; propllesying not good concerlling us, hut evil lO .
So their desecndants commmuled the ApO
tle8 11 not to ,çpeak at
all OJ' to tcach in the .1Yame of Jeslls. 12 Did 1ve notstraitlilcom-
mand ."lOll, that ye slwllld n
t teach in this ...Yawe? 13 TÛs wan
æaseth not to speak b!a,'phemous ?l'ol'ds against this hot.1f place
ami the law. God answer
; TIlt!.'! shall ('edain!.lJ prop/les."If.
The Hebrew worcli
emphatie 14 . The Prophets had their COIll-
mi!'sion from God, and Him they must obey, whether Israel
15 71 'ould hear oJ'll'hether thf"!!twuldforbeal'. So must l\lieah and
I
aiah 16 now, or Jeremiah 17, Ezekiel, and the re!'t afterwards.
They shall not prophesy to tllese. He docs not say only, TIIe.1!

I See on Hos. v. n. p. 42, 3. , ii.12. 3 Acts \"iii. 21.
4 Rib. . Rev. xxi. 27. 6 S.Lukexi.5
. 7 Poco gives this distribution of thE'
words from Abulwalid (I. 'JÐ]. s See on Am. vii. 1G.1'. 214. 9 Ezek. ii. 10.
10 1 Kmgsxx1Ï.18. 11 Act3Ïv.18. v. 10. 12 lb. v. 28. 13 lb. vi. 13. 14 I'!)':)'.
16 Ezek.ii.6.7. 16 xxviii.9-14.22. 17 i.7.17.xxvi.lO-15. 18 Judg.vi.3ï.

MICAH,

7
0 thOll that m.t named the house of c J
TST
.J aeob, is the spirit of the LORD \I straiten- cir.730.
cd? w'e these his doings? do not my II
.
runed?
wurds do guod to him that l\-'alketh t up- t Heb.
ri,"htlv? upri!;ht?
ð "

shall not prophesy to them, but, to these; i.e. they shaH prophesy
to other!' who wouldre('eh'e their words: God's word would not
be stayed; they who would hearken !'hall never he deprh-ed of
their portion; but to these who de!<pi!<e, they shall not prophesy.
It !<hall he all one, as though they did not pruphesy; thc soft
rain shall not bedew them. The barn-floor shall be dry, while
the fleece is moist 18 . So God says by Isaiah 19; I ?l.il/lilso com-
malld the clouds that tlley rain 7/0 rain upon it. The dew of
God's word
hall be transferred to others. But so shame [lit.
sha11les 20 , manifold shame,] shaUl/ot depart, hut shall rest upon
them for e"er. God would ha"e turned away the shame from
them; but they, dc
pising His warnings, drew it to thcmselves.
It was the natural fruit of their doings; it was in its natural
I home with them. God I'pake to them, that they might be
freed from it. They silenced His Prophets; deafened them-
selves to His words; so it departed not. So our Lord says 21,
1\
ow ."lfe say, 1t'e see; therefore YOIII' sin nmwiJLeth; and S. John
Baptist 22, TIle U'rllfh of God abÙleth on him. It hath not now
fir:;t to come. It is not some new thing to be a,-oided, turned
aside. The sinner has but to remain as he is; the shame en-
cOlllpasseth him already, and only departeth not. The wl'ath
of God i!< already upon him, and abidetlt on him.
7. 0 tlwu that art named the house of Jacob; as Isaiah
says 23, Heal' ye t1âs, 0 hOllse of Jacob, which are cal/ed by the
name of Israel-w1âch make mentiol/ of the God of Israel, not
ill tl'uth, nor in rigldeousness. Þòr the."If call themseh'es (!f the
llO!.1f city, and sta.1f themselves upon the God of Israel. They
boasted of what convicted them of faithlessness. They relied
on being what in spirit they had ceased to be, what ii1 deeds
they dcnied, ehihlren of a helieving forefather. It is the same
temper which we sec more at large in their descendants; 241re
be Abralw1/l's seed and were net'er in bondage to any man; hOlt'
sayest Tholl, ye shal/ be madefrec? 25 AbralwlJl is our Father.
It is the same whieh S. John Baptist and our Lord anci S. Paul
reproved. 26T1ânk not to say teithin YOllrseh-e,ç, we hal'e Abra-
llam to our father. 27lfyeu'eJ'e AIJralwm's childre7/,.'Ie would
do the works of Ab1'lllwm. .l\r,JIl' ye seek to l.-ill JIe, a
JIa7/ that
Ita tit told you the truth-Tlâs did 7/ot Ahraham. 26He is 7/ot
a JCll' wlâc1t is olle outll'arclly, neitha is that circumcisio7/ which
is outward i7/ tllefiesh.-Belwld tholl art called a Jell'. and rest-
est in tile law and makest tlilf boas' of God, ami kllOll'est His
Trill {[ml app1'Ovest the thÙ,gs that are more exn,ffent-l)'c.
The Prophet answers the unexpres:;ed ohjections oftllClse who
forhad to prophesy evil. ·
ueh could not be of God.' the!'òe
said; 'furGod wa!<pledged by Hi!' promises to the llOuseo.fJacob.
It would imply ehange in God. it' He were to ea!'t off tho:;e
whom He had ehosen.' ..\Iieah answers; 'not God is changed,
hut vou.' God's promise was to Jaeob, not to those who were
but 'wlIlled Jaeoh, who called them!<eh'es after the lIame of
their father, lmt did not his deeds. TIle Spirit of the Lord
W{[S 1/ot straitened 29, so that He was less long-suffering than

19 Is.v.G. 20 me?:! asI1'IV1E/', omnigenæ salutes, manifold sa1vation. 21 S. John
ix. 41.
lb. iii. 311. 23 xlviii. 1. 20 S. John viii. 33. 2. lb. 39. :III S. Matt.
iii.9. 27 S. John \'iii.39,40. 2S Rom. ii. li-28. 29 rm "Up. (as in part Zech. xi.
8,) as opposed Co C'!)K"" (Ex. xxxiv . 26. &c. 101lganimis, longsut!ering,) and L q. C'!>>! "Up
Prov.xx. 17. coil. 29.

CH
\PTER II.

C HBj[ois T 8 Even t of late my people is risen up
cir. i30. as an enemy: ye pull off the rohe t with
t
:

'day. the garment from them that pass by se-
t ag:
;::
r curely as men averse from war.
"

:'=,;. 9 The
women of my people have ye

307

cast out from their pleasant houses; from c Jiioíes T
their <,hildrt'n ha\"e ye taken away my cir. ï
O.
glorv for ever.
10 . \ . I h ., m Deut. t:!. 9.

rise ye, an( depart; for t IS lS not. Lev. 18. 25,
YOllr m rest: because it is n polluted, it shall j

. 3. 2.

herctofore. These, whi('h Hc thrcatened and of whieh they
complained, were 1l0t His doings, not what Hc of His own
:Kature did, not what lIe loved to do, not His. a
the .Author
Or Cau:,:c of them, but theirs. God is Good, but to tho!<c who
can rc('eiH
t)od, the upright in heart 1. God is only LOl'illg
unto Israel. He is all Love; nothin
hut 2 Love: all His ways
arc Lm e; but it follows, unto u'hat I
rael, thc truc Israel,
tlte ]Jure of heart. 8 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and
truth; but to whom? unto s/lr,h as keep His covenant and His
testimrmies. 4 The mercy of tlte Lord is from el'eTiasting to
e1:er/asting; but unto them thatfear Him. But, they becom-
ing cvil, Hi
!rood becamc to them cvil. Li
ht, wholesome
and !rladdening to the healthful, hurts weak eyes. That which
is strai
ht cannot suit or fit with the crooked. Amend your
crookednes
, and God's ways will bc straight to you. ])0
not _JIy words do good? He doth spcaks good u'ords and
comfortable l['ords. They arc not only good, but do good.
6 His fl'ord i.
IL'ith pO/l'er. Still it is with those who u'alk up-
rightly; whether those who for:,:ake not, or those who return
to, the wav of righteousne
s. God flattercth not, deeeinth
not, promï"seth I
ot what Hc will not do. He cannot 7 speak
lJeace 1(,ltere there is no peace. As lie saith, I! BellOld the good-
lless and se/..'erity o.f God; OIL them 1L,hich fell, sel'erity, hilt to-
ll'arcls thee, goodness, {f tholl continlle in His goodness. God
Himself eould not make a heaven for the proud or cmious.
Heaven would be to them a hell.
8. El'en oflate [lit. yesterday!!.] "10 He imputeth not past
sins, but tho!'c recent and, as it were, of yesterday."
JIy peo-
pleisrisenllP t'ehementlyll. God upbraideth them tenderly by
the title,
}lille ownlJeople, as S. John eomplaineth 12, He came
unto His OW1I, ((1Id His oUJn rereÍl'etl Him not. God beeame
not their enemy. but they aro!òe as one man,-is risen up, the
wholt' of it, as His. In Him they lllight have had peace and
joy and as!òured gladness, but they arose in rcbellion against
Him, re(Jllitin/! Him evil for g-ood, (as bad Christians do to
Chri!òt,) and broug-ht war upon thcir own heads. This they
did by their sins against their brethren. Casting off thc lovc
of man, the,' alienated themselves from the love of God.
re jJllli oIl [ stripofrviolentl.1/ 13] the robe 1(,ith the garment,
lit. ot'el' agal1Mt the cloak. The s([lmah l4 is the large enveloping
cJoak, which was worn looseh' over the other dress, and served
by night for a eovering 15. Eder l6 , translated robe, is probably
uot anyone garment, but thc remaining dre:"s, the comely, be-
comin
17,arrayofthe per!'on, The!'e they!'tripped, iolcntlyoff
from pen.;on
, peaceable, unotfcTlding-, off their g-uard, pas..;illg
by se(,l
reIY!1IIeJ
at'ersefrom 1('ar 1 1! and strite. Thesctheystrip-
pcd of thclr rallnent by day, leadng them half-naked, and of
I Ps.lxxiii.I. 2 The force of,lI. 2 Ps. xxv.lO.
I Pa. ciij. Ii. S. Luke i. 50.
Zech. i. 13.
6 S. Lukeiv. 32. r Jer. vi. H. 8 Rom. xi. 22.
_ 9
"is i; q.
nN!.
n h. x
x.1\3. 10 S. Jer. II C:'jJ',
In .Isalah (xhv. 26. Ivlll. I? lXI.. 4.) transitive, but only of the rai
ing up, rebuilding of
nlln;,. ,!he. u.se OfCC1jJ aen\ely m that one sense is no ground lor takmg it so, "here
the.!dea I
dlflerent. T<;> o:ai.e up a!, adversary is expressed b," c'p.' :\Iic. v. 4. Am. vii. H. ,
1 King!i' XI. U. and so ralsmg up evil also. II i. n.
18
. This i, intensive, 8S in Arabic.
16 14
I,ø here and Ex. xxii. 8. !. q. ;:
'iX!, elsewhere. u; Deul. xxii. Ii. I
. "" o
eurs here only. There IS no ground 10 idenlify it with the well-known rm.. ,
It I.'I110t hkely that the common. garment
hould ha\e been called, this once, by a difl..r- J
eat name; nor that the ""., a mde enfoJdmg gaIment, (see on Jonah iii. 6. p. 2;9. n. 9,) :

their t'overing- for thc night. So making- war ag-ainst (;on's
pearcfull'cople, they, as it were, made war again
t (;od.
9. The women of m.'I people hm'e !Ie cast out from their
pleasmd hO l lses, [lit. from her pleasaut house,] eac'h f,'olll her
home. Thesc wprl' probably the widows of thClsc whom they
had ...tripped. Silwe thc houses were their'
, they werc wi-
dows; and !'o their spoill'rs werc at war with thosc whom God
had t'CIllllllitted to their
l'edaIIO\'e, whom lIt' had de('lareu
the objl'cts of lIis own tcnder car'c, the ?vidolL's amI tlte father-
less. Thc widows they droz'e t'ehemelltly forth III, as having- no
portion in the inheritancc whil'h God had !riven them, a!' (
"rl
had dri\'en ont their enemies beforc thcm, eaehfrom I,er }Jlea-
saut !lOuse, the home where she had livcd with hel' hu..band
and children in delight and joy.
From [off'] their [young 20] c1tildren have ,1Ie taken away

lIy glor.l/. Primarily, the g-lory, eomdines
. was the tittin

apparel which God had gh en them 2\ and laid upon them 2\
and which the
e oppressors !-tripperl o/f"from them. Hut it
includes an the gifts of God, wherewith God would ana\" them.
Instead of thc holy home of parental rarc, the ehildre'n l!'rew
np in want and neglect, away from an the ordinancei: of God,
it may be, in a strange land. For el'er. They ncver repcnted,
nevcr made restitution; but so they incurred the special woe
of those who ilI-u
ed the llnprote('ted, thc "idow, and the fa-
therless. The wordsfor everantieipate the puni!'hment. Thc
punii'hment is areording to the sin. They never ceased their
opprcssion. They,with the generation who should come after
them. :,:hould bc deprived of God's glory, and east out of Hi

land for ever.
10. Ariseye and depart. Go your wa)", as being east out
of God's care and land. It matters not whither the,' went.
For this is not your rest. As yc have done, so shall it i}(' done
unto you. .As yc cast out thc widow and thc fatherless, so
shan ye he east out; as ye g-avc no rest to those aurse .from
l('(lr, so
han
'e han none, 23 He that leadeth iuto capth'i(1I
shall go i1lto capth.ity ; he tlwt killeth u,itl, tlte s/I'ord 11/1Ist he
killed 1L'ith the sU'ord. The land was gh'en to them as a tem-
porary rest, a symbol and earnest of the e'"erla
ting- rest to
the obedient. So .:\Ioses spake 2 \ ye are 1Iot as .1Iet come to the
rest 2
and the inheritance which the Lord .11001r God gil'eth you.
Bllt u'heu ye go over Jordan, and du'ell in the laud Il'hich the
Lord your God gh'eth .1I01l to inherit, alUlu'hen He gin:th .110/1
rest 26 from 1IOllr euemies r0ll1lL1 ahollt. so that ye dwell ill safety
l!JC. .And jO!oÕhua 27, Rememhertheu'ol'd ll'hich
JIose.o; f'OlIImaJlLl-
ed you, saying, The Lord .1Iollr God gÍl'eth you rest
8. But the
Psalmist had n arned them, that, if they hardened their hearts
like their forcfathers, they too would not enter into His rest 29 .
should have been worn together with the;m,*,. 17 This meaningøeems to lie in the root;
com p. <T'ToX1Í, array, apparel" dress.. 18 ':I"Ð
tloubtless all adj-;ctive fo",!, disti.nct
from the participle ':11:', (Is. hx. 20.) hke "11D Jer. II, :"!4. 19 J1VUn IS doubly mlensl\e,
as the intensive form "ith the emphatic I. It is the ..-ord used of God's dri\illgout the
nations before J.rael,(Ex. Jud. &c.)or of man being drivenoUl of Paradise, (Gen. iii.24,}
Hagar being cast OUI. (Gen. xxi. 10.) The "ord itself. by its r?ugh sound, e"'presses the
more of harshness; and that as opposed to softness, :rJ1Jyn. Th,s IS the same word as that
rendered delicate, i. 16. " aI! H os. ii. 8. 'm I. H. !I
c
:
lnll 'J
'C
2: E3. xvi. 14. Id. ::3 Rev. xiii. 10. 2< Dent. xii. 9.10. add
I Kings viii. 56. 2i ::!11Jl:" 'JII, the same word. :III n').,
Z; i. 13. 2>1 nOJ::) 19 Pa. XCT. n. compo "JM1Jo:
Ps.
cxxxii. 8. 'MUO U.

308

c æ
[ores T dcstroy .'IfJll, c\'en with a sore destruction.
cir. i30. II If a man 1\ 0 walking- in thc spirit and
"

it

: falst:' huod do lic, sll.'ling, J will prophesy
wind, and liefalsely. 0 Ezek. 13. 3.

Bermlse it is polluted [lit. hecause ({fits J1o/llltirm 1] by ido-
latry, by ,'iolenl'l', hy U1H'leanness. So Moscs (u!"ing the same
word) says, the lalld is (1i:.filed 2 by the abominations of thc hea-
then; and warns thcm, that tIle laud spue YOIl Ilot ollt, 'lV1,e1l
.?fOll df(/ìlc it, as it spllerl Ollt the uatiolls Il'Mch 'Were before .'fOIl.
Ezekiel slH'aks of that lli:.lilemellt3. as the ground why God ex-
pelled l!"raeP. It shall dcstro.'f .tfoll,el'elt u'ith a ,çore [lit. sllllrpJ
t!,'strlll'fio/l 5. It is a sore thin
to ahuse the l'reatures (If God
to sin. and it is unfit that we should u!<e what we han' ahused.
IIenec Holy S('ripture speaks, as thoulrh e,'cn the inanimate
ereation took part with G(ld, made sllly'ed to ?'mtit.'!, 1Iot wil-
ling!.'f, and could not endure tlw.,e who employed it a
ainst
His Will.
The words, A ri,çe, depart ye, for tltis is 1Iot ,lfollr re,çt, became
a sort of saered proverb, !<I'oken anew to the soul, whenever
it would find rest out IIf God. "6\\' e are hidden to think of
no rc
t for ourselves in any thin
s of the world; but, as it wcre,
arising fl"Om the dead, to !"trcteh upwards, amI walk after the
Lord our God,and 'f'.ay,l1.l.'I S01l1 cleal'eth !tard after Thee. This
if we nt'
lel't, and" ill not hear Him \\110 saith, Awake t!tou
that sleepest, aud arise from the dmd, allli Cltrist shall give
tltee li{(ltt, we shall indeed slumber, but shall be deceived and
shall not find rest; for wherc Christ enli
htencth not the ri-
sen soul, what seemeth to he rest, is trouhle." All rest is
wearisome which itS not in Thee, 0 our God.
II. If u mlln ?Nt/kiu{( in the spirit a1l(lfalsellOod, lit. iu
.çpirit [not jJI,1J Spirit] llIulfalsellOod,i. c. in a lying spirit; sUl'h
as they, whose woc Ezekiel pronounees 7, ,roe Iluto the foolish
prophets wlw walk after their OIl'U spirit and ll'lwt they I/llve
not seeu 8 ; prophets out of their own heads, who 9 prophesied a
'vision offalselwod, aud a destructimt aud 1wtllÍllglless lU ; prophe-
siedfalselwfJll; .,!ea, prophets of the deceit oftliei I' hearts. The
e,
lilce the true prophets, walked in spirit; as Isaiah speaks of
fndking iU1'igltteolisness 1], and Sololllon of one ?l'alkiltg iu the
frowardness of tlte moutlt 12. Their hahitual eonverse was in a
8pÏl'it, but of falsehood. If such an one do lie, sa)'ing, I u'ill
propltes.'funto tltee of wine (lIltl stroug drink. l\Ian's conseÏence
Illust nceds have some plea in !"peaking' falt'cly of God. The
false prophets had to please the riC'h men, to cmholden them
in thdr sclf-indul
ence, to tell them that God would not pu-
nish. They doubtless spoke of God's temporal promi!"es to His
pt'ople. the land.flolUÍJtg ?l'itlt wilk and hone,l/, His promises of
abundant harvest and vintage, and assured them, that God
would not withdraw these, that He was not so l'rcl'ise about
His law. l\IiC'ah tells them in plain words, what it all came
to; it was a prophesying of wine (llld .strong (it'ink.
He shall even be tlte IJropltet of tMs people, lit. and shall
he hedewing thi.ç people. He uses the same words, which
scorners of I'f'.rael and Judah employed in forbidding- to pro-
phe'f'.Y. They said, drop not; forbidding- God's word as a wea-
risome dropping. It wore away their patience, not their hearts
of stune. He tells them, W/IO might speak to them without
wearyin
, of whose word!" they would never tire, who mig'ht do
1 as T'ointed in most accurate copie., without Metheg. 2 lI
n Lev. xviii.
27j 1J{r.
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unto thce of wine amI of strong drink; he c l
'I'
T
shall cyen he the IJrophct of this people. cir. i30,
12
p I will surely assemhle, 0 Jacob, P ch. 4. 6, 7.

hahituallylS what they forbade to God,-one who, in the Kame
of God, sct them at ea!oòe in their !"cmmal indul
enccs. This
is the secret of the !"uccess of every thing oppos
d to God and
Chri'f'.t. )lan wants a God. God IUi!" made it a ncees!"itv of
our nature to crave after Him. Spiritual, like natural, llUn
er,
ddmrrcd fl'om or loathing wholesome food, 1l1U!"t he stilled,
stifled, with what will appease its g'nawin
s. Our natural
intellect lon
s for Him; for it eannot under!"tand itself with-
out Him. Our restlessness longs for Him; to re!"t upon. Our
helples!"ness lon!!.'!< for Him, to es('ape fl"Om the unhearable pres-
!;;nre of our unknown futurity. Our imagination era,-es for
Him; for, heing made for the Infinite, it eannot he eon tent
with the finite. A('hing- affeetiuns Ion/! for Him; for no erea-
ture can 80uthe them. Our di
sati!"fied conseiclH'e lungs for
Him, to tea('h it and make it one with itself. ßut mal
does
not want to he respon'f'.ible. nor to owe duty; still less to be lia-
ble to penalties tilr disobeying. TIIC Christian, not the Iwtural
man, lon
s that his whole being should tend to God. The na-
turalman wi!"he!" to he well-rid of what sets him ill at case, not
to belong to God. And the horrihle subtlety of false teaching,
in each a
e or country, is to meet its own fa,-ourite require-
ments, without calling for selt:'sacrifi('e or self-ohlation, to
give it a g-od, siwh as it would ha,-c, such as mi
ht ('ontent
it. " 1
The people willeth to hc deceind, be it deceiwd," is a
true proverb. l\len tum a?('a.l/ their eaJ"sfrom the trutlt l5 whieh
they dislike; anù 1;0 are tumed uuto faUes whit-h they like.
They who receive not tile 100'e of tlte tJ"llth,-helie?'e II lie 16. If
men will 1I0t retain God in tlteir knowledge, (Jod gi1'etlt tltem
oz'er to all llJ/dÜtiJ/{(uÜiling milld 17 . They who would not re-
ceive our Lord, cOlllin
in His Fath('r's Name, have ever
silU'e, as lIe said, 1'eceived them wlto came in tltÚr O1('n 18. l\Ien
teiH'h their teachers how they wi!"h to be mistaH
'ht, and re-
ceive the eeho of their wishes'as the Y oÍee of God.
12. I will sure/.,! a,çsemble, U Jarob, all of tltee; I will
sure(l/ gather the renmtlnt of Israel. God's mcrey on the pe-
nitent and believing heing' the cnd of all His threat('ning-s, the
mention of it often bursts in abruptly. Christ is (',-er the Hope
as the End of prophe('y, ever before the Prophet'f'.' mind. The
earthquake and fire preecde the 1;till 'f'.mall voiec of peaee in
Him. "That seems then sudden to us, is connected in truth.
Thc Prophet had said 19, whcre was not tllt'ir rest and how they
should be east tiJrth: he saith at OIU'C how they should he ga-
thered to their e,'erlasting rest. He had !"aid, what promises
of the false prophet!;; would 1I0t :)e fulfilled 20. But, deslJair
being the most deadly enemy of the soul, he docs not take
away thcir fal!"e hopes, without shewing them the true mercies
in store for them. '6 Think not.' he would say, . that I am
only a prophet of ill. The captivity foretold wiÏl inde('d now
come, and God's merl'ies will al!"o eome. althoug'h not in the
way, ",hidl these speak of.' The false prophets !"poke of world-
Iy abundance ministerinlr to sensuality, and of unbroken seeu- .
ritv. He tplls of God's mercies, bnt aftercha'f'.ti'f'.ement, to the
J"e1;want of Israel. But the restoration is complete, far beyond
6 S. Jer. j Ezek. xiii. 3. 8 lb. 2. 17.
9 Jer. xiv, 14, "1jJlC' /11;', as here"1jJ1C'1 m,. to lb. xxiii. 26.
",1<\ "1pl7 C'II:1] xx vii. 10. 14, 16. or 'j:e':1 J er. xxix. 9. '1jJ17 n'o
n '11:1] lb. xxiii. 32.
II xxxiii. 1.'í. nlp'
,,;,. 12 ;,!) n'l:1jJlI ",;, Pro vi. 12. elsewhere WiÙ1 :1.
13 The force of 'J'CC ;"". 14 Populus vult decipi, decipiaiur. .
Ió 2 Tim. iv. 4-. 16 2 TbeRs. ii. 11. 12. 17 Rom. 1.28.
IS S. John T. 43, 19 ver.l0. 20 ver. 11.

CHAP fER II.

C :
oÍ
T all of thee; I will surely g-ather tit{' relll-
cir. i30. nant of Israel; I will put th('[l} together qas
q Jer. 31. 10. the she.-p of Bozrah, as the flock in the
. Ezel.. 3D. 3i. midst of their fold: r they shall make
r('at
noise hy reason of tlte multitude (!fmen.

309

1:S The hreak('r is come up before them: c
e
o
eST
tlH'Y bave broken up, and have passed cir. i30.
through the
ate, and arc g-une out by it :
and 8 their king shall pass before tlwm,' Hos. 3. 5.
t and t1l(> LOll)) un the head of tlH'm. tIs. 52. 12.

their th('u l'oudition. 11(' had f()(.etold the de!<olatiou of Sa-
maria 1, the ('aptivit) of ,J udah 2; he foretcH
the rc!<toration
of all .Jacob, a
onc. The imag-es arc I)artly taken (as is the
Propheb' wont,) fl"Om that fir
t delinralll'e from l':g-ypt 3.
Thcn, a
the imag-e of the future p:rowth under pcr!<eeutiou,
God multiplied His people ('xeeediugly
; then 6 the Lord 1I'eut
before them h./f tlft.'1 ill(( pillar (!f' n cloud to lead tltem tl,c wa.'! ;
then God hrolfgM th emup 6 out (if the IWl(se of bowlage 7. But
their future pri:o;on-hou!'e was to he nil land of (;o
hen, It
was to be a eaptidty and a di
per
iou at onl'e, as Hosea had
already foretold 8. So he speaks of them emphatieally 9, as it
great throng, (wiembliltg I will assemble, () .facoh, all of tl,ee ;
gathering I 1I'ill gather ti,e 1'emmlllt (
f Lff'ael. The wonl,
whil'h is u
('d of the gatheriug" of a floek or it
lambs 10, bc-
eallle, from )Ioses' prophcey ll, a re('cived word of the /!ather-
ing" of Israel ft'om the di
persion of the capti,.ity u. The I'e-
turn of the Jews from ßabylon was but a faint shadow of the
fulfilml'nt. For, ample as wcre the terms of the dceree!< ot
Cyrus 13 and .\I.taxenes H, and n idcly as that offyru
was dif-
fused 15, the restoration was cssentiaHy that of Judah, i. e. Ju-
dah Benjamin and Levi 16 : the towns, who!';e inhabitants re-
turned, wel'c those of Judah and Benjamin 17; the town
, to
which they returned, werc of the two tribcs. It was not a
g-athering" of all Jacob; and of the three tribes who rcturned,
there were but few /!athered, and they had not even an earth-
]y king". nor any vi
ible Pre
ence of God. The word
beg-an
to be fulfilled in the many IB tew; of thousllnds who belie,'ed at
our Lord's fir:'it Comin
; and all Jacob, that is, all who were
Israelites indeed. the remltant according to the electioll of
grace 19, were gathered within the one fold of the Chur('h,
undel' One Shepherd. It shall be fully fulfilled, when, in the
end. the flliness of tlte Gentiles shall come in, alld all Israel
shall be sa'-'eci 20 . All Jacob i:s the
ame as the remllant of b-
1'ael, the true J!;:rael which remains when the fah;e severed it-
self off; all the seed-corn, when the chat}'was winnowed awav.
So then, whereas they were non"
cattered, tI,ell, God saith, '1
will put them togetha [in one fold] as the sheep of Bozrrzh.
which abounded in sheep
I, aud was also a strong" city of
Edem 2
; denotin
hon- believers should he fenced within the
Chureh, as by a strong- wall, ag-ainst whieh the powers of dark-
ne!<s should not prevail, and the wolf should howl around the
fold, yet be unable to enter it, amI Edoll1 and the heathen should
becoiue part of the inhuitance of Christ 23. As a.flock in the
midst oiffleir fold, at rest,'.2
like
hcep, still and subject to their
shepherd's voice. So shall tllese, having" onc faith and One
Spirit, in l1leekne!"s and simplit'ity, obey the one rule of truth.
Nor shall it be a small numbcr;" for the place where they shall

1 i. D. 2 i. lû. ii. 1. 3 Hengst. Cbrist. i. 499.
4 Ex. i. 12. _.. 5 lb.
iii. 21. 6 Ex. iii.8, Ii. Lev. xi. 45. The people
w.ent up. Ex. XII
. 18:. add XII. 38. 1.10. 7 See below, vi. 4. 8 See on Hos.
vl'IPD

t
2

:
: l
's

;I;: i. 9. 9 ;"=
'C
;:b
f

Y;!i;. Ps. c\

17:

'l\.x
i
:
t

: È

t.

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v
.
;
.'

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d
id.9
x

.J ;.
: :'

ii
21

ti. 8

x?
.I
i. z

:
:,,:.10.. 13 Ezr. i. 2--1. u vii. 13. lá lb. i.l. 16 lb. i. 5.
II. 1. IV. 1. x. i, 9. Josephus, "ho alone mentions tbat Ezra sent a cop'" of Artaxerxes'
'

I
;
h

P

,t

ft
iß
:
.il

;e ;
r

:d
:i

hj

:i

!' t: ds ,
."but the whole people of Isrdelitcs (i. e. the great massl remained "here th;y"ere.':

be p:athered !'llall he too narrow to eontain them, as is said
in I!<aiah; Give plare to me, that I ma!1 dwell 25.
The.'1 shall make great uoise (it is the
ame word as our
hUIII, " the hum of men,") by rea SOil of the multitude of mell.
He explains his image, a
docs Ezekiel 26 . Alld ye are
JEfI
flock, tI,e .flock of JEff pasture; mell are ."IIe; I, .1/our (;od, sait/'
tI,e Lord God: and, 2í As ((.flock of holfl thiltgs, as tlte }lOt." of
.Jnu.mlem ill ller solemlt feasts; so Sllllll tlte lcm"fe cities he full
(
f a .flock of meu, and they shall Imow that I am the Lord.
So man r shall they be, that.. throug-hout the whole world they
!<hall make a
Tcat and public sound in prai
in
God, fillill

I1ca,-en and the g"reen pastures of Paradise with a llIil!:hty hum
of prai!<c;" as St. John !"aw 2
((great multitude 7l'flÏch uo man
could /llouber. "
'" ith one united ,oice praisin
the Good
Shcphcrd, "'ho !'moothed for them all rup:
ed place!", and
e,-ened them hy His (hnl
tep!", Himself the Guide of their
way and the Gate of Paradise, as He
aith, I am the lJoor;
thrnug-h ""hum, burstillg through and goiug before, heinl?," also
the Door of the wav, the flock of believers
hall break through
It. But this Shepherd is their Lord and I{jug." Kot th
ir
King only. hut the Lord God; so that this, too, bears witness
that Chri
t i!" God.
13. The Breaker is come up (golle up) before them; tlleY
have brokellup, (brokell through 29) and have passed the gate,
aud 11lll'C gOlle forth. The image is not of cOlUjllest, but of
delinranee. They break tllrough, not to enter in but to pas8
througlt tlte gate mId go forth. The wall of the eity is or-
dinal.iJy bl'Okell t!trough, in order to make an entranee 30, or to
seelu'e to a conqueror the power of entel'in.
in 31 at any time,
or by ag-e and del'ay 32. But here the ohject is expre
!"ed, to
go fort", Plainly then they were confined before, as in a pri-
son; and thc gate of the prison was burst open, to set them
free. It is then the same imag-e as whell God
ays by I!<aiah 33;
I will sa.1I to the .1Yortl" gil'e up; ami to tIle South, Hold Ilot
back, or 3\ Go lIe forth of Bahyloll, Sa.1I ye, the Lord Iwth re-
deemed His sen:allt .Jacob; or, with the same reminiseenee
of God's visible leading- of His people out of Egypt, 35 Depart
."IIe, depart lIe; for ye slwll not go out with Iwsle, 1I0r pet by
jiight,for tI,e Lord God shall go before yo/(, allli tI,e God of
Israel will be .'Iour rereward; or as Hosea describes their re-
storation 36; Then shall tI,e cIlilclreu of Judoll alld the eMlr/rell
(if Israel be gathered toget/ler alld appoillt themseh'es oue Head,
alld tlle.'1 shalf go up out of the '(l}ui 37 . EJ....ewhere, in Isaiah,
the spil'itual meaning of the dcliverallee from the prison is
more di!Otinetly brou
ht out, as the work of our Redeemer 3B.
I will gil'e Tllee for a cot'eJl(lJ/t of the people, for a lif!ht (if the
Gelltiles, to open the blilld e.lles, to bring out the prisollers from

Ant. xi. 5. 2. 17 Ezr. ii.
ell. vii. IS I'up.áò.ç Acts xxi. 20. 19 Rom.
xi. :>. 20 lb. xi. 25, ß.
I Is. xxxiv. (j. 2"J See ab. on Am. i. 12.
p. 1ß6, 7. 23 See :lb. on Am. ix. 12. p. 221.
Rup. :ã xlix. 20.

6 xxxiv. 31. 2. lb. xx"vi.:38. 23 Rev. vii. 9.
29 t"\!l is to break through, as. enemies surrounding one, 2 Sam. \. :::0. 1 Chr. xiv. 11.
break in pieces so as to scatter, Ps. Ix. 3. break through or dou'n a wan, (see references ill
30,31,33.) and "ith :3, burst upon," of God's inflictions, Ex. "ix.
2, 2-1.2 Sam. vi. 8. Ps.
cvi.29.1 Chr. xiii.n. XY. 13. 30 Ps.lxxx. 13.lu"\i.... -11. Is. \. 5. Neh_ ii. 13.
31 Provo >:"Y. 28. 2 Kg.. "iv. 1:J. 2Chr. xu. 23. x>:vi. 6. 3
2 Chr. x'niL 5.
33 xliii. 6. '" lb. xhiii. 20. 3. Iii. 11, I:!. ul".n, as here '
'; and t::';!:
,
"
corrcspondinl( to t::]'J!1
"
V. 36 i. 11. (ii.::. Heb.) 3. i'"''''' P I
V in
reference to Egypt, (see ab. p. 12.) as here õI
'i1. 3
Is. xlii. 6, i.
II 8 b

310

Before
CHRIST
cir. ï:1O.

CH..\PTER III.

Tlte cruelty of tI,e jJrinces. 5 Tile falsellood of
tile prophets. 8 TI,c security of them botll.

the prison, them flUlt sit in darkness Ollt r
f thc prisun-llOllse;
and \ the Spirit r!ftlte Lurd Gud is u}lun Jle, becausc the Lurd
Iwth anointed JIe to jJroclaim lihcr(1I to tIle captives, and tile
o}lenin
of the prison to them that arc buund.
From this pa
sage, the ., Brcaker-throng-h " "as onc of the
titles of the Christ, known to the Jews 2, as Onc "Tho should be
"3from below and from above" al!<o ; and fmm it they believed
that" 'eapthoeg should come up from Gehenna, and thc She-
('hinah," or thc Presence of God, .. at thcir head." ,,;, Hc then,
"Tho shall break the way, thc KinA' and Lord 'Vho shall go up
hefure them, shall he thc Good Shepherd, "Tho puts them to-
gether in the fold. And this He doth when, as Hc saith, 6
He
puttcthfortlt His uwn .-;IICCp, aml He goeth brfure them, and tlte
slteep fullow Him, fu/' the.1I knuw His roice. How doth He go
before them but by suffering for thcm, leavin
them an exam-
ple of suffering, and opening' the entrance of Paradise? Thc
Good Shepherd goeth up to thc Cross, 7 and is lifted up frum
the earth, laying down His Life fur His sheep, to .drlUl' all men
untu Him. He goeth up, trampling on death by His Resurrcc-
tion; He goetlt up abovc the heaven of hcavens, and !'itteth on
thc Right Hand of the Father, opening the way before them,
80 that the flock, in thcir lowliness, may arrive where the Shep-
herd went bcfore in His l\Iajesty. And when He thus breaketh
through and opcneth the road, they al!<o break tll1'ough ami
pass through the gate and go out by it, by that Gate, namely,
wher'eof the P!<almist saith M, This is the Gate uf tI,e Lurd; tile
righteous .-;IUtU enter into It. "That other is this Gate than
that same Passion of Christ, heside whieh therc is no gatc, no
way whcreby any can enter into life? ThrouA'h that open
portal, which thc lanec of the soldier made in His Sidc when
crucified, and there ClUne thCl"eout Blood aml fVater, the.1f shall
pass and {(U thruugh, cven as the ehildren of Israel passed
through the Rcd Sea, which divided before them, wl.en Pha-
raoh, his chariots and horsemen, werc drowned." " 9 Hc will
bc in their hearts, and will teach and lead them; He will shew
them the way of salvation, IOF{uidillg their feet into tllfJ 11'(1.11 of
peare, and they shall pass through the strait and narrow gate
which leadeth unto life; of which it is written II , Enter ye in at
the strait gatc; becrlllse strait i.ç the gate and Jwrruu' i.s the ll'a.1!
ll'!tÏch leadeth unto life, ami few tllere be flwt.fiml it. And their
King shall pass befure tllem, as He did, of old, in the figure of
the eloud, of which l\Ioses said 12, .lfTh.'1 Presence gu not, ClU'I".'!
us not up hence; and wherein slndl it be knU1I'n that Illflvefowul
grace in TIi./f .
igllt,.l aml TIi!l people, is it not ill that Tholl {.;oest
up with u.ç't and as Hc then did when He passed out uf this
world to the Father. And the Lord on (that is, at) the head r!f
them, as. of His army. "5For the Lo/"d is His .LYame, and He
is thc Head, they thc member
; He thc King, they the peo-
pie; He the Shepherd, they the sheep of His pasture. . And
of this passi1lg tllrOlrgh He !'pake 13, B!I ille if all.1f Ulall enter
in, he shall be saved, and slwll go ill and out muljind pasture.
For a man entereth ill, when, rccciving the faith, he bccomes
a sheep of this Shepherd, and goeth out, when he clnseth this
present life, and then findeth the pastures of unfading, ever-

I Is.lxi. 1.
Huls. Thea\. Jud. pp. 143, 144.

3 R. Mos. Haddars. in Mart. Pug. Fid. p. 432. It is interpreted 01" the Messiah in
the Bereshith Rabba,
1-8. f. 4,ï. 2. (Schött!\. de Mess. p. G1.) the Echa Rabbathi,f. GO. 2,
(lb. p. 6!J.) the Pesikta Rabbathi, 1".60. I, (lb. p. 135.) and the !\lidrash !\lishle, ad c. vi.
I. (lb. ad roc. p. 212.) So also Jonathan, Rashi, Tanchum, Abarband in Pac.
t Quoted by Pearson on the Creed, art. 6, note y. · Rup.

l\IIC..\H,

A 1'\ D I said, Hear, I pray you, 0 heads C

ores T
ofJacoh, and ye princcs ofthe houspof cir. ïl0.
Israel; a Is it not for you to know judgmcnt? a Jer. 5.4,5.

lasting- lifc;" "9 pas!<ing from this pilgrimaA'e to his homc,
ii'om faith to sig-ht, from labour to rcward." Again, as de-
scribing the Christ.ian's life here, it !'I'eaks of progress.
"14 'VlwHo shall ha,'e entered in, must not remain in the state
whert"Ín he entered, but must go forth into the pa!'ture; so
that, in cntering' in should be thc beginning, in goiJlg fo/"th
alll/jimling lJllstll1'e, the perfeeting of graces. He who cn-
tereth in, is ('ontained within thc hounds of thc world; he
who goeth forth, goes, as it were, beyond all created thin!!,'s,
and, eountin/! as nothing all things seen, shallJilld pasture
abm'e the Hem-ens: and shall feed upon the "T ord of God, amI
say 15, The Lord is my SIIC)Jllerd, (and feedeth me,) .l can lack
notltillF{. But this going forth can only bc through Christ;
as it followeth, fIlul the Lurd at ti,e head uf them." Nor,
again, is this in itself easy, or done for us without any effort
of our own. All is of Christ. Thc words c
press the close-
ness of thc rclation bctween the Head and thc memlwrs ; and
what He, our King and Lord, doth, they do, bceause He
"Tho did it for them, doth it in them. The samc words
arc used of hoth, shewi
)g- that what thcy do, they do by
virtue of His l\1i!!,'ht, treading in His step!<, walking where lIe
has made thc way plain, and by His Spirit. "That they do,
they do, as belonging to Him. He bt'eaketlt through, or, /"a-
ther, in all is the BJ'eaker-through. Thcy, having broken
through, pass on, bceausc He ]Jasseth before them. lIe will
16 bl'eak in pieces the gates of bra.ç.ç, and cut in sumler the bars of
iroll. He breaketh through whatever would hold us back or
oppose us, all mi
ht of sin and death aud Satan, as :\Joses
opened the Red Sea, for 17 away fu/" the ransomed to pass ove1';
and so He saith, IB I will go befuJ'e thee, I will break ill pieces
the gates of brass, and Cllt in sunder the ba/"s uf iron, aml .l
1l.ill give thee tI,e treasures r!f darkness, and hidden 1'iches of se-
cret places. So then Christians, following Him, the Captain
uf tlleil' sa!t'ation, strengthened by His grace, must burst the
bars of the flesh and ofthe world, thc -chains and bonds of cvil
passions and hahits, foree themselves through the narr'ow way
and narrow gate, do violenee to themseh-es, wendure liardness,
as good soldieJ's of JeSll,ç Christ. The title of our Lord, the
Breaker-througIl 20 , and the sa
-ing, the."I/ break throug/l, toge-
ther express the samc as the
ew Testament doth in regard
to our being partakers of the suffcrings of Christ. 21Joint
heirs witlt Christ, if so be that ll'e suller fl'ith .FIim, that we ma.1I
be also glur!/ied tugether. 22 If ll'e be dead with Him, we shall
also live 1l'ith Him;
f we .m/tel', we shall also reign 1l'itlt Him.
23 Fora.wlllcll then as ChrÜt hatlt slflllred fur us in the flesh-arm
yourselves like1.l'ise lI'itlt the same mind.
Thc words mav includc also the removal of the souls of the
just, who had beÏieved in Christ before His Coming-, into Hca-
ven after Hi!o' Resurrection, and will be fully eompleted when,
in the end, He shall cause His faithful sen-ants, in body and
soul, to enter into tllejo.1l of their Lord.
CHAP. III. vcr. 1. Aml .lsaid. God's Im"c for us is the great
incitement, eonstrainer, vivifier of His ereaturc's love.
Ii-
eah bad just spoken of God's love of Israel; how Hc would

ti S. John x. 4. 7 lb. 15. xii. 32. 8 Ps. cxviii.
O. 9 Dion.
lø S. Luke i. ï!J. II S.l\1att. ,'ii. 13, 14. I
Ex. xxxiii. 15, Hi.
I.' S.Johnx.!J. 1< S.Jer. 15 Ps.xxiii.l.
lti Is. xlv. 2. 17 Ib.li.l0. 18 lb. xlv. 2,3. 19 2 Tim. ii. 3.
G::.
"x:i
i
s 2
:om the

mRo

r
iii.s&harez,
ug
'

ii
' 1

e birt\3 wt"p:l.

a
:

CI-L\PTER III.

311

Befort'
CHRIST
cir. illi.

2 'Yho hatt' th('
ood, and love the eyil.;
who plu('k off their skin from off them, and
thcir flesh fJ'om off their bmws;
3 'Vho also b ('at the flesh of my people,
and flay their skin from off them; and thcy

break their bones, and chop them in pieces, c :
oÏs T
as for the pot, and C as flesh within the cal- cir. no.
(h'on. :
:.t'f8.1
i
,í.
.t Tlwn d shall the\y erv unto thc LORn, r:. o ;:
5.28.
but he will not he..;r thWcm: he will eyen
:;
: t'll:

t Ps. 14.4.

g-ather them into one fold under One Shepherd. g-uard them, with a bitter hatred. beeause it dif'turbs the darhne"':, of the
lead them, renlOre all difficliltics before them, be Himself their false peaC'e with whieh he would envelope him
elf. At fir....t,
Head and ('nable them to follow Him. He turns then to them. menlO\-e only the I'lea!<ure ('onne('tNl with the e\'il; then they
The
e are God's doing-s; thi
. God has in 1'tore for you here- mahe whom they ean, c,-il, heeau
e g-oodne
s is a r('proach to
after. E,-en when mercv it
elf'
hal\ require chastisement, Be them: in the end, thev Im-e e,-il for its own sake ll . Heathen
doth not east off for e,-cr. The de
olation i,; but the forerun- morality too di!'tin
'l.1Í
hed between the incontinent and the un-
ner offllture merey. ,nmt then do ye? The Prophet appeals prinC'ipled I
, the man who
inned under force of temptation,
to them, da
s by class. There was one g-eneral eorrllption I and the man who had lo
t the sense of right amI wrong-.
of evt'r
order of men, throug-h whom Judah eould be pre- "13 Elocr.'! olle tlwt duetl, el:il,l/(lteth the ligld. L \nIOSO longeth
sen-ed, prÍlwes\ IH'uphets
, priests 3 . TI,e ,
tllt lwd lust its ,Wl- I for thing-s Ullian 1'111, hateth the righteousne<;;s which rebuketh
'l'Ol(J' ; wl,erell'ith could it he seas'mee/? whereby could the de- \ and IHUli!<heth 14."
cariug- mass of the penl'le be kept from entire corruption? 1/"/10 plllck '!!f tl,eir shill from qff them, ami tl,eir flesh
Hpar, I pray .'lOll, () heads of Jacoh, alld ye prillces 'l the frum ,1/' t!teir !Jolles. lIe had des('ribed the Good Shepherd;
hOllSC uf L
J"{[eI. lIe arraig-ns them by the sallle name, under now, in contra
t, he describes those who ought to be ,. shep-
which He had fir
t promi!<ed men'y. lIe had fir!<t promi!<ed herds of the peol)le:' to feed, guard, direct them, but who
Jlwrcy to all Jacob and the remnant '!t' Israel. SO HOW he i\"ere their butehcrs ; who did Hot
hear them, but flayed them;
upbraid,; tIll' heads u.f.lacub, and the princes uf tIle huuse of ls- who fell un them, not fed them. He heapf' up their !!uilt. act
rae!, lc
t they
hould deeei\-c them!<eh'e;:. .\.t the same time by act. Fir:<t they flay, i. e. tahe away their outer g-oods : then
he re('alls them to the deed
of their father. Judah had
ue- the
- break their bones in pieces. the most solid parts. on whieh
('eeded to the birthrig-ht, forfeited by Reuben, ::;imeon and the whole frame of their hody depends, to !!et at the \"Cry
Le,-i; and in Judah all the promise
of the )Ic,;siah were laid marrow of their life, and 1'0 feed themselves upon them.
up. liut he was not like the three g-reat Patriar('hs. the la- .Ami not unlike, thoup:h still more fearfully, do they sin, who
ther oftllefaithful. or the meek Isaac, or the much-tried .Jaeob. ! fir,;t remm-e the skin. as it were. or outward tender fence!" of
The name then had not the remini!'celU'es, or foree of appeal. God's g-raees ; (!"lU'h as is mode
ty, in regard to inward purity;
eontained in the title,.;, secd ,
f
J!JrallClm, or baae. or Israel. outward demeanour, of inward virtue; outward forms. of in-
Is it notfor .IfUll to knuw.ilUlgmellt t It is a g-reat increase I ward de,-otion:) and so break the strong bones of the sterner
of f,!."uilt, when persons neg-leet or pervert what it is their spe- I drtues, whieh hold the whole soul tog-ether; and with them
cial duty and offiee to guard; as when teachers l'orrupt doc- I the whole flesh. or
ofter graces, become!" one shapdess Illa
s,
trine. or preachers g-Í\-e in to a low standard of morals, or shred to pieee
and consumed. So Ezekiel says 15; IVoe to the
judg-es pen'ert judg-ment. The princes here spoken of are so sllepherds ,
f Israel tlwt do feed themse/z'cs; should lIut the sllCp-
named from judg-inp:, "(
eridinf,!."
" cau1'es.. They ar
the same I herds feed tile ..flock? re eat the fat and ye riothe YOll leith
as the rlliers, whom IsaIah at the same tIme upbraIds, a
be-, the u'uul,.lJe kill them that are fed, !/e feed lIot the flock. The
ing-, fro III their sins. rllie/'s of Sudum å. whose 6 hands were full I diseCised have ye not strengthened. i)'c.
of hfwd. They who do not ril!,'ht. in time cease, in great mea- I 4. TI,ell shall the.1f Cl"YUlltu the Lord. Then. The Pro-
tmre, to know it. .-\.S God withdraws His g-ra('e, the mind is phet looks on to the Vay of the Lord, which is e,'er before his
darkened and can no longer see it. So it is said of Elï

(Ill!<, I mind. So the Psalmist, speaking of a time or pla('e not ex-
they 'i were sons (
f Belial, the.1f knew not the Lord; and, B Into I pressed, say
, 16 TI,ere ll'ere the.1f in greatfear. He sees it, points
a malicious soul Irise/mll shall 1I0t enter, lIor dwell in a bod.1! I to it. a
f'eeing- what tho
e to whom he spoke, saw HOt. and the
thClt is suldect unto sin. Sueh"
attain not to know the.ilU(E{- more awefully, beeause he sa", with super-human and so with
ments of God whi('h are a great deep: and the depth of I1is certain vision, what was hid fmln tllCir eyes. The then "as
justice the evil mind findeth not." ßut if men" ill not know not then. ill the time o.f grace, but when the Day of grace should
.;jlldgment by doiH!! it, they shall by suffering it. be o,-er. and the Vay of Judgment 1'hould be eome. So of
. 2. IVIIO !tate the {{ood alld love the edl; i. e. the.1f hate, for that day, ,,-hen judgment should set in. God says in Jeremiah 17,
Its own sake, that which is good, and love that whieh is nil. Behold I ll'W brillg e'l'illlpon them lL'hid the!! sllallllot be able
The Prophet is not here
p('aki'lg- of their hating {toad men. tu go furtll of, (Old tj,e.IJ It'ill cr.lI UlltO
1Ie, ami I will not hear-
or loving Cl'i! men. but of their hating- guodlless and lovin
kellulltu them. And Vm-id IS, TI4ey cried and there was 1IOlle to
'll'irkedness lO . "9 It is
in not to Im-e g-ood; what g-uilt to hate Slll.:e' lmto the Lord alld He U11su'ered them not. And Solo-

t ! it is faulty, not to flee from evil. what ungodÜne
s to Im-e mon Í9 ; IVlIOso stop
eth his ears at the cr.lI of the ]Joor. he shall
It!" . :\Ian, at fir:<t, Im-es and admires the g-ood, even while he cr!1 /,imself alld shall !lOt he heard. And St. James 20, He slwll
doth It not; he I!ates the e,-il, e\"en while he docs it, or as soon ! IIlll'e.i"dgmellt U'itllOllt 1Ilerc.IJ. tllat hath shlll'ed 110 7IIerc.lf. The
a
he has. done It. But man eannot bear to be at strife with prayer hi ne'-er too late, until judgment comes 21; the day of
!ns e
Hlsclene
. and so he ends it, by exensing himself and tell- graee i,. O\'er. when the time of judgment has arrind. ,. They
mg lIes to llIlllself. And then, he hates the truth or good 1'hall cry unto the Lord. and shall not be heard, beeause they
I 1-4.
5-;". 3 11. 11 Rom. i. 32. I: The á"paT,ìç and á..úXa<TTOç of Aristotle. 13 S. John iii. 20.
'l
.;i' from :'r.;i'. "cut, deÔde,"whenct' Cadhi. . The word is the same, h_ i.lO. U Dion. I. xxxiv. 2-". add 5-10.
6 l,b. I? , 1 Sam. ii.12. S Wisi!. i. 4. 9 S. Jer. 10 This appears from 16 Ps.liii. 5. 1; xi. 11. IS Ps. x\iii. 41. 19 Provo xxi. 13. :0 ii. 13.
the'Kethlb :'I!I'1. .
l See ah. on Hos. \.6. p. &4, 5.
B b 2

312

c J
Ts T hide his face from them at that time, as they
cir. no. have behaved themselves ilJ in their doin
s.
e

:
. If: M: 5
Thus saith the LORD e eoneerllin
the
&; 22. 25. prophets that make my people err,. that

1\1 ICAH,

fhite with their teeth, amI ery, Peace; and c Ji
oÍes T
g he that puttedl not into their mouths, they cir. ílO.
e\"en prepare war against him: t

t
:

i5.
G h Therefore ni
ht shall be untu you. g fs
el
.13.
hIs. 8. 20, 22. Ezek. 13. 23. Zech. 13. 4.

too did not hear tho
e who asked thcm, and the Lord shall
turn His Face from them, beeausc the\" too turned their face
from those who prayed them." .
He will even hide l
is l.è,ce. He will not look in merev
on those who would not reeeivc His look of p:raee. ruur Sill;,
He
ays by Isaiah, have hid His face from ./fou, that l
e hear-
eth llot. 0 what will that turning away of thc }'ace be, on
whieh han:rs cternit\" !
As. TI;erp is a proportion between the sin and the punish-
ment. 1 As 1 huz'e dOlle, so God hath requited me. Tlu'y IW1'e
behaved tI,emsell'es ill ill tl,eir duillgs. lit. I,(we made their deeds
evil. The word rendered doillgs is almo
t always used in a bad
sense, 11liKIIf.'1 deeds, and so deeds with a high hand. Not igno-
rantly or negligently, nor throngh human ti'ailty, but with set
purpofo:e they appli('d themseh'e
, not to amend but to f'Ormpt
their doings, and make them worse. God ("ailed to th('m by all
His prophets, make guud your doings 2 ; and they, re,'ersing- it,
used dili
encc to make their duings n,il. "3 All this they shall
suffer, becaufo:c thev werc not rulers, but h-rants; not Prefectfo:,
but lions: not mastel's of di
('iples, but ,;'ol\"Cs of sheep; and
they sated them
eh-es with flcsh and werc fattened, and. as
a-
crifices for the slaug-hter, were made ready ti)r the punishment
of the Lord. Thus far ap:ainst evil rulers; then he turns to the
falsc prophets and e,-il teachers, who by flatteries subwrt the
peoplc of God, promisinp: them the knowledg-e of His word."
5. The prophets that make
ll.tl people f'rr, flattering them
in their sins and rebcllions, promisinp: that they shall go un-
punished, that (;od is not so strict, will not put in force the
judp:ments He threatens. So Isaiah !'aith 4; U my people, the,ll
w/lich lead tllee, mislead tllee; and 5, the leaders of t!lis people
are its misleaders, and they that are led of t!lem are destroyed.
And J cremiah 6 , Tile prop/lets IWl'e seenful"i 11ee1'an it!! ami ful-
Iy; aml the!!luwe no/ lliscot'ered thine iniquity to tllm Ul{'(l.'l tlty
captivit!!, aud Illll'e seenfor thee false hurdens and causes of ha-
llislnnent. Ko error is hOI}eless, save what is taug-ht in the
Name of God.
Tlwt hite u'itll tlleir mouths. The word í is used of no other
hiting than the hiting of serpents. They were doing- real, sc-
cret cvil while the.1I cr./f, i. c. pruclaim peace; they bit, as ser-
pents, treacherously, deadlily. They fed, not so much on the
g-ifts, for which they hired themseh'es to 8 speak peace 1l./lCn
there ;vas no peace, as on thc souls of the gh'ers. So God
says by Ezekiel 9 , TVill ye pollute JIe among JI./f people for
hll111(fuls ofharley alld fur pieces of bread, to sla./f the souls that
should not die, alld to save tile souls alh'e that shoulcl not live,
h./f yuur lying to JIy people tllat hear your lies? Because with
lies ye llave made t!le heart of t!le rigltteolls sad, u.llOm Iluwe
nut made sad; and strengthened the hands of the 1cicked, that
lie should not return.frum Ms wicked wa.ll, h.l/ promisin
Mill
i
fe-t!leref01'e ye ÛwlL see no more l'anity 1l0r clil'ine divinations.
It was with a show of peacc that Joab slew .\bner and .Ama-
sa, and with a kiss of pcacc Judas betraycd our Lord.
.And he that put/eth not into their 11lOltllls, the!1 prepare
war agaimt Mm, lit. ami (i. e. forthwith; it was all one; bribes
1 Judg. i. í. "As the Jews speak' measure for measure '." Poco from Abarb.
2 Jer.xxxv.15.C
'

JJ;"J
'
; here,c"'
'JJ;'IV'1' 3 St.Jer. 4 iii.12.
. ix.16.(15, Heb.) 6 Lam.ii. H. ""F] Gen. xlix. 17.
um. xxi. 8,9. Provo xxiii. 32.
Eccl. X. 8, 11. Am. v. 19. ix.8. Hence, Kimchi, .. \\-hile they proclaim peace, and

refused, war pro('laimed,) tlle.'l.wlJlrt
r..l/ u'ar against him. lJikc
those of whom Joel prophe
ied 10, they prodaim war again
t
him in thc Kame of God, by thc authority of God whit'h they
had taken tu themselves,
peaking in His Kame ',"ho had
not sent them. So when our lJord fed the multitude, they
would take Him hy force and make Him a lâng; when their
hopes were gone and they
aw that His KingdolJl ll'US nM of
tM.nl'orld, they said. ('ruc
fy llim, cruc
f!lllim. l\JuC'h more
the Phari
ee
, who, be('au
e He rebuked their cO\'etou
ne
s,
their de,-ouring widows' houses, their extortion and excess,
their making their proselytes more ('hildren of hell than
themselve
, said. Thull Masphemest. So, when the masters
of the pos
essed damsel whom St. Paul freed, II saw tlwt the
Iwpe (
f their gains u'as gone, they a('eused him, that hc e.
'ceed-
ingl./f trouMed tllCil' city, teaclling customs not lau:flll to he J"e-
ceiud. So t:hri
tians were perse('uted by thc Heathen as
"12 hating thc human race," be('ause they would not partake
of their sins; afo: " I3 atheists," bceause they worshipped not their
gods: as "a disloyal" and "public enemies," be('au
e they
joined not in unholy festh-als; as ., unprofitable," beeaw;e they
ne:rl('C'ted things not profitahle but harmful. So llIen arc now
eall('d "illiberal," who will not makc free with the truth of
God; "intolerant;' who will not allow that all faith is mat-
ter of opinion, and that thcre is no certain truth; .. pïecise,"
"cen
orious," who will not connh-e at sin, or allon the lc,-ity
whi('h play
, mothlike, around it andje!'ts at it. The Chllreh
and th(' Gospel arc a
ainst thc world, and so the world whieh
they condcmn mu
t be against them; and sueh i
the fon'e of
, truth and 11OIine!'s, that it must ('arryon the war against them
in their own name.
G. Tllel'efore ni
ld shalllJe unto you, tbat ye slwllnot have
a l'ÍsiOll. In the prcsenee of (;od's extremc judgments, even
deceh'ers are at length !'till: sileneed at la
t by the common
misery, ifnot hy awe. The fahc I}rophets hadl'romised peace,
light, brig-htne
s, IIl"osperity; the night of trouble, ang-uish,
darkness, fear, shall eomc upon them. So shall they no morc
dare to speak in the Xame of God, while He was by Hi
judg-
ments speaking- the eontrary in a way ,,,hich all IIlu!'t hear.
They abused God's gifts and 10Ilg-snft"ering against Himself:
they eould misinterpret His long-fo:uffering into fan)r, and
they did it : their visions of the future were hut the reflections
of the prescnt and its eontinuaIwe; they thought that becausc
God was enduring-, H(' was indift'uent, and they took His go-
vernment out of His Hands, and said, that what He appeared
to be no\\", Hc would evcr be. They had no other light, no
other foresight. "'hen then thc darkness of temporal eala-
mity em-eloped them, it shrouded in onc eommon darlme
s of
night aU present brightness and all sight of the future.
"15 After Caiaphas had in heart spoken falsehood and a pro-
phecy of blood, although God oyerruled it to truth which he
meant not, all grace of prophec)" departecl. 16Tlle law lincl the
prophets prophesied until John. TIle Sun of Ri
hteullSlleSS
went clown over them, inwardly and outwardly, withdrawing
the brightness of His Providence and the inward light of
flatter the people, it is as if they bit it with the teeth." So A.E. also and Tanch. in Poe.
s Ezek. xiii. 10. 9 lb. 19, 22, 23. 10 See ab. on Joel iii. 9. p. 157. 11 Acts xvi.
1!J-21. 12 Tertullian, ApoI. C. 10. anit note k. Oxf. Tr. 13 lb. c. 35. ad Scap. C. 2.
14 lb. 42, 43. 1
Rup. 16 S. Matt. xi. 13

CIL\PTER III.

Defore
CHRIST
cir. ilO.

t that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall
he dark unto you, tthat yc shall not didne ;
i ami the sun shall go down over the pro-
phets, and the day shall be dark o,'cr them.
7 Then shall the Sl'f'rs he ashamcd, and
the diviners l'onfuundcd : yca, tlll'Y shall all

t Heb.ji-om
a ,';sio".
t H eb. ji-om
tlh'inillg.
I Amos tj. 9.

313

('over their t lips; k fur tlW)'C i.y no answcl' C 1
1Ts T
uf God. cir.71O.
8
ì nut truly [ am full nf power by the t
J

;'liP'
spirit of the LORD, and of judg;ment, and k

{1I.
of might, I to declare unto J al'nh his trans- I Is. 53. I.
gression, and to Israel his sin.

grace." So Chri
t Himself forewarm'd: I/Valk ll'Mle.lfe IUl1'e
tI,e lig"', lest darl.-nes.<; cOllie upon .IIOIl. And
o it ha
remain-
ed eyer sinee. 2 TIle l'eilhas been on their IlCart.<;. The light
i
in all thc wol"ll1, but they s('e it not; it aro!'e to li
htcn tI,e
Gentile,<;, hut they walk on still in c!arkne.<;s. .\.s oppo
ed to
holines
, truth. Imowledge, Dh in(' enli
htening of the mind,
hri
ht glaclne
':, contrariwise darlme:,s is falsehood, !o'in, error,
blimlness of soul, i
noranee of Dh-ine things, anel sorrow. J n
all the
e ways, did the Sun go down orer tltem, so that the
darkness wei
h('cl heavily upon tltem. So too the inventors of
heresie
pretend to see and to cnter into the my
teries of
Christ. yet find darkness in
tcad of light, lose e,-en what they
think tliev see fail e,'en ofn-hat truth they seem mo
t to hold:
and they
hall 'be in night and darknes,:, 'being cast intu uuter
darkness; S sÏJmiJlg against the hrethren, and wowlding tI,e
u'eak cunscience of those for whom ("/,rist died.
Î. Tlte.1f sll(lÎI CfJl'er 'tlteir lips, lit. tIle hair o/tlte upper lip 4,.
This n-a
an a('tion enjoined on leperi: 5, and a token of mourn-
in
6; a token then of sorrow and uneleanne
s. \\ïth theirlips
they had lied, and now they should coyer their Ups, as men
dumh <Ind a
hallled. Fur there is 110 anSll'er of God, as thesc
deceÍ\-er
had pretended to ha,-e. "'hen all tliings !;hall eome
('ontrary to what they had promised. it
hall be elcar that God
did not !'end them. .And ha,-ing plainly no answer of (;od,
they !'hall not dare to feign one theu. "7 Then not e"en the
de,'il
shall receive power to deceive them by their eraft. The
ora des
han b(
dumb; the unclean spirit shall not dare to de-
lude." " 8 All this is spoken against tho""e who, in the Church
of Christ. flatter the rich, or speak as men-pleasers, out of
avarice, ambition, or any like longing for temporal good, to
whom that of Isaiah 9 fitteth; ti,e leaders of this people Ether
who profe
s to lead them aright] mislead them, aml they tllat
are led 0/ tltem are destro.lferl:'
R .Ancl tmly I, [lit. C(JIltrariwise L] i. e. whereas they !'hall
be void and llO 11'Orcl ill tit em, I am /ull u/(or .filled witli) pO/l'er
hy tile Spirit of the Lurd lInd of.iudg/1/eut ami mig/d. The
fal
c prophets lO ll'alked a/tel" tlleirull'uspirit. Their only power
or influence was from ,rithout, from favouring eireum
tances,
from adapting them
eh-es to the great or to the people, going
alon
with the tide, and impellin
persons whither they wi
h-
eel to !!o. The power of the true prophet ,,'a., inherent, and
that by gift of tlte Spirit o/the Lurd n. And so, while a(!\-ersc
eireumstanees
ileneed the fabe prophets, ther called forth the
more the enerl!'Y of the true, who
e power was from Him in
"'hose Hands the world i
. The ad,'erse cireum
tal\('es to the
false prophets were God's judgments; to the true, they were
man's refraetorinc
s, rebellion, oppressiveness. lYOU' "as the
time of the false IJrolJhets; nuw, at a dh;tanee, they could
foretell hardily, because they could not yet be com'icted of
untruth. "'hen trouble eame, they went into the inlier clwm-
her to hide U them
clves. Micah, ami(l the wild tllmult 0/ tlte
I S.Johnxii.35. 22Cor.iii.I5. 3 ICor.\iii.I2.
·
im. 5 Lev. xiii.
. 6 Ezek. xúv. Ii, 2Z. .. S. Jer. 8 Dion.
v JIl.I2. 10 Ezek. Xlll. 3. II The use of I'K before "!Tn only shews plainly
!hat the ?bject5 of the. verb are
?3, ;:t-::-:, n
. and that the:-II is .. "ith ,.... through," as
m Gen. IV. I. I. I Kgs. XXI1. 2". 13 Ps.lxv. í. 14 S. Luke xxiv. ,j,!).

people ]3, wa
fearJess, uphorne hy I1im who ('(lntrol
, stills, or
loo
e!oi it, to do Hi!' Sm'ereign "ïll.
I am.filled leith pOll'er. So ollr Lonl hade Hi
_\ po
tlcs H,
Tarr!1 lIe, unti1.'le he endued witll pOlI'a/rom un liigh: 15 .'Ie slwll
rere;,'e power, (ifter t/wt tI,e lIul!1 (;{wst is {'wile UPUIl !IO/(; and III
tlle!/ll'ere all.filledll'itlt tI,e .Ho(1f Ghost. The three I!'ift,.:, p/Jll'-
er,j/l((t:ment, might, arc the fruits of the One Spirit of God,
throug-h "110m the Prophet was filled with them. Of the
e,
puwer is alway!' strength residing in the p('rson, whether it he
the pOll'er I7 or migM ({f ll'isdOIJl 18 (If .Almi;rhty God Himself, or
J}(JIl'erwhil'h He imparts I9 ur implants
o. ßut itisalway
power
lod
ed in the person, to be put forth by him. Hcre, as in

t. John Baptist 21 or the _\postle
14" it is Diyine power. g-h'en
throu;rh God the Holy Gho
t, to a('('ompli
h that for whieh he
was sent, as St. Paul wa!; endued with might

, c((sting duwn
imaginations aml el'erylâgh t/ting tltat e.t'lllteth itse(f against
tlte Immcledge 0/ Gud, ((JIll hringing into capti6(1f ezoery tltougbt
to tI,e obedience of Cllrist. It is ju!'t tlmt, whieh is !'o wanting
to human words. whieh i
!'o eharaeteristic of the word of
God. pml'e1'. Judgment i
, from its form 23, not so mueh dis-
cernment in the human heing, a
"the thing judged," pronounc-
ed by God. the righteous jud!!ment of God. and ri
hteous
judgment in man conformably therewith 2"'. It wa,.: what, he

oe
on to say, the great men of hi!oi people ahhorrerl 2 ., e(luity.
"ïth this he was filled. Thii: was th(' !'ubstance of his me
sage,
ri/!ht jud!r"ment to be ena('ted by them, to whil'h he was to
exhort them, or whil'h, on their refusal, was to be pronounced
upon thelll in the Xame of God the .Judge of all, and to be
executed upon them. _lIigllf is courage or bo]dne!',.; to delivcr
the messag-e of God. not awed or hindered by an\" ad\"er
aries.
It is that holy cuurage, of whieh St. Paul
reak; 26, tlwt utter-
ance may be gÏt'enunto me, that I may upen my mOllth boldly,
to make ImUl('n the mystery 0/ the gu.
pel, for ll'lârll I am WI
ambassador in honds, that therein I may speak ho!d(If, as I
uugM to speak. So too, after the Apostles had been
Îst/"(litly
tl,rellteuecl that t!tey should speak no mure in the
Yame I{f Jesus,
all, havinl!' prayed, ll'erefilled ll'ith tlie lIuly GllOst, and !'pake
ti,e l('ord 0/ God u'ith boldness. "28 "Thoso is sO streng-thened
and arrayed, uttereth fiery words. whereby hearer
' hearts are
moved and ehanged. ßut whoso speaketh uf his own mind,
doth
ood neither to himself nor others."
So Lthen, of the three gifts, power expres!'es the Dh-ine
mi,dlt lodged in him; judgment, the substance of what he had
to deliver; might or courage, the
trength to delh-er it in face
of human power, persecution, ridicule. death.
.,
9 The
e gifts the Prophets know are not their own, but are
from the Spirit of God. and arc by Him inspired into them.
Such was the spirit of EJijah, unconquered, energetic, fiel')',
of whom it is said, 30 Tlien stoodu}1 Elias as.fire, llJlll his u'ord
burned like a lamp. Such was Isaiah 3\ Cry alolld, spare not,
lift u}1 thy l'oice like a trumpet, and sllew JIy peo}1le tlteir
15 Actl i. 8. 16 lb. ii. 4. 17 Ex. xv. 6. xxxi:. II. ?\um. xiv. Ii. &c.
18 Job X'<xvi. 5. 19 Deut. viii. IS. Judg.
"i. 5.9.19. 20 Deut. viii. Ii. and passim.
21 S. Luke i. 17. 22 2 Cor. x. 5. 23 ::!:I:':J 24 As in Provo i. 3. Is. i. 21. v. 7.
2.; \er. 9. 26 Eph. vi. 19. :!O. 2í Acts iv. 18, 31.
28 DioD. 29 Lap. 30 Ecclus. xhiii. I. al h-iiÏ. I.

31-1

Before
CHRIST
cir. 710.

H Hear this, I pray you, re heads of the
house of Jacoh, and princes of the house
of Israel, that ahhor judgment, and per-
,.ert all equity.

l\IIcAH,

10 mTher build up Zion wid. nt hlood, cJí[Ü{ST
and Jerusalem with iniquity. cir. ;10.
II oThe heads thereof judge forreward,:
e:

.22i.32ï.
and p the priests thereof teach for hire, and
1:
;.23.1i:
t Heb. bloods. 0 Is. 1. 23. Ezek. 22. ]2. Hos. 4. ]8. ch. ï. 3. p Jer. 6. .3.

tra1lsgressiull and tlie liouse of Jamb tlieir sins. Such was
Jercmiah 1; Tllerefure I am fllll uf tllefllr,/f ({ ti,e Lord; I am
1ceary of Iwlding in. IIIlll'e set t11e1
for ([ trier amung JI..'I peo-
ple, a stroug forl; and tholt slwlt knoll' ([nd tr./f tlleir u'ays.
Such wa
John ßaptist, who !'aid,2 0 generation (
ll'ipers, u,110
hath u'arned .lloU to}iee from the wrath to cume? Sueh was
Paul, who, when he 3 reasuned (
l temper(ilwe, righteousness and
il((
t{ment to come, madc Felix tremble, though unbclie\"Ïng"
and ungodly. Sm'h were the Apo
tle
, who, when they had
re('eh-ed the Holy Spirit, -I hmke, with a mip:hty breath, ships
and king
(
f TarsllÍsl,. Such will bc l:lias and Enoch at the
end of the world, striving again
t Anti-Christ, of whom it is
said 5, If (il1!1 man u'ill Ilurt tllem, .fire proceedetlt out of tlleir
muuth and del'ouretlt tlleir enemies."
9, Hear tllÍs, I pm.1f !!OU. The ProplH't discharges upon
them thatþ((

ment, whereof, hy tlie ''''pirit of God, he was full.
and whieh they ahllOrred; jlldgment against their pen-er:;ion
of judgment. He rebukes the
alllC classes as before 6, tIle
I,eads andjlldges, yet ..till more ..ternly. Theyahlwrredjllclg-
ment, he
ays, a
a thing' loathsome and ahomillable í, sueh
as men eannot bcar en:'n to look upon; they not only dealt
wrongly, but they pel'zoerted, di!'tort('d. all equity: "8 that so
there should not remain e,'en
Ollle slight justice in the eity."
All eqllit.'!; all of every !.'ort, right, rectitude, uprip:htne
s,
straight-ti)]"wardne

9, whatever was right by natural eon-
scienee or by God's law, they di
torted, like the 80phi
t!' mali-
ing the wor
c appear the better cau
e. 1\"aked viol('lH'e cru!'hes
the indiddual; pcrnrsion of equity dc!'troys the fountain-
head ofjustiee. Thc Prophet turns from them in these words,
as one who could not bear to look upon their llli
deedf'. and
who would not speak to thelll; tbe.'1 JJel'I'erf; jJ/(ilding; ller
I,eads, lIer priests, IIer propllets ; as Eli!'ha. but for the pre
ence
of Jehoshaphat, would not look on Jehoram. nor see him lO.
He first turns amI t'peaks of them, as one man, as if they were
all one in e,'il;
10 TII"y huild up [lit. huilding, sing.] Zioll with h/o{Jd.
This ma," be taken literallv on both sides. that. the rich built
their paiaces, ,. with wealtl
g-otten by bloodshed 8, by rapine of
the poor, by slaug-hter of the saints," as Ezekiel f'ays ll, lier
princes ill tile midst tllereof arc like lI'olus, to sited blood, to
destro.lJ souls, to get disll(mest gain. Or by blood he may mean
that they indirectly took away Jife, in that, through wrong
judg-ments, extortion, usury, fraud, oppression, reducing- wag-cs
or detaining them, they took away what was necessary to sÙp-
port life. So it is said 12; The bread of the ueed.'1 is tlleil' life.
Iw tliat defmlldetlt liim tllel'eof is a man of blood. He tllat
tal.:eth 1l1;'ll.1! liis ueigllhollr's' liz'illg sla!!eÎh !tim, ([ml he tllat
(lefmudetll the labourer uf liis Idre is a blood,
IIedcler. Or it may
be, that as David In'ayed to God, 13Build Tlwll tile u'all6 of
Jeru,mlem, asking Him thereby to maintain or increase it!'
well-bemg, so these men thought to promote the tcmporal
l)rm;perity of Jerusalem by doings which '\"Cre unjust,oppres-

1 vi.n, 2;.
s. "Iatt. iii. 7. 3 Acts x'i:iv. 23. 4 Ps. xlviii. 8.
Ii Rev. xi. 5. 6 iii.I. .. t'::!
'I1
, one of the mo strongest Hebrew "ords to
'xpress abomination,
om]>. :'1::!!/111. · S. Jer.
9 Frequent as the adj. "IE", "right, upright," is, the abstract:nt. occurs here only in the
O. T. The original force is..8traight,....even... and hence "straight-forwardness, rectitude:'
The idea of "evenness" ("hich Ges. denies) belotJged to the root in early times, the names

!o'Ï\-e, erushin
to their inferior
. So Solomon, in his deg-e-
nerate days, made the .1loke upon hi
people and his serz'ice
gl'iel'ous H . So ambitiou!< monarchs by larg-e standing"-armies
or fillinp: their exehequers drain the life-hloml of their pcople.
The l'hy
Ît'al condition and stature of the lworer population
in mueh of France was lowcred permanently hy the con
('ril'-
tions under the first Emperor. I n our wealthy nation, the
term }lm-erty desc'ribe!' a cm)(lition of other days. '" e hm'e
had to eoin a ncw name to desig-natc the mi
ery, offspring- of
our mat('riall'ro
perity. From our wealthy town
, (as from
t hose of .Flander:-õ,) ascends to heaven again
t us " 1;; the ery of
'pauperi
m' i. e. the ery of di
tress, arrÏ\'cd at a eflndition of
system and of power, and, by an unexpc(,tcd curse, b:-lling from
the ,'ery dc, elopcment of wealth. The politieal econom
of
unbeli('f has been erushcd In- fa('t
on all the theatres of
human adh-ity and indu!o'Ìl'Y.'" Truly we build up Zioll u'ith
blood, whcn we eheap('n luxuries and ('omforts at the price of

oul!'. use (,hri
tian toil like brutc
treng-th. tempt men to dis-
hone
ty and women to other
in, to elf> out thc
('anty wap:es
whieh alone our selfish thir
t for cheapnes
allows, heedlcss of
e,'ery thinp: sa,.c of our indiddual g-ratification, or the cllm-
lIIereial prosperity, which we hm-c made our g-od. 1\J ost awe-
fully wa
Ziou built u'itll blood, when the Jews shed the Ï11110-
cent ßlood, that 16 ti,e Rmllans llli
'ht not take aU'''.1f their place
([lIdllatiun, But silll'e He has !'aid Ii, Inasmuch as ye did it /lot
untu one of tbl' least n.fthese JIy j
retbren. .lle did it not unto JIe,
alld!8S au l.S au l, wb.'l persecutest thulllJIe? whell Saul was per-
secuting Chri"t's memher
, then, ill thi!' waste of lives and
of soul
, we are not onlv wa
tin
the Price of His ßlood in
()ur
clves and other!', but are an
w slaving- Chri:-õt. and that,
from the
elf-same motÏ\-es as those who crueificdHim. I9lrheu
ye sil/ (lgainst the members, !Ie sill agail/st Cbrist. Our com-
mercial greatne,;s is tbe price of His Bluod
O. In the judg-
ments on the Jews, we may read our OWll national futUl'e; in
the woe on those throug-h
dlOm tbe u'eak brother perislles for
U'lWlll Christ died 2\ we.ifwe lJartake or eonniyc at it, may read
our own.
II. The beads thneofjudge for reu'ard. E,'ery da
s was
corrupted. One sin, the 1'OUt uf all el'Í1
2, ('o\'etousnes!', en-
tered into all they did. It, llot God, was their one end, amI
so their god. Her lieads, the f'ecular authority, who 23 sat to
ju(
t{e accordiug tu the lmc, Judged, contrary to the law, for
reu'ards. They sat as the represelltati,.es of the
\Iaj(>
ty of
God. in 'Yho,;e Xame they judg-ed, "'h(l
e righteou!' Jud
ll1ent
and t'orreeting Proyidcllt'e law exhibits amI exet'utes, and
they profaned it. To judge fur relcards was in it"elf sin, for-
bidden by the law 24, To refuse justice, UlIles,; paid for it,
was unju
t, degrading" to ju
tice. The se('ond sin followed
hard upon it. to jud?'e un.iu
tly. ab:-õol\"Íng the g-uilty, condcmn-
ing the innoccnt, jm;tifrin?" the oppres
or, legalisin
wrong.
And her priests teach for !lire. The Lord was the portion
and illhnitance 25 of the priest. He had his sustenance as-

f:o
ei:
o "fola
'K';
fïn

and,/I

r

. Reu
eË

I:
'

. 2t.2

')

ints

i

:; 1
r.Tr;t
i
;;. 43.'. Lac

i

eren
:si 10
: \;iï

: ;0
. il
t

ii
:
,t . Cor. \iii.H. ::: . Tim. vi. 10.
Acts ""iii. 3. 2< Ex. xxiii. S.
Deut. x\ i. 19. 2. K UIU.
\ iii. 20. Deut. x\ iii. 2.

cH.\.PTER III.

C J1 0 fs T the prophets thereof dh'inc for money: 'Ir et
cir. ílO. will they lean upon the LORD, t and say,
q Is. 48. 2. Jer. 7. 4. Rom.:1. Ii. t Heb. .al/inJ!.

315

b not the LORD amotJ.
us? none cyil ean c 1

oÏST
('OlllC upon us. cir. no.

ia:ned him by God,and, therewith, the duty to I 1J1lt d[tlàence
hetween IIOZ1/ and unlwl!l, and helween clerm and Imelelm, ami
to teaclt all the .
tatutes, whieh God had c'ommanded. Their
lips were to keep knuwlec(({e 2. 'J'hi!' thcn, whic'h they were
bound to gil'e, they sold. But ,.3 wh('reas it is !"aid to the holy,
4. FreeZl/ ;1/e have receil'ed, /reeZ'/ f{Î1'e, the
e, produeing' the
answcr of Gotl upon the receipt of money, sold the g-race of
the Lord for a covetous priee." Probably too, tlU'ir sin co-
operated with and streng-thened the sin of the judg'cs. .Au-
thurised iutel"[)reters of the law, they, to please the wealthy.
probably misinterpreted the law. l
or wicked jud
es would
not ha,-e given a pri('e for a righteous interpretation of the
law. The eivil authorities were entrusted by God with power
to execute the law; the priests n ere entru
ted by Him with
the knowled
e to expound it. Both employed in it
pernrsion
that whieh (;ml gave them forits maintenance. The l)rinees
obtained by bribcry the mi
udgUlent of the pl'iests and en-
for(
ed it; the priests justified the injustiee of the Princes.
So _\.rian Bishops. themsch'es hirelings 5, by false expositions
of Scripture, ('ountenau('e(I.Arian Emperors in the oppre!osion
of the faithful. "6 They propped up the heresy by human pa-
tronage;" tht' Emperors" ïbestowed on" them their" reit!."n of
irr('li
ion." The .Arian Emperors tried to efface the Couneil
of Xiee by r'Ouneils of 4\.rian ßi
hops 8. Emperors perverted
their power, the ßi
hops their knowledge. Kot publicly only
but privately doubtless al
o, these priests ta"gllt fah:ely
.for ltire, lulling the conseienees of those who wished to de-
ceive themf'eh-es as to what. God forbade, and to obtain
from His priests ans\\'er
in His Xame, which mi/!ht explain
awar His law in favor of laxity or
in. So people now try to

et ill-advised to do aa:ainst God's will what thev are bent on
doin
; only they get ill-ad, ised for nothing. One who re-
eeh-es money for giving an irr'esponsible opinion, places him.

elf in proximate peril of
Í\-ing' the answer whieh will J)lease
those who Imy him. "9It is Simony to teaeh and preach the
doctrine of Christ and His Gospel, or to g-h'e answers to
quiet the conseÌencc, for money. For the immediate ohjel"t
of these two act
, is the eallin
forth of faith, hOJ)e, eharity.
penitence. and other supernatural aetf', and the reeeption of
the eonf'olation of the Holy
pirit : and this is, amon
Chris-
tians. their onh- ,'alue. "Thence they arc accounted thin
s
sa ('red and supérnatural; for their imiuediate end is to things
supernatural: and they are done by man, as he is an instru-
ment of the I10lv Ghost."
"10 Thou art permitted, 0 Priest, to lil'e 11 , not to luxuriate,
from the altar. 12 The muuth of ti,e o.
. u'lIiclt treadelh out the
("Urn is not muz;:./ecl. Yet the Apostle 13 abuseclnot the liherty,
but }.f,hm.ing food and raiment, was tltere71'ith cuntent; 15labollr_
il1
1light ami da.l/. thai he 1/li
ht 1lut be c/wrgeable 10 aJl.1Jbod!l.
And in hi!'Ò Epi
tlcs he calls God to witness that he 61Ìl'ed 110-
li(l/ and without avarice in the Gospel of Christ. He asserts
this too. not of himf'elf alone but of his diseiples, that he had

ent no one who would either ask or reeeh-e anvthill"" from
the Churehe
lï. ßut ifin!"ome Epi
tles he expref'
('spl
sure,
and eall
the gifts of those w'ho sent, thegrace 1s 0/ God, he ga-

1 Lf'V. X. 10, 11. add Deut. xvii. 10. n. 'txxiii.IO Hn p ii 11 .qq
2
la1. ii.
. 3 S. Jer. .
S.
Iatt. x. 8. '. s:Ati.. ago Arlans, i. 8. p. 191.
and n. C. Oxl. Tr. . 6 Id. 11. 43. p. 3H. 7 Counc. Arim.
3. p. íï.
rn:ru
uæ

f3
u;.cgstL
e Ch
Jc
: )
28i
8
C

: ix. 13
Le

'1b

tit. ii.
. It.

:

thers not for himself but for the 19 poor saints at Jerusalem.
ßut the
e ponr saints were th('y who of the Je\\ s first believed
in Christ,and,heing cast out byparcnts, kinsmen, eClIlne('tiuns,
had lost their po
selÖ..ions and all their
ooùs, the priests of
the templ(' and the })eopl(' cle
troyin/! them. Let slH'h poor
reeeh'e. But if on plea of the poor, a few houses arc enric'h-
cd, and we eat in gold, g-Iass and china. let us either with
our wealth r'hange our hahit, or let not the habit of pun>rty
scek the ridles of Senators. "That avails the hahit of po-
verty, while a whole r'rowd of }loor long-
for the contents of
our purse? "'herefore,/or our.mke who are sU(
h, 10110 build
up Zion 1t.ith Moud a/tel Jcru.mlem by iniquit!l, lclwþulge fur
g{fts,give allSll'c-rS fur rewards, divine fur money, and thereon,
('Iaiming to ourselves a fictitious sanetity, say, Eril willuot
cume upun us, hear we the sentence ofthe Lord which follows.
Sion and Jerusalem and the rnom1fain (
f ti,e temple, i. e. the
temple of (;hri
t. sllalL, in the ('on
ummation and the end,
when 2010l'e sllall wa.:t' cold and the faith shaH b(' rare 2 1, be plow-
ed as a.fìelcl and hecome heaps as tile Idgh places of aforeM; so
that, where once were ample houses and countless heaps of
corn, therc shouhI only he a poor cottage, keeping- up the
show of fruit ",hic'h has no refreshment for the f'oul."
Thc thrce places, Zion, Jeru"alem, the Temple,des('rihe the
whole dty in its political and reli
'iou!' aspects. Locally,
)Iount Zion, whieh occupies the South-"-ef't, "had upon it
the rpper city," and" was by Illud. the loftier, ancllen
th-
ways the straighter." Jerusalem, as ('ontra
ted with Zion,
represented the lower city, "22 supported" cm the Ea!ot by
:Mount. Acra, and indurling the valley of Tyropæon. South
of)Iount .Aera and lower than it, at the South Ea
tern cor-
ner of the city.la,' )lol111t )loriah or the Mount of the Lord's
House, separated at this time from -'Iount Acra by a deep
ravine, which was filled up hy the Asmonæan princes, who
lowered Mount Acra. It was joined to the N. E. corner of
:Mount Zion b,- the causewa,- of Solomon across the T'"l"o-
pæon. The wliole dty then iti all its }mrts was tu be dt'
oláted.
.And !ler prophets clil'inefuTmone.,/. The word rendered:!:!,
elil'ine, is alway
u
ed in a bad sense. 'l'hese prophets then
were false prophet
, I,er pruphets and not God'
. " hich clil'illed,
in reality or appearan('e, /!Í\ iug the answer which their em-
plo
-er.5, the rieh men, wanted, as if it were an answer from
God. 24 Yet they also Juclge for rewards. who look rather
to the earthly than to the spiritual /!ood; they leadt for
Idre, ,,-ho seck in the first pla('e the thint!."s of this world. instpaù
of tea('hing fur the
lory of God and the g-ood of souls, and
regardint!." earthly things in the seeund plaee only, as the sup-
port of life.
And sa.'/, Is unt the L01'd amOll
us? AmI after aU this,
not understanding their
in, as though by their g-uilt they
pl1rdmsed the love of (jod. they said in their impenitence,
that they ,,-ere judges, prophet!'. priest,.;. of God. They do
all this. and wt leall OIL tIle Lord; thcv stay and trust. not in
themseh-es, l)ut in God; g-ood in itself:had ñot they be
n evil!
Ami sa.1J, Is uut tI,e Lurd Utn01tf{ us? none evil call [shall] come
upon llS. So Jeremiah say
25, Trust !It! /lot in Iyillg 'lC'urds

1< I Tim. vi. 8. n I Thess. ii. I). 2 The... iii. S. 16 I Thes... ii. 10.
Ii 2 Cor. ",ii. Ii, 18. 1" lb. viii. 6. 7. 19 Rom. xv. 26. 20 S.Matt. xxiv. 12.
21 S. Luke ",-iii. 8. 22 Jos. B. J. v. -t. 1.
In Provo X\"i. 10. (quoted a. an
exception) it is u.ed of that lJe1letraring acuteness which i. like a !rift of di,-ination; as "-e
"peak of" clivinilJg 8 pe
on'sthought., purpose.... &c. 2< From Dion. 2. vii. 4.

316

MICAH,

Before
CHRIST
dr. ilO.

12 Theref01'e shall Zion for rour sake be r plowed (IS a field, 8 and Jerusalem shall be- C J
o:s T
r Jer. 26. IS. ch.1. 6. · Ps. 79. I. cir. ilO.

sayin{:, TIle temple of tlte Lord, the temple (if tbe Lord, Tbe
temple of the Lord (Ire these. " 1 He ealled them lying 1l'ords,
as being ofttime
repeated by the false prophets, to entÍee the
credulou
peol,le to a false security" ag'ainst the threatening-s
of God. .\s though God pould not forsake IIi" own people,
nor east away Zion whic'h He had cltosen for all IwhitatírJJlfor
Himse(f, nor profane His own holy place ! Yet it was true that
God 1l'llS among tllem, in the midst of them, as our Lord was
among the Jews, though they knen" IIim not. Yet if not in
the mid
t of His people so as to hallow, God is in the mid
t
of them to punbh. But what el
e do we than the
c Jews did.
if we lean on the Apof'tolic line, the posf'ession of Holy
Scripture, Sacraments. purc do('trine, without !'etting our-
selves to g-ain to (;od the souls of ollr Heathen population? or
what else i!< it for a soul to trust in havin
been made a
member of Christ, or in any gifts of God, unlèss it he bring-
ing fortlt fruit 1l'Ïth patience t 'dLearn we tuo hence, that all
trust in the Merits of Christ is vain, so long as any wilfully
persist in sin." ,.2IÙlOW we, that God will be in us also, if we
ha,'e not faith alone, nor on this account rest, as it were, on
Him, but if to faith therc he added also the excelling in g'oOtI
works. For faitlt without 1l'orks is dead. nut when with the
riches of faith works concur, then will God indeed be with
us, and will strengthen us mightily, and aecount us friends,
and gladden us as His true sons, and free us from all evil."
12. Tllerefore sball Zion .for .'IOllr sake [for your sake shall
Ziou J he plowed as a field. They thought to be its builders;
thev were its destroyers. Thev illla
>ined to ad,'ance or se-
cure its temllOral pr
sperity h.'1' blood;; they (as men enr do
first or last,) ruined it. Zion might have stood, but for these
its acute, far-sighted politicians, who scorned the warnings of
the prophets, as ,yell-meant ignorance of the world or of the
necessitie
of the state. They taught, perhaps they thought,
that for Zion's sake they, (aet as they might,) were secure.
Practical Antinomians! God SHys, that, lor tbeil' sake, Zion,
defiled hv their deeds, should be destrovcd. The fulfilment
of the p'rophecy was delayed by the repentance under Heze-
kiah. lJidlte not, the elders ask 3, fear the Lord and be-
sougld tile Lord, alld tIle Lord repented Him of tIle evil1l'/lich
He Iwd jJ1"ú/wllIlced agaimt tltem? nut the prophet')" re-
mained, like that of Jonah against Kineveh, and, when man
undid and in aet repented of his repentance, it found its ful-
filment.
Jerusalem shall become lleaps, [lit. of 1'uins 4,J and the
mountain of the house, l\lount l\loriah, on wllich the Iwuse of
God stood, as tbe IJigh places of the forest, lit. as lligh places of
a forest. It should return wholly to what it had been, before
Abraham offered up thp typieal sacrifice of his son, a wild and
desolate place covcred with tangled tltickets s.

pe:.v

bwrt."
J i
;,

i. 13. ï
;.er. xx
iL

;', v. 18. 4 I"V !r
*'tV, ..
i

r:

.
i. 12 9 i.

:
t
.R::i.3:ti. H
b.] IS lb. x
:JbJ.O. [iv. 4. Heb.] 11 I Macc.
14 Jæeph. B.J. vii. 1. 1. n lb. vi. 9. I. 16 Nat. Hist. v.I4.
17 Pliny sa) s of Engedi, .. Below these was the town Engadda, second only to J eru-
salem in fertility am! paJm-groves, now a second funeral pile." [bustum] N. H. v. 18.
See at length in Deyling de .Eliæ Capito Orig. in bis Obss.sacr. ,'.436-4t.O. and on the
ÌÍ

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2:

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:
Traj. u. Hadr. (translated in Dr Robinson's Bibl. Sacr. T.iii. 1st series)who, however, gives
too mud, weight to very late authorities; Jost, Gesch. d. Juden, B. xii.
Ib Ep. 129. ad Dard. fin.
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The prophe('y had a first fulfilment at it
first capture bY
Xehuehadnezzar. Jeremiah mourns m'er it; 6Becclllse (
ftlle
1II0lmta;n of Zion 1l'lIic/t is desolate, fo:res 1l'all;; [habitually 7J
upon it. 1\ehemiab said, 8 re see the distress that 1l'e are in, how
Jemsalem lieth ll'aste; amI Sanhallat mocked at the attempts
to rebuild it, as a thing- impossible; 9 JVilI they re1'Ít'e the stones
out of tile lleaps of dllst, ami these too, bU1"1led t and the builders
complained; lOTltestl'ength of the hearers of hllrdem is deca!/ed
[lit. .
illketh under themJ, and there is much dllst,(l]ulwe are not
ahle to build tlte 'leall. In the desolation under Antiochus
ag-ain it is related; HtlleY SCl1l' the scmctllU1?/ desolate, alld tile
altar profalled, alld tbe gate,ç huruecluj1, ami sit rubs grml'Ïug Ùt
tile courts, as ill a forest or ill one of tile 11I0l11ltcclUS. "-hen, by
the
hedding' ofthe mood of the Lord, they l:filled up the mea-
sure of th('ir fathers, and called the eurse upon themseh-es,
13 His Blood be upon us aud upon our c!tildrell. destruetion came
upon them to the uttermost. "ïth the exception of three tow-
ers, left to exhibit the gTcatnes
of Roman prowess in destroy-
ing such and so !'trong- a city, they" H so lenJled to the g-J"ound
the whole t'Íreuit of the city, that to a f'trang-er it pn'sented
no token of evcr ha,-ing" been inhabited." He '. dfllced the re!"t
ofthe eit)","
ays the Jewi
h hi
torian, himself an eyewitnc
s IS.
The elder Pliny soon after, A.n. ii. f'peaks of it, as a ('ity
whidl bad IJeen and was not. ., 16 "There 1l'as Jeru
alelll, far
the most renowned city, not of Judæa only, but of the East,"
"17 a funeral pile." \\ïth this corresponds S. Jerome's state-
ment, "18 relit's of the eitv remained for fiftv years until the
Emperor Hadrian." Stili it was in utter ruin
19. The tole-
ration of the Jewish school at Jamnia 20 the more illustrates
the desolation of Jerusal('IH where there wa
none. The Tal-
mud 21 relates how R. .Akiba f'miled when others wept at see-
ing a fox coming- out of the Holy of holies. This prophecy
of Micah being fulfilled, he looked the more for the prophecy
of g-oml thing-s to come. eonnected therewith. Kot Jeru
alem
only, but well-nig'h all Judæa was desolated by that war, in
which a million and a half peri
hed 22, besides all who were
solrl as slaves. "Their country to whiC'h you would expel
them, is destroyed, and there is no plaee to receive them,"
was Titus' expostulation 23 to the .\ntiochenes, who de
ired
to be rid of the Jews their fellow-citizens. .A heathen histo-
rian relates how, before the destruction by H.ldrian, "24 many
wokes and In-ænas entered their ('Íties howling'." Titus how-
eHr having- ieft above 6000 25 Roman soldiprs on the spot, a
eivil population was required to minister to their wants. The
Christians who, followin
our Lord's warning', had fled to
Pella 26, returned to Jeru"alcm 27 , and eontinued there until
the second destruction hy Hadrian, under fifteen sueees
ive
Bi
hop
28. Some few Jews llad been left there 29; sOlne ycry
probably returned, sinee we hear of no prohibition from thC'

that they "'ere utter ruins. 20 Gittin, f. 56. J cst, iii. 184. Anhang, p. 165.
2\ Maccoth, fin. 22 Josephus' numbers. 23 Jos.B.J. "Ii. 5.
.
2t Dio !xix. 14.
25 .. The tcnth legion and some troops of hon;e and companies of foot." (J os. lb., il.
1.2.) The legion was 6000 men; the troop, 64; the company,1lI0.
26 Eus. H. E. iii. 5. 2. S. Epiph. de )Ioos. 1.'.15. p. IiI.
2S Eus. H. E. iv. 5. .. from "Titten documents."
29 Josephns makes Eleazar say in the siege of l\lasada, "Jerusalem has been plucked
u
by the roots, and the only memorial of it remaining is the camp of those" ho took it,
stIli seated on its remains. Hapless elders sit b
' the dust ofthe temple, and a few "O-
men preserved by the enemy for
Ie fo
lcst insolence.': B..I:. vii. 8., The statement of
S. Epiphanius (de :\Iens. 1". p. 1,0.) "m that part,of
lOn "Inch sur\lved after the de
o-
lation, there "ere both parts of dweIlmgs around ZIOn Itself and se,-en s
nagoglles whIch
alone stood in Zion as cdbins, one of" hich sun ived till the time of Bishop :\1 aximus and
the Emperor COl)stantine, as a,hut in a vineyard," is remarkably confirmed b)' the indepen-

CIlAPTER III.

317

the forest. cJ
orsT
cir. íl0.

C J
T'sT ('orne heaps, and t the mountain of the' house as the hi
h places of
cir. ílO. t ch. 4. 2.

Roman
, until after the fanatic revolt under nar-coeheba' i
But the fad that when towards the d()
e of Trajan'
reig-n
they bur
t out !>imultaneoll
lr, in one wild frenzy 1, upon the
surrounding Heathen. all along- the ('oast of .\frica, Libya, I
Cyrene, Eg-ypt, the Thehais, )Ie,.:opotamia, Cyprus 2, thcre
was no insurrection in Judæa, iml'lie
that there wcn
no I
g'reat numbers of Jews therc. J mhl'a. aforetime the ecntre
of rebellion, ('ontributed nothing 3 to that wide national insur- I
re(.tion, in which the ('arnag-e was so terrible, as thoug-h it
ha(l been one eonvul!'Î\'e effi,rt of the Jc".s to root out thcir
encmies 4. E,.cn in the sub
equent war under Hadrian, Oro- I
sius speaks of thcm, as "5 laying- waste the province of Palef'-
tine, unce their OlCIt," as thoug-h tlwy had gaincd l}Üsses
ion
of it from without. not bv in!'urrediun witllin it. The Jews
asscrt that in the time or" Joshua Ben Chananiah (under Tra-
jan) "the king-dom of wil'kedncss de('rec(l that the Ì('mple
shouM be rebuilt 6." If thb was !-o, the ma!'sacres towards
the end of Trajan's rcig-n altered the polky of the J
ml'ire.
Apparcntly the Emperors attcmpted to exting-uish the Jew-
ish, as, at othcr times, the Christian faith. A heathen .\uthor
Ihentions the prohibition of circumcision 7. The Jerusalem
Talmud 6 speaks of many who for fear herame uncircumcised,
and renewed the snnhol of their faith "9 when Bar Cozibah
got the better, so ås to rcig-n 2! years among- them." The
Jews add, that the prohibition extended to the keeping of the
sabbath and the reading of the law 10. Hadrian'
city,
Elia,
was doubtless intended, not only for a strong po!'ition, but also
to effa('e the memorv of Jerusalem hv the Roman and Hea-
thcn city which was to rcplaee it. Christians, when persecut-
ed, sufl'l'red ; Jews rebelled. The recognition of Barcocheba,
who gm"e himself out as the )It',,'''iah 11, by Akihah 12 and" all
the wisc [Jews] of his generation I3 ," made the war national.
Palestine was the ehief scat ofthe war, but not its soun'e. The
Jews throughout the Homun world wcrc in arms ag-ainst their

dent Latin statement of the Bourdeaux pilgrim. "Within the wall of Zion appears the

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also mentions the í s\nagogu
s. (iii. 2. Edd. before Dupin, and all )ISS. but one. :Scc p.
53.) Before the destrUction there are said to have been -!Su. Echa Uabbathi, f. ,j:!. col. 2.
f. 71. col. 4. I sub uno tempore, quasi rabie e!ferati. OrO!'. L. vii" 13. 1'. vi.
4.
ï. "as if re1..indled by some dreadlul seditious spirit." Eus. 1-1. I:. iv. 2. 2 Oros.
Dio mentions C
rene, Eg) pI, Cyprus; to these Eusebius a
ds Mesopotamia; also in
S.Jer. Chron. A.D. 11i. 3 Abulfaraj (A.D. 12;0.) mentIOns an invasion 01 Judæa
by one" horn the Eln ptian J e" s made their king; and whom" the R,oman armies sought
and .Jew "ith some ten thousands of Jews every where." (Hist. Ar. p. 1
0. Chron. S)"r.
p. 56.) He is too late to be an authority; but his account equ:llly imphps that there was no
rebellicn in Judæa. 4 Dio speaks of their destroying 220,000 Homans and Greeks
in C} rene; committing much the same honors in Eg
pt; destro} ing 2-l0,OOO in CY1.'rus.
Ixviil. 3:!. The Jews, ascribing this to 13arcocheba, say that they destroyed" in Afnca a

at multitude of Romans and Greeks like the sand on the sea-shore innumerable," and
m Egypt more than 200.000 men; and in Cyprus, so as to leave nOne. Zemach David. f.
27. 1. in Eiscnmenger, Entd. Jud. ii. 655. (1 he coincidence is remarkable. but the state-
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have remained empty." I. c. . I. c. Sulpicius Severns in like way speaks ofthe
Je"..s ""ishing to rebel, ""saving to pluuder Syna and Palestine." ii.4-. 6 13ereshith
Rabba,c.64. 7 Spartian Haarian, c.H. It was repealed by Antonine. See Munter,
26.
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21
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it
9. p. 2:!8. 11 Eus. H. E. iv. 6. Zemach David, f. 27. in Eisenmenger, Entd. Jud.
ii. 654. "He was called Bar Cocheba, because he interpreted, as said 01 himself, a star
shall !,rjse out of Jaro
,_ 4"c. (Num: xxiv. lí.) Shalshalet hakkabbala (in De Voisi!, on
Martml, Pug. Fld. p. 26".) SanhPdrm, CheJek. (}lart. p. 3:!0.) 12 "And R. Aklbah
himself. ,,'hen he saw him. said of him, This is the king Messiab, as it is in the Echa
Rabbathi On the verse Lam. ii. 2."(lb.}" He applied Hagg. ii. 6, 7. to him " (quoting v. 7.
:fhi
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wise of his generation thought that he "as the Messiah, until he "as slain in his iniqui-
ties, and it was "nown that he was not." This "as doubtle.s the ground of their death,
mentioned in the Avoda Zara. See p. 128 sqq. F. C. E
ald, trans. H .. The

eonqnerors u; and the nUlhber of fortre
ses and ,.illag-es
whi('h they got p()s
e!'
ion of, and whieh were destroyed by
the Romans 15, shews that their sucee
!'es were far bevoml
J udæa. Their measures in J udæa attest the desolate cc;ndi-
tion of the eountry. Thcy furtified, not towns, hut "16 the
:ulrantag-eous positions of the c'ountry, streng-thened them
with mines amI wall
, that, if defeated, thev might han places
of refug-e, and (,llIllllmnication among- theniselves underground
uuperech-ed." FOl' tn'o years, (as appears from the eoins

truek hy Bareo('heha 17.) they had posse
sion of Jeru
alem.
It was essential to his daim to be a temporall\lessiah. They
proposed, at least, to "rebuild their temple 18" and re
torë
their polity." Dut they could not furtify Jerusalem. Its siege
is ju
t namcl1 19 ; but the one }Jlace whieh ohstinately re!'isted
the Romans n as a strong- ('ity near Jerusalem 20, known bcfore
only as a deeply indented mountain tract, Bethcr 21. Proba-
hly, it was one of the strong positions, fortified in haste, at the
beginnin
of the war 16.
The Jews fultille(l our Lord's words 22, I am come ;ltllIy Fa-
titer's
Yame and ye receh'e
1Ie llot; if llIwther s/wll cume ilt
his Ull'lt /lame,ltim ye 1l';1l recc;l'e. Their first destru('tion was
the punishment of their Deidde, the erucifixion of Jesus, the
Christ; their second they broug-ht upon themselves by aceept-
ing a false Christ, a robber 23 and ju/!g-ler 24. 580,000 arc
aid
to haw }}crh:hed in battle 25 ," besides" an incaleulable number
by famine and fire, SI) that all Judæa was made well-nigh a de-
sert." The Jews say that " 26 no oliyes remained in Palestine."
Hadrian "
7 dEstroyèd it," making it "28 an utter desolation"
and .. effacing- all remains of it." "'" e read 29," says St. J e-
rome 30, .. the expedition of .Elius Hadrianus again
t the J cws,
who so de,;troyed Jerusalem amI its walls, as, from the frag-
ments and ashes of the eity to build a city, named from him-
f'elt

]O:lia." .At this time 31 there appears to have lwen a formal
act, whereby the Romans marked the legal annihilation of ei-

Romans made no account of them at first, but when all J udæa Was moved and all the
Jews throughout the world were set in commotion and conspirPd and publicly and private-

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Cass.lxix.13. I. "':;0 lortn-sses of much account and 9115 very well-known .iI-
lages." Dio C. (almost a contemporary) lb. a. 16 lb. 12.
17 De Saulcy. ); umismatique J udaique, p. ] 56-íO. The coins beu the inscription
" the 1st year of the redemption of Jerusalem," " the first" and" second year of the free-
dom of Jerusalem." 1'\\0 of them are cast upon coins of Trajan and Vespasian. lb. p.
16:!. The Abhc Harthélémi(_-\pp. to 13a)Cr r;um. Hebr. Sam. Vind. L. iii. p. iX-J..i.} men-
tions four of Trajan's, recast by Barcocheba. B..yer mentions coins of the 3rd and 4th

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tainly genuine. See also )ladden, p. 161-18:!.
IS S. Chl)s.ad\. Jud. v.lO. He does not apparenrlymean that they actually began it.
19 Eus. Dem. E\". ii. 38. vi. 18. The Samaritan Chronicle (c. 4í. cd. Ju
n"oll)gi.-es
an account of a siege by Adrian in "hich it mixes up fables and facts "elongiug to the
siege of Titus, (which it omits,) but I do not see any traces oftraditional fact.
20 Eus. H. E.iv.ß.
21 The Rev. G. Williams, (Holy Citv, i. 209-13,) has at once identified Bether with the'
name. the moul/tains of Bether. (Cant. ii. Ii,) and ruins, "khirbet el yehüd:' (ruins of the
Jews) near the village still called Bittir near Jerusalem. (See Robinson's or Kiepert's map.)
There are traces both of fortifications and excavations. such as Dio speaks of. BFt},er as
well as Bilhron beyond Jordan (:! Sam. ii. 29.) had their name from deep incisions. (Scc the
useol"1[Q,.
,"I11
.Gen.xv.IO.) ;:2 S.Johnv.43.
23 "given to n;urderand robbery." Eus. H. E. iv. tL Sce
Iaimonides above, n.13.
:4 S. J cr. Apol. 2. c. Huf.
31. He pretended to breathe fire, a trick ascribed by I'lorns
iii. 19. to Eunus author of the servile "ar in Sicily. V allars. ::0 Dio I. c.
26 Talm" J crus. Pca ï in Lightfoot, I. c. :. A ppian de reb. S) r. 50.
" Jerusalem, "hieh Ptolemy k.mg'of Eg)-pt first destroyed: then, "ben rebuilt, \" espasian
razed to the ground, and again Hadrian. in my time." 2!1 S. Chrys. I. c.
11.
29 S. Jerome then took this statement from written history. 30 in Joel i. 4.
31 The }lishnah places it after the capture of Bet her. .. On the 9th of AI" it was ùe-
creed against our fathers, that thcy should not enter the land; and the Temple was Idid
CCe

318

ties; an m.t e!.'tcemed, at this time, one of most extreme !Sen'-
rit y l. \Vhen a city was to he built, its compass was marked with
a plough; the Romans, wlU'rp they willed to unmake a city, did,
011 rare ocea
ion
, turn up its soil with the plough. Hence the
saying, "2
\ ('ity with a plough i" built, with a plough O\'cr-
thrO\nl." The dty
o ploughed forfeited all eiyil rights 3; it
was eounted to hm-e eea
ed to be. The
vmbolieal aet under
Hadrian appears to ha,-e been directed against hoth tht' dvil
and relig'ious existence of their city, since the re,'olts of thc
Jews wer(' mixed up with their rclig-ious hopes. The Jews re-
late that both the city generally, and the Temple, werc plough-
ed. The ploughing of the city was the la
t of tho
e mourn-
fulmemories, whieh made the Jllonth Ab a time of sorrow.
ßut th(' plou
hing of the tcmple i" also espe('ially recorded.
S. Jerome salS, "4 In this [the 5th l\Ionth] wa.. the Temple
at Jcru"alem burnt and destroyed, both by Xebuchadnezzar,
and many years afterwards hy Titus and Yespa!.'ian ; the eity
ßether, whither thousands of Jews had fled, was tak('n; the
Temple was ploughed, as an in!<ult to the conquered raee, by I
Titus .Annius Rufus." The Gemara says, ,. 5 "Then Turnu
, !
[or it. Jllay be "when Tyrant] Rufus ploughed the porch," :
[of the temple.] Perhaps Hadrian meant thus to dedare the
desecration of the site of the Temple, and so to make way for I
the further dese('ration by his temple of Jupiter. He would
dt')('lare the worship of God at an end. The horrible de
ecra- I
tion of placing the temple of Ashtaroth o\"Cr the Holy Sepul-
chre (; wa
prohably a part of the same poliey, to make the
Holy Cit.y utterly Heathen. The" Capitoline 7 " wa
part. of
its new name in honor of the Jupiter of thc Roman Capitol.
Hadrian intended, not to rebuild J('rusalem, but to build a I
Dew eity under hi" own name. " 6 The city being thus bared I
of the Jewi"h nation, and its old inhabitants having been I
utterly destroyed, and an alicn rae(' settlpd there, the Ro-
man city whieh afterward" arose, haying changed its name, I
is called _Elia in honor of the Emperor _Elius Hadrianu
." I
It was a Roman colony 7, with Roman temples, Roman am- I
phit.heatres. Idolatry wa
stamped on its ('oins 9. Hadrian ex- i
eluded f,'om it, on the Xorth. almost the whole of ßezetha or I I
the new dty, which Agrippa had enelosed by his wall, and.
on the
outh, more than half of .:\I011l1t Zion 10, which was
left, as .:\Iieah foretold, to be ploughed as a fìeltl. The Je,,"s
themseh-e" were prohibited from entering the Holy Land 11, so
that. the hf'athen Celsus says, "12 they have neither a clod nor
a hearth left." _Elia, then, being a new city, Jerusalem was
I5poken of. as hm-ing ceased to be. The Roman magi"trates,
even in Palestine. did not know the name 13. Christians too
used the name _Elia 14" and that, in solemn doeuments, as the
Canon of Xice 15. In the 4th cent.ury the eity was still called
Ælia by the Christians 16, and, on the first Mohammedan I
desolate the first and second time; and Betber "as taken; and the city "as ploughed."
Taanith, c. 5.
6. :\[ishna. ii. p. 332. ed. Surenhus. Rashi regards this as a fulfilment
of Jer. xxvi. 18. and of this place. lb. p. 383. col. 2. Buxtorf quotes also Y otseroth.(Jew-
ish hymns,) c. Comm. f. 35. 1. for the fact. Lex. Rabb. p. 9l(j.
) Seneca de clem. i. :!6. Deyl. 2 Isidor.luv. I. &c.
3 .. If the usufruct [annual produce] be left to a cit)-, al1d the plough be passed over
it, (as berel Carthage,) it ceases to be a city, and so by a sort of death it ceases to bave the
usufruct." )Iodestinus in I. Si USI1S fructus 21. If q uibus modis I1SI1S fmctus amittatur. L.
4 011 Zech. viii. 16, 17. S. Jerome has the same order as the Talmud.

Taanith, I. c. The Jerusalem Talml1d has" the temple" for" the porch."
G Rus. Vito Const. iii. 26. Socr. i. Ii. Soz. ii. 1. S.Jer. Ep. 58, ad Pal1l.
8.
7 Col. .EEl. Capitol. i. e. Colonia Ælia Capitolina. 8 Eus. H. E. iv. 6.
A
J.e

oman coins in De Saulclo' S
;

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t::p
f
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i:

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i
:

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dt;:

tority of Aristo of Pella. a contemporary; Ter-

a;o s:;u

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c. 13.) S. Jerome affirms the same. (on Is. \Ì. 11-13. and on Dan. ix. end.) Celsus urges
the fact of their total expulsion as a proof of God's breach of promise ; (in Orig. C. Cels.
viii. 69.) :md Origen agrees as to the fact, S. Justin speaks of their expulsion (as a na-
.
,

l\IIc
\H,

eoin 17 in the 7th century, it
till bore that name. A series
of writers speak of the dcsolation of Jerusalem. In the next
('entury Origen addresscs a Jew, "IS If going to the earthly
city, J eru8alem, thou shalt find it o,-erthrown, redu('ed to
dust and ashes, wecp not, a!< )"e now do." "19 From that
[Hadrian's] time until now, the extremcst. desolation ha,,-
ing taken possession of the plaee, their once renowncd hill of
Zion-now no wise differing from thc re"t of the country is
eultivated by Rumans, so that we ourselves have ,,'ith '
ur
own eyes ohsencd the plal'e ploughed hy oxen and t'own all
ovcr. And
erusalem, heing inhabited by aliens, has to this
day the stones g-athered out of it, all the inhabitants, in our own
times too, gathering up the stones out of its ruins for their
private or public and eommon buildings. Yuu may observe
with your own eyes the mournful sight, how the stoncs from
the Temple itself and from the Holy of holies have becn taken
for the idol-temples and to build aml'hitheatres." "
oTheir
IIIH'e holy plaee has now ('ome to sueh a state, as in no way
to fall short of the O\-erthrow of Sodom." S. Hilan-, whn had
been bani..he(l into the East, says, "
IThe Royal cit): of Dm-id,
t
ke!1 by the ßabylonians
nd uverthrown, held not its queenly
dlgmty under the rule of Its lord::.; but, taken afterwards and
burnt by the Romans, it now is not." S. Crril of Jeru
alem,
ßi
hop of the new town, and delh'ering his eatel'hctical lec-
tures in the Chun'h of the Holy Sepulèhre, pointed out to his
hearers the fulfilment. of prophecy; .'22The plaee [Zion] is now
filled with gardens of cueumbers." '" If they [the Je" s] plead
the ('aptivity," says S. Athanasius 23," and say that on that
ground Jcrusalem is not." "The whole world, O\-er whieh they
are scattered,"
ays S. Gregory of Kazianzum 2\ "i!' one mo-
nument. of their calamity, their worship dosed, and the soil of
Jeru
alem itself searcelv known."
It is apparently pari of the gradual and increasing fulfil-
ment of God's word, that the I)loughing of the city and of the
site of the Temple, and the continued eultivat.ion of !'o large
a portion of Zion, are recorded in the last ,-i!.'itation when its
iniquity was full. It. still remains ploughed as ajield. "25 At
the time I visitcd this sacred ground, one part of it supported
a crop of barley, another was undergoing the labour of the
plough, and the soil, turned up, consisted of !'tone and lime
filled with earth, such as is usually met with in the founda-
tions of ruined dties. It is neady a mile in cirl'umference."
.' 26 On the S. E. Zion slopes down, in a series of eultivated
terraees, sharply though not ahruptly, to the sites of the Kings'
p."aI'dens.-Here and round to the S. the whole dedh'ities arc
sprinkled with olh'e trees, which ;::"1"0'" luxuriantly among the
narrow slip
of eorn." Kot Chri
tians only, but Jcws also
have seen herein the fulfilment ulJOn themselves of l\!ieah's
words, spoken now" 2ö centuries ago."

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e

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was explaining. The :hohibition ",as 8ubsequently limited to Jerusalem, "ith the well-

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and S. Augnstine speak of the Jews, as excluded 1T0m Jerusalem. .. Doot thou for thy
sins, 0 Jew, remail1solongontofJerusalem?..S.ChlJs.adv.Jud.vi. 2. .. They were
excluded from the place where they crucified Christ; now that plac-e is full of Christians
who praise Him; it hath no Jew." S. Aug. in Ps. hii. n. 18. U :Kowthou seekest a Jew
in the city of Jerusalem, and findest not." in Ps. cxxiv. n. 3. )2 L. c.
13 Eus, de mart. Pal. c. 11. )i U In the suburbs of what is now "Elia." Eus.
H. E. ii.12. add \i. 20. de mart. Pal. c. 11. (De) I.) Ii; Can. vii.
16 U From that [Hadriau's) time until now, it is called Ælia from the name of him
wllo conquered and destroyed It." (S. Chrys. ad\. Jud. v. n. T.i. p. 64:í.) "Which is now
Ælia." S.Jer. Ep.I29. ad Dard.
5.
17 De Sanlcy, p. 188. 18 In Jos. Horn. xvii. I. Opp. ii. 438.
19 Eus. Dem. Ev. viii. 8. p.406.
lb. v. 23. p. 250.

I S. Hi!. in Ps. 131.
18.
Led. xvi. 9.
18, see Oxf. Tr.
)J de Incarn. n. 39. T. i. p. 81. Ben.
i Orat. 6.
18. Ben.

Richardson's Travels, p. 359. quoted by Keith on Prophecy, p. 257.

6 Porter, Hdbook, p. 92.

Before
CHRIST
cir. 710.

Cl-L\PTER IY.

CHAPTER 1\'".

319

I Tlte glory, 3 peace, 8 kingdom, I) and t'ictury
(!f tlte c/Illrch.

\'". I. But [And] in the last cla.If'" it J,'hall come to pass.
God'!'Õ promises, /!oodness, truth, fail not. He withdraweth
Hi" l)resPlwe from those who reeeive Him not, only to g-ive
Himself to tho!'Õe who will re('cÏve Him. )[er('y is the sequel
amI end of dw!'Õtisement.
Ii('ah then joins on this
Teat pro-
phecy of future mercy to the preceding woe,
s its i!o'su
in
the ordpr of {;od's "ïlL
lnd it shall he. lie fixe
the mmd I
to sOllie g-reat thin
which shall come to pa:;s; zt slwll he. I
Then follow!', in marked reference to the precedin
prhoa_
tion!', a superabundaIlPe of mercy. For tbe mountain of the
house, which should be as a forest and which was left untu
them desolate there is tIle 11lOll1ltain of the Lord's huuse esta-
hlished; for the heap of dust and the ploughedfìeld, there is the
flowing--in of the Gentiles; fur the uig/d and darkness, that:
there slwll be no t'Ísion, there i!' the fulness of revelation; for
corrupt jud
ment, teaching, divining, a law frlJIll God Him- I
self p:oin!!," forth through the world; for the Imilding of Jeru- !
salem with blood, one unin'rsal peaee.
III t/te last dalfs.lit. tbe end loft/Ie da.lfs, i. e. of those days
which arc in the thoughts of the speaker. Politi('aUy, there
are many hcg-inning-s and many endings; as many endings as
there are beginnings. sinee aU human polity beg"ins, only to end,
and to he di"'placed in its turn by some new bebrinning, whi('h
too runs its course, only to end. Relig-iou!o'ly, there arc hut
two ('onsumma1.ions. All time, sinN' man fell, is dh ided into I
two halves, the looking forward to Christ to come in humility;
the looking forward to His Coming in glory. These are the
two e,-ents on whieh man's history turns. To that former peo-
ple the whole Jleriod of Christ's kin
dom was one future, the
fulness of aU their own ",hadows, types, saerifices, services,
prophef'ies, long-ing-s, being. The end of their da!ls was the
beg-inning of the new Day of Christ: the ('oming of His Day
was necessarily the ('lose of the former days, the period of I
the dispensation which prepared for it. The Prophets then
by the words, tile end of tlte da.lIs, always mean the times of
the Gospd 2 . Tlte elld of the days is the close of aU which
went befure, the last dispensation, after whieh there f'hall be
no other. Yet this too has last days of its own, which shall
elose God's kin
dom of
raee anti shall issue ill the Second
Coming- of Christ; as die eud of those formcr clay
, whieh
('Iosed the timcs of .. the law," issued in His First Coming.
"Teare then at once living in the Im,t times, and looking on i
to a 11iSt time still to eome. In the one way St. Peter speaks 3
of the (list times, or tlte e/ld uf the timcs\ Ù; which Christ was I
1llall{fested for lIS, in eontrast ?l'itlt t1lefo/(lldatious of tIle 1l'U1"ld, I
Lefore which He 1l'as foreordailled. .\lld St. Pa\11 contrasts
God's S speal.-illg to the fllthers in tlie Prophets, and at the end
of tltese days 6 .
}Jeakillg to Il.Ç ill t/le Son; and of our Lord com-
ing tut tlu: end, cO/l.m1/llllutio/l, of the times 5, to put au'a.1f sins

1 Gesenius adduces, as the single instance in which n-,;,tc is 10 mean "sequel," Is. xlvi.
10, where "the end" answers to "the beginning," n"'.-111 to n'ell'. It is the e"d of the
year, Deut. xi. 12; thl'endofa pl'n;OII, Pro v...., Ps. x",,>ii. 37; of a nation, Jl'r. xxxi. 17;01"
a thing, i.e. its issue, Pro :\'(iii.:\:? ;"theendofthl' sea," Ps. cxx..Üx. 9. The phrase is ren-
dered rightly by the Ch. N
' 'i,t:. The >.".' >"'XåTOU T;;'U xpú",.v of S. Paul S. Peter and
S. J \Ide is nearly the translation ofl::':::'" n'"1l1/1:1.

Hos.iii. 5. Is.ii. 2. Jl'r. xxiii. :?O. ","x. :?-1. xlviii. 47. '(Ii'(. 3!). EZl'k. xxxviii. 16. Dan.
x. H. panid ';1st'S it in Cha
ee.{ii. 2
") Xeb,:,chadnezzar's dream "hich_
_e is interpreting
ended In t
l' kmgdom of ChrIst. O? the JewIsh agreement, see on Hos.llI. 5. p. 25. n.lO.
3 1 Ep. I. 20. 4 Accordmg to the readmg hr' >"'XåTOII TWV xpó,,"'v, prl'fl'rred
by Alter and Tischl'ndorf. " Hl'b. i. I.
6 >.".' >"'XåTOU T;;'" Q,.,.'P';'v TOVT"'", preferred by Griesbach, :\fatthiæ, Scholz, Tisch.
7 Heb. ix. 26. S i.".; auvnX,í'J T';''' al,
"",,,, compo S. Matt. xiii. -10. xxiv. 3.

B UT a in HIC Jast c1ars it s}mJJ ('omr C l:í
T's T
to pa!ils, t/tat the mountain of tJ)(
cir. 710.
huus(> of the LORn shaH be c
tabJishcd in .i:
tl
'.;
23.

by tlte sacr[fice of IIimself; and says tlJat the thing-s which be-
fel the Jews 9 were 1{'rittenfor Ullr adlll(Jllition, UlltO lz,lwm the
cnds (
f tile times 10 [i. e. of tho
e of the former people of whom
he had been f'l'eaking"] are come; and
t. John !'peaks of thi
as
11 the last time. In the other way, they ('ontrast tlte last da!ls,
not with the times hefOl'e them but with their own, amI then
plainly they are a last and di
tant part of this their own last
time. 12 TIle Spirit speaket/t expressly, that ill tll(' lattcr times
some slwll depart fl"Om tIle faith: 13 III the last days periluw;
tÍllles shall come: U Tllere shall come at tlte end (
f tIle days sruf-
fers: lã The!! tuld .1lnl( tlwt there slwuld be morkers in tlte last
time. The Jews di
tributed all time hetween "this world" and
" the comin
world 16," induding undpr "the ('omillg" world"
the time of grace under the )Iessiah's reign, and the future
p:lory. To us the names have shifted, !<ince this present
world Ii is to us the kingdom of Christ, and there remains 110-
thi1lg- further on this earth to look to, beyond what God has al-
ready p:iven us. Our future then, pla('ed as we are between the
two Comings of our Lord, is, ofneees
ity, beyond this world 18.
The mountain uf tlte hou.
e of tile Lord slwll be [ahidingly]
established. He does not say merely, it shall be established.
I\"ingdoms may be estahli,.hed at one time, and then ('ome to tm
end. He
ays, it slwll be a tMug establislled 19. His
aying
i
expanded by DaI!iel; 20 III the days of tltese kings shall the
Gud (!f Ilem'en .
et up a kingdom u'h.iclr .
h.allll(Jt be destroyed
f01' n'er, and it sludl abidc for ('{'er. Tile house of tile Lord was
the centre of His worship, the token of His Pre!'ence, the
pledg-e of His revelations anel of His abiding acceptance, pro-
tection, favor. .\Il the!òe were to be inereased and conti-
nuous. The image is one familiar to us in the Hchrew Scrip-
hIres. People were said to go up 21 to it, as to a pla('e of dig-
nity. In the Psalm on the carrying of the Ark thither, the
Mil of God is compare(l to the many-toppe(lmountain
of Ba-
san 22 , (the Hermon-peaks whi('h hound Ba
an,) and "0 declared
to he p:reater than they, as heing the object of God's f'llOi('e.
The mountain where God was worshipped rose abm-e the
mountains of idolatry. Ezekiel, varying- the image, !'peaks
of the GO
l'd as an overshadowing ('edar 23 , planted by God
llpOU all high m01(utaiu {[ud {[II eminent, ill the 1II0untai1l of tIle
Ile
[{ht of Israel, lmder which sltould (heell all fuwl (
f every
wing; and, in his vi
ion of the Temple, he sees thi
, the imag-e
of the Christian Chureh,
upon a {'er!! ltigl11ll0lmtaill. Our
Lord speaks of His .Apostles and the Church in them. as 25a city
set UpOIl a billn'ftirh cmmot be !tid. The scat of God's worship
was to be seen far and wide; nothing was to obscure it. It,
now lower than the f'UrrOllllding hills, was then to be a!' on the
summit of them. Human clemtion. the more exalted it is,
the more un stahle is it. Dh'ine /!reatness alone is at once
solid amI exalted. The new kingdolll of God was at once to

v 1 ('or. x. n. 10 TÙ 'rlÀ'I T;;''' alcdll"'''. 11 I Ep. ii. 18.
12 1 Tim. iv.. 1.
II iJfTTipon: XPÓVO&ç. 13 2 Tim. iii. 1. ill io-xá"Ta&s fJp.ipa&s.
14 2 Pet. iii. 3. >.".' >axaTou Ti:", QP..p;;'II, preferred b) Griesb. Alter, Matthæi, Scholz.
1. Jude 18. >">"'XåTU xpóv,. or i.".' >"X,íTOU TO;; xpó"OIJ, preferred by Scholz, Tisch.
!6 "1" Ò111 and N:J" !::
;>". Sl'ë Schöttg. de l\fessia i.:1. 4. p. :!3-:!7.
11 S. Matt. "iii. 40. Eph. i. 21. Tit.li.12.
IS S. Mark x. 30. S. Luke xviii. 30. n.35. Eph. I. c. Hl'b. vi. 5. Attention to this
lan
age of Holy Scripture and the distant future which it looks on to, should have saved
misbelievers from imm:ining tbat Apostles l'rronl'ow;l
l'''peetl'd a near l'I1d of the ..orld.
19 r:J.T """, IIß in 1 Kgs.ii. -t5, of the throne of David. "It is an exprl'",ion denoting con-
tinuance and perpetuit)., that it shall continually remain On its settlement." Poco from
.'\.
apb;.lxviii.16, Ii. :III ii. 44::3 xvii.2
, 23. 21 S

ï.
.os. i.ll.t.
\Iatt.v.14.
C C 2

320

)HCAI-I,

c J!íiTs T the top of the mountains, and it shall be 2 And many nations shall come, and C J3íi'th
eir.710. exalted aboye the hills; and people shall say, Come, and let us
o up to the moun- eir.710.
flow unto it. tain of the LORD, and to the house of tht'

be exalted ahm.'e tllC Mils, and estah/ished Oil the top (!ftl,e lIWll1l-
taills; e.:ntltcd, at OIU'C, above cvery thing human, and yet
establishecl, strong as the mountains on whieh it rested. and
unassailablc, uneonquerable, !"eated seeure aloft, between hea-
ven whence it eame and to which it telU1s, and earth, on which
it jl;st rests in the sublime serenity of its majesty.
Thc imag-e sets forth the sUl'ereminen('e of the Lord's House
aùove all things earthly. It does not (}(.fine wherein that g'reat-
ness consists. The flowing" in of the nations is a fruit of it 1.
The immediate object of their ('omin
is explained to be,t 0
learn to know and to (10 the will of God J. But the ncwr
-
"elation does not form all its t::"reatness. That CTeatness is
from the Presence of God, reveàling and e'.ermo
e teaching
His "Till, ruling, jud
ing-, rebuking, pcaeemaking- 3. "4 The
moulltaill of tbe Lord's HO/lse was then c.:ralterl ahot'e the hUh I
by the bodily Presence of Christ, when He, in the Tem
le built
on that mountain, spake, prcaehed, worked so many nuracles ;
as, on the same ground, Hag'g-ai saith., tlte glOl:1/ of tMs lat-
ter house slwll he greater than the glory of tI,e fONner." "6 This
11W/llltaill, th(' Church of Christ, transcends aU laws, schools,
doetrines, relig-ions, Synag'ogues of Jews and Philosophers,
which secmed to rise aloft among- men, like mountain-tops, I
yea, whatever under the sun is f'ublime and lofty, it will over-
pass, trample on, subdue to itself."
Even Jews have seen the meaning of this figure. Their
oldest mystical book explains it 7. "Ami it sbalL he in the last
claps, when namely the Lord shall visit the daughter of Jacob,
then shall the 11Wltlltain (!f tile house of tI,e Lord hefinnly esta-
h/ished, i.e. the Jerusalelll which is above, whi('h shall stand
firmly in its place, that it may shine by the light which i

above. (For no lig-ht can l'etain its existence, except through
the light from above.) For in that time shall the light from I
above shine se,-enfold more than before; according to that 8,
./..1Ioreot'e1" the l
!{!d of the moon shall he as tIle ligld of the snn,.
allrl the ligltt of ti,e sltn shall he sevC1
folcl, as the light of seven
days, ill the cla.'1 that the Lord hindeth Itp the breach of IIis
people and healetlt tile stroke of their wouncl." Another, of
the dry literal school, says9, "It is well known that the house
of the Temple is not high. The meaning then is. that its fame
shall g'o forth far, and there f'hall return to it from all quar-
ters persons with offering's, so that it !"hall be, as itït were on
the top of all hills, so that all the inhabitants of the earth
should see it."
SOIT.e IOinterpret ti,e mountain to be Christ, 'nlO is ealled the
Rock 11, on the confession of \\Thom, God-Man, the house of
tile Lord, i. e. the Church is built l2 , the precious Corner-stonè 3 ,
which is laid, beside which no fOllndatirm can be laid 14; the
gl"nLl 11wll1tiain, of which Daniel I5 prophesied. I t is firmZ'1
established, f'O that tile gates of Hell shall not prevail against
the Clwrcll, being built thereon; exalted abOl.'e MUs and 1I101l11-
.tai/l.
, i. e. above all besides.
Teater or smaller, which has any
eminenee; for He in truth is 16 highZI/ exalted and hath a
"
Vame ahove erer!! Ilame, being 17 at the Righi Haml of God Í1l
the Ileavenly places, far ahore all principality and power and

1 iv. I, 2. 2 iv.2. 3 iv. 3, 4. 4 Dion.
ii.9.
6 Lap. i Zohar, f. 93. 8 Is. xxx. 2r.. 9 Aben Ezra.
. 10 Terr. e. Jud. i. 3. Orig. e. Cels. ii. 33. S. Cypr. Test. ii. 18. Euseb. Eel. Proph.
Ï\". 1. p.I;!. ed. Ox. S.Jerome here, S. Aug. de Civ. D. x\iii. 30. Ps. Basil on Is.
:
ls:

iiï
i6G. I
:t
iï.
A

phtI
õ.see Note Q. on TertuIJ. p. -1

slqt

t
. If:

might and dominion, and evel:1J name tllat is named, not only ill
tltis world hilt also in that wMclt is to come; and all tMugs are
uncler His Feet. And this for u!", in that He, the Same, is
the J"lead Ol'er all tMugs to the Clmrclt 1(.lâclt is Ilis Buely,
tllefulues.H!fI/im tlwtfilletlt all in aIL. "IR He is God amll\Ian,
King and Priest, King of kin/?:s, and a Prie!'t abidin/?: for ever.
Sinee then His Majesty rca('heth to the Right Hand of God,
neither mountains nor hills, Angel
nor holy men, rea('h there-
to; for 19 to 1(.lâclt of tile Angels said God at an!! ti/J/e,Sit tholt on
JIll Rigid Hauel '1"
'.20 Aloft then is the Church of God raised, both in that its
Head is in hea,-en and the Lord of all, and that, on earth, it
is not like the Temple, in one small people, but 2] set on a ltill
that it call1wt he Iâd, or remain unseen e,.en to those far from it.
Its do(.trine too ami life are far above the wisdum of this
world, shewing- in them nothing of earth, but are above; its
wisdom is the knowledg-e and lo\"e of God and of His Son J e-
sus Christ, and its life is Md with Christ ill (;od, in those who
are justified in Him and hallowed by His Spirit." In Him,
it is lifted above all things, and with the eyes of the mind
bchold('th (as far as may be) the glory of God, soaring on
hig'h towards Him \\'ho is the Author of all being, and, filled
with Dh-ine lig-ht, it owneth Him the .Maker of all.
.And people, [peoples, nations,] shall flow unto [lit. upon]
it. A mighty tide shoultl set in to the Gospel. The word 22 is
appropriated to the streaming in of multitudes, such as of old
poured into ßabylon, the men'hant-empress of the world 23.
It is used of the distant nations who should thron
in one ('on-
tinuous stream into the Gospel, or of Israel streanìing tog-ether
from the four eorners of the world J4 . So Isaiah foretells 2 ., Thll
gate.ç shall he open cOlltimwll.l/; the.ll shall not be shllt clay nor
nigltt; tlwt the.'111w.'1 hring unto thee the forces of the GentiLes,
and that their kings may be hrougld. The!'e werc tofloll' UpOIt
it, perhaps so as to cO\-er it, expres
ing both the multitude alllI
density of the throng' of nations, how full the Church should
be, as the swollen rh.er sprcads itself over the whole champaipI
eountry, and the f'urging flood-tide climbs up the face of the
roek which bounds it. The flood once co,.ered the highest
mountains to destroy life; this flood should pour in for the
sm-in/?: of life. "26 It is a miracle,ifwaters aseend from avalley
and flow to a mountain. So is it a miracle that earthl"
nations shoultl ascend to the Church, whose doctrine and lit:e
are lofty, arduous, sublime. This the grace of Christ effecteth,
mighty and lofty, as being sent from heaven. As then wa-
ter!", conducted from the fountains by pipes into a valley, in
that valley bound up and ri
e nearly to their ori,rinal height,
so these water.... of hea,.enlr gra('e, brought down into ,-allies,
i. e. the hearts of men, make them to bound up with them
into heaven and enter upon and etnbrace a heavenly life."
2. And 11Ull11/ natiol1s shall come. Isaiah 27 added the
word aIL to Micah's prophecy. So our Lord !'aid, 28 Tlâs
GospeL of the kingdom shall he preached in all the tl'orldfor
a witness untu all natious; and the e1eet arc to be gathereel
out of all nations aud kimlreds aml people aud tongltes 29. AIL
IS Dan. ii. 3';. 16 Phil. ii. 9. Ii Eph. i. 20-
3. IS from Rup.
19 Heb. i. 13. :w from S. Cyr.
21 S. Matt. v. U. 2'2 ..,;-:
(from -:-:
river, stream) is used only figuratively.
:
:
.l
: N' add R::.I:
t
:'2
' It is used i
t

plaee8 onl
, Î
.
i
82.il. 2.
28 S. Matt. xxiv. H. 29 Re\". vii. 9.

cIL\PTER IY.

IMor(> GO(l of J aeoh; and he will teach us of I
CHRIST
cir. ílO.

nations shall flow into it. Thc all mi!!ht be many or fcw.
Both prophets say that d.lOse all 8!',ouhl .bc 1lI.\II
:, ,Jud
l

probably kne\v alrcady of many. I hc In
tory of (:Jenc
l

avc them a wide-expanding- knowledgc (
f thc.
nlar!!ement
(If mankind aftcr thc tlood, in Europe, A
Hl. AfrH'a, as they
then cxi4ed in thcÏl' nations. The sons of Japhct had al-
ready !<pread O\'er thc whole coast of our '"
stel"l
sc
\, an
1
fal' 1\'orth; thc ('immerians \ or Cwmry, Se:tlHhnanans
,
Carpathians 3, (probably t:e1t
,) .\rmenians 4.' (inehH!in
th
c
kindred Phryg-ians,) Seythians 5 , l\Iedes, 10mam;;;G, _E
l
ans',
Iberians
, Cypriotcs 9 , Dardanpo, Tyl
ar'enes ll, l\IoS('!IlI
, and
thc TUI'
eni 13 or perhap
thc Thrm'mns. On thc Last, the
sons of Shcm' had spread in Elam, _hshur, Arrallachiti
U;
thcy oeeupied the intervcniu!! trar-f of Aram; in the:!\. '
'.
the,. reaehcd to L,-dia. Southward the sons of Joktan werc m
Anibia. Micah's' hcarer,.. knew how, of the sons of Ham.Cush
had sI,read far to the S. E. and S. from Babylonia.to :Ethiopia;
Et!ypt thcy n'memb
red t
o well; and, bcyond It, they knew
ofthc fm'-seauered tnbes of thc LIbyans, who extt'ndcd along
thc e(la
t of .\fri.'a. Phænieian tradc filled up this t!reat out-
Jine. Th('v themselvcs had, in Solmnon's time, tradcù with
India 15; al)out this time, we know that they were
equainted
with the furthcst East, China !G. Such was the sl
ht beforc
the human mind of the Prophct; such the extent of the na-
tions whom his peoplc knew of. SOlllC wcre thc dcadly enemies
of his people; some were to be its ('olJ(luerors. He knew that
thc ten tribcs wcrc to bc abidint!ly walllierel"s amung ti,e 7/ll-
tion"
Ii, despised by them 18; "a people, thc strang-c
s and so-
journers of the wholc world 19." He knew many of tho
c na-
tions to bc sunk in idolatry, vieiousne
s ; proud, contemptuous,
lawless; he saw them fixed in their idolatries. ",.Jll people ,{'ill
1/'(tlk e7'el".'1 one in tI,e name of his got!. But he saw what eye of
man eould not see, what thc will of man could not a.'complish,
that He, "'hom now Judah alonc partially worshipped, would
turn the hearts of His cl'eatures to Himsclf. to scel,; Him, not in
thcir own ways, but as He should re,'eal Himsclfat Jerusalem.
Micah tells thcm distinetlv, that thusc who should belie,-e
wuuld be a great multitude' from l1/llJl.1/ llatioll.
. In likc way
Isaiah cxprcsses thc g-reat multitudc of thoi'c for whom Christ
should atone. 20lIdJllre the sin ofman.l/. 21B.'1 knUl{'fl'clge of
Him 5hall JI.'f righteous Serl'ant make mrlJlY righteous. And
our Lord Him
elf says; 22The Sou of mall èame to gi,'e His
l
fe II rammn for ?lUll/.If. 2.1 Tllis is JI.I/ Blood
l'hic1t is sl,eel
fur 11lrl1l,I/ fur the 1'emissioll of sills. In l\Iit'ah's timc not one
pcople, scareely !<ome puor fra
ments of thc Jewish peoplc,
wcnt up to worship God at Zion, to call to remembrance His
benefit
, to lcarn of Him. Those who should thereafter wor-
s1Üp Him, should he mau!! natious.
Alld sa.'l, exhortin
onc another, in fervor and mutual
Im'e, as _\ndrcw exhorted his bruthcr Simon, amI Philip Xa-
thanael, and the woman of Sam aria those of her eity, to come
to Chri
t: and so all sincc, who have been won by Him, by
u'ord ur example, by preaching or by dced, in IHlblie or in IJri-

1 Gomer. 2 Ashkenaz, Scandina\"ia, Scanzia in Jornand(>s. Knob(>l, '-ölkertafel
d. Genesis, p. 35. 3 Hiphalh, from whom also the Montes Hiphæi are narn(>d.
· 'fogamtah. ;; Magog. 6 Ja\"an.
. Elishah, A1o;\..í. or AI;\..í., Knobel; Eli., Boch. iii. 4.
S Tarshish. "Tarseis, whence the Iberians," Eus. (Tuch ad loc.) 9 Chiuim.
10 Dodanim. II Tubal. I
M(>shech.
13 Ticas, T) rseni, (Tuch,) Thracians, Boch. iii. 2. Knob. 14 Arphaxad, Gen. x. 22.
1. A
appears from the
'amul name for the peacock '
';' Tam. to
ai 1 },.!!". x. 22; the
SanskrIt or
lalaLar name tor the ape,
\j) kapi ; (lb. see Ges.) which came with the crea-

321

his ways, and we will walk in his paths: C
'f{Í
ST
cir, ïlO.

vate, been alon
with them othcrs to scek Him "110m thcy
themselves ha,-c fuund.
Let U,ç go uJI, leaving- thc 10\\ ness and earthliness of their
former conver
ation, and mountin
upward on hig-h where
Chrj
t is, de
iring- rit!hteou
nc!<s, and athirst to Imow Hi
ways.
Tu the house of the Gud of Jacob. Thcy !'hall !'ed. Him
as Jacob
()u
ht Him, " 24 who left his father's house and re-
mm-ed into another land, was a man of heavy toils and s('rv-
ed for hire, but obtaincd speeial hell' from (;ud, and, undis-
tingui
hcd as hc was, became most
Iorious. So tou thc
(,hureh, ]ea,'int! all Heathcn wisdml1, ànd having its eOll\'cr-
sat ion in Heaven, and thcl'efore Ilerseeuted and enduring many
hardshilJS, enjoys now t!lory with God."
Am/lIe, i. c. the God of Jacub of '''hom he had just spo-
ken, shall teach us of
His 1('(I!IS. Thcy do not t!o to God. be-
cause they know Him, but tlmt they ?lw.1/ know Him. They
are drmnl by a mighty impulsc towards Him. 1I0wsocver
attraetcd, they eome, not makin
barg'ains with God, (a
some
now would,) what they should be taught, that Hc should re-
,-ea] to thcm nothing transeendint! rea
on, nothin
exceeding
or eontradicting- their notions of God; they do not come with
re
erycs, that God should not take away t!lis or that error, or
should not disclosc any thing of His ineomprchensihleness.
They eomc in holy !<implieity, to Icarn whatcHr IIc will elln-
descend to tell them; in holy confidence, that He, thc Infallible
'fruth, will teach them infallibly. They say, of His u'ay,ç. For
all learnint! is by de
recs, and all whieh all t'reaturcs {'ould
learn in all ('ternitv ÜlIls infinitelv short of His truth and 110-
line!'=-. Xay, in aIi eternity the "hig-hest ('reature which He
has madc and whieh Hc has admitted most deeply into the
set'rets of Hi
"ïsdom will bc as infinitely remond as e,'er
from thc full knowledg-e of His "ï
dom mid lIi
Lon. Fill'
what is finite, enlarged, expanded, aeeumulated to thc utmost
d('gree possible, rcmains finite still. It has no proportion to
the Infinite. nut e\"('n here, all growth in grace implies

rowth in knowledg'c. The morc wc love God, thc more wc
know of Him; and with increased knowledt!c of Him eOllle
higher pereeptions of wor
hip, praisc, thanksgh'inp:, of the
charaeter of faith, hope. eharity, of our outward and inward
acts and relation
to God, the ullboulldedne
s of God'=- lo,'e
to us and the manifoldness of the ways of pleasing Him, which,
in His lo\-e, He has t!iHn us. Sincc thcn the wholc Chris-
tian life is a growth in grace, and e,-en St. Paul, 25forgetting
tllOse tllings u'lIiclt are lJehind and reac1lÍIIgforth to tltuse "which.
are hefure, pressed tUll'ards tile markfor tlte IIigh calling of Goel
ill CI,rist Jeslls, then St. Paul too was ever learninc". in inten-
sity. what he knew ('ertainly by revelation, of 'I lis ll'ays.
_\gain, as eaeb bladc of grass is said to diffcr from another,
!'o, and mu('h more, each soul of man which God has ereated
for Himself. Xo one e,'er saw or eould imal:Ônc two human
hcin
s, in whom the
n\('c of God had unfolded itself in exactly
the samc way. Eat'h !<aint will have his distinct beauty around
the Throne.. But then eaeh will havc learnt of HÜ 'ways, in

tures thems(>l\"es; a Sanskrit name for elephant, ibha, in t:':j:
i\ory, lit. "elephant'a
tooth;" (lb.) and a:\lalabar nam,(> f!Jra wood,
/flI',m,valg
(ka.)
ee Max r.
J.iller\ Science
of langua
e, p.
05. ed. 3. Oplnr Itself, (whIch IS mentton(>d 111 connectIOn wIth these
things,)
r ax
I üller identifies, be} ond question, \\ ith the Abiria of Ptol(>my abo\"e Pat-
W(>ne; the people," called by Hindu Geographers AbhÎra and" the Ahirs" in "Mac-
murdo's account of the province of Cutch." lb. 16 Is. xlix. 12. see Gesenius
Tbes. p. 918_50. I, See on Has. ix. lí. p. 61, 2. 18 See on Hos. \"iii. 8. p. 52.
I. S. Grep:.
az. Or. 22. n. 2. :1\) Is. Jiii, 12. 21 lb. n.
S. :\fau. xx.
8.
:J Ib, xx\'i, 28. add Rom. \". 15. :. Theoph.
Phil. iii. 13,14.

3 '> .-,
-...

clle:íeST for the law shall
o forth of Zion, and
dr. no. the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3 -U .And he shall judge among

MIc \H,

many people, and rebuke strong
tions afar oft'; and they shall
their swords into b plowshares,

Before
na- CHIt 1ST
beat cir. ao.
and Ij

123.
ò.

a diffcrcnt proportion or dcg-ree. His g-reatest
aint!', yea
His Apostles, luu-e hcen preemincnt, the one in one g-race, ano-
ther in another. St. John Baptist came as a pattern of rep('n-
tmH"e, and eontempt of !'elf; St. .J ohn the Evang-elist, stands
out preeminent in deep tender burning- personal love ; St. Paul
in zeal to spread the knowledge of Christ Crueified; St. Mary
Magdalene in Im-ing- penitence. Even the ßlcssed Yirg;.n
hersclf, undcr inspiration, seem,;, in part, to speak of hcr
10w(1/ 10ll'lless!, as that whkh God specially reg-arded in her,
whcn lIe made her the Mother of God. Eternity only will
set forth the fulncss of the two words 2, He 1l'ill tead llS uf
His 1(,(1.'l/S. For eternity" ill
hew, how in all 31['orketll that
Olle and the self-same Spirit, dil'iding to eury 11Iall sel'eral!.,! a.

He will; and how the countless multitude of the redeemcd
han corresponded to His g-ifts and drawing-so "4 The way of
the life to God-wards is one, in that it looketh to one end, to
pleasc God; but there arc many tra('ks along it, as there are
many modes IIf life;" and each se,'eral graee is a part of the
way to God.
. And "ll'e 1I'i1l11'1dl( ill .Elis ]Jatlls, "s by belining-, hoping:,
loving-, well-doing, and bearing- patiently all trouble." "6 For
it sufficeth not to helieve, unless we ad as He commandeth,
and !'trive to enter on His wavs, the strait and narroll' patll
1l'/âch leadetll untu life. He Hiiuself then, when He had said,
7 Go, tearh all 11 a tions, bapthing tllem in the ..LYame of tIle Fa-
ther, aml of the Sou, ami of the Ilalg Ghost, added, teacl/Íng
them to obserl'e all tllings u'lwtsuel'cr llull'e commanded you."
They say too, 1/'e 1/'iIl1I'alk, i. e. go onfrom strengtll to strength,
not !'tand !'till after ha,-ing' laboured for a while to do His
"'ilI, but hold on to all Hi,,; ways and to Himself "'ho is the
T/Tay, until the!! appear before tile Lord ill Zion.
For the lall', [lit.law B ,] shall gu .forth from Ziun. The!'e
are the Prophet's words, deelaring why the nations should so
flock to Zion. For he says, shall go fortll, but the nations
were not gathered to Zion, until the Gospel was already gone
forth. He speaks of it as law simply, not tI,e Jewish la1(' a!'
sueh, but a rule of litè 9 from God. .:\Ian's better nature is ill
at ease, heing- out of harmony with God. It cannot he other-
wise. Having heen madc in His likeness, it must be distre!'sed
by it!' unlikeness: having been made by Him for Himself, it
must be restless without Him. "'hat thev indistinctlv lon
-
ed for, what drew them, was the hope tó be eonfoniled by
Him to Him. The sight of superhuman holiness, life. lon,
endura
ee. e'"er won and win!' those without to the Gospel or
the Church. Our Lord Him
elf g-ins it, as the substance
of prophecy 10, that 1'epentllJlCe and 1'emissiull of SillS shuuld he
preached in His JYallle among all 1Iatiolls beginning at Jeru-
salem. 'fhe image may be that of a
tream, issuing- forth
from Jerusalem 11 and watering- the whole world. "12 The law
of the Gospel and the word of the .\postle
, beginning from
Jerusalem, as from a fountain, ran through the whole world,
watering- those who approached with faith." But in that it
wellt fortll, it may be meant, that it left those from among

1 S. Luke i.4ï. 'Ta....Ûvw""'. in Provo n-i. !!o. LXX. is, "Jo\\liness." The whole
phrase i'7riß"XE.o/EJI i"ll'"L 'TilV "Ta7rE.ívwuUI 'Tij
òoúÀJJÇ' aÙToú, corresponds more to the Use in
1 Kgs. (Sam.) i.ll.!! Kgs. xvi. 12. 4 Kgs. xiv. 26. Neh. ix.9. Ps. ix. 13. LXX. where the
prominent sense is low estate. Perhaps, as in 'lV. the two meanings are blended.
2 1'
""1D 1J"1)' 3 1 Cor. xü.l!. . Theoph. "Dion. 6 Rup. i S. Matt. 'Cxviii.end.
8 ;r"n, not :n"In.-r.. 9 :1'111 is alv.ays law, not, as some hayesaid, "religion,"
or "doctrine" generally. It is u>ed "ithout the anicl.., in this sense, as rule 01" life,
(Prov..i. !!3.xxviii. 4,7,9. xxix. 18.) such as the Heathen had not, (Lam. ii. 9.) but which

whom it went forth, and C<13Zion was indeed desolate ufthe law
and Jerusalem bared of the Divinc word." .. Ii The word of
God passed from .Jerusalem to the Gentiles." "6 For the sha-
dow was dont' away, and the types ecased. and sa('rifices were
abolished, and e,-cry thing of )Ioses was, in the letter, brought
to a t'lose."
Hc docs not !'ay here, through whom God would !'o teach,
but he docs speak of a direct teaching- of (;od. He docs not
say only, c. God will g-in us a law," or ., will make a revela-
tion of Him
clf." He speaks of a Personal, direet, continuous
act of teaehing hy God, earricd on upon earth, whether
the teaeher be our Lord's word !'poken once on earth, which
does nut }lass awa.1/ 15 , or God the Holy Ghost, as teaehing in
the Church and in the hcarts which receive Him. The words
which follow speak of a personal reign, as these speak of per-
sonal teachin
:.
3. .find ìle shall.frul,ge among llIWi.1/ people {Iud 1'elml.:c
strong nations afar C!tf: Hitherto, they had walked each ill
tlleir own wa./fs 16; nuw, they !'ought to be taug1zt Í11 tlte u'ays
of God. Before, thcy had been lords of the world; now they
should own a Judge higher than themscl,'es. They were no
eommon, but migh(1/ 17 nations, !'ueh as had heretofore been
the oppressors of l!<rael. Thcy werc to be many, and those
mig-hty, nations. He should .. h! not only eommand, but re-
IJllke, not weak or petty nations only, hut mighty, and tho
e
not only near but afar."
Iohalllmcd had mural strength
throu/!.'h what he stole from the law and the Go
pcl, and by
his o1\-ning Christ as the \\. ord of God. lIe was a heretic,
rather than a heathen. Fearful seourge as he was, and as
his !'ut'eessors have been, all is now deeayed, and no mighty
J/atiun i
Icft upon earth, whieh docs not profess the Xame
of Christ.
He shall rebuke them; for it was an office of the Holv
Ghost 19 to reprol'e tile 1corld liS tu its sin, tile rigftteousness õf
Christ, tlle.Îwlgllleut of the prince uf tllis wodd. The Gospel
conquered the world, not by compromil'es or concordats, hut
by coU\'ieting- it. It alone could rehuke with power; fur it was,
like its .\uthor, all-ho]y. It could rebuke with efficaey; for
it was the word of Him "'110 knell' "whllt is lit man. It t'ould
rcbuke with awe; for it knew the secrets of eternal .Judg-
ment. It could rebuke winningly; t'C>r it knew 2U the 101'e of
CI,rist 1l'lliclt passeth knulcledge. Its martyrs suffered and
rebul;;:cd their judg'es ; and the world was amazed at the impo-
tence of power and the might of
uffcring. It rebuked the
enthroned idolatry of centuries; it set in rebelliun by its re-
bukes e,-ery sinfnl passion of man, and it !'ubdued them.
Tyrants, whom no human l)Ower couhlreaeh, trembled before
its censures. Then only is it powerless, if its corrupted or
timid or paralp;etlministers furfcit in themselves the power
of rebuke.
And tlle.l/ slwll beat tlleir spears into j110ugllshllres. "All
things arc made new in ('hri
t." As the inward disquiet of
e,-il men makes them restle!'s, and vents itself towards other.;
>hould be revealed to them, (here, Is. ii. 3. Ii. .1.) The :-rnn corresponds with the U"".
10 S. Luke xxiv. 4ï. II See ab. on Joel iii.lS. p. 2-10. 12 Theod. 13 S. Cyr.
" S. Jer. lõ S. Matt. xxiv_ :'15. 16 Is. liii. 6.
17 ::':", " hich originally signified bound toj1;ether, (coli. Arab.) thence used of the clos-
ing of the eyes. (Is. xxix. 10. xxxiii. 15.) included the irlea of numb..r. The secondary
id..a of str..ngth, (as we use" well-knit,") is so prominent, that the idea of number. in the
verb, only occurs in Ps. xl. 13. Jer. xv. 8; in the adj. :Kum. xxxii. 1. IS Rib.
Ig S. John xvi. 8-11. 20 Eph.iii. 19.

CHAPTER lY.

323

Before theil' S l )cars into III )runin
hooks: nation I nation, C neither
CHRIST

eir. 710. shan not lift up a sword against any more.
U Or, seythes.

shall

they Icarn war C J
ro:s T
eir. 710.

e Ps. í2. i.

in envy, hatl'ed, malidou
ne
s, \\TOIl
, 1;0 the inward I'ea("e
whel'cof lIe t;aith,
J1..'1 ]Jeal'e I gil'e unto .'Iou, !'halI, wherever
it reacheth, spread out abroad and. by the power of
raee,
bring- to .<} all nations unity, peace, and ('onco1"(I:' All, being-
brought under the Ollt' empire of Chri
t, shall be in harmony,
one ,;'ith the other. .As far as in it lies, the Gospel is a (j(J!'-
pel ofpea("e, and makes p(
aee. Christians, as
.ar as they obey
Christ, are at peace, both in thcmseh-es amI with one allot her.
And this is what is here prophesied. The peace follows from
His rule. ""here He jlHl
es and rebukes, there eH'n the
:Illi
hty beat tlteir swurd,,, illto lJI()ugllsll
lres. The unive
sal
peace, amid whidl our Lord was ùorn III the flesh, the first
which thcre had becn !'Í1u'e the foundation of the Roman em-
II ire, was, in God's PrU\ idence, a fruit of His kin
dom. It
was no ehallee eoineidelwe, since nothing- is byehanee. God
willed that they should be contcmporanclJus. It was fitting-
that the world should he still, when its Lord, the Prin('e of
peace, was born in it. That outward ces!o<ltion of publie strife,
though hut for a brief time, was an imag-(
how His peace
spread baekwards as well as forwards. and of the pcaee which
throug-h Him, our Pea('e, was da wning- (In the world. "2 First,
aceording- to the letter, before That Child was borll to us, 3 011
"Those slluulder tile got'erllment is, the whole world was full of
Mood; pcople fou1!."ht against people, king-s against kings, na-
tion!' a;.::ainst nations. Lastlv, the Roman state itself was torn
by eÏ\-i! wars, in whose Lattlès all kingdom!' shed blood. But
aher that. at the time of the Empire of Christ, Home g-ain-
cd an nndivided empire, the world was laid open to the jour-
"ueys of Apostles, and the gates of eitics were open to them,
and, for the preaching of the One God, one sing-Ie empire was
formed. It may too he understood as an image, that, on re-
ceiving' the thith of Christ, anger and unrestrained re,-iling-s
were laid a!'ide, 1;0 that each pulletll his IWlld to tile lJlolIglt
alld luoketlt not hack, and, breaking in pieces the shafts of con-
huncHes,
('eketh to reap spiritual fruit, so that, ui/wr." labollr-
ing, Ice ellter into tlleir labours; and of us it is said. Tlle.1/
sllall cume with .io.'I, bringing tlteir sheaus"'. :I\ow no one
fighteth; for we read, 5 Blt:."scd are tile peacemaker... j no one
Iearl1eth to 6 .<;tril'e, to tile sllln'ertillg ufthe !/parers. Alld ez'ery
olle sltall re.<;t ullder his l'Ùle. so as to pres
out that 7 IVille
1l'/âclt gltultlenetll tile !lead of mall, under that 8 rille, whereof
the Fatller is tile .EIIl.<;bamll1l(l1l; and lindeI' /âs/igtree, gathering-
the sweet 9fruits of tlte Holy ,s)Jirit, lou, joy, peace, and the
rest."
The fathers had indeed a joy, whieh we have not, that wars
were not between (,hristian
; for although " just wars arc
lawful," war eannot he on both "ides just; very few wars hm-e
not, on both sides, what is against the spirit of the Gospel.
For, exccpt where there is execeding wickedness on one side,
or peril of further evil, the words of uur Lord would hold good,
in puhlic as in private, 10 I sa.1/ IInto you, that 'lIe resist Ilot ez'il.
This prophecy then is fulfilled I) in the character of the
(;o
pel. "lIThe lawoftheGospel worketh and preservcth pcaee.
For it pluekcth up altogether the roots of all war, avariee, am-
bition, injustice, \\ rath. Then, it teaeheth to bear injuries, and,

1 Litany.
S. Jer.
:s Is. ix.6. 4 PST cxxvi. 6. . S. Matt. \. 9. 6 2 Tim. ii. 14.

Ps. civ. 15. 8 S. John. xv. I. 9 Gal. v. 22. 10 S. Matt. v. 39.
11 Rib. 12 S. Matt. v. 39-12. 13 lb. 44-48. 14 Acts iv. 32. I. Tertull. Apol.
c. 39. .. For they themseh"es hate one another." "For Ihey Ihf'Insehesare more ready to

so. far from requitiug them, willeth that u e be prerared to re-
('('lve fre!'h \\...on
!'. He saith, 12 If all.'1 olle ."mite thee 011 tlte
rigid cheek, tllrll to !lÏm tlte other also,
-('. 13 I sa.ll untu pou,
LUl'e .'10111' ellemies, I)'c. Fill' neither did the old law giye these
('ounscls, nor did it explain so ('Iearly the prcecpt implied in
them, nor had it that wonderful and most efficacious example
of the patience ami love of Chri
t, nor did it supply gra('c,
whereby peaee euuld be preserved; \\ hercas now the first-
fruits ofthe Spirit are IOl'e,jo.ll, peace, l(mg-slljf'erillg, gelltlelless,
goodness." 2) Tlw prophe('y ha
been fulfilled within and with-
out, amon/! individuals or hodics of men, in hody or mind, in
tcmper or in deed, as far as the GII!'pel ha
prevailed. HThe
lIlultitude uf them that belin'ed were of ulle heart llml of oue
mimlj one, throug-h One indwelling- Spirit: one, though a great
multitude, throug-h one bond uflove. "15S e (' hmy these Chris-
tians love one another;" ,.
ee how ready they are to die for one
another," was, in the third century, a heathen provcrb as to
Christian love. "16 Thev love one another, almost befon
thev
know one another." ':liTheir first lawgiver has persuaded
them that they are all brethren." .. \\T e (which grieves you,)"
the Christian answered Ib, "so love one another, because we
know not how to hate. \\' e call ourselyes · hrethren ' which
you take ill. as men who have onc Father, {iod, and are sharers
in one faith, in one hope, coheirs." For ('enturies too, there
was, for the most part, publie peace of Christians among- them-
seh'es. Christian soldiers fought only, as constrained by the
cÎ\-illaw, or against Barbarian invaders. to defend life, n ife,
chilth-en, not for amhition, anger, or pride. Christians (
ould
then appeal, in fulfilment of the prophecy, to this outward, the
fruit ofthe inward, peace. .. ,,-c;' says an early martyr l9 , "who
formerly stained ourselves with mutual slaughter, not only do
not wage war with foes, but (',-en, in order not to lie and de-
ceiH those who eOllsume us, willing-ly professing- Christ, meet
death." "From the coming of the Lord," sap another mar-
tyr 2U, "the X ew Testament, ref'onciling unto peace, aJl(1 a life-
gÍ\.ing Jaw, went forth into all land
. If then another law and
word, going forth from Jerusalem, produeed such peace among
the nations whieh re('eÎ\-ed it, and tht'rehy reprOl"ecl1Jllll'1t }Jeo-
]lIp of want of wisdom, then it \\ (Juld follow that the prophets
:'Jlnke of !'Ovme other. But if the 1mI' of liberty, that is, the
law of God Jlreached by the Apostle!', which went forth out of
Jerusalem to all the ,,"orld, worked sueh a transformation,
that swords and spears of war He wrought into plough-shares
and pruning-hooks, instruments of peace, and now men know
not how to fig-ht, but, when smitten, yield the other cheek, then
the prophets spake of no other, but of Him who brOllght it to
pass." .. E,'en from this," says Tertullian 21. "you may know
that Christ was promised, not as one mighty in war, but as a
peace-bringer. Either deny that these thing,.: were prophesied,
since they are plain to ,..ee; or, since they arc" ritten. deny
that they are fulfilled. But if thou mayest deny neither. thou
mu
t own that they are fulfilled in Him, of "'10m they are pro-
phesied." .. Of old 22," says St. Athanasius, "Greeks and Bar-
barians, being idolaters, warrcd with one anotlU'r, and" ere
fieree towards those akin. For through their implaeable war-

sla) one another," are Tertullian's statements as to the contemporary condition of the Hea-
then, \\hich their amazement at Christian love rather confirms. 16 Minut. Felix,
p. 81. ed. Ouzo I
Lucial1, de morte Peregrini,i. 507. ed. Græv. 18 l\Iin.F.
p.

I
d
: l\1arc. iii. 2
. S. Justin).1. A pol. i,39. 22 de Incarn.;
;b

;,i
: gt; t

.32-1

c }

o;'s T 4 d ßut they shall sit every man un-
cir. 710. d 1 Kings 4. 2;;. Zech. 3. 10.

l\lICAH,

ùer his vine and under his fig tree; c J
{Ts T
cir. ill}.

fare no ont' ntiA"ht pass land or sea, unarmed. Theil' whole life
was passed in arms; the sword was to them for staff and
tay.
They worshipped idol!', sacrifh-ed to demons, and yet from their
reverell(
e for idols they could
'ain no help to correct their
minds. But when they passed into the sehool of Christ, then,
of a truth, priekt'd in mind, tht'y wondrously laid aside their
sava
e slaup:hters, and now think no more of thing-s of war;
,fill' now all pcaee and friendship are alone their mind's dcJig-ht.
\\'hll then did this, \\'ho Llended in pearl' thos(
who hated one
another, save the ßeloved Son of the Father, the eonlllwn Sa-
viour of all, Christ Jesus, "Thu, through His love, endured all
thin
s for our salvation? For of old too, the l)eaee ,,,hidl
should hold sway frolll Him was prophesied, tlle.1f shall beat
tl,eir swords into 7Jlrmgh.çl/(lrcs. 1':01' is this ineredihle, sinee
now too, the Barbarians with innate savag-eness, while they
yet sal'rificc to their idols, arc mad with one another, ami can-
not for one hour part with their swords. But when they have
received the teaf'llin,!!.' of Christ. forthwith for ever they turn
to husbandry; and, in lieu of arming their hatHls with swords,
streteh them out to prayer. _\nd altog-ether, instead of war-
rin
with one another, they arlll thcmseh"es against the devil
and demons, warrin
: against them with modesty and virtue
of soul. This is a t
ke
l of the (;odhead of the Si\viour. For
what men ('ould not learn among- idols, this they have learned
from Him. Christ's diseiples. having no war with on(' another,
arm v themselves against demons bv their life and deeds of vir-
tue, chase them m
d mork their Cal)tain the de,-il, rhaste in
youth, endurinA" in temptation, strong- in toils, tranquil when
insulted, ufl('oncerlwd when despoiled."
And yet later, S. Chrysostoll1e says, "1 Before the Coming
of Christ, aJl men armed themselves and no one was exempt
from this sel'vice, and cities fou:;!:ht with (
ities, and everY
where were men trained to war. c But now most of the world
is in peace; all engage in me('hanieal art or agTi(
ulture or
commerce, and few arc employed in military serviee for all.
And of this too the orrasion would cease, if ,,"e aeted as we
ought and did not need to he reminded bv affiietions." ,< 2.\fter
thè Sun of rig-hteousness dawned, so fa; are all eïties and na-
tions from lh-ing in surh perils, that they Imow not evcn how
to take in hand anv affairs of war.-Or if there be still any
war, it is far oft' at' the extremity of the Roman Empire, no"t
in (',1<'h city and ('ountry, as heretoti)re. For then, in anyone
nation, there were countless seditions amI multiform wars.
But now the whole earth which the sun sun"evs from the
Ti
Tis to tIlt' British isles, and therewith Lvhia too and Egvpt
and Palestine, vea, all beneath the Roman ñlle,-,'e know ']{ow
all cnjoy COml)lete se('urity, and learn of war oill y by hear-
say." S. Cyril 3 and Theodoret 3 carryon this a('('ount into the
fifth t'('uturv after 0111' Lord's Coming. Christians then dur-
ing those four centuries could point to a l)resent fulfilment of

1 in Ps. xliv.
3. T. v. p. IS(;. : in Is.ii. n. 5. T. vi. p. 24.5. 3 au Is. ii.
and here. 4 Is.lix. I, 2. . R. Isaac, Munim. Fie!. i. 5. 7. et all.
ti This is implied in the laws concerning them, as Ex. xxiii. 11. Lev. xix. 10. x,<v.
3,
:. Deut. xx. 6, &c. camp. 1\um. xvi. H. Dent. vi. 11. 1 Sam. viii. H. ,<xii. 7. 2 Kgs.
xVItI.32. Ps. cvii. 37. Provo xxxi. 16. 'i Neh. v. 4. Jer. xxxix. 10_ s 2 Kgs. x,'iii. 32.
. 9 Ps. lxxx. 8 sqq. Is. iii. 14. v. 1 sqq. xxvii. 2. J er. ii. 21. xii. 10. E7ck. xv. xvii. 5-10.
XIX. 10. Has. x. 1. 10 The bunch of grapes appears on coins of Herod ArcheIans,
Madden, Jew. Coinagc, p.!JJ, 5. also of Tiberi us, lb. p. 14<1. See De Sauley, p. 134-. 110, 1.
The r;olden vine, given by Alexander to the Romans is mentioned by Strabo. (Jos. Ant.

4. 31.) The vine-tree stood at the porch of the Temple for receiving alms. :Mideloth 3. 8.
m LnyJtid. l\lünz.p.I3-J.. :\ladden,p.210. II Madden, p. 162, -1., í, 8. liO, 2, 3, 7.
180. 206, 7, 8, 9. See also Dc Saulcy, p. 160,1, 2,4-, 5, 6, 7, &c. 12 Dcut. viii. 8.
u 2 Kg.;. xviii. 32. H :1JKn (its name still in the East) from iKn i. q. pn.

prophecy, when we, for our sins, ean ouly speak of the past.
4The Lore/'s IUl1ld is uot shortened, that it ('annot Sal'e: ueitller
His ear Ileal'.If, tlmt it call1wt hear; hilt our iniquities IUll'e se-
l)(lrated bet-ween us, and our God, aml (Illr sins l/(ll'e Mcl His
Þàce fJ"(Jm us, tlwt He u"illuot I,car. Those fir!'t Christians
eoul
urg'e a
ainst the Jews the ti.tlfilment of t Iwir prophedes
herem, where the Jews can now urg-e upon us their seeminO"
lwn-fulfihnent; .. ã In the timt' of king- :l\Iessiah, after the wm

of Gog- and Mago
', there !'hall be pea('e and tranquillity in all
the world, and the sons of mell !"halJ ha,"e no necd of wëapons,
but these promi!'es were not fulfilled." The proph(
e\" is ful-
filled, in that the Gosllel is a Gospel ofpeae(
and makës peace.
Christians, as far as thcy obey Christ, an
at peaee both in
themselves and with one another. The promi!'es of (
od are
pcrfect on IIi" part: He is faithful to them. But He so wills
to bc freely loved by His intelligent ercaturcs whom He form-
ed for His love, that He does not force our free-ageney. ". e
can fan short of His promises, if WI' will. To those onlv who
will it, the Gospel hring-s peace, stilliug the passions, 'Iuelling-
disputes, hanishing ('ontentions, removing- errors, ealming
coneupiseence. soothinA" and reprcssing' anger, in individuals.
nations, the Chureh; g-iving- oneness of belief, harmony of
soul, contentment wit]j (Jur own, Im"e of other!': as ollrseh-es;

o that whatever is t'ontrary to this has its origin in some-
thing which is not of Christ nor of His Gospel.
4. But (-1ml) tllC,l1 shall sit Ct"eI".'11JI((1l, under Ms 1'iJle ((ml
unclcr Ids.fig-tree. Palestine was a home of the vine and the
fig-trce. Vineyards were a eonm1On property, possessed by
all but the very poor 6, or even by them 7. The land was 8 a
land of bread aJlcll'iJlc.If(l1"(ls. The vinc was the emhlem of
the peol)le, in Psalmists and Prophets\!. The hunch of g-rapes
or the vine-leaf appear as eharaetcristic emhlems on Jewish
coins 10, chiefly in the times of their re,-oJts under 'T espa!'ian
and Hadriall ll . The fig- is also mentioned as part of the t'ha-
racteristie fruitfulne;.;s of Palestint' 12. It too was an Ullh"er-
!'al property 13. Both formed natural arbours; the fig !Iad its
name probably from its length 14, the vine from the arch made
by its drool)in
boug-hs 15. Both formed, in those hot ('oun-
tries. a gratt
fnl !'hade. The vine, rising with its sinA"le stem,
was spread over trellis-work or hy props, so as to em'lose a
eonsiderahle spaee 16. Even in Italy, a single vine !'haded a
portiro Ii. In Pale!'tine it grew b.1f tile 1/,(1l/.
r
f tile house 18.
Rahhins relate how their forefathers sat and !'Íla1Ïed ullderthe
fig-tree 19 , as 1':athanael was doubtlcss nwditating- or praying-
under one, when Jesus, being God, saw hi11l 20 . It exhibits a
picture of domestic peat'e 2 \ eael' family gathered in harmony
and rest under the prote('tion of God, each ('on tent with what
they ha,"e, neither ('oveting- another's, nor disturbed in their
own. \\ïne is explained in Holy Sr'riptnre to he an emblelll of
gladness, and the fig of !'weetncss 21. "22 For exreeding sweet

1. I!)J i. '1.pJ. 16" \Ve J;>asoed the e.-enin!:, undcr a large vim', whose 8tem was about
14 foot in diameter. Irshelght was 30 feet; its branches had to be propped up; and so
it covcred an arbour more than 50 feet wide and long. I remembered Micah. I have
seen in this land the people living under both the fig and the vine; the fig between Jerusa-
lem and Arimathea; the vine, here [Beitjin.] '" Schulz. Leit. v. 285. in Paulus Reisen,
vii. 103. 17 Plin. N. H. xiv. 3. 1" Ps. cxxiii. 3. 19 "R. Haia and his
disciples- others sav, R. Akiba, used to rise very early and sit and study undcr a fig-
tree,'" Bereshith nabba in Winer Reallex. [\\ron!( reference}
S. John i. 48.
so 2t

tU

h lc
n

70

:
::

e t

'I

i
fï

:Uor

i

i.r.i
ltTI

aie

1. in Cel.. lIierob. ii. 36f1. "It is appropriated to the food of man:" Id. dejure anni i et
jubil. c. v.
8. lb. Our Lord made it, as well as the grape, (he figure of good fruit, which
an evil nature could not bear. S. Matt. vii. 16. S. Luke vi. 44. 2
S. Cyr.

CHAPTER IY.

C l
íioÍes T and none shall makc them, afraid:
cir. no. for the mouth of the Lord of hosts
l
ath spokPH it.
. Jer. 2. 11. 5 For e all people will walk en
ry onc

325

in thc namc of his god, and f we will c l

T
ST
walk in the name of thc Lord our (;od cir. ílO.
for eycr and cver. f Zech. 10.12.
ft In that day, saith the LORD, gwilll as- K

:

'1

'

is tlH' wnrd of the Saviour, and it knoweth hnw to
ladden
man's hcart; sweet also and full of joy is the hnpe of the fu-
ture, wherewith we arp enriched in ChrÍ!;t."
:O;uch had bcell If'racl's lot in the peaceful days of Solomon 1,
the peace uf whoF'P times had already been made the image
of the (;ospel 2 ; the eOining of the Queen of tlte Soutlt from
tile ldtcl"1nost parts '
ftlte cartlt. to hear tlte wi...c1om of Solomoll\
had made her kin
dom to 1)(' scleeted as an emblem of those
who should fall c!';,I'U bcfure Christ nmi serl'C Elim 4 . " 5 Such
is that most quiet fearle!<sness which the law of Christ hring-
eth, as being the law of charity, peace, and concord."
..1ud 1/one shall make tltem afraid. "6 :r\either man, nor
devil; for the Lord hath given us power to 7 tread OJI serpeuts
a/ld ,,,,'uJ1Jions, and over all the p01l'er of tile cnemy, and said,
not/tiug ,..Imll h.1f WI.'I means Imrt you, and IJade us, 8fem' not
tllcm /{'lticl, kill the Imdp." "ïtne!'s the might whieh He gave
to His Apostles and l\lartyrs.
.For tlte lIIoUtll '
f tlte Lord '
f Hosts Itatlt ,..pUkCIl it. The
Prophets often add thi,.;, wlH'n what they say. seems, for its
greatn('
s, past belief. Yet it will he, hecau!oe He hath spoken
it, tlte Lord "-ho changeth not, the LOl'd of Ilosts, to "'hose
eomlllands all ('reature!< arp subject, "'hose word is truth
with ,,'110m to speak is to do.
5 l"or all people 1('ill '/{'((l!.', Cl"CJ:1J one ill tltc name of /tis
god. ((ud wewill'walk ill thc namc of tile Lord OUI' God. Hi-
therto unsteadfastness had been the veTV chamderistie sin
of I
rad. It was "9constant only in its'incon
tmlf'Y," ever
10 falling (lwa.lllikc their f(Jrefat/'ers
starting aside like a bro-
ken 'J(nt'. The heathen per!<evered in their wor
hip. hecause
it was evil or had e,-il in it, not ,'llCcking- hut feedill
their
passions. Israel did not persevere in his. beeause it l"('lJuircd
him to deny himsclfthing-s unlawful. 11 Flatlt a natioJt chang-
ed t/'cil' .t:{ods 1('/tich are .yet JtO gods? Bilt 111!1 pcople I/((z'e
,.hanged t/'eir glor.'1 for that 1(,lticll dutll not lIJ"O/it. Hence-
forth, the Prophet professeth for his people, the true I!<rael.
that he will be as steadfast in g-ood, as the heathen in evil;

o om' Lord sets forth 1
the cltildren of tltis world ill tlteir ge-
nel'fltioJt, as an example of wisdom to tIle clti/dl"en of ligM.
,< 1:J They who are eag-cr to go up into the mountain of the
Lord. and wi!<h to learn thoroughly Hi
ways. promise a ready
ohedienee, and reeeive in themsel\"Cs the glories of the life
in Christ, and undertake with their whole !<treng-th to be
earnest in all holine
s. 'For let eyery one,' he
aith, 'in
everyeounh'y and eity go the way himself dlOoscth, and pa!<s
his lift', as to him seemeth I!,'ood; but our care is Chri
t, and
His law
we will make our strai;.?'ht path; we will walk alon
'
with Him; and that not for this life only, present or past,
hut yet more for what is heyond. 14 It i... a fait/
flll Ml.'liug,
.Fol' tlIC.'! 'wlto now sl!ff'el' u'ith Flim, shall walk with Him for
ever, and ll'ith IIim he glurfficd, aJUI1cith Flim reign. nut
the.'! make Christ thcir ('are, who prefer nothing' to His lon',
who I'('ase from the vain dh;tractions of the world, and seck

lIKings. iv.2:;. 2 Ps. Ixxii. 3 S. !IIatt. xii. 42. 4 Ps. lxxii. 10. II.
o Lap. 6 Theopl1. i S. Luke x. 1!). 8 s_
1 att. x. 21'. 9 nib.
R
:nI:
il
W.i

.. ii:: I. cr . iii
l1Gal. i:
2
: Luk
6x;
,

. i;

:Cyri7
s
;:
;ù}:
\1

;
"",f1lfe.. (Ezek. v. G, 7. &c. and
e\"en other places) in llis fur/p,'rnfs, (P..Ix,,<xi,,<. :n. EI.
xxx,-i. 21.) ill Ilis C6/11l11alllllllc1It.., (2 Chr. :nii. 1-.) il, llis lall', (Ps. h "iii. 10 &c.) in llis

rath('r ri
hteou:-:ness and W
lat is plcasinl!,' unto Him, and to
ex(,('1 in ,-irtue. Stu'h an one was the dh-ine Paul; for he
writeth, 15 I flIn ('J'uc!fied witl, Cltrist; and now no long'èr Ili,.e.
IJiti Christ liveth in me; and a
:ainI6, I determined not to kuow
lll/,1!tltil/g ll1llUng yo/(, sflI'e Jc,ms Cltri.
t, rind Ilim ('/'/If'f/ìed.
To 1l'llik is so uniformly in Holy Seripture used of a per-
son's moral or relig-iOl,S "waysl1" (a!'ò we !<ay), that the Prophet
here too is doubtle!:'s speaking of the oppo
ite religious ways
of the Heathen amI of the future pcople of Gud. The 1/l111/C
was often, in Hebrew, expressive of the charactcJ'; and, in rc-
g-ard to (
od Himself, that 1\"ame whi('h He \"ClUch!'afed to give
to Himsclf18, expres:-:ed Hi!oÒ Sclf-exif'ten{'e, and, a!' a rc!<ult,
His rnehan
eableness and His Faithfulne!<s. The names, by
which it was foretold that Christ should he {'aIled, expre
s
both His ])eity and attributes l
; the human
allle, whieh III'
bare and vouehsafes to lJear yet, was !oignifieant of His offi,'e
for us, Sa,-iour
O. '1'0 lJl'llise tile
Yllllle of tile Lord then, is tu
praise Him in that diameter or relation whieh IIc hao; re-
vealed to us. "21 lIe 1l'alketlt in tllc ",-Yllllle of tlte Lord, who
ordereth e,-ery ad and motion worthily of the v(H'ation where-
with II(' is call cd, and,
2 1f,ltetller liP elltetlt or drinket It, dotlt llll
to t/te glol:'1 (
f God." This promise hath its own reward; for
it is for el'er lllld f't'er. They who wllik in the
Yltll/e of tltc
LOl'd, f'hall U'alk
3hcfm'e Him in t/'e land '
l tlte liz'il/{.(.forel"e1"
llllli evcr. Such walk on, with quielíened steps, ling-ering not,
in the
Yllme of ti,e LOl'd our (]od
i. e. doing all thing-s in His
1\"ame, as His great Kame reltuires. conformed to the holiness
and all other (JIlaliti('s which IIis Xame expres!oÒeth. þ'OI' el'er
llud Cl'er, lit. fur Cl'er aud .'let, or, more !<trictly still, fOl' tltat
Wlticll is /tidden ((lid .'lJct, whieh is the utmost thoug-ht of eter-
nitv we ean come to. Time indeed has no relation to eter-
nit). ; for time, being- God's creature, is finite; eternity, being-
the mode of the exi!<tence of God, is infinite. Still. praetically
to U!<, our nearest ('oneeption of eternity, is existence, on and
on and on, an endless, unehan
ing, e,-er-l'rolong'ed future, lost
in di
tance and ltidden from us, and then, rlml.llct, an ever-to-
eome yet, whieh shall ne\"cr eome to an end. \\. ell then may
we not faint, as tho' it were long to toil or to do without thi

or that, sinec the }mrt of our way whieh ties amid toils and
wearilwss is so :-:hnrt, and will soon be at an end; what lies
beyond, in joy, is infinite in infinite joy. ever full a11(1 still
ever a '!et to eOl1le.
The Ì>ruphet !'ay!oÒ, 7I'e u'ill u'all.; ':
'uniting- himself in long-
ing-, hope, faith, to thc sons of the Xc,,, Testament, i. e. Chris-
tians, as his brethrcn. reborn b,' the g-raee ofthe same Christ;"
"
5 ministers of the Old, heirs 'Of the Kew Testament, bceau!'c
thev Jo, ed throll/!,'h that samc faith whereln- we lun'; hdicv-
in
'in the Inear
Hltion, Pa!:'
ion, RcsurrccÌion of ('flrist yet
to be, as we belie,'c in it, having- been."
6. In tlillt da.'!, 1. e. in that day of Chri!<t and of His Gos-
[wi, of g-rae(' and salvation, tile last da.'ls of which he had heen
sl'(
aking. Hitherto he had prophesied the glory of Zion,

fear, (Neh, v. 9.) and, in the corresponding place iu baiah
in fhe liplll qf Ihe I:ord. (Is.
ii,5.) see Ges. The8. v. i
:1. y. 3ï
. and above on l\Iic. iI. n. p. 3ü8. So agam to "'<Ilk
will, Gor/. (Gen. v.
2.) or beJ6re God, (lb. xvii. 1.) o

olllr<lr!1 to God. (Lev. X>.vi..
1.)
I" :11'" See ah. on Hos. xii. 5. p. 77. 19 Is. '". 1.J.. Immanuel, I. e. r.od Wllh I1S:
ix.!;. ',"onderflll, Coun.cllor, :\ii
htyCcd
,r.
u f'. :.I..tt. i.:!J.
l Tlu 'ph.

1 Cor. ,,<,31. 23 P,.c:\,i.!1.
'Tir.
;, ::::..\lI
.c. 2 Epp. Pelag. iii. :.
DDD

326

c J3íi o í e s T semble her that haltcth, h and I will ga-
cir.ílU. ther her that is driyen out, and her that
h

;:'í3tI3. I han' afflicted;
I
3
: î
: 7 And I will make her that halted i a

:
8
.8. remnant, and her that was cast far ofl"

chiefly through the coming-in of the Gentile!ò. :r\ow he adds, I
how the Jews !'hould, with them, be
atllPred hy p:raee into
the one fold, in that long la!'t day of the Go!<pel, at the b(
-
ginnin
', in the course of it, and completely at the end 1. I
Her that Iwlteth. The Propbet resumes the image oftbe I
!'eattert'd Hllck. under whil'h he had before 2 foretold their
restoration. This was 110 hop(
of his own, hut His word
'''ho cannot fail. The course of events, upon which he i!ò en-
tering, would be, at times, for their greatnðs amI their dif-
fit'uIty, past human belief. So he adds straightway, at the
outset. saith tile LOl'd. 'I'll Iwlt is used of bodily lameness 3.
and that, of a flo('k, worn out by its wamlerinp.
. It is used
aho of moral halting;;, sueh as had been a ehief sin of Israel,
st'n-ing partir God. partly Baal 6 ; God. with a !òerviee of fear.
Baal with a sen'it'e of that eounterfeit of love. sensualit,.
So it was sick, both in body and snul, and drh,(,Jt out 7 als
,
and '!f/lirted.
7. ..dmlher tlwt 1l'as rast ofra stroug llati(J1l. The prophe-
ey, that there should bc a remnant.was dppressing. Yet what
a remnant should it he!
\ remnant, whieh should multiply
like the stars of heaven or the sand on the !òea-shore. hrael
had nenr been a .çtrong uatÙm, as a ldngdom of this world.

\t its best estate, under Da,-i(l. it had subdued the petty na-
tions around it. who were ('on federated to destrov it. It had
never eompeted with the powers of this world. East or "Test,
Egypt or l\ïneveh, although God had at timcs mar,'ellouslr
saved it from being swallowed up by them.
Y(J/II, the rem-
nant of .Judah. whieh itst'lf was but a remnant of the undi-
vided people, was to beeome a stJ"OlIg nation. So Isaiah pro-
phesied, bA little one shall become a thousand, and a small une
(l stl'ong uation. Plainly not in temporal greatnes,.;, both
because human strength was not, and could not be, its dm-
raf'teristic, and beeause the Prophet had been speaking of
spiritual restoration.
"9 Strong are they. whom neithcr torture nor allurements
('an separate from the love of Christ." .. Strong are they,
who are strong- against thcm!'cIves." Strong- wen
thev who
said 10, TVe oug/Ii to ohe.,! God I'atllel' thew wen,
Uld 11, Trill; shall
sepamte 1(S from tlte lore of C/'l'ist? shall trilmlation, 0/' di,ç-
tress, or persecution. orfamine, 01' JwkedJll'.\'s, 01' 7Jeril, or swurd ?
-<\Ta.'h in all tlle.
e tllÏJ/Ks 1l'e al'e more than l'unqueJ"ul'.'; thl'olt/::Ii
Him t/.i.at loved itS. God does not only restore in the Gos-
pel; H(
multiplies exceedin
dr. "u I ,;.iJI
o duthc her" ith
the sl'iJ'it of mil!,"ht, that, as she shall be fruitful in nllluher,
so shall she be glorious in yieto1"ies
so that of her it !<hall be

I Rom. xi. 26.
ii. 12, 13. 3 Gen. X'<xii. 3=:!. ' Zeph. iii. I!). ;; Ps.
xxxv. 15. xxxviii. 18. 6 1 Kings "viii. 21. The word is difterent here. ï ;,n') is
nsed "ith Ihe same image of the dispersed flock, Zeph. iii. I!). Ez. XJ< "iv. 4. 16. and'ln.,;,
Jer.I.1í. 8 Ix.
:!. 9 Glo
s. 10 Actsv. 29. n Rom_viii.35 37".
I' Rup. 13 Cant. vi. 10. H Rev. '-. !), 10. 15 de loc. Hebr. A;cu!f
:\.D. (jiO found" a Church oflhe Shepherds," a mile from Bethlehem. Earlv Ira,.
111 Pal. p. G. The
Iigdal Edar is mentioned al
o in the l\Ia". Shekalim C. 7.4: .. Of
the herds, in the space bemeen Jerusalem and' the tower of the flock' and on both sides
the males are for burnt-ofterings, the female for peace-ofterings. R. Jehuda says, what

:

h
:e

ni
sS

/H
i1. (f::;>ii
I
;
days before the P6aG:

\

'. are to be
17 Ps. Jon.on Gen. xxxv. 21. .. This is the place, where in Ihe last da) s 11essiah shall
be re,ealed."
Ii Ophel, like man) other Hcbre" Proper namcs, di,lnot lose its original appellati,e

JJIcAH,

a strong nation: and the LORD l. shall c J3'Ä o í e ST
reign o,'cr them in mount Zion from cir. ïlO.
henceforth, c,-en for eyer. kLs2
:
3.
8
And thou, 0 tower of II the flock,

k

..I:à:ï.
the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, Ii

:B
;
'
Gen. 35. !!1.

said 13, IV/w is she tlmt /ooketh fm.tll (I.Ç the morning, faÏJ' a,
ti,e
moon.cleal' a,ç tile Sll1l.terl'ible as an army 1('itl, hanuers
" For,
uut to name t ho
e, whose whole life is one warfare a
ainst invi-
sible enemies amI the evil de,.;ires of the flesh, \\"ho shall count
the martHs of Christ? "'e know that that renllwnt and
st1"On
mitioll owe whollv to g-raee all whieh they are. as they
them';;eh-es in tIlt' Re"elition
give thanks; 14 TI;ou wast ,
/ai;l
(md llast redeemed ItS to Gud h.'l Th.1J Blood, out of erel'.,! kin-
ch'ed and tongue and people and nation, and hast made llS /(11-
to our God kings and 7Jriests, and we slwll reign on the eartll ;
that same Lord, of "'hom it is here said,
The Lord shalll'e

n oz.'pr them in Zion/rum hencefol"flt even
fur el'er. The vi
ible liÍngdom of (;od in Judah was often ob-
scured, king-s, princes, priests, and false prophets eombining'
to eneourage one another in rebellion against God. J n the
captivity it 'e,,-en underwent an almost totil edip!'e by the O\'er-
shadowin
of earthly power, saw when the Di,'ine lil!,"ht flash-
ed forth for an instant in the deed!' or words of power and
wisdom, related by Danicl. Henceforth. i. e. from the time,
when the Imc' should go f01"th o/(t of Zion, (';od should indeed
reign, and that king'dom ,.:hould ha,-e nu ('!HI.
H. ...dnd thuu, U tOll'U of tile .flock. .., TO\\"er of
\der,'
whil'h is interpreted' tower of the flork,' about IOO() pares
(a mile) frum Bethlehem." says St. Jerome 1;; \\ ho lived there,
,. and foresignifying [in its nry name] hy a sort uf prophery
the !'hepherds at the Birth of the Lord." There Ja(
ob fed
his sheep 16, and there (sinee it \Vas hard by Bethlehem) the
!'hepherds, heepin
watch o,-er their flocks by night. saw and
heard the Angels singing. .. Glory to God in tht' hil!,"hest, and
on earth peace, g-oodwill towards men." The Jews inferred
ii'om this plaee that the l\Ie:-õ!'iah should be revealed there 17.
Stronglwld [OpheI 18 ] of tile daughter uf Zion. Ophel
was a strong place in tlw South of J eru:-õalem, the last \\"hieh
the wall, em'losing- Zion, reached, hefi)re, or as, it touched on
the Eastern llon'h of the temple 19. \\ ith who!'e sen-ice it wa,;
eonnef'ted. \\'e know that, after the eaptivity. the Xethinim,
who did the laborious serviee of the temple. dwelt th ere 20. It
lay very near to the priests' district
l. It was probably, a
lower aedidty, '.swelling out," (as its name secms to mean 2\)
ii'om the mountain of the temple. In the last war, it was held
tOl!,"ether with "23 the temple, and the adjoinin
parts to no
slight extent, and the vaHey ofIÜdron." It was burnt U before
the upper I'ity was taken. It had been eneireled by a wall of
old; for Jotham "25 built g-reatly upon its wall." 3Ianasseh
"26 eJwirded it." (probably \\ ith an outer wall) "and raised

meaning, and so in the r. places, where it occurs in the prose books, keeps the article;

Chron. x",ii. 3. """iii. U. J\eh. iii. 26, ï. xi. 21. and 2 Kings v. 24. in \\hich last place

i
h:":
I

l

:

:;'

f

,,
ii.SIa:']:d'i
j

ha

J
a
l
. J 1 !h;t'\-: re
i
ctl

\\ord as a Proper name in the historical books, :! Chrun_ and Neh.
19 ., The oldest \\all \\as hanl to be tak(-n on account of the ravines, and the ridge above
thcm on \\hich it "as built.-On the 'Vest-turning to the S. 0\ erthc pool of Silo am, and
then again bending Eastward to Solomon's pool, and e"tending to a place "hich th(-y call
üplùa', it was joined on to the Eastern p'orch of the temple:' Jos. lJ. J. v. 4.!!.
!O ]\;"eh. iii. 26. xi. 21.
I lb. iÜ. 28. .
, Like f/lmulus from t"meo. Fürst.
It is used of a local tumonr in Arab. ,md in Deut. "X\iii. :1,. J Sam_ v.6. 12. ,i. 4. 5.
I and ofthesweliing of pride. ]\;"um.xi\.44. Hab. ii.4.
j bv John. Jos. B. .J. v. 6.1.
I .
' Together "ith .. the.arch
v!:, Acra, t
e Council-hall::.l
:, i. G. 3. ,.'I"ter the dL
.truc-
lIon of the wmpl(-. lb. 'I..!. ,)-,. .0 2 Cbron. x:o..uI.3. .;.t, lb. >O:XXI11. U.

Before
(' HRIST
dr. i1O.

I Jer. 8. 19.
m Is. 13. 8.
& 21. 3.
Jer. 30. ß.
& 50. t3.

CHAPTER IV.

unto Owe shaH it l'ome, even the fil'st do-
minion; tJ)(' king-dom shall ('onl(' tu tlw
daughter of .Jerusalcm.
9 :Kow why dost thou ('..y out
aloud? 1 is '!tnt' no king in thee? is
thy eounsellor perished? for m pan
'o;

327

I have takpn thee as a woman in travail.
10 ße in pain. and lahmu to hring forth,
o claug-hter of Zion, like a woman in
trm"ail: for now
halt thou
o forth out
of the ('itv, and thou shalt dwell in the
I field, and 'thou shalt
o ('I'ell to ßahylon;

Before
CHRIST
cir.710.

I
it exeeeùing;ly," i.e. apparently rai:,;ed artifieially the whole I to her; nnt her's by right, but hy Hi,ç ri
ht. 'nlO should 1I1C'-
level. rit it for her, and. being" Kin,!r of kin
s. makes lIis own.
Yet, afo: a symhol of all Jcrusalem. Ophel is a:' remarkable. I
killg,'í aud priests uuto (;ud nut! His .Fat/lCr.
as the" tower of the flock" is as to Bethlehem. Fur Ophcl. The .'ews themselves !'eem to have taken thc!'e words into
althou
h fortified. is no wher(' !'poken ()t
as of any .wcount 1. tht'ir own mouths. ju!'t heforè they rejected Him. when they
It is not (
ven mentioned in the circuit of the walls, at their I hoped that If(. would be a king. sueh as they wished for.
dedication under
('hcmiah
,
robably a
?n outlyinß:, spot. 'IOBles.'íed he the kingdom (
f (
/{r .f(t
/ler Ðal'id that ("Ometll
1t
It was prohably of moment t'lnefly, as g-IVlllg- an adnmtag-e i tile
Vame (
f the Lord. And III a (hstorted form, tht'
Iwhllt
to an enemy who Illi
'ht occupy it. I c,-en after,,-ard:, n.
Both then are iIlla
es of lowline!'s. The lonely Shepherd- I 9.
Y()/l'. The prophet places himself in the midst ot
towcr. for llethlehcI11, tlH' hirthplaf'e ofI>avid: Ophel tilr Jeru- their deepest
orrow!', and out of them he promises eomfort.
!'alelll, of whil'h it wa" yet hut an outlyin/! part, and derh-in{! II 'rh.,! dost tllo/( cr.'1 out aloud? i... thl're /w l{ing ill thee f1 i.'í tilY
it!' value prohably as an outwork of the temple. Both s
m- ('ounsl'llur l'erislH't!B? h then all lost, becau
e thcm hast. no
bob antieipate the fuller prophecy of the littlene!'s, which !'hallil risible kin
, none to eoun
cl thee or c'onsult for thee U? Yery
bec'ome great in God. Hdure the mention of the greatne
!' l"(.markably he speaks of their l{.iug and ('ol1l/.w'llor a!' one. as
of the r!olllill;,m to COIllt'. Î!' !'et forth the future pm-crty to whieh if to !'ay, ''''hen all be
ides is
:OlU'. there i
One "'ho abides.
it should ('omf'. In lowline..s Christ eame, yet is indeed a Thoa
h thou he a ('aptive. God will not forsake thee. "Then
Tower proteeting and defending the sheep of His pasture, thou hadst no earthly king, 13 the Lore! tll.ll God wa!' tlly King.
founded on earth in His Human Xature, reaching to Hea,'en He is the Fir!o't, and He is the Last. "-hen thou shalt have
in His nidne; 3a struug Tuwer; the rigMeolls l'll/tIletlt illto no other, He, thy I\:ing. ceaseth not to be.' 'H.JThou shouldest
it, and is safe. not tear, so long a!' He, \\'ho c'ounselleth for thee. liveth:
Unto t IIee shall it come; (lit. Ilnto t/lee ...I(((ll it come 4, ami but He liveth for e\"Cr." Thy COllnsellor, He. \\Tho is ('alled
there shall ar/.Ü'e &C'.) He !o'aith not at fir
t what shall come, 15 ('mmse/lor, 'Yho eounselIeth for thee, "Tho t'oun:,elleth thee,
and!oll rai:,cs the soul to think of the greatncs!' of that whic'h n ill, if thou obey His counsel. make birth-pang-
to end in joy.

houlù C'Olne. The soul i!i left to fill np what is more than For }langs II((l'e taken tllee. a,ç a 1l'oman in trat"ail, resi!'t-
thought ean utter. Unto tllee, (lit. 'Illite up to tllee 5.) :r\o less. reIllt'dilcss, douhlin
the whole frame, reduubled until
hindl"anees should withhold it from comin
'. Seemingly it the end. for which God :,ends them, is a('eomplished, and then
was a great way off, anù they in a very hopeless !'tate. He ceasing in jO). The truest comfort, amid all
orro"', i,.; in
sugg-e,.;ts the diffi('ultr even hy his strength of as!<urance. owning that the travail-pain!' mu:,t be. but that the rewaI'd
Onp could not !'ay, it shall come 'illite lIJI to thee, of that whieh shall b(' afterwards. .. 14 It is meet to look for deliverance
in the way of nature would readily come to anyone. But amid from (;od's mel'cy, as certainly a., for }mnishment from our
all hindrant'e!' God's .Might make'" its way. and brings Hi!o g-uilt: and that the more, since He whn foretold both, willing-
gifts and promises to their t'nd. And tliere sllUll a1"ril"e. He ly save!'. }Hmi!'hes unwillingly." So the prophet adds.
twice repeats the a!<surance, in equivalpnt word!', for their I U. Be ill pnill, aue! l((bow' to bring furt/I, (lit. IVritllt'
fuller assuran('e, "6 to malie the g-ood tiding-s the gladdcr hy cmd burst lurtll,) as if to say, 'thou must suffer, but thy sut:..
repeating and enforcin
them." fC'rin
and thy jo
' shall be one. Thou ean:,t not ha,'e the joy
The.first or /OI'mer, clmllill;,m. The n onl often stand,.., without the :,utt'ering. As surely a!' thou sufferc!'t, thou shalt
as our, ., former 7," in eontrast with the '.Iater." It is not have joy. III aU sorrow, lose not faith and hope, and 16 II IOU
neces!'arily tlle.fìrst,
trictJy; and so here, not the dominion shalt be S01"1"OllfUI, but thy sor/.01(' slrall be tu/"ued illtojo!I_'
of David and
olomon exclusinly. Rather the Prophet is "17 Good daughter, he very patit'nt in the panp:
, hear up
pla('ed in !'pirit in the later tinws ,,"hen the kingdom !"Iwuld aA"ain!'t your !'OTrOWS," so shall thp hirth he ni
'h. Yet for
be su!'pended, and foretells that ti,e former duminion, i. e. that the time !'he must go fortlr uut of tire ci(ll into eaptivity. Ane!
of the line of Da,'id, :,hould come to her, not in it!' temporal thou ."Imlt e!ll'e/l iu tlte jidd, hou!'cle!'s, under tent!', as eaJ>-
greatne:,;"" hut the ]jne it
elf. So the Angel ;;aid,
He slrall ti,-es were wont to be kept, until all were gathered tog-ether
he great ane! ."Iwl! be ('(([[ed ti,e SOI/ of tile Elif{lie,çt, alld tile to he It'd away: a sore exchange for her former luxury. and
Lonl God slralJ gh'e unto flim ti,l' throne of His/athel' JJavid, in refluital of their oppres!'ion lb.
and He shall reign ore/" tlte hO/tse of Jacob fOl' n-er. And tlmlt slmlt gu eren to Bab.,llol/. J'\ ot ßahylon, but
Tlte [A] kingdom to the daltgMel' of Jerusalem. i. e. a Ass
Tia wa!" the seour
e of God in )Ji('ah'!' time. ßah
-Ion wa!'
kingdom, whieh <.;hollld not bp (!f her, but which ..hould ('lime !'earcclyknll\\"n, afa/" f'fJllI/tr!1 19 . Yet Micah is taught of(
od to

I Josephus calls it, .. that which w
s called Ophlas." B. J. v. t. 2. vi. G.3.
2 N eh. xii. 31-fO. 3 Prov. xviii. 10. . The 1\Ir orethcs seem
ri!(htly to ha\e marl-cd this by tIle accents. .
"'J.'. 6 Rup.
· So, the former time, (Is. viii. 2:!.) deeds, (2 Chron. i,,:
29. x\i. II, xx. 31.) kint;,
(Num. xxi. 26,) tables, (Ex. xx"iv. 1.) benefits, (Ps.lxxxix. 50.) da!!s, (Deut. iv. :!2,

.10.) kin.!!... (Jer. xxxiv.5,) propllets, (Zech. i. 4, vii. 7.12.) temple, (Ezr. iii. 12. Hagg.
11.3.9.) SecGes. ThEs. p. 1<151. ,
. Luke i. 32, 3.' llEV. i. ß. 10 s.
Iarh "i. 10.

II Targ. "o\nd thou, 0 l\1cs.,i3h .of IsraeI,_who art ,
i

n account of the sins of t
e
congregation of Israel. to thee the kmgdom \\ ,II come, gmng to

V the sense 01

I!,
(as in the L}.X. "ulg. Aq. S}mm. S}r.),,:nd thence ohtain!ng the sense" hidden,"!n re.
ference to their fable that He was bon! betore the destructIon of the temple and ludden
by God. U Compo Hos. xiii.l/I.
13 I Sam. xii. 12. H Mont. l
Is. ix. 6. 16 S. John xvi. :!U.
Ii S. C
r. IS Am. vi. ::\Iicah ii. S, 9. 19 2 Kin
s xx. U.
Dd2

32

Before
CHRIST
dr. ilO.

there shalt thou be delivered; there ' I
the ]
ORn shall redeem thee from the
hand of thine enemies.
II
II Now also many nations ar('
a-
thered against thee, that say, Let her he
defiled, and let our eye u look upon Zion.

n Lam.!!. W.

n Ohnd. I=?
ch. ,.10.

lIc
\J-J,

12 But they know not p the c I

oth
thoup;hts of the LORn, neither under- _cir. ,10.
stand they his counsel: for he shall I'
t

:
'.3:}.

atht'r them q as the sheaves into tlll
q Is.21.1U.
floor. r ".41. 15.
Ja r .Arise ami thresh, () daught('r of }

,51. 33.

dedare that thither
hall thc two trihe
be C'arried ('aptiw. al-
thou
h the ten were earried eaptin' br A
srria. Tllere 1 sindt
tllou he deliz'CI"ed, tllae tile Lord sll([11 redee/JI tlleefrom tile Ilflml"
(iftMlle ellelllie.
. God'
j1HI
ment
, or purifrin
trial!', or ,-i
i-
tation of lIi
saints, hold their war, until their end be reaehed.
They who sutler them C'annot turn thcm a
idc; they who in-
flict them C'annot add to them or detain them. The pri
on-
hou
(' is tIlt' plaet' of dclÏ\'eranec to .'o
eph and :":t. Peter; the
Red-sea tn Israel; thejud;::e
wcre rai
ed up, when I
racl was
mi
htily oppres
ed; Jabe
h-(;ilead was deliwred when the

e,-enth dav wa
eOllle 3: thc walls of Jeru
alem were the end
of Sennaeilerib; J1Hlah should have long- heen in thc \"Crr
h:md and g-ra
p of Babylon, yet must its C'len('hcd l/fwd 1)('
ouened.
. II.
YOl(' ([Iso. [A1/(1 JUJll'.] The prophet had already
po-
ken of the future before them, with thi
word
Y()/l'. Then,
he di
tÍlH'tly prophe
icd the C'aptÏ\-ity to Babylon. Twice
more he bep:ins anew; as Holy Seripture, so oftcn, in a mys-
tery, whcthcr spcaliÏn
' of e,-il 01' of good, of deliverance or
of puni!'hmcnt, uses a thrcefold form. In thcsc two, no men-
tion i
made IIf the enemy. and so there is some UlH'ertaint\".
Rut the ('(mr
e mu
t app
ll'ently be either baekwanl
or foi.-
ward
. The,' must either be two nearer future!' before the
Captivity, or' two more distant aftcr it. This se('ond g-ather-
ing mip:ht, in it
elf. either be that of the .h
yrian host!' under
Scnnaeherib out of all the llation
subjeet to him; or that of
thc many petty nation
in the time of the :\Iaecabees, who
tool. ad,'antage of the Syrians' opprc

ion. to ('omhine to era-
di('ate the Jews 4. If under
tood of Scnnacherib. the pro-
phet, ha\"Ïng' fon'told the entirt' eapth-ity of tIlt' whole people
to ßahylon, would h:u-e prophesied the sudden de
truC'ti()n
of a nearer enemv. who
c miraculous and instantaneou
O\'er-
throw !'hould he' the earnest of the destruction of Baln-Ion
and of tl.eir deliH'ranee from it. This would suit well ,,-ith
the de
eription. .Ill' slwll gatlwl' lI/em as shN.1'es tu the.tloul',
and would eorre
pond well with the de
Cl"iption!' in I
aiah.
On the other hand, wherea..; tM.
de
eription would suit anr
other event, in whi('h man g-athered hi
str('np:th ap:ainst GOII
and was overthrown. the followinlJ: words. .Arise ami tlu'esll. (j
d(l/l,!:,'lder ,if Zioll &e, fit better with the ,-ictories of the )Iae-
('alwes, in whieh Israel was aetÏ\-e, than with the O\-erthrow
of Sennaeherih, in which they were wholly passiw, and Gorl
did all for them. as Isaiah and lXahum foretell the same on'r-
throw 5. Then al
o, if the eourse ofthe de
eription was haek-
ward, I) the C'aptivity in Babylon,
) the destruetion of Sen-
naC'herib, there i
no earlier e,-ent to t'orrespoml with Gthe smit-
ing of theJm(!:e (
f Ismel Ull the dleek. The mali(
e al
o of the
nations gathered a
ainst Zion suits bctter with the abidinlJ.'
charaetdr of the pètty nation
, and of their hereditary em-)'
against brad and it
hig-h elaim!'. To Xine,'eh and Bahy-
lon, Israel was hut one little eorner of g-rollml, whil'h rounded
their territory and e(IllIleeted them with Egypt. They dis-

I See on Hos. ii. 1;;.
lit. .. the hollow of the hand," and so .. the grasp."
3 1 Sam. xi. 3. 10. 11. . 1 Mace . \". I, 2.
. I.. x.
4-3!. J<ÌY. :!!, 5. x\-ii. 12-11. xJ<ix. 7, 8.1\ah. i. 10-13. 6 \.1-4. Hpb.

dained them, e, en while thcy songht to subdue them. ::\lil'ah
de!'eribes the exultation of petty gratified rin\lry.
Tllat SlIIj, lct lieI' be ddilcd. The bad have a keen (VI'
for th(' haltiilgs ami ineoIl!<ht('ncies and fall
of GOt}'s peopie,
for whidl thcv are ever on the watch. Like Satan. they are
fir!'t tempters; then the aC'eusers ; first de!<eerator
, thcn ;all('-
timoniou
ju
tieiaries. God, in His judgment, leaves what
has been inwardly defiled to be outwardly profaned. í If an.lI
man d(file tile temple rl God, Mm slwll God destro!l; for tile
temple of God is Im(I!, 1l'Mch te11lple are ./fe. BThe fa itbfu I ci('1
Iwd be('(J11Ie a IWl'lut. 9Tlle land Imd hecome }Jolluted hy its
illlwbitallt.
. lXow it was to be pnlluted hy the enemy. It

seducers asl. for tIlt' judgment of God. 'It has beeume like
us in its deeds; let it no more be distinguisherl from us hv
tht' name of the people of God.' .
AIIl/let (JIll' e.'1e luuk upon Zion, with l)lca
urp upon its
desolation. and feed it
clf with its misen-. "10 "-here tht'
c
'e. there ]O\-e; where the haud, there paili." uTile!! opened
their mOllth wide ap:ainst 1//e: lIle.'! said, .<11/(/, Alw, OUI' e.'1e
halll set:ll. The world hates the Clnm'h; Edom, Israel; it
eannot be sati
fied with beholding its ehastis(
ments I
. The
!'utl'crinp:
of the
Iartyrs wcre tllC ehoice spedal'le of the
Heathen.
]2. Bilt tl({,.,! knuII' uot the lIlOugMs of tile Lord, neitllcr
U}ul{'/"stwul tlll'.'1 I-lis couNsel. The hcathen did, for their own
end,., what {;od will(.d for His. The first
tep was the same;
God willed that Hi
pcopll' should be punished; they willed
to pl1ni
h them. nut all whiC'h lay beyond, they saw not;
that God willcd (on their repentance) to pardon His own
people, but to pllni
h themseh-es for their pride 13 and t'ruel-
ty H. <.15.\Jmig'hty God eorreets the cleet through the rcpro-
bate, as with a rod; after whieh He condcmus the reprobate
eternally. as when the son has heen diseiplined, the rod is
cast into the iire."
Fol' He slwll gntller tllem ([s tile .
liem'es into t!lefi(J()r. The
multitude of the sheave
hinders not the thrc!<hing-; the mul-
titude of God's enemies hinder!' not thcir dc
trueÙon. They
think that thcy stren
thcn them
cl\"e
, a
they g'ather togé-
ther; God
ees them but as ripened and fitted for de!<truetion,

athered intI) one bundlC' ht<.!:ether, to perish toget her. God
p:athers them, not by eonstraint or foree, hut by
i,-ing- free
seope to their own wayward wills, and m'erruling thes(
to Hi

ends.
13. .1rise (it may be,) from the dust in which they were
lyinp:, I will make t/lÏne ho/"n i1"lJn, and I1l'ill make tll.'IIIO(ifs
hrass. Threshing in thc East is partly with oxen. partly with
wheels of iron. or with planl.s set with sharp flints on an npen
I place made hard to this end. Tht' Prophet joins annther
I image, with this and rt'presents Judah as being- by Gild en-
I dued with strength, first as with a IlOrn of irun 16 to C'ast the
. enemy to the ground, and then with IlOof
of brass, wherewith
to trample them to dust, as the stubble and chaff. .Jnd I1l'ill

;- 1 Cor. iii. I,.
10 Proverb in Lap.
13 Is. x. 7.12.

s Is. i. !!1. 9 Jer. iii. 9. Ps. cvi_ 38. Is. xxi\". 5.
II Ps. xxxv. 21. I' i\lic. \il, 10. Ob. I!!.
U Zech. i. 15. l!J. Ii Dion. 16 1 Kings xxii. 11.

CHAPTER nr.

<.; J3í{ o Ís T Zion: for [ will make thine horn il'On,
cir. no. rmd ] will make thy hoof's hrass: and
. D3n.2. H. thou
halt · beat in piecl'
many l)eo-

('unscC/"ate tlteir gailt uutv tlte Lord, i. e. to Myself; the Lord
o-athercd them into the floor hv His PrO\-id(
nee; the Lord

a' e His people streng-th to !'uhdue them; and now, in His
own Per
on, lIe
ays, l will ('omplete l\Iy own work.
The HIT imag-e {If the" tllI'eshing- " implie,.; that this is no
mere dcstruetion. "ï1Íle the stubhle is beaten or brui
ed to
small pieee,.;, and the chafl' is far more than the wheat, and is
earried out of the floor, there yet remains the seed-corn. So
in the p:reat judgment,.; of God. while most is refuse, therc
yet remains over, what is severed from the lo
t heap and whol-
iv cO/lSecraterl to Him. \\'hatenr things were tht' uhjeC't of
tile" Cherem 1" or .. thin!!," dcvoted to the Lord," could not be
redeemed, but must remain wholly tll(
Lord's. If it had lit't>,
it was to be put to dcath 2. And so the use of the wonl here
may the rather shew, lIOn" those com-erted to God, amI who
bec'ame gain, hallowed to Him, wcre to pass throug-h death
to life. to die to themseh-es that they JIIip:ht )Ï\'c to Him: "hat
was evil was to be slain in them, that the)" themselHs might
liH.
The braelites and God's dealings with them arc 3ensamples
(
f llS upun 1l'lwm tIle ends of tlte 1l'ur/d w'e come. .And so the
whole seetion fits wonderfully with the condition ofthe single
soul.
Site ll,llO Iwltetlt is " t the soul, who woultl serve God, yet
not
o as wholly to gÏ\-e up the scn-icc of thc world, whiclÎ it
had ia Baptism renounced, who, after it had g;one astray like
it lo
t sheep, and been scattered amid the manitoldness of
earthly things, was p:athercd again into the foM, to Ion One
only, long ti.lr Oue only. give it
elf to One;' it
Good Shep-
herd, and o,-er it the LOl'd reigneth for e,'er, if, taug'ht bye'\:-
perien('e the de('eitfulness of Satan's promise,., and stung by
the sen
e of it,.; own thanklessness and \"ilene
s, and con
('ious
of the peri) of self confidence, it abideth more closely than
others with God. He shall gatllt:I' her tlmt is dril'en ollt, i. e.
""He shall restore her, from whom He had, for the time, with-
drawn His graec," and Iler tllnt 1l'as '!tJlicted, troublc heing
(;od's most eficetual instrument, in recalling the soul to Him-
!'elf. "C For the Lord raisetlt tllem that are howed dOll'n. And
u'ill make Iter tlwt Iwltetlt, it remnant, plaeinp: her among the
cle('t mal holy, and IU'r tllllt u'as cast (!If" stl"(mg; for Chri!'t
!!,"iveth oft to
Udl
ouls great ri('hne
s of DÏ\-ine p:ra('es, so
that 'i where sÙt al)(lll/uled, {?rllCe
hould 111llCh more ahound."
,.
To it, when eulip:htened and purified by affii('tion and by
repentance, it is promi
ed, that its Lord, the (jreat King, shall
('ome to it, and again rcig'n in it, whi('h is the great bJi
s of
souls in g-ra('e. For then doth the soul really rci1!n, whell it
suhmits wholly to Christ, '\'110m to f'erve is to reip:n, and so,
under Him, reccÏves power to eommand its "Tong- desires. and
rule itself; ., that p:reat and wonderful power whieh the E,-an-
g-eli..;t expresses in words
o brief, bTu tl,em glll'e He [lOWer
to bel'Ome tIle sons of Gud. Thus He maketlt it strollg, so that
9neither deet/I" nor life,llor allgels,nm' prillcipalities,llor pOll'ers,
can separate it from ti,e loz'e e
f God w/âch is ill Christ Jeslls
ollr Lord. Then," he deseribes the eondition of the soul
fluctuating between good and evil, ealled oue wav bv (;od
through inward inspirations, and anothcr way by the intiee-

1 Le\. LX\- ii. 28.
4 Rib.
Dion.

lb. 29. 3 1 Cor. x. 11.
6 Ps. cxhi. 8. 7 Rom. v.
O.

32)

pIe:
unto
I u the

t and I will consecrate tht'ir gain c lr
'ì'
T
the LORn, and their sulJstanl't' unto cir. ill).
Lord of t11(' whol(' earth. · L.

.\"/'
D Zech. 1.14. 8: G.5. 8: 60. f;, 9.

mcnts and habits of sin. .\ud, wishing- to folluw God, yct
I not to be without its sinful plcasnres, and lillOwiug- this to be
!mpo
sible. it is in aug'uish and he,.:itates. Hcr thc prophct
Justly rehukes, 'll'It.'/ tlw.'i ('1'.'/ aloud, a
thoug-h thou nlUst be
led ('aptÏ\'e by the Devil. not kuon inc- or unable to extri('ate
thyself? Hast t!IUll 110 Killg, aidccI' hy "'hose pmn'r, thou
Illayest fig-ht ap:alllst all entic'cments, habit, thc flesh? Paul
felt this and ('ried aloud, 10 [ see allothE/" !em' ill 1//1/ members
u'arriJig against the lme of 1II.1f mind, ([Ju[ bringill" l;le into ClIp

tidt!! lu tIle lall' uf sin 1('Mch is ill 1//1/ UleJllbers
0 ll'retrlled
man tlwt [ am, "wlto shall delil'E/" m
from tlte 'lfJd,/ of tM.o;
deatl,1 Y ou
ee his gl'ief. But he despairs not. ile knows
that he has a [-iillg. [tluwk God thr(JIIgh Jesus Christ our
Lord. Or why g-rievest thou. as if thou haclst no r'ou1l.o;ellor,
by whose C'ounsels to free thee from the
e snares? Th!! Cmm-
sellor indeed pais/led un tilt' Cros,.;, but for thy sake, that thou
mayest JÏ\'e. He died, to destroy him who hath the power
of death. But lIe rose the third day and is still n ith thee.
at the Right Hand of the Fathel' He "!'till reigns Immortal fi,;
ever. See how man\" C'ounsels He has left thee in the (;os-
pel, hon' many admoñitions, whereby thou maye4 lead a hap-
py and tranquil life. Xow ]laill seizes tllee like (lll'Omfln in
trlll'ail. For such a soul tun'ails, having- C'on('eived inspira-
tions from God, which it wi,.:hes to obe\", but that the fle
h,
O\'ereome by ('ollcupiseenc(
, resists, an'd so it never hrin.c-s
forth, nor experienc'es that joy, whereof the Lord :-peaketh,
llfl7tell sIte is delil'ered of tlte child, she rememheretlt 110 mOre
tIle lillglliÛI,furjo.1f tltat a mall is horn into the world. \\'here-
fore he adds; he in paiJl, for thou art indeed in trm-ail; thou
wilt not cease to he in pain, until thou bring forth. Thou
wilt go fortll &('. '-I God. hy a prO\-ision of I]is great mer{'y,
allows lukewarm !-ouls, who wiU be at no pains to p:ain p:nwe,
to fan iuto foulest sin
, in order that, owning' at last their
mi"'ery, they may cease to be lukewarm, ami with great ardor
of soul may embrace ,'irtue. 1.'or. n-arn{'t! hy the result, they
understand that they themseh-es emboldened the tempter,
(tor he chiefly attacks the lukewarm and remi
sJ and ther be-
come ardent in the conflict and in well-doing-." "Th('refnre he
!'ays,tlwlt slmlt go /01.tlt Old oftlte ci(l!. that City of God. where-
of He is tile Builder and _1[aker 12 , whieh is gladdened by the ri-
yer of Hio;
pirit; "and it dwells in the open field, unprotel't('d,
ready to be a prey, in the broad way of it
own cOIU'ul'is-
cence
, out of tlte narrow road 1l'Mc/t Iradetlt to life. and
goetlt et'C'1t tu Bah.'llolt, the eity of' confusion,' in tumult ami
din and unre!'t, and the di4ractions of this life. Yet e,-en
there shall it be delivered, likt
tbe poor Prodigal, who eamc
to himscIfin a far country, when worn out hy its hard sen-iee.
Even there it must not de
pair, but remember, with him, its
Father's hou
e, its former home, the Hc
n-enlr Jerusalem.
Its pains within or without, whereby it is brought baek, arc
travail-pains, Thoug-h all is dark, it must uot say. I IIlll'e no
CrmnseU'}r. For its Hedeemer's Xame i
1:3COllltsel!ur, "HotI('
Coun!'ellor of a thonsand/' ,.1jThine Interees,..;or nen'r die,.:."
Out of the very depth of misery will the Divine )Icrcy draw
thee. Thoug-h thou seem held hy the stron/! hand of the ene-
my, and he seems to triumph over thee and to jeer thee,

8 S. John i. 12. 9 Rom. viii. 38,9. 10 Rom. vii. 23,2-1-. 11 S. John xvi. 21.
12 Heb. xi. 10. 13 Is. ix. 6. It Ecclus. ,i. 6. I. Chri.tian 1 ear.

ð30

Bef ore
CH RIST
cir. ílO.

CHAPTER Y.
I TI,e birth of Christ. 4 His kingdom. 8 His
cunqucst.
N O"T gather thvself in troops 0
daughter of troops: he hath laid

l\IIcAH,

sieg-e ag-ainst us:
the judge of Israel
cheek.
2 But

they shall a smite C Jï{TsT
with a rod upon the cir. no, _
a Lam. 3. au.
Matt. 5. 3!J.
Eph- b
1;
t.
:'6.
little John í. 12.

ratah

thou,
thuugh

b lleth-Iehell1
thou he

ITltere, tI,ere so "would 1l'e haz'e it, u'e IltlL'e dez'ullred Idm, and
hosts of dcvils scck thy utter destruetion. and thou s(
em to bc
2de/ivered Ul'er to the;ll to the destrurtiOll of the }lesll; yet is
it only that ti,e spirit ma.'I he sUl'ecl ill tI,e Da.'1 of tI,e Lurd.
E,-cn Satan, when hc is tormentinp: souls, knOll'S 1I0t the
tllOUgltls of the Lord, 1I0r llnder.\.twuls His couw;el,ç, how, by
the ,-ery pain whkh he infliets, God is hidding- them, Rise
and "31ook np to heaven and long- for heavenly things and
tram pIc on all whieh they had hitherto foully :,cn-ed, honor
or vain glory or covetousness or lust ;,. how Hc will e.rnll their
horn ill tlte Lord, make it strong: as irull that they should do
all tldngs through CI,rist instrengtlu!lIing them, and conquer
all throug-h the might of Christ; how He should bruise Satan
under tlleirfeet ,çlwrt
'1, and thcy eonseC'rate wholly to God
their whole streng-th, every power of soul and body which hi-
therto had hecn the a(h-er:,;an's.
y. 1.
Yuw gather th.llse{{in t/"Oops, 0 daugMer of truops.
The dauglder uf troops is !<till the same who was before ad-
dressed, Judah. Thc word is almost always -!used of" bands
of men employed in irreg-ular, marauding-; inroads." Judah
is entitled dau,e:ltter uf truop.o;, on account of her ,-iolcnce, the
robbery and bloodshed within her" as Jcremiah says G, Zo;
tld.o; house widel, is called h.'1 JIll
Ywne become a den of roh-
hers in .'Iow' e.lles? She then who Iwd spoiled' should now hc
spoiled; she who had formed herself in bands to lay waste,
shall now he g-athered thick together, in small bands 8, unable
to resist in the opell field; yet in ,ain should she so
'ather
her..elf; for the enemy was UPOll her, in her last retreat.
This deseription has obviously no fulfilment, eXt'ept in the
infliction by the Romans. For thcrt' was no e,-ent, be/ore the
invasion by Scnnacherib and 3t'eordinp:ly in the prophet's
own timc, in" hi('h therc is any seeming- fulfilment of it. But
then, the seeoml delh'eran('e must hc that hy the MacC'abees;
and this sieg-e, whic'h lies, in order of time, beyond it, must
be a sieg'e by the Romans. \\ïth this it ag-rees, that where-
as, in the LWO fonner visitations, God promised, in the first, de-
Ih-ermwe, in the seeoml, YÏC'tory, h('re the Prophet dwells on
the Person of the Redecmcr, and foretells that the !"trcngth
of the Chureh !"hould not lie in anv humanmcans 9. Herc too
IsracJ had no king, but a judgc oOnly. Then the" gathering
in robber-bands" strikindv deseribes thcir internal state in
the siege of Jeru"alcm; .
nil although this was subsequent to
and eonse(luent upon the rejection of our Lord. yet there is no
rcason why thc end should be separated from the beginning'
sinec thc capture by Titus was but the !"equel of the capture
by Pompey, the result of that same temper, in whieh they
erudfied Jesus, heeausc He would not be their earthly king.
It was the dose ofthc organÍe existcnee of the former people;
after which the rcmnant from among them with the Gen-
tiles, not Israel after thc flesh, were the true people of God.
1 Ps. xx\.'-. 25. 2 1 Cor. v. 5. 3 Rib. 4 i.e. e,,"eept Job XX\. 3.
(whPre it is uæd of the armies of God) and Job xxix. 25. In Job xix. 5. it is used me-

aphorieallyofthe" host" of evils sent against Job. S. Jeromerenders " filia latronis,"
an

ays that Aq. S)mm. Theod. and Ed. V. agree with that rendering.
. iI. 8. iii. 2. &.e. Hos. v. 10. 6 Jer. vii. 11. compo S. :\latt. xxi. 13. ; Is. x,,"xiii. l.
S ""Jnn and 1m n:J are manifestly to be taken in corresponding senses. That of
" gathering in troops" is the only \'nown sense of"un:t, .Ter. v. 7, except that of "mak-

ni\i

i
i
l:s

1. J
t:

f

I,

h:
h

.b
!t

} il
r1

\;.nt he

\
8.
Ç

\.;
}1

He Itatlt laid siege against u,o;. The Proplwt, beill
born
of them, and fur the g-reat love he bort' them. eounts himsclf
among them, as St. Paul mourns over his brethren after the
fl('sh. Tllc.'l.
/w/l smite tlte.ilUlge of Israelll'itll a rod IlpUIl tI,e
clleek. So St. Paul !'aid to him who had madc him!'clf high
priest. 10 God slwll.çmite thee. tl/Ou u'!tited wall; fur sittest tlt'uu
to.iudge me (
ftel' tlte [all', and rommmu[est m
to he smitten
rOllirm:1I to tlte lall'. It is no longer .. the king" (for they
had said, 11 IVe IWl'e IW King but Cæsar) but tI,C j/(e
!je of Is-
rael, they who against Chri!'t and His .\postIcs g-a,'e wrung'
judgment. A!" they had !oòmitten ('ontrary to thc law. so were
the I'hief men smitten by Titus, when the c'it\" was taken. As
they had done, it was done unto them. To be smitten on thc
faee, l)('tokt'ns shame; to smite with thc rod, bctokens de-
struC'tinn. Xow both shall mect in one; as, in the Great
Day, the wicked 1
.o;lwlI all'a/.e to sltame and Cl'erlasting C01l-
tempt, and shall peris!t for el'er.
2. Bllt [.dnd] tlw/(, Bl'lldel,em EpIIN/talt. nïth us, thc
chequered events of time stand in strong eontrast. painful or
gladdening. Good seem" to dl'ace {,,'il, or e,-il blot!" out the
memory of the good. God order!" aU ill the eontinuous eourse
of His \\ï!'dom. All lies in perfef't harmony in thc Ðh'ine
1Iind. Each event is the sequel of what went before. So
here the Prophet joins on, what to us stauds in sueh contrast,
with that simple, And. Yet he desC'ribes the two C'onditions
as bearing- on onc anotllt'r. He had ju
t !'poli:en of tlte jm(E:e
of Zo;1'lIcI !'miUen on the ('heck, and, befort' 13, that Israel had
neither kiug nor counsellor; he now spcaks of tile lluler in b-
mel, thc Everla
ting. lIe had
aitl, how Judah was to be-
I'ome mere bands of mcn; he now says, how the little Bethle-
I,em was to bc exalted. Hc had said before, that the rule of
old was to ('ome to tI,e tower of tlle.flock, tI,e dml{
htel' of .Te-
/"1I.mlem; now, retaining the word H, hc !'peaks of the Ruler,
in "'hom it was to he established. ßeforc he had acldr(
ssed
tlte tou'er (if tI,P }lorl.'; now, BetMeltem. But he ha
grcatcr
thing-s to say now, so hc panscs 15,
-1nd tlWll! Peoplc have
admired the brief appeal of thc murdered ('æsar, .. Thou too,
Brutus." The Jili:e energetic conciseness lies in thc words,
And t!tOll! Belll/ellem Epllratall. The name Ephratah is not
secmingly added. in order to disting-uish Bethlehem from the
ßethlehem of Zabulon, sinec that is but once named 16, amI
ßethlchem here is marked to be the BetldelwlIl .Tlldalt 17, by
the addition. too little to he among tile tlwllSll1uls of .Tlldal,. H("
joins apparently the usual name, Bct!t/ellem, with the old Pa-
triarchal,and l'erhap!' poetie l8 name. EpIIN/talt,either in refc-
rcncc and contrast to that former birth of sorrow near Eph-
ratah 19, or. (as is )licah'"wont,) regarding- the meaning' of both
names. ßoth its names wert' derh-ed from "fruitfulness;"
"House of ßread " ami" fruitflllncss; " and, despitc of C'entu-
ries of .Mohammedan oppression, it is fertilc !'till 20.
15 As marked by the accpnt, "douhle Garesh." Casp. 16 Jos. xix. 15. Ii Its name
in Jud. xvii. 7-9. J<..ix. I,:? 18. Ruth i. I, 2. 1 Sam. xvii. I:!. IS Ps.exxxii.6.
19 Gen. xxxv. 19. xlviii. í. "U" The district country around Bethlehem abounds in
fields,
ine) ards, hills, valli.., oliveyards, fig-tree!<. and is ""pecially supported by wines
and corn." Quaresm. Elucid. Terræ S. ii. 6:!O. "Round the hill is fruitful garden and
corn land." Russegger iii. 79. "The terraces, admirably hept, and co\ ered with rows of
luxuriant olives. internIixed with th(' fig and vine. sweep in graceful cur\ es round the ridge,
r('gular as stairs. ., Porter Hdbook p. 206. "I t is still 011(' of the best-cultivated und most fer-
tilepartsofl'alestine." Rev. G.Williamsin Smith's Gr. and R.Geogr.AddVolne
ii.298.

C :
oÍs T
among
cir. no. . 1 Sam. 23. 23.

the d thou<;ands

of

CHAPTER V.

shall he

331

Judah, .lIef out of

d EJo.. 18. 25.

thee

('0111(' forth c Jí{oíes T
cir.7]1).

It had been ridl in the fruitfulne
s of this worJd; rich, thri('e unimportant phu'e. Its inhabitants are counte(l with those
rich, 1'òhould it be in !Spiritual fruitfulne:<s. "1 Truly is ßeth- of the neig-hboUI'in
Xetophah, both before 19 and after 20 the
lehem, 'house of br('ad,' where \\ as born
tlw Bread of life, rapth ity, but both tog-ether amounted after the l'apth ity to
1eliÏ,.!I came dmenfrom Iwal'en," "
"110 with inward
\\"ectnes1'ò lig J1 or J
H2O only. It .,till does not appear among the pos-
refre
hl's tht' minds of the elect," 4, Allgel'.
Brl'lld, and ..11:ph_ :
essions of Judah JJ. It was ralll'(l a citv
3, hut the name iu-
ratah, fl'uitfulness, whose fruitfulness is God," the
e('d-eorn. eluded eyen places which had only 100 fi
hting- men
.j.. In
stored wherein, die
l and lJ1"(
ll{;lt.t fortll lIIurn fruit, ?/l which II our
()rd:
times it i:" called a l'i/lage 2.. a ci('j JG? or a s!ro
)

e,'er was broug-ht forth to bod III the whole world.' spot -7. I he royal city would become a dent
ftltll'l'es. ChrIst
Tlwugh t!lou bc lillle Ul1U.m{; t!le tlwusallds (
f .Judah. lit. I ...hould be born in a luwly ,.ilJage. "
'IIe "110 had taken the
,
mall
u hc; i. e. tuo small tu be WtLOI/Et.
e. . Eadl tribe was di- 11
orlll ?f a se
'-ant, chose ßethlehem for His Birth, Jerusalem
yided IIItO Its thousands, prohabl
. of fightnw: men, eaeh thou- for lhs Pa
!"lOn."
sand Inn in
its own separate head.. But the thousand ('on-" St. :\Iauhew relates how the Chief Priest and Serihes in
tinued to be a dh ision of the tribe. after hrael was settled in their answer to Herod'Jo; elu!uiries, ll'ltere Christ SllOlllcl be
Cauaan 6 . The t!lOusfwd of Gi(leon was tlte meallcst il/1J/wws- II horl/
9, alleg-ed this propheey. They
ave the suhstaIH'e ra-
seh í . Plaees too
mall to form a thousand by thcmseh"es were II ther than the exact word.., and with one rem ark a hit' ,.aria-
united" ith others, to make up the number 8. So 10" Iy was II tion, art I/ot tlte least amung tlte pril/ces of Judah.
t. :\Iat-
Bethlehem that it was not t'onnted among. the possessions of II thew did nut corrert thÓr paraphrase. hecan
e it does not af-
Judah. In the did
ion lllHlcr Jo
hua, it was wholly omitted 9. fect the objcet for which they alle
ed the prophe('y, the hirth
rrom its situation, Bethlehcm can nc\"Cr havt' been a eom.i- of the Redeemer in Bethlehem. The sacred writers often
derahle plaee. It Jay and lies, East of the road fl"Om .Terusa- do not eorreet the translations. exi!"ting in their time, when
lem to Hehron.at
i
miles from the eapital lO . It '
-as ..Ilseated the variations do nut affe('t the truth 30 . Both words are true
on the !!unnnit-inel of the hill ('Olmtry of Judæa with deep here. .\Iieah speaks of Bethlehem. as it n as in the sig-ht of
g-orges de!>cl'nding- East to the Dead Sea and ". est to the plains men; the chief prie<;ts. whose wOl'ds St.l\Iatthew appro, es,
ofPhili
tia;' "2ïO-t feet abon the !oea 12:' It lay" 13 0n anarrO\l speak of it as it was in the sig-ht of God. and as, h:' the Birth
ridge," whu
e whole length wa'i not abon a mile 13. swelling of t:hrist, it should become. '.31 X/}thin
hindered that lleth-
at each e
trelllity into a somewhat hidlcr eminelH'e, with a lehem should he at once a small ,iIIa!!e and the :\Iother-eitv
sli
.ht d('pres
ion hetween H. ..i5 The rid
e projeets Eastward of the whole earth. as bcing the motl;er and nurse of Chris't
from the eentral mountain range, and brealis down in abrupt "'110 made the ,,"odd and conquered it." "3
That is nut tlte
terraeed slopes to deep yalli('s on the :r\. E. and
." The least, whieh is the house of blessing, and the re('eptade of
're
t end too" ìGshclves gradually down to the valley." It Didne g-ral'e," ,,:;öHe saith that the spot, although mean and
was then rather raleulated to be an outlying- fortI'e
s, g-uard- small. shall he glorious. .\nd in truth," add
S. Chrysostolll,
ing- the approach to Jeru!-alem, than for a considerable city. "the whole world eame to
ethl'r to sce Bethlehem, where,
As a g-arrison. it was fortified and heM hy the Philistines 17 in being- horn, He was laid. on no other ground than this onl}."
the time of Saul, I'ceonred from theUl by Da,'id. and was one ,. 34 0 Bethlehem, little. but no\\ made
eat hy the Lord, He
of the I,j cities IS fortified by RdlOboam. Yet it remained an hath made thet' g-reat, 'Yho, being- great. was in thee made

1 in vito S. Jer. Ep. 108. de vito Paulæ. n. 10. 2 S. Joh. vi. 48, 51. 3 S. Greg.
Hom.8. in Ev. · Ps. hxviii. :!;). ó Xum.i.!G. x.4. 6 Jos.xJ\ii.21.
30. 1 Sam. x. 19. xxiii. 23. .. Jud. vi. 15. B .\S in 1 Chron. xxiii. II.
four brothers, not ba,inJ:( many sons, "'ere counted as one" house." Henl!:S!. 9 Jos.
xv. TheLXJ.. interpolate it in Jos. xv. 59. IV Eus.S. Jer.deloc. Hebr. "6 miles
l

:tl
Wi;:r

.J;
'
9

m..1

toJ
;
<
Ie

e;

a
;;;I

e:

I:

h
road at -1. miles on the right is the monument "here Rachel, Jacob's wife, "as buried.
Thence 2 miles on the left is B..thlehem wh..re our Lord Jesus Christ "as born." "1'''0
parasangs,"(G miles) Benj. Tud. (i. 40. ii. 90.)" G miles," Arculf, (Earl) travels in Pal.
j>. 6.) Bernard (lb. :!!!.) Sæ, "ull
(lb. 44.) ":! hours." J\Iaundrell, (lb. 455.) Rotinson.
(i. 4;0.) 11 Thomson, The land ii. 50fJ. I
van de '-eldememoir p. 180. "convent
at Bethlehem, 2;0-1. En,!!:. feet." Russ. 13 Arculfin Early Tra\els Ul Palestine p. G.
H Ritter Erdk. xvi. 285. and Russ. in n. 15.
1. Porters Hdbook i. 207. "It stands upon an eminence surrounded by small .-allies
or depressions, devoted to the culture of the olive and vine:'-" From this height there is
a prett) steep slope on both the JS"orth and Southern sid
, particularI} the lonner, the
two Wadis or gorges which form its boundaries. On the flanks c,f these Wadis are the
lt
fiih

d:.
;.ì if

:h

Il';jÎ
:ï::I
n
,'!

f!

';::
!rS;h tr
:J th
i
fli3

t
f

Taamr, in the neighbourhood." "ïlson, Lands i. 39-1.. " 0\ nan-o,," ridge, surrounded on
all sides by vaIlie!>." Arculf. lb. "On the N. the other side of the d..ep, abruptly-sink-
ing, vallev, on the top of the hill, lay Betbleh..m." V. Schubert ii.-l93,coming from the
south. "It stands on the slope 01 a lull, of difficult ascent, at least b)- night."Lord Lind-
say p. 2-1.0. "The first sight of Bethlehem has somethinl': strangely picturesque. I t lies
tl

':>
I
i
f:d
i
edi
;

I

:

nJí:
b
:k.f

lili

;

I
ii
: k:tU
I
:

:"ns;h

East the great monastery and C IlUrch,like a fortress 0' er the precipice, "hich falls into

rn
fï{:
rri;;i

:
!

a

'th; J:

n

f

}t; ud:h

ílisli
.t

3

i
i
oJ?F

one spot, you can see the Church of Bethlehem, where our Sa\-iour was born; the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre "here He "as buried; the
Iount of OJi\es whence He ascended
to heaven." Id. lb.
16 Gro, e in Smith Diet. of Bib. " To\\ards the ,,-. the hill is higher than the vIllage,
and tll..n sinJ..s down \ery graduallv towards \\ adi Ahmed." Rob. i. 170.
17 :) Sam. xxiii. H. 18
Chron. xi. G. .. A low wall without to\\ ers sur-

h

:
t::

28
;
he hilli93t
dcoh

ts5tte \a
}

r:
l6. ..

r

. i'ï
2[,

:i2 1'Üh. xi. 25-30. 23 TIuth i. HI. ]'zr. ii. 1. with 21. l'\eh. ,ii. 6. "ith 26.
2-1 Am. v. 3. 2. S. John vii. -1.:!.
6 S. Luke ii. 4.
Jos. Ant. v. 2. 8.
(XWpWII) 2S S. L..o de Epi}lh. Serm. 1.
S. 'Iatt. ii. 4-6.
30 See ab on Am. i"í. 12. p. 2
-1.. Pococke has emplo)ed much learning to make this
passage ,erbally accord "itb tbe alI"I!:ation of it b) the chief pril'!'t recorded by S. 1\Iat-
thew (
otæ miscell. on the Porta 'Iosis, ,,- orJ...s i. 1&4-9.) He {ollo\\s the emin..nt au-
thority of Abulwalid (followed by R. Tanchum and a Hebr. Arab. <!Ioss.) insupJlOl'ing
,..,
, " little," to have had the opposite sense ef" great," and tllat.t actually had that
meaning in Jer. xlviii. -1.. Zecb. xiii. ï. In neither of thos pùssage, hO"e,er, have
,..,
, ;)15, that meaning, nor do the cases alleged of"<Jrdscontainingopp"sitemeanÏl'gs bear
out such an one as thi.. For the h.osenses, altbough diflerin!! at last, ("an be traced u.p
to one commûn source, which could not be (!one as to ,'..'5. '1 hus I) Int', " holy," IS
used of idolatrous consecrations "hich \\ erein tact horrible desecrations, (see au_ on Hos.
iv.H.p. 3
.)_2)I:'.!:'J, "so
I,'.isused of
he "person," as
espe.,!:of"_IOOOsouls:"
Thence the uhom ro ;:.!;], lit." the soul of one dead," Le\. "{Xl. II. r-;um. VI. G; then 111
one idiom !:'!:]
=, "defiled as to the dead," but!:'.!:'] does not signif
one alive or dead in-
differentJy. 3 )õO,lit. "bent the knee," pr.!} ed, includes pra} ers for ,,
il
s ",:ell as for good.
cursing as well as blessing. 4)':1:'1 love, piet} , hence perhaps, what IS lorbldden by natu-
ral piety, (Lev. 'tx.17.) and a reproach: (prov. xi... :H. lb. "(''''. 10.) unlessdilferent roots
have accidentallycoalesced,(see l'ürstCon(". )asl11

::I, to use" insiltht," hence wisdom,and

C ,acillate hence follv meet in ono, S}riac"ord;or our let, "hinder," is trom Jato,
"slo\\ ;., lat.lJ
71t" retard ii,'Goth. ourl(.t, "allo",""frOin C'let.anni.q.l
ssen.) In Arab
cthis
is the mote common on account of the Bf'\erance of the dIfferent trIbes" ho spoJ"e tt, be-
fore )Iohammed united them into one, as the same "ord recehes modifications in dif-
ferent languages of Europe. The me
ing," l(1'eat" al
o, i
it could be o
tained for "
'5,
"ould stilJ not yielll the meaning de>:Ired. F?r m';'I" ImplIes a companson. I
means
little to be in the t},ousallds of Jlldal. 1. e. too little. If,.Vo' were rendered f!Teat, It "ould
still be " great to be amung the thousands" &c_ i. e. too great to be. Chald. L"{x. S}r.
and the Latin in S. Aug. de Civ.D. "("ii. 30_gi,eanotherexplanation,it is little that thou
shorlidest be. Thisdops not agree better "Ith the words in St. )Iatthew. and is a!t
inst the
idIOm. In this idiom 1)''JIS is not used, but mostly
ÿ::), or
è] Is. xlix. 6. or
i' 2 Sam.
,ii. 19_ 2) The person spoken to is al\\a!s expressed.
I S. (jreg. :\az. Orat. ]8.
in patr.
lÏ.
S. Ambr. Ep. ;1).
II. :r.! S. Chrys. Quod Christus
sit Dens
3. i.56I. 3. S.llen'. Serm.1. in Vi!;. :'o.ati\.
-1.. i. ;';3

332

MICAH,

c Jí{oíes T unto mc fh(lf is to be e ruler in bccn from
cir.710. Israel; f whosc goings forth luæe ing.
. Gen.49.1O. Is. 9. G. t Ps. 00. 2. Pro. 8. 22,23. John 1.1.

of old, from t everlast- c Re;;e s T
cir. ilO.

t Heb. tI,e days of eternit!/.

little. "'hat cih", if it heard thereof, would not elwv thee
that most precio
ls Stable and the glory of that Crib?' Thy
namc is gTeat in all the ear.tI), ttnd all generations call thee
bles.
ed. 1 Clm.iolls fMng.
are e,.ery where spoken of tllce, tlloll
ci(11 of God. E,'ery where it i!'Ò Sling-, that tMs .IIIan i
' hom
ill IIa, ami the JIost High [-lilll.
e(f sllall stab/islt he/'.
(Jilt (
f tllee shall lIe collie };)rtll to .1Ie tllftt is to be Rilier
in Ismel [lit.
hall (one) eomc forth to Me to be Rilla.] Beth-
lehem was too !'Òmall to he any part of tlw polity of Jlldah ;
out of her was to ellluc forth ()ne, "'ho, in God'!'Ò "'ill, wa
to
1)(' its Rulel'. The words to JIe include both of JIe and to
JIe.
(
f
JIe, i. e. ..
by My Power alHl Spirit," as Gabriel said,
s Tile llo
11 Gllust sllall ('ome /fPOIl tllee, aJUI the pOll'er (!f tile
Iligllest sllall Ol'ers;wdoll' tI,ee. tllerefure alsu that Holy TMng
ll'Mch shall be horll of tllee. .
ll(dl be called tile ,'iOIl of God. To
J1Ie, as God said to Samuel 4, J will send tllee tu Je.
se tlte Betll-
lellemite; for I IIa/'e prm'ided .lIe a kiJlg all/ong IIis sons. So
no\\", one shall go fortlt thelU'e to .lIe, to do .My "'ill, to My
praise and
lory, to reconcile the world unto
Ie, to rille and
be Head O\.el' the true brael, the Chun'h. He was to go.forth
Ollt of Bethlehem, as his natÎ\-e-plaee 5; as Jcrcmiah G says,
Hi.
uoble .
/wll hefrum Mm. will Ms rilier slwllgofortholltof
the midst ofMm 7 ; and Zeehariah
, Ollt of Mill shall cOll/eforth
tlte ('m'nastoJle; Ullt (
f him t be 1Iail, uut (!f Mm the battlclwll',
Ollt of him Cl'er.'lrlller togetha. Before, Mieah had said to the
tmt'er of Ecl(lI", Upltel (!f tile da/fgMer (l Zion, the first rille
.
/wll come to tltee; now, retaining the word, he savs to Beth-
lehem,ollt (!fthee sllall
omeone to he a rllla 9 . The.iudge (!f
L
raell/([d heen smitten; now there shou1tl go fodl! Ollt of the
little Bt'thlehem, One, not to be a j\UI
e only, but a Ruler.
1171Os(' goingsfurill hm-e bet'n.fro11trl uld,from everlastÙ,g.
lit. from tlie da.'ls of etemi!.'I. Going .forth is opposed to going
forth; a going forth Ollt (
f Bethlcht'm, to a going furth from
etel"/li(11 ; a going fudll, whieh then was
till to eome, (the
Prophet say
, shall go fortli,) to a goingfurtlt which had becn
long' ag'lI, "10 not fl'om the world hut from the beginning, not
in the days of time, but from tile d(IYS qf etemity. FOI. ll ill tile
beginning lI'a.
tllC IFord, (lIltl tile Irurd lI'as ll'itlt God, and
tile Irul"llll'as God. The Sallie lI'(lS in flie b!'ginning witll Gud.
In tile end (
f the cla.lJ'
, He was to g-o forth from llethlehem;
but, lest he should be thought then to lta,-e had His Being,
the Prophet adds, His goings fortft are fl"Om everlasting."
Here words, dt'noting eternitv and uSl'd of the eternity of
God, are united together to iinpress the helief of the Eter-
nity of God the Son. '" e have neither thought nor words
to eoneeh-e etel"llity; we can only coneeh-e of time leng'then-
eel out without end. "12 Trnc etl'rnity is boundless lifc, all
exi
ting at onee," or c; 13 duration without beginning and with-
out end and without ehange." Thc Hebrew names, herc
u
cd, express as mu('h as our thou
hts ('an eonceh-e or our
words utter. They meanliterally"fì'om ({fm'e, (i. e. look back
as far as we ('an, that from whidl we hegin i
still ,. hefore,")
"from t/tecla.lJs of that lI'/âcll is MddC1l." True, that in eter-
nity then' arc no divisions, no sUl'l'es!'ion, but one e,-crlastiug

IPS. Ixxxvii. 3. 2 Theoph. 3 S. LukE: i. 35.
4 .1 Sam. xvi. 1. & When II!!' is used of 3clual descent, it is in relation to tbe ac-
tual parent, to "
o forth out of the \\Omb," "outofthe I..ins,"" out of the bowels;' "out

;;,G

G

':t

;'

: i. 5.
e
;

;;: 11,
\;
' ,

;
,

Kings
x
.l
:
"
;:::) (.... 1. Hcb.) refers back to :-

-::
" i\.
. 10 Rup. 11 S. John i.I. 2.

"now:" oue, as God, in whom it is, is One. But man ean
only conel'h.e of ] nfinity of space as slJa('e without. hounds,
althoug'h God contains slmee, and is not eontainl'd by it; nor
can we eoneeh.e of Etel"llit\", save as filled out hv time. And
so God speaks after the niatlller of men, and calls Himself
utlw Ancient (
f Da.'ls, ..lã being Himself the a
e aud time of
all things; beti)re clays and agc and time," .. the Beginning
and measure of ages ami of time." The word, translated
fl"Om of old, is used elsewhcre 16 of the eternity of God. 17Tlte
God of befure is a title ehosen to express, that He is hefore
all things which lIt' made. 18DIl'eller of ({fore i!'Ò a title, form-
ed to shadow out His ever-present existence. Concei,-e any
t'xistelH'e ({fore all whieh else you can conceh-e, go back ({fure
and ({fore that; streteh out ba('kward yet befure amI before
all which you have ('OIu'eived, ages ({fore ages, and yet afore,
without end,-then aud therc God was. That ({fore was the
propel.ty of God. Eternity belongs to God, not God to eter-
nity. Any words must be inadccluate to eom-ey the idea of
the Infinite to our finite minds. Probably the sight of God,
as [-Ie L
, wi1l g'h'e us the only possible eoneeptiun of eternity.
Still tllP idea of time prolonged infinitcly, although we cannot
follow it to infinity, shadows our ctcrnal being. .\.nd as we
look along that long' ,'ista, our sight i
prolonged and
tretdl-
eel out by those millions ulwn millions of year!<, along ,yhieh
we can look, although e,-en if eat'll grain of
mul or dust on
this earth, whieh are eountless, repr('sl'nted emmtless mil-
lions, wt' should be, at the cnd, as far' from r('aching' to eter-
nity as at the beginning. Tile da.'I.
of etemi!.'1 arc only an
inadequate exp,'cssion, because c,-ery ('OIu'eption of the Im-
man mind must be so. E(lually so is every other, 19.FJ"OI/t
el'edastiug to et'erlastiug;
o from el'eI"lastiug; 21 to eve,.last-
iug ; 2
f,.om tl,c da.'!. i. e.
in('e the day was. For the word,
from, to our minds implies time, and time is no measure of
eternity. Only it expre,;ses præexi"tenee, an eternal Exis-
telU'e haekwards as well as forwards, the incommunic'able at-
tribute of God. ßut words of Holy Sel'ipture han their full
meaning, unles
it appear from the passage itseif that they
ha,-e not. In the passages where the words. fur C/'eI", .f/"011I
({fore, do not mean eternity, thc subject itsl'lf restrains them.
Thu
for evel", looking onward, is used (If time. equal in du-
ration with thc bl'ing of whom it i
written, as
3, Ite shall be
tlt.1f serl'mlf for crel", i. e. so long' as he livcs in thc hody. So
whcn it is said to the Son 2\ Th.1J tltmlle, () God, is for C/'CI"
and el'er, it spl'aks of a kingdom whieh shall ha,-e no end.
In like way, looking' baekwards,
ã I u'ill1"emembCl" TII.IJ U'O/:-
ders from old, must Iwcds rdatf' to time, heeause they are
man'ellons dealing's of God in time. So ag'ain
G, the hem'eIls of
old, stand
imply eontrasted with the changes of man. But
2; Gud (!f old is the Eternal God. 18 He that abidetlt of old is
God enthroned from e,-erlasting. In like manner the goings
.fodh here, opposed to a goiug fodlt in time, (emphatic words
being' moreO\-er united together.) arc a going forth in eternity.
The word, from of old, as used of bein
, is only uscd as to
the TIeing of God. Here too then there i
no ground to stop

12 S. Anselm
IonoJ. c. 24. L. 13 Ri('h. "iet, de Trin. ii. 4. L. H Dan. \ii. 9.
1& Dion
s. de Di\. "om. c. HI. x. 5. 16 Hab. i. 12. I; C1p ''1SI! Dent. xxxiii. 15.
So 1:
')1 SI! Gen.' "i. 33. 1.. xl. :!S. 18 1:1p :1:" P.. Iv. 20. 19 CL,,
1)11:").'=' Ps. :
.c. 2.
ciii. Ii. 20 C"J:C Ps. xciii. :!. and of Dl\ine Wisdom, or God the Son, Prov. \11l.23.
21 J:7'I:")I' Ps. ix. 8. xxix. 10.

!:'I'D Is. xliii. 13. 2:1 Ex. xxi. 6.

I's. xlv. G.
2. Ib.lxxvii.I:!.
G Ib.ix\iii. 31.
; Deut.xx"iii.2i.

f'IL\P fEll Y.

c Il!
oleS T :i Therefore will he
in
them up, until the
en. 71U. tillH' that g she whi('h travaikth hath lu'ouA"ht
g ch. 4. W.

;
3: J

forth: tlU'1l II the remnant of his IH'1,thrpn c Hnl
r
T
shall return unto the ...hildren of brad. cir. 7lú.
b ch. 4. 7-

short of that meanill
: and !<II it de('lares the etel"llal/foil/g-
fortll. 01" (;encratiull of th(' Son. The plllI'al. goil/gs lorch,
may hel'e 1)(' u,.cd. ('ithcr as \\ OI"U:-: of
T{'ilt majesty I. "(;ocl,"
.. LOl"d," " \\ï"dmll:' (i. e. Di,'ine I) are plural; or bCI',lU,.e the
Generatiun IIf the Sun from the Fatha is an Et{'I'ual Gene-
ration. Iwfore all tilUl'. alld now, thoul!:h not in timc, yet in
eternity still. .\s then th{' pl"Oph{.t "aith, ".frum the da!/s of
eternity." althou
h ('tel'nity has uo part!<, 1I0r be
'illnillf!:, nor
".from;' so he lUay :-:ay goiugs forth. to ('ollvey. a:-: we eall re-
('ei,-e it, a continual
oill;.:--fol"th. ". c think of Etemity as un-
elldin cr . eontinnal, time: and l'U he mav havc sct forth to us the
Etern';l .\et of the G,JiI/
For/h of thè SOli, us ('oatillual ad!<.
Thl' Jew" understooa: as we do now, that .\Ii('ah ti.n'ctold
that the l:hri4 was to be born at P.ethlelwm, until the,' re-
jceted Him, and werc pre...:-:ed by tht' art!ument. Xot' only
did the ehier priest
formally
i,-e the an
\\ cr, but, !<uppo...ill!!,'
our Lonl to bc of Xazareth. "ome who rejeeted Him. {'mploy-
('d the ar
ument a
ainst Him. 2 ,"J'oll/e said, Slwll Christ
('tIlI/e out (
/ Galilee j Hatli not tlie Scripture said. tlwl Clirlst
cOlI/etl, (
f tile seed (
l Ðal'id, (Lml Ollt (
f the tOll'n (
f BetMelu'JJ/,
wliae D(u'id ll'(l.\':> They knew of two di"tinct thint!s; that
('In'i..t n-a!< I) to he ol tlie .o;eecl uf ])al'irl; and :!) (mt uf ti,e
tOWll of BdMl'11C1II. (,hri
tian!' urg-cd them with the faet.
that tÏtc lll'ol'heey eoulcl he fulfilled in no other than in Christ.
..:, I l' lIe is not yet born, \\"ho is to I!:O forth a:-: a Ruler out of
the trihe of Judah. fnllll ßpthlcl)('m. (ti.n' lIe nHl"t Iweds eoul('
ti..rth out uf the tl'iJ)(' of Judah and from Bethlehem, but we
:-:t'e that now uo one of tht' race of brad has remained in the
('ity of ßt'th1chem, amI thenecfurth it has h('en interdicted 4
that any J('W shonld J"l'IlHlin in the ('onfines of that eOUlI-
tl"\-)-h
m- thcn
hall a Huler he born from .hulæa. and how
:-:I{all he come fortlt Ollt (
l Betlilt-Item, as tht' Divine n,hull('s
of thp Pruphet,.; alllWUn('e, when to thi:-: day there is uo une
whatc'\"er !eft: thert of I,.rad, from who
e raee Christ eonld 1)('
horn:" The Jews at first met the ar
unwnt. hy attiI"lnin
that
the :\Ic,.;..iah was horn at ßcthlehelll till the ùa,' of the de-
:-tru('tion of the temple 5: but was hidden for tl;e sins of the
people. Thi:-: heint! a tl'an,.;parent fahle. the .Jews had eitlwr
to re'('eÍ\'e Christ, or to g'in' up the helicfthat He was to he bom
at nethlehem. Su they explained it, "The )Ie"siah ,.hall g"U
forth th('nee, he('ause hc
hall he of the seed of Dayid who was
out of Bethlelwm:' ßut this would han' heen misleadill.!:
langua
e. Xe,'er did lIIan :-:0 !<Iwak. that olle sluJ/llcl be hOl';1
in a pla('e. 1rhen unly a remote an('e!"tor had been horn there.
.\Iicah d()('
not say men'h-. that His famih- eam(' out of Bl'th-
ldlcm, hut that ÎIe lIiniself should thei'eafter ('OUle forth
thence'. Xo oue ('ouh! (;",-e said of Solomon or of am- of the
!"uh:-:etluent kin
s uf .Judah, that they sliould then'aft(:r come

I C'-
N. ')õN, i:'C'"1p.n,=:r: Provo i. :!O. ix, 1.
S. John vii. 41, 2. 3 Tert. c. Jud.
c. 13. R. Isaac, Chizzuk Emunah. in " a<ren.eil tela ignea Sat. p. 2;8. trie.. to evade it.
·
h- Hadrian. See ab. on iii. I:!. p. 3113. Ueland p. 1i-l7. underslands this of a pro_
hibitIon to approach BethlelU'l1l itself. 3 See at lenglh ::\Iartini Pu
io tidei ii. (j. f.
:>;!I, from the Jerusakm Talmud Berad'oth Lf. 5.] and the old mystical boo!....llerp.hith
Rab!>a on G,'", X"X. 11. and Ih.. Eeha R. nn Lam. i.l(;. (These hlst r",,-ages ha,e been
mutilated. \ Sep also S.,),,,..ng. 1'. ii. p. I Pli. on Is. lxvi. 7. The (,Ibl.. 01 II is conceal-
ment Ocell' " in Junath. ou ::\t.c..h i\. 8, (steab. p. 3:!7,) and in1'1"\ phoin S. Ju.t. DiaI.

.
6 _.h III :?Chron. xxx,-i. I;. ; Acts \ii. -to:? Rom. i.:!4. :!t\. :?8.
S Is. \ ii. Ii. The cont<'xt require.. thaI the Mother III're spoken of shoo Id be the
:,loll",r of rhe -'I
.s:as. rur the Birth is spoken of h"forp (\".
.) and Ms b,'ell.ren, "òõN,
m thi. V. ('an be no oth..r than Ihe brethr..n of Him \\"ho is so torn. Thp e\a-iou, that
i
is only a fi!(nre for the end of the tra, ail. giHS all unnlf'ar,illg sense, for it "'0111.1
slgnil
." He .halll!ive Ihem 11)1, l!utilll" "e>se to gi'e thEm up." It is al>o contrarv
to the idiom; since in Ihe O. T. travail panl's are an emblem of sufl;.rillg, not of the

ubsf'fIUl'1I! joy, and Israel i. spohn of. I:o:h Ll fore
nd alier, l'nfiguralÏ\ ely ; .. He shall

forth from ßethiehelll, an \" mure than they ('ould no\\" sa". 'OJl('

hall ('Ollie forth frlllll (:m:"iea,' uf all\" future "uH'I'ei
n'of thl'
line 111' X apUI{'IIII I II, bceau
e the fir:-:'t X al'o]eon was a Corsi-
can; or to U", . ont' .
/atll cOllie out IIf IIiulO,-t'I',' of a !"ue('cs-

or to the present dyna!"ty, burn in en
land. heeau,.e Georf!."('
I. callie from IIanO\ er in I ï I-L
:l. Tlu'f'{:!'ore, !<ilH'e God has:-:o appuinted both tn pllui..h
allli to rede('m. Ill', Gild, or the Ruler <. \\ll1l"e g-oing-s forth
have been from of old from ('\"erla"tin
," ,rho is (;;,,1 with
God, .o;lUlll gil'e '1ICIIt up, i. ('. witlulraw IIi!" pl"lltedion and thl'
nearnc:-:s of His Prc!"l'm'e. KÍl'ing tI,elllUp I) into the haud.. of
th('ir enemics. _\l1d indeed the far gTeatel' part ne,er return-
ed fi'om the eaptivity. bllt remained, althou
h \\"iIlin
ly. in the
enemy'!, land. outwardly shut out from the land of the pro-
mise' mul the hupe or their fathel"s6. nut also.:!) all were. morp
than before.; gilT/l "p. to foHow their 0\\ n way
. God wa!<
les
,-i:-:ilJly present among- them. Prol'hee}' eea!<{'d :-:
on aftpr
the I'eturn frum the e:!l'tidty, and many tokens of the IlI'ar-
m's." of God and means of Hi:-: ('ommunication
with thc1ll, the
Ark and the Crim and Tlnllmnim were !!;one. It wa
a time
of IHtu
e and waitin
, whel'ein the fulnc'ss of God'
gifts n as
withdrawn. that tht'Y mip:ht look on to Him \rho wa!" to ('ome.
Cntil tlte time tliat ,o;llC whiclt traniÏletli Iwth hl'Oltglit forlli, i. e.
until
tlte Tïq;iu who :-:houhl conceil'e and hl'llJ" a Sou and ("([II
His
YtlJJ/e l;;/J/Illannel, God lI'itli U.;. !"hall p,i,-c birth to Him
"110 shall save them. .\nd theu shall be Redemption andjoy
and a:-:
ured peace. (;ml prm'id{'" a;!."ilÎn,.t the ti.intin
of
hearts iu the lon
time before uur Lord
hould cOllle.
Tliell [_lud.] There is no prt'eÎ"e mark of time
Uc11 a

our w(lrd tlll'u expre

es. !Ie :-:peak
t!enel'ally of what shou]d
he after the Birth of the Redcemer. Ti,e rell/llaut of His ht'e-
tlire! sliall returu lIIt/u the childreu of Israel. Tlie ;/iildreu of
Isml'f are the true I
rael, brae/ite.o; i
/(lecd9; they who are !'ouel
,
uot in naul('Hlonh-, but indeed ami in truth. Ilis brethrcu (H'e
plainly the bl'ethren of the Chri"t: either bt'eause Je!"us nnu'h-
l'afed to ht' born 11 of tlie seed of lJlll'id according to tlie fiesli,
and of them U as cOllcel"uiug the.lle.
Ii Clirist came, "1/0 is ol'er
all. (;od Me.
.
ed for Cl'e/"; or a" sueil a" lIe make
aud ae('ount...
and 13 i.
uot asiw1IIed to call, breilll'l'U, bein
SOIlS (If (;od h)'

rl"aec, as III' is the Son of (;od by uature. ..\.:-: He say!", H "1/0-
SOCl'eJ" slial/ do llie will of _1111 }ofttlia It'hicli is iu IleaI'm. tilt
same is J1..'I brotlia awl
istc;' awlmotlier; and, Iã J/..'I bretll1'eu
are tliese u'lio I,car tI,e ll'urd of God aJllI du it. Ti,e re,
idlle of
thes('. the Prophet says,
Jtan t:etllru to.so as to he joined" ith 16,
tlie dâ/drell of Isme[: a
.\Ialaehi l'rophesie
. 17 He sliall b}"iJl,
'
Imc/;: tlie I,('((rt of tile /([tliers 10 1
Ihe (.Mlrlrl'1l. amI tlie lieart (!f
the clâldJ"(,}[ to If! tlie tiill,eJ"s. In the first !"t'nsc. )Iicah foretdls
the continual inflm;' of the Jews to that tl"ue brad who "llOuld

give tI,em up" and as .. the chi:dren of Israel," so tbat a f.gurati\e mention of them in
\)etween "ouiLl bc ullsuited to the COlltpxt.
9 S. John i. 47. 10 Rom. i>..t;. &c. II lb. i. 3.
12 Ih. ix. 5. 13 Heb. ii. 11. 14 S. :\Iatt. xii. 50. IS S. Luke \iil. 21.
16 ..
;; stanis in its first meaning of . place,' \\ here oue thing 1Il0\-es to another, allli so
aùiùes 011 it;" E""ld, in H
ngsl. "ho quot
s.
Chr. xx.". !J, "" hen yO?
eturn to (
!1)
the Lord," ami ::\oIaI. iii. 2t. Heh. a- to t'Ie rel'j!"lOus meaumg. So
ontranWlse, .. they re-
tunled (0 (
Ç) the iniquities oftheir for
latiler-:' (Jer. xi. 111.) In all the cases mentioned
by Für.;t, (Cuneo p. l1U
L 11,) the oril!inal idea .. over" remains in some force; "the
"aters ret"rn
dupon the Ej!".," Ex. xi,. :?(j: "alld thp) returned unlo Pihahiroth (en-
c.lIupin
thel p), JS" urn. ",xiii. 7 ;" man "ouM return 10 the dust," (so as to .1,,"'1 there,)
,Job xxxi\-. 15;" the ùog relurred to his vomit, (ta!..ing it up :.gaill.\ Pm\. "xvi. 11,
.. the ";,,d reluroeth to its circuit,," (so as to resl \\her
it began,) Eccl. i.1.i ; .. :\1) pm)er
_hall r
turn ;7110 mv bosom," 'so as to rest therp, or, from God in hle<SltI
upon him sell,)
Ps. xxxv. 13. In
ph. iv.H. ,..
;;
::'Ie'11, ",eturn so as to be "ith us;' the idiom is Ihesame
as in th;s p!nce. '; :\Ial. iii. 21. Heb. IS
...
EEE

33-1

C JÌr)Í
T 4
..\nd he shaH stand and

ir
in the strenA"th of - the LORD, in

I
):";j
rÏ1. majesty of the name of the LORD
ð: 49.10. Ezek. 3
. 23. ch. ';. H.

fir
t he called. All in cadI g-cneration, who are t hc true
Israel,
hall be e(Ill,-crted, madp one in (,hri
t, s,n-ed. So,
wlu'rea
. :,;incc
ol(l)non, all had I)(,t'n di!'word, and, at last,
the .J('w
were seattered abroad cw'ry where, all, in the truc
Prin('(' of P('aee, shall be une I. This has been fulfilled in
each
eneratillll !'incc our Lord ('amc, and shall be ,-et further
in the. end, whcn thcy shall haste and pour into tl
e Church,
and
o all lsmel shall be .wll'ec! 2.
But ,<3 the IH"omisc of God was not onl
' to Israel after the
fJt'sh. but tu all" al
(j tl/((t 7l'Cl'e ({f(ll' '!ff; (,I'ell a.
lIIall.'1 as tIle
LOl'd UUI' Goc! shollld ("(/114.. .\11 thest' nla'- ht' eallcdtltc I'elllllfwt I
of E/is hl'l'fltl'l'II, e,-cn thost' that were, l;cforf', alints fl'o/l/ tltc
f:O/l/1JllJnu.('(tltlt (
f L
mel and ({fal' '!tf; 5 hut llOU', ill Chl'ist .Jcslls,
1Jl(ule oue with thcm: all, brethren am(mg' thel1lst'lves ami to
Chri
t t ht'ir ruler. ',3 II a\"inlr tal,en on II im thcir natm'c in the
flesh, III' is not ashamed to (:all thcm so, as the .\pll
tJe spcak-
pth, eonfirming' it uut of th(' Psalm, where in the Pl'I'son of
'
hrist he saith 6, I ll'ill declal'e TIt.1f tWllle uuto .1[.'1 bl'ethl'en.
There is no reason to take the name, hl'('th , I'CII here in a
nanower sense than so to eomprt'hend all 7 tlte rellllWlt! wltum
tlte LOl'd slndl mil, whether JéWS or Gcntile,.:. The word
., brethl'en " in its literal sense indudes both, and, as to both,
the words '\"('1'1' fultiHcd'
4. .AmI He .
hall staud. Thc Prophet pontinups to ,.:peak
of personal acts of this Huler ""ho was to be born. He was
not to pass away, not to rule only by others, hut by lIimself.
To stalld is thc attitude of a sernmt, as Jc,.:us, althou
h God
and Lord of all, said of Himselt
8 He sltall mmeful'tlt amI sen'e
tltem; 9TIIC ,"Oil of .1Iau Clime uut to he milli.
t('1'ed Ilnto, hilt tu
ministN. 1[(' sh
tll stanc! as a ShephenL 10, to wateh fet'd,
g-uard them, day and nig'ht: Ilc shall stalld, as St. Stephen
saw Christ lIstwllling U1/ the 1l

1tf IlllJ/(lof God, "I
to SUpCOlll'
all thosc who ":lItfer for Him." "13 For to sit belongs to one
judp;Ïng-; to stand, to one fig-hting' or helping'." Ill' sltall stalld,
as abiding-. not to pass from them, as Him
clr saith, HLu, 1(111,
lI'itlt .'I(}/( alll'a.lf, c'/'el/ lI1/to the eml (
f tile Il'urld: and He shall
ii'cd Hi,., flo('k hy lIis
pirit, His ".onl, His Wisdom amI
doctrine, Hi" example and life: yea by His own Body and
Bloorl l5 . Th('y whom He f('t'deth 161m'k 1Wtlti1/g.
III till' strenp;th (
ftlle Lurd. 11(', ,rho fecdeth them with
Didne tcndcrness, shall al,.:o ha,-e Didnt' might, His Father's
and Hi" o\\"n, to proteet them; as He saith, Iï -11..'1 slteep Ileal' -J1.1f
roice, amI/ klloll' them and tlte.'1 follolt' .1Ie, neitltel"
'hllll all.1f
ma1/ pInel. them Ollt of .J1.'1 [{alld. .11.'1 .Fatlla TJY/ticlt {!;ac'e
tltem .1Ie is greatcr titan all, a1/d I/O mall is aMe to plllck tltem
/Jilt uf J/.'I Fatlta's .Ilalld. I alld .1/.'1 Fatlter are Ulle. llïth
(:I(t!WI'it.lf, it is ,.:aid 18. I Fe c()11I11l(/J/(letlt ec'eJl tlte UltdeaJl .
pirits
awl tlll'.1f come /Jilt. lIis feeding ur teal'hing also was 1911'itlt
alltlwrity, (/mln/Jt as tlte .
crihe.
.
In the .1I(
iest.tl oftl,e
YllIIIP (
ftltc Lord .I/i.
God, as St. John
says
O, Tre lJelteld lli.
GI01:If, tlte Glory (/s (
f tlte Un(If-Begot-
I See Hosea i. 11. Is_ xi. 10. &... 2 Rom. xi.
fì. 3 Poco . Acrs ii. 3(1.
· Eph. ii.12. H. 6 Ps. xxii. 2:!. ' Joel ii. 32. 8 S. Luke xii. 3i.
9 S. 'Iatr. xx. 28. 10 See I.. lxi. 5. II Acts
ii. 55. I! Collt'ct lor
S'l
rS:I.J
;:
?ï
Y' 16 I
s

ij

.tom. 23'

};,h
l
:
;-
ju. H Sis:\

t
kX;':
:

: i

il

:::' Ii. 29. 2< 2

j
h
'

'. }
: L

'
;

:
:; r.;i

I

, O
j

t
,Ot

vH

Ö

; I
I! e has no God: as :\1..n, He is not from everlasting to t'verlasting," not knowing, as a Jew, :
the Di,'ine Personality of our Lord, whence, He bt'in
"not two but oneChrisr," (Ath. '
"Creed), both the attrihntes ofHl
Divine and Human :'\aturecan be said ofHim.(in Poc.)

)Hc.\.H,

itt'ed
the
his

God and they shall aLide:
J.: shall he be
reat unto the
the earth.

for now c lr
[r
T
l'lHls of cir. ';10.
k r

' j,f f3.
Zech. 9. 10. Luke 1.32.

ten fl//is Fatllel'; and lIe saith,
1.A1I }lrJWiT i,
{!;il'en uuto
JIe
ill Iwarell a//(I iu eartlt ; !'o that the Divine (;101"\- should shine
throu
h thp
J ajesty of His teal'hing, the power of His Grape,
upholding- Hi,.: own. amI the "pll'lulour ofthe mi1"acle
wroup:ht
hy Him and in lIis Xame. ûf tile _Yflllle uf tlte Lord; as lIe
I"aith ag-ain,

.1/01.'1 Fatltcl", lil'l1J tit rough Tltiue OIl'U lYame
t1w.
e ll'lmm Tlloll Illl.
t git.(,U .1Ie, tltat tlte.'llIW.1f he one w, Ire
al'e. 117rile I /('([S 1citlt them in the ll'orlrl, I kept them in Thlf
..Yame. <.
3"'hopver then is
et to feed JIi:o; fl()('k mll
t stl1111i,
i. e. bc firIll and un
haken; feed, not sell, nor slay; and feed
in might, i. e. in Chri!<t." His Gud, as our Lord Himsdf, as
:\Ian, saith, 21 enta .1/.'1 Fatltel', amI !IOW' ].;rtlICt., alld to _1J.1f
(;ocland .'Iuw' Gud. Hut that 1\J ajesty Hp lIimself wields, as
no mcre man pan: He Him
elf is inH',.:ted with it. "25'1'0 01'-
dinary king!< God i" sh'eng't It
6, or g-in's streng'th 27 ; men have
stl"l'n
th in God; this Huler i
elalnn the streng-th of the Lord,
that same stl'eng-th, whidl th(' Lord hath, "'hos(' is ,.:tren
th.
Of Him, as I
rael's King-. tht' samp is said as of the Lord, as
King of the wholc earth 26; only that tilt' stren
th of the )J es-
!òiah is not His OWII, but the Lord',.:. He i.. im-ested with the
!òtren
th of the Lord, because He is
J an: as
Jan, lIe cau be
in\"Csted with the wlwle strenl?,"th of the Lord, only because
He is also God."
.dnd tlll'.1f stwlI ahide (lit. sit, dll'ell) in re"t and seeUl'ity
and unbl"Ol,en peace under Christ their Shepherd and their
King-: they t'hall not wander to and fro as hel"ctufore. ..
!) He,
thcir SIll'phenl, ,.:hall stand; tlle.'1
hall .
it." "The word 30 is
the morc emphatie, beeause it stands so ahsolut('ly. This will
Iw a sitting- or dwelling", whieh will indeed desen-e the name.
The orig-inal promise, so uftcn forfeited hy their disol)('dil'nee,
should be perfe('tly fulfilled; 31 fllll l .lfe .
hall dll'ell in youI' land
S({fCf.'h ([ml I will give peace in the l([lId. a//(I .'Ie .çllllltlie dmt'u,
aml uoue sllllll /l/akc .'IOIl afraid. So Amos and l\Iieah had
hefore IJrumised.3
.\nd thi,.: is the result of the I?,"reatnes:o; of
the promised Rull'r. as the like promise of the P,.:ahll is rested
on the immutabilityof God 33; Tlu}/( art tlte Same, a1/d Th.1f
.1lears .Slllllt hm'e uo e//(I. Tlte C'hilrll'l'It uf TIt.'1 scrz'wtf.ç s1wlI
dll'elP\ aud tlu'il' seed shall be estahli.,l/('(f beforc Thee. For it
follows,
For llOll', (in the time whidl Micah saw as did .\braham
with the eye of faith,) llOU', in I'ontrast to that former timc of
lowlines". His life "hall be dh-ided between a lifc uf obseu-
rity, and a life of ne,-er-endinl?,"
reatne!òs.
-'lwltlJc he gl'eat unto tltc [1'('1:1/ 35 ] l'1ll1s r
f tlte earth, em-
hral'in
them in I1is rnle. (as Hadd and Sulomon had fore-
told 36,) and
o none shall harm t Iw,.:c whom He, the King- of
all the earth, shall }lrotet't. The universality of proteetion
is derh'ed from an unÍ\'el'"ality of power. To Ða,'id God says,
37 I 1/(II'e made tltee 11 great lIa/1/e, like tlte u([me (!f the great that
are iu tlte em.th. Of r zziah it is said ;J
, Ilis u([me ll'cut furth
far; fUl'lte Ic'as man'ellUlfsf.1f ltel}Jed, uutillte Il'as stl'ung; but of
R. 'l'anchum 0" ns. tbat the Ruler here spoken of can, for His greatness, be no other
than rhe
It'.siah. (lb.)
2. CasTl.
ú Ps. xxviii. ';. cxt. ';. 27 1 Sam. ii. 10. 28 Ps. xciii. l.
29 from Casp. 30 JI:i'. 31 Lev. x"vi. 5,6. "comp. Hos. ii. :!O. [I8 Eng.]
_
.
xiv. 311. xxxii. 18. J er. x"iii. 8. Ezek. xx
iii. :!,;, G. xxxiv. :!5, 28. xxxvit. 25. XXXVIII.
8. Zel"h_ xiv. IO,n." Casp.
32 Am. ix. B. :\fic. iv.1. Both use the .ame word as here. 33 Ps. cii. 2';, :!!'.
34 IJ,:r:'. 3õ '11. 36 Ps. ii. 8. .. the euds of rile earth for His pos8t'SSion;" 1'..
lx"ii. 8. "from the n\"er ....to ('1I) the ends of th" eartll:' In both ca<es the rll 'C!]I! 8S
here. S
e" Daniel the Propb:' p. 480. 3,
Sam. ,ii. 9. 3S 2 Chron. xxvi. lb. add Ib.b.

CIL\PTER Y.

c
eftrs T :; .And this mflll I shall he the peaet',

ci.'":n
when the
\ssyrian shall ('ome into our
r::lt
6
. lalld: ill)(l ,,'"hCll lie sll
l11 trcí.l(1 ill Ollr IJtl-
. Zech 9. 10. LUke 2. U. Eph. 2. H.

-

"/.)

laN's, then shall we raise against him sc\'cn C .fí[cíes T
sh
'pherds, and eig-ht t print'Ïpal nwn. eir. ;10.
{j .And they shall t waste the land oft :";'

e.
t H
b. eat "p. of "'en.

the )Ie...siah alone it is said, that (lis power should real"h to 1I01y (
host. as he did St. Paul hy tile t/'Ol"ll ill tll!: .fIe,.II, t/'e
thp end
oftlH' earth; as God prol'lwsies of Himself, that IIi... lIIillistn (
f ,....atall to Imilet /lilli, or Job ill llliJl(1 body Oi' e
tate,
I...Yame ÛlOlild he grcat alluJII!f tllc //('atllt'/I. .so (.abriel
aid hut 16 (
ftc'r tlwt Ill' I/(/,
1m //lore t!tat /'e ('(lll do; he ('al\1wt hurt
to His )Iother, 21'lIis, l\1wm she should hem', s!tall hc great. the !.',!ul, he('aus(' lIothin
ean,\cparate usfrolll t/'c hJl"e(
" Cllri,
t,
5. AI/d thi,ç JEal/ s/'all be t/'e Pe(l('e. Tlds, elllphatieally, and II Chri...t "'1m i
our Peaee is in us; and of the !<aint too it
i. e. "This Same," as is said of Koah, :I TMs sallie slwl/ CUlI/- Illa\" he said, III T!te el/elllil ('allilot /'urt Mill. 19
It\('h as the
fod 1IS. or, in the song of )Ios('s, of the Lord.
T/lis ,";(lme i,\ ('\.;Ireh ha!< heen \-e
ed
;t all time
: hy {lerH'eutions of dedls
111," Go(l. Of Him he saith. not only that H(' brin
!'õ {wa(X', and oftyrants.L:hrist has e\'er consoleù herancl
i\-ell "('r 1'('<I('e
hut that Ht' IIim...plP is that Peace; a!'õ
t. Panl saith, 6 He ill the persceution!'õ thelUseh-es:
ùllïw ('mllfm.tet/' liS ill all our
is ollr P('a('c, and li'aiah ('alls Him 7 the P,.JIl('e of }lealA', and II trilJlflatioll, that we /1111.'1 be ablc to (,1Il1l/od tllem U./u'1'/1 are ill
at His Hil.th the hea\'enly host proelainwù 8 }lea('e Oil ead/'; all.'1 trouble. h.'1 tile ('(J/I
rol"l ll'/,el'cIÓtll we are ('(Jlllfoded (
f (;od.
and He \I pr
ached peace to !/o.ull'/u'ch were a.far of(: alld to tll(:'1II II For as tile sutterings, (
( C/'ri:

ahoulld ill IlS. so our {'owwlatirm
tllllt u'ere IIIgh; and on leavlIIA" the world He saIth. 10 Pt'IlC:e [ also almwulctlt h.'1 (/'r1st. I he .\postles
I depaded frolll the
lea/'e witll ,'IOll, JI.'I Peare 1 p:il'e Ilnto !Ion. [-Ic shall he Olll' presClice ojthe ('(J1(11cil, r(.:.ioiring that th(."were clI/U1ted wudlill to
Peacc, within hy IIis GI'a('e, without hy His Prote(.tion. .\Ifller shalllc for l-1is _YwIle. And
t. Paul writeth to the )Ie-
"ll ". oulcle
t tholl have peaf"e with (.0(1. thin(' own soul. thy I brews, 22.'IC Iwd COI/lPW,sÙJII of me illlll.1J humls. alld tookjO!I/ll11!1
nei
hbour ? Go to Christ 'YIIII is ollr Ppaee." and follow the I the ,
}loilillg of !IOIll' good,
, klloll'ing that ye IW1'e in hem'ell (l
footstep" of Christ. ,. A..k pea('e of Him \\110 is J'eaee. Place I better mill lIIore enduring suhstwu'e.
Christ in thy h('art and thou hast pla('pel Pca(1e there." Theil shall Il'e raise ([gaill,çt Mill .
Cl'ell shepherds al/d eigM
IVIIC'1l the .</,ç'
!lrÙIJl shall come ill to ow' lalld. allllll'hen h(' Jlrincipal /IIcn (lit. allointed, although elsewhere used of hca-
s/wll tread in our palaces. A...!'õllr stand
for the most power- I then prinf"e:".)
flll and deadliest fo('. ,.
h()stly and bodily," as the .\...syrian The s/'ep/'erds are manife"tly inferior, spiritual, shepherds,
then was of thp I'Popl(' of God. For sinee this plainly relatps acting under the One
hc{lherd. hy His authority. and lie in
to tilt' time after L:hrist's eoming-. and. \to say the least.) after them. The prill(,cs of mell are must naturally a eivil p(un'r. ac-
the captidty in Bahylun and deliveran('e 12 fl"Om it . whit'h it- cOl"(lin
to its usage elsewhere 23. T
le S{'l'ell is thruug-hont the
self followed the dis...ollltion of the .\ssYI'ian Empire. the .\s- Old Testament a symbol of a saered whole. l)robahly (If the
syrians eallIHlt he the literal people, who had lon
since ('eased union of (.od with the world2
. reeoHeiled n-ith it; eigld, when
to he):l. I II Isaiah tOil the .\ssyrian i
the type of .\nti-Christ united with it, is somethin
beyond it
õ. Sin('(' then ,çe/'en de-
and of
atan H. As Christ is our Pt'aC'e. so one ('nemy is chosen notes a
reat, eomplete, and sacred multitude. by the c
!.!M he
to represent all enemies who 15,'e,z' the CIIICI"('h, whether the hu- would de
i
nate ,. an inercdible and ahllo,.:t eountless mu]ti-
man a
ent... or Satan n-ho stirs them up and uses them. .. ß
tude:' ...9
0 in defence ofthe Church, tht're shall be raised up
the Assyrian," says
t. Cyril," he here llH'anS no ImlA"er a man \'ery many shepherds and teaehers (for at no timc wi\l it be
out of ßahylon. hut rather marks out tIlt' innntor of sin. Sa- forsaken by Christ;) yea by more and more. countles,.:ly.so that,
tan. Or rather. to spt'ak fully, the implacahle multitude of however perseeutions may inercase. there shall ne\-er be n-ant-
dedls, whieh spiritually ariseth a
ainst all which is holy, and ing" more to teach. and exhort to. the faith."
fig-hts ag-ainst the holy C'Ïty, the spiritual Zion, whereof the (i. .ll/ri t/,('.'I silftllll'(l,
te, lit. feed ou. and so cat up. They
ÐÏ\-ine Psalmist saith. Glorious t/iings are spoken of thce. tho II who were shepher(ls oftheir own people, shuuld ('on sump their
('i(1J of (;ml. For ('hrist dwclleth in the Chun'h. and maketh enemies. Jeremiah uses the same imag-e. 26 The sliephel"d,,;
it, as it were. His own eity. althoug-h by His Godhead filling- lI'itl, theil" .fluck.,;
'hall cOllie Ill/Io llel"; tile,.'! .çh,dl pill'll teut"
all thing-so This dty of God then is a sort of land and ('oun- agoinst !tel" 1"01ll1d ahollt; t/'ey shall/cede each Iâ,
'
J1are.
o
try of tlU' san('tified and of those enriehed in spiát, in unity Jo
h\la and L:aleb say, 2. The.,,, (the inhahitants of Canaan.)
with God. "'hen then the .hsnian shall eome ag-ainst our are bread fOI" us. So it was said to St. Peter,
bAl"i,\'e, Peter,
('ity, i. e. when harbarous and IHI'stile powers fi
ht

ain!"t the kill al/(l
at; and what once 1/'fl.Ç C01I11I/01I, defiled al/(/ 1l11-
!"aint..., thev shall not find it ung-Ilal'deel." The enemy ma, rlean. shall turn to the nourishment and
rowth of the
tread on tl{e land and on its palae'es, i. e. lay low outwar(i g-Ior
:. rhureh. and be incorporated into t:hri...t, bein
made IJart of
\"eX the body whieh is of earth and the dsihle temple of the His Body.

I :.\fal. i. 11. U.
S, Luke i. 3::!. OÙTO< (UTa< f't)'U<.
3 Ger.. v. 29.
Ex. xv. 2.
Thp word" this" might grammatically be taken
as a!(fpping with" peacp." .. This r \ iz. this thil1!r] shall he our peace," as Eccl. vi. tI, J:J
"J:'t :n. "this too is \anity:" Ex. iii. 15, ..,:n :n, U this i

Iy memoria]." i. e.:n is 1I0t ne-
cf'SSarily personal. But this would not aher th" sense. For," this thing is our peacp,"
must necessarily refer to" hat had hpen said. viz. tbe J:reatncs., rnajPslY, tender C:ire ortbe
:.\Ipssiah. J t is most natural to takp 11' = O
TO<, as a pprson, si,'ce a pef50n wa. the sub-
ject of the vPf5e before. 6 El'h. ii. H. i Is. ix. 6. 8 8. Luke ii. B.
9 Eph. ii. Ii. 10 8, John xiv. 2;. 11 Lap. I
iv. 10.
13 A disheliever in propbpc\" writes, .. If hc ""uld quote Micah as dcsip;natinj! B('\hle-
bpm for the birthplace of the :\Ie<siah, hp cannot shut bis e)cs to the fact that the Deli-
verpr to COIIIP from thpncp "a< to be a contem"orar" shipld Rp;ainst the A.s, rian." Dr.
\V.illiams in Es.. and Rev. p. G
. 1\ ot .. contempoi-ar) ," unl,s8 it be cprtaiñ that Psal-
mists and Prophets cannot Identify themsp!\es with the rast and future of their ppoplp.
Thp cours
of evpnt
interposed she"s, that thp deliverance was nol to be contpmporary. As
the.Psalm.st
pea
mg of the p
"SaI!P 01 thp Re
1 8pa,.8a) s, tllI'redtd fI'e ,'ejo;,'e in Him, (Ps.
IX\1. G.)rnakmg blmself onp \Htb thpJn ; ?.s
J;cah himself, <peakmg oftnnes after thPlle-

solation of the land, (vii. 13.) sa)s." lIe "ill turn again, He "ill havp compass:on ufon
".;"(Ib. vii. 1!J.) na\, as our Lord Himself sa)s to the A!,' sties, .. I am with !/QI< al""=,,
pvpn to the p1\(I of thp world." (S.
I.\tt. xx\iii. :!O_) i. e. with them and their ;;uccps-
sors to the end of time; so
Iicah, \\ ho hall sorrowed "ith his pe"ple in their sorro"s,
(i. 8. 10.) hpre rpjoiccs with them in a delÍ\prance far R"ay, after G"d should for a long
timeha,.egiven them up v. 3. and "hich he should not s,e. .. Etp[1 L. BauertransJated,
'And If anotber As
nr: c
mpari, g tltp passage of\ïrgil "hich Ca.t.
lio hdd already quot-
ed, 'Allpr erit tUI\\ Tiph\S, et alrpra qua' ,phat -\rgo Delect"" hproas." Hpngst.
HIs. X. and including Bab)lon Ch. xiv. I. Acts xii. 1. 16 S. Luke xii. 4.
Ii Rup. IS Ps. Ixxxix. 2:!. '9 Rib. 20 2 Cor. i. .I, õ. 2' Arts v. 41. ;I'! x.34.

Jos. xiii. 21, Ps.lxxxiii. 1
, Ezek. xxxii. 30. The "ord stands rather in contra<t
with n
than as equivalent loit.sltlcen'õfu i.al"aysused of"ne, anointed b} God, n'OJ,
unless it be in this place, ne\er. 2. See B;;hr 8ymbolik. ii. 10i. sqq.
2" See ab. on Amos i. 3. p. 155. Th;s instancp in
licah so far differs Irom tbe others,
that the two numbcrs arp not united with "ne substantive; and, unless Ihe BhelJherds and
tl.e prince. of men be the same class of persons, (whi,.11 scarcply seplllS probable,) they ba\e
ki:ldrcd, yct dir."IP[1\, subjcc:..
< \1.
.
; :\UIII. xi,". !'.
.\c:. x. 13.
Ec2

33G

Rcfore \ SS " I .' I ' l ".' It h the swor(1 and the land of'
CHRIST
". (. .
_c

m :Ximrod II in tIlt' entrmwcs thereof: thus I
"
e{:i I;t shall he n deli,'cr liS from the
\ss\Tian, I
II Or.:Vitl,'/'er I I tl . t 1 1 I . I
OWII linked ,,- len ll' ('Olne 1 It1 0 onr anc, ant ,,- }('U
. L':I"k:t it. 11(' treadeth within onr borders.

I1c
\n,

i
\nd 0 the remnant of .Taeoh shall he c f'í[oÍ
<; T
in the midst of many people I' as a dew cir. ilO,
from thc LORn, as th'c ShOWl'I'S upon the 0

;1
: 3
. 2.
g-rass, that tarrif'th not for man, nor wait-
sil
'
'
eth for the sons of BIen,

311(/ tile lalld of
\ïml"Od. Bahylon, which
hould di
-
place .h
yria, but
hould C'arry on its work of eha
ti
in
God's
('('(lple. is joined by
Iit'ah, a
by ]
aiah \ a
an obj('ct of Hi"
jud
nH'nt. In ] saiah, they arc the a('tual
\,,
) ria
and ßahy-
lon 3 who"e de"trudion is foretold. ,'et so as to "hadow out re'-
hellion agaiu
t (;Od in it" inten
e
t form, makiu
it"clf inde-
Jlendent of. or mea"uring- it"c1f ag-ain
t. God. Hen('c, proba-
hly. here alone in holy
('ripture. Babylon i" called tlte laud (
f
lYimror/. as indeed he founded it 4, but therewith wa
the au-
thor of the tower of Babel al"o. which was huilt iu 1"('l1elliuli
a
ainl-'t (;od, wht'lu'c his own name wa" derÍ\-ed 5. .-\"
yria
then. and the worM-empire whi('h
hollid sm.t'l'cd it.
tall(l a

repre"enting the (;od-opposed world.
III the ('lItrallees tllererd
[lit. ill tile gatcs tlu'l"('of6.] The
sh('pherd
of Israel !'hall nut ad on the defenl-'Í\-e only. but
"hall haw viC'ton' over the world ami
atan, earn-in
baek
the battle into hi"
Iwn domiuions. and m'erthrowing- 'him there.

atan'
mali('e. so far from hurtin
the Chureh, to'hall turn to
its
ood. "'herein he hoped to wa4e it. he shall be wa
ted ;
wherdn he "eemed to triumph. he
hall be foiled. So it has
he('n e,-er "een, how, under every )ler"et'lltion, the Churl'h
g-rew. "7 The more it was )lres
('d down, the more it rose up
imd flouri
he'd : " .. h ShiHriu
the a

ault of the Pag-ans. ami

h'engthened more and more. not In- resi:-'tin
, but In- endur-
ing-.'" Yet all, Ly whomsoe,-er done. ;hall be tl;e work I;f ClII'ist
.'\Ione, enduring- in martyrs. tea('hillg- in pa
tor;:. ('om-erting
thl"Oug;h the _\postle;: of Heathen nation
. 'Yherefore he
adds:
Tlms, [AmI] Ill' slwll delii'('I" us f"'
1Jl tI,e Ass.'I/"ian. Xot
tlte.'I. the subol"(1Ïnate shepherds, but He. the Chief Shepherd
until the last ('1/elll.'1 sltall he destm.'led and deatlt .
/wll be Sll'III-
IO/l'ed up in 1'i('tm:'I, ,
hall deli/'er, whether hy tit ('III 01" hy IIim-
"elf a!S He often
o doth,-not u.
only (the
ayill
i..: thc laq!:('r
h('('au"e unlimited) but-Ill' sl"dl deli/'l'/'. ahsoluteh-, "110-
soe,-el'
hall be delivel"ed. lIe
hall he their dcliH'n'I': ;'ll, whom
He .\1011(' knoweth. "'ho Alone 9 Im(Jl('etlt the1ll that (/1'(' Ilis.
10 .LYcither is tllrl'e sall'ation in allY uther. II Tl71O,WI glorietlt,
let Mill glm:'I in the Lord. E,'ery IIu'mber of <':hri
t has part
in this, who, throu;.:-h the
T
H'e of God, ,. has lJOwcr and
streng-th to ha,-e victory and to triumph againto't the de,'il.
the world, and the fle"h "-not lie, hut the' g-raee of (;od
whidl is with him; and mllC'h more. all, whether .\postk
or
.\po
toli(' men, or Paston'. or ßishops and (h-erseers. who.
h) preiU'hin
or t('iu'hin
or prayt'l". lJI"ing tho
e to the know-
led:,::e of the h'uth. who u.mt ill darlm('s.
1111(/ the slwdOll' of
dea'th. and by whom 13God tramlates us into tlte kingdom ,if
His deal" Sun.
ï. And tlu' rel/llumt 'l JII('ub.
Ii('ah 14, a
well a
I:o:a-

I Is. x. :;-34" xiii-"iv. 2i. 2 Is. x. 1
-15. 3 xiv. 13-15. · Gen. x. 10.
· Lit." We "ill rehel." Tl:ere is no other even plausihle et) mology.
ð Thp E. V. hasfollowpd the andlo
yofthe" Caspiæ pylæ," ð:c.and has paraphra..pd,
"openings" or U gates" by "entrances,"asif they were " the gates of thecountr} i" y.hich,
ho,,"p\"er, belonp:s only to narrow pntlancps, such as Thermop) læ. The rendering in the
E.
I." "ith their 0\\ n drawn ,word.," (frmn Aq.andEd. v. A.E.and Kim.) is o"ing' to a
sla,-jsh adherence to par..llelism. rnn'n!), &c. .. dra\\n swonls," (Ps.lv. 22.) is fem. after the
ana.lo
of:I1n itself. The unit()rm meaniu,:r OfM
" openin
,"" dOOf," "port,"" gate." is
plainly not to be deserted in a sinp:le case, on the ground of parall
hsm onl). The
fem. aft al.o be]onf's naturally to the land, Iter's, not tlteir's, i. e. the people's.

iah 15, had prophe!<'ied. that a remnant only
Iwuld retllru UlltU
tl,(' JI
E:Id.'I Gud. Th(.s(., tholl:,::h n'ry llIany in th('lIIseh'es,
are p't Lut a rellln((nt only of the U1H'olln'rtcd ma
" : yct this,
16the re1ll1l((lIt. 1dlO .
//((II be .ml'ed. who beli(','e in Chri"t. 17 tlte
little flock, of whom were the .\po
tk
and their di"eirle
,
.
/(((II h(', in tlU' 11/idst '
f 11/an.'1 people', whom they won to the
I faith, as John in .\..:ia. Thoma
in India. Pet('I' in Babylon and
Home, Paul well-ni!!,'h in the whole world, what? sonl{'thin

to Le readily
walI(I\r('d up by their lIIultitude?
o. but as
I ll. dew frolll tlte Lord. ((,
t
le ,
/IOW(,/,S from tl((' gras,
, W!';("/I t:II'-
rtetlt 1Iot for 1/((111. /tor w([Itetlt fOI" tlte SOJIS (
f 11/('n, qUH'kenmg
to life that, whil'h. like sooll-with('red I

ra
s, no hUlllan C"ul-
ti, ation, 110 hUlllan help. eouM real,h.
In the Gospel and the
1'iH'I' of Chri4 there a1'e both, g-en-
tlene"
and mig-ht;
oftne!-s, as tI,e dew, llIig-ht a..: of II 1;'1/1.
For" 19 "ÏsdllllJ reaehcth from one end to anotll('r lI1/:!{Mil.'l ;
and sweet"l doth
h(' order all thin:,::
." Tlte dn{' i
. in Holy

('ripture: a symhol of Di\"Ïne doc.Ù'ine. 2UJ1.'I doctrin(' slwit
dl"flp as the I"ai/t. 111.'1 speedl shall di.
til as tlte del('. as the .\II/all
1"(( in npoll t Ite tendeJ" herh. ([/((1 as t Ite sltow('rs "pon t Ite gras,
. The
dcw eomes down from hem-ell, is of hean'nlv not of ('arthlv
bil.th. tl"ansparent,
Ii
tcllill
with light. reffe(,tin
the hue

of hcm-en.
('Iltle, slight, weak in itself, rt'frt'"hin
. I'o(llin

the
tron
heat..: of the day21, cOIl
umed itst'lf, yet then'by pre-
serving life. fallill!!,' on the dry <llld withered gra"" whel'ein
all nahll'e droop
, and reealling it tll fl'e"hlle"s IIf life.
\ml

tiIllllore ill tho
(' land.... where fro III the hep:innin
of .-\pl'il
to the end of O('tuber 22. the do
(' of th(' latter ami the betdn-
ning' of the carly rain. during- all the hot month
(If "'uml'llcr,
the life of all hel'ba!!."e dC'p('lld
upon thc dew alone 23 . ,""huU'eJ".ç24
are!<'o C'alled from the ,. multitude" of drop
.
li!!,'ht al\(l of no
aecount ill them
cln'
. cll'sl'elliling- Iwisel(.
to'ly yt't llenetratin

the more deeply. So did the .\postlcs "2:;lwt!('w the "oul
uf
heli(',-er
with the word of
odlillt.,,
ami enri('h tlwm ab:lI\-
dantly with the wort!
of th
' Go
pd," themseln's dying. and
the ('hur('h 1Í\'in
the mort' throu
h theil' death 26, Il1Icnehing-
the fiery heat of pa
"ions. and watering' the dl'y and barren
...oil, that it might hrin
forth ft-uit
unto ('hri..:t. Yet. they

ay 27. the e.'('('ellmc.'I uf the pU/l'er l('a.H
f Gud am/ not of liS, and
2FGod ga/"(' tlte incl"ease. For neither wa:-' theil' dOC'ÌI'ille 29 ,
f
lI/a1/ 1/fJ1" b.'1 11/([/1; but it I'ame from hean'n. the Holy
pirit
tt'aehillg- them ill\-jsibly and mal
ing llnl('(tl"lIed and ignuJ"(I1It
men mh:M'1 in U'ord al/(l deed. .. 3"\\'henee the!'e and th('''e
alone tl;(, Church of Chl'i:-,t looks up to. a
furni
hing- the rule
of h'uth." "31 The herb. upon whi('h this dew falleth,
row-
eth to (;(ld without am- aid (If man. and flollri"l\('th. ami need-
eth neither do(.trine; of philosoph('r.... nor the rewards or
prai
es of lIIen."

7 S. Anton. in S. Athan. vito pj. c. i9. 8 S. AUI(. de AI(. Christ. c. 12. an
other
fathers quoted Tertull. Apol. c. u!t. n. a. Oxf. Tr. 9:! Tim. ii. 19. ID Acts 1\".12.
\I 2 Cur. x. Ii. .2 1',. cVli. III. IJ CO!. i. 13. H h', ï. IS x.21. 16 Rom.
iXi
\'ïs

,
Ú\
ke xli. 32.
: J

t
:

i:

i. 5, 12, :! "f

I:.

2v
ii
;'I
"xì
N:

:
2'J Caned In'/I, because only .. perennial "strpams still ßo\\cd. ::::< On its importancp
to vep:etahle lile, see Gen. xx,ii.
S, Hellt. xxxiii. 1:3, 28, Hag. i. III, Zech. ,iii. I:!.

'J'J'. It occurs Deut. X>. xii. 2. 1's.lx\. II. (H<,h.) Ixxii. 6, as especially relreihing.
2. s. C)r. Z6 2 Cor. i\". 12. 2. lb. i. "" I Cor. iii. ß, ï.

Gal.i. 12. "" Rup. 31 Rib.

CIL\PTER r.

3a,

C IPíJurS T 8
.\nd the rf'mnant of .Ta('oh shall be I 10 q And it shall come to pass in t1mt. (' Ii'ï[oíes T
cir.71O. among the (;entiles in the midst of many day, saith the LORU, that 1 will eut oft. thy cir.71O.
people as a lioll among the 1wasts of the horses uut of the midst of thee, and I will QZech. U.IU.
forest, as a young lion among the fl()('ks of I df'stror thy ..hariots:
II Or,/fOills II sheep: whu, if II('
o throu
h, hoth tread- 11 A\nd I wilJ ('ut off the t'Ïties of thy
eth dO\
'n, and tcareth in pieccs, and nOlw ' land, and tltr()
" down al.l tl
y stron.
holds :.
can dehn'r. I 12
\nd I will cut off '\ïtf'heratts out uf
H Thine hand shall he lifted up npon , thinc hand and thou shalt lmye no morl'
thilU' adn'rsaries, and all thine ('nemic!' ' I r soothsayers: r Is. 2. 6.
shall he ('ut oft', l

· Thy gran>n ima
f'!'o al
o will I ('ut off, . Zech. 13.2.

R 4//1([ tlu' rCm/lllllt r!f .Jllmh ,
/1(t1l be as a youllg lion.
'.1 "'hat more unlike than the sweetnes
of the dew and the
ti.1'l"('eness of the lion? "'hat so different w.. the
entle ....hower
distilling 011 the herh, and the savag-eness or n'hemelU'e of a
lion roa;'illg all/ollg tbe flocks rl sl,e
p
Yet both aI"(' ascrih-
(.d to thc rem/lant ,l Jacoh. "'hy? llceau:;c the '\l'ostles of
l:lu'ist are both tender and severe. tender in teaehin
' and ex-
hOl.tin
, :,c,-el'c ill ("('hukin
and m'en
ill
. now cioes I'anl
teaeh, 2Gml1l'as ill Christ remncilillg the world untu Ifill/self,
(lIId hath cummitted ullto Wi the word r
f rec(JllriliatioJl; nolL'
thell ll'e are a/J/lms.'i(ldors for Christ, as tllfJlI/{h (;od did hesecrll
.'jOll b.'I llS: ll'e )Jr({." you ill Chri.
t',ç .çterlll, he ye recollciled to
God! "ïmt swee'ter than the dew OflOH'. the shower oftnH'
atfeetioll? .\nd so. 011 to that. "onr heart is enlarc-cd." Thev
are sueh drops of dew as no nne eould douht em;le from 3th"e
Lord. the Father r
f Ollr Lord Jeslls Christ. tlie .Falher of mer-
('ies {(JIll tlie God l
f all ('U1J
furt. Yet the same Apostle after
a little writes, 4This is the third time J lm' c(Jmiug to .'IOll. J
told .'jOll hefore ((lid furet( II .'Iou. ({ful beill!: absellt /lOll' I ll'ritc
10 tl,em which hercto.foN h(fl'e silllled allll to all others, that if I
rome agaill, I It'Ïll 1I0t sprue, sillce .'Ie seek a pr(J(
f of (hrÜt
sfl('(/kiug ill 1//e. See the sc,-erity (If a master. like the roarin

of a lion (/J/lUlIg the hmsfs (
f the .forcst. For
ueh surely are
they whom he rebuke!'Ò for tile 5uucle{(lI1lC,
S (/lIllforJlicatirm alld
lasc;,'io/{sness Il'hid, tliel/ll({d committed. ". as he not to
ueh
as a lion fi ? ". as not j)eter SU('It, when he rehnli:ed Allallias
fir..t and then Sapphira his ,,'ife. and they ti'll down and g-an'
up the
host? They trcad d01l'1l or ïca,
t d01l'1I illlflgi/latÏtms
mill el'e,:'1 lâgh thing th{(t e.mlleth itse
f {(/-!:ainst the kllmclec(t;e
(l God; a
CllI'b:t Him
clf. "110
pake in them, is hoth a
lamb aud the 8 Lioll of the tribe '
f Judah, and nothin
is so
terrihle as
the Il'ratli of the Lmuh.
_-JJlfI /lone can dcliz'CI". .. IOFor a
the Apostle:, ]m:,t from
nation to nation, and trod down Heathenism. subduing- it to
Christ, and taldn!!" within their net th(' man,- ('om'erted na-
tions, none C'ould 'witluh'aw frllm the Apo
tle;' dll('trine tho:,e
whom they had elmverh'(l." The Heathen world ,. IIeried out
t hat the state is beset. that the Christians are in their fields.
their forts, theil' island
." .. u'Ye are a people of ye
terday,

nd yet we han filled evcry place bclongin
to you, citie!",
J:'
and:" ('a...tles. towns. assemhlips, your yery eamp. your
tnhes. companies. palace, !"enate, forum! 'Y (' leave you your
teml'le!'Ò only. "'e ('an ('ount your annies, our numbers in a

in
lc prodn('e will he
Teater."
9. Tlleir l/(l1Id slwll be I
fted up UpOIl tlieir lllb'ersaries.
The mig-ht 411' the Chur('h is the }Jight of Chri..t in her, and
the
Iory of the Church is His from \\'IlOm it eomes and to

"'110m it rcturns. It is all one, whether this he !"aid to Christ
or tu the l'UIIIIWlt of J({cuh, i. ('. Uis Chul"I'h. Her elll/nies
are His, and hel"s only heeause they arc His. and hate her as
helong-illg- to Him. They shall be Cllt of I; either ('ca
ing- to he
Hi!'Ò enemies. OJ' ('ea!<iug- to be, a
Jlllian or .\rius or .\nti-
i Christ, 1;IU'holil tlie Lore! ,çlwll ('UnSllll,e ll'ith tlte spirit qf flis
Jl(J/{tl, amI shall e!(',
tl"fJ.1f l("itlt the In'

ldne,
.ç of llis Coming.
.\nd in the end.
atan also, over whom l:hrist
ave the .\pos-
tics 14 ]J(;l("C/' to tread Oil all the lJUU'C/" of flte Encmy, shall he
bruiseclllncler Ollr feet I;'.
10. AI/(l it ,
/Ulll come to pass ill tlwt (lrl.'/. of g-ra('e in the
king-dom of Christ and of His PreselH'(' in thl' Apostles and
with the (,hun'h, I/('il/ ("ut 011" th!/ hor,,'es out r
t the midst of
thee. Th(' g-reatl'r the
lory and purity uf the Chun'h. the
less it needs 01' hang-!" upon human aid. The mOl'e it is reft
of human aid. the more it han
"'llpon God. So (;od promi!"('s,
as a bl('!"sing", that He will rem(l\-e from her all mere human
resollrccs. hoth what '
'as in itsdf evil. and what, altllOu
h

ood. had Iwen alHlSl'd. .:\Io
t of these thiu!.!;'s. whose relllO\'al
i!'Ò here promised. arc spoli:en of at the !"am'e time hy Isaiah,
as sin. or th(' uecasion of
in. .lUd of (;od's jll(Jg-ments to J 11-
dah, I6S oo tli.wl.,/ers, (tilt' same word) Iwr,çes. c"ariots, idols the
Il'urk (
f tlieÏl'I/(/l/(ls; liigll t(JII'cl's,fellced ll'alls. '.1. I wiJI take,
fnnJJ th('e all arms wherewith. whi]e un('IIJl,-('rted, thou oPl'o-
sedst th(' faith:' all which thou settest IIp as idol
in plal'e of
God. I SllI'h art' wit('hel'afts.!"oothsa,-ers. g-raH'n ima
e
.ilIla-
g"C:, of .\shtaroth.) "I will take froni tht'
all outwa
d mean!'Ò
and instl"llJllents of dcfen('e which afon'time were tllrncd intI)
pride and sin
., as horse
and dHtriot
. Xot slleh
hall he the
arms of the' Chun'h. not such her strondwhl.... A IlOr.
e is a
l'aill thiug tu ,Wire (/ mall. Her arms
hall be the de..pised
Cro
s of
hallle; her warrior.... they who hear it; their eOUl'a
e.
to t'IHlure in holy patien('c and meekne
s
their mig-ht, the
Holy Spil'it within them; their ,-ictories, throu
h death. not
of other
. hut their .:\Jaster's and. in His. their own, Thev
shallo\"el'I'(lllle the world.as lIe m-el'('ame it. and through IIil;1
Alone and His }{ erits "110 o\"{'reallle it In-
ufi"crin
.
ll-Ij. I l('illcut off' the cities of thy Úll/(l. Su. God pro-
mised by Zedlariah 18. JCI"usalem
;//(dIIJe inhabited as towns
1("itllOut
("alls ; for I,("ill hI' lIlIto her a l{'all uffire I"fJwulahollt.
The Chureh shall not need the temptation of human def('nl'e ;
for (;od shall fell('e her in on e\"{'1"\" !"ide. (;reat eities too. as
tll(' ahode of IlIxurv and
in. of l'o
-er and prid(', and. mo
tly.
of ('rueltv. are ehiéfl,- denounccd as the ohjeets of God'
all-
g-er. nibdon stamis as the emblem of the ,,'hole eity of the
world or (
f the dedI, as oppo:'ed to (;od. " IThe first eity
was built hy Cain; .\bel and th(' other saints hae!llo colltillll-

6
e

a ' I ' n 1 2 C 2 or C . O v r . ',,

. 19-
i.,, _ .I C l. or. X 3 . , .I . b. i. :' Rev. 4 v. 1 5 b . . xiii. 1-
. · lb. xii. 21. 11 o\pol. c. l. p. 2. Oxf. Tr. 12 lb. C. 3;". p. 78.
t _ " 9 lb. \i. Hi. 10 Dim., x.19. I. Rom. x,i.
I). 16 Is. ii.6-''. 15.

IS 2 Thess. ii. 8. I. S. Luke
I, Rib. Lap. IS ii. I. 5.

33R

C H T3 í[T's T and thy II standing imagoes out of thc midst
cir. ílO,_ of thee; and thou shalt t no morc worship
!I

'2
t8
/e.. the work of thine hands.
1.,1,
\nd I will plue1.: up thy
rO\'es out
of the mid..t of thce : so will I dcstroy thy
II Or, encmi.,.. /I cities.
ups. I t
. ;. 15 And I will U ex('('ute vcngeance in

e
:h
:s. 1. 8. anger and tilry upon tIlt' heathen, sU('h as
they have not hcard.

illg ci(I/" here. Cities then will indude "2all the tumults and
evill'as
ions and ambition and :o:trife and blood::hed, whieh
Cain brou
ht in anllln
mcn. Citics are ('(lIIe'('tivclv railed and
arc nahyl;m. ll'ith 1l'11I;1II. (a
in the Rewlaticm:o: we ilcar a ,-oiee
from lH'aven :o:ayin
), 3tlle kil/g,
(
f the etll,tl, c01J/mitted forl/i/'((-
tirm lIlIIllIle merclwllts uf tlte eartlt (Ire w(lxed riclt thruugh tlte
a!Jul/dallce of Iter deli('(lcies; and of which it i
writtcn. .J. .filld
a might.'1 A;lgel took lip a stolle like (I great 1J/ill,
tulle, lIlIIl ('((st
it illto the sea, Mt,llillg, TllIls with l'ioleucc slwllthat Iveat dt!/,
BabylulI, be tltro/l'/t dOll'Il. /lud sltall be fuwllI 110 more at all.
,. Great rest then is Iu'omis('d to holy ZiClll i. e. the Chl1reh. when
the cities or stronp:lwlds of the land [!<trongholds, as they are,
of earthliness] shall be destroy('d. For to;!:ether with them
arc illduded all (lbjeets of de",il"e in thcm, with the ,,;ig-ht where-
of the eitizens of the liÎn
clom of God, while pilgrims here.
are tempted; whel'eof the wise mall saith, ''(mity of l'allities,
all i,
1"fmi('I." The fulfilment reac'hes on to th!:' Day of J udp:-
ment. when the Chureh
hall finally rec'eÏ\'e glory {i'om the
Lm'd, amI be 5 witlWllt spot alld wl'illl.-ll'. All look:: on to that
Day. The very larg-enes!' of the promise, whieh speak!', in its
fullest sense, of the de",truetion of thinp:s, without whieh we
eau hardly do in this life, (as eities 6 ,) or thin
s \'Cry useful to
the needs of man, (as horscs.) rm'ries u'" (III yet more to that
Day when there will be no mOl'e need of an y outward thinp:s ;
"
when the hean' bod\" ",hall be ehall
"c(1. and shall ha,-e the
swiftne
s of anp:ek an
l shall he tran'sported whither it wil-
Ieth, without cllll,.;ots and horses; and all thing-s whieh tempt
the eye shall cease; and no ('vii shall enter; and there shall
be 110 need of clil'ining, amid the presenee and full knowledg-e
of God. anù where the' e\"el'-IJl'('",ent Face of God, "110 is Truth,
shall shill(' on all. and nothing- Iw Ulu'('rtain or unknown; nCII'
shall the\" need to fllnn in their ",cHlls imagoes of Him \\'hom His
own ,çlwit see as Ill' l
; nor shall they esteelll any thin
ofselt

or the work of their own hands; but God shall be _\II in all:'
In like way, the woe on those who obey not the truth, al",,, looks
on to the.. em1. It too is final. Thcl'e is nothing- to soften it.
Punishments in th(' eour'ie of life are nwdi('in
1. Here no
mention is made of .:\Ierey, but only of execllting l'eJ/f.[ellllce;
and that. ll'ith u'ratll willfllt"y; and that, ,mch as the.'IIIlll'e lIUt
heard. For as e.'le Iwth not ,
eel/, 11lIt" hend crlllceil'ed tlte goud
tltil/gs laid lip in store fur t1IO,çe 1l'1t'1 IUl'e (;Od' so neither the
evil thin
s prepared for those who, in ad, shew that they
hate Him.
Ch. ,-i. The foregoing- propheey closed with the final cleans-
ing- of the l:hureh and the wrath of God resting- on the wirk-
ed: when, as St. Paul saith, Î Tlte Lot"d .Jeslls slt
tll be 1'C1,'ealed
from lteavC/l with His might!1 allgcl
', illfialllil/g.fìre, takillg l'ell-

6 : n
:r
i

i}o
\as ';1
ill'
ut o;t
;:

';;
'/f
.h<'f1:eI
:
:: But :I
lo
gh"

tanrls
for
.. enemy" I Sam. xxviii. Hi, and plnr. Ps. exxxix. 20, (in both places with affix,)
hl're everynbjectmmtionl'd i. o!"things, belollping to Judah, its (\\n. . :!The.s. i. í-llI.

HCAH,

CIL\PTER YI.

Before
CURIST
God's contt"o"et"s,.11 for unkindness, 6 for iglloranl'e, eir. .10.
I () for ily'ustice, Hi alid fot" idolatr.'I.
II E
\R yc now what the LORn saith;
Arise; eontend thou /I hefore the 1/ Or,wilh.
. Dellt. 32. I.
uwuntains, and let the hills hear th\' yoicf'. Ps. ;;0. 1,4.
. Is. 1. 2.
2 a Hear ve, 0 mountains, b tlU' LORn's b Hos. 12. 2.
eOBh'oycrsv' and \'C strOBer foundations C Is.}- 18.
. , .
& ... 3, 4.
of the earth: for e thc LORD hath a ('ontro-
;s
-1.
'.

gelllice Oil them tlwt kllOll' 1lOt God, and that one.1f lIot the Gu.
-
)lclof ollr Lord .Je,
ns Cltrist: 1(,110 sltall be Jllllli
"led witlt eZ'e/"-
lending d{'strllrtioll frum tIle pt"esence of tlte Lord, awl from the

/or.'1of IIis power; lI,llell Jle sltalleullle to be glurified ill His
,I,,'aillts, allll tu he llIllI/ired ill all t1WII/ !ltat heliel'e. The Pro-
phet herc be
ins his third and la",t :-;uIllmons to judg-lIIent. in
the "Kame, as it were, of the .\II-Holy Trinity, agai..",t "'hOIll
they hat! sinned.
. 1. I
ear !Ie 11011' ll'ltat tlee Lord saith: If ye will nut hear
the rc1mkc (If man, hear now at last the word of God. "Ari,çe
thou. .:\Iieah:' The prophet 'nt!< not willing to he the h('rald
of woe to his people; out had to arise at the biddin
of (;od,
that he midlt not "he rehcllioll,ç like tlllet rehdlioll,
//lJ/(,
e. Stand
11)1 ; as one ha,-in
all authority to rebuke, ant! daunted by
none. Ill' rou
es the hearer, as !Ohewing it to be a ,"Cry graye
urg-ent matte'r, to be done promptly, urgently. without delay.
COlltelll1 tlwu blfore [hetter, as in E. .l\I. ll'Ïflt \/] the I/wwJtaius.
SineI' man. who had reason, would not use his reason, (;od
c'alls the mountains and hills, who 10 1l111l'illiugl.ll, as it wel'e,
had been the "cenes of
heÍI' idolatry, as if He would !Oay,
.. II I nsensate thou
h ye be.
-e are mOI'e !<ensible than brad,
whom I pndowed with sen:o:e: fflr ,-e feel the nliee and (,OIn-
mand of (;Oll your Creator and c)be\' Him; they do not. I
('ite you. to rèpl'escnt your g-uilty inÍmbitant",. tl;at. throug-h

'CHl, th('y IIIay hear My nUn plaint to he just, aud own thclU-
!'eh-es g"uilty, repent. and ask fOI"g-Í\-en('s,.." .. The altars
I and idols, the blood (If the saerifi('('"" the bones and a",hes
upon them, with unuuered yct dear ,-oire, !Opok(' of the it!ola-
: trr and g'uilt of the Jews, and so prcmouneed Gocr!' ehar'
e
and expostulation to be just. Ezekiel is bidMn, in like way,
to pl"Ophesy ag'ain::t tlte 1I101llltaill,ç uf 1
J"(teIB. I 1('ill hrillg a
.
I/'ord II}lUIl .'IOIl, and I will dl'stm.1f .'101lr ltigh lllal'l',
, allll.'1f/w'
a/tat's ,
/UlII he desolate. "l,
Lifeless nature without ,'oi('e
tell:-; the ;!:Iory of God; without cars it hem's what the Lord
speaks H."
2. I:lear, .11e Mmllg [01', it ma" h('. .lll' ellllll1'ill,!!,' 15,] fOltll-
datirms uf the eadlt. i\f ountains and ropks carry the s01l1 to
times far awm-, before and after. TIH'y ('hang-e not, like the
habitable, euliivated, !'lIrfaee of the earth. There tiler were,
before the existenee of our short-li,'ed g-eneration", ; ther(' t hev
will he. until time shall eease to be. '1'he,' ha,-e witnessed s;:'
III an \. ,-iei
situdes of human thing-
. them
..;eIYes unchang-Ïng-.
The jll'ophet i,,; directed to seize Ù,is feelinp: of simple m
tur
.
'They ha'-e ",een so mueh hefore me,' Yes! 'then they ha,'e
seen aU whieh l)('fH mv forefathel's: all (;0<1':-; bencfits, all
along-. to them and to lIS, all their and our unthankfulness.'
He ll'ill plewt,l'Ïth Ismel. God hath a stric.t se\ ere judg-

8 Ezek, ii. 8. 9 This i. the unifonn sense of J" "ith 1111 as well as with t:V. See
Num. xx. 13, JuJ. viii. I, Prov. xxv. !J, Is. xlv.9, 1.8, Jer. ii. !), !l<eh_ v.í, xiii. II,Ii.
lall, in Fürst C.me.) III Rom. viii. :!U. \l Lap. I
Ezek. vi. 2-5. 13 Poe.
14 Ps.
ix. 8, 8. I.lIke xix. .1'J. Iõ t:']"'II, 8ep Gps. Lex. 1'. G
t.

cIL\PTER YI.

C I
t
es T Yel"sy with his people, amI he will plead
cir. ilO. with IsraeL
d Jer. 2. 5, 31.
0 illY Iwnple, d what haye I dunc unto
thc('? and wht'I'cin have I wearied thep?
testi(\O ag-ainst me.
..j. e For I hrun
ht thee up out of the land
of Egypt, and rede('lUed t1lt'e out of the

. Ex. I:!. 51.
& II.:"}.
&:!U.:!.
Deut. .J. 20.
Amos :!. 10.

llwnt 1 with IIi,.; peopl(', and yet \'lIuchsafe
to I'lt'dr Himself
hetilI'c lIis ('reatur('s, to ('ome down fl"Om His throll(' of
ltlr\'
and plal'e Himself on eqnal terms ,,'ith them. Ill' dm:" no't
pleacf only. but mutually (sul'h is the [ol'I'e tlf the word) i11l-
plead,v ll,;tli 2 I
i,.; people, ]war
if they would say au
ht a
ainst
Himself, and then p:ives IIi" own jud
1I\ent J. But this wil-
lin
lIess to lU'ar, only makes us I'Ondelll1l ourse]n
,.;,,.;o that we
shoulll he without eXI'use beftlre l1im. '" e do owe lIurseh-es
\\"holl\' to Him "'htl math. us and hath
in'n us all thin
s
I'iehly'to enjoy. If we ]Ja,-e \\"ithdl"awn
ursclves from IÍis
Sen'ice, unless He dealt hardlv with us, we dealt relwlliollsh o
and ung-ratcfllJ\y with Him. i;od bring-s all pleas into a nai-
row spaec, The fault is with Him or with us, lIe offcr" to
I'I('ar IIim!<('lf. lIe !'ets befOl'e liS I1is
o(ld deeds, His LO\-in

kindness, Prodden('(', (;raee, Long--
I;m'ring', Bount
-. TruU;,
and I'ontrasts with th('m our (,,'il deeds, our unthankfulne
s.
dl'spitcfuln<,ss. lUll' hreach of His hl\\"s, and di,.;ordeI"Ïng-s of
Hi" cl'cation, .\nd then, in the face of His. Gomlncs,.;. HI'
ask". '\\lmt e,-il han I done, what
otld havl' I left \wdone?'
";tI that our evil and IH'
li
('nl'e" should be but a l"('(luital of
Hi,... Ftlr if it is e,'il to return evil for cvil. or not to return
g-ood for g-ood, what e,"il is it ttll'eturn e, il f(ll' His exeeeding

ood! .\s He savs bv baiah. 4 "'1lltt muM 1/(II'c hec/l doue lIlore
to JI..'1 1'iuc..'lard (iml i I/(H'c Ilot dOllc ill it :J '(,hcrefore, ll'hcli
I !r)(,!.-cd that it should hr;ng forth gmpes. hmught it for/l, u';lcl
grapes'? And our Blessed Lord a,.;ks : 5
1/all..'1 goorlu'orks huzoe
I shell'ed .'IOIl fmlll
JJ..'1 Father. For l('lIÍClt of thosc works do
fl c StOlil' Jle? 61rhicll (
f .'IOIl ('(Jllzo;ll('cth J1c (!f S;lI '? A/ld
f
1 sa.1! thc trllth, wh.'1 do ,1lc /lot bel;cl'e _'Ie t Away from the
lig-ht of (
od. we may plcad ex('u,.;cs. and ('ast the blame of
our sins upon OUl' temptations, or passions. or nature. i. e. on
.\lmi
hty (
od Himself, ""10 made us. When His \i
ht
str('ams in upon our cOllsl'j('nee. we arc silent. Blessed if wc
be silelH'ed and ('onf('ss to Him tlwn. that we he nut first !'i-
len('ell in the Da,' of Jud
ment.
llit:htcoll.
.JoiJ said, hI de-
s;rc to rell.mll witi, God; l
ut when hi"c elll' sail' H;//l, he said,
U Il'hereforc I ahllOr lJI..'lself, aJilI 1"l'}Jl'llt ùi dust alld ashes.
:J. () JI.'I pcoplc. This one tender word !fl. twi('e rcpeat(.(pI,
('ontain!< in one a whole ,'olume of reproof. It set,.; hcf<<Jre
the ('ye!< God's ('hoice of them of His free g-raee, and the
whole history of His In\'in
-kindness, if !'o they could he
ashamed of their thankle!<sne!'" and turn to Him. '::\Jint','
He says. 'ye arp by el'eatioll. by Prm'idenee, by
reat de1i\"CI'-
anee" and hy hourly love ami
uardiallship. hy g-ifts of na-
ture, the world. and grace:
ueh thing'''' have I done for thee;
what ag-ainst thee? 1(,I/((t e\"Ï] hal'e I douc Ulito thce?' 12 Th.'1
foot did uot sll'ell thcse fort.'1 !Ic(tl's. for lIe uphpars in aU ways
when' lIe leads. Trhcrcin hfll'l' I Il'ellr;ed thce '? for l:;H;.
('O//l-
lII(lIldmc/lts are 1lot gr;el'olls. Tholl hast beell wcar.'! of .Jle. 0
1 :I.,. 2 n;!1:1' 3 Compo Is. xliii. 2(;, Jer. ii. 5, G, 9. 80':I:':JI/, "tE'Stifyagainst
).{
."(ver. 3.)is a judicialtenn,lit. "ans"er a!'a!nst 1\Ie," i.e. "ans"er judicial interroga-
IR
:h';:
hl
nI

i

1i
.dtf.j:
: ;;

IY." roõum. "<nv. 30, Deut. xix. IB, Job xv. 6,
· h. \. 4.
8. John x. 3:!, 6 lb. \"iii. 46.
Job i. 8, ii. 3, Ezek. :xiv. 20.

339

house of st'l','ants; and J sent before thee CIfí1tST
.'\Iu"òl's,
\ar()n, and
'IiriaJl)" _ cir.il
_
- (, I 1 ] f ll r:ro;um.:!:!,5.
., mv peop e, reHlCHl Jer now W Iat a- & 2
. i. &;
lak king" of
Ioah ennsult<'d, and what lla- i:;\

'21\5.
laaHl the sun of ßcor answcred him froJl)
:
:

'Nu.
g Shittim unto (
iI
al; that ,op ma\" lmow<<

'fu
. 1.
I 1 . 1 t . t . t1 I . . Jo<h. 4. 19.
1 t Ie rIg 1 cousness 0 Ie ..ORO. & 5. lO.
b Judg. 5. II.

[rmcl. (
od sa
-s by Isaiah H, 1 hfll'C Iwt l('mdt'll thee 1(';tl, in-
cense; tltou "flst wearied
lIc with t"illc iniquities.
4. F'or 1 hl"Ougld thec up (Jut of tire l(lllt! (!f Eg:.'Ipt, amlre-
dccmcd tl,ee Ollt of Iltc Iwuse of SeI"l"fllltS. "'hat wert thou;
""mt art thou? '''"w nl<ull' thep what thou art? God re-
mind" them. They u'ere slaves; they arc His people in the
herita
e of the heathen, and that bv Hi,.. outstITt(.lted firm.
(;od n
ention" some heads ofthe nH'I"e'ies whieh lIe had ,..hewn
them, when He had made them Hi,.; people, His redemptiolJ
of them from E
ypt, His
uidance throug-h thl' "ildernes",
His leading- them ovcr the last diffieuIty to the promised land.
The use of the t:'1miliar langua
e of the Pentateudl 1;; is like
the touehing' of ,",0 many key-notes, reeaJ\in
the whole har-
mon,' of His Ion'. Jlose,ç,
/ar(JlI, ([ml IJ1;r;a/il tOg'eth('r. are
Law;i,-er, to delin'r and instruet: Priest. to atone; and Pro-
phetess 16 to praise (;od; and the name of
liriam at once re-
{'aIled the mi
htv works at the Red Sea and how the\" tltell
thanked God. . .
:J. Remember noll'. The word translated now is a yerv
tender ollt'.like our ., do now remember" or" do rememher/'
be!'ee{'hing" instead of eonllllandin
. "17 I mi
ht eOlllmand. hut
I speak tcnlkrly, that I may lead thee to own the truth/'
Trlalt Bfllflk king of
11oflh consulted, Clmlldwt Bfllflam tl,e
son (
f Bem' (II/Sli'creel Mill. God did not only raise up .\Iose'-',
.\aron, .\Iiriam, out of their hrethren. hut lIe turned the ('ures
of the alicn llalaam into a hle"'sin
: and that. not for their
ri
hteO\Lsnes:-i. (for even then they w
re rebelIio\Ís.) hut ag-ainl-t
their de,.;erts. out of IIi!' own tl"llth and ri
htl'ousJles,.;. X ot
that theeurse of Balaam could in itself h
vc hurt them; hut.
in proportion to hi
reputation. it wouhl ha,-e illtiH'ed I!.n'at
eller
" into their enemies, and its reversal must have !'truck
a g-I'
åt pallip into them and into others. Human mi
ht hav-
in
failed in Sihon and Og-, nalak suught superhullwn. (;od
shewed them bv their own diviner. that it was a
ainst tht'm.
E,'en after the,' had sedu('ed Israel, throu
h Balaam':s devil-
ish eouns(.I, .\Iidiall s('en;s to han' been st
icken by God with
panie. and not to have !'trlH'k a blow 18.
j.ì'fJ1U ."''I,iffi", uuto (;ilf[al. The n ords are
eparated
b,' the HelJl'en' ae('ent from what went before. It is then pro-
b
lbly said in eoneise ener
y for, .. Rcmember too from Shit-
tim to Gilg-al," i. e. all thc
reat works (If (
od frolll S!titt;m 19,
the last eneampm('nt (If horae! out (If the promi!'ed land, where
they so sinned in Baal-peor, /luto (;i

(I'. the fir
t in the pro-
mised land. whieh the, entered bv miracle. where the .\rk
rest('d amiù the \"Îetol"iës dven thel;l. where the em-enant was
renewed, amI
o tile repr(j
ch of E/!..'Ipt was mlleel Oll'a.ll. He-
member all. from your own deep sin and rebellion to the dccl'
merey (If God. .
That !IC 1/W!1 lalOll' the 1"Igldeoll.mess [r;{(ldeou.messes] of
8 Job xiii. 3. 9 xlii. 5. G. 10 '!:
'. 11 Here ami \".5.
12 Dl'ut. viii. 4. IS I S. John v. 3. I
Is. xliii. 22024. 1. C
1'"1ICD Tn'I/:'1 see

i
h.
!):!ID;

i
:
;
Iù

' 3. H'16 X È:;.' x?e
: viii. It;
!

O; a

1

t<

:
IV 8e
on Hos. ix. 10. p. 59. and on Jo. iii. I
. p. tn. :0 Jos. \. 9.

3-10

llcAH.

c J'
[uíes T (;.,-r "Ther('with shall [ t'ome he fore the ifor my trans
ression, the fruit of"my t body C HB}[oíes T
cir. n o-=- LOR)), ([nd how mvselfhcfore tlH' hj
h (;od? 11tH' the sin of my soul? cir. i1O,
t o
:b
:

slwU [ conH' bct
rt' him with hur;lt otrer- I R TIe hath m shewed thec, 0 man,!.

;.b:

'1l2.
p, 5u!J. . I I I f II I . I 1 ] t I I ] J lSam.15.22.
i i'5'
. 'l
'. lilA'S, WIt 1 ea yes TO a year 0 ( ? I w mt 1.'; goO( ; ant w m (ot 1 t IC -,OR)) Hos. 6. 6.
k };:
: dù. 1 J: 7 i \ \ïll th(' Lmu> h(' pleast'd with thou- I re(pIÏre of thee, hut n to do justl v, and n te

i
: 19.
I 2 Kill. Hi. 3. I f . . I ] I f . ' I I ' I] 1 II ' . I lsai. 1. Ii.
I\: 21. H. I\: sant s 0 ram
, m' WIt 1 ten t lOUSaIH s 0 I to üvt' mer('y, all( to t wa .: lUm) y WIt 1 t Heb. hum:
3
/
: 31. J. rin'rs of oil? I shall [
h-e my firsthorn ,thy t;od ?
:
w
i:c
elf
& w.;;. Ezek. 2a. 3i. i

tl/{' Lord; His Faithfnlne!'s in }II'rformin
IIis promises to
_\braham, haae, allli J aeoh. God !'I'eaketh of IIi!< prumist'!',
lIot a.. what t hpy werc in thelll!'eJn's, mere ml'l'ey, hut as what
they hel'ame. throug-h that
racioll!' and frcc prCllni!'e. r
t::IIf('-
fJlWICSS, in that III' had bound Him!'elf to fulfil what IIc had.
out of mcre
rae(', promi!'cll. So in the Xew Te"tamcnt lIe
saith. 1 God is Ilot llllrigilfeolis II/flt .lIe ,
/WIlI" .!;Jrp:ct .'/0111' 7l'orks
((lid labollr wMclt pl"O('eeddli (
f IOl'e; allll,
I Ie i,
.!(tit/
ful alll!
jllsllo .!;Jl:
'it'c IlS ullr ,,'ills. :\Iicah !'peak!'. by it rare idiom. of
thc l"iglrte(Jl{,messe,
3 (
fthe LOl'lI,('ueh ad of lIlen'y bciu
a !'epa-
rate effluenee of Hi!' Ri
'htellu
ne!'s. The ,-ery IHHlH'!' of the
I'lael'!' !'up,-t:'('st thp ri
l;tellu!' aets of (;od, th(: unri
hteous of
Israel. ." I ßnt we tOil, whll ùe
irc with uu,-eiled t
lec to bc-
hold the ç.'llIry of the Lord, allll ha,-p .Abraham r('ally fur IlUr
father, It't u!'. when we h
n-t' !'inued, he3r (ind pll"ading- a
ainst
us. and rel)J"oyin
' u
for the multitude IIf Hj
benefit!'. Fur
wc too one(' !'ened Phanwh and th(' pl'uple of Eç."ypt.labour-
in
in work.. {If mÍI'e and I'la y: ami lIe redeenwd us \\'ho g-ayc
HiUl!'elf a Hl'd('lIlption fOf ,ill: that we, thc r('declllt'd IIf thc
Lord 5, n,lwlIt lIe I"edeemed (Jut of tile hand (!fllu' I'nelll.t/ (lJ/(lga-
tltaerl .ti'(JJII Ihe lam!.ç, mig-ht sa.'I, Ilis mel"(:'/ cnrlul"etlt f(J1" en!l".
Ill' !'ent a!sll bpfill'e on)' fat'e .\Iu!'e!', the !'piritual Law, and
_\aron th(' I1ig-h Prie!'t, not I)('arin
' the typieal Ephod and
("rim. bnt haying' in I1i!< Fllrcht'ad the !'eal of holinc!'s which
(iod the Father !'ealed; and
liI"ÍaUl, the forc!'hcwiu
' uf pro-
phet:-. Rpeollel't ,n' too what he thou/!:ht ag-ainst u!< who
willed to denml' u!<. the tnle ßalak,
atan, who laid !,lHu'es
for n!' thJ"()n
h Balaam, tlte destm.,/eI' (llhe pe(Jple, fcarin
le"t
wc !'llIIuld ('0\'('1' hi!' land and (}('eupy it, witlHlrawing- the
eal.thly-minded from his l'UllJÍJ"("."
(j, í. Tlïu,l"t'witlt sltall I ('(JIIU' hef(II"(' lite L'Jl"d '? The pco-.
pIe. tllU!' arraig"ned, hur!'ts in. a.. Ulen (III, \Yith profes!'ions that
they wlluld be no mun' nng-ratd"nl : that they will do any thing-,
cvcl'y thing--but what they IIng-ht. With them it shall bc
hnt ".cbk and ha,-c." They wi!'h (mJy to know. Il'itl( n,lwl they
!'hall ('ollie? Thcy wlluld I,e lJ('f(Jrel/((lld 6 with Him, antici-
pating- His wi!'ht's: th(,y \\"Imld. \\'ith all the snbmi!'!'ion IIf a
,'reature, lJ(JwÎ.pro!'trate thcUl!'elyes betln'e (iod; th('y aeknow-
led
e His Hig'h
Iaje!'ty, \rho dweJlcth on hi1!,'h 5, till' lJwst 1li
h
(Tori. and would (/1J([sl' tl,e/J(sell'es 9 hpfu)'e His IlIth- g-reatlH'!'!'.
if the,' but km',,', .. how" or .. wherewith." The,- ,
-oHld I.:'ivc
Clfthe'ir best: saerifiecs t hc ('hoil'I,!'t oftlwir kind, \
'hieh !'h;mld
be wholly Hi!'. whole-bUl'nt-lIft'ering-s, offl'lWI exaetly ae('orù-
ing' to the law lU, hullod.s (
l a .'fcw' old; thcn tou. the llt'xt
ehuice otfel'in!.:". tllC' ram!' : and th('!'('. a!' thc,' were uft'en'd fur
the whole people un n'ry !'olcmn oceasions, i;. ,-ast multitudes,

J lI
b. vi. 10. 2 1 S, John i. 9. 3 .. n'
'
. only o
curs besi.I
s Jill!. \". lJ.
(b;s) 1 S,nn. ,ii.;õ theuce '1'
1"'1, Dan. i". 16. EJ,,' oul
l's. ciii. (). · From S. Jer.
. l's. Hii. I-a. 6 C
iW ï

I:! " !:i,,? '()"!1 9 The word occurs only
of one sinking-, howed do\\n, amid rers..cution8. P
. hii. Î; of the u uo,\(d do\\n," whom
God rai" th up, l's.
"h'. H. c"h i. Ii õ ami in Is.lviii. 5, of " ostentalious out" ani !lIImi-
lia'tiun hefore (jud."
o probahly here, \\ here alClle the reflecti\c oeems. 10 Lev.ix.2,3.
II At Sd'JnlOn'. dCllicaIion, 2:!,t1t1U OXl'1I and I:!U,flt'O sheep. 1 Kill!:" viii. fa õ by Ilt'ze-
ki..h, ::UUII buUoeb and 1 "CUU sh
l'p, :! Chron. xxx. 24; by Josiah, 311,OUU lambs and

I ' 11J(JIlstlJu!,

II' ten thou!'and!< 1
; th.e oil ,
'hi('h a('eIJlllIHl
.ied thc
burnt saerIÍ1('e,
lwllld flow III 1"H'r!< 1
; nay, HIIII'I'
tllI ; they
I wouldllot withhold their "11Il!'. tht'ir first hOl"n !'on!<. from (iod.
, part. a" tht'Y wefe, of thell1!'elve!', or any frllit of Ilteir OIl'Il
!Jm(lj, They cnhanl'l' the oft'('rinl!,' by naming- the h'ndel' rela-
tion to thcm!'cln'!; IS. The\" would oft'er c, ('I'\" thin
, (evt'n
what (;od iill'bade) exeel'tin
only what alone' He a!'ked fur.
theil' heart. it
lon' and it!' obeùienec H. The form of their
oft'cr eontains thi!'; thev a..li zealoush-, ,. with ll'ltal shall I
eoml'... It i!' an lIutwa
'd oft'l'ring- oniy, a Ilrilòg whieh they
would hrin/!:. lIypocritieal ea
erne!'!'! a sin ag-ainst li/!:ht.
Fl))' to cIHlllirc furthel', ,,'heu God has already re\ ealed allY-
thin
'. is to denv that III' has revealed it. It ('umeS from the
wi!'l; that IIp IUld }(ot rc,"eah'd what He Illl,Ç re\"Caktl. '.1G"-ho_
so, after he hath found the truth. di
eus!'eth any thin
furthcr,
!'eeketh a li('." (;od haù told them, long- belilre, ii'om the time
that He ntaÜl" them lIis people, what he desired of them; So
l\Iic-ah answt'l"s.

. He Itallt ,çl(ewerliltee.
Iic:th does not tell thcm 11011',
as fl))' tht' fir..t time: whieh would lta,-e cxcu!'ed them. He
say!', I
e Iwlll ,
.ltell'erl tltee; lIe, ahout Whose mind and will
and l'!cu:-nl"e th('y wel'c l'retendin
' to cluluil'e, till' Lord th('ir
God. Ill' Iwd !'hewll it to them. Tlw law was filII ofit. He
shewcd it to them, when He !'aid, 16 -<1m! JIOW, Israel, 1l,lwt
dotlt lite Lord tlry (;orlrequire of Ilree, IJ/rl to .fear lI(e Lurdllt.'1
(-lod, tu walk ill allllis ll'a.'I.
. allrl 10 lOl'e Ilim alU!lo ,çCITe tlte
Lord 11(.1f Godwitlt all tlt,'l Iwar! (llid /('illt all tlt.1f sUlll, tu keejJ
tlte CUll(J}/([IU!meJds of tire Lord and llis slalut('S wlri('It I co/J/-
mmul tJl('e litis rla.'lf(
"III.'1 gO(HI '? Thcy had askcd. "witlt ll'hal
outward tltiug 1í shall I ('ont(' beti're the Lord;" thc prophet
tell!' thPlll, ". what tltillg i!'
oud," the inwanlm<ln of the heart,
ri
htellu",nes:;, Im'e. luilHility.
.fudwltat dolh lite LOl"rlreqllire [,çearclt. s('el.] uftfree? The
,'ery worù 1
illIl'lic,.: an earnest sean'h within. He would
!'ay. '.19 Trullble not th,-!'df as to anv of thesl' thin
s. hUl"nt-
oft
cring-!'. rams, ealves: without t he(:. POI' (
od s
el(cth not
thine. hut thcp: not thy !'ub!'tmwe. hut thy !'pirit; not ram or
g-oat, but tin- heal't." "20 Thou a"ke!'t, what thou shoult\ei"t

,ft'er for thee? Ofter thySelf. Fllr what el!'e dllth thc Lord
scek of thpp, hut thcc? 'B('I'aus,.. IIf aU earthly ereatm'es, He
hath made nllthing- bettel' than thce, IIc sceketh th)
df from
thvsclf. Iw('ausc thou hadst lost thyself:'
. T;J dOJIU
/.!,'III('llt, ,u.p {'hiefly
;U ad.. of ('quity: to 100'e
lIIeJ"(
1f, all deeds of Im'e. .Jw(!!,"lueul. is what ri
'ht require!';
IJle1'I".'h what lovc. Yet, !'cellndarily, .. to do jndg-m{'nt" is to
pass rightcou!' jUd
"IllCllts ill all ea!'('!' ; and !<II, as to others.

kids fur tile paschal oflerinH" and 3000 bullocks, Ib.xJ\.xv. i. 12 Comp
Job
X". Ii, "rivers" \":U as here) .. of "IreamS of honey amI cream." Oil was used m all
Illeal-olferillg>' which :J
col\lpanied the burnt-dli:riug, Lev. ii. I,
. -1-;, vii, 10, 12, anù
so entered IIItO the daily saerilice, Ex. xxix, -In, ami all sacrificls of consecratIOn. E".
xxix.
,
3, Lev. vi. 15, 21, !'1UIU. viii. 8. 13
ec Dent. x
\"iii. 53. t,\ COllc_.Chalc:
Act. :3, 15 The enquiry, v. i, Wp.s, Will tlte Lord b,' pleased? ":15":1. The suhJ
cl 01,
He Itallt slt
ll'n tltee, is obviously [hat same Lord. lfi Deut. x. 12, 1:3. !7
;). G. :110 :I
, 8.
IS rtJ, 19 Rup.
o S. Aug.

rm. 48. ad loco 9 2.

CIL\PTEit YI.

341

Befùre
CHRIST
cir. 710.

!) The LORn's yoicc crieth unto the city, and II the '/n(lll of wisdom shall !'('(' thy cfliiTsT
.. Or, tI/!/ name shall see that u,ltich is. dr. 710.

1Judge not (l('col"lLil/g to t"e. ({jJjJl'aI"llI/CC, hut .fudge 1"Ïgld
ous
im{{(lIIcltf; anùa
t() one's
elf al
o. J ud
e e(IUltahly and Innd-
"Iv
f other
, humhly of thyself. "2 Judg-e of thyself in thy-

'clf without a('('eptan('e of thine own pen;on, so as not to spare
thy !'ins, nor take )}leasure in them, beeause lIwlt hast dmH'
thcm. 1'\either praise thyself in what is !roOtI in thee, nor
ac('use (;od in what is evil in thee. For this is wrong- jUllg--
ment, and
o, nnt judgment at all. This thou didst, IJeing-
evil; reverse it, and it will be rig-ht. Praise (;nd in what is
"'ood in thee' a(,l"u
e thvself in what is evil. So shalt thou
;nti('ipate th'e jud
ment of God, as lIe
aith, 3 If u'e ll'oulcl
jwl{(c ollrsc!res, 1('e ,
/wulcl I/ot lJeJlldgcd of tlte Lord." lIe add-
'eth
Lore 1IIC/'(:',; being- mereiful, out of love, J.llot o.fllc('cssit.lf,
for (;mllol'etlt It cI(cc/:ful giz'cr. These arts tog-ether eontain
the who!e duty to man, eorrespondin
with and formed upon
the men'y and justil"e of God 5 . All which is due, any how
or in any way, is ofjlldgllU'1lt; all which is free toward man,
althnug-h not free towal'd God, is of mcrc,'!. There remain
,
1l'all. ",,111M!! witlt tit.,! (-;')(1; not, how thyself only before Him,
as they had offered 6 , nor ag-ain 1('alk u'itlt llim only, as did
Enoch, Noah, Ahraham, .Tob; but u'alle IlllmM.'1 (lit. how dowIl 7
tlte {{oil/g) yet still1t'itlt tit.'! God; never lifting- up thyseU

never sleeping-, never standing still, hut e\"Cr walking- on, yet
e,'er cmÛug thyself dow1l; and the more thou p:oest on in

ra('e, the more east thyself down; as our Lord saith,
1I71en
Jle I((ll'e donc all tlle,
c t/dugs ldlÏ('h arc comllllllUlcd .1IO/(, sa.'I,
Ire are llllprf!fitah!e sel''L'w/ts; 1('C Itare dOllc lIlllt ll'Mclt ll'({,Ç ow'
d/(tlJ to do.
it is not a "erolll'hing- before God" displeased, (sueh as they
had thoup;ht of,) hut the humhle Io,-e of the forg"iven; 1l'({lk
l/1tmb
lJ, as the ereature with the Creatol', hut in love,1l'ith
t/tille own God. Humble thvself with God, 'Yho humbled
Him
elf in the flesh; wall. 01; with Him, 'Yho is thy 'Yay.
Neither humility nor obedience alone would be true g-races;
hut to deave fast to God, because He is thinf' All, and to bou'
th!!s('
f down, because thou art nothing-, and thine All is He
and of Him. It is altog-ethcr a Gospel-precept; bidding- us,
91J(' lIe perfcrt, liS .'Iolll' Father 1('ltirlt is in HC({1'Cn is )let:feet;
10 Be lllercffllL, ({s .1I(J/lr
Fatlter also is merc{ful; and yet, in the
end, have n that samc mind 1('f1i('1t 1l'as ((Iso in Christ Jc,ms,TVlto
made Himself (
f IlO 1'eputatioll.
The offen.; of the people, stated in the harf' nakedness in
which
lieah e"\':hihits them, have a eharaet('r of irony. But
it i" the ironv ofthe truth and ofthe fact itself. The ereature
has nothing ÏJtïts own to offer; 12 the blood of bulls ({nd {[oats
ramwt take m('a.'1 sin; and the offerings, as they rise in value.
bccome, not useless only but, sinful. Such otferin
s T\'mdd
brin
down ang-er, not mercy. l\Iieah's words then are, for
their vividne
s, an almost proverbial expression of the no-
thingness of all which we ..inners eould offer to God. "l
,y e,
who are ofthe people of God.lmowing- that 1,1, in His ,\'ight slwll
1W man lil'ing be.inst[ficd, and saying-, l5 I mn a hmst ,('itll Tltee,
trust in no pleas before His judgment-scat, but I}ray; yet we put
no trust in ollr \"Cry prayers. For there is nothing worthy to
be offered to God for sin, and no humility can wash away the
stains of otfenees. In penitcncf' for our ..ins, T\'e hesitate and

1 S. John vii. 2
. 1 S. Aug. I. c. 3 1 Cor. xi. 31. ' 2 ('or. ix. i.
5 Ps. ci. I. Ixi. i.. 6 v.6: . ; 11
? !;1Sry. The root only occurS. besides in
the form L:'
'1Ji' Pro\'. XI. 2, where It IS o!ïposed to prid<'. In the Targg. Afells = Heb_

;:';,u;;ebci

nd
ri

tf::;
tl
;

i
i

f
; fo
:d

,rabic has no bearing upon it, all its

say, Ir"er('l('ith shalf I cOllie befure the Lord
how shall I ('lime,
"II as to be admitted into familiar intercourse with mv God?
One am! the same !'l'irit revolveth these thing-s in ea(:h of u"
or of those hefllre u
, who have heen prieked to repentaIlI'e,
, ,';hat. worthy offering- can I make to the Lord?' This and
the like we revolve, as the r\Pllstle saith; 16 Ire knOll'uot what
to pm.1f for a,ç 1('e ought; but the Spirit itself 1JIaketit interces-
sion fo/' us willi {!/"{J{mings 1i'hidi ('(/10101 he uttered. 'Should J
off'{'r mysclfwhnlly as a hurnt-ofl-'cring-tolIim? Jt
understand-
ing"
pil"ituallyall the Levitieal sacrifi('es, I should present thcm
in myself. amI offer my first-horn, i. e. what is I'hid in me, my

oul. I should find nothin
worthy of Hi
g-reatness. J'\either
iu ourseh'e
, nOl' in (Jug-ht earthly, ('an wc find au v thilw n-or-
thv to be otl'ered to re
Olll'ile us 'with (;nd. For ÙIe siI
"'ofthe

oilt blood a!one is worthy to he ofl-"ered; not the blood of
('alves. or ram!i:, or
oat
, hut our own; yet our own too is not
offered, hut
i,'en ha('li, being due already 17. The Blood of
Christ A lOll(' !'uffi('eth to do awav all
iJl." "18The whole is
said. in order to instruet us, that: without the shedding- of the
lllo()(1 of Christ and its Yil.tue and Merits, we eannot plea
e
God, thoug-h we offered (Jur
elves and all that we have, with-
in and without; and also, that !Oil g-reat arc the benefits be-
stowed upon us by the lo,'e of Christ, that we ean repay no-
thing- of them."
ß
lt then it is dear that there is no tf'ae}lin
in this pll<:-
sag-e in
Iicah. T\"hich there is not in the law I !!. The devclope-
ments in the Prophets relate to the Person and I'haracter of
the Redeemer. The Ipw too eontained both clements; I) the
ritual of
aerifiee, impre
sing- on the Jew the need of an Aton-
er; 2) the moral law. and the
races inenll'ated in it, obedi-
enee, loye of God and man, ju!':ti('e, merl'Y, humility, and the
re!>t. There was 110 hint in the law, that half was aeeeptable
to God instead of the whole; that !'Ill'rifiee of animals wouhl

uIJCrsede self-sacrifice or obedience. There wa
nothing-, on
whi('h the Phari
ee eouId base hi" heresy. "'hat )Iieuh said,
1\lo
es had said, The corrupt of the people offered. a haU:"ser-
yke, what eost them least. as faith without love always does.

lieah, in this, reveals to them nothing- new; but teÜs them
that this haU:"seniee is I'ontrary to the first principles oftheir
law. .Ell' Iwtlt shewed tliee, () mall, u'''(ll is good.
acrifi('e,
without 10\'f' of God and man, was not even so much as the
body without the soul. It was an abortion, a monster. For
one end of

H'rifil'e was to incu!eate the insufficieney of all
our g-nod, apart from the lllood of Christ; that, do ,,:hat we
would,
o([ll eame sltort of the {(1m:,! of God. But to suho.;titute

aerifiee, which was a ('onfession that at best we were mise-
mhle "inners, unahle, of ourseh'es. to please (;od, for anr ef-
forts to l,lease Him or to avoid displeasing- Him, would be a
direct eontraclil'tion of the law, antinomianism under the di
-
)}ensation of tlJe law itself.
l\lieah I'hanges the words of :\Ioses, in order to adapt them
to the erring- sins of hrael at that time. Hc then upbmirls
them in detail, and that, with those sins which were Imtent,
whil'h. when hrou
ht home to them, they ('oulcl not deny, the
sins against their neig-hbour.
9. The 'L'oi('e of tltc Lord crictlt l(1lto the city, i. e. Jerusa-

8 S. Luke ,,"vii. 10. 9 S. )Iatt. v. 4S. 10 S. Luke ,i. 36. 11 Phil. ii. 5, í.
12 Heb. x. 4. 13 from S, Jpr. S. C}r. Rul'. Dion. I' Ps. cxliii. 2.
10 lb. Ix"iii. 22. 16 Rom. vÌ1i. 2li. Ii Ps. cHi. 8. IS Dion.
19 Asisso ofteHsaid,inúrdertod..preciate thelaw,p.g. inDr. Stanl..) 's J. Churchp,41b.
20 Rom. iii. 23.

FFF

342

c
Jtn T nanl(': hear ye tht' rod, and ,,- ho hath ap-
cir.710. pointed it.
II Or, Is there 10
II
\re there yet the treasures of
;

,u:
oever!l wickedness in the house of the wicked, and
::;
.
tz,; the t scant measure 0 t!tat is abominable?
t Heb. ",,'asure of leanness, Amos 8..3. 0 Deut. 25. 13,-lG. Prov.n.!. & 20.10,23

l\IIcAH,

II II Shall I count them pure with c:
oÍeST
i'the wicked balances, amI with the bag o f cir. ílO.
II Or, Shall
deceitful weights? Ibeplire
12 For the rieh men thereof are full of :'W
s

2. ï.
violence, and the inhabitants thereof han

lem, as the metropolis of their wealth and their sin, the bead
and heart of their offending. Crietlt, aloud. earncstly, intent-
ly, so that all mig-ht hear. So God says. IJJoth nut 1elsdom
Cl:'I? alUluJUlerstll1uiing put furth Iter I'uice
She erietl, at
the gates,-unto .'IOIl, 0 men, I ('/".'1, and my voice is tu tlte sons of
men; and Isaiah prophesied of St. John Baptist, as
the voice
of one cl:'ling in the wildemess ; and our Lord saith, 3 He lIutt
I/Caretl, yo/(, I/Careth JIe. .d1U1 the man ofwisdolll shall see Th.11
-,,-Yame. Thc voice of God is in the bearinlr of all, but the wise
only seeth the ",Yallle of God 1. Thc word rcndered ll'ÍsdoTll
means, lIwt which is 5, and EO, that which alone is, which
alone bas any real solid being, because it alone abides, wis-
dom, or counsel aeeording- to God. Such as are thus wise
shall see the ",Yallle of God, (as Jeremiah says to his genera-
tion 6, See ,'Ie tlte lI'(ml (
fthe Lord.) rrhey shall see His power
and majesty and all which His X ame expresscs, as they arc
displayed scverally in eaeh work of His: He shall speak to
them by all things wberein He is
and so sceing- Him now in
a glass darkly, they shall hereafter see all, His Glory, His
Goodness, His Love, Himselt
face to face.
Hear ye the 1'0'/, i. e. the seourg"e of the wrath of God.
The name and thc imag-e recall the like prophecies of Isaiah,
so that 1\lieah in one word epitomises the prophecies of Isa-
iah, or Isaiah cxpands the word of 1\lieah. ïThe 1"Od in thine
hand Ü ..lIy indignation; 8
ls if the rod liftec/up Ilim, JT710 is
not wood; 9 He liftellt lip his rod agaiust thee; lOT/IOu hast bro-
ken tlte rod (which is) O1t his slwilider; llTlw Lord hatft broken
the 1"0,[ of the 1l'icked; 12 1l 'I,ereOIl the grOll1/ded [i. e. fixed by
the deerec of God] stc!U'shall }Jass.
.dnd 11710 hath appointed it, i. e. beforehand, fixing thc
timc and }Jlaee, when and where it shoulrl romc. So Jere-
miah say!', 13 Holl' canst t!lou (sword of the Lord) be quiet, aml
the Lurd Iwth gÍl'ell it (t charge to .dsl,keloll and to the ,
c(l-
shore? thae Iwtlt He appointed it. Hc ,rho has appointed it,
ehang"etll not His decree, unless man changeth; nor is He
laeking in power to fulfil it. lie will surely bring it to pass.
.All which can be thought of, of fear, terror, motives to re-
pentmU'e, awe, hope, trust, is in that word IV/w. It is God;
hopes and fears may be infinite.
10.
lre thae 14, yet, still after all the warnings and long-
sufferÏ1.g' of God, the trea.mres of1l'Íckedness in the house of t!le
1l'Ícked
) Trea,mres of1('ickedness are treasures g-otten by
wickedness; yet it means too that thc wicked shall hm-e no
treasure, no fruit, but his wickedness. He treasureth up trea-
sure", but of wiekcdness; as St. James saith, 15 re have heaped
treasure together for the last days, i. e. of the miseries that shall

I Provo viii. 1, 3, ,1. " Is. xl. 3. S. :\Iatt. iii. 3. 3 S. Luke X. 16.
4 This, the simplest, is the most energetic rendering. Other possible renderings oftbe
si!'1pl
v.ords, :;:;;;1 :1t1T ,,:çin1, come to the same. Such are, "And "isdom (i.e. wholl)
"Ise} IS he "ho regards Thy Kame;" or" Thy Kame (i. e. Thou, such as Thy Nanwex-
presses of Thee) beholdeth wi-dom," i. e. the really wise, or religious; or, "And "isdom

o
a
i
,et
efe':rd

htr
m"e

; I

'r:

dt

;:

:

:h

:
t
'

:d:
:>f

h

d' fb: :

l?
i
,

F::
;.;
v
f

f

: "ìì
c;:

S:I

e

i

t t

i
iil:
lustration of the anomaly of gender, and vii. 1', '::11' :1Jno.
. T
ere is no other even pla'lsible etymolo!!y of :1;;'t" than 1\'\ "hose 3rd radical ap-
pears In 'n'lI in Daniel, and in S) riac, and in
II'n'II, Heb. See" Daniel the Proph." p. 19.

come upun them 16. The words stand O\-er ag-ainst one another ;
hOllse of the 1l'ieked, trea,mres of 1l'ickedness; as thou.lrh the
wholc IlOuse of the 1l'icked was but a "treasure-house of" iek-
edncss." Therein it began
therein and in it" rewards it shall
end. Are thel'e .lIet? thc Prophet asks. Therc shall soon
eease to be. The treasure shall be spoiled; the iniquity alonc
shall remain.
And the scant eplwft (lit. "ep/mh of leanness" E. M.) 1l'//Ích
is abominahle? Scant itself, and, by thc just judgment of God,
producing seantncss, emaciated and emaciating 17 ;.as He says,
IS He gave them tlleir desire, and sent lealllless 1l'itl/((1 into their
soul; and St. Jamcs 19, it ,ç/wll eat .'Iow. fleslt a,ç it ll'ere fire.
Even a heathen said, ,,
o Gain g-ottcn by wiekedness is loss; "
and that, as being- .. abulI/inahle" or .. accursed" or, onc might
say, .. bewrathed
I," lying- under the wrath and curse of God.
,,

'Yhat the\' minish fl'om thc measure, that thev add to the
wrath of GotÏ and the ven/!.'eanee which
hall come 'upon them;
what is lal'king to the measurc shall be supplied out of thc
wrath of Goll." The Ephah was a ('orn-mcasurc
3, containing
about six bushels; the rich, in whose house it was, were the
sellers
thev were the necessaries of lifc then, which the rieh
retailers o(corn were selling dishonestly, at thc priec of thc
lives of the poor 24. Our subtler ways of sin eheat ourseh'es,
not GOtl. In what wa)'s do not competitive employers usc
the scant mea.mre u'!liclt is accursed? "'hat else is all our com-
petith-e trade, our cheapnes!", our wealth, but scant measure
to the poor, making- their wage!" lean, fuU and overflowing
with the wrath of God?
I I. Shall I count them pure? rather, (as E. 1\1.) Shall I
be pure 25 ? The Prophet takes for the time their person and
bids them judge themselns in him. If it would defile mc,
how are ye, with all your other sins, not defilcd? All these
things were expressly forbidden in thc law. 26re shall do 1W
um'ig/Il('ousness in.ludgment, in mete-yard, in weigld 01' in mea-
sure. .Just balances,just u'eiglds, a.iust epluth and aJust ltin,
shall ye IUll'e; and, 27 Thou shalt not have in thy bag dh'ers
ll'eighis, a {[reat (md a slllall. Thou shalt not Itave in t!tine
IlOuse dh'as measures, a great ami It small. For all that do
such thin{!,'s, and all tlwt du unrigldeousness are an abomination
unto the Lord thy God. Yet are not thesc things common
c,-cn limy?
12. J;ùr the 1'ieh men thereof. i. C. of the cit.lI 28, are full of
riolence. It hall been little, had thie,'es ami robbers li,-ed bv
,iolence, but now, (as Isaiah at thc same time uphraid:òõ them;)

9 her princes wcre beeome companions of thieves. Xot the
poor out of distress, hut the rich, out of wantonness and ex-

6 Jer. ii. 31. add" Ex. xx. IS, and all tlte þeople saw i1I
jJ tile voices, or 111l11lderill
s.
an
'Ib
i1
s1llell o.(.,"fb
O{
.

H:b
'ii. 27 :;, Ï
: xiv. 5. .. IS'I
'k xxx. 32." lb. 15.
13 Jer. xlvii. í. It is used in regard to time, 2 Sam. xx. 5. It is used of both time and
place in the Arab. Conj. iii. as iu ';;.'c. and the S)r. . .
H ro;/( i. q. C", as in 2 Sall1. xiv. m, the /( occurring together "ith the '(heremdlcated
by the ,-owel) in Arab. Chald. S)r. Sam: Pers. and Heb. 'n'lI See n.. 5._
I;; S. Jam. v. 3, 16 lb. I. I, See v. 1 J. IS Pa. C\!. I". 19 ,-.3.
"Ð Chilon in Diog. Laert. i. 4.. ."1

'Jll. "" Rib..
Am. ,iii. 5. 24 I
see,!!s
nt'cessary,.1 see, in so-ca
!t'd C
nstiall.Londor:" to ad.v
rtlse In shops.: that b['P
d IS .oflts
allt',,'t'll "eight. "" :1
1 In KalIs only mtransltlve. .6 Le,. XIX. 3<>, ,,6.

; "Deut. xxv. 13, 15,16. add Provo xi. I. xvi. n. xx. 10. "5 yer.9. "9 Is. i. 23.

cH
\rTER YI.

:\.t3

Before
CHRIST
cir. 710.
q Jer. \I. 3, 5.
6,8.
· Lev. 26. 16.
PS.IOi.li,

spoken lies, anù q their tougue is
in their mouth.
13 Therefore also will I I make tl/l'(' siek
in smiting thee, in making t/tee desolate
because of thy sins.
1-1 · Thou shalt eat, hut not be satisfied;
mHl thy casting down 5'hllll be in the midst

deceitful' of thee; and thou shalt take hold, hut
balt C Jï{TST
not d{'liver; and that which thou deliverest cir. no.
will I
ive up to the sword.
I,') Thou shalt t sow, hut thou shalt not. Deut. 28. 38.
39.-10.
reap; thou shalt tr('ad the olh'es, hut thou Amos 5.11.
shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet

\
6
3.
wine, hut shalt not drink wine.

. Lev. 26. 2/1,
Hos. 4. 10.

ceediug covetomme!iS and love of luxury, not only did wrong
but were filled, not so mueh "ith riches, as Il'ithviolence. Yio-
lencc is the very meat and drink whercwith they arc filled,
yea and wherewith thev shall be fillcd, whcn it is returned
updn their heads, .
.dnd tile inlwhitants thaeof IUll'e spokeu lies. Fraud is
itself lying, and lying is its in!"eparable companion. "1 Lying
fuUowcth the gathering tog-ether of riehcs, and thc hard wont
to lay up ('iches hath a deecitful tonguc." The sin, he saith,
is spread throughuut all Ita inhabitants; i. e. all of thcm, as
thcirwont,haye spoken lics, and, even when thcy speak Ilot,the
lie is ready; their tOìlglle is deceitflll (lit. deceit) ill tl.eir mouth.
It is deceit, nothing- hut deeeit, and that, deceit which should
"20yerthrow" and ruin others. One intent un gain has thc
lie ever ready to bc uttered, evcn whcn he spcaks not. It
lurks ('OIwealcd, until it is ncedcd.
13. Therefore also 1l'ill I, [lit. Alld I too,] i. e. this dost
thou, and thus will I too do. "3 As thou madest sid.: thc
heart of the poor oppresscd, so will I, by :My grievous and se-
vcre punishmcnts, make tl'ee sick," or make tllY u'oltnd incltra-
ble, as in :Nahum \ tllY ll'fJllIul is griel:olts, lit. made sick. III
makill
thee desolate because of tIl.'1 sins. Thc heaping up
rirhcs shall itself be thc cause of thy being waste, dcserted,
desolate.
14. TIIOIt shalt eat, but not he ,
ati,
fied. Thc correspon-
dence of the punishment with the sin shall shew that it is not
by ('hance, but from thc just judgment of God. The curse of
God slJall go with what they eat, and it shall not nourish
them. Thc word, thOll, is thrice repeated\ As God had just
said, I too, so here, Thou. Thou, thc same who hast phm-
dered others, shalt thyself eat, amI IIOt he sati,
fied; " t!tOIl shalt
sow, and not reap; thOIl shalt trcad the olin, and thou shalt nut
anoint thee" ith oil." "Cpon extremc but ill-gotten abun-
dance, there followeth extremc want. And whoso," adds
onc 6, '" seeth not this in our ways and our times is abso]utcly
blind. For in no period have we ever read that there was so
Ulueh gohl and silver, or so much diseomfort and indigence,
so that those most true words of Christ Jesus seem to ha,-e
hecn especially spoken of us, 7 Talæ lleed.fo}" (l man's lift' COJI-
sisteth not ill tlte alJ//ndallGe of the thillgS which he Jlossesseth:'
And is not this truc of us now?
Thy ca,çting dOll'1l shall hI' ill ti,e midst of thee. "
hcrc
thou hast ]aid up thy treasures, or rather thy wickedness,
there thou shalt sillk cloll'n, or give way, from inward decay,
in the very centre of thy wealth and thy !iin. They had said,
8 b 1l0t tl,e Lord ill t!le midst of llS ?
Yolle Cl'il call come upon
us. )Iicah tells them uf a different indweller. God had dc-
}mrted from them, and lcft them to their inherent nothin
ness.
God had been their stay; without God, human strength eoI-

I S. J er.
;,::;1 from õ
,. It is used of the tongue in Ps. Iii. 4, ci. 7. cx-,:. 2,3;
of a bow, P
.lx"viii. 57, Hos. vii. 16. 3 Poco 4 iii. 19. . """ once
in v. H_ twice in v. 15. & Arias "\fontanus, a Spaniard. His Commentary on the
:\Iillor Prophets Was published at Antwerp 15il. ; S. Luke xii. 15. S iii. II.

! ]apse
. Scaredy any destnwtion i... altogether lwpele:,s, san
that whieh cometh from within.
Iost storms pa"'s over. tcar
off boug'hs and leaves, but thc stem rcmains. Inward dccav
I or cxrision alone are humanly irrecoverable. The politieål
1 death of the pcople was, in God's hands, to hc thc instru-
ment of thcir regcncration.
I )Iurally tou, and at all times, inward emptiness is the fruit
of unrightcous fulness. It is discase, nut !"tren/!th; as even
, Heathen pruverbs said;" thc love of money is a dropsy; to
I drink inerea
eth thc thirst," and "amid mighty wcalth, puor;"
, and Huly Scripture, 9 The 1'ich He selldetlt empty ([Wa!l. And
, truh' they must bc cmptv. For what can fill the soul, !'ave
; God? "10 This is true to'o of such as, ]ikc the Bishop of Sar-
dis, Ill uwe a lIallle that they lh'e alld are clead," .. Ii! sueh as do
, somc thing

ood, feed on thc wurd of God, but attain to no
fruit of righteuusness;" "\\ ho corrupt natural and seeming
good by inward decay; who appear righteous heforc men, arc
active ami zealous for good ends, but spoil all by some !'ccret
sin or nTon
end, as vain-l!lory or praise of men, whereby the)'
) lo!"e the praise of God. Their casting dOl1'1l shall be ill the midst
'I of them. The meaning of the whole is the same, whether the
I word bc rendered castillg dowll, i. e. downfall, (lit. 1,.;uking
cloIl'1l 1 \) or emptiness, especially of the stomach, perhaps from
i the feeling- of "sinking."
T/101t shalt take hold to rescue or relllOl'e to a safc l,lacc
from thc enemy, thosc whom he would take from thee. bllt
slmlt llot wholh: delil'eJ"; ami awt ll'hich tlwlt ddit'erest for a
time, ll'ill I gii'e up to the su'ord, i. e. thc children for who!'e

ake they pleaded that they got tugether this wealth: a
, now
too, the idols, for whosc !'ake men toil wrongly all their ]ifc,
arc oftcn
uddenlv taken awav. Their g-oods too ma,- he said
tu be gil'en to a,; swurd, i. e. "to the enc;ny. .
15. Tholt ,ç/wlt SOil', hut tholl shalt not 1'eap. Micah rc-
ncws the threatenin/!s of the law u, whieh they had been ha-
bitually breaking-. Tho
e l'rophecie
had bcen fulfilled bc-
fore, throughout their history; they had been fulfilled lately
in h:rael for thc like oppression of the poor 15. Their frequent
fulfilment spokc as much of a law of God's righteousness. pu-
nishing
in, as the yearly sUI'ply in the ordinary eourse of na-
ture spoke of His loving Prm-idence. It is the bittere..t pu-
nishment to the covetous to have the things which they co-
nted, taken a,,-ay befure their eyes; it was a token of God's
Hand, that He tool.. them away, when just within their g-rasp.
The In"ophct bring's it before their eyes, that they might feel
beforehand the bitterness of forgetting them. "lGThey should
lose, not on]y what they g-ained unjustly, but the produce of
their ]abour, earc, industry, a
, in a!!:riculture, it is said that
there is mostly mueh labor, little fraud, much benefit." Har-
ve<:t is a prm-erb for joy; lït!leyjoy before Tllee accunling to the

9 S. Lule i. 53, camp. 1 Sam. ii. 5. 10 Rib. II Rev. iii.I. I
Dion. 13 It

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.

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FF2

344

c :
TST IG .,-r For II the statutf'S ofuOmri are "kept,
cir. no. and all the works of the house of )- ..\ 1mb,
II

::ek
;th an,l ye walk in their l
ounst.'ls; that I should
tl,el'J.c. u"1 Kings W.:!5. :?ô. I Hos.5. II. 71 Kmgs Hi. 30,4.c. &: :!I. 25,2(i.2 Kin. 21. 3.

MICAH,

lU:lke thct.' Z a II desulatiun, and the inhabi- C JíloÍ
T
tants thercof an hissing: therefore ye shall cir. ílO.
bear the a reproa('h uf my people. I

i
9
8
'
II Or, ast01,;slllnent. . hai. 2:;. S. Jer. 51. 51. Lam..3. I.

joy ill hal"t'est; 1 wille lI/aket1t glad tlte heart of mall, (lmI oil i.

to lIUlke !tim a clteerful cOIwtelUl1tCe. But the harvest shall be
turned into sorrow, 2 the oil and wine
hall be taken awav,
when all the lahour had been emlllo
'cd. Yet, sÏIu'e all the
e
ollerations in nature arc adapted to be, and arc u
ed as, sym-
bols of thing-s spiritual, then the words whit-h dl'seribe thelll
are adapted to be spiritual pro,'erhs. Spiritually, "31te sOll'etlt
(mtl reapetlt 1I0t, lclw 4sowetlt to tlteflesh, alUl of the fleslt reap-
etlt curruptiun, things eorruptible, and inwm'd decay and con-
demnation. He trl'lldetlt the olire, who, bv shameful deeds
contrary to the law, 5 grin'etlt tlte lIoly
))irit of God, and
therefore obtaineth not g-Iadness of spirit; he llIaketh lcille,
!let drinketlt /lot ll'ine, who teacheth others, llOt himself." They
too take hold hut do Ilot delit'a, who fur a ,ll'ltile believe alld
in time of temptatioll fall lIl('a.ll, who repent for a while and
then fan ba('k into old sins, or in other ways bring 110 fmit to
pafedi01l; taldng- up the Cross for a w]liJe ami then wear)-
ing-; using relig-ious prat'tiees, as, more freljllent prayer or
fasting-, and thell tiring-; culti,-ating-
omf) graees and then
despairing beeause they see not the fruits. The
e tread the
olive, but arc not anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit of
g-racc, who ,. G end by doing- for the sake of man, what the}
had thought to (10 out of the love for God, anel ahandon, for
some fear of man, the good whieh they had begun."
16. Þòr the statutes of Om"; are kept, rather, (like E. )1.
he doth much keep,) AmI he doth keep diligentl.lJ for Mm,çelf.
Both ways expre!;s mueh dilig-enee in l',-iI 7 . To" keep God's
fommandments" was the familiar phrase, in whkh hrael
was exhorted, hy every llloth-e of hope and fear, to ohediem'e
to God. 8I know !tim, God says of Abraham, that he -u'ill (0/11-
1/tmuI his clâldl'en and his Iwuselwld (lfter him, amI they ,çlwlf
keep the l('a.'1 of the LOl'd, to do judg/llent ((nd Justice. This
was the fundamental commandment in!lnediateh after the
deli,-erance from Egypt upon their first lllurmUl:ing. 9 The
Lord made there (at )larah) fol' them a statute alld ordinallce,
ami said, If tlWllldlt diligl'1ltly hem'ken to tlte l'oice oftlte LOl'd
th.ll Gud, a/UI'l'ilt do that ll'hich is 1'igld ill His sigld, ((nel wilt
giz'e eal' tv His cO/llnwmlmcllts ami kl'l'p all His statutes, I'l'Í1l
put IIOlle of these diseases upon theell'hich I luwe hl'ought upon
the Eg,llptiwls. In this character He revealed Himsclf on
:Mount Sinai, <Iii 10 shewing men:'1 unto tllOu,mllds of them that
100'e _1Ie ([Jul læep _11.1/ CU1ll1JU(1ulments. This was their cO\-e-
nant, II Thou hast (It'ollclted tIle Lord this day to be thy God
([lld to ll'all. ill IIis 1('a,lls, and to knp l-lis
'tatlltes alld His com-
II/([Julmellts ((nd Hisjudgments ((mI to Itear/æll unto Ilis z'oice.
This was so often enforeed upon them in the law, a!; the con-
dition upon whieh they should hold their land, if they kept
the covenant 12, the cummandments 13, tlte judgments H, the sta-
tutes 15 , the testinwnies 1G , the rfwrge 17 of the Lord. {-nder
this term all the eurses of the law were threatened, if the,
18llCarkened 110t unto tbe l'uice ()f tlte Lord their God, to keej}
I-liscommmulmcut,wndHis statutes U'!tiel, He commanded them.

IPS. civ. 13. 2 Compo Is. x\i. D, 10, Jc
. \-. Ii, xlviii. 37. 3 Theor-h_
4 Gal. vi. 8.
Eph. iv. 30. 6 Rib. j In the constmction of the E. V.
(whieh is possible) the force of the unionofthe sing. \erb "ith the plural noun would be
that" th" statutes of Omri. one and all, are kept diligentl)." 8 Gen. xviii. I!J.
tD:rd

i
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v;

"t, De:/

'9
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ruder this agaiu the future of good and evil was, in Solomon,
set befure the house of Din-id; of unbrokcn sucee!;sion OIl
his thrune, if 19 thou ll'ilt keep JI,IJ commandl/lent.
; but eon-
trariwise, if ye 01' .'lOW' cltildrell /('ill /lot keep JI.'I cU1J!}J/alld-
1JlCllts lInd _1/.,I/ statutes, banishment, de
truetion of the temple,
and tlll'lllSeh'e!o' to be 20 a prol'Cl"b lInd a b.'lwm'd fl11l01lg all peu-
pie. This ,,-as the object of their e
i
ten('e, 21 that tlte.'1 mi!fltt
keep His statutes lIwl ohsCl"l'e 11is lall's. This was the smll-
nHu'y of their di:,obedienee, 22 tlle.'1 kept not tlte COl'ew(}d of God.
.\nd now was come the contrary to all thi
. They had uot
kept the eommandments of (;od; and tho!o'e eommandments
of man whieh werc the JllO
t eontrarv to the eommandments
of God, they Imd kept and did keep' dili
ently. .Alas! that
the <-:hristian world should be so like them! "'hat iron hahit
or eu
tOJll of man, what fa
hion, is not kept, if it is again:õt
thc law of God? How few arc not more afraid of man than
God! Had God's eommand run, ð'peak e1'il olle of Il/wtllCl",
bretllren, would it not have heen the hest kept of all His eom-
mandments? God says, speak uot el'il; custom, the eonver-

ation around, fear of man, say, spell/it'dl ; man's eommand-
ment is kept: God's is not kept. .\nd no one repents 01'
makcs restitution; fcw even cease frum the sin.
Scripture docs not reeord, what was the spedal aggrava-
tion of the sin of Omri,
ilH'e the aCI.ursed wor
hip of ßaal
was brought in by Ahab 23, his son. But, as u:õual, ,. like fa-
ther, like son." The son developed the sins of the father.

ome special sinfulne
s of Omri is implied, in that Athaliah,
the murdere:,!oi of her ehildren, i!< ealled after her p'andfather,
Umri, not after her father, .\hab2
. Heresiarehs han' a decp-
cr g-uilt than their followers, aJthoug-h the here
y itself is eom-
monly de,-eloped later. Omri sl'ttled for a while the king'dom
of I..rad, after the anar<'hy which followed on the murder of
Elah, and slew Zimri, his murderer. Yet before (,od, he did
ll'ur,
'e tlam all before Mill, and Ill' wlIlked in all tlte 1/'lI.11 o.f.JCl"o-
bO(llJl25. Yet this too did not suffice J mlah; for it follows, .dlld
all the doillgs of the huuse of .dlwb, who ag-ain 26did ail ill the
sigltt of the Lurd ahou all tltat u'ere befure Mm and sen'etf
BlIlIl; Ahab, to whom none 2711'lIS like in sin, fl'lw did sellltim-
self to ll'01'k /('il'kedness ill tlte sight of the Lord. Thei'e were
they, whose statutes Judah now kept, as diligently and aeeu-
rately as ifit had been a rclig-ious act. They kept, not tlte sta-
tutes of tlte LMd, but tI,e stlltutes of OJ1lri; thl'Y kept. as their
}mttern before their eyes, 1I1l tlte duings oftlte house of Almh, his
luxury, oppression, the blood
herlding of Xabnth; and they
lcalked onward, not, as God bade them, 1/ltlllbl.'llt'Íth lIiIll, but
ill tI,eÍ1' colt/aiels. And what must be the end of aU this?
tlillt I sltould make thee 1I desolatio1l. The,- aeted, as thou
h
the very elHI and object of all their aets
nre tlwt, ,,"herèin
they en'ded. their own destnH'tion and reproach 28.
TllCreful'e !Ie shall bear tlte rep1"fJflcll of J/.'I people. The
title üf the people of God must be a glory or a reproach.
Judah had gloried in being God"s people, uutwardly, by His

:
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tic;'
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:
IS Deut. XXYlii.15. 19 1 Kings ix. 4-6. 20 lb. ï.
I Ps. cV. 45.

Ib.lxxviii. 11. ::3 The worship of Baal was the result of I\hab's marriage with
Je:::ehel, tile dangllter of one," hose name desi
nates his devotedness to that idolatry, EtI,-
haal, (i. e. "with the help of Baa!.") And thIs marriage is spoken of as Ahab's act, not
his father's. 1 Kin!(s x\ i. 31.

2 Kings \ iii. 26. :! Chron. xxii.
.
; 1 Kings
x
i. 25, 26.
,; lb. 30-33.
. lb. xxi. 23.
See on Hos. viii. 4. p. 51.

Before
CHRIST
cir. nO.

CIL\PTER '
II.

CH
\PTER '
II.

3-15

TI,e church, complaining of her small member,
3 and the general corrllption, J ]Jllttetll her cO/!/ì-
dence not ill 7IIan, bllt in God. 8 She trilllllpheth
over I,er enemies. 14 (;od romfortetll her by pro-

cO\-enant and protcction; they were envied for the outward
di
tinetion. Thev refu
ed to be so inwardly, m
d g-a\"e them-
seh e
to the hileou
, de
e('rating', worship of Baal. Kow
then what had he en their pride, should be the ag-grayation of
their punishment.
Yoll' too ,,'e hear of people every where
zealous for a svstem, whkh their deeds belie. Faith, without
loye, (slU'h a
' their eharaeter had been,) fecl
any in
ult to
the relation to God, which by it
deeds it dis,!.:Taees. Thou
h
they had themselves nq!;leete(1 God, yet it was a heavy bur-
den to them to bew' the triumph oft he heathen oyer them, that
God was unabJe to help them, or had <'ast them off. 1 These
are tlte people of the Lord aUlI are gone forth, met of I
is land.
2 ',"heNfure sltOlild tlley sa.'1 amung the IIClttllen, lchere is their
God? 3 'Ye are c(J/lfoll/uled, because ll'e IICH'e Ileard 1'eproarh,
slwllte Iwth cm'ered our fares, for strangers are come into the
,çanctuaries of the Lord's hOllse. 4 Tre are bec'o11le (t 1'epruacl,
to Oil/" neigMJfJurs, a scorn and derision to tllem tlwt w'e 1'ou/ld
about liS. 5 ThOll 1JIakest 1/S a reproach to our lleighhour.ç, a
smrn and derision to them that are round ahout IlS. Tholl
makest 1(S a b!lll'ord amO/lg tlte heatl,en, a slwking of the Ilead
among tlte people.
1Iy confusiolt is dail!1 hefure me, a/ld the
slwme of my face hath cOl'ered me, fur the z'oice of l,jllt tlwt
sill/uleretit a/ld h!asphl:llletll, by reaSOJl of the enemy and the
tll'enger.
The "'onl
, tl,e reproacll of JIy people, may also include "6the
TCI'roaeh wherewith God in the law 7 threatened His peolJle
if they should forsake Him", whieh indeed come
to the same
thing: the one being the IJrophecy, the other the fulfilment.
'I'll(' word ltissing in it
elfreeancd the threat to David':, house
in Solomon; 8 At this llOuse, ,,-hieh is ltigll,cz'er.'l one t/wt }Jasseth
by it ,çlwll be astonished and ltiss.
Iicah's phra!'e hecame a
favourite expression of Jeremiah 9 ,
o only do God's pro-
IJhets denounee. It is a marvellous glimpse into man's re-
]igiou
history, that faith. although it had been inoperativc
and was trampled upon without, should still surviye; nay, that
God, "110m ill pro
perity they had forsal.en and forgotten,
should be remembered. when He seemed to forget and to for-
sake them. Had the <'aptivc Jews abandoned theh' faith, the
reproach would have ceased. The words, !Ie shall hear tlte
reproach of _11y ]Jl'Ople are, at once, a predietion of their de-
sen-ed !'uffering for the profanation of God's X ame hy their
lllisdeed
, and of their per>:everanee in that faith which, up
to that time, they had mostly neglected.
Cll \P. Yll. The Prophet's offi('e of threatening woe is
now over. Here, out of Jove, he himself eryeth woe unto
himself. He hath 10 contil/ual sorrow in lleart for his people.
He bewails ,,-hat he cannot amend, and. hy bewailing, shews
them how much more thev should bewail it. O\-er ,,-hose sins he
sorrows; how certain thë destruction is, !o'ince there is none
to stand in the gap and turn away the wrath of God, no" ten
I EZtck. xxxv!, 20. 2 Joel ii. Ii. See my Comm. p.l

. 3 Jer.li. 51.
4 Ps.lxxix. 4. . Po. xliv. 13-16. 6 Rib. and others in Poco
i Deut. xxviii. 36. s 1 Kg>;. ix. 8, 9 :1j),;; .1er,li. 3i, :1i1"'-;;i
Jer. xix. 8.

.i 9.18.

ix.; 18. Elsel
t is only used br. Hez
k
ah,
'Chron. x

x. 8. '"', _ "'
J4 fo
ït 1;.
._. R
P-Jer. xv. IÕ. Is. XX". 10. 16 '

N. I;.

d

c

besides only in Job x. 15. but it is Ihe cry of nature. Among tl;
'Greeks it is chiefly
ofjo}'or triumph, but ofsolTOW too; in Latin chietl}' of sorrow, "ululo," our, .. ho\\I."

11Iises, 16 hy confusion of the enemies, 18 and h!J C 1?;[
rS T
his mercies. cir.710.

" TOE is]lH'! for I am as t when they t Heb.the
h . pathenngs
aye gathered the summer frUIts, 1s summer.
as a the !!ra } )ctr}panin.r'i of the \'inta.re:. :ai.i.If3
'
u ,,

righteou
," for who!o'c sake the city may be
llared. "ll These
words flow out of the timnt of pity, heeause the good zeal,
wherewith the holy
eem to speak severely, is ne,'er without
pity. They are wrotl. with the !o'in!o', they
Ylllpathi
(' with the

inner." So baiah mourned for the judg-lIlcnt, which he pro-
phesied again
t the world, l' 'Voe is me! he !'orrowed even for
l\Ioab 13; and .J()el, U Alas for tlte d([.,!! and .Jeremiah, in that
exclamation of impas
ioned sorrow; 15 'Voe i,ç me, my mot Iter,
that tllUu hast borne me a UlaJl of strife ami a mall of contentioll
to tlte u,llOle l('orld.'
1. Troe l6 is me.' fur I am, as wi,en tlle.'llult'e gatllered tlte
summer ji'uits 17. as the grape-
lea1ting.ç of tlte z';ntagc. The
t'illl yard of the Lord of Iwsts, baiah said at the
alJle time 1';,
is the house of Israel, ami the men of Judah H;,
pleasant pla1tt,
.
Isaiah !o'aid, it hrougltt fortft It'ild grapes; Micah, that there
are but gleanings, few and l}Üor. It is as though Satan pre
!'ed
the vineyard of the Lord, and made the most his prey, and
few were left to those who glean for Christ; 19the fu,res IWI:e
eaten the gl"apes. Some few remain too high out of their reach,
or hidden behind the leans, or, it may he, 20falling- in the time
of gathering, fouled, sullied, marred and stained, yet left."
So in the gleaning- there may be three !'orts of souls; 2Itll'f) or
tll1"Ce in tlte topoftlte uppermost bouglt, whieh were not toul'hed;
or those unripe, which are but imperfed and poor; or those
who had fallen, yet were not wholl\" carried awav. These too
are all sought with diffieulty; they'had escaped the gatherer's
eye, tllf'Y are few and rare; it mip;ht seem at first sight, as
though there were none. TI,ere is 110 cluster to eat; for the
vintage is past, the best is but as a sour grape which sets the
teeth on edge. .illy soul desired tlle./irst-1'ipe./ig2:l. These are
they whieh, having sUr\'h-ed the sharpne
s of winter, ripen
early, about the end of June; they are the sweetest 22; but he
lon
ed for them in ntÏn. lIe addres
cd a earnal people, who
could under
tand only carnal thing-
, on the !'ide n hich they
('ulcld under
tand. Our longin
s, though we pervert them,
are God's gift. A
they (lcsired those things ,,-hieh refresh
or recruit the thirsty body, as their wholc sdf was gathered
into the cravin
for that whieh ,,-as to re
tore them, so was
it with him.
ueh is the longing of God for man's ('()ll\-er-
sion and sah'ation ; such i
the thir!o't of His ministers;
uch,
their pains in seeking, their sorrow in not finding. ..23 There
were none, through whose goodness the
oul of the prophet
might
piritually be refl"eshed, in joy at hi
growth in g-race,
as St. Paul saith to Philemon, '!Arefreslt my bowels in the Lord.
So our Lord !'aith in Isaiah, 25 1 said, I h(H'e laboured ill z'ain,
I hm:e spent JJl!J strength for nought and ill vain. 26Jeslls was
grin'ed at the hardness of their hearts.
,. 2ï The first-ripe fig may be t
le image of the
ighteous of
old, as the Patriarehs or the Fathers, such as II) the later
days we fain would see:'
17 lit. as tlle {!utherin/!l of the fig-lwrvest. It is one ofthose eoncisecomparisons, which

a

:

;tilll::orf
: ;:Uito

dt
:'t;::
o;;h.:'

in
,

u

:;:.
I
.1I

:
doubtle;;s;' secondary sense of the word, resulting from the lact. that the main fig-har_
'"est \\as aboutthe summer solstice. 10 I.. v. i. 19 Cant. Ü. 15.
o Poco from
Tanch.
1 Is. x\ii. 6. Z
The bikkurah. borem-e. Alooeora. (Span.) See Shaw's
Travels p. :'70. ItsJ!oodness \\aspro\erbial. See Hos. ix. 10. Is. ,<xviii. 4. Jer. '"",iv. 2.
::3 Dicn.
4 Philem. 20.
> Is. xlix. 4. ;6 S,
I:lrk iii. ;;.
; From Rib.

3.16

Before
CHRIST
cir. 710.
b Is. 28. 4.
HO!!. 9. 10.
e Ps. 12.1.
& 14. I, 3.
Is. 67. 1.
II Or, god1.IJ,
or. ,"ercif..l.
d H"b.1.15.
e Hos. 4. 18.
f Is. 1 23.
ch. 3. 11.
t Heb. tile
mischief of
his soul.
g
Sam.
3.
6,7.
Ezek. 2. 6.
See Is. 55.
13.

tllne is no duster to eat: ù my soul desired
the firstripe fruit.
2 The c II good man is perished out of the
earth: and tllnc is none upright among
men: they all lie in wait fur hloo(l; d they
hunt every man his hrother with a net.
3
That they may do evil with both
hands earnestly, e the prince asketh, f and
the judge askefh for a reward; and the
great mall, he uttereth t his mischievous
desire: so they wrap it up.
4 The best of them g;s as a brier: the

l\lIcAH,

most upright is sllCU1Jel" tlIan a thorn hedge: C :
oÍes T
the day of thy watclnHen (I ml thy visitation cir.710.
cometh; now shall be their perplt.'xity.
.)
h Trust ye not in a friend, put ye h Jer.9.4.
not confidence in a guide: keep the doors
of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy
bosom.
6 For i the son dishonoureth the father,ï
the daughter riseth up against her mother,
the daughter in law against her mother in
law; a man's enemies cu'c the men of his
mvn house.

Ezek. 22. í.
)latt. 10. 21.
35,36.
Luke 12. 53.

1. 16.
2Tim,3.2,3.

2. TIle good [or godly, IIr men-ifill, E. 1\1.] man. The He-
brew word contains all. It is 'he who loveth tenderlv and
piously' God, for His own sake, and man, for the såke of
God. l\Iercy was probably chiefly intended, since it was to
this that the prophet had exhorted I, and the sins which he
proeeeds to speak of. are ag-ainst thi
. ßut imaginary love
of God without love of man, or love of man without the love
of God, is mere self-deceit. Is perished {Jut of tile earth, i. e.
by an untimely death 2. The good had either been withdrawn
by God from the edl to come 3, or had beell cut off by those
who laid lNtlt for Mood; in whkh ease their death brought a
double evil, through the g-uilt whi{'h such sin eontracted, and
then, through the loss of those who might be an example to
others, and whose prayer
God woultl hear. The loving- and
upright, all, who were men of merey and truth, had ceased.
Thev who were left, all lie in ll'ait for blood, lit. bloods 4, i. e.
bloo.dshedding; all, as far as man ean see; as Elijah complains
that he was left alone. Amid the vast number of the wicked,
the rightcous were as thoug-h they were not. Isaiah, at the
same time, complains of the like sins, and that it was as
though there were none righteous; 5 :row' hauds are dflfiled
ll'ith blood, and .lJollr.fìngers ll'itll illiqui(,! ; !!OW' lips haz'e spo-
kenlies, .,!our tongue hatll muttered perl'ersene.çs. .LYrme ('(t/leth
for.iu,çtice, uor any pleadeth for truth. [ndireetIy.. or directly,
they d{'!'trovcd life 6. To yiolenee they add treadlCrv. The
goõd and l;n'ing had perished, and ail is now violeIiee; the
upright had ceased, amI all now i
deceit. The.,! hunt ez'ery
malt his brotllCr lcith a net. Even'man is the brother of e,'erv
man, becanse he i
man, borll ot: the same first parent, chii-
dren of the same Father: yet they lay wait for one another,
as hunters for wild beasts 7.
:}. That tlle.'! mal! do Cl'ilu'itll both hands earnest
'!, [lit.
upon el'il both haltds to do u'cll,] i. P. "both their hands are
upon e,-il to do it well," or "earnestly8," as our translation
giyes the meaning; only the Hebrew expresses more, that
evil is their g-ood, and their g-ood or exeellenee i
in evil. ßad
men g-ain a dreadful !'ldll and wisdom in evil, as Satan has;
and cle,'erness in evil is their delkht. "9 They call the edl
of their hands g-ood." TIle priuce
.çketh, and tll
.ilf(Z!{e asketh
(or, it may more readily be
upplied,jurlgeth, doth that which
is his office,) against right for a l'eINlrd, (which was strictly

1
::" \;. S. "::01 \ii. 2. : '
N. 3 Is. lvii. 1. "here ':IN is, in like way, used.
v;a
',S';"u

n

2
,
1.'I

1b:

d
\Tf
:1J build"'fs

t

bloods

:
a;h
a
.sl
4
i

iii.1O. 'i Compo Ps. x,,'\:v. 7, lvii. 7, cx!. 6, Jer. V. 26.
s :I!1';:r, like our, "do it well," can signify" do it thoroughly;" yet not so as to supersede
the idea of its being" done "ell" in the mind of the actor. The t\\"o cases cited to the
contrary, the thorough destruction of the call; (Deut. ix. 21,) and of the house of Baal.
(2 KingSJ..i. 18,) were, of course, good acts. So to "search well." Deut. xvii. 4-, xix. IS.

forbidden 10,) and the great 1//au he Ilttereth /tis mischiel'ous de-
sire, (or the desire of !tis sOld.) E,'en the shew of g'ood is laid
aside; whatever the heart coneeives ami co'-et
, it utters;
-mischief to others amI in the end to it
elf. The misdlief
eomes forth from the soul, and returns upon it. The elders
([nd lwbles in tI,e city Il, as well as .\hab, took part, (as one in-
stanee,) in the murder of Naboth. The great man, howe,-er,
here, is rather the souree of the e,-il, which he induces others
to effel't; so that as many as there were great, so many sourccs
were there of oppres
ion.
\ll, prinee,judge!', the grcat, unite
in the ill, and this not once only, but they are e"er doing it 12,
and so tlley U'I"ltp it up, (lit. twist 13, intertwine it.) Thing-s are
twisted, either to strengthen, or to pervert or intricate them.
It might mean, they strengthen it, that whi('h their soul eo-
vets against the poor, or they pen'ert it, the cause of the poor.
4. The best of tllem is as ([ hrier; the gentlest of them is
a thorn, 14 strong, hard, piercing, which letteth nothing unre-
sisting pass by but it taketh from it, ,. robbing- the fleeee,
and wounding the sheep." The most lI)Jrigltt, those who, in
comparison of others !'till worse, seelll 80, is slwrpl'r thcm ([
thom IlCdge. (lit. tile u)Jrigltt, tlwlt a tllOm Iledge.) They are
not like it only, but worse, and that in all ways; 1I0ne is spe-
eified, and so none excepted; they were more crooked, more
tang-led, sharpcr. Both, as hedges, were set for protection;
lJOth, turned to injury. "9 So that, where you would look for
help, thence COlllf"S suffering." .\nd if
ueh be the be
t, what
the rest?
The day of thy ll'atchmell aml th!! l'isitatiou cometh.
"
hen all, (','en the good. are thus corrulJtcd. the iniquity is
full. Kothing- now hinders the l.i.çitation, whieh tlte watchmen,
or prophets, had so Ion/! fore
een and forewarned of. .LYOll'
slw/l be tlleir pel11le:âty 15; nOll', without delay; for the day of
destruction ever breaketh suddenly upon the
inner. I6T171C1l
they say, peace and safety, thell sudden destructioll cometll. up-
on tllem. lïT17wse destruction cometh suddenlv at Wi it/strmt.
They had perplexed the eau
e of the oppressed; they them-

elves were tan
led tog-ether, intertwined in llli
dlÍef, as a
thorn-hedge. They should be ('aught in their own snare;
they had perplexed their paths and should find no outlet.
.5. 6. Tmst !!e uot ill a friend. I t is part of the perplcx-
ity of crooked 'rays, that all relationships are put out of joint.
9 S. Jer. 10 Deut. x\i. 19. See ab. iii. II. 11 1 Kings xJ..i. 8,11. 12 The
force of the partic.
!:<i
, "l:I'1. 13 11<:11, the vHb, is a Ii.,... A'Y_ What remains of the
root has the meanin
of" twisted," (in ro.v, "a rope ") or "entangled," (in n=., n
It." t
ick
boughs.") 1< The Heb. i"
seems to have been different from the Arab. "Inch IS a
"solanum," (Cels. Hierob. ii
35.) but Provo xv. 19, (where it occurs besides,) shews
that it served as a hedge, 10 In the Hebrew the two
words" mesucah," "thorn hedge," and" mebucah" "perplexity," are alike in sound.
16 1 Thess. v. 3. 1, See Is. xxx. 13. CO
,p,
Pet. ii. I, "swiftdestruction õ "

CHAPTER YII.

Before
CH RUST
cir. íl0.
k lsai. 8. Ii

7 Thcreforp k I will look
LORn ; will wait for the

unto the my
God of me.

3-17

salvation

hear c J
O[
T
cir. no.

God

will

my

Sclfishne

rends cach from thc other, and di..joints the whole
framc of sodetv. Pa!<
ion
and sin break ever\" band of
friendship, lÜndred, gratitude, nature. ,. Evcry one seeketh
his oll'n." Times of trial and of out" ard harass incrcase thi..;
so that God's ,'isitatioIl!" arc scasons of thc 1l10
t fri
htful
reekle....ness as to e,'ery thin
but ..elf. So had God foretold 1;
so it was in thc siege of Samaria 2, and in that of Jerusllcm
both hv the Chaldeans 3 and bv the Homans-!'. 'Yhcn the soul
has lo;t the love of God, all other is but ..eemin
lo,"e, since
naturalaffè('timt is from Him, and it too dies ont, as <1od
gins the soul over to it..elr'. The words deo,,;eribe partly the
inward eorruption. partly the outward causes whi{'h :-hall
call it forth. There is no real trust in any, whcrc all are eor-
rupt. The outward straitnes
and perplexi!y, in which they
shall be, makes that to crumble and fall to pIeces, "hidl was
inwardly deeayed anti !'eH'red beforc. The words dcepen, as
they go on. First, tltefdewl, or nei
hbour, thc COmmon hand
of man and man; thcn tlte guide, (or, as the word al..o means,
one familiar, united by intimacy, to whom, by continual in-
tcreourse, the soul was llsed;) then thc wife who lay in the
bosom, nearest to the seerets of thc heart; then those to whom
all reverence is due, fatlter and motha. Our Lor(l said that
this should be fulfilled in the hatred of His Gospcl. Hc be-
gills His warning as to it, with a caution Jike that of thc }Jro-
phct; 6 Be .lIe u'ise as serpents, and bt:u'([1'e of men. Then He
san,. how thesc words !'hould still be true 7 . There ne,'er werc
wåntin
picas of earthly interest a
ainst thc truth. Hc Him-
self was Cllt off; lest 8 tlte Romans should take a1('ll.1J their place
and nation. The .\postles were accu
cd. that they meant to
bring t!lis ilfclll's Bloodu)JoJl the chief priests v; or as lo r iJlg_
leadas of tlte sect of the .Ya;;;arenes, pestilent feliOll's and mo-
l'Cr.
of sedition, turning tIle world upside dml'n, setters lip of WIO-
ther king; trOilbias of tlte ('ity; ('ommanding t1tÍJlgs unlall:fill
for ROmllJlS to practise; setters fortlt of strange gods; turning
all'a!1 mu('h people; cndan
ering- not men's craft only, but thc
honor of their gods; evil doers. Truth is ag'ainst the world's
ways. so the world i:-; ag-ain..t it. Holy zeal hates sin, so siu-
ners hate it. It troubles them, !-o they count it, one 1t'hich
tnJllhlet!t Ismei ll . Tertullian, in a public dcfenee of Christians
in the second century, writes," 12Truth set out with being- her-
self hated; as soon as shc appeared, she is an enemy. As
many as are strangers to it, so many arc its foes; and the
.Jews indeed appropriately 6.0111 their rivalry, thc soldiers
from their violcnee, even thev of our own household from na-
ture. Each day are we beset, each day betrayed; in our vcry
meetings and a"
emblies are ,,'e mo..tly surprised." There
,,'as no lack of pleas. "13 A Christian thou deemest a man
guilty of evcry crime, an enemy of the goods, of the Emperors,
of law, of morals, of all nature ;" "faetious." "authors of
all puhlic calamities through the anger of thc heathcn gods,"
"impious," "atheists," "disloyal," "public enemies," The
Provo i. 2ï, "cometh as a whirlwind," Ps. xxxv. 8, "unaware!'." 1 Deut. xxviii. õ:J.
2 2 Kings vi. 28. 3 Lam. iv. 3-16. 4 Jos. B. J. vi. 3.8.

Rom. i. 28. 8 S. :\Iatt. x. 16. 17. 1 lb. 21,35,36. S S.John

P:
'ii. 12. 9Iî'\.

i
:

viii. 17. 10 ACI

:;: i;'I
'c
07

. W\

l'f
:
13 lb. C. 2. p. i. O. T. C. 7.38.10. (and note k. Oxf. Tr.) 2-1,28,40, and notes e. f;
ad Scap. c, 2. H Tert. ad !'<at. i.
. "The most atrocious c.alumnies against the
Christians," S. Justin 1\1. says, ,. were invented and circulated from country to country
bYI

.
:.s... I
PD

.49.
e
jl
hn

Jl
' Ti

;:
1

t.1

iv
t{ c i9 C2e
;
i: Rl" 2, 4.
20 :'1
.
, int
nsive, (as in Ps. ,. 4.)" wiII espy intent!, ," as towards that \\ hich can be
seen oru) by mtent gazing; and with :t pers. "so as to d",ell upon."

Jcw
, in the largest sens(' of the wurd tlte.1J of tlteir ()l('U Iwuse-
!toM, wcre ever the deadlie"t cncmics of Christians, tIll' in-
ventors of calumnies, the author.. of l'erseeutions. ""'hat
other raee," says 1-1, Tertullian, "is the ..;eed-plot of our calum-
nics?" Then the .\ets of the :\1 artp's tell, how Christians
were betrayed by near kinsfolk for private interc:<t. or for re-
ven
c, because thcy wouJcl not join in thin
s unlawful. "15 So
many arc the instances in daily life, [of the daughter ri:.in/!
a
ainst the mother] that we !'hould rather mourn that they
arc so many, than seek thel11 out."-'. I scek no exam}Jles, [of
tho!"e of a man's own household being his foes] they arc too
many, that we should have allY need of witness." " 16 Yet
ought we not, on account of the..e ami likc words of Holv

c
ipture, to be mistrustful or sus}JÎI'ious, or alway to pn'--
sume thc worst, but to bc cautious uml prudent. For Holy
Scripturc speaketh with referenec to times, eauses, persons,
places." So St. John o,,;aith, Ii Be/iel'e not Cl'el"!1 spirit, hut tr!}
the spirits, 1('hetlter the..'! nre of God.
í. Therefore, (And.) whell all the!'e thing-s come to pa!>s
and aU human help fails, I, for my part, u'ill look ullto, (lit.
on) tlte Lord God, the rnchangeablc. The prophet sets him-
self, I, with emphasis, ag-ainst the multitude of the un
odly.
"'hen all for
ake, bctray, fail, when 18 "H'e is u'a.l:ed cold, and
mcn, in tllf' la!"t days, shall be IV 100'ers of their Oll'll selc'es, not
lovers of (;od. I,-he does not say." will tru!<t;' but-ll"ÍlI,
.< 16 with the eye ofthe hear.t eontelUl,lating-, }odng, venerating"
God most Hig-h, and weighin
His mercy and justice," gaze
i1lte1ltl.1J2o with thc de,'otion of faith toward Him, though I sec
Him not: yet !'o too I "ill rest ill Him 21 and on Him, as thc
eyes are wont to re!o't in trust aud love and dependence, and
as, on the other hand, thc Eyes of God 22 esp,'l illto man and
dwell on him, nevcr lea,ing him unhehcld. I will espy Him,
althou
h from af
lr, with the eyes of the ..oul, as a watehman,
(thc word is the same,) lookin
for His Coming and announe-
ing- it to others; and until He come
, I {('iltlmit r I U'ouIcl1l'ait]
"ith trust unbroken by any troubles or delay, as Job saith,
23 TllOugll IJe sln!1 me, .1Jet ll'Í1l I ]Jut m.1J tru.çt ill Ilim. Thc
word is almost appropriatcd to a lon
ing waiting for God 2
.
For tlte God of 71/Y sall'(efi(Jll. This tou becamc a wonted titlc
of God 25, a title, speaking- of pa
t deliveranees, as well as of
confidt'nec and of hope. Deliverance and salvation are bound
up with God, and that, in man's per
onal experience. It is
not only, ,. Saviour God," but c. God, my Sa,-iour," Thou who
hast been, art, and wilt be, my God, my ..avin
God. It is a
prelude to the namc of J esu!o, our Redeeming God. TIle Lord
u'ill henr me. His purpost' of waiting on Hod hc had ex-
pres..ed wistfully. I would u'(lit 26; for man's long-ing' trust
must bc upheld by God. Of God's merey he speaks confi-
dently, the Lord zl'ill hear me, He, ""ho is evcr ,. more rca(ly to
hear than we to }Jray." He has no doubts, but, as Abraham
said, 2itlte Lord will prol'ide, so he, Tlte Lord 1l'ÏllIICflr me.
21 Compo Ps. xx,. IJ. cxxiii.l. cxli. 8.

Ps.lxvi. i.
Job ,iii. 15.
24 , :'1"mN, as in Ps. xxxviii. 16, xlii. 6, 12, xliii. ó, cxxx. 5, 2 Kings vi. 33, Lam.
iii.
4. ,", is almost appropriated to one "ho so u'nitetll for God. Abs. Hilil, Lam.
iii.24. Pi. Jobvi. 11, Xlv. H, Ps.lx'li. U. '"11., "dj. Lam. iii. 26. and Prop. :!Iõame
.. Waiter" on God, as expressed in '",n'. Pi. "ith " Ps. xx,i. 25, xx'\iii.2:!, Ixix. 4;
with '''' of God. Ps. cxxX. 7, cxn.i. 3; ",jth " of the u'ord of God, Ps. cxix. H. 81,114,
Hi; of His merey, Ps. xxxiii. 18. cxlvii. 11 ; of Hisjud!l"'ents, Ps. cxix. 4;;; of His Arm,
Is. Ii. 5; of His law, Is. xlii. 4. Transitivel
, Ps. CXIX. 4!J. So n"mn, abs. Pr. x_ :!f'. Lam.
iii.}8ö_wìth " Fs. J\.
xjx. 8. ...::. "ÿ.od of rn" sal

tion," tt';:'.,),
s. xviii. 4í,(2,
"m.
'(xu. 4/,)xxv. ", xX'U. 9, Hah.1l1. 18. God, my S. Ps. Ixu. 8. God of our s. Ps.
lxv. 6.lxxix. 9, l'lxX'. 5." God of thy s." Is. x,ii. 10. "God of his 8." Ps. >.xiv. 5.
"Rock of our s."P
. xc, .1.
6 ;;,-n1N,optat. ::; Gen. xxii. &,14.

348

C:
oÍ
T 8
I Rejoice not against me, 0 mine
cir. ílO. enemy: m when I fall, I shall arise; when
I t
:

.

. I sit i;1 darkness, n the LORD shall be a light
m r.

.i21.li6. unto me.
: E

::/:w. 9 0 I will bear the indignation of the

)lIC
\H,

LORD, because I ha,'e sinned against c 1

oÍ
T
him, until he plead my cause, and execute cir. ilO.
judgment for me P he will 1H'in
mc p Ps. 87. 6.
forth to the light, and I shall hehold his
righteousness.

So, when Jehoshaphat prayed, 1 Tre IWl'e 110 migllf against this
great ('(}J/Ipau!/ tlwt cometh agaiust us, neither Imolt' 1ce 1l'/wt
to do, hut Oll}' eyes are upou Thee; God an
wc)"ed by the pro-
phet, Be uot afraid nor dislIW!ICd h." 1'ertSOIi of this great 1Iml-
titmle; for the hattle is uot .'Iours, hut Goc!',ç. l\lieah unites
with himsclfall thc faithful as one, "in the unity ofthe spirit,"
wherein all are onc band, lookinrr, waitinrr. pra
-illrr for His
Coming in His ldngdom. "
God is our only refu
e ami asy-
hUH in thinrrs desperate, and rejoices to help in them, in order
to shew His !'upreme Power and (;oOllness e!'pe('ially to thosc
who believe, hope, and ask it. Therefore all mistrust <IlHllle-
spondeney is then to be supremely an1ided, and a eertain hopc
and eonfiùerll'c in God is to be elicited. This will eaU forth
the help of God as!'uredly, yea thou
h it were by miracle, as
to Lot in SorIom, to
Ioses and the people from Pharaoh, to
Dayid from Saul, to Hczekiah from Scnnacherib, to the l\Ial'-
eabees from Antioehus. This our provcrbs exprcss 3, how
God aids, when there is least si!:("n of it."
R llfJ'oice uut ngaimt me, '0 mine ellem.ll. The Prophet
still more makes himself one with the pf'lIple, not only as
looking for God, but in penitence, as Daniel bewails 4 his OWll
sin.o; fiud the .o;ius (
f his J1l'Uple. The ellem!1 is Babylon and
Edolll 5 ; and thcn, in all time!', (since this ,,'as written for all
times, and the relations of the people of God and of its ene-
mies arc the same.) whosoe,-er, whether deyils or e,-il men,
rejoicc O\'er the falls of God's people. R,:ioice uot; for thou
hast no real cause
tIle triumphing of the 1lng(J(lI.,/, and the
fall of the rrodly, 6 is hut for a 1Iwme/d. "ï,eu I fall, I shall
({rise; (Iit.1('llell I/ull'efalleu, Ilull'e arisen;) e'\:pres
ing both
thc certainty and speed of the reeovery. To fall 7 and to arise
is one. "8 The faU of infirmity is not rrran, if free from the
desirc ofthc will. Have thc will to rise, He is at han(l "'ho
will cause thee to ri
e." "9 Thoug-h I have sinned, Thou for-
g-ivest the sin; thourrh I have faUen, thou rai
est up ; Jest they,
who rejoice in the sins of others, should ha,'e oc('a!'ion to ex-
ult. For we who havc sinned more, ha,'e gained more; for
Thy g-raee maketh more blessed than our own illlweenee."
T1?ten I sit ill darkness, the Lurd ,o;/wl/ Ill' a ligllf unto 1//e.
"10 Hc docs not say 'lie,' but sit; she was not as onc dead,
without hope oflife, but she sat solitary as a wido,,', helpless,
unable to restore her!'elf, yet waitinrr for God'
time. The
darkness of the captivity was li
htened by the lig-ht of thc
prophetic g'race which shone throug-h Daniel ami Ezekiel,
and by the faithfulne!'s of the three children,and thc brig-htness
of Divine rrlory shed abroad throug-h them, wheu "Kclmehad-
Ilezzar proclaimed to all people that their God was 11 Gud of
gods and Lord of kiugs, and that none should 12 speak an.'1 thing
amiss against Him. Still more when. at the close ofthe eap-
tivity, they were (lelh'ered from sorro,,', trouble, bondage,
death, to joy, rest, freedom, lifc. Yet how much more in
Christ, (for "'hom this delh'eranee prel}ared,) when 13the peo-
ple that 1l'l11l.-ed ill dal"kness /ull'e seen a great ligllf: they t!tat
dwell ill tile land of the slulliow of death, UpOJl them lwth the
12 Chron. xx.I
, 15.
Lap. 3 Deus ex machinå. 4 Dan. ix. 10. · Obad.
10.12. Ps. cxxxvii. 7. . Ps. xxx. 5. ;

is used ofthl' fallufa people, Am.
v.
, \iii. 14, Is. xxi. 9, Jer. Ii. 8; ofa king and his people, 2 Kings xiv. 10; of many
indi\"iduals, Is. viii. 15. In Pro\. xxiv, 16. it is used ofthe fall of the righteous, from

ligld shined. (lod is /lot onZ" our light, as "14 restoring- us"

mtwardly "to rrladncss,
ree(
om, hapI}iness, whereof lig-ht
IS a !o'ymbol, as darknc!'s IS of sorrow, eapth'itv, adyersitv
death:' S('ripture speaks of God, in a direC'ter ,,:ay, as bciri:
Himself our light. 15T/1f' LUl"d is 1//!/ligld. 16The LUl"d S/Ullt
be unto t!tee (l/l el'erlastin{.r ligld. He calls Himself, 17 The
ligllf of Lo;/"l
el. 1If' i
our light, by infusinrr knowledrre, jor,
heavenly brrg-htne!'s, III any outward lot. He docs not say,
"after darkness, comes light," but 1l'hen I s!tall sit ill rfaric-
uess, then, the LOl"d is ligld Ullto me. Thc sitting ill dar!.lIess
is the ol'casion of the lig'ht, in that thc soul or the peoplf' in
sorrow turns to Him "Tho is their light. In their sin, which
was so IHlIli!'JH'd, they wer'e turned away from the light.
H. I1l'il/ heal" the indig/lfllion of the Lurd, hecause I h(we
sillned ngaimt lIim. This is thc temper of all penitents,
when !'trieken by God, or under ehastisement from Him. 18 It
Ü the Lord, let IIim do what seemeth lIim !food. 19 80 let him
curse, because t!te LOl"d hath said unto !tim, curse Dal'Ìd. IVlw
s/wl/ thcll sa.,f, TVhel"efore hast thou done so? 20 He J1uttctll his
l/1outh ill the dust; if so be tllel"e l1/f1.'1 be hope. Thc penitent
owns theju
t s{'ntence of God, and, knowing that he deserves
far more than God imli(.ts, is thankful to endure it, until He
remove it, until He plead m.1/ cause and e:æcute judgment fur
1//e. i. e. until God Himself think thc punishments inflided,
enoug-h,andjudg'e between Ille and those throurrh whose hands
they eome. The judg-mcnts which God righteously !'ends,
and which man suffers rig-hteously from Him, arc unri
h-
teously inflit'ted by those whose maliee He onrrules, whe-
ther it be that of edl men (as thc .\s!'yrian or the Chaldæan
or the Edomite) or of Satan. The elose of the ehasti"ements
of His people is the beginning-of the ,-isible punishmentof their
mbdeeds, who uSf'd amiss the lwwer which God ga,-c them
O\'er it. "'hence it is said, 21 DaugMel" of Bab!lluII, the u'asted !
Uessed he that rel('ardeth thee as lllOll hast .<òerud ((s. But all
is of the mere)' of God. So lIe saith, Ill' shall hring 11lefurth
to the ligM of His Countenance and His faror and His truth.
ì\Iieah sl}eaks ill thc name of those who were penitent, and
so were forg'Î\'en. ami yet, ill that they were under punish-
ment, seemcd to lie under the wrath (If God. For, althou
h
God remits at mice thc eternal penalty of sin, yet we
ee
daily, how puni!o'hment pursues the forgi,-en sinner, e,-en to
the end of life. The light uf GC'd's lo,-e may not, on g-rounds
which He knoweth, !'hine unchel]uered upon him. ". e !o'hould
not know the blaekncss of the offt'nce of sin, and should nerer
know the depth of God's merl'Y, but for our punishment. The
indignation of God toward the penitent is an austerc form of
His love. So then penitents may well say, in e\'Cry grief or
siekness or vi
itation or di!'appointment. [u'ilf hear tile 111-
digllatiull of tlte Lord, hecause I /ulZ'e siuned agllÎmt l/i1//.
Hc says, I StUll! helwld His rigMeollslless, heeause they had a
rig-hteous cause against man, althoug-h not towards Gild. and
God in His just jud
ment on their ('nemies shewed Himself
as the righteous Judge of thc world.
\\ hich he shall rise, in contrast \\ ith the slumbling (I
I:":') of the "ickcd, without recovery_
1:
b.
:Lb:f9.in I
Si:.7jP
.E
fl
p
5. 1. ;/

ri;:f: :

'ì

'19.11 .Pib'.
: tf:
IS 1 Sam. iii. 18. 19
Sam. x,i. 10.
u Lam. iii. 29. "1 Ps. CX:LXvll.fI.

CHAPTER YII.

C
e
7ST 10 II Then slle tllat is mine enemy shall see 1
eir.ilO. if, and q shame shall cO\-er her which said
II

d thou unto mc, r'Yhcre is tIle LORn thy God? 'mine

e':::e eyes shall hehold her: now t shall she be

=y;;nd trodden down t as the mire of thc strt:'cts.
with ,home. r Ps. 42.3,10. & i9. 10. & 115.2. Joel2. 17. . eh. 4. 11.
q Ps. 3.5. 26. t Heb. .he.holl be/or a treading down. t 2Sam.22.43. Zeeh.l0. 5.

10. Then [Ami] she that is mille enem.1! shall see it, ([JU[
shame sha{{ cot'er ller wldeh said unto me, TT71ere is He 1, He of
""hom thou boa!"te..t, the Lord th.1! Gocl? The cause of her
g)adne!"
then is, that the blasphemie!'1 of the enemy of God
were to cease. This was the bitterest portion of her LUp,
that they said daily, , TVhere is 1l011' t/IY Gocl? let Him eome
and sa,'e thee; , a,;; though He could not. or as though He lm'ed
her not, and !"he vainly presumed 011 His help. Even when
fallen, it was for His sake that she was hated, \\110 seemed to
be oyereome in her: as He was hated in His :\Iartyrs, and
they asked, "2 ""here is the God of the Christians
" Xow
the' taunt was clo!'ed, and tumed hack on tho...e "ho u,;;ed it.
The wheel, which they had turned against her, rolled round
on themseh-es. They ,,,ho had !"aid, Let ow. e.l!e look Oil Zi-
on, now were a...hamed that their hope had failed. Tlle.1! had
longed to feed their sight 011 her miseries; Zion had her revc-
rent gladness in gazing on 3 the rigMeollslless of God. Ba-
bvlon was trodden down by the )Iedes and Persians, and
diey whom she had led captive beheld it. Danie) was in the
palace, when ßelshazzar was slain.
The soul of one, who has knowll the chastenings of God,
cannot but read its OWIl histon- here. The !'illfill soul is at
once the object of the IO\-e of God and hath that about it
which God hates. God hates the e\"Í] in us, e,-en while He
Im-es us, heing, or having been, e, it He forgives, but cha",-
tens. His displeasure is the channel of His good-pleasure.
:r\athan said to David, 4The Lord hath put away th.1! sin, but
al,o, the sll'ord sllllll uæer depart from th.1! hOllse. It is part
of His forgivene,;;s to cleanse the soul with a "spirit of hurn-
ing. "It seemeth to me," says St. Jerome, "that .Teru.
alem
is en-'ry soul, which had been the teml)lf' of the Lord, and had
had the vi",ion of peace and the kno,,-Icdgc of Scriptun', and
which afterwards. owrcome hy sin
, hath fallen eapth'e by its
own consent, parting from that which is right in the !-idlt of
God, and allowing ibclf to sink among the pleasures of the
world." So then "6 captive, and tortured, she saith to ßa-
bylon, i. e. the t'Onfusion of thi" world and the power of the
enemy which ruleth over the world, and sin who lordeth it
over her, Rc:joiee not against me, 0 mine enem.l!; l('hen I fall, I
slwll arise;" "7 from sin by repentanee, and from tribulation
by the consolation of the Holy Spirit, "110, after weeping,
poureth in joy. For Bthe Lord llelpeth them that are fallen,
and saith by the prophet, 9 Shall they fall and not arise? and 10,
I Iwl'e 110 pleasure in the death of tlte ll'icked; hut that the ll'ick-
ed tU1'1lfrol1l his 1m.1! and live. If I u'alk in darkness, the Lord
is 11/.1! light! For although n the ruleJ"S of the darkness of tlâs
ll'orld have deeeh-ed me, and I 12 sit in darkness allli in tile sha-
dow of death, and 13 my feet stumble upon the dark mountains,

-et Uto them who sit in ti,e region and slwdoU' of deatll, ligllt
1S spruill( up, and 15 [igld shinetlt in da1'!mess, and 16 the Lord is
7II!I'ighl, and my salmtioll; whom then shall Ifear ? and I will

I \'11. Thl' pronoun is inserted emphatiea1h'. , Ep. of Churches ofYil'nne and
Lyons. in Eus. H. E. v.l fin, 3 'I1\p'
:3"
ver. 9, corresponding to :'I:3:'1J"M"In, v.lO.
4 2 Sam.xii.lO, 13. . h. iv. 4. 6 S. C}r. 7 Dion.
a Ps. exlvi. 8. a Jer. viii. 4. 10 Elek. Lxxiii. n.
PART IY.

3-19

II In the day that thy U walls are to he c HRíft
T
huilt, in that d
f shall the dt'cree he far eir. iiO.
remo,'cd. "

08 9.11,
IZ III that day u{:.m s lIe shall cume (,H'ltz Is. 11. 16.
t tl f A '. II l & 19.2
.b.e.
o lee rum ssyrm) an< fi'ollt thc furti- & 2ï.I3.
Hos. 11. n.
II Or, even to.

I speak t
Him and will say, Ii Th.1! word is a lamp unto m.l!fl'et,
I and a hlJltt unto m.1! IJfl
lt." "lIe draweth me fl"Om the dark-
ness of 19noranee and from the hlack night of sin and gh'eth
a clear view of future bliss, anti brightel;eth the ;erv i
mlOst
soul within." "ï E,'en if a mist have eome upon nie and I
ha,'e been in darkne!'s, I too shall find the light, i. e. Chri...t;
and the Sun of Righteou!'ness arising on nn- mind shall make
it w)Jite." I l('ill bear patienth-, vet gladh-; tI,e iJ/(li"}wfion of
the Lord, "7 all adver...ity, trial, tri'bu)ation; perseeuti
n, whieh
ean happen in this life;" hemuse I h'll'e sinned against Him,
"and such is the enormity of sin, offered to the
Iajestv and
dishonouring the Holine:;s of God, and ...ueh puni
hment doth
it desen-e in the world to come, that if we weigh it well, we
shall bear with joy whate,"er ad,'ersity can befall US." ..6 Fur
although for a short time I be out of I1i
Pre"ence, and be
IBgh'ell to an wulistillguis!dng mimI, yet, seeing- J suffer this
reje('tion ju"tly, I will bear the judgment, fOI' I am not chas-
tened in ,'ain," III All c1wstelliJlg for ti,e present seemeth not
to he JOYOllS hut grievous, uel'ertheless afterll'al"l[ it yieldeth the
peal'Cable frllit of righteOlfsness unto tl'e/Il 1('/10 are e.r:aciserl
thereh.l!. "20The soul. fecIi'1g that it hath sinned, and hath the
wouml-: of !'ins and is lidng in dead fle"h and needs the ('au-
tery, say!' firmly to the Physician, · ßurn my flesh, cut open
my wounds. all my imposthumes. It was my fault, that I
was "-ounded; be it my pain, to endllr
sueh suffering" and
to reg'ain health.' And the true Phy...ician shew!' to her, w]len
whole, the eause of His treatment: and that He did rightly
what He did. Then after these !'ufferings, the !'oul, bein

brought out of outer darknes..., saith, I shall behold His RigM-
eOllsness, and say, 21 ThOll, 0 Lord, art uprigM; RigMeous are
Th.1! judgments, 0 God. ßut if Christ is 2
made unto us lâ.
-
doni and rigllteollsness and sanctification and redemption, he
,,'ho, after the indignation of God, saith that he shall see His
R
!?hteou.Ç1less, promiseth to himself the sight of Chri"t."
"6Then, having considered in her mind the grace ofthe right-
eou!'nes;; in Christ and the O\'erthrow of sin, the !'oul, in fun
possession of herself, erieth out, JIine enemy shall see it I)-c.
For, after that Christ eame unto u!'.justifying sinners through
faith, the mouth of the ungodly One is stopped, and the Au-
thor of sin is put to shame. He hath lost his rule ovcr us, and
sin is trodden down, like mire in the streets, being subjected to
the feet of the saints. But the blotting-ont of sin is the Day
of Christ." "20 And, heeause the end of all puni"hment is the
be
inning of good," God saith to the lwor, l)enitent, to,;sed,
soul, " thelcalls of virtues slwll he huilt up in thee, and thou
shalt be guarded on all side;;, and the rule ofthine oppressors
shall be far removed, and thy King ami God shall come unto
thee and all the ends of the eartlt shall see the sall'atioll of
Gocl" "7 All this shall be most fully "een in the Day of Judg-
men t."
II, 12. On this confession of unworthiness and trust tl:f,

11 Eph. vi. 12.
15 S.John i. 5.
IS Rom. i. 28.

1 Cor.i. 30.

l' Ps. evii. 10.
lð Ps. xx.ii. 1.
I
Heb. xii. 11.

13 Jer. xiii. 16. I
Is. is 2.
I, Ps. ex;x. 105.

o S. Jer. 21 Ps. exix, 137.

GGG

350

c INtíes T ficd
cir.710. e,-cn

cities, and from the
to the riycr, and

fortress to sea, and fl'om
from sea tain.

l\IIcAH,

mountain

moun- c J
Tì>T
cir. no.

to

messag-e of joy burst!" in, with thc abruptness 1 and concisc-
nes!" of Ho!"ea or Kahum:
A da.,! to build tlly fences; (i. e. cometh;]
Tlmt dm!, far slmll be the decree;
Tllat da:,!. aJl(!lIe shall come quite to thee 2 ;
and there follows, in a longer but !"till remarkably measured
and intel'rupted cadence 3, the statement of the lcngth and
breadth from ,,-hieh the people shall COllie to her;
Up to wldfrom Ass.,!ria am! tile cities of strong-land [Egypt;]
Up to andfrom strong-Zemd and ez'en to 1'iver [Euphratcs;]
And sea from sea, and 1I101lIlfain to 11I0l11ltain.
It i!" not human might or
trcngth which God promises to
re!"torc. He had before predil'ted. that the king-dom of the
)lc!""iah should !'tand, not throug-h earthly stren
th 4. He
promises the restoration. not of city walls, but of the fence
of the vineyard 5 of God, whil'h God foretold by Isaiah that
He would break dml'n 6. . It is a peaceful reuewal of her es-
tate under Gorl'" protection, like that, with the promise where-
of Amo!" closed his IJrophecy; 7 In tllat da!! Ill'ill 1'aise lip
tile tabernacle of Dal'id that isfallCll, aml close up tIle breaclles
thereof. This decree, ,,-hieh he !':ays shall befar away, mig-ht
in it!"eIf be the deeree either of God or of the enemy 8. The
sense is the same, !'inee the enemy was but the in!<trument
of God. Yet it seem!'; more in aec
rdance with the language
of the prophets, that it should be the deeree of man. For the
decree of God for the destruetion of Jerusalem and the cap-
tidty of His people wa!" accomplished, held its course, was
fulfilled. The destruction, eapth-ity, restoration, were parts
of one and the same decree of God, of which the restoration
was the last acemnplishe(l in time. The restoration was not
the remo,-al, but the complete fulfilment, of the decree. He
means then probably, that the decree of the enemy, whereby
he held her eapti,-e, was to remove and befar off, not by any
ageney of her's 9. The people were to stream to her of
themselves. One by one, shall all thy banished, captive, seat-
tcred, children be brought quite hume unto thee from all
parts of the earth, whither they have been drh-en, from As-
:"
,!ria, and from strong-land. The name JIatsor, which he
g-h'es to Egypt, modifying it!" ordinary dual name lIIitsmim,
is meant, at once to signify "Eg-ypt 10 " and to mark the strength
of the eountry; as. in fact, "11 Egypt was on all sides by na-
ture strong-Iy guarded." A country, which was still strong
relatinly to Judah, would not. of itself, yield up its prey,
but held it stmitly; yet it should ha,-e to disgorge it. Isaiah

1 lIenee tne omission of tne preposition '11 before .,,
'"UI and [I', and of any preposi-
tion in the last clause, -,n ,,,. 2 The three sentences, which begin with!:]1',
are manifestly each complete in itself. 3 Yer.12 is divided into four clauses,
of" hich each consists of four words, and these in pairs;
.. Yõm hoo, ,e'adeica )abo
leminni asshur, ve'arë mãtsõr,
ooleminni matsõr, ve' ad nahar
ve)'am minam, vthar hahar.
4 v. 9-13.
ëT
is the wall of a vineyard, Num. xxii. 2-1, Is. v. 5, Ps, Ixxx. 13;
a
all pushed down, Ps_ Ixii. 4; one in which a serpent might lurk, Eccl. x. 8; a wall
f

e:

:_i

' :Í
7

i

::

:g
}I:
th:

fl

eac
i:;.
,ft
lt

!!:t

:..W
}ih:
court of the temple, Ezek. xlii. 10; the wall of a vineyard, Prov: xxiv. 31. :1'r!
is .. a
sneel'fold," 1'UIII. xxxii. 16, 2-1, 36, 1 Salll. xxiv. 4, Zeph. ii. 6; fences under 'which
locusts lodge, N ah. iii.17; in the open field, J er. xlix. 3, Hos. ii.8. Heb.; fences, Ps. Ixxxix.
41. Heb. 6 Is. v. 5. 7 ix. n.
. a pM is used chiefly of a" statute" of God, either those positive laws given by Moses,
(Its com
on use) Or 6uch laws as God has impressed upon the physical world, Job xxvi.
10, xxviii. 26, xxx\iii. 10..33, Pro\". viii. 29, Jer. v. 22, xxxi. 35, 6; of the time ap
oillt-

d by God for man's life, .Job xiv. 5, 13; a decree of God,Jobxxiii. 14, Ps. ii. 7, Zeph.
n.2; of a portion of food appointed by God, Job xxiii. 12, Provo XL". 8, Ezek. xvi. 27;
by man, Gen. xh'ii. 22, Prov. x..xxi.15; of a statute made by man, Gen. xlvii. 26,1 Sam.

and Hosea prophesied, in like way, the return of Israel and J u-
dah from As
yria and fwm Egypt 12. Aml frolll strong-lam!
el'en to the 1'il'er [Euphrate!"]; the ancient, wide!'t, boundary of
the promised land 13; ami from sea to sea, andfrollll1lountain to
mountain. These last are too large to be the real boundaries
of the land. If under!'tood /!eog-raphieally, it would he nar-
rowing those which had just been
poken ot
from Egypt to the
Euphrates. Joel likens the destruction of the l\"orthern army
to the peri
hing of locusts in the two opposite seas, the Dead
sea and the :\lediterranean a; but the Dead sea was not the
entire Eastern boundary of all Lvme!. Kor are there any
mountains on the South, answering to )Iount Libanu
on the
l\"orth. Kot the mountains of Edom which lav to the
outh

Ea!"t, but the desert 15 was the Southern bouudan- of
lmlah.
In the times too of their greatest prosperity, E(iom, Moab,
Ammon, Syria, had been subject to them. The rule of the
Mes8iah ji'UIIl sea to sea had already heen llredieted hy Solo.
mon 16 , enlarging the houndaries of the promised land to the
whole comlJa!'S of the world,frolll tlte sea, their bound west-
ward, to thc further encircling sea heyond all habitable land,
in whieh. in fact, our continents are large islands 1ï. To this,
Micah adds a new description, from mOllntain to mountain.
including, probably, all subdivisions in our habitahle earth.
as the words, sea to sea, had embraced it as a whole. For:
physically and to I'ight, mountains are the great natural di-
visions of our earth. Rivers arc but a means oftransit. The
Euphrates and the l\"ile were the centres of the kingdoms
which lay upon them. Eaeh rangc of mountains, as it rises
on the horizon, secms to present an insupcrable barrier.
No barrier should ayail to hinder the inflow to the Go!"peI.
As Isaiah foretold thatall obstaclcs should be remm'ed1
, eZ'CI"!J
valley shall he exalted, and every mountain and hill shall he
made loll', so .Mieah prophesies, from mozl1Itain to mountain
tllel! shall come,
The words are addressed as a promise and consolation to
the Jews, and so, doubtless, the restoration of the Jews to
their own land after the captivity is foretold here, as Micah
had already foretold it 19. But is the whole limited to this?
He says, with remarkahle indefinitcness, there shall come 20.
He does not say, 'l('ho "shall come." But be twice sets two
opposite boundaries. from which men should come; and, ,.inee
these boundaries, not being coincident, cannot be predicted
of one and the same subject, there must he two distinet in-
comings. The Jews were to come from those two countries,

:
, 2i
.a V
ul

mB

x!ÍI

J

fe" fd

f

pl1
i

e

,;,I

:o

:

i

l
though jJÏ1 expresses the law "f God determining t
e bounds of the sea or the term of
man's life, it cannot therefore signify a mere toint in space or time. pm also, with which

d
!.'

.r.

tfa

ff
; (f
e

:;ot

: :o:'r:

di
gn:

:)

:
i
p
i

%;
r

must itself be a future, not a mere aorist or vivid present_ These three observations to-
'::=de
i

h
d:
:i
(G:t
i

: :

fi

d
tBr:t
Îo;t
:
ha8

e

othercollntries." "In that day, the interval is distant;" (Ew.) " the bound set to her will
be far off," i. e. Israel shall be enlarged.
9 This is com'eyed by the simple neuter, pm', .. shall be far off."
10 As it certainly does in Isaiah at the same date,Is. xix. 6, xxxvii. 25, (2Kings xix. 24.).
11 Diod. Sic. i. 31. I
Is. xi. 11. xxvii. 13. Hos. xi. 11. 13 Gen. xv. 18.
Ex. xxiii. 81, Deut. i. 7, xi. 2-1, Jos. i. 4, 1 Kings iv. 21, 2-1. 14 Joelii. 20.
Ii Ex. xxiii. 81, Num. xxxiv. 3, Deut. xi. 24. 16 Compo Ps.lxxii. 8. See" Daniel
the Prophet" p. 479 sqq. 17 See Aristot. de mundoc.8. in "Daniel tbe Prophet,"
p.625. Strabospeaks as thougb Homer too knew the fact that the sea encircled the land,
.. hinting at those in East and West, in that they werE: washed by the Ocean."
18 Is. xl. 4. t9 l\Iic. iv. 10. 20 IIi:):, not, .. they shall come; " nor again
is it "he," Israel, .. s11all come," since they were to come to Israel, .. there shall come to
thee; " nor is it an individual, since one person could not come from all these places.

CHAPTER VII.

Before
CHRIST
cir. no.
II Or, After
that it
hath been.

13 1\ Notwithstanding the land shall be
desolate because of them that dwell therein,
Y for the fruit of their doings.
., Jer. 21. U. e11.3. 12.

3:;1

1-1
1\ Feed thy peol)le with thy rod, the C J3;{I r sT
flock of thine heritnge, which dwell soli- cir. i1O.
tarily in Z the wood, in the midst of Car-II
;.,

:
· Is. 3i. 2-1. ch. 5. 4.

whither its people were then to be carried captive or would
flee. From the boundaries of the world, the world was to
come.
Thus :\Iicah embraces in one the prophecies, which are dis-
tinct in Isaiah, that not only God's former people should come
from Eg.lJpt and Assyria, but that Eg-ypt and Assyria them-
selves should be counted as one with IsraelI; and while,
in the first place, the restoration of Israel itself is foretold,
there follows that conversion of the world, which :\Iieah had
before promised 2, and which was the object of the restoration
of Israel. This was fulfiUed to Jcws and heathen together,
when the dispel'sed of the Jews were gathered into one in
Christ, the Son of David according to tile jleslt, and the Gospel,
beginning af Jerusalem, was spread abroad among all nations.
The promise is thrice repeated, It is the day, assuring t he truth
thereof, as it were, in the Xame of the .\ll-Holy Trinity.
13. ...Yotwithstanding [AlUi] ti,e land (i. e. that spoken of,
the land of Judah) shall he desolate, not through any arbitrary
law or the might of her enemies, but through the sins of the
peoplc, because of tl,em that du'ell therein,for thefmit oftheh'
doing.ç. Truly" the fruit of their doings," what they did to
please themseh:es, of their own minds against God. As they
sow, so ",hall they reap. This sounds almost as a riddle and
contradiction beforehand; "the walls built up," "the people
g-athered in," and" the land desolate." Yet it was all fulfilled
in the letter as well as in sl,irit. Jerusalem \\ as restored;
the people was gathered, first from the capth'ity, then to
Chl'ist; and yet the land was again desolate through the fNtit
of their d#Jings who rejected Christ, and is so until this day.
The prophet now closes with one earnest l)rayer 3; to which
he recei\"Cs a brief answer, that God would shew forth His
powcr anew, as when He first made them His peol)le 4. On
this, he dcscribes vividly the awed submission of the world to
tl,eh' Gud 5, and dOH!; with a thanksgiving of marnlling
amazement at the greatne!",; and completeness of the forgiv-
ing mercy of God 6, ascribing all to His frce goodness 7.
}.t. Feed TIt.1f people with TIt,II rod. The day of final de-
lh-erance was still a great way off. There was a weary in-
terval before them of ('hastisement, suffering, captivity. So
l\Iicah lap; down his pastoral office by committing his people
to Him Who was their true and aLiding Shepherd. Who
that has had the pastoral office, has not thought, as the night
drew nigh in ll'/tich no man can work, 'what will be after
him? ' Jlicah knew and foretold the outline. It was for his
people a passing through the 'valley of the shadow of death.
:\licah thcn eoml11its thel11 to Him, \Yho had Himself com-
mitted them to him, \rho alone could g-uide them through it.
It is a touching- parting with his people; a last guidance of
those whom he had taught, reproved, rebuked, in vain, to Him
the Good Shepherd Who led hraellike a flock. The rod is
at time
the shepherd's
taff8. although more frequently the
symbol of chastisement. God's chastisement of His people
is an austere form of His love. So He sap" vIf his children

I Is. xix. 23-25. 'iv. 1-8. I.... U. .....15, t v. 16, 17. 8 v.18,19. 7 v.20.
I

:!
i
::
ii
v
î.32, PSi:

\
ix. I.' Ps. J

:"l

i
\ 2, 10 De
t'j:;l

:
:
ups. xciv. 5. 18 Is. lxiii. 17. 17 S. John xiii.!. 18 BE. AndreVoe9
Preces quotid. Græc, p. 150. Tracts for ti,e Times No. 88. p, 66. I' Paradise for
the Chri8lÙ1n Sow. On Ihe Passionc. 5.
o 1\um. xxüi. 9.
I Dent. xxxiii. 28.

forsake .JIy lall', I u:ill 'i:isit their offeuces tl'i/!J a rod aud their
Sill u'itlt scourges: neurtheless My 100:ing-kiudJless 'icilL I not
ut/erl.'! take from them.
Thejlock of Thine inheritance. So :\Ioses had appealed
to God, 10 Destroy not TIIY people and Tltinc inheritance u,lticl.
Tholl Iwst redeemed through Thy greatness-The.'1 are Thy
people and Thine inlterÌlauce; and Solomon, in his dedication-
}Jrayer, that, on their repentance in their crll'tÏ\'ity. God would
forgive His people, I1fOl' they he Tlt.II people ami Tltille inheri-
tance u.ltich Tholl hroughtest fortlt out of Egypt; and Asaph,
12 0 Lord, the heatlleu are ('ome into Tltine illiteritauce; and
again, 13/17".11 doth Tltine auger sllwke agaimt tile sheep of Thy
pa,çtllre? Ilememher the trihe of Tltine inheritance It:ltÍch Tlwlt
llast redeemed; and Joel, H
J){(J'e Tlty people and give not Tltine
heritage to reproach; and a P$a.hllist, 15 Tiley hreak iu pieces TIIY
people, 0 Lord, all/i (!fftict Thine hedtage; and haiah, 16Rc_
tilm for tllY sen'ants' sake, the trihes of 7ïtÍne inheritance.
The appeal excludes allmcrits. Kot for any dcscrts oftheir"s,
(for these were but evil,) did the Prophets teach them to pray;
but because they were God's property. It was lIis Kame,
which would be dishonoured in them; it was His work, whieh
would seemingly come to nothing; it was He, "'110 would be
thought powerless to san. Again, it is not God's way, to
leave half-done what He has begun. 17Jeslls, having Im'eeL
His OWll wlticlt u'el'e ill tile u'orld, IOl'ed them unto the encl.
God's love in creating us and making us His, is the earnest,
if we will, of His everlasting Ion. ,,- e have been the objects
of His everlasting thoug'ht, of His everla:,;ting love. Though
we have forfeited all claim to His lon, He has nut forfeited
the work of His. Hanùs; J el'ÒUS has not forfeited the I)rice of
His Blood. So holy men have prayed; cn
I believe that Thou
hast redeemed me by Thy Blood: permit not the price of the
Ransom to perish." '.HI 0 Jesu Christ, my only Saviour,
let not Thy most bittcr Passion and Death be lost or wasted
in me, miserable sinner!"
T!Thich dwell solitarily; or,alone. ::\Iicah lIses the \\"orùs
of Balaam, when he had beetÌ constrained by God to bless Is-
rael. 20TIle people shall dlcell'alolle ami slwllnot úe reckoned
among the nCltions. :\Ioscs had repeated them, 21 Israel slwlL
dwell ill safety aione. This aloneness among othcr nations,
then, was a blessing, springing fr<.lm God's bcing in the mid
t
ofthem 22, the deeds which He did for theJll
3, the lan'whichHe
gave them 24. So Moses prayed, 25 Trllerein slwll it be known
here, that I amI Tlty people Iwu found grace iu TIIY sigld? is
it not ill that Tholl goest witlt us? So sltall u'e be sep(uated,
I amI Thy people,frolJt all the people that arc on tlteface of
the earth. It was, then, a separatc appeal to God hy all His
former loving-kindness, whereby He had severed and electcd
HilS people for Himself.
In the wood, in the miclst of Carmel. God 26 tumeth tt
fruitful land illto barrmness for the ll'Íc!..ednl'ss of tit em tltat
dwell tlterein. He tltrneth tlte 'ipilderness into a standing 'il'cl-
ter and dry grouud into watersprillgs. Isaiah at the same

In both cases, aa ill Micah,l:Ø is nsed; as also in Jer. xJix. 31, of Hazor dwelling in
security alone. The idiom ":1_:1&", "sit I!lone," is different. It
curs fi
st of the sepa-
ration of the leper, "he shall sit alone, Without the camp shaH hIs dweJbng be (I=Z"':'\,"
Lev. xiii. 46; then ofan individual in sorrow, Jer. xv. Ii, Lam. üi. 28; and, in one case, of
the deserted city personified, Lam.i.I. ::2 Ex. xxxiii. 16, Deut.iv. 7. 23 Ex. x"'{xiv.
10, Deut. iv.3-1. 20 Deut. iv. 8. 33. .. Ex. xxxiii. 16. .6 Ps. c\Îi. 31, 5.
GGG2

352

II
I
! I
I

l\IIcAH,

c J
Ts T mel: let them feed in ßaslmn
cir.71I). as in the days of old.
B rS7
ii:' 15 B Acconling to the days of thy coming

and Gilead, lout of the laml of Egypt will I shew unto c
e
oÍes l'
111Ïm marvellous tltillgS. clr.710.

.,-r The nations b shall see and be con- b Is. 26. 11.

time used thc likc imagc, that 1 Lebanoll slwll he turned into
a frllitful field [Carmel], lOlll tile fl"llitfulfield [Carmel] Ûlllil
he esteemed as a forest 2. Thc wild fùre
t was to bc like the
rich domestic cXl;herance of Carmel 3. Hc would say, "Fecd
Thy pellple in ßahylon, whi('h is to them a wild homeless
tract, that it may be to them as their own peaceful Carmel."
"ïthout God, all thc worM is a wilderness; with God, the
wilderness is Paradise.
Let them feed ill Baslwn and Gilead. The fOl'mer words
wcrc a prayer for their restoration. Gilcad and B:lshan were
the great pasture-countries of Palestinc 4, "I a widc tablc-
lanù, with undulating downs clothed with rich grass throu
h-
out," where thc ('attIc ranged freely. They werc the first pos-
sessions, which God had bestowed upon Israel; the first,
which thcy forfeited. l\Jicah prays that God, \Yho prote(.t-
cd them in their desolation, would restore and protect them in
the gree1l1mstul'c wherc He pla('ed them. They are a prayer
still to tlwGood ShepllCrd\Ylw laid dO\nl His lifefor His sheep 6,
our Lord Jef'usChri4, that He would feed His flÜ('k whom Hc
has rcdeemed, who ha,'c been gh'en to Him as all inheri-
tance 7 , tI/(: little .ti()ck 8, to which it is thc "Fatller's good plea-
sure to git'e the kingdom, whi('h eleanth to Him and shall be
heir
with IIim 9 . ..1oChrbt fecdeth His own with a rod, guid-
in
them gently, and repressing by gentlc fears the tendeney
of belie,-ers to listlessness. He bruisetll as ll'ith a 1'od ofiroll,
not them, hut the rebellious disohedicnt and proud, who re-
ceivc not the faith; hclic,'ers He instructs and forms ten-
del'ly, llfecds tllClll a//long the lilies, and leads them into good
pastures and rich lliaces, namely the Di\'Ïnely-inspired Scrip-
tures, making the hidden things thereof clear through the
Sl,irit to those of understanding, that they 12may gro/C up un-
to Him ill all tMngs u'hicll is the Head, el'ell Christ, with
minds well-fed and nourished and gladdened with all spiri-
tual delights. But the ehoscn and elect dwell solitarily, be-
ing alJart from the rest who think only of the things of earth,
and
'h-e them!;ch-es to thc pleasures of sense. So then these,
ha\'Ïnl!." the mind at rest, freed from the ntin and abominable
tumult
, <ire plaeed alJart as in a wood and in a mountain. fiy
the 1('ood YOU may ulHler",tand. the rich and ,-aried and
olid
instrueti,,'n (a!' it ;nre trees and floITers) hoth in doetrine and
!ifc; by the moulltain, what is high and lofty. For none of
the wisdom, accounted of in the Church, is low. They are
fed ill Baslwn and Gilead, as in tile days uf uld, rich pastures;
for the mind of the holy is beautified, delig;hting it,.:clf in thc
contemplation of the inspired Scriptures, and filled, as it
were, with a certain richne
s, and shares without stint all
exrellence in thought or in deed; and that, not f{lr a hrief
and narrow season, but for e'"er. For what gladdencth the
flesh falleth therewith and fadeth and hasteth away like a

1 Is. xxix. 17. 2 ::!C'n'
y'

:3."'. The phrase recurs Is. x'Cxii.15, except
that the Kethib omits the article, which makes the contrast of.,Y' and
O"I;] exactly the
sa
S::

i

.ai
'3, p. 158, iv. 1. p. 185. 3 See
bR

:

'k
a)

1
Dr. Stanley
Pal. p. 320. See also Porter's Ha11,!l
ook p. 30i sq. .. One can scarcely get over the
impflssion that he is roaming through some English park. The graceful hills, the rich
vales, the luxuriant herbage, the bright wild-flowers, the plantations of evergreen oak,
pine, and arbutus, noW a tangled thIcket, anel now sparsely scattered over the gentle
:

e
:: ;
:n;:
:

s t
/:h:%

n
:i.

tY
f tðil

tó
s f
:'!!h: c

;
t
:eêr
::'

:;J;
to Wad" Gábes [Jabesh Gile:uJ] 8 honrs, resembles in fcenery that from es-Salt (0 Je-
rash. 'We have the thickly wooded hills, the deep and fertile valleys, and the luxuriant

shadow; but. the llarticipation of the good things from above
and of the Spirit, streteheth out along endlcss ages."
15. According to the days of thy coming out of the land
of Eg./fpt. God answers the prayer, bcginning with its clos-
ing words 13. l\Iicah had prayed, "Tul"ll Thy people like the
days of uld 14;" God answers, "like tlte days of thy cuming 14 out
uf tile lund of Egypt." Micah had said, in the name of his
peolJle, 15 I shall hehold His rigltteollsuess; God answers, I1.l'ill
make him to helwld l1WrL'elious tMugs. Thc word marvellous
tMngs 16 was used of God's great man-cIs in the physical
world 17, or the manellous mercies of His Pro,'idence towards
indh-iduals or nations 18" and e!:'peeially of thosc great mira-
cles, whieh werc accumulated at the delh'erallce fI'om Egypt 19,
and thc cntranee of the promÍscd land 20 which was its com-
plction. Thc referenec to the Exodus mWit hm'e led them to
think of aetualmimdes ; since, in regard to the Exodus, it is
used of nothing else. ßut there wcre no miracles at the re-
turn from the captivity. 21 TVlten tlte Lord tumed again tlte
captivity of Zion, "aid a Psahlli"t of the returned people, we
7l'eI'e like tltem that dream. Tile Lord IUltlt dune great t/ângs
for us ; ll'e are glad. Great thing!'.. but not mira('ulous. The
!
romisc then
ept th.e people looking onwal'd,
llltill!e eame,

a Propllet l111ghty lit 1l'onl and deed, as to " hom St. Peter
appealed to tbe people, that Hc was 23 appruvpd of God among
you by miracles and 1l'onders and signs, w/âch God did by Him
in t Ite midst of you, as .1je YOllrseh'es also know; ""ho gave al
o
to thelU who belie,'ed on Him power to do 2
greater works
than He did, through His own power, because He went tu His
Fatl,el' ; ami when they belie\"Cd, IIc sheu'ed to /dm, viz. to the
whole people gathered into the One Church, Jew and Gen-
tile, yet more marz'ellolls t/dngs, things, every way more mar-
,'ellous and bcy.und nature than those of old, 25the unsearch-
able riches uf Cltrist, the m:l/stery 1l'/âclt from tlte beginning of
the ll'orld ltatlt been !lid in God.
W. Tltp nations sltall see. God had answered, what He
would gh-e to His own people, to see.
Iieah takes up the
\\"ortl 26 , and says, what effcct this sight should ha,-c upon the
encmics of God antl of His people. The world should still
continue to be dividcd between the peuple of God and theil"
ad\'ersaries. Thosc who arc converted pass from the one to
the other; but the contrast remains. Assyria, fiab)'lon,
Egoypt, pass away or beeome
ubject to other powers; but thc
antagonism continues. Tlte natiuns are the)-, who, at eaeh
time, waste, oppress, are arrayeù against, the pcople of God.
""hen thc Gospel eame into the world, the whole world was
arraycd against it
7. Thesc then, he says, shall see, i. e. the
marullolls works of God, whieh God should shew His peoplc,
and he aslwmed at, i. e. because uf all their migld, their o\\"n
might. They put forth their whole might, and it failed them

pasturage in every part orit." p. 316. See also Thomson, The Land and the Book, i. 304.
8 S. John x. 11,15. iPs. ii. 8. s S. Luke xii. 32.
Rom. viii. 17.
:

;

.
ver. 1
.
;
\
;. :
r. 16. The ':;rf

v ii:';:
essarilY re:
r

:
' to time,
in that it relates to man's past, and that, according to the context, a limited past, the time
of their coming out of Egypt. This does not interfere with its use as to eternity. See
abi80p
11
:
:

i.

i.l;
l:ii.9i8

.
: 18 n;I<
"
1;7i:. b ili: :ò

\
: it
Neh. ix.li,. Ps. Ixxviii. 4,11,32, cv. 2,:>, cvi. 7, 22. 20 Ex. xxxiv. 10.

.assage of::,h

ji.n2

s. iii. 6 2 . S. JOh
IXfv\

xvi. 1,3. 25 Eph
ii
l
:ke
26 Utt11:1 end of ver. 16 ; 'I<r. beg. of "er. 16. Casp. 27 See ab. p. 347.

CHAPTER VII.

ßefore
CHRIST
cir, 710.
c Job 21. 6.
& 29.9.
J Ps. 72. 9.
Is. ,19. 23.

founded at all thcir might: c they shall lay
theh' hand upon their mouth, their ears
shall be deaf.
I i They shall lick the d dust like a ser-

353

pent, e they shall mm.e out of their holes C Ji{oÏST
like II WOl'ms of the earth: C they shan be cir.71O.
afraid of thc LORD our God, and shall fcarn

',
;::
bccause of thee. f
:
.t!á
K9:

against the llwrz'ellulls mi
ht of God. Thcy should array
Ulight against might, and be asl/([l/Ied at the failure of all tlleir
lIIigM 1. The word all is ,-ery emphatie; it implics that they
"had IHlt forth all, and that all had failed them, and proved
to be wcakness. So the Heathen might was often put to
shame and gnashed its teeth, when it eoultl avail nothing
against the strellgth to endure which God gave to His mar-
tyrs. Its ':itrength to inflict and to cru!'òh was baffled beforc
the hidden might of God's
pirit. They shallla.1J their hemd
1lpon their mouth, in token that they werc rt'dueed to silencc,
ha\"ing no more to say 2; for He promised, 3 I ll'Îll git'e you a
1II011tlt and wisdom, 1l'/âch all YOllr adz'ersaries shall not be able
to gainsay 120r resist; and thcy had to own, 4 indeed a nut able
miracle hath heen done by them, and we cannot deny it. Tlleir
ears slndl he deaf; they shall be silent, as though they had
heard nothing, as if they were both dumb and d.eaf'. Yet it
seems too that they arc wilfully deaf, shlltting their ears out
of envy and hatred, that they might not hear what great thinp:s
God had done for His people, nor hear the voicc of truth and
be converted and hcaled. "6 The nations and the Emperors
of the nations saw, Jews and Gentiles saw, and wcre asham-
ed at aU thcir might, bccause their might, great as it was ac-
counted, upheld by laws and arms, could not overcome the
mighty works, which the Good Shepherd did among His peo-
ple or flock by His rod, i. e. by His power, through weak and
despised pcrsons, the agcd, or oftentimcs even by boys and
girls. They were then ashamed at all their might whieh
could only touch thc 7 eartben vessels, but could not take away
the treaSllre which was in them. "'hat shall I say of the
wisdom of those samc nations? Ofthis too they were asham-
ed, as he adds, They shall pic! their hands upon their mUlIths.
For, in comparison with the heavenly wisdom, which spakc
by them and madc their tOllg'ues eloquent, dumb was all se-
cular eloquence, owning by its silenee that it was convicted
and confounded."
Ii. They sltalilick the dust like a [the] serpent. To lick
the (!test, by itseIt
pictures the extreme humility of per,.;ons
who cast themseh'es down to the verv earth 8. To lick it
"like tlte serpent" seems rather to represent the condition
of those who share the serpent's dOOIll 9, whose lot, viz. earth
ami thing's of earth, they had chosen 6 . They shall move uut
of tlleirlwles, or, better,shall tremble, (i.e." come tremblingl)',")
out of their close places 10, whether these be strong places or
prisons, as the word, ,'aried in one vowel 11, means. If it be
strung places, it means, that" 12 the enemies of God's people
should, in confusion and tumultu01ls1y with fear, leave their
strong- holds, wherein they thought to be secure, not able to
lift themselves up against God and those by Him sent agaiust

I This is the Corce of&:'i:J
ith IQ. IQ.designates, as usual, the cause and source of the
shame; and mostly with this aggravation, that they had trusted in it, and it had failed
them. Set' Hos. iv. 19," they shall be ashamed because ofthei,"sact"ificesi x. 6, because'll
their own cOllnsel" (seeab. pp. 64, 72. on x. 6.); .. They .hall be afraid and ruhamed be-
cause of Ethiopia, their expectation, and of Egypt, thei,' "lory," Is. xx. 5;" because of the
oaks, which ye have desi,-ed," lb. i. 29; .. thou shalt be aslwn,ed because of Ellypt. as thou
wast ashamed because of Assyria," J er. ii. 36; .. :Moab shall be asl,amed becausê of Chemosh,
as the house of [.,.ael was ashamed because of Bethel their c<mfidence, lb. xlviii. 13; add
xü. 13. The idiom itself, cVi:J c!'11:Jr
, .. ashamed because 'II their might," occurs in
Ezek. xxxii. 30, of the nations, which I!ad peri.he
in war. In a few cases, the idiom
IS ,!-sed of the sou
ce oC shame!
here the Idea of pr,:vI
u,s trust in them i.less prominent,
118 \Ii Ezek. XXXVI. 32, Zeph.1JI. n. But here, this 18 mvolved in the subject itself, and

them." Like worms of the eartll, lit. creeping tlâJ/g,<i, or, as we
say, reptiles 13, cont
mptuou!'òly. They sltall he ajhtid of, OT
rather cume trembllJ/g to, the Lord ollr God; it is not said
their, but uur GOtl, 'Yho hath done so great t/âJ/gsfor us. .And
shall fear hecause uf [lit. fmm] Tltee, 0 Lord of "'hom they
had before said, Where is the Lord thy God f
It is doubtful, whether these last words cxprcss a "servile
fear," whereby a man turns away and flces f mm 14 the person
or thing which hc fears, or whether they siml'lv dcscribc fear
of God 15 ,thefirst step towards repentancc. In H
sea's words l6 ,
tlley shall fear to/cards tile Lord aml His guodness, the ad-
dition, and His goudness, dctermines the charactcr of the fear.
In Micah, it is not said that the fear brings theIll into any
relation to God. He is not spoken of, as becoming, anv how,
tlteir God, and
licah closcs by a thanksg-iving, for God;s l Jar -
donÏ11g mercy, not to thcm but to His people.
And so the Prophet ends, as he began, with the judgments
of God; to those who would repent, ehastisement, to the im-
penitent, punishment: "sentencing Sam aria, guilty and not
repcnting 6," to perpctual captivity; "to Jerusalem, guilty but
repenting, promising restoration. So from the beginning of
the world did God; so doth He; so shall He unto the end.
So did He shew Himself to Cain and Abcl, who both, as we
all, sinncd in Adam. Cain, being impenitent, He wholly cast
away; Abc), being- penitent," and tlll"uughfaith ojJèring a bet-
ter sacrffìce titan Cain, and" bringing furthfruits worthy of re-
pentance, He accepted. So He hath foreshewll as to the end 17.
"6 And that we may know how uniformly onr Judge so distin-
g'uisheth, at the very moment of His own Death whilc hang-
ing between the two thie\"Cs, the one, impenitent and blas-
pheming, He left; to thc other, penitent and confessing, Hc
opened the gate ofl}aradi
e; and, soon after, lea,'ing the Jew-
ish peoplc unrepentant, Hc receh'ed the repentance of the
Gentiles." Thus the Prophet part!.' with both out of sight;
the people of God, fceding on the rich bounty and abundance
of God, and His marvelluus gifts of g-racc above and beyond na-
ture, multiplied to them above all thc wonders of old time;
the enemies of God's people looking on, not to admire, but
to be ashamed, not to be healthfnlly ashamed, but to he wil-
fully deaf to the voice of God. For, howe,'er to lay the hand
OIL tIle mOllth might be a token of re\"Crent silence, the deaf-
ness uf the ears can hardly be other than the emblem of har-
dened obstinacy. "'hat follows, then, seems more like the un-
willing creeping-forth into the Presence of God, when they
cannot keep away, than com"er!'ion. It seems to picture the
reprobate, who would not 18 hear the Puiee of the SOil of God
and lh'e, but who, in the end, shall be forced to hear it out of
their close places or prisons, i. e, the grave, and come forth in

is illustrated by Ezek. xxxii. 30. ' See the use oC tbe idiom in J ud. x\'iii.I!!.
Job. xxi. 5, xxix. 11, xl. .., Pro" xxx. 32. 3 S. Luke xxi. 15. compo Acts v. 29.
4 Acts iv. 16.
As in Ps. xxxviii. 1,1, .. I "as as a Ulan that heareth not, and
in whose mouth are no reproofs." 8 Rllp.
72 Cor. iv.7. s As in Ps. Ixxii. 9. Is. xlix. 23. t Gen. iii. 14, Is.lxv. 25.
10 So our Version renders the word in Ps. xviii. 45, 2 Sam. xxii. 46. 11 "1èCO masc..
Is. xxiv. 22, xlii. 7, P8. cxlii. 8; here and in Ps. xriii. 46,n1!ç'
fern. "
12 Poco 13 The idiom occurs besides only in Deut. xxxii. 2,1, with the variation
only of
il. for 1'11;1. 1
tn'
ith loPs.iii. 7, xxvii. 1, Job v. 21: See Ges. Thes.
te

ix. U. Yet also :e
;r:i:

ffe

eZt

:ap
.f

"

rebY onels kl
PU

ii
:
17 S.1\Iatt. xxv. 18 S. John v. 25..

354

c N1trs T 18 g 'Yho i,y a God like unto thee, that
cir. no. h pardoneth iniquity, and pas:;eth by the

::
J
7. transgl'essiun of i the remnant of his heri-
i :h
4

:2
. tag:e? k he retaineth not his anger for ever,
I<

iK3.89. because he delighteth ill mercy.
Is. 57.16. Jer. 3.5.

MICAH,

19 He will turn again, he will have com-
passion upon US; he will subdue our ini-
quities; and thou will cast aU their sins
into the depths of the sea.
20 1 Thou wilt perform the truth to 1

Before
CHRIST
cir. ilO.

Luke. I. i2,
i3.

fear, when they shall I sa!1 to tile mountains, Fall 011 liS; and
to tbe hills, COl'er us. Thu,;; thc Prophet bring-s us to the elose
of all thing-s, the gladncss and joy of God's pcople, the terror
of His enemies, and adds only the song of thanksgÏ\'ing of all
the redeemed.
IS. lT710 is a God (and,as the word means, A
"'IigM!1 God,)
like unto Tllee? He saith not, 2lVho hast made heal'en and
eartb, tile sea and all that tberein is; nor, 3lVlIO telleth tile
l111mber of tile stars; and calletlt tllem all by tlleir nmnes; nor,
4lVlIO b.,! His strength set/eth fast tile nWltlltains and is girded
about with }JOIl'er; but '''ho forgh'est! For greater is the
work of Redemption than thc work of Creation. Tlwt }Jar-
doneth, and bearetll and taketll a1l'ay also, and passeth b.tl
the trawgression of the remnant of His heritage, i. e. His heri-
tag<', whit'h is a rcmnant still when 6 tile rest are Minded; and
this, not of its merits but of His mercy; since it is not His
nature to retain His anger for ever; nClt for any thing in them,
but because He deligMeth in mercy, as He saith, 61 am merci-
ful, saith tile Lord, and I wil/not keep anger for el'el'. 71 am
He that b1utteth out thy transgressions fur JIiue Oll'n sake, aud
u'illnot remember tll.'1 sius. <.8 For although God for a time
is ang-ry with His clect, ('hastening thcm mercifully in this
life, yet in the end Hc hath compassion on them, giving them
e'-erlasting consolations."
)Ioses, ;.fter the complction of his PCOl)lc's deliverancc at
the Red Sea, used thc like appeal to God, in unmingled joy.
Then the thanksgh-ing ran, 9 gl()riou.ç ill holiness, llll'elui in
praÜes, duing l('OJulers. ]\' ow, it ran in a morc subducd, yet
even deeper, tonc, taken from God's re,-elation of Himself
aftcr that grcat transgression on )IlIunt Sinai, 1OlorgÏz'ing iui-
qui'.,! and trallsgressiull alld sill. "ïth this, l\Iicah identified
his own namc n. This was the one message whieh he loved
above all to llroclaim; of this, his own name was the herald
to his IJeople in his day. /1710 is like the Lord, the Pardoner
of sin, the Rcdeemer from its guilt, the Subduer of its powcr?
For no false god was ever such a elaim made. The heathen
g-ods were symbols of God's workings in naturc; they were,
at best, representatiYCs of His GOHrnment and of His dis-
pleasurc at sin. But, being the creatures of man's mind, they
could not freely pardon, for man dared not aseribe to them
the attribute of a freely-pardoning mercy, for which he dared
not hope. lVho is a Gud like tu Thee, mighty, not only to
destroy but to pardon? is the wondering thanksgh'ing- of
time, the yet greater amazement of eternity, as eternity shall
un\"Cil the dcep blaeknes,;: of sin over-against the lig-ht of God,
and we, seeing God, as He Is, shall see what that Holiness is,
against which we sinners sinned. The soul, which is trulv
penitent, ne\"Cr wearies of the wondering love, lV110 is a Gu;i
like uuto Thee?
19. He will turn again, "'110 seemed to be turned away
from u!!> whcn we were turned away from Him 12. He will

1 S. Luke xxiii. :30, Rev. vi. Iß. ' Ex. xx. II. 8 Ps, cxlvii. 4. 4 Ps.lxv. 6.
· Rom. xi. 7. 6 Jer.iii.12. 7 Is. xliii. 25. 8 Dion. v Ex. xv.lI.
10
';;-;
ìW 1<;';], Ex. xxxiv. 7; Micah, dividing the clauses, inserled
JI"QV before
T!).
Cd'p. 11
te Introd. 10 :\licah, ab. p. 2c"8. 12 See Jo. ii. 14. 13 Rom. xvi. 20.
H lb. vE. U. 1. lb. iii. 9. 16 Gal. iii. 22. 17 1:'.,," footslool," 2 Chr. ix. 18.

subdue, or trample ullder fuot, our worst cnemy, our illiquities,
a!' He saith, 13 He sllllil bruise Satan wulel' yuur feet s!wrf(l/.
Hitherto, sinful pa!"sions had not rcbelled only, but had had
the mastcrv O\'er us. Sin subdued man; it was his lord, a
fierce tyralit over him; he could not subdue it. Holy Seril)-
ture sa)'s cmphatically of man under the law, that he was
sold Ulider sin H, a sla,'e under a hard mastcr, oppres!"ed,
weighed down, and unable to throw off the bondage. 16lf'e
!lave befure pruved both Jell's alld Gentiles, that the.'1 are all
ullder sill; 16 tllC Scripture hath ('ourludell aliundeI' sin. r n-
der the Gospel, God, he says, would subdue
in <<undcr liS,"
and mal{C it, as it were, our" footstool 17." It is a Gospel be-
fore thc Gospel. God would pardon; and He, not u'c, would
subdue sin to us. He would bestow, "18 of sin the doublc
cure, Sa,'e us from its guilt and power." 19 ?\
ut I, but t!le
grace uf God, u'/âch u'as with me.
Alld Thou u'iLt cast,-not, some (" 20 for it is impious to
look for a half-pardon from God") but-all their sius iutu tIle
depths 21 of the sea, so that as in the passage of thc Red
ea
there was not one Egyptian left of thosc who pursued His
pcople, so neither shall there be onc sin. whieh, throup:h ßap-
tism and on Repentance, shall not through His free mercy be
pardoned. As they, whicl1 22 sallk as lead ill tIle migMy u'atas,
ne"er again rose, so shall the sins, unless reyi\"Cd by U". not
risc ag-ainst us to condemnation, hut shall in the Day of Judg-
ment be sunk in the abyss of hell, as if thcy had never been.
20. TIIOIl u'ilt )lC/furm t!le tmth to Jacob and the mercy tu
Abl'alwm. "That was free mercy to Abra!wm, bccame, when
God had once promised it, IIis truth. Abraham also
tands
for all those, who in him and his Seed should be blessed, tho!'e
who werc 23aiiens from the COmlllOllll'ealth of Israel, ami stran-
gers from tlle COl'e1Wnts of prumise, IUlL'iug 110 !lope, aud ll'Ít!lOut
Gud ill the world, in no covenant or relation with God, as well
as thosc who were the childrcn of the faith; heathen, as well
as Jews. Jacob represents those who were immcdiately his
children, surh of the children of Israel, as were al!'o the true
hrael and children of faithful Abra!lam. In both wa)'s the
gift to Abraham was mercy, to J acoh, truth. So also St. Paul
saith2
, "Jcsus Christ was a
linister of the circumci",ion for
thc truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the father:",
and that the Gentilcs mig-ht glorVy God for His mercy." Yet
mercy aud truth 25 , together, are all the paths ufthe Lord; tlley
26 met together in Christ; yea Christ Himself is full of
Iercy
as well as 27 Truth: and woe were it to that soul to whom He
were Truth without mercy. "28 For to be sa,'ed, we look not so
much to the truth of the Judgc as to the mercy of the Re.
deemer." And mercy, in the counsel of God, reacheth wider
than tmth; for truth is gi\"Cn to Jacob, the father of one na-
tion, Israel; but mercy to Abraham, 29 the father of many na-
tiOllS. Isaac, it may be, is not herc mentioned, because all to
whom the blessing should come are already spoken of in Ja..

(as in Syr. Cb.) from the same root. IS Hrmn," Rock or ages." 19 1 Cor. xv. 10.
20 S. Amb. ap. Alb. 21 n;
;
doubdess IS meant 10 rerer back to n\
'
Ex. xv. 5,
an
Ë

..

Th
st Ihe i
:gÉ:{ih

tructio
.atJ

.S8,a9
nd its c
mt

io.
26 Ps.Ixxxv.10. 27 S.Johni. U. IS Rup.
9 Gen. xvii. ii, Rom. iv.17.

CHAPTER YII.

c J
o;s T J acoh,
cir.ilO. ham,
"'I's. 1IJ5. !I,1O.

Abra- I
sworn

and the
Dl whid}

mercy to
thou hast

....- -
'J'>;)

unto our
of old.

fathers

the

days c J'}{oÍs T
cir. no.

from

cob and Abraham; in Jacob, all to whom the promise was
first made: in Abraham, all nations of the world who !':hould
be ble!'!'ed in his
eed. through the mcrcy of God overflowing-
the bounds of that co'"enant. Isaac is, in his sacrifice, chiefly
a type of our Lord Him,..elf.
T17IÏch TIIOIl hast W'01"1l UlIto Ollr fathFrs. 1 Tlwt b.lI two
immutaMe t!lings. ill tt'ltÌch it u'as impossible for God to lie, 1('e
'I1IigM IIlll'e a st,'Ollg crJllsolation.
From the ([a!IS of old. 2 From eternity, in the counsel of
God: iu promi!"e. from the foundation of the world, as is said
in the hymn of Zacharia!:i 3, As He spake hy the mouth of His
hO(1/ Prophets, 1('/1ich hrtl:e been sillce the tl'orld bqç(m. 4-The
in!"pircd hymns of the Blessed nrg-in l\Imyand d Zachariah
take up the words of the prophet, and shew that they are
already fulfilled in Christ, althoug-h they shall be more and
more fulfilled unto the world's end. as Jew and Gentile arc
brought into His fold; 6 He remenihering His mercy, as Hp
spal.'e to ollr fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for et:er. 6To
perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember

J Heb. vi. 18.

J Alb.

I S. Luke i. 70.

4 Poco

Ii<

oL.<-'
.fs:.:.

llis Iwly ('I/l'elWlIf, the oath tl'lliclt He Sll'are to our fa t/I er Abra-
ham that He u'oldd grant unto u,
.
"I too." St, Jerome !'uhjo! n!", "!'ealing- the lahour of my lit-
tle work hy ('allin
upon the Lord, will !<av at the close ofthi...
traf't, 0 God, who is like unto Tllee't Take away the iniquity
of Thy servant. pa!'s hy the !<in of my dec'aycd !'oul. and send
not Thine anger upon me, nor I'ebuke me in Thy indig-nation ;
for Thou art full of pity and g-reat are Thy mercies. Return
and have Jlwrry upon me; drown mine iniquities, and ea!'t
them into the depth of the sea, that the hitterne..!' of!'in may
perish in the bitter waterf'. Gl'ant the truth which Thou
didst promise to Thyservant Jacob.and the mercy whieh Thou
didst pleåge to Ahraham Thy friend. and free my !'ou1. as Thou
didst sware to my fathers in the day!' of old: 7 As I live, saitll
the Lord God, I ';ave 110 pleasure ill tile death 0/ the ll'icl.-ed, hut
tll((t tlte ll'icked turn from his n'n.11 alld lil'e. Then ,
/Ifl" mine
enemy see alld be crowned with confusion, who now saith
unto me, 'Where is now thy God?" Amen. Amen, 0 Good
Lord Jesu.

· S. Luke i. 51, 55.

· lb. ï2-;-1.

Ezek.
xxiii. 11.

iF

-

iiC

..

.-
-
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o'

lliI-" ':ow', .,...

__-

..r _ <!
.
-
-
-

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.1

;
I

...

-;

-- ..'

-

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- - - ;=- ,",-

. :.:
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- - ; . ';. , . .... '. -
-=-

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"

Bethlehem from thf' r\orth.

INTRODUCTION

TO

THE

PROPHET

N AHUlV!.

THI
prophecy of Nahum is both the complement and the'
counterpart of the book of Jonah. 'Yhen :\Ioses had asked I
God to shew him His glory, and God had promh;ed to let
him see the outskirts of that glory, and to proclaim the I
Kame of the Lord before him, the Lord, we are told, passed
b.1f before ltim and proclaimed, 8 The Lord, the Lord God, mer-
ciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and
truth, JæepiJlg mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgres.çion and sin, and that 1l'ill b.1f 110 means rlear the guil-
ty. God proclaimed at once Hi" mercy and. His justice.
Those wondrous words echo along the whole of the Old Tes-
tament. l\Ioses himselfb,Da\"Ïdc,
ther Psahnistsd,Jeremiah e ,
Daniele, 1'ìehemiahg. plead them to God or rehearse some part
of them in thanksgiving-. Joel repeated them as a motÏ\-e to
repentance". Cpon the repentance ofKineveh, Jonah had re-
cited to God the bright sidc of that His declaration of Him-
self, iI knew that T/;ou art a gracious God and me1"ciful, slow
to anger and of great goodness, repeating to God His words to
l\Ioses, and adding, and repenting afthe el'ÏI. Kinc,-eh, as ap-
pears f,'om Kahum, had falJen back into the violence of ,,'hich I
it had repented. l\'ahum then, in reference to that declara- I
tion of Jonah, begins by setting" forth the aweful side of the I
attributes of God. First, in a stately rhythm, which, in the
original, reminds us of thc gradual P8alms, he enmwiatcs the
solcmn threefold der'laration of the severity of God to those
who wiU be His enemies.
kAjealous God ami
1venger is the Lord:
All Avenger is the Lord, and lord of ll'ratA;
An Al'enger is tI,e Lord to His adzoersaries:
And a Reserrer of wrath to His enemies.
Then, he too recites that character of mercy rccorded by 1\10-1
ses, 'The Lord is slolU to anger, and great ill pOll'er. But an- I
ger, althoup:h slow, comcs, he adds, not the less certainl)' on I
the guilty; 'and will1/ot at all clem' the guilty. The iniquity
is full. AI;; a wholc, there is no plare more for repentance. \
1'ìine,-eh had had its prophct, and had been sparcd, and had
8unk back into its old sins. The office of 1'ìahum is to pro-
nounce its sentence. That sentence is fixed. mThere is 1/0
healing of thy bruise. 1'ìothing is said of its ulterior conver-
· Ex. xxxiv. 6. 7. b Num. xiv. 17,18. · Ps.lxxxvi.15, ciii. 8, cxlv.8.
d Ps. exi. 4, cxii. 4, cxvi. 5. . xxxii. 18, 19. r ix. 4. I ix.17.
L ii.13. I Jon. iv. 2. k i.2. 1 lb. 3. m iii. 19.
.. i.8. 0 iii. 8. P Nab. ii. 11, 12. q lb. ;ii. 1. . 9, r:J

.

sion or restoration. On the contrary, Nahum says, n He u'ill
make the place thereof all utter desolation.
The sins of 1'ìineveh spoken of hy 1'ìahum are the same as
those from which they had turned at the preaehing of Jonah.
In Jonah, it is, Othe 'l'iolence of their hands. 1'ìahum describes
l\'ine,-eh as Pa dll'elling of lions, filled with prey and with ra-
'l'ill, thefeeding-place of young lions, u,here the lion tore enough
for /âs wbelps; q a city of bloods, ful! of lies and robbery, from
which the prey departeth 1/ot.
But, amid this mass of evil, one was eminent, in direct an-
tagonism to God. The character is very peculiar. It is not
simply of rcbellion against God, or neglect of Him. It i" a
direct disputing of His Sovereignty. The prophet t,,-ice re-
peats the characteristic exprcssion, lVlwt will ye devise so 'L'e-
læmently r against the Lord? · de'/:ising el'illlgllill.çt the Lord;
and adds, counsellor of ez-il. This was exaetly the chararter
of Sennacherib, whose wars. like those of his forefathers. (as
apI)ears ii'om the cuneiforlU inscriptions t,) were religious
wars, and who blasphcmously compared God to the local de-
ities of the countries, whirh his forefathers or hilU
elf had
dcstroyed u. Of this enelUY Nahum speaks, as hm'ing "gone
forth;" out of thee (1'\ineveh) hath gone foJ"th" one, del'i,
ing
el'il against the Lord, a coullsellor of Belial. This was pa!'t.
Their purpose was inchoate, yet ineomplete. God challenges
them, r TYlwt 1l'Ïll ye devise so vehemently against the Lord?
The destruction too is proximate. The prophet answers for
God, "Y He Himself, by Himself, is already making an /ltter
encl." To Jerusalem he turns, c.. AmI now I will break his
yoke from off thee, and will break his bonds asunder." Twice
the prophet mentions the device against God; eaeh time he
answers it by the prediction of the sudden utter destruction
of the enemy, while in the most perfect security. 8 TYbile
they are intertwined as thorns, and swallowed up as their drin!.',
they are devoured as st/lbbleflllly dry; and, bIftbey he pel:fect,
unimpaired in their strength, and tliUs man.lf, even tlms slwll
they be mown down. Their destrurtion was to be, as their
numbers, cQmplete. ,nth no prc\"Ïous loss, secure and at
ease, a mighty host, in consequcnce of their prosperity. all
were, at one blow, mown down; "and he (their king, who
The verb is dou1>ly intensive, both as Piel, and as having the intens. ,. · i. 11,
o See on" Dallel the Prophet" pp. 4-14, 5. _ Q Is. xxxvi. 18-20, xxxvii. 10-13.
" i. 11. II
:. . i.l0. T i. 9.
1I111;! ;!
i. b i.12. . · i. 13. ;!I1J11.

counscl/ed against the Lord) shall pass all ay and perish. "The
abundancc of thc wool in the flcece is no hindrance to thc
shears," nor of the grass to thc srythc, nor of thc Assyrian
host to thc will of the Lord. After he, thc chief. had thus
l}([ssed ([ll'a!l, Xahum foretells that remarkable death, in con-
nection with thc housc of his gods; c Out of the house of thy
gods I will cut rff the gravell imnge and the molten image: I
ll'ill make tilY grave. There is no natural construction of these
words, exccpt, I will make it thy gml'e d. Judah too was, by
thc presenee of the Assyrian, hindered from going up to wor-
ship at Jerusalem. The prophct bids proclaim peace to Je-
I"Usalem ; keep tlt.'I feasts-for tile ?t'icked shall 110 more pass
through thee. It was then by thc prcsence of thc wicked,
that they were now hindered from keeping their feasts, which
('ould bc kept only at Jerusalem.
The propheey ofXahum coincides then with that of Isaiah,
when Hezckiah prayed against Sennacherib. In the his-
torye, and in thc prophecy of Isaiah, the reproach and blas-
phemy and ragc against God are prominent, as an evil design
against God is in Xahum. In Isaiah we ha,'c thc messenç:ers
sènt to blasphcmef; in Kahum, the promise, that tile ';;oice
of th.7I messengers sllallllo more he heard. Isaiah }Jrophcsies
the fruitle,.;sness of his attempt against Jerusalem g; his dis-
graced rcturn; his violent death in his own land b; Kahum
prophesies the entire destruction of his army, his own pa!'s-
ing away, his gran. Isaiah, in J eru!'alem, foretells how the
spontaneous fruits of the earth shall be restored to them ï,
and so, that they shall have possession of thc open corn-
country; Kahum, living probably in the country, foretells the
free access to Jerusalem, and bids them to k keep their feasts,
and pelform the VOlt'S, which, in their trouble, they had pro-
mised to God. He does not only foretell that thcy may, but
he enjoins them to do it. The words, I the emptiers hcn'e emp-
tied tllem uut and marred their villehranches. mav relate to the
first expedition of Sennacherib, when, Holy Sèriptul'e says,
he m came up against all the fellced cities oj Judah and touk
them, and Hezekiah gan him tldrt!1 talents of gold, and 300
talents of sih:er. Sennacherib himself sa)-s n, "Hezekiah, king
of Judah, who had not submitted to my authority, forty-six
of his principal cities, and fortresses and ,-iJJages depending
upon them of which I took no aceount, I captured, and car-
ried away their spoil. .\.nd from these places I captured and
carricd off as spoil 200,150 IJeople," &r. This must relate
to the first expedition, on account of thc exact correspon-
dence of the tribute in gold, with a variation in the numbt'r
of the talents of silver, easily accounted for o. In the first in-
vasion Sennacherib relate's that he besieged Jerusalem.
"p Hezekiah himself I shut up in Jerusalem his capital city,
like a bird in a cage, building towers round the city to fence
him ill, and raising banks of earth against the gates, so as to
prevent escape." It is perhaps in rpfcrence to this, that, in
the second invasion, God promises by Isaiah; qHe shallllot I
come illto tlâs city, alld shallllot shoot an arrow there; and
shall not present sldeld before it, and shall not cast up bank
against it. Still, in this second invasion al<.;o, Holy Seripture
relates, that r the king of A.
syria sent Rabslwkeh from La-
chish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. I
e i.H. d So Chaid. Syr. S. Jer. and moderns,as soon as they have
110 bias, e. g. Ras. Ew. Itis not asah, but sim; i. e. not "Kouiv, but BEiva&; not, in our
sense, I will" make a grave," but" I will set" or" make" something else, viz. the house
of his gods of which Nahum had just spoken, .. to be his grave."
. 2 Kings xix. 4, 22-28. I Is. xxxvii. 4, 23-29. K' lb. 33, 34.
h lb. 7. i 2 Kings xix. 29, Is. xxxvii. 30. k Nail. i. 15, ii.I. [2 Heb.]
I lb. ii. 2. [3. Heb.] m 2 Kings xviii. 13, U, Is. xxxvi. 1.
R:wP.B
::;
tst
aí:
Nin. and Ba
.

;
Ýa
d

'.

:

Elì3
r.i::
f3

PART IV.

1'\AHL
I.

357

Perhaps it is in rcg-ard to this second cxpedition, that God

ars, "Though I have alfiidecl thee, I will q/flict thee lW more;
I. e. this second invasion should not desolate her, like that
first. Not that God absolutcly would not ag-ain afflict her,
but not now. The voke of the A-isn-ian was then broken,
until thc fresh sins of Jlanassch dre\v down their own pu-
nishment.
Kahum then was a prophet for Judah, or for that remnant
of I
rael, w
ich. after the ten tribcs wcrc carried captive, be-
came one with Judah, not in temporal sO\"ereifTnh', but in
thc one worship of God. His mention of ßasan,"'Carmel and
Lebanon alone, as places lyinA" undcr thc rcbuke of God, per-
halJs implies a spccial interest in X ortherll Palcstinc. Judah
may have already become the name for the whole peoplc of
God who were left in their own land, since those of the ten
tl'ibes who rcmained had no\\" no separatc rcli
ious or poli-
tical existence. The idol-centre of their worship was gonc
into capth'ity.
,"nth this agrees thc old tradition as to thc namc of the
birth-place of
ahnlll, the Elko.slâle. "Somc think," sm-s
St. Jerome t, ,< that Clcesæus was the father of Nahum, and,
according" to the Hebrew tradition, was also a IH'ophet;
whcreas Elcesi u is c,'en to this day a little village in Galilce,
small indeed, and scarcely indicating by its ruins the traces
of ancient buildings, yet known to thc Jew
, and pointed out
to me too by my guide." The name is a genuine Hehrew
name, the El, with which it begins, being- the name of God,
which appears in the names of othcr towns also, as, El'ale,
Eltolad, Elteke, Eltolem. The author of the shortlived
Gnostic hel'esy ofthc Elcesaites, raIled Elkcsai, ëlkasai, ëlxai,
ëlxaios, Elkasaios u , probably had his name from that same
,-ill age. Eusebius mentions Elkcse, as the placc" whencc was
X ahum the Elkcsæan." S. Cyril of Alexandria says, that El-
kese was a village somewhere in J udæa.
On the other hand Alcllsh, a town in Jlosul, is probably
a namc of Arabic origin, and is not connected with Xahmll
by any extant or known writer, earlier than )Iasius towards
the end of the 16th century", and an Arabic sCI'ibe in lïl3 Y .
Keither of these mention the tomb. "The tomb," says Lay-
ard', "is a simple plaster box, conred with green cloth, and
standing at the upper end of a large chamber. The house
containing the tomb is a modern building. There arc no in-
scriptions, nor fragmcnts of any antiquity near the place."
The place is now reverenced by the.J ews, but in the 12th cen-
tury Benjamin of Tudela asupposed his tomb to be at Ain Ja-
phata, South of Babylon. \\' ere anything necdcd to im"ali-
date statements abo,"c 2000 ycars after the time of KalIum,
it might suffice that the Jews, who are the authors of this
story, maintain that not Jonah only but Obadiah and Jeph-
thah the Gileadite are also buried at l\Iosul b. Kor were the
ten tribes placed there, but "c in the cities of the l\Iedes."
The name Capcrnaum, "the village of I\ahum;' i-i probably an
indication of his rcsidence in Galilee. There is nothing in
his language peculiar to the
orthern tribc
. Onc ve
y po-
etic word d, common to him with the song of Deborah, IS not
therefore a " provincialism," because it only happens to oc-
cur in the rich, ,-aried, language of two prophets of Xorth Pa-
p Sir H. Ra....-1. transl. in B. L. ib. q xxxvii. 33. rIb. nm. 2.
2 Kin"" xviii. Ii. . Nah. i. 12. t Præf. to Nah. U 'E
""Ta1,
'E^,;a"uu1 (Theod. Hær. Fab. i. 2ï.) 'Hhu<Tu1, (Hippol. Philosoph. ix. 4. &c) 'H.\(;a1,
'H^(;aïo
:' E\"'<T<Tuïo
, S. Epiph. Hær. xix. 5, X'L'C. 3
üi.l. 'E^"a<Taïo
or' E\"'<Taïo
J
:Method. Conviv. in Combef. r\ov. Coli. p.
;H. A.
z Assem. Bibl. Or. i. 6:!5. T lb. iii. 1. 332. z Nin. i. 233.
. Travels i. 310. ed. Asher. h
iebllhr Voy..ge en Arahie ü. 289,00.
e 2 Kings xvii. 6. d ,,,=,,, ofthe "circling" of tbe forefeet of the
horse in his speed, Nah.iii. 2, Jud. v.2:!.
HHH

358

11'\TRODUCTJON TO

lestine. Nor does the occurrence of a foreign title" interfere
with" purity of diction." It rather belongs to the vividness
of his description.
The conquest of No-Ammon or Thebes and the captivity
ofits inhabitants, of which Nahum speaks, must have been
by Assvria itself. Certainly it was not from domestic distur-
lJanees' c . for Nahum says, that the people were carried away
captive;. Nor was it from the Ethiopians b; for Nahum
speaks of them, as her allies i. Nor from the Carthagini-
ans j; for' the account of Ammianus k, that "when first Car-
thage was beginning to expand itself far and wide, the Punic
generals, by an unexpe('ted inroad, subdued the hundred- I
gatcd Thebes," is merely a mistaken gloss on a statement of I
Diodorus, that "1 Hanno took Hekatompylos by siege;" a I
city, according to Diodorus himselflll, "in the desert of Li-
bya." Nor was it from the Scythians n; for Herodotus, who I
alone speaks of their maraudings and who manifestly exag-I
gerates them, e1i:pressly says, that Psammetichus induced ,
the Scythians by presents not to enter Egypt 0; and a wan-
(1ering l)redatory horde does not besiege or take strongly-
fortified towns. There remain then only the Assyrians. Four I
fiuecessive Assyrian l\Ionarchs, Sargon, his son, grandson and
great grandson, Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, Asshur-bani-pal,
from B.C. 718 to about B.C. 657, conquered in Egypt p. The
hostility was first provoked by the encouragement given by
Sabacho the Ethiopian (Sab'e q, in the cuneiform inscrip-
tions, S b Ie, in Egyptian), the So of Holy Scripture', to
Hoshea to rebel against Shalmaneser 8. Sargon, who, ac- I
cording to bis own statement, was the ldng who actually took
Samaria t, led three expeditions of his Olrll against Egypt.
In the first, Sargon defeated the Eg}'ptian king in the battle
of Raphia u; in the second, in his seventh year, he boasts that
Pharaoh became his tributary]l:; in a third, whicb is placed I
three years later, Ethiopia submitted to him Y. A seal of
Sabaco has been found at Koyuujik, which, as has been con-
jectured', was probably annexed to a treaty. The capture of
Ashdod by the Tartan of Sargon, recorded by Isaiah a, was
probably in the second expedition, when Sargoll deposed its I
king Azuri, substituting his brother Akhhnit b: the rebelJion I
of Ashdod probably occasioned the third expedition, in which, .
as it seems, Isaiah's prophecy was fulfilled, that Egyptians
and Ethiopians, young and old, should be carried capti\'C by ,
the king of Assyria. TIle king of Ashdod, Yam an, is related:
to have fled to Egypt, which was subject to l\Ierukha or
.l\Ieroe; and to have been delh"ered up by the king of l\Ieroe ;
who himself fled to some unnamed desert afar, a march of
(it is conjecturcd) months c. The king of l\Ieroe, first, from
times the most distant, became tributary. "dHis forefathers
bad not" in all that period" sent to the kings my ancestors
to ask for peace and to acknowledge the power of l\Ierodaeh."
The fact, that his magnificent palace, "one oftbe few remains
of extel'nal decoration," Layard says., "with which we are
acquainted in Assyrian architecture," "seems" according to
l\Ir Fergusson', "at first sight almost purely Egyptian,"
implies some lengthened residence in Egypt or some capture
of Egyptian artists.
· :C
:J, dou
tless a N'inevite ti
Ie,pro
ably si
ifyill;g .. noble pri.nce," fJëom "IC

, as
Prof. Lee c,?nJectured. Lee demes that It bears m PersIan the meanmg ascrIbed to it by
Bohlen. RIchardson renders tâbsâr, .. an elevated window; .. Vüllers notes .. in others
it occurs not." Gesenius was satisfied with no e"planation of those before him.
f Ewald's theory. K' iii. 10. h Vitringa, Grot. I iii.9. j Heeren.
k xvii. 4,. I Excerpt. ex L. xxiv. T. ii. p. 665. m v. 18. T. i. p. 263.
n Gesemus Lit. Zeit. 1841. n.l. 0 i. 105. P See Rawlinson Five Empires ii.40()-486.
q Oppert,Ies rapports de I' Eg. et de I' Ass. p.12. r IOC. In the LXX, in different MSS.
-:t::
l:o/3á, ;21tin

v:
k

tbe
OL!;
:d
i

'
dlÎia

.
r8?R',;
\
iH
r
i
i
:7
'
Fi\ e Empires ii. 406. u Rawl. Five Emp. ii. 414, " Rawl. lb. pp. 416, 6:

Of Sennacherib, the son of Sargon, Josephus writes, "g Be-
rosus, the historian of the Chaldee affairs, mentions the king
Sennacherih, and that he reigne(l over the Assyrians, and that
he warred against all Asia and Egypt, saying as follows."
The passage of ßerosus itself is wanting, whether Josephus
neglectcd to fill it in, or whether it has been subsequently
lost; but ncither Chaldee nor Egyptian writers record expedi-
tions which were reverses; and although Berosus was a
Babylonian, not an Assyrian, yet the document, which he used,
must have been Al'syrian. In the second expedition of Sen-
nacherib, Rabshakeh, ill his message to Hezekiah, says,
h Behold tholt trustest upon the staff of this bruised 1'eed, upon
Eg:/lpt. The expression is remarkable. He does not speak
of Egypt, as a power, weal" frail, failing, but, passively, as
crushed i by another. It is the same ,,'ord and image which
he uses in his l)rophecy of our Lord, a bruised reed (ka1leh
mtsllts) sltall He not break, i. e. He shall not brealr that which
is already bruised. The word implies, then, that the king
of Egypt had already received some decided blow before the
second expedition of Sennacherib. The annals of Senna-
cherib's reign, still preserved in his inscriptions, break off in
the eighth of his twenty-two years k, and do not extend to
the time of this second expedition against Hezeldah 1. Nor
does Holy Scripture say, in what year this 2nd expedition took
place. In this he defeated "Ill the king-s of Egypt amI the
king of l\Ieroe at Altakou [Elteke] and TallIna [Timnatha]."
Sennacherib's son Esarhaddon appears for the time to
have subdued Egypt and Ethiopia, and to have lleld them as
kingdoms dcpendent on himself. " He acqztÍz'ed Egypt and
the inner parts of Asia," is the brief statement of Abydenus n:
(i. e. of ßerosus.) "He estahlished" (his son relates) "twenty
kings, satraps, governors in Egypt 0," among' which can be
recognised Necho, (the father of Psammetichus) king' of
l\Iemphis and Sais; a Idng of Tanis, or Zoan (now Sân);
Natho (or, according to another copy, Sq)t), Hanes, Sebenny-
tlls,l\Iendes,ßubastis,Siyout or Lycopolis, Chemmis, Tinis, and
No. These were all subordinate kings; for so be entitles each
separately in the list, although he Slilns up the whole, "P These
are the names of the Kings, Pechahs, Satraps who in Egypt
obeyed my fatherwho begat me." Tearcho or Taracho himself,
"king of Egypt and Ethiopia q," was in Jike way subjeet to Esar-
haddon. The account of the revolt, which his son Asshur-
bani-pal quelled, implies also a fixed settlement in Egypt.
The 20 kings were invoh'ed in the rehelJion through fear
ofTaracho, but there is notice of other servants of Esarhaddon
who remained faithful and were maltreated by Taracho r .
Asshur-bani-pal says also, that he strengthened his former
garrisons". One expedition of Esarhaddon (probably towards
the close of his reign, since he does not mention it ill his own
annals which extend over eight years) is related by his son
Asshur-bani-pal. mHe defeated Tirhakah in the lower coun-
try, after which, proceeding Southwards, he took the city,
where the Ethiopian held his court," and assumed the title,
"u king of the kings of Egypt. and conqueror of Ethiopia."
On another inscription in a palace built for his son, at Tarbisi,
now Sherif-khan, he entitles himself "]I: king of the kings of
TRawl. lb. pp. 416, 7. . Rawl. I1erod. i.473 note 1. . xx. 1. b Inscription
in Oppert, les ral'ports de I' Eg. &c. p. 18. < lb. p. 19. d lb. . Nin. and Bab. p. 130.
f Palaces of Nineveh and Persepolis restored, J!. 223, quoted by Layard lb. Rawl.
Her. i. 474. K' Ant. x. 1. 4. b 2 Kings xvin. 21. i f1
", "quassaturn," Vulg.
Gesenius sa}'S well, "It differs from "1:117 in this, that
sig1Ùfies, 'broke, crushed,'
without severance of the parts; '1:111' signifies, 'broke asunder...' k Rawl. Her. i. 4í8.
1 See Rawl. i. 479, note 1. m Inscr. in Oppert Rapports pp. 26, 27. " In Eus.
Chron. Arm. P. i. c. 9. 0 Inscr. in Opp.lb. pp. 61, 53. P lb. p.68.
q lb. pp. iiI, 62, 63. rib. p. 64. . lb. pp. 58, 68. . Rawl. 5 Emp. ii. 474, 6.
u lb. 4/"5. He also entitles himself, .. king of Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, Meroe and
Ethiopia." Oppert Sargonides, p. 63. Rawl. lb. 484. ]I: Inscript. Oppert Rapp. p. 41.

Eç:ypt, Pathros, Ethiopia." \Ve do not, however, find the
addition, which appears to recur upon cvery conquest of a
pcoplc not bcfore conquered by Assyria, "which the king
,
my fathcrs, had not subdued." This addition is so rcgular,
that the absence of it, in itself, involvcs a strong probability
of a previous conquest of the country.
The subdual apparently was complete. Thcy revoltcd
at the close of the reign of Esarhaddon (as his son Asshur-
bani-pal rclatcs) from fcar ofTaracho Y rathcr than from any
wish of their own to regain indepcndencc. Asshur-bani-pal
accordingly, aftcr thc defeat of Taracho, forgave and re
tored
theUl '. Even the sccond treacherous revolt was out of fcar,
lest Taracho shaU rcturn", upon the withdrawal of the Assyrian
armics. This second rcvolt and perhaps a subscqucnt re,'olt of
Urdamanie b a stcpson of Taracho, who succcedcd him, As-
shur-bani-pal scems to have subdued by his licutenants C , with-
out any necessity of marching' in person against thcm.
Thcbcs was taken and retaken; but does not appcar to have
offered any resistancc. Taracho, upon his defeat at l\'1cmphis,
flcd to it, and again abandoned it as he had l\1cmphis, and thc
army of Asshur-bani-pal made a massacre in it d. Once morc
it was taken, when it had bcen rccovcred by Urdamanie e ,
and then, if the inscriptions are rightly decyphered, strange
as it is, the carrying off of men and womcn frolu it is men-
tioncd in the midstofthatof" great horses and apes." "Silver,
gold, metals, stones, treasures of his palacc, dyed garments,
herom and linen, grcat horses, men malc and femalc, im-
mensc apcs-thcy drew from the midst of the city, and
brought as spoils to Nineveh the city of my dominion, and
kissed my fcet."
All of thosc kings having been conqucrors of Egypt, the
captivity of No might equally have takcn place under any of
thcm. All of them employed the policy, which Sargon ap-
parcntly began, of transporting to a distance those whom they
had conquered f. Yet it is, in itself, more probable, that it was
at the earlier than at the later date. It is most in harmony
with the relation of Nahum to Isaiah that, in regar"d to the
conquest of Thebes also, Nahum refers to the victory OHr
Egypt and Ethiopia foretold by Isaiah, when Sargon's ge-
neral, the Tartan, was besieging Ashdod. Thc objcct of I
ai-
ah's prophecy was to undeceive Judah in regard to its
reliance on Eg;"pt and Ethiopia against Assyria, which was
their continual banc, morally I"cligiously nationally. But the
prophecy goes beyond any mel"e dcfeat in battle, or capture
of prisoners. It relates to conquest within Egypt itself. For
Isaiah says, "gthe king of Assyria shall lead into captivity
EgnJtians and Ethiopians, young and old." They are not
thcir choice YOlmg m
n h, the flower of thcir army, but those
of ad,"anced age and those in thcir first youth i, such as arc
takcn captive, only WhCH a population itself is takcn captive,
either in a marauding expcdition, or in the capture of a city.
'rhc acconnt of thc captivity of No exactly corresponds with
this. Nahum says nothing of its :pcrmanent !'uhdual, only of
the captivity of its inhabitants. But Esarhaddon apparently
did not carry the Egyptians caIJtivc at all k. E,"ery fact givcn
in the Inscriptions looks liliC a permanent settlement. Thc
e!'tablishment of the 20 subordinatc kings, in thc wholc lcngth
and breadth of Egypt, iml)}ies the continuance of the previ-
ous statc of things, with thc exception of that subordination.

7

.
.

b

" c
b. 70. "here he speaks of sapite-ya (

j:;) .. my judges" pp. ii, i8. In another
mscn
tIon, however, ,9p!'crt observes that Asshurbanipal speaks, as if he had been
there m person. pp. 13-/6. It has been observed, long since, that the Ass
rjan
monarchs speak at times of what was done by their generals as done by themselves.

NAHUl\I.

359

!'O itself appears as onc of thc cities !'cttlcd apparently under
Its natiyc though tributary king t.
In regard to thc fulfilment of prOpllef'Y, they who assumc
as an axiom, or pctitio prin('ipii, that thcre can be no pro-
phecy of distant e'"ents, have overlooked, that while they
think that, hyassuming thc later date, they bring Nahum's
prophccy of the capturc of Nine,-eh ncarcr to its accomplish-
ment, they removc in the samc dcgrce Isaiah's prophecy of
thc captivity of Egyptians amI Ethiopians, young and old,
from its accomplishmcnt. "Young and old" arc not the
l)risoncrs of a field of battlc ; young and old of thc Ethiopians
would not bc in a city of lower Egypt. If Isaiah's prophecy
was not fulfilled under Sar
on or Scnnachcrib, it must pro-
bably have waited for its fulfilment until this last subdual
by .Asshurbanipal. For the policy of Esarhaddon and also
of Asshurbanipal, until repcated rcbellions wore his patience,
was of settlcmcnt, not of dcportation. If too the l)rophccy of
Nahum were brought down to the rcign of Asshurbanipal,
it would bc the more stupcndous. For the empir"e was
more consolidated. Nahum tclls the conqueror, flushed
with his own succcsses and those of his father, that he
had himself no more inherent pO\\"Cr than the city whose
peoplc hc had carried captive. Thcbcs too, like Nineveh,
dwelt sccurely, conquerinp: aU, um"eached by any ill, sea-
girt, as it were, by the mighty river on which she rested.
She too was streng-thened with countlcss hosts of her own
and of allied pcople. Yet she fcU. Nineveh, thc prophct
tclls her, was no mightier, in herself. Her river was no
stronger defence than that sca of fresh water, the Nile; her
tributaries wouJd dispersc or become hcr enemies. Thc
Prophet holds up to her the vicissitudes of No-amon, as a
mirror to her;;:elf. As each dcath is a rcnewcd witness
to man's mortality, so each marvellous reverse of tcmporal
greatness is a witness to the precariousness of other human
might. No thcn was an ensample to Ninevch, although its
capture was by the armics of Nineveh. They had been, for
centuries, two rivals for powcr. But the contrast had far
morc force, when thc victory ovcr Eg)-pt was fresh, than after
61 }-ears of alternate conquest and rebellion,
But, any how, the state of 1'ìineveh and its empirc, as
pictured by Nahum, is inconsistent with any times of sup-
lJOscd weakness in the reign of its last king: the state of
Judah, with refcreu('e to Assyria, corresponds with that
uuder Sennaehcrib but with nonc below. Thcv are these,
Assyria was in its full unimpaired strength m. She stilI
blendcd those two charactcrs so rarely combined, but actually
united in hel" and subsequently in Babylon, of a great mer-
chant aud military peoplc. She had, at once, the prospcrity
of peacc and of war. Lying on a great line of ancicnt traffic,
which bound together East and 'Vest, India with Phænicia,
and with Europe through Phænieia, both East and "T cst
poured their treasurcs into the great capital, which lay as a
centre betwccll them, and stretched out its arms, alike to the
Indian sea and thc l\Ieditcl"ranean. Nahum can compare its
mcrchants onlv to that which is countless by man, the locusts
or the stars or"heaven n. But amid this prosperity of pcace,
war also was enrichilw her. J\ineveh was still scndin
out
its messenger-s (such oas was Rabshakch), the le,"icrs of its
tributc, the demandcrs of submission. It was still oue vast

This, however, scarcely appears here, wllere he says "I returned in safety to
Nineveh." p. 76. d lb. 66, 68.
. lb. p. 79" In p. i5 it is said that Urdamanie abandoned No and fled t
Kipkip.
f See on Am. i. 5. .pp. 160, 1. K' Is. xx:. 4.
c"'n.
'" 1 C']i'I
.
"'!!
'
k Rawl. lb. 4í4, 4/5. 1 Rawl. lb. p. is,,. m 1. 12. 11. l
. D Ill. lU.
HHH2

360

IXTRODUCTION TO

lion-lair its lions still gathering in prcy from the whole
earth 0 'still de
olating, continu
lly, unceasingly, in all
directi
ns P, and now, spccially, devising e,"il against God and
His peoplc q. Cpon that peolJle its yolæ already pres
ed, for
{;od llrom
ses to break it off fr
m
hem r; the people .was
alreac!1/ affliCted, for God says to It, TllOugh I hal'e l!/ll1cted
t!lee, j willqfllict thee no more., viz. by this Ïtl\'ader. Thc
!"olemn feasts of Judah were hindcred through the prcsence
of unO"odlv ill\"aders; Belial, the counscllor of cvil spoken of
under'" tha't name, already passing through hcr t . 'Yar was
around her, for hc promises that onc should publish peacc upon
her rnountains t . This was the foreground of thc picture.
This was the exact condition of things at Hezckiah's second
invasion, just bcforc thc miraculous destruction of his army,
ScnnacherilJ"s yoke was heavy; for he had exacted from
Hezeldah three hlllllh'ed talents of silver allli tltirty talents of
gold U ; Hezekiah had not x two tlWllSll1ul !lorsemell; the great
!losty of the Assyrians cncircled Jcrusalem. They summoned
it to surrender on the terms, that they should pay a new
tribute, and that Sennacherib, whenever it pleased him,
should remove them to Assvria z.
At no subsequcnt pcriod
'ere there any events correspond-
ing to this description. l\Ianassch was carried calJth'e to
Babylon by Esarhaddon; but probably this was no formi-
dable or resisted invasion, since the book of Kings passes it
over altogetht'r, the Chroniclcs mention only that the Assy-
rian generals took ::\Ianasseh prisoner in a thickct., accord-
ingly not in Jerusalcm, ami carricd him to Babylon. Pro-
bably, this took place, in the expedition of Esarhaddon to
the 'Y cst, when he scttled in the citics of Samaria people of
different nations, his captives b. The capture of l\lanasseh
was then, probably, a mere incident in the history. Since
he was taken among the thickets, he had probably flcd, as
Zedekiah did afterwards, and was taken in his place of con-
cealment. This ,,'as simply personal. No taking of towns
is mentioned, no sicge, no terror, no exaction of tribute, no
carrying away into captivity, except of the single ::\Ianasseh.
The grounds of his rcstoration are not mentioned. The
ChrOI
icles mention only the religious aspect of his captivity
and his restoration, his t;in and his repentance. But it
seems probable that he was restored by Esarhaddon, upon
the same s).
tem of policy, on which he plantcd subjects of
his own in Samaria and thc country around Zidon, built a
new town to take the place of Zidon, and joined in the throne of
Edom one, brought up in his own palace. For, whcn restored,
l\Ianasseh was sct at full liberty to fortify Jerusalem c, as
Hezekiah had done, and to put" C captains of war in all the
cities of Judah." This looks as if he was sent back as a
trusted tributary of Esarhaddon, and as a frontier-power
against EgY}lt. At least, sixty years afterwards, we find
Josiah, in the liliC relation of trust to Ncbuchadnezzar, re-
sisting the passage of Pharaoh-Nccho. However, the human
cause of his restoration must remain uncertain. Yet dearly,
in their whole hb:tory, there is nothing to correspond to the
state of Judæa, as described by :Kahum.
A reccllt critic writes, "d Nahum's prophecy must ha,'e
been occasioned by an expedition of mighty enemies against
:Kinevch.-The whole prophccy is groundcd on the ccrtain
danger, that :Kineveh is as g"ood as fallen; and all which in
this is purely prophctical is the way in which this visible
peril is contemplated in connection with the eternal truths."
o ii. 12, 13. p iii. 19. q i. 9, 11. r i. 13. · i. 12. · i. 15. 11 2 Kings xviii. U.
. lb. 23. 'I Ib.17. . lb. 31, 32. · 2 Chron. xxxiii. II. The uniform meaning of
,

is .. took, took prisoner; " of !:'n1M, "thorns; .. the singular only, mn, in one of the two
I'laces in Job, is" a hook," in the other it is a "thorn." ,

, which occurs 120 times in

Ewald docs not cxplain, how "Nineveh was as good as
fallen," whcn it did not fall. The explanation must eomc to
this. :Kahum de
cribed a siege of Nine,'eh and its issue as
certain. The description in itself might be either of' an
actual siege, bcfore the Prophct's eyes, or of one beheld in
tl
e ProphcCs mind. But obviously no merc man, endowed
wIth me
'e human knowledge, w
uld ha':
nnturcd to predict
so ecrtalllly the fall of such a CIty as l'ì lIle,"eh, unless it was
"as good as fallen." But according to the axiom rccch'ed
in Ewald's school, :K ahum, equally with all other men, could
ha,-c had only human prescience. Therefore :Kahum, pro-
phesying the i
sue so confidently, must have prollhesicd whcn
Nine,'eh "was as good as fallen." The à priori axiom of thc
school rules its criticism. l\Icanwhile the admission is inci-
dentally made, that a prophecy
o certain, had it relatcd to dis-
tant e,"ents, was what no man, with mere human knowledge',
would venture upon. Ewald accordingly thinks that the pro-
phecy was occa"ioned by a siege of Phraortes; which siege
:Kahum expected to be succe
sful; which howenr failed, ,,0
that Nahum was mistaken, although the overthrow which hc
foretold came to pass afterwards! The siege, however, of
:Kinevch by Phraortes is a mer
romance. Herodotus, who
alone attributes to Phraortes a war with As
yria, has no
hint, that he even approachcd to Xine,"ch. He simply relates
that Phraortes "subdued Asia, going from one nation to ano-
ther, until, lcading an army again
t the Assp'ians, he perished
himself, in the 22nd year of his reign, and the greater
part of his army." It is not necessary to consider the non-
natural expositions, by which the simplc dc,;;criptions of Na-
hum werc distorted into conformity with this theOl'Y, which
has no onc fact to
upport it. Herodotus e\'Cn dwells on the
good condition of the Assyrian affairs, although isolated from
their revolted allies, and seemingly represents the victory as
an easy one. And, according to Herodotus, whose account is
the only one wc have, Phraortcs (even if hc evcr fought with
thc Nine\'Ïtes, and Hcrodotus' account is not merelv the re-
casting of the history of another :\Icdian Frawarth.h 'who, ac-
cording to thc Behistun Inscription, daimed the throne of
l\1edia against Darius, and perished in battlc with him") had
only an llnorganised army. Herodotus says of Cyaxares, his
son, "f Hc is said to ha,'e been more warlikc far than his fore-
fathers,and he first distributcd Asiatics into distinct bands, and

eparatcd thc spcarmen and archers and horsemen from one
another, whereas, beforc, evcrything had alike mixed into one
confused mass." Such an undisciplined horde could have
bccn no formidablc enemy for a nation, whom the monu-
mcnts and thcir history exhibit as so warlike and so skilled
in war as the Assyrians.
Another critic g: then, seeing the un tenableness of this theo-
ry, ventures (as he never hesitated at any paradox) to place
thc prophet :Kahum, as an eye-witness of the first siege of
Cvaxarcs.
. Herodotus states that Cyaxares, the son of Phraortes, twice
besieged :Kineveh. First, immediately after his father's death,
to avenge it f ; the second, after the end of the Scythian trou-
bles, whcn he took it h. Thc capture of lXineveh was in the
first year of N abopolassor ß. C, 625. The aeces
ion of Cy-
axares, according to Herodotus, was B. C. 633. Eip,"ht years
then only elapsed between his first siege and its capture, and,
if it be true, that the siege lasted two years, thcre was an in-
terval of six years only. But, at this timc, the dcstruction
the O. T., never means "dragged capth"e." The meaning ascribed to the words, "bound him
with chains," is "holly conjectural. ,

does not mean "bound," nor C'n1n "chain.."
b Ezr. iv. 2, 9, 10. < 2 Chron. xxxiii. 14. dEwald, Proph. i. 349.
. In Rawl. i. 409. r i. 103. K' Hitzig, followed by Davidson, üi. 293. h i. 106.

of Kinenh was no long-er a
ubj('ct of joy to Judah. Since
the capth"ityof )Ianasseh, Judah had had nothing to fear
from Assyria; nor do we know of any oppression from it.
Holy Scripture mentions none. The .\s
Fian monuments
speak of expeditions against Egypt; but there was no temp-
tation to harass Judah, which stood in the relation of a
faithful tributary and an outwork a
ainst Egypt, and which,
when Kineveh fell, remained in the same relation to its eon-
querors,intowhose suzeminty it passed, together with the other
dependencies of Assyria. The relation of Josiah to Babylon
was the continuation of that of .Manasseh to Esarhaddon.
The moth"e of this theory is explained by the words, H'Yith
a confidence, which leaves room for no doubt, Kahum ex-
pects a siege and an ultimate destruction of Nineveh. The
security of his tone, nay that he nntures at all to hope so
enormou!'Ò a revolution of the existing state of things, must
find its explanation in the circumstances of the time, out of
the then condition of the world; but not till Cyaxares reigned
in l\Iedia, did things assume an aspect, corresponding to
this confidence." It is well that this writer doffs the cour-
teous language, as to the" hopes," "expectations," " infer-
ences from God's justice," and hrings the question to the is-
sue, "there is such absolute certainty of tone," that K ahum
must have had either a Divine or a human knowledge. He
admowledges the untenahlenes!'; of any theory which would
account for the prophecy of Kahum on any human Jmow-
ledge, before Cyaxares was marching against the gates of

ine'-eh. 'Vould human Jmowledge have sufficed then? Cer-
tainly, from su('h aeeounts as we have, Kineveh might still
have stood against Craxares and its own rebel and traitorous
general, but for an unforeseen event which man could not
bring about, the swelling of its I'h"er.
But, as usuaJ, unbelief fixes itself upon that which is mi-
nutest, ignores what is greatest. There are, in Kahum, three
remarkable predictions. I) The sudden destruction of Sen-
nacherib's army and his own remarJmble death in the house
of his god. 2) The certain, ine,"itable, capture of Xinenh,
and that, not by capitulation or famine, not even by the siege
or assault, whieh is painted so vividly, but the rh-er, which
was its protection, becoming the cause of its destruction. 3)
Its utter desolation, when captured. The first, men assume
to have been the description of events past; the second, the
siege, they assume to have been present; and that, when lm-
man wisdom could foresee its issue; the third, they generalise.
The first is beyond the reach of proof now. It was a witness
of the Providence and just judgement of God, to those days,
not to our's. A brief survey of the history of Assyrian Em-
pire will shew, that the second and third predictions were be-
yond human Jmowledge.
The Assyrian Empire dated probahly from the ninth cen-
tury before Christ. Such, it has been pointed out, is the con-
current result of the statements of Berosus and Herodotus.
Moses, according to the simplest meaning of his words, spake
of the foundation of Kineveh as contemporary with that of
Babylon. iTlle beginning of the kingdom of Kim rod, he re-
lates, was Babel and Erech, and Accad and Calneh, in the land
of SMnar. Out of that land went forth Asshur, and huilded
Nineveh. Oppressed probably and driven forth by Kimrod,
Asshur and his Semitic descendants went forth from the plain
I Gen. x. 10, n. . k II

not IC
: 1C
"lO r.
:;r i', I I!:::r
Gen. xxv. 18.
· Gen. x. 11, 12. II :Ð"lJ."I "1111. 0 Bar-Hebr. in Tuch de Nino urbe pp. 9, 10.
P Gen. ü. U. There is nO reason, with Keil, to disturb the rendering. l1O'i' is most
DaturaHy rendered Eastward, in the other three J.llaces; Michmash was É.8.E. of

et

:lle

8 Th ;

ttf1' W
Y
h wb:g

t ;eiii!h:;;:
h:t;,:::'
g :.,
r;
o rn

h::
[t&
:

XAHUl\l.

361

of Shinar, the Babvlonia of after-ag-e
. Had
[oses intended
to express (what
ome have thou
ht), that .LYimrod "went
forth out of that land to .\ss\Tia," he would doubtless have
used the ordinary !';tyle of eõnneeted narrath-e; "k And he
went forth thence." He would probahJy also han avoided
ambig-uity, by expressing that :Kimrod "went forth to As-
shur .," using a form, which he employs a little later. As it
is, )[oses has used a mode of speech, by which, in Hebrew, a
parenthetic statement would be made, and he has not used
the form, which oe('urs in everv line of Hebrew narrative to
express a continued history. . Ko one indeed would ha,-e
doubted that such was the meaning, but that they did not
see, how the mention of .\sshur, a son of Shem, came to be
anticipated in this account of the children of Ham. This is
no l!round for abandoning- the simple construction of the He-
brew. It is but the hi
tory, so often repeated in the changes
of the world, that the Jdngdom of ì\imrod was founded on
the expubion of the former inhabitants. ì\imrod began his
Jdngdom; "A
shur went forth."
It is most probable, from this same brief notice, that Ki-
ne,"eh was, from the first, that aggre
ate of cities, which it
afterwards was.
Ioses says, "m And he builded Kinenh and
Rehoboth-Ir and Calaeh and Resen, between Nineveh and
Calach; this is that g-reat city D." This cannot be understood
as said exclusively of Kineveh ; since
inevch was mentioned
first in the list of cities, and the mention of the three others
had inter,"ened; and, in the second place where it is named,
it is only spoken of indirectly and subordinately; it is hardly
likely to be said of Resen, of whose unusual size nothing is
elsewhere related. It seems more probable, that it i
said of
the aggregate of cities, that they formed together one great
city, the very characteristic of Nineveh, as spoken of in Jonah.
!\Ïne'"eh itself lay on the Eastern side of the Tigris, oppo-
site to the present Mosul. In later times, among the Syrian
writers. Asshur becomes the name for the country, distinct
from )Iesopotamia and Babylonia 0, from which it was se-
parated by the Tigris, and bounded on tbe Korth by
Iount
Niphates.
This distinction, however, does not occur until after the
extinction of the Assyrian empire. On the contrary, in Gene-
sis, .Asshur, in one place, is spoken of as 'Yest P of the Hid-
dekel or Tigris, so that it must at that time have comprised
Mesopotamia, if not all on this side of the Tigris, i. e. Baby-
lonia. In another place, it is the great border-state of Ara-
bia on the one side, as was Egypt on the other. The sons oj
bhmael, )Ioses relates q, dwelt from Hat'ilah unto Shur that
is before Egypt, as tholt goest to Assyria; i. e. they dwelt on
the
reat cara'"an-route across the _1rabian desert from Egypt
to Babylonia. Yet l\Ioses mentions, not Babylon, but As-
shur. In Balaam's propheeyr, Asshur stands for the great
Empire, whose scat was at one time at Nineveh, at another
at Babylon, which should, centuries afterlrards, carry Israel
capth"e.
'Yithout entering into the intricacies of Assyrian or Baby-
lonian history further than is necessary for the immediate
object, it seems probable, that the one or other of the sove-
reig-ns of these nations had an ascendenev onr the others, ae-
cOl
ding to his personal character and mÜitary energy. Thus,
in the time of Abraham, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, in his

xiv. 23.) The Philistines too were obviously facing Saul who was at Gi1gaI (1 Sam.
xiü.12). In Ezek. xxxix. 11, the words" eastward of 'he sea," expre68 that the carcases
ili:io

:n
\fr

d

d
ntI
a
te:
:;;

a

nth::
oc;: t'he e s

e
t';
p
f:
":t

went 'Vestward. In Iswah ,jj. 20 the king of Ass) ria is spoken of as be!fond Ihe river,
i. e. the Euphrates. q Gen. xxv. 18. r roiwn. xxiv. 22.

362

INTRODUCTION TO

expedItion against
he kin
s of Sod
m an
l,
omorrha, took
with him. as subordmate allIes, the kmgs of Shmar, (or Bahy-
Ion) and Ellas<'l', as well as Tidal king of nations, a king IU'o-
bahlv of Nomadic tribcs. Thc cxpedition was to avenge the
rebeÏlion of the pctty king-s in the valley of Siddim against
Chedorlaomer, after thcy had been for twclve years tributary.
But althou
h the expcdition eloscd with the attack on the
fivc'ldngs òf Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim, and
Zoar, its extent on the East side of the Jordan from Ashte-
roth I{arnaim in Basan to Elparan (pcrhal)s Elath on thc Red
Sea), amI the defcat of thc g-iant tribes, thc Rcphaim, Zuzim,
Emim, Horites, thc Amalckitcs and thc Amorites in their se-
veral abodes, secms to imply onc of those largcr combinations
against the agg-ressions of the East, which we meet with in
later times". It was no insulatcd conflict which spread over
nearly three degrces of latitude. But it was the king of
Elam, not thc king of Babylon or of Asshur, who led this
expedition; and thosc other kings, according to thc analog"y
of thc expeditions of Eastern monarchs, were probably de-
l)cndent on him. It has becn observed that thc inscrip-
tions of a monarch whose name partly coincides with that
of ChedorlaoUlcr, viz. Kudllrmabuk, or Kudurmapula, shew
tr'aees of a Persian influence on the Chaldee charaetcrs;
but cuneiform deeyphcrers having despondcd of identifying
thosc Ulonarehs 1, Chedorlaomer appears as yet only so far
connected with Babylon, that its Idng was a tributary
sovercign to him or a vicc-king u likc those of later times, of
whom Scnnacherib boasts, "Are not my princes altogether
ldngs ? "
Assyria, at this time, is not mcntioned, and so, since
we know of its existence at an carlier pcriod, it probably
was independent. Lying far to the North of any of the
nations here mention cd, it, from whatever cause or how-
e'.er it may have bcen engaged, took no share in the war.
Subsequently also, down to a datc almost contemporary
with the Exodus, it has been observed that the name of
Asshur does not appcar on the Babylonian inscriptions,
nor does it swell the titles of thc Idng of Babylon x . A little
later than thc Exodus, however, in the beginning of the
14th century B. C., Asshur and Egn)t were already dis;
Imting thc country which lay betwcen them. The account
is Egyptian, and so, of course, only relates the sueecsses of
Egypt. Thothmes III, in his fortieth year, according to 1\11'
Birch, received tribute from a Idng of Nineveh Y. In another
monument of the same monareh, where the line, following on
the name Ninc,.eh, is lost, Thothmes says that he "Zereéted
11is tablet in Naharaina (Mesopotamia) 'tor the extension of
the frontiers of Iiami" [Eg-ypt]. Amenophis III, in the
same century, represented Asiatic captives a, with the names
of Patana [Padan-Aram], Asuria, Karukamishi [Carehe-
mish"]. "On another column are Saenkar (Shinar), Nahara-
ina, and the Khita (Hittites)." Thc mention of these conti-
guous nations strengthens thc impression that the details of
the interpretation are aecurate. All thesc inscriptions imply
that Assyria was independent of Babylon. In one, it is a eo-
ordinatc power: in the two others, it is a state which had
measured its streng:th with Egn,t, under onc of its greatest
conquerors, though, according to thc Egyptian account, it
had becn worstcd.

. Sir H. Rawl. in Rawl. Herod. i. 446. t "On the one hand ilie general
resemblance of Kudurmapula's legends to those of the ordinary Chaldæan monarchs is
unquestionable; on the other hand, it is remarkable that there are peculiarities in Hie

h
h ola:

/

:l

cti

nw
ili t
i

en
ir H:"k:

:
aR

lPH
r

r

3

U Rawl. Five Empires i. 206.

Another account, which has been thought to bc the first
instancc of the extension of Babylonian authority so far
northward, seems to mc rather to imply the ancicnt self-
govcrnment of Assyria. "b A record of Tiglathpileser I. de-
clarcs him to havc rehuilt n tcmple in the city of Asshur,
which had been taken down 60 years previously, after it had
lasted for 641 ycars from the datc of its first foundation
by Shamas-Iva, son ofIsmi-Dagon." Sir H. Rawlinson thinks
that it is probable (although only probable )c, that this Ismi-
Dagon is a king, whose name occurs in the briek-Icgends of
Lower Babylonia. Y ct thc Ismi-Dagon of the bricks does not
bear the titlc of king of Babylon, but of king of Nitfer onlyd:
"his son," it is noticed, "docs not take the title of king; but of
govcrnor of Hur e ." The name Shamas-Iva nowhcre occurs
in conncction with Babylonia, but it does rceur, at a later
period, as thc name of an Assyrian l\1onareh f. Since thc
names of the Eastern kings so often continue on in the same
kingdom, the recurrence of that name, at a later period, makcs
it even probable, that Shamas-Iva was a native king. There
is absolutely nothing to f'onneet his father Ismi-Dagon with
the Ismi-Dagon king of NitreI', beyond thc name itself, which,
being Semitic, may just as well have belonged to a native
king of Nincvch as to a king of Lower Babylonia. Nay, there
is nothing to shew that Ismi-Dagon was not an Assyrian
Monarch who reigned at Nitrer; for the namc of his fathcr is
still unknown; there is no evidence that his father was ever
a Idng, or, if a king, whcre he reigned, It seems to me in
the last deg-rec precarious to assume, without further c,'i-
denee, the identity of the two kings. It has, furthcr, yet to
be shewn that Lower Babylonia had, at that timc, an empire,
as distinct from its own local sovereignty. 'Ve know from
Holy Scripture of Nimrod's kingdom in Shin aI', a prO\'incc
distinct from Elymais, Mesopotamia, Assyria, and l)robably
Chaldæa. In Abraham's time, 1900 B. C., we find again a king
of Shinar. Shinar again, it is supposed, appears in Egyptian
inscriptions, in the 14th century, B. C.g; and, if so, still dis-
tinct from l\1esopotamia and Assyria. But all this impJies a
distinct kingdom, not an empire.
Ag'ain, were it ever so true, that Shamas-h-a was a son of
a king in Lower Babylonia, that he built a temple in Kileh-
Shergat, as being its king, and that he was king, as plaecd
there by lsmi-Dagon, this would be no proof of the continual
dcpendence of Assyria upon Babylonia. England did not
continue a del)endenèy of France, because conquered by
'Villi am of Normandy. How was Alexander's empirc bro-
ken at once! SIJain under Charles the V. was under one
sovereig"nty with Austria; Spain with France had, even of
late, alike Bourbon kings. A nalllc would, at most, shew an
accidcntal, not a permanent, connection.
But there is, at l)rcsent, no evidence implying a continued
dcpendence of Assyria upon Babylon. Two facts only have
been alleged; 1) that the cuneiform writing of inscriptions
at Kileh-Shergat, 40 miles South of Nineveh, has a Baby-
lonian character; 2) that, on those bricks, four names havc
been found of inferior Satraps.
But 1) thc Babylonian f'haraeter of the inscriptions would
show a dependence of eivilisation, not of cll111ire. Arts flou-
rished carly at Babylon, and so the gravcn character of the
Inscriptions too may have been carried to the rougher and
'" lb. p. 447. ,. From statistical Tablet of Karnak, quoted by Layard Nin. and
B
bib: xx\"i. p. 6
\
iH

a
li
:,
lff

h;

:r
aityl

i: l
;,.f." ife
:xï.o
s
:
,i. i. 433. note 1. c lb. p. 456. note 5. d lb. p_ 437. c lb.
7.
P.':dJ. H. Rawlins., Journ. As. Soc. x\"i-tr.l
'.
ir
h
):a

:jiNi
:
dwka

63
:

warJiJce North. The garmcnt, workcd at Babylon, was, in
the 15th century B. C., exported as far as Palestine, and was,
for its beauty, the object of Achan's covetousness h .
2) In regard to the satraps whose namcs arc found on the
ùricks of Kileh-Shcrgat, it docs not appeal", that thcy were
tributary to Bab.lJ1mz at all; they may, as far as it appears,
havc been simply inferior officers of the Assyrian empirc.
Any how, the utmost which such a rclation to Babylon would
evince, if e,"cr so well established, would be a temporary de-
pendence of Kilch-Shergat itself, not of Nineveh or the Assy-
rian kingdom. Further, the cvidence of thc duration of the
dependcncy would be as limited at its extent. Fuur satraps
would be no cvidcnce as to this pcriod of 700 years, only a
century less than has elapsed since the Norman conquest.
The early existence of an Assyrian kingdom has been con-
firmed by recent cuneiform discoveries, which give the names
of 8 Assyrian Jdngs, the earliest of whom is supposed to have
reigned about 3! centuries before thc commencement of the
Assyrian Empire i.
The" empire," Herodotus saJ"S k, "Assyria held in Lpper
Asia for 520 years;" Berosus I, " for 526 years." The Cunei-
form Inscriptions give much thc same result. Tiglath-
pileser ID, who gives five years' annals of his own victories,
mentions his grandfather's grandfather, the 4th king before
him, as the king who" first organised the country of Ass)Tia,"
who" established the troops of Assyria in authority." The
expression, "established in authority," if it may be pressed,
relatcs to foreign conquest. If this Tiglathpileser be the
same whom Sennacherib, in the 10th year of his own reign,
mentions as having lost his gods to l\Ierodach-ad-akhi, king
of Mesopotamia, 418 years before D, then, since Sennacherib
ascendcd the throne about 703 B.C. 0, wc should have B.C.
1112 for the latter part of the reign of Tiglath-pileser I., and
counting this and the six preceeding reigns at 20 years each P,
should have about 1232 B.C. for the beginning of the Ass
Tiall "
empire. It has been calculated that if the 526 )-ears, assign-
ed by Berosus to his 45 Assyrian kings, are (as Polyhistor q
states Berosus to have meant) to be dated back from thc
accession of Pul who took tribute from Menahem, amI so
from between B.C. 7iO and B.C. 760, they carry back the be-
ginning of the dynasty to about 1290 B.C. If they be
counted, (as is perhaps more probable) from tbe end of the
reign of PuP, i. e. probahly B.C. 74j, "the era of Naho-
nassar," thc Empire would commence about 12ï3 B.C.
Herodotus, it has been shewn., had much the same date in
his mind, when he assigned 520 years to the Assp'ian empire
in upp
r Asia, dating back from the re,"olt of the l\ledes.
For hc supposed this revolt to be I7!} years anterior to the
death of Cyrus B.C. 529 (and so, B.C. 708) + a period of
anarchy before the aeccssion of Deioces. Allowing 30 years
for this period of anarchy, we have 738 B.C. +520, i.e. [258
B.C., for thc date of the commencement of Assyrian empire
according to Herodotus. Thus, the three testimonies would
coincide in placing the beginning of that Empire any how
between 1238 and 12ï3 B.C.
But this Eml)irc started up full-grown. It was the con- I
ccntratioll of energy and power, which had before existed. i

t>:
i.
'e;\'.4'i7

aiJ;.5Iif
t,i

:;'Ii3:i

i
s

2'tion
nii
5
rd
ï!:r=B
t I
pp. 21:1,3. 0 His annals mention that, having e"pelled
lerodach-taladan in the first ' I
b
f. i':f

é
E;;,
f p

,e

e ida
a
l
:li

nB
ê
íJ3
yard B:

t.
:

:2
I

e;;::n

o
t2

:s

fr:,ie
Ft
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73

ði.s. An:
'I In Euseb. Cbron. Arm. pp. 40,1. r 2 Kings xv. 19. · Rawl. Herod. i. 407. '
. Rawl. i. 458. u Layard:N. and B. 20ï-12. 614. Rawl. 459.

NAHU
I.

363

Hcrodotus' expression is "rulers of Lpper Asia." Tiglath-
pileser attributcs to his forefather, that hc "organised the
country," and" established the armies of .\s"yria in autlIO-
rity." The 2nd liing of that list takes thc titlc of" rulcr OHr
the people of Bel t," i. e. Babylonia. The 4th boasts to have
reduc.ed" all thc lands ofthe
Iagian world." Tiglath-pileser
I. clarms to have conquered large parts of Cappadoda, Syria
from Tsukha to Carehemish, l\Jedia and Muzr. According
to the inscription at ßavian u, he sustained a reverse, and lost
his goods to a king of Mesopotamia, which gods were recovered
by Sennaeherib from Babylon. Yet this exccption thc more
proves that conquest was the rule. For, had there bcen sub-
sequent successful invasions of Assyria by Babylonia the
spoils of the 5th century backward would not have been dlone
rccovered or recorded. If the decYl)hering of the Inscriptions
is to be trusted, Ninevch was thc capital, even in tbc days of
Tiglath-pilcser I. For Sennacherib ùrought thc gods back
it is said, amI put them in their places, i. e. probably wherc ll

himself reigned, at Ninevch. Thence then they werc taJ{en
in the reign of Tiglath-pileser. Kinenh then was his capi-
tal also.
Of an earlicr portion we have as yet but incidental notices.
)Oct the might of Assyria is attested by the presence of Assy

rian names in the E
yptian dynastic lists, whether the dy-
nasties wcrc themselves Assyrian, or whcther the names
came in through matrimonial alliances between two great
nations x.
'Yith few exceptions, as far as appcars from their own an-
nals (and these are in the later times confirmed by Holy Scril)-
ture), thc Assyrian Empire was, almost whene,"er we hear of it,
one long series of victory and rapinc. It is an exception, if
any monar'ch is peaceful, and content to "repair thc build-
ings y" in his residence, "Ieaving no evidence of conquest or
greatness." Tiglathi-Nin, father of thc warlike Asshur-i-dan-
ipal or Sardanapalus, is mentioned oiIly in his son's monu-
ment, Hz among his warlikc ancestors, who had carried their
arms into the Armenian mountains, and thcrc set up stelæ to
commemorate their conquests." Civil wars there werc, and
revolutions. Conquerors and dynasties came to an untimely
end; there was parricide, fratricide; but the tidc of war and
eonqucst rolled on. The restless warriors gavc no rest. Sar-
danapalus terms himself, ""the conqueror from the upper
passage of the Tigris to Lebanon and the great sea, who all
countries, from thc rising of the sun to the going down thercof,
has reduced under his authority." His son, Shalmanubar
or Shalmaneser, in his thirty-five years of reign led, in person
twenty-three military expeditions. 20,000,16,000, are the
numbers of Ilis enemies left dead upon a field of battlc with
ßenhadad and Hazael b. Cappadocia,Pontus, Armenia, l\fedia,
Babylonia, Syria, Phænicia c, 15 degrees of longitude and 10 of
latitude, save where the desert or the sea gave him nothing to
conquer, were the range of his repeated expeditions. He
circled round Judæa. lIe thrice defeatcd Benhadad with his
allies (on scveral occasions, twelve kings of the Hittites). His
own army exceeded on occasions 100,000 fightin
men. Twice
he defeated Hazael. Israel under J elm, Tyre, Sidon, 24 lings
in Pontus, kings of the Hittites, of Chaldæa, 2ï kings of Persia

'" Rawlinson's conjecture. Five Ernp. ii. 335. The period is one of "obscurity," as Rawl.
says, but that very obscurity forbids our deciding, as he does, that it was one of .. extraor-
dinary weakness and depression." . . . .
,. Asshur-adan-akhi and three folloWIng kings. See Rawl. Her. 1. 400. The acceSSIon
of Asshur-adan-akhi was placed by some, referred to by Rawl. lb., at B.C. 1050, by him-
self, at B. C. 950, Five Emp. ii. 2'Jl. · Sir H. Rawl. lb. in Rawl. Her. i.
,n. 7.
O
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t:!

a
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;,1
1}):
i,Pé

: l\1a:. t
7\
3
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Z, 5: l:R::J

Her. i. 46
.

364

INTRODUCTION TO

are among his tributaries d; "the sllOoting of his arrows struck
terror," he says, "as far as the sea" [Indian Ocean] ; "hc put
up his arrows in their quiver at the sca of tlle setting sun."
His son Shamasim apparently subdued l3abylonia, and in
the ""cst conquercd tribes near Mount Taurus, on the
1\orth the countries bordering on Armenia to the South
and East, the )Iedes beyond .:\Iount Zagros. and" e the Zimri f
in upper Luristan." His son h-alu
h III. or IY. received
undisturbed tribute from the kingdoms which his fathers
conquered, and as(Tihes to his god Asshur the grant of
"g the kingdom of Bab) Ion to his son." Thus" Assyria with
one hand grasped Babylonia; with the other Phili:-;tia and
Edom; she held Media Proper, S. Armenia, possessed all
Lllper Syria, including Conuuagcne and Amanus, bore
swav m'er all the whole Svrian coast from Issns to Gaza,
and. from the coast to the'tlesert." Tiglath-pileser II. and
Shalmancser are known to us as conquerors from Huly Scrip-
ture h. Ti
lath-pileser, we arc told from the inscriptions,
warred and conquered in rpper Mesopotamia, Armenia, Me-
dia, Babylonia, drove into exile a Babylonian prince, destroyed
Damascus, took tribute from a Hiram king of Tyre, and from
a Queen of the Arahs h. And so it continued, untiJ nearly the
close of the Monarch\'.
The new dynasty wilieh began with Sar/!on were even g-reat-
cr conqnerors than their predecessors. Sargon, in a reign of
seventeen or nineteen years, defeated the king of Elam, con-
quered in Iatbour heyond Elam, reigned from Ras, a depen-
dencyon Elam, onr Poukoud (Pekod), Phænida, Syria, &e.
to the river of Egypt, in the far Media to the rising sun, in
Scythia, Albania, Parthia, Van, Armenia, Colehis, Tubal to the
l\Ioschi: he placed his lieutenants as gonrnors over these
countries, and imposed tribute upon them, as upon Assyrians;
he, probably, plaeed l\lerodach-Baladan on the throne of Ba-
b)-Ion, and after 12 years displace(l him; he reduced all Chal-
dæa under his rule; he defeated" Scbech (i. e., probably, So),
Sultan of Egypt, so that he was heard of no more;" he re-
t'cÏved tribute from the Pharaoh of Egypt, from a Queen of
Ambia and from Himyar the Sabæan. To him first the king'
of Meroe paid tribute. lIe finally captured Samaria: he took
Gaza, I\:harkar, .\rpad and Damascus, Ashdod (which it cost

sammetiehus 29 ycars to reeonqucr), and Tyre, (which re-
sisted Nebuehadnezzar for 13 years). He mlded to the Sa-
trapy of Parthia, IJlaced a Satrap or Lieutenant onr Com-
mag'Cne and Samaria, I\:harkar, Tel-Garimmi, Gamgoum, .hh-
dod, and a king of his own choice over Albania. 'He seized
55 walled cities in Armenia, II, which were held to be "inac-
cessible fortresses;" and 52 great cities in Commagene; 34
in Media; he laid tribute on the" king of the country of ri-
vcrs." lIe remond whole populations at his will; from Sa-
maria, hc carried eapth-e its inhabitants, 2i,800, and plaee(l
them in "dties of the l\ledes i ;" he removed those of Com-
magene to Ela1ll; all the great men of the Tibareni, and the
inhabitants of unknown cities, to Assyria; Canuuanians, wholl1
he had conquered, to Tel-Garinuni, a capital which he re-
built; others whom he had vanquished in the East he placed
in Ashdod: again hc plaee(l "Assyrians de,'oted to his em-
pire" among the Tibareni; inhabitants of cities unknown to
uS,in Damascus; Chaldæans inConuuagenek. "IThe Comukha

d Dr..Hincks, Athenæum K. I1;G. p. 1í4. Raw1. lb. Five Emp. ii. 3GO. . Rawl.
Herod. I. 4&;. Five Emp. ii. 3ï
. f .'fer. xxv. 25. g Raw!. Her. i. 46ï,
Fi.-e Empires ii. 380. . h Raw1. Her. i. 4ïO. I 2 Kings x,ii. 6, xviii. Il.
" The ab
ve account of SaIgon is taken from Opl'ert's Inscriptions Assyriennes
des
a!l!:omdes, p. 19-40, extracted from the Annales de Philosophle Chrétienne T. vi.
(5
sene). Oppert, p. 8, gi.es as the meaning of his name, "actual king," "roi de
fait." Sargon himself, if Oppert has translated him rightly, gives as its meaning,

were remo,'ed from the extreme ]'\ orth to Susiana, and Chal-
dæans were brought from the extreme South to supply their
plaee." "Seven king-s of latnan, seven days' voyage off in
the "'estern seas, whose names were unknown to the kings"
his c. father
, hearing of" his "deeds, came before" him to Ba-
bylon with" presents;" as did the king of Asmoun, who dwelt
in the midst of the Eastern sea (the Persian gulf). He placed
his statue, "writing on it the glory of Asshur his master," in
the capital of 'Tan, in Kikisim (Cireesium) as also in Cyprus,
which he docs not name, but wherc it has been diseovcred
in this century m. The .:\Ioschian king, with his 3000 towns,
who had ne,-er submitted to the kings his predecessors, sent
bis submission and tribute to him.
Sennacherib, the son of Sargon, says of himself, " .\ssour,
the great lord, has conferred on me sovereignty over the peo-
pies; he has extended my dominion m'er all those who dwell
in the worM. I,'rom the uPI)er Ocean of the setting sun to
the lower Ocean of the rising sun, I reduced under my power
all who carried aloft their head." He defeated .\Ierodach Ba-
ladan and the king of Elam tog'ether n ; too){ in one expedition,
"n j9 great strong cities of the Chaldæans and b20 small
towns;" he took prisoners by hundreds of thousands; 200,150
in his first e-..::pedition against Hezekiah, from 44 g-reat walled
cities which he took amI little villages innumerable 0;
O
,OOO
from the ]'\abathæans and Hagarenes P: he cmployed on his
great buildings 360,000 men, gathered from Chaldæa and Ara-
mæa, from Cilicia and Armenia q ; he conquered populations in
the :Korth, which 'c had of old not submitted to the kings my
brothers r ," annexed them to the prefecture of Arrapaehitis and
set up his image r; he received tribute from the g-on'rnor of
Khararat r, wasted the 2 residence-cities, 34 smaller cities of
Ispahara king of Albania, joining a part of the territory to
I Assyria, and calling its city, Ilhinzas, the city of Sennaeheríb.;
, he reduee(l countries of"Me(lia, whose names the kings his bro-
I thers had not heard"; he set a king, Toubaal, over the great and
little Sidon, Sarepta, Achzib, Aceo, Betzitti, l\Iahalliba; the
I kings of .:\Ioab, Edom, Bet-Amman, An'ad, Ashdod, submitted
I to him t; he defeated an "innmnerahle host" of E
)lJtians at
AItakou U [EltekeJ; sons of the king of Egypt fell into his hands;
he captured Ascalon, Bene-Barak, Joppa, Hazor u; put back at
Amgarron PIigronJ the expelled king Padi. who had been sur-
rendere(l to Hezekiah x ; gave portions of the territory of Heze-
kiah to the kings of Ashdod, l\Iigron, Gaza) ; he dro,-e l\lero-
daeh-baladan again to Elam, captured his brothers, wasted
his cities, and placed his own eldest son, Assur-nadin, on the
throne of Babylon z; took se,-en impregnable cities of the 1'ou-
kharri, plaecd like birds' nests on the mountains of ],\ipour z;
conqucred the king of Oukkou in Dayi, among mountains
which none of his ancestors had penetrated; took Oukkou
and
m other cities a; attacked 1:1am, "crossing-" the Persian
gulf" in S) rian vessels a;" eapturi ng the men, and destroying
the eitics b ; in another f'ampaign. he garrisoned, with prisoner-
warriors of his own, cities in Elam which his father had lost c;
destroYCtl 34 larc:e cities and othel'S innumerable of Elam c.
IIis aëcount uf his reign closes with a great defeat of Elam,
whom the escaped Souzoub had hired with the treasures of
the temples of Babylon, and of Ii rebel tribes or cities, at
I\:halouli, and their entire subdual d. He repelled some Greeks

"righteous prince," 011--i;l)p.38.
statement is not in Oppert"s Inscriptions.
m Now in the Royal }Iuseum at Berlin. La
'ard Bab. p. GiS.
n Oppert Sarge p. 41. 0 lb. p. 45. P Layard Bab. p. I-U.
'I Rawl. Her. i. 4;6. · Opp. pp. 42, 3. · lb. p. 43. t pp. 4-'3, 4.
n p.4i. . pp.44, 5. 'Y p.45. . p. -16. . p.
7.
bpI" 4;, 8. . PI'. 48. d pp. 49-51.

I Rawl. 5 Emp. ii. 423. This

in Cilicia, set up his image there, with a record of his deeds,
and built Tar
us, on the model of Babylon". It has been no-
tit-cd, what a" ){een appreeiatiun of the mel'its of a 10calityO'
his
elertion of its site evineed. The destruction of his army
of 1
5,OOO men, at the word of God, mil,;"ht well deter him
from again challenging thc Almighty; but we have seen. in
the wars of Kapoleon I., that sueh los
es do not break the
powel' uf an emf,ire. It was no vain boast of Sennaeherih,
that he had gathered all the earth, and carried capth'e the gods
of tIle nations. The boast wa" true; thc application alone was
impious. God owned in him the instnnnent which He had
formed, the rod of His finger. He condemned him, only be-
cause the a.t-e hoasted itself against Him lVlw hewed there-
7l'ith. \ïctorious, except when he fought against God, and
employed by God to tread dOll'n the people as tlte mire of tlte
streets g, Sennacherih was cut oft' as God foretold, but left his
kingdom to a ,-irtorious son.
I1is son, Esarhaddon, takes titles, yet more lofty t)lan those
of Sennacherib. He f'aU
himself, "h King of Assyria, 'ïcar
of ßahylon, King of the
umirs and Aeead,., King of Egypt

Ieroe and Cush, who rei1l'ned from sunrisin
' to sun-set, une-
qualled in the imposition of trihutes." J n Armenia, he killed
Adrammelerh i, his half-hrother, one of his father's murderers,
who fled to .Armenia, probably to dispute thence his father's
crown. In every dh'ection he carried his conquests further
than his powerful father k. He speaks of conquests in the far
)Ie(lia, "Iwhere none of the hing-s.our fathers/' had conquered,
whose kinc:s bore well-)mown Persian names m.
They and their subjects were carried off to Assyria. Others,
who" n had not conspired against the kings my fathers and
the land of Assyria, and whose territories my fathers had not
conquered," submitted voluntarily in terror, lJaid tribute and
rceeÍ\-ed .\.ssyrian gm-ernors. In the \\' cst, he )JUrsued by sea
a king' of Sidon who rebelled, dh-ided the Syrians in strange
countries. and placed mountaineers, whom his bow had subdued
in the East, with a governur, in a castle of Esarhaddon which
hc built in SYI'ia. Hc warred sueees,;fully in Cilicia, Khou-
bousna. and destroyed 10 large cities of the Tibareni and car-
ried their people captive; trod down the country of .\Iasnaki,
transported rebels of Yan; he established on the Southern
shore that son of l\Ierodaeh-baladan who submitted to him,
J"Cmo, ing the hl'Other who trusted in Elam, himself reigned in
ßabylon 0, whither he carried l\Ianasseh p. He reconquered
..the city of Ädoumou (Ldom), (the city of the power of the
.\rabs.) which Sennaeherib had conquered, and carried off its
people to Assyria;" he named as (
ueen of the Arab
, Tabouya,
horn in his palace; put the son ofHazaelon his father's throne.
An expedition to "q a far country to the bounds of the earth
beyond the desert," ßazi (Buz), reached by traversing 140 far-
sakhs (?) of sandy desert, then 20 farsakhs (?) of fertile land and
a stony re
'ion, Khazi (Cz), looks li){e an expedition across
.\rabia, and, if so, was unparalleled except by K ushin'an. Some
of the other names are Arabic. Any how, it was a country,
whither none of his predeeessors had gone; he Idlled 8 kin
s,
carricd oft' thcir subjects and spoils. He conquered the
Gomboulou in their marshes. Twelve kin!!;s on the coast of
Syria.wh.om he recounts by name, (Ba'lou king of Tyre, Ma-
nasseh kmgof Judah, and those of Edom, !\Iaan, Gaza, Asealon,
.\mgarron, ßyblos, Aradus, Ousimouroun, Bet-Ammon, Ash-

. Pol} hist. in Eus. Chr. i. c. 5. Abyden. ib. c. 9. f Rawl. 5 Emp. ii. 456. I Is. x.
5-15, '[xx,i. 18-20. h Oppert p. 53. ' Ab}'den. in Eus. Chron. Arm. p. 53.
It The murder then of Sennacherib was no sign of the decadence of the empire, but one
of the.
ommon fruits of the polygamy of Eastern monarchs. I O
pert pp. 56, 7.
m S'tlTparnaand I parna. n lb. Two of the names again, Raw]. observes (5 Emp. ii. .1ï3),
are .\T}-an, Zanasana and Ramatiya; a 3rd is Arpis. 0 Bab} I. tablet in Rawl. Her, i, 48
.

1\AHU.M.

G.)

dod) and 10 )iÍngs of Yatnan in the sea (Cyprus),-Ægisthns
(Ikistousi), Kin
of Idalion (Idial), Pythag-oras (Pitag-oura) I\:.
ofCitium (Kitthim), Ki-,K. of Salamis \Silhimmi), Ittoda
on
(" Dag'on is with him," Itoudag-on), K. of Paphos (Pappa),
Euryalus (IrieH), 1\:. uf Soli (Sillou), Damasou, K. of Curium
(Kuri), Ounagousou, K. of Limenion (Limini), Roumizu, K.
of Tamassus (Tamizzi,) Damutsi of Amti-Khadasti, Puhali of
Aphrodisinm (Oupridissa) r,-held their rule from him.
The names of the countries, ii'om which he broug-ht thuse
whom he settled in Samaria, attest alike his strength and the
then weakness of two of the nations, which afterwards concur-
red to m'erthrow his empire. The colonists,aceording-to theh'
own letters to Artaxerxes., comprehended, among others, Ba-
lJ./jlonians; Arcltn:ites i. e. inhabitants of Ereeh, mentioned in
Genesis t, as, together with Babel, part of the beginning- of the
kingdom of i\imrud; Susanchites, i. e. inhabitants of Susiana
orChusistan; Dellllt'ites, Daansin Herodotus n, one of the wan-
dering Persian tribes, whose name (Taia) still exists:r; ElamitesY.
or the dn'ellers on the Persian g'ulf, bordering on Susiana; A-
pllllrsites or the Persians in their original abode in Paraça, Pa-
raiç, now Farsistan. It seems also probable that the Aphar-
sac/lites' are those more known to us as Sacæ or Seythians,
whom Esarhaddon says that he conquered a; and that the A-
pltarsachtltites (with the same word Aplwrprefixed) are the Sit-
taceni on the Caspian. The Dinaites and the Tr.111Jhelites are
as yet unidentified, unless the Tarpetes h of the Palus .:\Iæotis
near the Sittaceni, or the Tapiri c in
Iedia be a corruption of
the name. The Samaritan settlers add, And the rest of tlte na-
tions, 1l'!lOm the gl'eat andnoh/e Asnapper carried captive, and
settled in the cítiesnf Samaria and tlte rest on tltis side the rh'er.
l'nder this general term, they include the
Iesopotamian set-
tlers brought from A vvah and Sephar\"aim. and those from
Hamath d . probably wishing to insist to the Persian Monarch
on their Persian, Median, or Babylonian descent. They attest
at the same time that their forefathers were not willin,c:ly re-
mond but transported, carried into e.t'ife", and accordingly that
Lsarhaddon, in whose reign they were removed, had power in
all these countries. The condensation also of settlers from
tweh-e nations in so small a space as the cities of Samaria (ana-
lo
ous as it is to the dispersion of the Jews OHr so many pro-
,-inees of their captors) illustrates the poliey of these transpor-
tations, and the strength which they ga,-e to the empire. Ka-
tious were blended to
ether among those foreign to them, "ith
no common bond except their relation to their conqueror. .\
check on those around them, and themselves held in check hy
them, they had no common hOlUe to which to return, no inte-
rest to serve by rehelling. Esarhaddon built 36 temples in .As-
I syria by the labour of foreign slaves, his captives, who wor-
. shipped his gods f.
i This collertion of people of twelve nations in the cities of Sa-
I maria represents moreover one portion only of the conquests
, of Esarhaddon, and, for the most part, that furthest from J u-
dæa. For the prineiple of the policy was to remove them far
from their own land, Ethiopian and Egyptian captÏ\-es would
be placed, not here whence they could easily return, but, like Is-
rael in the cities of the
Iedes, whence theyeould find no escape,
The son of EsarlJaddon, AsshurbaniI)aHII.,
'et further en-
larged and consolidated the comluests of his conquering father.
His expeditions into Egypt have been already dwelt upon;

p 2 Chr.xxxiii.ll. q Oppertp. 5.6. Raw]. 5 EmP:!l.4iO, 1. Oppert doesnotide!,tify
the names of distances. r Ra"l. Her.l. 48-3,4.5 Emp.n.483. Oppert p. 58. . Ezr.lv.Y.
. Gen. x.lO. U i.l25. '" Ritter Erdk. vii. 608. .,. Is. XXI. 2, xxii. 6. . Ezr. v. 6.

;\
dulr;: t ,\si;t K

Ü'.
:.

.I,
,
;::
.
riJ: 48
As:

r

t
lp
i
:
PP;T!
:
57, Raw]. 5 Emp. ii. lS:!. g Or Asordanes, Layard
in. and B. p. 45:!.
I I I

3GG

I:\fTRODUCTIO
TO

his ,-ictories were easy, compJcte. Th'haka, himself a g.'eat
conqueror, fled into unknowl
.deserts beyond reach <;,f
Imrsuit!". IIi
!"tep-son Urdmmme attempted to recover IllS
Idng-dom, was defeated at once, fled and his capital was taken.
In Àsia, he took away t}I(' king of Tyre, who offended him;
made eonquests beyond 1\11. Tauru!", ,,-here his fathers had
never been h; received an emhassy from Gyges; attarhed to As-
syria a tract of Minni or Persarmenia, took the capital of1\Jin-
ni; took SIIUi'han i and Badaea, !"lew their' l
ing!", united Su-
siana to Babylouia; subdued anew EdollJ, l\Ioab, Kedar, the
Nabathæans; received the submission of the king of l'rarda,
Ararat k. \\'hile .\ssvria was extended wider than before, its
old enemies were mOl:e incorporated with it, or, at least, more
subdued; it was more at onc within itself. Egypt, the great
rival Empire, had tried to shake off the yoke, but was suh-
dued; no pcople in Syria or the valley of the Euphrates stirred
itself; the whole tract within the Taurus, once so rife with ene-
mies, lay hushed under his rule: hushed were the Hittites,
Hamathites, the Syrians of Damascus, the Tibareni who had
once held their own against his father; war was only at thc
very extremities, in l\Iinni or Edom, and that, rather chastise-
ment than war; Babylon was a tranquil portion of his empire,
except during the temporary rebellion ofthe brother, whom he
had plaeed over it, and whom he pardoned. His death, amid
the tranquil promotion of literature I, when he had no more
enemies to conquer or rehels to rhasten, left his empire at the
zenith of its power, some 22 years before its destruction.
Cahw had become,
s Sennacherib boasted m , like Carclmnisll;
Halllatlllike Al])(lcl; Sama1"ia as Damascus. Hen had remOl'ecl
the bOWlcls afthe people andgatllerecl all the earth, as one gather-
eth eggs, left by the parent bird, undefended even by its im-
potent love, There was not a cloud on the horizon, not a to-
ken whence the whirlwind would come. The bas-reliefs attest.
[hat neither the energy nor the cruelty of the Assyrians weré
diminished o.
Of those twenty two years. we have nothingreliablc except
their close. There was IH'obably nothing to relate. There
would not be any thing, if .-\sshurbanipal had consolidated his
empire, as he seems to hm'e done, and if his son and successor
inherited his father's later tastes, and was free from the thirst
of boundless conquest, whieh had charaeterised the earlier ru-
lers of Assyria. Any how, we know nothing authentic. The
invasion of .\ssyria by Phraortes, which Herodotus relates, is
held, on g-ood grounds,to be a later historyofa rebellion against
Darius HY:5taspes, adapted to times before the l\Iedes became
one nation P . There was no reason why it should not have bcen
recorded, had it taken plaee, since it is admitted to have
en
a total defeat, in which Phraortes lost his life q . The invai'ion
of the Srythians, which is to have stollped the siege of Nine-
veh under Cyaxares, was reported in a manifestly exaggerat-
ed form to Herodotus. The 28 years, during which Herodo-
tus relates the Scythian rule to have lasted r, is lonp:er than the
whole of the reign of the last king of Assyria; and yet, accord-
ing to Herodotus, is to have been interposed between the two
sieges of Cyaxares. And as its empire gave no sign of decay,
so far as we can trace its history within 2"2 veal'S before its
destruction, so, with the like ra'pidity, did tile empire rise,
whieh was to destroy it. The account which Herodotus re-
ceived, that the l\Jed-ians had thrown off the yoke of Assyria
before Deioees., is in direct ('ontradiction to the Assyrian in-
h R,wI. remarks that the names are new. i The name is epelt as in Daniel.
It Raw!. 6 Emp, ii. 48t-93. I lb. W;;, 6. m Is. x. 9. nib. 13, 14.
o See plates in La, ard 1\in. and B. PI'. t;;i, 8. Rawl. 5 Emp. iii. 50!, and Layard
Monuments Ser. 2. PI. Ii, 49. quoted It"
P Rawl. Herod. i. 40S,!!. q Herod. i.402. r Ib.l0ù.

seriptions. This was, they state, the time,not of the revo]t,but
of the conquest of )Je(lia. They are confirmed by Holy Scrip-
ture, which says that the Assyrian king [Sar/!on] plaeed in the
cities of the lIIedes t his Israeliti
h captÏ\-es. The ntmof't,whieh
Herodotus ascribes to Deioees however, is, that heconsolidated
tbe six Median tl'ibes and huilt a capital, .Aghatana n. It is an
union of wild hordes into one people, held together for the timc
by the will of one man and by their wearines,; of mutual op-
pressions. Even according to their aecounts, Cyaxare
(about
B.C. 6:}::J, i. e. 8 years before the fall of :r-;ineveh) first orp:anised
the l\Jedian army; thc Greeks, in the time of Æsehylus, be-
lieved Cyaxares to have been the first of the l\Jedianldngs ";
rebels in l\Jedia and Sagartia claimed the l\Jedian throne
against Darius, as descended from Cyaxares, as the founder of
the l\IonarehyY.
Further, the subse(luent history supports the account of
Abydenus against Herodotus, that not the l\Iedes, but the re-
hel general of the last l\Jonardl of l';ineveh was, with hi", Ba-
hylonian troops, the chief author of the destruetion of l'\ine-
veh. The chief share of the spoil, where no motives of refined
policy inten-ene, falls to the strongest, who had chief portion
in the victory. "The
ledes," says Herodotus, "too]{ l';ineveh,
and ('onquered all Ass)Tia, except the Baby]onian portion '."
But Babylon was no spared province, escaping with its inde-
pendence as a g-ain. Bahylonia, not Media, succeeded to the
Southern and 'Yestern dominions of the Assyrian empire, and
the place, where l'\incveh had stood, Cyaxares retaining the
Korth. This was a ti'iendly arrangrment, since subsequently
too we find a Baby]onian prince in the expedition of Cyaxares
against Asia l\Iinor, and l\Iedians assisting Nebuehadnezzar
against the king- of Egypt a. Abydenus represents the Baby-
lonians and l\Jedes, as equal b, but exhibits the rebel general,
as the author ofthe attack. "c After him [Sardanapal], Sarac
held the empire of Assyria, who, being informed of a horde of
mingled troops whirh were coming against him from the sea,
sent Busalossor [Nebopalassar] general of his army, to
Babylon. But he, having determined to revolt, betrothed to
his son,Nebuehodrossor, Amuhea, daughter of Asdahag, prince
of the l\Iedes, and soon made a rapid attack on Nineveh. King
Sarae, when he ]mew the whole, set the palaee EVOlita on fire.
Then N ebuchodrossor, attaining to the empire, encircled Ba-
bylon with strong walls."
The" horde of ming-Ied troops" "from the sea" were pro-
bably those same SUf'ians and Elpnæans, whom the Assyrians
had, in successive reigns, defeated. If the account of Hero-
dotus were true, the father of the l\Iedian Monarch had
perished in conflict with Assyria. The grandfather of the
Assyrian l\Jonarch had himself reigned in Babylon. Assyria
ruled Babylon by viceroys to the end. It has been noticed
that Nahum mentions no one enemy who should destroy
Nineveh. True, for no one enemy did destroy her.
Even now its fall is unexplained. The conquests of its
l\Jonarehs had not been the victories of talented individuals.
They were a race of world-wide conquerors. In the whole
history, of which we have the annals, they are always on the
aggressive. They exacted tribute where they willed. The
tide of time bore them on in their conquests. Their lates

conquests were the most distant. Egypt, her early rival, had
been subdued by her. The powers, which did destroy her, had
no common bond of interest. They were united, for one
. i. 95, 6. t 2 Kgs. xvii. 6. u Her. i. 101.
x Persæ 761-4. ,. Behistun Inscr., quoted by Rawl. Her. i. 409. z i. 106.
a Ra"l. Herod. i. 415, 6. b Conf. Tobit xiv. 15, .. Before he died, he heard of
the destruction of Nineveh, which was taken b) Kabuchonosor and Ahasuel1.ls,"
c Euseb. Chron. P. 1. c.9.

rei
n, not by natural interests, but, as far as we sec, by the
ambition of two indÏ\ iduals. These cru
hed, at onec and for
e'"er, the empire which for so many centuries had been the
rava2,"er of the world. But who could have fóreseen such a
combination and such result!':, sa'"e God, in "'hose hands are
)Hlman wills and the fate of cmpires ?
The fiery empire of cOlu]uerors !"ank lil\.e a tropic sun. Its
wrath had burned,una
suaged, "from" (intheir'on-nwords) "the
ri
ing tu the setting- !Oun:' :Ko gathering doud had temper-
ed its heat or aHa, ed its violenre. J u
t ere it set, in those
last hours of its course, it seemed, as if in its meridian. Its
bloOtbtained disk cast its last glowing" rays on that field of
c'arnap:e in Susiana; then, without a twilight, it sank beneath
those stormy waves, !':u strangely raised, at once aud for ever.
All. at once, was night. It knew no morrow.
Its fall is inexplicable still. It may havc accelerated its own
destruction by concentrating the fierce Chaldees at Babylon.
It was "eakeued bv the revolt of its own general, and with
him the defection ot" au army. Still, in those days, the eity
of 1200 towers, each 200 fcet hi/!h, its ortlinary wall 100 feet
hic:h and of sm'h breadth, that thrce chariots could drÏ\e on
it Labreast d, could not be taken hy mounds, exeept by some
most gigantic army with patience inexhaustible. l
amine
couhl not reduce a city, which, in its GU miles in circumference,
cnelosed.lil{e Babylon, spacc for enlllcil cattle, and whieh could,
within itswaUs, grow corn enough for its pupulationuf600,OOO.
With its perennial supply of provision, it might have laughed
to scorn a more formidable foe than the l\Iedes, Elamites and
Babylonians, unaccustomed to sieges, cxcel)t in as far as any
had fought in its armies, while the Ninevites possessed the
hereditary sl\.iIl of centuries. Babylon, smaller than Kine,,'eh f,
was at re"t amidst the siege of the more powerful grandson
of Cyaxares. Cyrus could only take it by stratagem; Darius
Hystaspes, by treachery. Then, evcry Kinedte was it n-ar-
rioI'. Their descendants, thc Curds, are still among thc
fiercest and most warlike people of Asia. The bas-reliefs,
which bear internal eddence of truth, exhibit a wonderful
blending- of indomitable strength of will, rcclde!"sness of suf-
fering,inherent physical encrgy, unimpaired b
' self-indulgence.
A German writer on art says g, "You recognise a strong
thickset race, of very powerful frame, yet inclined to corpu-
lence, ;1, very l)eenliar blending of energy and luxury.-The
general impression of the figur'cs, whether men, women or
eunuchs, has uniformly something earnest and imposing." .An
English writer says stillmorc vividly; "h.A1I thc figures in-
dicate great physical de,'clopement, animal propensities very
strongly marl{ed, a calm, settled ferocit)., a perfect noncha-
lance amidst the most terrible scenes; no changc of feature
takes place, whether the individual is inflicting or experienc-
ing horrid sufferings.-The pictures are vcry remarkable as
indicating the entire absence of higher mental and moral
qualities: and the exuberance of brutal IJarts of man's nature.
At the same time there is not wanti.ng a certain consciousness
of dignity and of inherent power. There is a tranquil energy
and fixed determination, which will not allow the beholder to
feel any contempt of those stern warriors."
How then could it fall? The prophecy of l'íahum descdbes,
with terrible vividness, a siege; the rousing of its king from
a torpor of indolence; ihe 1"emembereth his nobles; the orderly
advance, the confused prel)arations for defence; and then,
when expectation is strung, and we see besiegers and besieged
d Diod. Sic.ii.3. o Jon.iv.ll. fStraboxvi.l.7;Jí. g Kugler Kunst-Gescbicbte,
(2l fi:

'rg:fn stJ"au:ii
6
b7
l8
1' 1 AS:yr.
:

n7
tto
rÄ
:'l

&PÚ

i
:
n A.D. 835,941,988,1211. Barb. p. 153. 1'35. 204. 500. 0 It!. p. 153.

NAHUM,

3G1

prepared for the last decisive strife, thcre is a sudden pause.
No human strength overthrows the city. k TIle gates of the
,'ivers shall be opened, (lm[ the palace shall he clisso/Z'ed. Aml
it is decreed, slw shall be led awa.'1 captive. Her captivity fol-
lows un the opening- of the gates of the rivers. Thc rivers.
ordinarily her streng-th, were al
o her weakness. The annals
of Sennacherib relate, how he repaircd a palace whieh had
heen undermined by the Tig-ris. "I The small palace, which
w
s hec
me very ruinous in every part, because the river Ti-
gris, durmg lG years, had undermined and ravaged it, [I re-
paired.]" Dionysiu!", the Jacobitc Patriarch, relates how in
hi
own time, A.D. í63, "li. the Tigris, owrflowing, laid waste
a!! the towns around it, .and esp
eially )Iosul" (oppusite to
l"meveh). ßarhebræus, Ul four dIfferent veal'S mentions the
destruction of houses in ßagdad through' the ó','erfluw of the
Tig-ris n. He mentions also 'a city-walÇ o\"Crthro" II by an in-
undation, so that 3000 men were drowned in their houses o .
Ives rclates p ; "The Bishop (of Babylon) remembers that" about
lï33 .. the Euphrates and Tigris were so owrflown, that the
whole country between them appeared as one large sea. Over
aU the plain between Bagdad and IIilIa, peol)le could pass only
in hoats. The water flowed quite ujJ to the glacis, the ditch
was full, the city also overfluwn, and the foundation of most
of the huildings hurt; 300 houses were entirely destro}ed. To
pre,'ent as much as possible" the reCUlTClIce of
uch a calamit),
"the Turks now face the foundation-wall ofthcir house!; "ith a
composition of eharcoal, ashes, and Demar (bitumen)." "The
rh'cr Khosar," also, which would be swollen by the same causes
as the 'ri
Tis, "entered the city," says Ainsworth q, .. by an
aperturc in the walls on the Ea!"t side, which appears to have
formed part of the original plan and to have been protected
by a gateway and walls, vestiges ofwhieh still remain." "The
Khausser," says l\Ir. Rich r, "is generally drawn off for ir-
rigating the cotton-plantations in the alluvial ground of the
river; when it is much overflowcd, it discharges itself into the
Tigris above the bridge." ""The Khausser now [Dec. I. after
",-ery heavy tropieal rain,"] discharges itself direct into the
'rï
ris, and brings an immcnse body of water." "t After rain,
it be('omes an impetuous torrent, overflowing its banks and
carrying all before it." .: s The stone-bridge was carried a" ay
one night by the violence of the Khausser, on a sudden in-
undation." On a lesser swelling of the river,-" s the water-
wheels were removed" in precaution" and the bridge of boats
opened." Cazwini, the Arabic geographer, speaks of "u tIle
rivers of Xineveb."
Ctesias, being a ,,'riter of suspected authority, cannot safcly
he alleged in proof of the fulfilment of prophecy. 1 ct in this
ease his account, as it is in exact conformity with the obvious
meaning of the prophcey of Nahum, so it solves a real diffi-
culty, how :Kineveh, so defended, could have fallen. It seems
certain that the account of the siege taken from him by Di-
odorus, is that of tbe last :;iege. It has been remarked x that
the only event of the siege, known from any other source, viz.
that the last Ass) rian ldn
, when he had learned the combi-
nation of the l\Iedes and Babylonians against him, set fire to
his palace, is related also by Ct"esias. Ctesias has also the same
fact, that the Babylonian revolt was recent; the name of the
revolted general in Ctesias. Belisis, is the latter half of that gi-
ven to him by AbydenusY,KebopaJassar,omitting only the uame
of the god, i\ebo. The rest of the history is in itself proba-
ble. The success of the Assyrian monarch at first against
p Voyagelií3. p. 281. q Trave)sii. 142,3. r Koorwstan, ii.56.
. lb. p. 6,1,. · Layard N. and B. p. í7.
u Quoted by Tuch de Nino urbe p. 24. '" Raw). Her. i. 413.
7 Abydenus in Euseh. Cbron. Can. P. i. c. 9.
I I I g

3GS

I:\TRODrCTJO:\ TO

the combined armies, and the consequent revelry. arc that

ame blendin,r of fierceue
,. and
en
uality which is stamped
on all the .\
nian St'ulptures, ('ontiuued to the end. The
rest of his relation, which. on account of the fads of nature,
whi('h we know. but whi('h, since they arc g-athered from

Oll)"('es so variou,.. Ctesias probably did not know, is, in itself,
IH'obabie,. ac('oul\t
fur wl
at is unae
ount
d fur, and corre-
,.ponds wIth the words of
ahum. It IS, .. a
ardanapalus. see-
ill'" the whole kin
dom in the
reatest danger. sent his three
so
s and two daughters with ]ìlUeh wealth to Paphlag-onia to
Cotta the G overIl or, heing- the hest-disposedofhis suhjeets, He
himself sent by messeng-er,. to all his subjet't,. for forees, and
prepared what was needed for the sieg-e. He had an orade
handed down from his forefathers, that no one should take
:\ïne,'eh. unle
s the rÏ\'er fir
t beeame an enelllv to the ('itv.
Coneeh-ing that this never would he. he held to his hOlH'5.,
purposing-' to abide the sieg-e and awaited the annies to he
sent bv his suhjects." .. Thc rebel,., elated by their :-uc-
('esses,' set them,.eh-es to the sie
e, but on account of the
!'trenC"th of the walls, could in no wise injure thuse in the
cih-." "But the
c had great abundanee of all ne('e
saJ'ies
tln=ough the forcsig-ht of the king-. The sic!!.'c then Iwing
}Jrolonged for two y
ars, t!ley prcsst'd u}wn it; assaultinp:
the walls amI euttlllg off those thcrelll from any eXIt
into the countrv." .. In the 3rd Year, thc rivel'. swoJ\en
bv continuous a'nd dolent rains, iilUndated a lJart of the
dtv and o,-erthrew
O stadia of the wall. Then the lán
.
thiilking that the oraele was fulfilled. amI that the rh-er w
s
}dainly an encmy to the dty, de:-paired of safety. And,
not to fall into the enemy's hands, he made an ex('eedinp:

I'eat pile in the palace. heaped up there all the gold and
!'i1ver amI the royal apparel, and hadng shut up his concu-
hines and eunuchs in the house formed in the midst of the
pile, consumed himself and all the royaltie:, with them all.
The rebels, hearing- that Sardanapalus had perished. pos,;cs,;ed
themseh-es of the city, entering" by the broken part of the wall."
Yet
ahum ]md also prophe,.ied b; ., the fire shall dc,"our
thy bars;" "fortify thy strong holds, there shall the fire de-
,-our thee;" " I will burn her chariots in the smoke;' and all
the ruins of
inenh still speak ii'om bcneath the carth where
thev lie i:lten'e(l. that, O\"erthrown as they have becn bv some

i

mtie power. fire consumed tllem within. "e The l;alaees
of I{horsabad l Dur Sarjina) and
imrud ,.hew equal traees of
fil'e with those of I\:oyunjik." .. il The recent excavations hm'e
!'hown that fire was a great instrument in the destruction
ofthe i\inevch palaces.
Cah'ined alahaster, masses of ('harred
wood and ehan'oal. ('olossal statues split through with the
Jleat, are met with in parts of the :Xinevite mounds, and
attest the verm'ity ofpropheey." '.e It is eddent from the ruins
that Khorsahad and
imroud were sacked, and set on fire."
Yet this docs not exhaust the fulness of the prophecy. Xa-
hum not onlv foretold the destruction of XineHh, that it I

hlluld he el/I};t.'l, void, waste, there is 110 healing nf th.'1 hruise,
hut in emphatic words, that its site also should be a desola-
tion. Tritl, w, (Jl'errumlÎng .fluod FIe shall make tile place I
thereof (melwmah) a deso/atioll f . Thi
was then new in the
history of the world. Cities 11a\"e remained, while empires
. In Died. Sic. ü. 27. Diodorus has" Euphrates" in conformity \\ith his own error, I
that :Kine\eh was on that river.
b iii. 13,15. ii. Iii. c Ra"l. Herod. i. 488. qnoting" La\"ard :Kin. and its Remains
i.]2.27,40.&e. :Kin. andB. [of Nimrud] p. 331, 35ï, 35!J. &c. Vam: :t\ineveh and Perse-
polis p,I!J6-1!. Botta Letter ii. p.26. iii. p. 41. &c." "They [the human-headed bnlls] had I I
mflered, like all '''ose previolls/!I discovered, from the fire." La). K. "andB. p. 71." It (the

IJa

ii
;.do
oili: t

5
tÎ

Å
di
f

:

j
k
Âlili

e

I:.

: J:

c
;.d i&

I'. !J!J. d Ra\\l. lb. note 2. e Bonomi p. 461. r i.8. K Anab. iii. 4. 10. h lb. e. '

pas!'ed away. Rome. Constantinople, .\thens, namascu
,
Alexandria. "eniee, abide, altIlOug-h their political mkht is
extinct. No or Thebes itself sun-i,-ed its ('apture by Sarg-on
and a yet later luss ofÏts inhabitants ncarlvtwo centuries. when
the more fatal conquest of Camb
-ses, and perlJaIJ
the rise of
_\Jemphis IJerpetuated its destruction. l\alnull forl'tdl,. elIl-
phaticaHya!' to l\inenh." He will makt' the place thereof an
utter eon.;umption:' X ot only would God dl'",troy the then
::\"inevch; but the \"Cry place or ",ite thereof should hc an uttcr
desolation. There was, tllell, ]10 instance uf so c:n'at a cit"
passing away. Sl\('h had not been ßahylonian, .\';"
Tian.Egyp-
tian policy. It had become an e
tablished poli(')" in
enna-
eherib':; time to remove pOIJ\\lation!".lwt to de
tro
- eities. And
the",e t\\"o poli('ie
were incumpatible. for a conqueror \\ hn
would remm'e populations must ha,'e. whither to remo,'e them.
Xine\"Cb ibelf had eOlHplCred Bahylon and Shushan, and the
eities of the )Iedes; but had placed her 0\\ n lieutenant!" in
them. The mere destrl\(,tioJl of ",uch a eitv as
ine,-eh was
.< contrary to experience." Even later thán this. Babylon,
notwithstanding its rebellions, was !'pared by its first eonquer-
OJ', and sunind to be the L!Ta,-e uf its second. .-\Iexander.
Xenophon describes l\inenl
umIer the name of )Jespila (of
whieh )Io,ul has been "uppo"ed to be a corruption) "1' a wall.
void, lar
e, lying- against the city-the basement was of
polished stone, full of shells. ib width 50 feet, its heig-ht 50
feet. Thereon was built a wall of brick, its breadth 5U feet,
the heig-ht lOU; the cirpuit was six farsangs," i. e. 22l mill's.
The "hell remained; the tumult of life was gone. Its pro-
tceting blllwarl,s remained; aU, which they protected. had
disappeared. They had for
otten alrcady on the "pot
what it had been or by whom it had perished. "h The )J cdc,;
inllabited it formerh'. It was said that .:\Ie(lia. a kin
's
wife, had fled thithèr, when the l\Iedes were losing th"cir
power throug-h the Persians. The Persian JÖng, be,;ieg-ing-
this cin-. could not take it, either bv time or force; but Zeus
made the inhabitants senseless. "and so it was taken:'
A little later, Alexander marched onr its site to gain the
world. not knowing that a world-empire, like that which he
g-a,'c his life to found. was buried under his feet i. {;aug-amcla,
IIcar which Darius lost his empire. must Ilave been eJo!<c to its
site. Yet three renturies. and history. not it!' mere ueighbours
only, had for!!.'oUen whell it had perished. Strabo "ays ", .. It
was effaced immediatelv after the de!'truetion uf the
\Tians."
X early two centuries hiter is Lueian',: sa)-ing-, .. Il\ïne,-eh ha!'
perished, and there is no trace left wherc it onre was:'
Yet hefore this time, in the reign of Claudius. the Romans
had built a new Xine,-eh which thev called bv his name
"Xinh-e Claudiopolis." In the 6th ee"ntury, it is mentioned
as a Chri
tian see m. Its episcopate was taken away, pro-
bablv on ae
ount of its declinc, early in the 9th eenturv : and
it \\"
s united to l\Io!'ul n. It was still in bein
at the 'bedn-
nin
of the ]4th eentul"\'O. Yet, in the 12tl
eentun-. its a
whole, .< P it was desolåie, but thel'e were there mail Y vil-
lages and castle:>." This was IIOt the Xine\"ch of prophc('y:
but it too was swept away, and a few cuins alone aUe:oöt the
existence of the Roman city. "The eity, and l'nn the ruins
of the city," relates Gibbon q of the last victory of Heraclius,

j It is noticed, that Arrian alone mentions the name of :Kine\"eh; and he too speaks
of it, in relation to the course of the Tigris, not of the battle. .. The laI..e, into "hich
:
;
ft
isf

a

:"

:

;

e

i
nt;
r\
j

à &
nË
:
:

a f
d
t;.nf!J7.e:t
Vall. II. xvii. 1. 3. t Charon c. 2:i.
Dl See Ass. B. O. iii. 1. p. 104. n Bf Josua Bar Nun Catholicus A: D. 820-824.
Ass. iü. p. 34-
, coli. p. IG5. 0 Ebedjesn, who died A.D. 1311:', (Ass. ). ;;39.) "'rot

to the :t\ine..ites on the plague. Ass. iii. I. 143,
P Benjamin Tud. p. ::J ed. A<her. q c.4G.

"had lou/r since disappeared; the vacant spaee afforded a
!<pacious field for the operation of the Í\vo anl1ies." A line of
lofty mounds, on the East of Tigris. long d('ew but a momen-
tary gaze from the passers-by; a féw cottag'es surmounted
the hcaps. which entombed the palaces of kings, who were
the terror of the Ea,.t ; the plough turned up, unheedcd, the
hricks, which recorded their deeds: the tide of war
wept
O\-er it anew; the summer's !"amb again filled up "r the stu-
pendous mass of briek-work, oeeasionally laid bare by the
winter rains_" The eyes rested on nothing but" r the stern

hal'elcss mound. (-ising like a hill from the scorehed plain."
'or The traveller is at a loss to dve anv form to the rude
llcap!<_ upon whieh he is gazing. L Those
f whose works they
arc the remains, unlike the Roman and the Greek, have
left no vi..ible tra('es of their civilization or of their arts;
their influence has long ::-ince pa
::-ed away. The scene
around him is worthy of the ruin he is contemplating; deso-
lation meet.. desolation; a f('eling of awe succeeds tu wonder,
for therc i,; nothing to relieve the mind, tu lead to hope, or
to tell of what has gone hy. Those hug-e mounds of As!"yria
made a deeper impres!"ion upon me. ga,-e rise to more serious
thought.. and more earnest reflection, than the temples of
Baalbee and thc theatres of Ionia."
In 182ï. Buckingham still wrote": "we came in about an
hour to the prineipal mounds whieh are tltoug/d to mark the
site of the ancient Kineveh. There are four of these mOHlHls,
di';IJOsed in the form of a
quare; and the::-e, a.. they
shew neither bricks, stones, uor other materials of building,
but are in many places m-ergTown with gra
"". re!"emble the
mounds left bv entrenchments and fortifications of aIH'ient
Roman camps: The longe!"t of these mounds runs nearly X.
and S. and consists of se\"Cral I'i(lges of unequal heip:ht, the
whole appearing to extend for four or five miles in length.
There m'(' three other distinct mounds, which are all near
to the rin-'r. and in the direction of E. and "-.-There are ap-
pcm'ances of )}wunds and ruins extend in!!; for several miles
to the southward: and still more di,;tincth seen to the Xorth-
ward of thi::-, though both arc less markëd than the mounds
of the ('entre_ The space between these is a level plain. over
(','ery part of the face of whieh, broken potte('y. and the
other usual debris of ruined cities are seen scattered about."
.. )Iounds and smaller heaps of ruins were scattered widely
()\ er the plain, sufficient to prm'e, that the site of the original
f'itr occupied a ,-ast extent." Xiebuhr had rid.len through

ïne'-eh unknowinc;lv. .. t I did nut learn that I was at sO
Icmarkable a spot,' till near the rinr. Thcn they ::-howc(l
llle a village on a p:reat hill. whieh they eall Xunia. and a
lllosque. in whieh the Prophet Jonah was bm'ied. Another
hill in thi,; di
tri(.t is called Kalla K unia, or the Castle of
.Kineveh. On that lie,; a dllap:e I\:oind
ug. At :\Io;;;ul,
where I dwelt elo::-e b,- the Th::ris. thcy showed me in addi-
tion the wall!" of Xiné,-eh, wl
ieh in 1;IY journey through I
had not ob
er\"Cd, but suppo!'ed to be a set of hills." "It is
well known;' begin!; an account of the recent di
('o,-eries u,
.. that in the neighbourhood of )Io->ul, travellers had observed

r La)ard,
ine\eh i. pp. 6, 7. · Tra,e!s ii. 49-5:!. 62. t Rei-cbeschr. ü. 3:;3.
u "-. s. y. Vau
in Geogr. Dict_ ii. 438. . o\rr. iii. 7- The same route "as recom-
1nended to Antiochus the great. Polyb. v. 51. Xenophon relatcs the scarcity in Cyrus'
advancing army on the Euphrates route, Anab. i. 5. 4; Dio Cassius, the sufferings of
tl,c army of Severus L. lxxv. 1-
Y Ezek. xwii. 23. .. Eden" (Ib.)ismentioned in 2 Kgs. xix. 12, as ha, illg been subdued
by Assyria; .. Cha!mad" remains unknown; .. Sheba" spread too \\idely to the desert
ot Syria (StTabo xvi. 4. 21.) for the mention of it to be any indication that those thus
grouped together did not live in the same direction.
. Herod. i. I. ,ii. 8
1. and Rawlinson ib. and App. to B. \ ii. Essay 2. T. Í\'. pp. 2.n. sqq.
. Abulpharaj Hi
t. Dyn. p. 218 sqq. quoted by Tuch deXino urbep. 32. Col. Che
ney

X.\HUl\J.

:Uì!)

some remarkable mounds, re;;:embling !oman hill
, and that
'Ir. Rich had, thirty years a
o, called attention to one called
KU.1Im?;;!.-, in whieh frag-ment,.; of sculpture and puttery had
been frequently di
eovcred."
And yet, humanly
peaking. even if destroyed. it wa;;. prnIJa-
ble before-hand, that it would not altop:ether l'crish. Fur a
town near its !;ite wa;;. needed for llUqlllse
of eummeree.
Of the two routes of commerce from the Per
ian {.::ulf to the
Xorth by the Euphrates or by the Ti

Tis, the Tic:ris-routc
was free from the perils of the arid wildcrne!'s, through" hich
the line by the EUllhrates pa

ed. If, for thc downward
cour;;.e, the Euphrates it:;elf wa,; na,-igaIJle, yet the desert
presented a difficulty for earin-ans returning upwards frum
the Persian gulf. Anian," ho mentions the two lines of tra,'el.
says that Alexandcr, ha,-ing el"U
sed the Euphrates at
Thapsacus, chose tIle le,;s direet line by the Tigris, as x having
a better SUIJply of all things, food for his cavalry, amI a les

scorching heat. The mention of Haran (afterwards Carrhæ1
Canneh. amI .-\.s
hur in Ezekiel, (ill one verse Y) !'eem!' to in-
dicate the continuation of tlH' same line of ('ommerce with
Tyre, which must have existed fl"Um l)ra'historie times (i. e.
from times of which we have no definite hi..turic account I,
since there is no ground to (Juestion the statement of the
Phænicians themselves ill Herodotu!', that the,- had come
from the Erythræan sea', i.e. the Pcr,.ian gulf. 'n;c later hin-
drances to the nayigation of the Ti
Tis by the great dam,.;
(probably for irrigation). were of Persian date; but they
could ha,-e had no great effect on the actual commerce; since
fm' the greater part of the upward rOUl'se on the Tigri;;. line,
this also must, on account of the rapidity of the river,ha\"e been
bv caravans. The route was still used in the middle ac:es Ii.
"-IJ The ancient road and the modern one on the upper 1
igris
follow. pretty nearly throughout, the same line, it bein

determined by the l'hysieal nece,;sities of the soil:' In the
16th eentury, "c fl"Om the head of the Per;;.iaII gulf two
commercial lines existed: by one of them good
were carried
some way up the Euphrates. and then hy lal)(l to ßir. Ale}J}w,
I..keIHlcrlln. ß\" the other thc,- followed the Tip:rb to Bap:h-
dad and were eai'ried by Diyar-ßekr aIul Sivas to Terahllztlm.

But )Io..ul was llecessårily'on the way ti'om Baghdad to Diyar
ßekr]. )Iosul still lies on the line of commerce, from the
Per
ian gulf, Basrah, Bag'hdad, l\Io;;ul,
Iardin, Diyar-Bekr to
I;;kenderun, the })ort of _\leppo 'I, or Trebizond [Tarahuzum e.

It still carries on some commeree with Kurdi
tan and
other l,rovinees f rhe
ides Diyar-Bekr and Baghdad]. Col.
Chesney, in IS.')O, ad,-oeated the a(h-antagcs of extending the
line of commerce by British !'tation;;. at Uiyar-Bt'kr and
)Iardin. in addition to and eonne('tion with those alreadv
existin
at Bac:hdad and )Io
ul g. There i", in fact, a consen't
as to this. Layard writes; ,. h The only impediment be-
tween the SHian coast and the Tigri:ò and Luphrates
in anv part 'of their eourse, arises from the want ot
propel: security. The )}avig:atioll of the Persian gulf b.
at all times, open and safe; and a glance at the mal'
will shew that a line through the :\Iediterranean, the port of

counts )Iosul among the flourishing commercial centres in the time of Abu'! Abbzs
A_ D. 7.1\). Expedition ii. 581.
b Ainsworth Travels ii. 337. Tuch quotes also Ca.mpbeU's Landjourne) to India p.
2,
that .. the merchants still, from the n!lture of the country, go from the P..r<J3n
gulf to Armenia an.d S.rria and t
ence agam to Bagdad b)

e same route through Mosul
and Arbela, by whIch large bodies of men wen!. fo!n;erl)". .
c Chesney's E
pedition ii. 589. . d I
. 11. alJi? . lb. 596. ! Ib: 1. 21.
II" .. The Tigris being already provIded \nt
statlo'!s at Bagdad and }
OSUl
It only
requires another at Di)"ar Bekr,
nd the neIgh
ounng t
"n of 'Iardin, smce the
connection of the former places "Ith the countnes about It would speewly cause a
re,i\"a! of its ancient commerce." Che<ney Expedition ii. CO:!. h
in. and Uab. p. 100,

370

I
TRODUcTJON TO

Suedia, Aleppo, JJIoSlll, !3a
ð)(lad, Busrah, and. the T ndi.an
Ocean to Bombay is as dirert a
can" ell he desIred. 'VIth
those pro
pect
, and with the incalculable ad\antaFes, whirh
a flourishin
' commerce and a safe and speedy transIt throu
h,
perhaps, thc richest portions of its dominions would confer
ulwn the Turk.ish empi
'e, it wou.ld seem that more. than
Eastern apathy IS sho" n 1Il not takJl}
some steps, t
n
lllg to
restore security to the country watered by the TIgl"ls amI
Euphrates." Ainsworth sugg-ests a still wider commerce, of
which l\Iosul might he the centre. "i ,nth a tranquil state
of the surrounding country, l\Iosul presents lllereantile ad-
vanta
es of no common order.-There arc !'everal roads open
to Persia, across the mountains; a transit from five to seven
days, and bv which, considering the short distance and good
roåds from Ï\Iosul to Iskenderun, British manufactures mi
ht
be di
tributed into tile heart of Persia, in a time and at an
expense. which the line of Trehizond Erzrum and Tabriz,
that of Bushire and ßa
hdad, or the Russian line of Astra-
khan Bakhu and l\Iazenderan ran never rival."
But although marked out by the!"e mh-antages for continu-
ance, e\Tn when its power was gone, Nineveh was to peri
h and
it perished. Nor ought it to he alleged, that in other cases too,
"if the position of the old capital was deemed, from politieal or
commercial reasons, more advantageous than any other, the
population was settled in its neighllOurhood, as at Ddhi, not
amid..t its ruin!"." I
or I) there was, at the time of Kahum, no
experience of the destruction of any such great city as Ninc-
veh; 2) In the case of conquest, the capital of the cOlUluering
empire became, ipso faeto, the capital of the whole; but
this did not, in itself, involve the destruction of the former.
Babylon, from having bcen the whIter-residence of Cyrus,
heeame the chief residence of the Persian Emperor at the time
of Alexander, and continued to exist for many centuries,
after the foundation of Seleucia, although it ceased to be a
great f'Íty k. And thi
, notwithstanding its two rehellions
under Oarius I, and that under Xerxes m. There was no
ground of humau policy against :Kinenh's continuing, such as
l\Iosul became, any more than l\Iosul itself. It existed for
some time, as a Christian See.

The grandeur, energy, power, viddness of Nahum, na-
turally can be fully felt. only in his own language. The force
of his bricflH'ophecy it> much increased by its unity. Kahum
had une sentence to pronounce, the judgements of God uIJon
the power of this world, whieh had sought to annihilate the
Idngdom of God. God, in His then kingdom in Judah, and
the world, were come face to face. 'Vhat was to be the issue?
The entire final utter overthrow of whatever ol)posed God.
:Kahum opens thcn with the calm majestic declaration of thc
majesty of God; \Yho God is, against whom they rebelled;
the madness of their rebellion, and the extinction of its chief:
(c. 1); thell in detail, what was to come long after that first

I Tra\"els ü. 127. '" See Dict. of Greek and Rom. Geogr. i. 3:;8.
1 Benistun Inscr. in Rawl. Herod. ii. 595-597. 608. m Ctesias Exc. Pers. 22.
n iii. 7. 0 p.556. P Davison on Prophecy, p. 369. q N. i. 7.
r 1\ah. ii. 1. C1':>1I1 1/'!:E'O "1II'JO ')J1 C.,,1:"1 ':>11 :"IJ:"I. Is. ill. 7. 1/'!:::'C 1&I':!O ')]1 C.,,1:"1 )1/11111 :"Ie
1:11)111. It seems to me impossible that Nahum, had he been adapting the words oflsaiah,
would have left out the tender 1!IU :"10 at the beginning, or the triumphant somy -flowing
continuation, U':"I':>H ,<<rc II'!;) "'CH :"111'1:" 1I'!:1\t) :11
1&I'J
at the end.
t The following, at least in form or idiom, stand alone in Nahum; the condensed fonns
'1":j1:} (though with analogies) i.4; C'HIJIj) i.l0; I/ÍJli.12; cb, else 11;)iC as .. yole" i.lS; C'1ior
rnasc. ii. 3; C'II
{'Ç (denom. from 111/)111) ii. 4; n-'

lb. c';:ii1j1like p.fAia,
AáT1],
.. abies," of the spear,) lb. ')I{Jõ} "are quivered; " ,erb too iÍlr.) Ib.11pfperr: (form) ii. 5.
,.
i
(fonn) lb. '1;1:1 ("covired way") ii. 6. :I
\'1 "and it is decreed" ii. 8 (See lb.) :"It'

(form, the meaning is determined by n?J See lb.) lb. lliJQJ1;) (" moaning") lb. 11;&.;nr

overthrow, thc siege and capture ofXilleveh itself, (c.2.); then,
in wider compass, the overthrow of the whole power {c. 3.)
I t was to be the first instance, in the history of mankind,
of a power so great, perishing and for ever. Nahum's office
was not, as Jonah's, to the people itself. There is then no
call to repentance, no p;leam of God's mercy towards them in
this life. l'ìineveh was to perish wholl
', as the hahitable
world had perished in the time of l'ìoah. Thc only relief is
in the l'essation of so murh ,iolenf'e. rrhere is no human joy
cxpressed at this destrul'tion uf the enemy of God and of His
people; no sorrow, save that there can be no sorrow; "n who
will bemoan her? whence shall I find l'omforters for her?"
In conformity with this concentration of Kahum's subject,
there is little in outward stylc or language to connect him
with the other Prophets. His opening (as ah'cady obsel"\ed 0)
hears upon God's dedarations of mercy and judgement; but,
Nineveh having- filled up the measure of its iniquities, he had
to exhihit the darl{ side of tho
e declarations; how much
lay in those words, "that will by no means clear the guilty."
" P Jonah and .IX ahum ti.lrm connected parts of one moral
history, the remission of God's judg-ment being illustrated
in the one, the execntion of it in the other: the clemenryand
the just ..everity of the Divine gO\ ernment being- contained in
the mixed delineation of the two bool{s." His evangelic
character just g"leams through, in the eight tcnder words, in
whirh he seems to take breath, as it were; 'c Tõb Yhvh
lemaüz beyõm tsarah, vcyõdéah chõsé bo,"" Goodis God (Yln"h),
refuge in day of trouble, and knowing trusters in Him q;"
then again, in the few words, which I think Isaiah expanded,
.. Lo on the mountains the feet of a good-tiding-s-bearer, peace-
proclaimer r ." Else there is only the mingled tenderness and
austereness of truth, which would sympathise with the human
being, but that that object had, by putting off all humanity,
alienated all which is man. ""Tho will bemoan her?
'YheneeshaUI seek comforters tur thee ?" 'Vho? and \\Thenee?
Xone had escaped evil from her. c. f.Jpon whom hath not thy
wickedness passed continually? "
It is difficult for us, who have to gather up our knowledge
of the sacred language from the fragments whieh remain, ill
whieh also the number of words forms and idioms, which
stand out singly here and there, seem but so uaany speci-
mens of lost treasure, to judge with any certainty, whether
any approximation of idiom, which we lllay observe, implies
any connection bctween the writers in whom it occurs. Na-
hum has, especially in his picture of the capture of Nineveh,
so lllany of those ä7ra
ÀE''/ÓJ.l-Eva, consisting often of slight
modifications t, his language is so rich and so original, that
one the more doubts whether in those idioms, in which he
seems to approximate to other prophets, the expressions in
common do not belong to the common stock of the languagc;
and that the more, since mostly U part of the idiom unly ('0-
incides, the rest is different x. As for the so-called Syriasllls

(form and metaphor; Kal once Ps. hvüi. 26) lb. I:"I:!

masc. plur. lb. H':"I '0'0 ii. 9.
:"I
I:l1i' (like" apparatus ") ii. 10. nils and :"IiI':l1( "void" and, as to the form, :"IiI
t!:) (a
fern. part. used as an abstract; elsewhere is only the act. part. kal, P?\Jl Is. xxiv.l)ii.11.
p., "shaking" (of knees) lb. PFJ1;', fonn, ii. 13. (else Nif. 2 Sam. xvii. 23; noun, PJ1J'
Job ,ii. 15) 1"11:1 '1111/:1:"1 (prægn. idiom) ii. 14. i'1
(in this sense) iii. 1. "1m (the verb) iii. 2.
(noun, :11:T1, Jud. v. 22.) 1Jl1;) (i. q. ò'1)"I/) iii. 5. c

iI (only instance of etymol. meaning)
iii.6. '':I' (as, "spectacle ") Ib.Ii'!'I1 (part. pass. fem. as noun Is. xl. 19) iii.l0. Vi\!-' (of
oppressive number) iii. 15. C"1!Jr,I iii.Ii. 'Ei!)
iii. 18. :"IlJi iii. 19.
u The correspondence is complete between J o. ii. 6. 1I1H!) 11:1;> C')!) ):1. and K ah. ii. 11,
"I'"IN!) ISJp C):I ']!).
. D
. Henderson (in addition to Nah. ii. 1, Is. Iii. 7 see note r.) connects a)
iI 'jlõ

nvll,
n?
Nah. i. 8 and:"li?1/ H1:"1 :"I
:I i. 9 with
"" 'j!,;)V Is. viii. 8 and :"IÉ'II-
J111 :"I

Is. x.
23; b) :"IiI
rrr' :1;>1:101 :"Ip1:1 N. ii. 11, with ;:til
:l1 rH:"I p;>1:1 Is. xxiv. 1. c) C'];D ):1:1 :"I)n':>rl1 ii.

or other peculiarities of lang-uage wllieh IIitzig- would l1a,-e
to be evidences of a later date Y, and from some of whieh
others would infer that Nahum lind at Nineveh itself, "the

11, "
r.?n r:
'J;I.? II,':J h. J\"i. 3. But in a) n'='Il n
J is an idiom used not in Is. only but in
Jeremiah (5 times) in Ezekiel (twiee) Zephaniah and
ehemiah. It is then an ordi.
Jlary Hebrew idiom. The peculiarity of Isaiah, that in both places (Is. x. 23, Xx\ iii. 22)
he atlds n.""1lUI, does not occur in Nahum. I"ahum also has not the \erb
1;;I>i, which
Isaiah uses in 5 places; Isaiah does not use the noun
:;
, \\hich Nahum has, and which
occurs in a Psalm of David (xxxii. 6). Xahum too speaks of a flood which shall pass ovcr
and overwhelm; Isaiah, of a man who should pass over and pass away. In b) there is only
in common, that Isaiah joins the two like-sounding 1\ ords pp::l and p
::1 as acti\c verbs (of
\\hich, tlJe wortl common to the two prophets must be older than the Prophct Nahum
(comp. .. Balak" in the Pent.). Nahum unites two nouns, one from a different root p1::1,
the other a pass. intens. part. ni1
?=" as an abstract noun. The gratluallengthening of the
alIiterate fonn occurs in Nahum only. Two of the three words in Nahum are lhr. ÀE')'.
c) The mention of :-bn
n, "great writhing anguish." in connection with the loins, is
more remarkable, since :1
n
n occurs in those places only and Ez. xx.... 1.!J( with the same
constr. with ::I); yct :1j;
'10 (although not n
n
n) occurs with C'JN:I::I Ps.lxvi. 11. It may
then only be an accitlental coincitlence of the samc term.
O. Strauss thinks that d) Nah. i. 13 is from Is. x. 2i; e) iii.5 from Is. xhii. 2. 3;
f) Nah. iii. 7 from Is. Ii. HI. But in d and e thcre is no characteri<tic word the same; in
N ah. i. 13 there is only the common imagery of breaking the yoke. :::';J masc. occurs in
Nahum only; 1'1,.,10 pm in Ps. ii. 3 (of men rebelling) and J er
m. 3 times. It is then a
common idiom. In f there is the correspondence of the idiom!/
,,,; 'D in Is. (which also
occurs Jer. xv. 5) in N. n
'13' 'C, but with the difference that in Is. God speaks of the heavi-
ness of a sorrow which He will comfort; Nahum speaks of desolation \\ hich none can
comfort. The constrnction of"1 with
occurs Job ii. 11, xlii. 11, Jer. J..\Í. 5, x"ii.
10, xh iii. Ii ; in Job and Ps.Ix.i.... 21 "3 is united with r::'I]. The expression seems then to
belong to the common stock of the language; the idiom 1';)!1J!! ':;! ""-ho (in what charac-
ter) shalJ I comfort thee? " is peculiar to Isaiah.
Hitzigfurther would have it, that, .. r:'1:J3 occurs in N. ill. 10 exactly as in Is. xxiii. 9
alone besides; " \\ hereas (he only correspondence is, that Isaiah has the idiom, .. bonoured
of earth," "all honoured of earth," r.
";:;i
; Nahum has, with the affix, "her honoured,"
::'
:
J as Ps. cxlix. 8. I:

::::
.
T Of the fonns or "onls, 1\ hich Hitzig would make characteristic of a later time
1) :ç;;;, i. 3 is only orthographically different from the more common, :1")j/i; )et not
only does:M..iIf occur Job ix. 17, and the masc. 'J:i1, Is. x'!:Viii. 2, but the verb is written
with i:1 in the s,me meaning Ps. 1. 3, lviii. 10, Job XJ.. \'ii. 21.
2) NÍJ
occurs in J os. xxiv. 19, the oldest book next to the Pentateuch, antl ha\ ing
much in common with it (see on Dan. p. 31g note 2), and in no later book. H
i1 occurs
5 times in the Pentateuch; this fonn HIi1 (not N\!i1) survived in the Chaldee.
3)W
1iii. 18, is simply Nif. from 1:Í1!J, a word as old as the Pentateuch, since tlJeriver,
Pishon, lidos, is derived from it. Hitzig obtains his" pronunciation" by making it kal,
c'!:J, a word not extant in Heb.
4) "The fonn of the suffix of the 2nd person, ii. 14," :Q
I$

, which has bcen urged
by all writers on his side, is the more singular ground of argument, because it turns
entirely on the vowels, which only represent a tradition of tlJe expiring language.
Gesenius calls it " an especial form, which perhaps ought properly to be pronounced õ1jJ,
as masc., out of which the punctuator first made ;:" , in onler in some sort of way to
indicate the feminine" (Lehrg. p. 216). "-'ritten n:;:::;c

, it is only the full and original
fonn of the pronominal aflh, :1i' (from n;ttl for ;:r;tI" as it is found in the Penta-
teuch, õ1i:tI Gen. iii. 9, n?1; E.... ...iii. 16, :1;t\k E". nix. 35. Nahum chose it probably as
a fuller form_ It occurs in a Psalm of David, cx...xi". 5, at the close, ";
j, and in Jer. xxix.
25, õ1;
;I:;I: 8S also with the verb,

1 Kgs. xviii. 44, and, in the pause, nf1
P.I Prov.
ii. 11, :1i

, 1 Kings x\iii. 10.
Iss. ha\e, some n":N
O (19 De Rossi, 3 by correction,
antl 3 early Edd. De R.) "many ba\"e ;';;-N
:::I;" 3 of De R. and 3 or 4 in the first
instance, had tbe regular ;';:=N
O. The messengers were the king's messengers (Is.
x"xvi.2. Ig. 13, xx-.:vii. 4. 6. 9. Ii. 2 t .) and so the masculine form is in its place.
Punctuators probably (as Ges. conjectured) wi<hed to assimilate it to the preceeding
feminines; Ewald lays down that :1;1. is a dialectic difference (p. 638 note) and uses
it as an argument for Nahum's living near Nineveh (Proph. i. 350). Davitlson (iii. 301.)
follows Hitzig.
6) "The form of the suffix of the 3rd person, i. 13, ii. "-. compo Hab. iii. 10." The
form I;, lies nearer to the original 1011:'1, tlJan tlJe contracted \; it also occurs in the word
I:"';;J
, U times in the Pentateuch (in Gen. 8 times, Levit. 5 times, Deut. once); it occurs
most (Ges. observes, Lehrg. p. 213) in wortls entling in ,"I" as 1,
tl1
10 times (3 in Levit.)
1:'!Ji;l7 times (5 in Gen. Ex. Lev.) 1:'I
i/ in Ps. i. Ezek. twice, Jerem. once; In.i?";I in Gen.
4 times, E"od. tWice, Job twice: although :'I1l1 absolutely occurs 3 times only, 1:1;":1 is the
rule : it occurs lU times, of which 42 are in the Pentateuch. The form 1:1 also occurs in
t-r.;1
'1iI Jud. xi....
, I:'I"!IM Job xxv. 3. It is united with the plur. noun in In"I;?tI Provo
x'<Í..... 18, and 1.'111 for I:'I'!I"II Sam. xx:'!:. 2û, Job xlii. 10; also 1:1,!: Hab. ill. 1/), 1"','>1 Job
L"\:ÍV. 23. It is obviously used by Nahum for its more stately sound.
6) "The meaning of";:3 iii. 6," is one attributed to it by Hitz. or.ly.

N
\HU
1.

7I

wish has been father to the thoudlt:' One only
olid ground
there would he why Xahmn should not have written hi..
prophecy, when, according to all history, it could alone haye
7) "As Pilpel oceurslJ1ore :md more in later times, so:""
:;:?- ü.11,(comp. ilj;'
: ii. 5)
only occurs in Is. xxi. 3, Ez. x 'C. 4. 9." Pilpcl is fonned on exactly the same principle,
as tlJe otber rarer intensi,'e conjul!ations, the doubling of those letters of the root, most
capable of being doubled. In .,=
;), it occurs from Genesis do\\nwards. The use oftho
\rord ,"I
:r
M by two contemporar;
;, Isaiah and Nahum, was nothing remarkable.
8)" So, plainly ::I
CI ii. 3 eouM only in later times be u<ed transiti.-ely, othel"\lÍsethan a.
unitetl with III::I;;':' \"hy? If ::I'CI is trallsÍtÏ\e in the phrase, r.1:ÿ' :!I;;', "restore the
captivity ,. of Jacob, the corr pontling phrase, JiM
III$ :Jii is but a \ ariation of tlte
phrase, such as \\,mli1 naturally occur in any original writer. ::1111' is transitive, al-o in
Ps. hxxv. 5, antl Ezek. xhii. 7, (since if intrans., as Abulwalid pointed out, it \\ouhl
have been ':JII:'::1 not '.:1:/::1) if not in Num. x. 36. Gesenius also pointed out that the
corresponding Arab un is both transitive, and intransitive, so that the use of the causative
conj.rn1.'l is dialectic, according to Djauhari, or le<s pure (See Lane sub v. T. i. p.l038).
It is consistent in Hengst. to deny the transitive meaning of ::I'CI altogether, but not to
make any idiomatic difference between ;:IJ:? :!"i and ri/(
::I':', as belonging to different
dates.
9) ";:';.":::1 (ii. 2) in the sense of munitio, first occurs in the Chronicles." In the
Chronicles, the phrase is different. The idiom is a slight variation of the old masc., .,7
,;
::? Ps. xxxi, 22. h, 11 (which the Chronicles too has, 2 C. viii. 5). The Chronicle!!', on
whatever ground, mostly adopt the feminine form in speaking historically of the fortified
cities built in Judah; once in the sing. 1111:>:::1 '"1;l 2 C. xiv. 5; else \\ith two plurals
m"st) '111, 2 C. xi. 10. 23. xii. 4. xiv. 5. x"i. 3. In one place only, havingemled a verse, xi.
10, "and in Benjamin ni
'"1;l," tlJe writer begins the ne...t, (omitting the "11) "and
he strengthened ni"'ö"tt' n
." I"or is there any thing characteristic of a later period in
the use of the feminine; and, any how, since the Chronicles were compiled after the
capti\ity, probably by Ezra, the u
e of the same fonn could have proved nothing,
as to whether a book were written 85 )"ears, sOoner or later, before the captÏ\ it) .
" Also the Hebrew of Nahum is in part impure; 1:
ill. 17, is probably not Selnitic."
It probably is Semitic (see above p. 358) and Ass)'rian. The occurrence of "llat pro-
bably is a title of an Ass)rian commander, not only fits the times of Nahum, when Assy-
rian invasions hatl begun, but the occurrence of an official title, (like that of" Pechah"
elsewhere, see Daniel the Prophet pp. 570, 5ïI,) without any Syriasms, belongs to Na-
hum's time and life in Palestine. Wben three officers of Hezekiah understood Ass)Tian
(Is. x"",,vi. n.), there is nothing surprising in the mention of an Assyri1I1 title. Pechah
is also an Ass)rian title, occurring in the Inscriptions in the plural" pahati," Oppert
Rapports p. 51. 52. 53. 57. 65. í 4. " Tartan," in Isaiah and 2 Kings, is also probably an
Ass) rian title, since Rabsaris, " Chief of the Eunuchs," Rab-shakeh, Chief-cupbearer,"
(with which Tartan is united in 2 Kings xviii. Ii) are names of officers. Yet no satis-
factory et) mology has been fountl for" Tartan."
10) "'1J.Ç!, iii. 4, stands in Arab1c meaning." The coincidence with Arabic would have
proved nothing; but Nahum uscs,JC in its common meaning. In Arabic also it signi-
fies "deceived," not (as Hitzig would have it) .. meshed."
11) "3n3, ii. 8, in S)rÏac meaning:' 1:'IJ, not in Syriae only, but in Arabic, signifies to
be "violently out of breath ;" but this, which is its only meaning which couM be brought to
bear on this passage, does not suit it, whereas that suggested by the Hebrew itself does.
In Nahum it is evidently a modification of the biliteral 1:1, in the same sense asl1
' \\hich
is used of tbe low moaning of the dove, Is. x...x\"iii. 14, lix. 11; and the subst. :11::'
" moaning" is united with c'?p and 'n (for 'ôJ
) Ezek. ii. 10. Another modification 01
the bilitteral is r.J Ps. v. 2, xx:'Úx. 4-
12) "and ,." too, iii. 2 (only besides in. the song of Deborah Jud. v, 2:!) is probably
equally only a Syriasm;" i. e. supposing its meaning to be tlerived from m "circle," the
substitution of:'l for I occurs oftenest in Aramaic. In the root ", itself however, the
nearest correspondence of Hebrew with any Semitic dialect is not \\ ith the S) riac but
with the Arabic; ""1 "generation" and the Arab. 'õ;\1 'prolonged time,' but also the
periotl of life (see Lane p. 9-23); whereas the S) r. 101-''' only signifies" a millo" But
I-litz;g himself sets aside these last, with the obscrl ation, "these appearances ho\\ ever
are sufficiently explainetl, if the home of Deborah was also Nahum's COUJ1tr)-, a border-
country towartls Syria, inhabited in part by non_Israelites."
13) Hitzig makes neither ::IF.' the Queen's name and so Assyrian, nor ;n'
!I, altlJough he
has his 0\\ u fantastic meaniug for each, tlerintl from misapplication of the Arabic. Tbe
alleged S)rÏasm in nl'''!J rests on an odd ground.work. TIle S)riac word N'b!Jhas
not been found in any S) riac author; in one of three Syro-A -ab. Lexica (Bar-Bahlul's)
it is explained by the Arabic word, "fülãdso." This in its turn is interpreted by the
Persian, which again has, in Vüllers, no l'ersian etymology. On tlJe other hap.d the
Arabic" faladsa" "cut," conj. ii. "cut to pieces." does give a good etymology for any
sharp instrument, as the" SC) the" of a se) thed chariot.
Yet this is the evidence on which Da\;dson tells the unlearned (Introd. iii. 301), "The
language is pure and classical with a few exceptions, as 3'13 to mourn, ii. 8, ,." iii. 2,
II"
!J ii.4, which are S)riasms.-These Syriasms cannot well be eXplained by the
1/ native locality of the prophet, which WIS towards the border-land of Syria and illhabi'ed

3i2

I
TRODLcTIO
TO NAHU)r.

auy interest for Judah, long before the eycnt itself, yiz. if
11(' tll 'Yhom all, vast and future, arc pre
ent, eould not or
did not de('la.'e beforehand things to eome Z . If there be

in part by people who were not Israelites, because other prophets of the N'orthern king-
dom do not use Syriac words or idioms. They imply intimate contact with a people
beyond Palestine." Yet J"J does not, in this sense, exist beyond Palestine; .,
., was, in
the time of the Judges, used within it, and the Arabic does give an etymology for
n1+:!. natural and adequate, "hich Syriac does not. The only difficulty is, that the
Arabic word for" steel" is not a pure Semitic fornI, like the Hebrew, but a Persian,
" fiiI;ïd.o" or" fãlii<lso." Yet the Arabic has also the genuine Arabic fonn "maftiidso"
"formed of steel," of a sword. The direct connection of nn
;! y,ith "fi/ãdso" or
"fãbídso" must be given up, since it seems that the direct connection of the Arabic
f,,/adsa and.fÜlãdso orfilllidso must be abandoned. For Prof. F. Justi whose judgement
Prof, Max Müller kindly obtained for me says; "TheArabicfilãdso must be borrowed
from the Persian pulãdo, not conversely (as Fre) tag and Yüllers also assume in their
Lexica); for Persian retains thefin Arabic words "hich it adopts, but Arabic changes a
Persian pinto J, because it has no p. So Arabic again changes a Persian d, especially
uem een or after vowels, always into ds. The relation of the Arabicfülãdso,füludso, \\ ith
the rootfalad.a is consequently only apparent, whence the derivation of ni"

from "'?1
is also shewn to be untenable, especially since this Heùrew root is not evidenced but

smme'l." Yet as relates to the Hebrew .,
!), since the Heb. ., is often i'1.terchanged \\ ith

1
.
: :,.

:

prophecy, the sicp;e of JXineveh might be as yividly pre-
sented to the Prophet's mind, as if he saw it with his bodily
eyes a.

the Arab. ds ("which in some Arab. dialects is prononncedd" Ges.), the etym. from the
Arabicfaladsa, "cuts,"lies nearer to it than an}- other, designating a sharp instmmel'1
It is remarkable that the Heb.Arab. Lexicogr., Abraham B. David and Abulwalid, WI e
not aware of any connected Arabic root, both regarding .,
!) as im-erted from "'!)
. TII

Syr. N;1'
1

:1 "spark" or" sparks" (wruch Ew. compares, Proph. ii. p. ll) is too
remote, insulated, uncertain, not being connected \\ ith any knoy, n root, and being written
alsoNn'o'o
:1. See Dr. P.Smith's Lex. S} r.s. v. "The Arab.
J"(Ib.)mustbe a mis-print.
· " Did Nahum predict the downfall of lI;ineveh a century before the e\ent? If he
was a }'ounger contemporary of Isaiah, he did so. He prophesied, say some, about the
11th year of Hezekiah and graphically painted the overthrow of Assyria's metropolis.
The interval consists of about one humlred j'ears. Is not the analogy of Prophecy
\ iolated here? I f a specific eyent be foretol4 long before it happened, what becomes of
the canon or principle tlJat prophecy presents nothing more than the prevision of
evellts in tile immediate flltllre? [Dr. Ds. italics] The principle in question is almost
axiomatic." [Introd. iii. 2!JS.] It passes for an axiom in the school, y, hose results
Dr. Da\idson gives to the English; i. c. it is a petitio principii applied to each
prophecy in turn.
· "!\allU:n m:!st haye seen this peril "i:h hiso"n eyes." E"ald Pi'OP!:!. i. 319."

-

--- - -
-

"...
--:. .;.--::-
'" --"
-
--

ß

.r

;.,.--

/k:

<",'-

- :

-_..-

-==-

....
-

",-=r-

-== -:-.... --=---- ---

Ot:TER DEFE!\CES OF Xl!\E\'EH AS THEY !\OW ARE. Fr,>m La} ad.

.. He y,ill make an ntter end of the plac
thereof."-!\ah. i. 8.

"'

Before
C H R I ST
cir. 713.

CHAPTER I.
The 1'IoJesty of Goel ill goodness to his people,
anel set'erity against his enemies.

NAHL"M.

373

T HE hurden .of 1'\ine'-eh. The book c INfri 5 T
of the vision of 1'\ ahum the Elkoshite.

2 1/ God is b jealous, and c the Lord reveng- Û

h;"l;d
is a jealous God, and a rerenger, .
c. b Ex. 20. 5. & 34. U. Deut. 4. 24. Josn. 2-1.19.
· Deut. 32. 35. Ps. \)4. 1. Isa. 59. 18.

1. Theburdeu l . "2Theword 'massa' [burden) is never placed
in the title, save when thc vision is hcavy and full of burden
and toil." Of _Alnel'l'h. Thc prophccy ofXahum again is vcry
stcrn and awcful. Xine\'eh, after hadng "repentcd at the
preaehin/! of Jonah;' again fcll back into the sins whercof it
had repented, amI addcd this, that, being employed by God
to chasten Isracl, it sct itself, not to inflict the measurc of
God's displeasure, but to uproot the chosen people, in whom
was promised thc birth of Christ 3 . It was then an Antiehrist,
and a type of him yet to comc. J onah's mi
sion was a call
to repentance, a type and forerunner of aU God's messag-es
to the world, while the day of /!race and the world's proba-
tion lasts. !\ahum," the full of execeding comfort," as his
namc means, or ,. the eomfortcr" is sent t0 4 reprOl:e the u:orld
of judgemcnt. He is sent, promincntly, to pronounce on
Ninenh its doom when its day of grace shouM be ovcr, and
iu it, on the world, wheu it and 5 all the u'orks thC1"ein shall be
b U1"ll eel up. In fcw words he directly comfortcth the pcople of
God 6 ; clse the comfort enn to her is indirect, in the destruc-
tion of her oppressor. Besides this, thcre is nothing of
mercy or eall to rcpcntance, or sorrow for their dcsolation 7;
but rather the pouring out of the dais of the wrath of God
on her and on the evil world, which to the end resists all
God's caUs and persecuteth His people. The book of Jonah
proclaimeth God, a gracious God and 11IC1"ciful, slow to llllger
and of great kimlness, rrho repenteth Him of the evil.
a-
hum spcaketh of the same attr'ibutes, )'et closes with, ami u'ill
1l0t at all acquit the wicked. "3The Merciful Himself, 'Yho is
by !\ature Merciful, the Holy Spirit, scemeth, spcaking in the
prophet, to laugh at their calamit."." .All is dcsolation, and
death. The aggression against God is retortc(l upon the
aggressor; one reeling strife for life or death; then
the silencc of the graveyard. And so, in its further mean-
ing, "2 the prophecy belongs to thc dose of the world and the
comfort of the saints tht'rein so that whatsocver thev scc in
thc world. thcy may hold ch
ap, as passing away and perish-
ing and preparc themsch-es for the Day of J udgcment, when
the Lord shall be the Avenger of the true
\ssyrian."

1 So, beyond question, N3'2:I should be rendered. Since N:'J is no where used of mere
speaking, it is beforehand improbable tbat Nf'1;J should mean" speech;" and this, apart
from the consideration that "the speech of Babylon, Damascus, Eg)pt, :\loab, Tjre,
Dumah, "the valley of vision," "the desert of the sea," "
ine\eh," would be an in-
expressive expression for a speech concerning them. For, in one place only, (Is. J<.xi.13.)
is it expressed that the burden is upon (:1) Arabia. Else prepositions are only used to
detenninetne relation ofNt-;,with the object (:1, Zecb.ix.1. "II, lb. xii. I. "H, !'>Ial.i.l.)when
tnat object is already separated from NiI'D; "the burden of the word of tbe Lord upon"
lb. IIÎIIJ, "lift up" when used alone for "It! NCoJ "lifted up" [the voice J, is always used of "loud
speaking," Is. xlii. 2, 11, Job xxi. 12, and so Is. üi.?, "loudly protest." E]eHn times in
Isaiah (xiii. I, xiv. 28, Xv. I, xvii. I, xix. 1, xxi. I, II, 13, xxii. I, xxüi.l, xxx. 6.) in Ezek.
xii. 10, Hab.i.I,Mal. i.I,IC
is followed bj abeavy prophecy, as it is bere. Zech. ix.
I, also is a hcavy prophecy against those whom AlexantIer would conquer; Zech. xii.
2, begins with a heavy prophecy against Judah and Jerusalem. Provo xxx, xxxi, are
rebukes; in Prov. xxxi, it is expressly added, "wherewith his mother admonished him."
The blasphemy also, rebuked by Jeremiah (xxiii. 33,34,36), presupposes that the
Ineaning of N

, at whicn they mocked, was a heavy prophecy. " V,fiat fresh burden nas
God for us? " they asked mockingly, not believing thatthe evil which Jeremiah prophesied
would come. In regard totlreuseoflt'..
(1 C. xv. 22, 2i,)wheretbeE. V. bas," for song,"
if it related totbe \oice at all, it must (like tne" on Alamoth," "on Sheminith" vv. 20, 21,
wlúch probably designate two notes of music, "treble" and tbe "octave,'''' bass ") bave
biglÚfied some character of voice, as "alto," according to tbe meaning of N::-J, "lift up."
I> ,\RT IV.

So our Lord sets forth the cnd of the worM as the com-
fort of thc elect. IV hen these things begin to come to pa.
s, then
look up amt lift up your heads, for your redemption tlrllll'etlt
llÎ{;h 8." This is thc highest fulfilment of the prophcey; for
"then will thc wrath of God against the wick cd be fully seen,
'Yho now paticntly waiteth for them for mercy."
The hook of the vision of -,-Ya!mm the Elkoshite. "9JIe first
defincs the objcct of the prophecy, whereto it looks; then state!>
who spake it and whenec it was;" the human instrument
which God employcd. The fuller titlc, "The book of the vision
ofXalnnn,"(whieh stands alone) probably expresses that it was
not, like mo
t prol)hecie
, first delivcred orally, and thcn col-
lc(.ted by thc prophet, but was always (as it is so remark-
ably) oue whole. " The wci
ht and pres
ure of this' lJUrden'
mar be felt from thc very commencement of the book."
God is jealous anel tile Lorel revengeth. Rather (as the
E. 1\1.) lOA God 1:er.'l ,jealous and lll-'Cllgillg is the Lorel. The
:Xame of God, \"11'"11, "lIe 'Yho I
," the Unchangeable,
is thricc repeated, and thrice it is said of Him that lie
is an A\"Cnger. It sheweth both the ccrtainty and great-
ness of the vengeance, and that He \\'ho inflicteth it, is
the All-Holy Trinity, 'Yho ha,'e a care for the elect. God's
jealousy is twofold. It is an intense love, not bearin

imperfcctions or unfaithfulness in that which It lo,'es, and
so chastening it; or not bcaring the ill-dealings of those
who would injure what It loves, and so destroring them.
To Israel He had revcaled Himself, as a II Jealous God,
1:isiting iniquity but shewing mercy; here, as jcalous for
His people against those who were purely His enemies and
the enemies of His peopleD, and so Hisjcalousy burneth to their
dcstruction, in that there is in them no good to be refined,
but only evil to be consumed.
Thc titlcs of God rise in awe; first, intensely jealous 13 and
an -<1l'enger; then, all At'l'Jlger and (t Lorel of wrath; One
'Yho hath it laid up with Him, at His Command, and the
morc terrible, bccause it is so; the :\Iaster of it, (not, as man,
ma
tered by it 14) ; having it, to withhold or to discharg-e;
.-ct
so discharging it, at last, the more irrevocably on the finally
But, considering (as Hengstenberg has noticetI, Christol. on Zech. Ì't. 1.) the use of II
'O
in places where it can only mean" burden" as also througbout Num. iv. (19, 24, 2i,3I,
32,47,49,) it seems probable, tßat in 1 C. xv. too, it signifies "bearing" (as inE_ )1.
"carriage "). For the " bearing the ark "is spoken ofimmetIiately afterwa:-ds as amatter
of much skill. ""-henGml helped the Levites, the bearers of the ark of the covenant of
the Lord," "n"1:1 J'r
'&J(I C. xv. 26); and the writer speaks oftbe dress of" all the Levite2
who bare tße ark" "and tne singers" v. 27, as two classes. E, en Bertheau defends tbis
meaning, and solidly. In Lam. ii. 14, II'!
níN
is unitetI with C",:;11;1 "expulsions."
The context seems to require more tban is in the rendering, "sayings of vanity," wbich
would be less strong than II)' i
11;;1 .. have seen for thee vanity." "The burdens of vanity ,"
which the false prophets proft 1sed to see, would be heavy prophecies against the enemy,
that they snould be dri\eo from the land of Israel. Compo Zedekiah's enquiry,
Jer. xxi. I, 2, and Hammiah's prophecy Jer. xxviii. 2.11.
2 S. Jer. 3 Rup. 4 S. John xvi. 6, 8. . 2 Pet. iii. 10. ø i.I5.
7 As in J erem. iii. 12, viii. IB, 2]. s S. Luke xxi. 28. 9 S. Cj-r. On the prophet,
anol bis country which S. Cjril says, he had "learned by tradition to be expressed by the
addition, the Elkoshite," see the Introduction p. 357. 10 III
"!.C is used as an attribute
of God Ex. xx. 5. xxxiv. U. Dt. iv. 2-1. v. 9. vi. 15, as is IIIJ
"!.C. the fonn used here, Jos.
xxiv. 19. It is observed that, in prose, Inc is almost unifonnly used with an adj. j1.1;11
II,
"11
K, IU1I1 om "K, K
1J117m
II, '11 "II, or a noun 'II'
K. c7I11 Inc, 1111/"1 "II.
11 Ex. xx. 5, 6. 12 See Zech. i. U. 13 The fonn N;3j2 being intensi\e. u:1;:;.
.:1
occurs once only besides, antI that, of man, Pr. xxix. 22; but 'ill
p also pro xxii. ::::4-
KKK

374

c Jï{oíes T eth; the LORD revengetll, and t is furious; the
cu. 713. LORD will take vengeance on his adversa-
t Heb. that hath fury.

N AHUl\f,

ries, and he reserveth 'wrath for his enemies. c J
oÍes T
3 The LORD is dsl ow to anger, and cgreat in cir.713.
d Ex. 34. 6, 7. Neh. 9. 17. Ps. 103. 8. Jonah 4. 2. · Job 9. 4.

impenitent.
nd this He says at the last, an Aveuge; to
l!,is
adversaries, (ht." those who hcm and narrow HIm 1Il ).
Thc word avenged 2 is almost appropriated to God in the Old
Testament, as to punishment which He inflicts, or at
least causes to be inflicted 3, whether on individuals 4, or
upon a people, (His own 6 or thcir .enemics 6), for their
misdeeds. In man it is a defect 7. Personal vengeance is
mcntioned only in characters, directly or indirectly censured,
as Samson 8 or Saul 9. It is forbidden to man, punished in
him, claimed by God as His own inalienable right. 10 ren-
geance is J.1line and 1'eqltital. 11 Tholl shalt not avenge nor
keep up against tile children of lily people. Yet it is spoken
of, not as a mere act of God, but as the expression of His
Being. 12 Shall not lily soul he avenged of such a nation as
tlds?
And a Rese1't'er of w1"Clthfo1" .EIis enemies, the hardcned and
unbelieving- who hate God, and at last, when they had finally
rejected God and were rejected by Him, the object of His aver-
sion. It is !i'poken after the manner ofmcn, yet thcrefore is the
more terrible. There is that in God, to which the passions of
man correspond; theyare a falsc imitation of something which
in Him is good, a distort,;.on of the true likcncss of God,
in which God creatcd us and which man by sin defaced.
"13 Pride doth imitate exaltedness: whereas Thou Alone art
God exalted over all. Ambition, what seeks it, but honours
and glory? whereas Thou Alone art to be honoured above all
and glorious for evermore. The cruelty of the great would
fain be feared; but who is to be feared but God Alone, out of
'Those power what can bc wrested or withdrawn, when, or
where, or whither, or by whom? The tcndel'llcsses of the
wanton would fain be counted love: yet is nothing more ten-
dcI' than Thy eharity; nor is aught lovcd more healthfully
than that Thy truth, bright and beautiful above all. Curiosi-
ty makes semblance of a desire of knowledge; whereas Thou
supremely knowest aU. Yea, ignorance and foolishness it-
self is clokcd under the name of simplicity and uninjurious-
ness: because nothing: is found morc single than Thee; and
what less injurious, since they are his own works which in-
jure the s!nner ? Yea, sloth would fain be at rest; but what
stable rest besides the Lord? Luxuryaffects to be called plcnty
and abundance; but Thou art the fullness and nevcr-failing
plenteousness of ineorruptible pleasures. Prodigality pre-
sents a shadow of liberality: but Thou art the most ovcrflow-
ing Giver of all good. Covetousness would possess many
things; and Thou possessest all things. Envy disputes for
excellency: what more excellcnt than Thou? Angcr seeks
rcvenge: who rcvenges more justly than Thou? Fear
startles at things unwontcd or sudden, which endanger things
beloved, ünd takes fore-thought for their safety; but to Thee,
what unwonted or suddcn, or who !'eparatcth from Thee
what Thou lovest? Or where but with Thee is unshaken
safcty? Grief pines away for things lost, the delight of its
1 Cp3 with" p., only besides Ez. xxv. 12.
Cp3 3 Nu. xxxi. 2, 3. Ps. cxlix. 9.
Hence almost the same as, punished by law, Ex. xxi. 20. 21. 4 Gen. iv. 15. 24.
1 Sam. xxiv. ]2. 2 Sam. iv. 8. 2 Kgs. ix. 7. Jer. xi. 20. xv. 15. xx, 12. s Lev. xxvi.
25. Ps. xcix. 8. Ez. xxiv. 8. 6 Deut. xxxii. 41, 43. Ps. xviii. 48. Is. xxxiv. 8. xxxv. 4.
xlvii. 3.lix.17. lxi. 2. lxiii. 4. Mi. v. 14. Jer. xlvi. 10.1. I:>. 28.li. 6. 11.36. Ezek. xxv.
14.17. 7 CpJ
, a self-avenger, Ps. viii. 3. xliv. 17. It is punished by God
Ezek. xxv. 12,15, being moreover unjust; Jer. xx. 10. 12. Lam. iü. 60. colI. 64.
s Jud. xv. 7. xvi. 20. 9 1 Sam. xiv. 24. xviii. 25. Else only historically Pro vi. 84.

desires; because it would ha,re nothing: taken from it, as no-
thing can from Thee. Thus doth the soul seek without Thee
what she findeth not pure and untainted, till she returns to
Thce. Thus all pervcrtedly imitate Thce, who removc far
from Thee, and lift themselvcs up against Thee. But even by
thus imitating Thee, they imply Thee to be the Creator of all
nature; whence there is no placc, whithcr altogether to retire
from Thee." And so, in man, the same qualities are good or
bad, as they have God or self for thcir end. "wI'he joy of the
world is a passion. Joy in thc Holy Spirit or to joy in the Lord
is a virtue. The sorrow of the world is a passion. The
sorrow according to God which worketh salvation is a virtue.
The fear of the world which hath torment, from which a man
is called fcarful, is a passion. The holy fear of the Lord,
which abideth for evcr, from which a man is callcd reveren-
tial, is a virtue. The hope of the world, when one's hopc
is in the world or the princes of the world, is a passion.
Hope in God is a virtue, as well as faith and charity. Though
these four human passions are not in God, there are four
virtues, having the same names, which no one can have, save
from God, from the Spidt of God." In man they are "passions,"
because man is so far "passive" and suffers under them, and,
through original sin, cannot hinder having them, though by
God's grace he may hold them in. God, without passion and
in perfcct holiness, has qualities, which in man were jealousy,
wrath, vengeance, unforgivingness, a" rigor of perfcct justice
towards the impenitent, which punisheth so severely, as
though God had fury;" only, in Him it is righteous to punish
man's unrighteousncss. Elsewhere it is said, 15 God keepeth
not fo1' ever, or it is asked, 16 will He keep for ever? and He
answers, 17 Return, and I will not cause 1Jline Cl1lge1' to fallupoll
YOll; fm' I am merciful, saitlt the L01'd, I will not keep for
ever. Man's misdeeds and God's displeasure remain with
God, to be effaccd on man's repentance, or ]8 h.1J his ha1'dness
mul impenitent lwart man treasureth up unto himself wrath
in the day of W1"Clth and of the revelation of the righteoltsJudge-
ment of God, JVllO will1'eward each according to /âs WQ1'ks.
3. The Lord is slow to linger. Nahum takes up thc words
of Jonah 19 as he spoke of God's attributes towards Nineveh,
but only to shew the opposite side of them. Jonah dcelares
how God is slow to anger, giving men time of repentance, and
if they do repent, repenting Him also of the evil; Nahum, that
the long-suffcring of God is not slackness, that He is long-
sl!ffê1'ing to usward, not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance.
And sl1'ongin power 20 . Divine long-suffering goes along with
Divine po,,-er. God can be long-suffering, because Hc can,
whcnevcr He sees good, punish. His long-suffcring is a tokcn,
not of weakness, but of power. He can allow persons the
whole extent oftrial, because, when thcy are past cure, He can
end it at once. 21 God is (t righteollsJlldge, st1'ong and patient,
and Godw1'atlteth 22 evay day. The wrath cometh only at the

EstlJ. viü.13. David tlJanks God for keeping him from ittowardsNaball Sam. xxv. 32, 33.
10 Dent. xxxii. 35, compo Ps. xciv. 1. II Lev. xix. 18. 1
Jer. v. 9. 29. ix. 9.
13 S. Aug. Conf. B. ii. n. 13.14. 14 Rup. 1& PST ciii. 9. The idiom ":;1;ÍI
,
j stands
alone. 16 Jer.iii.5. 17 lb. 12. IS Rom.ü.5.6. Ig iv.2. 20 The full fonn
nJ
\';" Cheth. belongs probably to the stately character of Nahum. The like occurs
O1Ùy in Ps. cxlv. 8. ,cn "i'
, 21 Ps. vü. 11. 2Z The word expresses
continuously present action, cJli. The lxx added strDng and patient to bring out
the me
ning.

CHAPTER I.

c Jifoíes T power, and will not at all acquit the wicked:
cir.713. f the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind
ftsõi
2:'&c. and in the storm, and the clouds are the

b.3.5,11, dust of his feet.
I! Ps. 106. 9. .
lsa. 50.2. 4 g He rebuketh the sea, anti ma}wth It
Matt. 8. 26.
h lsa. 33. 9. dry, and drieth up an tIIC rivcrs: h Bashan

375

languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of c !ïioíes T
Lebanon languisheth. dr. 713.
5 i Tl t . k 1 . d k l ips. ü8. 8.
Ie moun ams qua e at 11m, an . t Ie It Judg. 5. 5.
hills melt, and I the earth is burned at his
i;c
:
:
I 2 Pet. 3. 10.
presence, yea, the world, and all that dweU .
therein.

last, but it is cver present with God. He cannot but be dis-
plcascd with the sin; and so the Psalmist deseribcs in thc
manner of mcn the gradual alJproximation to its dischargc.
1 If he (the sinner) u'ill not 1'etU1"1l [from evil or to God],
He 'will wllet His swo,.d; He hath trodden His how and
directed it: He Itatlt prepared for him iustruments of death;
He hatlt made His W"rOlCS bU1"llillg. 'Ye see the arrow with
uncxtinC"uishablc fire, ready to be discharged, waiting for the
final dcëision of the wicked, whcther he will rcpcnt or not, but
that still t/le Da.'l/ of the Lord will come 2. He u'ill not
at all acquit 3. The words occur originally in the great
declaration of God's attributcs of mercy by Moses, as a
ncccssary limitation of them 4; the)" are continued to God's
people, yet with the side of mcrey IJredominant 5; they are
pleadcd to Himself 6 ; thcy are the sanction of the third
eOl1lluandmcnt 7. IIc will 1Iot acquit of His own will, apart
from His justice. So He saith 8, I can of 1I1ine own self
do nothing, i. c. (in part), not as unjust judg-cs, who call good
el'il and edl good, following their own will, not the mcrits
of the case; but, as I IlCa,., I Judge, and }JIy Judgement is
just. He cannot evcn have mercy and spare unjustly, nor
without thc lowliness of pcnitence. Even if it be Jerusalcm,
over which He wept, or His companion, His own familia)"
friend 9 , He, ,rho is no accepter of persons, cannot of mcre
favour forgive the impenitent.
The Lord Iwth His way in the whirlwind and ill the storm.
Thevengeance of God comcs at last swiftly, vehemcntly,fear-
fully, irresistibly. TVlten they say, Peace and safety, then
sudden destruction cometlillpon them 10, and all creation stands
at the command of the Creator against His enemies. .FIe
shall t(eke to Him Hisjealousy for complete armolll', and make
the creature His weapoll,fm' the revenge of His enemies 11.
Ami t!le clouds are t!le dust of His feet. Perhaps the ima-
gery is f.'om the light dust raised by an earthly army, of which
Kahum's word is used 12. The powers of hem'en arc arrayed
against the might of earth. On earth a little dust, soon to
subside; in heaven, the whirlwind and the storm, which sweep
away what does not bow before them. The vapours, slight
in outward seeming 13, but formed of countless multitudes
of mist-drops, are yet dark and lowering, as they burst, and
resistless. "The Feet of God are that power whereby He
trampleth upon the ungodly." So it is said to the Son, Sit
T!lOll on ..Uy Right Hanel until I make Thine el1emies Thy
footstool. Tempests have also, without figure, been useù to
ovcrthrow God's enemies u.
4. He rebuketh the sea (Old maketh it dry 15, delivering His
I lb. 12. 13. 2 2 Pet. iii. 9, 10. 3 l1j:1J' tI" :'Ij:lJ1 4 Ex. xxxiv. 7. The Samaritan
Pentateuch characteristically changes the words into l1j:1J' I" l1j:1J1 "the innocent shall be
held guiltless by Him." · Jer. xxx. H. xlvi. 28. 8 Nu. xiv. 18.
7 Ex. xx. 7. Deut. v. 11. 8 John v. 30. I Ps.lv. 14. 10 1 Thess. v. 3.
U"Wisdom v. 17. 12 Ezek. xxvi. 10. 13 p:11! occurs six times in the O. T. It is
by itself "light dust" Ex. ix. 9. De. xXviii. 24. Is. v. 24, but has P"1 addetl Is. xxix. 5.
14 Ex. xiv. 27. Josh. x.H. Judges v. 20.1 Sam. ii.l0. and vii. 10.2 Sam. xxii. 15.
n The contracted fonn, 1:1P.;1
is again for emphasis. The like contraction
occurs in
Lam. lli. 53. :1i:1 lb. 33. C1'f':! 2 ChI". xxxii. 30. Kri. 18 Ps. cvi. 9. I; Wisd. xii. 9.
IS Is.lvii. 20. 11 Josh. ii. 11. 20 Hos. xiv. 7, Cant. iv.H.
KKK2

people, as Hc did from Pharaoh 16, thc type of alllatcr oppres-
sors, and of Antichrist. His word is with power; to destroy
tllem at once with one rough 1['01"{[17. Thc restlessncss of the
barrcn and troubled sca is an image of the wicked l8 . And drieth
up all t!le rivers, as Hc did Jordan. His coming shall be far
more terrible than when all the hearts of the inhabitants of
the land did melt 19. Bashan lallguisheth ({lIll Carmel; ({I111 the
.flower of Lebanon langlâsheth. Bashan was richest in pas-
turcs; Carmel, according to its name, in gardcns and vine-
yards; Lcbanon,in vincs also and fragrant flowers 2o , but chiefly
in the cedar and eyprcss ; it had its name from thc whitcness
of the snow, which rests on its summit. These mountains
then together are cmblems of richness, lasting bcauty, fruit-
fnlncs!i', loftincss; yet all, even that which by nature is not,
in the variety of seasons, wont to fade, dries up and withcrs
before the rebuke of God. But if these things are done in a
green tree, wlmt slmll be done in the drl/? All freshness,
bcauty,comclincss, shew of outwarù naturè,shall fade as grass;
all ornamcnt of men's outward graces or gifts, all mere shew
of goodncss, shall fall off like a leaf and perish. If the glory
of nature perishes before God, how much more the pride of
man! Bashan also was the dwelling-place of the race of
giants, and near Libanus was Damascus; yet their inhabitants
became as dead men and their power shrank to nothing at thc
word of God,
5. Tlze mountains quaked at Him, amI the Mlls melted,
as of their own accord. The words are a renewal of
those of Amos 21. Inanimate nature is pictured as endowed
with the terror, which guilt feels at the presence of God.
All power, whethcr greater or less, whatsoever lifteth itself
up, shall gin wa)' in that Day, which shan be 2.2 upon all the
cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, alld upon all
the oaks of Baslwn, and upon all the high mOIOltains, and
Ilpon all the hills that are lifted up. And the earth is
burned [rather lifteth itself up 23]; as in an carthquake it
seems, as it were, to rise and !i'ink down, lifting itself as
if to meet its God or to flee. "
hat is strongest, shaketh;
what is hardest, melteth; yca, the wholc world trembleth
and is removed. "24 If," said even Jews of old, "when
God made Himself known in merc)', to gin the law
to His people, the world was so mond at His Presence, how
mueh more, when He shall reveal Himself in wrath!" The
words are so grcat that thcy bear the soul on to the timc,
when the heaven and earth shall flce away from the Face of
Him Wlto siUeth Oil the throne, alld tlte elements shall1llelt
with fervent heat 25. And since all judgements are images

21 Am. ix. 13.
JIOM:'l occur2 besides only in Ps. cVÏi. 26, of the heart of man through
terror. Delitzscb (on Hab. p. 156) supposed that the hithpael or bithpalel conveyed" the
operation of an outward cause, completing itself within the subject, as it were in continued
vibrations," alleging Ew. Lehrb. 124 a, coll. !1;::n
l\lic. i. 4, I:'11Jl1l1 Ps. xviii. 8, !11;'-"
.
"'
':'I Is. xxiv. 19. .,p
p.'
Jer. iv. 24, but there is no ground for making thefonn at once
passive and reflective; and it is less vivid.
2J Is. ii. 13, 14. 23 tI;'J intrans. as Ps. lxxxix. 10, ""1 tl1Z':1, of the sea. With
this agrees the constr. 1'Jro "from His Presence," as the cause of its fear. The
E. V. "is burned" is taken from Rashi.
24 Jon.

Rev. JtX,ll; 2 Pet. lli. 10.

376

Before
CHRIST
cu. 713.
m Mal. 3. 2.
t Heb. oland
"p.
D Rev, 16. 1.

6 "Tho can stand before his imligna-'
tion ? and m who can t abide in the fierceness I
of his anger? n his fury is poured out like I
fire, and the rocks are tbrown down by I
him.

of thc Last, and thc awe at tokcns of God's Prcsence is a
shadow of thc terror of that coming", he adds,
6. TVlto can stand before His indignation? This qucstion
appeals to our own conscicnces, that wc cannot 1. It antici-
pates thc self-conviction at cvcry day of God's visitation, thc
forerunncrs of thc last. The word rcndercd "indig"nation " is
rcscrved almost exclusively to dcnote thc wrath of God 2.
"3'Yho can trust in his own rightcousness, and, for thc abun-
dancc of his worksorconsciousncssofhis virtues, not be in need
of mercy? Enter not intojudgement with Thy sen'ant, 0 Lord,
101. iuThy si
/d slwll no 111 an living be justified; and in Job it is
said truly, Belwld I
e put no trust in His servants, and His
Angels He charged u'ith folly. E1mv much less in them tlwt
dwell ill hOllses of cia.1J, wllOse foundation is in the dust, w/âch are
crusl,ed before the nwtll 4 ? It were necdlcss now to provc,
that man's own dcserts sufficc to no onc, and that we arc not
savcd but by the grace of God, for all have sinned and come
short of the gI01'.1/ of God 5 . Whercforc he saith, bef01'e His
illllignation, standing" facc to Face beforc Him in wrath."
lit. Ùl the Face of: guilt cannot look in the face of man,
how much less, of God. The bliss of the rightcous is thc
punishment of thc wickcd, to bchold God face to Face. For
"3 whoso trustcth in his own works dcserveth His indignation,
and thinking hc standeth, rightcously docs he fall."
His fury is poured out 6 like fire, swceping away, likc a tor-
rcnt of moltcn fire, him who presumeth that hc can stand
bcforc His Facc, as He did the citics of the plain 7, the image
of the cverlasting firc, which shall burn up His cncmics on
evcrv sidc 8. Aml1.ocks are thrml"ll down. Thc rocks arc likc
so n;any towcrs 9 of nature, brokcn down and crushcd by Him
lit.fi.om Him. It needcth not any act of God's. Hc wills and
it is donc. Those ,,-ho hardcn thcmselves, arc enIshcd and
brokcn to pieces, the whole fabric they had built for them-
selves and thcir dcfcnccs, crumblinK and shh.cred. If thcn
they, whosc hcarts arc hanl as rocks, and bold against aU
pcril, and e,-cn Satan himself, whose 10 heart is as firm as a
.'done, yea, as hard as a piece of the net1ler millstone, shall bc
crushèd then, who shall abide?
7. TIle Lord is good: a stronghold in the day of trouble.
"Good
nd doing g-ood," and full of sweetness; alike good
and mighty; Good in g-iving Himself and imparting His
goodncs
to His own; yca ll n01leisgood, save God; Himself the
strong-hold wherein His own may takc refuge; both in the troll-
bles of this lifc, in which 12 He will not sl1fèr us to be tempted
abore that we are able, and in that Day, which shall Item them
in on everv sidc, and leave no place of cscape exccpt Himself.
And H; knoweth tI,em that trust in Him; so as to save
thcm; as Rahab was saved when Jericho perished, and Lot

1 As in Jo. ii.lI, Mal. iii. 2; renewed Rev. vi .li. t The noun CII! (used here) occurs
21 times in the O. T.; of men only once; the verb CII! occurs 13 times, 5 times only of
man's anger. J Rup. . Job iV.IB, 19. · Rom. iii. 23. 6 1/1J is uset! oftlJe pouring out
of God's wrath Jer. vii. 20, xlii.IB, 2 Chr. xii. 7 (as more commonly 'JÐII'); here its native
meaning is bro{,.ght out the more, by adding Z'HJ. i Gen. xix. s Ps. xcvii. 3.1. 3, lxviii.
3, xviii. B. 9 fro (not in the dialects) is used 3.J. times of the" breaking down " of walls,
buildings, a statue, altar, shrine; in Ps. Iviii.7. only, ofthe teeth oflions, and, by
eta_
phor, of men in Ps.lii. 7, Job xix. 10. Three times It is used elliptically. 10 Job xh. 24.
U S. Luke xviii. 19. 12 1 Cor. x. 13. lJ lIJi' H Ps. i. 6. I. Ps. xxxvii. IS. 16 S. John

NAHU.M,

7 0 The LORD is good, a II strong hold in c JI{oje s T
the day of trouble; and p hc knoweth them cir.713.
tbat trust in him. 0

65:U'
8 q nut with an oyerrunning flood he ie;
::t 11"-
. 11 I I " Or, strength.
WJ ma {C an uttcr em of the l)lace thereof, P Ps. 1.6.
2 Tim. 2. 19
'1 Dan. 9.26. & 11.10,22,40.
out of thc midst of thc overthrow and Hczekiah from the host
of Sennachcrib. He knoweth thcm with an individual ever-
prcscnt, Imowledge 13. He says not only," Hc shall own them,"
but IIc cver knOlccth them. So it is said; 14 The Lord knoweth
ti,e 'Way of the rigltteoll8, 15 The Lord knoweth the days of the up-
right; and our Lord says, 16 I lalOllf llIy slteep; ånd S. Paul,
17 Tlte Lord knoll"eth tl,em that are His. God speaks of this
knowlcdge also in thc past, of His knowledgc, whcn things as
yet wcrc not, I h(lt'e knowlI thee by name; or of lovingkindness
in the past, 18 I knew thee ill the wilderness, 19 YOll alone have 1
known of all tltefamilies of the earth, as contrariwise our Lord
says, that Hc shall say to the wicked in thc Grcat Day, 20 1
neva Imew you. That God, being what He is, should take
knowlcdgc of us, being what we arc, is such wondrous conde.
scension, that it invokcs a purpose of lm.e, yca, His love to-
wards us, as the Psalmist says admiringly, Lord, what is man
that Thou takest Imowledge of 1Iim 21 ?
Tllem that t1"llst in 1fim. It is a hahit, which has this re-
ward; the trusters in 1fim 22 , the takcrs of refuge in Ifim. It is
a con tinned mH.arying' trust, to which is shewn this cver-
prcscnt love and knowledg-c.
Yet this glcam of comfort only discloscth the darkncss of
the wiekcd. Since those who trust God are they whom God
knoweth, it follows that the rest He knowcth not. On this
opening-, which scts forth the attributes of God towards those
who defy Him and thosc who trust in Him, follows the special
application to Kineveh.
1:3. But with all overrunning flood He will make an utter end
of the place thereof23, i. e. of l\\inc,'ch, although not as yet
named, exccpt in thc titlc of the prophccy, yet present to
the Prophet's mind and his hearcrs, and that the more solemn-
ly, as Lcing the object of the wrath of God, so that, although
unnamed, it would be known "0 to be. Imagc and reality,
the first dcstruction and the last whieh it pictures,
mcct in the same words. l\\inc,-ch itself was ovcr-thrown
through the swclling of the rh'ers which flowed round it
and scemcd to be its defence 2
. Then also, the flood is the
tide of armics, gathercd from all quarters, Babylonians 25,
l\Icdcs, Persians, Arabian
, Bactrians, which like a flood
should swcep o\"cr Kine'"eh and leave nothing standing. It
is also the flood of the wrath of God, in \Yhose Hands they
were, and 'Yho, by them, should make afult end of it, lit. make
the place thereof a tMug consllmed, a thing which has ceased
to be. For a whilc, some ruins cxisted, whosc name and
history ceascd to be known; soon after, the ruins themselves
wcre ètfaced and buried 26. Such was the close of a city,
almost coeval with thc flood, which had now stood almost as
many years as have passed since Christ came, but which now

x. 14. 27. 172 Tim. ii.I9. IS Hos. xiii. 6. I
Am. iii. 2.
S.Matt. vii. 23.
l Ps. cxliv.S.
22 I t is the well known construction 1:1 '11m, in which, tlJe verb being united with its object
by a preposition, (like our .. truat in,") the" in Him" stands as gen. as market! by tha
stat. const. 'R1n, as it were "all trusters of Him," as iJ 'cn"J Ps. ii.I2. 1J 'Ri1"J Ps. v. 12.
Elsewhere the art. is used to express the class, 1:1 c'Ci1n 2 Sam. xxii. 31 {Ps. xvili. 3I.}
Ps. xxxiv. 23, 1:1 c'C1n
, Ps. xxxi. 20. iJ c'
m
Pr. xxx. 6. ':1 ncinn Is. Ivii. 13.
:?3 So Ezek. xi. 13, xx. 17, n>
being the second object of the verb, "He made them as
a thing consumed," or '11':1 is used abs. as in v. 9. or with

Jer. v. 18.
2t See on ii. 6.
. Diod. Sic. ii. 25. lð See ab. Introt!. pp. 368, Sa9.

ell A p'rER I.

c JifO?s T and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
cir. iI3. !) r'Vhat do ye illla
ine ag-ainst the
: fS';'
3. 12. LORD? s he will make an utter end: aftlic-
tion shall not rise up the second time.

37ì

10 }....or while thc!! be folden together t as C Jifoíes T
tllOrns, U and while they are drunken as cir.713.
drunkards, :I they shall be de,"oured as: ;

'ît6,7.
111 f 11 I z Mal. 4, 1.
stUJ)e u y(ry.

defied God. )Iarvellous image of the evil world itself, which
shall flec away from the Face of Him 'Yho sat on the throne 1,
and there was fOll1lclllO place fm' it.
And darkness slwll jJlll'sue His enemies; bettcr, He slwll pur-
sue His enemies into darkness 2. Darkness is, in the o:r., the
condition, or state in which a pcrson is, or livcs ; it is not an
agcnt, which purslles. Isaiah speaks of thc 3 inhccbitmtls of
darkness 4, entering illtO darkness; 5 tllOse who are ill darkness.
The grave is all ð darkness,7 darkness, and the shadow of death.
Renee even Jcws rendercd, "8 Hc :,:hall dcliver them to hell."
Into this darkness i
i" said, God shall pllrsue thelU, as othcr
prophcts speak of being dr;,'ell forth into dadmess'J. The
darkness, the motionless drear abode, to which they are
driven, anticipates thc being cast into the outer dar/mess,
w/lere shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "10 The nn-
geance of God on" thosc who remain" His cnemies" to the
last, " ends not with the death of the body; but edl spirits,
who arc darlmess and not light, pursue their souls, and !'eize
them." They would not hcar Christ calling to thcm, 1l11
alk,
wlâle ye hcwe the light, lest darkness come upon you. 12 The,1J
w'e of tllOse that rebel against the ligld; tlle.11 knolV not tile
ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof. 13 They 100'ed dark-
ness rather thall light. And so they were driven into the
darkness which they chosc and Im-ed.
9. The Prophct had in fcw words summed up the close of
Kincveh; he now upbraids thelU with the sin, which should
bringitupon thcm,aud foretells thc destruetionofSel1nacherib.
Nineveh had, before this, bcen the instrument of chastising
Israel and Judah. 1'\ow, the ('apturc of Samaria, whieh had
cast off God, deceh.cd and emboldened it. Its king thoug-ht
that this was the might of his own arm; and likened the
Lord of hcaven and carth to the idols of the heathen, and
said, 14 'Vho are tlICY among all the gods of the countries, that
have delit-ered their country out of mine hand, that tile Lord
slwuld delil'er Jerusalem out of mille hand? lIe sent 15 to re-
jJroach tIle living God and 16 clçfied tile Holy Olle of Israel. His
blasphemy was his destruction. It was a war, not simply
of ambition, or covetousness, but directly against the power
and worship of God.
117mt will.1Je so mightil.1/17 devise, imagine against the Lord?
He 18 Himself, by Himself, is already making wc utter end. It
is in store; the Angel is ready to smite. Idle are man's da-ices,
when the Lord doeth. 19 Take counsel together, and it shall
come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for
1 Rev. xx.n. 3 So S. Jer. Tbe punctuators marked this by tbe :l.lakkef, ,rll-'p".
3 Is, xlii. 7. 4 lb. xlvii. 5. . lb. xlix. 9. 6 Ps. Ixxxviii. 12. Job xvii. 13.
7 Job x. 21. 8 Jon. 8 Is viii. 22.11'"1:1 "I.
, Jer. xxiii. 12. 1'1;1 1

1111: :f,!;I<;j
.. in darkness, into which they sball be driven

d i;Ùtherein." . . . ,
10 Uup. 11 S. John xii. 35. 13 Job :lXiv.I3. 13 S. John iii. 19.
I
2 Kings xviii. 35. 1. lb. XL't. 16. 18 See xix.I5-M. 17 The Hebrew fonn
is doubly emphatic, J1JJf"
' The same construction occurs with "", "towards," Hos. vii.
15.1I11=Wi:t; 7
! (in the same genera1sense as the stronger
1I Nah. i. 11, Dan. xi. 24), in
'DJl1'

!;I Job xv. 25, 1"]I:C j"; "runneth at" i. e. against Him (God) lb. 26. :lW" is
not simply" think," but" e'tcogitated," "calculated" (Lev. 5 times), "devised" Pro
xvi. 9; with
and info "to do evil to" Pr. xxiv. 8. In kal, also, :I;lÇ'tp :11171] is usetl for
"devisingagainst," alike witb
II Jer. xi. 19. xviü. 11. 18. xli't.30, and with"!;1 Jer. xlix.
!!0.1.45; and with "11 in ag')Qdsense, Jer.x"(ix.l1. :lwt\ is used also of"tbinkingover" the
past, Ps.hxvii. 6. cxix. 59; with
and info "thinking over," in order to know, Ps.lxxiii.16 ;
with ace. p. .. take account of" Ps. cxliv. 3, 2 Kgs. xii. 16; but in none of these cases

Goel is witlt us. 'Yhilc the rich man was speaking comfort
to his soul as to future ycars, God was making an utter cnd.
Thou/ool, tltis nigld shall thy soul be required of thee.
20 A.tJlictioll shall not rise up the seconcl time: as he says
afterwards, Thollr:;" I have '!fflicted thee, I will qtJlict
thee 110 more 21. God, He had said, is good for (L refuge
ill tile da.,! of q/lfiction; now, personifying that affliction,
he says, that it should be so utterly broken, that it should
rise up no more to ,'cx thcm, as when a serpent's head
is, not wounded only but, crl1
hed and trampled undcr foot,
80 that it eannot again lift itself up. Thc promi!i'es of God
are conditioncd by our not falling back into sin. He saith to
:Kinevch, '. God will not dcliver Judah to thee, as He dcJh'ered
the ten tribes and Samaria." Judah rcpented under Heze-
kiah, and Hc not only delivered it from Sennacherib, but
ncvcr afflictcd thcm again through Assyria. Rcnewal of sin
hrings rencn-al or deepening of punishment. The new and
more gl'ic,.ous sins under
Ianasseh werc punished, not
through .\ssyria but through the Chaldeans.
The words ha,'c passed into a maxim, " God will not punish
thc samc thing twice," not in this world and the world to
come, i. c. not if repented of. For of the impenitent it is said,
22 destroy them with a double destrllctioll. Chastisement hcre
is a token of God's mcrey; thc absence of it, or prosperous sin,
of perdition ; but ifany refuse to be correctcd, the chastisement
of this life is but the beginning of uncnding tormcnts.
10. };ìn' 1l'hile tlley he folelm together as thor1lS 9.3, i. e. as
confused, intertwined, sharp, piercing, hard to be touched,
rending" and tearing whosoever would interfere with its tan-
g'led ways, and secmingly compact together and strong; and
Il'hile they are dr/lllkell as their drink 2\ not" drinkers 2." only
but literally" drunkcn," swallowed up, as it were, by their
drink which thcy had swallowed, mastered, overcome,
powerless, tlICY shail be elæoured as stubble flll(1f dry 26, rapidly,
in an instant, with an empty crackling sound, unresisting, as
ha\"Íng nothing in them which can resist. Historically, the
great dcfeat of the As
yrians, before the capture of Nineveh,
took place while its king. flushcd with success, was giving
himself to listlessncss; and having distributed to his soldiers
dctims, and abundance of wine, and other necessaries for
bampletting, the whole army 2; was negligent and drunken."
In like wav Babvlon was taken amid the feasting of Belshaz-
zar 2S; ßelihadad was smitten, while 2'J drinking himself clrullk
ill the pat'iliolls, he and the kings, the tltirty ami two kings
with
H. IS The use of the pronoun in Heb. is again emphatic. 11 Is. viü. 10.
:0 Others have understood this .. affliction shall not rise up the second time," but shall
destroy at once, utterly andfinall;(comp.I Sam. xxvi. 8. 2 Sam. xx. 10.) : but 1) the idiom
there, '
:Ul\' H
, .. he did not repeat to him," as we say, "he did not repeat the blow," is
quite different: 2) it is said, "affliction shall not rise up," itself, as if it cou1d not. The
causative of the idiom occurs in 2 Sam. xii. II. :Ii[) '171/ [:'j;I;\ '
Jo':l"lo, I will cause evil to rise
up against thee." :1 v.I2. :: Jer. xvii. 18. 33 C"'C "vlit." quite up to," so as altogether
to equal; asn.!,Jl1"V, Job xi. 7,:rn1l"]:1 "Y,1 Chr.iv.27. 3-I1I;
, wine, Is. i. 22. Hos. iv.IB.
:. As elsewhere C'lc1-J, Deut. xxi. 20, Pro xxiii. 20, 21, "!!1
Cheth. Ez. xxiii. 42.
:6 H?
is best united "ithe'J'.
tþ
is used ofripe corn, Ex. xxii. 28. Dt. X1Ü. 9; but this
may be so called, from the ear being full. The idiom, in wbicb II
:;J isjoined with the verb,
H
:;11"'-:H 111"':;1 J er. xü. 6, is different, being derived from a phrase, 'I!
Il1")j;I .. cry aloud,
fill," i. e. with a full voice, Jer. iv. 5. Schultens compares Arab. !:<
1
k
"he did and
filled" = did fully. For the imagery of the de,'ouring of the stubble by fire. see Is. v. 24-
xlvü.I4. Jo.ii. 5. Ob. 18.
Diod. Sic.ü. 26. 38 Dan. v.I-30. 39 1 IGngs xx. 16.

378

Before II There is one comc out of thee, y that
CHRIST .
cU. 713. imagineth evil against the LORD, t a wIclw([
"7 i2

3
S II). counscllor.
t'
I

lBd

i. 12 Thus saith the LORD; II Though they
II Or, /1 they . d I ' k . t tl I II
1V0uld have be qUlCt, an I -CWISC many, ye IUS Z S m
been at peace,
so should they they be t cut down, when he shall a pass
have been
.,lany, and so should the.,! have been sham, and he sllOllld have passed away.
. 2 KÌngs 19. 35, 37. t Heb. s'lorn. a Isa. 8. 8. Dan. 11. 10.

N AHU.M,

through. Though I Imve afflicted t1we, I C Jiioies l'
will afflict thee no more. cir.713.
13 For now will I b break his yoke from b gÓ:8
. 20. &
off thee, and will burst thy bonds in
sunder.
14 And the LORD hath given a command-

tllat helped Mm. And so it may wcll be meant hcre too, that
Sennacherib's army, securc of their prey, werc sunk in re-
vclry, already swallowcd up by wine, before they were swal-
lowed up by thc pcstilcnce, on thc nig-ht when thc Angel of
the Lord went out to smite thcm, and, from the sleep of rc-
velry, they slel)t thc slccp from which they shall not awakc
until the Judgcment Day. God chooscth the last moment of
the triumph of the wickcd, whcn he is flushcd by his suc-
cess, thc last of thc helplcssncss of thc rightcous, when his
hopc can bc in thc Lord Alonc, to cxchange thcir lots. 1 The
7.igMeous is delivered out of trouble, and tile 1vicked cometh in
his stead. Spiritually, "2 the false fullness of the rich of this
world, is rcal leanncss; the greenness of such grass (for all
flesh is grass) is real dryncss. l\lan.cllous words, flll(1J dry.
For what is drplCss but cmptincss?" Thcy arc pcrfccted,
but in dryness, and so pcrfectly prcpared to be burned up.
"The thorns had, as far as in them lay, ehokcd the good
seed, and hated the Secd-corn, and now are found, like stub-
ble, void of all sccd, fittcd only to be burn cd with fire. For
those who feast themselves without fear is 3 1'eserved the black-
ness of darkness for evel"."
II. Tlte1.e is one come out oft ltee i. e, Nineveh, t Iwt imagin-
eth"', deviseth 5 , evil 6 , against the Lord, Scnnachcrib, 7 the rod of
God's angel", yet who" meant not so," as God meant. "And
this was his counsel," as is every counscl of Satan, " that they
could not resist him, and so should withdraw thcmselves from
the land of God, 8 into a land like their own, but whose joy
and sweetness, its vines and its fig-trces, should not be from
God, but from the Assyrian, i. e. from Satan."
12. Though tltey be quiet and likewise many, yet tlLUs shall
the.1J be cut down. lit. If the.1J be entire 9, i. e. sound, unharmed,
unimpaircd in their numbcrs, unbrokcn in their strength,
undiminishcd, pcrfect in all which bclongcth to war; and
tlllls many, even t1ms shall they be mown down (or slw1"n), and
he passeth away 10. 'Yith might outwardly unscathed, without
hand ll , and thllS many i. e. many, accordingly, as being un-
weakened; as many as they shall be, so shall they be mown
down 1 2 , anellte, their head and king, shall pass away and
perish 13. Their numbers shall be, as their condition before,
perfect; their destruction as thcir numbers, complete. It
I Pro xi. 8. S Rup. 3 Jude 12, 13.
4 Those who explain this of the past, render, II Out of thee, Judah, is gone away,
withdrawn, he who devised evil against the Lord." But a person is said to"go forth"out
of that which is his abode, from the city, gate, &c or, to war. In the exceptions, Is. xlix.
17, II thy destroyers and wasters shall go forth from thee," it is implied that they had long
sojourned there, and were to give place to the children, who should return. In J er. xliii.
12, where it is said of Nebuchadnezzar, he shall go forth thence in peace, it is first said,
he shall set up liis th,'one there a1ld shall army himself u.ith the land of Eg.,!pt, as a shep-
herd putteth on his garment; i. e. he shall make it wholl). his own.
· As Ps. xxxv. 4. "11'" ':::I\'n.
6
!I'
:1occursI8times, combined "ithp, n:1, '3:1,1:/'11, W3I1,C'K, '11, II a son, daughter, sons,
man, men, witness." ':1 Y!lI' is a similar composition. Else it only occurs with
Ps. xli.
9,ci.3,and as an adj. De. xv. 9; as personal 2 Sam. xxiii. 6. Nah. ii.l. also':1 'b.
CI Job
xxxiv. 18. There is then no ground to take it here, or Ps. xviii. 6, and 2 Sam. xxü. 6,
with'MI, as signifying" destruction." 1 Is. x. 5-7. s Is. xxxvi, 16, 17. 9 D'I:/ is used

is wonderful how much God says in fcw words; and how
it is hcre forctold that, with no prcvious loss, a mighty host
sccurc and at ease, in conscqucnce of their l)rosperity, all
arc at one blow mown down, like the dry g-rass before the
scythe, arc cut off and pcrish; and one, their king, lJUsseth
([way, first by flight, and then by dcstruction. As they had
shorn the glory of others 14, so should thcy be shorn and cut
down thcmselves.
Though I have qfflicteel thee, I will qfflict thee 15 no more,
unlcss by new guilt thou compcll\le. God alwa)'s relieves us
from trouble, as it wcre with the words l6 , sin no more, lest a
1V01'se thiug come unto thee. In the end, afflictions shall be
turncd into joy, and Goel shall wipe away fill tears from t1teir
eyes; anel there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying,
neitha shall tlte1"e be any more pain 17.
13. For now will I break /tis yoke from ofT thee. God, lest
His own should dcspair, does not put thcm off altog-cthcr to
a distant day, but saith, now. Historically, the beginning of
the fall is the earncst of thc cnd. By the dcstruction of Scn-
nacherib, God declarcd His dis})leasure against Assyria; the
rest was matter of time only. Thus Haman's wise mcn say
to him, 18 If lJIordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom
thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but
shalt sw"ely fall before Mm; as He saith in Isaiah, 19 I will break
the Ass.l/J"Ïml in lJIy land, and upon lJIy mountains tread him
under foot; then shall his yoke depart from qfr them, ((nd
!tis burden departfrom offtlteir slwulders. "20 In that He saith,
not 'I will loose,' 'will undo,' but' I will breal.,' 'will burst,'
He shewcth that He will in such wise frce J crusalem, as
to pour out displeasure on the cnemy. The very mode of
speaking shews the grcatness of His displeasure against
those who, whcn for the sccret purpose of His judgcments
they han powcr given them against thc servants of God,
fecd themselves on thcir punishments, and moreover dare to
boast against God, as did the Assyrian, 21 By the streugtlt of
my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom."
14. And the Lorel hath givell a commandment concerning
thee, 0 Assyrian. In the word" I have afflicted thee," the
land ofIsrael is addrcssed, as usual in Hebrew, in the feminine;
hcre, a change of gender in Hebrcw shews the person ad-
of physical entireness, completeness, or mental integrity. In one place only, Gen. xxxiv .21,
13
1:t D'w
' is doubtless remlered rightly II peaceable with us," as '1;'7j:; Ps. vii. 5, but not in
the frequent idiom D?;i :1
, :1
?, whether with or without.. DII, and never by itself.
10 So it seems better to render it, than, as in the E. V., and he shall pass t1lrough. The
word means alike II pass away" II or pass through," but the act spoken of is later than
the cutting down of the army, and so probably the passi..g away, or flight of its IJng, to
his destruction or final passing away. 11 Dan. ii. 34. 12 II! is used of sheep-shearing,
cutting off the hair in sorrow; I
is II mown grass, fieece cut." Here alone, it is a meta-
phor, like tlJat of n

:, Is. vii. 20. 13 Compo Ps. xlviii. 4. 14 Is. vii. 20.
I. :1131 II affiieted" relatively to God, is said of His chastisement of His people (Deut. viii.
2.2 Kgs. xvii. 20) or of individuals (Ps. lxxxviii. 8. xc. 15. cii. 24. cxix. 75. Job xxx. 11.)
but no where of the enemies of God, whose destruction moreover is here spoken of. It
cannot then refer to tlJe Assyrian, as some have tlone. The double omission ofthe' in
J:1IJ/
was probably for the rhythm.
16 S. Johnv. 14. l1Rev.xxi.4. IS Esth.\i.13. I
Is.xiv.25. 20 Rup. SIIs.x.13,

CHAPTER I.

379

Before ment concern in'), thee, thftt no more of make thy grave ; for thou art vile. Before
CHRIST
CHRIST
cir. 713. thy name be sown: out of the hOllse 15 llehol(l d upon the mountains the cir. 713.
of thy gods will I cut off the gra,-en feet of him that bringeth good tid. d k

il'lI),
e 2 Kin. 19.37. image and the molten Image: cI will ings, that puhlisheth peace ! 0 Judah.

dressed to be different, "1 By Hi
command alone, and the
word of Hi
power, He cut off the race of the As
yrian, as
he says in 'Visdom, of Eg-ypt,2 Thine Alnâgh(1/ wore/leaped
clou.mfrom Heaven, out of ThYI'oyal t1lrone; as a fierce man
of war into the midst of a land of destruction, aml hrought
Thine unfeigned commandment as a sharp sword, and standing
lip filled all things with death," or else it may be, He g-ave
command to the Angels Hi

Iinisters. God eommandeth
beforehand, that, when it cometh to pa!'=s, it may he known
"3 that not by chance," nor by the will of man, "nor without
His judgement but by the sentence of God" the blow came.
lYo more of thy name be SOll'n, as Isaiah saith, 4theseed oferil-
doers shall ne'l'er he renowned. He prolJhesies, not the im-
mediate but the absolute ces
atioll of the AssHian line. If
the prophecy was uttered at the time of Sennåcherib's inva-
sion, se,'enteen years before his death, not Esarhaddon only.
but his son .\!'shurbanipal also, whose career of personal con-
quest, the last glory of the house of the Sargonides and ofthe
empire, began immediately upon his father's reign of thirteen
years, was probably already born. Asshurbanipal in this
case would only have been thirty-one, at the beginning- of his
energetic rei
n, and would han died in his fifty-second year.
.Uter him followed only an inglorious twenty-two years.
The prophet says, tile Lord hath commanded. The decree as
to .\halJ's house was fulfilled in the person of his sccond son,
as to Jeroboam and Baasha in their sons. It waited its ap-
pointed time, but was fulfilled in the complete excision of
the doomed race.
Out of the house of thy gods will I cut qtf graven image
and moltell imageS; as thou hast done to others 6, it shall
be done to thee, ,; 7.\nd when even the common objcct>:
of worship of the Assyrian and Chaldean were not spared,
what ,,'ould be the ruin of the whole city!" So little shall
thy gods help thee, tl]at "8 there shalt thou be punished,
where thou hopest for aid, Gra'l'en and moltm image shall
be thy graye; amid altar and oblations, as thou worshippest
idols," thanking them for thy delinrance, "shall thy unholy
hlood be shed," as it was hy his !'ons Adranunclech and
Sharezel' 9. I will make it 10 thy grave; "7what God maketl,
remains immoveable, cannot be chang-cd. But He "maketh
thy grave" in hell, where not only that rich man in the Gos-
pel hath his grave; but all who are or have beeD like him,
and especially thou, 0 Asshur, of whom it is written, 11 Asshur
is there and all her company; his gnll'es are abollt him: all of
thnn slain, fallen h.1J tile slL'01'd. TV/lOse graves are set in the
sides of the }lit and her company is round ahollt /ler gra'l'e: all
of them slain, fallen hy tile sword, ll'hich callsed terror ill the
land of the living. Gravell and molten image, the iduls which
men adore, the images of their vanity, the created things
which they worship instead of the true Go(1 (as they wllose
god is their belly), in which they busy themselves in this life,
!;hall be their destruction in the Day of Judgement.

_I Alb. 2 .
nsd. xvi!!: 15. 16. s S. Jer. ..4 xiv. 20. 6 :t:C
1 'x,,, are 60 joined De. XXvll.
J,,_ Jud. XHI. 3, 4, X\'"UI. U. 8 Is. x..'<'<Vn. J9. ; Rup. S S. Jer. 9 Is. xxxvii. 38.
III. He does not use theword
i:'V" made," but c'i:> "appointed" it, set it to be. "There
I ,,111 make thv grave." Jon. Even Ew. bas" making them thy grave." \I Ez. xxxii.
22, 23. 12 From Dion. 13 1 Sam. ii. 30. I< Ob. 2. 1& lb. 3. 16 Dan.
v. 2;. . 1;
o i!l J ?b'
confession of himself, xl. 4, which, as adt!ressed to Got!,
can only be said of his JDtnnSlC worthlessness. It stands contrasted with those whom

For thOll art rile. Thou honouredst thvself and dishonou1'-
edst God, so shalt thou be di!':honoured 12, 'as lIe saith,13 Them
t
at Ilollour JIe Ilf'ill honour, and tlle.lI that despise _lIe shall be
bgh t.Zlf esteemed. So when he had said toEdom,Htholl art greatly
despised.
le adds the ground of it, 15 The pride of thine heart
hath decezved. thee.. F01' thou art vile. Great, honoured, glori-
ous as _\ssYl"la or Its ruler were in the eyes of men, the pro-
phet telI
him, what he was
n himself, being such in the eyes
of God, hght, empty, as Damel said to Belshazzar, 16 Thou art
weif{hecl in the halances, and found 'walltiug, of no account
rie
'
15. Behold upon the mountains, tIle feet of him that brinrreth
good tidings, that Pllblisheth peace. From mountain-top to
mountain-top by beacon-fires they spread the
lall tidings.
Suddenly the deliverance comes, sudden its an;lOuneement.
Behold! Judah, before hindercd by armies from going up to
Jerusalem, its citics taken 18, may now again keep the feasts
there, and pa.lf tile rOll'S, which "in trouble she promised;"
for the wicked one, the ungodly Sennacherib, is utterly cut off,
he shalllLO more lJflSS through thee; "the army and king and
empire of the Assyrians ha,'e perished." But the words of
prophecy cannot be bound down to this. These large pro-
mises, which, as to this world, were forfeited in the next reign,
when l\Ianasseh was taken captive to Babylon, and still more
in the se"enty years' captivity, and more yet in that until now,
look for a fulfilment, as they stand. They sound so absolute,
" I will afflict thee 110 more," "the wicked shall no more pa!'=s
through thee," "he is utterly (lit. the u'hole of ltim) cut off."
Nahum joins on this signal complete deliverance from a
temporal enemy, to the final deliverance of the people of
God. The invasion of Sennacherib was an avowed conflict
with God Himself. It was a defiance of God. He would
make God's people, his; be would cut it off, that it be 110 more
a people, awl tliat tile name of Israel may be no more ill re-
memhrance 111. There was a more "e,'il counsellor" behind,
whose agent was Sennacherib. He, as he is the author of all
murders and strife, so has he a special hatred for the Church,
whether before or since Christ's Coming. Before, that he
mig-ht cut off that Line from whom the Seed of the womalt
should be born, which should destroy his empire and crush
himself, and that he might devour the Child who was to be
born 20. Since, because her members are his freed captins,
and she makes inroads on his kin
dom, and he hates them
because he hates God and Christ "Tho dwells in them. .\s
the time of the bi,.th of our Lord neared, his hate became more
concentrated. God oHrruled the hatred of Ed om or
Ioab, or
the pride of Assyria, to His own ends, to preserve I,.rael by
chastising it. Their hatr"ed was from the evil one, because
it wa.., God's people, the secd of Abraham, the tribe of Judah,
the line of Dm'id. If thcy could be cut off, they of whom
Chrbt was to be born according to the flesh, and so, in aU
seeming, the hope of the world, were gone. Sennacherib then

Godhonours(
:RI)1 Sam. ii. 30. in Hif. "held cheap" (2 Sam. xix. 44, Ez. ""ii. 7.) put
to dishonour, Is
viii. 23. (conb,a
ted with "I':J:J:t.
: In Gen. x!Ï: 4. 5, it is adde
"in the
eyes of" another; it is used of a thmg 1 Sam. XVlll. 23. 2
gs. \11. 18. The ph) slc
l sense
"were lightened" (of the waters of the deluge Gen. VIIL 11.) does not authonse the
I '
h
.JJ::t:i
;

:: "art lessened in number;" nor would this be a ground why God
IS 2 Kings xviii. I? It P.. lxxxiii. 4. :0 Re\'". xii. 4.

380

c J
oÍeS T t keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy
cir. 713. vows: for t e tbe wicked shall no more
t Heb.feast.
t Heb. Belial. · vcr. 11,12.
was not a picture only, he was the agent of Satan, who used
his hands, feet, tonguc, to blasphcme God and war against
His pcople. As then we have respect not to the mere agcnt,
but to the principal, and should address him through those he
employed (as Elisha said of the messenger who came to slay
him 1 is 1I0t the sound of Ids master's feet behind him ?), so the
Prophet's words chiefly and most fully go to the instig-ator of
Sennacherib, whose very name he names, Belial. It is the
dcliverance of the Church and the people of God which he
foretells, and thanks God for. To the Church he says in the
Name of God, Though 1 have qfllicted thee, I will qfllict
thee no more 2. The yoke which He will burst is the yoke of
tile oppressor, of which Isaiah speaks, and which the Son, to
be born of a Virgin, "the l\Iighty God, the Prince of Peace,"
was to break 3; the yoke of sin and the bands of fleshly pleasure
and evil habits, whcrewith we were held captive, so that
henceforth we should walk upright, unbowed, look up to hea-
ven our home, and run the way of TIIY cmmmmdmeuts
when ThOll hast set 1/1.11 heart at libert.lJ. Bchold, then,
upon the mOUlltains, i. e. above all the height of this world, tI,e
feet of him that bringeilt good tidiugs, i. e. of rcmission of
sins and sanctification by the Spirit and the freedom and
adoption as sons, and the casting out of the Prince of this
world, that 1Jublishetlt peace. O.Judah, thou, the true people of
God, !.eep thy solemn feasts, the substance of the figures of
the law." "4. He who is ever engagcd on the words deeds and
thoughts of Him,'Vho is by nature Lord,the 'Vord of God,ever
liveth in His days, ever kccpeth Lord's days. Yea he who ever
prepareth himsclf for thc true lifc and abstaineth from the
sweets of this life which deceive the many, and who eherish-
cth not the mind of the flcsh but chastens the body
and enslaves it, is ever kccping the days of prcparation.
He too who thinketh that Christ our Passover was sacri-
ficcd for us, and that wc must kecp festival, cating the
flesh of the 'V ord, there is no timc when he keepeth not
the Passover, ever passing over in thought and evcry word
and decd from the affairs of this life to God, and hast-
ing to His city, l\Ioreover whoso can say truthf1llly, 'We
!wve ri;;en together with Christ, )'ea and also, I-Ie hath
togetller raised us mul togeiller seated llS in the heaven!.1J
places in CII1'ist, ever livcth in the days of Pcntccost; and
ehicfly, whcn, going up into the uPIJer room as thc Apostlcs
of Jesus, hc giveth himself to SUPIJlication and praycr, that he
may become mcet for thc rushing mighty wind from heavcn,
which mightily el1'accth the evil in men and its fruits, mcct too
for some portion of the fiery tongue from God." " 5 Such an
one will keep the feast excellently, having the faith in Christ
fixed, hallowed hy the Spirit, glorious with the gracc of adop-
tion. And he will offcr to God spiritual sacrifice, consecrating
himself for an odour of swcctncs
, cultivatinp: also every kind
of virtue, tcmpcrance, continence, fortitude, endurance,
charity, hope, love of the poor, goodness, longsuffering: for
with sitch sarrifìces God is tl'ell 1Jleased. Evcry power of the
enemy,which beforc had dominion over him, shall,wss illrough
no more, since Christ commanded thc unclean spirits to de-
part into the abyss and gÍ\'eth to those who lovc Him powcr to
resist the cncmy, amI subdue the passions, and dcstroy sin and
tread on serpents and SCol1Jions and evcry pOll'er of ti,e enemy,"

1 2 Kings vi. 32.

· iL 4. and 6.

2 v.12.

NAHUl\I,

pass through
off.

thee; f he is utterly cut c JI[O{s T
cir. 713.
f vcr. 14.

And these feasts were to be kept" 6 in the spirit not in the
letter. For what availeth it to keep any feast without, un-
less there bc the feast of contcmplation in the soul?" "There-
fore he adds, and pa.'1 th.'l vows, i. e. thyself, whom in Baptism
thou hast vowed:for tlteTVicked Oneshall11O more pass through
tlwe. "6 For from what time, 0 Judah, Christ, by dying- and
rising ag-ain, hallowed tlly feasts. he can no longer 'Pass through
tllee. Thenceforth he perished wholly. Not that he has, in
substance, ceased to be, but that the dcath of thc human race,
which through his cnvy came into this world, the two-fold
death of body and soul, wholly peri sheth. 'Vhere and when
did this BeliallJerish? 'Yhen died the death which he hrought
in, whence himself also is called Dcath? 'Vhen Christ died,
thcn died the death of our souls; and when Christ rose ag-ain,
then perished the death of our bodies. 'Yhen then, 0 Judah,
thou keepest tlly feasts, remcmber that thy very feast is He, of
'Vhom thou sayest that by dying He conquercd death and by
rising He restored life. IIence it is said, Belial slwllno more
pass tl17"ough t/lee. For if thou look to that alone, that Sen-
nacherib departed, to return no more, and perished, it would
not be true to say, Belial hath wholly pcrishcd ! For after
him many a Belial, such as he was, passed through thcc, and
hurt thee far more. Perchance thou sayest, 'so long as Nine-
veh standest, how sayest thou, that Belial has wholly perishcd?
So long as the world standeth, how shall I be comforted, that
death hath perished? For lo! persecutors armed with death
have stormed, and besidcs them, many sons of Belial, of
whom Anti-Christ will be the worst. How theIl sayest thou,
that Belial has w holly perished?' It follows, tile Scatterer
hatlt gone up before thee. To Judah in thc flcsh, Ncbuchad-
nezzar who went up against Nineveh, was worse than Senna-
cherib. '''ho then is He 'Yho wcnt up before thee, and dis-
persed the world, that great Nineveh, that thou shouldest
havc full consolation? Christ \Vho descended, Himself as-
cended; and as He asecnded, so shall He come to disperse
Nineveh, i. e. to judg-e the world. 'Yhat any persecutor doth
meanwhilc, yca or the Devil himself or Anti-Christ, taketh
nothing from the trut.h, that Belial hath wllOlly perished. TI,e
prince of this world is cast out. For nothing which they do,
or can do, hinders, that both deaths of body and soul are
swallowcd up in Ilis victory, 'Yho hath aseended to hea,-cn?
Belial cannot in the members kill the soul, whieh hath been
madc alive bv the death of the Head, i. e. Christ; and as to the
death of the "body, so certain is it that it will perish, that thou
ma)'cst say fearlcssly that it hath perished, since Christ the
Head hath riscn."
Each fall of an enemy of the Church, each rccovcry of a
sinful soul being a part of this victory, the words may be alJ-
plicd to each. Thc Church or the soul are biddcn to keep tI,e
feast and pa.'1 tlleir vows, whatever in their trouble they pro-
mised to God. "7 It is said to souls, which confess the Lord,
that the devil who, before, wasted thee and bowed thee with
that most heavy yoke hath, in a.nd with thc idols which thou
madest for thyself, IJerishcd; læep illY feasts and 1my to God
thy VOlVS, singing with the Angels continually, for 110 more
sllall Belial 1HiSS tllrough tllee, of whom the Apostle too
saith, TVhat concord hath Christ tcith Belial? The words
too, Behold upon the mOllntains the fcet of him that bringeth

4 Orig. c. Cels. viñ. n. 22.

i S. Cyr.

1 S. Jer.

s Rup.

C:í{oíeST CIL\.PTER II.

íI3. I The fearful aml t'ictoriolls armies of God
II :;;;e;,h
r:i'- against ...Yil1even.
.

."';
: 23. H E II a that dashcth in pieces is come
" :;

'lIÚ. up bcfore thy face: b keep the
munition, watch the way, make tllY

CHAPTER II.

3S1

loins strong-, fortify thy 1) ower mightily. c J3íi o Ís'l'
2 c For the LORD hath turned away cir. Ïl3.
II tl II f J 1 1 I e Isa. 10. 12.
Ie cxcc cn<,y 0 aco), as t Ie exee - Jer, 25. 29,
lency of Israel: for d thc clllI)tiers havc" :Jr, :/::C,!bTi:
emptied them out, and marrc(1 their vine

cJ
ide oj
hranehes. 4 tS
s
l:Ji.

ood tiding-s, that pubJisheth peace" belong", in a deg-ree,
to all preachers of the G01'ipcl. "1 X 0 one can preach pcaee,
who is himself below and eJeavcth to earthly things. For
wars are for the good thing-s of earth. If thou wouldest
preacIl peace to thyself and thy nci
hbour, be raised above
the carth and its goods, riehes and glory. Ascend to thc
heavcnly mountains, whence David also, lifting up his eyes,
hoped that his help would come."
C. II. Thc Prophet, hadn
foretold the destruetion of Sen-
naeherib, and in him how the enemy of Judah is wholly cut
of1',
ocs on to describe the dc!'truction of XineHh, and with it
of his whole king-dom, and, under it, of Anti-Christ and Satan.
1. He tll([t dasheth ill pieces, rathcr, the Disperser 2 , the in!'tru-
mcnt of God, whereb-y Hc should break !ler in pieces like a
potter's t
essel, or should scatter hcr in all lands, is come IIp
against thy .face, 0 Xinc\"ch, i. e. cither, over against thee 3,
confronting her as it wcre, face to face, or dirccted against
thee 4. From the dcscription of the peace of Judah, the
Prophet turns suddenly to hcr opprcssor, to whom, not to
Judah, the rcst of the prophecy is directed. Jacob and Israel
are spoken of, not to 5. The destroyer of l'\inevch u'ent up
af[ainst the face of lYineveh, not in the presence of Judah and
Jacob, who were far away and Imc"' nothing of it. I(eep the
munition. "'hile all in Judah is now peace, all in l'\inenh
is tumult. God Whom they had deficd, sa
'ing that Hezekiah
could not 6 turll away the face of one captain of tlte least of
his serl'ants, now bids thcm prepare to meet him whom
He would send against them. Gircllfp t/I,I/ loills now, like a
'man 7. Thou who wouldc
t lay waste othel's, now, if thou
canst, keep thyself. The strcngth of thc words is the
mea!'ure of the irony. They had challenged God; He in turn
challengcs them to put forth all their might.
Fence t h.1f defellces 8, wc Illight say. Their strong walls,
high though they were, unas:,ailablc by any then knou'n skiU
of besicgers, would not be securc.
The prophct uses a kindred and allusive word, that their
protcction needed to be itself protected; and this, by one con-
tinued watchfulness. Iratc/', he adds, tlte way: espy out 9
(as far as thou canst), the coming of the enemy; strengthen
t/'e loills, the seat of strength 10. Elsewherc they are said to be
f!irded up for any exertion. J.òrtify thy strength e:J:Ceedingly.
The expression is rare 11: commonly it is said of some part of
the human frame, knees. arms, or mind, or of man by God.
The same words are strong mockery to those who resist God,
g-ood counsel to those who trust in God. I\eep the mUllitioll,
for He IVIIO keepeth thee will not sleep 12; l{'atc!, the u'ay, by
which the enemy may approach from afar, for Satan approach-
- I Theoph.
r
is a partie. used as a proper name. r
is indeed used as a noun =

as united with the $wqrd and arrow, and so an instrument of war, baltle are or the like
(Prov.xxv.1S.), like Y!IQ (Jer. Ii. 20,), used of Nebuehadnezzar by God. Yetthelike
phrase r..!lt' :+'>11 (Mic. ü.13.) and the use itselfof,'I'1v, .. went up," make it probable that an
agent is meant. f'lltris always" dispersed; .. the sense, .. broke in pieces," occurs only in )'1t!l
Jer. xxiii. 29, r,iI
' Job. xvi. 12, rS!l
t' Hab. iii. 6, q'!)i.i!:T;I Jer. XXv. 34, and in Y=i. fl>>.
I As Gen. xxxii. 22, ")!)
II ':J1In; Job iv. 15, '1'"' ')!) '11 111'1.
f As Ps. xxi. 13, CII")!)
II rn
n, whieh is supported by the use of
II II
V, II went up
-sainst," as 2 Kgs. xvü. 3, xviii. 25, Jo. i.6. 6 ver. 2. Jon., Rubi, Kim., Abarb.
PART IV.

etJ), sometimes suddenly, sometimes ycrv stealthilv and suhth'
trallsforming Mmself into all angel of ligíd. "13 U;atch also tit;
way by whit'h thou art to go, as it is said, Ii Stalld ye ill the
tl'ays, aml see, and ask for tile old pat/IS, where is the gOrJclway,
and lealk tllereiJl; so that, haying- stooel in many wan; we
may come to that 'Yay which saith, I am the IValf." 'i'h
n,U
make tll.1f loins strong, as thc Saviour eonuuandcth His dis-
ciples, Let YOllr loills be girded about 16, and thc Apostle says
17 Stand tllerefure, hm'iug your loins girt ahout 1(,itl, truth; t'o:
nothing so stren
theneth as the Truth. For Christ bcing- thc
Truth, whoso with his whole hcart hath believed in Christ, is
strong- against himself, and hath power over the loins, thc
scat of the passions. Then, since thi5 warfare is hanl, he aelds,
be strong, fol"lif!1 th.'1 power migldily; rcsist not listlessly, but
vehcmcntly; and that, in Hi" strength 'Yho hath strength-
ened Ollr nature, taking it to Himself and uniting" it with the
Godhead. For without Him, strong though thou be, thou
wilt avail nothing.
2. For the Lúrd hatl, turned away (rather restoreth) the
e3:celienc.1f of Jacob, speaking of what should come, as already
come. For l'\inevch falls, because God restores His pcople,
whom it had oppressed. The restoration of God's fa\-our to
His Church is the season of His punishment of their enemies;
a!", again, His displca!'òure a!:;ainst hcr encmies is a tokcn of
His favour to hcr. "Then I1eroel was smitten by God, 1<; the
word of God grew and multiplied. 6\. long capth-ity was
still before Judah, yet the destruction of the Assyrian was thc
earnest that cvery oppressing city should cease 19.
Tile e3:cellellcy of Jacob. The word, excellency, is used in
a g-ood or bad sense; bad, if man takes the excellency to him-
sclf; good, as given by God. This is decisive agaill
t a mo-
dern popular rendcrin
; ,,
o has retumed to the c
cclleney of
Jacob;" for Scripture knows of no e:uellwcy of Jacob, cxcept
God Himselfor grace from God. Jacob, if separated from God
or lcft by Him, has no exeellcney, to which God could return.
As the excellency of Ismel. ßoth the ten and the two tribes
had suffered by the Assyrian. The ten had been carried cap-
tive bv Shahllanezer, the t"'O hael uecn harassed by Scnnaehe-
rib. Aftcr the capth'ity of the ten tribes, thc name Jacob is
useel of Judah only. It may be then, that the restoration of
God's favour is promised to each sepamtcly. Or, 21 therc
may be an emphasis in the names themselvcs. Their fOl'e-
fathcr bore the name of Jacob in his troublcd da\"s of exile;
that of Israel was given him on his return 22. It .would then
mean, the afflietcd people (Jacob) shall bc restored to its ut-
most glory as Isracl. The sense is the same.
For the emptiers have emptied them out. Their chastisement
would have it, that Judah is addressed. e Is. XLwi. 9. 7 Job. xl. 7.
s
'*'
The Imp. '*'J would have expressed a simple command; the Infin. say.,
what has to be done. g 1'I11
10 The use ofthe adj. 'JJ'CII" strong" Dan. vii. 7,
tihows that the meaning of the root was not lost, though occurring only in the
adj. and C'lI'1O.
11 It occurs Provo xxiv. 5. of the man of understanding, and Am. il. 14, of what man
cannot do. 12 Ps. eui.3. 13 S. Jer. H Jer. vi. 16.
I. From S. Jer. 16 Luke xü. 35. . 17 Eph. vi. 14.
IS Actaxii.2-I. IgIs.xxxiii.!. :0 Seeab.Intr.p.371.n.8.
I Sanet. :2 Gen.xxxü.:!8.
LLL

882

C Jifors T 8 The shield of his mighty men is made
cir. 713. e red, the valiant men W'C n in scad('t: the
Ü

;

:' 3. chariots sTudt be with II flaming torches in
II õ

:;!1 the day of his l)l'eparation, and the fh'
tpTclles. trees shall be terribly slmken.
4 The chariots shall rage in the streets,
tbey shall justle one against another

is thc channel of thcir restoration. l"nlike the world, their
cmptiness is thcir fulness, as the fulness of the world is its
emptincss. The world is cast down, not to arise; for 1 1l'Oe to
him that is aloue 1l'lIeu he f((/lelll: for he /zatll not another to
help ltim up. The Churchfalletlt, but to (l1'ise 2 ; the people is
restored, becausc it had bome chastcning 3; for tile Lord lIatlt
7'estored the e:J:Cellellcy of Jacob; for the ell/ptiers lIave emptied
tllem out aml marred theil' villebl"ll1lches4, i. e. its fruit-bear-
ing branches, that, as far as in them lay, it should not bear
fruit unto God; but to cut the vine is, by God's gracc, to
make it shoot forth and bcar fruit morc abundantIy.
3, 4. Army is arrayed a
ainst army; the armies, thus far, of
God against the anuy of His enemy; all without is order; all
within, confusion. The assailing army, from its compactness
and unity, is spoken of, both as many and one. Tl]e might is
of many ; the order and sin
leness oflmrpose is as of one. Tile
shield, collecth"elr, not sMelds. His mighty men; He, who was
last spoken of, was Almighty God, as He says in Isaiah; 5 I
hat'e commanded ..11)/ cOllseC1"ated ones; I have also called .,ZIIy
miglity ones, tllem that rejoice in JlI.1J ltiglmess.
Is reddwed, cither with blood of the Assyrians, she(l in somc
previous battle, before the sicge bcgan, or (which is the mean-
ing of the word elsewhere 6), an artificial colour, the colour
of blood being chosen, as expressÏ\'e of ficry fierceness. The
valiant men are in scarlet; for beauty and terror, as, a
ain
being the colour of blood 7. It was cspecially the colour
of the drcss of their nohles 8, one chief colour of the l\Ie-
(Han dress, from whom the Persians adoptcd their's 9. The
clla1"Íots sllllll be withjlaming torches, literally u'ith t/leßre of
steels 10, or of sharp incisive inl'trnments. Eithcr way the
words scem to indicate that the chariots were in some way
armed with steel. For steel was not an ornament, nor do the
chariots appear to have becn ornamentcd with metal. Iron
would have hindered thc primary object of lightncss and spced.
Steel, as distinct from iron, is made only fur incisiveness. In
either way, it is probable, that scythed chariots were already in
usc. Against such generals, as the youngcr Cyrus ll and Alex-
ander 12 , they were of no avail; but thcy must have becn terrific
instrumcnts against undisciplincd armies. The rush and noisc
of the British chariots disturbed for a time even Cæsar's Roman

1 Eccles. iv. 10. 2 Micah vii. 8. s Ez. xxxvi. 3, 6, 7. f See Ps. lxxx. 12, 13.
5 Is. xiii. 3. 6 The fonn C'N;:) is used five times in Exodus of the artificial colour
of the dyed ramskins. But there' j
no proof of allY such custom as to the shields. If
reddened by actual blood, it must have been in a previous battle, since Nahum is thus far
describing the preparations, \.1';111 ci'iI. The gleaming of the brass of the shields in the
sun (1 Mace. vi. 39) could hardly be called tlleiT being reddened. 7 Ælian V. H. vi. 6.
Val. Max. ii. 6. 2. 8 Xenophon (Cyrop. viii. 3. 3) implies that they" ere costly treasures
which Cyrus distributed. g Strabo xi. 13. 9. 10 On nl'
!) see Introd. pp. 371, 8ï2.
11 At CUl1axa, Xen. Anab. i. 8. 12 At Arbela, Arr. iii.13, Q. Curt. iv.51, and, upon
experience, by Eumenes, "haud ignarus pugnæ," Liv. xxxvii. 41, Appian Syr. 33.
Diodorus (xvii. 58.) describes their terrible vehemence, when not evaded. Uneven
ground naturally disordered them. Tac. Agr. c. 36. Vegetius iii. 24.
13 De bell. Gall. iv. 33, 34.
If Ctesias, who speaks of them as long prior (quoted by Diod. Sic. ii. 5.) is, on Persian
matters, much better authority than Xenophon who (Cyrop. vi. 1. as explained by

:KAH U1\I ,

in the broad ways: t they shall seem C lílTs T
like torches, they shall run like the cir.713.
lightnings. t t

/IOW.
5 He shall recount his II worthies: they 1\ Or,
shall stumble in their walle; they shall gallants.
make haste to the wall thereof, amI the t Heb.
t defence shall be prepared.

I or,
troops 13. They were probably in usc long bcfore 14. Their use
among- the ancient Britons 15, Gauls 16 m](l Belgians 17, as also
probably among the Canaanitcs 18, evinces that they existed
among \"Cry rudc peuple. The objection that thc Assyrian
chariots arc not represented in the monuments as armed with
scythes is an oversight, since those spoken of by Nahum may
havc been l\Iedian, certainly were not Assyrian. III the clay of
His preparatioll 19 , when He mustcreth thc hosts for the battle;
am[ the.fir-trees sltall be terrihly shaken; i. e. fir-s}ìcars 2o (the
weapon being oftcn namcd from the wood of which it is made)
shall bc madc to quÏ\'er through the forcc wheren'ith they
shall be hurled.
The chariots shall rage (or madden 21, as the driving of Jehu
is said to be furiously, lit. in madlless) ill the stl'eets. The
city is not yct tal;:en; so, since this takes place ill the streets
and broaclways, thcy are the confused prcparations of the be-
sieged. They sllllllJustle oue against another, shall run rapidly
to and fro, restlessly; their show (E.
1L) is like torches, ]ea\.ing
streaks of fire, as they pass rapidly along. They shaUl'llll ve-
hemently 22, like the ligldllillgs, swift but vanishing.
5. He shall recollnt Ids wortlâes. The Assyrian king wakes
as out of a slcep, lit. "he l'ememhers his mighty men 23 ; " they
stumble ill tlleir ll'alk, lit. paths 24, not through haste only and
eager fear, but from want of inward mj
ht and the aid of God.
Those whom God leadcth stumble not 25. "26 Perplexed every
way and not knowing what they ou
ht to do, their mind wholly
darkened and almost drunken with ills, they reel to and fro,
turn from one thing to another, and in all" labour in vain.
Tiley shall make haste to the walls thereof, and the defence
(lit. the covering) slwll he prepared. The Assyrian monuments
leave no doubt that a Jewish writer 27 is right in the main, ill
describing this as a covered shelter, under which an enemy
apI}roat'l1ed the city; " a covering of })Ianks with skins upon
them; ulldcr it those who fight against the city come to the
wall and mine the wall underncath, and it is a shield o,'cr
them from the stones, which are cast from off the wall."
Thc monuments, however, exhibit this shelter, as connected
not with mining but with a battering ram, mostly with a
sharp })oint, by which they loo:>ened the walls 28. Another
covert was employed to protect :;il1gle miners who }}ieked out

Arrian, Tactic. c. 3.) attributes their invention to Cyrus. For Xenophon, who was a good
witness as to what he saw, shews himselfignorant of the previous history (See ab. p. 368.).
He himself quotes Ctesias as an authority (Anab. i. 8.). The exaggerations of Ctesias are
probably those of his Persian infonnants.
I. SiI. Ital. xvii. 417,418. Tac. Agric. 35, 36. Mela ill. 6. Jomandes de reb. Goth. c. 2.
16 Mela ill. 6. 17 Lucan i. 426. S. Jerome in Is. ult.
IS Tbe use of a little iron, more or less, in strengthening the wheels &c., could hardly
entitle them to be called" chariots of iron." J os. xvii. 16, 18. J ud. i.19, iv. 3, 13.
19 I'J:t as in Jer. xlvi. 14, Ez. vii. 14, xxxviii. 7. 20 See on Hos. xiv. 8. p. 91.

I The words are adopted by Jeremiah xlvi. 9.
22 f1o; Intensive from f'1'. 23 As iii. 18. Jud. v.13. Neb. iii. 5.
2
So the Heb. text, Their many ways may be opposed to the oneness of the army of
God (See v. 3.) 2S Is. lxiü. 13. 26 S. Cyr.
Kimchi.
28 See in Rawlinson's 5 Empires ii.78. "All of them [the battering-rams] were
I covered with a frame-work of ozier, wood, felt, or skins, for the better protection ofthosll

CHAPTER II.

c JItoíes T 6 The gatcs of the rh-crs shall bf'
cu. 713. opcned, and tlH
lJalacc shall he II dissoh-cd.
II Or, molten. 7 And II Huzzah shall be II led away .
Or, tlmt
'::;

i;

ð, captiyc, she shall he hrought Ul), and
or, tl.ere was hcr maids shall lead IIC)' as with thc yoiec
a stand made.
11 Or, discorered.

383

of (don:>s, tabcring uI)on their hreasts. C HBI{oíes T
8 nut Nineyeh i,fit II of old like a pool of cir.713.
watpr: yet tllPY shall flee away. Stand, f

9

1
4,
stand, shall thi'!! CI'Y; hut nonc shall II
:
!
h:t

:
II look hack. II ð

hc

:;'
them to tllm.

single stones with a pick-axe 1. The .\ssyrian sculptures shew,
in the means employed against or in defcnce of their engines,
how eentral a part of the siege they formed 2. Se,.en of them
are reprcsentcd in one sicge 3 . The "ram 4" is mentioned in
Ezcldcl as the well-known and ordinary instrument of a siege.
Thus v. 3. descrihes the attack; v. 4, the defence; the two
first clauses ofv. 5, the defence; the two last, the attack. This
fJuick intcrehange only makcs the whole more vivid.
"5 nut what availeth it to build the house, unless the Lord
build it? '''hat hclpeth it to shut the gates, whieh the Lord
unbarretl. ?" On lwth sides is put forth the full strcngth of
man; there seems a stand-still to see, what will be, and God
brings to pass His own work in His own way,
6. Tile gates of the 1'Ït'e1"S sh.all he opened, aud the jJalace
shall be dissolved. All gives wav in an instant at the will of
God; the strife is hushed; no móre is said of war amI death;
there is no more resistance or bloodshed; no sound except the
wailing of the captives, the flight of those who can escape,
while the conquerors empty it of the spoil, and then she is
left a waste. The swelling of the river and
'le opening made
by it may have given rise to the traditional account of Ctesias,
although obviously exaggeratcd as to the destruction of the
wall. Thc exaggerated character of that tradition is not
incon!:'istent with, it rather implies, a basis of truth. It is
inconceivable that it should han been thought, that ,,"aIls,
of the thickness which Ctesias had describcd, were ovcrthrown
by the swellinp; of any river, unless some such e,-ent as
Ctesias relates, that the siege was ended by an entrance
afforded to the enemy through some bursting-in of thc river,
had been true. Nahum speaks nothing of the wall, but simply
of the opening of tIle gates of th.e ril'ers, obviously the gates,
by whieh the inhabitants. could have access to the rh-ers 6,
which otherwisc would be useless to thcm excppt as a wall.
Thesc 1'ivers corrcspond to thc rivers, thc artificial dh-isions
of the Nile, by which No or Thcbes was defended, or 7 tile 1'ivel'S
of Babylon which yet was washed by the one stream, the
EUI)hrates. But Nineveh was surrounded and guarded by
actual rivers, the Tigris and the Khausser, and, (assuming
those larger dimensions of Ninenh, which are SUPI)orted by
evidences so various 8 ) the greater Zab, which rms "called '9the
frantic Zab' on aeconnt of the violence of its current."
contained (says Ainsworth 10), when we saw it, a larger body
v: ho worked. tbe impleI?ent;-some appear to have been stationary, otbers in early
bmes had SIX wheels, In the later times four only. Sometimes with the ram and its
framework was a moveable tower, containing soidiers, who, at once, fought the enemy
on a leyel and protected the engine." J See picture in Rawl. 5 Emp. ii. 82.
. 2 .. Fire was the weapon.usually turned against the ram, torches, burning tow or other
lI
flam!nable substances being cast from the walls upon its framework." To prevent this
[Its bemg set. on fire], the workers of the ram were sometimes :{'rovided with a supply of
water; sometIme.s they suspended from a pole in front oftheir engine, a curtain ofleatber, or
Bome other non-mflammable substance. In a bas-relief(Layard' s MORlmzents Series ü. Pl.
21.) where an enormou
number oftorches are seen in the air, every battering.ram is so
protected. Or t
e besu;ged sought to catch the point of the ram by a chain, drawing it
up,",:ards; the besieger 'nth metal hooks to keep It down." from Rawl. lb. pp. 79. 80, re-
fe'i'n g further to Layard's Monuments, Series i. PI. 17, 19. d lb. p. 79. 4 Ezek. iv. 2.
. S. .Jer. 6 Such explanations as .. gates whereby the enem
poured
In as nvers" (Ros.), o"! "ga.tes of Nineveh which was guarded by rivers" (Ew.) or, .. of
the streets, wh.<;re die mhabltants surged like rÍ\'el's" (Hitz.), are plainly not literal.

Ps. c
x
vu.l. s See ab. Introd. to Jonah pp. 293, 2!H.
II KasWlDl, quote
by Tucb p. 85. 10 Ainsw. Tr. ii. 327.
The word, which occurs 18 times, is used of the melting of the earth at the voice or

of water than the Tigris, whose tributaries arc not supplied
by so many snow-mountains as those of the Zab." Of these,
if the Tigris be now on a level lower than the ruins of Nineveh,
it may not have heen so formcrly. The Khausscr, in its
natural direction, ran through r\ineveh where, now as of old,
it turns a mill, and Illust, of ncce;;:sity, have beell fenced by
gates; else any invader might enter at will; as, in modern
t.imcs, l\Iosul has its" gate of the bridgc." A hrcak in these
would olJ\'iously let in an enemy, and might the more paralyze
the inhabitants, if they had any tradition, that the river alonc
could or would be their cnemy, as Nahum hill1!'clf prophe!'ied.
Subse(}llCntIy inaccuraey or cxaggeration might ea!o'ily re-
present this to be an onrthrow of the walls themselves. It
was all one, in ,rhich way the breach was made.
The palace .shall be dissolved. The prophet unites the he-

illllin
and the end. The rh"er-gates were openeel; what had.
becn the fencc against the encmy became an entrance for
thcm: with the river, there l}Üured in also the tide of the
people of the enemy. The }1alar:e, then, the imperial abode,
the centre of the empirc, embcllished with the history of it,;;
triumphs, sank, was dissoll'ec[ll, and ceascd to be. It is not
a phy!:'ieal loosening of the sun-dricd hridís by the stream
which woulcl usnally flow harmless hy; but thc dissolution of
the empire itself. "5 The temple i. e. his kingdom was de-
stroyed." The palares both of Khorsahad and Kouyunjik
lav near the Khau!'ser 12 and both bear the marks of fire 13.
'ï. The first word should he rendered, And it is decreed; .
SIte slwll he laid hare. It is decreecf1\
\1I this took place,
otherwise than man would have thought, bccause it was the
will of God. SIte (the people of the city, undcr the figure
of a captivc woman) shall be laid bare 15, in shame, to hcr rc-
proach; site shall be brought up 16, to judgemcnt, or from Ni?e-
veh as being now sunk low anel depressed; and Ite1" mmds,
the lesser cities, as fcmalc attendants on the royal city, and
their inhabitants rcpresentcel as women, both as put to shame
and for weakness. The whole empire of r\ineveh was onr-
thrown by Nebopalassar. Yet ncither wa

hc !:'peeial
slJame wanting, that thc noble matrons and vlrgllls f\"erc so
Icd captives in shamc and sorrO\v. They shal
lead her, as
with the 'L'oice of dfJl'es, moaning, yet, for fear, wIth a subdued
voice.
8. Bllt .J..Vinet'eh is of old like a pool of u'aler i. e. of many
presence or touch of God, Ps. xlvi. 7, Nab. i. 5, Am. ix. 5; of the "
elting a'Yay" o.fa
multitude, 1 Sam. xiv. Hi; of all Philistia, Is. xiv. 31 ; (act.) of God working th
dlssolutlOn
of One being, Job xxx. 22, or of many, Is. lxiv. 6; o
the hearts of .people, meltmg .fo.r fear,
Ex. xv. 15, J os. ii. 9,24, Ps. lxxv. 4, cvii. 26. Jer. xlix. 23, Ez. XXI. 20:
nce o
ly It I
used
physically of water, of the clods softened by s
owers, .Ps. Ixv: 11 ; and m the Ideal Image
.. tbe hills shall melt;' being dissolved, as lt were, m the nch
tream of the a
undant
vintage. Am. ix. 13. 12 See above Introd. to Jonah p. 2,,5.
s.hurbanlral, the
last great monarch of Assyria, built his palace
n the mound of Kouyun)lk. (Rawl. " Emp.
ii.4\16). .. The Khosr-su, which runs on this side of the Khorsabad rums, often overflows
its banks and pours its waters against the palace-mound. The gaps, N. and S. of the
mound,
ay have been caused by its violence." lb. i. 358. 13 See ab. p. 368. n. c.
,. This is the simple rendering of :IF.!, Hof. of :11'3. In Ch. :1'11', " firm," Dan. VI. 13;
n reliable," Dan. ii. 45, vii. 16; 11:1'11' ,,' certainly," Dan. iü. 24, :I;"-fD .. of a certainty,"
Dan. ii. 8. Also in Phren.; Ges. Thes. p. f>6. The retention .of . H uzzab as a
proper name for the queen, is derived from R. Samuel Hann&gld m I
Ez!a.
The ground for this, alleged in Rashi, vi
. t
e use of IQ
J Ps. xIv. 10, betrays Its ongm.
Kimchi with the same etymology, explains It efthe palace.
.0 Th
meaning of ;'It'>
(&".))s
etermined by that of t
e ac

.ve ;'I

, whi<<:
is alway.
.. laid bare," not" carried capttve. IS As ill C. 111. 5. Is. xlvII. 2, 3.
L L L 2

384

c J3ii o í e s T 9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the
cir.713. spoil of gold: II for tlLae is none end of the
II
fi
ft:
:;
i,r store and glory out of all the t pleasant
t t
b. vessels furniture.
of desire. 10 She is empty, amI void, and waste:
II !sa. 13. 7, and the g heart mclteth, amI h the knees

f.,

3g:
: smite together, i amI much pain is in all
I< Joel 2. 6. loins, and k the faces of them all gather
blackness.
1

t'l
\

: II 'Vhere is the dwelling of 1 the lions,
peoples 1, gathered from all quarters and settled there, hcr
multitudes being like the countless drops, full, untroubled,
with no cbb or flow, fenced in, fl"OlIl tile days that slle hath heen,
yct even therefore stagnant and corrupted 2, not" a fountain
of living waters," during 600 years of unbroken empirc; even
latcly it had been assailed in ,-ain 3; now its hour was come,
the sluices w
re broken; the waters poured out. It was full
not of citizens only, but of othcr nations pourcd into it. An
old historian says 4, "The chief and most powerful of those
whom Ninus settled there, werc the Assyrians, but also, of
other nations, whoever willcd." Thus thc pool was filled;
hut at thc rebuke of the Lord they flee. Stand, st(nzd, the
Prophet speaks in the name of thc widowed city; " shut the
ç:atcs, go up on the walls, rcsist the enemy, gather
-oursch-es
together, form a band to withstand," hut none shall look
back to the mother-city whic'h calls them; all is forgotten,
except their fear; parents, wives, children, the wealth which
is plundercd, homc, worldly rcpute. So will mcn lcave all
things, for the life of this world. 5All that a man hath, will
he gh'e for his life. 'Yhy not for thc life to comc?
9. Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold. Nine-
veh had not hearkened of old to the voicc of the Prophct, but
had turned back to sin; it cannot hearken now, for fcar. Hc
turns to the spoiler to whom God's judgements assigned her,
and who is too ready to hear. The gold and silver, whieh
thc last Assyrian king had gathered into the palace which he
fired, was mostly remo\"ed (the story iiays, treacherously) to
Babylon. Arbaces is said to have borne this and to have
removcd the residue, to the amount of many talents, to Agba-
tana, the Median capital 6 . Þòr there is none end of the store.
Kinc\'ch had stored up from her foundation until then, but at
last for the spoiler. 7 JVhen thou shalt cea,
e to spoil, thou shalt
he spoiled. Many 8 perish and leave their wealth to others.
II The wealth of tile sinner is laid lip for theþtst. And glor.,! out
of all the pleasant furniture, [lit. as in the Margin, "glory out of
all vessels of desire"] i. e. howcver largc the spoil, it would
he but a portion only; yet all thcir wealth, though more
than enough for the enemy and for them, could not sa'"e
them. Hcr"
:lory " was but a "weight" to weigh her down,
that she should not rise again 10. Their wealth brought on
the day of calamity, availed not therein, although it could not
be drawn dry even by the spoiler. "11 They could not spoil
so much as she supplied to be spoiled."
10. She is empty auclvoicl ancl waste. Thc completeness of
her judgcment is eleclared first under that solemn number,

I Rev. xvii. 1.
See Jer. xlvili. n.

t1o
:Sfc
ti.

. i. 106. ;

e

iif.'l?iod. ii. 3.
9 Pro xiii. 22. 10 Zech. v. 8. Ex. xv. 10.
I
See ab. p. 370, 371. hookah, oomebookah, oomebullakah.

5 Job ii. 4.
8 Ps. xlix. 10.
11 S. Jer.
13 Provo xxxi. 17.

1\AHUl\I,

and the feedingl)laee of the young lions, C HH}[oÏS'l
where the lion et'cn the old lion, walked, and cir. 713.
the lion's whelp, amI none made thcm, afraid?
12 The lion did tear in l)ieees enough
for his whelps, and strangled for his lion-
esses, and filled his holes with prey, and m g

l

9.
his dens with rayin. 1. ch. 3. 5.
13 m ßehold, I am ag-ainst thee, saith
the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her
chariots in the smoke, amI the sword shall

Three, and the three words in Hehrew are nearly thc samc 12,
with the same meaning, only cach word fuller than the former,
as picturing a growing dcsolation ; and then under four heads
(in all seven) also a growing fear. First the heart, the seat of
courage and resolve and high purpose, meltetlt; then tile !.-nees
smite together, trcmble, shake, under the frame; thcn, much pain
is in all loins, lit. "strong pains as of a woman in travail,"
writhing and doubling the whole body, anelmaking it wholly
powerlcss and unable to stand upright, shall bow the very
loins, the seat of strength 13, ami, lastly, the faces of tllC1ll all
gather blackness 'I" thc fruit of cxtreme Imin, and the token of
apIH'oaching dissolution.
II. JVhere is the dwelling of tlte lions, and the feedi1lgplace of
the young !ifJns? Grcat indeed must be thc desolation, which
should call forth the wonder of the prophet of God. He asks
"where is it?" For so utterly was Ninevch to be effaced, that
its placc should seal'cely be known, anelnow is known by the
ruins which have been buried, and are dug up. Thc messen-
gers of her king had asked, 15 JVltere are the gods of Ramath
ami of A1J)([d 'f of Seplwrvaim, Rena, ami Ivah? And now of
her it is asked, ""'here is Nineveh?" It had destm.l/ed
utteJ"1.'! all lands, and now itself is uttcrly destroyed. The
lion dwelt, fed, walked there, up and down, at will; all was
spacious and secure; hc terrified all, and none terrified him;
he tore, strangled, laid up, as he willed, booty in storc; but
whcn he had filled it to the full, he filled up al80 the measure of
his iniquities, and his scntence came from God. r\ineveh
had sct at nought all human powcr, and dcstroyed it; now,
therefore, God appeareth in IIis own Person.
13. Be/wid I, .Myself, am against thee [lit. toU'ard thee].
God, in His long-!mffcring, had, as it were, looked away from
him; now He looked towards 16 him, and in His sight what
wickeå one should stand? Saitlt the Lord of hosts, Whose pow-
er is infinite anllHc changeth not,and all the armies ofhcaycn.
the holy angels and evil spirits and men are in His Hand,
whereto lIe directs or overrules them. Aml I will bum Iler
chariots in tile smoke. Thc Ass) rian sculptures attest how
greatly their pride and strength lay in thcir chariots. They
exhibit the minutc embellishment of the chariots and horses 17.
Almost illC'onceivably light for speed, they arc picturcd as
whirled onward by the two 18 or, more often, three 19 powcrful
steeds with eye of fire 20, the bodies of the slain 21 (or, in peace,
the lion 22) under their feet, the mailed warriors, with bows
stretehed to the utmost, shooting at the more distant foe.
Sennachcrib gives a terrific picture of the fierceness of their

14 See on Joel ii. 6. 15 2 Kings xviii. 3-1.
16 As in Ps. xxxvii. 20. 17 See Rawl. 5 Empires ii. 4-21. IS Rawl. lb. 10. 11. 13.
19 Layard Monuments, Sene& i. Plate 18, 21, 23, 27, 28.

o See a strildng illustration in Rawl. ii. 15. (from Houtcher.)

I Layard Ser.l. 27. 28. ii. 45. 46. 22 Rawl. lb. 13. Layard Ninev. ii. i7.

CHAPTER II.

C Hßifoíes T devour thy young lions: and I will cut
cir.718. off thy prey from the earth, and the

3
5

vuice of n thy messengers shall no more C J
oÏ s T
be })eard. cir.718.
D 2 Kin. )8. )7, 19. & 19.9,23.

onslaught. "The armour, the arms, taken in my attacks, swam
in the blood of my enemies as in a river; the war-chariots,
whkh dcstroy man and beast, had, in their coursc, crushcd
the bloody bodies and limbs I." All this their warliliC pride
should be but fuel for fire, and vanish in smoke, an emhlem of
IJridc, swelling, mounting liJiC a column towards heaven, dis-
appearin/!. Kuta brand shall then be saved out of the bunlÍn
;
nothing half-consumed; but the fire shall burn, until there bc
nothing left to consume, as, in Sodom and Gomorrha 2, tile
smoke of the country 1l'ent up as tlte smoke of a furnace. Ami
the sword of the vengeance of God shall det'ow' the young
lions, his hope for the timc to comc, the flower of his youth;
awi I will cut qlf tlty pre.lI, what thou hast robbed, and so
that thou shonldest rob no morc, but that thy spoil should
utterly cease from the earth, ami t he t
oice of th.lI messengers
shall he 110 71101'e heard, such as Rabshakeh, whereby they
insulted and terrified the nations and blasphemed God.
In the spiritual sense, Nineveh being an image of thc world,
the prophccy speaks of the inroad made upon it through thc
Gospel, its resistance, c':"lpturc, desolation, destl'llction. First,
Hc that l'uletl, u:itlla rod of iron, eame and denounced it'oe
to it hecause of oPénees; then His 11Iigltt./f ones 3 in His Kame.
Their shield i!; red, the shield of faith, ldndled and glow-
ing
-ith love. Their raiment too is red, because they wash
it in the ßlooel of tile Lamb, and conqucr through the
Blood of the Lamb, and many shed their own hloodfor a wit-
ness to them. The da.1J of His preparation is the whole period,
until the end of the world, in which the Gospel is preached,
of which the prophets and apostles speak, as the day of sal-
yation 4; to the belie,'ing world a day of salvation; to the un-
believin
, of prcparation for judgement. All which is done,
judgements, mercy, preaching, miradcs,patience of the saints,
martyrdom, an which is spoken, donc, suffered, is part of the
one preparation for the final judgement. The ehariob, flashing
with light as they pass, are õ the cltariuts of salt'ation, bearing
the brightness of the doctrinc of Christ and the glory of His
truth throughout the world, enlightening while they wound;
the c< spears" arc the worel of God, slaying tu make alive.
On the other hand, in resisting, the world dashes with it-
self. It would oppose the Gospel, yet knows not how; is
"maddene(I with rage, and gna
hes its teeth, that it can pre-
vail nothing 6." On the hruad 1t'a.lls which lead to death,
where Trisdom lltteretlt Iter voice and is not lieard, it is hem-
med in, and cannot find a straight path; its chariots dash one
against another, and )-et they breathe their ancicnt fury, and
run to and fro like lightning, as the Lord saith, I helle!d
Satan, as lightning, fall from Hecll"CIl 7. Theil shall they re-
member their might!1 ones, all the might of this world which
they ascribed to their gods, their manifold triumphs, whereby
in Heathen times their empire was established; they shall
gather strength against strength, but it shall be powerlcss
and real weakness. 'Vhil(' they prepare for a long- siege,
fl'it/lOllt hand their gates gi\'c way; the kingdom falls, the
world is taken captive by a bles,;;ed captivity, suddenly, una-
wares, as one says in the second century; "8l\Ien cry out
that the state is beset, that the Christians are in their fields,
in their forts, in their islands!" These mourn over their

1 In Oppert Sargonides p. 51. The general accuracy of the decyphering is alone
presupposed. 2 Gen. xix. 28. 3 From Dion.
. Is. xljx. 8. 2 Cor. vi. 2. & Habak. iji. 8. 6 S. Jer. 7 S. Luke x. 18.

past sins, and beat their breasts, in tohen of their sorrow;
).et sweeter shall he the plaint of their
orrow, than any
past joy. So they shall mourn as doves, and their mournin
is
as melody and the ,"oiee of praise in the car of the Most
IIig-h. One part of the inhabitants of the worlel heing- thus
blessedly taken, the rest are fled. So in all nearness of God's
jud
ements, those who are not brought nearer, flee further.
" Tlte.1I }lee, and louk not hack, and none heareth the Lorel
spcaking, Return, .ye hacksliding children, ami I u'ill heal
your backslidings
. So then, hearing not His Voice, stand,
stand, they flce away from His Presence in Mercy, into dark-
ness tor c,'er. Such is the lut of the inhahitants of the world .
and what is the world itself? The prophet answers what it
has been. A }Juol of 1l'ater, into which all things, the riches
and glory, and wisdom, and pleasures of this world, ha,.e
flowcd in on all sides, and which g'il\-e back nothing. .\11 end-
ed in itself. The water eame from above, and became sta
-
nant in the lowest part of the earth. "7 For all the wisdo
ll
of this world, apart from the sealed fountain of the Church,
and of which it cannot be said, tlte streams tltereofmake glad the
cit.1J of God nor are of those waters which, aboH the hea,-ens,
praise the Kame of the Lord, howeHr large they may seem,
yet arc little, anel are cndosed in a narrow hound." These
either are hallowed to God, like the spoils of Egypt, as when
the cloqucnce of S. Cyprian was won through the fishcrmen 10,
or the gold amI sih-er are offered to Him, or they are Jeft to
be wasted and burned up. All u'lârlt is ill tlte u'orld, the lust
of tile flesh, ami the lust of the e.lles, alld the pride of life, a[[un-
der the Slln, remain here. 'HI If they are thine, take them with
thee. Trlten Ite dietlt, he slwll carry nothing away, his glory
shall not desceud after him 12 . True riches are, not wealth, but
,-irtues, which the conscience carries with it, that it may be
rich for e"er." The scvcn-fold terrors 13, singly, may ha,"e a
good sense 6, that the stony heart shall be melted, and the stiff
knees, which befure were not bent to God, be bowed in the
X ame of Jesus. Yet more full)- are they the deepening hor-
rors of the wicked in the Day of Judgement, when men'."ltearts
s/wll fail them for fear aJUi for looking after those things
,dliclt (ire coming on the ew.tlt u, closing with the everlastin

confusion of face, the shame and el'edasting contempt, to which
thc wi eked shall risc. .\.s the vessel over the fire is not
cleansed, but blackened, so through the judgement
of God,
whereby the righteous are cleansed, the wicked gather but
fresh defilement and hate. Lastly, the Prophet asks, TVhere is
tile dwelling of tltuse wlto Itad made tlU! world a den of ravin,
wl'ere the lioll, eHn tlte devil who is a roaring lion, amI all
Anti-Christs lõ, dcstroyed at will; where Satan made his dwell-
ing in the hearts of the worldly, and tore ill pieces for his
whelps, i. e. slew souls of men and gave them O\-er to interior
e,'il spÏl"its to be tormented, andfìlled !tis holes with prey. the
pit of hell with tbe souls which he deceiveel 16 ? The question
implies that the)" shall not be. 17 The.1I w/âch have seell him
shall .<:ay, TVhere is Ite? God Himself ansn.ers, that lIe Him-
self will come against it to judgement, and destro)' all Illight
arrayed against God; and Christ shall 18smite the /f'icked Olle
with the l'od of His .l.1Iollth, and the 19 slwrp two-edged sword
out of fIis moutlt shall smite all nations, and the smuke of their

I

Å.l: s

: :: not.
2

.\t
. 1;
er. ii: j 2:"10
O Th
fs

!ï:

1. 1 John ii. 18. 16 Dion. 17 Job xx. 7. IS Is. xi. 4. 19 Re.... i. 1(;,
ix. 15. 21

386

Eefore
CHRIST
cir. ,13.

CHAPTER In.

Tile miserahle ruin of Nine'l'ell.

t [fo

s
ity of W OE to the t n bloody city! it is all full
a Ezek. 22.2, of lies llnd robbery; the prey de-
3. & 24. 6, 9.
Hab. 2. 12. partdh not;
b Jer. .ii. 3. 2 The noise of a whip, anù b the noise
of the rattling of the wheels, and of the

NAHUM,

pransing horses, and of the jumping C HBï{O[C S T
chariots. cir. 713.
3 The hors('man lifteth up both t the t :.

. ::/the
bright sword and the glittering
l)ear: :;::rg
tt
,1ng
and thc)'c is a multitude of slain, and a of the spear.
g.'eat number of CaI'cases; and thc)'c is
none end of thei)' corpses; they stumble
ulJOn their corpses:

torment ascemlellt U]1 for ever ami ever 1; and it should no
more oppress, nor "any messcngcr of Satan" go forth to
harass the saints of God.
C. III. The prophecy of the destruction in Nineveh is re-
SUIl1cd in a dirge over her; )'et still as future. It pronounccs
a woe, yet to come 2,
1. TVoe to the bloody dt!/, lit. ci(1J of bloods S, i. e. of manifold
bloodshedding, built and founded in blooel 4, as the prosperity
of thc worM ever is. Murdcr, oppression, wresting of judge-
ment, war out of covetousness, grinding or neglect of the poor,
make it a city of bloods. Nine\'ch, or the world, is a city ofthc
devil, as opposed to the" city of God." "5 Two sorts of lo\'e
have made two sorts of citics; the earthly, love of self even to
contempt of God; the Heavenly, love of God even to con-
tempt of self. The onc glorieth in ib;elf, thc other in the
Lord." "6 Amid the manifold differences of the human race,
in languages, habits, rites, arms, dress, there arc but two
kinds of human society, whieh, aceording to our Scriptures, we
may call two cities. One is of such as wish to live according
to the flesh; the other of such as will according to the Spirit."

'Of these, one is predestined to livc for cver with Goel; thc
other, to undergo everlasting torment with the devil." Of this
city, or evil world, Nineveh, the ci('IJ of h/oods, is the type.
It is all full of lies and robbery, bettel:, it Ü all lie; it is full
ofrobber.lf [rapine]. Lie includcs all falsehood, in word or act,
denial of God, hypocrisy; towards man, it speaks of treachery,
treacherous elealing, in contrast with open violcnce or rapine 7.
'rhc wholc being of the wiekerl is one lie, towards God and
man; deceiving and dccch'cd; leaving no place for God 'Vho
is thc Truth; seeking through falsehood things which fai1.
Man 810veth 'l'mti(/f and seeketlt (ifter leasing. All were gone
out of the way. "9 Thcre were none in !'o great a multitude,
for whose sake thc mercy of God mig'ht spare so great a city."
It is full, not so much of booty as of l'llpine and violence.
The sin remains, when the profit is gonc. Yet it ceaseth not,
but persevcreth to the end; tlte In'e.lI departeth 10 not; thcy will
neither leave the sin, nor the sin them; they neither repent,
nor arl' weary of sinning. A varicc especially gains vigollr in
old age, and grows by being Íed. Tlte prey depaJ"fetlt not,
but continues as a witness against it, as a lion's lair is dcfiled
by the fl'agments of his prey.
2. The noise [lit. voice] ofthewltip. There is cry against cry;
1 R:ev. xiv. 11. 2 '1:T, when signifying" woe," is always of future woe, a81ic8 in the
word Itsclf. .It i8 u;;ed of c
a8ses of persons 25 times; again8
people, Samaria, J eru_
s
!
m or foreI
.nahons, !3 tunes; of th
past only a8 to the waIlmgs at funerals. 1 Kgs.
Xlll. 30, Jer. xxn.18, XXXIV. 5. 8 As mE. M. The phrase occurs Ezek. xxii. 2, xxiv.

. 9. SO I, -:'H, T]N, n':I, "a man" (2 Sam. xvi. 7, 8. Ps. v. í) "men" (Ps. xxvi. 9,lv. 24,
bx. 3, CXXXlX. 19, Pro xxix. 10) .. a house" (2 Sam. xxi. 1) .. of bloods," guilty of mani-
fold bloodshed. 4 Hab. ii. 12, Jer. xxii. IS. . S. Au
. de Civ. D. xiv. 28. 6 lb. c.1.
1 i'1; Íi1T. The verb is used of the merciless" tearmg" of the ljon, "rending and
there is no deliverer." Ps. vii. 3.
s
s. iv.2. 9 Alb. 10 II'
' is intrans. except in Mic. ii. 3, 4. 11 Gen. iv. 10.
1
11'11' of the chariots, Jer. xlvii. 3, of the warhorse, Job xxxix. f!4, of the loud
tumult of battle, Is. ix. .1, J er. x. 22.
13 "1;:"1 is used of the dancing of c1ùldren, Job xxi. 11, of David before the ark,
1 Chr.
v. 29, of tI,e satyrs, Is. xiii. 21. Even when used of the trembling of the
moun tams before God, they are compared to living things, a calf, Ps. xxix. 6, rams,

the voiee of the encmy, brought upon them through the voice of
the oppressed. Blooå hath a voicc which c1"Ïeth n to heaven;
its ccho or cOlllltcrpart, as it were, is the cry of the åestroyer.
All is urgcd On with terrific spced. Thc chariot-wheels
(luh'er 12 in the rapid onsct; the ehariots bound, likc living
things 13; the earth echoes with the whirling swiftncss 14 of
the speed of the ca\'alry. Thc Prophet within, with the in-
ward ear and eye which heareth the mysteries of tlte King-
dom of God}';, and seeth things to come, as thcy shall come
upon thc wicked, sces and hears the scourge coming,
with 16 a great noise, impetuously; and so describes it as
present. \Vars and rumours of wars arc among the signs
of the Day of Judgement. The scourge, though literally
relating to the vehement onset of thc encmy,
uggests to
the thoughts, thc scourges of Almighty Gml, wherewith He
chastens the penitent, punishes the impenitent; the wheel,
the swift changes of man's condition in the rolling-on of time.
17 0 God, make them like a rolling thing.
3. Tlte Iwrseman lifteth up, rather, leading up 18: tlteflash of
tlte sword, aud the ligMning of the spear. Thus there are, in
all, sevcn inroads, seven signs, before tIle complete destruction
of Nineveh or the world; as, in the Revelations, all the fore-
runners of the Judgement of thc Great Day are summed up
under the voice of seven trumpets 19 and seven ,'ials, "20 God
shall not usc horses and chariots and other instrumcnts of
war, such as arc here spoken of, to judge the world, yet, as is
just, His terrors are foretold under thc name of those things,
wherewith this proud and bloody world hath ",inned. For so
all tlley tllat take tile sword shall perish with tlte swm'd 21 ."
They who, abm;ing their 11Ower, havc used all these weapons
of war, e
pecially against thc servants of God, shall them-
seh'es perish by them, and there shall be none end of tlteir
corpses, for they shall be corpses for ever: for, dying by an cver-
lasting death, they shall, without end, be without the true life,
which is God." Ami tlte7'e is a multitude of slain. Death fol-
lows on dcath. The Prophet views the vast field of carnage,
and cvery where there meets him only somc new form of
death, slain, cm'cases, corpses, and these in multitudes, an op-
pressive lteall.'jnumher, without end, so that the yet living
stumble anel fall upon the carcases of the slain. So great the
multitude of those who perish, and such their foulness; but
what foulness is like sin?
Ps. cxiv.4.6. It is used also of the locusts Jo. ii. 5. [all]. Mostly, as here, it is in-
I tensive. In 8yr. Pa. is .. danced; " in Arabic the insulated 1N'ii11 is used of " bounding as
a kid." See Lane s. ".
H The root only occurs besides J ud. v. 22. .. Then smote"Ctheearth] the horse-hoofs from
thewhirlings, thewhirlings [probably"whirling speed" "10"1"11. q. .",] of his mighty ones "[i.e.
steeds. Jer. viii. 16. xlvii. 3. l. 11.]. 15 S. l\Iatt. xiii. 11. 16.
16 2 Pet. iii. 10. The words in Hebrew are purposely chosen with rough Bounds,
(r) .. ,'a'ash, dohe,', merakkëdah."
17 Ps.lxxxiii. 14. IS This division is the more likely, because the
words stand very broken, mostly in pairs, describing, as it were, by the very order of the
words, the successive onsets, wherewith the destruction from God should break in upon
them.
19 Rev. vi. viii. The foreboding cry .. woe! woe! " before the destruction of J erusa1em,
an inlage also of the Day of Judgement, was also seven-fold. See above on c. ii. ]0.

o Rup. 21 S. Matt. xxvi. 52,

CH
\ PTER II I.

3
7
C J
oÍes T 4 Because of the multitude of tl}(
II 5 d Behold, I am against thee, saith the C HDj{ies T
cir.713. wborcdoms of the wellfayourcd harlot, LOR)) of hosts; and e I will dbcon
r thy cu.71:J.
· Isa. 47. 9,12. c the mistress of witchcrafts, that scllcth skir.ts upon thy face, f and I will S}lCW th'e : I

.24.
32, 3.
Rev. 18.2,3. . J 13 ".) "G
nahons throu
h her whoredoms, and nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms Ee:
k. i"fC30:
families through her witchcrafts. thy shame. f i1
b.li.V6.

4. Because of t!le 7Ilultitude of t!le wlwredoms of the u'ell-
favoured Ilm'lot. There are multitudes of slain, because of the
1IIultitude of wlUJred011ls and love of thc ('rcaturc instcad of
the Creator. So to Babylon Isaiah saith, "I they [loss of
childrell and widowhood] shall come upon thee in their per-
fection for the multitudc of thy sorceries, for the grcat abun-
dance of thine enchantments." The actual use of enchant-
ments 2, for which Babylon was so infamous, is not elsewhere
attributed to the .-\.syrians. But neither is the word elsewhere
used figuratively; nor is Assyria, in its intimatc relation to
Babylon, lil{ely to havc been free from thc longing, universal
in Heathendom, to obtain knowledge as to thc hosue of e,-ents
which would affect her. Shc is, by a rare idiom, cntiUed
"mistress 3 of enchantments," ha\'in
thcm at her command,
as instrument:, of power. .Mostly, idolatries and estrangement
from God are spoken of as wlwredol1ls, only in respect of tho
c
who, having been taken by God as His own, forsook Him for
falsc gods. But Jezebel too, of whose offenccs Jehu speaks
under the samc two titlcs 4, was a heathen. And such sins
wcrc but part of that larg'cr all-comprehending sin, that man,
being made by God for Himself, whell he lo\'cth thc creature
instead of the Creator, diwrceth himself ti'om God. Of this
sin world-empires, such as r\'inc\'eh, were the concentration.
Thcir being was one vast idolatry of self and of tile god of
this world. .\ll, art, fraud, deceit, protection of the weak
against thc strong 5, promises of good 6, wcre employed,
togethcr with open violcnce, to absorb all uations into it.
The one end of all was to form one grcat idol-templc, of
which the centre and enel was man, a rh-al worship to God,
which should enslave all to itself and the things of this world.
Kincveh and all conqucring nations useel fraud as well m3
force, cnticcd and cntangled others, and so sold and deprived
them of freedom 7. Kor are lleople less solcl and enslaved,
because they havc no visiblc master. False frecdom is thc
dcepest amI most abject slavery. All sinful nations or per-
sons cxtcnd to others the infection of thcir own sins. But,
chiefly, the "wicl{ed world," manifoldly arrayed with fair
forms, and" beautiful in thc eyes of thosc who \rill uot think
or weigh how much more heautiful thc Lord anel Creator of
all," sprcads her cnticcments on all sides, the lust uf thefiesh

and the lust of the eye, ami the pride of life, "her pomps and
vanities," worldly happincss and glory and majesty, and ease
amI abundance, deceh-es amI sells mankiud into the power
of Satan. It is called well-favoured [lit. good of grace], bc-
cause the world has a real beauty_ 1I0r, "8 unless thcre werc a
grace and beauty in the things we love, could they draw us to
them." They have their beauty, because from God; thell are
they deformed, whcn "\Jthings hold us back from God, which,

221;

b

: i;.1. c. and :sC;

Je (:

li
hlJ1:"al6:de:'J:
h
f l\î
:
t::irl'ih

s

used them, c'
rn, Were employed by Pharao1, Ex. vii.H, and Nebuchadnezzar, Dan.
fi. 2; were stricti y forbidden to Israel (Ex. xxii. Ii. De. xviii. 10.); their employment
was One chief offence of Manasseh. (2 Chr. xxxiii. 6.) 3 "

iI (fern.) only occurs
.esides in 1 Kgs. xvii. 17, of the wIdow of Zarephath, who, as being a widow, was the
mistress of the house, and of the witch of Endor, as :1111 "'>11:1, 1 Sam. xxviiI. 7.
f 2 Kgs. ix. 22. . 2 Kgs. xvi. 7-9,2 Chr. xxviii. 20, 21. 6 Is. xxxvi. 16, 17.
7 See Joel iii. 3. The word "1;9, as the act of selling, impljes elsewhere, .. to part with
into the hands of another." Tlüs is implied, even where (as in De. xxxii. 30, Ps. xliv. 13)

I unlcss they were in God, were not at all." ,r e deform them,
if we lovc them for our OWII sakes, not in Him; or for thc
intimations they g-h"c of Him. .. 10 Praise as to things f01l1 has
I an intcnsity of blamc. As if one would speak of a skilled
I thief, or a..courageous robbcr, or a clcvcr cheat. So thoug-h
he calls l'weveh a well-favoured IllirlOt, this will not be for
I her praisc, (far from it!) but conveys the hea,-ier condcm-
I nation. As the.'I, whell thcy would attract, use dainty bab-
I blin
s, so
'as Kinenh a skilled. a,rtificer of ill-doing, wcll
I pronded ,nth means to capturc cItIes and lands and to pcr-
I suade thelll
,r
lat plea
ed hcrself." She selleth not llations
I only but fa/miles, drmnng mankmd both as a mass, and one
I by one after hcr, so that scarce any cscape.
The a
luItcry of thc soul from
od is t!lC m?re grievous, thc
nearer God has broug-ht any to HlInself, m priests worsc than
I in the peoplc, in Christians than in Jew:" in Jews than in Hea-
I then; yet God cspoused mankind to Him" hcn He made him.
His dowry were gifts of nature. If this be adultery. how much
sorcr, when betrothed by thc Blood of Christ, and endo""cd
with thc gift of the Spirit!
.C). Beholcl I am against thee, saith the Lord of Hosts. "11 I
willllOt send an Angel, nor gh-e thy destruction to othcrs;
I
Iyself will come to destroy thee." '.10 Shc has not to
do with man, or war with man: Hc 'Yho is angered
with her is tile Lord of ILOStS. But who would mcet God
Almighty, 'Yho hath power orer all, if He would war
against him?" In the l\Icdes and Persians it was God who
was against them. Behold I am against tllee, lit. towards
I thee. It is a new thing which God was about to do.
Be/wid! God in His long-suffering had seemed to ovcrlook her.
Kow, He says, I am tuwards thee, looking at her with His
all-searching cye, as her Judge. Yiolencc is punished
by suffering; dceds of shamc hy shame. AU sin is a "'hited
sepulchre, fair without, foul within. God ""ill strip off thc
outward fairness, and lay bare the inn.anl foulness. Thc
I deepest shame is to lay bare, what thc sinner or the world
reileel within. I wilt discover thy skirts 12 , i. e. thc long flowing
robes which wcrc part of hcr llomp and dignit)., but which
wcre only the vcil of her misdccds. Througll the greatness of
thine iniquity hal'e th.1f skirts heen discol'ered, saJs Jeremiah
in ans"-er to the heart's question, tt'IIY have tllese tlângs come
upon me? Upon thy face, where shame is felt. The consci-
ence of thy foulness shall be laid bare before thy face, thy eyes,
thy memory continually, so that thou shalt be forced to read
therein, whatsoever thou hast done, said, thought. I will
shew the nations thy nakedness, that all Ulay despise, avoid,
take examplc by thec, and praise God for His righteous
judgemcnts upon thee. The Evangelist heard muc/, peuple

itis not expressed to whom they were sold. J;lut h.e1"!! the nations were not,
nations, sold
by Assyria into the hands of others, but retained m Its own power. Yet SlDce "I;Q occurs
80 times throughout the O. T. in the one sense" sell," and its derivatives W, '\f9:;1.l1lp.:;1,
14 times, it is against all idiom to assume that, in tlüs one case, it meant ..
eceived' (as
the Arab. "J;Q with ace. p. and
of thg.); nor were the enchantments an mstrument of
deceit; the word then must here too retain its sense of de,Priving of liberty, .. 6elling" to
slavery or death. 8 S. Aug. Conf. IV. 13.
9 lb. x. 27 and iv. 12 and note m. 10 S. Cyr. 11 S. Jer.
u:d";:th
l
:

' f
:.

2

\':
h:ili:1ik

?I

:ü.Its the word

3SS

C J3ï:: o í e s T 6 And I will cast abominable filth upon
dr. 713. thee, and g make tbee vile, and will set
: ff:
.2i
'33. thee as h a gazingstock.
7 And it shall come to pass that all they
1 Rev. 18. 10. that look upon thee i shall flce from dICC,
II Jer.15. 5. and say, Nineveh is laid wastc: k who will

in heaven saying Alleluia to God that He hath judged the
fl7lwre wldeh did corrupt the earth with ller fornication 1. And
I!"aiah saith, They shall go forth and look llpon the carcases
oftlle men that hat'e tJ'Cl1lgressecl against lJIe 2 .
6. And 1 will cast ahominable filth upon thee," 3 like a
weight, that what thou wOllldest not take heed to as sin,
thou mayest fecI in punishment." Ahominable tllings IlUd
God seen 4 in her doings; with abominablc thing-s would He
punish her. l\Ian would fain sin, and forg-ct it as a thing
past. God maketh him to po,ysess the iniquities of /âs .VOllth 5,
amI bindeth them arounel him, so that they make him to
appcar what they arc, 'l-,ile 6 . 7 These tllings Iwst thou clone ami
I kept silence ;-1 will reprove thee and set them in orela before
iMne eyes. And will set thee as a gazing-stock, that all, while
:they gaze at thee, take warning fl'om thee 8. 9 I zuill cast
..thee to tlle ground; before kings will I give thee, for them to
. gaze upon thee. Hlo'Vhoso amendeth not on occasion of others,
others shall be amcnded on occasion of him."
7. All they t/wt look upon t!lee shall flee from tllee through
terror, lest they should share her plagues, as Israel did, when
the earth swallowed up Corah, Dathan and Abiram ; and they
who lllwd been made rid b.lJ Babylon, standllfllr off; for the
fear of her torment. All they who look on thee. She was set
as a thing to be gazed at 12. He tclls the cffcct on the gazers.
Each one who so gazed 13 at hcr should fiee; one by one, they
should gaze, bc scared, flee 14. Not one should remain. TVIIO
will bemoan ller? Not one should pay her the passing tribute
of sYfilpathy at human calamity, thc shaking of the head at
her woe 15. 'Vho had no compassion, shall find none.
8. Art tlwu better 16 , more populous or more powerful, than tlle
populolls lYo? rather thml lVo-Amon, so callcd from the idol
Ammon, worshipped there. No-Amon, (or, as it is decyphered
in the Cuneiform Inscription
, lYia), meaning probably" thc
portion of Ammon 17," was the sacred name of the capital of
Upper Eg-ypt, which, under its common name, Thebes, was far-
famed, cven in the time of Homer, for its continually aCI'rning
wealth, its military power, its 20,000 chariots, its vast (limen-
sions attested by its ]00 gates 18. Existing carlier, as the
capital of L'"pper Egypt, its grandeur began in the 18th
dynasty, after the expulsion of the Hyksos, or Semitic con-
querors of Egypt. Its Pharaohs were conquerors, during
-the 18th-20th dynasties, B. C. 1700-1110, about six centurics.
It was then the centre of a world-empire. L'"ndcr a disguised
lIamel
, its rulers were celebrated in Greek story also, for
their world-wide conquests. The Greek statements have in
some main points been verified by the dccypherment of the
'lieroglyphics. The monuments relate their victories in far

I Rev. JÜx. 1. 2. 2 Ixvi.24. 3 Alb. 4 Jer. xiii. 27. 5 Job xiii. 26.
· Compo Wisdom iv. 18. 7 Ps.1. 21. 8 Comp.2 Chron. vii. 20. 9 Ezek.
xXI
iif
,17. 13 'i

i-
i' 10 Pt
\.

:p
Ç;s

xi. 11. lxiv. 8. 11
eCo

!'J
í' xvi. 4, 5.
16 '
,?'e. for ':;::)'1.'1, as ",: Ps. lxxii. 14, :1'
7'
Mic. i. 8.
17 As the L
X. (from their acquaintance with Egypt) render, p..pls 'Ap.p.c:",. The
Coptic 1\'ISS. :\Iartyrologies mention .. the place of Ammon," (Jablonski Opp. i. 163)
and the Hieroglyphics. Lepsius, Chronol. d. Æg. i. 272. The common name Ap-t or
T-ap was the orIginal of the name Thebes, by which it bec
me known to the West
through the Greeks.

NAHUM,

bemoan her? whence shall I seek COlll- C HBï[oíes T
forters for tl1ee ? cir. 713. _
8 1 Art thou bettcr than II t populous m N 0,
I è
oS 6. 2.
that was situate among the rivers, t],at ]wd t H
b:shing.
the waters round ahout it, whose ramparts mf:/

25.
u'as the sea, and her wall u'as from the sea ?
t
J.ek. 30 .
Asia, and mcntion Nine\'eh itself among the pcople who paiel
tribute to them. They warred and conquered from the
Soudan to l\Iesopotamia. A monument of Tothmosis I. (1066
B. C.) still exists at Kerman, bctween the:20th and 19th dcgrees
latitude, boasting, in languag-e like that of the Assyrian
COlH]UerOrs; "All lands are subdued, and bring their tributes
for the first time to the gracious god 20." "The fronticr of
of Egypt," they say 21, "extends Southward to the mountain
of Aptâ (in Abys..inia) aIHI Northward to the furthest dwell-
ings of the Asiatics." The hyperbolie statements are too
undefined for history22, but widely-conquering monarchs could
alone have used them. " 23 At all periods of history, the
possession of the country which we call Soudan (the Black
country) comprising Nubia, and which the ancients called by
the coUeetive namc of Kous [Cush] or iEthiopia, has been an
exhaustlcss sourcc of wealth to Egypt. 'Yhether by way of
war or of commerce, barks laden with flocks, corn, hides,
ivory, precious woods stones and metals, and many other
products of those regions, dcscendcd the Nile into Egypt, to
fill the trcasures of the temples and of the court of the
Pharaohs: and of metals, cspecially goM, mines whereof were
worked by captives anel slaves, whose Egn)tian name nOllh
scems to have becn the orig-in of the name Kubia, the first
province S. of Egypt." "The conquered country of Soudan,
called Kous in the hicroglyphic inscriptions, was govcrned
by Egyptian pl"Ínces of the royal family, who bore the name
of 'prince royal of Kous.'''
But the prophet's appeal to Kincveh is the more striking, be-
cause Ko, in its situation, its commerce, the sources of
its wealth, its relation to the country which lay between
them, had bcen another and earlier "Kineveh. Only, as No
had formcrly conqucred and exactcd tribute from all those
nations, even to Nineveh itseJt
so now, under Sargon and
Sennaeherib, J\""ineveh had re,'ersed all those successes, and
displaced the cmpire of Egypt by its own, and taken Ko
itself. No had, under its Tothmoses, Amenophes, Sethos, the
Ouscrtesens, sent its messengers 2 \ the leviers of its tribute, had
brought off ii'om Asia that countless mass of human strength,
the captives, who (as Israel, bcfore its deliverance, accom-
plished its hard labours) complcted those g-igantic works,
which, cven after 2000 years of decay, are still the marvel of
the civilized world. Tothmosis I., after subduing the Sasou,
brought back countless captives from Naharina 25 plesopo-
tamia); Tothmosis III., in 19 years of conquests, (1G03-1585
n. C.) " 26raiscd the Egyptian empire to the height of its grcat-
ness. Tothmosis repeatedly attacked the most powerful
people of Asia, as the Routen (Assyrians?) with a number

IS II. ix. 381-4, [all tl1e wealth] "as much as comes to the Egyptian Thebes, where most
possessions are laid up in the houses, which hath a hundred gates, and from each, 200
men go forth with horses and chariots."
19 Sesostris. Herod. ii. 10:!-1l0, and notes in Raw!. Her.; Diod. i. 53-59, Strabo xv. 1.
6. xvi. 4. and 7. xvii. 1. 5. 20 Brugsch Hist. d'Eg. p.88.
21 lb. and (Tothmosis iii). p. 109. 22 .. Notwithstanding the length of
the like texts, recording the victories gained by the Pharaohs, the historical subject is
}

a

th;

:i hya;e:boli

,

e
:
:
d:;;s.!
B:

;;
8.th tbrri3
:s:hili

p. 89. 107. 2< Nah. Ü. 13. 2. Brugsch p. 00. 26 Ib.p.10
,theswnmaryofpp. 95-100.

VHAPTER III.

of suhonlinate kingdom!', sueh as A

hur, llal)('l, Kinevch,
Sing-ar; such as the Hemcncn or _\.rmenian
, the Zahi or Phæ-
nicians. the C'hcta or Hittites. and many more. ". e learn,
hy the description of the ohjects of the hòoty, sent to Eg-ypt
by land and sea, counted by number and weig-ht, many curious
details as to the industt.y of the ('onqucred pcoples of ('entral
Asia, which do honour to the eÍ\ ilisation of that timc, and
verif,' the tradition that the Ep:yptian kings sct np
telæ in
conq;lered countries. in nH'mory of their victories. Tothmosis
III. set up hi

tcle in :\Iesopotamia,' for having cnlarged the
frontiers of Eg-ypt.'" Amenophis too is related to ha,'c
"1 taken the fortress of Xenii (XineHh)." .n He returned
from the ('ountrr of the hig-her Routcn, where he had beaten
all hi;; enemies to enlar
c the frontiers of thc land of Eg-ypt:"
"1 he took possession of the people of the South. and chastised
the }H:'ople ofthe "Korth: ""at .\.bd-el-Kournah" he was repre-
sented as ..
IHwing- for his foot-stool the hcads and backs of
th-e peoples of the S. and four peoples of the K. or Asiaties."
,,2 Among" the names of the people;;, who submittcd to Eg-ypt,
arc the Kuhians. the .Asiatic shepherd
, the inhabitants of Cy-
prus and :\IesolJOtamia." " 3 The world in its leng-th and its
breadth" is promised hy the !<phinx to Tothnwsis IY. He is
representcd as "
suhducr of the negroes." rnder Amenophis
III., the Memnon of the Greeks. "õ the Eg-yptian empire ex-
tended Xorthward to
Iesopotamia, Southward to thc laml of
Karou." lIe enlarg-ed and beautified K 0, which had fl'om him
the temple of Louksor, and his voeal statue, "6 aU pcople
bringing- their tribuh;;, their ehildren, their horses, a mass of
silvcr, of iron and h'ory from countries, the rOdds whereto we
know not." The kinp: Horlls is saluted as ..7 the sun of the
nine people; great is thy name to the eountry of Ethio)lia; "
"7 the g-racious goel returns, ha,-ing subdued the great of all
})eople." Setj I (or Sethos) i
exhibited s, as revereneed by the
Armenians, eonquering the Sasou, the "Hittite
, Naharina
(Mesopotamia), the Routen (Ass)Tians?) the Pount. or Arabs
in the S. of Arahia, the .\.mari or .-\morite
, and Kcde
. per-
haps Edessa." Rameses II, or the great 9 (identified with the
Pharaoh of the Exodus 10), comluered the Hittites in the X.; in
the S. it is recorded, "11 the gracious god, who defeated the nine
people, who massaaed myriads in a moment, annihilatcd the
people oHrthrown in their blood, yet was there no other with
him." The 20th Dynasty (ll. C. 1288-] 110) began again
with conquests. "12 Rameses III. triumphed over g-reat con-
federations of Libyans and Syrians and the Islcs of the
l\lediterranean. Hë i
the on]y"king who, as the monuments
iòhew, carried on war at once by land and sea." Be
idcs
many names unknown to us, the Hittites, .Amoritcs, Circcsiulll,
.\.ratus, Philistines, Phænicia, Sasou, Pount, are again recog-
nised. Korth South East and ". est arc deelarc(l to be trihu-
tary to him, and of the Korth it is saiel, "13 The people, who
knew not Egypt, come to thee, bringing gold and silver,
lapis-lazuli, aU precious stones." Hc adorned Thebes with
the
reat temple of l\]edinet-Abou H and the RamesseuIll 15.
r1'll(' brief notices of following Rameses' speak of internal pros-
perity and wealth: a fuller account of Rameses XII. speaks
of his "Hbeing in :\Iesopotamia to exact the annual tribute;'
how "the kings of aU countries prostrated themseh-es before

}
't

\

; of Konosso
e!:i
i
lb. p. 11-t 3 On the sp
inlb

.i

,Ifit 113.
:

.
;.g:

iqq
16. 7

'C..;.2t51:5. 8 Ib'IF)b
;:-}

:

: }
:
: 1

'. 1
7 Ifb. P p.lii'ó. 1;8 I
"lgs

iv. i. 1: 9
;!J

.'

:
20 lb. pp. 22-1-22i. 21 lb. p. 223. 2-l lb. p. 235. :3 Ib.'p' 2!-1.
:4 xv. 1. 6. He mentions him again for his extensiye remoyals of people, which lIDplies
extensive conquests. i. 3. 21.
:. Joanne et Isambert, Itinéraire de l' Orient. p. 1039.
PART IY.

3S9

him, and the king of the country of llouchten [it has heen
conjectured, Bagistan, or I:cbatana] pre
ented to him tributc
and his dau
hter." "Ii He is the ]ast Pharaoh who goes to
Mesopotamia, to collcct the annual tributes of the petty
kin
doms of that country." On this !'ide of the Euphrates,
Egypt
till retained some )lo
sessions to the timc of Xccho;
for it is said, "lS the king of Baln"lon had takcn from the
ri,-er of Eg-ypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to
the king of Eg-ypt." Thebes continued to be embellished
alikc by "the high-priests of .\.mmon," who disp)ace(l
the ancient line 19, and kinC"s of the llubastite Dynasty,
Sesonchis I. or Sisak 20, Takclothis II.
\ ami
c
on('his
IIp:!. The Ethiopian dynasty of
abakos and Tearko
IIr Tirhaka in another way iIIu
trates the importance of
:Xo. The Ethiopian conquerors cho
e it as their royal
city. Thither, in the time of Sabakf)s, Syria broug-ht it
tribute 23: thcre Tirkaka set up the reeords of his \"ictories 23 ;
and /!reat must ha,-c been the cOIulueror.whom Strabo put on a
line with Scsostris 2-1.. Its !"ite marked it out for a great
eapital; and as such the Ethiopian ('onfJueror !<eized it. The
hills on either side retired, eneirding the plain, through the
centre of which the l\ïlc brought down its wealth, eonnecting-
it with the untold riehes of thc south. "25 The, formed a vast
circus, \\ hcre the ancient metropolis expanded 'it
elf. On the
". est, the Lybian chain pre
ents ahrupt dccIivities which
conlluand this side of the plain, and which bcnd away alJove
ßab-el-molouk, to end near Kournah at the \"Crv bank of the
rinr. On the East, heights, softer and nearër, descend in
,long- deeJivities toward Louksor and Karnak, and their crcsts
do not approaeh the XHc until after l\Iedamout, an hour or
more IJelow I
arnak." The hreadth of the yallcy, being about
10 miles 26, the eity (ofwhieh. Strabo !"ays, ";!; traf:es are now
seen of its magnitude, SO stadia in length") must han oc-
cupied the whole. "28 The tam city embraced the great
I space, which is now commonly called the plain of Thebe
and
I whieh is dividcd by the Kile into two halves, an Eastern and
a "'estern, the first hounded by the cdge of the _\.rabian
wilderne
s, the latter by the hills of the dead of the stecp
Libyan chain." The capital of Egypt, which was identified
of old with Egypt itsclP9, thus lay under the natura] guard-
ianship of the encircling- hills whieh expanded to rceein it,
divided into two bv the rinr whieh was a wall to both. The
rhains of hill
, Oli either side were themselves fenced in on
East and "'cst by the great sand-deserts unapproaehable by
all army. The long valley of the Kile was the only access
to un encmy. It occupied appaI'end}" the ,'ictorious army of
Asshur-banipal 30 "a month and tell days" to march from
:\Iemphis to Thebes. "31 At Thebes itself there are still
remains of walls and fortifications, strong', sI..ilfully con-
structed, and in g"ood pres en-at ion, as there arc also in
other Eg"yptian towns above and below it. The crescent-
shapcd l"Îdge of hills approadles so dose to the river at each
end as to admit of troops defiling past, but not spreael-
ing- out or manæn\Ting-.
\.t each of these ends is a small old
fo
.t of the purely E
Yl;tian, i. e. the Ante-
-IeUenie period. Roth
above and below there are several ",inlllar ('rescent sweeps
ill the !'ame chain of hilIs, and at each angle a similar fort."
2
Smith Bib!. Diet. v. Thebes. ".!1 x,ii. 1.46. :II Brugsch Geogr. d. Alt.
Ep;. p.lïG.
29 "In old times Thebes [the Thebais) "as called Eg)pt." Herod. ü. 15." Formerly
E
t was called Thebes." Aristot. :\Ieteor. i. U.
30 Inscr. in Oppert, Rapports. pp. i4. i8, 85.
31 Miss Harris, the learned daughter of a learned Eg) ptologist; " In se-.-eral hierogl)-_
phical inscriptions and notably in a papyrus in :\tiss Harris' possession, partly deci-
phered b) her father and herself, there are minute accounts of fortresses existing at
that date, about the time of the .Exodus, she su!:'poses, and of their !lnnaments and
p;arrisons." Thebes then was fortIfied, as well as I\me-.-eh, and Homer IS confinned by
the Hieroglyphical inscriptions.
1\1 1\1 1\1

390

All successive monarchs, during more centuries than have
passed since our Lord came, I'uceessinly beautified it. Enry
thing is gigantic, bearing- witnes!' to the enormous mass of
lmman strength, which its victOl.ious king-s had gathered f.'om
aU nations to toil for its and their /!Iorification. ,r omlerful
is it now in its decay, desolation, death; one great idol-temple
of its gods and an apotheosis of its Idngs, as sons of its gods.
"1 "That spires arc to a modern city, what the towers of a
cathedral arc to the navc and choir, that the statues of thc
Phat'aohs were to the streets and temples of Thebes. The
ground is strewcd with their fragments; the avenues of them
towered high above plain and houf'es. Three of gigantic size
still remain. Une was the granite statue of Rameses himself,
who sat on the right sidc of the entrancc to his palaee.-The
only part of the temple or palaee, at all in proportion to him,
must have been the gateway, which rose inl}yramidal towers,
now broken down and roIling in n wild ruin down to the
plain." It was that sclf-deifying, q?;ainst which Ezekiel is
commanded to I}rophesy; 2 Speak end say; thus sa it It the
Lord God; Behold, 1 alll against tllee, Plwraolt kiug of
Eg.1fpt, the great dmgolt tlwt lietlt ill tIle midst of his 1"ivers,
'l1.'lâclt hatlt said, .11ljj 1.il'er is mine own, and I Iwve macle it
for myself. " 3 Eyery where the same colossal proportions
arc preserved. E\'ery wherc the king' is conquering, ruling,
worshipping, worshipped. The palace is the temple. The
king is priest. He and his horf'es are ten times the size of
the rest of the army. Alike in battle and in worship, he is
of the same stature as the gods themselves. .Most stl'Íking- is
the familiar gentleness, with whil'h, one on each sidc, they
take him by each hand, as one of their own order, amI then,
in the next compartment, introduce him to Ammon, amI the
lion-headed g-oddess. E\'el'y distinction, except of degree,
between divinity and royalty is entirely lcveIled." Gigantic
dimensions picturc to the eye thc ideal greatness, which is
the key to thc architecture of :Ko. "3 T,,'o other statues

lone remain of an avenue of cig'hteen similar or nearly
similar statues, somc of whose remnants lie in the field be-
hind them, which led to the palace of Amenophis I I I., every
one of the statues being- Amcnophis himself, thus giving in
multiplication what Rameses gained in solitary elevation."
" 4 Their statues were all of one piece." Science still cannot
explain, how a mass of nearly 890 tons 5 of granite was exca-
vated at Syene, transported G and set up at Thebes, or how
destroved 7.
,,8'the temper of the tools, which cut adamantine stone as
sharply and closely as an ordinary scoop cuts an ordinary
chcesc, is still a mystery." E\'cry thing is in proportion. The
two :-öitting eolof'si, whose" breadth al'ross thc shoulders is
eighteen feet, their heil!,"ht forty-seven feet, fifty-thrce above
the plain, or, with the half-buried pedestal, sixty feet, were
once connected by an avenuc of sphinxes of ele,'en hundred feet
with what is now' IÙnn-cl-Hcttán,' or 'the mound of sand-
stone,' which marks the site of another palace and temple of
Amenophis HI.; and, to judge from the little that remains, it
must have held a conspÍt'uous rank among the finest monu-

1 Stanley Sin. and Pal. Introd. p. xxxviii. 2 Ezek. xxix. 3. 3 Stanl. lb. p. xxxix.
· "ilkinson Anc. E!(. iii. 2GG.
5 .. about 88;" tons, ;;
hundrcd wei!(ht." 'Yilkinson Mod. Eg. ii. 11.5.
6 .. The obelisks, transported from the quarries of Syene at the first cataract, in latitude

o
:e 2
;

'ìe Ts

:

h
t

;
t 'i
r};;
"

z(t

tn
}Ot

e ::'

;

)í
g

. K

n
calculate to weigh 2!ti tons. This was brou!(ht about 138 miles from the quarry to
where it now stands; those taken to Heliopolis, morc than 800 miles. The po"er,
howe.yer, to, moye the mass \\ as thc same, whate'"er might be the distance, and the me-
chal11cal skIll '
hich transported it fi,-e or eycn one, would suffice for any number of miles.
The two colussl of Amenophis iii., of a single bluck each, Ii feet in height, which contain
about 11,500 cul.ic feet, ale made of a st:mc not kno\\n \\ithin several days jonrney

1\ A Ire- 1\1 ,

ments of Thehes. All that now exists of the interior arc the
bases ofits columns, some broken statuef', and Sycnitesphinxes
of the king, with sevcral lion-headed figures of black granite
."
Thc four villages, where arc the chief remaining temples, Kar-
nal;:, Luksor, l\Iedinet-Abou, Kournah, form a great quadrila-
teral lO , each of whose sidcs is ahout one and a half mile, and the
whole compass accordingly six miles. The avcnue of six hun-
dred sphinxes, which joincd the temple of Luksor with Karnak
must have heen onc amI a half milc long 11 : onc ofits obelisks is
a remarkable ornament of Paris. l\Iostly massi\'Cness is the
characteristic, since strength and might were their ideal. Yet
the massive columns still preserwd, as in the temple of Ra-
mcses 11. 12 , arc even of piercing heautyl2. And for the temple
of I\:arnal;: ! Its cncIosure, which was somc two miles in cir-
cumference 13, bears the names of l\Ionarchs removed from one
another, aecon1ing to the Chronolof.,')', by alJoye two thousand
)-ears H. "15 A stupendous colonnade, of which one pillar only
remains erect, once cxtellded across its great court, eonncct-
ing the "T. gate of entrance with that at its extremity. The
towers of the Eastern gate arc mere heaps of stones, poured
down into the court on one
ide and the great hall on the
other; giant columns have heen sn-cpt away like reeds before
thc mighty m-alam'he, and one hardly misses them. And in
that haU, of liO feet by 329 feet, 134 eolumns of colo
sal
prol}Ortions supported its .'oof; twelw of them, 62 feet high
and about 3j in circumfcrenee, and on each side a forest of
GG columns, 42 feet;) in. in height. lleyond the ccntre-ave-
nue arc scen obelisks, gateways and masses of masonry;
evcry portion of these g'igantie ruins is co\-cred with seulpture
most admirably executed, and every column has becn riehly
painted."
"16 Imagine a long vista of courts and doorways amI colon-
nades and halls; here and there an obelisk shooting up out of
the ruins, and interrupting the opening view of the forest of
columns.-This mass of ruins, some rolled down in avalanches
of stone, others perfect and painted, as when they werc first
huilt, is approaehed on every side by avcnues of gateways. E.
and 'Y., N. and S., these vast approaehes are found. Some are
shattered, but in every approach some remain; and in some can
be traced, besides, the further avenues, still in parts remain-
ing by hundreds together, avcnues of ram-headed sphinxes.
E,-ery El!."yptian temple has, or ought to have. one of those
grand gateways, formed of two
loping towers, with the high
IJCrpendicuhu. front between." Then, over and above, is "their
multiplied coneentration.-Close lJefore almost enry gateway
in this vast array were the colossal figures, usually in granite,
of the f!,Teat Rameses, sometimes in white and red marble, of
.\.menophis and of Thothmcs. Close by them, were pairs of
towcring obelisks, whieh can generally be traced by pedestals
on cither side.- Y 011 han only to set up again the fallen
obelisks which lie at YOllr teet; to conceive the columns, as they
are !>till seen in parts, onrspreading the whole; to reproduce
all the statues, like those which still remain in their august
niches, to gaze on the painted walls and piUars of the im-
mense hall, which even now can nevcr be seen without a thrill

of the place; and at the :\Iemnonium is another of Rameses which, \\hen entire,
wci!(hed upwards of 88; tons, and was brought from E'Sooan to Thebes, 138 miles."
Wilko A,nc, Eg. iii. 329, 330. .. See Wilko Mod. Eg. ii. 114.
8 Nozrani in Eg. and Syr. p. 2i8. 9 Wilkinson Mod. Eg. ii. 157,158.160.162.
10 Joanne et Isambert, hiner. de I' Orient pp. 1039, 1010.
11 Two kilometres, Joan. et Isal11b. p. lOGO.
I
Memnonium. See Hoskins, "
illter in upper and lower Eg. Frontispiece.
h::t
r
a
t

i
t \?

tdt,
.

ec'
::dia

bMì'kli

. W. ;
æass the measurement of the
H Osirtasen i, place<l at 2803. H. C. to Tirhaka, G!J3. B. C., "'ilkinson :Mod. Eg. ii. 250.
252. I. Lord Lindsay Letters on Egypt &c. pp. 98, 99.
16 Stanley, Sinai and Pal. p. xli.

CI-IAPTEH III.

Before
CHRIST
cir. i13.

!) Ethiopia and Egypt t{.c/,c her strength, I
mHI if It'll.'; infinite; Put and Lubim were
t thy helpers. I
10 Yet It'fl.'; !',he carried away, she went into I

t Heb. in till/
help.

3!)1

eaptiyity: n her young children also were C HBj[ofs T
dashed in pieces oat th(' top of aU thc strcets: cir. i13.
1 1 I D Ps. 137. 9.
all( t ICY P cast ots for her honourable men, lsa. 13.16.
I II 1 . . Hos. 13. 16.
anl a lcr great men were bound III chams. 0 Lam. 2,19.
p Joel 3. 3.
Obad. II.

of awe, and you hayc ancient Thcbe
he fore you." AmI mo
t
of those paintings were record!" of their past mi
ht. "1 There
remained on the massh'c buildings EA11)tian letters, recording
their former 'Yealthines
; amionc of the elder priests, bidden
to interl)ret hi
natiyc language, l:clated that of ol
I ion, 000 of
militarv agc dwelt there; and wIth that army klllg Rhamses
gaine(I'possession of Libya, Ethiopia, the l\Icdes and Per'!"ians,
the Bactrian and Scythian; and held in his empirc the
countries which thc
\Tians and .\rmenians and neighbouring
Caplmdocian8Înhahit;the Bithynian also anti Lyeian
to thc se
.
Therc ,,'ere reael too the tributes imposed on thc nativcs, thc
weight of silvcr and gold; the number of arms and horses,
and thc gifts to the templcs, ivory and frankineensc, and what
supplies of ('orn amI utensil
eaeh nation should pay, not lc
s
magnificent than arc noW' enjoined hy Parthian ,'iolenec or
by Roman power."
Tlwt ll'as situate lit. tIle dll'ella, slle tllat dll'elletlt. Perhaps
the Prophet wished to express thc security and case\ in ,,-hich
5he dwelt among the rlt'ers. They encircled, folded round her,
as it were, so that shc ,,'as a little ,,'orld in herself, secluded
from all ,,-ho would approaeh to hurt her. The Prophct's
word, ,'il'as 3 , is especially uscd of thc hran('hes or canals of
thc
ile. whieh is also ealleel tlte sea 4. The
ilc pa!'sed
through Xo, and doubtless it,; canals encircled it. Egypt is
said by a Heathen to he '.5 walled by the Nile as an everlast-
ing" wall." 117lOse ,'ampart ,,'as [rampart is] tlte sea. TVedl
alîd rampart 6 are, properly. the outer and inner wall of a
cit\', the "'aU and forewall, so tu speak. For all ,,'alls and all
dcfences, her enfolding- walls of sea ,,'ould suffice. Strong !'he
was in herself; strong alsu in her helpers.
9. Ethiopia mul Eg.'lpt 1l'ere hel' strengtll; lit. Egypt ,,'as
stre71{!tlt 7, and Bthiopia, and boundless. Hc sets forth first
thc imperial might of Xo; then her strength from foreign,
suhdued power. Thc capital is a sort of impersonation uf
the might of the state; X 0, of Egypt, as 1\incveh, of Assyria.
"'hen the head was cut off or thc heart eea!'ed to beat, all
was lost. The might of Egypt and Ethiopia was the mig'ht
of Xo, ('onecntrated in her. They were strength, anti that
strength unmeasured by any human standard. Boundless was
the strength, ,,-hich Xinenh had subducd: boundless, the

I Tac. Ann. ii. GO.
2 In Zech. i.B, this is brought out by the addition of dIe word n::p.i:i1 "and at rest;"
in Zech. vü. 7, by ;,;
;t1, "and tranquil." In Re,'. xvüi. 7, "I sit a q

e
," the addition,
"as a queen" points to the other meaning, of :11:", "sat e"throned." 3 Y eorim.
4 Is. xvüi. 2, "ix. 5. In Arabic, the Nile is called" the sweet sea" in contrast with
"the salt sea," or .. the encircling sea;" a title gi"en by Egyptian writers to the
Iedi-
terranean, as being connected with the Ocean. Eg) ptian writers mostl)' add an epithet
to iiQ

, to designate Ihe sea, because :..>;,.;!I,
, simply, is the Kile; as in India it is the
Ganges; in
Iesopotamia, the Euphrates. . De Sacy Chrest. Arab. ii. 14, 15. ed. 2. The
.. wrute Nile" is called" Bahr-el-Abiad," the" blue Nile" Bahr-eI-Azrek, and the great
Etruopian tributary to the Nile, the Albara, "Bahr-el-Aswad," .. the black sea." Baker,
Nile tributaries, p. 91. iiQ

is also used of the Tigris. Lane sub v. At Thebes, the Nile
is usually about half amile in" idth, but, at the inundation, overflowing the plain, especially
upon the westem bank, for a breadth of two or more miles. Smith Bib. Diet. v. Thebes.
"'When the Nile overflows the country, the cities alone appear, sunnounting it, like the
islands in the Ægean; the rest of Eg
;pt becomes a sea:' Herod. ii. 9i. .. The water of the
Kile is like a sea." Plin. H. K. xx,<v. B. .. Horner gÌ'-es to the river the name' Ocean '
because the Egyptians in their own language call the Kile, Ocean:' Diod. S. i, 96. '

Isocr. Busir. ap. Boch. Phal. i. 1. p. 7. .

store 8 which shc had accumulated for the
poilcr; boundless \I
thc carcases of her !':lain. And it ll'aS Ï1
fìnite. "Thc pcople
that came, ur. with thc king out of Egypt, werc ,,-ithou'
number 10.' I he Eg)1)tians connct'ted with Thehe!'> are
countcd by a heathcn author n at se,'cn millions. Put or
PIllet 12 is mcntioncd third among the !':ons of Ham. after Cu..h
and :\Iizraim 13. They arc mentioned with the I:thiopians in
Pharaoh's army at the Euphrates 14, as joine(I with them in
thc ,-isitation of E
ypt 15 ; with Cush in the arm\' of Gog 16 ;
with Lud in that of Tyre 17 ; a country and rh'er ot' that name
were, Josephu!': tells us 18, "frequently mentioned bv Grcek
historians." They dwelt in the Libya, conterminol;s to the
Canopic mouth of thc Xile 19.
Aml Lubim. Thesc camc up against .Tudah in the army
of Shishak 10 against Rehoboam, and with the Ethiopians,
"a hup:e host" under Zerah thc r:thiopian against Asa 20. The
Ribou or Libou appear on thc Illonmnents as a peoplc ('on-
quered by )Ienephthes 21 and Rallleses II I. 22 They "-cre :-till
to bc united ,,-ith Egypt and thc Ethiopians in thc times of
Åntiot'hus Epil)hanes 23; !"o thcir connection with Eg-ypt "'as
not broken bv its fall. Those unwearicd cnemics had become
ineorporate((,,-ith her; and "'ere now her help. Thcse were
(E. .M.) ill thyllelp; sct upon it, gi\'en up to it 24. The pro-
phet appeals to Xo herself, as it werc, "Thou Itad.st strength."
Then he turns away, to speali of her, unwilling to look on the
miseries which hc has to pourtray to Xinenh, as thc preludes
of her O\rn. 'Yithout God, \'ain is the help of man.
10. ret ,,-as she [also 25] cllrried aWllY, lit. SlIe also hceamc an
e,dle 26 band, her })eople werc carricd away, with all thc
barbarities of Heathen war. AU, through ,,-hom :,;hc might
reeO\-er, were de!'troyed or !'cattered abroad; tIle young,
thc hope of another agc, cruelly dcstroyed 27; lIer honour-
liMe men en
laved
'>, all lIa great men prisoners. God's
judgements are exceuted step by step. A!'s)Tia herself was
the author of thi" capth.ity, which Isaiah IH'ophesied in
the first years of IJczekiah when Judah was leanin
upon
Egypt 29. It was repeated by all of the house of Sargon w.
Jeremiah and Ezekiel foretold fresh desolation by Kebuehad-
nezzar 31 . God forctold to His people 3.2, I gllve Egypt lor tlty
Tll1lsum,Ethiopia alld Sebalor tltee; and the Persian monarehs,
6 "'!) and :'I:;:\n, joined Lam. ii. 8, :t:1n1 "n. It included the space between the two walls
(pomærium) 2 Sam. xx. 15, 1 Kgs. xxi. 23. It is the whole circuit of the wall as con_
trasted with the palaces of Zion, in Ps. xhiii. U, cx-xii. ï. As is common in Hebrew
poetry, "wall and forewall," which together make one subject, are placed in Ihe parallel
columns, "l\lurus et antemurale" S. Jer. on Is. x\:vü." the lesser wall, wruchis before
the greater," Rabb. ape Kim. .. the wall and the son ofthe wallo" R. Chanina. lb.
7 Not lit. .. her strength:' It is .-.c;'f;;, not

!l; the abstract for the concrete, as õI';I

Job xli. G, m

lb. 7. s ii. 10. II iii. 3. :11i1I'!!1 in each.
10 2 Chron. xü. 3. 11 Cato in Steph. Byz. ap. Boch. iv. 2i.
12 Translated Lybians Jer. xlvi. 9, Ez. xxx. 5, xx..,<vili. 5. 13 Gen. x. G. It Jer. 1. c.
I. Ez. xxx. 5. 16 lb. xxxviii. 15. 17 lb. xxix. 10. Iii Jos. Ant. i. G. 2.
19 See Ges. Thes. s. v. 20 2 Chron. x, i. 8. colI. lb. xiv. 9. 21 B. C. 1341-1321
(Brugsch p. lï2).
12SS B. C. lb. 186, 100, 19I. :!3 Dan. xi. 43.
2t 'ml
':1 '
i' Ps. XX ,<v. 2. "I
:I Ex. x, iii. 4. 2. The word is emphatic; .. She
also," her young cruldrcn also. The same word also is repeated. 26 :-r]UIJ might be
either" captivity" or .. the captives." But :'1"11;1 -þ:'l o:curs 5 times, :'I"U;I 11:1, 3 times i
but :'IS;J
with neither.
27 See Hos. xiv. Is. xili. 16. 2 Kgs. vili. 12.
See Joel ili. 3. 29 See Is. xx.
30 See ab. pp. 36
, 3G5. 31 Jer. xhi. 25, 2G. and Ezekiel xxx. 14-16. 32 Is. xliii. 3.
l\1 l\1 :\1 2

392

C 1
j[oÍeS T II Thou also shalt 1)(" q drunkcn: thou
cir.713. shalt ùe hid, thou also shalt seek strength
q

'1
5i

,2i. because of thc {'ncmy.
r Rev. (j.13. 12 All thy stronghnMs shall bc likc r fig
trecs with the firstripe figs: if tlH'Y be

1'ìAH"C)I,

I shak{'n, they shall eyen fall into the mouth C HBj{oíes T
of tbe eater. cir. íl3.
--
13 ßehold, · thy people in th(' midst.
e
i

o
i.
of thee a}'c WOlllen: the gatt.s of thy
land shaH be set wide open unto thine

who fulfilled prophecy in thc restoration of Judah, fulfilled it
also in the cOllflue!'t of Eg-ypt and Ethiopia. ßoth pcrhaps
out of human policy in part. Hut Cambpcs' wild hatred of
Eg-yptian idolatry fulfilled t;od's word. Ptolemy Lathyrus
carried on the work of Cambyses; the l{omans, Ptolemy's.
Cambyses burnt its lemples 1 ; Lathyrus its four-or five-storied
prh'ate hou
es2; thc Roman Gallus Icnllcd it to thc g-round 3.
A little after it was said of her, "-l she i
inhabited as so many
seattered villages." A little after our Lord's Coming, Ger-
milni('us ,rent to visit, not it, hut ,,:; the ,-ast tra('es of it."
"6 It lay o,-erwhelmed with its hundred gates" amI utterly
impoveri:o-hed. No was powerful as 1\inereh, and Ie
s an
enemy of thc people of God. For thoug-h the:o-e often suffered
ii'om Eg-ypt, yet in thof'e times ther even trusted too mlH'h to
its hel p 7. If then thejud
ementsofGod('amcupon No, how
much morc upon Nine,'eh ! J n t
.pe, l\ïnf'l"eh is the ima
e
of the ,rorhl as oppressing God's Church; 1\0, rather of tlwse
who Ih'e for this life, abounding in wealth, case, pmn'r, and
forg-etful of God. Jt
then, 11/('.'/ were puni
hed, who took no
active part against God, fonght not ag.ainst God's truth, yet
still werc sunk in Ille ('(Ires and 1'iches and pleasllres of l/ds
Life, what shall be the end of those who openly resist God?
II. Tlwll also. As thou hast done, so shall it be done
unto thee. Thc cruelties on No, in the ('yde of God's judge-
ments, draw on the like upon l'\Ïne,-eh who inflieted them.
ThOll also 8 ,ç/wll he drllnken with the same cup of God':"
ang-er, entel'ing within thee as wine doth, bereaving thee of
reason and of counsel through the greatness of thy ang-uif'h,
amI bringing- shame on thee 9, and a stupefaction like death.
Tholl shalt be /dd, a l/dng hidden 10 from the eyes of men, as
Ihough IluJ/l Iwelst nevcl' been. 1\alnllll had foretold her com-
plete desolation: he had asked, where is she? Here he
describes all abiding- condition; strangely fulfilled, as perhaps
nc,-er to that extcnt hesides; her pala(
es, her monuments,
her re('ords of her glorious triumphs existed still in theil' place,
but hidden out of sight, as ill a tomb, under the hill-like
mounds alolJg- t.he TigTis. Tholl also shall seek slrenglh, or a
st1"Ong-lwld from II,e encm.1/ 11 , out of thyself, since thine own
shall be weakness. Yet in vain, sin('e God i
not such to
thee H. "They sllllll seek, but not find." " For thcn shall it
I Diod. Sil". i. 46. Strabo xvii.!. t.5. 2 They had been
destroyed shortly before Diodorus Sic. lb. 15, 46. 3 .. She was destroyed to the
ground." S. Jer. Chron. Eus. A. 1!I
!J. 4 Strabo I. c. · Tac. Ann. ii. C2.
6 Juv. Sat. xv. 6. 7 See Is. xxx. &c. s J;1
-c
takes up K'ëJ-C
v. 10.
9 The two images are united in Ob. 1(j.
10 The force of the substanlive verb with the pass. part. :'I:;
JI) 'ëJ\", as in Zech. iii. 3;
as, with the act. part., it expresses continued action; Gen. i. (:, xxxvii. 2, De. ix. i, 22,
2t, xxviii. 2V, 2 Sam. iii. (j, Job i. H, Ps. x. H, cxxii.
, Is. xxx. 20. See Ew. Lebrb.
n. lßS. c
I! :I:Îl!
1;
':i, as Is. xxv. 4, c")!rJ :'IIJ[f,I, "a refnge from the storm."
u i. 7. 13 S. J as. ii. 13. H C",J:I CII C'JKi1, as Cant. iv. 13, C"JrJ ,,
CII C'J1C'.
IS See ab. p. 345 on Mic. v.I. It is not here the specific "onl, :'1")1::;1, butc'1I
:I," the
first-fruits," in lhe same sense, as in 1"u. xiii. 20, C':lJII ",J:I .. the first ripe grapes."
16 IIU is used of lhis, Is. vii. 2; here, as in Am. ix. V. :r\if. 17 S. Jer.
IS Rev. vi. 13. 19 Jer. I. 37, Ii. 30.
o s. Luke xJ>.i. 2(j.

I Freylag (snb v. :lK:I) says that the P
-renees are called in Arab. :lK1JK
K
JJ "the
mountain of gates," ard that the Portæ Ca>piæ are called JK'JK
II :lNJ. .. Bab Bmaria"
is the nam
of a pass in Liba!!o!1 to t!:e Litany, Ritter Erdk. no;. 03. VI. 13
. 218;

be too late to cry for mercy, whcn it is the time ofjustiee/'
lIe shalllwl'c judgement îL'itlwut meu!/, that Iwll, shcwed 110
mercif 13.
12', Allthy.
/rollg-llOleis shall he likeßglrees, 1l'ilh Iheßrst ripe
.fìgs, hallg-ing- from them H; eagerly s(lU
ht after 15, to be con-
sumed. ßdllg ripe, they arc ready to fall at once; if tlle.l/ he
sIll/ken; it needeth but the tremulous motion, as when trees
wave in the wind 16, Ihe!1 sllllll eun fall inlo íhe 1IwIlIh of II,e
ealC/', not eostin
' e,'en the slig.ht pains of picking them from
the ground 17. So easy is their destruction on the part of God,
though it cost more pains to the ßabylonians. At the end of
the world it shall be yet more fulfilled 18, for then God will
use no human instl'ument,but put forth only His own _\Imighti-
ness; and all !òtrong-hold
of man's pride, moral or spiritual,
"hall, of themseh-es, lllelt away.
13. Belwld, tll.1f pcoplc in Ihe midst (
( Ihee are women.
Fipree, fearle
s, hard, iron men, su('h as their I\'arriors still
arc pourtrayed by themseh-es on their llloIHllllents, they
whom no toil wearied, no peril daunted, shall be, one and all,
their whole people, U'01nell.
o Jeremiah to ßabylon, .n
they
,.hall he('ome. be('ame, ,vomen." lIe set
it before the eves. Be-
hold, Ihy people arc u'omen; against nature they arc
uch, not
in tenderness but in weakness and fear. Among the signs of
the Day of .J udgcment, it stands, men's hea1"l.ç :(ailing
Illem
for fear 20. "'here sin reigns, there is no strength left, no man-
liness or nobleness of soul, no power to resist. Iu tile midst
of Ihec, where thou seemest most secure, and, if any "'here,
there were hope of safety. The very inmost self of the sinner
gives ,,-ay.
To tlâlle enemie,ç (this is, for emphasis, prefixed) not for any
good to thee, but 10 Ilâlle enemies shall be set u.iele open IIw
gales of Ih,lf lalld, not, IIt.1f gales, i. e. the gates of their
cities, (,rhieh is a distinct idiom), but Ihe gales of Ihe Imul
itself, c"ery aveuue, whieh Illig-ht have been dosed ag-ainst
the im'ader, hut which was laid open. The Eastern
21. a!' well
a
the Greeks and Latins 22 , used the ,,-ord "gate" or "doors"
of the mountain-passes, which gave an access to a land, but
,,-hieh might be held against an enemy. In the pass called
"the t:aueasian gatcs," there were, O\'er and above, doors
fastencd ",ith iron bars 23. At Thermopylæ or, as the iu-

.. Bab-el-Howa" "gate of the winds" is said to be a mountain gorge (Ritter xviii. 819.
Buckingham gives the name to a gate of Bosra. Travels among Arabs ii. 200). Bab-el-
Mardin is the name of a mountain-pass in the Masius chain (Ritter xi. 2ü3. 3Ð3. 40.1),
"a remarkable gap or notch in the chain of 1\11. Masius, behind which is situated
the city of Mardin." Forbes on the Sinjar Hills, Mem. R. Geogr. Soc. IS3Ð p. .121.
The name" Bab-el-mandeb" shews lhat the name" door" isgiyen to narrow straits also,
as is that of wvÀal (See Lidd. and Scott Lex. V. wVÀ'I1). The Arab. iPtt only incidentally
illustrates the idiom, being, not a" gate" (as Röd. in Ges. Thes.) but" a gap, interstice,
hence a mountain-pass, an acress to a country," and specifically" a border-country to-
wards an enemy," and in the idiom 'Ji;'1
K ,\;', .. stopped lhe gap," like reJ 'T.::II Ez. xxii. 30.
The phrase, t"It:'l".;:;, recurs Jer. xv. i.
z.1 The Ká<T'Jl'lal wvÀal (Strabo xi. 12. 13), the AV
lal lb. xiii. w). See further Lidd. and
Sc.1. c.) the wvÀal T7JS K'À1Klas Ka) T7JS J:lJplas, Xen. Anab. i. 4. U, the" Amanicæ
Pylæ" (Q. Curt. iii. 20). Pliny speaks ofthe "portæ Caucasiæ" (II. N. vi.ll) or" Iberiæ"
(Albaniæ Pto!. v. 12.) lb. 15.

3 .. After the.e are the Caucasian gates (by many very erroneously called the Caspiatl
gates), a vast work of nature, the monntains being suddenly interrupted, where are doors
&c." PEn. II. N. yi, n.

CIL\PTER III.

Before
CHRIST
cir. ila.
, Ps. IIi. 13.
Jer. 51. 30.
u ch. 2. 1.

t'1H'mies: the fire shall de,'om' thy t bars.
U. Draw thee waters for the siege,
u fortify thy strong holds:
o into day, and

393

tr('ud the lllortpr, make strong the hrickkiln. C Jifoíes T
15 There s}mll the fire dpyour thpe; the cir. iI3.
sword shall cut thee off, it shaH pat thee

babitants ('alled them, Pylæ \ "p:ate!'," the narrow pa
s
was further g-uarded by a wa IF. Its name reeall
the IJI'iIliant
hi
ton., how !mc'h approaehes lUil!ht be held by a devoted
handf{11 of meu ag-ain
t almost countless multitudes. Of
A
!':)Tia, Pliny sa
:
, c. 3 The Tig-ri
and pathless mountains
encin'le .\diabene." ""hen those gates of the land gave way,
the whole JalHI was laid open to its enemies.
The /ire shall deroll/" tllll /JlI/".ç. Prohably, as elsewhere, the
ha/"s of the p:ates, which wère mostly of wood, since it is added
expressly (If some. that they were of the iron 4 or lH"a!'s 6.
c. u Oceasionallv the efti.lrts of the besiep:ers were directed
ag-ainst the p:aie, ,,-hich they endea,-oured to break open with
axes, or to set on fire by application of a torch.-In the hot
dimate of S. .bia Ivood becomes so dry by exposure to the sun,
that the m()
t solid door
may readily be ig-nited and con-
sumed." It is even remarked in one instance that the As-
syrians "ï have not set fire to the gates of this city, as
appeared to be their usual practice in attacking a fortified
1)lace ."
So wert' her palaces buried as they !'tood, that the traces of
IH'olong-ed fire arc
tiII \'Ïsible, calcining- the one part and
lem-ing others which were not exposed to it, unealeined. c. S It
is incontestable that, during the exea,-ations, a considerahle
(p!antity of charcoal, and even pieces of wood, either half-
burnt or iu a perfet't state of preservation. were found
in many places. The lining of the chambers ah:o bears certain
marks of the action of fire.
\n these things can be explained
only by supposinp: the fall of a burniug- roof, ,vhich caleined
the slabs of gypsum and con,-erted them into dust. It would
he absurd to imagine that the bllJ'ning of it small (luantity of
furniture could ha,-e left on the walls marks like these which
arc to be
een throug-h aU the ehamhers, with the exeeption
of one, which was only an open passa!!:e. It must haf"e been
a violent and prolonged fire, to be able to caleine not only a
fe,," plaees, but every part of thesc slabs, ,vhieh were ten feet
hig-h and se,-eral inches thick. :So complete a decomposition
can be attributed but to intcn
e heat, such as would be occa-

ioned by the filii of a burning roof.
" Botta found on the eng-rand flag--
tones scoria and half-
melted nails, so that there is no doubt that the::;e appearances
had been produeed by the aetion of intense and long'-sustained
neat. lIe remembers, besides, at Khursabad, that when he
detached some bas-reliefs from the earthy substance whieh
covered them, in order to eopy the in,seriptions that were be-
hind, he found there coals and cinders, whieh ('ould Jun-e
entered only by the top, between the waU and the back
of the bas-reHef. This ean be easih- understood to have
been eau
ed by the burning of the rõof, but is inexplicahle
in any other manner. '''hat tends most posith-cly to prm'e
that the traces of fire must be attributed to the burninp:
of a wooden roof is, that these traees arc perceptibl'é
only in thc interior of the building. The gypsum also that
CG
'ers thc wall in
ide is cmllpletcly calcined, ".hile the out-
side of the building i
nearly e,-ery where untouched. But

1 Herod. \ii. 201.
lb. 1iG. 208.
3 PUn. H. K. \i. 9. quoted by Tuch ii. I.
4 Ps. c\ii. 1G, Is. xh.. 2. i I Kgs. iv. 13.
6 :'ta\\ 1. 5 Emp. ii. t;3. who relates how" the city of Candahar was ignited from the
outsIde by the .\ffghanees, and was entireh- consumed in less than au hour." Note.
; Bonomi Xin. p. 20:;. ed. 2. on Botta plate 93. See ab" lb. p. 221, 222. 225.

wherever the fronting appears to ha,-e at aU suffered frum fire,
it is at the bottom; thus gh-ing rea
on to SUI)pose that the
damage has been done by :-ome hurning matter falling out-
side. In fact, not a single bas-relief in a state to he remond
was found in a.ny of the ehm
lbers, they were all puh-erised."
The soul winch docs not rIg-htlv dose its senses again
t the

ntieement
of the wo
'ld, docs, iil fact, open them,
nd deatlt
lS come up mto ow' 1l'l1ldmcs II, and then" 10 whate,-er naturaJ

ood th('l'
ye
b
, which, as bars, would hinder the ('nemy
!rom
JUI"Sh
l
1l1, IS consumed by the fire," once kindled, of
ltS e\"ll passIOns.
14. Dmw tI,ee watas for tlte siege; fortify thl; stl'onr;:llOlds.
This is not mere moekerv at man's weakness ,,:hen h
would
resist God. It foretells "that they shall toil,
nd that, heavily.
Toil is added upon toil. Kineveh did undergo a two \"Car"s'
siege. ,rater stands for all provisions within. Hë bids
them, as before 11, streng-then what was already strong'
stl"Oug/lOlds, which
eemed to "cut off" all approaeil. Thes

he bids them strengthen, not repairing decays only but making-
them e:t:ceeding stl'Ollg 13. Go iuto clay. ". e seem to see aU
the inhabitants, like ants on their nest, all poured out, every
one busy, enry one making preparation for the defenee.
'Yhv had there been no need of it? '''hat needed
he of
towërs and fortifications, whose armies were carn-ing war
into di
tant lands, before whom all which was jlea
' was
hushed? Now, all had to be renewed. .As Isaiah in his moeh-
err of the idol-makers begins with the forging of the axe, the
planting and rearing- of the trees, ,vhieh were at len
th to be-
come the idol H, Kahum g-oes back to the beginning. The
neglected hrick-killl, u
cles" in their prosperity, was to be
repaired; the day 15, whidl abounded in the valley of the
Tigris l6 , was to be ('ollected, mixed and kneaded by treading,
as
till represented in the Egr!)tian monuments. The ('on-
quering nation was to do the "-ork of slaves, as Asiatic eap-
th-es are represented, umler their taskmasters lí, on the monu-
ments of Egypt, a prelude of their future. Xenophon still ::;aw
the massive brick-wall, on the stone foundation IS.
Yet, though stored ,yithin and fenced ,yithout, it shall not
stand 19.
IS. There, ,,-here thou didst fence thv
elf, and madest sHeh
manifold and toilsome preparation, s//;tll t/w.fìre del'ow' thee.
.\1I is toil within. The tire of God's n-rath falJs and con-
sumes at once. )Iankind still, with mire and clay, build
them
elves Babels. T!le,lf go into c1a!l, and heeome themselves
earthly like the mire they steep themselns in. They make
thelllselves strong, as though they thought that their !louses
s/w[[ continue for el'er 20, ami say, 21 Soul, take tMne ease, eat,
drink and be merrlf. God's wrath deseends. ThOll fool,
tMs uiglll thy sm;l shall he required of t!lee. It shall eat
thee up like the canker-u'orm. '''hat in thee is strongest,
shall be de,.oured with as much ease as the locust devours
the tender grass. The judgemenb of God, not only OHr-
whelm as a whole, but find out each tender part, as the
locust devours each single blade.

s lb. Sect. iv. c. I, pp. 245-24ï. ..
9 Jer. ix. 21. 10 S. Jer. II 11.1. 13 2 Chr. xi. 12.
14 Is. xliv. 12, sqq. 15 -en and I)':] are united as synom-mcs Is. xli. 25,
wh
re !
e
'Ð is that ,,:"
ich tbe potters treadeth.!.t)'tI t::"I' ""'. 191
Rawl. 5 F;!1lp. i. 4;6.
I, "Ilk. Anc. Eg. II. 99. Anab. w. 4, 4. ,:.ee Is. XX\II. 10, n.

o Ps. xlix. II.
I S. Luke xu. 19, 20.

304

c Ji{oíes T up like x the cankerworm: make thyself
dr. 713. many as th(' cankerworm, make thyself
.. Joel i. 4. I I
many as t Ie ocusts.

NAHUM,

IG Thou hast multiplied thy merchants C HBífoíes T
above the stars of hcan'n: the callker- dr. 713.
. II Or, spI"eadeti.
worm 1/ spOlIeth, amI fleeth away. himself.

lJfllke tl'.l/.çelJ 11Wll.1/ as tlte callkeru'orm, as thou
h thou
wouldest eClual thY8c1fin oppre88ivc number I to th08e instru-
ments of the ven
eanee of (;ml, gathering- from all (luarters
armies to help thee; yea, though thou make thy whole !<elf2
one oppressive multitude, yet it shall not avail thce. Nay,
He saith, thou hast essayed to do it.
IG. Tholl hast multiplied th./f merclwllt,ç abol'e the star,ç of
Heal'en; not numerous only but glorious in the eyes of the
world, and, as thou deemest, safe and inaccessible; yet in an
instant aU is
one.
The commerce of Nine\-eh was carried back to præhistoric
times, since its rivers bound tog-ether the monntains of
Armcnia with the Persian
ulf, and marhecl out the line, by
which the distant memhers of the human family !:'hould supply
each others' needs. "Semiramis," thev sav 3 , "built other cities
on the Euphrates and the Tig-ris, where 'she placed emporia
for those who convev their goods fl'om )Ie(lia and Parætaeene.
Being mighty rÍ\-ers and passing' throu
-h a populous counh'y,
they yield many advanta
es to thosc employed in eonllnerce;
so that the places by the ri\'er arc full of wealthy emporia."
The Phænieians traced back their Assyrian commerce (and as
it scems, truly) to those same præhistoric times, in which
they alleg-ed, that they themselves migrated from the Persian
gulf. They ('ommenced at once, they said 1" the long-
voyag-es, in which they transported the wares of Egypt and
Assyria. The building of c. 'l'admor in the wilderness 5" on
the way to 'l'iph!"ach (Thapsacus) the utmost bound of
Solomon's dominions 6, conneeted Palestine with that com-
meree. The
reat ronte for couriers and for tmffie, extend-
ing for fifteen hundred or sixteen hundred miles in later times,
must ha,-e lain throup:h Kineveh, sincf', although no mention
is made of the eity which had perished, the route lay across
the two rinrs 7, the gTeater and lesser Zab, of which the
greater formed the Southern limit of Nineveh. Those two
rivers led up to two mountain-pas8es whieh opencd a way to
Media and Agbatana; and pillars at the summit of the N.l'ass
attest the use of this route O\'er the ZagTos chain about iOO
B. C 8. Yet a third and easif'r pass was used by Nineveh, as is
evidenced bv another monnment, of a date as vet umleter-
mined 9 . Two other lilies eonnef'ted Kinf"'eh with Svria and the
'Yest. Northern lines led doubtless to Lake \\Tan al{d the Black
Sea 10. The lists of plunder or of tribute, carried ofl' during
the worM-empire of E
n}t, before it was displaeed by .Assyria,
attest the extensive imports or manufaeturcs of Kine\'eh n ;
I 'J:n;t expresses more thall mere number. 'J
retains always the idea of weight
gravity or oppressiveness. We say" heavy hail" E". ix. 18, 21. It is used of the
plague of flies, lb. viii. 20, and, as hcre, of the locusts, lb. x. 11; of the host, with
which Esau opposed Israel,Nu. xx. 20, (adding ;tù!!:! '1:J
); of that sent with Rabshakeh
to Jerus,llem, Is. xxxvi. 2. and of the great train of tbe Queen of Sheba, camels laden
with vcry much gold and precious stones, 1 Kgs. x. 2. ,
j) occurs above iii. 3. of thc hcavy
mass of corpses. In Ex. ix. 3, it is used of a grievous pestilence (Gesenius' instances
Thes. s. v.).
2 The h\O genders, 'J:n;t, "JJI1;t, are probably joined together, the more strongly 10
xpress universality, as ;t
!I;f;1I!1:;i
, Is. iii. 1; and Nahum himself unites
11{ and ;t
"!r; in
wo parallel clauses, ii. 13.
3 Diod. ii.n. 4 Herod. i. 1. 5 1 Kgs. ix. 18. 6 lb. v. 4. (iv. 24.)
7 Herod. ii. 52. s See Rawl. 5 Emp. ii. 180, 181. - g lb. 181,182. 10 lb. 1132, 183.
11 "Dishes of silver with their cO\lers; a harp of brass inlaid"with gold: 823 pounds of
perfumes" (Brug<ch Hist. d: Eg. p. 101)); "10 pounds of true lapis lazuli, 24 pounds
of artificial lapis lazuli; vessels laden with ebony and ivory, precious stones, \ ases, (lb.
p. 203); besid-esmany other articles, which cannot yet be made out.

the titles of "A
!;)Tian nard, Assyrian amomum, AS8)Tiall
odnurs, myrrh, frankineense 12, invoke its trade with the spice-
countries: domestic manufacture8 of hen; apparently were
purple or dark-blue cloaks 1.1, embroidery, brocades H, and
these conveyed in chests of eellar; her llletaUurg-y was on
I prineiples recognised now; in one IH'a(.ti('al point of combining
beauty with streng-th, she has even been copied 15.
A line of commerce, so marked out by nature in the history
I of nations, is not chan
ed, unless some preferable line be dis-
I covered. Empires lJassed away, hut at the end of the 1:3th
centun' trade and manut
tCture continued their wonted course
and håbitation. The faith in Jesus had c'onverted the ancient
heathenism; the heresy of Mohammedanism disputed \yith
the faith for the souls of men; hnt the old material prosperity
of the \mrld heM its way. Mankind still wanted the pro-
ductions of each others' lands. The merchants of Nine\'eh
were to be dispersed and were
one: itself and its remembrance
were to be efi
tced from the earth, and it was so; in vain was a
new Nineveh built by the Roman8; that abo disal}peared; but so
e!'sential was its po:,session for the necessities of commerce,
that l\Iosul, a large and populous town, arOi"e over ag-ainst its
mounds, a city of the li\'Ïng over-ag-ainst its buried glories;
and, as Ollr
oods arc known in ('hina by the name of our
gn'at manufacturing eapital, so a delieate manufacture im-
posed on the languag-es of Europe (Italian, Spanish, French,
Eng-Jish, German) the name of Mosul 16 .
Even early in this century, under a mild governor, an im-
portant commerce passed throu
:h l\Iosul, from India, Per:-:ia,
Kunlistan, Syria, Natolia, Europe 17. .And when Europeall
traffic took the line of the Isthmus of Suez, the connllunica-
tion with Kurdistan still secured to it an important and ex-
clusive commerce. The merchants of Nineveh were dis-
persed and gone. The commerce continuëd over-against its
gra,'e.
Tile C(pJ!,C1"ll'or1Jl spoiletlt audfleeth away; better, the locllst
lJ(ltli spread itself abroad (marallded) alid i.ç .flown, The
prophet ",in8, in three words 18, the whole history ofNincveh,
its beginning- and its end. lIe had before foretold its destruc-
tion, thoug-h it should be oppressive as the locust; he had
spoken of its eommerdal wealth; he adds to this, that other
!oÖource of its wealth, its despoiling \yarfares and their issue.
The heathell COllCjUerOr rehearsed his victory, "I came,
saw, conquered." The prophet
oes farther, as the issue of
aU human conquest, .. I disappeared." Tile locust [Nineveh]
12 See Rawl. 5 Emp. ii. WI, ID2. 13 r
J\'1 'O1
1 Ez. xxvii. 24. 14 C'1::1'J
15 La}ard Nin. and Bab. p. 191.
16 "All those cloths of gold and of silk which we call 'muslins' (Mossulinl) are of
manufacture ofMosu!''' :Marco Polo, Travels c. (j. p. 3ï. ed. 1854. "The manufactures
from fine transparent white cotton, like the stufls now made in India under that name
and like the bombazines manufactured at Arzingan, received in the following ænturies
the name 'muslins;' bnt not the silk brocades interwoven with gold, which had their
name Baldachini from Baldak i. e. Bagdad, and perhaps were manufactured at that
time at 1\'Iosnl, unless indeed this name "muslin" was then given to gold-brocades as
wares of Mosul." Ritter Erdk. x. 274, 2ï5. "There is a very large deposition of merchan.
dise [at MosnlJ because of the river, wherefore several goods and fruits are brought thither
from the adjacent countries, bolh by land and water, to ship them for Bagdad." Rauwolf's
Travels P. 2, c. D. p. 20:J.A.l:J73. Niebuhr still witnessed" the great traffic carried on
there, as also linen manufactures, dyeing and printing [of stuffsJ."
Ii Olivier Voyage (1808) ii. 359. In lï(j(j, one caravan, in which Niebuhr travelled, had
1300 camel-loads of gall-apples from Knrdistan. It supplied yearly 2000 centners of
them. 1"ieb. ii. 271. 13
!1'1 t)1:I!1 i'
'.

CII...\PTER III.

Before
CHRIST
cir. i13.
y Rev. 9. 7.

17 )' Thy crmnwd w'e as the locusts, and
thy captains as the A"reat A"ra

hoppers,
which camp in the hedges in the cold dar,
bllt whcn the sun ariscth they flee away,
and their place is not known where ther flrf'.

3!)5

18 "Thy shepherds slumber, 0 a king C 1
i{oÍeS T
of Assyria: thy /I nohlt's shall (In-ell in dr. i13.
tlte du.vt: thy peoplt. is b scattered upon'

"/J.'l6.
the mountains, and no mall c..athereth. Jer. 50.18.

Ezek. 31. 3.
M
. k
b 1 Kin. 22.17. "?.
a
alianl

spread itself abroad (the word is always used of an inroad for
plunder 1), destroying and wasting, everywhere: it left the
world a desert, and was gone 2. Ill-g-otten wealth make

poor, not rieh. Truly they who traffic in thi
world. are more
in number than they who, seeking treasure in Heaven, shall
shine as the stars for e'"er and ever. For many are called,
hut fell' are chosen. .And when all tllC stars of Ügltt "shall
abide and pmise Goc[3, these men, though multiplied Jike
the locust, shall, like the locust, pass away, destroying and
destroyed. Thev ahide for a while in the ('hiUness of thi!"
world; ,rhen thë Sun of rig'hteousness ariseth, they vanish.
This is the verv order of God's Proddence. .\.s trulv as lo-
custs, ,,"hieh in the cold and dew arc chilled and !'titlelied, and
cannot spread their wings, fl!lllll'f1.'1 wheu the Sun is hot and
are found no longer. so shalt thou be di!<persed and thy l)lace
not auv more be known 4, It was an earnest of this, when the
Assyriåns, like locusts, had sprcad themselves around Jeru-
salem in a dark da.1/ of trouble and of rcbuke aucl of hlfls-
phemy5, God ,,"as entreated and they ,,"ere not. ßIidian
came lip like the gr([,
shopper for multitude 6. [n the morn-
ing they had fled 7. 'Yhat is the heig-ht of the sons of men?
orLhow"do they spread themselves al)road?" At the long-e!<t,
after a few years it is but as the locust spreadetlt himself and
.fleeth aU'({!I, no more to return.
Ii. TII.'I crowned are as the IOCllst, a1/(1 t/I.'I captains as tlte
great locusts. "'hat he had said
unlluarily under metaphor,
the prophet expands in a likeness. The cr01l'necl 8 are pro-
bably the suhordinate lwinees, of whom Sennadlerih said 9,
Are 1/ot 111.1/ princes altogetha king!!? It has been obsen"ed
that the head-dre
s of the Ass\Tian YiÛer has the ornament
,,"hich "10 throug-hout the wholë !<eries of seulptures is the dis-
tinctiye mark of royal or quasi-royal authority." "11 All hig-h
officers of state, the crowned captains, were adorned with dia-
dems, Ic'loscly resembling the lo,nr band of the royal mitre,
separated fl"Om the cap itself. Such was that of the yizier,
"hieh was broader in front than behind, was adorned with
rosettes and eompartments, and terminated in two rihhons
with emhroidered and fringed ends, which hung- down his
back." Captain is apparently the title of some military
office of IU'inceIy rank. One such Jeremiah 12, in a prophecy
in which he probably alludes to this, bids place over the
1 Jud. ix. 44 bis, 1 Sam. xxiü. 2i, xx\ii. 8, 10, xxx. 1, 1 Chr. xiv. 9, 13, 2 Chr.
XW. 13, "Xx\iii. IS. The object, against which the attack is directed, is joined on
with
I! Jud. x..'C. 3i, 1 Sam. x"Xvü. 8, 10, xxx. 1, or
II, Jud. i'C. 33, 44,1 Sam. x'Ciü.
2i, xxvü.lO; even as to the object of plunder, "camels" Job i. Ii. The place (Hos.
vii. 1) or country (1 Chr. xiv. 9, 13, 2 Chr. xxv. 13, XX\ iii. 18) is joined "ith :I, and
once (1 Sam xxx. 14) stands in the accus. The idiom \.,):1 t:1:I!!, "put off his clothes," is
distinct. The object of the \Crb is always added Lev. \i.4, xvi. 23,1 Sam. xix. 21,
Cant. v. 3, Ez. x'!:Vi. W, xliv. 19, Neh. iv. Ii; except that, in Is. xx"ii. 11, it is implied
by the context, "strip ye, make ye bare." Credner's theory then (followed by Ewald
Proph. iü. U. ed. 2.) that þ
' signifies the locust in its last moulting, which strips off the
involucra of its wings, is contrary to the use of eft!!, as well as to that of p
'. See ab. on
Joel p. 99. Gesenius, under e
.!J, contradicts the explanation "hich he had gÏ\en under
p
' from Credner.
2 'fill is used of shortness of human life; "like a dream he fiieth away," ('1'V') Job XY. 8;
"and we fiy away " :'\Ç!(t], Ps.xc.IO. "Ephraim, Iikea bird, their glory flieth awa)," 'ì!!1!1n',
HOB. ix. 11, add Pro xxiii. 5, of unjust wealth. 3 Ps. cxlviii. 3. 4 See c. i. 8.

Is. xX"[vii. 3.
Judg. vi. 4, 5, vii. 12. 7 Judg. \ii. 21. s The punctuation

armies of Ararat, )Iinni, and .hhchenaz, to marshal them
against ßabylon, ag-ainst whieh he :"ummons the cavalry like
tlte 1"ouglt locwil. The captains are likened to the grcat cater-
pillars 13, either as ehief in dcvastation, or as includin/! under
them the armies under their command, who moved at their
will. These and their armies now
llbsidcd into stillness for
a time under the chill of calamity, like the locust" Hwhose na-
ture it is, that, torpid in the cold, they fly in the heat." The
stiffness of the loeusts throug'h the cold, when they lie motion-
less, heaps upun hcaps, hidden out of sig-ht, is a str'iking
image of the helple!<sn('ss of Xineyeh's mig-htie!:'t in the day
of her calamity; then, by a diffcrent part of their history, he
pictures their entire disappearance. "1:; The locusts, arc com-
monly talien in the morning whcn they are agglomerated one
on another, in the l)laees where they passed the night. As
soon as the sun warms them, they flyaway." If/lien tIle SlOl
arisetlt, tllcy.flee CIll'a.1/ 16, lit. it is ci/((!!
cl all';/!I 17 . One and all ;
all as one. As at God's eommaml the 1)lague of locu!:'ts, which
He had sent on Egypt, was remo,'ed 18; there remained not one
locllst in all the coasts of Eg.'lpt; so the mighty of :Kinewh
were drh-en forth, with no trace where they had been, where
they were. Tile wind carried tl,em ([[l'{/y19 ; tile wind passetll
Ol'cr him ({JUI he is ]lot, and /âs place knlJll'etlt Mill no more 20.
The triumphing of tlte wicked is short, (llId tlte jV.1/ vf the un-
godl!1 fûr a lIwmcnt: t lIough /âs e:t"Cellellcy 11101II/t lip to the
IleaZ'ens, (lnd /âs lIead reach IInto the clouds, .lIef he slwll perish
for el'CI'; thcy ll'/âch '/(Il'e secn /âm shall S(ly, it'here is he?
He shall fly ([1('(1.'/, a.
(t dream, ami sl/(dlnot he 100md; neitltel'
slwll his place an!1 more helwld him 21.
1Vhere thcy are. So Zechariah ask,;, I'lJl/r fat/IeI's, where
(Ire thcy22? History, experience, human knowledge can
answer nothing'. They ean only say, where they are ]lot.
God .\.Ione can answer that mud1-containing- word, T/7,ere-
the.1/ 23. They had disappeared from human sight, from their
greatness, their visible being-, their place on earth.
18. Thy shephads, i. e. they ,,"ho should counsel for the
people's
ood and fecd it, and keep iN/telt OlOCl" their .flocks
h.'lnif(ld, but are now like their master, the /ÚIIg of Ass.1/rlc/, are
his !'òhel)herds not the shepherds ofthe people whom they care
not for; these slumber, at once throu
d11istlessnes
and excess,
and now have fallen asleep in death, as the J)!<ahnist
ars :H,
of ,.,tP. is compared by Jewish grammañans too to t:;j"::J Ex. :xv. Ii; :T)F:; J o. i. Ii.
9 h. x. 8. 10 Rawl. 5 Empires i. 11;). 11 Gosse, Assyria p. 463, who remarks that
"the Ten Thousand in Xerxes' anny," crossed the Hellespont" crowned with gar-
lands." Herod" \ii. 55. 12 Jer. Ii. 2i. On the word, -':==, see ab. p. 358. n. e.
13 ':11] :lU, doubtless the common superlative, like ;::"
II '
II Gen. h. 25.
H S. Jer. copied by S. C)r. and Theod.
lõ CasaIis, on the proverb of the Bassouto, "locusts are taken in the heap." Etudes
sur la langue Sechuana p. 8,. Paris 1812, referred to by Ewald ad loco who also refers
to Ibn Babuta (in the Journ. As. 1
13 March p. 210.) .. The chase of locusts is made
before sunrise; for then they are benumbed by tile cold and cannot fi)."
I
:"I1i1 ci', "the cold day," (also Provo xxv. 20), of course does not mean" night," (as
Hitzig&c) nor (as E". &c.) does r.:::':"1 ml mean anything but" sunñse," of which it is
used 8 times besides, Gen. xx...ü. 32, E... x...ii. 2, Jud. Ï'<. 3-3, 2 Sam. xxiii. 4, 2 Kgs. iii.
22, Ps. civ. 22, EccI. i. 5, Jon. iv. 8; but the locusts, having been benumbed b) a cold
day, plainly "ould not be wanned till the sunrise of the following day. Ii "11;], passive
IS Ex. x. HI. 19 Is. xli. 16. 20 Ps. ciii. l(j.
I Job xx. 5-9. 2
Zech. i.

3 ;::;1.', contracted for 1::"1 :"I'll.

Ps, Ix..vi. G, I:nJ:i 'C].

390

C J1 e ä o í e s T 19 Thne is no t lH:'alinA" of
CÎr. 713. bruise; c thy wounc1 is grit.vous :
t Heb. that l11'ar the hruit of thee shaH
'wri"kli"l(_
c Mic. I. \/. d Lam. 2. I;:;. Zeph. ii. 15. See Isa. U.
,&c.

The,'! I/(/l'e slept t ',ei r sleep. The prophet sl'ealo, of the future,
as already past in effeet, as it was in the will of God. All" the
shepherds of the people 1," all who could shepherd thcm, or
hold thelll tog-ether, themsch"es sleep the sleep of death; their
mig!d!!men dwelt
in that ahidill
-place, where they shall
not move or rise 3, the g-rave; and so as l\Iieaiah, in the vision
predicth'e of Ahah's death 4, sawall Israel scattered 01l the
MUs, as sheep that hOl'e not (t shepherd, so the people of the
Ass
Tian monarch shall be scattered OIL the ulOllntains,
shepherdlcss, amI that irretrie\'ahly; 110 man gathereth
them.
19. There is 110 hcaling [lit. dulling] of th.1f hrlli'ie; it can-
not he softened or mitig;atcd; and so tll.'I 1l'oullll is griet,ous
[lit. sick], incurable, for when the \yound ever anew inflames,
-t cannot be healed. The word, hruise, is the more expres-
shoe, because it denotes alike the ahilling \YOlmd in the body á,
and the shattering of a state, whi("h God can heal 6, or whidl
may bc g-reat, ineurahle 7. "lIen the passions arc e,"cr anew
aroused, t]u'y arc at last without remedy; \Yhen the soul is
cnr swollen with In-idc, it cannot be healed; since only by
submitting' itself to Christ, "broken and contrite" by humi-
lity. can it he healed. Ninneh sank, and never rose: nothing-
soothed its faU. In the end there i'hall he nothing' to mitig-ate
the destruction of the world, or to soften the suff"cring-s of the
damned. The 1'i,.h 1IIan, being in torments, asked in vain
that Lazarus might dip the tip of Ms .fìngCl' in 1l'ata and
cool m.1J tongue.
All that hear tIle hrllit of tl,ee shall clap the lwnds Ol:er thee,
for none ('an grieve at thy fall.
Nineveh sinks ont of sight amid one unh-crsal, exulting,
exceeding- joy 8 of all who heard the report of her. J;ùr
upon whom hath 1I0t thy u'ickednesss passed rontiJllwll.,!?
<<In that he asketh, upon 7l'llOm Iwth not th.1f wickedness
passed contiJlllllll!! f' he affirmeth most strong-Iy that his evil
did pass upon all continually." His wickedness, like one
continual flood, which knew no ebb or bound, had passed
upon the whole \\'orld and each one in it; non" at length it
had passed away, amI ti,e whole earth is at rest, is quiet; tlle.'1
hreak forth into singing 9.
It is not without meaning, that having- throughout the
prophecy addressed Kineveh (in the feminine), now, in the
close 10, the prophet turns to him in whom all its wickedness
is, as it were, g'athered into one. the soul of all its evil, and
the dircctor of it, its Idn
. As Ninenh is the imag-e of the
world. its l'omps, wea1th
luxury, vanity, wickedness, oppres-
sion, destruetion, so its liÍng' is the image of a worse Idng",
the Prince of this world. "11 And this is the song of triumph
of those, over whom hi,
wickedness has passed, not rested, but
they ha'"e escaped out of his hands. Kahum, 'the comforter,'
had rehuked the 1l'orld r
f sill; now he pronounces that
the prince of this 7l'orld is judged. His shepllerds are they

1 Homer, passim. 2 Comp.IWÿ Is. xxii. 16. 3 .. They cannot rise" Rashi.
" It means the rest of death, and so >;;O!)J :ton .'J
I:' Ps. xciv. 6, I
t:" ,"V\. ")::1::1 Ps. vii. 6." Sa!.
Ben Me!. "are still and move r.ot." A. E. 4 I Kgs xxii. Ii.
Lev. xxi. 19.

J\'AHI;l\I.

thy I the hands OH'r thee: for upon whom C Hní:[oí
<; T
d all hath not thy wiekedncss passed eon- cir. ;13.
dap tin uaJJ y ?

who serve him, who feed the flock of tile ,ç/alfgMer, who guide
them to evil, not to good. These, when they .
leep, as all
mankind, l[,l'ell there; it is tl,ei,' abiding--plaee; thcir sheep
arc smttered on the 1J101mtains, in the heights of their pride,
bcr'ause they arc not of the sheep of Christ; and since they
would not be g-athered of Him, they arc scattered, where u'Jne
glitllCretll." s'The king of Assyria (Satan) knoweth that
he eannot deceive the shecp, unless he have first laid the
shepherds asleep. It is ever th
aim of the de,-iI to lay asleep
souls that wateh. In the PaSi'lOn of the Lord, he wei/!;hed
down the eyes of the .\.postles with heavy sleep, whom Christ
arouseth 12, Tratd, aJUt jJra.'1, Ii'st .'lfe enter into temptation;
and again, TVllllt I say unto you, I .m.,! unto all, 7Nltclt!
Amino man gatltereth them, for their !'hepherds themselves
cannot protect themseh"Cs. I n the Hay of God's an
er, the
kings of tile earth and the great men, and tlte 1'ich men and tI,e
clâef captains, ami the migld!!men, and (:t'l'17! bondman, aml
el'el7! free man, hid t1,emsell'es in the dens and in the rocks of
the mouutains 13. Such arc his shepherds, and his sheep; but
what of himself? Truly his hruise or breaking can uot be
healed; his u'Olmd or smiting- is illcuraMe; that namely where-
by, when he cqme to Him in 'Yhom he fO/lJuluot!ting 1-1, yct
hruised I-Tis heel, and exacted of Him a sinner's death,!tis
O\yn head u'as bruised." And hence all who IUll'e ears to
heal", who hear not with the outward only, but with the inner
Cars of the heart, clap the lwmls over tlwe, i. e. gi,'e to God
all their souls' thanks and praise, raise up their eyes and hands
to God in heaven, praising Him Who had bruised Satan under
their feet. E,-er since, throug-h the serpent, the evil and mali-
cious One lied, saying,ye slllliluot sllrely die, cat and !!e slwll he
as gr)(ls, hath !tis evil, continlfa/!.'1 and unceasingly, from one
and through one, passed upon all men. .\5 the Apostle saith,
As by one mau, sill entered into the world, mul death by 5'in,
and so death pa,
sed upon all men, for that all hm'e .
illlled15.
Upon u'l1011l then hath not !tis sin passed? 'Yho hath not
been slwpen ill iniquity? and whom did not his 1JlothC1' conceive
in sin? Yet, it passetlt only, for tile 1('o1"ld itself also
JUlsseth lllmy, and we pass away from it, and all the edl
it can do us, unless \ye share in its evil, is not abiding, but
passing". This then is the cause, and a great can!'e, why
all that heal' the bruit of thee should clap the IWllCis our thee;
beeause thee, whose wickedness passed through one UpOIl all,
One l\Ian, "'ho .\Jonewas without sin, contemned and bruised,
while He freed and justified frolll wickedness thelll who hearing
rejoiced, and rejoicing and believing", clapped the hmnls O'l'eI'
thee. Yet they only shall be g-Iad, upon whom his wicked-
ness, although it lwssed, yet abode not, but in prayer and
good deeds, by the grace of God, they Jifted up their hands
to Him 'Yho o,'ereame, and "'ho, in His own, overcometh
still, to 'Yho1ll be praise and thanksgiving for ever and ever.
Amell.

6 Ps, Ix. 4, Is. xxx. 26. ; Jer. xxx. 12.
expressing joy. 9 Is. xiv. 7.
12 S. Mat. xxvi. 41. 13 Rev. vi. 15.

8
::1 'l1;:n, only here and Ps. xlvii. 2,
10 v. IS, 19. 11 S. Jer. Rup.
It S. John xiv. 80. 15 Rom. v. 12.

INTRODUCTIOX

TO

THE

PROPHET

HABA!{I{UI{.

Habakkuk is eminently the prophet of reverential, awe-filled í l prayed to God to end or mitigate the ,-iolence, opprcs-
faith. This is the soul and centre of his prophe('y. One sions, !:"trife, contention, despoiling, powerles
ne

of the law,
word alone he addresses directly to hi!:" people. It is of mar- I crookedness of ju
tiec, entrapping of the righteous hy the
vel at their want of faith. "Behold among the heathell and wiel,ed I. God answers m, that a terrible day of retribution was
gaze altentil'el!l, and l1Ulrt'el, 1JlaT'l:el; for I am u'orking a cOllling', that lIe Himself would raise up the Chaldees, as tIll'
u'ork ill ./fOIl1' days; ye u.W not beliae, U'/If/l it is declared untu instruments of His ('hastisements, terrible, self-dependent,
you. He bids the III hehoM, and gaze, for God is about to mniing' no law or authority but their own will, deifying their
,vorl, in their own days; he bids them prellare themsekes to own llower, sweeping the whole breadth of the land, possess-
man'eI, and l1Wl"l'el on; for it was a matter, at which llOlitical I ing themselves of it, taking' every fenced city, and gathering"
,visdom would stagger; and they, since they had not faith, I eaptins as the sand. This answers the one half of lIabak-
would not belie\"e it. The counterpart to this, is that gTeat kuk's question, as to the prosperity of the ,vicked among
blessing" of faith, which is the key-stone of his whole book, his people. It leans the other halt
as to the condition of
b the just s/wlllh'e h!1 Ids fiâth. I the righteous, unans,,'ered. For such scourges of God swept
Isaiah had foretold to Hezekiah that his trcasures shouM away the righteous with the wicked. Hahakkuk then renews
be carried to Babylon, his !'ons be eunuchs in the palace of its the (luestion as to them. nut, as .-\!;:aph began by declaring
king c. He had foretoltl the destruction of Babylon and the his faith, n All-good is God to Israel, the true Israel, the 1Jl1r!
restoration of the Jews d. Prophcey in Habakkuk, full as it of /Ieart, 1'0 Habaklmk, "Israel would not die, because He,
is, is almo
t subordinatc. His main subjeet is, that which oc- their God, i
L'nehangeabIc." 0 Art not ThOll of olel, 0 Lord,
cupied Asaph ill the j:-kd Psalm, the afflietions of the righteous I m.l! God, my hol!! ()ne t u'e shall not die; T/lOlf, 0 Lord, /Illst
amid the prosperity of the ,vicked. The answer is the same; I setltim [the Chaldee] for Judgement, and TllOu, 0 Rock, hast
the result of aU ,vill be one great reyersal, the edl dr<nring founded him to chastell. Then he appeals to God, ""'hy then
upon themselyes evil, God crowning- the patient waiting of I is this? Tho/( art of purel' eyes t/wu tu behold ef'il-u'lierefore
the ri
hteous. in

iII submi.ssion to Hi
holy
'ïll. Tlte .iust I k
e}lest Thou silen.Ct!, 1c!le!1 tile u'icked c/.Cl'ollreth him u'/If) is more
s/wlllll:e b.'1 his fwtll, oecuples the same ll]ace III Hahakkuk, as 1'lgldeous thau he?" '1 Ills clo
es the fir
t chapter and the first
I know t/Illt U1.'1 Redeemer lh,eth, docs in Job e, or TltOll shalt ,-isioll, ill ,rhich he describes, with the d, idncss of one who
guide me u-ith Tlty couusel, alld after tlwt 1'cceÍl'e me into glory, saw it before him, the irresistible im-asion of the Chaldæans.
in Asaph f. Israel ,,,as meshed as in a net; should that net he emptied P ?
His first subject g is, faith strup:
ling under the oppressive 'rhe second chapter exhibits the prophet waitin
in silent ex-

ight of the sutferinp:s of the g'ood frolll the bad within God's peetation for the answer. This answer too dwell
chiefly 011
people; the se('ond \ the sufferings at the hands of those those retrihution!' in this life, which are the earne
t of future
who are God's in
trulllent
to m'enge that n-id,edness. The judgement
, the witncss of the sonreignty of God. But al-
third \ that of his great hymn, is faith. not jubilant until though in fcn- words, it docs answer the (plestion as to the
the end, yet ,-ietorious, prarill
, bcliednp:. seeing- in ,"isioll rig-hteous, that he has ahiding life, that he IÏ\-es and shall livc.
,,"hat it prays for, and triumphinp: in that, of which it
ees no God impresses the importance of the answer in the words \
tokens, whose only earnc!'t is God's old lo,-illp:-kindnesses to IV rite the vision i. e. the prophecy. and make it plaiu on the
His people, and His Name. under which lIe had revealed tables." hereon the prophet "-as wont to write r, that he 11/0.'1
Hilllsclt
,. He "'10 Is," the rnchallf?"eable. ruu ?t'/If) reads it. He says also, that it is for a time fixed in
The whole propheey is. so to
peak, a eollOfluy betweell the mind of God, and that ho,,'e,-er, in man's sight, it might
the prophet and God. He opens it with a re,-erential. earnest, seem to linger, it would not be aUg'ht behind the time". Then
appeal to God, like that of the saints under the heavenly he gins the answer itself in the words, t 13elwld his suul
.\ltar in the Revelations k, Ilow long? The prophet had IIll'hich is }1'!flèd up is 1l0tllJlrigld ill him; aud the just shall
a i. 5. b ii. i. . Is_ xxxi". G, ï. d Is. xii. xiii. xlvii. . Job xi... 2:>. k Re\.\i.IO. Ii. 2-1. m lb. r.-ll. n Ps.lxxiii.I. 0 Hab. i.l
.
Ips. lxxiii. 2-1. g c. i. ù c. ii. i c. iF. P lb. Ii.
ii.
. ' .''''i
''
;1 . ii.3. t ii. -1. -
l'
X

3gS

IXTRODrCTIOX TO

live blJ Ms faith, The s,yellinp: pridc and self-dependencc of
the (hahlee stands in contra!oòt with thc trustful
ubmis!',ion
of faith. Of thc one God says, it has no f!;round of upri
ht-
ncss and conscquently will not stand beforc God; of faith, hc

;avs' the ri{:{Mf}OllS shallliu b.lJ it. But thc lifc plainly is nut
the Ìife of Lthe body. For Habakkuk"s g'round of complaint
was the worM-wasting- cruelty of the Chaldees. Thc woc on
thc Chaldec which follow,; is cvcn dliefly for bloodshed, in
which thc righteous and the wi eked arc ma
sacred a1il\:e.
The siml)le word, shall li/'e, is an entirc denial of death, a
denial eyen of any interruption of life. It stand
in thc same
fulness ai'i those words of Our Lord, u because I IÏ1'e, ye slwll
live also. Thc other sidc of the picture, thc fall of the Chal-
dees, is givcn in g-reater fulness, because thc fulfilment of
God's word in things seen was the pledg:c of the fulfilment
of tho
e bcvond the vcil of sensc and time, In a measured
dirge he prónounces a fivc-fold woc on the fivc p:reat sins ofthc
Chaldecs, their ambition \, coyetousness\ violence Y , insolence',
idolatrya. It eloses with the powcrlessness of the Chaldce
idols against God, and bids th.c whole world be hushed beforc
thc prescnce of the One God, its Maker, awaiting His sentcnee.
Then follows the prayer b, that God would revll'e His work
for Israel, which non" seellled dead. He describes thc rc,'h-ai
as coming', under thc imag'es of God's miraculous delivcrances
of oM. 'the division of the Rcd Sea amI thc Jordan, the
standing-still of thc sun and moon under Joshua, are iJl)a
:es
of future delh'erances; all nature shakes and quivers at the
pre
ence of its Maker. Y ct not it, but the wicked wcre the
object of His displeasure. The prophct sees his people dc-
livered as at the Red Sca, just when thc enemy scemed ready
to sweep them away, as with a whirlwind. And, in sight of
the unseen, he doses with that wondrous declaration of faith,
that all nature should be desolate, all subsistencc gone, every
thing", contrary to God's promises of old to His peoplc, shouhl
be aroUlHI him, and I will rl(.joice in t!le Lord, I will exult fur
ioy in the God of my sa!z'ation.
This l)rophecy is not lcss distinct, hecause figurath'c.
Rathcr it is thc deelaration of GOd'S deliverance of His
people, not from the Chaldces only, but at all times. Thc
evil is conccntrated iu onc Evil one, who stands O\'er agaiust
thc One anointed. Thou art gune forth for the saIL'ation uf
Thy people; for salvation with 'Thille allointed One. Thull
crus/mist the head uut of the house of tile wicked One, laying
hare the foundatioll unto the neck, i. c. smitinf!; the house, at
once, abo\'C and below; with an utter destruction. It belongs
then thc more to all times, until the closing strife between
evil and good, Christ and Antiehrist" the avofLor; and the Lord.
It includes the Chaldcc, and each grcat Empirc which op-
poses itself to thc kingdom of God, and dcclares that, as God
delivered His people of old, so He ,yould unto thc end.
It may bc that Habakkuk chosc this name to eXpre
s thc
strong faith, whcrcby he cmbraced thc promiscs of God.
At least, it means one ,yho "strong:ly enfolds c."
Perhaps too it is on account of the form in which his pro-
phecy is cast, as being spoken (with the exception of that one
verse) to God or to the Chaldæan, not to his own pcoplc, that hc
added the titlc of Prophet to his namc. The burden u'Mch
.. S. John xiv. 19.
ii. 5. 8. . ii.9-11. ., ii.12-14.
. ii. 15-1j. . ii. 18-20. b c. iii.
· Then i. no other fonn exactly like Þ"'
ë!. Yet it is manifestly intensive. It most
resembles the form ::!
::!
N" loved intensely." This fonn, in
11;14'
Jq, is changed into
"II:I\cn. '11i\
. Equally jJ1::!i'
n might be pronounced Habakkuk, the second::! being, as De-
litzsch snggested, merged in the jJ, for greater facility of pronunciation. The I is a form
like 'I

, llÎmJl,iJI!Î,
, f1

; yet it ia impossible that ilie reduplicat.ion should be
rneaningle
. (as Ew.I57. ..p. 40;;. ed. 7.)

Hahakkuk tile prophet did see d. For, hon-e,-cl. the namc "pro-
phet" include
all to whom reyelation
from God ('ame, it is
nowhere, in thc Old Testament, added as thc namc of an office
to anyone, who did not excl"('i
e the pra(.ti('al offi('e of thc Pro-
phct. Our Lonl quotes Dayid as t/Ie Prophet c , and God says
to Abimelech of .Abraham f, He is II P/"Ophet, and, in reference
to this, thc Psalmist spcaks of thc Patriarchs, as Prophets g.
He 1"lprUl-'ed killKS fur their sakes, sa.lJing, Tuuch 1lot 11line
a1lointed ami do
1I..'1 pruphets 110 harm, and Hosea ,-peaks of
:\Io
es as a prophct II, amI St. Peter says of Da,'id i, He heing
(l prophet. nut thc title is nowherc in the Old Tc
tamcnt
addcd to the name as it is here, Habakkuk tl,e prophet, and
as it is elsewherc Samuel the prophet k, the prophct Gad I,
:Kathan thc prophet Ill, .\hijah thc prophet n, the prophet Jchu 0,
Elijah thc prol,het P, Eli!Òha the prophet q, Shemaiah the pro-
l)het r, the prophet Iddo s, the' l)l"ophet Obed t, Isaiah thc pro-
phet 11, Jeremiah thc prophet \, Hap:gai the prophet ", unless
any havc cxercised the prophetic offi('c. The title of the
Prophet is not, in the Old Testament, added to the names of
Jacob or cven of )Io!'es or Dayid or Solomon or Daniel,
although they aU prophesied of Christ.
Sincc Holy Scripture often convcys
o much incidentally, it
may bc that. a largc rangc of ministerial office is hintcd
in the words" write on the tables;" for "the tables" must
ha,'e been wcll-known tables, tables upon which prophets
(as I
aiah) aud probably Hahakkuk himself was accus-
tomed to writc. The writin
of a few emphatic unexplained
words in a pnblie placc, which should aronsc curiosity, or
startle pas
crs-hy, would be in harmony with the s)"mbolical
actions, cnjoincd on thc prophcts and lI!oòcd by thcm. The
.1Ieue, .1Iem:, Tekel, Up/wrsin, had, from their mysterious-
ness, an impressivencss of their own, apart from the miracle of
the writing'.
The WOl:(}S appended to thc l))'ol)heey, to the chief singer, (as
we should say, "thc leader of thc band") with or on my
stringed instruments, imply, not only that the hymn became
l)art of the devotions of the temple, but that Habakkuk too
had a part in thc sacred music whieh accompanied it. The
word so rcndered, lleginotlwi, could only mcan my stringed
instruments, or "my song accollllJanied with mu
ic," as
Hezckiah says Y, we ll'il/ sillg 1/1.11 songs on the stringed i1lstrzl-
ments,llenaggeJlnegillotlwi. nut in Habakkuk's subscription,
"To thc chief musid.an hillgillot/wi," 1/eginot/1 can have no
other meaning than in the almost idcntical inscription of
Psalms, ", To thc chief musieian bi1/ginoth," nor this any
other than with stringed instruments, "instruments struck
with the hand a." The addition, "with my stringed instru-
ments," shews that Habakkuk himself was to accompany his
hnlln with instrumental music, and since the mention of the
chief musician marks 01lt that it was to form part of the temple-
seniee, Habakkuk must have been entitled to take part in the
temple-music, and so must ha'"c heen a L
yite. The Levitical
ordcr thcn had its prophet, as the saecrdotal in Jeremiah and
Ezekiel. The tradition in the titlc to Bd and the Dragon,
whatcver its value, agrccs with this; "h from the prophccy of
Ambakum, son of Jesus, ofthc tribc of Levi."
This, however, does not givc us any hint as to thc time when
d i.!. add iii.1. . S. Matt. xiii. 35. f Gen. xx. 7. s Ps. cv. 1-1-15.
b Hos. xii. 13. Acts ii. 30. .. 2 Chr. xxxv. 18. 1 1 Sam. xxii. 5.
m 1 Kgs. i. 32. n 1 Kgs. xi. 29. 0 lb. xvi. 7, 12. p lb. xviii. 36.
q 2 Kgs. vi. 12. r 2 Chr. xii. 5. . lb. xiii. 22. t lb. xv. 8.
.. 2 Kgs. xix. 2, xx. 1.
Jer. xniii. G, x,,"xvi. 2G, 2 Chr. xxxvi. 12.
. Ezr v. 1 vi. 14. ., Is. xxxviii 20. . Ps. iv. vi. liv. Iv. lxi. lxvii. lxxri.
. Coli. 1 S:m. xvii. 16,23, xviii. 10, xix. 9, 2 Kgs. iii. 15.
b Cod. Chis. of LXX from Origen's Tetraplar and the Syro-Hexaplar.

IL\ß
\KKrK.

Habaklillk prophesied. ror, bad as were the times of )Ia-
na"
eh aml_\.nwn, their idolatry consisted in as!-oeiating idols
with (.od, !,,(.tting- thcm up in His eOUl.ts, bring-ing one even
into Hi,;; temple c, not in doill
away His sel"\ iee. They :oct
the two ,;;('..viccs, and the two opiniuns cl, !"itle by side, adding-
the fal"e, but not aboli
hing. the true, "consenting- to dift"cl';:
lea,-ill!! to the wor,..hippel's of (;od theÍl' n'li
ion, while
foreinO" them to endurc, side by
ide, what seemed an addi-
tion 1
lt what was, in fad, a denial. Habaklmk then mig-ht
hav
been allowed to present his hymn for the teml'lc-sen-iee,
,yhile the liinf(' placed in the !'ame temple the statue of .As-
tarte, and required its devil's '
'or:ohip to be carried on there.
The temple was allowed to g-o mto SCHlie de
...ee of deeay, for
Josiah had it repaired; Imt we read only of his reIl1O\-ing" idols e,
not of his hadng- to restore the disu!oòed service of God. Of
Ahaz it is recorded, that f lie shut up tilt' doors of the huuse
of tIle LOl"d, whkh Hezekiah had to open g. Xothing of this
sort is toM of )Iana:oseh and .Amon.
Habakkuk. howe,'er, has two hint,;;, ,yhich determine his age
within a few years. He says that the invasion of the
haldæans
was to be ili the days of those to whom he speaks; in YUUI"
days h. _\.ccordingly he must ha,-e spoken to adults, many of
,,"hom would !"urvive that inntsion of XclJUchadnezzar, in
the 4th year of J ehoiakim B. C. üUj. He can hardly have pro-
phe"ictl before B. C. û-l5, about the dose of )Ianasseh's reign;
for at this date, those who were 20 at the time of the prophecy,
would ha,-e bccn 60, at the time of its eommenced fulfilment
at the battle of Carchemish. On the other hand, in that he
speak,.: of that invasion as a thing incredible to those to whom
he was speal.ing, he must ha,-e l)rophesied before Babylon
became independent by the overthrow of Nineveh, ß. C. û:!5.
For when Babylon had displaced Xine,'eh, and divided the
Empire of the East with )Ie(lia and Egypt, it was not a thing
incredible, that it would invade Judah in their own days,
althoul.dl it was beyond human Imowlcd
e to dedare that it
certaÍl;ly would. 'Ï'he Babylonian Empire itself lasted only
eighty-nine years; and, to human sight, Judah had as mueh
or more to fear fI'om Eg.ypt as ti'om Babylon. The )Iedian
Empire also mi
ht as well have swallowed up Judah for the
time, as tile Babylonian.
The relation of Zephaniah to Habakkuk eoincidLs ,yith thi,.;.
Zephaniah certainly adopted the remarlmble words i, lit.
k Hush at the pl"esence of the LOl"d God, fl"Om Habakkuk's fuller
form', The LOl"d is ill His holy temple; !lush at His pl"esence
all the earth.

399

; But Zephaniah propllC,..icd under Josiah, before the de-
strudion of Xine,-eh ll. C. û:!j, which he foretoltl m . Habakkuk
was also, at latest, an ('arlier contemporary of Jeremiah ,yho, in
onc place,at least, ill his earlier l)J"ophccies, used his lang1.1ag-e D ,
as he docs so oft('n, of
et purpose, that of the prophets before
him, in order to shew that the fulne!os of their propheeies was
I not yet exhausted. llut Jeremiah be!.
.-an to prophesy in the
thirteenth year of Jnsiah ß. C. ü2
' o. Hahakkuk, on the other
I hand, joins himself on with the old prol)hets and Psalms by
I the emlJlnyment of languag-e of Isaiahp and perhal's of )Iicah q,
by the.use oflang-uage ofDeuteronomyr, and lIy the expansion
of a P!"alm of .4.saph in his own P!<alm ., but floes not systema-
tically rene''" their prophecies like Jeremiah t or Zephaniah U.
The ministry then of Habakkuk falls in the latter half of
the rei
n of
iana

eh or the earlier half of that of Josiah,
(for the reign of Amon, being- of two years only, is too ,..hort
to come into account), and there is no decisive c,'idenee for
either against the other. In the reign of )Ianasseh, we arc
expressly told, that there were prophets, sent to foretell a
destruction of Jerusalem as ('omplete as that of Samaria, on
account of the exceeding wickedness, into ,,"hieh )Ianasseh
seduced his people. Tile Lord spake by His sen:ants, the 1)ro-
1Jllets, sa.lJing, Because

I([J1({!ì5elt king of Judah Iwtl, done
the.çe ahominations, allli hath made Judah also to sin tl'ith his
idols, Therefore t1ms saitll the Lord God of IS1"flel, Belwld, I
(wt briuKing such edlu}Jon Jerusalem and Judah, that u'lwso-
aer !leari'tll of it, botll his ears shall tingle. Allli I ll'ill stretch
Ol'er Jerusalem the line of ,'3amaria and the plummet of the
house uf A lwb ; and I tl'ill wipe Jerusalem as a mau tl'ipeth a
I dish, tl.ipiug it and tUl"ning it upside down; aud I tl'ill for-
sake the 1.ellmaut of their iu/leritance, and delh'er them into
the haud of tlteil" enemies, and they shall become a prey and
spoil to all their enemÍt>sx.
The sinful great men of
Ianas
eh's and Amon's court and
judicature arc but too likely to have maintained their power
in the eal"ly years of the reign of Josiah. For a hoy of eight
years old (at ,,"hich age Josiah succeeded his father Y ) could,
amid what,;;oe,-er sense of right and piety, do little to stem the
established wrong and ungodliness of the evil counsellors
and judges of his father and grandfather. The sins, which
Jeremiah denounces. as the cause of the future captivity of
Jerusalem, are the ,'ery same, of ,,"hich Habakkuk eomplains,
,. oppre!oòsion, violence, spoil '." Jeremiah speaks, in the
concrete, of total absence of right judgement., as Habakkuk, in
the abstract, of the powerles!Ò'ness of the law b. Zephaniah

c 2 Kgs. xxi. ï. d 1 Kgs. x\iii. 21. e 2 Kgs. xxiii. (j. J
i2 2 Sam. i. 23, the remaining instance ofthis likeness. :J11l
!.C! recurs in Zeph. iii. 3, and
f 2 Chr. xxvüi. 24. If lb. xxix. 3. hi. 5. r.;:r
... ';:I!.C1 in Jer. v. (j, only. Jer. xxii. 13, in the reign of Jehoiakim, is also a reminiscence
i Dr. Davidson says, "Delitzsch [with many others] maintains from a comparison of Habakkuk ii. 12; and Jer.li. 58, in the 4th year of Zedekiah, of Hab. ii. 13.
of Hab. ii. 20, with Zeph. i. 7, that the fonner preceded the latter.-The premises are 0 Jer. i. 2, XX'". 3.
by no means safe or valid" [and, following Umbreit,] .. . Be silent before the Lord God' P Hab. ii. 14, is from Is. xi. 9; the fonn of Hab. i. 5, seems suggested by Is. xxix. 9;
(Zeph. i. i.) sounds like a proverb: part of it having been already used by Amos (vi. 10)," the standing on the watch-tower Hab. ii. I, occurs in Is. xxi. 8; the "riting on tables
iii. 30
. 305. Amos has only the single word C:"I" hush!" which is,ofcoursenofragment occurs in Is. viii. 1, xxx. 8. and Hab. ii. 2; the imager)-, .. he hath enlarged his desire
ofa pro\"erb. Nor was there any lack of expressions to bid men be still before their
laker. as hell," (::'!:)J
'IWJ ::1';;-::"1) Hab.ii. 5, was probably suggested by Is. v. 14,

J
;lIÿõ :"1;'::;::"1;
Delitz.ch (ad loco p.IO:!.) puts together the follo\\ing; Ps. xcvi. 9. j1I1:"1-
J I"J
1
'n; xiv. the introduction of a 'nro, Hab. ii. 6, as Is. xiv. 4, both over Bab)lon; the union of'i"n
7. f1II....-: 1"11 'J!:
:;:) 1 Chr. xvi. 30, rll:"l-
J I'J
'>c 1
'n; Ps. xxxiii. 8, Y'H:"I
J .,':;:) 111''', and and '::117 Is. \iii. 8, and Hab. i. 11; from Küper Jerem. p, 153. Ha\Crnick S) mb. ad
the Psalm of Asaph," :':!:
:"1111' f1II I" r.
=:"1 C':;:)C':;:); not to speak of other possible com- defend. authentiam vat. Ies. c. xüi.-xiv. 23. p. 37 sqq. in Delitzch Hab. p. .iii.
binations, with 1:0'. ;:O"":"I,:nm (which is thought to be only a stronger pronunciation of q Hab. ii. I:!. and
Iic. iii. 10. r From Deut. xxxii. xxxiii. See below.
it. Kinl. also explains C:"I by pnzo.) 'When then a writer, who uses much the language of . Ps. lxxvii. 17-21, in Hab. iii. 10-15. t On the relation of Jeremiah to Obacliah
those before him, has an idiom which occurs once besides in Holy Scripture, there and Isaiah, see Introd. to Obad. ab. pp. 228-230. II See Introd. to
being many other expressions, which might equally have been used, anyone unbiassed Zephaniah, below.
2 Kgs. xxi. 11-14. Y lb. xxii. 1. 2 Chr. xxxiv. 1.
would think that he adopted the language of the other. Slähelin admits the connection, . '.:1 c:rCl J er. vi. 7, as Hab. i. 3, rom 'i:!; Zeph. speaks of :C"'C1 t'Ö/I, i. 9.
but invert
the argument, contrary to the character of both. prophets. . J er. vi. 19. .. My law they have despised it;" v. 28. .. they ha\.e not judged the
.. Zeph. i. 7. 1 Hab. ii. 20. m Zeph. ii.13, sqq. cause, the cause of the fatherless, and they prosper; and the judgement of too poor ban
II Hab. i. 8, ::I1
';
!:;II"1{1] rçlC I:'::;:

1
seems to have sugges
ed the like description of they not judged."
theChaldeecavalry, Jer. iv.13,I.çt<:I c"'!
P I

. although, with the slight variation, which I .. Hab. i. 4, .. the law i. chilled, and judgement "ill never go forth; for the wicked
he commonly used, Jeremiah has C'"I:\'J.':J, after lJavid probably on Saul and J onathan, C"'!õ7
:
encompassleth the just; therefore judgement goeth forth perverted."
NN
2

40n

IX'fRODrCTION TO

dns the like picture of those earlier years under Josiah c.
nut Habaldmk's description would not !,'uit the later years of
.Tosiah, when j'ldgement and justi('e u.t'1'C done. nid 1I0t th."
.father, Jeremiah appeals to Jehoial,im d, cat and drink, ami do
,j1U(!{ClIlcnt amljustice, and tllNI it u'as u'clL witl, him; hejlU(!{cd
the callse (
ftllc porn' (l//d lIeC((II, thcll it u'as welt ?l.itll him ; 1l'(I.Ç
not tltis to t%w }Ile? saith the Lord e . Bnt while there is no-
thing- to PI'e('lude his hadng prophesied in either reign, the
earliest tradition l)laces him in thc close of the reign of l\Ia-
na
"..eh (.
l\Iodern critics have assig-ne(l an earlier or later date to Ha-
bakkuk, according-ly as they believed that God did, or did
not, re,.eal thc future to man, that there wa" or was not, su-
pcrhuman prophecy. Those who denied that God did endow
His prophets with knmyledg-e abo,-e nature, fcll into two classcs;
I) Sueh as followed Eichhom's unnatuml hypothesis, that
})l"opheeies were only histories of the past, spoken ot
as if
it were still future, to which these eriti('s gave the shameless
title of "nltieinia post e
-entum g." These plainly irn'oh-ed
thc prophets in fraud. 2) Those who laid down that e,u'h pro-
phet Ih'ed at a time, when he could, with human foresig-ht, tell
what would happen. "
ouhl that those who count certainty,
as to e,-en a near future, to be so ea!o'v a thing-, wouhl tn their
hands at predieting' the en'nts of the Iie"t fe\\: years or niont h!'ò,
or even days II, and, if they fail, acknowle(b:e (
od's Tl"Uth !
This prejlUliee, that there could be no real prophecy, ruled,
for a time, all German cI'itieism. It ('annot be tI('nied, that
"the unbelief was the parent of the criti('islll, not thc criti-
cism of thc unbelief." It is simph' matter of history, that
the unbelief came first; and, if JIlen, à p1'Ìori, disbelicved that
there could he prophecy, it must needs be a postulate of their
criticism, that what seem cd to 1)(' l,ropheey could not have
belonp:ed to a date, when human foresig'ht did not suffiec for
l'ositi,'e l'redietion. I will usc thc words of Dclitzsch rather
than my o\\'n;
"i The investigation into the ag'e of nabal,knk could be
easily and briefly settled, if we would start fl"(lln the prcjudice,
whieh is the soul of modern eritkism, that a predietion of the
future, whieh rested, not on human infcreller's or on a natural
p:ift of divination, but on supematural illumination, is imp os-
Ûhle. For !,'illee lIabakkuh fC)l'etold the illntsion of the Chal-
dees, he must, iu slwh case, have eome forward at a time. at
which natural acuteness could, with rel.taint,., dctermine be-
forehand that sad event; aeeol"(lin
dy in or itftel' the tiJlle of
the bauleof Carchemish ill the 4th war of Jchoiakim j ()06 n. C.
In this deci
h-e battlc Nebuchådnezzar defeated Pharaoh
Neclw, and it was more than probable that tIll' Idng of nahy-
Ion wfmld now turn ag-ain
t Jndæa, sinee Jehoialdm, the son
of Josiah, had been set on the throne by Pharaoh
echo k, and
!;O held with E
ypt. And thi
i
in reality the inf't'renec of
modern critics. 'fhev brin
the Chaldæans so dose under
the eyes ofthe }lrophei
that he could, by 'ray of nature, fore!'ee
< Zeph. i. 9. where he too foretells the punishment of those, .. whieh fill their m2sters'
houscs "ith violence and deæit, ;'',::::1 D,;:I" and iii. 1-4. d J 1'1'. xxii.I:>, W,
e Dr. Davidson rightly sa) s, .. the spoiling ami violence, t]lere (i. 2, 3.) depictcd, refer
to the intcrna] condition of the theocrdcy, not to external injnries" (p. :3U;;); but then
hc contradicts himse]fand Jeremiah, when he says, (p.30;;) following Ewa]d (Proph.
ii. 3U.), "The safest conclnsion respecting the timc of the prophet, is that he ]i,-ed in the
time of.J e]wiakil11 (t;O()-GlH. n. C.), ",lIell tll.' "il/wio", of Jlttl"" tvas in "J!ood moral cOlldi-
tiOll, .i,[stice (Hill ,.;
JlteoIlSlleSS llavin
elltered into the life of tile people a/tel' Josia],,9s
reforms, and idolatry having almost dÌsappearecl."
r "Seùer 0]'1111, from which Abarbanel, R. Dav. Ganz in Zcmach Da,'id, p. 21, and
Rabhi
s drew their opinion." Carpzofr lntrod. P. iii. p. 410.
g EIchhorn (EinL) Bertho]dt (EmL) Justi Habakkuk neu übersetzt 1811. ". o]f, del'
Proph. Bab. &c. IS
2.
h At every early stage of the gccat conllict (Angust 18;0) it was remarkal)le how day
,-fterday journa]i,ts professed themseh-es to he at fault, as to the most immediate fnture.
On one point only (hey were al-'TCed tl,at the" 'II' would he "long and severe:' Then it
Was thought that olle mouth v.-ou]d see its beginning [1lI1 its enù. .. The course of t]:c

their ill\'asion ; and so much the doser under his eyes the
m.tlr
deeply the prejudice, that there is no prophecy ir: the
BIbhcal !'
nse of the word, has tal,en root in them, and the
mtlre con!,'lstently they follow it out. 'Hahaldmk prophesicd
under Jehoial
im, for: so Jiiger expresses himself,' !'inee
.Jehoiakim was on the side of the Egyptian!', it ll'aS easy to
fOl"c.5ee, tlwt l ; l)'c.' Just so E\\'ald; 'Ill One mig'ht readily be
tempted to think, that Habakkuk wrote, while the pious kinO"
Josiah was still living; but since the first certain invasio

of the Chaldæans, of which our account speak
n, falls within
the rei
n of king' J ehoialdm, somewhat between 60H-G04 n. C.
we must abide by this date.' Hitzig' defines the dates still more
sl.larply, according to that principle of principles, to whir'h
Illstory with its facts must adapt itself uneolHlitionallv.
'The prophet announces thc arrh'al of the ('haldæans fn
J Udæa, as !'omething' marvellous.' "
ell then, one would ima-

dnc, that it would follow from this, that at that timc they had
not yet comc. nut no! 'Habaldml,,' !<ays Hitzig, 'introduces
I the Chaldæans as a newphænomenon, as yet entirely unknown;
he prophesied according'." at theirßrst arrival into Palestine.
nut this beyond question falls in the reign of Jehoiakim o . In
Jehoiakim's fourth year, i. e. 60G, they had fought the battle
at Carchemish; in GUj tIll' Clwldæalllll'III1J secms tv !tal'e been VII
it,
march; the writing of Habaklmk is pliu.ed most correctly in
the heginning' of the year 604,' accordingly, at the time, when
the Chaldæans were already mal'ching- with all speed straight
on Jerusalem. and (as IIitzig infers from Hab. i. n.) after thC'y
had eonH' down ii'om the North along the ('/last, were now
a(kancing from thc "
e!'t, when they, as Ewald too remarks
(resting, like Maurer on i. 2-4), 'P already stood in the holy
land, trampling enrything under foot with irresistible mip:ht,
and allowing' their own rig'ht alone to count as rig'ht.'
IIoldin
fast' to that naturalist à privri, we goo yet further.
In ii. Iï, the judgement of God is thl'eatened to the Chaldæan,
on account of the violence practised on Lehanon, and the
de!'truction otïts animals. Lcbanon is, it i" said, the holy land;
the animals, its inhalJitants: in iii. 14, I ï, the prophet sees
thc hostilc hordcs storming in: thc dc, a!<tatiou wroug'ht
throug-h the war stands clearJv before his eye..... This is not
}Jo,çsiÙc, unless the Chaldæan ,,'ere at that tiine alread y estab-
li!,'hed in J uda'a. IIowe,-er, then, c. i. was written !Jrio-re thcir
invasion, yet c. ii., iii. must have been \\Titten aftel' it.
"Yhereforë,' say" Maurer, , since it is evident from Jer. xlvi. 2,
and xxxvi.
), that the Chaldæans came in the year ß. C. GO,),
in the nth month of the 5th year of the reig-n of Jehoiakim, it
follows that e. i. was written at that \"Cry time, but e. ii. iii.
at the beginning of ß. C. (j04, the 6th of Jehoialdm.'
,. Turn we away ii'om this cheap pscndo-eritieism, with its
ready-made results, which sa!'rifiees all sense for historical
truth to a pnjudiee, which it seem!,' to have ,'owed not to
allow to bc shalwn by any thing. It sed,s at any eost to dis-
burden itself of auy prophecy in Scripture, whit'h can only
present war," says a journal not wanting in se]f- reliance, "bas gone far to verify tbe
paradox, that nothinl( is certain but the unexpected. At any rate, ,wlliillg has happellrd
bill the Ill/forrseCli. Neither king nor Emperor, neither Frcnch nor German gO\"ern-
ment or people had formed any anticipatIon of the events of the month now enmnl(.
The French expected to invade Germany, and they bave been invaded themse]ve,.
The Gerll\2nS, thongh confident of ultimate snccess, expeeted a long and toilsome
conflict, whereas a month has bronght them almost to the gates of Paris. The calcnla-
tion of all parties as to the political eflects of the war have been eqnally mistaken."
Tile Times, A ng. 31st. And yet men, \\ ho, with our fnll information, \\ ou]d not risk
a prediction as to the issne of thinp;s immediately before their eycs, think it so easy for
Je\\ish prophets, living in their own small insulated country, to foretell ærtain]y that

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he e;it(\
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]eit. pp. iv-vi. k 2 Kgs. xxiii. 3t, 35.
I .. Facile erat præ\'iderc fore ut s.:c."J:ip:er de onl. prol'h. lIIillor. chrollol. ii. lB. SQq.

, Proph. i;i d U . LÙ. 2. " :: Kg..
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IL\n
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401

bc cxplaine
throug-h supernatural ag-ent")"; and yet it attains I I two or threc "'ord!< as indicative of a later style. Stiihelin
its cnd, neither c1
cwhere uor in our prophet. Chapter ii. eon- I llOwe\ cr says; <. His languag-e too, altlwup:h 011 the 1L'1IO/f:
tain;; a prediction of the ove..thro\\' of the Chaldæan empire pure aud without .-\ramai
ms," (truly !'o!
iu('e th('re i;; not
aud of thc sins whereby that m-erthl"Ow "as effected, whit-h . e\'en au allc1!:e(1 OJ' ima;.!:ineu .\ramai
m iu hi
I'rol'h('ey.) "stilJ
has been so remarkahly confimlCu by hi!<tOl'Y en
n in detail
, bctray
, in !'ing-Ie ca...e!', the later periml:' And then he
that that criticism, if it wouM he tl"Ue to its princ'iplcs, mu;;t allq!;es that I) oue 'l'erb r "only oceur;; 1J('
ide
in the hooks of
a

I\I11e that it was written whilc Cyru
.
uh-a\l('iug- a
:j,in,..t Kiu;.!:s aud in Ezekid;" 2) auother word .< "witl, ti,e e.urptiull
ßahylon, was emplop'd in punishing the ri'"cr (;rllue
by uf
Yaltlllll, IInly in Jeremiah and
Iala('hi;" 3) "the ima
e of
dh-idiug it off into
ÜO ehanncls." the ('up of de
tiny ouly o('('urs in prophecies suh!'e'luent to
This major premis!'ò, "tl.ere can be no superhuman predic- Jcremiah." .Man'ellous preei
ion of critiei!'m, which ean in-
tion of the future," (in other word
, .. _\Imighty God, if lIe fer the date of a book from the fact
, I) that a 'l'erb, formed thllll
knows the future, cannot di;;closc it!") stilllurl;:s under the a nOllll, occurs four times only in Holy
cripture, in
Kin:.!.'
.
as,..umptiou
of that modem school of so-called criticism. It Hahakkuk. and EzeliÍel, wherea;; the 1WIlII from whidl it i;;
sccms to he held no more ncce
sary, formally to declare it, derivcd occurs in a P
alm, whic'h fib no latcr time than
than to enounce at fullleng-th any axiom of Euclid. Y ct it Dadd'st; 2) that a word, sli
htly varied in prcmuneiatiun
may, on that \'ery g"rouud, escapc notice, while it is the unseen from a ('O!unwn Hebrew word u. o('('ur
ouly in .J..Yalwlll, Ha-
mainspring- of the theories, put forth in the name of criticism. bakkuk, Jeremiah, and
Ialachi. on('e in ('aeh, when that
"That Hahakkuk falls at a later time," savs
tiihclin, "is clear wllnl is the ba;;is of the namc of the river Pi
/lUll, mcntioned
out of his prophecy itself; fur he speal.s oj the CllllldlCalls, and in Gcnc!<is, and StähcJin himself plaecs
ahum in the rt'Í!!n
the controver
y is only, whether he announces their innl
ion, of H('zekiah ; or that 3) no prophet bcfore Jeremiah speaks
as Knohel, Pmbreit, Delitzsch, Keilq hold, or presupposes it, of the inaa
e of the" eup of destiny V," whereas the portion
as Ewald, Hitzig-, E. )Ieier maintain. To me the first upin- g-i,'en by God for good" or for ill ". oecurs under that same
ion appears the right, ..ince not only do i. 5. sqq. plainly image in P
alms of David and _haph; and if the (lue
tion
relate to the future. but the detailed descl'il'tion of the Chal- is to bc begged as to the date of haiah Ii. J i, 22, the C'OI'-
dæans points at !'omcthing whieh has not yct taken plaee. at responding imag-e of "drinking wine of reeling," uc'('urs in

omething" hitherto unknown, and the terror of the prophct, a P
alm of David Y, and Leing" drunk. but not with wine"
in amwunl'Ïng their comiug, i. l
. S()fh reeur:;: also iii. I, lü, is ima
cry of an earlicr chapter in Isaiah z; the image occur

Ii; and so, I think. that the time of lIabal;:kuk's aetivity may ' I fully in Obadiah ft.
he plaeed very snon after the battle of Carc'hemish, in the Su(.h criti('ism is altog-ether childish. Koone would tole-
first half of the rei
'n of Jehoiakim, and so his propheey as rate it, except that it is addllecd to
mpport a popular and
eontemporary with Jeremiah xxv." "Habakkuk." !'ays 1)e foreg-one conclusion. It" ouhl be lau:.!."hed to
eorn, were
""ette, hliHd and prophe
ied in the Chaldce period. It is" it used hy Lelie\"Cr
iu revelation. In the small remains of
howe,'er, matter ofdi!'pute at what point oftillle in this period the Hebren'
criptUl'es and lan.
uage, an induction, if it is to
he Ih'ed. i. 5. Sflq. clearly points to its beginning. the rci
n be of any ,-alue, must he \"Cry di
tinct. The lar;.!:eness of Greek
of Jehoiakim. E,'cn ch. iii. seems to refluire no later poillt literature enables critic
to single out Homeric, lIerodlltean,
of time, since here the destruction of Judah is not yet an-
Esehylean, Pilldaric words. In Hebrew we meet with ã7T'aç
tieipated. He was then Jeremiah's younger contemporary. Àf',/ópÆva in perhaps ewry prophet, in many P!.'alms; hut it
Rightly do Per"ehke, Hanitz, Stiekel, Knobel, Hitzig-, Ewald, recluires tar more than the oecurrenee of the word in one
let the prophet Iu'ollhesy a little befOl'e the inva
ion of the single place, to furnish any e\"CIl probable inference. tlmt it
Chaldæans in Judah. which the analog-y ofpropheey fa\'ours;" was framed by the Prophet or P"ahni!'t himsclf. Stillle
s
for proplH'cy may still be human at this datc, since so far it can it be infcrred safely that because, in the scanty remains
torctells only, what anyone could foresee. Å prophet of God of Hebrew, a wonl docs not oc('ur before e. g. a certain
foretell:;:, the",e criti('s admit, an im'a...ion which all could fOl'e- historieal book, it did not exist befllre the date of that book.
see, and does not foretell, what could not humanly be fore- Hather the OCCUl'!'elJ('e of any ,,'ord in lan
'lIage :;:0 simple a;;
seen, the destruction of Jeru"alem. The theOl'y then is sa,'ed. that of the historical book
, is an evidcnce that it did exi
t
and within these limits Almighty God is pcrmitted to send and was ill common me at the time. Poets and orators coin
His prophet. Condescending criticism! words, in Ol'der to gh-e full expression for their thoughts.
)Iostly criticism kept it
elf within the:;:e limits, and used The characteristic of the saered historians, both of the Old
nothing more than its axiom, " there was no propheey." The and K ew Testament, is to .'elate the facts in most ah
olute
freshness and power of prophetic diction in lIabakkuk dc- simplicity. It would be a sin
'ular .. history of the Hcbrew
terred most from that other expedient of picking out some languagc," which should lay down as a principle, that all

q Stähelin mixed up Delitzsch and Keil, who believed in superhuman prediction, and
Knobel &c. who denied it, joining himself on to the class in general and ignoring the
ë

I
:

eb;n
:
:'>

hi
d

cÎ:s

::s t
: th:

t
iïi

ein ;

è:ld;

i

;;r J
hoi:[
:

t

nB:eë:
ti

h;ut:

e
r

h
[
E
{:;
:

h
e
i;
:
i

:;

because the Chaldæans were not a people formidable to the Jews at that time." (In-
trod. iii. pp. 30j" 3U;;.) And so Habakkuk, "ithout superhuman knowledge, could not
foretell it!
r .. Thus the verb c

occurs, only besides in the books of Kings and in Ezekiel:'
St:ïhelin. " The diction is pure and classical. Yet he has some late words, as I:?
i. ] 0,
which appears only in Kings and EzeJ..iel:' Dr Davidson. The primitive form C
i1,
which is alleged, does not occur at all ; only cl"iJ Ez. xvi. 31. and I:
j;ë'ry with:1, .. mock at,"
2 Kgs. ii. 23. Hab. i.IO, Ez. xxii. 5, as denominatives from Ci,) Ps. ",Iiv. U. lxxix. 4. and
Jer. xx. 8. There is nothin
to shew that it is a late "o"-d, though occurring for the
first time in the history of Elisha. In Aramaic, (not in Onk. or Jon.) it has (he opposi(e I
meaninv;, .. praised:' In the exceptions in Chaldee, Ges. seelU
rightly to conjecture, I
P-\.RT V.

that it signifies ironical praise, as in Shem. rabba s. 27. In Ps. xliv. U. ttç
iJ is retained
for the Heb. C
iJ.
. "ciÐ i. 8. with the exception of :Nah. iii. 18. only besides in Jeremiah and :\Ialachi."
Stähelin. "I:'I!) i. 8. in Jeremiah and :\lalachi besides;" Dr. Da\idson; "ho avoids
the absurdity of arguing relati\'e lateness of dictioJ? f
om a "ord. occurring in 1\ahum,
by omitting this fourth instance, but there" ith falslf}m

he facts beJore him.
. Ps. xli.. u. u 1:i1Ð (whence i'
'Ð Gen. ii. n.) an early varia-
tion of rÐ, C' for r. as Rashi observes on 1\ah. iii. 11:\.
m

';

d iH=

it

I
s

s

n{e
e
't:
e
:
. o:li

l

' thSt

1
e
p

.J

,:

;
:kc
Jko
1fe

j
IIN
\

' t
G]e

I
t .02
c
r A
;
:fJt&

;
e

h
li
e

:s

t

sert it;" Dr. Da\idson (iii. 30:3) acknowledging, as usual, the source of his statements.
"here he dissents in one of them.
"David. Ps. ",i.G. Asaph,lxx\-. 8. . Da\id. Ps. x\i. 5. x"iii. 5. 7 Ps. h. 5. :8. Eng.2
. Is. xxix. II. a Hr. U;.

3 0
..I.

-lUJ

I
TRODUCTIOX TO

those arc later word
, whil'h do not happen to occur 1JCfore
the books of Kin
s, Habalikuk, m" any othcr prophet, whom
this eriticism is pleased to rank amon
the later books. "'hat
arc 'H' to do ,nth Habakkuk's own éí7Tal;Xf7ÓpÆJJa? Granted,
that he framed some of them, yet it is impos,.;ible that he
f.'amed thelll all. As specimens of the results of sm'h a
'Titi('al prineiple, that words, oceurrinl{ for thc first time in
an,' book, arc charactcI"Ístie of the date of that word, let us
oni y take roots beginning- with s. Had then the Hehrew no
name for uails (as distÏIlI't from hoolis, peg-s b,) bcfore those
whom these aitil's wonld make late writers c, as E('l'le
iastes
and J saiah xli? Or had they none for ceiling a building before
the book of King-s-d; altlwug-h the ark had a thinl storye, and
Lot speaks of" the shadow of my rooff?" Or had they none
fm" a" deehed nsscl" before
lonah g, although the Indian
names of Solomon's imports show that Ophir, whither his
na,'y sailed, was in India, Ophir itself being .\bhira in the
provinee of Cntd. h? Or had they no name for "divided
opinions" befm'e Elijah i ? Seed shed, whi('h sprang up in the
s('cond )'ear, was known in the Pentateuch k; but that of the
third )'ear would, on that hypothesis, remain unknIJwn till
Hezekiah i; nor did the Hebrews express to " drag along the
c-rollnd," till Hushai m, and, after him, Jeremiah. They had
no name for winter, as distinct from autumn, until the Can-
tides n, and, but for the act of the Pllilistines in stopping-
up 0 Abraham's wells, it mig-ht ha,'e been said that Hebi"ew
had no word for this act, till the time of Jclwshaphat p.
Or as to the criticism itselt
c
P is to be a later word, be-
I'ause, eXl'ept in that Psalm of the !'OIlS of Corah, it 01'-
('ur,.; first in the history of Elisha q. Perhaps it is so rare
(and this ma\" illustrate the his tor\" of Elisha) becausc, as
lIsed. it seems to have been one of the stron
est words in
the language for "derbion;" at lea,.;t the "
rb is used in
an intensh'e iorm only, and always of strong- dcrision r. But
then, (lid the old Hebrews ne,-er use derision? Happy ex-
,'eption for one nation, if they never used it wrongly or had
no oeeasion to lIse it rightly! Yet e,'en though (by a rare
exception) Ewaltl allows the second P,.;alm to be David's,
(
lob howcver being placed about the 7th century ß. C.) the
('\'idence for Jl1
. as stron
a word, would be of the time of
Da,'id". "Seorning" "sèoffing," (unless Psalm 1. be allowed
to be Dadd's) did not beg-in till Solomon's time t. " .l\Iock-
ing" was yet later u. As belong-s to a rude people, insult
was only she,,-n in ads, of which

vnn is uscd'-; and from
tho
e simple times of the Patriarchs, they had no strong-er
word than "to laug-h at w ." For this is the only word used
in the Pentateuch ".
ßut to what end all this? To prm'e that Habaldmk had
no superhuman knowledgC of what he foretold? Prophecy

b ". ":1'.
< ;::.,

? Is. xli. i, C,,?;:::J I Chr. xxii. 3, n'n::Ç1;), Jer. x. 4,nTçt!?, 2 Chr. iii. 9. n

Eccl. xii. n.
,\ i

, I Kgs. vi. 9, i1;:
1 Kgs. vii. 3, 7, Jer. xxii. I-t, Hagg. i. 4, (r
Dt. xxxiii. 21.
ì
=' lb. 19, is i, q. J1

)' n,l<, "hold togcther," occurs I Kgs. vi. 6, 10, Ezek. xli. 6;

::> lit. "overshado\\ed"
eh. iii. 15 ; J;1
; occurs also I Kgs. vi. 5, 6, 10.
e [:,;;.L;;, Gen. _i. 16, as in I K
. vi. S. Ez. xlii. 3.
r
;'i" Gen. xix. 8. as being" b(amed." ConI'. ;r1.i' "lai
beams," (met.) Ps. civ. 3.
else 2 Chr. >.xxi_ , 11, 1\eh. ii. 13, iii. 3, 6; m1p beam :J Kr:rs. VI. 2, 5, 2 Chr. iii. i. Cant. i.
Ii.
;;;? Eccl. x. IS.
:!r
i' ii.... Jon. i. 5. See ab. p.2-1\1.
h Set.' ab. on Micah iv. p. 321.
I I Kgs. xviii. 21. As" branches," c.!!
." first occurs in Isaiah, (xvii. 6. xxvii. 10) and
the denom. 'i!1!1, lb. x. '>3. and ni!)J;o, ni!);;,
in Ezek. xxxi. 6. 6. 8.
k
.
:; Lev. xxv. 5. n. EI.e only with
'no or c'r.::i.
I I:;'-
2 Kgs. xix. 29, c'
. lb. xxxvii. ;lU.
m :n:J 2 Sam. xvii. 13. Jer. x,. ;I_ xxii. I!I, xlix. 20. So :!r.:J .. swept" occurs only
Ezek. xxvi. .1:. '11>' Lam. iii. 45. but 'i;;:J is used by Solomo
Pr,?y. xx\iil. 3.
D 'lOt> Cant. II. II. 0 r:i'p Gen. XXYI. I". IS.
p t::9 2 KflS. iii. 19. 25, 2 Chr. xxxii. 3.4. 1\if. ofcIosing breaches in a wall, Neh. iv. I.
..
Kgs. ii. 2:
. r Pib. Ez.
vi. 31. Hitbp. 2 Kgs.I. c., Hab.1. c., Ez. xxii. 5, \\ho

occupies, as I said, a subordinate place in lIabakkuk. lIe
renews the "bunlen" of former prophets, Loth upon his
o,,'n people and upon the Chaldæans; but he docs nut !'peak
eHn so definitdv as they. His offiee is rather to enforce the
conne('tion of ,.;ili and pU;Iishment : he presuppo,.;es the details,
whieh they had dedal'ed' Apart from those chapters, which
pseudo-criticism denies to Isaiah ", on accuunt of the di,.;tinct-
ncss ofthe t('mporal prophedes, Isaiah had, in plainest wurds,
declared to Hezekiah the earrying' away of all the royal trea-
sures to Babylon, and that his offspring- shoul(l be euuuchs
there z; l\Iicah had declared not only the complete desulation of
Jerusal('m 8, but that the people should be" b carried to Baby-
lun, and iI,ere dclh-ered, tl,ere redeemed from the hands of the
enemy." In the 13th )'ear of Jo!'iah, B. C. 62tt and so, three
years before the fall of
ineveh, while Babylon was still de-
pendent on l'\incvch and g-overned by a ,'ice-roy, and while
l l\"abOPOlassar was still in the service of the king- of l\"ine,-eh,
Jeremiah forctold, that C evil sllOulcl breakfurtlt from ti,e _Yurth
upon all ti,e inllaMtelllts of tI,e land, and all tI,e families of tI,e
kingdoms of tile lYortlt shall come and set ever.'I oue ltís thrune
at the entering of ti,e gates of Jerusalem llnd agaimt all the
ll'alls thereuf rOll1ld ahout amlagaimt all tile {'ities uf Jndah, to
execute theJudgement.s of God l1
llinst them for their wicl.-ecl-
ness. This was his dirge O\'er his country for twenty thi'ee
years d , ere )'et there was a token of its fulfilment. Babylon
had succeeded to l'\incveh in the "Test and South-"T est , and
Judah had fallen to the share of Babylon; hut the relation of
Josiah to Kabopolassar was ofa tributary sO\'ereig-n, which re-
bellion only could disturb. The gTeater part of Xabopolas-
sar's 21 year's reign are almost a blank e. Chastisement had
come, but from the South, not from the Korth. Eig-hteen
years had passed away, and Josiah had fallen, in rcsisting
Pharaoh-l\"eeho in discharge of his' fealty to the king of
Babylon. Pharaoh-Necho had taken away one king of Judah,

lehoahaz, the people's choice, whose continued fealty to ßa-
bylon represents their mind
, and had set up another, Je-
hoiakim. For three years Judah's new allegiance was allowed
to t'ontinue. 'Vho, but God, could tell the issue of the con-
flict of those two great armies at Carchemish? Egypt with
her allies, the Ethiopians, Phut and Lud, were come, rising
up like a flood f, covering the earth with her armies, as her
rivers, when swollen, made her own land one sea.
echo
had apparently in his alliance all the kings of the countries
"Test of the Euphrates: for to them all, in conncction with
Egypt and subordinate to her, docs Jeremiah at that mo-
ment gÎ\-e to drink the cup of the wrath of God; to g Plw-
1'aolt king of Eg.'Ipt, anci his servants and /âs princes and
all his peuple, and all tile mingled people [his auxiliaries] and
all tile kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of tile land

has also

. "Ji]. The verb occurs Ps. ii. 4, xxii. 8, lix. 9, lxxx. 7, Provo i.26,
xvii. 5, xxx. 17. Job ix. 23, xi. 3, xxi. 3, xxii. HI, Is- xx'\:iii. 19. xxxvii. 22, Jer. xx. 7,
2 Chr. xxx. 10, Neh. ii. 19, iii. 33. ]Jì.
Job xxxiv. 7, Ps. cxxiii. 4, Hos. vii. 16, Ez.
xxiii. 32, xxxvi. -I. with c7P. Ps. xliv. 1!J. Ix xi". 4. t r? part, occurs 14 times in Provo
Ps. i. I. and Is. xxix. 20. r" (the verb), Pr. ix. 12. C"
1
Hos. vi. 5. i
1'm:! I s. xxviii. 22_
r'''
Ps. c'\:i'\:. 51, Pr. iii. :H, xiv. 9, xi". 28. u
n
Job xvii. 2, I Kgs. x_iii. 2i.
. "";:n:!with Jofthe pers. Num.x,ii. 29, of Balaam's ass; I Sam. "xxi. -I, J
r.>.xx_iii.
19;, Ij:
IGp
: ;i
.f I

':,d
e9.'\"n

ïti

I b
x
:

i -I, Ii, revived from
enesi
, Ez.
xxiiI, ð2, elsewhere j:ni:>. "The exact meaning of
(Ex: XXXII:
;;) IS un-
certain. The E. V. "sI1ame" follows most of the Heb. Inn., yet with an Improbable
et)mol. .. \\ hisper" seems the most probable meaning ofJ
b iv.I2. xwi.I4, from which
that of" ill-report" is possible. The Arabic gives nothing nearer. th'.',':I" hurried in sp
ech."
1 Is. xiii. XIV. 1-2;1, xl. sqq. . Is. xxxix. 6, i. . l\hc. Ill. 12. bIb. IY, !U.
< Jer. i. U-I6. d lb. xxv. 3. see also v. i5-li, vi. I. 22-25, x. 22. Also in the collectIOn
of all his prophecies from the time of Josiah, which God
ade Iù
make. in .the 4th
vear of J ehoiakim, J er. xxxvi. 2. 2\1, he provides them also with a saymg agamst Idolatry
(in Chaldee) lor their use in their captivity in Chaldæa. x. U.
e Ra\\I.5 Emp. iii. 481. f Jer. xhi. 8. 9.
lb. xxv. 1::-2-1.

IL\n
\KKrK.

of the Philistines and Ashkelon awl Azzah ami Ekron and ti,e I
remnant of Aslu/m/; Be/um awl JI(J(lb awl the clâldren of ..lm-
11/011 ; am/all the kings uf l:l/rus, am/all tIle kin,
s uf Zitltmaml
de I.ing.
of tIle islehef/will tIle sea [IH'obably Caphtorh, or Crete,
or C)l))"us] Dnlan and Te11la and Buz, and those 1l'I/Use hair
is shurn [Arahians i ] llwl all the king.'í uf Arabia and fill the
kings of the mingledlJeople that dwell ill the desert, aml all tIle
kings of Zimri [k descendants of .\braham and Keturah.]
It was a mip:hty
atherin
. .All the kings of Elrllll, all
the killgs of tI,e Jlede.'í, all tlte kings of the
Yortll fllr and
near, all \\ as hostile to Babylon; for all were to drink of
the enp beforehand, at the hands of the king of Babylon,
and then the king of Shesllllch [Babylon] was to drink
after them. Necho was one of the most enterprisin
mo-
nar('hs I. Xabolwla"sal' had she\\.n no signs of cnterprise.
Xebuehadnczzar, the first and last conqueror of the ßaby-
Ionian empil'e, thol1g-h the alliance with Media amI his
fathel"s empirc had been eementetl by his mat.ria
e, had,
as far as we know, remained inactive durin/! 20 years of
hi
fi.lther's life m. He was as yet untried. So littlc (lid he
hilll
elf feel secure a.. to his inheritance of the throne, even
after his success at the head of his father's army, that his
rapid march acro:>s the dcsert, with !ig-ht troops, to secure it;
and its pre
ervation for him by the chief priest, are recorded
in a ,.cl'y conci"e hi
tory n. Xeither Egypt nor Jehoiakim
foresaw the i
sue. Defeat tau
ht neither. Two voices onlr
g-ave, in God's name, one unheeded warning". Pharaoh Ho-
phra, the Apries of Herodotus, succeeded Pharaoh l'\eeho in
his self-confidence, his aggressions, hi
defeat. "I am ap:ainst
thee," God >;ays 0, " Phamoh, king of Egypt, the
Teat drag-on
that licth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, .lIp rit'er
is mine UWJl and I have mllde it fur myselJ." "It is said," re-
lates Herodotus P, "that Apries believed that there wa
not a
god which could cast him down from his eminence, so firmly
did he think that he had established himself in his kin
dom."
For a time, l'\ebuchadnezzar must have been hind
red by
Eastern war:>, since, on Jehoiakim's rebellion and perjury, he
!'ent only hands of the Cllllldees, with hands of tributary na-
tions, the Syrians, :\Ioahites, Ammonites, a
ainst him q. But
not in his time only, even after the captivity under his "on
Jehoiaehin and his men of might', the conrietion that ;XeIJU-
chadnezzar could be resi
ted, still remainetl in the time of
Zedekiah both in E
ypt and Judah. Judah would have con-
tinued to hold under Babylonia that same po
ition towards
E
ypt which it (lid under Per
ia, only with subordinate kiug-s
instead of govemors. Apart from God's general promise of
a,.erting e\"ÍI on repentance, Jeremiah, too, expres:;:ly tells
Israel, '" If thou wilt put away thine abominations out of
1\Iy sig-ht, thOIl shalt 1Wt remOl,'e;" '''Then will I cause you to
dwell in this place, in the land that J gave to your fathers,
ti)r e,'er and ever." And" in the beginning of the reign of
Jehoiakim u," "v Thc Lord sent me to prophesy against this
house and ag-ainst this city all the word", which ye ha,.e heard.
Therefore now amend your ways and your doing'" and obey
the \"oire of the Lord vour God, (tml the Lord will repent
Him of the evil that 'He hath pr01wlmced against YOll."
to Jer. xlvii. 4. I Herod. iii. 8. t Gen. xxv. 2. 1 Chr. i. s:!. ('1
' for 'n
J)
I As shewn in his attempt to make a canalllcross the isthmus of Suez (Herod. ü. lii8.)
alldin the circumllavi
atioll of Africa. lb. iv. 42.
w The battle of Carchemish was in the 4th of Jehoiakim. Jer. xh"i. 1. 2.
= :K

i:,02
ph. c. :)i,:1
'I
PP' ü. 45
. Je/ i
Z{.k. xxix., 3ib.
l7

"
i"xlv
?:
25,21;. xxii. 2-5. u lb. xwi. 1. . xxvi. 12. add ib. 2, 3.
.. xxvii. n. " xxxv. 15. Y xxxviii. Ii. . Jer. xx>.vii. 5.
a xxv. II, 12. xxi'!:_ 10. b Jer. i. 1:>, 19, renewed xv. :!U.

:G

mperial mnster rolls in Chambray Yolo i. App. Xo. 2." Alison Hist. of Europe I

403

Still later, to Zedehiah, "w The nations that hring- their ne('k
under the voke of the kin
of Bal".lon ami
en-e him, them
will llet .;emaillstillintÌieirown.laml.saith the Lord; llml
they slmll till it (lnd ("cell therein." "x I ha,.e sent unto you
all ßly
en.ants the prophets, ri"ing up early and
(,lidin

them, savin
, Return ve now ever\" man f"()JI1 hi
c, il ",.n.
and anH'illl <rour dtling-s, and !!"o not after other goods to sene
thcm, and .lJe shall dwell iJl the land lchich I lult'e given to
you and tu YOllr father.'í." Even on the very ver!!e of the
capturc of Jel'u"alem. JCl"emiah promi!'ed to Zedekiah Y; " If
thou wilt go forth to the kin
of Babylon's prÎ1H'e,,;-this cif.'/
slwll not he burned witl, .fire." Pharaoh H ophra was still
stron
enough to rai"c the siege of Jeru...alcm, when in-
vestcd hy the Chaldæan army z. Jeremiah had the kin
, hi

princes, his prophet", all the people of the land again
t him,
becam..e he prophesied that Jeru
alelli should be burned with
fire, that those already taken captivcs shoulù not rcturn, until
the whole had been carricd away, anù the seventy years of
cí1l'th.ity were accompli
hed a. The warnin
and the promi
e
uf Jeremiah's inaug-ural vision had its accomplishment. '.b [
have madc thee a defem'ed city, and an iron pillar, and brazen
walls, agaillst the kiJlg of Judah, llgaimt tl(e prillces thern!!
will against the people (if the lalld; and they shall fight a
::ain
t
thee, but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with
thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee." Had it lJeen matter lIf
human foresight, ho\\' was it, that all nation", all their poli-
ticians, all their wise men, all their pl"Ophets, all Judah.
kings, priests, princes, people, were blinded, (as in Him of
"'hom Jeremiah was a shadow,) and Jeremiah alone
a"'?
,. Yaticinia post c,'entum" are, in one sen
e, easy; ,iz. to
imag-ine, after an e,.ent has taken plaee, that one could hare
foreseen it. And yet who, after the retreat to COMmna, could
have for'
seen the, ietories of the Peninsular war? Or, when
that tide of 64ï.OOO men c was rolling- on to" ards Russia,
who could ima
,dne that onlv a small fra('tion of tho
c ho"ts
should return, that they!'hõuld capture .l\Jo
cow, but find it
a tomb; and hung-er and cold, reaching at last to 36 deg-ree

below Zero, should destrov more than the sword? "d "llat
was the principal adversåry of this tremendous power? By
whom was it cheeked aud re
isted and put down? By none
and by nothing but the direct alJ(l manife
t intcrposition of
God."
The distinctness and perseverance of the prophecy are the
more remarkaLle, becau"e the wholc of the greatnes" of tllt

Chaldæan empire was that of one man. .A
"yria, in this one
case, m-crl'eached itself in its policy of transporting ('on-
quered populations. It had.. probably to ('heck the rebelliun"
of Babylon, settled there a wild horde, whieh it hoped would
neither a
.;;imilate with its people, nor itsdf rebel. I!'aiah re-
lates the fact in simple words: e Belwld t!ie land of the Clutl-
dæll1lS; this people was not; the Assyrian fOllnded f it for
them tltat dwelt ill the wilderness. This does not seem to me
necessarily to imply, that the wild people, for whom ..\"
yria
founded it, were Chaldæans g or Curd
, whom the kin
of ..\
-
svria had brou
ht from their ;Xorthern dwellin

in thc Cardu-
cÏlæan mountàins h ncar Armenia, where Se
lltacherib con-

d Dr. Arnold lect. on Hist. ii. 139. · 15. xxiii. 13.
f Jon. unites Asshur with the preceding TC"/OI :I',"! /011, I:,'-;'IJ and so S)r. and Oxf. Arab.
S. Jer. divides as the E. '-.. though "ith an opposite sense. .. Talis populus non fuit."
Ä
:h
; ,"
:s :

k

hl
;
I
sr:

:
b:c;
;e
h

K
!: :-a:r;o

h'':

d;do i

:

it mi
ht be," (Comp. Ps. civ. 8, Hab. i.12. and the common use of "D' .. fonnded a cit) ,
building, temple,") not that it should cease to be.

\nth this the only objection to the simple rendering falls away, that Jerem:ab
speaks of the ChaI.\ees, as all gllde"t 7101;0". J"r. \. 15.
h Xen. Cyrop. iii. 2. i and 12. Anab. iv. 3.4. V. 5. 9. vii. S. U.

.to-1

IXTRODCCTIOX TO

fluered. hamh simply uses tIlc name, the land of tIle
Clwldæans, a.. docs Jeremiah i after him, as thc namc of
llahvlonia; the word Ball.lllrmia, had it cxisted, mig-ht ha\'e
beeli substitllteù for it. Of this, he says, that it was not, i. c.
was of no aecountk, but that dssur fUll/uleri it for wild tribes,
whom hc plac
d there. "Thence he broug"ht those tribes. Isaiah
docs not say.
Eschylus (althoug-h indced in later times) as I
well as Isaiah and .Jeremiah, speak of the population of Ba-
bvlon, as min
ded of val'Íous nations; and thc lan
uage i.. too
lårg-c to bl' confincd simply to its mcrchant-settlers. In _Es-
('In lui' 1, .. thc all-min
led crowd," which "it sends out in
100i g army." are its military contingents. It is its whole
populatiun, of which haiah and Jeremiah say, it will flee,
each tit his own land. m It [Babylon] slmll he as (t c/wsed'
roe, and as a sheep w//Ìrlt no man gathereth; the!! shall, I
every man, turn to !tis own people, ami fiee ez'ery mall to !tis
melt h.llri. Fur fear of the uppressing sword they shall tum
('l'ery one to his people: n Alld they slwll fiee, everyone to Ids
ou

n
I
Thus Babvlonia reccind that solid accession of stren!!,"th :
whieh ultimiitely madC it a powerful people, sixty years 'be- I
fore the beginnin
of thc rei
n of Josiah; its ancient and
new clements would takc some time to blend: the\" did not
assumc importance until the capturc of
ine\'eh; nor had
Judah anv reason to dread any thin!.:" from them, until itself
rebellcd, éarly in the reig-n of lchoiakim. But I
years before
the dcath of Josiah, while Judah wa,; a trusted and faithful
tributary king-dom, Jeremiah foretold that edl should come
upon them from the Korth. i. e. as he himself explains it, from
the Chaldees o. Even then if Habakkuk were brou!!,"ht down to
be a contemporary of Jeremiah, still in the 13th \ear of .Jo-
siah, there was nothing- to fear. Judah was not in the con-
dition of an outlvin!.:" country, whieh ßabvlouian ambition
might desirc to I:cdl
ce into 'dependence o'n itself. It was
already part of thc llabylonian empire, having- passed into it,
in the partition with Assyria, and had no more to fear Ii'OII1
it, than any of the conquered nations of Europc have now
from those who ha,'e annexed thcm, unless they rebel. God
alone knew the new ambition of the kings of thc smittcn
aud subdued E
ypt, their momcntary success, Josiah's
dcath, Judah's relapsc into the old temptation of trusting- in
Eg-ypt-all, eonditions of the fullilment of Habakkuk's and
Jeremiah's prophecics. Edom, l\Ioab, Ammou, Tyre, Zidou,
sent embassadors to Zedekiah, to concert measures of resis-
tance ag-ainst X ebuchadnczzar P; they wcre eneourag-ed by
thcir q divillers, dreamers, ellchanters, s()rcerer.
, which spake to
them, pe shall not serve t!te !..-illg of Bab.lJ/rm. Onc alone told
them that resistancc would but bring- upon them destruetion,
that submission \vas their only safety; there was propheey
ag-ainst prophecy r, among- these nations. in Jerusalcm, in Ba-
bylon ': the reeent knowlcdg-e of the political aspel't of Ba-
bylon dl't rrcd not the falsc prophets there; all, with one
\'oiee, deelarcd the breaking the yukc of the king- of Babylon:
Jeremiah only saw, that they were fl'aming- for themselves t
!tokes of iron. Had Jehoiakim or Zedekiah, their nobles,
and their people possessed that human foresight which that

I J er. xxiv. 5, I. 8. 25, Ii. 4; and, united with the name Baby lon, xxv. 12, I. 1. .Iii,
Ezek. xii. 13, as I saiah does Chasdim alone, xlviii. 14, 20. k ColI. i::Y tt

Deut. xxxii. 21, 1:"1< I<
Ps. xxii. ï. See the like in the Classics in PerÏzon. Orig. Dab. c.
\i. p. '70. S<iQ. and from him in 'ïtr.
t Æsch. Pers. 52, 53, 5
. m Is. ...iii. Ii. n Jer.l. lG.
o There ought to be no question as to the identity of the invasion lrom the north
Jer. i. 15, vi. :!:!, x. 22, and Jeremiah's own summarv of his prophecies from the 13th:
o
Josia
,
xv. 3-!1 "hen he nal
les Nebuchadnezzår; only then t
ere would be deli-
mte predictIOn. Hence the mare s nest as to the dread of the SC) duans, who marched

p!Ocudo-eritieal !Ochool hold!': to bc so easy. Judah had nc\-er
g-one into eaptÏ\'ity to Babylon. But IIc "'ho fashiouetlt tlie
!teart of 1//all linoweth alone thc issue of the working of
those heart!", whit-h He O\'er-rulcs.
From thc ne('cssity of its ease, the pseuclo-eritif'al sehool
lowers down thc words, in whi('h I1ahakkuk deelares the
matTellousnc!'s of the event which he forctells, and the un-
belicf of hi!" pcople. "Look weU," he bids them, "man'cl
Ye, marvel on; for I will work a work in your days which "C

\'ill not belic,-e, whcn it !'hall be tol(l y
u." Ii is " sonie-
thing which had not hitherto bCtOn, soniething hitherto un-
known," says Stahelin u. Yet things hitherto unknown. arc
not thereforc incredible. ., It is dear from the contents."
says ßlèek', "that the Chaldees had at that time already
extended to the 'Ye!'t their expeditions of conquest and de-
struction, and on the other !'ide, that this had only lately
beg-un and that thev wCI'e not ,'et come to Judah and Jeru-
salem, !'o that herc thcy werc Iiitherto little known." .. The
appearancc of thc Chaldees as world-collflllCrors was, in
Judah, thcn a quite ncw phenomcnon," says Ewald w.
"The description of thc Chaldees altogether is of sudt !'tH't,
that they appear as a people still little known to thc Jcws,"
says Knobel x. "That which is incredible fOl' thc people eon-
sists therein, that God cmpluys just thc Chaldees, such as
they are deSl'ribed in what follows, for the unexpectcd chas-
tisemcnt of ISI'ad," says e,-en t-mbreit y.
"'hat was there incredible, that, when the kin
of Jerusa-
lem had revolted from Babylon, and had sided with Egypt,
its chief enemy, the Chaldæans, should come against it? As
soon mig-ht it be said to be incredible that France shouhl in-
,-ade Prussia, whcn its hundred thousands were on their
march towards the Rhinc. Durin!!," the rei
n of l\Ianasseh
it was incredible enough, that any ÌJCriJ shOl
ld impend from
Babylon; for Babylon was still subordinate to Assyria: in
the early years of Josiah it was still Ï1wredihle, for his thirty-
one years were years of peace, until Pharaoh Keeho disput-
ed the cis-Euphratcnsian countries with Bahylon. "'hen
the then East and 'Vcst came to Carchemish, to dccide
whether the empire should be with the East or with the
'Vest, nothing- was beyond human foresight but thc result.
Expectation lately hung suspcnded, perplexed between the
forces of Europe.
one, the most !'aga('ious, could prediet
for a singlc day. 1'Ien might sUl'mise; God only could pre-
dit,t. }<'or three ali(I twenty years Jeremiah foretold, that the
evil would come fi'om the Korth, not from thc South. The
powers were well-balanccd. Takc Habakkuk's prophccy as a
whole-not that the Chaldæans should invade J IHlæa, (whieh
in Jchoiakim's time was alt'eady cCI.tain) but that E
ypt should
be a vain help, and that the Chalda'ans should me!'h its people
likc t/te.fìslies of t!le ,çea, yct they !':wuld still have to disgorge
them, bccause God's judgement \\ ould come upbn them also.
This too wen' ineredible. Ineredible it was to the king-s, the
wise, the politicians. the political prophets of Judæa, that Je-
rusalem itself should be takcn. Incredible it was. and there
was much human reason for the incr('dulity. Eg-ypt and .As-
syria had bccn matchcd during centuries. Lntil the Sargo-

down the sea coast and returned, being b:mght off by P,ammetichus, doing no harm
to Judah by this passing expedition.
P Jer. XXVll. 3. q lb. 9. r Jer. v. 12-14. xiv. 14-lG. xxiii, 16, Ii, 21,
25-2ï, 30 sqq. x",ii. U, 15-18, xxviii. . Jer. xxix. 8, tI, 15,21, 2J, sqq.
, xxviii. 13, 11. " Einl. p. 218.
Y Einl. ins. A. T. pp. 545, 5tl\.
.. DiE Proph. ii. 2\1. see also Delitzsch's quotation from him ab. p. 400.
I Die Proph. u. Hebr. ii. 292. Dr Da,idsoll'S sentences are chiefly gleaned from him.

1\.1. l'rol'h. p. 2Sj.

I
T[lOD{)CTIO
TO IL\n
\KKrK.

nidI'''' Eg-ypt harl, darin!r ecntnrie", the unhroken advanta!!'e.
Bllt the Sal"g-llnide,.; Iud pa""ed away. Yet t:haldæa had nut,
alllnc, prenlilcd a
ain,.;t
b"
Tia. \\'hy "houhl the yet un-
tried ßabvillnian be SII certain of sucre"s, when the wholc
\"e"t of tlie Euphrates was handed tog(.thcr ag-ain!-t him. and
fOIl
ht within their own g-ruund? The kings of Elam amI
tile kings of tile JIetles' were now, a,.; un(h
I' Cyru"", ellemie,.; of
ßabvlun. nahvlun had enemie,.; befure and IJehind. But
Gmfhad rai
etf up Xehuchadnelzar tu be the IHl1/llller of tile
whole eartlt., and had
;xen those cis-Euphratensian lands
whit'h lea
ued ag-ain.;t him into the IllllUls of 4\r e huclllldlle::'::'1lI'
the king of Bahy/rm, Jly st!rz'ant, Gud says b, lllld a!llllltio/ls
shall serve him alld lti.ç SOil ((Illt ltis son's sou, llutil tIle l'ery
time of his laud come; flIut tlWIl lIUlIl.'1 Itatiolls alld great killgs
ÛIfl!l serve the1/l.
eh'es of !tim. '''heuee this f"lIInbination of'
almo,.;t superhuman b'lt short-livecl mi
ht, this certainty of I
wide sway down tll the third gencration, this certainty of
its ce,.;,.;ation afterwarcls? There was no time for òceav.
.\lexander's empire was yet more shurt-li,-ed, but it was dh:i- I
ded amnng" his SlU'ce,.;sors. Alexander had, by his genius, !
fuundetl hi,.; own empire, which the able general
, whom he
had trained, divided among- themselve,.;. In the Chaldæan
empire, we IU1,'e an enterprisin
cOIl,.;pirator, who seizes an
orca,.;ion, but doe,.; little besides which is ref'orded, nuthing-
alone. nothin!!', besides that first gra,.;p at power, fur himself.
He appears only as the ally of )Iedia c: then a son, a world-
wide eonfluerOl', with a genius for ronsolidating- the empire
which he inherited, formin
an impre
nahle city, which
should also be a province, filling- his empire with furtresses d,
but lea\'Ïn
none after him to maintain what he had ";0 con-
""lidated.' ßy whom ('ould this be foreknown save by Him,
with \nlOm alone it is, to rOf)t Ollt ami tf) pull dozcn and to de-
stro.'1 ami to throw dowll, to huild and to plant e?
It has been common to praise the outside of Habakkuk's

. Jer. xxv.
5. a lb. L
3. b lb. xxvii. 6. 7. · Herod. i. 74.
d See Daniel the Prophet pp. ll:'. l:!2, Raw!. 5 Empires iii. ot!)" sqq. · Jer. io 10.
r The most remarkable, have, of course, been singled out of old; as, :-::;::" i. 9, c'!:::V,
ii Ii, jI
i"i' ii. 1f;, Others are parlly emphatic forms, as t"ltOro, ii. ï, or are in some W3Y,
ev,n thuugh slight, peculiar to him.
;;JiT' i.4 (not in the verb), l:r-n:'1 i. 3. I,,'n' ii.

40;;

p/"fIphecy, the purity of his lang'ua!:'e. the suhlimity of his ima-
gery. Certainly it i,.;, humanly
peakin
, lIla
nificent: hi,.;
lIlea
ured eadenl'e i,.; impre,.;,.;i\"e in its simplicity. Hc too ha..
words and forms, whif'h are peeuliar tll him amon
the re-
main..; of Hehre\v f. nut his eminelwe is rather the condell
ecl
tholl
'ht, eXl're,.;,.;ed oftell in the
iml'le!'t word
; as when, ha,'-
ill
earricd on the tide of \"ietorv of the Chaldæan to it,.;
height, every thing human suhdued I)l'fore him, all resi
tanc'('
derided, he
athers lip his fall and it,.; eause in those ei
ht
word,.;, .qThen sweeps-he-by, wind, and-pa,.;ses, and-is-g-uilt
;
this hi,.;-strcng-th (i
) his-
od." Yet lIIorc
triking is the reli-
gious
reatne,..,.;, in which he "ums up the lIleaninl! of all this
oppre,.;,.;Í\"ene,.;s of man. "I. Tlwlf, Lord, hast placed him for
jUd
ement, and, 0 Rock, hast founded him to correct." Or.
take the pit'ture, prolonged relatively to his conei"enes!', of
thc uttcr hcll'le,.;sne
s of God's people, meshed. hooked, drag-
ged iu their net; their captors wfll',.;hippin!:' the in,.;trUlncnt
of their sueecss, renlling- in their triumph, and then the
Ud-
den fillestion," i Shall they therefore empt.'1 their llet?" HI'
waits to hear the answ('r from God. Or, again, the antipJw-
nal dir
e of the materials of the blood-huilt citv O\'er him k.
Or the 'Cutting- oft. of e'"ery stay, sustenance, hopé, promisc of
God, and, amid this univer,.;al cra,.;h. what docs he? It i,.;
not a
the heathen, "Ifearle
s will the ruins !'trike him:"
hilt, "m And I," as if it wel'c the eontinuanee and consefl'lent't'
of thc failure of all human thin1!:s; "I would exult in till'
Lord, I would bound for joy in the God of my !ialvation."
His faith triumphs most, when all, in human sight, is lost,

"111 which Thou ble
sest is most good,
_\nd unblcst good is ill ;
And all is right which ,.;eems most wrong,
So it be Thy sweet Will."

17 (the form), :1::':) ii. 18.
;::'1 ii. 16. "'0, y>:::n" iii. 6. ,,;:n iii. 9. "11o;,I. V iii. 11. n

i' ii. 10.
:'1
!):I ii. 4. :'11) ii. 5. jI'Jn iii, I. 1,'1 iii, 2. C'1
' ii. 19, c."t-::J ii. 15, "!"In i. 8,
'
J ii. II. n-::

ii, 7.
:'1' iii. 2,
.,
quiver (of the lips) iii. 1(;,,.h (of sea) iii. 15. They "ill recur for
nO\Íce in the Comm.
Hab. i. 11. Ii lb. 12. · lb. 17.
k ii.n. I 1I0r. 0<1. iii. 3. 8. m iii. 10.

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"III NOT TillS GnE\T B\BYLO:ll "n:clI I II nOE )HDE FOR )f\ SELF? " .. THE PURPOSE OF TilE LORD IS AG.\I!<ST BABYLO:ll TO DESTROY IT."

-...

.

06

HAß.AKK UK.

Before
CHRIST
cir.626.

CH
\.PTER I.

] Unto Habakkuk, complaining of tlte iniquity of
the lalld, 5 is shewed the fearflll vengeance by the
Clwlcleans. 12 He complaineth tlwt vengeance
should be e:recuted b.1J them who are far worse.

CHAF. I., Vcr. I. The burden 1 wlârh Habakkuk tlte
lJrophet did see. Thc prophet's name si/.!:nifies "stron/.!: em-
hra('c." The word in its intcnsivc form is USCd both of
GUd'S enfolding the soul in His tender supporting lovc 2, and
of man ('Iinging and holding fast to Divine wisdom 3. It
fits in with thc subjcct of his prophecy, faith, clcaving fast
to God amid thc pcrplexities of thiugs seen. "4 He who
is spiritually Habakkuk, deaving fast to God with the
arllls of love, or cnfolding Him aftcr thc manner of onc
holily wrcstling, until he be blessed, enlightcned, and heard
by Him, is the seer herc." "Let him who would in such
wise fcrvidly embracc God and plead with Him as a friend,
JH'aying earncstly for thc delivcmnce and consolation of
himsclf aud others, but who sees not as yet, that his prayer
is hcard, malce the samc holy plaint, and appeal to thc clc-
mcncy of the Creator." "" IIc is called 'embra('e' either
becausc of his love to the Lord; or beeat!se he engages in
a contest and strifc and (so to speak) wrestling with God.
For no one with words so bold venturcd to challenge God
to a discussion of His justice and to say to Him, ""Thy, in
humaIi atfairs and thc governmcnt of this world is there so
great injustice?"
The prop/let. The title, tlte prophet, is added only to the
names of Habakkulc, Haggai, Zechariah. Hahakkuk may the
rather have added it to his name, bccause prominently he
expostulates with God, likc the Psalmists, and does not

pcak in the name of God to thc people. The title asscrts
that he exerciscd the pastoral office of the prophcts, al-
though not directly in this prophecy 6.
Did see. "7 God multiplied visions, as is writtcn 8, and
Himself spake to the prophets, disclosing to them before-
hand what should be, and all but exhibiting them to sight,
as if already present. But that they dctermined not to speak
from their own, but rather transmit to us thc words from
(;ud, he persuades us at the outset, naming himself a Pro-
phet, and shewing himself full of the grace belonging there-
to."
2. 0 Lord, /toW long shall I cry, lit. /IOW long have I
rried so intensely to Thee 9? For it is CHr the ery of the
('l"eature to Him "Tho alone can hear or hclp, its God 1.
Of this ery the Prophet exprcsses that it had already
lasted long". In that long past had he cried to God and
no changc had come. 'rherc is an undefined past, and this
still continues 10. How [01lg, as Asaph cries, flOW hmg /IllSt
Thou been, and, it is implicd, wilt Thou be wroth against
the prayer of Thy peop{e? as wc should say, how {ong shall
Th." wratlt continue? The words which the Prophet uses
relate to domestic strife and wrong bctwecn man and
man; violcnce lI , inifluity, strife, contention 12, nor arc any of
thcm us cd only of the oppression of a fureign enemy. He

I On the word burden see on Nah. i. 1. p. 3ï3. n. I.

j:11J:1 Cant. ii. 6. viii. 3.
Provo iv. 8. 4 Dion.
· S. Jer. Abarbanel has the like, .. He strengthens him.elfin pleading his cause with
G.od. as to the ,prosperity of N ebuchagnezzar as if he was joined with God for the cautie
of hIs people. Pref. to Ezek. pp. 1_3, 4, 124. 1.
6 See ab. p. 2ÐB. 7 S. Cyr. 8 Hos. xii. 10.
9 11';:/ only occurs in the intensive form, and always of the cry to God, expressed
b}- )It, or implied, except perhaps Job xxxv. 9.

T HE burd('n which Habakkuk the 1)1'0- C HBï[oíes T
phet did see.
::
'_
2 0 LORD, how long shall I cry, a and a Lam. 3. 8.
thou wilt not hear! et'CIl cry out unto thee
of violenc'e, and thou wilt not save!

e()lnplains too of injustiee tOil strung for the law, and
thc pef\"ersion of justice 13. And on this the sentcnce is
pronounced. The cnemy is to bc scnt for JudgelllOil and
('()rre"tion u. They are then the sins of .J udah whieh the
Pmphet rehearses before God, in fcllow-suffering with the
IIppressed. God answcrs that thcy shall be removed, but
by thc punishment of the sinners.
Punishment does not come without sin, nor doe
sin
endure without punishment. It is one objcet of thc Old
Tcstament to exhibit the conneetion between sin and pu-
nishmcnt. Other prophets, as commi!'siuned by God, first
denounced the sins and then foretold thc punishment of
the impcnitent. Habakkuk appeals to God's justice, as
requiring its infliction. On this g-mund too this ol)cning
of the pruphecy c'annot be a c'omplaint against the Chal-
dees, because their wrong would bc no ground of the pu-
nishment which the prophet denounced, but the punishment
itself, requiting- wrong to man through lmman wrong.
"7 The prophct ('onsidcrs the person of the oppresscd, en-
during the intolerablc insolenec and eontumely of thuse
wonted to do wrong, and vcry skilfully doth he attest the
unuttcrablc loving kindness of God. For he exhibits Him
as very forb
al"Íng, though wont to hate wickedness. But that
Hc doth not forthwith bring" judgcmcnt on the offcnders,
he showed clearly, saying that so great is His silence and
long-suffcring", that therc needeth a strong cry, in that some
practise intolerable covctousness against othcrs, and use an
unbridled insolence ag'ainst thc weak. For his vcry com-
plaints of God"s cnduranee of e\"ÍI attest the immeasurable
loving kindness of God."
"7Y ou may judgc hcnce of the hatred of evil in the Saints.
FOl' they spcak of the wocs of others as their own. So saith
the most wise Panl, 1" wllo is weak and I mil not weak? U'/IO is
offended, and I burn not? and bade us 16wee}J with tllOse who
weep, shewing that sympathy and mutual love are especially
bccoming- to the saints."
Thc Prophet, through sympathy or fcllow-suffcring" with
the sufferers, is as one of thcm. He cries for help, as him-
self needing it, and being in thc miscry, in behalf of which
he prays. He says, How lcmg s/lll11 I cry? standing", as it
wcre, in the plac'e of all, and /!.'athering" all their eries into
one, and presenting them before Gud. It is thc cry, in
one, of all which is wronp;ed to the (;od of Justice, of all
suffcring to the God of lo\'e. "'Yhen shall this seene of
sin, and ('onfusion, and wrong be at an end, and thc har-
mony of God's creation bc f('stored? How long" shall evil
not exist only, but pre\'ail?" It is thc cry of thc souls
under the altar 17 , llow {oug, 0 Lord, Ho{y llnd Trlle, dost
Thou not Judge and llt'euge ollr blood on them that dwell
on tile earth
It is the voicc of the oppressed against thc

10 '1'1),11;1 "1"-'11 as Ps. Ixxx. 6. JN
Il 'n';)-'II and Exod. >:vi. 28. t",!.<
"1"-'11 and Ex. x. 3,

J!.<
.i:9--'1I (all.j. - ...11 ,rð1 CDn ai." nn{ted
f individual
inlernal vioTence, Jer. VI. 7. xx. 8. Ez. xlv. 9. Am. 111.10: even '
171T Is. IIx. 7. and'l:1
alone Ps. xii. 6. Job x,<iv. 9. Pr. xxi. 7. xxiv. 2. Hab. ii. Ii. ,1:'1
I
Ho.. xii 2. ',oV1 I'"
occur Ps. Iv. 11, in Habakkuk's order; im'erted in Ps. X. i. pM,
i:)V, ",1:1 occur in thref
clauses i
J Ii."

. 4.
::JjI, i'", wit\

lob Xv. 35. 14 i. ]2.
lð 2 Cor. xi. 29. 16 Rom. xli. 15. 17 R,v. vi. 10.

CIL\PTEIt I.

Before
C
/U
I
T

:1 'Vhy dost thou shew me ini(luity, and
eause me to behold grievance? for spoiling
and violencc m'c befm'c mc: and thcre arc
that raise up strife and contention.

oppressor; of thc Chureh ag-ainst the world; weary of
hearing the Lord's Kame blas()hemed, of seeinC' wrong-
et
up on high, holincss trampled under foot. It is in its
highe
t sense His "oice, ,rho, to sandify our Jon
dngs
for dclh-erance, said in the days of His Flesh, 1 I cry ill
tlte tl(//I time, but Tholl hew'est 1l0t.
Evett cry out aloud (it is the cry of ang-uish). "2 ". e
crv thc loudcl', the more we erv from thc hem.t, e"en with-
ou't words; fur not the moving' of the lip!', but the love of
the heart sounds in the ears of God." Et'ell cry out unto
Tlwe. \Vhcther as an exclamation or a continuance of the
question, How long f thc pl"Ophct g'athcrcd in one the pro-
long:cd cr
' of pa
t and future. lIe had cried; hc should
cry on, Þ'iolem:e 3 , He speaks as if the onc word, jcrked
out, as it were, wrung fOl.th from his inmost soul, was,
riolence, as if he said this one word to the God of Justice
and lovc.
3. IVhy clost Thou shew me illiquit.ll, aUll cau.
e me to
beltOld, or rather, If/hy beholcle.çt Tlwu 4 grielJG1lce? God
scemcd to re,'ersc what He had said by llalaam, 6 He IUlth
llnt be/lelcl iniquity ill Jamh, alld hath not seell grievoll.çuess
ill Israel; and in the Psalm, "6 Thou hast scen, for Thou
[emph.] beholdcst grievousness and wrong, to ]Jut it ill
Th.1/ halld," i. e. Thou laycst it up in Thy hand, to cast it
hack on the head of the edldoer. Now Hc seemed to be-
hold it and leave it unpunished, which yet Habakkuk says
to God below, He could not do; 7 ThOll canst not look UpOll
iniquity. '''hat thcn did this mean? What was thc solu-
tion?
AU forms and shapes of sin are multipJied; oppressh'e
,:iolellce 8 , such as corered tile earth before thc flood, and
brought it down; whieh
ïne"eh had to put away 9, and
it was spared; illiquity, i. e. what is unequal and contrary to
truth, fabehood; griet'llllCe lit. burdensome wearisome toil;
spoiling, or open robbery; strife aud conteution, both throu
h
perver:;ion of the law and, without it, throug-h cndle..s
jarrinC's of man with man. Sin recoils on thc sinner. So
what he beholds is not iniquity only, but (in the same word)
'l'auity; grie'l}Wlce; which is a burden both to him who suf-
fcrs, and yet more to him who inflicts it. For nothing is
so um'densome as sin, nothing' so empty as wickedness
.
And while to him who suffers, the suffering is temporal, to
him who inflicts it, it is eternal. And yet the prophct and
whoso prays against ungodliness, " 10 must commiserate him
who doth wrong }Oet more, since they hurt what is most
precious, their own soul, and that eternally," All then is

1 Ps. xxii. 2. 2 Dion.
a t:::n j:
'1K as "'j:K '1:'1 t::::n Jer. xx.8. c::n j:
'.H I;' Job xix. 7. [all of this construction]
4 Since C';]:'!, occurring 67 times. is certainly no where e!se used causatively of its com-
mon meaning, behold, look, and Habakkuk himself uses it four times besides in tbat
meaninl! IC"J", "look," i. 5. with
K, i. 13. with
11 ii. 13. with acc. pers. i. 13. it is wholly
improbable that it should be used here of " causing to look; " the more, since he has not
marked [h" supposed exceptional use by adding the affix, 'Z':J1\. There is no ground to
assume a causative of a cau!':ative.
·
u. x"üi. 21. · Ps. x. 14, 7 i. 13. s r:::n Gen. vi. n , 13.
9 Jonah iii. 8. 10 Theoph.
e<:
u

!;: et

[
d
c
i
s;o

t
;.;rÉ"YS:'';:

hU

ð Th';ì:,

f:'f
;;oe;:
cj

Kim. Aben Ezra.
.
II"'] int ans., as in Ps.lxxxix. 10; Kah. i. 5.
II 1'1, Ix xiü. 15, I:!, 13. 14 Eccl. ,'üi. 11.

40i

4, Therefore the law is slaekC'd, and judgc- c HB
fys T
ment <loth nen'r go fOl,th: for the b wi{'J,;ed cir. (j:!(j.
<loth compass about thc righteous; therc-
!.o
l
k
c,
fore II \\TOn'" J 'ud,,'ement l >rocecdeth Jer.l
.I.
. /"')
." Or, wrested.

full of evil. 'Vhithersoever thc Prophet looks, !<ome fresh
'l'iolellce is before him; it ('onfron1s him on e\"Cry side; strife
hath arisell ll , comc up, e
ists where it was not before; COll-
tentioll l
ftetlt itselfl2 on high, Uo\\ ing down all bcsides,
4 Therefore, i. e. Because God s
emed not to awake
to a,'cng-e His own caus
, men promised themsehoes that
they mig-ht sin on with impunity. Sin prmlucf's sin, and
wrong, wrong-; it
prcads likc an infcctious diseasc, pro-
pagating it
elf, and each, to whom it rea('hes, adds to its
poison. At last, it rea('hed thosc al
o, who
hould be in
God's stead to re!o'train it. The Dh'ine law itself is
ilenced,
by the power of the wicked, by thc sin of the judgc, the
hopcl('ssness of all. "'hcn all around is edl, enn thosc not
yet lost are tempted to think; " \Yhy should I be othcr than
thev? what e,'il IJcfalls thcm? "11\' stand alone?" E,-en
a Psalmist 13 speaks as if tempted. to .çpeak evell as they.
These are the ungodly lcho prosper in tlte world; tlte!! in-
crease in riches; 't'eri(1/ I Illlve cleansed my heart in r'aill,
ami washed 1//.1/ hands ilt iWlOcency; and Solomon a, Because
sentence agaillst an evil wurk is not e:cecuted speedi(l/, there-
fore tile Iteart of the sons of men is fully set ill them to do
evil.
The law is slackecl, lit. is cMIlecl l5 (as wc say, "is para-
lysed,") thl"oug-h lack of thc fire of love. This is what our
Lord says, 16 Because iniquity shall ahmllld, tI,e lot'e of mcw!!
,shall n'cl.'!: cold. The Divinc Jaw, thc source of all right, be-
ing chilled in men's hearts, Judgement, i. e. the scntencc of
human justice, as conformed to Divine, dotl1l1el'er go forth 17.
Human scnse of right is powcrless, when there is not till'
love of God's law, It seems e,,-er ready to act, but enr
falls short, like an arrow from an unstrung bow. The man
seems evcr ahout to do right; he judges, sccs, aright; all
but does it; yet at last always fails. It goes not fortlt. The
clâldrell are come to the hirth, alld t!tere is 1l0t strengtl, to
hring .forth 18,
For tlte u.it'ked cloUt compass a/wilt IS the rigldeoll.ç, lay-
ing' snares for him, as the Jews for our Lord; evil is too
stl"Ong for a weak will to do rig-ht, and m-erbears it. Pilate
song-ht ill many ways, how he mi!.dlt delivcr Jesus, Jet at
last did dclh-er IIim into thcir hands. -
T/lerefore 'l('TOng Judgement proceedeth, lit. judgement pro-
ceedeth wrested 20. He had said, "it never goes forth;"
never, that is, in its true character; for, when it does go
forth, it is distorted. "2 For gifts or fa,'our or fear or hate
the guiltless are condemned and the guilty aClluitted, as
saith the Psalmist, 21 How long will ye judge WYllstly tlJUi

15 It is used of Jacob'. heart, who could not believe the good tidinl!., Gen. xlv. 2G;
the numbing of the comfortless heart ofthe penitent Ihrough grief (
if.) P>. xx,,, iii.
9. The Psalmist, holding on in prayer. denies it of himselt, Ps. xx,ii. 3. They quote
.. friget lex."
,. S. Matt. xxiv. 12. 17 According to the uniform use of m.
. 31 times
and nJlJ (j times. This uniform usage cannot be overborne by the analogy 01 Is. xlii. 3.
C
K
' N)I<
, "He shan bring forth judgement to truth," as S)r. here," with sill-
cerity," Rashi, "accorqing to truth." IS Is. xxxvii. 3.
19 '1'1'1J:1, .. encompass for hostile end," as "U3
Jud. xv. 43. P.. ?-x. ]3. "The wick
d."
IfVI is collecti,'e, as implied by the word "encompass." "The righteous" is, ill con-
trast, determined, P"
" nH.
20
i'þC. The ro01 occurs only in intensive forms; in the verb here only; crooked y, ay.
are n'
p
PII Jud. v. 6. Ps. cxxv. 5. the Serpent is called )1"

I1. Isa. X'\:,ü. 1.
II Ps. lxxxii. 2.

408

IL-\ß.\I\.K C1\..

5 4If. c ßehold ye among the heat1
en, aI
d II 6 F
r, 10, d II I raise uP. the C1
aldeans, C
Wr
s T
regard, and wonder lllatTellouslv ; tor I wIll that lJltter and hasty natIon, whH'h shall Clf. (j
(j.
work a work in your days, which ye will Illlareh through the t hreadth of the land, :\/?

:t. 2:;.
not ùclicw, though it ùe told you. I to possess the dwellingplaces that are not :f
l
il

',
I their's t Heb. breadll... 2 Chr. 3ü. 6.
I .
I believe, when it
hall bc told YOU."
o it e,-er is. :\Ian
ncver believcs, that God i!ò in e:ll"llest, until His judgemcnts
,come. So it was before thc flood, and to
ndolll, and Lot'

, sons-in-law; so it was to .Ahab and Jezebel; so as to this
destruction of Jeru"alem hy thc Chaldæans, and that whieh
i" "hadowcd forth, bý the liomans. Su Jeremiah f'omplained,
7 T!le,'! !lave belied t!ie Lord, aud said, it i.
uot Ife; neither
shall evil come Up01t ItS; neitlter shall we see sword }lor famine,
: and, B I (tin ill derisioll dlli!.'!; el'e1:1J oue lIweketh me. .For
since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence llud spoil; because
the ll'ord (
f the Lord was made a reproaclf unto me, and (t
: derisioJl dai!.,!; and Isaiah, 9 Jrlw Iwth believed our report f
; and St. John Baptist spea},;:s as thou
h it wcrc dcsperatc;
1 100 generatioJl of 1'ipers, ll'lw hath warned you to .flee from
the w/"llth to come? and our Lord tells them, 11 rour house is
left unto .1JOlt desolate. .And yet they belie,'ed not, but de-
linred Him up to bc put to death, lest that should bc, whidl
did come, heClluse they put Him to death. 12 If we let Him
t!lns aloue, all men 1l'ill beliel'e on Him; and tile Romans
shall come, and take awa.,! botll ou/' plfl('e alld uation. St.
Paul 13, then. applies these words to the .Jews in his day, be-
cause the destruction of the first temple by l\ehuchadnezzar
was an ima
e of thc destruction of the second (whieh by
Dh-inc appointment, ('ontrary to man's intention, took place
on the same day 14), and the Chaldæans we)'e images of the
Homans, that sceond llabylon, heathen Home; and both
fOl"e
howed the wor
e destruetion by a ficrcer cncmy, the
('nemy of souls, the spiritual wasting and dcsolation which
came on the Jew fir
t, and which shall eomc on all who
di
tlbey the (
o
pel.
(I it shall be to the encl. E,'en now
the Jews helie,'e not. 'rho
e work their own dispcrsion is;
His, "ïlO by them was crueified, but "-ho hath 15 all pO/{,l'r
ill neat'en aud ill earth. The Day of J udgemcnt "ill eome
like a thief in the night to thosc ,,=110 belie'
e not or obcy not
our Lord's words. .
6. For 10. So God announces a future, in which His
Hand shall be greatlv ,"isihle. whether more or less distant.
In His
i
ht it 'is pre
ent. I rai.
e up. God uses thc freewill
and e,'il passions of men or de\"Íls to His own cnd
; and !'o
He is said to rai.çe up 16 those whom He allows to be
tirred
up against His people, !'incc the events which Hi,. Pro\"Í-
dcncc permit
, faHllIr thcir dc
i
n!', and it re!'ts with Him to
withhold them. They lift themselns up for some end of
em-etousness or prillc. But there is a hi
'her order of thin
s,
in whieh God orders their a(.tions to fulfil by their ini'p1Íties
Hi" rig:hteousne:-os. The Cllllldæalls, that bitter Ii and Illlst'! 18
uatioll. "19'1'0 its mig-ht and wal"like boldne:-os almtl!òt all the
Greeks who ha,'e w
itten histories of the barbarians, wit-
ness." Irhich shall march through the hreadth of the laud,

Before
CH.RI,
T
cu. G:.u.
cIs. 29. U.
Acts 13. 41.

accept tlte persolls of the 1tI1/((J(lI.,! ?" "I Judgemellt goes fortlt
perurted in the scat of man's judgcmcnt (the soul), when,
Ju'ibed by the plea"'ures of scnse, it leans to the side of
things seen, and the {-ng-odly onc, the J'ebel an
c1, besets
and o\"erpowers him who has the !'cn!'e of right; for it is
right that things seen should gh-e way to things unseen;
2/01' the tMugs w/tich are seen are temporal, hut the t/tiugs
ll'/tidt are not seen are ete/'lIal." "Thv then all this? and
how long? \\'hy docs God bring it befóre him and He Who
is of pltrer eyes than to he/wId iuiqui(,!, behold grie1'allce,
which His Hoh' Eves could not endure? l\cither the Cn-
"('en Presencc óf Gõd nor the Jlli
sion of the Pmphet cheeks.
If he rebuke, no one hearkcncd : if he intercedes for sinner",
or ag-ainst sin, God made as though He would not hear.
God answers that, thou
h to man's impatience the tillle
seems long, judgement shall come. and that, suddenly and
speedily. "-hilc thc righteous is en<tnirin
, Iww loug? and
the wicked is saying 3, JIg Lord dela.'let II His comiug, He
is come, and seen in thc midst of them.
5. The whole tone of thc words suddenly chan
es. The
J e,,-!ò flattered themselves that, being thc petlple of Gud,
He would not fulfil His threats upon them. Ther had bc-
('ome like the heathen in wif'kedness; God bids them look
out among- them for the in"trument of His di!òplea"'llre. It
was an agl:;rm-ation of their punishment, that God, "Tho had
once cho,;en tllem, wuuld now choosc these whom He had
not cho"en, to chasten them. So :\Io
cs had foretold; 4 They
have moved .lIe to jealous,ll b.1/ that 1l'/ticll is not God; they
have prot'oked .1Ie to auga 'witlt tltei/' vauities; aud I u'ill
move them to jealousy 1l,ith uot-a-peflple, I 1l'ill p1"fJl'o!.e tlteJJt
to aUKer witll a foolisll uatiou. Thel'e were no tokens of
the storm which should sweep thcm away, yet on the hori-
zon. Xo forerunners yct. .And!òo IIc Lids them gaze on
among thc nations, to sce whence it
lwuld eome. Thev
might have expected it from r.g'Yl't. It should comc whence
they did not expcl't, with a fiert'Cness and tcrriblcne"s whieh
they imagincd not. Regard, look narl"owly, weigh well
what it portends; ([nd wOl/del' l11aI'Velloils!.'!; lit. he a11la;'.;('(I,
a//lazed. The word is doublcd 6, to cxprcss how amazement
should follow upon amazement; when the first was pass-
ing away, new source of amazement
hould comc; for 6 I
1l'ill wOl'k (t work ill .1JOItJ. da.'ls, which ye will 1/ot belin'e,
though it he told .1JOIt. So incrcdible it will be, and su
a
ain
t their wiJls! Hc does not save "ye would not believe
it
it were wId you;" much less," if it were told you of
others;" in which ease the ehief thougl1t would he left un-
expres!'ed. Xo eondition is expre
sed. It is simply foretold,
what was ,'erified bv the whole hi!òtm'y of thcir resistance
to the Chaldees until the capture of thé city; "Y e will not

I Theoph. ' 2 Cor. iv. 18.
S. )latt. xxiv. 4'<;. 4 Deut. xxxii. 21.
· As in Ps. cxviii. n, 'J1J:;:O t:J 'J1JO. Hos. iv. 18, IJè! IJ:-:", Z..ph. ii. 1. lei", 1&wi"11:'1
If sugJ(ested by Is. xxix. \/, I"cm 1:-::"::11:'1 .. be perplexed and marvel," Habakkuk
chanJ(eù Ihe phrase, preservinJ( the allil. ration.
fin
;
:r
: I

ì. o

::

:is

,

'e:i t

o
;
I
e

n
op
.is

ji
' 2

:
. i
ò;e
f

:
second 1
am. ii. 2-1. vi. 3. l's. ,'ii. 10. Hab. ii. 10. E"ald adds" afler :'I", Gen. xli. 1.
Ex. ,'ii. 15. viii. 16, and "ithout it, Ps. >oxii. 2!J, >oxxiii. 5. í. Ix,'i. í. xc,'i. la. Lehrb.
p. 516. ed. ï. ; Jer. v. I
. 6 lb. xx. ï, 8.
Is. liii. 1. 10 S. Matt. iii. ï.

II lb. xxiii. 38. S. Luke xiii. 35.
12 S. John xi. 48. 13 Some of the "ords as there quoted (from the then re-
ceived tran,lation, the LXX.) diller; the sense is Ihe same. I< Jos. de B. J.:>:.I-lO.
1. S. )latt. xxviii. 18.
16 C';:'I is so used. 1 Kings xi. U.
:
. Am. vi. 14, and of eyiJ (in the abstract) 2
Sam. xii. n. Zech. xi. 16, as also ".:'1 EzeI... xxiii. 22. 2 Chr. xxi. 1ß. and against
Babylon, Is. xiii. Ii. xli. 2, 2:.. Jer. I. 9. Ii. 1. n.
I; "1D. In Jud. x,iii. 25. 2 Sam. ",ii. 8, the less concise 11''')
:J is used.
Is "'1:) as Is. xxxii. -I. 19 S. Jer.

CHAPTER I.

c :
oïs T i They are terrible and dreadful: II their
cir. C26. jud
emcnt and their dignity shall proceed

J

'.t
; of thems('h-es.
::r;

::':.t 8 Thcir horses also are swifter than the

::s:
;
:t." leopards, and are Inure t fiCl"CC t}},ln tile
1 :::b
'.hørp. e e\'enin
wolves: and their horsemen shall
e Jer. 5. 6. Zeph. 3. 3.

I'ather, the earth, lit. "to the breadths of the earth," reat'h-
ing to its whole length and breadth, all its dimensions \
as in the description of Gog and Magog', 2 the number uf
whom is as the smut uf the sea; ami they went up Oil tile
breadth of tile eelrth; unhindcl'ed, not pent up, but ."ipreading'
abroad, where they will, over the whole earth. All before
it, is one wide even plain which it overspreads and covers,
like a flood, and yet is not spent nor exhausted. Tu l)fJ,çsess
tlte dwelling-pla('es that are nut theirs. .\s God's people had
àtJne, so should it be done tu them. Spoiling- and violencc
within S attract oppression from without. The onrcharg-ed
atmosphere casts down the li
htning upon them. They had
expelled the weak from their dwelling i ; others shall pussess
theirs. Yet this 8cour
e too shall pass by, since, although
the Chaldæan did God's ""ill, he willed it not, but his own 5.
The words, not theirs, lit. nut to him [lu-Iu 6 ] stand with
a mp'tcrious fulness of meaning, The dwelling places nut
being /tis by right, shall not remain !tis, although given to
him, while God wills.
7. They are terrible 7 and dreac{fllt. He describes them,
first in themselves, then in act. They are terrible, and strike
fear through their very being, their known character, before
they put it forth in act. Their judgement and their dignity
shall proceed of themselves. Jut/gemellt had {(one forth in
God's people u.rested 8 ; now shall it go forth against them at
the mere will of their master, who shall own 110 other rule
or Lord or source of his power. His own will shall be his
only law for himself and others, His elevation II too is, in
his own thought, from himself. He is self-:,uffieing; he
hulds from no other, neither from God nor man. His dig-
llity is self-sustained; hisjlldgemeut irre:,ponsible, as if there
were none 10 higher them he. He has, like all great worId-
powers, a real dignity and majesty. He infuses awe. The
di!!lìity is real but faulty, as being held independently of
God. This is a character of .Anti-christ ll, a lawless in-
solence, a lifting up of him!;elf.
tI. Tileir horses are sw{fter [lit. lighter, as we 8ay, "light
of foot"] than leopards. The wild beast intended is the
panther, the lightest, swiftest, fiercest, most blood-thirsty of

I 'J
(plur.) occurs here only. Isaiah has" the fulness of the breadth of Thy
land, D Immanuel" viii. 8, and in the same sense v. 9. f"iII 't:1I"'C
J "all the far places
of the earth." (also ii"..)
Rev. xx. 8.9. 3 i.2-4.
4 Mic. ii. 9. . See lsa. x. 6, 7. fi,1, tl.1,
, c\'1$ occurs here only and Cant. ,i. -I. 10. compared with the" bannered host,"
but the root is common in II;'!!. B i. 4.
v nI!l:' is not in itself. ".
-elevation" (as Kim. .. that he will exalt himself above

ix
3
op
:'lx
rt5
imftlrs '
sed

h

!j

y
f

':i
b 'xhi. o
.His Pr
:i
ec
ï\

:
11 Dan. xi. 36. 2 Thess. ii. 1.
I
Dppian Cyneg. iii. 75. sq. 13 S. C}.r. See more fully in D.anielthe
opht;tp. 77. n.3.
H lit. sharp" acer." "11 (except of the scales of the crocodIle Job. XII. 2i) 1. used else-
where only of the sharpening of non against iron (Hif.) Pro xxvii. 17; (Hof.), of the a"ord
Ezek. xxi. 1-1,15,16. '""'n as an epithet of the sword (iv times). In Arabic :!U. conj. i. ii. iv.
x is to .. sharpen;" '11"111, 'tI.'IÌI .. sharp,"of a knife, sword; ''''111 met., .. sharp of intellect"
tic. also of sword. I. Compo J er. v. 6. t6 Zeph. iii. 3. I, The horse and his
rider are regarded as one. 1"ahum had spoken of the cavalry in the armies a
in.t
Nineveh (Nah. iii. 2); in Judith they are numbered in the proportion of one tenth to
the foounen of Holo{ernes (.,Judith ii. 5, 15.). They were the more formidable to Judah
..hich had footmen only. t: nder Persian rule Babylonia waa a p;reat breeding place for I
hDrsec. Raw!. 5 Empires iii.31i. IS Deut. nviü. 49,50. ;nn"C occurs in both. '
PART T',

409

sprcad thcmseh-es, and their horsemen shall c HB
oïs T
come from far; f tlley shaH fly as the eaglc cir. Ii:!t:.
that hasteth to eat. fit:: -1.13.
9 Thcy shall come all for violcnce: IItthcir ::.eoj''J::.:!?
faces shalJ sup up as the east wind, and they
:":,;.1;'
shall gathel' the captivity as the sand. {:
k":';;:
.,
t Heb. lhe oppo.ilion oj lheir foe.s loward lhe elUl. the eUlt.

beasts of prey. 'Hi It runs most swiftly and rushes bra,'e and
straight. You would say, when you saw it, that it is borne

hrou
h the air." ':13 It bounds exeeedin
dy and is very cxceed-
mgly light to sprmg dou'n on whatever it pursues." .1fure
.fìerce H tllll1ltheeveningwotves I5 ,i.e. than they are when fiprpest,
going- forth to prey when urged to rabidness by hungcr the
whole day through. Such had their own jmlges been Ið, anti
by such should they be punished, The hor
e partakes of the
ficreenes,; of his rider in trampling down the foe 11 . Tileir IlOrsp-
men shall spreud themselves [lit. u'idespreae] are tI,eir Iwr.
e-
menI, and tlleir horsemen from far shall come. Kcithcr dis-
tance of mardl shall weary them, nor diffusion weaken them.
So shuuld
Ioses' prophecy be again fulfilled. 18 Tile Lord ,
/l(lll
raise against thee a nation from fur, from tlte euds of tile earth,
as tlte eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue tholl shalt nut ll1ultr-
stand; a nation of .fierce COll1ltellance, wMcll ,Çllllll not regard
the pcr,
un of tile old, nor show favour to the .I/ou/lg.
Tiley slml! fl.'! as tile eagle tltat hasteth [lit. IUlsting 19] tf'
eat, "20 no t to fight, for none shall withstand; but with a t'our
e
like the eagle's, to whom all fowl are subdued, hasting but to
eut." Behuld, Jeremiah says of Nebuehadnezzar 21 , lte shall
fly as an eagle and spread ltis wings over .1Ioab; and, he re-
peats the words,

over Buzrall. (Jur }Jllrsllers,Jeremiah says2S,
are swifter thall the ellgles of tile heavens. Ezekiel likens
him to 2
a great eagle with great wings full of feat/ler,
; in
Daniel's vision he is 2õ a lion with eagle's wings.
9. TIley shall come all for violence. 110lence had been
the sin of Judah 26, and now shall be her punishment. It had
been elJer before the prophet; all were full of it. Now should
violence be the very end, one by one, of all the sa,-age Iwrrle
poured out upon them; the.1/ all, each one uf them 27, come for
violence. Their faces shall SIlP Ilp
8 as the ellst wiml 29 . ".As at
the breath of the burning wind all green thing-s dry up, so at
8ig-ht of these all shall be wasted." They !!'hall sweep onr
every thing impetuously, like the east ,,'ind, !'col"('hin
,
blacl
ening, blasting, swallowing up all, a:' they pass over, a

the East wind, especially in the Holy Land, sucks up allmois-
ture and freshness. Ami they shall gather tile capth'it.1/ [i. e.
the captives] as the sand, ('ountless, as the particles whit'h the

19
AI partie. In the finite verb, it had been V</I' like !OJ' ii. U, 'J
lI' iii. 11, 1:'1::'
Job. ix. 26. Del. :0 S. Jer.

be:
.
\i
i. MI.
ð V.
i
' xlixi; 2t ,I,J
s

. \
'. i. 23, ix
41
Zj:;. xvi
ii
;
viii. 6.10, xv, 10. lI
J Jer. xx. 7.
::8 no]::!, /!".. ÀE"Y' The sense" swallowing" is p;iven by Jos. Kimchi, A. E., Rashi.
Db. Sip., Menahem B. Saruk, taking COJ as i. q. tl.OJ, quoting Job xxxix. 2-1 or Gen.
xxiv. Ii. Thence A. E. obtains the meaning "1>efore, straight on," quoting Targ.
Abulwalid, followed by Tanchum, compares the Arab. 1;:], "pu'1'osed," and thence de-
[i;e

r
d.'Ge:

h:

?t:
'i

f
hci
.f

:
fi
i;
t
fi
1

e%
i

:fv

h
h

' o
o:
5".. À''Y. to express, without emphasis, "hat is expressed every where by the common
word.
J. Symm. has "'p<5.,.oljl.., and so S}'r.
29
"'Ii' occurs else only iu Ezek. xi. I, and 16 times in c. xl-xlviii of the ideal city
and temple as "East...ards." But except in the far-fetched explanation of Abarb.
(mentioned also by Tanchlim) that they ravaged, not to settle, but to return home "ith
their booty, .. Eastwards" ...ould have no meaning. Yet" forwards" is just as insulated
a rendering as that adopted by J. and D. Kim.. A. K, Rashi, Db. Sip., Sal. ll. 'leI.
Arab Tr. (following Jon.) "the East-wind;"
"'Ip standing as a met. in_lead 01 a simile
the 11 being rep;arded as paragogic, as in 1I
'
. So also S) mm. ""'1'0' """.,.,,... S Jer.,
II ventu! urens.'1
3 p

410

H.AßAKKt.:"K.

C }f'}{oíes T 10 And they shall scoff at the king-s, and
cir. 6:.!6. the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they
shall deride e\"ery strong hold; for they
shall heap dust, and take it.

East wintl raises, sweeping over the santi-wastes, where it
buries whole earavans in one tleath.
10. A/ld the.1J [lit. he, the word stands em)Jhatieally, Ite,
alone again!"t all the kings of the earth] shall serif" at the
kings and all thcir mig-ht, taking- them away or setting-
them up at his pleasurc and eapricc, subduing- them as
thtlugh in sport 1; a/ld jJrinces, (lit. gmve and rJl(!iestic) slmll
be It scorn unto them [him] 2. So N ebuehadnezzar hound
Jdllliakim 3 in fetters to carr.1f him to Bab.'llon; then, on his
submission made him for threc years a tributary king4, then
tin his rebellion scnt bands of Chaldees and other tribu-
taries ag-ainst him 5; and then, or when 1'\ebuchadnezzar took
Jehoiaehin, Jeremiah'!, prophecy was fulfilled, that he should
he buried witlt the burial of an ass, dragged and cast fortlt
be!/ond tlte gates of Je/"usalem 6, !tis dead bod.1f cast out in the
tia.1f to the heat and in tile n
!J1tt to tlte frost 7, then Nebu-
ehadnezzar took away Jehoiachin; then Zetlekiah. He had
al!"o many king-s eapth"e with him in ßabylon. For on his
decca!<e Evil-l\Ierodaeh broug-ht Jehoiaehin ont of his prison
after '2ï years of imprisonment, aml set /tis throne above the
throne of the kings that u'ere with /tim in Bahylon 8. Daniel
says also to 1'\ cbuchadnezzar 9, TIWll, 0 king, art a kiug of
kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom,
power alill strength alld gIOTY. And wheresoever the children
of 1IIe1l dwell, the heasts of the field and the fowls of heaven
hath Re givcn into tlâne hand and hath madc thce rulcr
O,'C1' all.
TIle.,! [ltc] shall deridc cvcr.'! strong Iwld, as, atl)retime,
when God helped her, Jeru!"alem laughed the Assyrian to
seorn 10 ; fur t hl'.'1 [ltc] shalilteap dust, and take it, as N ebu-
ehadnezzar did Tyre, whose very name (Rock) betokened its
stren
th. "n Hc shall come to Tyre, and, casting a mound
in the sea, shall maliC an island a peninsula, and, amid the
waves of the sea, land shall give an cntrance to thc city."
Thc 1/I01l1lt, or heaped-up earth, by which the besieg-ers
foug-ht on a level with the bcsieged, or planted their eng-ines
at advantage, was an old and simple form of sieg-e, ei"l'ecially
adapted to the g-reat masses of the Eastern armics. It was
u
ed in David's time 12; and by the Assyrians 13, Eg-yptians 14,
Bahvlonians 15, and afterwards thc Persians 16. Here he des-
eribès the rapidity of the siegc. To hcap up dnst and to
eapturp. were one.
It nceded no great means; thin
s slig-ht as the dust sufficed
in thc hands of those employed by God. Portion by portion,
Ii thc King of Bab.'!lolL took all that pertaincd to thc king of
Egypt,from the rivcr of Egypt unto the rivcr Euphratcs.
II. Then shall !tis mind chllngc, or, better, Thcn he

I Compo Benhadad's drunken commands, 1 Kings xx. 18.
2 Compo Job xli. 29. 3 2 Chr. xxxvi. 6. Dan. i. 2. 4 2 Kings xxiv. 1. & lb. 2.
6 Jer. xxii. 19. 7 lb. xxx,i. 30. On the one hand, the expl'ession .. slept with his
fathers" does not necessarily imply that J ehoiakim died a peaceful death, since it is
sed
of Ahab (1 Kings xxli. 40) and Amaziah (2 Kings xiv. 20, <!2.) On the other, Jerelmah's
prophecy was equally fulfilled, if the insult to his corpse took place when Neb
chad_
nezzar took away Jehoiachin three months after his father's death. See Damel
he

:
r
2 Å
t.3
6
<:" 403, J osef
uK

t.ri;
;

t

he deat\ aDda

'i7

.

i

t
10 Is. x'!:xviii. 22. II S, J er. 1
2 Sam. xx. 15.
13 2 Kgs. xi'!:. 32. H Ez. xvii. 17
lõ Jer. vi. 6. x""ii. 2J. xxxiii. 4, Ezek, iv. 2, x'!:i. 22 [2; Heb.], xxvi. 8.
16 llerod. i.lü2. 17 2 Kings xxiv. 7.

11 Thcn shall his mind change, and hc C IP
oÍeS T
shall pass ovcr, and offend, g imputing this cir. û2û.
his power unto his god. a Dan. 5. 4.
12
p..ht thou not from everlasting, 0
h Ps. 90. 2. & U3. 2. Lam. 5. 19.

sweeps by 18, a Willlf19, allli IJllSSCS 2o , and is guil(l/; tlâs his
strength is /tis god. The victory was completed, all resis-
tall(
e ended. lIe sweeps by, as his own Euphrates, when
over-filled hy the swelling- 21 of all its trihutary i"treams,
riscth up over all its banks, and ovcrwhclms all where it
passes; as a wind which sweel'eth 2
over the dei"crt: llllli
passcs (}l'cr all hounds amI laws, human and Dh-ine, llncl
it>' gllilt.1f and stands guilty before God, making- himscJf as
God, 1'lds /tis powe/" is /âs gud. God had said to IS1'ael, 23 I will
he tu thec God. The Chaldæan virtually said, t!tis 111.11 strength
is to mc my god. This K ebu('hadnczzar's own wOI'ds speak;
21 Is not tllÍ.
great Bltb.ljlon, that 1 havc huilt fur tlte house uf
the kingdom hy the 11Iigltt of my ]JUWCl", ll1ll1 for ti,e IWUOll/"
of my 11ll!iest.1J? And the statuc whil'h was to be wor!'hipped,
was, very probahly, of himself25, as thc intoxieation of l,ridc
has made other heathen king-s or conquerors, Alexandcr or
Darius
6. ßelshazzar said, 27 1 will he likc tIle lJIost Rig/l, and
the prince of 'fyrc said, 28 I am a god, and Anti-Christ !;haU29
exalt ltimsc{f a!Juve all that is callcd gud, and, as God, sit in
ti,e tcmplc of Gud, shewing himsclf tlmt hc is god. Snch is all
pride. It sets itself in the plaee of God, it ceases to think
itself His instrument, and so is a god to itselt
as though its
cminenee and strength wcrc its own, and its wi
dom the
sourcc of its powcr 3U, and its will the measurc of its great-
ness. Thc words, with a Ðh.inc fuJness, cxpress severally,
that the king shall slVeep along, shall pass m"er all bounds
aud all hindrances, and shall pass 111L'll.'f, shall bc guilty and
shall hear hi.
guilt 31: and so they comprise in one his sin and
his punishmcnt, his greatness and his fall. And so forty
ycars afterwards Nehuchadnezzar, 32 whom he would, he slcw;
and whom he wuuld, I,c kept alive; aUll wllUm I,c Il'ould, hc
sct up; and whom he would, I,c put dmcn; hut ll'/lCn /âs I,cart
was lifted up, aud !lis mind hardened in pridc, IIC 1l'as dcposcd
from /âs killg
1/ thronc, and tlte.'1 to uk his glUl:'1 fl"lJm lâm;
33 thcre fell (t voice frum heavcn, Thc kingdom is departcd from
tllce; and ßelshazzar, 3
in the samc uigld that he liftcd up
ltimself against thc Lord of hcaven, was slain.
1'2. The prophet, haying summed up the deeds of the
enemy of God in this his end, sets forth his questions anew.
He had appealed ag-ainst thc e,.il of the wicked of his peo-
pIe; he had been t.old of the vcng-eance hy thc Chaldæans.

5 But the vent.reanee is executed bv them who arc far worse.
How then? 'fhe answer is, "".: ait to the end, and thou
shalt see." "That remains are thc trinmphs of faith; the
second chapter closes with the entirc prostration of thc
whole world before God, and the whole prophccy with
joyous trust in God amid thc cntirc failure of all outward

18

" is used of the overflowing of a river, Is. viii. 8. of a wind chasing, lb. xxi. I, of
the invisible presence of God pas.ing by, Job ix. 11. or a spirit, lb. iv. 15. of the swift
f
:S
f
ai
oU:s
?;J

:.h
a
I
.eif.I
í. I
t i

' t
;
t};e:d
li
h u

e;,l
ie';t
fgt:a::
;e

God's law,!.. xxiv. 5. Itis always intrans., except as piercing the temples of man Jud. V.
26, or himself Job xx. 24. 19 nn, i. q. "',
, metaphor for simile, as Ps. xi.
1.

'!ll.f'p
s

v

"
(
itt

:sx

e:j ls
' !fÙ.l
: jt
hT

H
b:
:
;
..

a:
ress,..
passim; "
ass away," Ps. xxxvii. 6, Job xxxiv. 29, Ndh. i. I:!.
21 Is. vih. 8. 22 lb. xxi. 1.
3 Ex. vi. 7. 2< Dan. iv. 30.
25 See Daniel the Prophet p. 443. 2t! See ib. p. 41ü. Z1 Is. xiv. 14-
28 Ezek. xxviii. 2. 29 2 Thess. ii. 4. 30 See Ezek. xxviii. 2-5. 31 t:I:"K includes both.
12 Dan. v. 19. 20. 33 lb. iv. 31. :H lb. v. 23,30. 35 Heading of Chap. i.

CHAPTER I.

411

C :
oÍeS T l..OIlD. my God, mine Holy One?, we shall ' I has
t estahlished thern for correction. c .r
Ts T
cir.626. not dIC. 0 LORD, J thou hast ordamed them I 13 k Tholl art of purer eyes than to be- clr. 6:.6.

:.
}
'li..25. for judgement; and, 0 t mighty God, thou hold e,-il, and canst not look on II ini{luity: }o

d.
Is. 10. 5,6,7. Ezek. 30. 25. t Heb. rock, Deut. 32. 4. I II Or, grie"ance. It Ps. 5. 5.
sig-ns of hope.
ere, like the Psalmists 1 and Jeremiah 2, is no need of any mark of inference, "therefore we shall
he sets down at the nry be
inning his entire tru!"t in God, 110t die." It is an inference, but it so lay in those title!"
and so, in the name of all who at any time
hall be per- of God, He Is, 111y God, _JI.IJ Huly One, that it was a more
plexed about the order of God's judg-ements, aShs ho"- it loving confide nee to say directly, u'e sllllll not die, The
shall be, tea('hing us that the only safe way of enquiring one thought involved the other. God, the Unchangeable,
il1to God's ways is by setting out with a living- co miction ' I had made Himself their God. It was impo!"sible, then, that
that they 3are mercy alld truth. And so the address to (;od He should ca!"t them off or that they should perish. Ire
h full"f awe and confidence and inward love. For" 4 God slwllnot die, is the lightning thought of faith, which flasht'..;
placeth the uil of mercy in the ns..cI of tru!"tfulness," on the soul like all inspirations of God, founded on Hi

Ad not TIIOZl (the word has always un emphasis) Tlwu, truth and word, but borne in, as it were, instinetively with-
and not ,,'hatsoe\"Cr or wllOsoe,'er it IJe that is opposed to out inference on the soul, with the same contidence as the
Thee, (be it NebuchadneZ'7.ar or Satan) from everlasting lit. Psalmist saysl2, TIle Lord Illlth cllllstelled me sore; hut He
f,.om before 6 ? Go bad, as far as man can in thoup:ht, Iwtll not gÍl'eJl me over unto cleatll; and :\falachi, 13 I am tlte
God wa!'; still before; and so, much more hefore any of His Lord, I change not; therefore ye SOliS of Jacob are not consllmed.
creatures, such as those who rebel ag-ainst Him. b Lord, "u Thou created
t us from the beginning; by Thy mer('y
it is the Prol)er Xame of God, 61Fhich is ami 117IÍch was we are in being hitherto." Thy gifts aml calling are 'with-
llnd Irhich is to come, I .\)1, the rnchangeable; my God, out repentance l5 , "Did we look to his might; none of us
i. e., whereas his own mi
ht is (he had just sail!) the he a- could withstand him. Look we to Thy mercy, Thine alonc
then's god, the Lord is his; mine HO(I/ One :-one word, is it that we )in, are not slain by him, nor led to deeds
denoting- that God i
his God, sufiiceth him not, but he adds of death." 0 Lord, again he repeats the
ame of God,
(what docs nut el
e,,'here occur) mine Holy One, in enry whereby He had revealed Himself as their God, the Gn-
war, as hallowing- him and hallowed by him: "7 "'110 hal- I changeable; Tholl, whose mercies fail not, hast ordained them
lowest mv soul, Holy in Thine Essence, and "'hom as in- for .Îwlgemeut, not for \"en
eance or to make a full end,
comparably Holy I ,,-orship in holine
s." All-Holy in IIim- 1 or for his own ends and pleasure, but to correct Thine own
self, He hecometh the Huh' One of him to whom He im- 16 ill measure, which he, exceeding, sinned 17.
parteth Himself, and so, b
' His own g-ift, belong-eth, as it And 0 mighty God [lit. Rock]. It is a bold title, 11/.11
were, to him. The one word in Hebrew wonderfully fits in rock is a title much used by David 18, perhaps sup:gested by
with the tmth, that God becomes one with man bj. taliÍn
: the fastnesses amid which he passed his hunted life, to
him to Hirmelf. It is full of inward trust too, that he saith, I ' express, that not in them but in His God was his safety.
"111.'/ God, 11/.'1 Holy One," as S. Paul saith, 8/rlw loved me, Habakkuk purposely widens it. He appeals to God, not
and gave Himself/or me, i. e.. as S. Augustine explains it, only as Israel's might and upholder, but as the sole Source
"90 Thou God Omnipotent, 'Yho so carest for everyone of all strength, the Supporter of all whi('h is upheld 19, and
of U!';, as if Thou cared..t for him only: and so for all, as if thev so, for the time, of the Chaldæan too. Hence he continues
were but one." The title, 111.'1 Holy' One, inell1de
his people the simple image: TllOll hast founded him. "20 Thou hast
with himself; for God was his God, primarily because he made him to stand firm as the foundation of a building;"
was one of the people of God; and his office was for and to reprol'C or set before those who have sinned against Thee,
in behalf of his people. It illyoh'es then that other title what they had done. Since then God was the Roc'k, \Yho
which had been the great support of Isaiah 10, by which he hadfoll//(Ied them, from Him Alone had they strength; when
at once comforted his people, and impressed upon them He should withdraw it, they must fall. How then did they
the holiness of their God, the holine:,s which their rela- I yet abide, whu abused the power given them and counted
tion to their God required, tIle Holy One uf Israel. Thence, 'it their own? And this the more, since
since Habakkuk lived, for his people with himself, on this 13. Tholl art of ]Jurer e.l/es tlwn to behold evil. The pro-
relation to God, as m!1 God, 111.11 Ho1.1/ One, and that God, phet repeats his complaint, (as troubling thoughts are wont
the Unchangeable; it follows, " Ire slwllnot die n." There to come back, after thcy have been repelled,) in o.der to

I Asaph, Ps. Ix>o:iii. Ethan Ps. hni. S Jer. xii. 1.
J Ps. xxv. 10. 4 S. Bern. de Annunt. Senn. 3. n. 3. & See on :\Iicah v. 2.
6 Rev. i. 8. ; Dion. 8 Gal. ii. 9. 9 Conf. iii. II.
10 Isaiah uses it in his prophetic answer to H.zekiah (2 Kgs xix. 2:!. Is. x>.xvii. 23,)
also in We earlier chapters 12 times and" his holy One" (of Israel) x. 17; in the
chapters xl-l:",-ï, 1-1 times, and" his holy One") our holy One" of or to Israel xlix.
7. xliii. 35. Else it occurs only in Ps. hxviii. 41 (Asaph's), Ixxxix. 19 (Ethan'&), Ixxi.
22 [Anon., but in Book ii] and Jer.l. 2n. Ii. 5.
11 The" tikkune sopherim" or so-called .. corrections of We scribes" I think, ap-

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the obvious contrast to .. Thou art of old ;" might be, (they would say) .. Thou wilt
continue to be;" .. Thou wilt not die," n,=:1 IC
'; but since it were unbefitting to speak

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II Ps. cwiii. 18. IJ 1\Ial. iii. 6. 14 S. Jer.
15 Rom. xi. 29. 16 Jer. x. 2
. XXx. 11. I. See Isa, x. 6. xlvii. 6. Zech. i. 15.
18 Ps. xviii. 2. 41\. xix. 15. xxviii. 1. lxii. 6. 7. cxliv. 1. else only in Deut. xxxii. 1. Ps.
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19 .. Thou Who art the Rock of all ages hast founded him to reprove by him all the
nations of the earth." Kim.
Kim.

412

HABAKKPK.

C HBíf'íes T I wherefore lookest thou upon them that
_

.G:!()._._ deal treacherously, und holdest thy tonguc
I Jer. 12. 1. WIU'll the wicked deyuureth tlte man tltat is
Illure righteous than he?
14 And makest men as the fishes of the
II Or, moving. sea, as the 1\ creeping things, t!tat !tat'c no
ruler oycr them?

answer it more strong-Iy. All sin is hateful in God's si
ht,
and in His Holv \\ïsdom He cannot cndure to look towards
iuiqllit;I;. As n;an turns away fl"Om sickening" sights, so
God's abhorrcnce of wrong is pictured by His not being
ablc to look towards it. If Hc looked towards them, thcy
must perish 1. Lig-ht eannut co-exist with darkncss, firc
with water, heat with cold, deformity with beauty, foulness
with sweetness, 110r is sin compatiblc with thc Presence of
God, except as its Judge and punisher. Thou canst not
look. Therc is an entire contradiction between God and
unholiness. And yet, wherefore lookest Thou llpon, viewest,
as in Thy full sig-ht 2, yea, as it would seem, with favour 3,
bestowing on them the g-oods of this life, honour, glory,
c:hildren, riehcs, as the Psalmist saith; 4 Behold these arc
tIle llugoelly, wlw prosper in the worM, tlle.1/ increase in ric/tes ?
\\'hy lookcst thou upon them that deal treacherolls(l/, holde.
.t
Th.lI tougue, puttest restraint', as it wcrc, upon Thysclf and
Thinc own attribute of Justiec, when tIle wicked devoureth
tlte mall tlwt is more 1'ighteolls them he'? 6 III God's sight 110
JJUlll liviug CClIl he jllst[fied; and in onc sense Sodom and
Gomorrah were less unri/!,"hteous than J erusalcm, and 7 it
shall he more tolerahle .for them in the day of Judgement, be-
cause they sinned a
'ainst lcss lig-ht; yet the actual sins of
the Chaldee were
reater than those of Jcrusalem, and Satan's
evil is gl'eater th
Ul that of those who arc his prey. To say
that Judah was more ri
hteous than the Chaltlæan does not
imply any righteousness of the Chaldæan, as thc saying that
8 God rallsomed Jacob from the haud of one stronger titan he,
docs not imply any strength remaining to ISI'ael. Then,
also, in all thc g-
neral judg-ements of God, thc rightcous too
suifer in this world, whcnce Abraham intercedes for Sodom,
if there werc but ten righteous in it; lest 9 the rigMeous
bc d('.
tro.llecl with the wirkecl. Hence God also slmred Nine-
veh in part as having- 10 more thelll sÜ..
'Core tllOW;Cllld persons
tltat calt/wt disceru hetlceen tlu'i1' rigM haud and tkéir lej

hallel, i. e. {.!:ood ii'om e,'il. No times werc fuller of sin than
thosc bcforc the destruction of Jerusalem, yet the fury uf
the Assassins fell upon the innoccnt. And so the words,
likc the voice of the souls under the Altar 11, become thc ery
of thc Church at all times against the opprcssing- world, and
of thc blood uf the .Martns from Abel to thc cnd, Lord,llOw
loug? And in that the ,,'ord Righteous 12 significs both "one
ri
hteous man," and the whole cla
s or generation of the
ri
"htcous, it speaks both uf Chri
t thc Head and of all His
members in whom (as by Saul) He was persecutcd. The
wicked a]so includes all persecutors, both those who slew

1 Ps. civ. 32.

The prepositioL I;K is left out in this place, as if to make the contrast stronger.
God cannot endure to look towards (1;11) iniquity, and yet He does not only this, but
bcholdeth it, contemplateth it, and still is silent.
J 80 the word means mostly; .. regard favourably;" except Ps. x. 1-1. where it is
uid that God beheld ungodliness to avenge it. . Ps. lxxiii. 12.
lo;,'

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s Jcr. xxxi. 11. Del. 9 Gen. x\iii. 23. 10 Jon. iv. 11, 11 Rev. vi. 10.
U Singular in Hlbrew, yet so that it maybe used of many. 13 S. Jas ii. 6, 7.

15 They m take up all of them with the Before
C H c1 " r R . } _
,
. 'r
angle, they catch them in their net, and u u
gather them in their 1\ drag: therefore they m
e
0
64.1
:
rejuice and are glad. I) Or,jiueflel.
16 Therefure 1> they sacrifice unto their
net, and burn incense unto their drag; D Deut. 8.17.
b 1 I I . .. Co Isai. 10. 13.
ecause )y t lem t lelr portIOn l.Y lat, & 37. 2-1, 25.

thc Lord Christ, and those who broug-ht His scrvants bcfore
jndg-ement-seats, and hlasphcmed His Name 13, and caused
many to blaspheme, and slew whom thcy could not compel.
And God, all thc while, sccmeth to look away and to regard
not.
14. Aml1Jlakest men as tlte fishes of tIle sell, dumb, help-
less, in a stormy, restless element, no cry heard, but them-
selvcs swept away in shoals, with no powcr to resist, as tIle
creeping tMugs, whcthcr of the land (as it is mostly uscd), or
the sca h. Either way it is a contemptuous namc for the
lowest of either. Tlmt have no rlller over them; none to
guide, order, protcct them, and so a picture of man dcprived
of the ('are and providence of God.
15. Th
y take up all of tltem [lit. he taketh up all of it]
the whole racc as though it werc one, with all angle; tlwy
catch them, [lit. he sweepeth it away] in tlteir [his] uet. Onc
fishcrman is singled out who partly by wiles [a!' by the bait
of em augle], partly by violence, [the net or dra!!] sweeps
awav 15 and
athers as his own the whole kind. :Kebuehad-
nez
ar and the Chahlæans are herein a faint imagc of Satan,
who casts out his baits and his ncts in thc stormy sca of
this lifc, taking some by individual craft, sweeping others in
whole masses, to do evil; and whoso hath no ruler, and will
not have Christ to reign over him 16, he allures, hurries,
drags away as his prey. "17 Adam clave to his hook, and he
drcw him forth out uf Paradise with his net; and covered
him with his drags, his varicd and manifold deceits and
guilcs. And hy one many hecame sillners, and in Adam wc
all elied, and all saints afterwards were with him alike cast
out of Paradise. And becausc hc dcccived the first man, he
ceascth not daily to slay the whole human race."
Iv. Tlterefore tltey sacrifice unto tlteir uet, and burn in-
ceme unto their drag. [lit Ill' sacrifices unto his &c.] "'hatc,,-er
a man trusts in, is his g-od. If a man rclies to compass his
end by his strcng-th, or his wisdom, or his forethou
ht, or his
wealth, his armics or navies, these his forces arc his god.
So thc Assyrian said, 18 B.II tlte strength of my Itaud I did it;
ami hy my wisdom, for I am prudent; and God answered,
Slwll tlte a:æ hoast itse(f against Itim tltat heweth tlterewith ?
The coarse forms of idolatry only embody outwardly thc
dcep inward idolatry of the corrupt human mind. The idol
is 19 set tip in tlte !teart first. 'l'here have not indeed bcen
wanting savage nations, who in vcry decd worshippcd their
arms 20; those of old worshipped spcars as immortal goods 21 ;
Even now we are told of some North American Indians
"22 who dcsignate their bow and arrow as the only bene-

\4 Ps. civ. 25.
l
The word '-u, f(3.rar, expresses by its sound the
rating noise of the pebbles on the
sea-shore. The word is singnlar, although it might be a collective.
\6 S. Luke xix. 4. 17 S. Jer. IS Is. x. 13. 15. \g Ezek. xiv. 4.
:ro The Scythians. Herod. iv. 62. Lucian Jov. Tragæd. 42. p. 2ï5, Arnob. vi.
ll.
Mela ii. 1. Clem. AI. Pratr. iv. p. 40, ed. Pott., Amm. Marc. xxvi. 2. The Quadi did the
same. Id. xvii. 12. fin. The chance discovery of one of these sacred swords of the
Scythian kings made Attila think himself" made prince of the whole world." J ordancs
de Get. orig. c. 3:;, from Priscus, a contemporary. 21 Justin L. 43. c. 3.
22 Waitz die Indianer Nord.Americas 1807 p. 127. qU.Jted by Ewald.

CIL\PTER II.

Before
CHRIST
cir. (;26.

and their meat \1 t plenteous. I
17 Shall they therefore empty their net,
and nut spare continually to slay the na-
tions?

:1 Or, dainty_
f Heb. fat.

CHAPTER II.

Unto I-Ifllmkkuk, t{'aitillg for an anSlcer, is
shewed tlwt Iw must wail b.,! faith. 5 The
}udgemenillpon the C/wldell1l for ll1lsatiaMeuess,
9 for cmxtollsness, 12 fur cruelty, 15 for drunk-
enness, 18 and .for idolat r.,!.
fir'ent deities whom they know." Among the ch.iIiscd Ro-
mans, the wor
hip of thc ea
les, their standards 1, to whom
they did sacrifice 2, was no other nor better. Thc inward
idolatt.y is only a more subtle form of the same sin, the evil
spirit whic'h shapes itself in the outward shew. Here the
idolatry of self is meant, which did not join ereatures with
God as ohjects of worship; but, denying Him in practice
or misbelief, became a god to itself3. So Habakkuk had
said, tMs /âs strength is /âs god. His idol was himself.
Because b.'1 them their ]Iortion is .fat, ami tlleir meat plen-
teous (lit. as in E. 1\1., tcell-fed). AU the choicest thing-s
of the world
tood at his commanò, ItS Nebuchadnezzar
boasted \ and all the kin[("doms of the wor!õ and their g-lory,
all the Imowledc;e and wisdom and learnin
of the world, and
the whole world itself, were Satan's lawful prey 5. "6 Kebu-
chadnezzar, as by a hook and meshes and line, swept into his
own land both Israel himself and other nations, encompass-
ing them. Satan, as it were, by one line and net, that of
sin, enclosed all, and Israel especially, on account of his
impiety to Christ. His fuod was choice. For Israel was
chosen above the rest, as from a holy root, that of tlie
fatllers, aud having- the law as a schoolmaster, and being-
called to the knowledg-e of the one true God. Yet he, hav-
ing this glory and grace, was taken with the rest. The.,! be-
came his prey by error; but Israel, knowing- Him \\'110 is by
nature God, slaying ungodlily Him ""ho was by nature His
Begotten Son and "'ho came as Man, were taken in his
nets."
Ii. Shall the.,! therefore empt.'1 tlteir net, and not spare
cmltimUlll!/ to slay the uations? The prophet, like Isaiah 7,
stands at the very last point, before the fury and desire of
the enemy was fulfilled. Men, like fish, were g-athered to-
gether for a prey; he who had taken them was rejoicing
and exulting' beforehand in his hooty; his portion and meat
were the choice of the earth; the prophet. looks on, as it
were, and beholds the net fun; there is but one step more;
"Shall he empty it ? Shall he then de,'our those whom he
has caug-ht? and so cast his emptied net again unceasin
ly,
pitilessly, to slay the nations?" This question he answers
in the next chapter; A Deliverer" ill come.
II. 1. I will stand [I would stand now], as a scn-ant
awaiting his master, upon my watch [or keep 8], llnd .
'et me
[plant myself firmly] upon tlte tower [lit. fenced place, but
I See TertnIl. Apol. c. 16 and note e. f. g. p.38. Oxf. Tr. 2 Joseph. de Bell.
Jud. vi. 6. 1.
3 A heathen poet, wishin
to express this irreverence, puts into a warrior's '!'outh wis
prayer: .. }o;ow may my ri
ht hand, to me god, and the weapon which I brandls
, be my
helper!" Virgo Æn. x. 773. add Stat. x. 545. iii. 645, sq. So the !imt'lt said at the
beginninl!' of the late war, "The French almost worshipped the mitrallleuse as a
od-
dess." The,' idolised, it wOUld say, their invention, as If it could do what God alone
could. . Dan. iv. 30. compo 22. · S. Luke iv. 6. S. John xii. 31. .ls3.. xlix. 21.
8 S. Cyr. 7 Isa. xviü. 4, 5. s lb. xxi. 8. "IDo.-:I in the same
sense Jer. Ii. 12. 9 Hence :'I;:
"watchman," the" prophet" lsa. Iii. 8. Jer.
ri. 17. Ezek. iii. 17. xxxiii. i. Kal; of the prophets, Pih. :\l1c. vii. 4; of looling up

413

I ""'ILL a "tand npon my watf'h, and !'f't C

ors T
mc upon th
t tm\"(-'I', b and will watch .Is
;;.f
'j
l.
to see what he will say I' unto me, and t Hl
,
/enced
what I shan answer II t when I alll reprm'ed. b Ps.
. 8.
lOr, In me.
2 .A nIl the LORD answpred me and said \I Or, wlten 1
, , om nrgued
C ""'rite the yisiun, and make it plain upon t i'i
t:ufJO'''''''
tables, that he Illa y run that readeth it. repro?!, or,
or!!u",/(.
3 For d the ,-ision i.v yet for an appuinted C I
a
:.s
'
time, hut at the enù it shall
peak, and d
a
i

7
:5.

al
o one straitenc:d and narrowly hemmed in], and lcill
l('atch (it is a title of the prophet"i 9, as e..pying-, hy Goù's ena-
blin[(", thing-" beyond human ken); I will e.
p.11 out, to
ee a
long way off, to ,
ee with thc inward eye, wllllt He tl'ill say
111lto me [lit. lOilt me]; fir!'Õt re,.ealing- lIilll
clf in the pro-
phets "within to the inner man;" then, through them.
.Ami n'/wt 1 ,
/lflll allS1L'er lchen I (WI J'eprol'ed 11, or, upun TII.'I
cOil/plaint, lit. upon my rl'pror
f or arguing; which might
mcan; either that others ar
ued a!rainst him, or that he
had argued, pleaded in the name uf others, and now listened
to hem' what God would ans\\ pr in him 12, and
o he, as taught
by God, should answer to his own plea. But he had
,.;o
pleaded with God, repcatedly, TVhy is this? He has given
no hint, that any complained of or reproved him.
"13 By an image ti'mn tlw!"e who, in war and siege, hm.e
the ward uf the wall distrihuted to them, he ,.;ays, I tdll
.
tand upon 1Jt.1J watrh." "6 It was the wont of the Saint..,
when thev wished to learn the thin[("s of God, and tu I'eceive
the kno,,:ledg-e of thing-s to eome through His voi('e in their
mind and heart, to rai
e it on high ahove distraetions and
anxieties and all worldl) care, holding- and keeping it unot,-
cupied and peaceful, risin
a.. to an eminence to look around
and contemplate what the (;od of all knowledge should make
clear to thcm. For He hateth the earth-hound and abject
mind, and seeks hearts whic'h ('an soar aloft, raised abovc'
earthly thing-s and temporal desires." The prophet takes his
stand, apart ft'om Illen and the thoughts and eares of this
world, on his lonely wateh, as :\Io,.;es on the roek, keeping
him
clf and kept by God, and planted firm, so that nothing
should move him, fcneed around thoug-h straitened in u, as
in a be
icged camp ('ommittecl to his ward, looking out from
his lofty place what an:-:wcr God would g-ive as to times lon

distant, and what answer he should g-h-e first to himself,
and to those to whom his nftÎC'e lay, God'
people.
2. The answer is, that it i
indeed for a long time yet.
lVrite tlie 't'ÌsÙm, that it may remain for those who cume
after and not be forgottcn, ami make it plain 15 upon the
taúles, whereon he wa
wunt to write 16; and that, in large
la"ting character!', tfllit f,e ma.11 run t/tat reacleth it, that it
may be .plain to any, howe\-er occupied or in haste. So
Isaiah too \\'as Lidden to write the four words, Iwste-prey-
speed-spoil.
3. For the vision is yet for ([11 [the] appointed time. 11 r\ ot
to God, Ps. v. 4; with J :\lic. vii. 7. IV S. J er. n The Rabb. Kim. A. E. Rashi,
Tanch. Sat B. Met, Abarb. take it lIS the E. V., probably thinking the other to be
too bold an expression towards God. l
See Xuf!'. xi
. 6. and on Zech. i. 19.
13 Theod". H S) mm. Theod. Aq. agree In thIS sense of narrowness.
I. Etymologically,
K::J means" enlITave." lit. dig: like so many other words, which
come to mean" write," as J/1J with J::n, JSI1 Ges.; "Iro "ypátp."" einlll"aben, graben, en-
IÇ3'-e, [Id.] but it ouly occurs as" make dear, explain;' De. xx,ii. 8. So Kim. Itc.
16 m
is a table or tablet, on which Isaiah too was bidden to write what was to
last, thou
h in parallelism with a .. book." !sa. xxx. 8. " the tablets which boy
write
on." A. E. compo Ezek. xvii. U. Jer. x....x. 2.
Ii Ewald ad loc. i but there\! ith the theory of a mere human fore.ight is a1Jandoned.

41-1

H..\ß.AKKrK.

C HB
oÍeS T not lie: thou
h it tarry, wait for it; I 4 Dehold, his soul u'hich is lifted up is C J3
oÏs T
cir, (j
Iì. because it will e surely ('OJne, it will not I not upright in him: hut the f just shall live cir_ 6:!6.
. Heb.IO. 3i. tarry. I by his faith. r John 3. 36. Rom. 1. Ii. Gal.3.11. Heb. 10. 3
.

for thc pre
ent, but to dcvelope it
clf in the cour
e of time, :
down to a season whieh God only knows; as it is
ubse(luent-
Iy rcpcatell, Ifor tIlt, nul is yet f,lr tI,e appoiuted time; 2for it
is for tIle appoiutt'Cl time of tile eud; amI i
cxplained, 3 for tI,e
visioJl is yet for tile da!/s; ....for it is for lI/(l1l,1J day;>,,; õ ti,e llOuse
of Israel sa.", TI,e 1'isiou tllat lie sedl" isfvr 1//(lU!/ da!/s and
he propllesietlt (
f tile timn; .far (!If"; yet it should ha",te to-
wards the end, towards its fulfilmcnt.
o that, if it is not at
OIH'e fulfilled, it should be
urelv waited fur. "6 It shall ccr-
tainly he; not in nlin hath it heen
hewn, hut as eertainly to
be. For whatever hath been shewn to comc and to be, will
come and he."
But at tile eml it slwll speak 7 [or it hreatlletl" IlOsteth to
the end], not simply "to its own fulfilment," but to that
time (
f the eud which should e1o"e the period assigned to
it, during- which it should eontinually he putting itself forth,
it should eome truc in part ur in shadow, g-Icam" of it

hould hcre ami thcre' part the cloud.... whieh, until the cnd,

hould surround and envelope it. Lking- God'", truth, hc I
speaks of it as an animate li,-ing- thillg-, not a dead letter,
but running-, hastillg- on its course, and aecompli"hing on I
its way that for whieh it was scnt. The will amI purpose
uf God ha
teth on, though to man it sccmeth to tarry; I
it ean neither be hurried 011, nor doth it linger; hcfore tIle ' \
appoiuted time it cometh not; yet it ha",teth towards it, and
1l'ill uot he behiudlwml when the timc eomes. It docs uot
lie, either by failing- to come, or failing-, when come, of
any jot or tittle. Tllough it tarry ur liuger 6, continually
appearing, giving signs of itself, yet continually delaying-
its coming. wait for it; because it 1l'Îll surel.lJ ('()me, it will
unt be he/âmlllllml 9 , when the time comes. 10 He cometll I
quickly also, as He saith ; because '.11 tllUugh the delay of His I
Coming and of the fulfilment uf thc vision
ccm Ion!!, yet, in
f'omparison with eternity, it i" \'ery ",Iwrt. In His First
Coming-, He taug-ht why God permittcth thcse thing-s; in the
Second, He shall teach by experience, how g-ood it is for the
good to bear the pcrseeution of the e\"Íl; whence S. Peter
also has to say, 12 TIle Lord is not slack cOllcerning His pro-
mise, a... some men COllllt slackllf'sS." The words
ccm to be-
long-, in the first instanec, to the vi
ion it
clf; but the \"Ísion
had no nther existence or fulfilment than in Him "-ho was
the Objcc,t of it. and '''ho, in it, was fore:;hadowed to the
mind. The coming" uf the \'i
ion was no other than His
Coming. The u'([;/illg. to which he exhorts, ('xpresscs the
rclig-ious act. so often
poken of, 13 of waitin
for God, or His
counsel. or His promised time. The sen
e then is wholly the
:o:ame, when S. Paul uses the words of the Coming of our Lord

I Dan. xi. '!:l./or it is/or the appointed time, ib. 35. 2 lb. viii. 19.
3 lb. x. 1, U. . lb. viii. 20. · Ezek. xii. '1.7. 6 Theod'. 7 The E. '-.
follows Ù1e Rabbins [Kim. Comm., A. E., Tanch., Rashi, Aharb.] so far in rendering
n
: "speak." Yet in all the cases of bOlh root., n'!:, õ.;:', except Provo xii. Ii, ;1i':!! n'!):, the
root is used not of mere "speakin!(" but of" breathing out" like <":((".",,, à"...Ä1js (Acts
xi. 1.) "breathing out threatening." In five cases it occurs in the one idiom," breatheth
wt lies. ' C'JIJ n'!)', Pro vi. 19, xiv. 5, 25, xix. 5, 9. In other idioms ,
n':;', [:;1J n'!)' Ps. x.
5, xii. 6, it is still used of puffing at "contemptuously." Else the Kal is used of the cool
air of the evening Cant. ii. Ii. iv. 6, and Hifil of .. causing to blow," lb. iv. 16. Else
it is only used (metaph.) of blowing up, kindling, (as "e say) stirrinl!' up a city to strife
Pr. xxix 8. and blo"inl( up Ù1e fire of the wrath of God, Ez. xxi. 36. 1J11:n::r is used of the
deep sigh of agony Jer. iv. 31. and D:<IJ IJ
: Ps. xxvii. 1'1.. .. breathing forth >iolence" stands
united wiÙ1 "false witness" as in the Prov. If understood then of speaking, it would be
.. breathing of Ù1e end" (
relating to the subject of the speech, as so often) wlùch would
be much the same as, breatheth panting to"ards the end, (like

1I::i, Eccl. i. 5.)

Himself, a ret a little w/âle, and He tlwt slmll come, 1l'Î1l come
and will not tarry. S. Paul, as well as Habakkuk, is speaking
of our Lord's Sccond Coming; S. Paul, of lIis Coming in Per-
son, HalJUkkuk, of the cffects of that Coming 15; but both alike
nf the rcdrcs:o:ing uf all the evil and wrong in the world's his-
tory, and the reward uf the faithful oppressed. At His
First Coming He said, 16 J.Yow is the judgement of tlds world;
llOll' shall tI,e lJJ'ince of tlâs 'lvorld be cast Ollt. He came to
lï pllt dOIl'll tile 11ligh(,/ from tlleir seat, awl to exalt ti,e humble
ami meek; but mueh more in the Second, when 16 He shall
cowe to jlldge tile worM with rigldeousness ami the people
u'itlt /-lis truth, and to 19 J'e/curd ever.'I1J1an according to lâs
ll'IJrks. .\t all times He seemeth eontinually to linger, to
h'e
signs of His Coming-, yet He cometh nut; when the appoiJïted

ea
on shall eume, He shall be fOUl;d not to be ., later" than
His word. Yea, all time
hall shrink up into a little moment
in the presence of a ne\ er-ending ever-present eternity.
"20 Having named no one expressly, he says, wait for him,
wait for him althoug-h delaying, and halt nnt in thy hope,
but let it be rooted and firm, even if the interval be extended.
For the God of all seemcth to sHg-gest to the mind of the
Prophet, that He who was foretold would surely eome, yet to
enjoin on him to wait for Him on account of the interval.
He who believeth 1\Iy word shall possess life, fur this is the
reward of those who honour God, and a ,ruod reward of His
benevolem'e. He who admitteth faith and lo,-e tu dwell in
his heart hath as a re(luital, tlU-aging life and forgjvcue
s
uf sins and sanctification by the Spirit." "21 He shall live; for
2
God is /lot the God of the dead hut of the living, "23 Jrlwso
livetli (lml believeth in .lIe, shllIlJw/.'er die."
It will not lie. God vouchsafes to speak of Himself, as
we should be ashamed to speak of one whom we love, teach-
ing us that all doubt,,- question His truth. 2... God is /lot (I 11I(1ll,
tllat He should lie: Iwth He said (lml shall He not do it?
25 Tile strength of Israel slwll neitller lie nor repent. 26 God
tlwt CUJlJwt lie, promised hefore the u'orld hegan. Therefore
it follows, wait .for Him, as Jacob says, 27 I hll'L'e waited .for
Thy salvation, () Lord.
4. BelwM, /âs soul wldch is lifted up [lit. sll'Ollen 28] is not
upright ill Idm. The construction is probably that of a ('on-
dition expressed absolutely. Lo, sll'OlIen is it, not llprigM is
/tis soul in /tim. ,,- e should say, , His soul, if it be swolIen 29 ,
puffed up, is not upright in him.' The source of all sin was
and is pride. It b especially the sin of all oppressors, of the
Chaldee. uf A.nti-Christs, and shall be of the Anti-Chri
t. It
is the parent of aU heresy, and f.f all corruption and rejection
of the Gospel. It stands therefol"e as the type of all opposed

s ;-;:::-::;11'1 (no kal.) seems to be compound of :':::1, ;1::1, u.It,I/, u:".',? the answer of one pro-
crastinating. It occurs thrice in the Pent., t"ice in Judges, cbe only in 2 Sam. xv. 19,
in the prophets Is. xxix. 9, and in Ps. cxix. GO. of religious procrastinatin
. In Arab.
are the like forms ;1::;10 and ::J:':J. g 'V1"" 1I

10 Re,'. xxii. 'i. 11 from Dion. I
2 S. Pet. iii. 9. I
Ps. xxxiii. 20.
lsai. ,iii. Ii. xxx. IS.lxiv. 3. Zeph. iii. 8. Dan. xii. I:!. Ps. cvi.I3. .. Hcb. x. 3;.
I. The ,i,id words, in themseh-es, rather expr!!!'s a personal agent; "hat "ould be
fi!(Ureas tn the vi.ion are simple words as to HIm "-ho was foreshown. "'hence the
Lxx change the !tender and mterpret the clause of a person, " He who shall come."
16 S. John xii. 31. I, S. Luke i. 52. IS Ps. xlvI. 13. I
S. :\fatt. xvi. 27.

n S. Cn.
I Alb.

S.l\Iatt. xxii. 3:!. 23 S. John xi. 26.

, ro; u. xxiii. 19.
. 1 Sam. n. 29. 26 Tit. i. 2. 2, Gen. xlix. 18.
2S ;1
e;; See on )'licah iv. S. p. 326, note 22.
29 [;, the Lxx <à"lnrOUTE[À'I)TU'. ;1]" is u.ed thus absolutely, the conditJOn bemg un-
plied, Deut. xiii. 15, 1û. In Ex. ,iii. 22. the future is used absolutely "ith /".

CII.\PTER II.

.115

to it. Of it he says, it i!'O in it
"ery inmo;;t rorc [ill Mm] I I pe lJeliel'ell Jle llot, to .wlJIct{/} JII' in tile c.lles of tIle child-
!achinF in
lpri
'htne
:. It c
n I
a\'e .no g-ood in it. hcca!l..e , rell of hr"e! (
t
leri!Jah).. Th!
was the wateh\
'ord of
it defiles Gud, and God demcs it lit"
Tace. And hanng- .Tehoshaphat S vll'tllry, .1 Bl'Z,cz'(' III tIle Lord .110ur (loll alld
nothing uprig-ht in it, bcing- corrul)t in its nry inmo"t be- I ye sllall he estaMi.-lu:d; hdit:l'e Flis propllets, so .,11ll1I !Ie pros-
ing-. it cannot
tand or abidc. God g-in!'O it nil )llIwer to per. This eontinued to hc (lnc ('eutral saying- of I,.aiah.
stanJ. Thc words stand in contra"t with thc filllo\\ ing-, It was his own ClHllllli..!<ioll to hi" people;
2 (;'J alld say to
thc one speaking of the cause uf death, thc Hthel" of life. II this people; hear .lfe 011, aud UUdl'l"..twul Ilot; see ye all ll1ul
The soul, being- swollcn with pride, shuts out faith, and I perceÍ1'e 1I0t. I n "i
ht of the rejeetitln (If faith, he ..pakc
with it the Pre..encc of God. It is aU crooked in it.. \'ery prominently of the loss upon unbelief: -3 If ye will 1Wt he-
inner self ur bein
.. S. Paul gh'cs the result. 1 {f au.'I 11/all liet'e, sure/!I ye ..11ll1l 1wi he (..taMi.,hed; and,
.j. Irlw hath
draw back, 1/I.1J soul Illltlt 1W pleasure ill Mm. The prophet's IJeliel'ed our report? he pn'mi
cs as the attitudc of hi..
word" de..eribe the proud man who stands aloof from Gud, l,eol'Je toward!< Him, thc Centrc of aU faith,
'e"u". Yet
in himself; S. Paul, as hc is in the Eyes of God. A" that
till. a,; to thc bIe..sin{!.'", uf faith, havin
..poken of Him,
n"hich is swollcn in nature rannot be straig-ht, it is dean 25 Tlms .wâth the Lord God, Belwld, I la!1 ill Zion for II
contrary that the soul should be !'Owollcn with pridc and yet foundation, a stone, a tried stolle, a prerirJlls corner-stone, he
uprig-ht. Its moral life bcing destroyed in its vcry inmo
t suhjoins, lie tlillt heliel'eth iu Him sit all Iwt 1IIake hnste.
heart, it must pcrish. Su it hall been thc key-note of I1ahakkuk to his peo-
,.
Plato saith, that properly is straig-ht, which being- ap- pic, re ll'ill not helin'e l('hen it is declared uuto you. Here
rlied to what is strai,!!ht, tOlH'hes and i
touehed e\'ery where. he is bid to dedarc ('ontrariwisc the hIC!o
in,!! on belief.
ßut God is uprig-ht, 'Vhom the upri
ht soul touehes and is TIle þut shall lire h.lJ M,. fllitll. The faith. then, of \\ hi('h
tourhed enl"Y whcre; but what is not uprig-ht i,; bent away Habakkuk speab. is t
1Ïth, in it!"c1f, but a rea], true cIlJlfidin

from God. S God is good mila Israel, the upr
f:!li ill heart. faith. It i
the one relation of the creature tu the Creator,
4 The llprigld love thee. ó The ll'a!1 of thejust is uprighllles5, unshaken trust. The faith may vary in character. aecord-
Thou, most Uprigltt, dost weigh the path of thejllst." ing- as God revea]s Illore ur less of lIim
elf, hut ibelf i
one,
But the jllst shall live 1J.1f ltis faith. The arcents em- a loving- trust in Him, ju..t a" Hc reveal" Himself. '.215 ßy
phasisc the words 6, The.iust, hy /tis fait II he slllllllive. They this faith in God, caeh ri
htcous person be
ins to liH
do not point to an union of the words, tile jllst b.'l his faith. piously, ridlteouslr, JwJily. pt'al'efully and divinely. and
Isaiah says that Christ should justif"'I mallY hy the kuowledge advanceth therein, since in every tribulatiun and mi..ery,
of Himself7, but the expression, just by his faith, does not by this faith and hope in God he sustains, streng-thcns, and
occur either in thc O. or K. T. In fa(.t, to speak of one really incrpa..es this life of the
oul. He say" then, tIle .iust lires
righteous 8 as being "righteous by his faith" would imply 1t.1f faith, i. e., the unbelic\"ing and unrighteon.. disl'lea"t'!'Ò
that men could be righteous in some other way. IVitlwllt God, and con!"ef[uently will not Ih-e by the true, right,
faith, S. Paul says at the commencement of his Old Testa- peaceful and happy lifc uf grace, present rightcousness, and
Illent pietures uf giant faith, 9 it is impossible to please God. future glory, because God is di"pleaseù with him, and 'ie
Faith, in the CI"eature which docs not yet sec God. has one plaees his hopes and fear", not in God, but in men and
and the same principle, a trustful I"elying belief in its Crea- man's help and in ercated thing-so ßut the rlg-hteous who
tor. This was thc chararteristic of Abraham their father, helienth in God shall live a rig-ht, sweet, (luiet, happy,
unshaken, unswerving, beliefin God \\Tho called him, whether holy, untroubled life, beeause, fixed by faith anù hope in (;ud
in leaving his own land and going whither hc knew not, for 'Vho is the tl'ue Life, and in God's promises, he is dear to
an end which hc was nenr to see; 01" in believing the pro- God. and the ubjcct of His care.
mise of the son through whom that Sced was to bc. in "'hom ,. This sentence, tile .iust sllllll Ih'e 1J.1f faitll, is unh er
al,
all the nations of thc world should bc blessed; or in thc belonging at once to
'cws and Chri"tians, to sinners who
I'rowning aet of offering that son to God, knowing that he are .first being justified, as al"o to tho
e who are already
should receive him back, even from the dead. In all, it was justified. For the :,:piritual life of each of these be
ins. is
one and the same principle. 10 His helief was coullteel to ltim maintained and g-ro\\"s throuc-h faith. "'hen then it i
..aid,
for rigltteousness, thuugh the immediatc instance of that faith tlte just sllflll live by /âs faitll, this word, Ms. marks the
was not dircctly spiri'tual. In this was the good and bad of cause, whieh both bcdns and presen-es lite. The just, be-
Israel. 11 Tile people helie",'ed. 12 Tltey believed the Lord and lieving- amI hoping- in God, be
ins to ]Ï\-e spiritually, to
His servant JJIoses. 13 Then helieved tlICY His word, the.1f sang ha,-e a soul rig-ht within him, whereby he pleases Gild; and
His praise. This contrariwise was their blame. HIll tMs ye again, advancing- and making progres" in this his faith and
did not helieve tile Lard. 15 Ye rebelled agaim'l the command- hope in God. therewith advances and makes pr(lgrcs
in
ment of tI,e Lord your God, and believed Him not, nor heark- the spiritual life. in rig-htness and rig-hteousness of 50ul, in
ened to His voice. 16 They forgat God their Slll:iollr; tlley the p,Ta('c and fi'ielldship of God, so as more and more
despised the pleasant land, they helieved not His word. And to please Gud."
God asks, 11 How long will it he, ere this people belin'e .iJIe,for )Iost c\"Cn of the Jcwish interpreters have seen this to be
all tlte signs which I have SII01lm among them? 18 Anger came the literalll1caning- of the words. It stands in contra4 with,
upon Is/'ael, hecause they believed not in God, and ill His sal- illustrates and is ilIu
tratcd by thc first words, his soul is
't'atiOll tru.çted 1I0t. 19 For all tlds tlley sinned still, and he- su'ollen, is not llprigltt in him. Pride and indepcndence of
lieved not His wOlldrous work.
'. Even of
Ioscs and Aaron God are the centre of the want of ric-htncss; a steadfast
God assigns this as the ground, why thcy should not bring- clea,'ing to God, whereby the heart, a" .1brahall1's, ll'as sta.lfed
His people into the land which He ga,'c them, 20 Becall.
'e on God, is the centrc and causc of the life of the righteou
.

. Heb. x. 39.
6 See Delitzsch.
10 Gen. xv. 6.

2 Alb. S P8. lxxiii. 1. 4 Cant. i. 4. Ii Is. xxvi. i.
7 jJ"
'lnV'1J 16.lüi.lI. 8 As ;;'"111 al"-8) 8 is_
Heb, xi. 6.
II Ex. iv. 31. I
lb. xiv. 31. 13 PI. cvi. 12.

14 Deul. i. 32. 15 lb. ix. 23. 16 Ps. c.-i. 21, 2
.
IS Ps. lxx.iii. 21. 22. I" lb. 32. :0
um. xx. 20.
t2 !sa. vi. II. :3 lb. vii. 9.
. lb. Iiü. 1. z; lb. xx\ii;- 16.

17 Xum. xiv. 11,
21 2 (,hron. xx. 2/).
26 Lap. in Rom. i. 17.

4Jß

IL\ßAKKCK.

Ii Or, How mrtch more.

5
II Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth C JlI{oiST
cir. G2G.

Before
CHRIST
cir. 626.

ßut sinre this stavellness of faith is in enrvthing- the source
of the life of the' ri
htcous, then the pridë, wh'ich issues in
want of rip.'htness of the inmost
(lul, must he a state of death.
Pride estranges thc soul from God, makes it self-suffiring,
that it should not need God, so that he who is proud cannot
comc to God, to bc by Him made righteous. So contrari-
wisc, since by his faith doth the rig-hteous live, thi
mu
t be
e(pwlly true whether he bc just made righteous from l1n-
rightcol1s, or whcthcr that rig'hteousncss is growing, ma-
turing, being perfected in him.
Thi
lifc begins in graee, live,; on in p:lory. It i.. bcgun, in
that God frcely justifies the un
lI(lIy, a('f'ountin
and making-
him rig-hteous for and throug-h thc ßlood of Chri,-t; it is
contimÌed in faith which wOI:keth by love; it is perfeeted'
when faith and hope arc swallowed up in lo\"c, beholding-
God. In the EI)istles to the Homans 1 and thc Galatians 2
St. Paul applies thcsc words to the first beginning- of lifc,
whcn they who had before be('n dead in sin, began to live by
faith in Christ Je
us 'nlO !!."ave thcm lifc and made them
I'Íghteo
ls. Ånd in this sen,;<e hc is called" just," although
he fore he comes to thc Faith he is unju
t and unrighteous,
being unjustified. For St. Paul uses thc word not of what
he was before thc faith, but what hc is, when he lÏ\'es by
faith. ßefore, not having faith, he had ncither righteousness
nor life; having faith, he at fJllrC ha
both; hc is at oncejust
and lives b.'1 llisfaitlt. Thcse arc inseparable. The faith by
whieh he lives, is a living faith,3 faitll It'//Ìclt It'orketlt by Iou.
(n the Epistle to thc Hebrews 4, St. Paul is slwaking of tlteir
endurance in the faith, unce rcreived, whose faith is not
shaken by the trial of their patiencc, They who look on
beyond things present, and fix their minds steadfastly on
the Coming of Christ, will not suffer shipwreck of their
faith, through any troubles of this time. Faith is the foun-
dation of all good, thc be!{inning- of thc spiritual building,
whereby it rcsts on Thc FlIllllllation, Christ. IVitlwut faith
it is impossihle to please God, and so the prowl cannot pleasc
Him. Through it, is union with Christ and thereby a divine
lifc in the soul, even a life 5 tltl'ollgll/aitlt ill tlte Sun 0/ God,
holy, peaceful, self-possessed 6, enduring to thc end, being
· kept b.1J tlte power of God tltl"fJ/fglt f(litlt unto salvation ready
to be revealed ill tlte last time.
5. This gencral rulc the Pl"Ophf't goes on to apply in words
whieh belong in part to all oppressors and in thc first in-
stance to thc Chaldæan, in part yet morc fully to the end and
to Anti-Christ. Yea lllso, heCllltSe Ite transgressetlt by wille
[or better, Yell, how milch more, since wine is a deceiver 8 ], as
Solomon says; 9 IVine is a mocker, strong (iI'ink is raging, llml
1l'1IOsoever erretlt tltereh.1J sltallllot he wise, and, 10 III the end it
bitetlt like a serpent and piercetlt like an mieleI' j and Hosea.
1 Rom. i. 17.
Gal. iii. 11. sIb. v. 6. 4 Heb. x. 38.
b Gal. ü. 20. fi S. Luke xxi. IV. ; 1 S. Pet. i. 5. s Jon. agrees
"as one erring through wine." Kim. A. E. Rashi, Abarb. Tanch. (in one explanation)
take it personally ; Kim. supplying :1n:- "drinker of",ine;" A. E. and Tanch. regarding
'''asj''!i'll. quoting'1C Ez. ii. 8. and :1
::n Ps. cix. 4. which they explain in the same war.
9 l'rov. xx. 1. 10 lb. xxiii. 32. 11 Hosea iv. 11. 1
,
'i" as In
1 Sam. xxiii. 3. Ezek. xxiii. 40. It adds to the previous sentence; whether we should
express it by how much more, if an affirmative had preceded; or how much less, if a nega-
ti\ e. The more or less lies in the relation of the sentences, not in the '
'i1C.
13 Q. Cnrt. v.I. 14 See Daniel the Prophet p. 430. 15 Xen. C)'rop. vii. v. 15.
16 "When then he [Cyrus] heard that there was a feast in Bab)-lon, in which all the
Babylonians drink and revel all the night, on this &c." lb. 11. on the drunken_
ne::

, :
t
;

iy other place,
r
'ri:
ts
;
ds in connection with"l and 0: in Chald.
it is" arrogant," (see instances in Le\y Chald. Wort.) as in l\asor. (ap. Ges). The

11 lfTlwredom llnd ll'Íne and new wine take (lll'a.1J tlte heart. As
wine at first g-laddens, thcn deprivcs of aU reason, and la\'s
a man opcn to any deceit, so also pride. And whcreas ån
I pridc dc('eh"es, how much lllore l2 , when men arc either heated
and excited by the abuse of God's natural gift!", or drunken
with prospcrity and hurried away, as conrluerors arc, to all
excess of ("ruelty ur lust to fulfil their Own will, and neglect
the laws uf God and man. Literal drunkenncss was a sin of
the Babylonians under the Persian rule, su that e\"Cn a hea-
thcn says of Babylon, "13 Nothing can be more cormpt than
the manners of that city, and morc providcd with all to
rouse and entice immoderate pleasures;" and "the ßaln'-
lonians give thcmsclves wholly to \\"ine
and the things whiëh
follow upon drunkenness." It was when flush cd 14 with wine,
that Bclshazzar, witll !tis prillces !tis n'ives muL /tis C01tcubi/lf's,
desecrated thc sacred vessels, insulted God in honour of hi,;
idols, and in the night of his exeess "was slain." Pride
blindcd, deceived, dc
troyed him. It was thc gcneral drunk-
enness of the inhabitants, at that samc fcast, which cnabled
Cyrus, with a handful of mcn, to penetrate, by means of its
river, the f'ity which, with its provisions for many years 1 . and
its impregnable walls, mocked at his siege. He calculated
bcforehand on its feast 16 and the conserluent dissolution of
its inhabitants; but for this, in the languag-e of the hea-
then historian, he would have been caught ,.17 as in a trap,"
I his soldiery drowned.
He is a proud "Wit 18, neither keepellt at ltOme. It is difficult
to limit the force of the rare Hebrew word rendered, 19 keep
! at Iwme; for one mar cease to dwell or abide at home
cither with his will ur without it; and, as in the case of
iIl\.aders, the one may bc thc result of the othcr. He who
would take away the home of others becomes, by God"s
Providence, himself homcless. The context implies that the
Pl'imary mcaning is the rcstlessness uf ambition; which
abides not at home, for his whole pleasure is to go forth to
destroy. Yet there sounds, as it were, an undcrtone, "he
would not ahide ill his home, and he shall not." 'Ye could
searf'ely a\'oid the further thought, could we translatc by a
word which does not determine the sensc, "he will not
home," "he will not continue at home." The words have
seemed to different minds to mean eithcr; as they may;w.
Such fulncss of meaning is the contrary of the ambig'uity of
Hcathen oracles: they are not alternative meanings, which
might be justified in either case, but cumulath'e, the one on
the other. The ambitious part with prescnt rest for future
loss. Nebuchadnezzar lost his kingdom and his reason
through pride, reccived them back when he humbled him-
self; ßelshazzar, bcing proud and impenitent, lost botL
his kingdom and life.

Arab. onh- supplies '1;:1: " perseverance in litigation:" the meaning" prominence, swelling"
is assumed only. The Arab. '!!:'I"Ø(in Ges. Hitz.) is from "11<':' (med.1) and signifies "a
sand-heap," not as heaped up, but as sinking asunder," corruens," (Ù1e central meaning
of IJ
Z;
nil], seems to be of the same root as ...al"" whence n:
"2
" dweller in the house,"
Ps. lx\iii. 13; :1)I.:Il1 abode: n;j1 Pro N. probably the same, and mll
also. The derived
sense" becoming" (lit. " sit well on" "bene sedet alicui," Ges.) exists in :1;
J Ps. xciii. 5 ;
" beautiful," Cant. i. 10, Is. lü. 7; and in :Ill Jer. ,-i. 2. It is the basis of Hif.1:T2J!.1 "will
praise Him." Either gives a good sense. The V ulg. takes the derived sense" decorabi-
tur. n
W A. E. Abarb. Tanch, Rashi, following Jon. take it of his pri\'ation of home. Kim,
either of the shortness of Kebuchadnezzar's empire, or his own being driven forth "ith
the wild animals Dan. iv. 31-33. Del. illustrates the sense of forced "non-abiding"
b>ï'
'

Ps. xlix. 13, "abideth not;" 1'"111 p:: II" Pro X. 30, "shall not inhabitthe earth;
'\DU II p;;i Pro ü. 21.

CIL\PTER II.

Defore
CHRIST
cir.6:!G.
g Provo 27. 20.
& 30. 16.

at home, who enlargeth his desire g as hell,
and is as death, and cannot be satisfied,
but gathereth unto him all nations, and
hcapeth unto him an people:
6 Shall not all these h take up a para-

b Mic. 2.4.

TPlw enlargeth his de...ire, lit. ltis soul. The soul be-
comes likc what it Jovcs. The ambitious man is, as wc
!>ay, "all ambition;" the greedy man, "all appetitc;" the
eruel man, "all savag-ery;" thc vain-g-lorious, "all vain-
g-lory." The ruling passion absorbs the whole being. It
is his end, the onc ohject of his thoughts, hopes, fcars.
So, as we speak of "largeness of heart," which ('an em-
brace in its affcctions all varietics of human interests, what-
ever affcets man, and "largencss of mind" uncramped hy
narrowing preju(liccs, thc Prophet speaks of this "ambi-
tious man widening his soul," or, as wc should speak, "ap-
petite," so that the whole world is not tou lar
'e for him
to long- to grasp or to devour. So thc P
allllist prays not
to be delivered into the murdcrous de,
'ire of his enemics 1,
(lit. their soul,) and I
aiah, with a metaphor almo
t too bold
for our lang-uag-e, 2 Hell hatll enlarged I,er soul, lind o}JP/led
Iter mouth be.IJ01ld mea,mre. It devours, as it wcre, first in
its cravings, then in act.
A,.. hell, which is insatiablc 3. Hc saith, enlargeth; for
as hcll and thc gl"avc are year by year fullcr, yct therc is no
end, the desire elliargeth and bccomcth wider, the morc i

given to it to satisfy it. And [lle
] is [ltimse{f] as death,
!'oparing none. Our poetry would spcak of a destroyer as
hcing "like the ang-el uf death;" his presencc, as thc pre-
sencc of dcath itself'. "There he is, thcrc is dcath. He is
a" tcrrible and as dcstroying as the dcath which follows
him. And cmmot he sati.
fìed. Even human proverbs !"<\v,
'.5 The lovc of money g-ro\Veth as much as thc money it!"ëlf
groweth." "Thc avaricious is e".er nccdy." 6 He tlwt lm'etlt
sih'er slmll 110t be satisfied with silver. For these fleeting
thing-s cannot !"atisfy the undying soul. It must hunger
still; for it has not found what will allay its cl"avings 7.
Bitt gathereth lit. And hath gathered-He describcs it,
for the rapidity with which hc complctcs what he longs
for, as thoug-h it were alrcady done,-unto ltim aUnatiolls,
and heapeth unto him all people. One is still the subjeet
of the prophecy, rising up at successive times, fulfilling it
and pas
ing away, Nebuchadnezzar, .Alexander, Attila, Timur,
Genghizehan, Hunneric, scourges of God, all deeeived by
pride, all sweeping the earth, all in their ambition and
,,-ickedness the unknowing agcnts amI imag'cs of the evil
One, who sceks to bring the whole world under his rulc.
But shall it prosper?
6. Shallllot all these 8 take up a parable against him, and a
taunting provel.b against him? Kebuehadnezzar gathered 9all
l 1eo ple, natiolls, and languages, to worship tI,e go/dell image
u'ltich he Iwd set up. The second Babylon, heathen Rome,
sought to blot out the very Chrh,tian Namc; but mightier

1 Ps. xxvii. 12. Compo Ps. xli. 3 [2 EnR.] Ezck. xXvi. 27. 2 Is. v. 14.
3 Provo xxx. 15. 4 "1m. It is not an unmcaning chan
as though
it belong
dJ

YS

.

. s;
:licity of Hebrew construction; b
t É
f.h:.ti
í." and "e."

S. Auy:: Co
f. and n. a. iv. 8. I
[:

"
,,
:. 6, referring to the [:'1)"

, r::-:::
"
:3, v. 5.
Dan. Ill. 4, ". Rev. XVIII. 20. II So Cyr.
12 The word C'CJj1 naturally sUl(gests the division into :39 and C'C which has been
adoptcd bv Syr. .. cloud of mud," and S. Jcr. doubtlcss from his Hcbrew Instructor
.. densum 1utum," as A. E., J. and D. Kimchi, Rashi, Abarb., R. Tanchum; Poco Arab.
\" ers. which is not Saadiah's (Hunt. 200.) R. Sallluel Hallllagid, Joshua, J aphct, (quoted
. PART V.

417

ble against him, and a tauntin
proverb C HB
o;S T
a
ainst him, and say, II \Voe tu him that _ cir. G:!6. _
inereaseth that .U'hirh i.
not his! how 1/ Or, Ho, he.
lung-? and to him that ladeth himself with
thick clay!

wcrc thc thrcc ehildrcn than thc King of llahylon; mightier,
virgins, martyrs, and dÜldren than Kero or Dc('ius. Thcse
shaH rcjoicc uver ßab)-lon, that 10 God hath avenged tl/em 011
Iler.
'Poe to him tbnt inrreasetlt tlUlt w/tich is not Ids! Truly
wealth ill-gotten by fraud or oppression, is llot !tis, who win-
neth it, before he had it, nor whcn hc hath it, but a woe. It
is uot Ids; thc woe is his. TPoe ll1ltO Idm. He shall havc no
joy in what hc gaincth, and what hc hath hc shall lose. I-IollJ
loug't "That i
thc measurc of thine impicty and gl"eedinesi\
and ('ruelty? Y ct if thesc al"C like hcil, without mcasure,
thcre rcmains anothcr How loug't 1I0w long will thc for-
bearance of God cndure thce, which thou art daily cxhaus-
ting?
This is thcn the end of all. The conqueror SI\'ccps to him
aU nations and g-athercth to him all peoples. To what end?
As one va
t choir in one terrible varicd chant of all thosc
thou
and thou
and voices, to sing- a dil'ge ovcr him of thc
judgcmcnts of God whi('h his ill-doings to them
hould hring
upon him, a fivef()ld "'oc, woc, woc, woe, woe! ,roc for its
mpacity! \Yoe ror its covetousness! ,roe for its opprc
-

ion! \\T oe fur its insolence to thc eonquered! \\T oe to it
in its rehcllion a
ainst God! It is a mOl"C measured rhythm
than any besides in Holy Scripturc; each of the fiv'cfolll
woes comprised in three vcrses, four of them closing with the
g-round, because, fur. Thc opening wOIods carry thc mind
IJaek to the fullcr picture of haiah. ßut Isaiah sces Dab\"-
Ion as alrcady m'crthrown; Habakkuk pronounce!'" the worils
upon it. not by name, but a!5 certainly to ('omc, upon it and
cvcry like enemy uf God's kingdom. "'ith each such fall.
unto the end of all thing-s, thc glory of God is incrcased
and made known. Having, for their on'n ends, bee II uncon-
scious and e,'cn unwilling promuters of God's end, they, when
they had aceomplished it, arc thcmselves flung away. Thc
pride of human ambition, when successful, hoasts "woc to thc
conquered." Sincc whom tIle Lord loveth He clwstenetll, thc
ungodly saying ofthc heathcn is reversed, and it stand
," l\Ian
sympathiscs with the conquering side, Gud with thc eon-
'luered." It is a terrible thought that men should havc been
the instrumentf.ò of God, that they should, through ambition or
other ends short of God, havc promoted His cnds which they
thought not of, and then should be weighed in the halance
and found wanting, and thcm
elves bc flung away.
" II Gentilcs also departed ti'om theiI" worship under Satan,
and having descrtcd him who aforetime called them, ran unto
Christ. For Satan gathercd what was not his; but Christ re-
ceived what was His. FOI", as God, He is Lord of all."
Ami to ltim t/wt ladetlt himself with t!tick clay u. It is the

by A. E.) Sal. B.l\Iel., explaining it" abundance of clay." Kimchi (Shorasrum) admits
the p06s
bili
y of its bcing dcrived from CJ9 sub v., but himself says it i

I'ompound
y.ord. Saadlah Ben I?en.an Lex. Heb.-Arab. [Bod!. Or. 612' 1 a.lone .poSltlvely derives
It from CJ9. Thc:.obJcctlOn that there are no compound appel atlves m Hebrew is con-
trary to the evidence of such words as
90
:3, ;T.)'
J,
:;:
, and amid the predominance of
compound words, as Proper Names, it would be monstrous to assume that a Prophct
could Dot have compounded a word. On the other hand, the forms
"'
n, ""C:3, ''"1JO,
,.,
:;, are remarkable analoRiu in favour of its being a single word. It was probably
formed to suggest both thoughts, as it bas.
3 Q

418

H
\.ßAKKUK.

Before
CHRIST
cir. G2G.

7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall
bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee,
anti thuu shalt be fur booties unto them?
8 i ßecause thou hast spoiled lllany na-

i Isai. 33. 1.

character of these proverbs to say much in few words, some-
times in one, and more than appears. So the word trans-
lated thick-clay, as if it were two words, in another way
means in an intensive sense, "a sh"ong- deep pledge." At
best gold anel silver are, as t\H'Y havc bcen called, red and
white earth. "1 "'hat are g-old and I,:ilver but ('ed and white
earth, which the error of man alone maketh, or accountcth
precious? 'Vhat are p:ems, but stones uf the earth? "That
silk, but webs of worms?" These he "maketh heavy upon"
ur "ag-ainst himself" [so the words strictly mean]. "For
he weig-heth himself down with thick clay, who, by avarice
multiplying earthly things, hems himsclf in by the oppres-
siveness of his own sin, imprisons and, as it were, buries
the soul, and heaps up sin as he heaps up wealth." "Tith
toil they gather what is not worthless only, but is a burdcn
upon the soul, weighing it down that it should not rise
Heavenwards, but should be bowed down to Hell. And su
in that other sense while, as a hard usurer, he heap!" up
the pledges of those whom he oppresses and impoverishes,
and seems to increase his wealth, he does in truth increase
against ltimself a strong pledge, whereby not uthers are
dcbtors to him, but he is a debtor to Almighty God Who
careth for the oppressed. 2 He that gatlleretll riches and not
hy rigltt, sltallleave tllem in tlte midst of his days alld at !tis
elld slwll he a fool.
7. Shall not they rise up sluldeul.lf tlUlt shall bite thee,
and awake that shall vex thee? The destruction of the
wicked is ever sudden at last. Such was the flood 3, the
destruction of Sodom, of Pharaoh, of the enemies of God's
people through the J mlges, of Seunacherib, Nineveh, Baby-
lon Lv the Medes and Persians. Such shall the end be 4. As
he hý his oppressions had pierced others (it is the word used
of the oppression of usury 6), so should it be done to him.
"6 The l\Iedes and Persians who were before subject to the
ßabylonian empire, and whose kiugs were subject to Ne-
Imchadnezzar and his successors, rose up and awaked, i. e.,
stirred themselves up in the days of ßelshazzar to rebel
against the successors of Kebuehadnezzar which sat on his
throne, like a man who awaketh froUl sleep." The words
awake, arise, are used also of the resurrection, when the
worUl of the wicked gnaweth and dieth not 7.
And thOll shalt he for hooties unto them? The common
phrase is modified to cxplain the manifoldness of the plun-
der 8 whi('h he should yield. So Jeremiah, 9 Chaldæa shall
he a spoil; all that spoil her slwll he sati.
fied, saith the
Lord. "10 'Ve may hear Him 'Vho saith, 11 How call one enter
into a stroug mail's house, and spoil !tis goods, except he .first
hind the strong mall? and thell he will spoil his house. For,
as soon as He was born of the holy Virgin, He began to

I S. Bern. Serm. 4. in Adv. 2 Jer. xvii. 11.
3 S. Luke xvii. 26. 27. 4 S.Matt. xxiv. 43. 44. xxv. 13. S. Luke xvii. 26-30,
"xi. 34. 35. 1 Thess. v. 3. 2 Pet. iii. 10. Rev. xvi. 15.
o ':I9'
"1C'K ,J,
J lit. .. every thing which shall bite," De. xxiii. 20. ':IV"' (De. xxiii. 20.
21 bis) is properly a denom. from ':I

, explained to be" what bites the giver and takes
something of his from him." Mezia 60. b. in Del. The :1J"1C:1, v. 6. suggested n'J,n, and
this, favoured by the conception of the Chaldæans as a pitiless creditor, concentrated in

'CJII, suggested 'if
, (which is often united with n'J1M); and Ù1is suggested the remarkable
designation of those who were to execute the Divine retribution on Ù1e Chaldæans by the
word, C'Jt:'l. S Abarb. quoted by Del.
i See Isaiah xiv. 11. Ixvi. 24. s n':rro
n"". Elsewhere sing. nCl\Ì:)
.
Jer. 1. 10.

tions, an the remnant of the people shaH C HB
fo
es T
spoil thee; k because of men's t hlood, and
' ü:!\J.
fW" the violence of the land, of the city, and ;li:'b
ïÙoOdS.
of all that dwell therein.

spoil Ids goods. For the Mag-i came from the Ea
t-and
worshipped Him and honourcd Him with gifts and hecame a
first-fruits of the Chureh of the Gentiles. And heing vcsst'!s
of Satan, and the mo!oòt honoured of all his lllcmL
rs, they
hastened to Christ."
R Because, [01" For]. The Prophet as!'ig'ns the reason of
the woes he had ju!<t pronounced. Thou 12 [emph.], tllOll hast
spoiled Ulllll.lf natioJls, all tile re1llnrmt of the people
'hall spoil
thee. So lsaiah,13 TVI,en thou Slllllt cease to spoil, thmt sllalt he
.
poiled; Wllell tllOll shalt make an end to deal tl"cacllerously,
the.11 slndl dealtrcacheJ"(Jllsl.'1 7cith thee. Boundless <I" his con-
(luests were, each remaining peoplc, tribe, or family !'hall
be his foe. "14 Ha,'ing subdued
-ery many, thou
halt be
dc!'troyed by fcw, and they who long- endured thy tyranny,
arising- as from sleep, shall compass thy destruction; and
thou shalt pay the penalty of thy countless slaughters and
thy g-reat ungodliness and thy lawless violenee to cities
which thou madest desolate of inhabitants." Kothing was
too great or too little to escape this violence.
All the remllant. "uAs thou, invading, didst take away the
thing-s of others, in like way shall what apl'ertaineth to thce
be taken away by thosc who are left for vcngeanee." Jere-
miah foretold of Elam ill the beginning of the reign of Zedt,-
Idaft 15, (in expansion of the prophecy in the reig.n of Jehoia-
I kim 1G); Thlls saitll the Lord of IlOsts, Belwld, I willlJreak the
bolV of Elam, the chief (
f their migllt. .And UpOll Elum J
will hring tile fOll!' winds from the four quarters of the heavens,
and will scatter them towards all these UJl1111s, ami there shall
be 710 Tlation u'hithcr the outcasts of Elam shall nut come. J<ûr
I will cause Elll1n to he dis71laye;1 hef01'e Iler ellemies; but it
shall come to pass in tile latter da.lls, that J will hring again
I tile captivi(l/ of Elam, saith tile Lord. Elam is also euunted
by Ezekiel 17 among' those who, together with Pharaoh, should
he brought down to the grave, with .Asslllu', Jlcsllel"lI, Tubal,
I Bdom and all tile Zidouia7ls, by the king of Babylon. They
I were then all which remained 18 of the nations which he had
conquered, who should he gathered against his hou!'e. Be-
cause of men's h/ood and of tile violence of i. e. to tile land, as
the violence of, i. e. to 19 , Lehanon, and men's blood is their blood
which was sllf'd. To laud, ci(lj, aJUlall dwellers therein. Land
or Pllrth, city, are left purposely undefined, so that while
that in whieh the offence culminated should be, by the singu-
lar, specially suggestcd, the violence to Judah and Jerusalem,
the crucltv condemned should not be limited to these. The
violence w"as dealt out to the whole land or eartll, and in it,
to cities, and in each, one by one, to all its inhahitants. Ba-
bylon is ealled,20 tile IIll7JZmer of the whole earth; 21([ golden Clip
ill tlte Lord's hand, tlwt made all the earth drllnken; 22 a des-
tro.'1iJlg 7/lOllntain, w/âch destroyeth the whole eartll; the whole

10 See S. Cyr. 11 S. Matt. xii. 29 12 :InK 'J. 13 Isaiah xxxiii. 1. 14 Theml.
15 J er. xlix. 34-39. 16 The prophecies against the heathen nations
Jer. xlvi-Ii. were in the same order in the main as in Jer. xxv. 19-26, beginning "ith
Eg)pt and ending in Babylon, and containing between these, the Philistines ("ith Tyre
and Zidon incidentally), Moab, Ammon, Edom, Kedar, Hazor, Elam; Elam being in
both cases the last before Babylon itself. 17 Ezek. xxxii. 17-32.
18 As I1
K:1 C'1J:1 ,n' Josh. xxiii. 12, n:)
!):1 ,n' Ex. x. 5; rD:1., 1M' nK, tll:1 '\1" nK, 2 Kings
xxv. 11; C"K::'J.' Cj1,' "111' nK Jer. xxxix. 9.
19 Hab. ii. 17,
n is united with tne gen. of the object, Gen. xvi. 5. Jud. ix. 24.
Jo. iv. 19. Ob. 10. Jer. Ii. 35; with that of Ù1e subject, Ps. vii. 17, Iviii. 3. Ezek. xii.
19. [all.] 20 Jer.1. 23.
I lb. Ii. 7. :
lb. 25.

CHAPTER II.

c æ
ors T 9
r 'V oc to him that I II coycteth an ('vil

covctousness to his house, that he may
;dJ:; :
i
e
i. m sct his nest on high, that hc may be de-
m J::,uit
î

' livered from the t power of e,-il !
tii:b.

;"of 10 Thou hast consultcd shame to thy
the halld.

earth is at rest ami is quiet \ after Babylon, which made it
to tremble
, is overthro\\n.
So Satan had bv violcnce and deccit suhrlued thc whole
earth, yct Christ I;mdc him a spoil to tho
e whom he had

poiled, and the stI"Ong- man "-as bound and his g-oorl!oÒ spoiled
and hilIl
clf tramplcd underfoot. Yet hcre as throu
hout
the prophets, it is a "remnant" only which is sa\'ed. "3 Satan
too was spoiled by thc remnant of the peoplc, i. e. by those
ju
tificd by Christ and sanctified in the Spirit. For the rcm-
nant of I
racl was 8m'cd."
9. !roe to him that cOl'eteth a'll evil covetoltsne,
'.
to his house
[or, with accents, that coveteth cot'etonsness or w!Îust {{,tin,
flIl evil to Ms 110 use.] 'Yhat man coveteth seems gain, hut i

ct,il to Ms hOllse after him, dcstroying both him
clf and his
wholc family or racc with him 4. Tlmt he may set /lis lle,
t Oil
lâgh, as an eade, to which he had likcned thc Chahlec 5.
.\ heathen callcd "strongholds, the nests uf tp'ants." The
nest was placed" on high" which means al
o (. heaven," as
it is said, 6 tllOUgh thou set th.1I llest alllong the stars; and the
towcr of Bahel wa
to 7 1 'earh unto Ileftt'en; and thc Anti-
Christ, whosc symbol the King of Bahylon is, say
. 8 I 1,.;/l
e:r:alt m.'l throne ahove the stars of God. Babylon lying in a
largc plain, on the sides of the Euphrates, the image of its
eagle's-ne
t on high must be taken, not from any natural
eminence, but wholly from thc works of man. Its wall!<,
aud its hang-ing- g-ardcns were amou!!," "the sc\-en wondcl's of
the world." Eye witnesses
peak uf its walls, cncolllpm:
ing
at the least 100 square miles 9 , "Iûand as largc as thc Jand-
g-raviat of HesseHomberg;" those wan
, 33,5, OJ" 330 fcet high,
and
j fcet bl"oad II; a fi)f.tified palace, ncar 7 miles in cir-
cumference; g-ardens, 400 Greck feet square,
upporting- at
an artifieial height arch upon arch, of "at least 75 feet,"
forest trl'es; a temple to its god,
aid to ha,'e heen at least
600 fect high. Had we, creaturcs of a day, no onc aho\-e us,
Kehuchadnezzar's boa:;t had been true 12, Is llot this grellt Ba-
hylolt that I IWl'e ImiMed fur tIle howe of the KiJlgdom by the
migld uf my power alid fur the IWIUJ1tr of my 1Jj{y'es(1f '? He
had built an eft{.tle's nest, \\-hich no human arm eouM reach,
encircled hv walls which laug-hed its iJl\-ader
to
I'orn. whil'h
110 then skm could
ealc 0; shatter or mine. Enn' as one
sces in a picture the ,-ast mOllnds whi('h yet remain 13, one can
hardly illla
-inc that they werc, brick upon brick, wholly thc
t1"ork of man.
To he delivered f/'Om tIle hand [{{rwp] of e11il; that it
should nut be ablf' to reaeh him. Evil is spoken of as a
Ih-ing powcr 14, which would seize him, whose gra
p he would
I Is. xi,-. ï. 2 lb. lG. 3 S. C)r. 4 J:SJ
';;J elsewhere stand, without an epithet, it
being itsell e\il, Prov, i. I(). xv. 2ï. Jer, Ü. Ii>. \üi.ID. and Eæk. :!>.\oii. 2ï. [all)
. i, 8. C<,mp. Jer, xx. 16. 6 Obad, 4. 7 Gen. xi. 4. s Is. xiv. 13.
· Herodotus, giving p'robably the extent of the outer "all, makes it a square 12u stades
each way, and so 56 ullles In circuit [i. lï8]. Ctesias, givill
probably the dimensions of
tbe inner-wall, maJ..es the circumference 3liD stades, 41-42 miles, and so enclosing 100
square miles [Diod. Sic. ii. ï. sqq.J.
th
" oTh

: :iv

nt
e:v

v
t
:
sses.
a
\j
:

:
a:
in

dt o
te :'
!
:s
i
e

i

h:
later reduce,1 the dimensions artificially, "softening down the cubits of Herodotus into
fe

.'
a

:

iii.:ill I
o

e i

h

i
I:

t

s

f.'i

lt

:
: 353.
!, 'I
? occurs in I() other places \lith verbs si!(11if)ing deliverance, [see Furst Cone. p.
:;"
.] and ill all of Ih-ing aecent". 1. Ex. xx. 5. IG Provo xv. 2ï. I; Jer. ,-ii, I!I.

419

house hy cutting- off many p eo lllc, and hast Before
C
r
(;
G
T
sinned ll{:((ill,çf thy sou}.
II For tht, stonc shall cry out of thc wall,
I t} II I f } ' 1 } II !lOr, piece. or,
an( IC JPillll out 0 t le bm Jcr S fa óastening.
: II answer it. II a
a7::;:t
.

defy. It wa
iIHleed a living- power, sinee it was the \\ïIl of
: Almighty God, \\llOse
en-ant and instrument Cyrus was, to
chasten Bahylou, when its
ins were full.
uch was the
I counsel, what thc re:,ult? The evil covetollsness which he
wrou
ht, brou
ht on him the et'il, from which, in that nest
Imilt by thc hard toil of his cal'ti\"e
, hc thought tu delivcr
himself.
10. Thou hast consulted sltmne to tI',11 house, the cutting
, 'l!f many ]J1'fJ]Jle, awl sillltÍuf( against tllY ,
onl. The wicked,
; whether out uf pas
ion or with his wholc mind and dcliheratc
I choiee and will, take
that C01l1tsel, which certainly brim,:-s
I slUtme to him
clf and his house, according to thc law of Gud,
whereby He Iii visits tile iniquities of the fathers UpOll tIle
I children unto tlte tlârd lIud fourth generatiou of tlll'In tlutt
I hate Him, i.e. unti! by rig-htelJusncss and re
titution the eurse
i
('ut off. 16 He that is greedy of gain troubleth /âs oU'n house.
, So J eremiah say
, 17 Tlws saith the Lord, Is it .'Jle tl'P,1I are
1Je:r:iug? is it not tlle7llselves,for 18 ti,e coufusion of their/ilce,
:'
I i. c. with that end and ohject. Holy Scl"Ípturc o\"Crlooks thc
I mean
, and places u
at the end of all. "Yhatever thc wickcd
, had in dew. to satisfy ambition, avadce, pa!'
ion, lu"e of
plea:,urc, Ol. the rest of man's immcdiate ends, all he was
doing was leadin
on to a further end, shame and death. He
was bringing- about, not only thcse short-iÏwd, but the lasting-
I ends beyond, and these far more than the others,
ince that
'is the I"eal end of a thing whieh ahides, in whieh it at last
I ends. He consulted to cut uff many people and was therehy
I (thllug-h he knew it not) by one and the same act, guilty of
I and forfeitiug his OWll SOU[19.
I 11. For the stone shall cr,Y out 0/ the wall, ((nd the beam
(Jut of tile timber shall allSlCer it. All things han a voice, in
, that'they are 2û. God's works speak that, for which He madc
! them. 21 The Ilcctvens declare tIle glor.1I of God.
2 The l'alle.l/s
I lire clad with corn, the,lI laugh, yea, tlle.1I sing; their nry look
I speaks
ladne
,;. " 3 For the creation itsclf proclaims thc
i ,rlory of thc :\Iaker, in that it i
admired as well madc.
I \\'herefore there are ,-oices in things, although there are
: not words." )Ian's works speak uf that in /dill, out of
which and for which he made them. ""orks of mercy go up
for a memUl'ial before God, and plead there; grcat works.
\\TOlwht amid wronl.! and cruelty and for tnan's ambition and
pride: have a voice too, and cry 'ollt to God, calling down His
\'engeancc on the oppres
or. Here the stones of the l{'(JIl,
whereby the building is raised, and the hearn, the tye-bcmn.
out of tile timher-work 23 wherewith it is finished, and whieh.
a" it were, erowns the work, join, as in a churus, ansll'eJ'-
10 rV J I;;;:)". 19 1I:'''J tt::n Provo xx. 2. co

. 11:"/:) c:::n lb. viü.
6. ,!he con
e
p.?rane-
ousness of the act is expressed by the partIcIple; tbe pronoun IS omitted as m t. ",
I 20 The Arabs have an expression for it, "ttn"tt IttO", Iit. " The tongue of the situaûon."

I Ps, xix, I. nIb. lxv. 13.
23 So the word is best understood, since the" beam" bears the same relation to the
:: ;:;obtd.
rl

hD

t
te

:2It;
3:'

I
:
i
,is

r
th
:t
C;
e i;;v

; t

i
\
n

I half-brick, such as is worked into the mode of building, called by us .. bricknoR
in
,"
"hich R. Tanchum of Jerusalem also knew in the East, seems unsuited here; I) because
it is speaking of m
nificent building; the interlacing of brick with wood IS for econom} ,
I since the wood, interlacing the bricks, hoMs them tol(ether, though the wall be thin; 2) the
' I half-bricks naturally enter into this mode of building, but are neither the chief nor a
prominent part of it. 3) Neither is the woodwork apparently in such way one, that it

420

HAD..:\KKUK.

C :
ors T 12
'V oe to him that huildcth [l town
_ c
. 6:J
with n t blood, and stahlisheth a city by
D JÉ

9. iniquity!
?!
h.
. i
' 13 Dehold, is it not of tlw LORn of hosts
!

õf
o;t... 0 that the people shall labour jn the yery

lIlg one another, and in a deep
olemn wailing, before God
and the whole world, together chant "\\' oe, \\' oe." Did
not the blood and groans of men cry out to God, !':peechles!':
things ha,'e a ,'oice to appeal to Him I. _\
ainst Belshazzar
the wall had, to the letter, words to
peak.
Each three verses forming one stanza, as it ',"ere, of the
dirg-e, the following words arc probably not directly con-
nected with the former, as if the woe, which follows, were,
so to speak, the chant of these inanimate witne
scs against
the ChaIdæans; yet they stand eonne(.tcd with it. The dir'ge
be
an with woe on the wron
ful accumulation of wealth from
the ('onquered and oppresse
1 people: it continues with the
selfish u
(' of the wealth so won.
12. TVoe to Idm tlwt buildeth a t01l'7l 1cith blood, ami
I'.
tablisheth a cit!/ b.V iniqui(lI! :i\ehUl'hadnezzar" 2 encircled
the inner eity with three walls and the outer cih- also with
three, all of I)urnt brick. And having fortified tlie eity with
wondrous works, and adorned the gates like temples, he
lmilt another palace near the palace of his fathers, !oIUl'lHlSS-
ing it in height and its grcat magnifi('ence." He seemed to
strengthen the city, and tu stablish it by outward defence!'.
But it was built throug-h cruelty to conqucred nations, and
('specially God's people, and by uppression, against His holy
"ïll. So there was an inward rottenne
s and dceay in what
seemed strong and majestic, and whi('h imposed OI{ the out-
ward eye; it would not stand, hut fell. Babylon, which had
stood sinee the flood, heing enlarged contrary to the eternal
laws of God, fell in the reitrn of hb son. Such is all cm-
pire and greatness, raised 'on the neglect of God's laws,
hy unlawful conquests, and by the toil and sweat and
hard
ervi('e of the poor. Its aggrandisement and seeming
stl'ength is its fall. Daniel's exhortation to N ehuchad-
nezzàr, 3 Iledeem tll.1I sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities
b.1I .
hell'ing merc.1J on the poor, implies that oppressivcness
had becu one of his chief sins.
13. Behold, is it not of tile Lord of ho,
.ts that [tile] peo-
ple [71atio1lS J slwlliabonr 'I. in Uor] tI,e 'L'er.1I fire [lit. to sui/ice
the fire]? By God's appointment, the end of all their labour
is for the fire, what may sl
/fice it to consume. This is the
whole result of their labour; and so it is a" if they had toiled
ti,r this; they huilt ceiled palace!' and gorgeous buildings,
onl" for the fire t<, consume them.
. Aml peoples ,çlwll 'loear.1J themsell'e.ç fur ve1'.'/ vanity.
They wearied themselt'es, and what was their ren'ard? "ïmt
had they to !'uffice and fill thclll? Emptiness. Thi
is from
the Lord of hosts, "110m all the armies of heaven obey and
all creatures stand at His command again!,'t the ungodly,
and in "Those Hand al'e all the hosts of earth, and so the
oppressor's also, to turn as He wills.
Xear upon the first stage of the fulfilment, Jeremiah re-
inforces the words with the name of Babylon; 5 Tlms saitll

can stand as a whole. Tanchum and Parchon adopt this rendering, and Rashi on Taanit 11
a (ap. Del.) not in his Comm.; S, mm. Theod. S>r, . have uú"liH1jJ.os, S. Jer. in the same
sense, Ip.á".rwuu, and LxX. "J."IJa.pos. The other sense given does not account for the
wood" out of the timber," since it would rather be .. out of the stone-work." S. Cyril
says, .. the other versions have l"li
up.os
úAolJ, so that they named the crown of the house
and the complexity of the wood, i. e., the band,lCá"lJa.pos, because they /1.8 with many feet
supported the roof which lay upon it."

fire, and the people shall weary themsch-cs C IP
ioÍes T
II for very vanity? cir. \)26.
1-1 For the earth shall be fillcd II with :18;:i;k

:;'
the p knowledge uf the
lory of the LORD, ::r
I

'ed

as the waters coyer the sea. P Isai. 11.9.

tlte Lord of IlOsts! TI,e broad u'lllls '
f Ba!Jylrm sllllll be
lltta
l/ destro.IJed, aud Iler ltiglt gates sit all be hurned u'itltfire;
and tile people sltall lal/fJllI' in 1'llin [for vanity], l/nd tlte folk
ill [/Ì'Jr] tltefire, aud tlle.v slwll be 1l'ear!l.
14. For tlte eartlt slwll be .filled with tI,e knmdedge of
the gIOl'.IJ 'l tlte Lord. Habakkuk modifics in a degree the
words of Isaiah which he embodies, marking that the
destruction of Babylon was a stage only towards the cOm-
ing of those good things which God taught His })('ople to
long for, not their very coming. All the world shuuld be
thell full of the knowledge of the glory uf thc Lord, not, as
vet, whollv of Himself. "6 "'hen ßabvIon shall he over-
tllrown. th'('n !<hall the 110wer of the lIIi
'ht of the Lord be
known unto all. So shall the whole earth be filled with the
glory of the Lord, as the waters co,-er the bottom of th

sea. This as to the letter. But it is plain, that the Devil
also and Anti-Christ, and the pernrse teaching of heretics,
build a city in blood; i. e., their 0\\ n Church, with the de-
struction of those whom they deceive. ..... But when
tlH'Y fail in the fire, (either "this fire which is felt, or con-
sumed in the fire of the dc,'il their prince, or burned up with
the fire whereof the Lord say!':, I came to send II .tire llpon
tlte eartlt, and so broug-ht back from their ti'rmcr course,
and doing penitence), the whole earth shall be filled with
the glory of the Lord, when, at the preaching of the .Apos-
tles, their sOllnd shall gu Ollt into all tlte u'orlcl, as waters
covering the sea, i. e., all the saltness and bitterne
s of the
world whieh Satan had rained down and thc earth had
drunk, the watcrs of the LOI"d shall eover, and cause the
place of their ancient bitterness not to appear." "Î For tI,e
Spirit of tile LOl"C(tilled the earth, and when lIe filled it, tile
eartll 1l'(Jsfilled 1l'itlt tlte Imowledge of tI,e glor.1I of the Lord,
so that unlearned and ig-norant men beeame wise and elo-
quent, and earthly became heaycnly, yea, they who were
earth became hea,'en. knowing the Glory of the Lord, de-
claring the Glory of God, not any how, but as waters cm-er
the sea. Great as must be waters, which would em-er the
sea, or compared to which the sea were nothing, far greater
is the miraele, when the abundance of heavenly wisdom,
given to the simple, surpasscd the sea, i. e., thc wi
doUl of
all mankind." This verse being already a receh'ed imag-e
of the spread of the Gospel 8, it would of it
elf be undcrstood
to include this also; but more generally, it lleclares how
upon all the judgements of God, a larger knowledge of Him
would follow. "9 An things are fun of Christ, "'ho is the
Glory of the Father; wherefore also He said, 10 I hlæe glorffied
Thee on earth, I havejinished the work w/tich TIIOIl gavest me
to do."
},'j. From cruelty the Prophet goes on to denounce the
woe on insolence. TVoe unto /ti1ll tlwt givetlt /ti.s lIe
!J!lbollr
(to whom he owes love) drink [lit. t/tat llwketh him drink];

1 See S. Luke xix. 40.
Antiq. x. 11.1. and c. Ap. i. 20.
S Dan. iv. 2ï.
22

;d

r. ::

rt
)
bc:

h
V:
.I
Ìi
i
a2l
' 8. and boldly, of God, lb. xliii.
5 Jer.li. 58. 6 S. Jer. i Rup.
8 lbS.lah xi. 9. 8 S. C>r. 10 S. John xvü. 4.

2 Berosus Hist. Chald. L. iii. ap. Joseph.

CIL\PTER II.

421

C Jï{oíes T 15
'V oe unto him that gheth his nci
h-
_ cir.G
û. hour {1rink, that pnttest thy '1 bottle to him,
q Hos. 7. 5. and makest him drunken also, that thou
'Gen.9.22. llliwest rtook on their nakednl'!Ss!
!lOr, mo,'e with i6 Thou art filled II with shame for
L ..lory:
'/tame than
'Ju:;
h2

2l,: I drink thou also, and let thy foreskin he
27. & 51. 57. uncoyered: the cup of the LORn's right
hand shall be turned unto thee, and

tlwt lJllttest 1 thy bottle \I to !tim, ami 7Ilakes! Mill dru1tkell
also, 3 tlUlt tlLOU lIw!/e..,t look [gaze 1('itlt de
'iIi!'h pleasure] Oil
their nakedness. This mav either be of actual insults (as
in the hh-tory of
oah), iñ keeping- ccrtainly with the clm-
racter of the later ßab\'lonians, the last wantonne!'s of un-
bridled power, making '\CHe sport of those like him:-:clf (lâs
lIeif[M){Jur), or it may be drunkenness throug-h mi!'ery 4 where-
in they are bared of all their g-Iory and brought to the lowest
shame. The woe falls too on all, who in any way intoxieate I '
others with flatterin
words or feig-ned affel'tion, mixing
poison under things pleasant, to hring them to shame.
W. 'l'llOlt art filled with shame for glory. Oppressors
think to make themselns great by brin
ing- others down, to
.fill themseh-es with riche!'õ, by s.poiling other!'. They loved
!'õhame 5 , beeause they lond that, which brouu;ht shame; they
were filled with shame, in that the\" sate(l them!'elHs with
shamefulness, which was theil' sha;ue within, before, in the
just judgement of God, shame came on them from without.
6 Their glory was in tlteir shame. They shall be filled, yea,
he sap" tlley are already filled 7; they would satisfy, gorge
themsdves, with all their heart
' desires; they are .filled to
the filII, but u'itlt shame instead of glory which they soug-ht,
or which they already had. Fl"fJlIl and for 8 a statc of glory,
they were filled with contempt.
Drink thou also, alUl let tlly.fore.çkill he llllcOl.ered: thy
!'õhame like those whom thou puttest to shame, only the greater
in bcing uncircumcised. The cup of ti,e Lord's lligltt EIaml
sllllll he turued [round] unto thee [or against tltee]. It had
g-one round the circuit of the nation
whom God had em-
l)loyed him to ehasten. and now, the cirele compJeted, it
should he brou,g-ht round to himself, \I IVith IVlwt meaSllre ,'Ie
mete, it shall he measured unto you again. So Jeremiah
says, IO./nd the king of Sheshaclt shalf drink after theut;
and of Edom, 11 To t!tee also slmll the Clip he hrollgltt round.
Thou, a man. madest man to drink of the cup of t!line anger:
the cup shall be brou
ht round to thee, but not by man; to
thce it shall be given by the Riglll Hand of the Lord, whil'h
thou ('anst not eseapc; it shall be U the Clip of tlte wille of the
.fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God; as A
mph had said,
I IJ!:;! is rendered "approaching to" "joining" by Tancb., A. E., Rashi Kim. Sal. B.
MeI. A.barb.; "pouring" Ch. Symm. Both lenses exist in the verb; and the efforts
of Ges. and Papenheim Cap. Del.) to reduce aH the usages under either, force some.
2 The E. V. has taken 1l'cn as irregular from r.::U" flask," with Kim., A. E., Sal. ben
:\ole!.: "poison," Ch. Abulw.; "wrath," Rashi, Àbarb. ; "flask" or" wrath!" Tanch.
3 '\;-;; 'it<'! The info abs. continuing the previous action of the finite verb, as m Gen. xli.
4.3. Is. ix. :W. Jer. xiv. 5, or after the info constr. 1 Sam. xxii. 13. xxv. 26. 33. Jer. vii.
18. &c. See in Ewald Lehrh. p_ 839. ed. 7. · Isaiah xxix. 9. .
. Hos. iv. 8. 8 Phil. iii. 19. 7 V;I;r has nowhere the reflecbve
m
a

1:3:
b

tl.ïmselfpw

\;;:,

V; it si

I)e

::

6
s
te'll .Lam. iv: 2l.
12 Rev. xvi. 19. 13 Ps.lxxvi. 8. 1< "c,p'p might be simply an mtenslve, modIfied
from 1,C,pLj), as JJ\::J from JJJJ, n;'1Í
Q for r."..,
n, &c. Ew. Lehrb. p. 408. It was re-
!(arded as'" compound word by S. Jerome's Hebrew instructor, "vomitus ignominiæ,"
ti..! Midrash Ester Rabb. 121. C. (in Del.) Kim. Sal. B. Mel. as suggested by
he men_
tion of the drinkinl1:. (as in Jer. xxv. 27.). Ibn Ezra, Tanchum, Abarb. give b
th.
In any case, as in c't:::;1, the word was probably framed to suggest the two words, mto
which it is naturally resolved, "c,p II'P, like MIC
II'P Is. xxviii. 8. and the image Is. xix.
U. The form is enlarged by Hab. from the previous (1c,p, but the doubling occurs in

shameful spewin
slHlll /If' on thy glory. C J
oíes T
17 For the violence of Lchanon shall
' 6:!û.
cover thee, and tbe spoil of 1H'asts, which
made them afraid, t hecause of men's blond, · ver. 8.
and for the violence of the land, of the dty,
and of all that dwell tlwrein.
18 .,-r U "That profiteth the g-raven ima
e Q
- fJ.- i.' 10.
that the maker thereof hath
ra\"en it; the

13 TI,ere is a cup in Ihe Lord's '/fwd; it is full of lIIi,l,tllre, lInd
He poureth (Jut there.fmlll; but the dregs there,}f 1I11 the u}/-
godly of the earth shall suck them ollt, ,
/wll drink tltelll.
Ami slllllllefill spewing 14 shalllJe OJl tll.1/ gIOl"!J. .. I;, \\ïth thc
!'õhame of thy spewing"
halt thou hrinl{ up all thou ha:,;t
i'n-allowed down, and from the hei
ht of glory shalt thou be
broug-ht to the utmo!Òt i\I
." Thc shame of the ung-odly
cometh forth from himself; the shame he put othel'
to is
doubled upon hi III 1'c1 l' ; and the very mean
whieh he had
u!Òed to fill himself with u:!orv and greatll('s
. eonr the g-lor\"
which by nature he had, 'wit}l the deeper di':!!"l"al'e, !'u that he
...houId be a loathsome and revolting" sidlt to all. )Ian ,'eil...
foul deeds under fair words; God, in His word, unnils the
foulnes
.
Jï. For the riolellce (!f Lel)(mrm i. en done to Lebanon,
whether the land of Israel of which it wa... the entrance and
the beauty 16, or the temple 17. hoth of ,,'hieh :\'ehut"hadnezzar
laid waste; or, more widely, it may be a
ymbol of all the
majesty of the world and its empire
, ,,-hieh he subdue..., as
Isaiah uses it, when speaking- ofthe judgement on the wodd b.
It slwll cour tllee, and ti,e '\1mil [i. c., spoiling, destJ"lfcti(Jll] nf
bellsts [the inhahitants of Lehanon] 1l'/tich nUllle tlwm afmid,
or more simply, the 7Nlsting of 7('ild lJt'(lsts 19 slwll crllsh 30
them [selves]," i. e., as it is in irrational nature. that" the
frequeney of the incur...ion... of very mi
('h.ie'-ou... animals h
-
COlJ)e
the eause that men assemhle agamst them and kIll
them. ':0 their [the Chalda'alls'] frequent injustiee i" the cau...e
that they ha
te to be a\"eng-ed on thee
I." Hm inl.! beeome
bea,.ts, titey shm'ed their hi
tory. They sp"ilcd, seared, laid
\\-a
te. were destro,"ed. .. "".10':0 seeketh to hurt another,
hurteth himself." 'The Chalda.'ans laid waste JUllæa,
"'an
d
and wasted its inhahitant,:; the end of it,. plunder should
be, not to adorn, but to CfJl't'/. them. m'en\ helm them a... in
ruins so that they should not lift up their head,.; again. Yio-
lenee' returns on . the head of him who did it; they
eem to
rai
e a loftv fabric, but are huried under it. He !!:HlllS up
their past éxpericnce, what Gild had warncd them before-
hand, what they had found.
18. IVhat pT'!/iteth [hath J1,',-!/ited 22 ] the gl"ltt'en image, that
c,
)i' Nu. xxi. 5. 10 S. Jer. 18 See Is. xxxvii. 24. and, as a s}mbol, Jer. x"íii. 6,
23. Ez. xvii. 3; but it is used as a symbol of Sennacherib's arm), Is. "í. 34, and the king
of Asshur is not indeed spoken of under the
ame as .
s} mbol (in Ezek. 'ni. 3.)
ut is
compared to it. Ii See on Zech. XII. 1. IS Is. n. 13.
19 mz:::r:;l is used of beasts of prey, Deut. xxvii. 2-1. ::0 A.s in Is. vii. 8. and
M;;tr? Ps.lxxxix. -10, Pro X. 14, xiii. 3, xiv. U, xviii. ï.
2i R. Tanchum. He had after Ahnlwalid, which Kil11chi Q1J Ites and approves, ex_
plained the first
rt of the verse; " This is
liJ.e
ess
ramed as to him,
hat he :was like
:c

S
tO
gh!
ui

:J
;

:r'::I:i
i:.ls ïì
h:

a

:

/:
::
ol
h

:

of Lebanon shall overwhelm the
:' He gives also the rendering. followed in the E. V.,
but prefers his own. He gives the t"o wa
s. of deri\ing jn'lI' from nnn 8,nd n'n. Rashi
follows the same construction. "The wastmg of thy beasts and forces, because they
have wasted }Iy people Israel, it shall crush them [selves]:'

'ry;" :'!C. Samuel warned them, "Serve the Lord with all your heart, and turn ye not
aside; for [it would be] aftervanities, which "ill not profit, nor deliver, for the} are vain:"
and Jeremiah tells their past;" their 1 rophets prophesied by Baal: and after things ry"J;I' ICC,
"hich profit not, have they gone." Elsewhere the idol is spoken of as a thing, "which

4 ').)
--

HADAKKUK.

C Jioíes T molten image, and a :I teacher of lies, that I
cir.626, t the maker of his work trusteth therein,
'Jz

\

. to make · dumh idols?
tIJ;,e;;
t:í{:h- 19 ,roe unto him that saith to the wood,
yt

'i
5:5. Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall
1 Cor, 12, 2.

the maker thaeof hath gral'en it? 'Yhat did ßaal and ..\!<h-
taroth profit you? \nmt availed it e,-el' but to draw down
the wrath of God? Even so ncither shall it profit the Chal-
dæan. As thcir idols availed them not, so neither need
thev fear them. Sennaehcrib and J'\ehuehadnezzar were
propagandi
t!< of their OWII belief and would d('stroy, if they
('ould, all other worship, false or tl'UC 1: Kehuehaduezzar is
thoug'ht to ha,"e set up his own ima
e 2. Anti-Chri!<t will
set himself up as God 3 . '" e may take warning at lcast by
our own sin
. If we had no profit at all from them, nei-
ther will the like profit others. This the Jews did, in the
main, learn ill their captivity.
The molten i1lla
e and teacher of lies. It is all one whe-
ther by teacher of LUes we understa;u] the idol"', or its priest 5.
For it
pric!<t gave it its ,'oice, as its maker ereated its form.
It could ollly seem to teach throu
h the idol-priest. Isaiah
used the title teacher of lies, of the false prophet 6. It is all
one. Zeehariah t'1Il11bines them; 7 The terap//Ïm }uwe spoken
1'a/lity, allll the ciidllers }Ilæe seen a lie, and have had false
drea/lls.
That tI,e maker of !tis 1l'ork trustet}, therein. This was
the special folly of idolatry. The thing made must needs be
inferior to its maker. It was one of thc eorruptions of
idolatn- that the maker of hi,.. own work should tl'Ust in what
was WilOll} his own creatio/l, what, not God, hut himself
created, what }Iad nothing hut what it had from himself8.
He uses the very words which express the relation of man
to Gild, <. the FI'amcr" and "the thing- framed." II 0 YOZlr
pen'erseness! Shall the framer I}e accOll1Ited as clay, that
the t//Ïng made ÛlOuld sa.1/ (
f its J/aker, He made me 1l0t,
and the tIling framed sa.'! of its Fl"llmer, He hath lW hands?
The idol-maker is" the el'eator of his ereature," of his g'od
whom he worships. Again the idol-maker makes dumh idols
[lit. duml) lIot//ÏllgS] in thelllselves nothin1!
, and having no
vower out of themselves; and what is uttered in their name,
arc but lies. And what else arc man's idols of wealth,
honour, fame, whieh he makes to himself, the creatures of
his own hand
or mind, their greatnes
existing ehiefly in
his own imagination, before which l,e hows down himself,
who is the imag-e of Gild?
IP. But then the greater is the 1Voe to him who decciv-
eth by them. The provhet passes away from the idols as
c. nothin1!s" and pronounces <. woe" on those who deecive by
them. Hp 10 fil'st expostulates with them on their folly, and
would awaken them. TVlmt hath it ]Jr,!/ited 11 ? Then on the
ob
tinate he denounces" woe." 1Voe unto him that saith to
the 1vood, Awake
to the duml} stOllt', Arise. Self-made blind-
ness alone could, in the light of trut h. so
peak; but yet
more lies in the emphatic word, It. The personal pronoun
will not profit" (fut.) .. My people hath changed its glory
..." II"J for that which pro-
fiteth not," J er. ii. 8. 11. So Isaiah, .. 'Vho hath formed a god. "')1'" ''''':1'', not to profit."
Is. xliv. !I. 111. .. The makers of a graven image are aU of them vanity, and their desirable
thing" '''')1'' ":1 will not profit. "
I :! h.gs. xviii. 33-35. xix. 12-18, xxv. 9, Is. x. 10, 11. See also Lectures on Daniel pp.
4-<7 -
!I ed. 2.
Dan. iii. See Lectures on Dan. pp. 412. 3 2 Thess. ii. 4. R
v.
xiii. 15-17. 4 Abarb. Kim. . AE. Tanch. 6 Is. ix. 1-1. ' Zech. x. 2.
" III H..brcw this is made stronger b} the sam
nes. of the words, ,,
, ,
. yo/ser yitsro
E. )1. .. fololuun"r of his fashion." Again" dumb idols" are elUim illemim, the second

teach! Dehold, it is laid oyer with gold c J
oíeST
and sih-er, "'and tlLC1'e is no breath at all in cir.6:!G.
the midst of it. :
::

'L7.
20 But a the LORD is in his holy temple: t
:
'a
í
:e
t b let all the earth keep silence before him.

;:.h before
b Zeph.1. 7. Zech. 2. 13.

stands emphatically in Hebrew; He shall teal'h, 10, He (this
same of whom he speaks) this is It which shall teach: It,
and not the lh"ing God. And yet this same It (the word is
ag-ain emphatic) he points, as with the finger, to it, behold, It
is laid over tvith, },t'ld fast IJY 12, gold and silver, so that no
voice could escape. if it had any. And there is 110 breath at all
ill tIle midst of it 13, lit. All breath, a[[which is breath, there
is none witltiJl it; he first suggests the thought, breath of
every sort, and then energetically denies it all H; no life of
any sort, of man, or bird, or beast, or crceping tl1ing; 1ónone,
good or bad; from God or from Satan; none whereby it ean
do good or do evil; for whi('h it should be loved or feared.
Edl spirits may han made use of idols: they could not give
them lift:, nor dwell in them.
The words addressed to it are the language of the soul in
the seeming absenee or silence of God 16, but mockery as
spoken to the senseless stone, as Elijah had mocked the
Baal-priests 17, peradventure he sleepeth and must he uwaked.
2U. And now having' declared the nothingness of all which
is not God, the power of man or his gods, he answers again
his own question, by summoning all before the Prcsent'e of
the l\Iajesty of God,
Aml the Lord, He had, in condemning them, pieturcd
the tumult of the world, the oppressions, the violence, blood-
sheddings, covetousness, insolence, self-ag'g-randisement of
the then world-empire, and had denounced woe upon it; we
see man framing- his idols, praying to the lifeless stones;
and God, of "ïlOlU none thoug'ht, where was He? Thesc
were men's ways. "And the Lord," he joins it on, as the
complement and corrective of all this confu
ion, The Lord
is in His 11O
,! temple, awaiting, in His long'-suffering, to
judge. TIle temple of God is where God enshrines Himselt

or allows Himself to be seen and adored. "God is wholly
every where, the whole of Him no where." There is no eon'-
trast between His temple on earth, and His temple in hea-
ven. Hc is not more loeally present in hea'"en than in earth.
It were as anthropomorphic but less pious to think of God,
as eonfined, localised, in heaven as on earth; because it
would be simply removing God away from man. Solomon
knew, when he built the temple, that the },eaven and heat't'n
of heavens could not colltaill 18 God. The holy temple, whieh
èould 1)(' destroyed 19, towards whieh men were to pray 20, was
the ,'isible temple 2\ where were the symbols of God's Pre-
sence, and of the atoning Sacrifice; but lest His 'presenl'e
should be loealised. Solomon's repeated prayer is, 22hear Thon
in heaven Th.,! dwelling place; 23hear Tholl ill heaven. There
is then no diffcrenee, a!'ò thoug-h in earlier books the" holv
temple" meant that at Jerusalem, in the later, "the heavens}'
In the confession at the offering of the third year's tithes, the
w

d

:

. v;.ri ië
:

Tï.
e first. I
The r:e
i:gX
f'

elsewhere
o
ïf
re it
means' surrounds,' for that which encircles a thing, is as if it held it on every side."
Tanch. 13 Compo Jer. x. 14 repeated Ii. 17.
1< As in the Hebraism of tbe N. T. ob li.Ka",,81]fTETa. ....âfTa fTàp
Rom. iii. 20.
I. Is. xli. 2-3. Jer. x. 5. 16 Ps. VÜ. 7, xxxv. 23, xIiv. 24. lix. 6, Is. Ii. 9. Del.
I, 1 Kgs.
\iii. 26, 27.
IS I K!'s. .iii. 27. 19 Ps.lxxix. 1.
Ps. v. 7. cxxxviii. 2. Jon. ii. 4.

l 1 Kgs. viii. 29.30, 35, 38, -12, 4-1, ,IS.
lb. 30, 39, 43, -19. "3 lb. 32, 3.j, 36, -13.

Before
C
ro
jJti
T

CIL\PTER III.

CHAPTER III.

4::3

HaLakkuk ill /tis prayer tremMetlt at Goefs ma-
jesty. Ii Tlte cOl!lÙience of /tis faith.
A PItA YER of Habakkuk the prophet
ÛÒ
:

:

:inR a II upon Shigionoth.
to variable longl, or, tunel, called in Hebrew, Shigionoth.

prayer is, 1 look dOlVllfrom Thy IwZIJ habitatioll,from heaven;
and David says, 2 the Lord is in His hoZIJ temple, the Lord's
throne is ill heavell; and, 3 He heard my voice out of His tem-
Ilie-He Lowed tlte heavens also and Cfl111e down; and,
III
His tempie dotlt everyone say, Glor./!. The simple n'ords are
identical though not in the !'ame order as tho
e, in which
Dadd, in the same contrast with the oppression of man,
ushers in the judg-ement and final retribution to
ood and
bad, by deelarin
the unseen presence of God on His Throne
in hea,"en, beholding and trying the sons of men.
In His Presenee, all the mysteries of our bcin
are solved.
Tile Lortl is ill His Itoly Temple, not, as the idols in temples
made with hands, but revealing- Himself in the visible tem-
ple, "Sdwclling o in the Son, by
ature and Union, as He saith,
6 The Father 117ho dwellellt in JIe doeth the works; in each
one of the bodies and souls of the Saints by His Spirit 7,
in the Blessed, in glory; in the Heavens, by the more evi-
dent appearance of His l\Iajesty and the workings of Hi!'!
Power; "8 e'"ery where by Essence, Presence, and Power,
for Ùt Him we live, and more, and have Ollr being; no where
as confined or inclosed." Since then God is in Heaven, be-
holding' the deeds of men, Himself Unchangeable, Almighty,
All-holy, let all the earth keep silence before Him, lit. huslt
before Him all the eartlt, waiting from Him in hushed still-
ness the issue of this tangled state of being. And to the
hushed soul, hushed to itself and its own thoug-hts, hushed
in awe of His Majesty and His Presence, hefore His face, God
speaks 9.
III. 1. A pra.7fer 10 0/ HaLakkuk. The lJTa.l/er of th('
})rophet, in the stricte!'ot sense of the word, is contained in
the words of verse 2. The rest is, in its form, praise and
thanksgivin
, chiefly for God's past mercies in the deliver-
ance from E
ypt and the entering into the promised land.
But thanksgivin
is an essential part of prayer, and Hannah
is said to have prayed, whel'eas the hymn which followed
is throughout one thank-giving n. In that also thesc former
deliverances were images of thing-s to come, of every de-
liveranee afterwards, and, especially, of that complete Di-
vine deliverance which our Lord Jcsus Christ wrought for
us from the power of Satan 12, the whole is one prayer.
"Do, 0 Lord, as Thou hast done of old; forsake not Thine
own works. Such were Thy deeds once; fulfil them now,
all which they shadowed forth." It is then a prayer for
the manifestation of God's power, and therewith the de-
struction of His enemies, thencetorth to the Day of Judge-
ment. "13 Having completed the discourse about Babylon,
I De. xxvii. 15. 2 Ps. xi. 4. a lb. xviii. 6. 9. t lb. xxix. 9.
& S. Jer. ft S. John xiv. 10. 7 I Cor. vi. 19. 8 Dion. P See S. Augustine'8
words to his mother before her death, Conf. ix. 10.
10 Tephilloth is a title of the collecùon of Da\'Ïd's Psalms ending with Ps. lxxii.
(lb. ver. 20.) Three of Da\'Ïd'8 Psalm8 are entitled Tepbillah, Ps. 1vii. Ixxx\'Ï. cxlii.
Moses' Psalm Ie., and anonymous cii. 11 r,"!)M1 1 Sam. ii. 1. 12 1 Cor. x. 11.
P:

iï
lh
shan

Ps
v. MI:haîa

Ps
tfuts. iv. vi. Iv'1'::

o

e

ith
t
ù
:

a

_x

ií. II on Y onath
:I
I
L
:k

;
;.
np

ï

abben,.. Ps.
- {:.. oTa
h

I' Since :'!W .. erred" is common to Hebrew and Aramaic, it is improbable that
1"'111 sÌlould be i. q. Syr.lln'.11C a" hymn of praise," from '1C, besides that the Heb.1' does

2 0 LORD, I have heard t thy spe{'ph, C J JOíes T
([lid was afmid : 0 LORD, II b revive thy work cir. ü:!û.
in the midst of the years, in the mid
t of t II b
::'
r,
the years make lmo\\"n; in wrath remeUl- ó

;, e:v
'
bel' mercy. b p
t'r ). 6.

and having fore-announced most clearly, that those whl) des-
troyed the holy city and ('arried Israel captive shall he !'ie-
verely pllni!'Öhed, hc l'a
scs suitahly to the my!'tery of Chri'.;t,
and from the redcmption which took plaee partially in one
nation, he carries on the discour
e to that univeJ....al rcdc'mp-
tion, whereby the rcmnant of Isracl, and no le
s the whole
world has heen saved:'
Upon Sltigio7tollt. The title, Shigg((ioll, occurs but CIlICC
besides u. UPOIl, in the titles of thc Psalms, is Wo,ed "ith
the instrument
s, the melody 111, or the first word" of the
hymn, whose melody has been adoptecl 17 . The two first
are mentioned hy a J ewi!'h COUlmentator 18 with othC'rs, .. in
his deli
ht," or "hi:,; error:s," in the
('nse, tlltlt (;od will
forgive them. This, whil'h the ver!-ions ami Jewi,..h enm-
mentatOl's mo
tly adopt, would be a good sense, but is hardly
consistent with the Hebrew usage. Shigg((ion of Delloitl,
as a title of a Psalm, mu
t neee!'isarily de1òcl'ibe the P
aII1l
itself, as .JlidslJwr 0/ Dlll'id,
11iclda1Jl of Dm'id, TephillaIt
of David, Jlaschil (if David. But Shiggaio71, as a .. /!,Teat
error," is not a title: 1101' docs it suit the char.wter of the
Psalm, which relates to calumny not to error. It prllhahly,
then, means a psalm with mu
ic expressÏ\-e of
tronu: emo-
tion, "erratic" or "dithyramhic." Habal"kuk's title, on
Sltigimwtlt [plur.] then would mean u[Jou, ur (as we should
say,) "set to" music of p!'alm
of this !'ort 19. The number
"three" remarkably predominates in this psalm 20, )-ct so
that lon
measures are sueeeeded hy \"Cry ,..hort.
2. 0 Lord, I Iwve heard i. e. with the inward ear of
the heart, Thy speeclt, (rather as E. .M. TII.l/ report, i. e. the
report of Thee 21 ) i. e. \\ hat may be heard aud kuown of
God, or, what hc had him!'clf heard 22. The word contains
in one hoth that 1rhieh God had latelv deelared to the Pro-
phet, thc judgements of God upon dic wicked of the peo-
ple, and upon those who, with their own inju
tiee, WJ'ouu:ht
on them the righteous judgements of God, and that the
work of the Lord would be wrought in Hi
time for
those who in patiellee wait for it; and also still more laru:cly,
what mig-ht be heard of God, altllOugh, as it "ere, hut a
littlc whisper of Hi
greatne!<s and of the :Maje
ty of His
workings.
ÁJJ/(l was a/mid, not ,. fearful" but afmid in awe, a
a
creature, and amazed at the surpas",in
\\ onderfulne
s of the
work of God. 'r ell may man stand in awe" 23 at the Incarna-
tion of the Only ßegi)tten Son, how earth should contain
Him uncontained by spaee, how a Body was prepared fllr
Him of the Virgin by the Holy Ghost, and all the works

not interchange with S} r. o. fO V er. 6 has 15 words, in fh e combinations of
three words; VV'. 3 and 10 have 12 words, in four 3s: \'Y. 4,9,19. ha>e 9 words in tbree
3s : vv. 5, 12, 15 and 18 have 6 words in two 3s: ver. 17 is divided into 433.133; 'er. 8
is 33332; ver. 11 is 433; ver. 16 is 3332223. This forces itself on every reader. Del.
quotes the Meor Enaim, i. 60, "The prayer of Habak.b.uk goeth on threes."
21 Except in the one phrase IlK J;.:111 .. hearing of ear" (Job xlii. 5. Ps. X\'iii. 45.) the
personal tíeno after
;!? is that of tbe

ject," th
, report..<<!f J acç>b," Gen. xxix.
3. .. of
Solomon, 1 Kgs. x. 1. 2 Chron_ IX_ 1. of T}re, b. XXIU_ 5_ W1th the affix ;;!l=\\' the ,",,_
port o/the
, Nu. xiv_ 15, De. ii. 25. Nah. iii..19.
>::xi .the report of her [wisð.om] Job
xxviiI. 22. "Jj::1/i the report nf life [God], Is.IXVl. 19. [:.::17 the report oft""rn, Jer. xxxvii.
5.1.43. ' :1:1 as :!JI1::;:> Ob. I, and thence Jer. xlix. U. See on Hosea vü. 12.
23 Theoph. from S. Cyr.

424

HAßAKKUK.

whereh\" He shall work the salvation of mankind, the Cross,
the Dcãth, Rcsurref'tion and As('en
ion, uniting thing-s oppo-
site, a Body with One ineorporeal, Death with Life, Re
ur-
reetion with Death, a ßody in Heann. All is full of wonder
and awe." "1 Thi
is not a senile fear, but a holv fear whidl
endureth for e\-er, not one whi.'h lm'e casteth Ollt, but whieh
it hrin;!,'eth in, wherein angels prai
e, dOlllinion
adore, powers

talHl in awe at the )Iaje!'ty of the Eternal God."
o Lorn. ret'Ìve Th.11 l/'ork. God's \\Tord seems, often, as
it were, dead and clime /lfterl!1 to (m end .fur el'ermore 2, while
it is holdin:.:: on its own .'our
c. as all nature seems dead
for a while, Lbut all is laid up in store, anò ready to í'hnot
forth, as by a SOl.t of resurre('tion. "1 The Prophet prophe-
í'ying- prayeth, that it should eome (luicldy. and praying-
prophesieth that it shall so ellme." .\11 God's dealing-s
with His people, His Churl'h, each sing-Ie soul, are part of
one g-reat work, perfect in itself'S;
Iory and maje
ty.J,; all
which the g-odly meòitateth on 5; which those busied with
their own plan!', do not look to r,; it is manifested in g-reat
doing's for them or with them, a
in the Exodus the Psalmist
says, 'i'Ve lult'e hearel with ow' ears, yea, ollr fathens hru'e
t()U us what 2l'()rk TllOu didst ill their days, ill the time.
of
old: 8 The.1I ]Jl'Oud Jle and .Wllt' J/y worl.; with it He makes
Hi,.; own glad 9; after it has heen withdrawn for a while,
HI'slwll'etì, it to Hi.
sClTWtls 10 ; it i,.;
ues in juògements on
the ungodly, whieh men eon
idcr and declare 11.
The
I'eat work of God on earth, whieh includes all His
work"
nd is the end of all, is the salmtion of man throu
h
.Jesns Christ. This g-reat work !'eemed, as it were, asleep,
or dead, as trees in winter, all throug-h those 4000 years,
whieh :.::an no token of His Coming. Included in this c-reat
\\ ork is the spceial work of the Hand of God, of \
hich
alone it is saicl, God .mid. Let es make ?nail in O/lr Image
after Ollr Likeness 1
; and, we are the elf/.II alld Thou ollr
Pntter, awL we are all the work (
f Th." [-lands 13 ; and Th.1I
Hands h(we made me and .fashiolled me togetha 1'u/(wl alwllt a ,
-man; whom, heing dead as to the lite of the soul throug'h the
malice of Satan, Christ re\"Í\-ed by dyin
and rising- ag-ain.
He was dead in tre.
jJasses alld sins, and like a carcase pu-
trefying- in them, and this whole world onp great dlarnel-
hou
e, throng-h man's manifold ('orruptions. when Christ
('ame to awaken the dead. and thev who heard lind 15.
Again, the Centre of this work: the special'" ork of God,
that wherein He made all things new. i" the Human Bodv
uf our Lord. the Temple whi('h was 'destroyed by Deatli,
and within three days rai
ed up.
The answer to Habakkuk's enrpliry, Holt' long? had two

ides. It had c-iven assuranee as to the end. The trial-time
would not be Lprolong'l'd ti)r one moment lon
er than the
counsel of God had foredetermined. The relief would come,
rome; it ?Vould 1/ot be belâmllullul. But meantime? There
was no emnfm.t to be e:Í\-en. For God knew that deepening
sin was .lrawing- (III deepening- c'hastisement. But in that
He was "ilent as to the internning time and pointed to
patient expe('tatiun of a Jing-ering future. as their only eom-
fort, He implies that the immediate future was heavy. Ha-
hakkuk then renews his prayer for the years which had to
internne and to pas!' away. III tlte midst (!fthe !learS, before
that time ajJjJoillted l6 , when Hi", pl"Cunise should have its full
fulfilment, bcfure those years should ('ome to their close, he
1 Rup.
Ps. Ixxvii.8. 3 De. xxxii. 4. · PST ex!. 3.

Ib.lxxvii.3.exliii. 35. 6 Is. v. 12. 1 Ps. xliv. 2. n':>.';: ').'9 s Ps. Xcv. 9.
9 lb. xeü. 3. 10 lb. x
. G, 11 lb. lxiv. 10. In all these cases sing.
...3.
1
Gen. i.
(j. 18 Is. hiv. 8. 14 Job x. 8.

prays; revive TIIY work. The years include aU the long
period of waiting for our Lord's first Coming before He
came in the Flesh; and now for His second Comin
and the
restitutioll of all tlLings. In this long period, at times God
seems to be absent, as when our Lord was asleep in the boat,
while the tempest was raging; at times He bids the storm
to cease aml there is a great calm. This, in those long in-
ten-als, when God seems to be absent, and to leave all things
to time and chance, and love waxes cold, and graces seem
rare, is the prayer of Habakkuk, of Prophets and Psalmists,
of the Church, 17 ReturJl, we heseech Thee, 0 God of hosts, look
dm('1l from Iteal'en, !.el/Old aml visit tltis ?'ine. 18 0 God, why
Iwst Thml cast us qff'for ever? IVhy tl'Íthdrawest Tholl Thy
hand. TII.1! right IUlIIrL? .For God is my king of old, working
salvation in the midst of ti,e earth. 19 AWlIke, aU'lIke, put on
strength, Tiwil Arm of the Lord; awake, as in tile ancient
da,Ils. ill the generations of old. Art thOll '/lot It which did
smite Rahab, didst tl'ollJul the dmgoll? Art thou 1/ot It which
didst dry the sea, the waters of the great deep, which dÙb;t
make tlte depths of tlte sea a way for ti,e ransomed to pass
over? 20 Stir up TI,y might aml come, save us. 21 Renew Ollr
d(l!IS, a.
of olel. So our Lord taught His Church to pray
continually, whenever she prayed, Tlty kingdom come, lone:-
ing- not for His final Coming only, but fill' the increase of
Hi
glory, and the greater dominion of His grace, and His
enthronement in the hearts of men, evcn before its complete
and final Coming. III the midst of the years revive Thy work,
is the Church's continual crv.
III the midst (
f the .viars ?1Iake known, lit. TIIOU ?l'ilt
make kuown: ill ?l'rath Tholl wilt 1'emember mercy; and so
(as we use the word wilt) the Prophet, at once, j'oreteIlt'th,
expresseth his faith, prayeth. God had made known His
work and His power in the days of old. In times of trouble
He 8eems like a God wlw hidetlt Himself. :Ko\V, he prays.
Him to .
lâne forth and help; make known Thy work, before
Thou fulfil it, to revive the drooping hopes of man, and that
all may 8ee that TII.V ?N)1.,l is trllth. .J.l1ake Thyself knoll'll in
Th\' work, that, when the time ('ometh to
2T1l(lke an end of
sill "by the Death of Thy Son, Thy Aweful Holiness, and the
lo\"e wherewith Thou hast 23 so loved tlte world, may be the
more known and adored.
lit tl'rath Tholl wilt remember mercy. So Da,'id prayed,
2.J,Rl'mel1lber Thy tender-mercies and TIIY loving-ki1Ulnesses; for
they are from old. ThOll wilt remember that counsel fur
man's redemption which has been from the foundation of
the world: for we seem in our own minds to he forl!,'otten of
God, when He delayeth to help us. God remembereth mercy9ã
in ang-cr, in that in this life He never chastens without pur-
poses of mercy, and His .Mercy ever softeneth Hi
judge-
ments. His Promise of mel'ey, that the Seed of the woman
shall bruise the serpent's head, went before the sentence of
di
pleasure, 2G ])ll,
t t!lUIl art, llud unto dust s!lalt t!lou return.
"2; He re"eal
His wrath that He may scare us from sin and
so mav not inflict it;" and when at låst He inflieteth it, He
hath 1;lel'ey on the remnant who flee to His l\Iercy, that we
be Ilut like Sodom and Gomorrha. 28 lVldle u'e were 'l/et sin-
ners, and God was wroth, Christ died for us, and 29lÌe saved
us, not for works wldch we !lad dOlle, but out of His great
Jlercy, and took away sin, and restored us to life and in-
corruption.
1
S. John v. 25. 16 "1;':\;:' 17 Ps. Ixxx. 14. 16 lb. lxxiv. 1, 11, 12. lP Is. Ii. 9, 10.
to Ps. Ix"". 3. 21 Lam. \'. 21.
: Dan. ix. 2J. 23 S. John iii. lG.
:4 PST xxv. 6. :. S. Luke i. 5J, ï2. 26 Gen. iii. 19. 17 S. Jer.
:!' Rom. v. 8. 19 Tit. iii. 5.

CIL\PTER III.

42'>

c
r

!:
T 3 God came from /I Teman, cand the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah.
"Or, the .outh. e Deut. 33. 2. J udg. 5. 4. Ps. 68. 7.

God had already promised by l\Iicah, 1 Accf)rclillg to tlte
days of thy comillg out of the lalld of Eg.1Jpt, I l('ill slum' him
marvellous tMugs. Isaiah had often used the
reat events
of that deliverance as the svmbols of the future. So non-
Habakkuk, in one va!"t panõrama, as it were, without di
-
tinction of time or series of events, exhibits the future in
pictures of the past. In tbe description itself which foHows,
he now speaks in the past, now in the future; of which times
the futnre mi
ht be a vivid present; and the past a prophetic
past. As a key to the whole, he says, GOtI slwll come, in-
dicating" that all which follows, however spoken, was a part
of that future. In no other way was it an answer to that
prayer, Ilet'ive Thy work. To foretell future deliverances in
plain words, had been a comfort; it would have promised a
continuance of that work. The unity and revival of the
work is expressed, in that the past is made, as it was, the
image of the future. That future was to be wondrous, su-
perhuman; else the past miracles had been no imag'e of it.
It was to be no mere repetition of the future; and to mark
this, the images are exhibited out of their historical order.
3. God came (lit. s/wll come) from TeTllall. God shall
come, as He came of old, clothed with majesty and power;
but it was not mere power. The centre of the whole picture
is, as !\licah and Isaiah had prophe
ied that it was to be, a
new revelation; I! 'Phe law shall go forth from Zion, ami the
word of the Lord fl'om Jemsalem. 8 I will git.e Thee for a
COl'eml1lt to tile people [Israel], for a light of the Gentiles. So
now, speaking of the new work in store, Habakkuk renews
the imag-ery in the Song of i\loses 4, in Deborah's Song.,
and in David 6; but there the manifestation of His g-lory is
spoken of wholly in time past, and Mount Sinai is named.
Habakkuk speaks of that coming as yet to be, and omits the
express mention of Mount Sinai, which n'as the emblem of
the law 7 . And so he directs us to another Lawgiver, 'Yhom
God should raise up like Ullto JIoses,
'et with a law of life,
and tells how He "'ho spake the law, God, shall come in
likeness of our flesh.

I l\Iic. vii. 15. 2 Is. ii. 3. Mic. iv. 2. J Is. xliv. 5.
4 Deut. xxxili. 2. . J ud. v. 5. 8 Ps. lxviii. 7.
7 S. Cyr. s Deut. xxxiii. 2. 9 mt is used in prose too, of the rising sun (with
1:':)=''') Gen. xxxii. 32, Ex. xxii. 3, Jud. ix.33, 2 Sam. xxiii. 01, 2 Kgs. iii. 22, Jon. iv. 8.
10 II'!!'" is used of the light of the sun Job üi. 4, x. 22; of the manifestation of God
apart from any physical emblem Ps. I. 2, lxxx. 2, xciv. 1; and of God, favouring the

dnsH
ta
kutc:
. ;

;;otablY ta

;
;b:k

k f

í

c:,'
hi
B:::ífkn
!;
it. The wild:!rne,. of Paran must have lain 'v. or S. of the wilderne.. of Zill, which fonned
the Southern border of Judah (
u. xiii. 21. Josh. xv. 1.). The history of Ishmael im-
plies that part of it lay towards Egypt (Gen. xii. 21.); that of Radad tl,e Edomite, shews

f:
dte
:

t

ib
:nt.

n

n
it
:
ild

n
h
r
fb;i

' th
S n
:;':P

a

is apparently used in a wider sense IL8 comprehending the desert of Zin, whence Ka-
desli IS placed both in Paran (
u. xiii. 26.) and more commonly in Zin (Nu. xx. 1,
XXvll. 14, xxxiii. 3ß, 3;, xxxiv. 4, Josh. xv. 3.), and the wilderness near it is also called
the wi/derne81 of Kade.l. (Ps. xxix. 8.). The name of the wilderlless of Zin does not occur
after Joshua; and that of Par an may have extenàed over the whole desert cretaceous
plateau up to the borders of Edom, now called Badiet-et- Tih, the .. wilderness of the
wanderings," whose Western extremity lies North of the crescent-shaped Jebel-et-Tih,
H

s
:b:
eisitr!í

d t

Iì:::: If
rt
sthfio
k
i

u;
ri
(!t!'

x

aà

c a
dvÉli!
paran .. the terebinth of Paran," (Gen. xiv. 6.) by the wildeme.., the bound of the inroad
of Chedorlaomer, may have had Its name from the wilderness. 1</oulll Paran might be
anywhere connected with this wilderness on the Vl est. .. :\Iount Serbal is perhaps the
i::ta

::n&

:I'ì

n

i

i:dli

:
b
h
% tri:g

:.h
:-
i
= I

;
':t
n;
d:

f
fi:i
k:u
iii:
g l
t

e t
r:
ti
if:;

i,\:
ljng F:i

no:,

;

:
or two points from which its highest peak is visible." Ordnance Survey of Peninsula
of Sinal pp. 14.3, HI. .. "-hen seen from a distance Serbal presents a boldness of out-
line and an appearance of massive isolation which entitled it to rank as one of the I!:rand-
est and most distinctive features of the peninsula." (Palmer's desert of the E....odus
p.16:1.) "hat is now called Jebel Feiran is too low to be taken into accDunt. It is
PART V.

His C J
oÍes T
cir. 626.

And tile HfJ(1/ Oue from 11I(Juut Parmi. In the earliest
pas!'ag-e three plaees are mentioned, in whieh or from which
the glory of God was manifested; with this difference how-
ever, that it is said. 8 Tlte Lord came from Sillai, but His
glory aro.
e, as we should say dawlled fJ unto them from Seir,
and flashed furth 10 frCIJIl 1\Iount Paran 11. Scir and )Iount
ParmI arc joined tog-ether hy the symbol of the lig-ht which
dawned or sltone forth from them. In the second passage, the
Song of Dehorah, Seir and tile field of Edmn are the place
whencc God clime forth; Sinai melted II! at His presence. In
the 68th Psalm the mention of Edom is dropped; and the
march throug-h the wilderness nnder the leading of God, is
alone mentioned, to/!ether with the shaking of Sinai. In
Habakkuk, the contrast is the same as in l\lo
es; only Temcl1l
stands in place of Seir 18. Temall and
"'loltllt P
rml are
named probably, as the two "pposed boundaries of the
journe
'ing-s of Israel throu/!h the desert. They came to
Jlount Sinai throug"h the valley, non' called 'Yady Feiran H or
Paran ; Edolll was the bound of thcir wandering-s to their
promised land 15. God "110 guided, fed, protected them from
the beginning, led them to the end. Between Parmi aJ!'o and
Edom or Temfln was the gift of the Spirit to the seventy,
which was the shadow of the day of Pentecost; there, was the
brazen serpent lifted up, the picture of the healing- of the
Cross 111. If )Iount Paran he near Kadesh, then :\Io!'es in the
opening of his song- describes the glory of God as manifested
from that first revelation of His law on Jlount Sinai; then in
that 10Ilß' period of Israel's waiting there to its final departure
for the })romiseelland, when 1\Iount Hor was con!'ecrated amI
God's aweful Holiness declared in the death of Aaron.
He ,,'ho slwll come, is God 17, the Holy Oue (a proper
Xame of God I8 ). Perfect in Holiness, as God, the Son of
God, and as i\Ian also all-holy, with a human wiil, always
exactly accompanying the Divine '''ill, whieh was
"the passion of His Heart
Those Three-and-thirty
'ears."

but an eminence, rising on one side 810 feet above the ". ady Feiran; on the other side,
795 feet, and abo,'e the sea 2800; so that in the same neighbourhood Mount Serbal is

tt
b;lt,s s
::ro

.Fi

':
i
hha:e
hi:

:f:::,t tt

\t i
S

t

.!
:
'''-ady Feiran or Paran, through which Moses led Israel to Mount Sinai. The name
is remarkable, as having been given by Israel, since it has a Hebrew etymolog), .. the
beautiful" or" the leafy," and all travellers praise the richness of the valler., even amid
the decay of fertility consequent on neglect. It has no Arabic etymologv. (See Palmer,
1. c. p. 20.) S. Jerome savs, from his Hebrew ttcacher apparently," Þharan is a pla
e
near to :Mount Sinai." ad 'Joe.
The striking mountain of Edom had its own name H or, which in the eleven J'laces in
which it is named in the Pentateuch is always called ",:1."," Hor, the mountam."
u.
xx. 22, 23, 25, 2;. xxi. 4. xxxii. 3;,38, .II. xxxiv. 7, 8. De. xxxii. 19. Prof. Palmer ha,.-

fId:r
:
s
fn i'a1::ht,oi
:.If:
h
h o

'
i!i:;

3';'h?cl;) \V

;'lad?
d:b

l:s

Re

í
Magráh would be always the most conspicuous object in the scene." (Ib. t . 510.) This

h: t
hte

je

'i
:s
i:::i.

d
.--;

;;J:I

broad, .. projecting into the ih. much as
Ii Jut V. 4,5. 13 As it stands connected with Edom,Ob. 9. Jer. lix. í, 2t1,
21. with Dedan also. Jer. xlix. S, Ezek. xu. 13. H Sinaitic Survey c. 5. UU-l5,;.
I. Nu. xx. 1-1--20. Deut. Ü. 16 Rib.
17 The sing. "'
II occurs 41 times in the book of Job; else only 16 times in all \he
O. T., and 8 times onlyot the true God, (twice in Moses' song Deut. xxxii. ]5,li; in a
Psalm of Da\ id, Ps. cxxxix. 19, of Asal.'h, I. 22, Anon. Ps. cxiv. ì; in Proverbs xxx. 5,
here, and in Nehemiah's I?ra}er, (in "hich there are so many reminiscences trom the
Pentateuch. See in .. Damel the Prophet" pp. 356, 35;.) Else it is used of the Godhead
(Who is God e;ccept &c. in David Ps. xviii. 32, is there any God b..ides lr/e? Is. xliv.
8); .. any God" including the true God Dan. xi. 3. And five times it is used of a fal-e
god; in Hab. i. 11; three times in Uan. D. &:<, 39; and br Sennacherib 2 Chr. xxxii.
15. There is then no basis of induction as to its occurring m later Hebrew and poetic
books; since its use is mostly a peculiarity of the book of Job, the other 16 cases are
sporadic and in no one sense.
B "-hence in the Hebre", though the subject, it has no article, !is in Is. xl. 25, and
I Job vi. 11.

3 R

42ö

H
\D
\KK {; K.

C Hllí{ores T glory cm'cl'('d the heavens, and the earth
cir. t326. was full of his praise.

On this there follows a pause denoted by Selah 1, (which
.Jceurs thrice aceording- to the mystery of that number,) that
the soul may dwell on the greatness of the majesty and mercy
of God.
Selull. There is no doubt as to the general purport of the
word, that it is a mm;ical direction, that there ,.;hnuld he a
pause, the music probably continuing alone, while the mind
re,,:ted on thc thought, which had ju,,:t been presented to it;
our "interlude 2." It is always placed at some pause
of thoug-ht, (','en when not at the end of a strophe, or, as
twice in this hymn 3, at the end of the verse.
. Gregory
of 1\ yssa mOtlifie,; this thought, supposing"" Sclah" to ex-
press a lJause made by the writer, that "-1while the psalmody,
with which David's pl"Ophe,;ying was aCf'ompanied, went on
in its COUl'se, another illumining of the Holy Spirit, and an
a(lditinn to the gift aceording to knowledge, came for the
benefit of those who received the propheey, he, holding- in
his nrse, gave time for hi,; mind to receive the knowlcdg-e
of. the thought, which took place in him from the Divine
illuminin/.!,'." He defines it to he "a sudden silence in the
midst of the Psalmody for the reception of the illumining."
His Glor.l/ covered tile lIeavens, and the earth was full of
His praise. This is l)lainly no created g'lory, but anticipates
the AngcIic Hymn, 6 Glor.,! to God in tlie lligliest, ancl on eartlt
peare, good-will toward men, or, as the Seraphim sing first,
glory to God in Heaven,
Holy Holy Holy is tile Lord God
(
f Subaotll, and then, tile lOll ole earth is full of His glor.l/; and
Uncreated 'Yisdolll saith, 7 I alolle compas.'iecl tile circllit of
Helll'en, and walked in tile bottom of the deep. Nor are they
our material heavens, much less this lowest hea"en over our
earth, nor is His glory any lig-htning at Mount
inai, but the
boundless Majesty 8 of God, which rules, encompa!"ses, fills,
penetrates the orbs of hea\-en and all its inhabitants, and yet
is not enclosed nor bounded thereby. Those who are made
a!' the heavens by the indwelling of God He spiritually covers,
filling- 9 them with the light of glory and splendour of g-race
and brightne..;s of wisdom, as it saith, Is tllere an.1/ lIlt1nber of
His armies, ullclupOIl 2V1W/IL cloth not His liglli arise 10 ? and so
tile eartlt was full of His praise, i. e. the Church militant
!<pread throughout the world, as in the Psalm, 11 The Lord's
Illlme is praised from the rising up of tlie sun unto the going
clO1l'1l of tile same, and, 12 0 Lord, our Lord, IIOW e3:cellent is
Th.,! name in all the earth, IVlw hast set Th.1/ glory above
t lie heavens.
4. Ami His Brightness, that wherein God dwelleth, 13 the

I It occurs here only besides the Psalms. It occurs thrice in Ps. iii. xxxii. lxvi.
lxviii.
li<,bjlaÀlLa in Lxx. Theod. Symm. S) r.
J In Ps. Iv. 20. lvii. 4. Hab. iii. 3, 9, alone, it is not at the end of the verse. Eight
Psalms only, out of 39 Psalms which have it, have not the title" For the chief musi-
cian," Ps. 32, 48, 56, 82, 83, 8ï, 89, 143. 5 of these are '1010; 2,
,
Z'C (32 and 89), one
without any inscription (48). The most probable etymology seems to be 11
e, =!he and
so our" alto; " whether the :t be added to
O or it be an imperative with paragogic :t like
:t;rjll Ps. cxix. 11i, 11Jl11Z1J Is. xli_ 23, although there is no extant instance of this im-
perative. There i. equally no instance of the form from
'e (as Ewald Ps. i. li9, Lehrb.

. 2H3_ c. p. 544) since 11t'
1 Kgs. iÏ. 40, is only a Var. Read. for the received "t'! which
is borne out by 11J;1
Jos. xix. 13. 4 Tract 2 in P
. Inscr. &c. T. i.
. 329.
5 S. Luke i.. U. 6 Is. vi. 3. ; Ecclus. XXIV. 5. s'111 IS used of
the Di,ine l\Iajesly Job xxxyii. 22. Ps. viii. 2. xx. 30. with "11 Ps. xcvi. 6, (1 Chr. xvi.

ï,) civ. 1, cxi. 3, cxlv. 5, cxlviii. 11; iron
cally to I!'an, as il!'po
sibl
for him, Job
xl. 10. It is used as imparted to the
Iesslah Ps. XXI. 6, or

Ing m Him, Ps. xlv. 4.
9 Dion. 10 Job xxv. 3. 11 Ps. cxii. 3. 12 lb. \lll. 1. 13 Ezek. x. 4.
H Ps. xviii. 12. I. Ex. xix. 9,16. xx. 21. 16 lb. xxiv. 10. 17 S. John i. H.
18 Is. ix. 2. 19 Theoph. 20 Rup.
I Heb. i. 3. 22 Wisd. vii. 25.
2.1
icene Creed. 2' S. John i. 9. 25 lb. xvii. 5. 26 S. Jer. Dion.
2; 11
Ex. xxxi,. 29. 30. 35. "hich is compared by Kim. Rashi, ^. E. Abulw. Abarb.

4 And his brightness was as the light; C Ifïfois T
he had II horns coming out of his hand: dr. (;26.
II Or, briKIit beam8 out of 1âs side.

brigldness (
f the Lord's glory, before which darkness fleeth U ,
2vas as tlte light, or as the sun. Out of the midst of the dark-
ness, wherewith God, as it were, 15hid Himselt
the Brightness
of the ill([pproaclwble LigM wherein He (It('elletlt, gleams
forth 16, bright as tlte hrightest ligM gathered into one, which
man knows of and whereon he cannot gaze.
o amid the dark-
ness ofthe humiliation of His Presence in the flesh, 17 we beheld
His Glory, the Glory as of tlte Ollly-Begotten of tile Fatller;
and 18 tlte people tlwt 2l'alked in clm'kne.'i.ç see a great ligld, "not
dim 19 nor weak, nor shadowed, like that of .l\Iose!", but pure
llnimaA"inahle light of the knowledge of God." The Bright-
ness too of His Flesh was like the li/.!,"ht of the Godhead on

I()unt Tahor; for the Godhead fta,.;hed through. "20 As often
as He did His marvellous works, He put forth His Brightness
(tempered fur His creatures, since they could not approach
the depth of His lig-ht, yet) ([s light to enlightcn men to know
Him. Yet the Brig-htness i!"sues from the Light, co-existing-
with it, and in it, while issuing from it. And so the words
aptly express, how He "'ho is the 21 Brightness of the Fatller'.ç
Glory mul tile express Image of His Person, the 22 Brightness
of tile Etel"llal Light, tile unsputted m;rror of tlte Power of
Goel, alUl the Image of His Goodlless, is as the LiA'ht from
"'hom He is, "23 Light of Light," Equal to the Father by
'Vhom He was BeA'otten; as
. John says, 2-10 'L"'1wt 2l'as the
true LigM, which lighteneth every malt tlwt cometh into tile
2vorld. As He prayeth, 2. Glor
fy 'Plloll ]Ile Wit/l 'L'Iâne ou.1t
Self witlt the Glory IV/âch I Iwd with Thee he/ore the world
was.
He had horns corning Ollt of His HalUl. "26 Horns are every-
where in Holy Scripture the emblem of strength." It may be,
that here" rays" are likened to horns, as the face of Moses
is said, with the same image, to have" sent forth rays 27" after
he had long been in the presence of God. So it may be a
lllingleel image of the Glory and mig-ht; Light, which was
also might. But" horns," though they may be a symbol of
"lig-ht," are not of "lightning;" and the Hand of God is
used as an emhlcm of His Power, His protection, His bounty,
His constraining force on His prophets. It is non here used
of the side or sides 28. "'e have two imagoes ('ombined here;
"horns" which in e\"Cry other place in which they are u
ed
as a metaphor, is an emhlem uf power; and" from the hand
of" which, wherever it is used of a per,;on, means that the
thing spoken of had been in his hand or l)ower really or
virtually29. Both then combine in the mcaning that the might
came forth from the directing agency of God 'Vho wielded it.

Tanch. Abendana. Tills is illustrated further by the use of" horns" as a hieroglyphic
for the sun, Champollion Grammar p. 359. ill Ges. and !lnJ'.," horns" of the sun, Buxt.
(not in Levy). The title of Ps. xxii. "Il1t'l1 n
:l<
JI .. according to the hind of the morn-
ing," may bear npon it, since !I'V11M !It'7-l< in the Jerus. Talm. (originally quoted by
Lightfoot, Horæ Hebr. On S. Mark xvi. 2) is used of the first rays of light, which
usher in the dawn, the rays appearing solid like horns. In Arab. too n
II!Ï1 is a name of
the sun, though Arab. authorities differ about its use, and II
'!I n
lIlÏ1 is the" sun at
the time called 1I!Jj,:," some part of the clear day. And Hariri uses" the horn of the
gazelle" n
lIlih!l 1

(as eXplained by De Sacy) of those same first rays. But KIm.
gives as the meanings of .l:iõ .11 hind (literally) or dav-star, or sunrise.

s As even Del. and Keil. " is used of the side of the river Ex. ii. 5, and with
the prepositions
,
1I."I1I, 'lIJ (See Ges.) but with p, once only f.-omtlle side oftllecoUntr.

Nu. xxiv. 4; on which, see note 29. end.

''0 occurs in the O. T. with the gen. of the noun or pronoun, 197 times; in the plural
5 times. Of these, the greatest number are with verbs of deliverin/(,

11, 7l; v::'1:t, 18; ,.e-
deem, ;n!). 3,
II], 3; brougl.tforth,II
':t, 1; rescued,p"Ð, 1 õguard,
, 2 ;escape,c
O, 9,e'!), 1;
flee, n1J, 1; np
. took by force, 11; took, received, 22; took unawares from, " m , 2; reo
I ceive and offer, ::I'1Pl1, 1 ; consecrate fi-om, l7.,p", 1; spri..kled (blood), ml, 2; bought, 1'JJi', i;

CIL\PTER Ill.

42i

C H ßï{ore l sTand there teas the hiding of his power.; /I e hurning coals went forth at his fl'<.'t. Before
C I
R.
S T
cir. 626. 5 d ßefore him went the pestilence, and I 6 He stood and measured the earth: he cU'. fi:.G.
d r\ah. 1. 3. II Or, burning di8
cue., Dellt. 32. 2-1. · Ps. 18. 8.
\rhcn then did light or might, which lay, as it were, Hands shall be given the vacant thrones in Heaven, as He
before in the Hand of God, go forth from it? For ti,e Hand saith, 18 fo him t/mt ot'ercometl, will I grant to sit u'ith
}Je in
of Goel is always symbolic of His might, whethcr put forth, J/y Throne, even as I also oz'ercmne and mn set dOlt'll u'ith
or for the time laid up in it. The form of the words re- .1/..'1 Fatl'er in His Throne. There too u'((s the hiding (
f His
markably eorresponds to those of Moses, in the preface to Power, in that there, in His Cross, is our shelter 19, and in
the ble

ing on the tribes, which Habakkuk had in mind, Hi
pierced
ide our hiding-plaee, where we may take refuge
1 Fl'Om His ?'ight hand was afiery law for them, and S. Paul from Satan and our sins; for therein is Power. 20 lYeit/,er
says that the glory of Moses' face which he rcccived from shall an.1I pluck them Ollt of
lr.y Hand. Light and darkne
:-
the Presence of God, was a symbol of the glory of the law. e"er meet in Gud. His inapproaehable light is òarkness h.
2 The ministration of death written and ellgraven on stone t('as eyes which would gaze on it. n He cot'ereth Himself u'itb
glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steal{fa.
tly be- Light as with a garment. His light is the very veil which
hold the face of Jloses for the glory of /tis coulltmance. The hideth Him. IIis Light is darkncss to those who pry into
law, heing gh'en by God, had a majesty of its own. The Him and His 1'\ature; His darkne!'s is light to tho!'e who by
Psalms bcar witness to its power in converting, enwiscnillg, faith behold Him. He emptied Himself 22 and hid Him!'clf;
rejoicing, en1ightening the soul 8. They in whose hcart it He hid the power of His Godhead in the weakness of the
was, none of their steps slided ". The whole I J9th Psalm is
Ianhood, and so 23 He Who conwllmded the light to shim
one varied testimony of its /!reatness and its power. It wa!' out of darkness, hath shined in our /Iearts, to git'e the ligld
a guide on the way; it was a schoolmaster unto Christ 5, by r
r the knowledge of the glory of God, i1/ the Face of Jesus
"110m it was fulfilled. But itself bare witness of thc
Teater Christ. "2" In the Cross was for a while His mi
ht hidden.
glory which should come forth from the Hand of God. 6 If whcn He said to His Father, 25 1 1l y soul is exceeding sorrouflll
t//([t u'hiC'/, is done away were glorious, 1111lcl, more thllt which I even unto death, and, Father, if it be }JossiMe, let this Clip pas.

remaiueth is glorious. "7 The horn signifieth power, when it from lJle, and on the Cross itself, 211 Father, into 'Pity Hauds I
is spoken of God the Father exhibiting to us God the
on : commend .'1.11 Spirit."
6 He hath raised up a horn of salt'atiou for us, and again,9 His 5. Befúre Him went [goeth] the pestilencè; then to con-
horn shall be exalted in houour. For all thin
s which were sume His enemies, 27 I tvill .çellll .'I/y fear befure thee, and
marvellously done were glorious. The Only-Beg-ottcn eame will destroy all the people, to wltom thOll sltalt come, and the
then in our form. and, in regard to the Flesh and the :\Ian- lightnings are a token that 28 they w/iich hate Him,jlee befure
llOod, enduring the appearance of our weakness, but, as God, Him, aml the wicked perish at the Presence of G"d. So, on
invisible in might and easily subduing whom He willed." His Asccn!'ion, Herod and Pilate were smitten by Him, and
And what has bcen the weapon of His warfare, where- Elpl1as and Simon :\Iagus before His Apostlcs, and ",hat-
b" He has subdued the might of
atan and the hearts
oenr hath lifted itself up against Him hath lwrished, and
of men, but the horns of His Cross, whel'eto His Sacred Antichrist shall perish 29 a t the breath of His nlGHtlt, and all
Hands were once fastened by the sharp nails, where was the ung'odly in the Day of Judgement.
the hiding 0/ His POl(.er, when His Almightiness lay hid in I And burning coals (rather, as E. 1\1., burning ferer SO) tl'Wt
His Passion 10, and He was II a worm and uo man; a reproach forth at His J.èet, i.e., followed Him. Messengers of death
of men ami ti,e despised of the people? 1'\ow it is the Sceptre went as it were before Him, as the front of His army, and
laid upon His Shoulder u, the ensig-n and trophy of His rulc, the rear thereof was other forms of death 31. Death anò de,,-
the Rod of His StI'ength 13, tcrrible to dedls, salvation to truction of all sorts are a great army at His command,
man. In it lay His might, although conccaled, as He said, going before Him as heralds of His Coming, (such as arc
h I, if I be lifted up f/"Om the earth, willlb'lIll' all men Ilnto .lIe. judg-ements in this world) or attendant!' upon Him, at the
His 1\Iig-ht 'Was lodged there, although hidden. It was the Judgement when He appearcth s2in His King-dum, when
hiding-place of His power. The Cross was 15 to the Jeu's a S3 they shall gather out of His Kingdom all t/tings that of/tnrf,
stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but llnto ami them tdtich do iniquity, alld shall cast tl,em into a fumaee
them which are called, both Jell'S aml Greeks, Christ Crucified of fire.
was the POll'er of God alld the lrisclmn of God. Throug-h the 6. He stoocfS", and measllrelfS' the earth. Jo!'hua, after he
Cross was 16 all pOll'er giVeIl to Him both ill Helll'eJl ll1ld had conquered the land, meted it out and didded it among
earth. 17 There was given Him dominion alld glory alld a the people. He ,"ho should come, should mea
ure out thc
kingdom, t!tat alllJeople, nations, and languages should serre earth in its length and breadth, that earth which His glory
Him. From Him shall go forth all power in earth; by His .fìlleth. He stood, as S. Stephen saw Him, 86 standiug at till:

{J(!cept,
, 2; give, in], 1 i collect,
:2C, 1 i eat/rom, C,:2C, 1; :T"1:J. 2 i drank, :'1;e,:i, 1 i leek,
E'tJ, í; require oj, VT1, 5 ; judged and avenged, t:!);j, 3; avenged, cp, 1; ,'end, JT'1P, 3; cause
tofallfrom,
'!1"t, 2; drikefrom, :t
." 2; cut offfi'om, n-,;:", 1 ; 'IJJ, 1; cast, ,',:}; reproach
from, 'lWIn; by writin/? from, :1n
:J, 1; letter. from, n"UN 1; officer8 appointed by C'1';;Ð, 1.
strengthened from the hand8 of God, 1. The verb w<u, n':t, is expressed once; it lIes in
the sentence thrice; once only it meansfrom the 6ide oj a count,,!!, r\u. xxiv. ... in which
there can be no ambiguity.
I Deut. xX'Cili. 2. t 2 Cor. iii. ï. J Ps. xix. 8. f lb. xxx,
i. 31.
I Gal. üi. 24. 6 2 Cor. iü. n. 'i S. Cyr. 8 S. Luke ii. 6!). 9 Ps. cxi, 9.
10 Is. liii. 3. II Ps. xxii. 6. I
Is. ix. 6. 13 S. John xii. 32. ups. cx. 2.
"The words, Horns are in His Hands, shew the insignia of His kingdom, b)' which
horns, pushing and thrusting the imisible and opposing powers, He drove them a\\av."
Euseb. Dem. Evang_ .i. 15. Add S. Cyprian Test. ad Quirin. ü. 21. p. 57.0"f. Tr.

'b
f

iii
n32
is HI
nld(;0
.htt2

ey,

h)I

:
;,?
.t
8, Cros
i '
;
:\uJ.'I

hi
:t

- e
,ip;
tecteth ;I
t:h::;'b
: .J{hïðð:n:

:

d.;' iii "dh:::.b

;;.w

:::p
l

xxvi. 20.
o S. John x. 28. 21 Ps. civ. 3. ::-! Phil. ii. 8.
:z3 2 Cor. iv. 6. :. S. Jer. ,
S. Matt. xxvi. 38, 39.
!tI S. Luke xxiii. 13.
Ex. xxiii. 27.
2S Ps. Ixviii. 1. 2.
g lb. xi. 4. 30 De. xuii. 2. (where also it is sin
., as
only besides in

1'
Job v. í.) So A. E. "Burning coals" is from Kim. Tanch. gIves
as different opinions" sparks" or " arrows" or " pestilence;" but the meanin
s .. sparks,
arrows," are ascribed only to the plur. Ps. lxxvi. 4. Ixxxviii. 48. Cant. viii. 6. The cen-
tral meaninp; is probably" burning heat." 31 "Before Him is sent the angel
of death and His word goeth forth, a flame of fire." J on. 3
2 Tim. vi. 1.
:

::

E
IR;
iü. ;!
ci
. 'iu

taf:
r b
;
;

:n
y v
t
t?;,

'!

e1hi
1
:
self," 1 Kgs '[vii. 21. Bvan interchange ofdentals"TC might be=t:1::1, and so Ch. L 'Xx..
but in no other case do the two forms coexist in Hebrew. 36 Acts \ ii. 5û.

428

HABAKKUK.

C J3ïi o í e s T hehclrl, and drove asunder the nations;
cir.626. f and the g evcrlasting mountains were seat-
r Xah. 1. 5. I< Gen. 49. 26.

Right Hand of God; and Isaiah saith, 1 The Lord standeth
up to plead, aml standeth to JUl(
e the people. He had not
nced to go forth, but, in the abode of His glory, He stood
and beheld and with His Eye measured the earth, as Hi
I
own, whereas, before the Cross, it lay under
the Prince of
tltis world, and he had said, 3it is delivered uuto me, allllunto
whomsoever I will, I give it. He measureth it, and gave it
to His Apostles, 4 All power Ü gÜ'en unto
}Ie in herll'en
aml in earth. Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gos-
pel to ever.,! creature, and, 5 tl,eir solt/1l1 is gone out into all
lands, aml tl,eir 2l'Ords into the euds of ti,e 'l'orld. He mea-
sureth it also, sun'eying- and weig-hing all who dwell therein,
their person
, qualities, deeds, good or bad, to requite them,
as Judge of quick and dead; as Da,-id ca
t down
Ioab and
measUl'cd them with a line, 6 to ]Jllt to death and to keep
alive.
H
beheld, awl dl"O'l'e asunder the nations, or, made the
natiollS to tremble 7 . "
hen Israel came out of Egypt and
God divided the Reel sea before thcm, they sang, b Tile peo-
ple shall hear aml be afraid; terror shall take hold of the I
inlwbitllnts l
f Palesthw; the mighty men 0/
}Joab, trembling I
shall take hold of them; all the inhabitants of Cauaan shall
melt ml'a.1I ; fear and dread shall fall Wl them; by the great- !
ness of TII.,! power the.1I shall be still as a stone. Fear and I
awe wcre to be renewed. AU nearness of God brings terror I
to sinful man. "
hen the news came throul.?,"h the wi
e
men, that they had \I seen in the East the stm'
I Him '\Ï1O
was born, King (
f the Jews, not Hemd the King only 2l'as
troubled, but all Jem8alem with him. Pilate 10 was afraid
when he condemned Him: thc Hil.?,"h Priests wondered where-
unto tM.s should grOll', and expostulated, 11 .'1e hm'e filled
Jerusalem with your doctrine, alUl it/tend to bring t!lis
}lan's
Mood upon us. Heathendom was as a beleaguered city,
mastered by an ubiquitous Presence, which they knew not
how to meet. "12 The state is bcset: the Chri
tians are in
thcir fields, in their forts, in their islands. E,'ery sex, age
condition, and now even rank is going over to this sect."
The fierceness of the per
ecutions was the measure of thcir
fear. They put forth aU human mil.?,"ht to !"tamp out the
!"park, lest thcir god
, and the greatness of the empire whieh
they ascribed to their gods, should faU before this unknown
power.
And tile e'l'erlasting lIwwltains were scattered; the per-
petual hills did how; all power, great or small, gave way be-
fore Him. AU which with
tood was scattered asunder, all
which in pride liftcd itself up was brought low, although be-
fore the comin
of the Saviour it had ever I.?,"one with neck
erect, and none
could humble its pridc. 'fhei'e is something

o marvellous about those ancient mountains. There they
stood before man was on thc earth; they are so solid, man
so slight; they have survi,'ed so many generations of man;
they will long survive us; they seem as if they would stand
for ever; the apter
pllbol how nothing should stand be-
(ore the might of God. To the greater pride the heavier lot
is a
signed: the mountains lifted on high above the earth
and, as it were, lookin
down upon it, arc scattcred or
dispersed, as whcn a stone flieth in pieces under the stroke
I Is. ill. 13. 2 1 Cor. ii. 5. 3 S. Luke iv. G. 4 S. :\Iatt. xxviü. 18. S. Mark
x, i. 15. · Ps. xix. .t. 6 2 Sam. viii. 2. i '1<;
being used of outward leaping of the
locust, Lev. xi. 1:!."IDI. of the inward leaping of the heart. Job xxX\ii. 1. either seems
admissible. The in\\ard terror was the forerunner and often the instrument of the out-

tered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways C }?
OÍ-;' 1
are everlasting. cir. (j:!(;.

of the hammer. The "hills" arc bowed down only; and
this may be the pride of man humbled under the yoke of
Chri!"t.
His TVays are E'l'er/ast;llg. "Everlasting" is set O\'er
against .. everlasting." The" everlasting" of the ereature,
that which had been as long as creation had been, co-existing
with its whole duration, its most enduring part
, are as
things past and gone; ti,e everlasting T1wlllltains, ti,e Mils of
etemity, have been seattcred in pieccs and bowed, and are no
more. Over ag-ainst these stands the ever-present eternity
of God. His 2t'a.,!,
are everlasting, ordered everlastingly,
existing- everlastingly in the Divine l\Iind, and, when in
act among us, without changc in Him. The prophet
blends in these great words, things seemingly contrary,
ways which imply progress, eternity which is unchangeable.
"13God evcr worketh, and ever resteth; unchangeable, yet
changing all; He changeth His works, His purpose un-
chang-ed." "H For Thou art ?\Io
t High, and art Hot changed,
neither in Thee doth to-day come to a close; )'et in Thee it
doth come to a closc ; because all such things also are in Thee.
For they had no way to pass away, unless Thou helde!i't
them together. And since TIIY years fail not, Thy 'years
are one To-day. How many of our's and our fathers'
years have flowed away through Thy to-day; and from it
received the measure and the mould of such being as they
had; and still others shall flow awav, and so receive the
mould of their degree of being. nut Thou art still the
Same; and all thing's of to-morrow, and all beyond, and all of
yesterday, and all behind it, Tholl wilt do in this to-day,
Thou hast done in this to-da,'."
To the!'Õe His goings, a highway is made by the breaking
down of all which exalted itselt
as Isaiah had said, 15 The
loftiness 0/ man shall he howed down, and the haugldiness
of men slwll be made low, aml tlte Lord Alolle shall be e:l"ltlted
ill that day; and, 16 Tile 'voice of Mm tlwt crieth in ti,e wilder.
ness, Prepare ye ti,e wa.,! of the Lord, make straight in the
desert a higllll.ay for Ollr God. Every 'valle.,! shall he e:J:alted,
aml el'er.,! mou/ltain and hill sltall be made low.
"17 The Everlastinl.?," ways of the Everla!"ting God are
Mercy and Truth,-by these \rays are the hill
of the world
and the proud demons, the princes of the darkness of this
world, bowed (lown, who knew not the way of mcrcy and
truth nor remembered Its paths. ".hat hath he to do
with truth, who is a liar and the father of it, and of whom
it is written, he abode not in ti,e Tmth? llut how far hc is
from .Mercy, our mh:ery witne

eth, inflicted on us by him.
"lien was he ever merciful, who was II 111111'derel" from the
beginning ?-So then those swelling hills were bowed down
from the Everlasting- 'Vays, when through their own crook-
edness they sunk away from the straight ways of the Lord,
and became not so much ways as precipices. How much
more prudently and wisely are other hills bowed down and
humbled by these ways to salvation! For they were not
bowed from them, as parting from their strai
'htne
s, but
the Everlasting 'Vays them
elves bowed down. May we
not now see the hills of the world bowed down, when those
who are high and mighty with devoted submission bow
ward dispersion. s Ex. xv. 15, 16.
S. Matt. ii. 1-3_ 10 S. John xix. 8.
II Acts v. 2.t, 28. 12 Tertull. Apol. init. p. 2. Oxt. Tr.
13 S. Aug. Conf. i. 4 p. 3. oxe. Tr. 14 lb. 10. p. 6.
15 Is. ii. Ii. 16 lb. xl. 3. Ii S. Bern. in Ps. Qui habitat. Serm. "i. 8.

CI-L\PTER III.

C Jífoíes T 7 I saw the tents of II C'ushan 1\ in affiie-
dr. 626. tion : and the curtains of the land of
lidian
Ilg;: ;;

,!;a. did tremble.
'!,i

:;'ÿ, 8 'Vas the LORD displeasc(l against the

themselves before the Lord, and worship at His Feet?
Arc they not bowed down, when from their own destrul,tive
loftiness of vanity and cruelty, they are turned to the hum-
blc way of lUercy and truth? "
Î I saw (in prophetÏe vision I), the te1lts of Gush all ill
(lit. under) (!f/lictÙm. On the Coming" of the Lord there fol-
lows the visitation of those alien from Him 2. Cushan-Risha-
thaim was the first, whose ambition God overruled to
chasten His people 3. It has been remarked 4, that as kill/{
of Aram-1Ya/wraim or North Mesopotamia, he was prohably
sO\'ereign of the Aram, from which Balak king- of Moab,
allied with .Midian, sent for Balaam to curse Israel. .JfÙlÙlll
was the last enemy who, at the very entrance of the pro-
mised land, seduced God's people into idolatry and foul sin
and lusts. l\Iidian became then the object of the wrath of
God ii. Thcy \vere also among the early oppressors of brael,
leaving' 6 no slLStellllllce for Israel, neither sheep nor 03: nor ass,
driving them fur refuge to dweU in the dens and the 11l01l11-
taim, caves am{ fast1tes,
es, consuming' thc produce of their
Jand like {ocwsts, so that he whom God raised up as their
subducr, was threslâng even ill a wille-press to hide it from
them. Both the king'dum of Aram-K aharaim and )Iidian
db.appear from history after those great defeats. 1\lidian, be-
sides its princes, 'ilost, by mutual slaughter, one humlred
and tlt'enty tlwusam{ men 1t'ho drew sword. It left its name
as a proverb for the utter destruction of those who sought
to exterminate the people of God. 8 Do fllltO them as unto
the Jlidillllites ;-make them and their princes like Oreb and
Zeeb; all their princes as Zehah and as Zalmlllwah, u'ho said,
let us take to ourselt'es the houses of Gorl in possessioll. It
was an exterminating' warfare, whieh rolled back on those
who waged it. So Isaiah sums up an utter breaking-off
of the yoke and the rod of the oppressor, as heing II as
ill the day of
lIidian. The same word, aven, is nothing'ness,
iniquity, and the fruit of iniquity, trouble lo , (since iniquity
is emptiness and opposed to that which is, God and His
Goodness, and ends in sorrow); so then Cushan is seell
as lying as aU sinners do, weighed dO/cn by and under what
is very "emptiness." Tents and curtains are emblems of
what shaU pass away, under which the wicked shelter thcm-
selves from the troubles of this present life, as from heat and
rain, "but which I1 in themselves decay, and are consumed by
fire," The curtains of _JIidiall tremble. The prophet uses
the present to shew that he was not speaking' of any mere
past terror, but of that terror, which should still seize those
opposed to God. The word "wrath" "rogez" echoes through
the hymn U ; here the wicked tremble, "yirgezu," under it, to
perish; afterwards the Prophet 13, to Ih'e.
8 IVas the Lord displeased against the rivers? The

1 1 Kf':s nii. 17.
As in Joel ü. iii. Mic. iv. 1-10 and iv. 11.
v. 1. v. :!. &c. v. 15. 3 Jud. iii.8-1O.

R. S. Poole in Smith's Bible Dict., Art. Cushan. Often as Cush or Ethiopia is
mentioned in the Old Testament, and in twelve of the sacred writers, Historians,
Psalmists, Prophets; from Genesis to Esther (:\oIoses, Job, Chronicles, Esther, David
(Ps.lxviii.), sons of Corah (Ps.lxxxvii.), Amos, Nahum, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
and Ethiopians by Daniel, it is uniformly Cush not Cushan. Cush also is retained in
Ch. and Syr. and was the name in use in the time of Josephus (Ant. i. 6. 2.) One can-
not then doubt, that Jon. and the Talmud (Sanh. 105 in Delitzsch) were right in regard_
illl( Cushan as desij!;nating him who is so called in the Holy Scriptures, not Ethiopia,
which is never so called. Kim., Rashi, A. E., Abarb. follow the Targum. Only Tanchum,

429

rivers? U'(l!; thine ang-cr a
ainst the rivers? C
e
r
S T
was thy wrath against thc sca, b that thou cir.626.
didst ride upon thine horscs and II thy b
1

i
3.
chariots of sah'ation ?
sí
1" t:
1/ Or, th."
har;ot8 were lalvation' ver. 15.

Prophet asks the que!o'tion thriec, as to the two miraeles of
the dividing of the Hcd
ea and the river Jordan, thereby the
more earnestly declaring', that God mcant somewhat by these
aets and beyond thcm. lIe a!'ks, as Daniell' and Zechariah 15
a
ked, what was thc truth of the thin
s which they saw.
God's dealings with His former people were as much ensam-
pIes of what should be with us 16, as the visions shewn to the
prophets, Hereafter too, there shall he 17 s
l{ns in the SU1l, alU{
ill the moon, ami in ti,e stars; and upon the eartlt distress oj
?lations, 7l'itlt peJïJlexity, the sell aml the lca't'es roaring; there
shall he deepening- lliagues upon the sea and the rivers and
fountains of waters; and el'ery lh'ing soul in the sea shall
die 18. But God's purpose therein aforetime was not as to the
sea or the river
, but for the salvation of His elect; so shall it
be to the end.
Iighty as may be the migMy U'al'es of tlie sea
whieh lift thelllsclvps up a!!;'ainst the Lord, mightier O'1t high
i,ç tlte LOrt{19. "20 .\" Thou didst dry up the Jordan and the
Red sea, tlg-hting for us; for Thou wert not wroth with the
rivers or the sca, nor could things without sense offend Thee;
so now mounting Thy chariots, and taking Thy bow, Thou
wilt
.-jve salvation to Thy people; and the oaths which Thou
swarest to our fathers and the tribes, Thou wilt fulfil for
ever."
TllOu did.çt ride upon Th.,! horses, as though God set His
army, 21tlte Hosts w/âch do His pleasure, against the armies of
earth, as the Prophet's servant had his eye!\ opened to see,
2
the mountain was full (
f horses and clwriots of .fire rOll1ul
ahout Elis!w. "20Yet amidst so many thou
and..: of horses alltl
chariots, there wa,.; no rider; He was the Rider and Ruler of
those horse!", of "110m the P
almist says, 23 Tltou that siUest
above tile GllerlllJilll, shew Th.lfself. \\ïth such horses and
such chariots was Elijah also taken up into Heaven."
And 'Phy chariots of salvatiou, lit. 'PIi.,! chariots are sal-
vatiou. l\'ot, as ill hUlUan armies, except as far as they are
the armie
of God, to Ilestruction. The end of God's armies.
His visitations and judgement
, is the salvation of His elect,
even while they who arc inwardly dead, perish outwardly
also. Kur, a
ain, do they prepare for the deliverance for
which He intends them, With God, to will is to do. His
chariots are salvation. His help is present help. His clw-
riots are the tokens and ('hannels of His Presence to aid.
And so, they who bore His
Yllme before the Geutiles, awl
kings, alld tile children of Israel, dlOsen 1'essels to bear it, are,
in a yet fuller scnsc, His clwrÎots, whieh are sa!z'(/tioll. They
"20 are holy souls, upon which the word of God cometh, to save
thelU and others by them. 2
I hlll'e compared thee, saith the
Spouse, to a cOil/lUlU. II ollwl'ses ill Plwrao!t's c1wriots. How-
e,-er holy the sou], yet l'ompared to God, it is like the ehariot
of Pharaoh; ami a bcast, yct still (t beast, before Thee 25". Yet

identifying the two clauses, .ays .. Cushan is one of the names of l\1iman or one of its
tribes, and it is also called Cush," Zipporah being identified with Moses' Cushile wife.
Nu. xii.!. Even Ewald sa
.. .. The people, JZ'1J, which can neither according 10 lan_
guage nor context stand for 1:"1:) ," though he guesses it to be a little people near :\oHman.
ad loc.
1:\u. xxv. Ii. 6 Jud. vi. 4. 11.
, lb. viii. 10. s Ps. Ixxxiii. 9, 11, 12. 9 I,. ix. 4.
10 Job v.6. xxvi. U; Jer. iv.15. Hos. ix. 4. not in Ps. Iv. 4. nor (as Ges.) in Job
iv.8. Ps.xxii.8. Is. lix, 4. II S. Grej!;. :\Ior. viii. 9. 12 \er. 2. 13 v. 16.
14 vii. 16. I. c.l. 16 1 Cor. x. 11. I, S. Luke xxi. 25. Rev. viii. 6.
I
Re\". xvi. 3 19 Ps. xciii, 4. :0 S. Jer.
I Ps. ciii. 12.
:2 2 Kgs \'i. 15. ::3 Ps. Ixxx. 1. 24 Cant. i. U :Iii Ps. lxxiii, 23.

430

H..\ß.AKKrK.

c Jï{oíes T 9 Thy how was made (Juite naked, ac-
cir.626. em'ding to the oaths of the tribes, c
en thy
II
[d.;
ï:ave w"rd. Sclah. II i Thou didst cleave the
::ret
.;";
:'th. earth with riwrs.
IPs. 78. 15, 16. & 105. 41.
such an one, as éndowed with mig-ht and ready obedience, and
swiftness alHl nohleness to hear the word of God, and through
His might "'hom they hore, not their own, nor making- it
their own, bearing down every thing which opposed itself.
" 1 The object of the Prophet, is to !'hc,
that the seeond dis-
pensation is better and more glorious, and of incomparahly
better thing-s than the old. For of old Hc led h.rael forth,
through the bodily service of )Io
es, changing- into blood the
rivers of Egypt, and doing- !'igns and wonders; then dividing
the Red Sea, and earryin
over the redeemed, and ehoking in
the waters the n}()st warlike of the Eg-yptians. But when the
Only-Begotten ,,- ord of God became l\Ian, He withdrcw the
whole human race undcr heaven from the tvrannv of Satan,
not changing rh-ers into bl(II"I, nor pouring' forth. His ang-er
upon water
, nor dhriding waves of the sea, nor bring-ing
destruction upon men, but rather de!'troying the murderons
Serpent himselt
and taking- away the sin which had been in-
,-ented by him and for him, and loo!"ing- the unconquered
might of eleath, and calling- all to the knowledge of God,
through the holy Apostles, who, running forth their course
under the whole Heaven and bearinf! about the Name of
Christ, werc very rightly had in admil:ation. He saith then,
o Lord, most worthy to be heard are those thing-s, of which
Thou hast Thyself bcen the Doer, and what Thou hast anew
wrought is far better than what Thou didst through l\Iose,;;.
For Thou wilt not inflict wrath on rivers, nor shew Thy might
on the sea; not in these things will Thy Divine and marvel-
lous power gleam forth, but Tholl wilt ride upon Thy horses,
and Thy chariots are Salvatioll. 'Vhat may the!"e horses be?
The Blessed Disciples, Apostles and Evang-elists, they who
took on them wholly the yoke of all His Divine will, they, the
noble, the obedient, ready tor all things, whatsoever shoulq
please Him; who had Christ to sit upon them, whereof one is
the Blessed Paul, of whom Himself saith, 2 He is a c/wsen
1'essel unto 1I1e, to bear lily .,Vame hefore the Gentiles. Of fiery
speed were these Horses, encompassing- the whole earth; so
then the chariots of God are said to be ten thousand times
ten thollsand 3 . For countless, each in their times, and after
them, became leaders of the pcople, and subjected the neck
of the underi'Otanding to the yoke of the Saviour, and bare
about His Glory throughout the whole earth, and rightly
divided the word of truth, and subdued the whole earth, as
with î:he speed of horsemen."
His chariots are salvatiofl; "l for they ran not in vain, but
to save cities and countries and nations together, t:hrist over-
throwing the empires of de,.ils, who, so to speak, divided
among themselvcs the whole earth, subduing its dwellers
to their own will."
9 Thy holV was rnmle quite naked. The word is repeated
I S. Cyr. : Acts ix. 15. s Ps. lxviii. 17.
:
:t:e

.Mb:;.a:i:.

.
:L

p
k

ini1;.a

.. n. 6. /
:: bc;ï::
:
s S. Luke i. 73. The E. V. takes the common words n111JZ7 and n'
o in their common
senses, and "1ÇÏI (which is a poetic word) agreeably to them. nV1JI:', "oath" occurs 27
times: the plur. nllltt;;1 here and Ezek. XXI. 21:i. The other meaning, weeks, which occurs
9 times (chiefly of the" feast of weeks," four.times in De. xvi.), is plainly irrelevant here.
m::o occurs 24 times besides of the tribes of hrael; twice only of the" rods" set al(ainst
that of Aaron (Ex. vii. 12, Nu. xvii. 21.). ">':iI"speech" is used of the "promise of God,"
certainly Ps. lxxvii.9. The construction'is likewise easy, mt:o is the gen. oCthe obj.
after n1I1J;;, and both in apposition "ith the preceding clause, and "\
ic with them. This
construction and meaning of n,t:o mllJ!:', and meaning of"\
N, and the construction with .C.I:Ï

10 kThe mountains saw thee, and they C æ
ois T
trem hIed: the m-crflowing of the water cir. 626.
passed hy: the deep uttered his yoice, and k td

l
,I:',
1 lifted up his bands on high.
s7

i
:
I Ex. 14.22. Josh. 3.16. & IH. 4.

for emphasis. Lit. (In) nal.:edness 4 it was laid naked; the
sheath being laid aside and cast away, as Isaiah says, 6 [{ir
laid bare tlte shield. The 6 bow represents the threat of the
vengeance of Almi/!hty God, from which it is at leng-th dis-
charged, if not turncd a!Òide; the longer the string is drawn,
the shaqJer issucth the arrow. So then the more the com-
ing- of the day of judgement is delayed, the stricter is the
severity of the judgement then issuing-. So long as judge-
ment is delayed, the bow seems laid up in its sheath. God's
judg-ements mostly strike suddcnly 7 as 1vitlt a sll'Íft arrow,
because men regard them not, coming from a bow at a
distance whieh they see not. His more signal judgements
He makes bare in sig'ht of all.
According to the 'Oatlt (
f [toJ the tribes; 8the oath wllÍch
He sware unto our fatlter Aln'allllm, which oath He often
renewed to Abraham, Isaac and Ja(.ob, and again to Da,-id 9 .
This oath, the u'ord and promise of God, was the pledge of
the deliverance of His people, that they should he saved from
their enemies, and from the hand of all tlwt hate them. It lay,
as it were, covered and hid, so long as God completed it
not. Selah. A pause followeth, wherein to meditate on all
which is contained in the word or promise of God, which is
all time and eternitv.
Tlwlt didst clelit'e the earth tl'ith [i. e., into J ri1'ers. Sea
and river had become dry land for the pas
ing through of
God's people; again, the rock, struck by )Ioses' rod, was
split, so that rÍl'eI"s ran in the dry places. Until that Roek,
"'hich was Christ, was stricken, and 10 out (
f His Side came
Blood and tcater, the whole world was desert and barren;
then it was turned into !oitreams of water, and "11 now not
four hut twelve streams went forth fl"Om the Paradise of
Scriptures." For from the One Fountain which is Christ,
there issue many streams, even as many as convey the
waters of His teaching, to u'ater the eartlt.
lO The 11l0ll11tains saw 'I'ltee, alUl tile..'! trembled, lit. tl,e.'/
tremble. "'hile man is insensate, inanimate nature feels
and attests the presence of its Maker. It saw, it trembles.
To see, feci, tremble, were one. The Prophet does not follow
a bare order of events, or bind himself to miracles which
actually took place. The mountains tremble with earth-
quakes, or seem to be shaken by the thunders which they
re-echo. And so they are signs, how what is firmest and
closes up the way to man, trembles at the Presence of God,
"'hatever is lifted up shall be bowed down betore Him 12 . But
the word trembled, is that used especially of travail
pangs IS, and so it may spiritually denote that" Hthey who
conceive the fear of God shall bring forth unto salvation."
Tlte ove1jlowiug i. e., the impetuous, sweeping, flow, of the
U'ater l5 (or of waters), such as in themselves would bear all
is that of Jon. followed by Kim. Rashi Abarb. Tanch. So also S. Jer. Only A. E. taking
ni
. S:es
i2

dPl:

sp.t

:;

ISJ::i:. 3

itH
establish

e s
jÌh

g
t:
11 s. J er. I
See Zech. iv. 'i. 13 The LXX. so translate, .. shall be in birth-pangs."
I< Theoph. 15 C"ll is used apparently both of the .. flow of waters and their strong

i

n;;;h
J:.nI
: f:'P

:il
t I

r

v
li.o
.a x

e
, s:I

:

, %ï,n x
i

fits V

with or reCJ.uires the meaning" storm; " its union with mighty overflowing (c'
rrl:Ï) waters
Is. xxviii. Implies" a current; " " a storm against a wall" "\'p c", Is. xxv. 4, might suit
either; the verb [:,,"";)11, .. hast swept them awav," Ps. xc. 5, implies" a flood; "the mention
of the clouds Ps. Ixxvii. 18, .. a storm." Kim. Rashi, Abarb. explain it here of water
on the earth; A. E. of waters descending.

CH
\PTER III.

c æ
oÍes T II m The sun llml moon stood still in
cir.62(j. their hahitation: II at the li
ht of thine
m f;.sh. 10. 12, n arrows they went, and at the shining of
1I

::e thy
littcring- spear.
walked in the light,
c. n Josh. HI. 11. Ps. 18. 14. & ii. Ii, 18.

beforc thcm, lJasS b.1J harmlcs
. Thc morc they swell, the
morc thcy expend thern
clve
, and pass away. "The whole
force of persecution, whel'ewith they vexed Thy peol)lc, at
!'ig-ht of Thce passed away," like a turrcnt which ragcs and
disappears, and, by raginp:, thc sooner wastes itself.
TIle deep uttered his voire, and lifted up ltis Iwnds 1 on 11
!.{h.
The noise of the waves, when God brou{.!:ht the stronp: East
wind over it and 2 relmkecl it, was as a ('ry to God; the wa,-es,
as they swelled, were likc hands lifted up to Him, and
stricken one ag-ainst the other. There is no distinct ground
ap:ain
t a slig-htly different renderin/!, S tile deep uttered /tis
t'oice, tlte height Lifted up /tis Itands i. e., to One yet higher,
'Yhom height and depth owned as their Lord and worshipped.
II Sltn and moon stood still in [as OllC act 4, retiring into]
their habitation. They withdrew, as it were, in the midst
of the great tempest, wherein 6 Gud cast dml'll grefIt stones
from I/Caven up OIL His enemies and thcy died; and tIle Slln
stood .
till, aUlI tIle moon stayed. The sun too withdren' itself
in the
Teat darkncss at the Crucifixion, as not bearing to
look npon the Death of its Maker, when the majesty of the
Sun of Righteousness was darkened o'er; and signs in thc
sun and in thc moon there shall be to the end.
At tIle light of T/âne mTOWS they tl'ent. "6 Thel'e was
no need of the sun by day, nor of thc moon hy nip:ht; for
bv the li!!;ht of Thine arrows can the sons of men hold their
,vay." .. 7 This is a mp;tieal interpretation, as you see; this
is like the promise of the l\Jost High; B ti,e ,
Wl slwlL be no
1//ore fm' tlty ligltt by day, ueither for briglttness shall the
1//oon give ligltt unto thee, and tlte Lonl shall be to thee an
el'erLastil/g ligltt." The judgements of God arc a li{.!:ht to
His people, while they are the destruction of His enemies;
in them they Ð Learn 1'igldeOlISlless. Thc arrows arc God's
judgements, as they threaten and wonnd from afar; tlte
s/tiniug of Thy gLittel'illg []it. of tI,e ligldllillg of TI'.l/] spear,
when close at hand. 'rhen all other light is withdrawn,
and the Sun, our Lord, is hardly heheld in the darkness
of th
last days, and the moon, the Chureh, shall not g-ive
h('r light, Christ not shining- npon her as before, because
iniquity slwll ahound, ami ti,e love of many shall wax culd,
atlrl stars, many who seem to shine with the light of p:raee,
,
hall fall from Iteaven, His O\nl shall walk on and ad,,-anec
in holiness, H 10 from strength to strength ll, from
ood to
hetter, from the way to their home," by the bright light
of the li
htning of God's Judgements, whercin His glory 12
shall be manifested. Arrml's and spears arc part of the
spiritual annonry of God, wherewith the IJeople are suhdued
unto Him; "13 armoury, not wherewith He is girt bnt which
He giveth to tho
e who are meet; bright and as it were
full of lightning. For mo
t transparent is virtue." They
went thcn at the light of Thine arrows; "J3 beeau!Se to those
xl

;
=tl"O whic

:

:i

he ace. of

e

tr:i
;Ki:i
P E
h;e C\
bei

:li::
.;
:
on: ,

g
a
i

a

::

t

i
... EJe
;

at
hi;hu

e

r(

r
' the be-
r.

!u

K7,:

{ b

I
i.
;hft
s íil

a
in i

..,
as
te

h

::ti

t1

:

l
?

to be heaven, like I\!.O. 6 Jos. x. 11-13.
6 A. E. 1 Tanch. 8 Is. Ix. 19. 9 lb. xxvi. 9. 10 Dion. 11 Ps. !xxxiv. 7.
I
The word" shining" is the same &s .. brightness," v.4. 13 S. Cyr. 14 Rup.
15 ,;;
16 Jud. V. 4. Ps. Ixviii. 8 ; ofthe procession ofthe ark 2 Sam. vi. 13. It is

43]

]2 Thou flidst march through tIle land C :1tí e s T
in indignation, 0 thou djd
t thresh the hea- cir. (j26.
then in anger. oJÅ

'I

.
1:1 Thou wenÍf'st forth for the sa]yation Mic. 4. 13.

who lm-c sin ,.irtue lias no heallty, nor, as yet, any hrig-ht-
ness. But to those who know hcr !'he is nothing' le!'s than
lightning, Iwight ami transparent, so that whoso hath her
is ea
ily known to all around. The di
ciples then, fir
t
having the lig-htnin{.!: of Thine arms, shaH lead others al
o
to its Light. Admiring ami ennceh ing in them
dves those
virtues which are the arms of Christ, they
hine forth to
others, a gleam, as it were, of thc bri;!ht fla,.;h of li{.!:ht in-
herent in those graces." "IPfhey were enlightened and he-
g'an, hy preaching, to send forth shining words of truth.
ßut those words arc Thinc arrow
, shinin
arrows, shewing
by their lip:ht the way of life, and by their sharp point prick-
ing the hearts of people unto repcntanee."
]2 Thuu ditlst tread tI,e carth ill indiKuatirm. The word
tread 15 is u
ed of ven solemn manifestations of God 16. of His
p:oing to give to His o.wu vic.tory over their enemi es 17. Xot tIle
Land only, as of old, hut tIle earth is thc scene of His judge-
Dwnts; the eartlt which was full of His praise, which He
meted Ollt lB , which contained the nations whom He chastened,
thc whole earth. Tlwll do.
t tltreslt the I,catl,en in auger. Xot
then only, hut at all times nnto the end, distress of nations
aud peJ7Jlexit.1J arc among' thc shoots of the fig-tree, "hich
b
token that the everlasting 19 summer is nigh at hand. Jeru-
salem, when it had slain the PrilH'e of Lite, was gÜ-en o,.eJ'
to desolation and counted like the heathen. It became the
synagogue, not the Church; and so in the destruction of
Jernsalem (as it is an imagc of the destruction of the world)
was that agaiu fulfilled, Tlwu dost march through the earth
ill indignation, Tlwlt dost tltresh tile Iler/then in auger.
]3 TItOll tl'entest forth. E,-en a Jew !'ays of this place,
"20 The past is herc used for the future; and this is frequent
in the language of propheey; for prophecy, although it be
futnre, yet sin('e it i!', as it were, fil"Iuly fixed, they use the
past concerning it." Thc Prophet speaks again in the pa
t,
perhaps to fix the mind on that signal going-forth, when
God destroved Pharaoh, the first enemv who es
aved to
destroy the. chosen line. This
tands åt the head. of all
those dispensatiom, in which Gml put or shall put forth
His might to sa,.c His people or d('stroy their enemies. All
is with Him onc everlasting purpose; thc last were, as it
were, emhodied in the first: were it not for the last. the
first would not have been. Prophecy, in !'peakinp: of the
first, has in mind all the rest, and chiefly the chiefest and
the cud of all, the fnIl salvation of His peol}le through Jesus
Christ our Lord. ThOll 1centest fortl1 2 1, i. e., "l-prhou, the
rnseen God, g-avest sig-ns whit'h may bc seen of Thy Pre-
sence or cominp: to melt." TI/fJ1l1l'eutest forth, not by change
of place, for Thou art not bounded; Thou art without change;
hut by shewinp: Thy power, and doing" son1l'thing anew openly
for the salvatioJl of Thy people, ez'enfor sa!l'atioll with 22 Thine
denied as to the idols, J er. x, 5. 17" The voice of a treading" :n
&"i' 2 Sam. v. 24.
I Chr. xi
.. 15. Is iii. 3, 6. 19 S. Luke '(xi. 25-31.
o Kimchi.
l Compo
'J11N
:J, T1J,T.1 J ud. v. 4. Ps. hviii. 8 of the Itl"eat manifestation of God at Sinai; so of the
judgement of the world, ,;:)ii'
l<
; Is. xx\i. 21. :::: The E. V. IS
doubtless right. So Aquila, although a Jew, rendered. and the 5th Version. The (jth, a
Christian, translated, "Thou wentest forth to .a\'e Thy people through Jesus. Th)
Christ." So also the Vulgate and other old Jewish authonties. Rachmon (in Martini
Pug. Fid. f. 534.) notes" that the word elh means with, as in Gen. xxxvii. 2. xxxi.x. 2."
For althougll it might be used to mark the object only after a verbal noun, it is not
likely that the construction would have been changed, unless the meaning were dií-

4..12

HABAKK"CK.

Before
CHRIST
cir.626.
" Josh. 10. 24.
& II. 8, 12.
Ps. 68. 21.

of thy people, et 1 en for salvation with thine
anointed; p thou woundest the head out
of the house of the wicked, t by discover-
t Heb. making naked.

Anointed. God, from the first, helped His pcople through
8ingle persons, Moses, Joshua, each of the Judg-es, accustom-
ing them to receive deliverance by one, and to gathcr tog-ether
all their hopes in One. To Moses He said, 1 I will be with
thee, and to Joshua, 2 As I was with J1uses, so I will be with
thee, and to Cyrus, S I will go before thee, }Ireparing- His people
to receive that nearer Presence with His Christ, of which
our Lord says: 4 Believest thOlt not, that I am in the Þàther,
and the Father in lrle? The Fatl,er that dwelletl, in lIIe, He
(Loeth the works. H ii The Son of God, God Invisible, bccame
:Man, visible; and with Him, so going forth, the Holy Spirit
went forth to the saLvatiun uf His peopLe, so as to g-ive a visi-
ble sig-n of His Coming. For upon His Christ Himself, Him
"Tho was anointed with the Holy Ghost 6, He dest'ended in a
bodil.1/ Shape, as a Dove. So He went forth to tI,e SaLvatiun
of His people, i. e., to save His people with His Christ, our
Saviour;" and again, on thc Day of Pentecost, when that
other Comforter came, Whom, He said, I will semL unto .1/UIl
from the Fat/ler, and in "Those Prcsenec His own promise
was fulfilled, Lo, I am with you always, even untu the eml of
the world. His Prescnce was manifeste(l both in thc rc-
mission of sins, and the parting of gra('cs among all, and in
the 7 signs and wunders, and divers lIIiracle.
, and gifts uf the
Hol.lJ Ghost, whercwith God hare witlle.
s to the Apustles,
when 8 t1ley went furth, tI,e Lurd wm'king with t/lem, aml
conlìrming the word with signs following. A g-oing forth
to judgement, at the end of the world, is foretold in thc like,
image of warfare 9.
ThUll wUllllCLed.
t [cru.
hedst] the I,ead out of the IlOuse of tI,e
u'icked. One wicked stands over against One anointcd, as
in Isaiah, 10 He slwLl smite the earth u:it/I the ruc! uf Hi.
1lUJuth,
and with tI,e breath of His lips slwll He slay the wicked;
and David speaks of one, 11 He shall smite the head over (l
great laud; and S. Paul speaks of U that T/Ticked, wllOm tl,c
Lord shaLL consume with the spirit of His lIwutl" and slmll
destruy willI the brig!dlless of His Cuming. Him He shnlJ
destroy at once from above and below; ovcrthrowing' his
kingdom from the foundatiotl. From above, his head was
crushed in picces; from below, the housc was razed from
its vcry foundations. So Amos said, 13 TIle Lurd said, Smite
the capital, and the lintel [illreslwld H] strike, alld wOll1uL tl,em
ill the head, all of them; and with a diffcrcnt image, 15 I de-
stroyed his fruit from ahove, and his mots from heneat/,. First,
the head is struck off, crushed; then thc housc from the
foundations to its neck; then as it were the headless walls.
The image of the neck may be thc rather uscd to recall, that

{
r:

il,
:: i::

id

ta

; s

eo

d:

nì;s:aki
c:

n s:

e

er

biguous, in that it may more obviously be taken in the sense adopted by Aq. and the
Vulgate and the E. V. The LXX and two early heretics who disbelieved the Divinity
of our Lord (Theodot. andSymm.) render "to save Thy Christs.', The LXX is wrong

h
e

, s

st
Ítt:

:i
t
S

Thi

{n
: 'Pi
P

'd

:to
:l
t:n
ei:i
id
3:
::
:z

i:h
! t;

;h
! b
t
\;
s

B
D

'}?;y RK

i. ;S
I
t
s1ì
;
y Abarb.;
1 Ex. iii. 12.
Josh. i. 5. 3 Is. xlv. 2. 4 S. John xiv. 10.
g Rup. 6 Acts x. 38. .. Heb. ii. 4. s S. Mark xvi. 20.
9 Rev. xvii. 14. xix. II. sqq. 10 Is. xi. 4. "Ps. ex. 6. 12 1 Thess. iv. 8.
13 Am. ix. 1. 1< The same word is used Zeph. ii. U. Ps. cxxxvii. 7. lõ Am. ii. 9.
16 Dion. I, 2 Cor. ii. 11. 1 Cor. xii. 10. IS The meaning "leaders,
rr
b.I
;f'
dl
;i
;'
isì
d
e:hi

t

j
oii.I

rfi
e.
. :

:l f
/
i
?r

i

fo

;
in the idiom n'H
:J '
II '
II" defined for me by his Own counsel," "hich gains its meanillit
only from the '',yo That of the E. V. is furnished, in most places, by the passages

ing the foundation unto the neck. Selah. C Jï{oíes T
14 Thou didst strike through with his cir. 626.
staves the head of his viUages. they t came t

e:';
:us.

as the house of God is built of Hving stoncs, so the kingdom
of the evil one is made of living dead, who shall nevcr cease
to exist in an undying death. The bruising- of Satan, the
head or prillf'e of this evil world, is the deliverance of the
,,'orld. His head was bruised, when, by the Death of our
Lord, the Prince of this world was cast uut; he is crus/led
out uf the hUllse of tI,e wicked, whenevcr he, the st1"Ong man, is
bound and cast out, and" the soul of the sinner which had
been his ahode, becomes the hou!5e of God, and righteous-
ness dwelleth there and walkcth in her."
"6 Thou dillst not leavc any error or vice in the world
unshaken, cither what was eoneealcd, like the foundation
of a house; or that which was opcn, as the neck of thc body
is open;" to tIle neck, where the destruction from above
ceased, so that nothing remained unsmitten. " 5 For they
being, by the fiery tongues which Thou shewedst without,
made fervent and strong-, wisc and eloquent, ceascd not,
until they made known to all, what folly was this world's
wisdom, what sacrilege its sacrcd worship." " 16 His secret
counsels He laid bare, as thc Apostle saY!5, 17 TVe are not
ignorant of his devices; and, to another is given ti,e discerll-
ing of spirits."
14 Thou didst strike t/lro1tglt with his staves the head of
his villages 18. The destruction comes not upon himsclf only,
but upon the whole mu1titude of his subjet'ts; and this not
by any mere act of Divine might, but 1vith his own stares,
turning upon him the destruetion which he prepared for
others. So it often was of old. When the l\Iidianites and
Amalekitcs and the ehildrcn of the east 19 wasted Israel in
the days of Gidcon, 20 tile Lord set every man's ,
Il'urd agllil/.
t
/âs fellmv, even thruughuut all the hust; and when God de-
livcrcd the Philistines into the hand of Jonathan 21; so was
it with Ammo1l 1I10ab ami the inlmbitauts of .1llOlmt Seir,
at the prayer of Jeho
haphat and his army22. And so it
shall be, God says, at the end, of the army of Gog; every
mall'.
sword shall be agaillst his brotl,er 23, and Isaiah sap',
21 ever.1f man shall eat tIle flesh of /tis uwn arm, and Zcehariah,
25 a great tumult from tI,e Lord slwll be among them; ami
the.1f shall la!/ every man hold un the haud uf /â.
1Ieighbullr,
and his hand shall rise up agai1lst ti,e hand uf /âs 1Ieigh-
bour. So Pharaoh drove Israel to the shore of thc sea,
in which he himself perished; Daniel's a('cusers perished in
the den of lions, from whieh Daniel was delivered unharmcd 2G ;
and so Haman was hanged on thc g-allows whkh he I,repared
for Mordecai 27. So it became a saying of Psalmists, 28 He
made a pit aud digged it, (l1Id is fallen iuto tllC ditch wMclt he
themselves. As in Ezek. xxxviii. 11. where" a land of J'\1I'W" is expanded into" where

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d

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7.

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haaïì' d

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f

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dg:a

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? :ndt
i
h
the Lord, "in be a wan of fire around." In EsÙ1er ix. 19. cities ""
:t are contrasted
with Shushan v. 18, and "the Perizzite," very .Eossibl?;. was originany"paltanus"

i

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11

:.t
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ÿ
.. shall come in great numbers. and so dwell in Jerusalem, as C'MII. who dwell in mnD,

he sì

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h;
LXX. ðvvdo"'TI1'. 19 Jud. vi. 3.4. .u lb. vii. 22. 01 1 Sam. xiv. 12, 16, 20.

l 2 Chron. xx. 22. 23. 23 Ezek. uxviii. 21.
Is. ix. 20. 2õ Zech. xiv. 13.
26 Dan. vi. 24.
7 Esth. vii. 10. 28 Ps. vii. 5. add ix. 15, x. 2, xxxv. 8,
Ivii.6, xciv. 23. cxli. 10. Provo v. 22. xxvi. 27. Eccl. x. 8,

CIL\.PTER III.

Before out as a whirlwiml to scatter me: their
C H c - Ir R . 6
6S . T 1
rejnicin
was as to devour the poor secret y.
15 q Thou didst walk through the sea

, Ps_ 77. 19.
ver, 8.

wilde; /tis lIlis('hief shall Tetl/Tn upon his O1l'lt I,eml, alld M

l'joleJlt dealillg slwll come dOll'1I "pOIt his Oll'JI pate: and this
from ahm-e, scnt down b,' God. Thc heath('n too oh:<erHd
that therc was" no ju
ter'law than that artificers of death Itr
their own art should p('ri!'h." This too beft'll him, when he

e(,lI1ed to hm'c all Lut /!ainCtl his end. Tlle.1f came [Ollt] as
a whirllt'iml to scatter me, with whirlwind forec, to drh-c
them asundcr to all thc quarters of the hea,-ens, as the wind

catt('rs the particles of 1 <'loud, or 2 as tI,e stubble u'Mch
JI((s.
eth (Ill'll.'/ by the 1('iJld of the 1dlderness. Pharaoh at the
Ued
ca or Scnllaeherih, sweep all befurc them. Pharaoh

aid, S I will pllrsue, I will overtake, I will divide ti,e ,
poil;
/II.1f lust shall be sllti.
fied UPUIl them; I will draw 111.'1 swurd,
1/111 Illlml slwll dest roll them.
. Their TfjoiciJlg.' It is no long-cr onc enemy. Thc malice
nf the memhers was concentrated in the head; the hatred
(,OIU'entrated in him was diffu
e(l in them. The readine
s of
instrumcnts of edl to fulfil evil is an incentive to those who
cOllceÎ\"c it; those who seem to ride the wa'"e are but carried
CIIl upon the ere!'t of the surge whic'h they first roused. Thcy
eannllt t'heek themselves or it. So the ambitious eonceÎ\"er of
mischief has his own
uilt; the n illin
in!'trulllents of evil
ha,c their!'. Keither could be fullye\-il without the other.
:--ennacherib had been nothing without those fierce warriors
who are pieturcd on the monumcnts, with indh idual fierce-
ness fulfillin
his will, nor thc Huns without Atfila, or Attila
n ithout his hordcs whose tempers hc embodied.
atan
would be powerlc.
!' but for thc willing instrumcnts whom he
uses. So then Holy Scripture sometimes passes from the
mention of the evil multitude to that of the one head, on earth
IIr ill hell, who impels them; or from the one edl head who
has his own !'pecial respon!'ibility in orig-inatin
it, to thc e, il
multitude, whose re
ponsibility and guilt lies in fomenting the
e\-il whieh they execute.
Their rl!jo'iciJlg. He docs not say simply "they rejoice
to," but hel'cin is their exceeding-, exulting- joy. Thc wise of
this earth g-lorics in his n isdom, the mig'hty man in his mil!ht,
the rich in his riches: thc truly wise, that he undcrstandeth
and knoweth God. But as for these, their exultation is con-
centrated in this,-sani
ery; in this is their jubilation; this
i
their pa
sion. P
almi
ts and pious men usc the word to
ðpress their exulting joy in God: men lUus;t havc an object
for their empa:<
ioned souls; and these, in cruelty.
As it were to dn'Ollr the puor secretly. From the p:eneral
he de
eends a
ain to the indh-idual, but so as now to set forth
the guilt of each indiddual in that stormy multitude which is,
as it wcre, one in its evil unitv. when each mcrp:es hi,; respon-
sibility, as it were, in that or"thc boùy, thc horde or the mob,
in whieh hc acts. Tlteir exultation, he says, is that of the
indhidual robber and murderer, who Bed wait secretly in
his ambu
h, to !'pring on the defenceless wanderer, to slay
him and devour his substance. Prcmeditation, passion, lust
of cruelty, cowardi('e, munlerous;ness, habitual indh"idual
sm'agcry and treachery, and that to the innocent and de-
fenceles!', are all concentrated in the words, their exultation

I Job xxxvü. n. 2 Jer. xiii. 2
. add xviii. 17. Is. xli. 16. Del. 3 E-.r. xv. 9.
4 lb. xiv. 3. · Dion. 6 Ps. xiii. 4. 7 Ecclus. xxiii. 1. 6 C':] [:
" as
Ps. lxxvii. 20, ,
, C':]. 9 Is. Ixiii. 13. 10 Zech. x. n. 11 Acts xvii. 28.
12 So Jon. Kim. (comparing E'[. xv. 8 and 1::"00 Ex. viii. 10.) Sal. b. Mel. Tanch.
PART V.

433

with thine horses, t1u'oIl7" the II heap of c Jï{oÏs T
great waters. cir.6:?6.
1G ".hen J heard, r IllV helly tremhled;

: :i9
i20.
. Jer_ 23. 9.

is, as it 1t'ere, to dCl'ollr the poor secretly, i. c. ill their secret
I/Uunt.
Pharaoh had triumphed over I!'racl. t TIley are elltall{:/ed
ill the land, the wildernes.ç !lath shut them ill. He rejoiced
in ha\ in
them wholly in his power, as a lion ha!' hi!' prey
in his lair, ill secret, unknown to the Eye!o: of God 'Yhom he
rcgarded not, with none to bellllld, none to deliver. "6 The\"
doricd in oppressing the people of Israel, enn as the ('ruël
man /!]()ries in secretly rending and afflil.tin
the needy,
when without fear they do this cruelty, nor heed Goò be-
hoMing all a!:' Judg-e." The invisible enemies too f{'joi('c
yery greatly in the ruin of (lur soul!o:. IS Lest mille e/lem.lI sa.lI,
I IUll'C prevailed agaimt Mill: for if I he cast dmNl, tlley tlwt
trouble me will Tf!joice at it. 7 0 Lord amI gOl.:erllfJllr of all
my life, lem:e me not to tl,eir cOlln.
el.ç a1lfl let me not fall h!1
them. Yet God left thcm not in his hands; but e,-en hmke
the IIead of Lel'irttlwll ill pieces.
J;) ThOll did,çt u'alk tlmJ/t
/l the sea 1l'ith Thine horses.
God Himself is pictured as le<
ding them on the way, Him-
self at the head of their multitude, havin
, as Asaph !'aid of
old, 8 His path in the sea. So Isaiah, 9/1'''10 leddest them ill
the depth.
; and Zechariah, 10 Ami he shall pass through ti,e
sea. God was literally there; for n ill Hilllwe lh'e a1lf1 moz'e
a1lf1 IUf'l'e ollr beillg. He ".ho "is wholly cverywhere but
the whole of Him nowhere" manifcsted His Pre!oÕence there.
Sueh anthropomorphisms have a truth, which mcn's fa-
,'ourite abstra('tions ha,'e not.
TllrOlIKh tlte heap 12 of great 1cateTs, as of old, 13 the ?l'aters
.çtlJod ((S a IIeap, and He made the wafers to stand a.
a heap.
The verv hindrances to delÍ\-erance are in God's Hand...
a way t
r His end,.:. The n aves of the Red sca rose in
heaps. yet this was but a readier way for thc sah-ation of
His peoplc and the destruction of their enemies. '.5 God
preparetll ewr a way for Hi
elect in thi,.: present edl \rorld,
and leadcth them along the narrow way which leadeth unto
life."
}6 JVheJl I !teaI'd. better, I heard and &e. The pro-
phet sums up, resumin
that same declaration with ""hich
he had begun, I Ilem'd, I u'as afraid. Only now he ex-
pre!'!'es far more strongly both hi
awc at God's jud
c-
mcnts and his hopes. He had just beheld the image of
thc destrueticm of Pharaoh, the end of thc brief triumphing
of the wi('kcd and of thc trials elf God's people. But awdlll
as arc all the jud
'ements of (
od upon the enemies of His
people, it was not this alone whieh was the objeet of his
terror. Tltis \T"a
delh-eran('e. It was the whole eour
e of
God's dispensations, which hc had heard; God's pllni,.:hmel1t
of His people for their sins, and the eXl'ision of thdr op-
pressors, who, in His Provide nee, fulfilling- their 0" n evil
end, executed His eha,.:tisements upon them. The delinr-
anees;, which shado"-ed out the future, had their dark side,
in that thev were deli\ erances. The "'holc ('ourse of this
world is one series of man's unfaithfulnes
es or sins, Goò's
chastisements of them through their fellow-sinners, and His
ultimate m-erthrow of the aggrcssors. Those first three

(mentioning the opinion of others that it is" mud" but choosing the other.) A. E. chooses
the sense, .. mud." Rashi paraphrases," as the øand of the sea." For that of Ges.,
.. the boiling of the waters," there is absolutely DO authority.
13 Ex. xv. 8. Ps.lxx\iii. 13.

3 B

434

HABAKKUK.

Before
CHRIST
cir.62(;.

my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness
entered int" my bones, and I trembled in
myself, that I might rest in the day of
trouble: when he cometh up unto the peo-

centuries of glorious martyrdoms were, on the onc side, the
malicc and hatrcd of Satan and the world ag-ainst thc truth;
on the other side, the prophets of those days told their peo-
ple that they were the chastisements of their sins. Future
delinrance implies previous ehasti
ement of those delivcred.
The prophet then, at the close, in view of all, for himself
and all whose perplexities he represented and pleaded before
God, ehooses his and thcir portion. "Sulfer here and rest
for ever!" "Endure here any terror, any failure of hopes,
yet trust wllOHy in God, have rest in the day of trouble and
!oÒin
the endle
s song-!" Again he ca
ts himself baek amid
all the troubles of this life.
I IleaI'd [i. e. that spcech of God uttering- judg-ements
to come] alld 1/1.'1 belly \ the whole inward self, bodily and
mental, all his hiddcn powers, trembled 2, "vibrated" as
it were, "3 in every fibre of his frame," at tIle wrath of God;
my lips quivernl t at tI,e voice of God, so that they almost I
refused their offit'e and could hardly fulfil the prophetic
duty and uttcr the terrors which he had heard; his ,-ery

trongest parts, the bOlles, which keep the whole frame of I
man together, that he bc not a shapeless mas
, and whieh
rcmain unconsumed long after the rest has wasted away
in the g'ra,'e, rottenness entered into them, corruption and
mouldering eating into them 5; and I tremhled ill m.1J. çe lf I
[lit. ullder me 6] so that he was a burden to him
elf and I I
sank unable to support himself, that I might re.çt ill the
day of trouble. All up to this time was wearine
s and I
terror, and now at OI1('e all is repo
e; the prophet is ear-
ried, as it were, O\'er the troubles of this life and the decay
of the gravc to the sweetness of everlasting re
t 7. I, the
sanle, suffer the
e thin
..s, terror, quivering-. rottenness in
the \"Cry bones themseh'cs. I [lit.] who slwll rest 8 ill tIle
da.1J of trouhle. I who had not rcst until then, shall enter
into rest thcn in thc very day of trouble to all who found
their rest in the world not in God, the day of judgement.

Blessed is tIle 1//([11 Wl1011l ThOle chastene
;{, 0 Lord, and
teachest Mill ill Thy law, that Tholl muyest give Illm pati-

J I!::J is ased of the inward part of man, which" prepareth mischief," Job xv. 35;
the spirit whereof constrains one, Ib, x'Cxii. 18; the chambers of "hich are searched
Ï

:({

ri:h
:
r'd
a
f
he

el

Pg

r
eoi: r

;'x

i8
7
h

h c
h

dd n
{ b:tfilf:J
"ith the East wind, Job xv. 2. In the like way in the N. T. " from his belly, lColll.Ía,
shall flow living waters," S. John vii. 38. In Arab. mJ is the" inner meanmg;"
J
.. he knew tlle inner, the intrinsic, state of the case;" with :J p., .. became intimate
with;" coni. x. with acc., .. penetrated a thing." So also
r;I!;'II" that which is within,"
of facts, thoughts, mind. See Lane. All are derivative senses. IC:J has uothing in
common with Ar. ?c:J, as Ges.

'ri:t Z ," tw.ic
,
eE::

t

:

ii
k
f
h
a::;,
esi
'.r

;'. ;r
:s v
:i. 12.
J er. xi},.. 3. .. From the fear at the meaning of this sound which he has heard his lips
trembled in speaking, and he uttered their words with a trembliug sound." Tanch.
" :JP' (the root) is used of the decay of wood and ofthe bones, and Pro x. 7, of" the
name of the wicked." 6 As 2 Sam. ii. 23. .. he
died" as we say, .. on the spot," sinking down dead. 7 The very softness
of th" original word U1J
stands in contrast with the rigidness in the words tirgaz, rakab,
regaz, tsarah. s n1) is uniformly" rest." It is used of rest from labour,
frOl.1 calamities, [Is. xxiv. 7 Job iii. 21i.] rest in a place, with:J, or on ('11) it; of the Holy
Spirit resting on a person (with '11). But its meaning is uniformly of rest, not of silence
as to a thing [as Ges.] nor does l!7"n
furnish any analogy, since this in itself signifies
.. kept silEnce." Kor can it mean" wait patiently for," tor m )" rest" is the very op_
posIte of" waiting for," :1
n. which necessarily involves a degree, even if of subdued un-
rest. Then, too "
CI, "lW, '0:, are used of waiting, looking for good, not for evil.
9 Ps. xciv. I:!, 13.
10 Man. ap. App. S. Aug. T. vi. c. 21.
11 This is the simplest construction, and is that adopted by Kim. Abarb. In the ren-
dering .. in the cOllllng up 0/ a people," the' would, as Tanchum obsenes, be super-

pIe, he \,.m II invade them with his troops. Bcfore
I . [ " I I C H CI - r. R {j ' _ '
6 s . T
7 1
'c\. t wugh the fig tree shall not
blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; "9:p
;
e:
em
the labour of the olive shall t fail, and the t Heb.lie.

ence in time of adversity, uutil the pit be digged lip for the
ul/godf.ll.
.. lU 0 my soul; had we daily to bear tortures, had we for a
long- timc to endure hell itself, that we llIi
ht sec Christ in
His
Iory and be thc companion of His Saints, were it not
worth enduring- all sorrow, that wc mi;.dlt be partakers of
';0 exce('ding a good, such exceeding
lory ?"
JVhen he cometh up unto the people, he shall invade litem
with /lis troops, or, whit'h is probably mcant, when he cometh
lip who shall iI/vade them n. It is a fiJ]in
out of the day
of trouble 12. However near the trouble came, he, under the
protel'tion of God and in firm trust in Him, would be at
rest in Him. The troubles of God's prophets arc not the
outward troubles, but the sins of thcir people which bring
those troubles, the offence a
ainst the majesty o( God, the
loss of souls. Jcrcmiah was more at rc
t in the court of
the pri
on. than when all the peoplc did curse him 13 for
teJ]ing thcm God's Truth. He who fears God and His
judgements betimes, shall rest in perfect tranfJuillity when
those judgements come. The immediate trouble was the
fierce assault of the Chaldees whose terror hc had de-
scribed; and this, pil'turing-, as throug-h the prophecy, all
other judg'ements of God even to the last, when devils shall
contend about the souls of men, as Satan did about the body
of Moses.
17 Although [lit. For U ] the.figtree slwll not blossom. The
Prophet repeats his confidence in God, premisin
hi
know-
ledge that all human hopes should fail. I know, he says, all
stay and support shall fail ; he numbers from the least to the
greatest, thc fruits of trees, the fi
, vine and o)Ï\'e, 1'01' sweet-
nc
s, g-Iadness. cheerfulne
s 15, whereof the well-being" of the
vine and fig-tree furnishes the prO\-erbial picturc of peaee and
rest. The
c shall either not shoot fol"fh, or shall at timc of
fruit-g-athering have no produce 16, or havin
, as it "crc, la-
boured to bring- forth fl"Uit shall lie 17, and fail: vet further
"the staff of life" itself shall fail; the .fields shu'll yield 110
meat; all the fields, as though thcy were but one 18, shall

fluous, and 1Jè.1)' would be mo
natural than
1J'. But .the prophet would not need-
les.sly make his language ambiguous. Had he meant, .. m the coming up of a or tile
people," he would have used the common D>> Tn,>>, or D
'., In'>>" The construction of
:I'>> with' instead of ,>>, .. to" for" against," is exceptional. But:l?s1 occurs" ith the
equivalent'll of the person, and in one case with' (as we say .. p:o up to ") Gen. xliv.
24,3-1. xlv. 9. Ex. xix. 3, 21. xxüi. 1, 12. xxxü. 30. Deut x. 1. Josh. x. 4,6. Jud. iv.;;.
xii. 3. xvi. 5. (:1') 18. 1 Sam. vi. 20. x. 3, xiv. 9, 12_ xxiii. 19. 2 Kgs. i. 11. xxii. 4 and
this, in a hostile sense Jud. xx. :!3, 2 Sam. v. 19, Jer. xlix. 28, 31. CJ/ also. is 'used
:

h
n

.(
9
th::e o
I

Oæfth n:c
.
),

eo

s
o

oRlt
e
b tÌe
:

7

;
6
1

Mic. V. 14. p.338. .2 :I'
D1' is a general term which occurs also Is.
xxxvii. 3, more commonly with :J, m
D":J, Ps. xx. 2, 1. 15, Pr. xxiv. III, xxv. 19 J er. xvi.
19, Ob.12, 14, Nah. i. ï. Zeph. i.15. a._ m
nil occurs Jer. xxx. 7. Dan. xii. 1:
nll:J,
Is. xxxiii. 2. Jer. xiv. 8. xv. 11; '1I":J1 D1':J Gen. xxxv. 3, Ps. lxxvii. 3,lx.""vi. ï; nll:J
D
m
Jud. x. H. cn

n
':J Neh, ix. 2ï. There is no ground then to J.imjt it to the
Chaldæan or Ass)riau period. 13 Jer. xv. 10.
U The adversative or exceptional force attributed to '.J, alwa)s lies in the relation of
the two sentences, not in the '.J itself, which is always causath'e, .. for" or "because."
I. Ps. civ. 15. 16 ":J' occurs here only of the produce of trees;
10 times of the earth itself directly; in Ps. lxx\ii. 1, its produce, as the result of
human culture, is C'1:J'. CII'J'; and Job xx. :!8 1n':J ":J'. :It'!,':) ocoors here only of the
fruit, being an application of the common idiom "1!:1 :1i:'>>.
17 ciail as Hos. ix. 2. 18 n1D
;;i, (an old "ord Deut. xxxii. 32) with no
known et) molop:y, is used, in three out of the four places in "hich it certainly occurs, in
relation to place: .. fields of Gomorrha" Deut. 1. c. ., f. of Kidron 2 Kgs. xxiii. 4." "f. of

eld

: t
; b;

'

dr

,,;si!
.ar

'i

't
si:'s 1':r
b

I:Lt

. K
/
r

t;l;;v
,li:
:
joined with a sing. verb here, and Is. xvi. 8.

CIL\.l"JTER III.

n
rore
c
r
G
G
T
· Job 13. I;;.
, I<ai. 41. lû.
b: tn. 10.

fields shall yield no meat; the floek shalJ
be cut off from the fold, and tI,e)'e shall be
no herd in the stalls:
18 8 Yet I will t rèjoiee in the LORD,
will joy in the God of my salvation.

have one common lot, Larrennes
. Yet more; the flo('k...

haU he ('ut offl from the foM; not tho
c only, feedin

abroad in field,.; and open plains, shall bc ðrh'en away,
but they shall bc carried away by the enemy from the
folds, "here they seemed penned securely; and not th('
e
only. hut thcre Ûwll be 110 herd in tlte stalls 2, even thc
strung-er animals shall utterly fail; e\'ery hclp for labour,
or for clothin
. or fi,r food shaH cease; hc speaks not of
primtion, partial failure, but of the entire Joss of all thing-so
110 meat from the fields, 110 he,'d in the stalls; and what
then? AmI I u1ill rt:iuice in the Lurd, I will jO.'1 ill the
(;od of 111/1 salration. Thc words are very impressive, as
ther stand in the Hehrcw. "Fur," he
ays, "the fi
-trec
shall nut blossom, and thert' is no fruit in thc vines, the la-
bour of the olh-e hat It failed;" (the Prophet docs not look
ou, only to these thing-s, hut in his mind stands in thc midst
of thcm 3, they arc done, and he amid them, feeling- thcir
dfectsJ "and the field hath yielded no food; thc flol'k Jmth
been ('ut off from the fold, ll1ul there is no hcrd in the staH;
awl I"-He relatcs it as the result of aU which had gone bc-
fore; such and su('h was the state of fruit-trees, ,'intage, har-
'e
t. flucks and herds; sueh was the aspect of aH nature.
Ih'iug' or inanimate; all was barren, di
appointing-; all had
failed and" as gone; and thcn at last he comes to himself,
ami I; what is he doing. when all nature and cHry seeming
hopc is dead? thus and thus it is with them; llnd I-Il'ill
7"t;ioice. H(
alnwst uses the exprcssi"n as to the exultation
of the enemy, adopting- the same word only in a softer form.
,. Their e:ndtiJ/{{ joy was" concentrated in this, "as to devour
the poor secretly;" lte too had" exulting joy." There is a
joy again
t joy: a joy of theirs in thc possession of all which
their rapacity covets. in the possession of all thin!!s: a
joy of his amid the privation of all things. He contrasts
the two joys, as David had of old; -I tlte men of the u'orld,
ll'llOSe portiull is ill tltis life, 1l'lwse belZI/ Tlwll /illest 1l'itlt
Thy !tiel trea.mre; tlley are sated of clâlelrell amI leaz'e tl,eir
substance to their Lltbes: I, he adds, I shall bellOlcl TIt.1/
Pre.
ence ilt righteollsncss, I shall be sated, in the a/l'akening,
t(.it!t TMne illwge. So Habakkuk, I will not n:ioice only. but
shout lor .iO/1 5; and not so only, but I will bouml fOI" .io.1/ ;
and thi
not for a time only; both words express a draw-
in/!", yearning 6 of the
oul, and this yet more and more, I
fÓll shout for .ioy and u'ould slwut on; I u'ill bound for joy
anel U'oll!d bound on. ßut whence the source of this mt'a-
f;ureless unutterablc joy? In the Lord, the rnehangeable
God. W'hn is alUl tNlS amI is to come, I A
I, (it is thc
illemnmunieahlc Kame); in the God of my salvation: it
is almost the Kame of Jesus 7; for JESCS is sah-ation,
and the Xame means ,. the Lord is Sah'ation;" whence

1 '1] occurs imrans. bere only. In Arab. also it is commonly used, but intrans. or
.. water wbicb sunk" Or retired. See Lane.
[:'n!r1, bere only. but clear from the
context. In Buxtorfs instance,n!:
:J ;-H
"found it in a stall," the word is vel') probably
used in the sense ascribed it to bere b) tradition as .. well known in the lanf!:Ua
of the

'ìi
h

dB

:

asir.

,

:!n
";I;
kn

-

h\

:
.

:

d'st:

could hardlv furnish a name for a stall. .
3 The first future r;-Ð.
H
, "s/wll not flotlr;sh" determines that all which follows is
rU

,t

;. Pí
i:n
s
d t
;

f
ri

:;:i

holiness of G:lPs

' J.3
1 M: 8.

435

] 9 The LORD God is a my stren
th, and C Ir1{ o í e s T
he will make my feet like xbindsJí.et, and cir. G:!6.
he will make l11e to Y walk upon mine hig-h :rs,,2
'.1z.
places. To the chief singer on my t stI'in
ed
: 1's. 18.
in
tl'l1ments. 7

.319.13.
t H eb. z,,- ee;noth, Ps. 4-, title.

thc word,.; arc here rendered e,-en by a Jew., "in God
the Author of my redemption," and yt't more sweetly by a
fatlter 9 , "in God my Jcsus." In Him his joy he
ins, to Him
and in Him it flows back and on; hefore he ventures, amid
all the de!'olation, to !Òpeak of joy, he names the l\ame of
God. and, as it were. !oòtays himself in God. is enveloped and
wrapped round in God; elml I (the words stand in this
on
er) elml I ill the Lord u'o,tld shout for .iO!I. He ('omcs,
as It were, and pla('es himself quitc clo..e to God.
o that no-
thing-, not even his joy !oòhould be betwc('n himself and God;
,. and I in the Lord." All creation, as it had failed. ('easf'!OÒ
to he; all out of God: he speaks of nothing hut himself
and God. or rather himself in God; and as lIe, God. comes
befin'e his joy, as its sourcc,
o in Him does he lo
c him-
!'!clf, with joy which cannot be contained, nor e
presscd, nor
re
t, but utters itself in the glad motions of untiring 1m-e.
I would bound forjo.1l in my Scwing God. Truly all our joy
i!', to be in Him in '\1101ll is all Good, Who is aU Goodness
and aU Love.
The LORD God is my strength. The prophet does not
inwardly only exult and triumph in God, hut hc eonfes
e

also in word" of praise, that in Him he hath all thin/!"
, that
Hc is All things in him. And as he had eonfc
sed the Fa-
ther, under the l\ame whereby lIe revcaled I1imst'lf to
Moses, anti the Son, "the Lord God of my salvation," so
he confesses 10 God the Holy Ghost, 'Yho, in us, is our
streng-tho He is ollr strength, so that throug-h Him, we
can do all tMugs; Hc is ollr strength, so that \1 ithout Him,
we can do nothing-; He is our stren{;th, so that when we put
forth strength, we put forth nothing of our own, wc add
nothing of our own. we u
e not our own strength, of which
we ha,'c none, but we do use His; and we ha,'e It e,'er reach'
to use. as if it were our own. For it is not our own and it is
our own; not onr own, i. e., not from or of ourseh-es; but
our own, siJwe It is in us, yea He the Lord ollr God is ollr
strength, not without us, fo;. He is our strength. hut in us.
And so he
ays further, how we can use it as our own. .FIe
1l'illmake m!1 feet like /dnds, which bound upward throug-h
His imparted stren
th. and, when scared l)y alarms here
below, flee fearle
s to thcir native rocks, sl'rÏnl! from height
to height, and at last shew themseh-cs on some high peak,
and standing- on thc Rock, look down on the wholc world
below their feet and upward on hi
-h. Even so, uwhen at
the end of the wol"ld all shall fail, and tlte loz'e of man.'1 slUlll
u'a.
' cold, and the Church, which is likened to the fig tree
the vinc and thc 12 olive, shall yit'ld no fruits, and swcetness
shall be corrupted by vanities, and the oil of mel'ey shall bc
dried up, and lamps /!o out, and its promises shall fail and
it shall lie, having a ShUll' of goodness, hilt dUl!ling the patl'er

:
r
I

5.P
f
h:

if'i'?

lbj

.e ;;.'f
i:t. ?ï
?

\)

i!:i3
4. Ps. xxviii. í. xcvi.
6 This is the f.Jrce of the optative nl

't', n
',t'. ",
.'I! recurs in Ps. Ix. 8. cm.8.
7 Jesus in Heb. J..'1I:":, here W'. · Clmld. The S)r. .. God III) Redeemer." LXX.
u God m
Saviour." . S. Aug. de Civ. D. x\iii.32. .. To me what 60me :\ISS.
have; . I will rejoice in God my Jesus: seems better tban wbat they have, who have nut
set the Xame itself, (but saving) which to us it is more loving and sweeter to name."
10 Rup. 11 Ctiefly from Dion. Compo S. Jer.
12 S. Luke xiü. 6. Ia. v. 1. xxi. 33. &c. Rom. xi. Ii.

436

HAßAKKrK.

of it; in words confessing God, and in works denying Him;
and through their own negligences, or the carele..sness of
pastors, the sheep of Christ shall perish from His very fold,
and they W 1 10 should be strong- to labour 1 shall cease, God's
elect shall joy in Him, "beholding His goodness, and loving
Him in all things, and He will give them free affections,
and fervid longing-s of holy love, whereby they shall not
walk only, but 1'lm the way of His commam[mellts and prevail
over the enemics of thcir salvation."
Yet though this strength is inward, and uscd by man,
still God ,rho gives it, Himself guides it. 1\ot man shall
direct his own ways, but He will make me to walk (as on a
plain way) upon my higlt places. Steep and slippery places
and crags of the roeks are but U'a.lJs to the safe hcight above,
to those whom God makes to walk on them; and since he
has pass;ed all things earthly, what are his high places, but
the heavenly placcs, even his home, even while a pilgrim

I I Cor. ix.9, 10.

Eph. ü. 6.

'"'.

. .:..---..
; ;??

-

here, but nO\v at the end, much more his home, \\ hen not
in hope only, but in truth, he is raised up togetller, and made
to sit together in heavenl!! places in CI,rist Jesus 2?
.And now what remains then, but that this song- of prai;;e
should be for ever? And so it is not nithout meaning, nor
was of old thought to be so', that there stand here, at
the end, words which el..ewhere in the Psalms always stand
at the beginning. 1\or is it any where else, "upon my
!'tringed instruments." To the clâef singer on my stringed
instruments. To Him to "'hom all praise is due, through
'nlOm we praise Himself, His Spirit pleading in us, for u
,
UpOll my stringed instruments. He Him..elt
providing, as it
were, and teaching the prelude of the endless song, and bv
His Spirit, breathing upon thc instrument \\ hich He has
attuned, and it giving back faithfully, in union with the
heavenly Choir with whom it is now blended, the Angelic
Hymn, " Glory to God in the Highest."

3 It is commented upon as part of the text by S. Cyril and S. Jerome.

.

:.--

II ...."f "

'\.. ---
.

.-
-

r

2

-
- -
- :,
L

BITE OF BABYLON,
.. CAST HER UP AS HE'PS, DESTROY HER UTTERLY; LET 'l/OTHING 01' HER BE LEFT."-JER. 1. 26.
.'THE \ISIO'Oti IS YET FOR THE APpon.TED Tn-IE; THOl:'GH IT TARRY, \\AIT FOR ITi"
"BJ"CUSE IT WILL SLRELY cmIE, IT WILL r.OT BE BEHnDHAXD."-H
B. ü. 3.

INTRODUCTION

TO

THE

PROPIIET

ZEPHANI.AII.

ZEPHASUH was called to his office, at all events not long
aftcr Habakkuk. As his time was near to that of Habak-
kuk, so his subjcct also was kindred. ßoth lived when, for
the sins of the reign of Manai'seh, God had pronounccd
upon Jerusalem an irreversible scntence of dcstruction.
'fhe mission of both was not to the whole people whose
sentence was fixed, but to the individuals who would flee
from the wl'ath to come. The form of Habakkuk's pro-
phecy was (as we mig-ht say) more subjeeth-e; that of
Zephaniah, more objcctive. Habakkuk exhibits the victory
of faith in the oppre!'sed faithful; how it would hold to
God amid the domestic oppressions, amid the oppressions
of the Chaldees by whom those oppressions wcre to be
punished, and, when all shall seem to fail, should, in the cer-
tainty of its unseen lifc, joy in its God. The eharacterh,tic
of Zephaniah is the declaration of the tenderness of the love
of God for that remnant of Israel, 8 the qlftided and poor
people, whom God would leave ill the midst of them.
Zephaniah has, like Habakkuk, to dcclare the judgcment
on the world. He renews the language of Joel as to
"the day of the Lord," and points it t
nations and in-
dividuals. He opens with the prophecy of one widc des-
truction of thc land and all the sinncrs in it, its idolater

and its oppressors, its princes, its royal family, it.. mer-
chants, its petty l)lunderers, who used rapine under colour
of their masters' name, and brought guilt on thcmselvcs
and them. Kotlling is either too hig-h or too low to cscape
the judg-ements of God. But thc visitation on Judah was
lJart only of a more comprehcnsive judgemcnt. Zephaniah
foretells the wider destruction of enemics of God's peo-
ple on all sidcs: of Philistia, Moab, Ammon, on each side
of them, and the distant nations on cithcr side, Ethiopia
(which then ineluded Egypt) and Assyria. All these parti-
cular judgcments contain principles of God's jlUJg-emenfs at
all times. ßut in Zephaniah they seem all to converge in
thc love of God for the remnant of His people. The nation
he calls b a nation not dt'sired. I nGidduals he calls to God;
C it may he, ye shall he hid ill the Da." of the Lord's anger.
He foretells a sifting- time, wherein God would take ml'U.1/ the
lJ1'Oud among her d ; yct there follows a largeness of Gospel
promise and of love e, the grounds of which are explaÍIH'd
in the Gospel, but whose tenderness of lang-uage is hardly
surpassed evcn by the overwhelming tenderness of f the love
of CllI'ist which passeth knuwledge.
The prophet's own name" the Lord hath hid" corresponds
. Zepb. iii. 12. b ii. 1. e ü.3. d iii. 11, 12.
· iii. 12-1;. , Eph. iii. 19. . Ps. xxvii. 6.
II nJ!:I.
I PS. xxxi. 19. 20. eJIW. k PS. lxxxiii. 4. "JW'ó. I 2 Chr. xxxiv. 3-7.

with this. The PsaJmist had said, u<:ing this same word,
"tHe shall hide me in His tabernacle in the day of evil: in
the secret úf His tabernacle He shall hide me';" and, "0
how g-reat is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up b for
them that fear Thee. Thou shalt hide them in thc sccret 'of
Thy prescnee from the pridc of man. Thou shalt keep th.em
secretlyi in a pavilion from the strife of tongues." "It They
take counsel against Thy hidden ones."
The datc which Zephaniah prefixed to his prophecy, ha<;
not been disputed; for no one felt any intcrest in deny-
in
it. Those who disbelieve definite prolJhccy invented for
themselves a solution, whereby they thoug-ht that Zepha-
niah's prophecy need not be definite, even though uttercd in
the time of Josiah; so the fact rcmained unqucstioned.
The unwonted fulness with whit'h his descent is given
implies
o much of that pcr!'onal knowledge which soon
fades away, that those who speak of other titles, as having
hecn prefixcd to the books, or portions of books of the pro-
phets, by later hands, have not question cd this. The only
(Iuestion is, whethcr he Jh.ed bcfore or in the middle of the
rcformadon hy Josiah. Josiah,,, ho came to the throne
when eight years old ß. C. 641, began the reformation in the
twelfth year of his reign I, when almost twenty; B. C. ü3U.
Thc extirpation of idolatry could not. it appears, be ac-
complished at once. The finding of the ancient copy of
the law, during- the repairs of thc temple in the cighteenth
year of his rei/!n m, B. C. 624, gavc a fresh impulse to the
king's efforts. He then united the people with himself, bound
aU the people present to the covenant n to kcep the law,
and made a further destruction of idols 0 before the solemn
passo,-er in that year. Even after that passover some abomi-
nations had to bc removed p. It has been thought that thc
words, q I 1l'ill Cllt ,1/' the remllant of Baal from this plaa,
imply that the worship of ßaal had already in some degree
becn removed, and that God said, that He would coml,letc
what had been begun. ßut the emphasis seems to be rathcr
on the compJeteness of the destruction, as wc should sav,
that He would effacc every remnant of ßaal, than to refér
to any effort which had been made by human authority to
dcstroy it.
The prophct joins together, I will cut qff tile remnant úf
Baal, the name of the Chemarim. The cutting off ti,e name
of the Chemarim, or idolatrous priests, is like that of Hosea r
I will take alea.1/ tI,e names of Baalim Ollt of her mouth, mill
they shall no more be remembered by their name. As the
In 2 Kgs x"{ii. 2 Chr. xxxiv. 8-28. D 2 KgB xxiii. 3. 2 Chr. xxxv. 31.
o 2 Kgs xxiii. 4-:!U. 2 Chr. xxxiv. 33. P 2 Kgs xxiii. 24.
q Zeph. i. 4. rHos. ii. 17.

438

INTRODUCTION TO

cuttin
off of the name of the Chemarim means their being
utterly obliterated, !Oo, pr'ohahly, does the cutting 'lIt the
renmllnt of Baal. The worship of ßanl was cut otl
not
throu
h Josiah, but (as Zephaniah prophesied) throug-h
thc captivity. Jeremiah asserts its continuance during his
long- prophetic office".
In the absence of anv direct authoritv to the eontrarv,
the description of idolatry by Zephaniah
vould seem tu bë-
long to the period, before the measures to abolish it were
hcgun. He speaks as if e,'erything were full of idolatry t,
the worship of ßaal, the worship of the host of hem"en upon
the housetops, swearing by Maleham, and probably the
clothing with strange apparel.
The state also was as corrupt u as the worship. Princes
and judges, priests and IH"ophets were all alike in sin; the
judges distorted the law between man and man, as the
priests profaned all which related to God. The princes
"-ere roaring lions; the judges, enning wolves, ever fa-
mished, hungering for new prey. This too wouhl seareely
have becn, when J()
iah was old enough to govern in his
own person. Both idolatry and perversion of justice were
continued on from the reign of his father' Amon. Both,
when old enough, he removed. God Himself g-ives him
the praise, that he v did judgement and justice, tile/I it was
ll'ell witlt him; he þu
ged tIle cause of the 1)(J(JJ' aml needy,
then it was ll'ellwith Milt; ll'aS not this to know ...lIe? saitlt
the Lord. His conversion was in the ekhth year of his
reign. Then, while Ite was yet young, he b'egan to seek after
the God of Dal'id /âs father.
The mention of the king's children w, whom, God says, He
would punish in the great day of His visitation, does not
im"oh"e any later date. They might, any how have been
brothers or undes of the king Josiah. But, more probably,
God dedares that no rank should be exempt from the judge-
ments of that dav. He l.new too that the sons of Josiah
would, for their great sins, be then punished. The !'un of
the temporal rule of the house of David set in unmitigated
wickedness and sorrow. Of all its kings after Josiah
it is
said. they did evil in tlw sight of tIle Lord; some were dis-
tinguished by guilt; aU had miserable ends; some of them
aggranited miserv!

Zq)haniah theil probably finished his course before that
1 :!th year of Josiah, (for this prophecy is one whole) and
:'0 just before .Teremiah was, in Josiah's l;-Hh year, called to
his office, which he fulfilled for half a century, perhaps for
the whole age of man.
The fore
round of the prophecy of Zephaniah rcmarkably
('oineides with that of Habakkuk. Zephaniah presupposes
that III'ophecy and fills it up. Hahakkuk had prophc!'i('d
the f:Teat wasting and destruf'tion through the Chaldæans,
and then their de:,:truetion. That im"a!'ion was to extend
beyond Judah (for it was said he -shall sc'!ff' at kings X), but
was to include it. The instrument of God having been
named by Hahakkuk, Zephaniah does not even aIÌude to
him. Rather he brings before Judah the other
ide, the
a:;:-eney of God Him!'elf. God would not ha,'e them forgt't
Him8clf in Hi!' instruments. Hence all is attributcd to
God. Y [will utterly consume all things from '11' the land,
saith the Lord. I u'ill con,mme man (ind beast; 1 lcill
cO/lSume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea,

and the stumblingblocks with the wicked, Cl1/d I will cut
'11' mcw from tIle land, saith the Lord. I will also strplclt
out JIiue hand upon Judah; aUll I will cut off'tlle remnant of
Baal. In the day of tlte Lord's sacr
fice, 1 will punish the
princes, I)"c. In the same da.'1 also I will pnnish all those
I)"c. I will search Jerusalem with candles. TIle great day
of the Lord is near, mill I will bring distress upon I)'c. 0
Canaan, land of tIle Philistilles, 1 will el!eJt destro.,! tllee. The
Lord will be terrible upon them. Ye Et/âopians also, .'Ie shall
be slain b.II JJy sword. And He will destroy j,Yinel'eh. The
wil
ked of the people had Z said ill their heart, The Lord l('ill
not do good, neither will He do evil. Zephaniah inculcates,
throug-hout his brief prophe('y, that there i
nothing, good
or evil, of which He is not the Doer or Overruler.
ßut the extent of that visitation is co-extensive with that
prophesied by Habakkuk. Zephaniah indeed speaks. rather
of the effects, the desolation. ßut the countries, whose
desolation or defeat he foretells, arc the lands of those,
whom the Chaldæans invaded, worsted, in part de!'olated.
ße:,:ides Judah, Zephaniah's subjects are Phili>õtia,
Ioab,
Ammon, Ethiopia (which included Egypt), :Kinevch. And
here he mah.e
a remarkahle distinction corresponding with
the events. Of the Ethiopians or Eg-yptians, he says only,
a .'Ie shall be slain b.1J lI-'.lJ slVord. Of Assyria he foretells b
the entire and lasting" desolation; the capitals of her palaces
in the dust; her cedar-work bare; flocks, wild-beasts, pelican
and hedgehog, taking up their abode in her. Moab and
Ammon and Philbtia have at first sight the two-fold, ap-
parently eontradictory, lot; the remnant of ...1-'.,! people, God
says, c shall possess them; the coast shall be for tIle remnant of
tI,e house of Judah; and, that they should be a perpetual
desolation. This also was to take place, after God had
brought back His people out of captivity. :Kowall these
eountries were eOluluered by the Chaldæans, of whieh at
the time there was no human likelihood. ßut thev were
not !Swept away by one torrent of eOlHluest. l\loåb and
Ammon were, at first, allies of :Kebuehadnt'zzar, and re-
joiced at the miseries of the people, whose prophets had
foretold their destruction. But, bevoml this, J\ïnc\"eh was
at that time more powerful than 'Egypt. Human know-
ledg-e could not have di:,:cerned, that Eg-ypt should suffer
defeat only, :Kineveh should be utterly destroyed. It was
the wont of the great comluerors of the East, not to de-
I stroy capitals, but to re-people them with subjects obedient
to themselves. :KÍlle'"eh had held ßabylon by viceroys; in
I part she had held it under her own immediate rule. 'Yhy
should not ßahylon, if she conquered J\ineveh, use the
same policy? Humanly speaking-, it was a mistake that
I she did not. It would have been a strong plaec against the
I inroads of the _Medo-Persian empire. The Persians 8aw
I its ,-alue so far for military purposes, as to build some
fort there d; and the Emperor Claudius, when he made it
a colony, felt the importance of the well-chosen situation".
It i>õ rt'phu'ed by l\Iosul, a city of some "f:!OOOO to 40ù()()"
I ' inhabitants. Even after its destruction, it was easier to re-
Imild it than to build a city on the oppositc bank of the
I lï
ris. God declared that it should be desolate. The pre-
dil'tion implied destruction the most absolute. It and its
palaees were to be the abode of animals which flee the pre-
sence of man; and it perished g.

" Jer. ii. 8, vii. 9. xi. 13. xix. 5. xxxii. 29. t i. 4. 5. II iii. 3. 4. I site of the old l'inos, on the other side of the Tigris. Tac..Ann. xii. 13.
. Jer_ xxii, 15, 16. " See bel. on Zeph. i. 8. z Hab. i. 10. e The existence ofthe l'ineve Claudiopolis is attested by coins, See Vaux in Smith'_
Y Zeph. i. 2, 4, 8, 9b l
: l

il: ii. 5, 11, 12, 13. : t.lg: a Ïi. I:!. D
c
e
f
:i
hk J:

::D

.G
o
l
;hÿ ed. 1861, and ed. 1867.
4 Amm. :Marcel1. -.:xw. 22. The
inos taken by :\Ieh"rd.ltés A.D. 59. was on the I See on l'ahuDl, ab. pp. 3G8-3ïO.

ZEPIL\SL\II.

4:19

Again, what less lil,ely than that Phili!Òtia, which had I Caucasus on tIle rig'llt," anrI that" tbe l\ledes opposed and
had the nllc ovcr horael, stl"Ong- in its alnw
t impregnable foug'ht them and, hein
defeated, lo!'t their rulc p ."
towns, threc of whose fh-e eities were named for their It is true also that Herodotus relatcs, that "'I they went

tl'enp:th, (
aza, strollg; A
hdod, lIIigld.'1; Ekron, deep-root-I thence towards Eg-ypt, and when thcy were in PaIc
tine-
illg; one of whieh, A
hdod, ahout this very time, resistcd for Syria, Psammetichus king- of Egypt, meeting- them, turIled

) years the whole power of Egypt, and endured the long-e!'t them by g-ifts and cntreaties frUln going further; that when
sieç:e of any city of an('icnt or modern times-what, to hu- in their return they were in ASI'alon, a city of Syria, where-
man foresight, less likely, than that Philistia !'hould COIIIC as most of the Scythians passed by without harming- ought,
under the power of thc remnant of tlte house of Judah, whl'n some few of them, being left behind, plundered thc tcmple
returned from their captivity? Yet it is absolutely foretold h. of Venus Ourania." In this place al,.o. it is true, lIerorlotus
The sm-coast shall be for the remnant of tI,e IlOuse of Judah ; u
es a vague expression, that "r for 2H years thc Scythians
they shall feed thereupon: Ù, tlte houses of Ashkelon tllc.'1 shall I ruled over Asia, and that all thing-s were turncd upside down
lie dOll'lt ill the evening. For ti,e Lord their God shall 'l'isi! by their violence and coutempt. For besides the trihutes,
them, alld 1'cstore tlleir captivity. As unlikely was it, tbat they exacted from each what they laid upon each, and be-
Moab and Ammon, who now had entered upon the territory sidc the tributc, they drove together and took what ea('h
of the two and a half tribes beyond Jordan, should them- I had. And most of them Cyaxares and thc l\fcdcs entertaining'
selves beeomc the possession of the remnant of Judah. Yet as guests, intoxicated and slew. And then the :\]edes re-
so it was. covered their empire and became masters of what tltlY held
It is then lost labour, even for their own ends, when I hcfore."
moderns, who bclieve not definite pl"Ophecy, would find out I But, apart from the inconsistency of the period here as-
some enemy i whom Zephaniah may ha,'e had in mind in signed to their power, with other history, it appcars from the
foretelling this wide destruction. It stiU remains that all account itself, that by "all Asia" Herodotus means "all
that Zephaniah says heforehand was fulfilled. It is allowed upper Asia," as he expresses himself morc accurately, when
that he could not foretclI this through any human torcsig-ht. relating- the expedition of Darius ag'ainst them. ". Uarius
The avowed object in looking out for some power, formid- wished to take revenge on the Scythians, heeausc they first,
able in Zephaniah's time, is, that he could not, by any making- an inroad into :\fedia and defeating in battle ttlO!oOC
human knowledge, be speaking of the Chaldæans. But who went against them, began the wrong. For the S('yth-
the words stand there. They were written by Zephaniah, ,ians, as I have bcfore said, ruled upper Asia for 21:'1 years.
at a time when confessedly no human knowledge could havc For, pursuing the Cimmel'ians, they made an inroad into
enahled man to predict this of the Chaldæans; nay, no hu- .\sia, putting- do,,'n the Medes from their rule; for these,
man knowledge would have enabled anyone to predict so I befure the Scythians came, ruled Asia." Thc Asia then,
absolutely a desolation so widc and so circumstantially de- which Herodotus suppo!oOes the S('ythians to have ruled, is
lincated. coextensive with the Asia which hc supposes the l\Iedes to
That school however has not been willing to aequic!oice in I have ruled prcviously. But this was all in the North; fur
this, that Zephaniah does not speak of the instrument, ha,-ing saiù that" t Phraortes subdued Asia, going from one
through whom this desolation was effected. They will hm-e nation to another," he adds that, having brought Persia
it, that they know, that Zephaniah had in his mind one, who under his yoke, "he led an army ap:ainst those Assyrian!>
was not the enemy of the Jews or of Kineveh or of Moab who had Xincveh, and there lost most of his army and his
and Ammon, and through whom no even transient desola- own life." Apart then from the fabulousness of this supposed
tion of these countries was effected. The whole arg-ument is empire, estahlished by Phraortes n , (Cya,<ares having bcen the
a simple begging of the question. "k The Egyptians cannot real foundcr of the l\1cdian empire,) it is plain that, accordinl{
bc meant; for the Cushites, who are threatened I, themseh-es I to Herodotus himselt
the Asia, in which thc Seythians plun-
belong to the Egyptian army m, and Psammetichus only bc- dt>rell and reechoed tribute, were the lands Korth of Ass
Tia.
sieged Ashdod which he also took, without emblazoning ought The e'<pedition against Egypt stands as an insulatcd pre-
greater on his shield ". The Chaldæans comc still Icss into I datory excursion, the ohject of whieh having bcen mcre
account, hecausc they did not found an independent king- plunder, the)' were bought off by Psammetichus and re-
dom until B. C. 625, nor threaten J udæa until after Josiah's turned (he teJls us) doing no mischief v in their way, except
death. On the other hand an unsuspicious and well-ae- that a feu' lingercrs plundered a temple at Asealon. It was
credited account has been preserved to us, that somewhere to Media that they first eamc; the )Jedes, whom they de-
about this time the Scythians overflowed Palestine too with featcd; thc Median empire to which they sueceedell; Cyax-
their hosts. Herodotus relates 0, that the Sl'ythians, after ares and the l\Jcdes, who treacherously destroyed most of
they had disturbed Cyaxares at the siege of J\inevcb, turned them; thc J\lede!!, whose empire was re..tored by the destrue-
towards Egypt; and when they had already arrived in Pales- tion of some, and the return of the rest to their own land.
tine, were persuaded by Psammetichus to return, and in \\ïth this agree!! the more detailed aCI'ount of the Seythians
their return plundered a temple in Ascalon." by Strabo, who impeaches the aecuracy of the ae('ounts uf
It is true that Herodotus says that "a largc Scythian Herodotus w. Having spoken of the migrations of leader;:.
army did, under their king Madyes, burst into Asia in pur- and by name, of "" )Iadyes the Sl'ythian" (under whom
suit of the Cinunerians and entered l\Iedia,-keeping Mount Herodotus states the irrul'tion to have taken place), hc sap',

h ii. 7. I The Père Paul Pezron (Essai d'un Corum. lit. et rust. sur Ie. prophètes
1(97) assumed three irruptions of the Scythians: We first prophesied by Amos and Joel;

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: xlvi. Ð. . Herod_ ii. 157.
o lb. i. 105. P lb. i. 103, 11>>, . lb. 105.

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a i. 102. See above p. 36û. and Rawlinson Herod. quoted ib.
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lanicus and others of the same sort." xi. 6. 3. " i. 3. 21.

4.,10

INTRODUCTIOX TO

" y thc Saf'æ madc thc like inroad as the Cimmerians and the
Trcrian!", somc lon
'er, some nig-h at hand; for they took
posses
ion of llactriana, and acquired the best land of Anne-
nia, whieh tlley also left, named after them Sacasene, and ad-
vaneed as far as to the Cappadoc'ians and especially those
on thc Euxine, whom they now call of Pontus (Pontians).
liut the g-enerals of thc Persians who were at the timc there,
attacking them by night, whilc they wcre making a feast
upon thc spoil
, utterly extirpated them." The direction
which he says they took, is the same as that of thc Cimmc-
rians, whom Herodotus says that thev followed. "z The
Cimmerians, whom they also call Treriåns, or some tribe of
them, oftcn on'rrun the rig-ht side of the Pontus, sometimes
making inroads on the Paphlagonians, at othcrs, on the
Phrn!;ians. Uften also thc Cimmcrians and Trerians made
the jike attacks, and thcy say that the Trerians and Cobus
[their king-J were, at last expelled by Mad yes king of the
[SeythiansJ." Strabo also explains, what is meant by the
tribute
, of which Herodotus spcaks. He is spcaking- of the
JXomadic tl"Íbes of the Scythians generally: "a Tribute was,
to allow them at certain stated times, to overrun the country
[for pa
turage J and carry off booty. ßut when they roamed
beyond the ap:reement, thcre arose war, and again reconcilia-
tions and renewcd war. Such was thc life of the nomads,
always sctting on their ncighbours and then being rcconciled
ag-ain."

The Scythian!' then were no object of fear to the Jews, whom
they passed wholly unnoticcd ami probably unconscious of
their existcnce in their mountain country, while they once
and onf'e only swept unharming along the fertile traf'ts on
the sea-shore. thcn occupied by thc old enemies and masters
of the Jews, the Philistines. But Herodotus must also ha,'e
heen misinformed as to the length of time, during which
they settled in l\lcdia, or at Jeast as to the period dming
which their presen('e had any sensible effects. I
or Cyaxares,
whom he rcpre!'ents as hadnp: raised the sieg-e of JXine,'eh,
in consequence of the inroad of the Seythians into Media.
f'amc to the throne, a('cordin
to the numbers of Herodotus,
ß. C. 6a:t For the reip:n of Cyaxares haying lasted accord-
inp: to him 40 years b , that of .Astyap:es 33 c , and that of Cyrus
29 d . thesc W4 ycars, counted back from the known date of the
death of Cyrus, ß.C. 3:.,>9 or 530, bring us to ß.C. 6:3:i or 63ü
as the beg-innin
of the reip:n of Cyaxarcs. But tht' invasion
of the Scythians could not ha,-e taken plaee at thc first ac-
eessic)U of Cyaxares, since, according to Herodotu!". hc had
already defeated the Assyrians, and was bcsieging- Xinenh,
when the Scythians burst into
Icdia. A('cording to Hc-
rodotus, moreO\-er, Cyaxares "e first distributed Asiatics
into troops, and first' ordered that ea('h should be apart,

I)earmen, and archers and eayalry; for before, all were
mixed pele-mele together." Yet it would not bc in a very
short time, that those who had becn wont to fig-ht in a
('onfused mass, could be formed into an ordcrlv 'and dis-
eÎplincd army. 'Ye could not then, any how, dat"e the Scy-
thian inroad, earlier than thc seeond or third ycar of
Cyaxares. On the other hand the date of the eal;ture of
J'\ineveh is fixed by the commencement of the ßabylonian
Empire, ßabylon falling to Xabopolassar. Thc duration of I
that empire is measured by the reigns of its kings f, of I
whom, according- to Ptolemy's Canon, J'\abopolassar reigned I
21 years; Nebuchadnezzar, (there callcd Nabocollasar) 43; I :
"I xi. 8. 4. · Prol. i. 3. 21. · xi. 8. 3. b Herod. i. 106.
e Ib 130. d lb. 214. · lb. lo:J.
r B
rosns. in hi. Chaldæan history. agree. IUò to these dates, only adding 9 months

Evil-.i\leroda('h (I1uaroadam) 2; J'\crigli
sar (Xiri('a!"!"olassar)
4; l\'abunahit (J'\abonadius with whom his
on llcl
hazzar
was eo-regent) lï; in all
ï yeal's; and it ends in an e,-ent
of known date, the eapture of llabylon by C)TUS, ß. C. 53
.
Thc addition of the 't3ï years of the duration of thc cmpire
to that date earI"ies us bac'k to the date a
sig'ned to the
('apture of J'\ine"eh by J'\abnpolassar in conjuilCtion with
Cyaxares, ß.C. 623. The capturc then of :Kine\"Ch was re-
HlO\-ed by 8 or 9 years only from that, which Herodotus
g-h'es as the time of the acce
sion of Cyaxares, and since
, thc attal'k upon Nineveh ('an hardly have bcen in his fir
t
year, and the la
t siege probably oC'eupied two, the 28 years
of Seythian dominion would dwindle down into something
I too inconsiderable for history. Probahly they represent

ome period from their fir
t ineursion into
Iedia, to the
final return of the sUl'vh-m's, during which they marauded
in Media and epper A
ia. The mode, by whieh "the
I greater part" (Herodotus tells us) were de!'troyed, intoxi-
cation and subsecluent murder at a banquet, implics that
their numbers werc no long-er considerable.
I Hi
tory, with the ex('cption of that one marauding ex-
pedition toward
Egypt, is entirely
ilent as to any cxcur-

ions of thc Scythian!'!, except in thc l'\orth. No extant
I document hints at any approach of thcirs to any country
mentioned hy Zcphaniah. There was no reason to expect
any inroad from thcm. "ïth the exception of ßactriana,
which lic!'! some 18 deg-rees Ea!'t of ::\h'dia and itself ex-
tcnded over some ï deg;ec
of longitude, the countries men-
tioned by Strabo lie, to what the king-s of Assyria mention
as the far J'\orth, Armcnia, and thcnec they
tretched out
to the "'est, yet keeping mostly to the nei
hbourhood of
the Euxine. Considering the oeea
ion of thc mention of the
in\"a
ion of thc S('ythians, the relief whkh their im'asion
of l\Jedia g-ave to Nineveh, it is e,-en remarkable that there
is no mention of any ravag-es of theirs throughout l\Je
opo-
tamia or ßabylonia. Zephaniah speaks, not of marauding,
but of permanent desolation of Assyria, Philistia, l\Ioab,
.Ammon, and of destructh-c war al!"o on Ethiopia. There
is 110 rea
on to think that the Sc'ythians approached any
of these lands. exccpt PhiIistia, which they pa
scd through
unharming-. The sacred writers mention even smallcr na-
tions, by \
-hom God cha
ti
ed Judah in their times, bancls
of the .s:ljl"ians, of JIoab, of the cltilcll"en of AmnlOll, a
well as
.hsyria and ßabylon. Ezekiel g. when he prophesies of the
inroad of l\'orthern nations, l\Ie!"hech and Tubal, Gomer and
and Togarmah, spcaks of it as far removed in the future,
prophesies not their destroying- but their own destruction.
It does not affeet the argument from prophecy, whether
Zephaniah did or did not know, through whom the events,
whic'h he predicted, should be hrought to pass. ßut, "cUing
a!'ide the fluestion whether he had from thc prophecies of
Habalikuk and Isaiah, a human knowlcdge of the Chaldee
,
or whcther God instructed him, how what he foretold should
bc aceomplishcd, or whether God spread out before his mind
that whic'h was to be, apart ii'om timc, in prophetic vi!'!ion,
Zephaniah did picture what came to pas
. ßut it is an
intense paradox. when men, 2500 years after his date, assert,
not only that Zephaniah's prophcc'ies had no relation to
thc Chaldees, in whom his words were fulfill cd, and
who are the objcets of the prophec'ies of Habakkuk and
Jeremiah, but that they know, what must have bcen, and

for the son of Nerig1issar. Laborosoarchod, in JOB. AnL x.ll.l.combined with cont.
Apion. i. 20, and Ens. Præp. Evang. ix. 40.
. Ezek. xX-"viii. xxxix.

ZEPIL\X J ..\11.

(as they a!i'sert) what was in the IJrophet's mind; and that
he had in his mimI, uot tlw...e in n hOJlJ hi.. words were ful-
filled, but others in whom they were Ilut fulfilled, to whom
he does not allude in one
ingle trait, who Icft no trace
behind them, and whose march along an enemy'!< tral.t on
the io'ca-coast was of
o little al'count, that no contcmporary
hiio'torian, lIor J o:<ephus, even alludes to it h.
It has been already ubserHd. that each prophet conneets
him:<clf with one or mOI'e of tlwse before them. Thev usc the
lanp:uag-e of their prcdeces,;ors in some one or more ,;
ntenees,
apparently with thi!< IH"e('isc object. They had ovcrflowing
fulncss of words; yet they chose !'OIne sayin
of the fonner
],rophct, as a link to those before them. ". e ha\-e scen this in
Amos i, then in Obadiah k, who u,;es the lan!(ua!!"e of ßalaam,
David, Joel, .\mos; of Jerelliiah, in re
anl to Obadiah I; ot
)Iieah to his /!reat predel'cssor, )Iieaiah. allll.Amos Dl ; of .Jere-
miah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Ezekiel to :\Iicah n; of Xahum
to Jonah 0; and of haiah (I think), to :Kahum P ; of Hahak-
kuk, to Isaiah and :\Iicah q. It is in conformity with this, that
ZCl)haniah, even more than those before him, uses langua
e
of earlier prophets. It arises, not (as people have been
pleased to say) fi"om any declension in the ori
inality of pro-
phets at his date, but ii'om hi
subject. It has beell
aid,
.. If anyone desire to see the uttemnces of the prophets
in brief spa('e. let him read throug-h this brief Zephaniah."
The office of Zephaniah was not to forewarn of any instru-
ment of God's judg-ements. The destruetion is pl'ophesied,
not the destroyer. His propheey is, more than those of lIlost
other prophets, apart ii'om time, to the end of time. He
prophesies of what shall be, not when it
han be, nor hy
le1l01ll. IIc doc" not" expect" or "antieipate" or .. fore-
bode! " He absolutelv declares the future condition of ('er-
tain nations; but not the how of its coming- to pass. If
Kineveh, Edom and .\mmon had not been desolated, his pro-
phecy would have been falsifÍPd; each fulfilment became the
earnest of a larg-er fulfilment; but all shall not bc eOlllpleted
until ti,e earth alld all that is therein shall he vllrned lip.
It IJclong-s to this character of Zephaniah, that he g-athers
from other prophets before him, espel'ially Isaiah, Joel,
Amo
, lIahakkuk, expressions relatin
to, or bearing- on,
judg-ement to come, or a
ain to that his other p:reat suhjeet,
Gud's love for the remnant of His people; yet mostly in
fra
ments only and allush-ely. They were key-notes for
those who knew the IJI'ophets. Thus, in calling- on ])Ian
to hushed submission hetiJl"e God, because a day of jud
e-
ment wa
coming, he blends into one vcr,;c' Hahakkuk's cdll,
· hllsh hefore the Lord, and the warning words of Isaiah,
Joel, Obadiah, t nigh is the day of the Lurd; thc imag'c
of the sacrifice, which God had commanded, and the re-
markable word, cOllsecrated, of God's instl'ument
. The allu-

iun is eontainpd in single word", .'wcrifice, ('ollsecra!ni;
the context in which the,' are cmbodied is different. The
idea only is the same, . that Àlmi
hty God maketh, as
it were, a !;acrifiee to Himself of those who incorrigibly

h The name
"u9ó".oAu, which Josephus says the Greeks gave to Bethshan, (Ant.
12. 8. 5) and wmch they alone can have given, is manifestly, as being Greek, too late
to contain any tradition as to the presence of the "cythians in Palestine, three ccnturies
before the Greeks, under Alexander, became a
"uainted with Palestine. S. Jerome
regarded it as a corruption of Succoth. He say. on Gen. x"xiii. 17, .. In the Hebrew
is read Sucoth (nJc). Hut there is to this day a cit ù be)ond Jordan into which this name
b
t
l
n
ert:

r.hopolis... Quæstt. Hebr. ad en. [Opp. iii. 358. ed. Vall.] quoted
. See ab. fntrod. to Joe] p. 91. k See Introd. to Obadiah ab. pp. 230, 2'31.

be/Y;1
r
t2

. Nahum ab
p

J.ntrod. to }Iica
i
: l;o.:!9
. q Ib.D3
:
r i. i. . Hab. ii. :!O. . Is. xiii. 6. Jo. i. 15. iv. 15. Ob. 15. The words
.. tn' are used of a day of God's judgements, Is. xiii. 9, Jo. ii. I. ll, Am. v. IS, :!O. Ezek.
PART V.

4-0

rehcl a
ainst Him. Lise I
aIah draw;: out the image at
mueh len
th; u.A ,wl'orcl of tlte Lord is full (
f blooe/s; it i,ç
smeared wit It fat, with the Muod uf lambs alld of gOtl!,
; ll'Ïtll
the fat of !Lie/lle.'ls of nUlls: for the Lord ltath a sacri/ìce ill
no::.rall, alld a great slalfglder ill tlte lalld of Edom. Jere-
miah uses the image in equal fulness of the overthrow (If
Pharaoh-
('cho at the Euphrah's; y Tltis is a da!! of tlte
Lurd Goe/ of hosts, a da.'I uf vengeallce, that Ill' 1I1ll!1 (ll'enge
IIim of Ilis adversaries: ami tlte .nl'orcl shall del'our, alltl it
sltall he satiate ami wade drullk with Mood; fur tlte Lord Gud
Iwllt a sacrifice ill tlte
Yorfll cOlilltn! bll the rit'er EllfJhrfltes.
Lzekiel expands it yet more boidly' w. Zephaniah drops
everything- loeal, an(l condenses the ima
e' into the words,
Tlte Lord Iwtll prepared a sacrflire; lIe Itath cOllsecrated
Ilis gue.
ts, adding the new bold ima
e, that they whom
God employed were, as it were, IIis invited guests x, whom
lIe consecrated Y thereto.
In like way, as to the day of the Lord it;:elf, he ac('umu-
lates all words of terror from ditt'erent prophets; from Joel
the word
, x a day of darklless ami of gloominess; a du.,! of
cluuds awi of tldck darkness: to these he adds a of shuuting
ami tlte souud uf tlte trull/pet, used by Anw
in relation to the
destruction of )Ioab; the two comhination!', which precpde,
oe('ur, the one in a different sen,;e, the other with a slightly
ditferent c;rammatieal inflexion, in Job b.
From I,;aiah, .zcphaniah adopts that characteristic picture
of self-idol ising, which bring-
down God's judgements on
its pride; (the city) c that dwelletlt securel!!, tltat said iu Iltr
heart, I alld lW I hesides.
Even where Isaiah says, d Fur a cunsumption and tlwt
decreed, tlte Lord God uf hosts makes in the midst of all ti,e
earth and,
lil!:htly varyin
it, e For a c01I.mmptio1l ami that
decreed, I have heard from tlte Lord God of Itosts UPUJl all
the earth, ZC(Jhaniah, retaining' the two fir
t w()rd
, whieh
occur in hoth pIaee
, !'ays morc conei
eIy, f .For a cou-
sllll/ptiuu, nought bllt tarur, will Jle make all tile inlwbita1lt,

of the earth. Y ct simple as the words are, he pronnUlH'ed,
that God would not only bring II desrJlation upon the earth, or
in the midst of tl'-fJ earth, but would make its inhahitant,;
one consumption. Xahum had said of Xine,-eh, g ll'Ïtlt all
ut'eljirJlcing fluod He Il'ill make the place thereof flll Iltta
cOlIStlmpti(}Jl. The mo
t forceful words arc the simplpst.
lIe use
the exact word
of haiah, h From he.'luml the
rÏL'ers of Cush, than whh'h none can be simpler, and employs
the word of fe,;tive proeession, thou
h in a ditferent form i,
and ha\"Íng thus connected his prophecy with I
aiah's, all
the rest, UpOIl which the prophecy turn,;, is ,-aried.
In like way he adopts from :\Iieah the three worrl
", her-
that-Iwlteth, wul-ll'ÏlI-gatller lter-tlwt-is-r1ril'eII-out. The elln-
tpxt in which he re,.ets thcm is quite ditferent.
It has been thoug-ht, that the words, I I I"u'e heard the
reproach uf JIoah, may ha\'e been slll!:
estcd by those oi
Isaiah, who be
ins hi!' lament over
Ioah, IVe hm'e henrd
of the pride of ...fIollb; but thc force and bearing of the

xiii. 5. 1\Ia1. iii. 23, not with :11'1p. Iu Is. ii. 12, it is .., 01' or in Jo. ii. 1. subordinate]).
u Is. """iv. G. . .Ter. xhi. 10. w Ezek. xX'lix. Ii. x Zephaniah's
.word, C'I<-:i? occ,:!rs besides on1y in 1 Sam. ix. 13_ .,. I<aia
:s word (xii}. 3.)
Is
"'j)::!; Zephamah's "'''j)õt. . "
';T1 1311 .:" :1(.
/(1 ;::on 1:1' J o. n. 2. Zepb. 1. 15.
a :1.1"1111 ":!)1:1 Zeph. i. !G. Am. ii. 2. h :11<'

:'11<111 Job x"xviii. 2;. :1;:'
l']o ,,".
2
. Zeph. has .J.-;1 ,,-:.. 11.1:>
tands paranel with D1j)1s.:J P5. xxv. Ii. cIs. xh ü. 1'.
Zeph. ii. 15. "I1Y 'O!].
, 'JM :'1:1J,:: m::l<:'1 nO:1' n:117l'õt d Is. x. 23.
· lb. XX\ iii. 22. r n'J 'J. He retains the simplest words, but substitutes
"-::J iH
(a word tormed b} himself) tor the "
-.nJl of Isaiah. · :-. ah. L ".
h I7lJ "';13" 'q":) Zeph. iii. 10. Is. xviii. 1. I P'::1" Zeph. '::1' Is. ,"viii. i.
k ""Jj:1< "r:'J:TI "y".",
lic" iv. 6. Zeph. iii. 19. I ::1<1= -!)-, '1'
-=:1 Zeph. ii. ::!
:11<1:: pMJ 1];'-=:1 Is. x\i. G.

3 T

-1..t

I
TRODLCTIOS TO

words is alto
ether different, !'ince it is God ""ho says, I
Italle heard, and !'o He will punish.
The combination m, the e:t:ltlters of pride, is common to him
with Isaiah: its meanin
is uneertain; but it is manifestly
different in the two places, since the one relates to God, the
other to man.
The words, n TIley shall Imild houses and shall not dwell
therein; the..1J shall plant 'l'ine.lJards and not drink tlte wine
thereof, are from the original threat in Deuteronomy, from
which also the two words, oThe..lJ-slwll-walk as-tlle-hlilld, may
be a reminiscenee, but with a eoneiselH'!'s of its own and with-
out the charaeteristic exprcssions of Deuteronomy, adopted
by other sacred 'writers: P They s/wll grope at noonday, as
the blind gropeth in darklless.
Altog-ether these passag-es are evidence that Zephaniah is
of later date than the prophl'eies in which the like languag-e
o('eurs; and the faet that he docs employ so much lang-uage
of his predecessors furnishes a stron
pre!'umption in any
sing-Ie case, that he in that case also adopted from the other
sacred wl'iter the language which they ha,-e in cmnmon.
It is chiefly on this ground, that a train of modern critics q
have spoken dislmragingly of the outward form and style of
Zephaniah. It has howevcr a remarkable combination of ful-
ness with eonci"eness and force. Thus, he bqáns the enu-
meration of those upon whom the destruction should fall,
with the words, r (,OIlsllmill
I will CUIlSlUlle all: to an enu-
meration co-extensive witlì- the creation, he adds unexpe('t-
edly, · aud the stumblillghlocks with the wicked, anticipating
our Lord's words of the Day of Judgement, t tlte!1 shall gather
the stllmhlingblork,<; and them that do iniqlli(lJ: to the difl'crent
idolatries he adds thosc of a di,'ided faith, U swearers to tI,e
Lord alld swearers hy JIalclwlIl; to those who turned away
fl"Om God he adds those who were unearnest in seeking
Him v.
Ag-ain, after the fnll announcement of the destruction in
the Day of the Lord, the burst, in those five words, w sift-
yourseh'es alld-.<iiJZ (on) nation llnlongcd for, is, in sudden-
ness and coudensation, like Hosea; and so again, in fi,-e
words, after the pÏeture of the future desolation of
ine-
veh, the abrupt turn to Jerusalem, "fVo rehelliolls alld-lLEfiled
(thou) oppressil'e city, and then follow the seHral counts of
her indictment, in brief di
ointed sentences, first negatively,
as a whole; each in three or four words Y, sl,e-listenednut tu-
'cuice; s,',e-receh'ed 1/ot currectiun; in-tlte-Lord she-trllstednot;
to-her-God she-approached nut; then, in equally brokeu words,
each class is characterised by its sins; z Iler-prillces ill-he/"-
midst are roaring liulls; her-jlldges el'ening wolves; not gnall'ed-
t hp.'I-IJOlles on-tlte-morrow; her-propltets empty-hahblers, men
uf-deceits; her-priests p/'(
falled Iwlilless, 'violated law. Then
in sudden contrast to all this contumaey, neglect, despite
of God, He Himself is exhibited as in the midst of Iter; the
witness and judge of all; there. where they sinned. a The-
Lord rigltteous in-Iter-midst; He-doth not iniquity; h.lJ-morn-
illg h.lJ-nwmillg His-judgement He-giveth to-ligM; He-failetft
not; and then in contrast to the holiness and the judgements
of God, follows in four words. the perseverance of man in
his shamelcssness, and-the fruit of all this presence and

m 'I'I1M] ""
!I Is. xiii. 3. 'V"M] 'I'
!I Zeph. iii. 11. D Zeph. i. 13. Deut. xxvüi. 30, 39.
The words are more exact than in Micah vi. 14. Am. v. 11.
o c..,'t'J 1:
" Zeph. i. 17. p Deut. xxviii. 29.
q Eichhorn, De 'Yette, Stähelin, and their followers. De 'Yette however does own,
"Iu employing what is not his own, he is, at least, ori!tinal in its expansion." Einl. 245.
note b. · i. 2. . i. 3. ' S. Matt. xiii. 41. u Zeph. i. 5.
. i.6. w ü. 1. " ü . 1. T iii. 2. · lb. 3, 4.
. lb. 5. bIb. 17. 0 iii.2. d Jer. vii. 21-28.
e üi. Ii. Some modern commentators take umbrage at the beautiful expression.

doing-s of the Holy and Rig-hteous God and Judge is, ami-not
knoweth the wrong-doer sltallle. Zephaniah u!'es the same
disjoining of the clauses in the de!'eription of God's future
manifestation of His love towards them. .Ag-ain it is the
same thought h, The-Lord th.IJ-Gml (is) in-thY-l;tidst; but now
in love; 1II
t;ht.lJ, slwll-.Wlve; lle-slwll-rejoice Ol'er-tltee with-
Joy; He-sllllll-keep-.<iilence in-His-love; He-slwll-re.ioice over-
tllee with:inbilee. The !'ingle expre!'sions arc alike eonden!'ed;
C slte-Ilerlrkenerl not to-voice, stands for what Jeremiah san;
at such much greater leng'th, how God had sent all liis
sen-ants d tlte propltets, daily rising 11]1 ear(lJ and sending
tltem, bnt they Itearkened not nnto l1Ie 1/Or inclined their e(i/',
hilt harde/led tlteir neck. The words Cslwll-be-.<iilent i/l-His-
love, in their primary meaning-, express the decpest human
1m-e. but without the wonted imag-p of betrothal.
f Tlte wlwle people of Canaan ren
inds one of Hu!'ea: g lite.
men-coagulated O1I-tlu'ir-lees is mUl'h expandcd by Jeremiah h,
his word occurs before him in Job only and the
ong of
:\Ioses i . Single poetic eXllI'e!'!'ions are, that _\Ioab should
beeome k tlte pos.<iess;,m of hriars, the word itself being-
framed hy Zcphaniah; in the description of the dl'
olation
of Kineveh, I a 'L'(Jice singeth in the window; desolation is
on the tllreshold, the imag-ery is so bold, that modern criti-
ci
m has thouC'ht that the word l'oice whil'h occurs in the
O. T. a2S tin
es and \\ ith pronouns 15ï times more, must
sig-nify ., an owl," and desolatio/l must stand for" a crow Ul."
Y cry I'haracteristic is the word, "He n shall famislt all the
gods of the earth," eXIH'e!'sing with wonderful irony, the
prÏ\'ation of their saerifiec!', whieh was the oeeasion of the
first Heathen persecutions of the Christian".
""hen then a wI'Ítcr. at times !'o concise and IlOetic as
Zephaniah is in these places, is, at others, so full in his de-
scriptions, this is not prolixity, but rather ,'idd pieturing;
at one time going throug-h all the orders of ereation 0; at an-
other, diffcrent classes of the ungodly P; at yet another, the
different parts of the scared \\"oe-stril'ken city q. to set hefore
our eyes the llninrsality of the desolation. Thosc who are
familiar with our own great KOI.thern poet of natnre, will
remember how the accumulation of names adds to the ,'ivid-
ncss of his deseriptious. Yet here too thel'e is great force in
the indiddual dcsl'riptions, as when he picturps the petty
plunderers fol' their master, and/ill tl,e;r masters' honse.s-not
with wealth but-with violence alllifNllll/ r . all which remains
of wealth gained by fraud and extortion heiug the sill!'
themsel\'Cs, which dwell in the house of the fraudulent to his
destruction.
I n the strictly prophetic part of his office, Jerusalem hav-
ing' been marl,a'd out by )Iieah and h:aiah before him, as the
place where God would make the new reHlation of Him-
self
Zephaniah adds, what our Lor(II'eHaled to the Sama-
ritan woman, · that Jcru
alcm should no longer he the abid-
ing centre of worship. t Tlte.lJ sltall 1l'or.<i!tip Him, el'el".'1 man
from !tis place, all tile isles of tlte /latiom, is a propheey which,
to this day, is receiving an increasiul!" aceompli!'lunent. It
is a prophecy. not of the
pread of )Iollotheism, hut of the
worship of Him, to ""hose worship at that time a handful of
Jews could with difficulty be brought to adhere, the descr-

Ewald a1ters, with the LXX, into
'111' \\ hich does not occur else\\ here. But the L \"X
renders" shall renew thee õ" Ewald, .. (God) becomes young (sich verjunget) in His
love!"
f Zeph. i. 11. Compo Hos. xii. i. g i.12. b Jer. xh iii. 11. I Job x. 10. Ex. xv. 8.
k ii. 9. 1 ii. 14. m .. '"ò' must answer to the Ethiopian I;lO" 'YAav
and our
e..le (owl) õ and J"IIl seems equal :]1!1." E.. aid Proph. ii. 25. D See below on ii. B.
o i.3. p lb. 4-9. q lb. 10,11, rIb. 9. \moshas the like idea (iii. W)
but no word is the same except C:=õt. · S. John i\'. 21. · ii. 11.

ZEPIL\XL\II.

4-1:1

lion lit corruption or a
so('iation of "'hose wor
hip \\ ith befitting God's holy presenec: thOil slwlt no 1JlO}"<! be Iwltght./I ill
idolatry Zephaniah had to dCJIIIU nee and tll foretell its pu- .JJ!! hol!! lII(J/tlItain r. The words exprc
sive of the abasement
nishment. The Ion whidl God shuuld then
hew to His own of those within her arc prllpllrtionably stron
, gJI.1J t!//licfed
i:oõ expresscd in words, uncfJual1ed for tenderness; and in eon- alld poor. Some arc "lIllt, in these days, to talk of God'>-
furmity to that love is the illeJ'easing
rowth of huliness, and prophets as patriots, They wen' stH.h truly, sim'e they ]onll
the strieter rerluiremcnts of (iod's hilly justice. Again, Ze- the )all(l of the L",'d with a Di, ine love. liut what mel'e
phaniah has a prelude to our Hle!<sed Lurd's words, Ulo ll'lwm ,. patriut" wlluld limit his promises to the l'rcsence of "a
milch is gÏl'eu, of him shaill/Illclt br required, or Uis ApostlC"s, poor pe(.ple in a low e
tatc," with an unsecn prcscnce of
of the great awe in w(lrking out our :'alvation.... Pro
ress is God? The dl'scription helon
s to IIÙ killgdom, which was
a l'haracteristic and cundition of the Christian life; ... IT''e he- not (
f tltis Il'orltl h : the on)y king- whum Zephaniah !')lcaks of,
seel'h YOll, tlwt a,
ye IWl'e received (
f ItS, Iwll' .'i/e ought 101Ntlk Ihe king of Israel i, is Almig'hty God. The ble":oõin
which he
aud to II/ease God,.'Ie u'ollld aholllul more (lnd more. E,'en so I promises, is the ('orresl'ondin
hlessing of pcace, k J.èar t1Wll
Zephaniah bids x all ti,e meek of tI,e earth, who h(ll'e 11'J"0Ugltt 1I0t; thou .
11(l1t 1I0t see o'il ml!1 more, 1I01le sl,all TIlake them
Hisjudgelllellts or lall' to seek diligently that meekness, whieh afraid. ßut the words II. Let not Ilty IttIlUI.
he slack, imply
had already charaeterised thcm, and that, not in view of g-reat I that they shaH be a
gressÍ\'e on the world: t!lat they werc
thin
s, but, if su be they mi
ht be sa,-cd; it TIla./1 he that .1/e Iwt to relax from the work which God a:oõsigned to them, the
1/1(/.'1 he hid ill tlte cIa.'I of tI,e Lord's auger, as S. Peter saith, eonversion of the worM.
) If the rigltfeofls scarcel.'! he s([l'ed, 1l'here slwllllte ungodly and An allusion to the prophet Joel! makes it uncertain whether
the ,
iJlner appear? It is again remarkable, how he
cle('b word
of Zephaniah relate to the first Comin!;' of our Lord,
meeknes
, as the charactel'istic of the ne\\" state of thin,!!s. or the times whieh should m;her in the Se('ond, or to hoth in
which he promises. He .anticipates the contrast in the :\Ia
- one; and so, whethC'r, in aeeordanee with his general ('ha-
nifieat, in which the lowest lowliness was rewarded by the raeter of gathering' into one all God's jud
ements to His
hi
hcst exaltation. As it is said there, zEle 'Illtll pllt down end, he is speaking of the fir!'t restoration IIf the one purified
the migltt,'i/ from their seal aml Iwth e:t'alted tI,e hUll/Me and )ang-uage of faith and hope, when mtlte multitude of tltem that
llleek, so the removal of the proud from 1l'Îtltin Ihee, and the heliel'ed 1eere of oue lleart and of one sOIlI, or whether he had
"leaving of an afflicted and poor people within tltee .," is the his mind fixed rather on the end, wltm n the fillnesð of the

peeial promise by Zephaniah. ! Gentiles shaH ('ome ill. The words also (since they mav be
Little is said of the eapti\'Ïty. It is a future variously as- taken either ,,'ar 0) leave it uncertain whether the' Gentiles
!'umed b. Judah ill the furthest lands, beyond the rivers of are spoken of as bring'in
in the IJeol'le of God, (as thcy
Ethiopia, is the daughter of 111./1 di.
persedc ; the whole earth is shall at the end) or whether the first conversion of the Jew!",
the Sl'ene of their shamed; their praiscs should hc commens\I- even in the most di!'tant countries, is his subject.
rate with their shame, 1l,I,en I tllm back YOllr captil'it.1/ be- )n any case, Zephaniah had a remarkable offiee, to decJare
lore your e.'les e. But this turnirw: away of their capti\'Ïty is the mcrcy and judgement of God. judgemcnts both temporal
the only notice, that their punishment should be the going' and final, lUerdes, not of this world, promised to a tcmper
into captÏ\'ity. The captivity itself is pre-sllpposcd. as certain not of this world, P tlte 1eisdom whit'lt is from abot'e, )Jure,
and a!' known. So neither are there any images from tem- peaceable, gentle, ('([.\'1 to he entreated, fllll of mercy and good
poral exaltation, All pride should be remo,-ed, as uttcrly un- fruits, 1eillwltt }Jartiality alld wilhout Itypocrisy.
" S. Luke xü_ 48. . Phil. ii. 12. ... 1 Thess. Ì\-. 1. . ii. 3. II g lb. 12. b S. John x\ iii. Sr,. i Zeph. iü. 15.
1 1 S. Pet. iv. IS. . S. Luke ii. 52. · Zeph. iii. 12. bib. ]3. · iii.16. I üi. 2. [iv. 2 Heb.l m \cts iv. 32.
. lb. 10. d lb. 19. · lb. 20. add. ii. ,. rIb. 11. " Rom. xi. 25. v See on Zeph. iii. to. P S. James iii.;.

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cn APTER I.

ZEPHAXIAH.

4.1-1

Before
CHRIST
cir.G30.

God's severe judgement against Judah for dit'ers
sins.

T ilE word of the LORD which came unto
Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son
of Gedaliah, the son of Amal'iah, the son
of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son
of Amon, king of .Judah.

CHAP. I., Vcr. 1. The word of tile Lord whir'h came unto
Zepluwiah the SOil of CIl
Iâ, tIle SOli of Gedaliah, the
01t of

Jmariall, the .wm of Hezekiah. It seems likely that more
forcfathers of the Prophet are named than is the wont of
Holy Scripture, becau
c the last so named was some one
remarkable. Nor is it impossible that Zephaniah should
have been the great grandson of the king Hezekiah; for al-
thoug'h Holy SeriptlÚ'e commonly names the one son only
who is in the sacred line, and although there is one genera-
tion more than to Josiah, yet if eaeh had a son early, Ze-
phaniah might have been contemporary with Josiah. The
names seem also mentioned for the sake of their meaning-;
at least it is remarkablc how the name of God appears in
most. Zephaniah," whom the Lord hid;" Gedaliah, "whom
the Lord made great;" Amariah, "whom the Lord pro-
mised;" Hezekiah, "whom the Lord strengthened."
2 I will utter!.,! COlMltme all tlling.
; better all 1. T
le
word is not limited to "things" "animate" or "inanimate"
or "men;" it is used severally of eaeh, according to the
context; here, without limitation, of "all." God and all
stand over' against onc another; God and all whi.'h is not
of God or in God. God, he says, will utter!.,! con
wne all
from '1/1' the land [earth.] The prophet sums up in few
words the subjeet of the whole chapter, the judg-ements of
God from his own times to the day of Judgement itself.
And this Day Itself he brings the more strongly before thc
mind, in that, with wonderful hriefness, in two words whit'h
he conforms, in sound also, the one to the other, 2 he ex-
presses the utter final consumption of all things. He ex-
presses at onec the intensity of action and blends their
separate meanings, Taking (llN/.lj I will make an end of all ;
and with this he unites the words used of the flood, from
(!If' the face of the earth 3. Then he goes through the whole
ereation as it was made, pairing man ami heast, which l\Ioses
speaks of as created on the sixth day, and the creation of
the fifth day, tIle fowls of the heaven ami tlle.fi
hes of the sea;
and before each he sets the solemn word of God, I will end,
as the act of God Himself. The words can ha,-e no com-
plete fulfilment, until 4. the earth amI the works that are tllere-
ill shall he burned up, as the Psalmist too, having gone
through the c('eation, sums up, 6 Thou takest awa./j t/leir
breatll, they die and return to their dltst; and then speaks of
the re-creation, 6 Tlwu semlest forth Thy Spirit, they are
1 "J is used ahsolutely in a title of God, "Who maketh all," c,;, :'1;;ïIl. Is. xliv. 24;
"Thou canst do all," i. e. art Ahnighty, Job xlii. 2;" Thou hast put all c,J :'1
;i, under
his feet," Ps. viii. 7; and of man, "mine eye hath seen a1l," Job xiii. ] ; and persona1ly,
I(athpring in one a1l which he had said of God's doings, with

II
" want not anv
thing," De. viii. 9.
DI;t,
9i'1" want of every thin!,:," Jer. xliv. 18. De. xxviii. 48. 57; ''all
"'ere [lit. was] ashamed" (with sin!,:. verb)
'II:;õ1C,J h. xxx. 5.

So also Jeremiah viii. 13, in the same word., I:
'ç
'jioll. Rashi makes them one
word, supposing
t:1;' to be for '.01111. A. E. mentions tliose who thought that .11 in 'ii
1I
"'as prefixed, as in wnl;' Is. xxviii. :!1"!; but it is unnatural to assume a rare and Irregular
fo

e
i

ifi

r.

:;
hi:, t
i;;

l:íw
:
'ï
r
re t;hr

'

;', ':

?
h
ays in the
þhrase :'1:J111" '.1
C,i'l;', unless they be limited by some additiou, as .. which the Lord
<ware that He \\ould give thee." nc,IC" ']!) C,II is thus used Gen. vi. I, vii. 23, Ex. xxxiii.

2 I t will uttf'rly consume all things C }
íioÍes T
from off t the land, saith the LORD. _ Cll. (j()3.
3 a I will consume man and beast; I will t

7
/
i
ay
consume the fowls of the hea,'en, and
nw

ake
t.he fishes of
he sea,
nd b the II stum
)-

:j,:}

!

e
lmg blocks wIth the wIcked; and [ wIll b Ezek
ll!l.
cut off man from off the land, saith the
1
k.
3\t
LORD. II Or, idou.

created; allli Thou renewest tile .face of tile eartll, and, 7 Of
old Tlwlt lIa
t laid tile foundations of tIle eartll, awl tile hea-
vens are tIle u'ork of Thy hands; they shall perish, hut Tlwu
shalt endure, .1Jea, all of them slwll wa3: old like a garment;
ll
II ve
ture
hlllt Tlwlt change them, and they shall he l'Iwuged.
Loeal fulfilments there may, in their degree, be. S. Jerome
speaks as if he knew this to have been. "8 Even the brute
animals feel the wrath of the Lord, and when cities have
been wasted and men slain, there cometh a desolation and
searecness of beasts also and birds and fishes; witne!'s Illy-
rieum, wituess Thraee, witness my native soil," [Stridon, a
eÏty 011 the confines of Dahnatia and Pannonia] "where,
hesicles sky and earth and rampant brambles and deep
thiekets, all has perished." nut although this fact, which
he alleg-es, is borne out by natural hbtory, it is distinct from
the words of the prophet, who speaks of the fish, not of rivers
(as S. Jerome) but of the sea, which ('an in no way be in-
fluenced by the absenee of man, who is only their destroyer.
The usc of the language of the histories of the creation and
of the delugc implies that the prophet has in mind a de-
struction commensurate with that creation. Then he fore-
tells the final removal of offeuees, in the same words which
our Lord uses of thc general Judg-emeut. \I TIle Son of j11ml
shall send forth Ilis Angels awl they slwll gat/ler out of His
kingdom all tlângs tlwt (1f'end, and them that do iniqui(ll.
3 The stumhliug-Mocks 1o with the wicked. :Kot only shall
the ",ic'ked be uttcrly brought to an end, or, in the other
meaning of the word, gathered into hllJl(lIe,
to he taken away,
but all eauses of stumbling too; e,-erything, through which
others can fall, ",hid. will not be until the end of all things.
Then, he repeats, yet more emphatically, I 'will cut (1f' thE;
il'hole race of man 11 from tIle face of the ea]"tll, and then he
closes the verse, like the foregoing, with the solemn word
,
saith tIle Lord. All this shall be fulfilled in the Day of
Judgement, and all other fulfilments are earnests of the
final J udgelllent. They are witnesses of the ever-lh-ing pre-
sence of the Judg-e of all, that God does take account of
man's deeds. They speak to men's eonseience, they attest
the existence of a Divine law, and therewith of the future
complete manifestation of that law, of which they are in-
dividual sentences. Not until the prophet has broug'ht this
circle of judgements to their close, does he pass on to the
particular judgements on Judah and Jerusalem.

16, Nu. xii. 3, De. vii. G, xiv. 2, 2 Sam. xiv. 7, Is. xxiii. 17, Jer. xxv. 26, Ezek,
xxxviii_ 20. :'11:nll" 'J!) c,
'O " from the face of the earth" occurs, unlimited by the conte"t.
Gen. iv. 14, vi. 7, vii. 4, viii. 8. Ex. xxxii. 12, De. vi. 15. 1 Sam. xx. 15. ] Kgs xiii.
3t. Jer. xxviii. 16. Am. ix. 8. :ro
1I is used of cultivable 1and, and so 'lD1M:! ']!)
II is used
in connection with rain fallinl! on the ground, 1 Kgs xvii. 14; buLIl" .
c,y.:J suffers no
exception, unless it be restrained by an addition.
4 2 S. Pet. iii. 10. S Ps. civ. 29. 8 Ps. dv.30.
10 n'c,;;
\
'
i
,ç
:
:J Jer. vi. 21,8

.;'k
r'xxi. 20. So K

:,
::
i, x
to 4Ji-""its it to
idolatry (as Oes.) without reason. They are the wicked generally,not one class of
them. In Is. iii. 6. (where alone the word occurs besides) it is used metaphorically
of the st
,te, "this ruin."
11 C'II" 1111, as in the history of the ereation, Gen. i. 2;. or the flood, lb. vi. 7. vii. 21,

CHAPTER I.

C .P'oíes T 4 I will also stretf'h out mine hand upon

.J udah, and upon all the inhahitants of
·
r;.fii
1.' Jerusalem; and cI will cut off the r('mnant
2 Kin. 23. 4, 5.

4 I will also ,
tretclt out
lliue l1mul, as hefore on Eg-ypt 1.
Judah had gone in the ways of Egypt and learned her
in
,
and sinned worse than E
ypt 2. The mighty IIllIul awl
stretched-out Arm, with which she had becn delivered, shall
be a
ain stretclted out, yet not fiJr her but upun her, upon all
tlte inhabitants of Jerusalem. In this threatened de
truction
of all, Judah and Jeru!'alem are singled out, becausc .fudge-
ment shall 8 hegin at tlte Iwuse of God. They who .h.n'e
sinned against the greater
l"af'C shall be must si
nally
punished. Yet the punishment of those whom God had
o
('hosen and loved is an earnest of the
f'neral jlHlgemcnt.
This too is not a partial but a general judgement "upon
all the inhabitants of Jerusalem."
Aud I will cut (!U'the remnant of Baal, i. e. to the very
last vestige of it. Isaiah unites 4 1lame aud residue, as eflui-
valents, tog-ether with the proverbial. posterity and de-
scendant 5. Zephaniah distributes thcm in paralJcl f'lauses,
"the re.
idue 6 of llaal and the name of the Chemarim."
Good and e,'il have each a root, which remains in the
g-round, when the trunk has been hewn down. There is
7 a remnant according to tIle election of grace, when tlte rest
have been blinded; and this is a 8ltoly seed to carryon the
line of God. Evil too has its remnant, which, unlco;;s dili-
g-ently kept down, shoots up ag-ain, after the conversion
of peoples or individuals. The 9 mind of the flesh remains
in the regenerate also. The prophet foreteUs the complete
excision of the whole remuant of Baal, which was fulfilled
in it after the cal)ti\-ity, and shaÌl be fulfilled as to all whieh
it shadows forth, in the Day of J ndgement. From tltis
lJlace; for in their" phrenzy, they dared to bring the worship
of llaal into the very temple of the Lord 10. " 11 "'110 would
ever bcJieve that in Jerusalem, the holy city, and in the
very temple idols should be conseerated? 'nlOSO seeth
the ways of our times will readily believe it. For among
Christians and in the very temple of God, the abominations
of th(' heathen are worshipped. Riches, pleasures, honours,
are they not idols which Christians prefer to God Him-
self? "
And tile name of the CllelJlarim with tile priests. Of the
idolatrolls priests 12 the very name shall be eut off, as God
promises by Hosea, that He will 13 take away tlte uames of
Baalim, amI by Zel'llariah, that He 14. will cut qt!' tlte names
of the idols Ollt of tlte land. Yet this is more. Not the name
only of tlte Cltenwrim, but themselves with their name, their
posterity, !:;hall be blotted out; still more, it is God 'Vho
cuts oft' all memory of them, blotting them out of the book
of the living and out of His own. They had but a mane
before, 15 that tltey were living, hut were dead. "16 The Lord
1 Ex. V1. 6, De. iv. 34, v. 15, vii. 19. xi. 2, xxvi. 8, and thence Jer. xxxii. 21, Ps.
cxxxvi. 12, Isaiah had, in the same phrase, prophesied God's jud
ements against Israel
in the hurden v. 25, ix. 11, IG, x.4. 2 Jer. ii.lO, II. 31 S. Pet. iv.17. Jer.xxv. 29.
4 Is. xiv. 22. . 'JJ1!'J, which occur only together, Gen. xxi. 23, Job xviii. 19, Is. xiv. 22.
6 -mci is not limited, like n'-mr:ì, to that which remains over when a former or larger
part has ceased or is gone. It is mostly" the rest," after others who had been named,
yet still it may be the larger number; as, .. the rest of those chosen," I Chr. xvi. 41 ;
:

f

e
t

e
f

:t
;:h
r

'
fb.ii

s3
n,
t

er
:,,
n;';i

i

n?o

:"

'i; ::

:
ili: t J
w:
:' t

t,lei;.
:
. S

, I

iak :.' :
:
::: oo[ l;
f:!/'b

d;
;D

:c
:
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..iii. 3, and "the rest of the Spirit" Mal. ii. 15. (See lb.) 1 Rom. xi. 5, i.
. I s. vi. 13. 9 <þpóJl1}p.a lTapKór. 10 2 Kgs xxiii. 4. 11 Rib.
12 The chemarim is the name of idolatrous priests generally, (it occurs also 2 Kgs

4-1,i

of Baal from this place, mul the name of C .

ofes T
d the Chl'llHu'ims with the In'iests ; clr. ü;!CI.
5 ..\nd them e that worship the host of: f
i

;/i2.
Jer. HI. .3.

shall take away names of vain glory, wron/!,"Iy admin'd, out
flf the Church; yea, the very names of the I'rÍ(."ts with the
IH"ie
ts who vainly flatter thelll
d\"Cs with the name of
ßi
hops and the di
nity of Presh"ters without their deeds.
"'hence he mal"l{('(iJ y says, lIut, (lJ
d tIle dced,
(
f priests with
tlie priests, but the names; whu on Iv bear the false name of
dig-nitit's, and with evil works de;trnv their nwn names."
The prie.
ts arc priests (
f tlte Lord, wllO"li\'e nut likt' prie4s,
('nrrllpt ill life anti doetrine and corrupters 411' (Ìod's peuple 17.
The judg-ement is pronollneed alike on what was intrill-

ieallr evil, and 011 gnod which had corrupted itself into
e,'il. The title of priest is no where g-iven to the I'ri('st
of a false (;od, without some mention in the eonte
t, im-
plying- that they were idolatrous prie!'ts; as the prie
ts of
na
fln 18, of the hig-h-pla('es as ordaint'd hy Jeroboam 19, of
ßaa1 20 , of ßethel 2 I, of Ahab 22, of tho!'e who were not gods 23,
of On, where the sun was wor
hipped 24. T/le priest,
then
were God's prie!'t"" who in the evil days of l\lana
''''eh
had manifoldly currupted their life or their faith, and who
were stiU e\.il. The priests of Judah, with its king-s its
prill(
es and the people of the land, were in Jeremiah's
inaugural vision cnumerated as tlwse, who shall, (Ìud says,
25fìgld ag(tÍust tltee, hut sltallllot prCl'ail ogaimt tltee. 26 Tlte
In'iests said uot, TVltere is tlte LON[? aml tltey t!tat handle tIlt'
law fmelt'

Ie not. In the general ('orruption, 27 A wonderful
and horrible tlting is committed in tile laud, the prup/lets pro-
phes.lI false!./!, and the priests bear rule at tlleir IUl1uls 28 ;
29 tIle children of Israe/and tlte dtildrcn (
f Judalt, tlteir kings,
tlteir princes, tlleir priests, and tlteir prop/lets, (l1ul tlte men of
Judah, aud tlte inltabitants of Jerusa/em, hm'e turned unto Jle
tile back, and not the .face. JCI'emiah speaks spedllcaJly of
heavy moral sins. 80 From tile prophet even unto the priest
everyone dealetlt falsely; 81 botll propliet and priest are pro-
fane; 32 for the SillS (
f her prophets, tlte iniquities of Iter priests,
tltat Iwve sIted the blooel of tlte Just in tlte midst of Iter. And
Isaiah says of their !'ensuality; 33 tlte priests aud tIle prop/æts
hfll:e erred tllrOleglt strong drink; tlley are sll'aIlOll'ed up of
wine, tlte.lI are out of tlte wa.lJ tit rough strong drink.
5 Aml tltem tlwt1c'oTs/tip tile host of /U:Cl1.'ell upun tile [flat]
hnusetops. This wa
fulfilled by Josiah who destroyed 34 tlu:
altars that were on t/te tup of the upper clwmher of .dhaz.
Jeremiah speaks as if this worship was almust nnh'er
al,
as though well-nigh c\'Cry roof' had heen profancd by this
idolatry. 35 The houses of Jerusrt!e11l, and tile Itmues (
f Jurla/f,
shall be dçfiled as the place (
f Tup/let, because of all tile IlOuse,"
UPO]l whose r(J(
fs tltey /wt"e burned incense unto all the Itost (if
heaven, and hat'e poured Olet clrink-t1firinp;s unto otlter gods.
36 Tlte C/wldrcalls tlwt fig/d against tltis dty, slwll come awl
xxiii. 5. Hos. x. 5). In 2 Kings, where is the account of the first fulfilment of this
:f'ìf
:{

h:l th

::e
f
;
::
. of ifhe i

:
:O
;bfi
hees's
i::
C
a

mo:
.ep
i

:

used in Holy Scripture of idolatrous priests, because the Syrians were idolaters.
See Gesenius Gesch. d. Hebr. Sprache p. 58. In Chald. "-,,,;] is limited to idolatrous
priests. See Buxt. and Levy. 13 Hos. ii. 17. U Zech. xiii. 2.
I. Rev. iii. 1. 18 S. Jer. IT See Jer. ii. 8. \I. 31.
IS I Sam. v. 5. 19 I Kgs 'l:iii. 2, 33, 2 Kgs xxiii. 20. 2 Chr. xi. 15.

o 2 Kgs x. 19, xi. 18, 2 Chr. xxiii. Ii. 21 Am. vii. 10. 22 2 Kgs x. II.
23 2 Chr. xiii. 9. 2' Gen. xli. 45-50. &c. The name" Potipherah," prol:ably
belonging to .. Phre," implies this. 2. Jer. i. 18, 19.
6 lb. ii. i.!'.
2, Jer. v. 30, 31.
'"".,.
J1 29 Jer. xxxii. 32, 33. 80 lb. vi. 13. viii. 10.
s
Jer. xxiii.
1.Jer. xi:: f:.m. iv. 13. 33 Is. X'l.Vi

b. x,,",,"if.

gs xxiii. 12.

4-lG

ZEPHXXL\I1.

C Hßí{oreS T hem"en upon the housetups; r and them

ir. ü30. that worship (lnd g that swear \I hy the
r 1 Kin. 18. 21. 2 Kin. Ii. 33, 41. II lsai. 48.1. Hos. 4.15. II Or, to tlte LORD.

set fire on tllis cit.lJ, and hurn it ll"Ìth tile hou,
es, upon 1l'1wse
1"O(
fs tlley have r!ffered inceme ll1du Barll, and ]loured out dri7lk-
r!fl'erinp:s to other gods, to pruvoke Jle to auger. They wor-

hipped on the house-tops, probably to have a elparer vie'" of
that magnifieent expanse of
ky, 1 the moon and stars wllich
God had ordained; the queen uf heaven, which they worshipped
instead of Himself. Thcre is something so mysterious in
that calm face of the moon, as it 2 u'a!ketl, in heauty; God
seems to have invested it with such dcle
atcd influence over
the !'ea
()n
and the produce of the cart!l, that they stopped
short in it, and worshipped the creature rather than the
Creator. l\Iuch as men now talk of "Xature," admire" Ka-
ture," speak of its "laws," not as laws imposed upon it,
but inllCI'ent in it, laws affecting us and our well-being;
only not in their ever-varying vicissitude
, 3 doing 1chatsoezoer
God cOlnlllmuletlt tltem upon tlte face of the ll'orld in the eartll,
u'hether fur correctiun, or for His land or for mercy! The
idolaters 4 u 'orshipped and sen'ed the creature more tlwn the
Creator, TrllO is blessed for el'er ; moderns equally make this
world their olJject, only they idolise themselves and thcir
di
eoveries, and worship their own intellect.
This worship on the hOllse-tops indi\"idualised the public
idolatry; it was a rebellion against God, family by family; a
sort of family-prayer of idolatry. 6 Did u'e, say the mingled
multitude to J ercmiah, make our cakes to ll'or,s'hip her, ami
110ur out our drink-qtferiuf(s unto her, withollt our men? Its
familv charaeter is describcd in Jercmiah. 6 The clâldren
gatlte"r wood, and the fat/las kindle tile fire, and the u'omen
knead the dough to make cakes to the queen of hem:en, and to
]Jour out drink-'!.t1áiugs UI/to other gods. The idolatry spread
to other citic
. 7 Tre will certainly do, they say, as we Illll'e
done, we and ollr fathers, ollr kiugs and ollr princes, in ti,e
cities of Jlldah, and in tile streets of Jerllsalem. Thc ineense
went up continually as a memorial to God from the .Altar of
inccn
e in the temple: the roofs of the hOllses were so many
altar
, from which, street by street and house by house, the
incense went up to her, for whom they dethroned God, ti,e
qlleen r
f lIem'en. It was an idolatry, with which Judah was
espeeially besotted. belie,'in
that they received all goods of
this wodd from them and not from God. "Then punished
for their sin, they repentCll of their partial repentance and
maintained to Jeremiah that they were punished for 8/eav-
ing f!tf'to hurn inceuse to tile queen of Ilerll'en,
And t/lem tllat worship the Lurd, but with a dh'ided heart
and seniee: tllat swear by [rathcr 9to] the Lord, swear fealty
and loyal allegiance to Him, while they do acts which deny
it, in that tlley sll'ear by il/alclwlIl, better [it is no appella-
tive althoug-h allied to one] tlteir kinglO, mo
t probably, I :
think. ".Moloch."
This idolatrv had been their enduring idolatrv in the
wilderness, after the calves had been allI
ihilated;" it is tile
wor
hip, ag-ainst which Israel is warned by name in the law ll ;
then, throughout the history of the Judges, we hear of thc

I Ps. viii. 3. I Job xxxi. 2ü. sIb. xxwii. 12, 13. · Rom. i. 25.
;; Jer. xliv. ]9. fi lb. vii. 18. i lb. xliv. Ii. 8 lb. 2, 15, IS.

A
in the E.
I.. compo 2 Chr. xv. 14. Is. xix. 18. xlv. 23. It can only mean this.
10
T
as C:;.?9. Am. v. .26. and Cj
? Jer. xlix. I, 3. where the E;:Y. too re
ders,
their ki1lg. On his "orshlP see ab. p.200. II Lev. "'111.21. xx. _-4.
I' Always used with the article extresspd or understood,
:J:1,
;1:
, ";1::J, unless the
8pec

N
cid\

-g
t
e

k:s
b: 79

el-peor) is menti

;'J, ,b:vap. Ges. L c.
I. C'
;1:J:1 in Judges, 1 Sam., 2 Kgs, 2 Chron., Jeremiah, Hosea.

LORD, and that swear h by )Ialclmm ; C J
oíes T
6 .And i them that are turned lJack from cir.li3U.
h Josh. 23. ï. 1 Kin. 11.33. I Isai. 1. 4. Jer. 2.13,lï. & 15. 6.

kindred idolatry of Baall
, the Lord (who was ('ailed al
()
"13 eternal king" and from whom indi,.iduals named thellI-
seh'es "slln of [the] king," ,. sernlllt of [the] king I'!'''), or the
manifold Baals 15 and .hhtaroth or A
tarte. But after the
e
had bcen remO\-ed on thc preaehing- of SamueP6, thi
idolatrv
docs not rcappear in Judah until the intermarriag-e of Je'-
horam with the house of .\hah 17. The kindred and equallv
horrible worship of 18 illolech, tile abomination of tile childre;t
of .d lIllllon, was broug-ht in by Solomon in his dl'cay, and en-
dured until his hig-h-place was defiled by Jo
iah 19. It is
probable then that tbi,.; wa
tl,eir king 20 , of whom Zephaniah
speaks, whom Amos 21 and after him Jeremiah, ealled tl,eir
king; but speakin
' of Ammon. Him, the kin
. of Ammon,
Judah adopted as their king. They owned God as their king
in words; l\1oleeh they owned by their deeds; t/ley 1['orshipperl
alld sware fealf.,! to the Lord and they sware by their kint>';
his name was familiarly in their mouths; to him they
p_
pealed. a
the Judge and witness of the truth of their words,
his displeasurl' they ill\-oked on themselves, if they
wal"e
falselv. "22 Tho
e in error were wont to swear bv heaven
and, ås matter of reverence to call out, 'By the 'king m)(ì
lord Sun.' Those who do so mu!'t of set purpose and wil-
fully depart from the love of God, since the law expl"essh-
!-oays, 23 1'lwlt shalt ll'orsllip the Lord thy God, ami sen'e HiJ;t
alone, mul Sll'ear ./1.'1 His ..Yallle."
The former cla!'s who worshipped on the roofs were mere
idolaters. These worshipped, as thcy thoug-ht, tile Lord, bound
themseh-es solemnly by oath to Him, but with a rescn-e,
joining a hateful idol to Him, in that thcy, IJY a relig-iou

act, owned it too as god. The act which they did wa
iIi
direct words, or by implication, for'hidden by God. The
eommand to swear h.'l the Lord implied that they were to
swear hy none ebe. It was followed by the prohibition to g-o
aftcr other gods 2
. Contrariwise to sweaJ' by other gods ";l!'
forhidden as a part of their serviee. 25 Be ver.,! l'ull1'ageolls
to keep and tu do all that is 1uitten ill tlte hook of t/te Law
of
1Ioses, ueither make mentiun of tlte uame of their gods, 'flor
cause to Sicerlr b.'1 tltem, ueitlter sen.c tltem, hut cleave unto tile
Lord your God. 26 How sltall I pardon tltee for this? Thy
clâldren//(ll'e forsaken JIe, and l/fIve sworn by those who are lW
guds. 27 Tltey taugld J1.'! people to ,m'em. h.'1 Baal. They
thought perhaps that in that they professed to
elTe God, did
the greater homage to Him, profe!"sed and bound themselves
to be His, (sueh is the meaning of swear to the Lord) they
might, without l"enoun('in
His sen-ice, do cprtain thing-so
su'mr b.'l tlleir king. althoug-h in effect they thereby own-ed
him also as god. To such Flijah said, 28 1Ioll' 101lg Iwlt ye
hetu'een two opinions? If the LordlJe God, follow Him; but
if Baal, then fullow him; and God by Jeremiah rejects with
abhorrence such di,-ided service. 29 re trllst in lyiug ll'ords,
w/licl, II'ill1l0t ]Jr'!fìt. Trill ye steal, Ulurder, com1llit rtl[ulter.'l,
su'ear false!.,!, and hurn incense unto Baal, and walk after otlter
gods, and cume llnd staud hefore lIIe in tlâs house, whirh is
16 1 Sam. vii. 6. xii. 10. 172 Kgsviii.lü-18. 26, 2i. 2 Chr. xxi. 6,12,13. xxii. 2-4.
IS 1 K
. xi. 7. 19 2 Kgs xxiii. 13, 14.
20 l\Iolech is always an appellative, except 1 Kgs xi. 7. Else (by a pronunciatior.
belonging- probably to AmnIon) it is "
i;:èI Le'-. xx. 5, or 'i

? Ley. xviii. 21, xx. 2,4,
:J Kg's xxiii. 10, Jer. xxxii. 35. As a proper name, it is Jlilcom, 1 Kgs xi. 5,33,
I 2 Kgs xxiii. 13.
I See ab. on Amos i. 15. p. 1C9.
z S. C}r.
3 Deut. vi. 13.
I .. lb. ,i. 13, U, x. 30. compo Is. hv. lü. Jer. iv. 2. ;os Josh. xxiii. 6-8. compo
I Amos viii. 14.
6 Jer. v. 7.
i lb. xii. lü.

s 1 Kgs xviii. 21. 29 Jcr. vii. 8-10.

CHAI)TER I.

c J
oÍes T th(' LORD; and tllO/;c that It haye not sought
cir. ô30. the LOlW, nOlO enquir('d f()r him.

N
b: t
ö. 7 IlIuM thy })cace at the presence of the
Zech. 2. 13.

called b.1f JI!lname, saying, TVe are delivered to do all these
abominations. And Ho:'ca, 1 .i.Yeitller go ye to Beth-aven, and
Sll'ear there, The Lord liveth.
Sm'h are Chri:'tian
, "2 who think that thev can sel've to-
gether thc world and the Lord, and plea,,;ë two ma..ters,
(
(ld amI :\Iammon; who, being soldiers of Jeslls Christ and
ha\ ing sworn ti.'alty to Him, 3 entangle thelllsel"L'e,
witlt the
(dfitirs of this l
fe amI offer the same imag-e to God and to
Cæsar." To such, God, "'110m with their lips they own, is
not their God; their idol is, as the very name !'ays, their
l.-ing, whom alone they please, displcasin
and dishonouring
God. \\- c must not only fear, love, honour God, but love,
fear, honour all bcsides for Him Alone.
6
1Jul them that are tumed back from [lit. hm.'e turned
themselves hack from follOll'Ïng ({fter-l.] the Lord. From this
halt:!oÒer\"Íce, the prophet goes on to the avowed ue
lect of
God, bv such as \\ holh" fan awav from Him, not setting-
His WÜI or law betllre 'them, but' tllming (llcay fl"Om Hinî.
It is their mi,,;ery that they were set in the right way once,
but theml'elves turned themselves hack, now no longer folloll'-
ing Gud, but 5 their OWIl lust.
, drawll away and enticed by
them. How much more Christians, before whose eves
l:hrist Jesus is set forth, not as a Redeemer only but
as an Example that they should 6 follow His steps!
And those that have not sOllght the Lord, nor enquired
for Him. Thi!' is marked to be a distinct class. And t/lOse
'tcho. These did not openly break with God, or tUl"l1 away
m-ertly from Him; they kept (as men think) on p:ood terms
with Him, but, like the slothful servant. rendered Him a list-
Je
s heartlcss scrviee. lloth words express diligent search 7.
God is not found then in a careless way. They who seek
Him not diligentl.l/ 8, do not find Him. Strive, our Lord
!'ays, 9 to enter ill at tile strait gatf'; for many, 1 say lInto
'10/(, slwll seek to enter in, am[ shall not be able. She who
ilad lo,,;t the one piece of silvcr, sOllgld -diligently 10, till she
had fOllnd it.
Thus he has p:one through the whole cycle. First, that
1ll0
t horrible aud ('("uel worship of llual, the idolatrolls priests
amI tho
e who had the name of priests onJy. mingled with
thcm, yct not opcnly al}l)stati
ing; then the milder form
of idolatry, the star-worshippers; thcn those who would
unite the worship of God with idols, who held themselves
to be \\"or
hippers of God, but whose rcal king- was theh'
idol; then those who openly abandoned God; and lastly those
who held with Him, just to satisfy their con
('ience-qualms,
but with no heart-scrvicc. And so, in words of Habakkuk
and in rcmini,,;cencc of his aweful summons of the whole
world before God, he SllIns up;
ï Hold thy peace at tile presence of the Lord God. [lit.
Hush, in awe fl'om tile Face of God.] In the Presence of
God, e,'en the righteous sav from their inmost heart, III a111
'Ûle, u-Imt shall j aJlSU'er Thee? I tl'ill lay mine h((1l([ uJ10n
m.l! nWllt;'. 12 ..YOlO mine eye seeth Tllee, wllerefore I abhor
111!Jselj, (t1u[ repent ill dust and aslles. 18 Enter not into judge-
I H08. iv. 15. See ab. p. 31. 2 S. Jer. a 2 Tim. ii. 3, 4.
4 Such is the uniform use of J\

. Its common construction is with "nll; with '11'111::1,
as here, Is. lix. 13; Kal, with p ot pers., Ps. Inx. 19; !\if. with ID of thing, 2 Sam i. 22.
. S.Ja..i.n. 61 S. Pet. ii. 21. ;
p:;1.intensi"'e;
1ofsearch below the surface.
8 S. )Iatt. ii. 8. g S. Luke xiii. 24. I" lb. xv. 8. 11 .Job xl. 4. 12 lb. xlii. 5, 6.

4.tj

r JORD roOD: m for the day of the LORD is C HllíioÍs T
at hand: for n the LOR 0 hath pre}mred a cir. G30.

acrifiee, he hath t hid his g-ucsts. ... Isai. 13.6.
n I.ai. 3J. 6. Jer. -Ir.. 10. Ezek.3!J.li. Rev. 19.17.
t Heb. .a"clifird, or prepared.

ment 1t'Ítll Th.lf sen'wd, 0 Lord; for in TI,y si
1d slwll IW
man lit'Îng he Justffied. How mu('h lUorc IlJU
t the 1-1. 1I1(1Il
1l'itlwllt the 11'edding garment he "
J1ee";des.
, and e\'erv fal,.:c
plea, with which he deeeived himself, melt away hefo're the
Fal'e of God! The ,'oÏce of God's J mlgement echoes in
every heart, 15 1l 'e im!eedjllstl.lf.
J.ùr the Da.1f of tIle Lord is at hand. Zephaniah, a!' i,.:
his ,,-ont, g-rounds this sunU)lon!<, whkh he had renewed
fi'om Hahahkuk, to hu,.:hed silence heforc God, on Joel'

prophetic warning- 16 , to !<he\v that it was not vet exhausted.

.J day of the Lord, of which Joel warned, ilad ('omc and
"-as
one; but it was olliv the herald of manv
u('h da\"
'
judg-ement
in time, heråld!oÒ and earne..t
. ånd, in Uiei;
deg-ree, picture
of the la
t which shall end time.
'01 All tilUe is God's, since II e .\lone is the Lord of time;
yct that is specially
mid to be Hi
timc when He doth any-
thing- special. "'hencc Hc !"aith, 18 J/..I/ time is not !/et come;
whereas all time i
Hi
." The I)a," of the Lord i
. in the
first instance, ,,2 the day of eaptivit'y and veng-eance on the
sinful people," as a fOI'erunncr of the Day of Jud
elUcnt, or
the day of death to caeh, for this too is near,
ince, com-
pared to eternity, all the time of this world is bricf.
For the Lord hath prepared (l sacrf!ice. God had re-
jected sacrifices, ofl'crcd amid unrepcnted sin; they wert'
19 an abomination to Him. "'hen man will not repent and
offer himself as 20 a liring sacrffice, IlOly and acceptable to God,
God, at last, rejel.ts all other outward oblations, and the
sinner himself is the saerificc and vil'tim of his own sin!<.
The image was probahly suggested hy Isaiah's words, 21 The
Lord ;'ath a sacriJice in Bozrall, and (l great slau/tliler in the
land of Idllmea; and Jeremiah !'ubsequently uses it of
the ovcl.thru,,- uf Pharaoh at the Euphrates, 22 Tlâs Ü the
day of tile Lord of
/(Jsts; that He may aunge Him of IIi...
aclursaries; for the Lord God hat II a sacrf/ice in the north
collntry hy tIle rÏt'er Euphrates. 23 The Lord hath made all
tllÍng.s for Himself, yen el'en the 1ârked for the da." of el:Îl.
'\.11 must honour God, either fulfillin
the wi)) of God and
the end of thcir own being- and of Jlis lm-e for them. h,.
obeying that lo\'ing "ïll with their own free-will, or, if the}'
repudiate it to thc end, by suffering- It.
He lIath hid [lit. sallctiJicd 24 ] His gllest.
. God had be-
fore, hy Isaiah, called the heathcn whom He employed to
punish llahyloll, 25 JI!I smlctf!ied ones. Zephaniah. hy g-ivin

the title to God's instruments ag-ain!'t Judah, declares that
them
elves, having beeomc in deeds like the heathen, were as
heathcn to Him. The instruments of His displeasure, not
they, were so far His choscn, His called 26. Jeremiah repeats
the saying-, 27 Thus saitll the Lord against the hOllse of tlte
king of Judall ;-1 ;'m-e sanctiJied against thee destroyers, (l
mwt aml his l('eapons. That is, !-'o far, a holy war in the pur-
pose of God, which fulfils His will; whence Xebuchadnezzar
was 28 His sen'md, aveng-ing His wrongs 29. "80 To he sancti-
fied, herc denotes not the laying aside of iniquity, nor the
participation of the Holy Gho
t, but, as it were, to be fore-
13 Ps. c"liii. 2. 14 S. )Iatt. xxii. 11,12. . 15 S. Luke "'[xiii. 41. 18 Joel i. 15. See
ab. p. 109. and ii.I. p. 111. 17 Dion. 18 S. John vii. 6. 19 Is. Ln-lii.
20 Rom. xii. 1.
I Is. xxxiv. 6. " Jer. "hi. 10. 23 Provo X\i. 4. 2' See E. '1.
2. Is. xiii. 3. :6''t'1jJ. .; Jer. xxii. 6, 7.
s lb. Xx\. 9.
29 See OD Joel iii. 9. ab. p. 13i and Micah iii. 5. ab. p, 312. 30 S. C
r.

4-1R

ZEPIIA
1...\11.

c Jí[oíes T 8 .And it shall come to pass in the day
_ cir. G30,_ of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will t punish
t

vioil othe princes, and the king's childl't
n, and an
o Jer. 39. 6.

ordained and dlO,.;en to the fulfilment of this end." That is
in a manner hallowed, whieh i
employed hy God for a holy
end, though the in!'trument, its purpo,.;es, its aims, its Im,.;-
l'oillns, be in themseh-es unholy. There is an awe auout
., the ,.;('ourges of God." .h with the lightning- and the
tornado, thère is a c'ertain presence of G
d witÌ1 them, in
that throu
'h them Hi,.; Rig-hteou!'ne,.;s is seen; althoug-h they
themselves have as little of God as the wind and st'Jrm
which fulfil His word. Those who were once admitted to
make offerings to God make them,.;e!,-es saerifices to IIis
wrath; these, still heathen and ung-odly and in all besides re-
probate, are His Prie,.;ts, hecause in this, although without
their will, thev do His "ïll.
8 I u'ill /;llnÙlt [lit. l'isit ll}JrJ1l]. God seems oftentimes
to be away from His own world. l\Icn plot. dcsign, say,
in word or in deed, ll'lw is Lord Ol'er us? God i,.;, a!< it were,
a stranger in it, or as a man, who hath taken rt Journey into
([ far COlllltr.lJ. God uses our own language to us. I u'ill
,'i,
it, inspecting", (so to say), examining, sifting', reviewing',
and when man's
ins require it, allowing the weight of His
displeasure to fall upon them.
The princes. The prophet again, in vh-id detail (as his
eharacteristic is), sets forth tog-ether sin and punishment.
Amid the general chastisement of all, when all shouhl be-
C"ome one sacrifice, they who sinned most should be punil'ohed
most. The e,-il priests had received their doom. Here
he begins anew with the mighty of the IJeople and so goes
down, first to special spots of the city, then to the whole,
man by man. Josiah bcÍng' a godly king, no mention is made
of him. Thirteen years befure his death J, he receh-ed the:
promise of God, because tMne Iteart was tender, and thou Iwst
ItIlmbled tltyself hefore tlte Lord-I will gatller thee unto
t/IY fathers, aud tholl shalt be gathereclullto thy gTll"L'e in pertce,
([/Ill tltoll shalt uot see all the ail w/tich I u'ill bring UpOll tMs I
place. In remarkable eontrast to Jeremiah, who had to be, I
in detail and continual pleading with his people, a prophet
of judg-ement to eome, until those judgements broke upon I
them, :111(1 so was the reprover of the e,-il sovereil!
ns who
:,ueceeded Jo:,iah, Zephaniah has to IJronoUlu'e God's j ud 7 e - I
ments only on the princes and tlte king's cllildren. Jercmiah,
in his inaug'ural vision, was forewarned, that 2 the kiugs r
f
,F/l(lall, its princes, priests, and tlte people r
f the land !'hould
war against him, beeau,.;e he should speak unto them all
which God should command him. And thenceforth Jere-
miah impleads or threatens king-s and the prinecs tog-ether 3 .
Zephaniah contrariwise, his office lying wholly within the
rei!!,"n of Josiah, dcserihes the princes ag-ain as 4roarillg lions,
but :,ays nothing of the king, as neithcr docs ';\lieah 5, in
the reign, it may be, of Jotham or IIezekiah. Isaiah spcali

of princes, as 6 rebellious ami companions of thiet'es. J erc-
miah !oopeaks of them as idolatcrs 7. They appear to h.ue
had considerahle influenee. whieh on one oeca,.;ion they em-
ployed in defence of Jeremiah 8, but mostly for e,-iI 9 . Zede-
kiah enquired of Jeremiah secretly for fear of them 10.
They brought destruction
Ipon thcmselns IJY what men
12 Kgs xxii. 19. 20. 2 Jer. i. 18. sIb. ü. 26, iv. 9, viii. 1. xxiv. 8, xxxii. 37.
xniv_:!l · Zeph. iii. 8. 5 :\Iic_ iiLI, 9. 6 Is. i. 23. i Jer. xxxi. .
2-3l xli\-. :H.
sib. xx\i. W. · Ib_ x"[X\ü. 15, xxxviii. 4, 16. 10 lb. xxx\ii. lï. xxxviii. U-2ï.
11 lb. xxxix. 6,lü. 2,';-2ï. U Is. xxxix. 7. See Daniel the prophet p. 16.

such as are elothed with stl'anp;e apparel. C HB;[oÍS T
!) In the Same day also will I punish all cir. ()3U.
those that leap on the threshold, which fill

prai!'e, their resistance to Kebuchadnezzar, but ag-ain,.;t the
declared mind of God. l\chucbadnezzar unwitting-Iv ful-
filled the prophet's word, when he II slew all the n
hÍes of
Judah, the eunuch wllO was ol'er tIle war, and Sel'ell men of
tllem tlwt were near the king's persun, and the principal scribe
of the Itast.
And tlte king's children. Holy S('ripture mentions chief
persons only by name. Isaiah had IH'ophesied the isolated
lonelv loveless lot of descendants of Heu'kiah who should be
eWlll
/ls ill tlte palace of tlte kiug of Bllbyl(J1l12, assodated only
with those intri7uing- pests of Eastern courts 13, a lot in it,.;elf
worse than the sword (although to Daniel God (werruled it
to good) and Zedekiah's sons were slain before his eyes and
his raee extinct. Jehoiakim died a di!'graced death, and
Jehoiad1in was imprisoned more than half the life of man.
.And all sitch as are clot lied with strange apparel. Israel
was reminded by its dress, that it belonged to God. It was
no great thing- in it!'clf; a balld of dark blue 14 upon the fringes
at tIle four curners of theh. garments. But tile band of clark
blue was upon the high-priest's mitre, with the plate en-
grand, 15 Holiness to tlte Lord, fastened upon it; with II band
of clark blue also was the brea
tplate 16 bound to the ephod of
the hig-h-priest. So then, !'imple as it was, it seems to have
designated the whole nation, as 17 Cl Idngdom af priest.
, an holy
uation. It was appointed to them, 18t1wt .1je 1//a.l/ 1(J(Jk Up07t it,
llnd l'emcmber all tile commandments of the Lord Clnd do tllelll,
and that .1je seek uot after your 01l'1l hcart and your own eyes,
after tt'hidt .tle use tu go a whorin,!:; tlwt !Ie may remember
and do all Jly commwulments, a/lll he h(J(1J unto .110lir God.
They mi/!ht say, " it is but a baud of blue;" but the band (l
b1lle was the soldier's haclg-e, whic'h marked them as dewted
to the sen-iee of their God; indifferenee to or shame of it in-
volnd indifference to or shame of the char
e !!'ÍI'en them
therewith, and to their calling as a peculial
pèol'le. The
('hoice of the strang
apparel im-olnd the ("hoke to be as the
nations of the world; 19-we -will be as the heathen, as tile families
uf the couutries.
All luxurious times copy foreig-n dress, and with it. forcign
manners and luxuries; whence even the heathen Romans were
zealous ag"ainst its usc. It is very probahle that with the
foreign dress foreign idolatry was imported 20. The llahylo-
nian d1'ess was very g"org'eous, such as WIlS the admiration of
the simpler Jews. 21 fIer captains alld rulers clutlled in per-
fection, girded tt'Ïth girdles llpon tlleir (oim, tl'itltfiou'ing r
lled
attire upon their heads. Ezekiel had to frame words to ex-
press the Hehrew idea oftheil. beauty. Jehoiakim is reproH'(1
among" other thin
:s for his luxury 22. Outward dress always
betokens the inward mind, and in its turn acts upon it. .-\n
estranged dress betokened an cst rang-cd heart, whence it is
used as an image of the whole spiritual mind 23. "24 The
garment of the sons of the king and the apparel of princes
which we receive in Bapti!'m, is Christ, al'('ording to that,
Pilt !Ie on the Lurd .Tesw; Cllrist, and Pllt ye on liOll'els r
f
mercy, goodness, Immilit.lJ, }Jatiencc, and the re!'t. "'hercÍn
we are commanded to be dothed with the new man from

13 See lb. p. 21,22. H
u. xv. 3s. De. xxii. 12. II Ex. xxviii. 86.
16 lb. xxxix. 21. Ii lb. xix. 6. 10 l'u. xv. 3IJ,40. 19 Ezek. xx. 33.
20 Jon. Rashi aad S. Jer. connect it "ith idolatr)".
I Ezek. xxiii. 12, 15.
22 Jer. xxii. 14, 15. ::J ROlli. xiii. U, Col. iii. 12, Eph. iv. 24, " S. Jer.

CHAPTER r.

C }r
o
eS T their masters' houses with yiolenee and
cir.630. dCf'eit.

heaven according- to our Creator, and tit Ila.'f aside the
clothing of the old man u'ith !tis cleed.ç. \nlCreas thcn we
ou
ht to be dothed in such raiment, for merey we put on
cruelty, for paticnee, impatience, for ri
hteou
ness, ini1luity;
in a word, for virtucs, vices; for Chri
t, Antiehrist. 'V hence
it is
aid of slid. an one, 2 He is clothed with ("ursinI( (/,Ç u'ith
tl {(armellt. These the LOl'd will visit most manife
tly at
Hi!!Ò Coming." ". Thinkcst thou that hypocrisy is strange
apparel? Of a truth. For what
tranger apparel than
sheeps' clothing- to ravenin/! woh'es? \\'hat stram
er than
for him who 4. within is full of iniquity, to apllear outwardly
rigftteolls before men?"
9 I u'ili punish all those that leap on the threshold.
Keither language nor history nOl' context allow this to be
under
tood of the idolatrous custom of Ashdod, not to tread
on the threshold 5 of the temple of Dagon. It had indeed
becn a strange infatuation of idolatry, that God's pcople
!'hould adopt an aet of superstitious reverence for an idol in
the \"Cry instance in whieh its nothingness and the power of
the true God had been shewn. ]\"uthing- is indeed too bruth:h
for one who ehooses an idol for the tl"l
e God, preferring- Sa-
tan to the g-ood God. Yet the superstition belonged appa-
rently to Ashdod alone; the worship of Dagon, althou
h
another form of untrue worship, does not appear, like that of
Baal, to have fascinated the Jews; nor \Vou
d Zephaniah, to
express a rare superstition, have ('hosen an idiom, which
might more readily express the contrary, that they" leapt
011 the threshold," not over it 6 . They are also the same per-

ons, who leap OIL tIle threshold, and who.fill their 71w.
ters'
hOllses with 'violence and deceit. Yet this relates, not to
!'ul'erstition, but to plunder and goods unjustly gotten. As
then, before, he had declared God's judgements upon idol-
atry, so docs he here upon sins against the second table,
whether by open violence, or secret fraud, as do also Habak-
kuk 7, and Jeremiah B. All, whether open or hidden from
man, every wrongful dealing, (for every sin as to a neigh-
bour's goods t
.lIs under these two, violcnce or fraud) shall
be avenA"ed in that dav. Here again all which remains is the
sin. Tl
ey enriched, ås they th'ought, their masters, by art
or by force; they schemed, plotted, robbed; they !'Ul'ceeded
to thcir heart's wish; but, "ill-gotten, ill-spent!" Tlwy.filled
their lIU1.
ters' hOllses quite full; but wherewith? with violence
and dPeeit, which witnessed against them, and brought down
the jud
ements of God upon them.
10 A cr.'1/rom tile fish-gate. Tltefish-gate was probably
in the ]\"orth of the wall of t!le second cit.lJ. };'or in ]\"ehemiah's
rebuilding. the restoration began at the sheep-gate 9, (so
called douhtle
s, because the shecp for the sacrifices were
brought in by it) which, as being near the temple, was
repaired by the priests; then it aSt.-ended ]\"orthward, by two
1 Enh. iv. 22. 2 Ps. cix. 17. 3 Rup. 4 S. )fatt. xxiii. 28-
5 Ir!)':) is used 1 Sam. v. 4, 5, Ezek. ix.3, x.4, H!, xlvi. 2, xlvii. 1; elsewhere 'io.
There is a trace of this explanalion in the Chald., .. who walk in the laws of the Philis-
tines," and in S. Jerome, doubtless from his Jewish teachers. Isaiah's reproof that they
ha
e soot/lSa."ers like the Pltilist;"es, ii. 6, is altogether different.
6
!I

, is, in the onl)" other place, Cant. ii. 8, "bounding on the mountains;" "bound-
ing O\'er" (like our" leapt a wall") happens to be eXJ'ressed by an ace., 2 Sam. X\ iii.
3U, P
: " " viii__ 30; "passing ?ver" had b s een expr

sed m0 9 re clea.
!y by
!I
æ, a
in
Ez. Xli. _3, 2,. 7 Hab.1. 2, 3. Jer. v. ...,. Neh.III.1. lb. -.
11 lb. 3. 12 Ih.4-6. 13 lb. 7, 8. H lb. 9-11. IS Ib_ xii. 31-38. 1" lb. 39.
1. Zech. xiv. 10. IS See ab. p. 318. 19 B. J. v. 4. 2. 20 Ib.v. 3. 2.
21 Pierotti, "J erusalem explored" p. 32, from whom this account is taken. Si
rlOr Pie-
rotti's \\ ork is" the fruit of eight years of continual labour devoted to a study of the to.
pograph
of Jerusalem U{Jon the spot, in which I have been constantly occupied in eX-
PART V.

4J!:.I

10 .And it shall come to pass in that day, C IPï{o
es T
saith the LORn. tltat there sltall be the Illlis(' cir. G:JO.

towers, tlte tmeers of ."Jlealt all(llllll/ll1leel; then two ('ollll'anies
repaircd some undeserihed Ilart of thc wall lU , and then another
clllnpany huilt the.fi.
h-gate 11. Four ('OIupanics arc then mcn-
tioned, who repaircd, in order, ttl the old gate, whid. was
rCJ!aired by another company 12. Three lIIore ('ompanies re-
pan'ed beyond these; and tltey left JeruMllem unto tlte broad
It'al/ 13 . After thre(' more seetions rf'pait'ed hy indh'iduals,
I two others repaired a second measured portioll, and tlte tOleer
I of the furnaces },I,. Thi!' order is reversed in the a('count of
I the dedieation of the walls. The people being- dh'idpd 15 into
I two great l:ompanies of t Item that gh'e thanks, SOlllC plaec near
tlte tower of t!le fU/"llaces was the central point, fl"lllll whieh
both parted to eneompas!' the ('ity in opl'o
ite directions. In
this account, we have two additional gates l11entioned
the
I gate 0/ Ephraim 16, between the broad 2t'all and the old gate,
and tlte prison-gate, beyond the slleep-gflte, from which the re-
pairs had beg-un. The gate of Epltmim had ohviou:,ly not
Lcen repaired, beeau!'c, for !òomc rea!'on, it liarl lIot be(:11 de-
stroyed. Else ]\"ehemiah, who dcs('rihcs the rchuihling' of the
wall so minutely. must ha,'e mentioned its rebuilding. It wa!<
obviously to the North, as leading- to Ephraim. nut tlU' tower
of Hananeel must have been a ,"err marked tower. III Zceha-
riah Jerusalem is measured from ]\" orth to South, 17 from
tlte t01l'er of Hmwneel U1Ito tlte king's winepre,ç,Çes. It wa!'
then ibelf at the Korth-East corner of Jcru!<alcm, where
towers were of most importance to !'treng-thell the wall, and
to command the approal'll to the wall either way. Thefisll-
gate then, lying between it and tlte gate of EpllNtÏm, must
have been on the Korth side of the city, and so on the
ide
where the Chaldæan invasions came; yet it Illu!'t ha'-e bcen
much inside the present city, because the city it
('lf was en-
larged by Herod Agrippa on the Korth, as it was una('-
('OlUltahly contracted on the South 18. The then limits of
Jerusalem are defined. For Josephus thus de!!Òeribes tile se-
mnd l('([ll. "19 It took its he
inning from that
ate whieh
they called Gemlllth, which belonged to the first wall; it only
eneompas
ed the northern quarter of the city and reached
as far as the tower of Antonia." The tower of Antonia was
situated at the]\" orth- \r est angle of the corner of the temple.
The other end of the wall, the Gennath or garden gate, must
have opened on cultivated land; and Josephus speaks of
the g-ardcns on the N. and N. "T. of the city which were
destroyed hy Titus in levelling the ground 20. "nut near the
tower of Hippieus, the N orth- 'V cst ern extremity of the first
wall, no ancient remains have been discovered byexca,-ation 21 ;
but they I/(ll'e been traeed Korth, from" an ancient Jewish
semi-cireular areh, resting- on piers 18 feet high, now buried
in rubbish." These old foundations haH heen traced at three
plaees 22 in a line on the East of the Holy Sepulchre (which lay
consequently outside the city) up to the judgement gate, but

cavating and removing the rubbish accumulated over the place during so many centuries,
in retracing the walls, in examining the monuments and ancient remains, and in penetra-
ting and traversing the conduits and vaults."-" I have," he sa}s, .. made excavations and
watched those made by others, have formed intimacies with the inhabitants of the count!'),
have sought for information on the spot, regardless of personal risk, have worked \\ith
mv own hands underwound, and 60 have obtained much knowled!(e of that which lies
below the surface of the soil in Jerusalem." Jerusalem explored Pref. p. viii.
"1) At the meat-bazaar ncar the convent of S. Mary the Great. .. In digging down to
the rock to lay the new foundations, 10 feet below the surface, I came upon large stones,
boldly rusticated and arranF;ed in a manner that reminded me of the Phænician work

:
r.: R
:t
f

o:

:t;

::"
:
t:'!' th.
l
hdï
C;;n
J
:

7h
t:

k, 3f ;

:
18 feet below the surface, a fragment of a wall, resembling, in all re'pects, that fir.r
described." lb. p. 33. .

U

450

ZEPHAKIAH.

c J
oÍes T of a cry from r the fish g-ate, anei an howl-
cir. G:iO. ing- from the second, and a great crashing
p 2 Chr. 33. U. from the hills.

not North of it 1. The line from "
est to East, i. e., to the
tower of Antonia, is marked generally by "very large stones,
evidentlv of Jewish work, in the walls of houses, especially in
the lower parts 2." They are ehicfly in the line of the Via
Dolomsa.
The fish-gate 1nul its name proha1Jly from a fis11-market
(markets being in the open places near the gates 3) the th..h
being brought either from the lake of Tiberias or from
Joppa. r\ear it, the wall elHled, whi,'h l\Ianasseh, after his
restoration from Babylon -I, built without the city of David,
on tile IVest side of GilLOn, ill ti,e valley. This, being un-
protected by its situation, was the weakest part of the f'ity.
"5 The most ancient of the three walls could be considered
as impreg-nable, as much on m:eount of its extreme thiek-
ness, as of the heig-ht of the mountain on which it was built,
and the depth of the valleys at its base, and David, Solomon
and the other kings neglected nothing to place it in this
state." "There they had made themselves strong, there
God's judgement should find them.
And a howling from the second city, as it is supplied
in "Kehemiah, who mentions the prefect set over it 6. It
was here that Huldah the prophetess lived 7, who prophesied
the evils to come upon Jerusalem, after Josiah should be
gathered to his grave in peace. It was probably the lower
citv, which was enf'losed by the second wall. It was a second
or new city, as compared to the original city of David, on
l\Iount l\Ioriah. On this the enemy who had penetrated
by the fish-gate would first enter; then take the strongest
part of the city itself. Gareb 8 and Bezetha were outside of
the then town; they would then be already occupied by the
enemy before entering the city.
A great crashing .from the hills. These are prohably
Zion, and :Mount l\Ioriah on which the temple stood, and
",0 the capture is described as complete. Here should be
not a cry or howling only, hut an utter destruction 9. l\Iount
1\Ioriah was the seat of the worship of God; on 1\Iount
Zion was the state, and the abode of the wealthy. In hu-
man sight they were impregnable. The Jebusites mocked at
David'
siel.;e, as thinking thcir city impreg-nalJle 10; but God
was with David and he took it. He and his successors for-
tified it yet more, but its true defence was that the Lord
was rouwl about lI;s penple 11, and when He withdrew His
protection, then this natural strength was but their de-
stnIf'tion, tempting them to resist first the Chaldæans, then
the Homans. Human strength is but a great crash, falling-
by its own weight and burying its owner. "This threefold
ery 12, from three parts of the city, had a fulfilment before
the d('struetion by the Romans. In the lower part of the
city Simon tyrannised, and in the middle John rag-cd, and
there was a great crashing fl'om the MUs, i. e., from the
I This appeared from excavations made in repairing the then Russian consulate, and
from" enquiries of all who in former years had built in this neighbourhood." lb.
2 .. These \\ ere found when the Effendi Kadduti repaired and partly rebuilt the house
in the Via Dolorosa at the Slation of Vero>lÏca. A similar discovery \\ as made by the
1\1 ufti in .trengthening his house at the Station of Sim01l of Cyre1le, and by the Effendi
Soliman Giari, opposite to the Mufti's house on the North. The Annenian Catholic
monks requested me to examine and level a piece ofland, at the Station of thefirstfall of
Christ; which, as representative of his nation, he had just bought. In the lower part of
the wall enclosin
it on the north, very lar
e stones and an ancient gate were found. In
the foundations of the Austrian hospice, laid in 185ï, to the north of the Armenian fro-
b
Zih

;eo
t
r

.::erp

;t

' ;3,d:1
o further to the East, in the new com ent 0 the

11 q Howl, ye inhahitants of
Iakt('sh, C J
oÍes T
for all the llH'l.chant people are cut down; cir. ü30.
all they that bear sih-er are cut off. q Jam. 6. 1.

temple and citadel where was Eleazar, who stained the
very altar of the temple with bloml, and in the courts of
the Lord made a pool of blood of divers corpses." "13 In
the assaults of an enemv the inhabitants are ever wont to
flee to the tops of the l;iIls, thinking that the difficulty of
acce"s will be a hindrance to him, and will eut off the
assaults of the pursuers. But when God smiteth, and re-
quireth of the despisers the penalties of their sin, not the
most towered city nor impregnable eircuits of walls, not
heig-ht of hills, or rough rocks, or pathle!'s diffieulty of
ground, will avail to the sufferers. Repentanee alone saves.
softening the Judge and allaying His wrath, and readily
inviting- the Creator in His inherent g-oodness to His ap-
propriate gentleness. Better is it, with all our mi
ht to
implore that we may not offend Him. But since human
nature is prone to evil, and 14 in many things tee all r1f'end,
let us at least by repentance indte to His wonted clemency
the Lord of all, \\'ho is by nature kind."
I I Howl, .'l/e inhabitants of
lIakteslt, lit. Jlortar 15, "in
which," S. Jerome says, "corn is poundcd; a hollow vessel,
and fit for the use of medical men, in which properly ptisans
are wont to be beaten (or made). Striking is it, that Scrip-
ture saith not, 'who dwell in the valley or in the allev,'
but who dwell in tI,e mortar, because as corn, when the
pestle striketh, is bruised, so the army of the enemy shall
rush down upon you 16." The place intended is probably
so much of the valley of the Tyropæon whidl interseeted
Jerusalem from North to South, as was enelosed Lv the
second wall, on the Korth, and the first wall on the South.
The valley "lï extended as far as the fountain of Siloam,"
and united with the valley of Jehoshaphat a little below
Ophel. It was "18 full of houses," and, from its name as
well as from its situation, it was probably the scene of petty
merchandise, where the oCf'asions in which men could and
did break the law and offend God, were the more conti-
nual, because they entered into thcir daily life, and were a
part of it. The sound of the pestle was continually heard
there; another sound should thereafter be heard, when they
should not bruise, but be themselves bruised. The name
1Ilali:lesh was probably chosen to express how thcir false
hopes, g-rollnded on the presence of God's temple among
them while by their sins they profaned it. should be turned
into true fears. Thcy lJad been and thou
ht themselves
Jlli/alaslt, "a holy place, sanctuary;" they should be .1.11a"-
tesh l9 , wherein all should be utterly bruised in pieces.
"16 "Thoso considereth the calamities of that siege, and
how the city was pressed and hemmed in, will feel how
aptly he calls them the inlUlhitants of a mortar; for, as

!;I'ains of corn are brought together into a mortar, to the
end that, when the pestle descendeth, being unable to fly
3 See 2 Kg",ii. 1. Neh. xiii. 16, 19. 42 Chr. xHiii. 14. 6 Jos. de B. J. v. 4. 2.
6 Neh. xi.!.t, E. V.'. "as second over the city" on account of the absence of the article,
.
)rn
'Jl"
II. I prefer taking it, as in a sort of apposition, as Ewald does, Lehrb. n. 28ï,l.
p. í3
. ed. 8. 72 Kings xxii. 11. 2 Chr. xxxiv. 2
. It is called by Josephus 1'.1\1\7],
"another" city, Ant. xv. II, 5. 8 Jer. xxxi. 39. 9
ot. as some, "a cry of destruction"
as in I <. xv. 5. Isaiah has indeed the words
:J
npIII "cry of destruction," but here
nj)II
,

',
:J::i are plainly parallel to one another. 10 2 Sam. v. G. II Ps. cxxv. 2.
l
From Rup. 13 S. Cyr. 14 S. James iii. 2. lö Provo xxvii. 22. It is also a
proper name in Jml. xv. 19, since LeIli in which it was situate l,r,C':J 'I:'N), was a proper
name, lb. and 9, and 1
. IOS.Jer. 17 See Signor Pierotti's map. I"Jos.B.J.v.4.1.
19 The two words do so occur in an epistle of the Samaritans (Cellar. Epist. Sichemit.
p.25) Ges.

CIL\PTEll L

(; Hn
oÍeS T 12 And it shall come to pass at that
_ cir. mo. time, that I will searl'll Jerusalem with
candles, and puni
h the men that are

off, they may he bruised, !<o the peClple flClwing' to
ether,
uut of a\l the euuntries of J udæa, wa
lIarl"ll\n
d ill hy a
suclt1cn !'ie
e, ami through the sava
e ('I'uclty of thc aùo\'e
leaders of the sedition, wa!" unuttel'ahly tm.tured frum with-
in, more than by the cnemy withuut."
FOI' all the merchallt people [lit. the people of Cll/Ulall]
(/I'e (,Ilt dOWIl; i. e., "1 thcy willi in deeds are lil
e the peuple
of Canaan," aecm'ding' to that, 2 Thou art of Cmwall aud
1/ot (
l Judah, and, 3 Th.1I father is WI .fll/write ami tll111ll0ther
a Hittite. So our Lorù says to the reprobate Jews, 4, re ure
(
f yuurf(dhn the del'il.
All they that bear [lit. 5 alllflrlm with] sift'er are cut '!/f.
The silver, wherewith they lade themselves, heing'
otten
amiss, is a load upun them, weighing thelll down until they
are destroyed.
l
I 1
iLL search [lit. diligellt(lt]. The word is always
u
ed of a minute dili
ent !o'earl'h, wherehy places, persulls,
thin
s. are searehed and sifted une by onc in e\'ery ('orner,
until it be found whether a thin
be there ur no 6. lIenee
also of the searching out of e\'el'Y thou
ht of the heart,
either by God 7,01' in repentance hy the light of Gud 8.
Jerus(t!elll l('ith candft..\": so that there should be no eor-
ner, 110 lurking"-plac'e so dark, but that the
uilty should be
brou
ht to Ii
ht. The same dili
ellee, which Bternal "ïs-
dom C used, t
seek aud tu sare Ìlwt 1l'!âf'lt u'as lost, 9ligld_
ing a c(lJI(lIe aud seal"f'!âng dilig(utl.'l, till It find each lost
piece of sih'er, the same shall Almiu:hty God use that no
hardencd sinner shaH escape. "10 "'hat the cnemy would
do, usin
ull111in
led phrenzy against the concluered, that
Gud fitteth to His own Per!o'on. not as being' Himself the
Doer of thin
s so fureign, but rather llermitting that what
eomes from angel' shuuld proeeed in jlHl
cment ag"ain
t the
ungodly." It was an ima
e of this, whcn, at the taking
of Jeru
alcm by the Romans, they" II (h-ag'
ed uut of COIll-
mon sewers and holes and caves awl tumbs, IJrilu'es and
great men and priests, whu for fear of death had bid tbem-
seh'es." How much mure in that Day wben the secrets of
alll,earts slw!1 he revealed by Him "'ho 12 searcheth the hearts
([nd reili,
', {(Jid to Tf-TllOse Eyes 13, l{'hich are like .flall/ing Fire,
all tItiJl
.
' ([re llakerl aml open! The candles where\\ ith God
seareh
th the heart, are men's own cnnseÏelwes 14, His Own
revealed word l5 , the lives of true Christians l6 . These, through
the Holy Ghost in eal'h, may enli
htcn the hem.t of man, ur,
if he takes not beed, will rise in judgement ag'ainst him, and
shew the falsehllud of all vain excuses. ., Ii One way of eseape
only there is. If we judge ourselves, we shaH nut be jud!{ed.
I will search (Jilt my uwn ways and my desires, that He "Tho
shall search Ollt Jerusalem with c((I/lf{es, may find nothing in
me, unsoug"ht and un
ifted. For He will not twice judge the
same thing. "'oald that I might so folluw and track out aU
my offences, that in none I need fear His l}iel'eing Eyes, in
I Ch. 2 Hist. of Susannah 56. 3 Ezek. xvi. 3. See also on Hosea xii. 7, ab. p. 78.
4 S. John ,iii. 44. . A I.assive adj. (
'cp from
1t:p). As an act. adj.l
'cP from

P) it would rather imply that they cast it un others.
6 Nif., of Esau by enemies Ob. G, Pih., for Laban'sidol9. Gen. xxxi. 35; for Joseph's
cup, lb. xlh'. 12; for David in hiding place8, 1 Sam. xxiii. 23; Ahab's house,1 Kgs
xx. 6; for worshippers of God in Baal's te'T1ple, 2 Kgs x. 23; in ca, es of Carmel, Am.
ix. 3, (See ab. pp. 2l\1, 220); Divine wisdom Pro ii. 4, God's wa)s, Ps. Lxxvii. 7. The
form is inlensive here. í Pro xx. 27. sLam. iii. 40. 9 S. Luke xv. 8. 10 S. Cyr.
II S. Jer. See Jos. de B. J. vi. 9.1. vii. 2 fin. I
Ps. vii. 9, xxvi. 2, Jer. xi. 20,
xvii. 10. xx. 12, Rev. ii. 23. 13 lb. i. U. 14 Provo xx. 2i. 15 Ps. cxix. 104. Pr. vi. 23.

4
]

t r sett1('d on their Ices: 8 that say in their C HEiNs T
heart, The LURn will not du guod, neither _ c ir. 6:JO.
will he du evil. t

:
jtÏ

:
:

. Jer. 48. 11. Amos 6.1,

· Ps. 91. 7.

Hflne he a
hamed at tile JiA'ht uf His candks! Kmv I am
seen, ùut I !o'ec lIUt. At hand is that Eye, tll ""H1m all thin
s
are upen, althuugh Itself is not open. Onl'e 1
I shall lowl(',
f:l'('ll as I (WI liI/(Jl('n. l\'uw I Imuw ill }iud, Lut I am not
knflwn in part, hut wholly."
Tlte melt that are settled on their lees, stiffened and I'on-
traded 19. The image is frum wine which heeonH's haI'
h,
if allowed to remain upon the Ice!', lInrcmo,'eù. It i!' drawn
out ùy Jeremiah 20, jlloah hatlt heen at ease 21fru1ll his .'Iouth,
and he hath settled on his lees, ami Iwtlt not heelt emptied from
ressel tu vessel, neither hafh he Koue into captil'i!.'I; tller(fm'e
his taste rewained in him, alld his scent is not f'I/l(lI{.rerl.
o
tlley upon whom 1W cluwges come, fear not GO(f2
. The lees
are the I'cfuse of the wine, yet !'tured up (!'o the word 23
lIIeans) with it, and the wine rest", as it were, npon them.
So do Illen of case re
t in thing's defiled alllI òefilin!!, their
ri('he
or their pleasure, whieh they hoard up, un whkh they
are bent, so that they" 24 lift nut their mind to thin
s ahln e,
hut, darkened with foulest desires, are hardened and stif-
fened in sin."
That sa.11 in their heart, not openly scoffin!{, perhap!'
thinkin!! that, they Lelie\'('; but peuple do believe as they
lu,'e. Their must inward belief, the helief of thcir heart
and affections, what thcy wish, and the hidden spring of
their aetiuns, is, The Lord 1cill llot do good, lleither u'ill He
du evil. They act as Ilt'lie,'ing" so, and by actinA' inure them-
sclve
to bclie,'e it. They think of God as far away, 25 Is
nut Gud ill tlte IfC
!.;/d of lleavell? And behold tlte height of the
stal's, Iww ltiglt tlrey are! Ami tlrou sa.'lest, llrn(' rlotlt God
knol('? Call He .iur(!.;e tlu'ough thp (lark cl(Jl/d? T!âck doud,

are a covering to Him, that He .
eeth not; aml lIe 1l'ftlketll ill
tire circuit of lreal'eIl. 26 Tile ungodl.lI in the pride of /âs heart
(thinketh); I-Ie wiLL 1/ot enquire; all Ids devices (!'peak), There
is 110 God. Stl"Ong are his u'(Iys at all times; on Mgh are
Tlty.iudgements out ofMs sigld. 27 They slay tlee 1cidow aml
tlte stl'all
er, aml 1nurder the fatherless, awl the!1 sa,'f, Tile
Lord shalL nut see, neither shall the God of Jacoh 1'c,gard it.
28 Such tlÚngs they dirl imagine alld u'ere deceiver!; for tlteil'
OWll wickedlless Miuded them. As fur tlte mysteries of God,
tlrell kuen' them not. 29 Faith 1l'itlwllt 1corks is dead. Faith
wl{ich aets not dies out, and there ('omes in its stead this
other persuasion, that C;od will not repay. There are more
Atheists than belic\'e them
eh-es tu he such. These aet as
if there were IIU J mlg-e of their deeds, amI at last come,
themsclW's to belic\'C that Ood will not punish 30. 'Yhat else
is the thought of aU worldlin
s, of all who make iòols to them-
!>clves uf any l)leasure or gain or ambition, but, "God will
not punish?" "God cannot punish the [\\Ton
ful, selfish.]
indul
enee of the nature which He has made." '. God will
not be so preeise." "God will not punish with everlasting
severanee from Him, the sins of this short life." And they
2 Pet. i. 19. 16 Phil. ii. 15. 17 S. Bern. Serm. 55 in Cant. \S 1 Cor. xiii. 12.
IY I<!)P is used in two cases of tbe (as it were) congealing of the waves when they 8100d
on an ,.eap Ex. xv. 8; of the curdling into cheese Job x.l0. Jon. paraphrases" who
are tranquil in their posses.ions." The Arabic authorities, Abulw. Tanch. David B.
Abr. awee in the sense' congealed,' and do not call in the Arab. eR which is !,rimarily
"dried," then is used of tbe wrinkling of a cloth in dr)ing, or of the face of the old.
not" contracted" as Ges. On Zech. xiv. 6, see ibid.
2Q Jer. xlviii.n. 21 r:ïØ. 22 See Ps.lv. 19. 1!3 C.,,::i 24 Dion.
2:0 Job xxii. ]2-11. 26 Ps. X. 4, 6. 2. lb. xciv. 6, 6.
29 Wi.d. ii. 21-2:? 211 g, Jas. ii. 20. 10 Is. V. HI, l\Jal. ii. 17.

452

ZEPHANIAH.

c

is T 13 Therefore their goods shall become a
_ cir.630. booty, and their houses a desolation: they
·

9
8. shall also build houses, but t not inhahit
Amos 5. 11.

see not that they ascribc to God, what He attributes to idols
i. e., not-g-ods. 1 Du guud or do evil, tlwt lL'e lIW.'1 be disma.llcd
and he/wid it together. 2 Be nut afraid of them; for they cmi-
liOt do evil, ueither al.m is it ill them to do guud. Thesc think
not that Gud docs g-ood; fur they ascribe their success tu
their own dilig-ence, wisdom, strength, and thank not God for
it. They think not that He sends them evil. For they defy
Him and His laws, and think that they shall go unpnnished.
"'hat remains but that He should be as dumb an idol as
those of the heathen?
13 Therefore their goods, lit. And their strength. It is
the simple sefluel in God's Prm'idence. It is a continued
narrative. God will visit those who say, that Gud does not
interfere in man's atfairs, and, it shall be seen S whose lvords
shall stand, (imPs or their's. All which God had threatened
in the law shall be fulfilled. God, in the fulfilment of the
punishment, which He had foretold in thc law 4, would vindi-
cate not only His present Providence, but His continua]
g-overnment uf His own world. AU which is streng-th to
man, shall the rather fail, because it is strength, and they
I)resume on it and it deceives them. Its one end is to he-
come a ]Jrc,1I of devils. Ri('hes, learning, rule, influence,
I)ower, bodily strength, genius, eloquence, pOlmlar fa,'our.
shall all fail a man, and he, when
tripped of them, shall
be the more bared because he J?,'athered them around him.
"5 'Vealth is ever a runaway and has nu stabilitv, but rather
intoxicates and inclines t
revolt and has UI;stead,' fcet.
Exceeding foil V is it to think much of it. For it \
'iII not
rescue th
se Iyin
under the Divine dil'pleasurc, nor will it
free any from J?,'uilt, when God decreeth punishment, and
bringeth the judgement befitting- on the tran"gressor
. How
utterly useless this eagerness after wealth is to the ungodly,
he teaeheth, saying, that their strength shall be a prey to
the Chaldæan."
.And their hOllses a desolation. "5 For they are, of whom
it may be said yery truly, 6 Tltis is the man that took not
God for /iis strength, hut trusted unto the multitude of /âs dches,
aml strell!!thened /âmself ill Ids It'Ïckedness. But if indeed
their hOl
ses are ador';ed eost1ily, they shall not be thein"
fur they
hall be burned, and themselves g-u into captivity,
lea,'ing all in their house, and deprived of all which would

Iadden. And this God said clearly to the king- of Judah
by Jeremiah, 7 ThOll hast buileled thyse{f a large hOlise aml
ll'ide chml/
as, cieled with cedar, and painted with 'vermilion.
Shalt thOll reign because thou closest thyself lvith cedar?"
"8 As the house of the body is the bodily dwellin
, so to
each millfl its house is that, wherein throug-h desire it is
wunt tu dwell," and desolate shall they be, being severed
for e,'er from the thing-s they desired, and for ever deserted
by God. T/wy shall also huild fwuses hut not in/whit them,
as the rich lIIan said to his soul, \I Soul, tholt hast much goods
laid lip for llwn.1I ycars.-T/lOll fool, tltis liighl thy soul shall
he required of thee; then whose shall those tMngs be, w/dch
tholt hast jJJ"fIvided? Before thc sieg-e by the Romans, Jeru-
salem and the temple had been J?,'reatly beautified, only to
bc destroyed. And they shall plant vineyards, hut not drink
1 Is. xli. 23. Perhaps Zeph. meant to sUgj:;est this by using words which God by
Isaiah had used of idols. 2 J er. x. á. J lb. xliv.
8.
4 Lev. xx\Î. 3=!, 33. Deut. XX\ÌÜ. 6 S. Cyr, 6 Ps. Iii. 7.

them; and they shall plant vineyards, but c Jí[Oíes T
U not drink the wine thereof. cÏr. G30.
1-1 xTln> great day of the LORD is near, it:
l-:'-Öl.

the wine theJ"e(
f. This is the woe, first pronuunced in the
law 10, often repeated and ever found true. \\Tiekedness
makes joy it
end, yet never finds it, seeking it where it is
not, out uf God.
14 The great Day of tile Lord is near. The Pl"Ophet
ag-ain expands the words of Joe], accumulating- words ex-
pressh'e uf the terrors of that Day, shcwing that though
11 t/U' {.irent mill 'L'er.1J terrihLe Day of the Lord, a day (Joel had
said 12) of darkness aml gloominess, of clouds and of tlâcl, dark-
nes.
', which was then coming and nigh at hand 13, had Come
and was g-one, it was only a furerunner of others; none öf
them final; but each, beeause it lVas a judg-ement and an
instance of the justice of God, an earnest and forerunner of
other judgements to the end. .Again, a great Day of tile
Lord was near. This Day had itself, so to speale, manv
hours and dh'i
ions of the day. But each hour tulleth the
same knell of approaching' luom. Each calamity in the
miserable reigns of the sons of Josiah was one stroke in
the passing-bell, until the destruetiun of Jerusalem by the
Chaldæans, for the time e]osed it. Thc judgement was 'eom-
plete. The completeness of that excision made it the more
an ima
e of every other like dav until the final destl"lH'tion
of all which, altlioug-h around 'or near to Christ, shall in
the Great Day be found not to be His, but to ha"e rejected
Him. "14 Truly was ven
eanee required, 15 [/"Om the blood of
rigllteolls .Ahel to the Mood of Zechariah, 'whom they slew he-
tween the temple and the Altnr, and at last when they said
of the Son of God, 16 His hlood he llpon liS and upon our
cMldren, they experienced a bitter day, because they had
prm'ok
d the. Lord to bitterness; a Day, aPlwinted by the
Lord, III whICh not the weak only but the mighty shall
be bowed down, and wrath shall come upon them to the
end. }'or often before they endured the wrath of the Lord,
but that wrath was not to the uttermust. \\That nce(l
now to describe how
reat ealamities thev endured in both
captivities, and how they who rejected 'the lig-ht of the
Lord, ,,'alked in dal'kness and thick darkness, and they ,,'ho
would not hear the trumpet of the solemn feast-days, hcard
the shout of the enemy. Bnt of the fenced cities and lofty
comer-towers of J udæa, which are till now destro,-ed even
to the J?,'round, the eyes, I deem, can judg'e better'than the
eal'S. '\' e especially, now living in that province, can see,
can pron what is written. "Te scarcely discern slight
traces of ruins of what once were great cities. .At Shiloh,
where was the tabernacle and ark of the testament of the
Lord, seareely the foundations of the altar are shewn. Ra-
ma and ßethuron and the other noble cities built bv Solo-
mon, are shewn to be little villages. Let us read Jõsephus
and the prophecy of Zephaniah; we shall see his history
before our eyes. And this must be said not only of the ('ap-
tivity. but even to the present day. The treaehcruus hus-
bandmen, having slain the sen'ants, and, at last, the Son of
God, are pre,-ented from entering Jerusalem, except to wail,
and they purchase at a l)riee leave to wecp the ruin of their
city, su that they who on('e boug-ht the Blood of Christ, buy
their tears; not even their tears are costless. Y uu may see
7 Jer. xxii. H, 15. S S. Greg. Mor. viii. 14. g S. Luke xii. 19,20.
10 Deut. xxviii. 3U. 11 Joel ii. 31. I' lb. 2. 13 Ib.l.
It S. Jer. ia S.1\Iatt. xxiii. 35. 16 lb. xxvii. 2.3.

CIL\PTER I.

C HBí{o[e S T is near, and hasteth greatly, et'cn the voice
cir.630. of the day of the LORD: the mighty man
7 !sa;. 22.5. shall cry there hitterlv.
Jer.30.ï. 1 . T " } t I . I " f 1 I f
Joel:3. :3,ll. a Y la (ay IS a ( ay 0 wratn, a (ay 0

':".0;8
.IB. trouble and distress, a day of wastcness and
desolation, a day of darkness and glonmi-

on the dav that JCl"U!>alem was taken and de4roHd bv the
Romans, å people in mourning come, decrepit õld wõmen
amI old men, in a
ed and rag-ged wretchedne!1;s, shewing' in
their bodies and in their g'uise the wrath of the Lord. The
hapless ('rowd is gathered, and amid the g-Ieaming of the
Cross of Christ, and the radiant g-Iory of His Resurrectiun,
the standard also of the Cross shining from l\lount Olivet,
you may see the people, piteous but unpitied, bewail the
ruins of their temple, tears still on their cheeks, their arms
livid and their hair dishevelled, and the soldier asketh a
guerdon, that they may be allowed to weep longer. And
doth any, when he seeth this, doubt of the day of trouble
and distress, the do.'1/ of darkness and gloominess, the day of
clouds alld thick darkness, the day of the trumpet and alarm t
For they have also trumpets in their sorrow, and, a('cord-
ing to the prophecy, the voice of the solemn feast-day is
turned into mourning. They wail over the ashes of the
Sanctuary and the altar destroyed, and over cities om'e
fenced, and over the high towers of the temple, from which
they on('e cast headlong James the brother of the Lord."
ßut referring- the Day of the Lord to the end of the world
or the close of the life of each, it too is near; near, the
prophet adds to impress the mure its nearness; for it is at
hand to each; and when eternity shall come, all time shall
seem like a moment, lA thousand years"u'hen past, are like a
u'atch ill ti,e nigld ; one fourth part of one night.
And hasteth greatly" For time whirls on more rapidly
to each, year by year, and when Gud's jlldl!ements draw
near, the tokens of them thicken, and troubles sweep one
over the other, events jostle against each other" The voice
of tlte day of the Lord. That Day, when it cometh, shall
leave 110 one in doubt what it meaneth; it shall give no
uncertain SOllllCt, but shall, trumpet-tong-ued, proclaim the
holiness and justice of _\hnighty God; its voice shall be the
Voice of Christ, which 2 all that are in the gra
'es shall hear
amt come forth; they tlwt have done good, unto the resurrec-
tion of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection
of damnation.
The mighty men shall cry there bitterly; for 11 bitter is the
remembrance of death to a man that liveth at rest in his pos-
sessions, unto the man that hath nothing to vex him, and that
hath prosperit.1J in all tMngs; and 4, There is no mighf.1/ man
that hath pou'er over the spirit to retain the spirit; ueither
hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge
in that WW'; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are
given to it. Rather, wrath shall come upon 6 the kings of the
earth, and the great men and the rich men and tlte mighty
men, and they shall will to hide themselves from the Face of
Him that siUetlt on the Throne and from the wrath of the
Lamb; for the great Day of His wrath is come: ami wIlD shall
be able to stand?

I Ps. xc. 4.
S. John v. 28, 29. S Ecclus. xli. 1. 4 Ecd. viii. 8.

Rev. vi. 15-17. 6 P.. xiv. 5. 7 The Arab. word,
. is used of" a loud
shrill cry." It occurs only here and (Hif.) in Is. xlii. 12. s Wisd. vi. 6.
9 Lam iü. -I-
. 10 .. Alarm" seems to be used in the sense of " sounding alarm,"
alarum. II :ovm 12 1 Thess. iv. 16. IJ See E. !1. on iii.6. It is the Corner

4;j3

ness, a day of clouds and t11ick darkness, C HBí{oís T
1(; A day of · the trumpet and alarm _ Cll". 630.
ag-ainst the fenced cities, and against the' Jer. 4.19.
hig-h towprs.
17 .And I will bring distress upon men,
that they shan 1\ walk like blind mcn, be-.
:\
'i::

The migldy melt shall cry there bitterly. The prophet has
spoken of time, the clay of the Lord. He points out the more
vividly the unseen sight and place, there; so David says,
II There they feared a fear. lIe sees the plaee; he hears the
bitter cry. So nig'h is it in fact; 80 clo
e the connection of
cause anti effect, of sin and puni
hment. There shall be a

reat and bitter cry, when there shall be no plaee for re-
pentance. It shaH be a 7 miA"hty cry, but milrhty in the bit-
terness of its distress. 8 _JJight.1J men shall be TII

hti/y tor-
mented, i. e., those who have been milrhty against God, weak
against Satan, and 8hall han used their Jl)i
ht in his service.
15. A d(c!/ of wrath, in which alJ the wrath of Almilrhty
God, which evil angels and e
-il men hm'e treasured to them
for that day, shall be poured out: the day of wrath, beeau
e
then they shall be broul!ht face tu face before the Pre
ence of
God, but theuC'eforth they shall be cast out of it for e,-er.
A day of trouble ([wi distress. ßuth word
express, how
angui:o'h shall narrow and hem them in; so that there shall
be no escape; above them, God displeased; below, the flames
of Hell; around, devils to drag them away, and Angels ea..t-
ing them forth in bundLes to bum tltem; without, tIle books
which shall be opened; and within, eunscienee leaving them
110 escape.
_1 clay of masteness and desolation, in which all things
shall return to their }H'ime,"a] void, before the ð)Jirit of God
hrooded upon the face of the waters, His Pre
ence being alto-
gether withdrawn.
A clay of darkness and gloominess; for sun and moon !"hall
lose their brightness. and no brightness frum the Lamb shall
shine upon the wicked, but they shall he driven into OIlier
darkuess.
A day of clouds and thick darkness, hidinl! from them the
Face of the Sun of Ril!hteousnf'':s, and covering Him, so that
their prayers should not pass thrmcgh II.
16. A da!1 of the trumpet ami alarm 10, i. e., of the loud
blast of the trumpet, which sounds alarm and causes it. The
wurd ll is especially the shrill loud noise of the trumpet (for
sacred purposes in hrael itself, as ruling all the movements
of the tabernacle and af'eompanying their feasts); then al
o
of the" battle cn." Thev had not listened to the voiee uf
the trumpet, as it' caUed tl{em to holy service; now they shall
hear 12 the voice of tlte Archangel ([ud tlte trump of God.
Against the hi{:h towers, lit. corners 13 , and so corner-
towers. This peculiarity deseribes Jerusalem, whose walls
"14 were made artificially standing in a line eun"ed inwards,
so that the flanks of assailants might be exposed." By this
same name 15 are called the mightv men aud chiefs of the
people, who, humanly speaking, hold it tOl!ether aud support
it; on these chiefs in rebelliun again
t God, whether devils
or evil men, shall punishment greatly fall.
17. I will bring distress upon men. I will hem them in,

of II house, of a street, of a court, a city. Hence" the p:ate of the corner," 2 Kg

xiv. 13,2 Chr. xxvi. 9, Jer. xxxi. 38. In 2 Chr.xxvi. 15,mJ!)cannot be" battlements"
(as Ges. &c.), since the engines were erected upon them. l'either then here is there anv
ground to iment a new meaning for the word. 1< Tac. Hist. v. n. Jos. d""
B. J. v. 5.3. I. Jud. xx. 2.1 Sam. xiv. 38, Is. xix. 13. Zech. x. 4.

454

ZEPIIAXL\H.

c J'f{oíes T cause tlley have sinned against the LORD:
CÍr.6:30. and b their blond shall he poured out as
: :::
: fó. dust, and their flesh c as the dung.
Jer. 9. 22. & 16. 4.

in an
uish on all sides. God Himself shall meet them with
His tèrrors, wherever they turn. 1 I will hem tltem ill, tltat
tltey 1}/ay.find it so.
That thell sltall walk like blind men. utterlv bereft of coun-
sel, seeing nò more than the blind which wa)' to tnrn, gra
p-
ing- hlindly amI franticly at anything-, and going on headlon
to
their own destruction. So GUll forewarned them in the law;

Thou shalt grope at noon day, as the Mimi gropeth ill dark-
ness; and Job, of the wicked genel'ally, 3 They meet with the
darklless ill the day-time, alld R,'upe ill the noull-da.'! as in the
uigltt; and, 40 Tlte.1f grope ill tlte dark without l
gltt, and /-Ie
maketh them to stagger like a drunken man; and haiah fore-
telling- of tho
e times, 51Ve gmpe for the wall, as the blind; and
we grope, as if we Itad no eyes; we stumble ill the lwoll-day as
ill the night. Because the,'I have sinned against the Lurd, and
so He hath turned their wisdom into foolishness, and since
they have despised Him, He hath made them ohjects of con-
tempt 6. Tlteir blood sltall be }loured out like dust, as alHm-
dant and as valueless; utterly disregal"Cled by Him, as .\saph
complains, 7 their blood have the.'1 shed like u'ater; contempt-
ible and dis
u
ting- as what is vilest; tlteir.flesh s as the dung,
refuse, decayed, putrefied, offen
ive, enriching by its dccar
the land, whieh had heen the scene of their luxuries and op-
pI'e"sions. Yet the most offensive disg-usting physieal corrup-
tion is but a faint imag'e of the defilement uf sin. This pu-
nishment, in ,,'hich the carrion-remains should be entombed
only III the bowels of vultures and dogs, was especially
threatened to Jehoiakim; 9 He shall he huried with the burial of
an ass, draf(ged ami cast furth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
l
. Xéither their silar nor their gold shall be able to de-
lh'er them ill the day of the Lord's laath. Gain unjustly
gotten was the cause of their destrul'tion. Fm', as Ezekiel
doses the like description; "IO'!'hey shall cast their silvcr
into the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their sih'er
and theÍl' gold shall nut be able to deliver them in the dav of
the wrath
of the Lord; they shall not satisfy their suuls 'nor
fill theil' bowels: because it is tlte stumbling Mucic of their ini-
qlli(II." Much less shall any pus session. outwm'd 01' inward,
he of avail in the Great Day; since in death the rieh man's
11 }lump shall 1I0t fullOlv him, and evel'y gift whirh he has
misused, whether of mind or spirit, even the knowledg-e of
God without doing His 'Viii, shall but increase damnation.
" Sinner.;; will then have nothing" but their sins."
Here the IH'ophet uses images helon
ing" more to the im-
medIate destruction; at the close the words ag-ain widen, and
helong, in their fullest literal sense, to the Day of Judge-
ment. The whole land, rather, as at the beg-illllin
, the whole
earth shall he devoured hy the .fire of His.ieaLous.'1; for He
.
/lllll make even a speedy riddance uf all them that du'eLl ilt
tlte laud: rather, He sltall make all utter, yea altogether 12
([ terr[lic destructioll 13 of all the d'l'ellers of the earth. "'hat
Kahum had foretold of Kineveh 14, He shall make the place

I JeT. x.18. Moses had said this of His instruments, And He shall hem thee in, in
all tI", flates. Deul. xx\iii. 5:!.
lb. 29. 3 Job v. 14.
4 lb. xii. 25, 5 Is.lix. 10. 61 Sam, ii. 30.
;- Ps. lxxix. 3. "1Ð::i is used of the pouring out both liquids and solids.
8 Insulated as the USe is, l:'i1
must have had the meaning of the Arab. 'c1}? "flesh."
So LXX Ch. Vulg. S)r. David B. Abr, Abulw. Tanch., Anon-Arab. Tr., retain the
"ord in Arabic; Abulw. n
lices that "the Heb. is akin to the Arabic word," Tanch.

18 d Xcither their silver nor their gold C HB:[ofsT
shall be able to deliver them in the day of cir. G30.
tlw LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall d

:k.li: t9.

thereof alt uttcr consumption, that Zephaniah fure-tells of all
the inhahitants of the world. For what is this, the wllUle
earth sltall be devoured hy the.fi1"e qf His.iealulls.'I, but what
S. Peter says, 15 the earth also and the works that are tlterein
sltall he btt1'1led up? And what is that he says, lIe shall make
all the dwellers of tlte earth all utter, ."lea altogether a Ilastll
destructiun, but a general judg-ement of all, who helon
to tl;e
world, "'hose hume, eitizenship, whuse whole mind is in the
wurld, not as true Christians, who are strangers and pilg-rims
here, and thcir 16 citizenship is in lleclt'e1l? These God slH
n
make an utter, terrific, spcedy destruction, a living death, su
that they shall at once both be and not he; be, as ('lIntinued
in being": not be, as havin!! no life of God, but onh' a eon-
tinued death in misery. And this shall bc thrnu
h 'the jea-
lousv of Almi!!hty God, that Dh-ine quality in Him, whercbv
He ioves and wills to be loved, and endures not those wh

g-in to others the IO\-e fur whirh He gave so much and which
is so whollv dne to Himself Alone. "17 Thou demandcst mv
love, and if I g-ive it not, art wroth with me, and threatclle,,'t
me with
rievuus wues. Is it then a sli!!ht woe to love Thee
not?" "
hat will be that ang-er, which Lis Infinite Love, but
which becomes, through man's sin, Hate?
II. Havin
sct forth the terrors of the JU(I
ement Day,
the prophet adds an earnest call to repentance: and then de.
('lares how judgements, forerunners uf that Day, shall fall.
one by one, un those nations around, who know nut God, and
shall rest upon
ine'-eh, the grcat beautiful ancient city uf
the world. "18 See the merc\" of God. It had been enoug-h
to have set before the wise the vehemence of the coming' cd!.
But because He wiUeth not to punish, but to alarm
onh",
Himself calleth to repentance, that He may not do whãt
He threatened." ,,19 Ha,'ing set tè)rth elcarly the sa,-agene!'s
of the war alul the g-reatness of the suffering to come, he
suitably turns his discourse to the duty of callin
to re-
pentance, when it was easy to persuade them, being terrificd.
For sometimes when the mind has heen numbed, and ex-
ceedin
lv bent to evil, we do not rcadih' admit even the will
to rep
ni, but fear often drives us to it, c,'en against our will.
He calls us then to friendship with Himself. }<'m' a<; they re-
volted, became aliens, serving idols and giving up their miml
to their passion
, so they would, as it were, retrace their
steps, and lay hold of the fdendship uf Gild, chuosing to st'n'e
Him, nay and Him Alone, and obev His ('ommandmcnts.
'Vherefure while we have time, whilé the Lord, in His for-
bearance as God. gÏ\'es war, h t us enact rel'entan('e, supl'li-
eate, say weeping, 110 remember not tile sins and (1f(!1lCCS (!f m.1I
youth; let us unite ourselves with Him by sanctification
and sobriety. So shaU we be sheltered in the day of wrath,
and wa
h away the stain of our falls, before the Day of
the Lord come upon us. Fur the J lHlge \\ ill come, He will
come from heaven at thc due season, and will reward each
according to his work."

cit

s
lIo
'
t
ing but.
,Jer. xxii. 11
' i1?:;J
un
;e
h:

;

ses of t;
r

. :!I
.dIf.truc-
tion, as in Ps. civ. 29. Thou hided Thy face, they are troubled, 11
:t: and perish; Is. lxv.
23, they shall not beuo"
71}

for destruction, II P"l
'lIJ' II
.
.4 See ab. on
ahum i. 8. p. 376. 15 2 Pet. iii. 13.
16 Heb. xi. 13. Phil. iii. 20. 17 S. Aug. Conf. i. 5. p. 3. Oxf. Tr.
18 S. Jer. 19 S. Cyr. 20 Ps. xxv. í.

CHAPTER II.

C :
oÍes T hI'" e dcvoured by the fire of his j{'alousy:
cir. (j30. for r he shall make cven a specdy riddance
:

.
,
of all thcm that dwell in the land.
CHAPTER II.
I An exhortation to repentance. 4 TIle judgment
of the PItiListilles, 8 of .,Moab and AmnIOn, 12 of
Etltiopia and As!>yria.

I. Gather yourselves together, .lfea gather together l , rather,
Sift 7!(Jllrseh'es, yea s{(t 2. The exact image is from gathering
!'tubble or dry stick!', which are picked up one by one,
with search and care. So must men deal with the drv
and withered leaves of a past e, illifc. The English render-
ing" howenr comes to the same meaning. "T e use, " eulleet
one's self" for bring-ing one's self, all one's thuu
hts, to-
gether, alUI so, having- full possession of one's self: Or gather-
ing ollrseh'es might stand in coutra!'t with being" abruad," as
it were, out of ourselves amid the manifoJdness uf thing"s scenT
"3Thou who, tal,en up n-ith the business of the world. hurriest
to and fro amid divers things, return to the Chur('h uf the
saints, and join thyself to thcir life and assemhly, whom thou
!'eest to please God, and bring tog-ether the dislocated mem-
bers of thy soul, whieh now are not knit together, into une
frame of wisdom, and clea,-e to its embrace." Gather YOllr-
sell'es into one, wherein ye ha,-e been scattered; to the One
God, from "Thom they had wandered, seekin
pleasure from
His manv creatures; to His one fold and Church, from whieh
they had' severed themselns outwardly by joining the worship
of Baal. inwardly, by servin
him and his abominable rites:
joining and joined to the assembly of the faithful, by oneness
of faith and life.
In order to repent, a man must know himself thoroug-hly;
and this can only be dune by taking act by act, word by word,
thou!!,'ht by thought, as far as he can, not in a confused
hcap or mass, as they lie in any man's conscience, but one by
one, each picked UI) apart, and examined, and added to the
scar unfruitful heal}, plueking them as it were, and gathering
them out of himself, that so they may, by the Spirit of burn-
ing, the fire of God's Spirit kindling repentance, be burned
up, and not the sinner himself be fuel for fire with them.
The word too is intensin," Gather together all which is in

'ou, thoroughly, piece by piece" (for the sinner's whole self
becomes ehafl
dry and empty). To use another image, "Sift
yourselves thoroughly, so that nothing escape, as far as your
diligence can reach, and then-Ancl gather on, i. e., "glean
on;" examine yourselves, "not lig'htly and after the man-
ner of dissemblers before Gud," but repeatedly, gleaning
again amI a
ain, to see if by any means any thing have es-
caped: continuing on the search and ceasing not. The first
eamest search into the soul must be the beg-inning, not the
end. Our search must be continueJ. until there be no more
to be discovered, i. e. when sin is no more, and we see our-
I The Eng. Verso follows the L'XX Ch. Syr., S. Jer., which render" Gather your-
sehes logelher," as if, from the first meaning, "gather dry slicks or stubble" it came to
sign!g "gather" generally, and Ihence, in the reflective form, "gather yourselves togelher."
sti
s
eo

b
i
::nl/u,,
e

: ltt

gKd:i ;%

: i

)
hA
:th"
!

;

f
.o:a:h
7-
ing out thorns" (/
aKa"/lí(.,,,) i. e., minutely examining and bringing out to light e\er.(
fault. (Cic. ad Alt. vi. 6. 2.) And another writes to his steward, "Shalt thou with sUonger
hand pull out thorns from my field, or I from my mind?" Hor. Ep. i.14.4.
11 S.Jer. 4 S. Bern. de Cons. c. 5. · Id. Serm. 58. in Cant. fin.
sLam. iii. 40. The two words, search and try, "I!Y1, ."", are both used of a deep search

: g:

e't

I
:ï:e
f
he i':t

ds

I;

:
o

n
:lih
:

' :;

Iig

edb
G

l'rov, u. 2ï), the latter of God's searching it out Himself (Jer. xvii. 10. Ps. xliv. 22 (21)

4,j.3

" G A TIlE R yourselves tog-cthcr, rea,
a- c J
oÍes T
ther to
etll('r, 0 nation II not desired; cir. G30.
2 llefore the decree brin
forth, l)(fore Û fk:\
;

:
the day )mss b as the chaft., hdore c the b j
b
. 18.
fiercc ang-er of thc LORD eome u))On you, r:
i
i
: 13.
hefore the day of the LORD'S anger come c 2HKh;.1:3.
6.
upon you.

clvcs in the full Ii
ht of tllC Presence of our .f udge. For a
first sean'h, howcn
r diligent, never thorouc:hlv reachcs the
whole deep disea
e of the whole man; the m
}st 'grie,.ous sins
hide uther griC\"uus sins, though li
hter. Some sins flash on
the eonseielu'?. at one time, somè at another; so that few,
even upon a diligent search, come at once to the knowledge
of all their hea, ie!'t sins. "'hen the mi4 is les!< thick, we sec
more clearly what was before one dark dull ma!'s of imper-
f
1'tion and misery. "4 Spiritual sins arc also with diffil'ulty
sifted, (a
they are,) by one who is carnal. "Thenee it hap-
pens, that things in themselves heavier he perceives less or
very little, and conscience is not gTiend su much by the
memory of pride or em.y, as of impurities and crime,.;." Sit
ha,'in
!'aid, " Sift your
eh-es through and through," lie say
.
"sift on." A diligent sifting and search i nta him
elf mu
t be
the beginning of all true repentance and pardon. "ó "'hat
remains, but that we give ourselve
wholly tu this work, so
holy, and needful? 6 Let us searrh and trlf Ollr u'alfs and
(IUr doings, and let ea('h think that he ha,.;' made prògres
,
not if he find not \\ hat tQ blame, but if he blamc what
he find,.;. Thou hast not sifted thyself in ,.ain, if thou
hast diseoHred that thou needest a fresh siftin
; and so
often has thy seareh not failed thee, as thou ju
kest that
it lUust be renewed. nut if thou enr dost thi,,:, when
there is need, thou dost it e\"Cr. nut e,.er remember that
thuu needest help from above and the mercy of Jesus Chri
t
our Lord \\'110 is 0' er all, Gud blessed fur c,.er." The
whole course of self-examination then lies in two word,.;
of Dh int' Scriptm'e. And withal he warns them, instead
of
athering to
ether ridles which shall not be able to deliur
them in the da.11 of trouble, tu gather thcm!<eh-es into them-
selves, and sojudge themsch-es thorougldy 7, that they be 1I0t
judged of the Lonl s .
o natiun not desired 9, i. e., 1m, ing nothing in itself to be
desired or lond, bnt rather, fur its sin, hateful tu God. (;od
yearneth with })ity and eompa
sion m.er His creatures: lIe
10 Itatlt a desire to tbe u'ork of His Hands. Here hracl is spo-
ken to, as what he had made himself, hateful to God bv his
sins, although still an ohjeet of His tender care, in \\ hat yet
remained to him of nature or gra('e whieh was from Him
elf.
2. Before tlte decree bring forth. Gud's ,mrd is full (a
it
were) of the e,-ent which it ti,retelleth; it contains its own ful-
filment in itseU: and trm'aiJeth until it come to pa,.;s, gÏ\ ill/!
signs of its coming, yet delaying until the full time. Time
cxxxix. I, Job xiii. 9, and of the Divine Wisdom, Job xxviii. 27.
7 lhwcpl"an, which answers to the inlensi\ e form here, "judge yourselves through and
through:' s 1 Cor. xi. 31, :32.
9 The E. M. has" or not desirous," the word 'jt::] sil(nifying to long, Gen. xxxi. 80.
r.:
s
:
f
v G:
.,

:
o
o

tl

s L
:d,?bi
Ct\.
I

SIÍ
r

1 h
dt

:g

ta

h.gs. "1\ot desirous" would not b) itself convey, "having no desire to return to God,"
or as Ch., "who willelh not to return to the law." The same objection lies, over and
above, to the rendering "unashamed," coil, Chald. r;OJ .. turned pale" from shame
disgrace, horror. Buxt. For there is nothi
to limit the "turning pale" to "shame.':
The root "
:J in Heb. only means "longed," Ps. xrii. 12, Job xiv. 15, of which "0:] is
here the l'assÏ\e. People turn pale from fear or horror, not trom shame.
10 Job xiv. 15. The word is the sam p .

436

ZEPHANL\H.

Before
CHRIST
cir. G
O.
d Ps_ 105. 4.
Amos 5. 6.
e Ps. í6. 9.

3 j Seck ye the LORD, e all ye meek of
the earth, whieh luwe wrought his judg-
ment; seek righteousness, seek meekness:

is !'aid tu bring forth what is wrought in it. Thou k/loU'est
nut, what a day shall bring forth.
Belore the day pass as the clurlf, or, parenthetically, lilce
dud!' the day Jla.
seth by. God's counsels lie "Tal)t up, as it
were, in the wumb of time, wherein lie hides them, until the
moment which He has appuinted, and they brcak forth sud-
denlv to thosc who look not fur them. The mean season
is gï"ven for repentance, i. e., thc day of grace, the span of
repentance still allowed, which is continually whirling more
swiftly by; and woe, if it be fruitless as chaff! Those who
profit not by it shall also be as chaff, carried away pitilessly
by the whirlwind to destruction. Time, on which eternity
hang-s, is a sli
ht, uncertain thing, as little to be counted
upon, as the lil!:ht òry partieles which are the sport of the
wind, driven uncertainly hither and thither. nut when it
i
pn.
sed, then cometh, not to them, but upon them, from
Heaven, overwhelming thcm, labiding upun them, not to pass
away, tlte heat of the anger of Almigltt.1I Gud. This warning
he twice repeats, to impress the certainty and speed of its
coming- 2. It is the waming of our Lord, 3 Talce heed, lest
that day cume upon you llIlCl1NI1'es.
3. Seek ye the L01"Cl. lie had exhorted sinners to peni-
tence; he now calls the righteous to persevere and increase
more and more. He bids them seek diligently -&, and that
with a three-fold call, tu seek Him frum Whom they re('eived
daily the three-fold blessing 5, Fåther, Son, and Holy Ghost,

s he had just before threatencd Gud's impemling" judgement
with the same use of the mysterious number, three. They,
whom he calls, were already, by the grace of God, meek, and
had wrollgltt HisJudgement. "6 Submitting themselves to the
word uf God, they had done and were duing the judgement
of God,þu(ging tl,elllselves tltat they be not Judged ; the beg-in-
ning of which judg-emcnt is, as sinners and guilty of death, to
g-ive themselves tu the Cross of the Lurd, i. e., to be 7 baptised
in His Death and be buried witlt 1fim b.1I Baptism into death;
but the perfection of that judgement ur righteousness is, to
11'([lk in nell'lIess uf life, as He rose from the dead through tlte
glm:lf of tlte Father."
"
Since the meek already ha,Te God through grace as the
Possessor and Dweller in theil' heart, how shall they seek
Him but that they may have Him more fully and more per-
fectly, knowing Him more clearly, loving Him more ardently,
cleaving to Him more inseparably, that so they may be heard
by Him, not fur themselves only, but for others ?" It is then
the same Voice as at the close of the Revelation, 9 the right-
eous, let him be still more r
ghteous; tlte holy, let ltim be .
till
u,ore Itu(/!. They arc the meek, who arc exhorted diligently
to seek meekness, and they whu had wrought His Judgement,
who are diligent('Ij to seek Righteuusness. And since our Lord
saith, 10 Lea1'1l of lIIe, fur I am meet, and lO1(}
1/ of heart, He
bids" 11 those who imitated His meekness and did His judge-
ment, to seek the Lord in their meekness." 1\1 eelmess and
Righteom:ness may be His Attributes, \\Tho is All-gentleness
and All-Righteousness, the Fountain of all, wheresuever it is,
in gentleness receiving penitents, and, as tile Ilighteous Judge,
giving the Cl'OWIl of rigltteuusness to those who love .I1im and
1 S. John iii. 86. : Gen. x1i. 82. 3 S. Luke xvi. 34. 4 The Hebrew form is
in

tv
iatt
.
r- ;J: 23-2û. 1 6 1

S
r. 7 Rom. Vii
3S
Cyr
Dion. 13 9 1o e :r;.
iH:

:

fit may be ye shall be hid in the day of cæ
oÍeST
the LORD'S anger, cir. !j;jO.
4 , FQr g Gaza. shall be fursaken, and f J

:; t.\5.
If Jer. 47.4,5. Ezek.25.15. Amos. 1. 6, 7, B. Zech. 9. 5, 6. lonah 3. 9.

keep His commandments, yea He joineth l'ig-hteousness with
meekness, since withuut His merey no mall livinl!: cuuld IJe
justified in His Sight. "12 (..od is suug-ht by us, when, of our
choice, laying aside all listlessness, we thirst after doing what
pleases Him; and we shall do judgement too, when we fulfil
His Divine law, working out what is good unshrinkin
lv' and
we shall gain the prize of righteousness, whcn crow
eil'with
glory for well-doing and rUllninl!: the well-reported and blame-
less way of true piety to Hud and of love to the brethren; for
13 love is tlte fu{fì/ling of the law."
It ma.'1 he ye shall be !tid in tl,e day of the Lord's auger.
"6 Shall these too then scarcely be !tid ill the day of tI,e Lure/'s

nl5.er? Doth not the Apostle Peter say the very same? 14 11
zt .first begin at us, what shall be the end of them that obe.'Ij not
the Guspel of God? And if the rigldeuu.
scarcely be saud,
where slwll the ungodly and tlte siuner appear? So then,
although any be meek, although he Iwve wruught the judge-
ment of thc Lord, let him ever suspect himself, nor think
that he has alreae('Ij attained, since neither ("an any righteous
be saved, if he be judl!:ed withuut mercy." "8 He saith, it may
be; not that there is any doubt that the meek and thev who
perseveringly seek God: shall then be sa,'cd, but tu c
nvey
how difficult it is to be saved, and how fearful and rigorous
is the judgement of God." To be hid is to be sheltered from
wrath under the protection of God; as David sapo, 15 In the
time of trouble He shalllâde me; and, 16 ThOll shalt lâde them
[that trust in Thee] in the secret of Thy presence from the pride
of l!Ul1l; Thou shalt keep tltem secret
/! ill a pavilion from the
strife of tungues. And in Isaiah, 17 A J.JIan shall he as anltidillg-
placefrum tile wind, and a covert from tile tempest; and, 18Tltere
shall he (l tabeJ'llacle for a shadow in the daytime from tile heat,
and f01' a place of refuge, andfor a cuvert frum sturm and from
rain.
4. For. As a ground for repentance and perseverance,
he goes through Heathen nations, upon whum God's wrath
should come. "11 As Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, after visions
conecrning Judah, turn to other nations round about, and
according to the character of each, announce what shall cOllie
upon them, and dwell at length upon it, so doth this prophet,
though more briefly." And thus under five nations, who lay
'Vest, East, South and North, he includes all mankind on all
I'ides, and, again, according to their respective characters
tuwards Israel, as they are alien frum, or hostile to the
Church; the Philistines 19, as a near, malicious, infesting
enemy; l\Iuab and Ammon 20, people akin to her (as hereties)
yet ever rejoicing at her troubles and sufferings; Ethiopians 2 1,
distant nations at peace with her, and which are, for the most
part, spoken of as to be bruught unto her; Ass)Tia 22, as the
f.\Teat uppressive power of the world, and so upon it the full
desolation rests. In the first fulfilment, because l\Ioab and
Ammon aiding Nebuehadnezzar, (and all, in divers ways,
wronging Gud's people 23 ), trampled on His sanctuary, over-
threw His temple and blasphemed the Lord, the prophecy is
turned ag-ainst them. So then, before the captivity came,
while Jusiah was yet king, and Jerusalem and the temple
were, as yet, not overthrown, the prophecy is directed against
14 1 S, Pet. iv. 17, 18. 1& Ps. xxvii. 5. 1& lb. xxxi. 20. 17 Isai. xxxii. 2.
IS lb. v. G. 19 ii.4-7. 20 lb. 8-10.
l v. 12. 2"1 13-15.
13 Is. xvi. 4, Am. i. 13-15. ii.I-3. Jer. xlviii. 2ï-30, 42. xlix, I. Ezek. xx. 8, G, 8.

CIL\PTER II.

457

tho"'e who mocked at them. Gaza shall he forsaken. Out of
the fin c'ities of the Phili
tines, the Prophet pronounces woe I
upon the same four as Amos 1 before, Jeremiah 2
oon after,
and Zechariah 8 later. Gath, then, thc fifth, had probably
remained with Judah since rzziah 40 and Hezekiah 5. In the
!'entence of the rest, ref:'ard is had (as is so frequent in the
Old Testament) to the names of the places them
eh'es, that,
henceforth, the name of the place might suggest the tlwught
of the doom pronounced upon it. The names expres!'ed
boa
tfulne
s. amI so, in the Divine judgement, carricd their
own sentence with them, and thi
sentence i... pronuunced by
a
Iight change in the word. Thus '-'.Jzzalt (Gaza,) strong
shall be 'A;:oohalt, desoLated; El.roll, deep-rooting 6, shall
Tettker, be uprooted; the Clterethites (cutters oln shall be-
come (Cheroth) diggings; CllebeL, ti,e band of the !'Oea coa
t,
shall be in another sense CltebeL, an inheritance 7 , divided hy
line to the remnant of Judah; and AsluLod (the wasterS) shall
be taken in their might, not by craft, nul' in the way of rob-
bers, but drÍl'ellforth violently and openly in the uoon-da.'I.
For Gaza shall be forsaken. Some vici
!<itudes of these
towns have been noted alread y 9. The fulfilment uf the pro-
pheey is not tied down tu time; the one marked contrast
is, that the old heathen enemies of Judah should be de-
strovecl, the hou
e of Judah should be restured, and should
re-eilter upon the posse

ion of the land, pl'Omised to them
of old. The Phili
tine towns had, it seems, nothing to fear
from Babylon or Persia, to whom they remained faithful
suhjects. The A!<hdodites (who probably, as the most im-
pOl.tant, stand for the whole 10) combined with SanbaHat,
the .Ammonites and the Arabians 11, to hinder the rebuilding
of the walls of Jeru!>alem. Even an army was gathered,
headed by Samaria 12. They gave themseh-es out as loyal,
Jeru
alelll as rebellious 13 . The uld sin remaining, Zechariah
renewed the sentence by Zephaniah af?:ainst the four cities 1-1.;
a prophecy, whieh an unùelie\"Cr also has reeog:ni
ed as
pic.turing the march of Alexander 15. "16 All the othel' cities
of Palestine having submitted," Gaza alone re
isted the eon-
quemr fur two or five months. It had come into the hands
of the Pel'sians in the expedition of Cambyses against
E!!ypt 17. The Gazæans having all perished fi
'hting at thcir
posts. Alexander sold the women and ehildren, and re-
peopled the city from the neighbourhood lB. Palestine la)
between the two rÏ\-al suecessors of Alexander, the Ptolemies
and Scleucidæ, and felt their wars 19. Gaza fell through mi
-
chance into the hands of Ptolemv 20, II years after the death
of Alexander 21 , and suon after, wås destroyed by Antioehus 16
(B.C. HJti), "preserving its faith to Ptolemy" as before to
the Pel'sians, in a way admired by a heathen hb:torian. In
the )Iaccabee wars, Judas :\Iaeeabæus chiefly destroyed the
idols of A...ll(lod, but also 22 spoiled their cities; Jonathan set
it on fire, with its idol-temple, which was a sort of citadel

I Am. i.6-8.
Jer. xx,. 20.
3 Zecb. ix. 5. 6. 4 2 Chr. xxvi. 6. · :! Kgs xviii. 8.
6 It seems to me most probable that the origin of the meanings is preserved in the
Ch. yy., "root," (which itself is the source of other metaphoric meanings, as, "the root
ofa thing;" .. the root" i. e., tbe foundation" of faitb," its fundamental doctrines; "the
root," in LeJÜeograehy, see Buxtorf) and that the Chald. "1j;;;' "pluck up. remove," and
'1i::.t. bere and Eccl. ill. 2, is a denominative. The Proper :t\ame is older probably thdn
e\ en !\loses. 1 ii. 5. 7.
S The root T1CÏ has throughout, tbe meaning of" wasting," not of" strength." "'N " the
Almighty." is probably from a kindred root. :r.::i.
9 See on Amos i. 6-8, p. 161-IG3.
10 Their lan
ap;e alone is mentioned Neb. ix. 2
, n"'IJ-:7K. in contrast with Jewish

7Z;
t

:.e

; e
.
=h

dí
/
:
r

t
eth:

arried a
r
t
h
i
.

istine women.
Ie lb. 2. 13 lb. ii. HI. \i. 6. I> Zech. ix. I. Eichhorn Einl. iv. 605. See
Daniel the Proph. p. 280. sqq. 16 Polyb. Reliq. x\i. -10. 11
Iela i. 11.
IS Arrian ii. 2ì.

P\RT V.

to it!!S; Asealon !'uhmitted to him U; T:kron with its bor-
ders were given to him by.\lexander Balas 25: he burnt the
suburbs of Gaza 26; Simun took it, cxpelled its inhabitants,
filled it with belie,'in
Jews and furtified it more strongly
than before 27; but, after a year's
iege, it wa
betraycd to
Alexander J anna'us, who !'lew it!': !<enate of 500 ancl razed
the c'ity to the gruund 28. (ìahinius re
torcd it and Ashòod 29.
After Herod's death, .hhdod was givcn to
al(lmeso; Gaza,
as being a Greek city 31, was detal'hed from the realm of
Arehclaus and annexed to
\Tia. It was destrond bv the
Jews in their re\'olt when Flurus was "procurator," 'A.D.
55 32 . Asealon and Gaza mu
t still ha,'e been strong, and
were prohably a di!<tinC't population in the early times uf
Antipater, father of Herod, when .\Iexander and Alcxandra
I !'et him over all Idumæa, sinf'e "he is said" then "33 to
I have made friencl!<hip \, ith the Arabs, Gazites and .\sC'a-
lonites, Jikemincled with him!<elf, and to have attached them
by many and lar
e pre!<ents."
Yet though the inhabitants were changed, the hereditarY
hatl'ed remained. Philu in his Emhassy'to Caius, A.D. 4(j,
I used the strong lan
uage, ":H The .hcalonites ha,'e an im-
placable and irreeoncilcable enmity to the Jews, their ncig-h-
bours, who inhabit the holv land." This continued toward
Christians. Some hOl'rible atrucities, of almu
t ineoneeivahle
sava
ery, by tho
e of Gaza and .\sealon A.D. 3G1, are related
by Theuduret 85 and Sozomen 36. "37 "'ho is ignorant of the
, madne
s of the Gazæans?" a
ks S. Gregory of Xazianzus, of
the times of Julian. This was pre\ious to the eom'er"ion uf
the great Gazitc temple of l\Iarna into a Christian Church
by Eudoxia 3B. On occasion of Con
tantine's exemption uf
the Maiumas Gazæ from their contrul, it is allegcd, that thev
were" 39 exh'eme Heathen." In the time of the Crusades the
Asealonites are described by Christians as their" 40 most sa-
vage enemies."
I . It may be, th
t a liheness of sin ma
' have cont
n
ed on a
lIkeness of pUnIshment. But the primary predU'tlOn was
against the people, not against the walls. The sentence,
Ga;:a shall be fursaken, would have been fulfilled by the
remo\'al 01' captidtr of its inhabitants, even if they had nut
been replaced by uthers. .\ prediction against any andent
British town would ha\"C been fulfilled. if the Britons in it
had been replaced or exterminated by Danes, and these by
Saxons, and these subdued by the J\ormans, thuugh their
displaeers became wealthy and puwerful in their place.
E\'en on the same site it would not be the same Gaza,
I when the Philistine Gaza became Edomite, and the Edumite
, Greek, and the Greek Arabian 401. .\
hdod (as well as fÌaza)
is spoken of as a city of the Greeks 42: Xew (;aza is !'poken
of as a mixture of Turks, Arabians, Fellahs, Bedouins uut uf
Lgypt, Syria, Petl"æa 43. Felix Faber says. "there is a won-
I I derful commixture of divers nations in it, Ethiopians, Arabs,
l' Pol\"b. 'fl. 68. 20 Diod. Sic. xix. 84. 21 Hecat. in Jos. c. Ap. i.22 OJ?p. ii. 435.
221 :\Iacc. v. 68.
lb. x. Bi. 24 lb. 86. 2. lb. 89.
26 lb. JÜ. 61. 2i lb. xili. 43-48. 28 Jos. Ant. xiii. 13.3.
29 lb. xiv. 5. 3. 30 lb. xvii. 8.
. 31 B. J. n. 6. 3. 32 KØ:rfUKø.7fTOJl.
Jos. B. J. ii. 18. 1. 33 Ant. JÜv. 1. 3.
... Philo Leg. ad Caium T. ii. p. 576 :\Iang. The words are å.uvp.ßaT6s TIS K<Ù c'uc....
TdMaKTOS 8vup.ÉJlllø.. P Theod. H. E. iii. 7.
36 Soz. H. E. v. 10. 3. Orat. 4. in Julian. c. 86.
3S "This too we see to be fulfilled in our timps. The temple of Serapis at Alexandria,
and of :\Iarna at Gaza. rose to be temples of Ihe Lord." S. Jerome on Is. x,ii.
39 Is lI')'al' 'E"^,jJll(uvu'JI. Soz. V. 3.
40 William of Tr.re (pp. !l17,84O, 865) "ails them "hydra immanissima," "hostes
immanissimi "-"!ib.e restless gnats persevering in tbe purpose of injuring." compo

f
n

sí

.írlf
v:'

':

ap:ì
st

:73,aete

1t
a
e:
i
1e
':
e s

:r

Srria." as an impregnable fortress. 41 See on Amos i. 6. above p. 161
4
Ps. Epiphanius de ,itis Proph. p. 2
4a Ritter xvi. 49.
3 x

458

ZEPH.A1'\IAH.

Egyptians, Syrians, Indians and eastern Chri
tians; no
Latins I." Its Jewi
h inhabitants fled fl"Om it in the time of
Napoleon: 1I0W, with few exeeptions it is inhabited by Arabs 2.
llut these, Ghiízzeh, Eskaloll, Akir, Scdud, are at must
successors of the Philistine cities, of which there is no trace
above the surface of the earth. It is common to speak uf
"relUnants of antiquity," as being or nut being to be found I
in any of them; but this means, that, where these exist, there
are rëmains of a Greek or Roman, not of a Philistine citv.
Of the four cities, Akkar(JlI, Ekron, (" the firm-rootÍI
g")
has not left a vestige. It is mentioned by name only, after
the times of the llible, by some who passe(l by it 3 . There
was" a large village of Jews" so called in the time of Euse-
bius and S. J el"Ome 4, "between Azotus and J amnia." Now
a village of" 5 about 50 mud houses without a single remnant
of antiquity except 2 large finely built wells" bears the I
name of Akir, S. Jerome adds, "Some think that Accaroll
is the to,,-er of Stratu, afterwards called Cæsarea." This
was perhaps derived from misunder
tanding his Jewi!'Oh
instructor 6. ßut it shews how entirely all knowledge of I
Ekl"On was then lo!;t.
Aslulocl or Awtus which, at the time when Zephaniah
prophesied, held out a twenty-nine yeal's' siege against I
Psammetichus, is replaced by "7 a moderate sized village
of mud houses, situated un the Eastern declivity uf a little
flattish hill," "entirely modern, not containing a vestige of I
antiquity." "A beautiful seull)tured sarcophagus with somc I
fragments of small marble shafts," "near the Khan on the
S. \\T." hclong of course to later times. "The whole south
side of the hill appears also, as if it had been once covered
with buildings, the stones of which are now thrown together'
in the rude fences." Its Bishops are mentioned from the '
Council of Nice to A. D. 5ðö 8, and so probably continued
till the l\Iohammedan devastation. It is not mentioned in
the Talmud 9. llenjamin of Tudela calls it Pahnis, and says, ' I
.. it is desolate, and there are no Jews in it 10." "ll Neither
Ibn I1aukal [Yacut], Edrisi, ALulfeda, nor William of Tyre
mention it."
Ascalon and Gaza had each a port, l\Iaiuma Gazæ, l\Iaiuma
Asealon; lit. "a pla.ee on the sea" (an Egyptian name I2) be-
longing to ÂscaIon or Gaza. The name involves that Asea-
Ion and Gaza themselves, the uld Philistine towns, were not
on the sea. They were, like Athens, built inland, perhaps
(as ha!:. been conjc(.tured) frum fear of the raids of pirates,
or of inroads from those who (like the Phiiistines themselves
probably, ur sume tribe of them) might come from the sea.
The port probably of both was built in mueh later times;
the Egyptian name implies that they were built by Egyp-
tians, after the time when its kings Necos and Apries,
(plh\raoh-Necho and Pharaoh-Hophra, who took Gaza I3 ) made I
Egypt a naval power u. This became a characteristic of
these Philistine eities. Thev themselves lav more or ]e";8
in]and, and had a city connected with theIiI, of the same

1 Fabri Eva
atorium T. ii. p. 3i9. 2 Schwartz, d. Hei1. Land p. 91. 18:i3.
3" Passing throul(h Azotus, between which ar.d Jamnia, which is situate on the sea,
[i. e. the maritime Jamnia]we left Accaron on one side." Fulcher. Carnot. A.D. llDO.
Gesta Peregr. Franc. c. 23 p. 46.. quoted Raumer s. verb.
4 de locis Hebr. T. iii. p. 146. Vall. · Porter Handb. p. 2i5.
da:g
:
':
fvÊd
:n
;hi
hs
sa
it

t:P
:

' tl
e s
:l
u1 :"lois r

t
e

:aÉk;o

:
Cæsarea, which would be absurd, butonly shews its hatred against that city, and foretells
its destruction, resting on a Biblical text, as is the habit of the talmudists." Neubauer
Geogr. du Talmud p. 92. See also lb. p. 12. Estori in his Kaftor uperach Itives
P
as another name of ""11, but Zunz quotes the Succah f. 2i6. as distinguishing -.:J'p from
I'''''p Cæ8area (on the geogr.
t ç:

ì'l';n
b
;
: iKd2Jk 441.)
8 Reland fó
.I)Þ
lmis, w
i1
tel:Jo:J.Ptfe
heiP
li

:
s

' :':Ær'ls
li:r.du Talmud.

name, on the shore. Thus there was an "16 Azotus b
' the
sea," and an "Azutus h:pinus." There were" 16 two lanmiæ
one inland." But A!'hdod lay further from the sea thai:

aza; Yamnia, (the Yabnecl of Joshua1 7 , in Uzziah's time,
y abneh 18) further than Ashdod, The purt of Yamnia was
burnt bv Judas 19.
The 1;ame, l\Iaiumas. does not appear till Christian times,
though "the port of Gaza" is mentioned hy Strabo 20: to
it, Alexander brought from Tyre the lUaI'hines, with which
he touk Gaza itsclf21. That port then must have been at
some distance from Gaza. Each port became a town, large
enough to ha\'e, in Christian times, a llishop of its own.
The Epistle of John of Jerusalem, ill!'erted in the Acts of
the Cuuncil of Constantinop]e, A.D. 53ö, written in the name
of Palestine i., ii., and iii., is signed by a llishop of l\laiumen
of Ascalon, as well as by a Bishop of Asealon, as it is by a
lli
hop of :\Iaiumas of Gaza as well as by a Bishop of Gaza 22 .
Yablle, or Yamnia, was on a small eminenee 23 , 6i hours from
the sea 2 ,1,. The
Iaiumas Gazæ became the more known. To
it, as being Christian, Cunstantine gave the right of citizen-
ship, and called it Constantia fl'om his son, making it a
city imlellcndent of Gaza. Julian the Apostate gave to Gaza
(whieh, though it had ßishops and Martyrs, had a hea-
then temple at the beginnin
of the 5th century) its for-
mer jurisdiction (wer it, and thoug-h about 20 fudongs off,
it was {'ailed "the maritime portion of Gaza 25." It had
then{'eforth the same municipal officers; but, "as regards
the Chur('h alone," Sozomen adds," they still appear to be
two cities; ea{'h has its own Bishop and clergy, and festivals
and martyrs, and commemorations oftllOse who had been their
Bishops, and boundaries of tlte.fields around, whereby the altars
which belong to each Epis('opate are parted." The provincial
Synod det'ided against the ùesire of a Bishop of Gaza, in Sozo-
men's time, who wi
hed to bring the Clergy of the l\Iaiumites
under himself, ruJing that "although deprived of their civil
privile
'es by a heathen king, they should not be deprived
of those of the Chun'h."
In .\.D. 400, then, the two cities were distinct, not joined
or running into une another.
S. Jerome mentions it as "26 l\Iaiumas, the emporium of
Gaza, ï miles fmm the desel.t on the way to Egypt by the sea;"

ozomen speaks of "27 Gaza by the sea, which they also call
l\Iaiumas;" E,'agrius, " 28 that which they alsu call l\Iaiuma!",
whieh is over against the city Gaza," " 29 a little {'ity." )}m'k
the dea('on A.D. 421, says, "30\\'e sailed to the maritime
portion uf Gaza, which they can l\Iaiumas," and Alltouinus
l\Iartyr, about the close of the d th century, "31 we came ii'om
Asealon to l\Iazomates, and eame thence, after a mi]e, to
Gaza,-that magnificent aud lovely city." This perhaps ex-
plains how an anonymous Geographer, enumerating the
places from Egypt to Tyre, says so distinctly, "3
after
Hinoeorllra lies thc new Gaza, being- itself also a city; then
the desert Gaza," (writing, we must suppose, after some of

11 Asher note lb. T. ii. p. 99. 12 .. The name l\Iaiuma seems to be-
long to the E
yptian langua
e, and to offer the two words MA 10M" place by the sea."
Quatremère. les sultans l\lamlouks de l\1akrizi T. i. 2. App. p. 22tl.
13 J er. xlvii. 1. H See Herod. ii. 159, ItJl. and Rawlinson on ii. 182.
Herod. T. ii. p. '.!i7.
15 . A(",.,.os 7I"ápaÀos. Excerpta in Græca notitia Patriarch. in Reland p. 215. Schwarz
(di

:in

dJ: ;\)tace
tj

h
:
.
.hour r

C

.etterr
ge
ni
acc. xii. 9.
20 Strabo xvi. 2,30. p. ï59. 21 .. The engines, with which he took Tyre,
being spnt for by him, arrive from the sea." Arr. ii. 2ï. 22 Conc. T. v. 1164. Col,
p.
i

:.nd l\Iangl
:

:.ï
. 3.
6 :\
ft
a

Hh:ri

.

sfï:

,:
ï:. v.
r. Soz. vii. 21. 28 Ev. ii. 5. 39 lb. 8. JO Marcus Diac. A.D. 421,
in vita S. pOJ"phyrii, c.8. ap. Bolland. Feh_ 26.
51 !tin. B. Antonini, pp. 24, 25. 52 Hudson Geograph. Minores T. iv. P. 89.

CIlAl>TER II.

the rle
tructions of Gaza); and S. Jcromc could say equally
pn
iti\'ely ; "1 The site of thc aueicnt city scarce yields the
traccs of foundations; but the city no\v scen was built in
miother place in lieu of that wllÍeh fell."
Kcith, whu in IH-l-1 explorcd the spot, found wide-spread
traccs uf sume extinct ('itv.
"2 At seven furlun
s frõm the sca thc manifuld but minute
rcmains of an anciènt city are yct in many placcs to be
found-Innumcrahle fra
mcnts of broken pottel'Y, pieccs of
glas:o', (some bcautifully
;tained) and of polished marblc, lie
thiekly spread in every lcvcl and hollow, at a cunsiderable
elevation and various distances, on a spa('c of several square
miles. In fifty different places they profuSl'ly lic, in a Ic,'cl
!:'pace far firmer than the surruunding- sands," "from small
patchcs to more open spaccs of tweh-e or twcnty thousand
square yards." "The ohlung sand-hill,
reatly varied in
its elenltion and of an undulated surface, throug-hout which
thev ret'ur, extends to the \L and \\'. S. 'V. fmm the sea
nea;']y to the environs of the modcrn Gaza." c. In attcmpts
to cultivate the sand (in 18:32) hewn stones were found, ncar
the old port. Rcmains of an old wall reached to thc Seit.
-Ten Jar
e fragmcnts of wall were cmbeddcd in the sand.
About 2 miles off are frag-ments of another wall. Four
intcrmediate fountains still exist, ncarly entirc in a line
alon
thc eoast, doubtless pertainin
to thc alll'ient port
of Gaza. Fur a short distance inland, the déhris is Icss fre-
quent, as if marking the spaee betwcen it and the aIH'icnt
f'ity, but it a
ain becomes plcntiful in every hollow. About
half a mile from the sea we saw thrce pede!<tals uf beautiful
marble. Holes are still tu be scen ti'Olll which he\vn stones
had been tal.en."
On thc other hand, since the old Ashkelon had, like Gaza,
Jamnia, Ashdod, a sea-port town belonging to it but distinct
from itselt
(the city itself lying distinct and inland), and since
there is no space fur two towns distinct from one another,
within the circuit of the Ashkelon of the crusades, which is
Jimited by the nature of the
round, thcre seems to be no
choice but that the city of the ('rusadcs, and the present
skelcton, should ha,'e been the l\Iaiumas Ascalon, the sea-
port. The ehange might the more readily take place, since
the title "port" was oftcn omitted. The new tuwn oblite-
rated the memory of the old, as Neapolis, Nal,les, on the
shOl'e, has ta]{en })lace of the inland city (whatever its name
was), or Utrceht, it is said, has displaced thc old Ruman
town, the remains of which are three miles off at V cchten 3,
ur Sichem is callcd l\' eapolis, ]X ablous, which yct was 3 miles
otP. Er-riha is, prubably, at least the second representative
of thc ancient Jericho; the Jericho of the New Testament,
built by Herod, not being the Jericho of the prophets. The
Corcyra of Grcek history gave its name to the island; it is
re}Jla('ed by a Corfu in a different but neal' locality, which
equally gh"es its name to the island now. The name of Ye-

I
:

l";

'lived :t

:Ch

h:

t

:!:r:

i
:sm

::id
il
Pd

8
:ï;i
Vechten, where were the remains of a Roman fort. Pal. p. 105. · S. Jerome.
, Gibbon c. 35.
6 In like way Alresford, Basford, Brentford, Goole, Isleworth, must have been at one
time, New AIr. New Basford &c. but, as the more considerable, have appropriated the
name which belonged to both the old and new places.
th

W:r;:;d
f
h
'c

tx::
. J;;c
b
ei
att?ee
a

;:;

,f
l
:;r ia
:f

ù-t

cent. by d'Arvieux and Padre Malone da ''laleo Terra Santa p. 4ïl.
8 Dr. Richardson, Travels along the ]\led err. ii. p. 201.
g According to Ibn Ferat in Rcinaud Cluolliques Arabes n. xcvi. :\1ichaud, Biblioth.
des Croisades iv. 525.
10 Ab. Tab. Syriæ p.78. Köhler. -,yõ'l, a gap, openinl':, access, or an enemy's frontier,
(Frey!aj1;) "is in ordinary Arabic, used for a port, as n"'J 11>;1 . the port of Be) rom,' and
/r.)7î

Y
:

E

sh

aTih
ta

:m:r:
r
;
fD;
7bout 200 Rabbanite Jells," with the

4.j

netia migratcrl with the inhahitants of thc province, who
flcd fl"Un
Att
la, some :.m miles, to a few of the islands on
the cuast, to ùecome alrain the namc of a great republic".
In our o\\n country, "old \\'ilHhor" is said to have becn the
rcsitlcncc of the Saxon mnnarehs; thc pre
ent "ïnd
or, was
ori
ðnall\" "ncw "'indsur:" old Saru))) was the Cathedml
eit
, until the reign of Henrv iii: but, as the old towns de-
ca;-ed, the new t
wns came "to be ('allcd "ïlHI
ur, Sm'um,
though nut thc towns which first had thc namc. "'hat is
now ealled Shoreham, not many .years ago, was ealled " new
Shoreham," in di..tÍlH'tion frum thc neig-hbuuring village 6.
"'illiam of Tvre des('ribes .hhl.elon as ..7 situatcd on the
sea-shorc, in th
' form of a semi-f'irc'le, whose c'hurd ur dia-
mcter lies on the sca-shore; but its ('Îreumferenee or arc' on
the land, ]ooking- Ea
t. The whole eity lies as in a trenc'h, all
dcclining towards the sea, surruunded un all sides Lv raised
mounds, on which arc walls with numerOHS tuwers
f sulid
IlIaSOIll'Y, thc cement being hardcr than thc stone, with walls
uf due thic'kncss and of height pruportionate: it is surmuunt-
cd also with outer walls uf the same soliditv." lIe then
(kscribcs its four gates, E. N. S. towards Jer'usalem, Gaza,
Joppa, aud thc "T., callcd the sea-gate, because" by it the in-
hahitants have an egl'CSS tu the sea."
A modern traveller, whosc descTiption of the ruins C'xactly
agrees with this, says, .C 8 the walls are built on a ridg-e of
rcwks that winds round the tuwn in a semicircular directiun
and terminates at eal'll end in the sea: the ground falls with-
in thc walls in the same manner, that it does without, so that
no part of it could be seen from the outside uf the \\ ails.
There is no bay nor shelter for shippinlr, but a small harbour
advancing a little wav into the town towards its castern ex-
trcmitv seems to havé been formcd fi.lr the accommodation of
such s;nall craft as were used in the bctter davs of thc citv."
The harbour, morcover, was lar
er during the crusades, ånd
enabled Ascalon to receive supplies uf corn from Egypt and
thereby to protract its sielre. Sultan ßibars filled up the
port and cast stones into the sea, A.D. l:lïO, and destroyed
the remains of the fortifications, for fear that the Franks,
after their trcaty with the king of Tunis, shonld brin!! baek
their furecs against Islamism and establish themseh-es there 9 .
Yet Abulfeda, who wrote a few years later, calls it .. one of
the Syrian ports of Islam 10."
This city, so pla('ed on the sea, and in which too the sea
entcrs, ('annot be thc Ashkclun, which had a }>OI.t, whh'I. u-as
a town distinct from it. The ..\scalun uf the Philistines, whieh
existed down into Christian times, must ha\"e bcen inland.
Bcnjamin of Tudela in the l:lth cent. who had becn on
the spot, and who is an a('curate eycwitlless ll , says, " From
Ashdud are two parasangs to Ashkelollah 12; this is new
Ashkelon which Ezra the priest built on the sea-shore, and
they at th'st called it ßenihra 13, and it is distant frum the old
.Ashkelon, which is desolate, four parasangs." "'hcn the old

names of the chief, .. about 40 karaites, and about 300 Cuthæans" shews personal ac-
quaintance. The former name of the" new Ascalon" and the supposed distance of the
ru;
IB

j
hT

\

n

a::el

t;ni
hk
)

, as the Latins did. When speaking
himself, he says Ashkelon.
13 .. Benibra "looks like a corruption of:T'CJ "OJ, .. a place of pure water," like .. Beba-
I ten, Bedora, Beestera, Begabar" &c. in Reland. 617. sqq. The Gadite town of that name
becomes in Eus. ß7J(JJIO.ßpl,. S. Jerome has another Benamerium, N. of Zoar, now
I I\'mairah. Tristram Land of Moab p. 57. A well in Ascaloll is mentioned by Eusebius.

n
h=;e;::a
:'l :.e
:i n
m

M
;c
F*;
ea

ya:7 Xi
s

:

nf

i

t
th
.?:r:h

I in the compass of the warts, or near it; but it abounds in wells, both within and without,
I which suppJy palatable water, fit for drinking. For greater caution the inhabitants h
d
built some cisterns within, to receive rain-water." Benj. of T. also says, "There in the
I midst of the city is a well which they call Beer Ibnhim-al-khalil [the well of Abraham
the friend (of God)] which he dug in the days of the Philistines." Kcilh mentions" 20
I fountains of excellent water opened up aneW by Ibrahim Pasha." p. 2ï-l.

460

ZEPHANIAH.

C :
oÍeS T Ashkelon a desolation: they slmll drive
cir.630. out Ashdod h at the noon day, and Ekron
h ::ri5
8
' shall be rooted up.
i Ezek.25. 16. 5 ".,. oe unto the inhahitants of i the sea
('IJast, the nation of the Cherethites! the

Ashkelon perished, is unknown. If, as secms prohablc from
some of the anti(JIrities dug up, thc Al'hkelon, at which Herod
was born and which he beautificd, was the scaport town, com-
merce probably attraetcd to it gradually the inhabitants of
the ncighbouring town of Ascalon, as the population of the
Piræus now exeeeds that of Athcns.
The prcscnt Ashkelon is a ghastly skeleton; all the frame-
work of a city, but none thcre. "The soil is good," but the
"peasants who cultivate it" prefcr living outside in a small
viHage of mud-huts. exposcd to winds and sand-storms, bc-
causc they think that God has abandon cd it, and that evil
spirits (the Jiln and the Ghß.l) dwell there 1.
E,"en the remains of antiquity, where they exist, belong to
later timcs. A hundred men excavated in Ashkelon for 14
days in hopes of finding trcasure there. They dug 18 fcct
bclow the surface, and found marble shafts, a Corinthian
capital, a colossal statue with a Medusa's head 011 its chcst,
a marble pavement and white-marble pedcstal 2 . The ex-
cavation reached no Philistine Ashkelon.
"Broken pottcry," "pieces of glass," "fl'a!rmcnts of po-
lished marble" "of ancient columns, cornices &c. 3 " wcre the
relies of a Greek Gaza.
Though then it is a superfluity of fulfilmcnt, and what can
be found belongs to a later city, still what can be seen has an
impressh"e cOl'respondence with the words Gaza is forsake1l ;
fur there are milcs of fragments of some city connected with
C;aza. The prescnt Gaza oceupics the southern half of a hill
built with stone for the Muslem conquerors of Palcstine,
".j, Evcn the traces of its former cxistence, its vcstiges of anti-
quity, are vcry rare; occasional columns of marble or gray
granite, scattel'ed in the strects and gardens, or uscd as tJu'es-
holds at the gates and doors of huuscs, or laid upon the front
of watering-troughs. One fine Corinthian capital of white
marble lies inverted in the middle of the street." These be-
long thell to times later than Alexandcr, since whose days the
\"Cry s
te of Gaza must have changcd its aspect.
Ashkelon shall be a desolation. The site of the port of
Ascalon was well choscn, strong, overhanging the sea, fcnced
from the land, stretching' forth its arms towards the Medi-
terranean, as if to receive in its bosom the wealth of the sea,
yet shunned by the poor hinds arouml it. It lies in such a liv-
ing death, that it is "6 one of the most mournful scenes of
uttcr desolation" which a traveller "even in thi!oO land of ruins
e'"cr beheld." But this too cannot be the Philistine city. The
sands which are pressing hard upon the solid walls of the
city, held back by them for the time, yct threatening to O\"er-
whelm" the spouse of Syria," amI whieh accumulated in the
plain belm", must have buried the old Ashkclon, since in this
land, where the old namcs so ding to the spot, there is no
trace of it.
Ekroll shall be uprooted; and at Akîr and Esdûd "6cele-
1 !\fr. Cyril Graham in Keith p. 376. 2 Travels of Lady H. Stanhope,
iii_ 15\1-16\1. 3 Keith p, 378.
4 Robinson Travels Ü, 38. · Smith lb. p. 66 note.
6 Volney Voyage en Syrie c. 31. p. 311. Keith p. 3iO.
7 S. Jer. S Rup. U 2 Sam. xii. 12. 10 S. Luke xii, 3.
11 1 Cor. iv. 5. 12 S. Matth. xv, 13.
13 Sce on Am. ix. 7. p. 221. 14 1 Sam. xxx. 14. 15 lb. 16.
16 C'''"1:II'\M ';r,J:1 Ezek. xxv. 16. It may be that they were SO called as coming from

word of the LORD is against you; 0 k Ca- C J
oÍeS T
naan, the land of the Philistines, I will cir.630,
even destroy thee, that there shall be no It Jos. 13. 3.
inhabitant.
6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings
brated at present, for its !'corpions," the few stones, which
remain, evell of a later town, are but as gravestones to Illm'k
the burial place of dcparted greatness.
"7 In like way, all who glory in bodily strength and worldly
power and say, By tlte strength of my hand I hm'e clone it,
shall be Icft desolate and bruught to nothing in the day of
the Lord's an
cr." And" the waster," they who bv evil
words and decds injure ur destroy others and are an o'ffence
unto them, these shall be cast out shamefullv, into outer dark-
ness U B when the saints shall receive the füUest brightness"
in the mid-da.1J of the Sun of Righteousness. The jud
ement
shall not be in darkness, save to them, but in mid-day, so
that the justice of Hod shall be clcarly seen, and darkness
itself shall Le turn cd into Ii
ht, as was said to Da,"id, 9 ThOll
didst this thing secretly, bllt I will do it before all Israel and
before the slln; and uur Lord, 10'Vhatsoever ye have spoken
ill darkuess sltall be heard in the light; and that wltich ye
have spoken ill the eelr in closets s/wll be proclaimed upon tlte
hOllsetops; and St. Paul, 11 the Lord shall come, 'VItO both u'ill
bring to ligltt the ltidden things of darkness, awl will make
manifest the counsels of the heart. And" they who by sedu-
cing words in life or in doctrine uprooted others, shall be
themselvcs rooted up 12."
5. The woe having been pronounced on the five dties
apart., now falls upon the wholc nation of the Chcrethites
or Philistines. The Chcrethites are only named as equiva-
lcnt to the Phili
tines, probably as originally a distinct im-
mi
ration of the same people 13. Thc name is used by the
Eg-yptian !'lave of thc Amalckitc 140 for those whom the author
of the first book of Samuel calls Philistincs 16. Ezekiel uses
the name parallel with that of Pltilistines, with rcference to
the destruction which Gud would bring upon them 16.
The 1l'()rd of the Lord comes not to them. but upon them,
overwhelming them. To them He speaketh not in g-ood,
but in evil; not in g-race, but in anger; not in mercy, but in
vcngeance. Philistia was the first enemy of the Church. It
shewed its enmity to AhrahQm and Isaac and would fain that
they should not' sojourn among them 17. Thcy were the
hindrance that Israel should not g-o straight to the promised
land 18. "Then Israel passed the Red Sea, 19 sorrow took hold
of them. They were clusc to sah"ation in body, but far in
mind. They are callcd Canaan, as being a chief nation of
it 20, and in that name lay the original source of their des-
tructiun. Thev inheritcd the sins of Canaan and with them
his curse, prcre'I'ring the restless beating of the barren, bitter
sca on which thcv dwelt, "the waves of this troublesome
world," to bein
å part of the true Canaan. They would
absorb the Church into the world, and master it, subduing
it to the heathen Canaan, not subdue themselves to it, and
bccume part of thc heavenly Canaan.
6. The sea-coast 21 shall he dwellings and cottages, lit.
Crete as the LXX supposed, rendering" Cretans" in Ezek., and here (as also the Syr.)
.. sojourners of the Cretans." Hence perhaps also Tacitus' statement (Hist. v. 2.) that
the Jews had been expelled from Crete. The other versions render the word as an
appellative, " destroying" or" destroyed." Aq. and i, lOl'os òÀiOpwI', Theod. lOllOs
òÀ'O

"G

.

i.
o
:

Ofl

:
8.' s. Jer. f
VËsx:
1;

7.m. 19 lb. xv. 14.
20 Gen. xv. :!1.
l The words "band of the sea" are repeated with emphasis,
verso 5, 6, and the first words v. 7.

4Gl

CHAPTER II.

c J
o
es T and cottages for shepherds, I and folds

. G30:- flocks.
See Is. 17. 2.
ver. 14.
m hai. n. 11.
Mic. 4. 7.
& 5. i,8.
Hag. 1. 12.
&:1_2.
ver.9.
1\ Or,
when, 4"c.

7 And the coast s}mlJ he for m tIle rem-
nant of the house of Judah; they shall fced
thereupon; in the houscs of Ashkelon shall
they lie down in the cyening: 1\ for the

cutting-s or digging-s 1. This is the c(
ntl'al meaning of thc
word; th(
plac(
of the Cherethit(
s (tlw cutters f1}) shall hc
cheroth of !'hcplwrds, placcs which tlwy dug- up that thdr
flocks midIt bc (
ndosed thcrein. Thc trads oncc full of
fil-'hting n
cn, the scourge of Judah, should be so desolate of
its former }Jcople, as to become a she(
p-walk. Mcn of peace
should take the pla(
e of its warriors.
So the sheplwrds of the Gm,!Jd with their flocks ha\'(

entercd into posscssion of warlike nations, turning them
to tlw Gospel. They are sh(
pll(
rds, the chicf of whom is
that Good Slwpherd, 'Yho laid down His Lifc for the sheep.
And th(
:ie arc the shcep of whom He speaks, 2 Other slteep I
have, w/dch are not of tltis fold; litem also I mllst bring, mul
they shallltear .JIy Poice; and tIt ere shall be one fold and One
Shepherd.
ï. And tile coast shall be. Or probablyS, It slwll be a
portion for the remnant of tIle IlOuse of Juclall. lIe uses the
word, employed in the first assknment of the land to Israel 4 ;
and of the whole people as belon/!in
to God, "5 J aeob is the
lot of His inh(
ritance." The tract vf the sea, whi(
h, with the
rest, was assigneel to Israel, which, for its unfaithfulncss, was
selclom, even in part, possesscd, and at this time, was wholly
forfdt(
d, should be a portion for the mere remnant which
should be brought back. David used the worel in his psalm
of thanksgivin/!, when hc had brought the ark to the city of
David, how God had "6 confirmed the (
ovenant to Israel,
saying, L nto thee wiU I give the lanel of Canaan, the lot of
your inheritance;" and Asaph, 7 He cast out the Ileathell be-
fore tltem and divided to them an illheritance b!! line. It is
the reversal of the doom threatcned by Micah, 8 ThOll shalt
have none, that slwll cast a cord by lot in the congregation of
the Lord. Thc word is rt
vivcd by Ezckiel in his idcal di-
vision of the land to the restored peopl(
9. 10 TIle gifts mul
calling qf God are wit/wut repentallce. The promisc, which
had slumb(
rcd during" Israel's faithlessne!"s, should be rcnewed
to its old (
xt(
nt. "11 There is no }Jreseription against the
Church." The boat threat(
ns to sink; it is tosscd, half-
subnl(
rg(
d, by the waves; but its Lorel rebukes the u'ind and
the sea; wind and sea obey flim, and there is a great calm 12.
Fòr the remnant of the hOl/se of Jilt/aIl. Yet, who save
He in "Those hanel are human wills, could now foresec that
Judah should, like the ten tribes, rebel, be carricd captive,
allel yet, though like and worsc than ISl"ad in its sin 13, should,
unlikc Israel, be rc!'tored? The re-building- of J(
rusalem 'ras,
their enemies pleadcd, contrary to sound policy 1-1.: tll(
plea

m:Ci

ich

p
:

nd

'
bcl,:.::
id\

1
ddc
i
:
;tir;n

2 tK
:\

:
.. a feast." Abulw. thinks this not improbable, as an irregular plural. Tanchum,
.. stations of shepherds where they turn their flocks to feed and sit down to eat, or
places in wlüch they dig for watering the flocks." The climate of J udæa, however,
does not admit of underground habitations, like Nineveh, and in the country of the
Philistines flocks would be supplied by wells with trenches. No Arabic authority
sU!(gests a derivation from 'I;J1 .. nest" (as Ewald). The allusion to Cherethim would

ì'::n

i

i:s iiri

r:f

;"
;S

i'
:hi
h t
:c:h

:h
,
1

he
s:i:
... A T

Moabite stone has M
O 1. 2:>. apparently, of" a ditcli " " or moat."
2 S. John x. 16. 3 Grammatically, ''In may be either the subject or predicate.
For even in prose (Josh. xix. 29.) it is used without the article, of the sea-coast, the

for

J lORn their God shall II visit them, amI c J
oíes T
o hu'n away their ('apth-ity. dr. G31).
8
pi han' hcard the reproa('h of lUoab, D

k:.l
k.
and q the re\-i1in
s of the children of Am- 0
:
.lg
: h.
mon, whereby tlwy havc rcproal'hed my p J

.34s
02i.
pt'opIc, anù r magnificd t/U'msclccs against q
;:t
g: 8.
their honler. r :;r
'49. 1.

was for th(
tinw acccpted; fur thc n
hcllions of Jerusalcm
wcre rc('or(kd in the {'hrouiclcs of Baln.lon 16. Yet the
falling short of thc eomplcte n

toration (i(
pcndcd on thcir
o\\"n wills. (
od turncd ag-ain their captivity; but tIle!!
only, whose spirit Gvd stirred, \\"iII(
d to return. Thc tcm-
poral re!'toration was tll(
pidurc of the spiritual. They
who returned had to gh'c up lands and POs!;(
s
ions in Rahy-
lonia, and a rcmnant only ehos(
tlw land of promise at such
cost. ßabylonia was as a1tnu'th-e as Eg-ypt fornwrly.
In tlte house." of .Asltkrloll "",/(ill they lie dml'u ill tile even-
ing. Onc eity is namcd fè,r all. Tlle.1f ."llUll lie clfJ1l'U, lIP
say:o:, continuinA" thc illlal-'(
from thdr flock.;, as Isaiah, in a
like passIg-e 16, TIle .first-lmr1l of the ],vor sllUll feed, and tIff'
neec(lj sltall lie dOll'Jl ill safet!!.
The true Judah shall overs pread the world; but it too
shall only be a remnant; the,,(
shall, in safety, 17 go ill ami
out wui.fiml pasture. III tlte el'ening of the world tlwy shall
find their rest; for then also in thc time of Anti-Christ, the
Chureh :o:hall b(
but a remnant stil1.
For the Lord their God
sllUll t'iÛt tlle7ll, for Hc is the Good Sheph(
rd, "'ho came
to se(
k the one sheep whidl was lost and \\'ho !'ars of Him-
sclf, 18 I will seek tlwt which u'as lost, ami bring again t!tat
u'hich was dril"ell (lIl'a!!, and will bind up tltat wltich u'as
broken, anci will strellgtllCll tlwt 11'hich u'as sick; and 'Yho
in the end will more eomplctely turn away their capth'it!!,
hring His banished to their everlasting- home, the Paradise
from whieh they han been exiled, and separate for cver the
shcep from thc goats who now oppress and seattt
r them
abroad 19.
8. I, "20 God, 'Vho know all things, I hearci i. c., have
known within )Ie, in My mind, not anew but from eternity,
anel now I slww in eff(
ct that I know it; whereforc I !'ay
that I hcar, because I act aftcr the manner of one who })er-
ceivcth somcthing- anew." I, the just Judge, heard 21. H('
was })n
scnt and Ilem'd, even when, bc{'aus(
He m-enged not.
He seemcd not to hear, but laid it up in store with Him to
avenc:p in the due tinw 22 .
The reproach of
"'Ioah and tI,e reviling of the children
of Ammon, u'hereb.1f tile!! Iwt'e repmached J.1I.y people. ßoth
words, reproached, reviled, mcan, primarily, cutting speeehes;
both are intensive, and arc useel of blaspheming God as Ull-
abk to hclp IIi!; pcople, or reviling His p('ople as forsaken
by Him. If din'ctcd against man. tlwy are dirct'ted against
God throug-h man. So David interprett
d thc taunt of Go-
liah, 23 reviled tlte armies of the living God, and the Philistint,
mention of the sea having preceded, .. tbe goings fortb thereof were to tbe sea,
Jr:::! to
l\1izpeh." "\ et there is no emphasis in the repetition of the word from the precedm

verse. The LXX renders "
n as the subject, th,:.Ch. Yul
. as the predica
e.
4 .. The ten portions of Manasseh ;" Josh. xvn. 6. .. \\ h}' hast thou I!;lven me one
lot and one portion?" lb. 14. .. out of the portion of the children of Judah was the in_
heritance of the children of Simeon." lb. xix. U. 5 Deut. xxxii. U.
6 1 Chr. xvi. 18. Ps. cv. ll. 7 Ps. Ixxviii. 55. S Mic. ii. 5.
9 Ezek. xlvii_ 13. 10 Rom. xi. 29. 11 .. Nullum tempus ecclesiæ," thouJ!h
said of its property. I
S. Matt. viii. 2(j, 27. 13 Jer. iii. 8-11. Ezek.
xvi. 46-52. xxiii.H. 14 Ezra ix. 12-16. 16 lb. lU-22.
16 Is. iv. 30. Ii S. John x. 9. IS E7ek. xxxiv. 16. 19 lb. 17-19.
20 Dion. 21 See Is. xvi. 6. J er. xlviii. 3!I. Ezek. xxxv. 12, 13.

Deut, xxxii. 34, 35. :g 1 Sam. xvii. 2G, 3G, 45. coll. 10.25.

4G2

ZEPHA
IAH.

(
ursed David h." Ids gods 1 . In a P
alm David complains, 'Jthe
reproaclles of tliem that reproached Tliee are fallen upon me;
anel a Psalm whil'h cannot be lat(
r than David, silwe it de-
c1are
the :aational inno('(
n('y from idolatry, (
onneets with
their d(
fcat
, the voice of him 3 that reproacheth and blas-
lJlmneilt (joining the two words used here). The sons of
Corah say, 4, with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproarh
me, while they say daily unto me, wllere is thy God? So
Asaph, 6 The encm.'1 hath reproached, the foolish people hath
blaspllemed Thy lYame; and, 6 we are become a reproach to
ollr neighbours. TVherefure should tIle heathen say, where is
t heir God? render unto OIlr neigMj(Jltrs-the reproach wllere-
with tllCY have reproached Thee, 0 Lord. And Ethan, 7 Re-
member, Lord, the reproach of TIi.,! servants-wherewitlt Tlâne
l'Ilemies have reproached, 0 Lw'd, u'lierewith tlley have re-
proacllCd the footsteps of Thine Anointed.
In history the repeated blasphemies of Sennacl)(
rih and
his messeng-ers are exprt
ssed by the same word
. In earli(
r
times the remarkable concession of J ephthah, 8 TVilt not illOU
possess what CllCuwsh th.,! god giveth tllee to possess? so
1l'lwmsoev.er the Lord our God SIUll! drive out before us, tllem
will we possess, implies that the Anllllonit(
s claimed thcir
land as the gift of their g-od Chemosh, and that that war was,
as that lat(
r by S(
nnacherib, waged in the name of the false
god against the True.
The relations of h'racl to l\Ioah and Ammon have been so
habitually misrepresent(
d, that a rcview of those relations
throug-hout thdr whol(
history may ('orrect some wrong
impressions. TI)(
first relations of Israel towards them were
ev(
n tender. Goel n
mind(
d His p(
ople of their eommon
relationship and forbade him (
ven to take the straight road
to his own futurt
possessions, across their land ag-ainst their
will. 9 Distress tltem ?lot, nor contcnd with illem, it is saiel of
eal'h,fur I will not give thee of their land for a possession; for
I have given it unto the clâ/dren of Lot for a possession.
I dolat(
rs and hostile as they were, yet, for thdr father's
salie, their titl(
to their land had the same sacreel sanetion,
as hrael's to his. I, God says, Iwve given it to them as a
posses.sion. h'racl, to their own manifest inconvenience, 10 went
along through the wilderness, and compassed ille land of Edmn,
and the land of 1lIoab, hilt came not within tile horder of lJloab.
By destroying Sihon king- of the Amol'Ïtes and Og- king- of
ßashan, Israel removed fonnidahle enemies, who had driven
l\Ioab and .Ammon out of a portion of the land which they
had cOIHluercd from the Zamzummim anel Anakim ll , and who
threat(
ned the remainder. 12 Israel dwelt in all the cities of
the Anwrites.
I1eshbon, Dihon, Jahaz, Medeba, Nophah were cities in the
laud of the Amorites, in which Ismel dwelt. The exclusion
of ?,Ioah and Ammon from the conp:regation of the Lord to
the t(
nth generation 13 was not, of cours(
, from any national
antipathy, but intended to prevent a debasing- intercourse;
a necessary pn
caution against the s(
nsuousness of their
idolatries. l\loab was the first 14 in adopting the satanic
policy of ßalaam, to spduee Israel by sensuality to their
idolatries; but tlw punishment was appointed to the partners
of their
uilt, the l\Iidianites I5 , not to l\Ioab. Yet l\Ioab was
the second nation, whose amhition God overruled to chastt
n
His people's idolatries. Eg'lon, hing of l\Ioab, united with
1 1 Sam. xvii. 4.3.
Ps. lxix. 10 (9). 3 lb. xliv. 16 (17).
< lb. xlii. 10. Ii lb. lxxiv. 10, 18. ø lb. hxix. 4, 10, 12.
ï lb. Ixxxix. 50, 51. · J ud. xi. 2.J,.
9 Dcut. ii. 9, HI. 10 J ud. xi. 18. 11 Deut. ii. 10, 20, 21.
1
::-;u. xxi. 25, 31. 13 Deut. xxiii. 3. 1< Nu. xxv. 1, 3. The rank of the
!\lidianitish lady who gave herself as a partner of the sin of the Simeonite cruef (lb.
6, 14, 1;;, 18.) .hews how mnch store the :\lidianitcs set on that seduction.

himself Ammon and Amal(
k against I srael. The ohjed ofthe
inva!olion was, not the re(
overy of the eountry which Moab
had lost to the Amorites but, Palestine prop(
r. The strength
of l\Ioab was apl'arently not suffieient to occupy the territory
of R(
uben. TIJ(
y took possession only of tile cit,7J of palm
trees 16; either the ruins of Jericho or a spot dose by it; with
the view apparently of receiving reinforc(
ments or of s(
(
u-
I'ing- thdr own retreat by the ford. This garrison enabled
them to (
arry their forays over lsrad, and to hold it en-
slaved for 18 y(
ars. The oppressiveness of this slavery is
impli(
d by the (
ry and ('nnv(
rsion of Israd to the Lord,
which was always in great distress. The memory of Eg-lon,
as one of the oppressors of Israel, liV(
el in the minds of the
people in the days of Samucl 17 . In the end, this preeaution
of l\Ioah turned to its own rl(
stl"l1('tion; for, after Eglon was
slain, Ephraim, under Ehud, took. the fords, and the whole
garrison, IO,(XJO of l\Ioab's warriors, 18evn:1I stroug mall alld
ever.1! man of might, were intercepted in their retreat and pe-
rislJ(
d. For a long tinw after this, we }l(
ar of no fresh in-
vasion by Moab. The trans-Jordanic tribes n
mained in
Ulliluestioned possession of their land for 300 years 19, when
Ammon, not l\Ioab, rais(
d the claim, 20 Israel took away m.1!
laud, although daiming the land down to the Arnon, and al-
n
ady bdng in possession of the Southernmost portion of that
land, Al'oer, sill(
e Israel smote him f/"(Jm Aroer unto JJlill-
nith 21. The land then, according to a law reeognised by
nations, belonged by a twofold right to Israel; I) that it had
heen won, n(lt from Moab, but fi'OIn the conquerors of l\Ioab,
the rig-ht of Moab having pa..-sed to its eonqm
rors 22; 2) that
undisputed and unbroken POss(
ssion " for time inmwmorial "
as we say, 300 years, oug-ht not to be disputcd 23. The defeat
by J (
phthah stilled them for near 50 years till the beginning
of Saul's reign, when they refus(
d the offer of the melt of
Jahesh-Gilead to serve them, and, with a mixtun
of inso-
lence and savagery, annexed as a (
ondition of a(
cel}ting that
entire submission, 24 that I ma!! tlirust out all.lIour right eyes,
to lay it as a reproach to Israel. The sig-nal vil,tory of Saul 2õ
still did not prevent Ammon, as well as l\Ioab, from being
among tlw enemies whom Saul worsted 26 . The term enemies
implies that tliey were the assailants. The history of Naomi
shews thdr prosperous condition, that the famine, whi(
h de-
solated Judah 27, did not rea(
h them, and that they w(
re a
prosp(
rous land, at pea(
(
, at that time, with Israel. If all
the links of the g(
nealog-y are preserV(
d28, Jesse, David's
fatlwr., was grandson of a l\Ioabit(
ss, Ruth, and perhaps on
this ground David entrustt
d his parents to the eare of the
king of :l\loab 29. Sacred history gives no hint, what was the
cause of his terrihle execution upon l\Ioab. But a Psalm of
David speaks to God of some blow, under which Israel had
reeled. 30 0 God, Tlwu Iwst ah/wrred us, and broken us in
pieces; Tlwu Iiast bent wroth: Tlwlt hast made the land to
tremble and cloven it asunder; heal its breaches, for it shaketh;
Thou hast shell'ed Tliy IJeople a hard thing, ThOll hast made
it drink wine of reeling; and thereon David expresses his
('onfidence that God would humble l\Ioah, Edom, Philistia.
'Yhile Davi{l then was engaged in tlw war with the Syrians
(If l\Iesopotamia and Zohah 31 , l\Ioab must have combined with
Edol1l in an aggressive war against Israel. The valley of
salt 32, where J oab returned and defeated thcm, was probably
15 lb. 17. and xxxi. 16 J nd. iii. 13. 17 1 Sam. xii. 9. IS J ud. üi. 29.
19 I b. xi. 2G. 20 lb. 13. 21 lb. 33. 22 Grotins de jure belli et
pacis, iii. c. vi. n. vii. and notes. 23 Id. lb. ii. c. iv. n. ii. and ix. amI not
.
2' 1 Sam. xi. I, 2. 2. Ib.ll. 26 V'I:"1:!, not, "vexed." lb. xiv. 47. 2; Ruth I: 1.
28 lb. iv. 21, 22. 29 1 Sam. xxii. 3, 4. 3u Ps. Ix. 3-5. 31 lb. tIt.
32 It was probably the narrow vallcy some three miles 10nK between the Northern end
of that remarkable salt mouutaiu, the J ebd or Kè ,ism U òdUlU olnd the dead sea. See

CIIA P fER II.

4G3

within Judah, since the ci(11 of ,wft l was onc of the six cities
of the wild(
rnc"s. Since they had defeated Judah, th(
y must
have been overtaken there on their retuI"I1 2.
Yet this too was a religious war. "Tholl," David !'ays 3,
"hast given a hanner to tltem tlwt fear Tltee, to be l"ai:;(
d
aloft b(
('au!oOe of the truth."
There is no traelition, that the kindred p,.alm of the sons
of Corah, Psalm xliv, bdongs to the same tinw. Yet the pro-
te:;tations to God of the entil'e absence of idolatry could lIot
, have been made at any time later than the early years of
Solomon. Ev(
n were there )Ia(
eabee Psalms, the l\Ia('eabees
,,'ere but a handful amon
apostates. They could not have
pleaded the national freedom from unfaithfulne
s to God,
nor, execpt in two subordinate and selt:'wiIl(
d expeditions.,
were tlwy elefeated. Cnd(
r the Per,.ian rul(
, there were no
armies nor wars; no immllllity from idolatry in the later his-
tory of Judah. Judah did not in IIezekiah's time go out
against Assyria; the one battle, in which Josiah was slain,
ended the resistance to Ep:ypt. Defeat was, at the date of
this Psalm, new and surprising", in contrast with God's deli-
veranees of old 5; yet the inroad, by whieh they had suffered,
was one of spoiling 6, not of subdual. Yet this too wa,. a re-
ligious war, from their Ilcighbours. They 'Hre slain for the
sake of God 7, they were covered with shame on account of
the reproaches anel bla!;phemi(
s 8 of those who triumphed
over God, as powerless to help; they were a scorn and de-
rision to the petty nations around them. It i!oO a Psalm of
unshaken faith amid great prostration: it describes in detail
what the lxth Psalm sums up in sin/!le heavy words of im-
agery; but both alike complain to Goel of what His p(
ople
had to suffer for His sake.
The insolenee of .Ammon in answer to David's me!'sap:e of
kindness to their uew kinp:, like that to the m(
n of Jabesh
Gilead, seems lik(
a deliberate purpose to create hostilities.
The relations of the previous king of Ammon to David, had
been kind II, perhaps, because David being a fug-itive from
Israel, they supposed him to be Saul's euemy. The enmity
orig-inated, not with the new king, but with the princes of tlte
childrell of Ammon 10. David's treatment of these nations 11
is so unlike his treatment of any others whom he def(
ated,
that it implies an internecine warÜlre, in whieh the safety
of Israel could only be secured by the destruction of its
as!'ailants.
)Iesha king of Moab records one war, and alludes to others,
not mentioned in Holy Seripture. He says, that b(
fore his
own time, "Omri, king of hrael, affii(
ted l\Ioab many days ;"
that" his son [Ahab] suc(
eeded him, and he too said, 'I will
affiid l\Ioab.''' This atHietion he explains to be that " 19 0 mr i

u
h
t
!
d
'
u;
:
haili

eL

dcoO:'i

;;b'ì
8fr
:.q
f

:

:: R

)

il
n
s

A tower placed here would command the entrance of the valley of salt, &.nd this may
well have been the site of the cU.'I of salt. I J os. xv. ü2.

Seetzen guessed (Reisen ii. 85ü) and Robinson considered it certain (ii. 109) that" the
:

ju
æs:.lt '
:
s :

i:i
rs

re
f
f
:
r
:

t:ri:? (ì

;:
:.e;55

:d
ït
0

h
the word 11'1 is twice used of as large valley; (1) thc valley over against Baal Peor, where
all Israel was encamped Deut. iii. 29, iv. 411; 2) that of Zephathah, where Asa, with
r: eh

:

uOI
e

:e

í:
e

;
å
!1 aW

r

O'

I

;. ChJ:

sion, SoutE of the dead Sea down to the Red Sea, had, in the time of Moses, the same title
as now, the" Arabah," Deut. i. 1. ii. 8. iii. The space. near the Dead Sea, which is salt,

e; :
:

o

r
:
:t=
n
-
:VTh'!
e
'{
=
:
I
!tÏ:
isP
t;;
:st!

fa

le

e6
;
10 miles from N. to S. Taug
t by the experience of M. de Saulcy, we made no attempt

o;
ti
t
:f

?Õad.dî;
dt
f I.
:ei.

ì
):e '
Th:î::
s

f
h
S
b'kh
i:

salt, but rich and fertile" (Id. p. 338). See de Saulcy Voyage en Syrie &c. p. 248-256.
3 Ps.lx. 4. <I1\1acc. v. 5ß-60. 67. · Ps. xliv.I-S.

lb. 10, 12. 7 lb. 22. sib. 13, U. 92 Sam. x. 2. 3.
1( Ib.3. 11 lb. ,iii. 2. xii. 31. l'ICJ1,
j'1IInll "1.."1/.,.,'1
U This lies in the word 171'1.

po!'s(
ssed himsdfof the land of ..\fedeba" [expellinp:13, it is
implicd, its former ul'cupier
]
'and that" (appan
ntly, I
-
radIo).) "dwelt therein," .. [in his days and in] the days of his
,"on forty years." He was also in pus,.es,.ion of !\ebo, ami
"the kinp: of Israel" (apparcntly Omri,) ,. Imil:t] J ahaz and
dwelt in it, when he mad(
war \\ ith lIIe. 15 " Jahaz was near
Dibon. In the tinw of Eusebius, it was still "pointed out be-
tween Dibon <Ilul )Iedeba 16." l\le!oOha savs, "And I took it to
annex it to Diblln." It (
ould not, ac(
c;rding to l\f('sha also,
have been S. of the .\rnon, sinee Aroer lay hetween Dihon and
the Arnon, and Mesha would nllt have anm
'i:cd to ))ibon a
town beyond tlw deep anel diffi(
ult ravine of the Arnon, with
Aroer lying between them. It was certainly X. of the .\rnon,
sinee IsmcJ was not permitted to {'Ollie within the horder of
1\Ioah, but it was at .Jahaz that Sihon met them and fought
the battle in which Israel defeated him and g-ained l'o,.ses-
sion of his land, from the Amolt to tlte Jllhl)(Jk 17. It i
said
also that 18lsrllel dwelt ilt t!ie Illnd of tlte AmorÏies from Aroer
which is Olt tlte edge of the river Ar1ton 111 , and the city Widel, is
in the rh'er 20 llnto Gilead. 21Aroer on the edge of the river
Arlloll, and the ci(1/ ll'lIÍch Ü in the rh'er Arnon, again occur
in describing the southel"ll bord(
r of Reuben, among whose
towns Jahaz is mentioned, with ß(
th-ßaal-l\Ieon and Kiria-
thaim. whidl have been identifieel.
Thé atflieting" then of :\Ioab by Omri, ac(
ordin/! to I\fesha,
eonsi,.ted in thi
, that he reem-ered to I
rael a portion of the
allotnwnt of Reuhen, between 9 and 10 hours in 1(
ngth2
from
N. to S., of whieh, in the time of h:racl's weakness through
the civil wars whieh followed on Jeroboam's revolt, 1\Ioab
mU8t have dispo,.se!oOsed Reuben. Reuben had remained in
undisturbed possession of it, from the first expul..ion of the
AUlOrites to the time at least of Rehoboam, about five hun-
dred years 23. "Thc men of Gad" ,"till "dwelt in Ataroth,"

\le;;IJa says, "from time immemorial."
The picture, whic'h )Iesha g-iv(
s, is of a desolation of the
southern portion of Reub(
n. For," I n
built," he say
, "ßaal-
)Ieon, Kiriathaim, .\roer, ßeth-bamoth, ßezer, ß(
th-Dibla-
thaim, ßeth-baal-l\Ieon." Of ßeth-ßamoth, and probably of
ßezer, )Iesha says, that they had previously heen dc,.troyed 2 j..
ßut Reub(
n would not, of cours(
, de!'troy his own cities.
They mu
t then have been destroyed either by l\lesha's father,
who' reig-ll(
d before him, when i
vading R(
uben, or by Omri,
when driving bac'k Moab into his own land, anel expelling
him from these cities. Possihly they were di
mantled only,
since l\Jesha speaks only of Omri's occupying )Jedeba, Ata-
roth, anel J ahaz. He held these thre(
cities only, leaving the
rest dismantled, or di
mal1tling them, unabl(
to place dc-
f(
l1ders in them, and ullwilling to leave them as places of ag-
1< A gap in the broken stone probably contained the subject. I see that Schlottman also
supplied, " Israel"; Dr. Ginsburg conjectured, less probably, "the enemy."
10 In this place only Mesha speaks of the king of Israel's war with him in the past.
Elsewhere he sreaks of himself only as being on the offensive. "I fought against the
I

e'
f
t
fït
a
I';slafO;!r

I
a:h:t

e

o
't
:rL' fight against Horonailll."
I 16 S. Jerome de situ foc. Hebr. Opp. iii. 230, V. 'I<ITITCc, "Jassa, where Sihon king of the
I A

h
sr

sa
t._
raayr ("II

)
h
À

-:t.the Scriptures:s8

'::'the edge
I of the precipice." Burckhardt, travels in Syria p. 372.

o "Near the confluence of the Ledjoum and the l\1ojeb" [Arnonl "about I mile E.
of the brid
e across the l\fojcb, there seems to be a fine verdant pasture jl:'round, in the
midst of which stands a hill with some ruins upon it." Burckhardt lb. 373, 4.
I
I Josh. xiii.I6, 18.
12 The distance is taken from Porter's Hand-book pp. 2W-801.
= !.
\
i
B

:_B

3,

i:
:i
sti:
y
:hi

f
lvB
z
:.rfu

!o['ih

i

n-
.iecture. There are only two letters, which may be "11 or 111. perhaps :1I1l "forsaken 'J
i IUJ probably, in such simple Hebrew, signifies, in rellard to all the to'wns, built. It
is the one word used of the king of Israel and of 1\1 esha, .. he built;" .. I built,"
I although it is rarely used of building on to existing towns and fortifying them.

}

s

iIYï

;

. :

re!i

:

o

re used of re-building; since the cause

4G-l

ZEPHXXI.AII.

grcssion for Moah. But wll(
thcr tlwy ever werc fortified
towns at all, or how thcy w(
n
dcsulatcd, is mere conjecture.
Onlv they \n
n
dcsolated in tlwsc wars.
B'ut it 'appcars from l\lesha's own statcnwnt, that ndtlwr
Omri nor Ahab invadcd
Ioab propcr. For in sp(
aking of
his s\w(
es:;ful war and its results, hc mcntions no town S. of
tlw .Arnon. II(
must havc been a tributary king, but not a
foot of his land was taken. The subselluent war was not a
m(
re rcvolt, nor was it a mere n
fusal to pay tribut(
, of which
l\h
sha makes no complaint. l\' or could tll(
trihutc havc becn
oppressive to him, since the spoils, left in thc (
IU'ampment of

loab and his aHic!; slwrtly aft(
r his revolt, is evid(
lwc of
sudl grcat \n
alth. Thc rcfusal to pay tribute would ha\"c
involveel nothing furthcr, unl(
ss AhazÍah had attemptcd to
enforce it, as Hczekiah rcfus(
d the tribute to Assyria, but re-
mained in his own bord(
rs. But Ahaziah, unlike his brother
Jchoram who succeeded him, seems to have undertak(
n no-
thing, cxccpt the building of some ships for trade I. !\lesha's
war was a n
newal of the aggn
ssion on Reub(
n.
Heshbon is not nwntiOlwd, and th(
rdore must, even after
tlw war, havc rcmained with R(
ub(
n.
l\h
sha's own war was an exterminating war, as far as he
records it. "J fought against thc city," [Ataroth], lw says,
"and tool, it, and killcd all the mig-hty of the eity for the
wdl-pl(
asing of Chelllosh and of Moab; " " I fou
ht against
it [l\'cbo] from brcak of day till noon and took it, and slew
all of it, 7000 men; tlw ladies aud maidcns I d(
votcd to Ash-
tar Chemosh ;" to be des(
(
rat(
el to the degradations of that
sensual idolatry. The words too" 2 Israel perislwd with an
en
rlasting dcstruction" stand clear, whctlwr tlwy express
l\Iesha's conviction of thc past or his hope of the future.
The war also, on the part of Moab, was a war of his idol
Chemosh against God. Chemosh, from first to last, is thc
agent. "Chcmosh was angry with his land;" "Chcmosh
[was pleased] with it in my days;" " I killcd the mighty for
the well-plcasing of Chcmosh;" "I took captivc thenec all
[ ] and dragged it along bdore ChclUosh at Kiriath;"
"Chemosh said to me, Go and takc l\' eho against I !oJracl ; " "I
devoted tlw ladies and maidens to .\shtar-.ChclUosh;"" I took
thencc the v(
sscls of IH'TH and dragg(
d 3 thcm bd'on
Che-
mosh;" "ClwlUosh drovc him [the king of Israd] out before
[my fa(
e] ;" .. Chenlllsh said to me, Go down against Horo-
naim." "Clwmosh [ ] it in my days."
Contemporary with this aggre
sive war against Israd must
have becn tlw im-asion by .J.tlæ children of JIo((v and tlte
childre,l of Ammon, the great mllltitllde from he.I!0111l the sea,
fmm Syria, in the reign of Jehoshaphat, whieh brought SUdl
terror upon Judah. It prc('cdcd the ill\'asion of
loab by
Jehoshaphat in union with Jelwram and the king of Edom.
For the invasion of Judah by Moab and Ammon took pla('e,
while Ahab's son, Ahaziah, was "till living. For it was l{fter
tltis, that Jehoshaphat joined with Ahaziah in maldng ships
to go to Tarshish 5. But thc expedition ag-ainst !\loab was
in union with Jehoram ,,-ho suecccdcd .Ahaziah. The abun-
dance of wealth which the invael(
rs of Judah brought with
them, and the precious jewels with which tll(
y had adorned
themselvcs, shew that this was no mcre marauding expedi-
tion, to spoil; but that its obj(
d was, to take POss(
ssion of
the land or at least of some portion of it. They eame by

1 2 Chr. xx. 35, 36. 2 A break in the stone leaves the subject uncertain, "In
my day said [ ], and I will look upon him and upon his house, and Israel per-

1

I
:.!
hr:
d

r

snir ::;
r;

,

h

r;;:-]h
i

tÑ:
j,

:-W'ri

f;h

hI

i=
man, Nöldeke, and Ginsburg, as future, ':JH, thouKh Ginsburg alone renders, .. And
hrael said, I shall destroy it for ever," which is impossible. 3 The word in

entire surprise on JdlO!'haphat, who heard of th(
m first wIlen
they wen
at Hazazon-Tamar or Eng-cdi, somc a6! miles
from J(
rusalem 6. He felt himsclf entirely unequal to meet
them, anel cast himself upon God. Tlwrc was a day of pub-
li(
humiliation of Judah at Jerusalem. 7 Ollt of all tile cities
I of Jlldah they came to seek the Lord. JchosÎtaphat, in his
I public prayer, oWIU
d, 8we have no might agaiust tltis great
I cOll/pall.1! w/âch cometlt against us; neither k . uow we u,lwt tu
do; hut ollr e.l/es are upon Tllee. H(
appeals to God, that
H(
had forbiddcn Israd to invade Ammon, Moab, and Mount
Scir, so that they turned away from them and dcstroyeel
tll(
m not; and now these rewarded tll(
m by" 9 coming to
cast us out of Thy POss(
ssion whi(
h Thou hast given us
to inherit." One of the sons of .A!oòaph foretold to the con-
gl'cgation, that they mig-ht go out f(
arlessly; for tlwy should
not have occasion to fight. A Psalm, as('rib(
d to Asaph, re-
, (
ords a great invasion, the objcct of which was the exter-
I mination of Israel. IOThey have said; Come and let us CIlt them
I qff'from being lL nation, that the name of Israel may he no
more ill rememhrauce. It had b(
cn a secn
t confederacy.
llThe,l1 have taken craft.l/ couusel agaiust 111.'1/ people. It was
, dirccteel against God Himself, i. e. His worship and worship-
I pel's. 12 For tlley have taken counsel in Ileart together; agaimt
I Thee do tllep make a covenant. It was a combination of
I the surrouneling petty nations; Tyre on the N., the Philis-
tines on the 'Y.; on the South the Amalekites, Ishmaelites,
, Hagarenes; Eastwards, Edom, Gebal, l\Ioab, Ammon. But
its most characteristi(
feature was, that Assur (this corres-
ponds with no period after JdlOshaphat) occupies a subordi-
nate place to Edom and !\loab, putting tlwm forward and
helping tltem. A,
sllr also, Asaph sayslS, isjoined with them;
tlle.1! have hecome all arm to the clâldren of Lot. This agrees
with the des(
ription, there is come against thee a great multi-
tude from he.l!oud the sea, from Syria.
Scripture does not record. on what ground the invasion
of Moab by Jchoram and JdlOshaphat, with the tributary
king of Edmn, was dircd(
d against l\Ioab proper; but it
was the result doubtl(
ss of the double war of .Moab against
R(
uhen and against Judah. It was a war, in which the
streng-th of Israel and l\Ioab was put forth to th(
utmost.
Jehoram Iwel mu!oòtereel all brad u; !\loab had gathen
d all
who had readied the age of manhood and upwards, 15 el'er.1!
one wllO girded on a girdle awl upwards. Tht' three armies,
which had made a seven days' circuit in the wildcrness, were
on the point of p(
rishing by thirst and falling into the hands
of Moab, when Eli!oòha in God's namc promised them the
supply of thdr want, and t'ompletc victory over !\loab. The
eager cupidity of l\Ioab, as of many other armies, became
the O(
(
asion of his complde overthrolV. The counsel with
whidl Elisha accompanieel his predietion, 16ye shall smite
eL'O:1! fenced city and every choice citp, aud every good tree
ye shall fell, and all springs of water ye shall stop up, and
every good piece of land ye shall waste with stones, was di-
rected, apparently, to dislodge an cncmy so inveterate. For
water was essential to the f(
rtility of their lanel and their
dwelling there. 'Ve hear of no spedal infliction of death,
like what l\Iesha n
cords of himself. The war was ended
by thc king of l\Ioab's sacrificing the heir-apparent of the
king of Edom l7 , which naturally created great displeasure

Hebrew is used of contumelious dra!!
jng along the ground. 4 2 Chr. xx. I, 2.
sIb. 35, 3ü. "And afte,' tllis did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with
Ahaziah." 6 300 stadia. J 08. Ant. ix. 1. 2.
7 2 Chr. xx. 4. 8 lb. 13. 9 lb. 10. 10 Ps. lxxxiii. 4.
11 lb. 3. 1
lb. 5. 13 Ib.8. 1< 2 Kgs. iii. 6.
15 lb. 21. 16 lb. 19. 17 See ab. on Am. ii. 12. p. lïO.

CHAPTER II.

against Isracl, in whose cause Edom thus suffered, so that
they d(
part(
d to their own land anel finally re\'olted.
Their d('parture apparcntly broke up the siegc of .Ar and
the exp(
dition. Israel apparently was not strong- enou
h
to carryon the war without Edom, or fcared to remain with
their armies away from thcir own land, as in th(
timc of
David, of which Edom might take the advantagc. 'Ve know
onlv the result.
l\Ioab prohahly evcn extt
nd.ed her border to the South by
the (
onquest of Horonailll l .
After this, Moab is mentioned onlv on occasion of tht>
mirade of the deadman, to whom God gavc lif(
, when cast
into Elisha's sepulchre, as he eame in contact with his bones.
Lik(
the ßedawecn now, or the Amal(
kites of old, 2 ti,e bawls
of lIIoab came into the land, as the year cmne. Plunder, year
b\" Year, was the lot of Israel at the hands of Moab.
. Õn the Ea
t of Jordan, Israel must have r(
mained in part
(as Mesha says of the Gaelitcs of Aroer) in their old bordcr.
For after this, Hazael, in Jehu's rdg-n, smote Israel 3 froln
Aroer which is b!1 the river Amon; and at that time pro-
bably Ammon joined with him in the ext(
rminating war in
Gilead, destroying life before it had come into the world,
tlwt the.1I might enlarge their border 4. Jeroboam ii, ß. C.
B25, restored Israel to the sea of the plain 5, i. e., the d(
ad
sea, and, (as seems probable from the limitation of that t(
rlll
in Deut(
ronomy6, under Asluloth-Pisgah Eastwards) to its
Northern extremity, lowcr in latitude than H(
shbon, yet above
Ncbo and .Medcha, leaving a(
eordingly to .Moab all whieh
it had gained by 1\lt
sha. Uzziah, a few years latcr, made
the Ammonites tributaries 7 ß. C. 810. But 40 years later
D. C. iii, Pul, and, after yet another 30 years, i40, Tig-lath-
pileser having carried away the trans-jordanic tribes 8, Moab
again possesscd itsdf of th(
wholc territory of Reuben. Pro-
bably before. For B.C. 726, when Isaiah foretold that v the
glory of Jloab should be contemned with all that {ireat 'IIlulti-
tude, he h(
ars the wailing of !\loab throughout all his towns,
and names all those which had once been Reuben's and of
whosc ('onquest or possession Moab had boasted 10, Nebo,
Medeba, Dibon, Jahaz, Baiitb; as also those not conquered
then, 11 I1eshbon, Elealeh; and those of Moab proper, Lu-
hith, Horonaim, and its capitals, Ar-Moab and Kir-Moab.
Hc hears their sorrow, sees their desolation and bewails
with their we(
ping 12. He had prophesied this hefore 13, and
now, three years 14 before its fulfilment by Tiglath-Pilcil'er,
he renen's it. This tender sorrow for !\loab has more the
character of an elegy than of a denunciation; so that he could
sean
ely lament more tt
ndcrly the ruin of his own peopl(
. Hc
mentions also distinctly no sin there except pride. The pridc
of 1\1 oab seems somcthing of common notoriety and spe(
ch.
TVe hal'e Ileard 15. Isaiah accumulat('s words, to (
xpress the
haughtine..s of .:\Ioab; the pride of JfoalJ; e:rceedi/l{{ proud;
/lÍs pride and his hauglltilless and his wrath 16, pride over-
passing- bounds, upon others. His words seem to be formcd I
so as to keep this one barcd thou
ht before us, as if we
were to say Hpridc, prideful, proudness, pridefulness;" and I
withal the unf'uhstantialness of it all, the ullsub,
t(l/ztiality of
ltis lies 17 . Pridc is the source of all amhition ; so l\1oab is pic-
tUn
d as retiring within her old bounds, the fords of Aru(J7/,
anel thence asking for aid; her petition is met by the eoun-

I This is marked on tbe Moabite stone, as a subsequent and distinct expedition.
2 2 Kr:s. xiii. 20. 3 lb. x. 33. 4 See on Amos i. l
, p. W8.
6 2 Kgs. xvi. 25. e Deut. iii. 17. j 2 Chr. xxvi. 8.
8 1 Chr. v. 26. >> Is. xvi. 14. 10 lb. xv. I, 2,4.
II lb. 4, 5. 1. t2 lb. xvi. 9.
13 .. That the prophecy must be (rom any other older prophet, is an inference (rom
PART V.

4(j;'j

ter-pl'tition, that, if she would be protcctcd in the day of
troublc, the out-casts of Israd mig-ht lodge with tU'r now: be
tholt a covert to her fl"Om tlu' face of the spoiler 18. The pro-
ph(
I'Y se(
nis to mark itself out as bdonrrin
to a time, after
thc two and a half tribes had been desolated, as stra
glers
sl)u
ht rd'u!!'c in Moah, and whcn a s(
verc infliction was to
come on )1 nab: the IV rem1ltl1lt shall bc small, small not {(reat.
Yet ì\J oab re(
overed this too. It was a w(
ak(
ning- of the
nation, not its de!'truction.
ome 126 years after the pro-
ptwcy of Isaiah, :30 years after the prlll'h('(
y of Zephaniah.
Moab, in thc time of J('n
miah, was in entirc prosperity, as
if 110 dsitation had ever comc upon her. 'Vhat Z(
l'haniah
sap, of the IlIxuriousll(
sS of his people, Jen
lIIiah says of
1\1 (lab; 20.JIoab is one at ease from his yout It; he is re,
tiug on
/âs lees; aml he hatlt not becn emptied from ve,
sel to vessel,
neitlwr hath he goue iuto captivity. 21 They sa,lI, lVe are
llligMy ami stroug men for the war. l\1oab was 22 a .
troll{i
str!tt; a lJeaut
ful rod; 23 he magnified himself agaimt the Lord;
2
Israel was a derision to him; he .
kippedf(Jr jO.'1 at his distress.
Jel'emiah repeats and even streng-thens Isaiah's description
of his pride; 25 his pride, proud, he repeats, exce('ding(l/; his
lr
ftilless, ag-ain /tis pride, his arrog(mry, and tlte h(llIgMines,

of his heart. Its strong holds 26 were unharmed; all its cities,
.far and Ileal', arc counted one by one, in their prosperity 27 ;
its summer-fruits and vintage were plcnteous; its vines, lux-
uriant; all was joy and shouting". Whence should this evil
comc ? Yet so it was with Sodom and Gomorrah just before
its overthrow. It was, for beauty, 28 a paradise qf God; ti'ell-
watered ever.llwhere; as the garden of the Lord, like the land
of Egypt. In the morning 2V the smoke of the ctJIt1ltr.lJ U'eJlt
up as the smoke (
f the fUl"1lflce. The destruction foretold by
J(
remiah is far other than the affliction spoken of hy Isaiah.
Isaiah prophesies only a visitation, which should n
duce hcr
lwople: Jeremiah foretells, as did Zephaniah, ('apti\"ity and
the utter destruction of her cities. The destruction foretold
is complete. 1\'ot of individual cities only, but of the whole
he saith, 80 JJIoab is destl"O.lJetl. 31 The spoiler shall come ttpon
et1er.1l cit.lI, (md 110 city shall escape, aud the 1 1 alle!1 shall perish
alld the high places .
hall he destro.1Jed, ((s ti,e Lord hath spoken.
\Ioab himself was to leavc his land. S2 Flee, Sllve your lh'es,
mill .lIe shall be like tile heath ill the wildemess. Clll"mosh shall
go forth into Cfl1Jtil.ity; ltis priests and /tis princes togetller.
Give pinions unto lIIoab, tlwt it may flee and get (/1('([.1/. alltl
her cities shall be a desolation; for there is uone to dwell there-
ill. It was not only to /!o into captivity, but its home was to
bc destroyed. S8 I It'Ì1l send to I,er those wlw shall upheave her,
alltl they shall upheat..e hel", and her ve,
sels tlll'!1 slwll empty,
all her flagons (all that aforetime contained her) tlley slwll
break ill pieces. 8-' .JIoab is destroyed and her cities; SS tilt'
spoiler of IIIoab is come upon her; he hat/t destro.lJed the strol1g-
holds. The subsequent history of the l\Ioabitcs is in the
words, S6 LelLt'e the cities and dwell in the rock, dwellers of
.;.1Jloab, aud be like lL dove which nesteth ill the sides of tile
mouth of the pit. The purpose of Moab and Ammon against
Israel whit-h Asaph complains of, and whieh l\Iesha pro-
bably speaks of, is retorted upon her. S7 III Heshbou tlle.lI
have devised evil against it; come and let us cut it (1f'froUl
being a nation. J.lloab shall be destroyed from being a peo-
ple, because he hath magn(/ied himself against the Lord.
grounds of nought." Del. 14 Is. xvi. J3, H.
I
lb. 6. 16 V\
VI U111:n Imll) "lilt:! It

1I1t:11111) I, 1"
P II", 18 Is. xvi. 4.5.
19 lb. U.
u Jer. xlviii. 11. 21 lb. 14.
2 lb. 17. :\3 lb. 26.
24 lb. 2;. I
lb. 29. 26 lb_ 18.
lb. 1,3, 5. 21-2
.
2S Gen. xiii. JO. 29 lb. xix. 28. 30 Jer. xhiii. 4. II lb. 8. 32 lb. xvii. 6.
33 lb. xlviii. 12. 3-1 lb. 15. .. lb. J8. u lb. 28. '1 lb. 2, 4:?
3 T

4GB

ZEPIL\XL\H.

\rlwnce !i'hould this evil come? Thev had, with th(
Am-
monites, been faithful s(
rvants of 1'\cbúehadnezzar ag-ainst
Judah 1. Their com
(
rt(
d conspiracy with EdOlll, 1'yre, Zi-
don, to whidl they invitcd Zellekiah 2. was dissoln
d. :Kehu-
ehadneZlar's mardl ag-ainst J udæa did not toueh them; fOl'
they S skipped witlt.io.1J at Israel's elistrcsses. Tlw ('ollll(
etion
of Baalis, king- of the Ammonites, with Ishmacl
tll(
a
sassin
of Gedaliah, whom the king of Bahylon llHHI(
g-on
rnor over
the lanel 5 out of their own l'(
ople, probahly broug-ht down
tlw ven
(
an('e of NcblH'hadnezzar. t'or Chaldæans too \V(
re
include
l in the slau
ht(
r c. The blow seems to have be(
n
aimed at the existen
e of the peopl(
; for the murder of Ge-
daliah followed upon the rallying- of the J (
Ws 7 Ollt of all tile
places w!titller tltl'.1J had been driven. It returned on Ammon
itself, and on l\Ioab who probably on this, as on former O(
ca-

ions, was assof'iat(
d with it. 1'lw two nations, who had es-
caped at the destruction of Jel"Usal(
m, were wan'cd upon
and subdued hy Nebudladm
zzar in tlw :!3rd y(
ar of his
reign 8, tll(
5th after the d(
strt\l,tion of J(
rusalem.
And then probably followed that complete destruction and
disgraced end, in whidl Isaiah, in a distind proplwcy, secs
Moab trodd(
n down by God as Ð tile Ileap of strw{' is tmddm
down in tile waters lO of tile dunghill, and he (l\Ioab) stretcltetlt
forth his hands in tlte midst tllereo/, as tlte swimmer stretchetlt
fortlt his hands to ,çwim, ami He, God, shall briug down !tis
pride with the treaclleries (
f /âs hands. It sp(
aks mu(
h of the
(
ontinued hostility of l\Ioab, that, in prophesying the complett

deliverance for which Israel waiteel, tlw om
enemy \Vhos(

destruction is foretold, is l\Ioab and thùse pi(
tured by l\Ioab.
HIVe have waited for Him and He will save us-For in t/âs
11Imtlltain (Zion) slwll the l!fwd of the Lord rest, and .J1oub
sllall be trodden dOll'1l Iluder Him.
After this, l\Ioab, as a nation, di
appears from history.
Israel, on its return from the captivity, was again enti(
eel
into idolatrv hv .Moabite and Ammonite wives, as well as
by thos(
of Aslidod and others 12, Canaanites, Hittites, Periz-
zite
, .Jebusites, Egyptians, Amorites 13. Sanballat also, who
heaeled the opposition to the rebuilding- of Jerusalem, was a
:\Ioabite H; Tobiah, an Ammonite 15. Yet it went no further
than intrigue and tlw threat of war. TIl(
y were but indi-
viduals, who cherished the old hostility. In the tinw of the
l\Iaccabees, the Ammonites, not 1\Ioab, with a mig/dy power
and milch people were in POs,,(
ssion of the R(
ubenite citi(
s to
J azar 16. It was again an (
xtcrminating war, in which th(

Jews were to lw destmyed l7 . After repeated defeats by Judas
Maccahæus, the Ammonites !tired the Ambians 18 (not the

I 2 Kgs xxiv. 2. 2 Jer. xxvii. 2 sqq. 3 lb. xlviii. 2i.
4 lb. xl. 14. xli. 10. · 2 Kgs. xxv. 22-26. Jer. xl. 6. xli. 1.
6 Jer. xli. 3. 7 lb. xl. 12. s Jos. Ant. x. 9, 7.
Q Is. xxv. 10-12. 10 '
:;I Chethib. 11 Is. xxv. 9. 10.
I
Neh. xiii. 23-26. 13 Ezr. ix. 1. . .. Neh. ii. 10. iv. 1-8. I" lb. iv. 2,9.
I
1 Macc. v. 6, 8. I; lb. 9, 10, 2i. 18 lb. 39. )g lb. 45.

o Ant. i.ll.5.
I Dial. n. 119, p. 218. Oxf. Tr.
2
Anon. in Job ap. Origen i. S.
2. 23 Seetzen Reisen i. 412.

. e. g. "! of an hour further, we reached the ruins of el-Eale; I! hour further we
Õ

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bá
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e

efu
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:
an hour to the ,V. the important ruins of Maéin." lb. 4Oi,8.
lb. 411.
26 "A litlle N. of el-Eale we came on good soil, which however lay wholly uncultivated
and was mostly overgrown with the prickly litlle Bullân, which I(ave the country the
look of moor-ground." SeetzenTravels, i. 406. " The soil here(Heshbon) is in this district
excellent, but it lies wholly uncultivated and serves only for pasture to the litlle herds
of sheep, goats, kine and camels of the Arabs." [b. p. 407. .. The Arabs cultivate a
little ground near Madaba." p. 409. "The land (the other side the Mujeb [Arnon] and
:'o
d l\

i
. pÿ'
te

il l

n
r:

tt1

e ::h:a

ai

i

r
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a

Yc
{tiv

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bs
'\'o;
1tg. th.

o:n

h

h:;
I
;
e t5k:

i'lf ":uhi::i

h

tfi

d
:i
:
wheat was good," p. 412. I

I l\IOabiteS) to Itelp tllem, and .Judas, althoug-h victorious, was
ohli
cd to n
mon
the whole Israelite population, lÐ all that
were in tlte laud of Gilead, front tlte least liuto ti,e greatest,
el'eu their wive.
, and their c/.ilclren, and tlteir stl!tf; a 'ury
great Ito,çt, to the end tlte.1I migltt come into the laud of JllIlæa,
The whole population was remO\'ed, obviously lest, on the
withdrawal of Judas' army, tlwy should h(
a
ain eml'erilled.
As it was a d(
f(
nsive war a
ainst Ammon, thcre is no men-
tion of any I'ih', south of the Arnon, in Moab's own territon-o
It was p;nbably with tlw vicw to mag-nify des('(
ndants õf
Lot, that Josephus
peaks of the 1\loabites as being ,. (
n
n
yet a vcry g-reat nation 20." S. Justin's a('l'ount, that there is
..
1 even now a great multitude of Ammonites," does not !'eem
to me to imply a national exist(
nce. .c\ later writt'r !i'ays,
"
"i\'ow not only tlw Edomites but tlw Ammonites and 1\Ioab-
ites too are ÏlII'Ìuded in the one namc of Ambians."
Sonw I"hief towns of l\Joab bpcame Roman towns, con-
nectpd by the Roman road from Damascus to Elath. .\1' and
Kir-
Ioab in
Ioah proper heeameAreopolis ami Charaf'-l\Ioah,
and, as well as .Medeba and IIcshbon in the country which
had b(
en Reuben's, pn
serve tl'al'eS of Roman occuran(
y. As
sueh, they beeame Christian Sees. The towns, whic'h were
nut thus j.eviV(
d as Roman, probahly perished at onee, sinee
the\' bear no trac'(
s of anv lat(
r buildin
.
The present eonclition
f Moab and Ammon is remarkable
in two ways; I) for the testimony which it g-ives of its former
extensin population; 2) for the extcnt of its prescnt desola-
tion. "How fcarfully," says an accurate and minute obsen-er 03 ,
"is this residence of old kin
s and their land wastt
el!" It
gives a vivid idea of the desolation, that distances are mark-
ed, not by villages which he passes but by ruins 24 . "25 From
these ruim
d plac($, whid} lay on onr way, one sees how
thi(
kly inhabited the district fonnerly was." Y d the g-round
n
mained fruitful. It was partly abandoned to wild plants,
tlw wormwooel and other shrubs 26 ; partly, the artifipial irrig-a-
tion, essential to (
ultivation in this land. was d(
stroyeel2ï; here
and therc a patch was cultivated; the rest remained barren,
becaus(
the crops might become the prey of the spoiler 28, or
the thin population had had no heart to cultivate it. A list
of 33 destroyed places, which still retained their names, was
giV(
n to Seetzen 2Ð, "of which many ,,-ere cities in tillWS of
old, and besidcs these, a great numb(
r of oth(
r wasted villages.
One sees from this, that, in the days of old, this land was ex-
tremely peopled and flourishing, anel that d(
structh'e wars
alone (
oulcl pl"Odl\(
e the pres(
nt desolation." And thereon
he adds the names of 40 more ruined pla(
es. Others say:

2i See Mr. Tristram's picture of .. a ruin-covered ridge by an immense tank of solid
masonry, 1.J.0 yards by 110 yards, at Ziza. Frolll the surfdce of the water to the
edge of the tank was 17 feet (j inches. The masonry was simply magnificent, The
whole system and artificial sluices were precisely similar to ancient works for irriga-
tion in India and Ceylon.-Such works easily explain to us the enonnous population,
of which the ruined cities gives evidence. Every where is some artificial means of re-
taining the occasional supplies of rain water. So long as these precious structures re-
mained in order, cultivation was continuous and famines remained unknown.- The lsla-
mite invasion left the miserable remnants of a dense and thriving nation entirely depend-
ent on the neil(hbourinl( countries for their supply of corn: a dependence which mnsl
continue till these border lands are secure from the inroad of the predatory bands of
the East." Land of Moab pp. 18-3-186. At Kustul is "a massive wall in the plain,
about 600 yards in length across the valley, and 18 feet thick, built to dam up Ihe water
in the gentle depression, the head of the wady." lb. c. 12. p. 2
0. " Gôr el
Iesráa, as
far as the soil can be watered, evinces a luxuriant lertility. By far the greater part of
it is It waste." Seetz. ii. 352. "Gûr el Záphia owes ils fruitfulness entirely to the water of

:a

ti
n

hi
;

i

l
u:i
hd
il i
h:ul

:et t

rt i

;gr

r:l :u
h

and shrubs, wherein verV many wild boars, hyenas and other wild animals live." lb.
355. " This water too C of the Nimméry] is said fonnerly to have been used for water-
in!/: some fields, of which there is now no trace." lb. 354.
ve
dt ;
;
f;o
ei
i

i;h
:e o
h

k
::,
r t'ý

l

íi
dt);e
'

:
:

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f

d
is good for them." Answer of Beni Sakkr Sheikh, Tristrdlll Moab. c. 15. p. 28.
211 lb. 416.

CHAPTER II.

"1 Thc whole of the fine plains in this quarter" [thc S. of
l\Ioab] "arc co,"ereò with sites of towns, on m'er)" eminence
or
l'ot eonn
nicnt for thc constru('tion of one; anI! as all thc
land is ('al'able of rich cultivation, therc ('an bc no douht that
this (
ountry, now so deserted, OIwe presentcd a continucd
picture of plenty and fertility." "2Every knoll" [in the hig-h-
lands of l\Ioab] "is covered with shapeless rains.-The ruins
consist Ilwrely of h(
aps of s'tuan
d and wcll-f1tting !>tom
s,
whil'h apparently were erectcd with nut mortar." "3 Onc d(
,,;-
f'ril'tion mig-ht serve for all thesc :\Ioahitt' ruins. The town
scems to hm'e bt'en a sy
h
m of concentric cirf'le
, built round
a central fort, and out,,;ille th(
building-s the rin
!< continue as
terracc-wallis, the /!ard(
ns of thc old city. Thc terraccs an

continuous betn'eCJl thc twin hillocks and interseet ea('h otlwr
at the foot." "4 Ruincd ,'iIlages and towns, IJroken walls that
Ulwe ent'losed
ardens ami vineyards, n
mains of ancient
roads; ev(
ry thing in Moab teUs of thc immense wcalth and
populatiun, which that countl'Y must ha,'c once enjop
d."
Thc liIiC is observed of Ammon 6. His was direct hatrcd
of the true rcligion. It was not merc exultation at the deso-
lation of an cnvi(
d people, It was hatreel of the worship of
God. "6Thus saith the Lord God; Because tholl saidsf, Aha,
against lJI.'j sanctum:1f, because it was profaned; and ag-ainst
the land of Israel, because it was desolat(
d; and against the
house of Judah, because they went into captivity." Thc like
temper is shcwn in thc boast, "7 Because that lJIoab and Seil"
do say; Be/wid tlie hOllse oj Judah is like unto the lleathen,"
i. e., on a le,'cl with them.
Furb(
aring and lon/!-suffel"ing as .\lll1ighty God is, in His
infinite ll1(
rcy, He does not, for that mercy's sakc, bear the
diref't defiance of Himself. He alluws His creatures to fur-
get Him, not to despise or defy Him. And on this ground,
p(
rhaps, He gives to His propheci(
s a fulfilment bcyond
what tll(
lettcr rcquires, that they may be a continued wit-
ness to Him. The .Ammonites, some I(j()() years ago, ceased
to "be rcmembered among- the nations." ßut as l\'inen
h
and ßabylun, and the cities of Sodom allel Gomorrah, by
bein/! what they are, are witnesses to His dcaling-s, so the
way in which Moab and Ammon are still kept desolate is a
continucd picturc of that first desolation. ßoth remain rich,
fcrtil(
; but thc very abundance of their fertility is the cause
of thdr desolation. God said to .Ammon, as the retribution
on hi:,:; contumely: "8 therefore, behold, I give thee to the
children of the East for a pos!<ession, and they shaH set their
cncamllments in thee, anel place their dwellings in thee; they
shall eat thy fruit and they shall drink thy milk; and I wiJl
make Rabbah a dwelling-placc of camels, and the childrcn of
Ammon a eouching-place for flo(
ks." Of Moab H(
says also,
,,
I will opcn thc sid(
of l\Ioab from the dties, whid. arc on
his fronticrs, the glory of the country, unto the nwn of the
East with thc Ammonites." Anel this is an exact des(
ril'tion
of the cundition of the land at this day. AU tranll(
rs de-

I Irby and Mangles (}Iay 14) p. 1]3. 2TIistram, Land ofl\loab, pp. 100,101.
3 lb. 99. 4 Palmer, desert of the Exodus ii. 473, 4i4.
na
:

g

e

lB:.nS
i

krn;bi
ïis::'
'

h h
;
C'; p
e;71
e
Å:i
hiso:o:

fonnerly so populous and flourishing, is now changed into a vast desert." Seetzen Brief
:b
d

\;-t
'
b
td;r
g '
;
b

nf
i::r t
:so

i
i'r'ì

y

eui
:
h

f bt
:ií
ruin." Id. p. 37. lb. "Two hours from Szalt we came upon some peasants, who
were plou!1;hing some little fields near what was a little fountain." Seetzen i. 40.5. .. The
soil was e"cpUent; but onlv here and there we saw a little spot cultivated, and this by the
Aduân Arabs." p. 406. .. The country that lar. in our route (near Daboah] though now
bare of wood, presented a great extent of fertile soil, lying entirely waste, though equal
to any of the very best portions of Galilee and Samaria, and capable of }.'roducin!1; suste-
nance for a lar!!:e population. Around us, in every direction, were remams of more than
ÕO towns or villal(es, once maintained by the productive soil, o\'er which they werp so
thickly studded." Buckingham Travel. among the Arab tribes p. 66. .. At l\Iaha-

4Gj

scrihe thc richness of thc soil. \re ha,'e secn this as to
Moah, ßut thc histurv is one and thc same. Onc of tlu'
most fcrtilc rc
iuns or" ttw world, filII of ruined to\,'ns, de-
stitutc of villa
('s or fixed habitations, or set'urity uf pru-
Iwrty, its inhahitants
round down hy thus(
, whu have SlI('-
ce(
dcd thc l\Jidianites anti thc Amal(
kites, tile cllildren of
the East. "Tholl ('an!<t not find a country lik(
thc ßclka,"
says thc
\J"ahi(' pru\"crh 10, hut .. the inhabitants eultivate
}Jatchcs only of thc bcst suil in that territory whcn they have
a pro!o'pect of heing- ahlc to s(
cure the han-est a
ainst thc
inva!o'ion of encmics." "\Ve passed many ruincd citi(
s," !o'aid
Lord Lindsay 11, "and the country ha!o' uncc bccn very popu-
lous, but, in 35 miles at I(
ast, we did not scc a singlc ,'illage;
thc whule (
ountry is onc vast pastnrag-c. U\'er!o'pn'ad by thc
fl()('ks and h(
l"(ls of the .Am'zec and ß(
ni Haso;an ßedouins."
Thc site uf Rahbath Amman was well choscn for strcn,.:-th.
Lying" 12in a long- valley" thruugh whid. a stream passcd,
,. the city of wat(
r
" ('uuld not easily be taken, nor its in-
habitants compell(
d to surrender from hunger or thirst. Its
site, as th(
eastern bound of Peræa l3 , "Uthe last place where
water cOllld be obtained and a fl'Ontier fortrp!o's against thc
wild tribes beyond," marked it for pres(
rvatiun. I n Greek
times, thc disllUtes for its possession attest thc scnsc uf its
impurtance. In Roman, it was one of the chicf citics of
thc D(
capulis, thuug-h its population was said to be a mix-
turc of Egyptians, .Arabians, Phænicians 15. Thc coins of Ro-
man Emp(
rors to the end of the sccond c(
ntury contain sym-
bols of plenty, wlwn
now reigns utter desolation 16. In the
4th century, it and two other now ruined Iliaecs, ß04ra and
G(
rasa, arc named as "must carefully and strungly walled."
It was on a line uf rieh commen'e filled with stl"llng places,
in sites well sdeeted fur repellin,.:- the invasions of the neigh-
b()urin
nations 17. Centuries advaIwed. It was greatly beau-
tified by its Roman ma
ters. The extent and w(
alth of the
Ruman city arc attested both by the remains of noMe edi-
ficcs on both sidcs of the stream, and 18 by pieces of pottery,
which are the traces of anci(
nt cÏvilised dwelling, strewed on
thc earth two miles from the city. "19 At this place, .\mmân,
as well as Gerasa and Gamala, threc colonial scttlements with-
in thc compass of a day's journey from one another, thcre were
five magnificent tlwatres and one ampitheatre, bpsides tem-
ples, baths, aquedt1(
ts, naumachia, triumphal arches." "20 Its
tlwatre was thc larg(

t in Syria; its colonnade had at least
50 columns." The difference of the architecture shews that
its ag,.:-randiscmcnt must have been the work of differcnt
centuries: its "ca
tle walls are thick, and denote a remote
antiquity; largc blocks of stone are pilcd up without c(
ment
and still hold t(l
ether as well as if ree(
ntly placed." It is
very probably the samc which .Toab called David to take,
after the city of waters had been taken; within it arc traces
of a temple with Corinthian columns, thc largest secn there,
yet" not of the best Roman tiIl}(
S."

nafish we had arrived at a very elevated part of the plain, which had continued fertile
throughout the" hole distance from Ammon." p. tit. "S. S. E. of Yedoo"y we pushed
T
ro
:ho
;e:h: :h
l
n

t

t t
fc
h
f i

I
e

I

P

ett:;
s hl
h::
;Ul!
:

:
before, behind, on each side, generally seated on sma]) eminences, aU at a short distancp
from each other, and aU, as far a8 we had yet seen, bearing evident marks of former
opulence. There was not a tree in sight; but my guide assured me, that the whole ot
the plain was covered with the finest SQil, and capable of being made the most produc-
tive corn-land in the world." lb. p.85. 6 Ezek. XXv. 3. 7 lb. 8.
slb.4,5. 9 lb. 8. 10. 10 Burckhardt Syria p. 36!1. "On both sides of the road"
(near Naour) "were the vestiges of ancient field-enclosures." lb. 365.
II Travels p. 279. 12 lrby and :\Ianf!;les June U. c. 8. p. 146. .. J os. B. J. iii. 3. 3-
::
i

er,i

e

1

I
iR!
ti5
. Rabbah. l
& :1
:o
ì

c

?:: ê: l
' Cas.
IS Buckingham Arab Tribes p. 67, 73. 19 lb. 77.
iO See Burckhardt's description of its ruins. Travels in Syria pp. 357.3W.

468

ZEPH..\.NIAH.

Before
CHRIST
cir. roo.

9 Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of
hosts, the God of Israel, Surely ·
Ioab
. Isai. 15. Jer. 48. Ezek. 25.9. Amos 2.1.

Yet Amman, the growth of centuries. at the end of our 6th
century was destroy(
d. For "lit was desolate before Islam,
a great ruin." "2l\"0 wh(
re else had we seen the vestig-(
s
of publie magnificence and wealth in such marked contrast
with the rclap
e into sm"age d(

nlatinn." But the site of
the old city, so well adapt(
d eitll(
r for a se(
ure refuge for
its inhabitant
or for a secure depo
itory for their plunder,
was, on that very g-round, when desolated of its inhabitants,
suited for what Gml, by Ezekiel, said it would hef'ome, a
place, where the men of the East should stabl(
their flocks and
herds, secun
from strayin/!. \Yhat a change. that its temples,
the centre oftlw worship ofits i;uceessive idols, or its theatres,
its pla(
es of luxury or of pomp, should be stables for that
drlldg-e of man, the camel, and the stream whiell gave it the
prouel title of .. city of waters" their elrinkin
trough! Anel
yd of the dties whos(
elestrudion is prophesied, this is fore-
told of Rabbah alone, as in it alone is it fulfillf'd! "Ammon,"
says Lord Lindsay3, "was situated on both sides of the stream;
the dn
ariness of its pn$(
nt aspect is quite indescribable. It
lool.:s like the abode of death; the valley stinks with dead
camels; one of tlwm was rottin/! in the su'eam; and thoug-h
we saw none amon/! the ruins, they wen
absolutely c(Jl'ered
in every direetion with their dung-." "Boll(
s and skulls of
camels were mouldering- then
[in the area of the ruined
th(
atre] anel in the vaulted g-allcri(
s of this immense struc-
ture." "It is now quite deserted, except by the Bedouins,
who wat(
r their floek,.; at its little river. descending- to it bv a
1(,(lcly, nearly opposite to a theatre (in which Dr. )iac L(
lUian
sa\v great herds and flocks) and by the akiba. Re-ascending
it, we met sheep and goats by thousands, and camels by hun-
dreds."
Another says 4, "The spa(
e intervenin
b(
tween the
river and tlw wcstern hills is entirelv conl'ed with the re-
mains of building-so now only used for" shelter for camels and
sheep." Buekingham mentions incidental1y, that he was
prennted from slceping at night" õ by the bleating of flocks
and the neighing of horses, barking of dogr-; &e." Anotlwr
i;peaks of "6a small stone building in the Acropolis now US(
el
as a shelter for flo(
ks." \\'hile he was "7 trm.ersing the
ruins of the eity, the number of goats and sheep, whid; were
drh.en in amon
thcm, was exeeedingly annoying-. how(
ver
remal'kabl(
, as fulfilling the prophedes." " 8 Before six tents
fed sheep and camels." " g Ezekiel points just to these, (xx.
5.) which passag:e Seetzen cites 10. And in fact the ruins are
still used for such stalls."
The prophe(
y is the vcry opposite to that upon ßabylon,
thou/!,h both alike are prnpheeies of desolation. Of Babylon
Isaiah prophesi(
s, '.ll It shall never be inhabited, neither shall
it be dwelt in from generation to generation; neithel' shall
the Arabian pitch tent there, neither shall the shepherds
make toM there, but wild beasts of the desert shalllic there,
and their houses shall be full of doleful cn
atures; and the

I

;bL
.;J'Pi,'.

9. 281, 283. :

ìt

n

sdt

!esÍsa
Þ
r:'
ne and
S)tit;:;/l
.Hamilto; i
K:i:h ;

f. the N

:2
;.inS 0;
:

k
fs:;n i. 3Ð4.
S Prof. Kruse Anmerkung. lb. T _ i,'. p. 216. 10 J. 31. 11 Is. xiii. 20.
12 See Rich Mem. p. 2" 30. Buckinj:ham ii. 30,. Sir R. K. Porter Travels ii. 342.
38,. Kenneir Memoirs p. 2i9. Keppel's Narr. i. 1,9,180. Layard Nin. and Bab., quoted
b) Keith on Prophecy pp. 4û6, 46,. 13 Ezek. XXv. 4, 5.
14 S. John v. 26. I. 1 Sam xvii. 26, 36. 16 Jer. x. 10. 17 2 Kgs. xix. 4. IG.
21 Ps.

:;

h. xlii. 2.
:Eci

'2:' 25 (26

bJos. i. 10 ÜitW

:
10.

shall he as Soòom, and t the children of c J3íi o í e s T
Ammon as Gomorrah. U Cl'Cll the breeding dr. 630.
IAmos 1. 13. u Gen. 19.25. Deut. 2Ð. 23. Isai. 13. 19. &; 34.13. Jer. 49.18. &; 50.40.

ostri(
hes shall dwell there, and the ja(
kals !oihall cry in thdr
desolate hom;es, and howling (
n
atures in tlwir pleasant pa-
laces." And the ruins are full of wild b(
asts 12. Of Rabbah
Ezekiel prophe
ied that it should be "13 a possession for the
men of the East, and I," God says, "will mak(
Rabbah a
stable for eamels, anel the Ammonites a couehing-place for
flof'ks;" and man's lawlessness fulfils the will and worel of
God.
9. Therefore as I liz'e, saitlt the Lord of hosts. Life spe-
ciallv belont:"s to God, sinee He Alone is Lnderived Lif(
.
H He-'tatlt life in Himself. He is entitled "the living God,"
as ll(
re, in tacit contrast with the dead idols of the Philis-
tines 15, with idols generally 16; or against the blasphemies of
S(
nnacherib 17, the moekeries of scoff(
rs 18; of the awe of His
presem'e 19, His might for His p(
ople 20
as the object of the
soul's longings 2" the nearness in the Gospel, children of the
living God 22. Since He can sll'ear h.lI uo greater, He sware hy
Himself23. Since mankind are readv mostlv to beli.eve that
Goel means well with them, but are slow to think that H(
is
in earnest in His threats, God employs this sanction of what
He says, twic(
only in regard to His promises or His mercy
-&;
evcrywlwre cls(
to gin solemnity to His threats 25. The ap-
peal to the truth of His own bein/!26 in support of thc truth
of His words is part of the grandeur of the prophet Ezekiel
in whom it chiefly occurs. God says in the same meaning,
b.'1 J/.'Iself have I sworn, of promises whi(
h ref)uil"(
el strong
faith 2i.
Saitlt the Lord of Host.
. Their blasphemies had denied
the very bein
of God, as God, to \Yholll they preferred or
likened their idols; they had denied His pow(
r or that He
could avenge, so He nmm
s His Kame of power, the Lord of
the hosts of hea,-en against their array against Hi,.; bord(
r, I,
the Lord (!f Iwsts "'ho can fulfil what I threat(
n, anel tlte God
of Israel 'Yho :Myself am wronged in )Iy people, will make
J[oah as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrlllt.
Sodom and Gomorrah had once be(
n flourishing citics, on
the borders of that land, which Israel had won from the
Amorite, and of whkh Moab and Ammon at different times
POss(
ssed themselves, anel to seeure which .\mmon earrieel
on that exterminating war. For tlwy were to the East of the
IJlain hetween Bethel and Ai, where Lot made his choiec,
in tlte plain or circle of ,Jordan 28, the well known title of the
tra(
t, through which the Jorelan flowc(l into the Deael Sea.
l\'(
ar this, lay Zoar, (Ziara 29) beneath the caves whither Lot,
at whose pra'yer it had been spared, escaped from its wicked-
m
ss. Moab and Ammon had s(ttl(
d and in tillJ(
slJread from
the spot, wherein thdr forefathers had receh-ed their birth.
Sod om, at least, must have b(
en in that part of the plain,
which is to the East of the Jordan, since Lot was bidden to
flec to the mountains, with his wife and daughters, and there
is no mention of the river, whi(
h would have been a hin-

23 Heb.vi. 13. 2-1 Is. xlix. 18. Ezek. xxxiii. 10.

ã ilium. xiv. 21, [ofthe glory which God should have in all the world from his chas-
tisement of Israel] 28. Deut. xxxii. 40, [adding Ct"II
] Jer. xxii. 24. Ez. v. ll. "i\'. 16,
18,
O. xvi. 48.las JudgeJ xvii. 16, 19. xvili. 3. [in rebuk
xx.
! 31, 33: X'<xiii.2i.

.

m::
lh
.nvt. 8. i:'Y
h:e

le

;a
/.Ya

:eJ(;i. 7:' XXII. 5. xlix. 13. hath

ti Ges. Maurer &c. r with B strange conception of God] render" ita vivam." Ewald
rightly, "as true as I lIve." 27 Gen. x"ii. 16. (so often referred to)
Is. xlv. 23, or by Thy Right Hand, i. e. the might which He "ould put forth.
2S Gen. xüi. I, 3, 11. 29 See the description of Ziara "once a place of
considerable importance" in Tristram,land of Moab pp. 328, 330.

CHAPTER II.

C HBí{oÍS T of nettles, and saltpits, and a pcrpetual
cir.630. desolation:" the residue uf my people shall
aver.7. spuil them, and the remnant of my peuple
shall possess them.
10 This shall they haye Y fur their pridc,

, bai. 16. 6.
Jer. 48, 29.

dranee 1. Then it lay prohah]y in that" 2 hroad helt of deso-
lation" in the plain of Shittim, as Gomorrah and otll(
rt; of
the Pentapolis may have Jain in "the sulphur-
prinkl(
d ex-
panse" b(
t"'een EI Riha [on the !'ite of J eri<<'ho ] anll the dead
sea, "covered ,,-ith layers of
alt and g-YP
U1l\ whif'h O\-erli(

the loamy subsoil, literally fulfilling- the de
t'riptions of Holy
\\Trit (says an eye witn(
ss), 3 Brimstone and salt and humiJlg,
that it is not sown nor /Jearet/l, nor any grass growetlt therein:
"alruitful land turned into saltness. 5..Yo man shall abide
there, neither shall a SOli of mall dwell in it." An elahorate
s)'stem of artifi('ial irrigation was carried throug-h that
cis-Jordanie traet, whit'h decaved wlwn it wa..; desolated of
man, and that desolation pre,.énts its restOl'ation.
The doom of Moab and Ammon I!': rather of entire de-
struction beyond all re<<'o,'ery, than of unh'ersal harrenness.
For th(
imag-ery, that it should be the breedin.!; [lit. posses-
,çi(m] of uettles would not be litcl'ally compatibl(
, except in
different localiti(
s, with that of saltpits, whieh exclude aU
,'egetation. Yet both an
united in Moab. The soil con-
tinues, as of old, of exuberant f(
rtility; yet in part, from the
utter neg-Iect and insecurity of ag-I'Íeulture it is abandoned to
a rank and em
u1l\b(
rinf{ veg-etation; elsewhere, from the
negle('t of the former artifi(
ial sy
tem of irrigation, it is
wholly barn
n. The plant nanwd is one of rank growth,
!O:ince outcasts could lie concealed under it 6. The prepon-
deratin
authority se(
ms to be f.... l1wllâch 7, the ßedawin
name of the" mallow," Prof. E. H. Palmer says 8, "whieh,"
he aelds, "I have se(
n growing in rank luxuriance in )Ioab,
especiaUy in the sides of deserted Arab camps."
The residue of iJfy people shall spoil t/lClIl, and the rem-
nant of
"I.f/ people shall possess tllem. Again, a remnant only.
but e,'en these shall prevail against them, as was first fulfilled
in Judas l\Iac(
abæus 9.
10. This sltall they Itave for tlteir pride. lit. Tlâs to tit em
instead of tlteir pride. Contempt and shame shall be the
residue of the proud man; the exaltation shall be g-one, and
all which they shall gain to themselves shall be shame. Moab
anel Ammon are the types of heretics 10. As they were akin to
the people of God, but hating- it; akin to Abraham through
a lawless birth, but ever molesting the childl"(
n of .\braham,
so heretks prof(
ss to believe in Christ, to be f'hildren of
Christ. and nt enr seek to overthrow the faith of Christians.
As the Chlll'
h says. 11 ..11.1/ mot Iter's cltilJren m'e augl:f/ with me.
They seem to have escaped the overthrow of Sodom and
Gomorrah (heatll(
n sins), and to have found a place of re-
fuge (Zoar) ; and yet they are in d
I'kuess aud cannot see the
light of faith; and in an unlawful manner they mingle,
a!!ainst all right, the falsehood of Satan with the truth of
Goel; so that their doctrines becom(
, in part, doctrines of
devillJ, in part have some stamp of the original truth. To
1 Gen. xix. Ii -23. 2 Tristram, Land of Israel, p. 3!ì7.
3 Deut. xxix.
3. 4 Ps. cvii. 34. ó Jer. xlix. 18. 6 Job xxx. 7,
7 Jon. has 1'I}11;ç: the Pescl,ito, 1Ih1"
, and, remarkably, does not use a name coin-
cident with the Heb. "nn sc. 1I
'\1n, a sort of vetch. Abulwalid prefers the m'ro, but men-
tions the b;")1J .. artichoke" (Höst Nacl1richten von Maroko u. Fez p. 538) as an .. opin-
ion;" R. Tanchum adopts it, but gives I"o-n as an .. opinion" and says that" altoK"ther

}
:
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6
:eklo

siI
e

'ii
k

:
2

r'
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.count it a n
t

. ï

::
' Ii
9 1 Mace. v 6-8. 10 S. J er. and Rup. II Cant. i. 5.

4fi9

because tlleY have reproal'hcd and ma
ni- c r{
ri s T
flcd tltemsch'c,f against the pcople of the dr. roo.
LORn of hosts.
II The LORn u'ill be terrihle untu them:
for he will t famish all the g'()(ls uf the t
:,
; lean.

them, as to the Jews, our Lllnl say
, re are of ,f/our father
tlte devil. ""hile they profc
s to be <<'hildl"cn of God. they
claim by their nanws to han (;od ti,l' thdr Father
Ioa")
and to be of IIi,; )I(
o)ll(
(Amnwn). while in hatred to Hi,; true
dlildren they forfcit hllth. ,A,.; )IlIab !'educcd Israel, so they
the children of the Church. Tlwy too elllm'g-e tlwlIIseh-es
ag-ainst the horders of the Churt'h, rending off its ('hilth'en
and mahing- tlwll1!'dves the Church. They too utter re-
proaches and re,'iling-,; ag-ainst it. ,. Take away theil' re,'il-
ings/' says an early father 12, .. ag-ainst th(
law of )Iose
, and
the Prophets, amI God the Creator, and they 11a,-e not a
word to utter." They too 13 remm'e the old llllll/marks ll'lticll
the fat/leI's (tIw Prophet,; and '\lwstles) h(we set. .And !'o,
barrenll(
ss is their portion; a", aft(
r a time, hereti<<'s e"er
divide, and do not multiply; tlwy arc a desert, being- out of
the Ch un
h of God: ami at la"t the remnant of Judah, tlw
Chureh, pos
esses them, and absorbs them into herself.
II. The Lord will he terrihle unt"
UpOIl] tllem, i. e. upon
l\Ioah and Ammon, and yet not in themselves only, but as
instane(
s of IIis ju:;t judgement. \\'hen('e it follows. For He
will fumish all tile gods of the earlli. ,. U l\Iiscrabl(
indeed, to
whom the Lord is terrible! 'rhclH'e i,;; this? Is not God
by Kature swed and l)leasurahle arlll !'erene, and an Ohjed
of longing? For the .Angels e,"er de"il"e to luok into Him.
and, in a wonderful and un
peakable way, ever look and e,-er
long to look. For miserable they, whns(
consci(
nc(
makes
them shrink from the face of Love. L\"en in this life thev
f(
el this shrinking, and, as if it wen
some les,,(
ning- of thei;'
grief, th(
y deny it, as though this could destroy the truth,
which they hold clOWIl ill llItrighf{'(JU.mess 15 ."
For He will famish 16 all tlie g(Jd.
of the eartli, taking
away 17 the fat of tlieir sacrffices, and the
cille (
f tlleir drink-
otfërillgs. 'Yithin SO years from the death uf our Lord IS,
the g-on
rnor of Pontus and Bithynia wrote officially to
the Roman Emperor, that "19 the temples hael becn almo:;t
left desolate, the sa(
reel rites had heen for a lung time
intermitted, and that the victims had \"Cry seldom fOUlIIl
a pUJ"('haser," before the per
e('ution of the Chl"btians, and
consult(
d him as to the amount of its ('ontiJluanee. To-
wards the cluse of the century, it was one of the Heathen
complaints, whi('h the Christian Apologist had to answer,
" 20 tlwy arc daily mc1ting away tlw revcnues of our temples."
The Prophet began to speak of the !'ubdllal of )Ioab and
ÄUlInon; he is borne on to tlw triumphs of Christ onr all
the gods of the Heathen, when the \\,(II"
hip of God should
uot be at Jerusalem only, but th('y shall worship Him, every
olle fJ"(J1Il /tis place.
EVe1l all the isles of the heathen. For this is the very note
of the Gospel, that" 21 eaeh who throug-h faith in Chri"t was
brought to the knowledge of the truth, by Him, anel with
U Tert. de Præscr. Hær. c. 42, p. 493. Oxf. Tr. 13 lb. C. 3,. J? 488.
14 Rup. lõ Rom. i. 18. 16 There is no reason to abate the trony bv
rendering "destroy." :n"U is contrasted with
Is. x\ii. 4, as is pn Is. x. 16, :In,
of the land, with npf Nu. xüi. 2U; of the sheep. "ith :I;"'
Ez. xxxiv. :W. In Ps. CVI. 15.

::

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a
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i
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fl

.)t
iI1 of
I; Deut. xxxii. 38. 1. Between A. D. 103-105.
no:
,liërxf.
;
' x. 32. p. 5S.&. ed. Steph. 21 S. Cyr. 20 Tert. Apol. c. 42. see p. 90.

470

ZEPHAXL\H.

c JitoíeST earth; E and mcn slmll worship him, eyery
cir. fi30. one from his place, el'Cli all a the isles of
. Mal. 1. 11. John 4. 21. · Gen. 10. 5.

Him, 1l'orsltippetll from /lis place God the Father; and Gnd
is no Illnt:"(
r known in .J udæa only, but the countries and
eitics of the Heathen, though they be separat(
d by the inter-
,'eninl! spa from .J uda.'a, no less draw ni
h to Christ, pray,
glorify. thank Him UlH'easingly. For formerly 1 His ..Ywne
was !.{reat in L
mel. but now He is well known to all e,-cn'
whe;-e; earth and spa are full of His g-Iory, and so every onl

1('orsltippetll Him from Iâ.
place; and thi!S is what is said, 2.As
I liz'e, .Wlitll the Lord. all the earth slwll be .filled with the
glOl:1I (
f tI,e Lord." Tile isle.
are any distant lands on the
sea-shore 3, e
pe('ially tlw very distant 4; but also "hia
l\Iinllr 5 and the whole eoast of Europe, and even the Indian
Archipela
o 6, sirwe the ivory and ebony (
ame from its 1IU1J1.'1
isles. Zpphaniah n
d,-es the term, by which .:\Joses had
spok(
n of thc dispcr
ion of the sons of Japhet; "7 ßy these
'nre the isles of the Gentiles dividcd in their lands, e,-ery one
aftpr his tong-ue." II(
adds the word, all; all, when
ver they
had been dislwrsed, e,-ery one from his place, shall worship
God. One uni,'ersal worship shall asc(
nd to God from all
e,-erywhere. So .Malaehi prophesied after,,'ards; "8 From
tlw rising up of the
un e"en to the going down of the same
l\Jy
ame shall be great amont:" the Gentil(
s, and ill every
lJ/ace ine('nse shall be offered unto God anel a pure offering-;
for l\Iy
allle shall bc great among the heattwn, saith the
Lord of hosts." Even a Jew 9 san; here: "This, without
doubt, refers to the time to come,
dwn all the inhabitant

of tlw world shall know that the Lord is God, and that His
is the g"1'patness and p"wer anel glory, and He shall be (
alled
the God IIf the whole earth." Tlw isles or coasts of the sea are
the more the emblem of the Chun
h, in that, "iUlyin
, as it
wen
, in the spa of this world and (
ncoInpassed by the evil
ennts in it, as with bitter waters, and lashed by the most
\'ehenwnt waves of per:-e(
lltions, the Chun
hes are yet found-
ed, so that they I'annot fall, and rear themsclves aloft, and
are not O\'erwhdmed by affiietions. For, for Christ's sake,
the Churehes cannot be shaken, and 11 tile gates of hell sllll/!
1I0t p,.ez'a i I flgll i n.
t t I,em."
12. re Etltiupi([ns also, lie sllall be slain b.1I JI..'/ stl'urd. lit.
re Ethiopians also. tile .
lain uf J/.y .m'ord lire tlley. Hadng
sumlIloned them to His throne, God sl)Caks uf them, not
to th(
m any more; perhaps in (
Olnpas,..ion, as elsewhere in
indi
natillnI2. Tlw Ethiopians were not in any direet anta-
gonism to God and His people, but allied only to their old
oppressor, Eg-ypt. They may han b(
(
n in Pharaoh Xecho's
army, in re"i:..ting whieh, as a subject of Assyria, Jo,;iah was
!'lain: thev are mentioned 13 in that armv which
ebuehad-
nezzar
niote at Carehemish in the 4th - vear of Jehoiakim.
Tht' prophcey of Ezekiel implies rather, that Ethiopia should
be involved in the calamities of Egypt. than that it shoulel be
itself invaded. " H (;reat terror i'hall be in Ethiopia, when
the slain SIUll! fall ill Egypt." "15 Ethiopia and Lybia and
L)'dia &c. and all the JIlen uf the land that is in league, shall

1 Ps. Ixx\ i. 1. 2 N u. xiv. 21.
3 Jer. xu. 22. sqq. Ez. xxvi. 15. sqq. Ps. Ixxii. 10. 4 Is.lxvi. 19.
· Dan. xi. 1.8, 6 Ez. xxvii. 15. Ges, Thes. sub v.
i Gen. x. 5. The phrase. tJ'U:1 '"II, occurs only in these two places. sMa!. i. 11.
9 Abarbanel. IU S. Cyr. II S. Matt. x\i. 18.
10 Is. xxii. 16, .. What hast thou here, and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed
thee here a seJi'ulchre? Hewin!!, him out on high his sepulchre, graving in the rock a
dwelling for hun." :.\Iic. i.
, .. Hear, ye people, all of them." Deut. xxxii. 15. .. Thou
art Waxen fat, art f!;rown thick, art covered with fatness; and he forsook God "-ho made
him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his sah-ation." 13 J er. xlvi. 9.

the heathen.
12
bYe Ethiopians also, ,-e shall be
b lsai. 18. 1. & 20. 4. Jer. 46. 9:Ezek. 30. 9.

Before
C H R 1ST
cir. &31).

fall with these, by the
word." "16They also that uplwld Egppt
shall fall." Syene l6 , the frontier-fortress over against Ethio-
pia, is especially mentioned as the boundary also of tlw de-
struction. ".:\Iessengers," God says 17, "shall {!o forth from )Je
to make the carekss Ethiopians afraid," whil(
the storm was
bur!Stin{! in its full desolatin
force upon Egypt. All the other
eities, whose destruetion is foretold, are cities of lower or
uI'per Eg-ypt 18.
ßut such a bloW' as that foretold bv Jeremiah and Ezekiel
mu
t have fallen hcm-ily upon the alli(
s of E
ypt. 'Ye have
no d(
tails; for the E
yptians would not, and did not tell of
the ('alamities and di!'graces of thdr (
ountry. 1"\0 one does.
Jo"pphus, however, briefly but distinctly saysl9, that after
,ebuchadnezzar had in the 23rd year of his reign. the 5th
after the destrU(
tion of Jerusalem, "redU(
ed into subjection

Ioab and Ammon, he invade(l Eg-ypt, with a view to subdue
it," "killed its then king, and having set up another, ('ap-
tured for the seeond time the Jews in it and carried thelll to
ßabylon." The memory of the devastation by 1"\cbuf'had-
nezzar lind on apparently in E
ypt, and is a recognised fact
among- the .:\Iohammedan historians, who had no interest in
the fulfilment of Jewish prophepy, of which it does not ap-
p(
ar that they even knew. ßokht-nasar [1"\ebuchadnezzar],
they say, "2U ma de war on the son of1"\echas [Xecho], slew him
and ruined the dty of l\Iemphis and many other cities of
Egypt: he ('arried the inhabitants captive, without leaving one,
so that El.!.'ypt remained waste forty years without one inhabi-
tant." Another says, "21The refuge which the king of Egypt
{!ranted to the Jews who fled from 1"\ebuehadnezzar brought
this war upon it: fOI' he took tlwm under his protef'tion and
would not give them up to their enemy. 1"\ebuchadnezzar, in
re"enge, marched against the king of Egypt and destroyed the
country." "One may be certain," says a good authorit y 22,
"that tlw eon quest of Egypt by
ehuehadnezzar was a tradi-
tion generally spread in Egypt and questioned by no one."
Ethiol1ia was tlH'n involn
d, as an ally, and as far as its
contingent was eoncerned, in the war, in which 1"\ebuchael-
nezzar- desolated Egypt for tho,;e 40 years. ßut, although
this fulfilled the prophecy of Ezekiel, Isaiah, some sixty years
before Zephaniah, prophesied a diref't conquest of Ethiopia.
I have given, God says 23, Egypt as thy ransom, Etlâopia ami
Seba for thee. It lay in (iud's purpose, that Cyrus should
restore His own people, and that his ambition should find
its vent and compensation in the lands beyond. It may be
that, contrary to all known human policy, Cyrus restored
the Jews to their own land, willing to bind them to himself,
anel to make them a frontier territory towards Eg:ypt, not
subject only but loyal to himself. This is quite (
onsistent
with the reason which he assigns; !H TIle Lord Gud of heau1l
Iwth gil'ell me all the killgdoms of the earth; and He hath
charged me to build Him all house at Jerusalem which is in
Judah; and with the statement of Josephus, that he was

14 Ezek. xxx. 4. 10 Ib.5. 16 Ib.6. 17 Ib.9.
18 Zoan, Aven, Pi-beseth, Tehaphnehes,Sin,on theEastern boundary: Nophplemphis]
the caJi'itai of Lower Egypt; Pathros, probably a district of Upper Egypt; No [Thebes]
ils capItal: Syene, its last town to the South. 10 Ant. x. \I. 7. See further
Sir G. \\ïlkinson, Manners and customs of the Ancient Egyptians, i. 173-179, Pusey's
Daniel the Prophet pp. 275-277. W Makrizi m De Sacy, Abdallalif Rh.
ation de I' Eg}'pte p. 247.
I Abdallatifl. c. p. 1
.

De Sa9- I. c. who quotes Abulféda [see his hisl. ante-Islam. p.l02. he could not
find the names of Egyptian kings between Shishak and the Pharaoh who was the cODlelll-
poral)- of
ebuch.] :.\Iasudi,
osairi, also.
Is. xliii. 3. I. Ezr. i. 2,3.

CIL\PTER II.

4;1

c HB
orST slain hy c my sword.
cir. ü30. 13 .And he will stretch out his hand <1-

i

7io
3i2. gainst the north, and d destroy A

)...ia;

h
'lli,3, and will make Xineveh a desolation, aml
& 2. 10. & 3. 15, 16,
nlm'ed thereto by" 1 reading the prophe('y whieh Isaiah h.ft,
210 years befm'e." It is, alas! nuthin
new tu Christians to
have mixed motin
s for their actions: the ex('eption is to
hm'e a single moth'e, "for the glory of God." The ad,'antage
to himself would doubtless flash at once un the founder of a
great empire, though it did not sugg-e!<t the restoration of
the Jews. Egypt and Assyria had always, un either side,
wished to po
s('ss themselves of Palestine, which lay between
them. Any how, one Persian monarch did restore the Jews;
his successor possessed himself of .. Egypt. alHlpart, at least,
of Ethiopia." Cyrus wished, it is rdated 2, .. to war in pcr-

on against ßabylun, the ßaetrians, the Saeæ, and Egypt."
lie perished, as is known, before he had completed Sthe third
of his purposed conquests. Cambyses, althoug-h after the
conque
t of Egypt he plamwd ill his two more distant ex-
Ileditions, reduecd "4. the Ethiopians hordering upon Egypt"
[" 510wcr Ethiopia and Kubia "], and these" broug-ht gifts"
permanently to the Persian Sovereign. Even in the time of
Xerxes, the Ethiopians had to furnish their ('ont'ngent of
troops against the Grecks. Herodotus describes theil' dress
and weapons, as they were reviewed at Doriseus 6. Cam-
b)'se
, then, did not lose his hold o,'er Ethiopia amI Egypt,
when forced by the rehellion of Pseudo-Smerdis to quit
Egypt.
13. Zephaniah began by singling out Ju(lah amid the
gencral destruction, 7 I u'ill also stretch out .1J.1J Hawl upon
Judalt; he sums up the judgement of the world in the same
way; He will stretclt out, or, StretcltHefort/t 8, His Hand against
the .J.Vorth mul destro.1J As.
hl(r, and make J.Yinevelt It cle.w[a-
tion. Judah had, in Zephaniah's time, nothing to fear from
Assyria. Isaiah 1/ and )Jieah 10 had already foretold, that the
capth'ity would be to Babylon. Yet of Assyria alone the
prophet, in his own person, expresses his own confurmity
with the mind of God. Of others Ite had said, the wortl of
the Lord is against you, 0 Canaan, alld I will clestro,lJ lItee; As
I live, saUlt the Lord, Jluah shall he Wj Suc/om. re also, 0
Etltiopians, the slain of lily sword are they. Of Assyria alone,
by a slig-ht inflection of the word, he expre
scs that he goes
along with thi
, which he announces. He dues not say as an
imprecation, "May He stretch forth His hand;" but g-ently,
as continuing his prophecies, allli, joining on Asshur with the
rest; only instead of sayin
"He wiIJ stretch forth," by a
form almost insulated in Hebrew, he says, AmI stretch He
furth His Hand. In a way not unlikc, Dm-id ha,'ing de-
I Ant. xi. 1. 2.
Herod. i. 153.
:

; ß1.\\-':íL

:
'i

t A5::'
d. ii. 487. n. 10. 4 6HH

H.i'fii{' 7 i. .1.
s
:l. C:t';1 The ordinary force of the abridged form of the future with' is con.ecutive,
viz., that ttie action so jomed on is the result of the preceding; "intercede with the Lord
';;1, that He may take away," lit. .. and He may take away." Ex. x. 17. Gesenius' in-
stances are all of this sort. In Hif. of the rCf!;ular >erb, Jud. xiv. 15. 1 Sam. vii. 3, Job
xi. 6, xii. ï. Jer. "Iii. 3. (Lehrr;. p. 321.) verbs '1)/, Kal. Nu. xxv. 4, Jud. vi. 30, Is. I. 2,
1 KI!< xxi. 10.2 Kgs v. 10, 2 Chr. nix. 10, xxx. 6, 8. (lb. p. 4113.) Hif. E'<. viii. 4, x.
Ii, 1\u. xxi, 7.
lb. p. 405) verb ,,
, Ez. x. 12, Is. ii. 2U, Is. xxxviii. 21. 1 Kgs xx. 20,

oe

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i

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xt
'7
.}he
'se

h:Yìb
si
r::J;'w

and exalted be (c,=,) his king abo>e Amalek, and exalted shall be his kingdom" and
'lb. 9, "And Israel doeth valiantly; and rule one (":1) from Jacob," Is. xxxv. 1, 2,
.. WiJderness and dry-place shall be glad for them, an'd iet the desert rejoice ("
t'1) a1)d it
shall blossom as the Autumn-crocus. It shall hlossom abundantly; andjoy it, (.,
,)

h
i
j:l. th: d j:c
\\

h
r'

? G:l:.e

;e
ufi
ri
y
e
e; i:

a

:l

d:

:

and independent oC the pleceding, with v.hich' connects it. The shade of meaning is

(h'y like a wilderness. c Jiioíes T
14 And e flucks shall lie down in the midst cir. C:30.
of IlC'r, all [the hea
ts of the nations: hoth; ì:''if: 21,22.
the II B cormorant and the hittt'rn shall Jo(lge

:ll

4.

claretl God's jud
elUents, Tlte Lorc/ trit tit tlte l'ightl'Oll.
; ami
tIle wicked awl tlte Iflver of 't'io[wce clotlt Ili.
.WIl[ aMw/", suh-
joineth, Oil tlte widil'd min lIe .
Ilares, si
nifyill
' that he (as
I I allmu
t be in the Day uf jud
emellt), is at CIne with the jud
e-
mcnt Clf God. This is the la
t scnt('m'e upCln
ïnc'-ch, cn-
fClrcing' that of Jonah and Kahum, yet witllClut pla('e of re-
I pentancc now. lIe aeculllulates wurds c'\.l're

i,-e of tk"Cllate-
ness. It should not Clnly be a deso[atioll ll , a", he had !<aid of
.\shkclon, l\lClab and Amlllon, hut a dry, parch('d u, unfruitful 13
land. .\s I
aiah, under the same WClI"lb<, l'rophcsics that thc
dry and desCllatc lalld a should, by the CClspf'l, he dad, :;11 tllt.

dadnes
of the world
hould het'ome dn-ness alld dC
Cllation.
:Jsshllr is naIlH'd, as tllllu
h une indi,-idu'aP5, illll'lyin!!; the cn-
tirene,.s of the dcstruction; all shall I'('l"ish, as one man; or
as gathered illtCl one and del)elldent upCln une, its edl h.in
.
Tile _Yortlt is 1I0t only .\ssyria, in that its al"lnies came Upllll
Judah frolll the KClrth, hut it statuI... fClr the whult' pU\\ er ut
evil 1G , as l\ïne,-ch for the whole beautiful, evil, wClrld' The
world with" the prinf'es of this \\'orld" shall pcri",h tug-ether.
14. Aud jlocks sllall lie dowll ill tlte midst of her. X II
de...olation is like that of deeayed luxury. It preaches the
nothingness of man, the fruitles
lIess of his toils, the fleeting-
ness of his hopes and enjoyments, and thcir hattlin
when at
thcir heic;ht. Grass in a court or on a unee beaten road.
much more, in a town, speaks of the passing- away of what ha...
been, that man was wont to be there, and i", not, or is there
less than he was. It letn-es the feeling- of ,'oid and forsaken-
ne",,,,. nut in Xine,-eh not a fe,,- t;tft!< of
ra
", here anel
there shall betoken desCllatilln, it shall he on
wihf rank pas-
ture, where flocks shall not feed only, but lie dfJlt'1l a,. in
their fold and continual resting--plaee, not in the out,.kirt,.
only or suburbs, but in the, cry centre of her life and thrun

and busy actidty, ill the midst of !ter, ami nune shall fray
them away.
o haiah had said of the c'itics of .\l"CIer. 17 tlte.1f
shall he fur flocks, which shall lie dOlt'n alld lwue shall iJlilke
litem {{(raid, and of Judah till its re
tomtiun by Christ, that it
should be 18 a .io.1J uf u'ilcl a.
ses, a pasture of flocks. .\nd not
onlv tho
e which are wont to be found in some eonneetion
with man. but all the heasts of (l llation 19, the trclOI'S uf wild
and !;a,'ac;e and unclean beasts whidl shun the dwellin
s of
man or are his enemics, these in troop'" ha,'e their lair there.
Both tlte pelica71 20 ami the [ftedge/tOg 21 1 ÛwllllJtigf' ilt tlte
upper lilltels tltereof. The c1wpiters [E. :\1.] or capitals (If
the pillar,; of the temples and palaces
hall lie bruken ami
so fine, that the Verss. and Rabbins pass over it, renderinK .imply future, as do modern
commentators, except Keil, and Ewald who corrects r::; '::1<1 arbitrarily and against
history. 9 Is. xxxix. 6. lu :\Iic. iv.lO.
II :ç;;;i Zeph. ii. 4. 9. 12:rs ofabsence of "ater, Job xxx. 3.
Ps. lxiii_ 2. cv. 41. c\ii.35. Is. xli. 18. Jer. ii. ü. EL. xix. 13. 1I0s. ii. 5.
13 Is. liii. 2. H II.., '::1::1 Is. xxx... 1. Jer. joins ":-.' ".:> ':1
, l. 12.
I_ Asshur is used in this v..y of the people, considered in and v.ith tn<ir l\.mg. Is. ]t"xx.
31. xxxi. 8. 16 See Is. xiv. 13.
I; Ib. xvii. 2. IS lb. xxxii. U. Compo Jer. >i.
.
19.u ,. nation," of gregarious creatures, locusts, Jo. i. 6, ji.
; r:11, "a:nts,n Pr. xxx. 2.5.
.. conie.," lb. 26. Compo 16"... X7)"ë;,,, s.c. .. apium populi," "equorum genIes," Virgo
GeorK. iv. 430. Arab. :r.;i< Boch. Hieroz. ii. .J4Xj. Leipz.
W The most probable rendering, as e'<plaining the et) mology. The ó render" pelican"
Ps. cii. 7. Lev. xi. 18; Aq. Svmm. Th., Is. xxxiv. Il; Aq. here. The i"'i' of the Tal-

i
ef::d
a
ri:!;

vÀ !:llt]

,p[

rh'Bibi
Dic
II:.pp
\

:.e:::::. inland
21 There seems a consent that the
i' is Ihe hedgehog or porcupine (as in Aram. ancl
Arab.) ó, S. Jer. R. Ndthan, Rashi, although the Arab. etym. .. rolled himself round"
seems uncertain.

472

ZEPHA1'\IAH.

Before
CHRIST
cir. G30.
II Or,
knops, or,
clmpile"8.
II Or,
",lIPn he
hath un-
covered.

in the " upper lintels of it; their 'Voice shall
sin
in tl1C windows; desolation shall be in
the thresholds: II fur he shall uncover the
h cedar work.
15 This ;s tlu' rejoicing city i that dwelt
h Jer. 22.14. I Isai. 4i. S.

strewn upon the ground, and among' tho
e dc
olate fra
ments
of her pride
hall un dean animals haunt. The peliean has
its Hcbrew name from '"omitin
. It ,"omits up the shells
whieh it had swallowed whole, after thcy had been opencd by
the heat of the stomal'h. and so picks out the animal con-
tained in them \ the vcry illla
e of greedincss and unt'lean-
ne
s. It dwclls also not in dc
erts only but near marshes, so
that Nineveh is doublv waste.
A 7'oice s/wll sini: in t!le 7l'imI0l1's. In the midst of the
desolation, the mute
lCss of the hedgehog and the pensive
loneliness of the solitary pclit'an, the musing spectator is even
startled by the gladne
s of a bird, joyous in the exi
tence
which God has g'iven it. I nstead of the harmony of music 2
and llIen-singel's and \Vomcn-
illgers in thcir palaces shall be
the sweet music of some lundy bird, uncon
eiuus that it is
sitting in tile wilUluws of those. at whosc name the world
!!"rew lmle, portions of the outl'r
'"alls being all which rcmain
of her palaces. Desolation shall be ill the thresholds, sitting,
as it were, in them; e,-ery where to he seen in them; the
more, beeause unseen. Desolation is something oppres!'ive;
we feel its presence. Thcre, as the warder watch and ward
at the empty portals, wherc OII('e was the fullest throng,
shall desolation sit, that no onc <'liter. For He s/wlluucO'ixr
[hath ullcovered E. :\1.] the cedar-ll'ork: in the roofless palaces,
the car\"Cd cedar-work shall be laid open to wind and raill.
Anyone must have notieed. how piteous and dreary the del'ay
of any house in a town look
, with the torn paper hanging
usele
sly on its walls. A poet of our own said of the beau-
tiful ruins of a wasted mona
tery:
" For thc g'ay beam,.; of lig'htsome day
Gild, but to flout the ruins gray."
But at Nine'"eh it i
one of the mkhtiest cities of the world
which tlms lies waste, and the bared cetlar-worl. had, in the
days of its greatness, been carried off from the despoilcd
-Lcbanon 3 or Hermon 4.
15. This utter desolation is the rf!joiciTig city (so unlike
is it, that there is need to point out that it is thc same); this
is
hc, who was full of joy. exulting execedingly 5, hut in her-
!'clf, not in God; that dwelt ('(lreles,
I.'/' lit. seclf1'ely, and so
careles
ly; saying' Peace lIl1d .ç({fef.'/ 6 , a" though no cvil would
come ul)on her, and so perishing more certainly and miser-
ably 7. That said in her hellrt, this was her inmost feeling,
the moving' calise of all hel' deed!'; I am and there is none
beside me; literally, salld there is I/O I besides, claiming the very
attribute of God (as the world does) of self-existencc, as if
it alone wcre I, and others, in ref:pect of hcr, were as no-

I Ãristot. Anim. ix. 10.
2 :t1!
co]]ec:tive, like ;T
':' Jer. \i. G. 3 Is. xiv. 8. xxxvii. 24. Ezek. xxxi. 16.
" In the fragment of another epigraph, we have mention of some objects also of wood,
'brought from Mt. Lebanon, (and taken up to the mound) from the Tigris.''' Layard,
Nineveh and Babylon. p. UB. "At that time the countries that are upon Lebanon, I
took {'ossession of, to the great sea of the country of Akkari," (the Mediterranean,) from
tes

o

l
h:G

t
e6
." '
J:h
3G
.qU

s
1

gt

euE:;ro
a
sjf=t

tt

i
i

mound, I smelt the sweet sme]] o{ burning cedar; the Arab workmen excavating in the
small temple had dug out a beam, and Ihe weather being cold, had at once made a

i
r
he

;i':
, ?:hb;;;

tfrso
dth
F::e

l
f oL:L:n

:

eKi
g'

carelessly, k that said in her heart, I (1m, c J

Íes T
and there is none beside me : how is she be- cir.630.
come a desolation, a place for beasts to lie
robv2

k
down in! everyone that passeth by her
::"k.
/
6.
I shaU hiss, llnd m wag his hand. .. Nah. 3. 19.

thing. Pantheism, which denies the being of God, as Author
of the world, and claims the life in the material world to be
God, and each Ih'ing' being' to be a part of God, is only this
self-idulatry, reflected upon and carried out in words. All
the pride uf the world, all self-indulgence which says, Let
us eat aml drink, for to-morrrJ1l.l u'e die, all ('ovetousness
which ends in this wurld, speaks this by its acts, I and 1tO
I beside.
How is she become a desolation, has passed wholly into it,
exi
ts only as a desolation, a place .for beasts to lie down in,
a mere dcn for ti,e wild beasts. Everyone that passeth h!1
her shall hiss in derision, ll1ulwag [or wave] his hand] in de-
testation, as though putting the hand between them and it,

o as nut to look at it, or, as it were, motioning it away.
The action is different from that of \I clappiug ti,e hands in
exultation.
"It is not diffieult," S. J crome sa)'s, "to explain this of
the world, that when the Lord hath strett'hed forth His Hand
over the Kurth and destroyed the Assyrian, the Prince of
this world, the world also perishes together with its Princes,
and is brought to utter desolation, and is pitied by none, but
all hiss and shake their hands at its ruin. But of the Church
it seems, at first sight, blasphemous to say that it shall be a
pathless dcscrt, and wild bea
ts shall dwell in her, and that
afterwards it shall be said insultingly over hcr; 'This is the
rity given up to ill, whil'h dwelt carelessl.lJ and said in her
heart, lmul nune besides.' But whoso should consider that
()f the Apostle, wherein he says, 10 ill the last days periluu,ç
times shall cume, and what is written in the Gospel, that 11 be-
cause ilIiqui(1J shall abound, tlte love of man!1 shall wax cold, so
that thcn shall that be fulfilled, lVhen the Son of
"Ian cometh,
shall He .find the faith on the em.tlt? he will not marvel at
the extreme desolation of the Church, that, in the reign of
.-\ntit'hrist, it
hall be reduced to a desolation and given over
to beasts, and shall suffer whatever the Prophet now des-
cribes. For if for unbelief God spared not the natural branches,
but brake t1
e1Tt off; and tm'ned rivers into a wilderness aml
the water-springs into a dr.v gruund, and a fruitful lalld into
barremLCss, fur the iniquity of them that dwell the7'ein, why
not as to those of whom He had said, 12 He turneth the wilder-
nes,ç into a standing water, aud dry ground iuto water-springs,
and there He maketh the hlmgry to tlll'ell; and as to those
whom out (If the wild olh'e He hath gmfted into the good olive
l1'ee, why, if forgetful of this benefit, tlH'Y depart from their
.Maker and worship the Assyrian, should He not undo them
and bring them to the same thirst wherein they were befure?
'Yhieh, whereas it may be understood generally of the coming

built the edifice. After a lapse of nearly 3000 years, it had retained its original fragrance."
lb. 11- 357. 4 Rawl. 6. Emp. i. 3S.
.
. ,"V, (verb, perhaps i. q. lIÀ"Àá(",,) is exulting joy, the exultation being good or bad,
according to its object, in God or in self and the world; in God, Ps. xxviii. 7, lxvüi.
6, xcvi. 11, cxlix. 6, Hab. iii. 18, Zeph. iii. 14; in good, Pro xxiii. 16; in God's gifts,

. 2 8Sa

t
d. ;J;J1 (i
te!s
) I:
i:
ir.' 2

iii.i7 ,1

i

'8

x
/ l3. V

:
,
:ehe
I
of a city, full of its tumultuous, self-confident, excitement, as is the verb Is. xxiii.
12. and hi of an indhidual, Jer. v. 14. [all] 61 Thess. v. 3.
7 See Jud. xviii. 2i. S As we might say "no seccnd I." This gives
an adequate explanation ofthe . in "!:'!)N, as no other rendering does. g Nah. iii. 19. I
10 2 Tim. iii. 1-6. II S. Matt. xxiv. 12. 12 I's. cvii. 33-36.

CfL\PTER III.

473

Before
CHRIST
cir. (i;j(J.

CHAPTER III.
I A sharp reproof of Jerusalem for divers sins.
S All exlwrtation to wait for the restoration of
Israel, 14 and to rdoice for their salvation by Gad.
W OE to 1\ t her that is filthy and pol-
luted, to the oppressing city!

II Or,
Flllllunou..
t Heb. craw,

of Anti.dlrÏ!4 or of thc end of the world, yct it may, day by
day, bc undcrstood of those who fcign to bc of thc Church of
(
od, aud Ù, works deny it, are hearers of tile ward not doers,
who in vain boast in an outward show, whcreas hcrds i. e.
troops of vires dwell in thcm, and bruté animals serviug the
!Jody, and all the beasts of the field which dcvour their
hearts [and pclican
, i. c. gluttons 1, who!'e god is their bel!.,!]
and hed
cho
s, a priddy animal full of spikes which priclwth
whatever it touchcth. Aftcr whi('h it is subjoined, that thc
Church shall therefore suffcr this, or hath suffcrcd it, bccause
it lifted itself up proudly and raised its head likc a cedar,
gi,'en up to evil WOrlis, and yet promising itself future bless-
ednes!', and despising others in its heart, nor thinking that
there is any other besides itself, and saying, I am, Cl1ul there
is no other beside me, how is it become a solitudc, a lair of
beasts! For wherc before dwelt thc Father, and the Son,
&nd the Holy Ghost, and Angels prcsidcd ovcr its ministrics,
there shall beasts dwell. And if we understand that, evcry
one that passeth by shall hiss, we shall explain it thus;
when Angels shall pass through her, and not remain in her,
as was their wont, they shall be amazed and marvel, and
shaH not support and bcar hcr up with their hand, when fall-
ing, but shall lift up the hands and shall pass by. Or they
shall make a sound as those who mourn. But if we under-
stand this of the de,'il and his angels, who destroyed the vinc
also that was brought out of Elrypt, we shall say, that
through the soul, which bcfore was the temple of God and
hath ceased so to be, the serpent passeth, and hisseth and
spitteth forth the venom of his maliec in her, and not this
only, but setteth in lllotion his works which figuratively are
called hands."
"2 Thc earlicr and partial fulfilment of prophecy does not
destroy. it rather confirms, the entire fulfilmcnt to come,
For whuso hearcth of the dcstrurtion of mighty cities, is con-
strained to bclieve the truth of thc Gospel, that the fashion
of this world passcth away, and that, aftcr the likeness of
1'\Ïne,-eh amI Babylon, the Lord will in the end judge the
whole world also."
C. III. 1. The "woe," having gone round thc hcathen
nations. again circles round wherc it began, the 8 Jerusalem
that killed tlte prophets and stoned tlwse that u'ere sent unto
her. ,roe upon her, and joy to the holy Jerusalem, thc new
Jeru.çalc11l 4, tile Jerusalem 'which is from above, the mother of
us all, elose this prophecy; both in figure; destruction of hcr
and the whole earth, in timc, the emblcm of thc eternal
death; and the love of God, the foretastc of endless joy in
Him.
Wo 5 rebellious and polluted 6; thou opPl'essive cit.'l7! The
address i
the more abrupt, and bursts more upon her, since
the prophct docs not name her. He uscs as her proper

1 Rib. 2 Rup. B S. Matt. xxiii. 37. 4 Rev. i;i. 12. xxi. 10.
5 '1
with the partie., as a vocative, as in Am. v. 18. Is. xlv. 9, 1O.l\1ic. i. 1. Hab. ii. 6,
!I, 12,15, 19, &c.
6 :11<"1;0 from 11"10=;'1"0. This seems more probab]e than E. V. (from a meanin
given
to'lCj'
ah. iii. 6. and from
'( crop of bird Lev. i.I6.) or LXX brupavt}s (asif

"1J;1, asa
fe\\ :\Iss.de R.)or S.Jer. "embiltering," pro,"vcalrixlas if"-';:=:1-Õ::1),or Abarb. "terrible"
PART Y.

2 She .obeyed not the voice; she b recciv- c J
ores T
ed not 1\ correction; she trusted not in the cir. (i30.
LORD; she drew not near to her God. :
:
:

3
I.
3 c Her princes within her are roaring" ?::::'ion.
lions; her judges are d evening- wolves;.
f:'i.29.27.
they gnaw not the bones tm the morrow. d A
b
\'. 8.

namc, not her own name," city of peace," but" rcbellious,"
" polluted; " thcn he slims up in onc, thou oppressh'e city.
Jcrusalem's sin is threefold, actively rebelling against God;
thcn, inwardly defilcd by sin; then cruel to man. So then,
towards God, in herself, tmvards man, !'he is wholly turned
to evil, not in passing act!', but in hcr ahiding state, I) rehel-
lious, 2) defilcd, 3) opprcssh'e. Shc is known only by what
I'he has become, and what has bcen done for hcr in vain.
She is rebellious, and so had had thc law; defilcd, and so ha(l
bccn cleansed; and thcrefore her state is the more hopeless.
2. She obeped not the Voice, of God, by the law or the
prophets, tcaching her His ways; and when, disobcying", He
chastened her, she received not correction, and when He in-
(Teased His cha,;tisements, shc, in the dedining age of thc
state and deepening evil, turned not unto Him, as in the time
of thc judgcs, nor ceased to do e,'il.
III the Lord she trusted not, but in Assyria or Egypt or her
idols. Our practical relation to God is summed up in the four
words, "Mistrust self; trust God." 1\Ian reverscs this, and
whcn "self. trust" has of course failcd him, then he <. mis-
trusts God." C< 8 Such rarely ask of God, what they hope
they may obtain from man. They strain every ncrve of their
suul to obtain what they want; canvass, flattcr, fawn, bribe,
court favour; and betake themselves to God when all human
help fails. They would be indcLted, not to God, but to their
own diligence. For thc more they re('ci,'e of God, the Icss,
they see, can they exalt their own diligenee, the more they
are bound to thank God, and obey Him the more strictly."
To her God she drew not nigh, even in trouble, when all
draw nigh unto Him, who are not wholly alicn from Him;
she drew not near by repentance, by faith, hope or love, or
Ly works mcet for repentance, but in heart remained far from
Him. And yet He was her own God, as He had shewn Him-
self in times past, 'Yho changes not, while we change; is
faithful to us, while we fail Him; is still our God, while we
forgct Him; waits, to have mercy upon us; shincs on us while
we interpose our earth-born clouds between us and Him.
,,\I Not in body nor in place, but spiritually and inwardly do
wc approach to the uncireumscribed God," owning Him as
our Father, to "Thom we daily say" Om' Father."
3. The prophet having declared the wickedness of thc whole
citv, rehearses how eaeh in Church and state, the ministers
of God in either, who should have corrected the evil, thcIll-
selvcs aggravatcd it. Not enemies, without, destroy her, but
Her princes withill ller, in the very midst of the flof'k,
wJwm they should in God's stead feed witlt a true heart, des-
troy her as they will, having-no protection against thcm. Her
judges {l1'e evening wolves 10; those who should in the Name
of God redress all grievances and wrongs, are themselves like
wild bea8ts, when most driven by famine. They gnaw fwt the

(as from II"\'which is expressed by Nif. tnU) or Drus. .. made a spectac1e;" 7rapaBf.-yp.a-
T'(OP.fVT], cf.
y.: ; but this is not used elsewhere, though the verb is so common.
7 "1/;' as a separate vocative, as N u. xv. 15. Cant, vi. 1. Is. lli. 18. Mi. ii. 7. &c., and
in the N.T. ð ßau'
fùr, S.Matt. xxvü. 2(). ð ,,[hr, S. }lark x. 47. ð "'I>.Ti}p lb. xiv. 36. &c
s Rib. on Hos. vii. n. 39. v Dion. 10 See Hab. i.8.
a z

47-1

ZEPHAl\ï.AH.

c Jíioíes T 4 Her e prophets are light and trea-
cir. (;30. cherous persons; her priests have pol-
e J::: 23. 11, luted the sanctuary, they have done f vio-
Lam. 2. 14. Hos. 9. 7. f Ezek. 22. 26.

hones 1 till the morrow or on tile mOl'row [lit. in the morning].
Th
y resen'e nothin
till the morning light, but do in dark-
ness the works of darkness, shrinking from the light, and,
in extreme rapacity, devouring at once the whole substance
of the poor. As Isaiah says, 2 Thy In'inces are rebellious and
companions of thieves, and 3 The Lord will en tel' into judgement
with the ancients of His peopLe and the Pl'inces thereof: for ye
have eaten up the t,ineyard: the spoil of the poor is in your
Iwuses. And Ezekiel, 4 Hel' princes in the midst thereof are
Like woLves, raveniug the prey to shed blood, to destl'oy sauls,
to get di.
honest gain.
4. Her p1"Ophets are Ligltt, boilin
and bubbling up, like
water boilin
over 6, empty boasters claiming the gift of pro-
phecy, which they have not; "boldly and rashly pouring- out
what they willed as they willed;" promising good things
which shall not be. So thcy are her prophets, to whom they
prophesy smooth things," 6 the prophets of this pcople" not
the prophets of God; treacherous pel'sons [lit. men of trcaehe-
ries] wholly given to manifold treacheries against God in
\Vhose Name they spake and to the people whom they de-
ceived. "7 They spake as if from the mouth of the Lord and
uttered every thin
against the Lord." The leaders of the
peopLe, those who profess to lead it aright, Isaiah says 8, are
its mi.
Leaders. Th.1/ prophets, Jeremiah says 9, have seen vaiu
and fooLish tMugs for thee; they have seen for thee false visions
and callses of banishment.
Her priests ltave polluted her sanctuary, lit. holiness, and
so holy rites, persons 10, things, places (as the sanctuary),
sacrifices. All these they polluted, being themselves pol-
luted; they polluted first themselves, then the holy things
which they handlcd, handling them as they ought not; care-
lessly and irreverently, not as ordained by God; turning
them to their own use and self-indulgence, instead of the
glory of God; then they polluted them in the eyes of the
people, llmakiug them to abhor the qfféring of the LOl'd, since,
living scandalously, they themselves regarded the Ministry
entrusted to them by God so lightly. Their office was to
12 put diJIéreltce between hoLy and unhoLy and between clean
and unclean, and to teach the chiLdre1l all the statutes which
the Lord hath spoken unto them b.1J Moses; that they 18shouLd
sanctify themseLves and be Iwly,fOl' I the Lard your God am
hoLy. But they on the contrary, God says by Ezekiel, 14/wve
done vioLence to lJIy law and have p1"Ofaned lJIy hoLy things;
they have made no di.fférence between holy and profane, and have
taugltt none between clean and ll1tclean. Holy and unhoLy being
the contradictory of each other, these changed what God had
hallowed into its exat't contrary. It was not a mere short-
coming, but an annihilation (so to speak), of God's purposes.
"15 The Priests of the Church then must keep strict watch,
not to profane holy things. There is not one mode only of
profaning them, but many and divers. For Priests ought to

1 The meaning of Pie I, in Num. xxiv.B, and met. Ez. xxiii. 34. as denom. from poetic
cv" bone." The Verss. gave the meaning, drop{'ing the metaphor, the Lxx. and Vulg.
rendering "left;" Ch. "deferring to ;" Syr. " waiting for." In Arab. 01J signifies" cut
off," spec. wool of sheep, fruit of palm-trees, and with
p. " gaining for himself or his
family." In Syr. it is 1) "cut off;" 2)" decreed õ" not, "reservpd." Abulw. Kim.
l\lenach. render" break" as denom.
2 Is. i. 23. 3 lb. iii. 14. 4 Ez. xxii. 27.
õ n"n!I being used by Jeremiah (xxiii. 32.) of the false prophet. who prophe.yfal.e dream.
h

e t:

e
:

:h:r
Y ilio':{'
h

is bJ',:
e::r ':h
ab
I

:h:

:i

t:::'

lft;o
G

xlix. 4.) and of empty wanton men, Jud. ix. 4. In Arabic, lñÐ as well as '1ñ!I is used of

lence to the law. C lPi{ors T
5 g The just LORD h is in the midst there- cir. (;30.
of; he will not do iniquity: t every morn- I Deut. 32. 4.
h ver. 15,17. See Micah 3. 11. t Heb. morning by morning.

be purified both in soul and body, and to cast aside every form
of abominable pleasure. Rather should they be rcsplcndent
with zeal in wcll-doing, remembering- what S. Paul saith,
16walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfiL the Lust of thefLesh."
They have oppressed, done violence, to the Law, openly vio-
lating it 17 ; or strainin
it, or secretly wrcstin
and using its
forms to wrong and violence, as in the case of N ahoth and of
Him, of '''ham Naboth thus far bore the I mag-e. 181Ve
have a Law, and by our Law He ought to die. Law exists to
restrain human violence; these reversed God's ordinances;
violence and law changed places: first, they did violence to the
majcsty of the law, which was the very voice of God, and
then, through profaning it, did violcnce to man. Forerunners
herein of those, who, when Christ camc, 19t1'ansgressed the com-
mandment of Gad, and made it of none ljtéct by theil' tmditions;
20 omitting also the weightier matters of the Law,judgemeut and
mercy and faith; full of extortion and excess!
5. But, besides these evening wolve.
in the midst of !tel',
there standeth Another in the midst of her, "'hom thcy knew
not, and so, very ncar 21 to them althou
h they would not draw
near to Him. But He was near, to behold all the iniquities
which they did in the very city and place called by His Name
and in His very Presence; He was in her to protect, foster
her with a father's love, but she, presuming on His mercy,
had cast it off. .And so He was near to punish, not to deli vcr;
as a Judge, not as a Saviour. "22 God is everywhere, \\'ho says
by Jeremiah, 28 Ifill heaven and earth. But sinee, as Solomon
attesteth, 2-10 The LOl'd is fm' from the wicked, how is He said
here to be in the midst of these most wicked men? Because
the Lord is far from the wicked, as regards the presence of
love and grace; still in His Essence He is everywhere, and in
this way He is equally present to all."
The LOl'd is in the midst thereof; He will not do iniquity.
"22 Since He is the primal rule and measure of all rightcous-
ness; therefore from the very fact that He doeth anything,
it is just; for He cannot do amiss, being essentially holy.
Therefore He will give to evcry man what he deserves.
Therefore we chant, 25 The L01'd is 'lqn'igM, and there is no lln-
1"ighteousness in Him." Justice and injustice, purity and im-
purity, cannot be together. God's Prcsence then must de-
stroy the sinners, if not the sin. Hc was in the midst of them,
to sanctify them. givin
them His judg-emcntl'1 as a pattern
of theirs; He wiLL not do iniquity: but if they heeded it not,
the judgement would fall upon themselves. It were for God
to become 26 SllC!t au one as themseLves, and to connive at wick-
edness, were He to spare at last the impenitent.
Every morning [lit. in the mOl'ning, in the morning] one
after the othcr, quickly, openly, daily, continually, bringing
all secret things, all works of darkness, to light, as He said to
David, 27 Thou didst it secl'etly, but I will do this thing before
all IsraeL, and befOl'e the sun. Doth He bl'ing His judge-

vain-glory; in Syr. of" impurity."
6 See Mic. ii. 11. 7 S. Jer. 8 Is. ix. 15. [16. Eng.]
g Lam. ii. 14. 10 Ezra viii. 28. III Sam. ii. 17.
12 Lev. x. 10, 11. 13 lb. xi.
. xix. 2. &c. 14 Ezek. xxii. 26.
16 S. Cyr. 16 Gal. v. 16. 17 The construction with the
ac
s S
)
h

f:.c

s Ezek. xxiii
:

;t.

: :.6, Jer. xxii. 3. 20 lb. xxiii. 23. 25.
"

;:
:'

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h

ids

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. 2

rÍi
eing from the s

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.1IJ'i'
:13 Jer. xxiii. 24.
4 Pro xv. 29. 2. Ps. xcii. 16.
26 lb. 1. 21.
7 2 Sam. xii. 12.

CHAPTER III.

c HB
ors T ing doth he bring .bis judgment to light,

he faileth not; but i the unjust knoweth no
I J 6 \;. :

2. shame.
"Or, cornera. 6 I have eut off the nations: their II towers
are desolate; I mmle their streets waste,

ments to light, so that no
in should bc hid in thc brightness
of His Light, as lie said by Hosea, Thyþu/gemellts are a ligltt
?vhich {-(oelh furth. "1 :\Iorning by mornin
, He shall executc
Hi
jutlg-ements, i.c., in bl'ight day and vhsibly, not restrain-
ing His anger, but bring-ing it forth in the midst, and makin

it conspicuous, and, as it were, setting in open vision what
He had foreannouneed." Day by day God gives some warn-
ing of His judgements. By chastisements which arc felt to
be His on this side or on that or all around, He g-ives cn-
samples which speak to the sinner's heart. .He faileth not.
As God said by Habakkuk, that His promises, althoug-h they
seem to linger, were not behÍllll2 the reaJ time, which lay
in the Divinc mind, so, contrariwise, neither are His judge-
ments. His hand is never mis
ing a at the appointed time.
But tIle Wy"IlSt\ he, whose \'Cry being and character, iniquity,
is the exact contrary to what he had said of thc perfection of
God, 6 'VItO duth nut iniquity, or, as
Ioses had taught them
in his song 6 , alt His ways are Judgement, a God of tl'uth alld
u'ithuut illiquit.'I7,just and right is He. Knoweth no shame,
as God saith by Jeremiah, tj Tlwu refusedst to he asltamed.
9 Tiley were not at all ashamed, neither could they Mush. Evcn
thus they would not be ashamed of their sins, lOt/wt they might
be c01ll'erted and God might heal them.
6. [have cut oil [the] nations. God appeals to His judge-
ments on hcathen nations, not on any particular nation, as
far as we knon'; but to past history, whether of those, of
whose destruction Jsrael itself had been thc instrument, or
others. 'fhe judgements upon the nations before them were
set forth to them, when they were about to enter on their in-
heritance, as a warning to themselves 11. Difìle not ye your-
seh'es in allY of these thing.<;; for in all these have the nations
dç/iled themselves, which I cast out hefure you: alld the laud is
de.filed; therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof U}J01J it, and tile
land vOIlliteth aut her inhabitants. And ye, ye shall keep lJIy
statutes and
JIy judgements and shall not commit any of these
abominations-And the land shall not spite you out when .'l/e
df!./ile it, as it splled out the nations ur/âch wel'e hefare you. The
\"Cry po!'=session then of the land was a warning to them; the
ruins, which crowned so many of its hill-tops 12, were silent
preachers to them; they Jived among the memories of God's
visitations; if neglected, tlwy were an earnest of future judge-
ments on themselves. Yet God's judgements are not at one
time only. Sennacherib appealed to their own knowledge,
13 Belwld, thOlt hast heard wllat the kiugs of
lssyria /wve done
to alllantls by destroying them utterly. Have the gods of the
uatian.<; delivered them 1l,.hich T/'.:J fathen; have destroyed?
Hezekiah owned it as a fact which he knew: 14 Of a truth,
Lord, the kings of Assyria hlwe laid waste all the nations ami
their ltmd. And God owns him as His instrument: Iii 1\"010
I have brought it to pass, that thou shmddest be to lay waste

1 S. Cyr. S Hab. n. 3.
3 'I'Tr] is used of one mi..ing when a muRter i. made (1 Sam. xxx. 19,2 Sam. xvii. 22,
met. Is. xxxiv. 16, xl. 26,lix. 15.); here only of God, that He doea not fail to visit at the
time when He ought to he looked for. · "'.JI 6 :1"'II:"1i:1/' tb
6 Deut. xxxii. 4. i "';; 1'JC'1 8 J er. iii. 3. v lb. vi. 15, viii. 12. IU Is. vi. 10.
II Lev. xviii. 2.J., 25, 2,,: :! tI. add lb. xx. 23. I
Thi8 will be brought out by Ihe
" Ordnance survey" of Palestine. ".hen completed. Isaiah alludes to them, xvii. 9.
13 Is. xxxvii. 11, 13. H lb. 18. .. lb. 2(;. 16 lb. X. 6, Î, and the

475

that none passeth by: thcir cities are de- c Jï{oíes T
stroyed, so that there is no man, that there cir. Gao.
is none inhabitant.
7 k I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou k So Jer. 8. 6.
wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling

defenced cities into ruinous heaps: and, 18 I will send him against
ll1t uugodly nation, and against tlte IJeo}Jle of
JIy wrath will I
give lIim a charge, to take the spoil ami to take the pre.'I/, and to
t,.ead them dawn as the rnire of the streets, and say
of him, It
is in /âs heart to de.<;truy ll1ul to cut l!/f' natiaTls not a few. The
king of Babylon too he describes a
17 the rnlUt that made the
earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms, tlwt made the world
as a wilderness, llud dest1"fJyed the cities thereof. Hahakkuk
rccently described the wide wasting by the Babylonians, and
the helples!'=ness of nations befure him 18.
Their towers, c01'lIer towers 19, the most carefully fortified
parts of their fortified cities, 117'e desolate; I made their streets
waste. The desolation is complete, within as well as without;
ruin itself is hardly so desolate as the empty habitations and
forsaken streets, once full of life, wherc
"The echoes and the empty tread
'Vould sound like voices from the dead."
7. I said, surely thou wilt fear }JIe. God speak
of things
here, as they are in their own nature. It could not but be, that
in the very presence of thc Hand of God, destroying other

but as yet sparing thcm, they must learn to fear Him; they
must stand in awe of Him for His judgements on others;
they must be in filial fear of Him for His loving longsuffering
towards themselvcs. "Thou wilt receive instruction," cor'-
reeted and taught through God's correction of others and the
lighter judgements on themselve
, as Solomon says, 20 I looked,
I set my Ileart: I saw, Il'eceivecl ;nstructiou. He saith, receit
e,
making it man's free act. God bring's it near, commends it
to him, exhorts, entreats, but leaves him the aweful power to
receive or to refuse. God speaks with a wonderful tendernes
.
,. Surely thou wilt stand in awe of Me; thou wilt receive in-
strudion; thou wilt now do what hithertu thou hast refused
to do." There was (so to speak) nothing else left for them
l.
in sig'ht of those judgements. He pleads their own intere
ts.
The lig-htning was ready to fall. The prophet had, in vision,
seen the enemy within the city. Yet even now God lingers,
as it were, 22 If thou hadst known in t/u"s thy day, the things
which are for thy peace.
So their [her] dwelling should not be cut rj/: His own
holy land which He had given them. A Jew paraphrases i3,
" And He willllot cut off their dwellings fl'om the land of the
house of My Sheehinah" (God's visible Presence in glory).
Judah, who was before addressed t/iou, is now spoken of in
the third person. her; and this abo had wonderful tender-
ness. It is as though God were musing over her and the
blessed fruits of her return to Him; "it shall not be needed
to correet her further." Howsoever I1JUnished them: Jit. all
(i.e., all thc offences) 1l'/tic/i I trisited llpon her, as God saith of
Himself, "24 v isitillg the sills of the fathers Up01t the children,"

graphic picture ib. 13, 14. 17 lb. xiv. 16, 17. 18 Hab. i. 14-16.
19 See on i. 16. Since al.o the .ubjects spoken of in this verse are places, the melaph.
meaning of rl1J!1 .. princes" i. e. corner-stones, is not probable here, although '01'] is, in
fo
Þ

:\
i

3t men . Jl :fit, exclusively of a1\ be.ides. An the
meaning. ascribed to :þI are but different ways of expressing in other languages the pri-
mary meaning, .. nothing bUl." :
S. Luke xix. 42.

Jon. t. Ex. xx. 5, xxxiv. 7. Nu. xiv. 18.

47G

ZEPH.A1\IAH.

C JtÏr
T should not be cut off, howsoever I punished
cir.63 0,,- them; but tbey rose early, and I corrupted
1 Gen. 6. 12. all their doings.
m rS3i.731.4. 8
Therefore m wait ye upon me, saitb
Prov.20. 22. the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the

and this is mostly the meaning of the words 1 visit upon.
Amid and notwithstandin!.r all the offences which God had
already chastised, He, in His love and compa
sion, stilI Ion
-
eth, not utterly to remm'e them from His Presence, if they
would but receive instrurtion now; but they would not. I/UllJ
often, our Lord says 2, would I have gathered thy c/âldrell to-
.
.ether, Cl'en as a hen
atheretlt her chickens under her wings,
and !Ie would not. But indeed, probably, Of a truth a (it is a
word stron
ly affirming what follows) the.lI rose ear
,!, they car-
1"llpted all their duin
s; God gave them His warnings, awaited
the result; they lo
t no time, they brgan with morning
light; they hasted to rise, burthcned 4 themselves, made
sure of having the whole day before thcm, to-seck Gud
as He had sent His Prophcts, 6 rising eady ami sending
them? No, nor even simply to do ill, but of sct purpose
to do, not this or that corrupt1y, but to C01"rllpt all their
duings. "6 They with diligence and eagerness rose early,
that, with the same hastc wherewith they ought to have re-
turned to Me, they might shew forth in deed what they had
conccived amiss in their mind." Therc are as many aggra-
vations of their sin as there are words. The four Hebrew
words bcspeak eagerness, wilfulness, completeness, enormity,
in sin. They 7'ose early, themsch-es deliberately cormpted,
of thcir own mind made offensive, all their doings, not slight
acts, but deeds, great works done with a hig-h hand 7.
8. Therefore wait .1Ie upon [fur] Jle. God so willeth not
to puni!'.h, but that all should lay hold of His mcrcy, that Hc
doth not here evcn name punishment. Judah had slighted
His mercics; He was ready to forgive all they had sinned, if
they would nuw receive instruction; they in return set them-
selves to corrupt all their doings. They had wholly forsaken
Him. Therefore-we should have expected, as clscwhere,
.. Therefore I will visit all your iniquitics upon you." But
not so. The chastisement is all veiled; the prophet points
only to the mercy beyond. Therefore wait ye for iJle. All
the interval of chastiscment is summed up in these words;
i.e., since neither l\Iy mercies towards you, nor My chastise-
ment of others, lead you to obey Me, tllerefore the time shall
he, whcn My Providence shall not secm to be over you, nor
l\Iy Presence among )'ou 8; but then, wait ye for lIIe 9 earnestly,
intensely, perseveringly, until tlie da.,!, that 17'ise up to the pre.,1j.
The day is probably in the first instance, the dcliverancc
fromllahylon. But the words .seem to be purposely enlarged,
that thcy may embrace othcr Judgements of God also. For
the words to gather the nations, assemble the kingdoms, de-

1 Ex. xxxii. 34, Is. xiii. 11, Jer. xxiii. 2, Hos. i. 4, ii. 13, iv. 9, Amos iii. 2, 14; be-
sides the separate cases of a) visiting upon, or b) visiting the sin. See Ges.

S. Matt. xxiii. 37.
3 pM probably (as Ges.)=I:]i] Jos. iü. 17. iv. 5. The adversative force, which Gesenius
(The;. p. 6ïO) and Ewald (Lehrb. n. 10:;. d. {I. 2ï4. ed. 8.) think to belong to a later
style. lies (as so often in other Heb. particles) in the tacit contrast of the sentences.
r.e.enius'instances of this "later usage" are Ps. xxxi. 23. (David's)lxvi. 19. lxxxii. 7.
Job xnii. 8. Is. xlix. 4. liii. 4. Jer. üi. 20, and this place.
. The word means originally" placed on the back;" then is used of a traveller, who
taking his baggage upon him, or setting it on his camels, sets out in very early dawn,
or before it, l1li is the practice in hot countries.
7 m'7.'7))5 a
:rih
i;'
i::tyX
!k:
v
f5G
d:x
rI9deeds of man's

h

r
nd, as such,
mostly great crimes in the si/(ht of God. So even the heathen have formed from" facio,"
"facinus," of deeds which they too held to involve great guilt.

prey: for my determination is to n gather the c Ir
oreS T
nations, that I may assemhle the kingdoms, cir. G3 0

to pour upon them mine indignation, erCll u Joel 3. 2.
all my fierce anger; for all the earth 0 shall 0 ch. 1. 18.
be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

seribe somc array of nations against God and His pcuple;
a-
thering themselvcs for thcir own end at that time, but, in
His purpo
e, gathcring themselves for their own dcstruction,
rathcr than the merc tranquil reunion of those of different
nations in thc city of ßabylon, when the l\Icdes amI Pcrsians
came against them. Kor again arc thcy altogethcr fulfillcd
in the destruetion of Jerusalem, or any other event until
now. For aIthoup:h thcn a vast number of the dispersed
Jews were cullected together, and were at that time "111 broken
off" and out of covenant with God, they could hardly be
called nations, (which arc here and before 11 spoken of ill con-
trast with Judah), much less kingdoms. In its fullcst sensc
the prophery seems to belong to the same events in thc last
struggle of Anti-Christ, as at thc closc of Joel 12 and Zecha-
riah 13. "ïth this agrees the larg-encss of thc dcstruction;
to pOllr out upon tltem, in full measure, cmptying out so as to
overwhelm thcm 14, 1Jline indignation, even all Jl!l.fìe7'ce anger;
fm' all tlte earth sllllll be devuured with the.fìre of lJI.'!.iealullsy.
The outpouring of all God's wrath, the devouring of the whole
carth, in the fullest sense of thc words, bclongs to the cnd of
the world, whcn He shall say to the wickcd, "Del'aI.t from
l\Ie, ye cursed, into evcrlasting firc." In lesscr dcgrces, and
less fully, the suhstance of thc IH"ophecy has ap:ain and again
bcen fulfilled to the Jewi
h Church bcf(lrc Chl'ist, at Babylon
and under the Maccabees; and to the Christian, as when the
l\Iohammedans hemmcd in Christendom un all sides, and thc
waves of their conquests on thc East and "Test threatened
to meet, overwhelming Christendom. The Church, hm"in!!,"

inned, had to urait for a while for God "'ho by His Provi-
dence withdrew Himself, vet at last delivered it.
And since the wholc history of the Chureh lics wrapt up
in the Person of the Redeemer, tlte da.lI th(d 17'ise tip to tlte
1Jrey, is cspecially the Day in which the foundation of His
Church was laid, or that in which it shall he completed; the
Day whercon He rose again, as thc first-fruits, or that Day
jn which Hc shall 15 stand agaill OIL the eartlt, to judgc it; 16 so
coming el'en as He went up into Heavell. Then. the prey 17 must
be, what God vouchsafes to account as His gain, tlte pre.,!
which is taken from the migM.1J 18, and tlte lall'fllll'llptiL
ity, tlte
l)re,lI of tlte terrible one, which shall be delivered; even that
spoil which the Father bestowed on Him IVlw made His soul
an (!ffèring for .
in 19, the goods of the strong man 20 whom He
bound, and spoiled us, His lawful
oods and .captives, since
we had sold 21 oursclvcs under sin to him. "22Christ lived again
having spoiled heU, because 23 it was not possible (as it is

S See Hos. iii. 3-5.
g :'I;" is mosdy a longing persevering expeClation for a thin/( or person which as yet
comes not, when the delay requires patience; for God, with '7, Ps. xxxiii. 20, Is. viii. 7,
Ixiv. 3; His promise, Hab. ii. 3, and (part. Kal in sense of Pi.) Is. xxx. IS; \lith nega-
tive Ps. cvi. 13; for death, Job iii. 20; of endurance. Dan. xii. 12. The only other cases
are 'lying in wait,' H os. vi. 9. waiting for the end of Job's words, Job xxxii. 4; for the
issue of the message to Jehu, 2 Kgs ix. 3; till dawn, lb. ..ii. 9; and of God, waiting for
us, till He can shew us mercy. Is. xxx. 18. 10 Rom. xi. 20. 11 v. 6.
12 Joel iii. 2, 9-16. 13 Zech. xiv.
14 See Ps.lxix. 24, lxxix. 6, Jer. vi. 11, x. 25, xiv. 16, Ezek. xxi. 31, Rev. xvi.!.
:;

:

i:

:e:a

:'

ÿ''''11 or 'II
; also Gen. xlix. 2;:

;
M: 23. (as
Ch. M')) &c.) "prey;" nOllhere, as Ew., "attack. ' 18 Is. xlix. 24, 25.
19 Ib.lüi.IO, ]2. 2U S. Malt. xii. 29. .1 Rom. vii. 14,
colI. Is. 1. 1, Iii. 3. I;j S. Cyr. 23 Acts ii. 2-1..

CIIAI)TER III.

Before
CHRIST
cir. G311.
Q Isai. 19. 18.
t Heb.lip.

!) For then will I turn to the people I' a
pure t language, that they may all call
upon the name of the LORD, to serve him

writtcn] that He, being by naturc Lifc, should be holdelt of
tleat/,.
Here, where spolien of with relation to the Church, tlle.iea-
lousy of Almi
hty God is that love for His people!, whieh will
not endure their iII-treatmcnt by thosc who (as all .\nti-
Christian power doth) make themselvcs His ri,'als in the
government of the world.
9. For then, in the order of God's mercies. The deliver-
ance from Babvlon was the forerunner of that of the Gos-
pel, which was its object. Thc spread of the Gospel then is

poken of in thc conllcction of God's Providence and plan,
and time is overlooked. Its blessings arc spoken of, as then
gi,'en when the earnest was given, and the peoplc, from whom
according to the flesh Christ was to bc born, were placed
anew in the land where He "-as to bc born. "2 The prophet
springs, as is his wont, to Christ and thc time of the new
law." .AIHI in Christ, the End of thc law, the prophd ends.
I will turn, contrary to what they had before, to tile IJeo-
pic, lit. peoples, the nations of the earth, a pure language, lit.
a purified lip. It is a rcal connrsion, as was said of Saul at
the be
inning; sGod [lit.] turned to him anotller heart. Beforc
the di
pcrsion of Babel the world was -I of aile lip, but that,
impure, for it was in rebellion a
ainst God. Now it shall be
again of one lip; and that, purified. The purity is of faith
and of life, that they may call upon the "",'ame of the Lard,
not as heretofore on idols, but that e,-ery tong-ue should con-
fess the onc true God, Father Son and Holy Ghost, in 'Yhose
Kamc they are baptised. This is purity of faith. To 5 call
upon tile Name of the Lord Jesus is the very titlc of Christian
worship; all tlwt called upon the Name of Jcsus, the vel'y
title of Christians 6. To serve Him with one consent, lit. with I
OJle shoulder, cvenly, steadfastly, not unequally yoked, but all
with united stren
th. bearing Christ's easy yoke and olle wtQ-
thers' hurdens, fulfilling the law of Christ. This is purity of
lifc. Thc fruit of the lips is tile sacr{fice of pmise 7. God i
gave baek one pure language, when, on the Day of Pcntecost,
the Holy Spirit, the Author of purity, came down in fiery
tongues upon thc Apostles, tcachin
them and guiding them
, into tI,e whole trutlt 8, and to 9 speak to ever.1J one Ùt his O1l'lI
tongue, wherein Ite was borll, the wonderflll works of God.
Thcneeforth there was to bc a higher unity than that of out-
ward languag-e. For specch is not the outward sound, but the
thoughts which it conveys and embodies. The inward thou
ht
is the soul of the words. The outward confusion of Babel
was to hinder oneness in evil and a worse confusion. .At
Pentecost, the unity restored was oneness of soul and heart,
wrought by One SI)irit, 'Vhose gift is the one Faith and the
2 Lap. 11 Sam. x. 9
.;;:e:1

?",a
,
,
s here :nnJ õ1!:1d C
11
I/ "}!:I"".
. Geu. xi. I, 6,7,9. The Jews also saw that this was a reversal of the confusion of
Rabel. "God, blessed for ever, saith, 'in this world, on account of evil concupiscence
(11"\'
man's natural corruption) men were divided into 70 languages; but in the world
to come, all shall agree with one mind to call upon My Name ;'" alleging this place.
Tanchuma f. 5. 1. ap. Schoettg. ad loc. "R. Chüa said, . thou hearest from holy
Scripture, that all hangeth from the word of the mouth; for after the tongues were con-
founded, it is added, 'and God dispersed them thence.' But in the time to come, what
is written 1 . Then will I turn &c.''' Sohar, Gen. f. 58. co\. 2li. (Schoettg. loc. gen. n.
37). Again it is said, "when the days of the l\I
ssiah shall corne, h
ys s
all know t
e
hidden things of wisdom; for then shaH all thmgs be revealed, as IS saId, Then WIll
I turn &c." lb. f. 74. col. 291. lb. ad loco And of its fulfilment in the conversion of the
world "Who would have expected that God would raise up the tabernacle of David,
which was fallen 1 Imd yet it is read, In that day I will raise &c. (Am. ix. ll). And
who would have hoped that the whole world would be one band? as in, Then will I turn
&c." Beresh;tlJ. rabba n. 88 fin. Schoettg. loci gen. n. 18, and on Gen. xli. 44 i .. Why is,

477

with one t consent. C æ
oÍeS T
10 'J FrOIll heyond the riyers of Ethiopia cir. G30.
my suppliants, Cl.'cn the dau
'htcr of my t
,

ider.
--.! Ps. !J H. 31. Isai. 18 .1,7. & GO. 4, & c:.l\I
1. 1
. Acts 8.27.
oue H(lpc of our callin
, in the One Lord, in ,rhom we are
one, graftcd into the one body. by our llapti
m 10. The Chul"t'h,
then created, is the One Ill/Iv Catholic Church diffused
throug"huut all thc world, e,'crp;'here nith one rule of Faith,
the Faitlt once .for all delivered /lnto tIle s([int,
, cOllfessin
olle
God, the Trinity in L nity, and ser,'ill
Him ill the one law
of thc Gospcl n ith one con
ent. Chri
tians, as Christian
,
speak the !Samc languagc of l
aith, and frum a\l (jUartel's of
the world, one lan
ua
e of pl"ili
e g-oes up to th,' Oue God
amI Father of all. ',ll Gud divided thc tOI1
ues at Bahel. le!'t.
understanding onc another, they should 'form a de:-tmeth-c
unity. Through proud men tongues werc didded; throug-h
humhlc Apostles tongucs were gathered in one. The spidt
of ..ri(lc dispersed ton
ues; the Holy ðpirit
athcrcd tont:"ues
in one. For when the Holy SpÏ1'it came upon the dis('ipll'
,
they spake with thc tongues of all, werc under
tood hy all:
the disper
cd tongues were gath('re,l into one. So then, jf
they arc yet angl'y and Gcntiles. it is ÌJetter fur them to han
their ton
ucs didded. If they wish for onc tllng-ue, let them
come to thc Churl'h; for in diversity of the ton
ues of the
flesh, thcrc is one tongue in the Filith of the hear't." In
whatever degree the onene
s is impaired within the Church.
while there is yet one Faith of the Crecds, (-Ie .\Ionc can
restore it amI turn to her {l pur{fied language, 'Yho fir
t ga,'e
it to those who waited for Him. Both I'rai
e and servi('e
are perfeeted above, wherc the Ble
sed, with one lond ,'oice.
12sfwfl cry, Salvation to ow' God which siUttlt upon the Throne
alld Ullto the Lamb; Messing alld glm',1/ and wisdom ami
thanksgivillg amI honour alld POWCI" ami might he unto Ollr
Gud for ever ami ever. And they who Itave come out of great
trihulation ami have washed tl,eir 7'ohes and mrule tltem ll'!âte
ill tlte Blood of the Lamb, shall be hefore tI,e Throlle of God
alid serve Him day ami )light ill EIis Temple IS."
10. From heyolld tlte rivCl"s 1-1. of Ethiopia. The fUrthe
t
Southern people, with whom the Jews had interconr
e, stand
as the type of the whole world be
'ond. The utmost hound of
thc known inhabited land should not be the bound of the Gos-
pel. The conversion of Aby
sinia is one, but the narrowe
t
fulfilment of the prophecy. The whole new wurld, thoug-h not
in the mind of thc prophet, was in the mind of Him 'Yhl}
spake by the pruphet.
1II.'I suppliflllts. He names them as what they shall be
when they shall elllllC to Him. They shall come, as needy, to
thc Fountain of all good, asking- for mercy of the unfailing
Sourcc of allmen'y. Hc describes the very eharacter of all
who come to God thruugh Christ. Tlte dallgllter of _JIy dis-
perse/flit. God is, in the way of Providence, the Father of all,

'they shall praise Thee' repeated four times in Ps. lxvii. 4? He means, 'Thev shall
raise Thee with their heart; they shall praise Thee with their mouth; they shall xraise
th

e ;:
hI t;::

.

drl
h:
a

io;

r::dis

e
th;

h

t
:i;:i
gi

:si
h,

cording to, 'and the Name of the Lord cometh from far.''' in Mart. Pug. Firl. f.327.
It is also quoted with other places, as to be fulfilled in the time of the
Ie'siah, Tikkrme
Sohar p. 60 (Schoettg. Loc. gen. n. 80), R. !\Ioseh in Ibn Ezra, and Ibl1 Ezra himself.
of the second temple. Kimchi" after the wars of Gog."
· Acts xxii. 16. Rom. x. 13. ti Acts ix. 1-1, 21, I Cor. i. 2. i Heb. xiü. 15.
8 S. John xvi. 13. 9 Acts ii.
, 11.
12
:V,Ev
N
}

' 13 lb. ,'ii. 14, 15. 11 S.

gS:: I
:iXv

Úi.1:
15 Ewald conjectures 1:1!I nJ because Nahum speaks of Cush, Phut and Lubim amon

the allies of No-Ammon or Thehes, and renders '"11117 .. my incenses;" first renderir.g ,rv
(Ez. viii. H)" the smoke of the cloud çf incense." But this sense is not itself proved {in both

lé"u
hda
rÌ
h

nNea
u

b
: ;:ltao;dt

:s:r
lhï

i

íl

::da
a
Îï
:I
fl
:.

478

ZEPHA1'\IAH.

Before
CHRIST
cir. 630.

dispersed, sJIaH bring mine offering.
II In that day shalt thou not be ashamed
for all thy doings, wherein thou hast trans-
gressed against me: for then I will take

although, by sin, alienatpd from Him; whence S. Paul says,
we are t!le (1Ispring of G(J([l. They were dispersed, severed
from the oneness in Him and from His house and family; yet
still, looking on them as already belong-ing to Him, He calls
them, lIIy dispersed, as by Caiaphas, being high-priest, He
prophesied that Jesll.
slwllld die for t!lat nation; and not for
that nation only, bllt t!lat also He should gather together in
one the children of God that ll'ere scattered abroad 2.
Shall bring _"Iine r1féring 3 . The offering is the !'ame as
that whit'h .:Halal'hi prophesies shall continue under the Kew
Testament, which offering- was to be offered to the Kame of
God, not in Jerusalem, but 4. in every place from the rising of
the ,
un unto the going down of t!le same. The dark skin of
the Ethiopian is the imag-e of ingrained sin, whieh man could
not efface or change 5: their conversion then declares how
those steeped in sin shall be cleansed from all their darkness
of mind, and washed white from their sins in Baptism and
}Jeautified by the grace of God. "6 The word of prophecy
endeth in truth. For not only through the Roman empire is
the Gospel preached, but it pircles round the barbarous na-
tions. And there are Churches everywhere, shepherds and
teachers, g-uides and instl'Uctors in mysteries, and sacred
altars, and the Lamb is invisibly sacrificed by holy priests
among Indians too and Ethiopians. And this was said plainly
hy another prophet als0 4 . For I (1111 a gl'eat King, saith t!le
Lord, mul .l"lIy .JYame is great among t!le heathen, and in eve171
place incense is qtfèred to .JIg .I..Yame aml a pure sacrifice."
II. III that da.1f s!lalt tholt not be aslwmed for all thy
doing.
, because God, forgiving- them, will blot them out and
no more remember them. This was first fulfilled in the Gos-
pel. "6 No one can douht that when Christ came in the
fle!oòh, there was an amne!'tv and remissioll to all who be-
lieved. For we are .iu.
t!lieti uot by 1{'orks of righteousness
1(,/tich we !lave done, bllt acconling to His gl'Utt mel'cg. But
we have been released from shame. For He hath restored
us to freedom of access to God, Who for our sakes arose from
the dead, and for us ascended to heaven in the presence of
the Father. For C!lrist, our Forerunner, hath ascended for
us now to appear in t!le pre.
ence of God. So then He tool{
away the g-uilt of all and freed believers from failures and
shame." St, Peter, evell in hea\'en, must remember his denial
of our Lord, )'et not so as to he ashamed or pained any more,
since the expeedin!{ love of God will remove all shame or
pain. "7l\Iig-hty promise, mig-hty ponsolation. Now, before
that Day comes, the Day of .:\Iy Resurrection, thou wilt be
ashamed and not without reason, since thou ownest by a true
confession, 8 all Ollr l'igltte()IlSue.
ses m'e as.fìlthy rags. ßut at
that Day it will not be so, e;;:peeially when that shall be which
I promise thee in the Prophets and the Psalms, \I There shall
I Acts xvii. 28. 2 S. John xi. 51, 52.
3 It is possible also to render, "from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, My suppliants
the da'ighter of My dispersed shall they bring as Mine offering õ" and this some have

íle
e:

tr
ilir

cf

n o:ff

i

i

t

e

rJs

h o:x,J

Íi

e:c},heì3:th:

â
:tnD alone is common to the two passages, and the words I>1J ":'1]" "1JJ/C which occur in
Is. xviii. I, and"" or; "JI' lb. 7, make me think that this place rather was in the pro-
phet's mind. 4 1\1al. i. 11. 5 Jer. xiii. 23. 8 S. Cyr.
i R up. 8 Is. Ixiv. 6. g Zech. xiii. 1.
10 Ps. Ii. 7. II lb. xxxiv. 5. 1
Rom. vi. 21.
13 Ps. Ixxxix. I. .. It cannot be "those that exult in th)- highness õ"
for :'IIJ(J, as u.ed of man, alwa)'s has a bad sense, " self-exaltation."

I away out of the midst of thee them that C J
ois T
I rrejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more cir.630.
be haughty t because of my holy mountain. · J;li.t3
il.
I 12 I will also leave in the midst of thee f1:

'i:' 9.
I

be a Fountain openedfor sin andf01'ulldemmess; whence David
al!'o, exulting in good hope of the Holy Spirit, saith, lOThol4
shalt wash nle and I shall he whitel' than snow. For though he
elsewhere saith, 11 tlley lonked unto Him and were lightened,
and their faces urere not ashamed, yet in this mortal life, when
the day of My Resurrection doth not fully shine upon thee,
thou art after some sort ashamed; as it is written, 121Vhatfruit
had ye then in those tMngs whereof .'Ie are nolV ashamed? but
that shame will bring glory, and, when that glory cometh
in its place, will wholly pass away. But when the fulness
of that day shall come, the fulness of My Resurrection, when
the members shall rise, as the Head hath risen, will the me-
mory of past foulness bring" any confusion? Yea the very
memory of the miseries will be the richest subject of sing-
ing, according to that, 13111.'1 song shall be alway of the loving-
kindness of the L01'd." For how shall the redeemed forget
the mercies of their redemption, or yet how feel a painful
shame even of the very miseries, out of which they were re-
deemed bv the fulness of the over-streaming Love of God?
F01' thell will I take away Ollt of the midst of thee them
that rl(,joice in th.'1/ pride. [those of thee w
o exult in pl'ide l 4.,J
All confusion shall cease, because all prIde shall cease, the
parent of sin and confusion. The very gift of God becomes
to the carnal a source of pride, Pride was to the Jew also
the great hindrance to the reception of the Gospel. He
made his hoast of the law, yea, in God Himself, that he knew
Hi.
will, and was a guide of others 15, and so was the more
indignant, that the heathen was made equal to him, and that
he too was called to repentance and faith in Christ. So, go-
ing about to establish his own righteousness, he did not submit
Iâmself to the righteousness of God, but shut himself out from
the faith and grace and salvation of Christ, and rejected
Himself. So, 7 thy In'ide may be the pride in being the peorw
of God, and having Abraham for their father. And thuu shalt
no more he haughty 16 in lily holy nlOlwtain, "but thou shalt
stand in the great and everlasting abiding-place of humility,
knowing perfectly, that thou now' knOlvest in part' only,
and confessest truly that no one ever could or can by his
own works be justified in the sight of God. 17 For all hat:e
I sinned and come SIWl.t of the glO1"y of Gad." Pride which is
ever offensive to God, is yet more hideous in a holy place or
a holy office, in Mount Sion where the temple was or in the
Christian priesthood.
12. .And I will also lem,e (over, as a remnant, it is still
the same heavy prophecy, that a remnant only shall be
saved 18) an qfJficted and poor people. Priests, (except that
gl'eat company who were obedient to the faith 19) scribes, law-
vel'S, Pharisees, Sadducees were taken away; and there re-
inained "20 the people of the land," the 21unlem'ned and ig-
18 As in E. M., not, because oj

;

i

;f

;rity, mostly occurs with J" and is
used in a bad sense of high-mindedness = pride; Ps. cxxxi. I, (David's), Pr. xviii. 12, Ez.
xxviii. 2, 6, 17, 2 Chr. xxvi. 16, xxxii. 25; absol. in a bad sense, Is. iii. 16, Jer. x!ii.
15, Ez. X\i. 60. It is used of eminence given by God, Job xxxvi. 7, and of the MessIah
as exalted by Him, Is. Iii. 13. Once only, 2 Chr. xvii. 6, IJ":m is used in a good senoe
I of Jehoshaphat, that, being exalted by God, "his heart was elevated in the ways of the
I law." The form

J

is like the info in Ex. xxix. 29, xxx. 18, xxxvi. 2, Lev. xv.
1 32, &c. 17 Rom. iii. 23. Is lb. ix. 27. See ab. on Mic. ii. 12. p. 30!!.
Ig Acts vi. 7. w
[:11 the uneducated, this fJPflPle that knoweth not
the law (S. John vii. 49), "one in w';:m there are moral not intellectual excellenc
s:'
Rambam in Buxt. Lex. Talm. col, IG2{). 21 Acts iv. 13.

CH.\PTER III.

c J
oÍes T B an afflicted and puor people, and they shall
cir.630. trust in the name of the LORn.
·
":
h
tl
2Ù. 13 t The remnant of Israel U shall not do
Matt. 6. 3. 1 Cor. 1. 27.28. Jam. 2. 5. t Mic. 4. 7. ch. 2. 7. u Isai. 60.21.

norant, Ithe weak things of the world aml the tMugs despised
who borc the vcry title of their l\1aster 2, the poor alid needy;
11001' in spiritS; poor al
o in outward things, sincc the.lI wlto had
lands, sold them and they had all things cummoll-&. Thcy
werc afflicted above measure outwardly in the 6 persecutions,
reproaches, sJloilillg of their goods, stripes, deaths, which they
endurcd for Christ's sake. They knew too their own poverty;
"6 knowing themselves to be sinners, and that they were
justified only by faith in Jesus Chl'i"t." "'hen thc rest werc
cast out of the midst of her, thcsc should be left in tile midst
of her (the words stand in contrast with one another) in thc
bosom of thc Church. And they shall trust in the name of
tlte Lord. "As they looked to be justified only in the Name
of Christ," and "7 trusted in the grace and power of God
alonc, not in any power or wisdom or eloqucnce or riches of
this world, they converted the world to a faith above nature."
"8Conformed in this too to Christ, 'Vho for our sakcs be('amc
poor and almost neglected both His divine glory and the
supereminence of His nature, to subject Himself to the con-
dition of a servant. So then those instructed in His laws after
His example, think humbly of themselves. They became most
exceedingly loved of God, and chiefly the divine disciples, who
were sct as lights of the world."
13. The l'enmant of Israel, the same poor people, the true
Israel of whom God said, I leave over (the word is the same)
a poor people, few, compared with the rest who were blinded;
of whom the Lord said, I know whom I hal.e chosen 9. These
shall not do iniquity nor sJleak lies. "6 This is a spiritual
adorning, a most beautiful coronet of
lorious virtues. For
where meekness and humility are and the desire of righteous-
ness, and the tongue unlearns vain words and sinful speech,
and is the instrument of strict truth, there dawns a bright
and most perfect virtue. And this beseems those who are
in Christ. For the beauty of piety is not seen in the Law,
but gleams forth in the power of Evangclic teaching."
Our Lord said of Nathanael, 10 Behold an Ismelite indeed, ill
whom is no guile, and to the Apostles, 111 send you forth as
sheep among wolves; be ye theref01'e wise as serpents and harm-
less as doves; and of the first Christians it is said, 12 they, con-
tinzting daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread
from house to house did eat their meat with gladness and sin-
gleness of heart, p1"Uising Gad and having favour with all the
people. This is the character of Christians, as such, and it
was at first fulfilled; IS whosoever is born of God, doth not r;om-
mil sin; 14 whosoever is born of God sillneth not; but he tlwt is
begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth
him not. An .Apologist, at the close of the second ccntury,
could al)peal to the Roman Emperor l6 , that no Christian was
found among their criminals, "unless it be only as a Chris-
tian, or, if he be any thing else, he is forthwith no lon
er a
Christian. 'Ve alone then are innocent! \nmt wonder if this

1 1 Cor. i. 27.28. 2 Ps. xli. 1.
s 'JJ1 is not simply" poor," nor uþ simply" meek:' 'Jþ is one II afllicted." in whom
afiliction has produced its fruits; 'UJI. one" meek" but in whom patience has been tried
and perfected; as the same class are meant by the .....,"'xol. S. Luke vi. 20, and the
.....",xol.,rii ..,I'E6p..."'. S. Matt. T. 3; and, II no humility without humiliation," is become
a Christian proverb. 4 Acts ii.
, 45, iv. 32. 35.
i Acts viii. 1, ix. 2. 13.14. xii. 1. 2. xiii. 50, xiv. 6.22. xxii. &c. Rom. viii. 17,
35, 36. xii. U.1 Cor. ix.19, 2 Cor. i. 8. 9, xii. 10, 2 Thess. i. 4, 2 Tim. iii. 11, 12.
Heb. x. 32-340. S. James ii. 6, 7, 1 S. Pet. i. 6, 7. iv.I3. Rev. i. 9, vi. 9 &c.
8 Rup. 1 Dion. 8 S. Cyr.

4j!)

iniquity, x nor speak lies; neither shall a C HBí{oÍ
" T
deceitful tun
ue be found in tlH'il. mouth: cir.630.
fur y they shall feed and lie down, and nunc ·

:
l:
:
JEzek. 3-1.28. :\lic. .J.. -1. & 7. u.
be so, of net'e
sity? .And truly of ne('e!'
ity it is 1'0. Taug-ht
innocem'c by Hod, wc both knuw it rerft'('tly, as being revealed
by a perfect Master; and we kecp it faithfully, as being- cum-
mitted to us by an Ohservcr, \nlO may not he dC!Sl'ised."
"16Being so vast a multitude of men, almo
t thc greater por-
tion of every !'tatc, wc livc silcntly and lIlotlel"tly, lmown per-
haps more as individuals than as a body, and to be known
by no other sig-n than the rcfurmatiun of our furmer !ìin!ì."
Kow in thc Church, which "our earth dimm'd e,'e!ì hchold,"
we can but say, as in reg-ard to the ce
!o:ation of 'war 17 under
the Gospel, that God's promiscs are !'ure on His part, that
still 18 the.', that are Christ's hm'e ('1'/l('ffìecl the jle.
h 1('ith the
qfjècti01ls and llists, that thc Gospel is 19 a IJfJl('er of God unto
salvation, that the 201J1'eachillg of the Cro.
s is, 100lo us 1(.hich
are saved, the power of God; 21 uIl to them t/wt are called, Christ
is the pown' of God and the wisdom of God; that tho
e who
will, 22 U1'e kept b.1I God tll1'Ol(
h faith unto .wh'atioll; but that
now too 2S they cu'e not all Israel, which are of Israel, and that
24the faithlessness afman does not make the faith (if God of none
etfèct. "25The Church of Gud is universally holy in rcspeet of
all, by institutions and adJllini
tratioJls of sanetity; thc same
Church is really holy in this world, in relation to all godly
persons t'ontained in it, by a real infused sanctity; the same
is farther yet at the same time pel.fertly holy in reference to
the saints departcd and admitted to the IH"e<;f'nce of God;
and the same Church shall hercafter bc most completely holy
in the world to come, when all the members, actually belong-
ing to it, shaH be at once pcrfected in holines
and completed
in happiness." l\Io!'t fully shall this bc fulfilled in the Rc-
surreetion. "60 blessed dav of the Re!"urrcetion, in whose
fulnes
no one will sin in word or deed! 0
reat and blessed
reward to every soul, which, although it hath now done ini-
quity _and spoken falsehood, yet willeth not to do it further!
Great and blcssed reward, that hc shall now receh-e such im-
moveahleness, as no longer to be ahle to do iniquity or speak
falsehood. since the blessed soul, throup:h thc Spirit of ever-
lasting love inseparably united with Guel its Creator, shall
now no more be capable of an evil will!"
J<Òl' they shall feed; on the hidden manna, "7 nourished
most delicately by the Holy Spirit with inwaI.d delights, and
spiritual food, the bread of life." In the thin
s of the body
too was 26clistl'ibution made unto el'el'll mall11ccordillg as he Iwd
need. And they shall lie down in thc green pastures where
Hc foldeth them; and none shall make them ({fruicl, "í for
they wcre rcady to suffer and to die for the Kame of the
Lord JC
US.27 26 They departed from the presence (
f the council
rt;;oicing that the.lI wel'e cow/ted 1('orth.lI to sl!f!èr
/lfl1l1e for
His Name. Before the Resurrection and the sendmg' of tile
Holy Ghost, how p'eat was the fcarfulnes!':, unsteadfastness.
weakness of the disciples; how great, after the infusion of
the Holy Spirit, was their constancy and imperturbablcness, it
9 S. John xiii. lB. 10 lb. i. 47. II S.1IIat. Jr.. 16. I
Acts ii. 46. 47.
13 1 S. John iii. 9. H lb. v. 18.
15 Tert. ApoI. c.
. 45. Sce also Justin M. i. n. 34. S. Athena!(oras. n. 2, Minutius
Felix p. 333. Theodoret de cur. Græc. aff. Disp. xii. circ. med. p. 1021 sqq. ed Schultz;
L

:b.9

r.f

i

3 p. 323, 324. 18Id. ad

Ú
I

2l':
:. .gx
Js
;"s
Sennon, II The Gospel, the power of God." Lenten Sermons, pp. 300-321.
19 Rom. i. 16. :0 1 Cor. i. 18. 21 lb. 24. :: 1 S. Pet. i, 5.
sa Rom. ix. 6. 24 lb. iii. 3. 25 Bp. Pearson on the Creed, Art. LX,
26 Acts iv. 35. 27 lb. xxi. 13. :s I b. v. -11.

480

ZEPHA1'\IAH.

Befor

CHRIST
cir. 630.
· Isai. 12. 6.
& 5'.1.
Zech. 2. 10.
&9.9.

shan make them afraid.
1-1
z Sing, 0 daughter of Zion; shout,
o Israel; he
lad and rejoif'e with an the
heart, 0 daughter of Jerusalem.
1.3 The l...ORD hath taken away thy judg-

i
delic-ht!"ome to estimate in their Acts," when thev Ibm'e His
lYame L hefore tile Gentiles aml kings, and the r-/lilclre;1 of Israel,
and he who had been afraid of a little maid,
aid to the Hig-h
Pricst, 2 ,re ollg/d to obey God 1'ather thau men. "3 'Yhen
Chri!"t the Good Shepherd 'nlO laid down Hi
life for His
sheep. shone upon u!". we are fed in garden!" and pa!"tllred
among lilies, and lie down in folds; fur we are folded in
Chul"l'hes and holy shrines, 110 CIne searin!{ or spoiling' us,
no wolf assailing- nor lion trampling- on u
, no robber break-
ing throug-h, no one ÏIn-ading- us, to steal and kill and destroy;
but we abide in safety and partit'ipation of e,'ery good, being
in charge of Chri
t the Sm'iour of all."
14. Sillg, 0 daug/der (
f Siou; shout, 0 Israel; beglad and
1'(Joice with all the heart, 0 dangMer of .Jeru,wtlem. Yery re-
markahle throug-hout all these ver
cs is the use of the sacred
number three, s
cretly conveying' to the thoughtful soul the
thoug-ht of Him, Father Son and Holy Ghost, the Holy and
{indi\'ided Trinity by "'hose operation these things shall be.
Threefold is the descl'iption of their being- freed frfllu sins;
1) they shall not do illiqlli(',/, 2) 1l0r speak lies, 3) lleither shall
a deceitful tongue he fonnd in their moutll. Threefold their
hlessedness; They shall I ) feed, 2) lie dOl('Il, 3) 1l011e make tlmn
afraid. Threefold the exhortation to joy here; "4 Sillg
to God the Father; .çlwut to God the Son: he glad mul re-

'oice in God the Holy Ghost. which Holy Trinity is One God,
from 'Yhom thou hast reeei,"ed it that thou art 1) the daughter
of Zion, 2) Israel, 3) the dllllp:Mer of Jerusalem; the dallgMer
nf Zion by faith, Israel by hope, Jerusalem by charity." And
this hidden teaching- of that holy mystery is t'ontinued; 5 The
Lard, God the Father, hath taken ([zNlY thy judgem ell ts ; He
God the Son, hath ra.çt out (clem'ed quite away) thine enem.lI;
the killg of Israel, the Lord, the Holy Gho!"t, is in the midst of
thee! The promise is threefold, 1) tholl shalt 1Wt see evil an.lI
mare; 2) fear thOll not; 3) let not thine lumds be slack.
The Im-e of God i
thre(.fold. I) I-Ie ll'iIl1',!;oire (Jl'er tltee with
Joy; 2) He will rest in His lot'e; 3) He willjo.'I Ql'er thee with
singillg. Again the words in these four verses are so framed
as to be fill-filled in the end. All in this life are but shadows
of that f'ulness. First, whether the Chureh ur the faithful
soul, she i
summoned by all her names, daugltter of Zion
(" the thirsty" athirst for God) L
rael (" Prince with God")
Jerusalem (" City of peace"). By all she is called to the
fullest joy in God with eVt'ry expression and e'"ery feeling.
Sing; it is the inartirulate, thrilling, trembling- burst of
joy; .çlwut; again the inarticulate yet louder s,,'ell of joy, a
trumpet-blast; and then too, deep within, IJe glad. the calm
c"en joy of the inward soul; e.t"lllt, the triumph of the soul
which cannot contain it!'elf for joy; and thi!", 1l'Îtlt the whole
Iteart, no corner of it not pen'aded with joy. The g'round
of this is the complete remm-al of m-ery edl, and the full
Presence of God.
15. The Lordlwth taken away tll.lI judgements; her own,
because brought upon her by her sins. But when (Tod takes

I Acts ix. 15. 2 lb. v. 29. s S. c) ril 4 Rup. & v.15.
· Besides thi. place, the word is used of .. the clearing of a house," Gen. xxiv. 31,
l;e;
.xi
: 36;" a
al:
:h
x
iï
3

' 14, l
\t

: ,
tt'j
ii. 1; "c:eS

a
:.o

i;

:

ments, he hath cast out thine enemy: · the C j3ï[ o I re S T
king- of Israel, Cl'cn the LORD, b is in the cir.630.
midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any:

:.n5
i

'
more.

:
7
5
'
IG In that day c it shall he said to Jerusa- c I
.

:::::

away the chastisements in mercy, He removes and forgives
the sin too. Else, to remove the jlldgements only, would be
to abandon the sinner. He hath cast allt, lit. cleared quite
al('a.lI 6, as a man clears away aU hindrances, all which stands
in the way, so that there should be none whatever left-
thine ellem.lI; the one enemy, from whom every hindrance to
our salvation comes, a!' He saith, 7..YoU' slwll the prince of
this ll'orld be cast out. The King of Israel, eun tlte Lord,
Christ the Lord, is ill tile midst of thee, of "'horn it is said,
81-1e that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them, and
'Yho Himself saith, 9 Lo I am with .11011 always unto the end
of the world. 10 'Vhere two or tliree are gathe1'ed togethe1' in
1.11.1/ ..Vame, there am I ill the midst of .1Iau. He \Yho had re-
Jl1m'ed from the midst of her the proud, "'ho had left ill tlte
midst of lte1' those with whom He dwelleth, shall Himself
dwell in tlte midst of her in mercy, as He had before in
jud
ement 11. He cleanseth the soul for His indwelling, and
so dwelleth in the mansion which He had prepared for Him-
sclf. Tlwlt shalt not see evil allY mare. For e,'en the remains
of evil, while we are yet in the flesh, are overruled, and
12 work tnget Iter to good to t Itose 1l'110 lot'e God. They cannot
separate between the soul and Christ. Rather, He is nearer
to her in them. ". e are bidden to 13 COUllt it all Jo.'I 1l'hen 1('e
fall into divers temptations, for all sorrows are but medicine
from a father's hand. " HAnd truly our way to eternal joy is
to suffer here with Christ, and our door to enter into eternal
life is gladly to die with Christ, that we may rise again frmn
death and dwell with Him in e,'erlastinl! life." So in the Re-
velation, it is first said that God sl;ould dwell with His
people, and then that all pain shall ('case. 15 Behold tlte
tabernacle of God is 1('ith men, and He will du'ell with tltem
and be their God. Aml Gad shall wipe all tem's from their
e.ves; mul tl,ere shall be no nW1'e death, neither sorrow nor cry/-
illg, neither shall there he any 7/W1'e pain; far the forme1' things
are passed melt.lI. "3 In the inmost meaning of thc words, he
could not but bid her rejoice and be exceeding glad and re-
joice with her whole heart, her sins being done away through
Christ. For the holy and spiritual Zion, the Church, the
multitude of believers, is justified in Christ Alone, and we are
sa,-ed by Him and frum Him, escaping the harms of our in-
visihle enemies, and having- in the midst of us the King and
God of aU, 'Yho appeared in our likeness, the 'V ord from
God the Father, throug-h Whom we see not e\"il, i. e. are
freed from all who could do us evil. For He is the worker of
our acceptahleness, Ollr peace, our wall. the bestower of in-
corruption, the di
penser of crOWllS, "'ho lightcneth the
assaults of devils, "110 gÏ\'eth us to 16 t1'earl on se11Jellts and
scorpions ami all the pml'er of tlte enemy-through "'horn we
are in good hope of immortality and life, adoption and glory,
through "Thom we shall not see evil an\" more."
16. In that day it slwll be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou
not; for 17 pe1fect love casteth Ollt fear; whence He saith, 18 Fear
not, little flock; it is your Father's good pleasure to give Y0l4

10 lb. xviii. 20. II Yerses 11, 12, 15, 5. IS Rom. viii. 29.
13 S. James i. 2. H Exhort. in Yisit. of the sick.
.. Rev. xxi. 3, 4. 10 S. Luke x. 19.
I; 1 S. John iv. 1
. lS S. Luke xii. 32.

CH.\PTER III.

BC'fore
CHRIST
dr. G3U.
· H eb. 12. 12.
'I Or,faint.

,'er. 15.
f Deut. 30.9.
I,ai. G:!. 5.
& G5. l!).
Jer. 3:!. 41.

lem, Fear thou not: llnd to Zion, d Let not
thine hands be II slack.
17 The LORD thy Gud c in the llJid
t of
thee is mighty; he will sm-e, fhe will rejoice
oyer thee with joy; t he will rest in his
t Heb. he will be silent.

the kingdom. 'Yho then and what should the Church IIr the
faithful soul fear, since mightier is He that is in her, thall lIe
that is in the world? And to ZiOIl, Let not thine Iwmls lJe
sla('k, throug-h faint-heartedness \ hut work with all 111)' Illig-ht:
be ready to do or bear anything;
inee Ch..i"t \\ orketh
with, in, by thee, and 2 ill due time we slwlln:ajl, if we faint
1wt.
Jj. Ti,e Lm'd thy God in the midst of tI,ee is mighty; He
u'ill save. ''"hat can He then not do for thee,
illce lIe is
..\lmi!::"htv? "That will He not do for thee, since He u'ill sat'e?
\\1w;n then should we fear? 3 If God he for us, who call he
against llS? ßut then was He especially in the midst of
us, when God 4 the lVord lJeca7lle flesh alld du'elt among us;
and ll'e beheld His Glory, the Glor.1J as (
f the 011 (If-Begotten of
ti,e Father,fllil of grace and Truth. Thenceforth He ever is
in the llIid
t of His own. He with the Father and the Holy
Sl)irit á come unto them and make Tlleir ahode with them, so
that they are the temple of God. He will sau, as He saith,
6
1l.'I
Father i,ç greater than all, and no 1//all is able to plllck
them Ollt of 1Il.1J Þàther's hand. I and X1.1f Father (I1'e One.
Of the
ame time of the Christ, Isaiah saith almo,.t in the
same words; 7 Strengthen ye the weak hands and cOJ
tir11l the
feeble knees, Say to them that are (If a feeble heart, Be strong,
fear not, behold !IOur God will come, He will come and save
you; and of the Holy Trinity, 8 He will save us.
He will rc:ioice Ol'er thee with }0.1/. Lo\"C, joy, peace in
man are shadows of that whieb is in God, bv "'hom tbe,. are
created in man. On1\- in God they exist undh.ided, unereat('d.
Hence God speaks åfter the ma'nner of men, of that which
truly is in God. God joyeth C< with an uTIc['eated joy" onr
the works of His Hands or the objects of His Lm'e, as man
jo).eth over tbe object of his love. So Isaiah saith 9, As the
IJridegrooTfl rçioiceth Ol'er the bride, so shall t/l.1f God rçioice
orer thee. As with unereated love the Father resteth in
good pleasure in His '" ell-belm'ed Son. so lOGod is well-pleased
with the sacr{lìces of 10l'Íug deeds, and, U the Lord deligltteth ill
tltee; and, 12 I will rf!ioice in Jerusalem and joy ill J1.1f people;
and, 13 tIle Lord ll'ill again rl!ioire orer thee for good. And so
in a two-fold way God meeteth the longing of the heart of
man. The soul, until it hath found God, is enrmore seek-
in
some love to fill it, and can find none, since the love of
God Alone can content it. Then too it longeth to be loved,
e"en as it loveth. God tens it.. that everv feeling- and ex-
pre!'sion of human love may be found in Him, "'h
m if any
love, he only U lovetll l-lim, hecallse He ßr.çt loud us, E,.ery
inward and outward expression or token of love are heaped
together, to express the lo\"e of Him ,rho broodeth and as it
were yearneth over (it is twice repeated) His own whom He
lm'eth. Then too He Im'eth thee as He biddeth thee to love
Him; and since the love of man cannot be like the love of the
1 See Heb. xii. 12. 2 Gal. vi. 9.
S Rom. viii. 31. 4 S. John i. U. 5 lb. xiv. 23. . lb. x. 29, 30.
7 Is. xxxv. 3, 4. sib. xx"{iii. 22. 9 lb. lxii. Õ.
10 Heb. xiii. 16. 11 Is. lxii. 4. 12 lb. lxv. 19. 13 Deut. xxx. 9.
14 1 S. John iv. 19. 15 Verst' 14. 16 Rup.
17 1 Cor. ii. 9. IS
"111' 19 J er. xxxi. 34, xxxiii. 8, l\Iic. vii. 18.

This is the common meaning of the root I'!l', though not so frequent in the verb as
In nouns, and 6 out of the 8 cases are in Lam. i. 4 (where the same form nuu, Nif, oe-
PART V.

4
1

]on
, he wi1l joy on'1" thC'c with sin
ing. C JIioíes T
IR I wi1l A"ather them that g are sorrow- cir. 630. _
ful for the solemn aS
jf'mhlv, 1('/10 are of K 'Lam.2.ß.
thee, to 'whom t the r('proa
h of it U'(l.<; a t
,e\uTden
hurden. :
PTO

;.as

Infinite Gild. lIe llere l'iC'tIII'cs His own lovc in the word:, of
man's love, to ('onV{'v to his !'oul the oneness wherewith love
unite" her unto God: lIe he['e edwe... in a llHlIlner the joy of
the Church, to whieh lIe had called her l5 , in words the !'elt:'
ame
OJ' meaning the ,.ame. ". e ha,'e .i(J.'1 here for.ioy there; sing-
ing or the unuttered unutterahle jubilee of the heart, whieh
cannot utter in words it,. joy and love, and joys and loves the
mure in its innHl
t depths because it cannot utter it. 1\ sha-
dow of the unutterable, be('au,.e Infinite Lo\"C of God, and thi..
repeated thriee; as bein
the etemallove of the r:,"er-hlcssed
T['inity. This love and joy the Prophet speaks of, as an exu-
berant joy, one which IJOlIndcth within the innw4
elf. and
a!::"ain is wholly silent ill His IOl'e. as the decl'e,;t tenderest mo..t
)-earnin
love brood
mer the uhject of its luve, yet is beld still
in silence by the very depth ntït,. love; and thcn, ag-ain. breaks
forth in outward motion, and leaps for joy, and uttcrcth \\ hat
it cannot form in wOI'ds; for truly the love of God in its un-

peakable Im"e and joy i,. past beli('f. past utteranee. past
thoug-ht. "16 Truly that joy wherewith He teill be
ilent ill
His love, that exultation wherewith He willjo.1J oz'a thee zeith
singing, 17 Eye hath not seell nor eUr Ileard, neither hath it en-
tered into the heart of mall." 'fhe Hebrew wurd 18 also con-
tains the meaning, c. He in His 100"e shall make no mention of
past sins l9 , He shall not brin
them up ag-ainst thee, shall not
upb['aid thee, yea, shall not remembf>r them." It al..o may ex-
press the still, um-aryin
love of the rnchangeable God. _\nd
a!::"ain how the very silenee of God, when He seemeth not to
bear, as He dicl not seem to hear S. Paul, is a ,-ery fruit of
His love. Yet that entire forgh'eness of sins, and that seC'lll-
ing absence are hut ways of !o'hewing lIi
love. Hence God
speaks of His very love it"elf, l-Ie t('ilIlJe silent in Ilis 10l'e, as,
before and after. He will rf(joice, He will.io!1 oz'er thee.
18-21. In thcse ver
es still continuing the numher c , three:'
the prophecy closes with the final reversal of all which, in
this imperfect state of thing-s, !<eelllS turnf'd upside down,
when those who now mourn shall be comforted, they who
now bear reproach and shallle shall ha'"e /!lury, and those
who now afllict the })eople of God shall be undone.
l
. I will gather them that are sorroll'ful 2ufor 21 the solemn
assembZIJ, in whic'h the). were to rc:ioice23 before God and which
in theÍ1' captivity God made to cease 23 . They tl'ere of tllee, the
true Israel who were 24 grieved for the '!tflictioJl of J08eph; to
whom the reproach of it ll'as a burden [rather 25, on z('/w11I re-
proach was laid]: for this 1'eproach of Cltri,
t is greater 1'iches
titan ti,e trea.mres of Egypt, and such shall inherit the ble"s-
ing, 26 Blessed are ye, wilen men shall hate you, ami whell they
shall separate YOlt fr(l1ll their company, allli shall reproach you
and cast Ollt your name as edl, for the SOil of
1Ian's sake;
rejoice ye ill that day, and leap for joy; for, behold !lollr re-
ward is great in heaven.
curs), 12. iii. 32, 33, the remaining being, tms place, Job xix. 2, Is. Ii. 23. The other
sense" removed" (even if :1.1" 2 Sam. xx. 13, im}Jlies a'!) in this sense) comes to the
same general meaning, though with less force. The Arab 'J1, iv. is wrongly applied

;;ef
s?ds
n
,
es
If.;. 5tH) as "J
;

IU
ed
;rl.
v
i
m
t
Sc
:'

y
;:

nT
:

/
;
b. 2PA

vi.
Lev. xxiii. 40. l)
ut
. :::

: :,V
.,
l
)JX:;;
?
!m1::tea

t:;;
i:
being like = '"']!) "1I1CC, Is. liii. a. 26 S. Luke vi. 22, 23.
4 A

,182

ZEPHA
IAH.

C Jifoíes T 19 Dehold, at that time I will undo all
dr. 630. that afflict thee: and I will save her that
b

ic
.:'
,l;.' h haltcth, and gather her that was driven
t
;
i.;m'í

out; and t J will get them praise and fame
t H
b

t in every land t where they have been put
their shame. to shmne.

19. Belwlcl, at tlwt time I will undo [lit. I deal u'ith IJ.
,nlile God punishcth nut, Hc sccmcth to sit stilP, hc !>ilenta,
aslcep'\" Thcn Hc shall act, Hc shall deal according to their
dcserts with all, evil mcn or dcvils, that if/fiict thee, His
Church, Thc prophecy luokcd for a larger fulfilmcnt than
the destructiun uf Jcrusalcm, sincc thc Romans whu, in God's I
Hands, avcngcd the blood of His Saint,;, themsckcs wcre
among thosc who l!fflicted her. And will save her, the flo('k I
or shccp that Iwltetlt 5, "6 impcrfect in virtue and with tl'cm-
bling faith," awl gather, likc a good and tcndcr shephcrd 7,
her that tL'as tlrÜ.en out; seattcred and dispcn:cd thruugh
persecutions. All infirmities within shall bc hcalcd; all
troubles without, rcmoved.
Awl [will get tltem praise and fame [lit. I will make them
a praise and a name J in every land tdtere they hare been pitt
to shame 8 . Thmughout the whule world have thcy becn
9 the '2tf.
coul'ings of aIL tllings; throug-hout the wholc world
should their llraise be, as it is said, lU Tholl shalt make them
princes in aLL lands. O'le of themsekcs saith 11, re see .1/our
calling, brethren, ltow that not man.'II 1l'ise men l{(ter the flesh,
not man.'II might.I/, not many noble, are raILed. But God hath
chmell the fuolish tMngs of the world to confound the wise;
mul God hath dwsen the weak things of tlte world to con-
found the things wlâcft are might.'II; ami hase tlLings of this
wurld, and tMngs wltich are despised, hath God chosen, yea,
and thinKs wlticlt are not, to b1'Ínf{ to nought tMngs that are.
H 12 These IIc maketh a (}raisc and a name there, whcl'e thcy
were without namc and dispraised, confounding- by them and
bring-ing to nought thosc wise and strong antI mighty, in
whose sight thcy were contemptible."
20. At that time will [bring you ill i. e. into the one
fold, the one Chureh, the onc HJ)Il
e/wld of Gud. el'elI in tIle
time that 1 gat Iter you. "That time" is thc whole time of
I as Ru. ii. 19. in a p:ood sense; Ez. vii. 2;. xvii. 17, xxiii. 2;;, in a bad; cnlll, ''''11, I
1n'IN beinp: probably for c,,
&c. 2 Is. xviii. 4.
Hab. i. 13.
4 Ps. xliv. 23. . See Micah iv. 6, 7. 6 Dion. 7 See Is. xl. 11.
s The article is inserted in a way very unusual and probably emphatic. V."ithout it the I
words would mean, as in the E. 'T. "in every land of their shame." But it makes the
meaning of the first words,
I'I )JJ, complete in itself; and they mean, in tlte whole earth.

20 At tlmt time i wilI I bring r ou a{:ain, C Jioíes T
e,'cn in the time that I gather you: for I cir. G3O.
will make you a name and a praise among II&i2l1il.2&
all people of the carth, whcn I turn back
6;e
.28. 25.
your capth-ity before your eyes, saitl! the t
:i
3.&
LORD. Amos 9. 14.

the Go!'pcl; thc onc day of salt'ation, in which all who shall
pver bc g-athcrcd, shall bc brought into the new Jerusalem.
Thesc wOl'ds werc fulfillcd, whcn, at our Lord's first Coming,
the rcmnant, thc true I !'racl, those ordained tu eternal life
were brought in. It shall be fulfillcd again, when" the ful-
ncss of the Gcntiles shall be come in, and
o all Israel shall
be saved 13." It shall most pcrfc('tly be fulfillcd at the cnd,
when there shall be no going out of tho:'e once brought in,
amI those who havc gathcred uthers into thc Church, shall be
allallle amI It praise amollg all peuple of tlte earth, those whom
God hath H redeemed Ollt of e"L'er.l/ trihe and tongue and peuple
ami nation, shining likc stars for ever and ever.
TV/tell I tllm hack your captÙ.ity: U12that convcrsion, then
begun, now pcrfectcd, whcn the dead shall rise and they shall
be placed on the right hand, soon to reccive the kingdom pre-
pal'ed for them from the foundation of the world. 0 mig-hty
spet'tacle of thc r(',Tersed captivity of those unce captives;
mighty wondcr at thcir prcscnt blc
sedncss. as they review
the misery of their past captivity!" Befure your eyes, so that
we shall sce what we now believe and hope for, the cnd of all
our sufferings, chastiscments, losses, achings of the heart, the
fulness of our Rcdcmption. That whieh our eycs have looked
for, our eyes shall behold and not ll1wther, the everliving God
as HE IS, facc to Facc; saith the Lord, Who is the Truth It-
self, all "'hose words will be fulfillcd. 15 Heaven and earth
shall pa.çs aWlI.?I, hut l1Iy TVords shall nut pass awa.I/, saith He
\\'ho is Gud ble,çsed for ever. And so the Prophet closcs in
the thought of Him, "ïlOse Kame is I .A1\I, the Unchangeable,
the everla!'ting Rest and Ccntre of those who, having been
once captin's and halting and scattercd among the vanities
of thc world, turn to Him, to 'nlOID be glory and thanks-
gi\'Ïng for e\'er and evcr. Amen.

CllciJ then is probably in apposition, in the fl'lwle earth, their .hame, i. e. the scene of
theil' shame; compo the construction n
1'I 11'1<1'1 J os. iii. U. Ii and those Deut. viii. 15.
1 Kgs iv. 13; and" Ddniel the Prophet" p. 4ï6. In the next verse, rNI'I is undoubtedly
.. the earth." 91 Cor. IV. 13. 10 Ps. xlv. 16.
111 Cor. i. 2ü.28. I
Rup. 13 Rom. xi. 25, 26.
I
Rev. Y. 9. U s. Mark xiii. :U.

THE MOABITE STOKE. See pp. 4(;3, 4
.

I
fESHA, Bon of Chemosh-gad, king of
foab the Dibonite. My father
reigned over Moab thirty years, and I reigned after my father; and I made
this shrine to Chemosh in Korchoh, a shr[ine of deli ]verance, because he
saved me from all [ 1] and because he let me look upon all who hate me,
Om[r]i king of Israel; and he affiicted Moab many days, for Chemosh was
wroth with his laC n]d; and his son succeeded him, and he too said, I will
amict Moab. In my days said [Chemosh
], and I will look upon him and upon
his house, and Israel peri sheth with an e,'erlasting destruction. .And Omri
took possession of the land of Moh-deba and there dwelt in it [
Israel in his
days and in] the davs of his son, forty years; [and looked] on it Chemosh
in my days, and I built Baal-Meon and I made in it the ditch [?) and I
[built] Kiriathan. And the men of Gad dwelt in the land of [.-\tar]oth from
time immemorial, and the kin[g of I]srael huilt for him A[ta]roth and I
warred against the city; and I took it and I slew all the mi[ghty men] of the
city, for the well-pleasing of Chemosh and Moab; and I took capti,-e thence
the [ ] and [dr Jagged it [or them] before Chemosh in Kiriath and I made
to dwell in it the men of Siran, and the men of Macharath. And Chemosh
said to me, Go take Kebo against Israel [and I] went by night and I fought
against it from the break of the morning to midday and I took it, and I slew
I The stone has lJ
C'I'I, whose meaning is conjectural. Nöldeke conjectures p
::!:1 "the
kings." 2 Schlotnnan's conjecture. Likely conjectures I have put in [J; mere

the whole of it, seven thousand; [ ] the honourable women
[and mai]dens, for to .Ashtar Chemosh [I] dedicated [them] and I took thence
[ves ]sels of Yhvh and I dragged them before Chemosh. And the king of
Israel buil[t] Yahats, and dwelt in it when he warred with me; and Che-
mosh drove him from [my] f[ ace and] I took of Moab 200 men, all its chiefs
and I took them against Yahats and took it to add to Dibon. I built Korchoh
the wall of the forest, and the wall of Ophel 3 and I built the gates thereof,
and I built the towers thereof, and I built the king's house, and I ma.de pri-
sons for the gui[lt]y in the mi[ dst] of the city; and there was no cistern within
the city, in Korchoh, and I said to all the people, make yourselves every man
a cistern in his house, and I cut the cutting for Korchoh by m[ en ]
of Israel. I built [A ]roer and I made the high road 4 at the Arnon. I built
Beth-Bamoth, for it was destroyed. I built Bezer, for [it was] forsa[ken]
mer n 1 of Dibon fifty; for all Dibon was obedi-
ence, and I reig[ ned] from Bikran which I added to the land and I buil[t]-
-and Beth Diblathan and Beth-Baal-Meon and I took there the - of the
land and Horonan dwelt in it - - - - [and] Chemosh said
to me, Go fight against Horonan and I it-Chemosh III my days and
on [I] made
guess-work I have omitted. 3 )!)J1:1 nc1n occurs of Jerusalem, Neh. Ïii. 27.
4 n)O':l'Ilit. "the way cast up" cannot possibly be a way over the river.

INTUO])U CT ION

THE

TO

PRO P II E T

HAGG AI.

HAGGAI a is the eldest of the three-fold band, to whom, after
the Captivity, the word of God came, and by whom He con-
secrated the beginnings of this new condition of the chosen
people. He gave them thcse prophets, connecting their' spi-
ritual state after their return with that hefore the Captivity,
not leaving them wholly desolate, nor Himsclf without wit-
ness. He withdrew them about 100 years after, but some
420 years before Christ came, leaving His people to long the
more for Him, of '''hom all the prophets spake. Haggai
himself seems to have almost finished his earthly course, be-
fore he was called to be a prophet; and in four months his
office was closed. He speaks as one who had seen the fir'st
house in its gloryb, and so was probahly among the ver'y
aged men, who were the links between the fir'st and the last,
and who laid the foundatiun of the housc in tears c. Aftcr'
the first two months Ù of his office, Zechariah, in early youth,
was raiseel up to carryon his message; Jet after one brief
prophecy was again silent, until the aged prophet had ended
the words which God gave him. Yet in this hrief space he
first stirred up the people in one month to rebuild the tem-
ple e, prophesied of its glory through the pr'esence of Christf,
yet taught that the presence of what was holy sanctified not
the unholy g, and closes in Him 'Vho, when Heaven and
earth shall bc shaken, shall abide, anel they whom God hath
ehosen in Him h.
It has been the wont of critics, in whose eyes the Prophets
were but poets i, to speak of the style of Haggai as "tame,
destitute of life and power," shewing "ja marked decline in"
what they call "prophetic inspiration." The style of the
sacred writers is, of course, conformed to their mission. PI"O-
phetic descriptions of the future are but incidental to the
mission of Haggai. Preachers do not speak in poetry, but
set before the IJeople their faults or their duties in vivid ear-
nest language. Haggai sets before the people vividly their
negligence and its consequences; he arrcsts their attention by
his eoneise questions; at one time retorting their excuses k;
at another asking them abruptly, in God's name, to say why
their troubles came I. Or he puts a matter of the law to the
priests, that they may draw the inferenee, before he does it

a His name is eXplained by S. Jerome" festive." But although there are Prop.
Names with ai which are Adjectives, as
!"!
, W (Ezr. ix. 40. 'I;;>
O and * are foreign
names)'C'V;, the tennination a; is more frequen_tly an abbreviation of the N,,:me_of God,
which enters so largely into Hebrew names, as mdeed we have :1:.1J 1 Chr. VI. 1". And
this occurs not only, when the first part of the word is a verb, "1;;7;, 'l'.il{, 'JJi:, Y-.!,
, 'J
tI

I!., '
"1:, '1J;'1t1" '
i;IIJI!, (as Köhler observes p. 2.) but when it is a noun, as '10", '

, 'I;;>

'I1o,y 'Jill;! (coIl. :1'
, and ".
)

Ezr. iv. '<!

Ð (1 Chr. xxvi. 5.) perhaps '1JiI;',"11j1111
jr ;gain

. r. . .b ii. 3. . '" e .Ezr. ii!. 12. . .
d The prophecies of HaggaI and Zechariah are
hu8 mtertw
ned. Ha
gal proph,:sles
in the 6th and 7th months of the 2nd year of Danus HYStaspIS, B. C. 5_0. (Hagg. 1. 1.

himsclf m . Or' he asks them, what human hope had theyn, be-
fore he tells them uf the Divine. Or he asks them (what was
in their heLu.t), .. Is not this hou
e llUor O ?" hefore he tells
them of the glory in store for it. At une time he uses heaped
and condcnscd antitheses P, to set befure them one thought;
at another, he enumeratcs, oue by out', how the ,'isitatiun of
God fell upon all they had q, so that there seemed to be no
end to it. At another, he uses a conciseness, like S. John
ßaptist's cry, Repent ye,fol' tlte kingdom of Ileaven is at hand,
in hi!>; repeated r Set youI' Ileart to youI' ways j and theil, with
thc samc idiom, set youI' Ileart. viz. to Gud's ways, what He
had donc un disobedience, what He would do on ohedience.
He bids thcm work for God, and then he expresses the ac-
ceptahleness of that work to God, in the three words, tAml-
I-will-take-pleasllre in-it aml-will-be-glorifiecl. 'Yhen they sct
thelllsel\'Cs to obey, he encouraged them in the four words, U I
ll'it;t-you saitll tlw-Lord. Thi:. conciseness must have been
still more impressive in his words, as delivered v. 'Ye use
many words, because our words are weak. )Ianyof us can
rememher how the Huuse of Lords was hushed, tu hear the
fcw low, but sententious words ofthe aged g-eneral and states-
man. Hut conccivc the suggestive eloquence of those worùs,
as a whole sermon, Set your-beart on-yonr-ways.
Of distant prophecies there are but two W , so that the pOI.tion
to be compared with the former prophets consists but of at
most 7 verses. In these the language used is of the utmost
simplicity. Haggai had but one message as to the future to
convey, and he cnforced it by the repeated use of the same
wm'd x, that temporal things should be
haken, the eternal
should rem:tin, as ::-5. Paul sums it up Y. He, the long--longed
for, thc chosen of God, the signet on His Hanel, should come;
God would fill that house, so poor in their eyes, with glory,
and therc would He give peace. Haggai Iwel an all-contain-
ing but very simple message to give from God. Any orna-
mcnt of dietion woulcl but have impaired and obscured its
meaning. The two or three slight idioms, noticed by one
after another, are, though slight, forcible'.
The office of Hag-gai was mainly to bring about one definite
end, which Gud, 'Yho raised him up and insl'ÍI'ed him, ac-

ii_ 1) Zechariah first prophesies in the 8th month (Zech. i. 1.). Ha
gai resumes at the
close of the 9th and there ends (ii. 10, 20). On the same day in the 11th month, the
series of visions were given to Zechariah. (Zech. i. 7.)
. c. i. f ii. 1-9. g lb. 12. h lb. 20-23.
I Eichhorn, De Wette, Bertholdt, Gesenius (Gesh. d. Hebr. Spr. p. ;W.), Herzfeldt,
(Gesch. d. Volkes Israel ii. 21) Stähelin. j Dr. Davidson iii. 314. . i. 4.
t i. 9. m ii. 12. 13. D ii. 19. 0 lb. 3. pi. 6. 'I i. 11.
r i. 6-7. · ii. 15-18. t i. 8. D i. 13.
· See on ii. õ, 9. · ii. 6-9, 21-23. x C'.
-c, ii. 6, 21. '11C'
""" ii. 7.
'T H eb xii. 26. · See on ii. 3, 5, 17. The junction of!:VO nnK ii. 6, is a
mistake of the critics.

49-1

JNTRODl.;CTIOX TO

eomplished by him. It is in the lig-ht of this great accom-
plishment of the wor'k entl'usted to him at the verg-c of man's
carthly course, that his power' and energ-y are to be estimated.
Thc word:. which ar'e presened in his book arc douhtless (as
indeed was the case as to most of the prophets) the repre-
sentatives and embodiment of many like \H)['ds, hy which,
during his !<hort office, he rou!"ed the people from their dejec-
tion indiffcrcm'e and irrelig-ious apathy, to the restur-ation of
the publie worship of God in the essentials of the preparatory
dispensation.
(;reat lukewarmness had bcen shewn in the return. The
few looked mournfully to the rcli
ious centre of Isr'ael, the
ruined temple, the cessation uf the daily saerifiee, and, like
D
Ulicl, a confessed their sin awl the sin of their' people Israel,
and presented their suppliration before the Lord their God for
the 110(1/ mOIll/tain of their God. Thc most part appcar, as
now, to lun-e been taken up with their material prosperity,
and, at best. to have become inured to the cessation of their
spnbolieal worship, connected, a,. it was, with the declaration
of the forgkeness of their sins. Then too, God connected
His de('laration of pardon with eertain outward aets: tltey
became indifferent to the cessation of those acts. For' few
returned. The indiffcren('e was enn remarkablc among
those. most connected with the altar. Of the 24 b orders of
priests, .,\- only, 4 order's c returned; of the Ledtes only 74
indidduals d; while of those assigned to help them, the Ne-
thinim and the ehihlren of Solomon's sen'ants, there ,,'ere
:
9:! e. This coldness continued at the r'eturn of Ezra. The
edict of Ar.taxerxes t, as suggested by Ezr-a, was more pious
than those appointed to the serviec of God. In the first
instance no Levite answered to the invitation g; on the
special urgency and messag-e of Ezr'a, h by the g()od haud of
God upon liS tlte.1f brollgltt llS a man (
f llJulerstawliug, of the
sons of Levi; some J or 4 chief Levites; their !o'ons and
brethren; in all, 3t!; but of the Kethinim, near'ly six times
a,. many, 220 i . Those who thought [)lore of temporal pI"OS-
pcrity than of their high spiritual nobility and destination,
had flourished doubtless in that exile as the,' have in their
present homelessness. as j ll'U1ulcrers al/wl/g tI;e 1/atiolls. Ha-
man ca\eulateel apparently on being' able to pa.1I out IIf their
spoils ten tlWllSUlul taleuts of silz'cr k, some .f:300.000,OOO,
two-thirds of the annual re,'enue of the Per'sian Empire I iuto
tlte king',y treasuries.
The numbers who had returned with Zeruhbabcl had heen
(as had heen for'etold of all restorations) a remWl1lt onlv.
Ther'e were 42,360 free men, with 7337 male or femaic
slaves m . The wholc population whieh returned was not above
:!1:!,OOO, fr'ee-men and women and childr'en. The proportion
of slaves is ahout -rt, since in their case adults of both sexes
were eüunted. The enumeration is minute, g-iving- the num-
her of their horscs, mules, camel,., asses n. The chief of the
fathers however were not poor, !o'inee (thoug'h unspeakahly
short of the wealth, won by David ami eonse('r-ated to the
future temple) tlte.1f Oqffèred freel.1f f()r the hOllse of God, to
set it lip in its plare, a sum ahout ÆII7,lOU pof our money.
They had, beside, a g-rant fr'om Cyrus, which he intended to

. Dan ix.20. b 1 Chr. xxiv. 3-1!J. . Ezr. ii. 36-39. d lb. 40.
. lb. ;;8. fIb. \'ii. 13-H. g lb. viii. 15. bIb. 18, 19. I lb. 20.
J See on Hos. ix. 17. pp. 61, 62. k Esther iii. 9. Ahasuerus appar-
ently, in acceding to Haman's proposal, made over to him the lives and property of the
::e:
(lb

í
il"Th
sf
::

;:

;' ;

';{

::d

i1h

/
i:
s

e
h
t
o

r
:
it was noticeJ, iliat the Jews, when permitted to defend their li\es j did 7Iot lay their hands
on the prell, which, by the king's decree, was granted to them, with authority to take the
li'.cs of those "hoslwuld ""sal/lt them. Esth. viii. 11. ix. 10,15. W.
I H.560 silver talents. Herod. iii. 95.

clwer the expenses of the building, the height and brcadth
whercof were determined by royal edict q.
The monan'h, howe,'er, of an Eastern empire had, in pro-
portion to its sizc, little power over his subordinates or the

overnors of the provinces, except by their re('all or exe('u-
tion, when their oppressions or peculations notably exceeded
bounds. The retumcd colony, from the first, were in fear of
the nations, the peoples of those cOllntries', their old enemies
prohably; and the first service, the altar to '!irer burnt-'!ttà-
ings tIt creon, was probably a
ervice of fear rather than of
love, a!ò it is said, r tltey set lip the altar upon its bases; for it
I wa.Y in fear upon them from the peoples of tlte /rauis, ami they
r1f"ered hllrnt-'!!f"erings tl/Creon unto the Lord. They hoped ap-
I parently to win the fa,'our of Gcd, that He might, a!ò of old,
, protect them ag-ainst their enemies. Hmyc\'cr, the work was
emTied on "according to tlte grant tlwt tltey had of Cyms king
of Persia; and the foundations uf the temple were laid
amidst mixed joy at thc carryin
on of the wor'k thus far,
and sorrow at its pm'erty, comlmrcd to the first temple t.
The hostilitv of the Samaritans discouraged them. l\Iixed
as the r'elig-ion of the SamaI"Ïtans was, _Lits better element
being- the eorrupt religion of thc ten tribes, its worse thc
idolatries of the variou!ò nations, brought thither in the reig-n
of Esarhaddon, - the retumed Jews ('ould not accept their offer
to join in their worship, without the ecrtainty of admitting-,
with them, the idolatries, for which they had been punished
so sevcrcly. For the Samaritans pleaded the identity of the
two relig'ions. n Let liS build with yo II, fOI' we serve your God,
as ye do; ami we do sacr!/ice unto Him since the days of Esar-
/wddoll which brought us up hither. But in fact this mixed
worship, in which \ tlW.1f fmred the Lord and served their own
gods, came to this, that.... thtY feared not the Lord, neither did
they lifter tlte law and commandment u'hich the Lord COI/l-
mwuled ti,e children of Jacob. For God claims the undivided
allqdanee of His creatures; these" fcared the Lord and sen'ed
tlteir graven images, hoth their children and their cltildren's
children: as did their fathers, so do tlte.1f to this da.lf. But this
worship in eluded some of the most cruel abominations of
heathendom, the sacrifice of their' ehildr'en to thcir gods Y.
The Samaritans, thus rejected, first themselves hams
ed
the Jews in building, appar'ently by petty violence, as they
did afterwards in the rebuilding of the walls by Kehemiah.
I The people of tlte land lceakened the hands of the people of
Judah, allll wore tllem out B in lmildiug. This failing, they
b hired counsellurs (doubtlcss at the Persian COlU.t), to frustrate
tlteir }Jli'1JOse, all the cla.'/s of Cyrlls king of Persia, until tI,e
reiglt of Darius king of PC1".
ia. The object of the intrigues
was probably to intercept the supplies, which CYI"US had en-
I!:ag-ed to bestow, which could readily be effected in an Eastern
Court without any change of purpose or any cognizance of
Cn-us.
"In the next rcig-n of Ahashnrosh (i. e. Khshwershe, a title
of honour of Cambyses) c they wrote aceusations ag-ainst the
Jews, seeming-ly without any further effect, since none is
mentioned. Perhaps Cambyscs, in his expedition to Egypt,
knew more of the Jews, than the Samaritans thought, or he

m Ezraii. &1., 65, Neh. vii. 66,67. In the time of Augustus, it was no uncommon thing

s:J'

o
:00
a2vo

î

:
(

h

:
;' J.

) 2
ls said that very many Romans pos-
a 736 horses, 2-15 mules, 435 camels, 672U asses. Ezra ii. 66, 67, Keh. vii. 68, 6!J.
o Ezr. ii. ü8, 69. p The Itolden daric being estimated at tl 2.., the 61,000
c1arics would be 4::67,100; the" maneh" being IOU shekels, and the shekel about 2.., the
5000maneh of silver "ould be about 4::50,000. q Ezr. iv. 3. . lb. iii. 3.
. Ezr. iii. 7. . lb. 11-13. u lb. iv. 2. · 2 Kits xvii. 33.
w lb. 34. z lb. 41. T lb. 31.
.
7+ Chetll. · Ezr. iv. 4. bIb. 5. c lb. 6.

IL\GG4\I.

485

may have shrunk from changing' his father's decree, COIl- porary of those, who said p the temple of the Lord, tile tem.
trar'y to the fundamental principles of Per;;;i!'m, not to alter 1 1 1Jle of the Lord, tile temple of tile Lord are these j who had
any decre(', whie.h the so\'C
('i
n (al'ting-, as !Ie was assumed hf'ld it to he impo;"!'ihle that Juda
sh()L
ld be earried
al'.th'e;
to do, under' the mfluencc of Ormuzd) had wrrtten". P!'eudn- who had prophcsled the rc!'toratwn of the vcs
cls of (Tod \
Smerdis (who doubtle!o's took the title of honour, .Artnehshatr) which had been carried away, nut, as God fon'told, after the
may,
s an impl/st'
r, h
\'e well been il!lHm
nt ofCyr:us' d
eree, II captivity, but as an ean
est that the t:uller' capth ity sho
ld
to whH'h no allu!'lOn IS made b. Fnllll 111m the
amarrtan
, not ber; yct who had huuself, a,'cordmg to the pmphc('res
through Rehum the ehaneellor, obtained a decree prnhibit- of the prophets of those days, heen carr'icd into eaptÏ\'ity,
ing, until furthcr notice, the r'cbuilding of the city. The a('- amI u as now a part of that re4oration whi,'h Gud had pru-
('users had O\'erreaehed theIllseln's; for the g-round of their mi!'ed. He stuod am(lng them" in g-ray-hair'ed might," bade
anusation was, the fonner' rebellions of the city c; the pro- thcm do, what he bade them, in the name of God, to do; and
hiLition acconling-Iy extended only to the cit.lJ d, not to the they did it. 'nlen they had set about the worl" he assured
temple. IIowever, hadng obtained the deeree, they wer'c not them of the presence of God with them". A mouth later',
scrupulous about its application, ami made the Jews to cease when they wer'e seemingly di
couraged at its pOl/rncss, he
eh.1/ arm alld power, the governor of the Jews being appa- promised thcm in God's name, that its glory should be /!I'eater
rently unable, the governor of the cis-EuphrateIlsian pm- than that of Solomon's t. TIII'ee days after, in cuntra!'t with
\"Îrwes being unwilling, to help. As this, howc,'er, was, in the visitations up to that time, while there was as yet nu
fact. a pen-er!'ion of the decree, the Jews were left free to tokeIl of any change, he promised them in the name of God,
build, <Iud in the seeond year of Darius Hystaspis, f Haggai, U From this rla!1 tl'Í/l I Mess you.
and then Zerlwriah, prophesied in the name of the Gml of lIe himself apparently saw only the ('ommcn('('lIIent of the
Israel to Zembbabel, the native Governor, and Jo!'hua thc work; for his prophecies lay within the second year (If Darius
high-priest, and the Jews in Judah ami Jerusalem j llml t1ICY and the temple was not completed till the !;ixth v. Eyen the
hegan to huild tile huuse of Goel ill Jerusalem. Force was no faHlumble reser'ipt of Darius mu
t have anÍ\'cd after his
longer used. Those engaged in building appealed to the edict la
t propheey, since it was eli, 'it cd by the enquiry of thc
of Cyrus; the edict wa!; found at Ecbatana g, and the sUI'plics gonmor, eonse'luent upon the commenced re-buiJding"', three
which C
TUS had pI"Omised, were again ordered. The dif- months only bcfore his offiee closf'd x .
ficulty was at the cOJllmeneement. Thc pcople had been \rhile this rcstoration of the public worship of God in its
cowed perhaps at first by the violence of Rehum and his integrity was his main uffiee, yet he also tau
ht by parable Y
companions; but they had acquiesced readily in the illegal that the pr'esence of what was outwm'dly holy did not, in
prohibition, and had h run each to his Oll'Jl house, some of itself, hallow those, among whom it was; but \\ as itself
them to their i ceiled houses. All, employer's or employed, unhallowed by inward unholiness.
were busy on their husbandry. ßut nothing flourislwd. The Standing too amid the small handful of returned exiles,
labourers' wages disal)peared, as soon as gained j. East and not, altogether, more than the inhabitants of Sheffield, he
'" cst wind alike brought disease to their eorn; both, as foretold, in simple all-eompr'ehending words, that central
threatened upon di!'obedience in the law k . The East wind g-ift of the Gospel, · III tltis place will I gh'e peace, saith tile
seOI'ehed and dI"Ïed it up I; the warm \Yest wind tUl"IIeel the Lurd. So had David, the sons uf Korah, l\Iicah, Isaiah,
ears ycllow m and barrcn; the hail smote the vines, so that Ezekiel prophesied B; but the peace was to come, not then,
when the unfilled and mutilated clusters were pr'cssed out, but in the days of the l\Ies
iah. Other times had COllie, ill
two-fifths only of the hoped-for produce was yielded; of the which the false l'rophf'ts had said L, Peace, peace, u'!teu there
conI, only one half n . teas no peace j when God had taken away His peaee from
In the midst of this, God raised up an earnest prea('her of Ct/tis pPOple. And now, when the chastisements were fulfilled.
repentance. Hag
ai was taught, not to promise anything at when the land lay desolate, when every house of Jerusalem
thc first, but to set before them, what they had been doing, lay bUrIl/'d with fire d, aud the "blackness of ashes" alone
what was its result. 0 He sets it before them in detail; tells "marked where they stood;" when the walls were brokell
them that God had so ordered it for their neglect of His down so that, even when Icaye was given to rebuild them,
service, and bids them amend. He bids them quit their it seemed to their enemies a vain labour to e 1'evive the stoues
wonted ways; go up illto the mountaill; bring wood j huild uut of the heaps of rubbish
ehich teere burned j when f the
the hOllse. Conceh'e in ChI"Ïstian England, élfter some place of their fathers' sepulchres la.lJ wrtste, mul the gates there-
potatoe-dh;ease, or foot-and-mouth-disea!;c (in Scripture lan- (
f were consumed 1l'ith.fire j when, for their sakes, Zion wa

guage c. a mllrl'aill among the cattle"), a preacher arising g ploughed as a field and JerllSalem was hecome heaps-let
and bidrling them, consider your teays, and as the remedy, anyone picture to him!;elf thc sih'er-haired pI"Ophet stand-
not to look to any human means, but to do something, ing, at first, alone, rebuking the people, first throug-h tlwir
which shoulcl please Almighty God; and not preaching /!overnor and the high-priest, then the collected multitude,
only but etfeeting what he preaeht;d. Yet such was Haggai. in words, forceful from their simplicity, and obeyed! And
He stood among his people, his existenee a witness of the theu let them think whether anything of human or even
truth of W}Jat he said; himself one, who had Ih'ed among Divine eloquence was lacking, when the wOI'ds fleu' straight
the outwm'd splendours of the former temple; a eontem- like arrows to the heart, and roused the people to do at once,

. See Daniel the prophet pp. 445-447. b Ezr. iv. 7, sqq. C lb. 12, 13, 15, 16.
d lb. 19. 21. e lb. 23. fIb. v. 1, 2.
, lb. vi. 2. b Hag!!. i. 9. I lb. 4. JIb. 6. k Deut. xxviii. 22.
I i;!)
'" compo r::"ù ni!:n;p Gen. xli. 6, 23, 2i.
m IIi';' Forskäl (in Ni
buhr, Be>chreibung v. Arabien, Pref. p. xlv,) took down from
the mo
th of" l'Iluri, a Jew of "'Iecca, that, in the month l\Iarchesvan, a warm wind
sometime. 1)lew, which turned the ears yellow and they yielded no grain; it ",as an
'msteady winù but spoils all it touches." .. M. Forskä1 remarks that the fields, near
the canal of Ålexandria, are sown in October and reaped in Feb." Id. In Arabic Ù1e

disease is

ned 11Ip". Ges. Thes. .. D Hagg:.
, 16. 0 lb. . 5-11.
p Jer. Vll. 4. q lb. XXVII. 16, XX,",II. 3. r lb. xxviii. 2.
. Hagg. i. 13. t lb. ii. 3-9. .. ii. 19.
. Ezr. vi. 15. ... lb. v. 3. sqq.
" Ragg. i. 15. ii. 10, 20. J ii. 10-15. · ii. 9.
. Ps. lxxii. 3-i,lxxxv. 8,10. Mic. v.5. Is. ix. 6, 7. xxvi. 12. xxxii. Ii. Iii. ï. liii.5.
liv.lO, 13. hii. HI. Ix. 17. lxvi. 12. Ezek. xxxiv. 25. xxx-.ii. 2G.
b Jer. vi. 14 viii. 11. xiv. 13. c lb. xvi. 5. d 2 Chr. XXX\i. 19.
e Keh. iv. 2. fIb. ü. 3. J l\Iic. iii.12;

4SG

I
T1l0DUCTIOX TO I-L\GG
\J.

amid every obstade, amid every downheartedness or outward I had or could ha\'e with the peopJe, fl"Om the rehllIldill
of
poverty, that for whi('h God sent tl
em. The uutward o
na- tI
at t
mp
e made with hands, .again to be defiled and bu
ned
JIlent of words would have been ll11splaeed, when the object wIth fire Irrecoverably? Be It that the rebuilding of that
was to bid a ùownhearte
people, in the .1"ame of God, to do t.cmJ'le,. which he s
w bef,;,re. him
was a matter of great
a definite work. HaggaI sets before hIS people cause and festIve JOY; yet not III or tor Itself, but for Him, the festive
effect. that they denied to Goel what was His, and that (.od joy of saints and angels and men, Christ; because when the
denied to thelll what was His to give or to withhold. His temple should be rebuilt, the walls also of the city should be
!'ermOll was, in His words 'Yhom he foretolcl; Seek ye first rebuilt and the city a
ain inhabited and the l'eopic be united
tlte kingdom of God and His rigltteousness, and all these tlâllgs in one, of whom ChI"ist should be born, fulfilling the truth of
shull be added unto you. He spake in the lIame of God, and the promise made to Abr"aham and David and confirmed by
was obeyed. an oath. So then we, by aid of the Holy
pÏ1'it, so enter
"sThe Holy Ghost, 'Yllo spake by the mouth of the I)ro- upon what Haggai here speaketh, as not d()ubtill
that he
phets, willed that he by a foreboding name should be called altogether aimeth at Christ. And so may we in some sort
Haggai, i. e. 'festive,' according to the subject whereof He be called or be Haggais, i. e. 'festive,' by contemplating that
should speak by his mouth. Yet was there not another same, which because he should contemplate, he was, by a
festiveness in the prophet's heart, than the joy which he Divine foreboding, called Haggai."

· Rup.

.. THE DLSIRE OF ALL N.
TlO"'S SHALL CO
IE."-H.
GG. ii. 7.
"I, IF I DE LIFTED UP FRO
I THE E
RTH, WILL DRAW ALL UNTO l'IIE."-S. JOH!! xii. 32.

Before
CHRIST
cir. 520.

CHAPTER I.

.lIuggai ,'eprnvetlt tlte people for neglecting tile
building of the bOllse. 7 He incitetli t/lCm to the
buildiug. 12 .lIe promiseth God's assistauce to
t/lf!1lt beiug forward.
· Ezra 4.24. I N n the second year of Darius the king-,
to.: 5. 1.
Zech.l. 1. in the sixth month, in the fir'st day of
CH.U>. I. 1. III tIle .çel'01Ul .lleur of Dflri/l.<], i. e. II ystaspis.
'l'he ,'cry firl't word of prophecy after the Captivity betokens
that they were re
tored, not yet as before, Jet so, as to be
her'eafter, mure than Lefure. The earthly type, by nod'!' ap-
pointment, was fadin
away, that the Heavenly truth mi
'ht
dawn. The earthly kin
was witlulm\\"n, to make way for'
the IIt'avenly. God had said of Jeeoniah, 1 ,,-Yo mall of /tis
seed shall prosper, sittiug UpOIl the tllroue (
f David, alU11'uliltg
any mure ill brae!: and so now propheey he
ins to he dated
by the years of a foreign earthly ruler, as in the llaptism
of the Lord Himsdf2. Yet Gud gives hacl, in merr-y U1m'e
than He withdmws in ehasti!'ement. The earthly rule is
suspended, that men might luok out more longingi y for the
Hca\'enl\'.
ht ille sixtli mouth. They counted by their own months,
beginning with
isan, the first of the ecdesia:;tieal year,
(which was still u!'ed for holy purpusc!' and in sacr'ed his-
tory) although, having no more any king!', they dated thcir
years by those of the empir'c, to whieh they were subject:J.
In the sixth month, part of our July and August, their
harvest was past, and the dearth, whkh they doubtless as-
cribed (as we do) to the !oocasons, and whieh Ha

ai pointed
out to be a judgement from God, had set in for this year also.
The months being lunar, tlte .first day of the month was the
festival of the Ilew moon, a pupular feast 4 which their fore-
father's had kept 5 , while they neglecteel the weightier matters
of the law, and which the religious in Israel had kept, even
while separated from the worship at Jerusalem 6. III its ver'y
.first dU.I;' when the grief for' thc bmTcn year was yet fre!'h,
Hagg'ai was !o'tir'red to exhort them to ('(Ju.<JiclC1" tlwir 1('((.'/15;
a pattern for' Chri
tian lH"caf'hers. to bring home to people's I
souls the meaning- uf God's judg-ements. God din
cts the
very day to he noteel, in which He caUed the people anew to
build His templc, both to shew the readiness of their obedi-
ence, and a l,reeedcnt to us to keep in meIIIOl'y days and sea-
sons, in whieh He stirs our souls to build more diligently
His spiritual templc in our' souls 7.
B.1f tlte haml of Haggai. God doth well-nigh all thin
s
which He docth fm' mall throlIg-h the hands of men. Hc com-
mitteth His words aud works fur men into the hands of men
as His stewards, to dispen!'e faithfully to His hou!'ehold 8.
Hence He speaks so often of the law, whif'h He couuIlanded
9 b.u the IWIllI of Jlosf'.<]; but al!'o as to other prophets, Na-
thanlO
Ahijah 11, Jelm 12, Jouah l3 , Isaiah 14, Jeremiah 15, aud the

I J er, nii. 30. 2 S. Luke iii. 1. 3 See Zech. i. 7, vii.!.
4 Pro vii. 20. 6 Is. i. 13, 14. 6 2 Kgs iv. 23. add Am. \ iii. .3. Hos. ii. 11.

Castro. s S. Luke xii. 42.
912 times in the Pent.;.3 times in Joshua; in Judges once; in 1 Kgs viii; 2 Chron.
twice; Neh. ix. 14. Ps. lxxvii. 20. 10 2 Sam_ xii. 2:5. 11 1 Kgs xii. 15, xiv. 18.
2 Chr. x. 15. I
I h. xvi. i. 13 2 Kgs xiv. 2.3. .. Is. xx. 2. I. J er. ,,"xxvii. 2.
Iß Hos. \ii. 20. 2 Chr. xxix. 25. 11 Ezr. iii. 2, 8. v. 2. Keh. xii. 1.
IS Lev. xx. 20, 21. 19 Jer. xxii. 30.
20 .,.,V from ";1, as the Samar. Vers. renders it in Lev. "x. 20,21, .. naked." Abraham
usps it of his desolation in having no 80n. Gen. xv. 2. [all]
JI S. Luke Î1i. 2i. 2J 1 Chr. iii. Ji-HI. 23 Deut. xxiii. 5-10. 2< Ex. ii. 10.
2& Jer.lii. 31. 26 See in Daniel the prophet pp. 5,U-5,2. Keil adduces a
conjecture of Spi<<:
el, "that.pechah is from pú''!'''' . protector' (from pá) ":hich ill San-
sknt and old PerSIan occurs III compounds as Khshatrap,wall, Satrap, but 111 the A ve'ta
occurs in the ahrid
ed form pál"U1I. Then.." 71á.<!/d be developed paKVlW. as d,,
va(
from dreva(, llllógva frum "uom." :\Iax :\I<ill"r kindl.y infomls me; "Phonetically

CIL\PTER 1.

4Rj

the month, came the word of the LORD c JIioíes T
t by Haggai the prophet unto b Zcrub- t HC:
: 520.
habel the son of Shealtiel, II governor of
J J
:!!

7.d
Judah, and to c .Joshua the son of d Jose- blI

!f.n.3.
Ezra 3, 2.
dech, the high priest, saying, r:

: ii:
c Ezra 3.2. & 5. 2. d 1 Chr. 6. 15. II Or, caplain.

prophets g'enerally 16. The very Prophets of God, although
g-ifteel with a Di\"Ïne Spirit, still were willing and conscious
instruments in speaking- His words.
Unto Zerllhhabel (so called from being' born in Babylon)
the .<lon of Silealtiel. By this g-encalog'y Zcrubhabcl is known
in the history of the retul"ll f["Om the captivity in Ezra and
Nehemiah 17. God docs not say by Jeremiah, that Je('oniah
!'hould have no children, but that he should in his life-time
be {'hildless, as it is said of those marI"Ïed to the uncle's UI"
hrother's widow, 18 the.1J shall die childless. Jeremiah rather'
implies that he should have children, but that they should die
untimely bcfore him. For he calls Jeeoniah, 111 a man w/w
shall not prusper ill his dU!IS; fo'/' there shall nut prosper a man
of Ms seed, sitting OJI the throne of David, and ruLing an.1f 1llore
ill L
rael. He should die (as the wor'd means) hared 20 of all,
alone and desolate. The own fatller of Shealtiel appears to
have been Neri 21 , of the line of Nathan son of David; not, of
the line of thc kings of Judah. Ned married, one must sup-
po!'e, a daughter of Assir, son of 22Jeeoniah whose grandson
Shealtiel was; and Zerubhahel was the own son of Pedaiah,
the brother of Shealtiel, a"' whose son he was in the leg-al
/!enealog-y inscribed, according to the law as to those who die
ehildless 23 ; or as having heen adopted by Shealtiel being- him-
self childless, as Moscs was calleel thc son of the daughter of
Pharaoh 24. So broken was the line of the unhappy Jehoia-
chin, two thirds of whose own life was passed in the prison 25,
into which Nebuehadnezzar cast him.
Governor of Juda!.. The for'eign name 26 betokens that
the ('ivil rule was now heM from a foreign power, although
Cyrus shewed tile Jews the kindness of placing one of them-
selves, of royal extraction also, as his deputy over them. The
lineage of Da,'id is still in authority, connecting the present
with the past, but the earthly king-dom had faded away. Under
the name Shesllbazzar Zerubbabel is spoken of both as the
prince 9:l and the governor 28 of Judah. 'Vith him is joined
.Jushllllh tlte son of Josedeclt, the higlt priest, whose father went
into captivity 29, when his grand-father Seraiah was slain by
Kchuehadnczzar 3o . The priestly line also is preserved. Haggai
addresses these two, the one of the royal, the other of the
priestly, line, as jointly responsible for the negligence of the
people; he addresses the people only through them. Together,
they are types of Him, the tnre I(ing and true Priest, Christ
Jesus, "Tho by the Re!'òurrectiun raiseel again the true temple,
His Body, after it had been destroyed 31.
pavâo could hardly become pagvâo, and even this would still be considerably different
from Pechah. The insertion of a 8 b"fore a v in Zend is totally anomalous. It rests
cntirely on the uncertain identificatIOn of dregvan(, .. bad," with drva71l, for in the second
instance, '",ova is much more likely a corruption of huoI;Va, than vice versá. l'aváo
in Zend would mean, protector, but like the Sanskrit pává71, it occurs only at the end of
compounds. The one passage, quoted in support of its occurring as a separate noun,
seems to me to contdin an etymological play, where paváo is used as an independ
nt
noun in order to e"plain the two compounds, paçça-paváo and pard-paváo, i. e.. pro-
tecting behind and protecting in front, as if we were to say, . be is a tector, both as a
pro-tector and sub-tec/or..' "
"í Ezr. i.M. In relation to Cyrus, heis called by his Persian name Sheshbazzar, by
v. hich name he is mentioned in Tatnai's letter to Darius, as baving been commissioned
by Cyrus to rebuild the tem'ple and as having done so (Ezr. vi. 14----16), while, in the
history of the restoration, he IS related to have done it undcr his domestic name Zerub-
babel. On these chanl'(es of lIames by their masters, see Daniel the Prophet p. 1Ü.
29 Ezr. v.H.
" 1 Chr. vi. 15. au 2 Kgs xxv. 18-21. 31 S. Jer.

4SS

H..\GG..\I.

Before
C
r
ó
o
T

2 Tlms speaketh the LORn of hosts, say-
ing, This people say, The time is not come
the time that the LORD'S house should be
built.
3 Then came the word of the LORn e by

· Ezra 5. I.

2. Titus speaketh tlte Lord of hosts, saying, This people
sa.lf. Not Zerllbbabel or Jushua, but this people. He says
not, .1.1./1 people, but reproachfully this people, as, in acts, di,,-
owning Him, and so deserving to be disowned by Him. The
time is llot come, lit. It is 1l0t time to come, time for the hOllse
of the Lord to be built 1. They might yet sit still; the time
for them to come was not )'et; for not yet was the time for
the Iwuse of the Lord to be built. 'Vhy it was not time, they
did not !'ay. The governlllent diel not help thelll; the ori-
Irinal grant by Cyrus 2 was exhausted; the Samaritans hin-
dered them, because they would not own them, (amid thcir I
mishmash of wor'ship, worshipping, our Lord tells them, they
3 knOll' 1l0t what,) as worshipper's of the same God. It was a
buld excuse, if they said, that thc iO years during which the
tcmple was to lie waste, were not yet ended. The time had
lon
since come, when, 16 years before, Cyrus had given com-
mand that the house of God should be built. The prohibition
to build, under "\r.taxerxes or Pseudo-Smerdis, applied directly
to the t'Ïty and its walls, not to the temple, except so far as
the temple itself, from its position, mi
ht be capable of being
uSf'd as a fort, as it was in the la!'t !'iege of J emsalem. Yet
in itself a building of the size of the temple, apart from outer
buildin
s, could scarcely so bc used. The prohibition did not
hinder the building of stately prÍ\'ate houses, as appears from
Haggai's rebuke. The hindr'ances also, whatever they were,
had not begun with that decree. Any how the death of
Pseudo-Smerdis had now, for a year', set them free, had they
hael any zeal for the glor'y and sen-iee of God. Else Haggai
had not blamed them. God, knowing that He should bend
the hcart of Darius. as He had that of Cyrus, requires the
house tu be built without the king's elef'ree. It was built in
faith, that God would bring through what He had enjoined,
althoug-h outward thin
s wer'e as adverse now as before.
And what He commanded He prospered 4.
There wa" indeed a second fulfilment of seventy years,
from the destruction of the teml)le by Xebuchadnezzar B.C.
;)86, to its eonsecr-ation in the 6th year of Darius B.C. 516.
ßut this was through the wilfulness uf man, prolonging the
desolation decreed by God, and Jeremiah's prophecy relates
to the peoplf' not to the temple.
" 5 The prophet addresses his di!'eourse to the chiefs [in
Church and state] and yet accuses directly, not their listless-
ness but that of the people, in order both to honour them
before the pcople and to teach that their sins are to be blamed
privately not publicly. le!<t their authority should be injUI'ed,
anel the people incited to rebel against them; and also to shew
that this fault was dir'ectly that of the people, whom he re-
l)roves before their princes, that, bcing opcnly convicted
before them, it might be ashamed, repent, and obcy God;
but that indirectly this fault touched the f'hiefs themseh-es,
whose office it was to urge the people to this work of God."
"6 For seldom is the Prince free from the guilt of his subjects,
as either assenting to, OF winking at them, or not coercing
them, though able."
1 The first sentence being left incomplete, for, .. It is not time to come to build the
Lord', house." 2 Ezr. iii. 7. I S.John iv. 22. . Ezr. v. vi.
. Lap. I i Castro from AlII. 7 S. Jer. 8 s. C>r.

Hag-gai the prophet saying, C J
oÍes T
4 f Is it time for you, 0 ye, to dwell in cir. 5
O.
your deled houses, anù this house lie waste? f 2 ps..
'"f'Ji:
0') Xow therefore thus saith the LORD of t fI
b.
hosts; t g Consider your ways. f:
;::::;
g Lam. 3.40. ver.7. your ways.

Since also Christians are the tem)Jle of Gud, all this pro-
phecy uf Hag-gai is applicable to thcm. "7 "Then thou scest
one who has lapsed thinking- and preparin
to build throu.,.h
chastity the templc which he had Lefore destroyed thr'ou
h
passion, and yet delaying day by day, say to him, 'Tnrly thou
also art of the people of the captivity, and sayest, The time is
not yet cOllie for building the hOllse of the Lord.' 'Yhoso has
once settled to rf'store the temple of God, to him every time
is suited for buildin/!, and the prim'c, Satan, cannot hinder,
nor the enemies around. .As soon as being thyself cOll\'erted,
thou eallest upon the name of the Lor'lI, lIe will say, Behold
]'Ie." "8 To him who willeth to do right, thc time is always
present; the good and rig-ht-minded have power to fulfil what
is to the g-lory of God, in every time and place."
3. And the llJord of the Lord came. ,. 5ll e fore, he pro-
phcsicd nothin
, but only recited thc sa)'ing- of thc people;
now he refutes it in his prophecy, and repeats, ag-ain and
ag-ain, that he says this not of himscJf, but from the mind
and mouth of God." It is clHlracteristic of Hagg-ai to ineul-
eate thus frequently, that his words ar'e not his own, but the
words of God. Yet" 5the prophets, both in their threats and
prophecies, repeat again and again, TItUS suith the Lord,
teaching- us, how we should prize the word of God, hang
upon it, have it ever in our mouth, re,'er'ence, ruminate on,
utter, praise it, make it our continual delight."
4. Is it time for you, ['ljOU Il ,] bcing- what you are, the crea-
tures of God, to dwell in YOU1' ceiled houses 10, more emphati-
cally, ill yOllr llOuses, and those ceiled, probably with costly
woods, such as cedar ll . But where then was the excusc of
want of means? They imitated, in their alleged pm'erty,
what is spoken of as magnificent in their old kin
s, Solomon
and Shallum. but not ha,-ing, as Solomon fir'st did, 12 c01:erecl
tlte llOuse of God with b.eams and rows of cedar. "7 "ïll ye
dwell in houses artificially adomed, not so mucÌ1 for' use as
for deli
ht, and shall My dwelling-plal'e, wherein was the
Holy of holies, and the Cherubim, and the table of shew-
bread, be bestreamed with rains, desolated in solitudc, scorch-
ed bv the sun?"
"i3 "ïth these words carnal Christians are reprm'cd, who
havc no glow of zeal for God, but ar'c full of sclf-lm'e, and so
makc no effort to repair, build, or str'eng-then the material
temples of Christ, and houses as.;ig-ned to His worship, whell
aged, ruinous, dceaying or destI"Oyed, but build for' them-
selves curious, voluptuous, superfluous dwellings. In these
the love of Christ gloweth not; these Isaiah threatencth,
141P"oe to you 'Il,110 JOill hOllse to house mul field to field, and
regard not the work of the Lord!"
To David and Solomon the building of God's tcmple
was their heart's desire; to early Christian Emperors, to
the ages of faith, the building of Churches; now mostly,
owners of lands build houses for this world's profit, and
lcave it to the few to builel in view of eternity, and for the
glor-y of God.
5. And now, thus saith the Lord of Hosts; Consider, [lit.
v C1111 D

. the pers. pron. repeated emphatically.
J e

ix
i.
Lce of D'J1!XJ i
ÎPk;

i. D
.

'1 u Dion. 11 nc:!
.I I
g:. vJ:'& 7 .

CH.\PTER I.

489

c J
oÍes T 6 Ye have h sown much, and bring in little;
_ cir. 5:
ye eat, hut ye han> not enou
h; yc drink,
h R

\:
ó:8. but yc arc not filleù with drink; \"c dothc
Mic. 6. 14 L I . 1 * . I } t
15. ch. 2. i6. you, uut t lere IS nonc warm; ant 1 Ie t Ia
I Zech. 8. 10.

set .,!ollr Ilenrt upon] .1/ollr 1l"a.I!S, what they had becn doing-,
what they were doing, and what tho
e doings hatlletl to, and
would lead to. This is enr present to the mind of the pro-
phet
, as speaking God's words, that our act
arc nut only
tea.,!s in whieh we p:o, each day of life being a continuance of
the day before; but that they are ways whil'h lead sOll1e-
whither in God's Providenee amI His justice; to
ome end of
the way, good or bad. So God says by J e.'emiah, 1 I set hefore
you the way of life aml the wa.,! of death; and David, 2 TIWIl
u'ilt sltell' me tlte patlt of l(fe, where it follows, In Thy Pre-
!lellCe is the fillness of .io.1! amI at TII.I! Right Hanel there are
pleasures for et'ermore; and Solomon, S Reproofs of il/str/lction
are tIle way of life; and, he is in 4 the way of life 1c11O keepeth
imtrllctio/l; amI he 1c11O forsalæth relJllke, erreth; and, õ The
1m.,! of life is above to the leise, that lit' may depaJ"t from hell
beneath; and of the adulte.'olls "'oman, 6 HI'r hOllse are the
ll'ays of I,ell, going dOll"1l to the cltamhers of death; and 7/,er
{eet go dOWll uuto death; Iler steps tal.:e hold Oil hell; lest t/tOIl
.çhoilidest ponder the path of life. Again, 8 There is a way
that seellleth right unto a man, and the end thereof are the
leays of deat/t; and contrariwise, 9 The patlt of tile righteous
is a shining light, shining more and more until the midda.,!.
10 The ways of dar/'ness are the ways whieh end in da.'kness;
and when Isaiah says, II The tea,'! uf peace hast thOll I/ot known,
he adth.:, whosoever goeth therein shall not kllow peace. They
who ehoose not peace for their way, shall not find peace in
and for their end.
On these your ways, Ha
g-ai says, set .1/our hearts, not think-
in
of them Ji
htly, nor gidng a pa
sing- thoup:ht to them,
but fixing- your minds upon them; as Goel says to Satan,
PHllSt t!tOIl set tit.,! heart OIt .1Iy Sen'll1lt Joh? and God is said
to ,.et His eye or His face upon man for good 13 or for evil H.
He speaks also, not of setting the mind, applying the under-
standing. gh ing the thoug-hb, but of setting tlte heart, as the
!'eat of the atfcetions. It is not a dry weighing of the tem-
JlOral rcsults of their ways, but a loving dn-elling- upon them;
for l'epentance without love is but the gnawinp: of reIllOl'se.
"15 Set your hea)"t on your 1cays; i.e., your atfcetions,
thoug-hts, works, so as to be circumspect in all things; as the
Apostle says, 16 Do uot!ting u'ithout forethougltt, i.e., without
pre,'ions judgement of reason; and Solomon, 11 Let t !til/e eyes
look right on, alld let thine eyelids look straigltt hefore thee;
and the Son of Sirach, 18S on , do nothing Zl'ÍtlWllt counsel and
u:hen thou hast done it tlwu u'ilt 1/ot repent. For SUlI'(', ac-
cording- to a pmbable proposition, nothing- in human aets is
imlitTèrent, i.e., im-oldng neither good nor ill descrts, they
WItIl do not thus set thei.' hearts UpOll their lW.,!S, do they not
lìaily incur well-nigh countle!:o's sins, in thou/!..ht, word, desire,
deed, vea and bv omission of dutie
? Such are all fearless
pcrsOlis who heed not to fulfil what is nTitten, 19 I{eep your
heart ll'Íth allwatcltfllbzess."
,.20 He sows much'to his own heart, but brings ill little, who
bv reading and hem'ing knows much of the hem"enlv com-
niands, L
t by negligc"nee in deeds bears little fruï"t. He
1 Jer. xx;. 8. 2 Ps. xvi. n. 3 Pro vi. 23. 4 lb. x. 17.
& lb. xv. :!-i. I lb. vii. 27. ; lb. v. 5, 6. 8 lb. xiv. 12. xvi. 25.
9 lb. iv. 18. 10 lb. ii. 13. 11 Is. lix. 8.
12 Job i. 8. 13 Jer. xxiv. 6. H lb. x"i. 10. 1. Dion.
1
1 Tim. v. 21. 1; Pro iv. 25. 18 Ecclus. xxxii. 19. Yulg.
PART V.

carncth wag-es earneth wages to put it
a bag t with holes.
7
r Thus saith the LORD of hosts;
sid('r your ways.

into C 'p
oÍes T
cir. 520.

Con- t
7b"ed
thrtJuK'"

eats and is not .mti/ffif'd, who, heíl.'ing the \,"ortls uf God,
coveteth the gains or g-lory of the wodd. '\'ell i" he !'aid not
to be sllti.
fied, who eateth one thing, hUl.ge.'eth after another.
He dt'inks and is not inebriated, whu indinr.th his car to
the vuiee of preaching, but dmng"eth not his mind. For
thmug-h ineb.'iatioll the mind of thm:e who drink is ("hanged.
He then who is de'"oted to the knonledg-e of God's wurd,
yct still desireth to g-ain tlU' thing's of the wlJrld, drinks allli
is not inebriated. l
or were he inebriated. 1111 doubt he would
ha,'e chang-cd his mind antI no lonp:er !:o'eek em.thly thing
,
or love the ,"ain and passing things whieh he Illld lund.
For the Psalmist say
of the eleet,
1 illl'Y sllllll be inebriatpd
u'ith tile riclllless of Th.,! I/(Juse, beeause th('y shall he filh'J
with such 10H of Ahui/,:"hty Gud, that, their mind beiUL!"
ehanged, they seem to be !:o'trangers tu thcmseh-e,>, fulfilì-
ing- what is written, 112 If any will come afler
1Je, let him dell!/
himself."
6. re have SOZ('l1 mllch. The pmphet exp.'esses tlte haM-
tualncss of these vi
itations by a ,"Ï\.id present. Ill' marks
no time and so expresses the more vÎ\-idly that it was at all
times. It is one continually pre!<ent edl. JYe Illlve sown
much and there is a bringing ill little; there is eating llnd not
to satis/II; there is drinking aud not to e,dtilarate; ill ere is
clotlting and not to be ll'arm 03. It is not for the one ur the
other year!:o'. as,
inee the first year of Dariu
IIy!'ta
pi
; it
is one (
ontinued ,-i
itation, coordinate with one cuntinued
ncglig-ence. A
long as the sin lasted, so lon!r the punish-
ment. The visitation itself was twofold; impm"erished har-
ve
ts, so as to supply less sustenan('e: and ,ariou!< indi
-
position of the frame, so that what wuuld, by God'
appuint-
ment in nature. satisfy, gladden, warm, failed uf its effect.
And he that labozlreth for !tire, gainellt him.çelf !tire into II
hag flllll
f holes [lit. pel:forated]. The labour pietu.'cd is not
only fruitless
hut wpari
ol1le and vexing. There is a !:o'cem-
ing .'esult of all the labour, something to allm'e hopes; but
forthwith it is gone. The heathen aS
Í!!ned a like baffling
of hope as one of the punishments of hell. c.24 ßctter and
wiser to seck to be ble
se(l by God, "lto bestowetlt un u

all thint::,"s. And this \\ ill readilv come to tho
e who choo
e
to be ot
the same mind with Hhil and prefer what i!< fur Hi!'o
don- to their own. For so saith the ::-'aviour Himself to us.
25S e ;k yeßrst the kingdolll of God and His rigltteollslless, ami
all these things shall he added unto you."
C.26 He loses t::,"ood deeds bv edl al't!<, who takes account
of his good wor.ks, which he has before his eyes, anel furg-ets
the faults which ('reel' in between; or who, aftet. what i!<
good, retunlS to what is vain and e, il." c. 27
Ioney i
sccn
in the pierced hag-, when it is east in, but when it is lo
t, it
is not seen. They then who look how mueh they gÍ\'e, but
do not weigh how much they gain ,,"mugly, east their .'e-
wards into a pierl'ed bag. Louking to the Hupe uf their
confidence they brinp: thel1l together; not luoking, they
lo
e them."
"15 They lose the fruit of their labour, by not perf;evering
19 Pro iv. 23. 21\ S. Greg. in Ezek. Horn. i. 10. n. 7. Opp. i. 1:(j6.
21 ps. xxxvi. 8.

S. Matt. xvi. 2-i.
:3 \
ci1
. The \
is not pleonastic, but from the impersonal
r::n 1 Klrs i. 1,2.
Eccl. iv. 11. (bis). :' S. C) r. 2. S. Matt. vi. 33.
26 Lap.
S. Greg. Reg. Past. iii. 21. fin. Opp. ii. 68.
4 B

490

Before
CHRIST
cir.620.

8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood,
and build the house; and I will take plea-
sure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the
LORD.
9 k Ye looked for much, and, 10, it came

k ch. 2. 16.

tu the end, or by seeking human praise, or by vainglory
within, not keepin
spiritual riches under the guardianship
of humilitv. Such arc vain and unprufitablc mcn, of whom
the
a,-ioür saith, 1 Verily I say lillto YOll, they have their
reward."
8. Go up into the moulltain. Not l\Iount Lebanon,
whence the cedars had been brought for the fir'st temple;
whence also Zerubbabel and Joshua had procured some out
of Cnus' grant 2 , at the first retuI"II from the capth ity. They
wen; not required to buy, expend, hut simply to ghoe their
own labour'. They were themselves to go up to the mOllntain,
i.e. the mountainous country where the trees grew, alld
hrill'" them. So, in order to keep the feast of tabernacles,
EZI"
madc a proclamation 3 ill all their cities aml in Jerll-
salem, go .'IIe lip to the I1lO11lltaill and brillg lel{f.1J branches of
1'illes, olh'es, myrtles, palms. The palms, any how, were
timber. God relluired not goodly stones, such as had been
alrcadv u!:'ed, and such as hereafter, in the temple whieh was
built, were the admimtion even of disciplcs of Jesus 4, but
which wer'e, for the wickedness of those who rcjeeted their
Sinoiour, not to be left, one stone Upllll another. He requir'ed
not ('ostly gifts, but the hear.t. The neglect to build the
tcmple wal' neglect of Himself, 'nlO ought to be won;hiplJCd
thcre. His worship sanctified the offering; offer'ings were
acceptable, only if made with a free heart.
And I will have pleasure ill it. God, 'Yho has declared
that He has no 5 pleasure ill tluJIlSll1uls of rams, or ten tlwll-
sands of rlz'ers of oil, had delight in 6 them that feared Him,
that are upright ill their 'U/a.1J 7 , that deal trul.1J8, in the pra.lJer
of the uprigltt 9; and so in the temple too, when it should
be built to IIis glory.
Aml u'ill he gloriliedlO. God is glor'ified in man, when
man serves Him; in Himself, when He manifests aught of
His greatness; in His great doings to His people ll , as also
in the chastisement of those who disobev Him 12. God allows
that glory, which shines ineffably thrõughout His creation,
to be obscured here through man's disobedience, to shine
forth anew on his renewed obedience. The glory of God, as
it is the end of the cr'eation, so is it His creature's supreme
hliss. "'hen God is really glorified, then can He shew forth
His glm'y, by His grace and acceptance. "13The glor'y of God
is our glorv. The more sweetlv God is dorified, the more it
profits 'us :;, yet not our pmfit, 'but the glory of God is itself
our end; so the prophet closes in that which is our end, God
will be glortfied.
"uGood then and well-pleasing to God is zeal in fulfilling
whate'Tr may appear necessary for the good condition of
the Church and its building-up, collecting the most useful
I S. Matt. vi. 2: .
2Ezr. iii. 7. 3 Neh. viii. 15. 4 S. :.\latt. xxiv. I.
o Mlc. VI. ,. 6 Ps. cxlvii. II.
;- Pro xi. 20_ 8 lb. xii. 22. 9 lb. xv. 8.
10 There is no ground for the Kri :T

jI
'. find so should I be glorified 01' honOl,red. It is
a positive promise Ihat God would sbew'forlh His glory, as in :Tr1
J immediately be-
fore. God says, .. do this, and I will do that." Compo Zech. i. 3. Of 65 instances
"hich Bòttchér (Lehrb. n. 9(;5. c.) gius of:t. after the imperative, 61 relate to some
wioh of the human agent; 4 only relate to God. Deut. v. :n, .. 6tand here by Me,

')I', that I may speak unto thee; " Is. xli. 22,23. irony, includin
men, .. that we

:lif

,s

í.
?i

.n'

I
r
t:\

aIn
ïo=

lf

!

:n

a,r:Ul?;h

:

dosf;h:
:e

tun, being a condition that God could return to it. On the other hand the Ch. Lam. v. 21,

H.AGG
\.I.

to little; and when ye broug-ht it home, 1 I C HJ3
oí'S T
did II blow upon it. \Yhy? saith the LORD dr. 620.
of hosts. Because of mine house that is;1
;,2iz

'
waste, and ye run every man unto his own it away.
house.

mateI"Íals, the spiritual pI"Ïnciplcs in inspired Scripture, where-
by he may !'eCUI'e and ground the con('(;ption of God, and
may shew that the way of the Incarnation was well-or'dered,
and may collect what appertains to accurate knowledge of
spiritual erudition anel moral g-oodness. Kay, eaeh of us
may be thought of, as the temple and house of God. For
Chr'ist dwelleth in liS by the Spirit, and we are temples of the
living God, according to the Seripture 15. Let each then
build up his own hear.t by rig-ht faith, having the Saviour
as the preciolls fOllndation. And let him add thcreto other
materials, obedience, readincss for anything, courage, en-
durance, continence. So heing framed together b.1J that wlâclt
a'ery joiut .mppliet It, shall we become a hol.1J temple, a habi-
tation of God through the Spirit 16. But those who are slow
to faith, or who believe but are slug-
ish in shaking off pas-
sions and sins and woddly pleasure, thereby cry out in a
manner, The time is uot come to bllild the house of the Lord."
9. }Y e looked, lit. a looking; as though he said, it has all
been one looking, for milch, for increase, the result of all sow-
ing, in the way of nature: aud behold it callie to little, i.e.
less than was sown; as J saiah denounced to them of old by
God's word, 17 the seed of a homer shall yield au ephah, i.e.
one tenth of what was sown. And ye brought it home, and I
blew upon it, so as to disper!<e it, a!<, not the wheat, but the
chaff is blown before the wind. This, in whatevcr way it
came to pass, was a further chastisement of God. The little
seed which they brought in lessened throug-h decay or waste.
lVhy? saith tlte Lord of hosts. God asks by his prophet,
what He a:-:ks in the awakcned conscience. löGod 1l'ith re-
bukes chastens rJUlIl for sin. Conscience, when alh'e, eonfcsses
for iellllt sin; or it asks itself, if memory docs not supply the
special sin. Unawakened, it murmurs about the eXf'ess of
rain, the drought, the blight, the mildew, and asks, not itself,
why, in God's Providence, these inflictions came in these
years? They felt doubtless the sterility in contrast with the
execeding prolificahwss of Babylonia 19, as they contrasted the
light bread 20, the manna, with 21 the plenteousness of Eg-ypt.
They ascribed probably their meagre crops (as we mostly do)
to mere natural causes, perhaps to the long neglcet of the
land during the captivity. God forces the (luestion upon
their consciences, in that Haggai asks it in His
ame, in
"'hose hands all powers stand, saitlt the Lord of hosts. They
have not to talk it over among themselves, but to answer Al-
mig-hty God, why? That why? strikes into the inmost depths
of conscience!
Because of JlIjI hOllse i('hich is lI'aste, aUll ye rUIl lit. are
I'll/wing, all the whilc, each to his OI['1l house 22. They were
absorbed in their' matcI"Ïal interests, and had no time for those

.. Turn Thou us unto Thee, :J'Z':n, and we will return" expresses the absolute will to
return; RUlh iv. 4, .. tell me, !nlfl, and I shall know," the certainty of the knowledge,
upon which Boaz would act.
11 Is. xxvi. 15, xliv. 23, lx, 21, lxi. 3. 12 Ex. xiv. 4. Ezek. xxviii. 22.
13 S. Aug. Serm. 380, n. 6.
14 S. Cyr. 15 2 Cor. vi. 16. 16 Eph. iv. 16, ii. 21, 22.
17 Is. v. 10. IS Ps. xxxix. 11. 19 Herod. i. 193. Theophr. Hist. Plant.
viii. i. Berosus Fr.!. Strabo xvi. 1. 14. Pliny Nat. Hist. xviii. Ii. Amm. Marc. xxiv.!J.
20 N u. ni. 6.
I lb. xi. 6.
2" I" with
is used of the direction whither a man goes: if used of an action, hasting
to do it; as rll1lnftlt to edl (I S. Ii x. 7, PI'. i. 16.) Here 1n':J
cannot be .. on account of
his house," but 10 it, ,iz. for his business there.

CIL-\PTER I.

4!H

C H
oÍeS T 10 Therefore m the heaven o"er you is
cir.
:o. stared fl'om dew, and the earth is stayed
D15

;;f8"
3.fNmt her fruit.
D

:
:
7.3
: II And I D called for a drought upon the
2 Kin. 8. 1. I I I tl . I tl
an( , an( upon le mountams, all( upon )('
corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the
oil, and upon t/tat which the ground hring-
eth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle,
Dch.2.17. and 0 upon all the lahour of the hands.

of God. 'Yhcn the qucstion was of God's house, thcy stir
not fl'om the spot; whcn it is of thcir own concerns, thcy run.
Our Lord says, 1 Seck .'lie first tile kingdum of Gud and His
1'
ghteollsness, and alt these tMngs .çhall be added unto you.
Man re"erses this, secks his own things first, and God wit h-
holds His blessin
.
"2 This comes c true of those who prefer their own t'onve-
niences to God's honour, who do not thoroughly uproot sdf-
Im'e, whose pcnitcnce and de,'otion arc shcwn to be un stahle ;
for on a slight temptation thcy are o,-crcollle. Such are they
who are bold, self-pleasing", wise and j:!;n'at in their own eyes,
who do not ground thcir conversation 011 true and solid
IUlln ili tv."
" S Tõ those who are slow to fulfil what is for the glory of
God, and the things whcreby His house, the Churt'h, is firmly
!òtayed, neither thp' heavenly dew cometh, which enricheth
hearts and minds, nor the fruitfulness of thc earth; i. e. rig-ht
action; not food nor wine nor use of oil. Dut thcy will be
e'"er strengthle
s and joyless, unenriched by spiritual oil, and
remain without taste or particilmtion of the blessing through
Christ."
10. TIlerefore, for you, on your account 4; for your sins 6,
He points out the moral cause of the drought, whereas men
think of this or that cause of the variations of the seasons,
and wc, e. g. take into our mouths Scripture-words, as murrain
of cattle, and the like, and think of nothing lcss than why it
was sent, or 'Yho sent it. Hagg-ai directs the mind to the
higher Cause, that as they withheld their service from God,
so, on their account and by His will, His creatures withheld 6
their ser\"Ïce from them.
11. And I called for a drollght upon tile land. God can cd
to the people and they would not hear. It is His ever-re-
peatcd complaint to them. I called unto pOll, ami .'lie 1could
not hear. He called to His inanimate creatures to punish
them, and they obeyed. So Elisha tells the woman, ,,,hose
son he had restored to life, 7 The Lord Iwth cal/ed to thefamine,
and it slwll also come to the land seven years.
And upon men, in that the drought was oppressi,"e to man.
The Prophet may also allude to the other meaning of the
word, "waste," "desolation." They had lcft thc house of the
Lord 8 waste, thercfore God called ior waste, desolation, upon
them.
12. Then Zeruhhahel, and all the rermwnt of tile people,

I S. Matt. vi. 33. , Dion. 3 S. Cyr.
4 As in Ps. xliv. 43. . Jon. S It
J being everywhere transitive. and
in this V. also, is probably transitive here. i 2 Kgs yiii. 1.
s :111;1. Hagg. i. 4. 9; :I
Ï'I, i. 11.
9 This is the almost uniform IIsage of M'"1II=', .. remnant which remains over," mo
tly
after the rest have been destroyed or carried captive. See above on Am. i. 8; add, tile
rem,umt of Judall, Jer. xl. n, xlii. 19, dill. 5, xliv. 12, 14, of J.ratl, Zeph. iii. 13, Ez.
:

:t3
j
:

t

ib
t x'Ývi:

iet:he!re
a

.
,IYb.l: i ;f :':hc

i
Xih:
:
;
z.o-(

Hi; 'If the nat;01l8, lb. xxxvi. 3, 4, 5; of the land, :C'It, Is. xv. 9; õf My people, Zeph.

12
p Then Zeruhbabpl the son of Shea 1- C :l{ors T
tiel, and Joshua the son of .J osedech, the cir.520.
] ' } . . 1 11 1 f 1 p Ezra 5. 2.
IIg 1 priest, Wit 1 a t Ie rf'mnant 0 t lC
people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their
God, and the words of I-Ia
gai the prophet,
as thc LORD their God had sent him, and
the pcople did fear hefore the LORD,
13 Then
pake Ha
g'ai the Lord's mes-
senger in the LORD'S message unto the peo-

not, "the rest of I}eople" but" the remnant 9," thosc who re-
mained o,'el' from the captivity, the frag-ment of thc two
tribcs, whieh rcturned to their own land, hearkened unto fIle
voice of tlte Lurd. This was the beginning of a eon\"er!:ion.
In this one thing thcy bcg-an to do, what, all along-, in their
history, and most in thcir dccay before the eaptidty the)' r('-
fuscd to do-obcy God's word. So God SUIllS up their his-
tory, by Jeremiah, IOI spake unto thee in th.lJ pr()sperity, thuu
saidst, I will nut hear. Tltis is th.,! way frum thy youtlt, that
tholt hearkenedst not unto .J.1T.1/ vuice. Zephaniah still more
briefly, 11 she Ilearkened not unto [any] t'oire. I\0\V in refer-
ence, it seems, to that account of thcir disobedielwe, Haggai
says, using the self-same formula, 12 they he(lrkened llntu the
voice of the Lurd, 13 according to the tt'ords of Haggai. They
obeyed, not vaguely, or partly, but cxactly, accurding to tlte
words which the mes!':enger of God
pake.
And tlte,'! feared the Lord. "2 Certainly the pres('nce of thc
Divinc Majesty is to be fcarcd with great reverellf'e." "3The
fear of punishment at times transports the mind to what is
better, and the infliction of sorrows harIlloniscs the mind to
the fcar of God; and that of the Proverbs comcs truc, 1-1. He
that feareth tile Lm'd sllall be recmnpe'll.çed, and 15 tlte fear of tlte
Lord tendeth to life; and 'Yisdom, 16 The fear of the Lurd is
honour ami glory, and 17 tile fear of the Lord sllall reJoice the
Ileart, amI giveth.io.'l and gladness and a long life. See ho\\"
gently and beseeming-Iy God smites us."
"3 tiee how the lovin
kindness of God forthwith
oes alon

with all ('hanj:!;cs for tl;e better. For Almighty God change

alon
with those who will to repent, and promise
that He
"ill be with thcm; which what can equal? For when God
is with us, all harm will dcpart from us, all good cOllie in to
us."
13. And Haggai, the Lord's messenger. Malachi, w}wse
own name was framed to express that he was the Lurd's
messenger, and Hagg-ai alone usc the title, as the title of a
prophet; pcrhaps as forerunners of the great prophet whom
Malachi announccd, Malachi also speaks of the priest, as
18 the messenger of the Lord of hosts, and prophe!'ies of John
Daptist as 1
the messenger of thc Lord, who should KO hefure
His face. Ha
gai, as he throug'hout repeats that his words
were God's ,,"ortIs, frames a new word 20, to express, in the
language of thc !Ii ew Testament 21; that he had an embass)'
from God; ill the Lord's message.

ii. 9; of Hi. heritaf:re, }Ii. vii. 18; th" remnant, Is. xiv. 30, Ez. v.l0; its remnnnt, b.
xlh'. Ii; tIIeir remnant, Jer. xv. 9; and of those who had actually returned, Zech. viii.
6,11, 12. In two places in which it signifies" the rest" (Jer. xxxix. 3, 1 Chr. xii.
38.) it is at least the rest of a whole, already mentioned. A third only, JS"eh. vii. 72. is
uncertain. The word is used almost exclu,;"ely by the prophets.
JO Jer. nii. 21. Ul"pJ;I))':X1 tC
See lntrod. to Zeph. p. 442.
12 ..
1i'J
'OI:'
J3 This is the onl) place in which "'lJ'
II v.:::::o is used.
I' Pro xiii. 13. b lb. xix. 23. Ib Ecclus. i. n.
I, lb. 12. IS :Mal. ii. 7. 19 lb. iii. l.
2!1 r:'I:II
. 2 1 2 Cor. v. :!U.

4Ð2

C :
oÍes T pIe, flaying, q I am with you, saith the Lord.
cir. 5:!O. 1-1 And r the I.Jord stirred up the spirit of
Q

.2
: i
: Z':c'rubhahel the son of Shealtiel, 8 governor
'2E

.
6i.22. of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son
. cb. 2. 21. of J oscdech, the hi
h priest, and the spirit
t Ezra 5. 2, 8. of all the remnant of the people; t and they
came and did work in the house of the LORD
of hosts, their God.
15 In the four and twentieth day of the
sixth month, in the second ycar of Darius
the king.

CHAPTER II.

1 He encourageth the peuple to the work, by promise

Iom u'ith you. AU the needs and longing's of the crea-
ture an' sunuued up in those two words, I with-yuu. .. 'Yho
art Tholl and who am I? Thou, He "'ho Is; I, he who am
not;" nothing', )-ea worse than nothinp:. Yet if 1 Gud he fur
llS, S. Paul a!Oks, ll'ho call be against llS? Our Blessed Lord's
parting- IJromise to the Apostles, and in them to the Church,
;vas, 2 Lo I am with you alway, even to the eud of the u'or/d.
The all-eontaining a!<surance p:oes beyond any particular
promise of aid, as, "3 I will help you, and willlJrote('t you,
so that your building shall have its completion." This is
one fruit of it; "4 sinee I am in the midst of you, no one
shaH be able to hinder rour building-." nnt, more widely,
the words bespeak .His presence in luve, 'Yho kUlm.s all our
needs, amI is Almighty to snpport and save us in all. So
David says, 5when T walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I ll'ill fear lto eril; fur Thuu art with 1IIe: and God
says by another, 6 I will be with Mill Ù, trouble, and br Isaiah,
7 /rhen thou passest thruugh tIle waters, I will be with thee.
14. And tIle Lord stirred up tI,e spirit. The words are
used of any strong' impulse from God to fulfil His will, wh('-
ther in those who execute His will unknowingly as Pu1 8 ,
to carry off the trans-J onlanie tribes, or the Philh-:tines and
Arabians ap:ainst J ehtlram 9, or the Medes against Babylon 10;
Ill' knowingly, as of Cyrus to restore God's people and re-
build tl.e temple 11, or of the people themseh'es to return 12.
.. 4 The spirit of Z('rubbabel and the spirit of Joshua were
stirrcd, that the g'o\-ernment and prie
thood may build the
temple of God: the spirit of the people too, which before
was asleep in theJll; not the body, not the soul, but the
spirit, which knoweth best how to build the temple of God."
.. 13 The Holy Spirit is stirred up in us. that
re should enter
the hou
e of the Lord, and dtl the works of the Lord."
"14 Again, obsen-e that they did not set them
elves to
('htlo
e to ùo what should please God, before He was with
them and stirred up their !<ph'it. \Ye shaH know hence also,
that althoug'h one choose zealously to do good and be ill
eanwst therein, yet he will aecompli
h nothing, unless God
be with him, raising- him up to dare, and sharpening him to
endure, and remo\"Ïn
aH torpor. For so the wondrous Paul
"ays of those entrusted with the di\ine preaching, 15 I la-
boured more abundantly thml tI/Cy all, yet added \'ery wisely,
.lIet not I. 'J/d tlte grace uf God w/âch was with me, and the
Saviour Himself saith to the htlly Apostles, I6/Vitlwut
1Ie

1 Rom. ,.iü. 31.
b po. xxiii. -1.
. 2 Chr. xxi. 16.

3 Vion. 4 S. Jer.
B 1 Chr. v. 26.
1
lb. 5.

2 S. Matt. xxviii. 20.
8 lb. xci. 15. 7 Is. xliii. 2.
10 Jer. ii, 11. 11 Ezr. i. 1.

HAGGAI.

of greater glory to the secund temple tlwn u'as in
the first. 10 III the t.'Ipe of holy things and un-
clean he S11C1('cth their sins hindcred the work. 20
God's promise to Zerubbabel.

Before
CHR1Sr
cir. Ó
O.

I N the se,.cnth month, in the one and
twentieth day of the month, camc the
word of the LORD t by the pro l )het Hamrai, t Heb. by tlu
.

l<and oj.
saymg,
2 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of
Shealtiel,
overnor of Judah, amI to Joshua
the son of Joscdcch, the high priest, and to
the residue of the people, saying,
3 a 'Yho is left among you that saw this. Ezra 3. 12.

ye can do nothing. For He is our de
Ï1'e, He, our courage
to any p:ood work; He our streng"th, and, if He is with l
S,
we !Ohall do w(')l, 17 huilding ourselves to Cl Iwly temple, a fmbi-
tlltiun of God ill the Spirit; if He depart and withdmws, how
should any doubt, that we should fail, overcome by sluggish-
ness and
rant of eouraj:!;e?"
15. In the four alld twentieth day of the month. The
inten-al of twenty three days must have been spcnt in pre-
paration, since the message came Oil the first of the month,
and the obedience was immediate.
ii. 1. TIl the ,çevellth month, 1Il the one and twentieth day
of tIle lltollth. This was the seventh day of the fea
t of ta-
bernacles l8 , and its close. The eighth day was to be a sabbath,
u'ith its 19 holy convocation, but the eOßuuemorati"e feast, the
dwelling in booths, in memory of God's bringing them out
of Egypt, was to last se,'en days. The close then of this
feast could not but re,'i,'e their sadnt'ss at the p:lories of
their first deliverance by God's migMy hal/d al/d outstretched
arm, and their present fewness and pO\'erty. This depres-
sion could not but bring with it hea,'y thoup:hts about the
work, in which they were, in obedience to God, enp:aged;
and that, all the more, sinee Isaiah and Ezckiel had pro-
phesied of the glories of the Christian Church und('r the
symbul of the temple. This despondem'y Haggai is sent
to rclieve, owning plainly the reality of its l)resent grounds,
but renewing, Oil God's part, the pledge of the glories of this
second temple, which should be thereafter.
3. /Vfw is left among you? The question implies that
thcre wcre those among them, u'ho had seen the first house
in its glory, yet but few. "'hen the foundations of the first
temple were laid, th('re 'H're many. 20JIauy of the priests
and Levites and chief of the fllthers, al/cient mell, that had
secn the first IlOuse, w/lell the foul/datiulls of this !louse were
laiel hefure tlleir eyes, ll'ept u'ith a loud l'oice. Fifty nine
years had elap
ed from the destruction of the temple in
the ele,-enth year of Zedekiah to the first of Cyrus; so that
old IJlen of sevcnty y('ars had seen the fir:5t temple, when
them!'eh'es eleven years old. In thi,.; second of Darius seventy
years had pas
ed, so that those of ï8 or 80 years mig.ht still
well rellwmber it. Ezra'!'; father, Seraiah, was slain in the
ele,'enth year of Zedekiah; so he must have been born at
latest a few months later; Jet he lived to the second tlf
.\rtaxerxes.

13 ap. Lap. 14 S. Cyr. 1& 1 Cor. xv. 11.
I, El'h. ii. 21, 22. 18 Lev. xxiii. 34, 3H, 40-4
.
2!1 Ezr, iii. 12

18 S. John xv. 5,
111 lb. 36, 39.

CH..\PTER II.

Before
C
R_
S T
cu. ,,_u.

house in her first glory? and how do ye see
it now? b is it not in your eyes in compa-
rison of it as nothing?
4, Yet now c be strong', 0 Zeruhhahcl,
saith the LORD; and be stron
, 0 Joshua,
son of J osedceh, tliP hig-h priest; and he

b Zech. 4. 10.

cZech. B. 9.

b not such as it is!, as nothing? Bc
ides the richness
of the sculptures in the formcr temple, everything, whi,'h
admitted of it, was overlaid with g-old; 2 Solomo1l Ol'erlaid
the ll'hole house with gold, until he hadfìllislled all the IlOuse,
the ll'lwle altar b.lI the oracle, the two cherubim, the floor of
the house, the door,
of tIle 11O(/f of holies and the ornaments
of it, the cherubims thcreon and the palm trees he covered
tt'ith goldfìtted upon the carved u'ork; 8 the altar of guld and
the taúle of gold, whereupon the shewbread was, the ten Clln-
dlesticks of pitre gold, with the flowers and the lamps llud the
tongs of gold, the bowls, the slll!!f'ers aud the hasons and tile
spoons and the censers of pure guld, and
illges (
f pure gold
for all the doors of the temple. to The Jlorch t/wt ll'llS ill the
fl"OlIt of tile IlOlIse, twenty cubits broad ami H!O cubits higll,
lCliS ol'erfttid ll'itlûll with pure gold; the housc g-listcned
with prceious stones; and the g-old (it is added) was gold
of Paruaim, a land distant of eourse and unknown to us.
Six hundred talents of gold (ahout .:C4,:320,OOOó,) were em-
ployed in o\'cda
-ing thc Holy of holies. The upper cham-
bers 1l'ere also of gold; the weig/d of the nails wasfilty shekels
of gold.
4. Iret now be stl"OlIg-alld work. They are the word

with whieh David exhorted Solomon his son to be earnest
and to per!."evere in the building of the first tcmplc. 6 Take
heed now, for the Lord hath chosen thee to build an house for
the sallctuary: he strong and do. 7 Be strong alld of good
courage, and do. This combination of words occurs once
only el
cwhere 8, in Jeho
hal'hat's exhortation to tlte 1/ Le1'Ítes
ami priests ([nd chiefs of the fllthers uf Israel, whom he had
set as jud
es in Jeru
alcm. Hag-gai secms then to have
adopted the word
, with the purpo
e of sug-ç:c
ting to the
don n-hearted people, that there was need of thc like exhorta-
tion, in dew of the huilding of the former temple, whose re-
lative glory so depres
ed them. Thc word be strong (else-
wherc rendcred, be of good courage) oecurs commonly in
exhortations to persevere and huld fast, ami(l whatever
obstacle
10.
5. The ll'ord ll'hich I covenanted. The words stand morc
foreihly, l)('eause abruptly n. It is an exclamation which can-
not be forced into any g-mmmatical relation with the preeed-
th:
isc
i

Ï>rh:.:\;/h:n
o

h:p

,

h.

!::
e
K
I
s

."i

eS.sr

II

(which Ewald says older writers ..ould have used) would have been weaker.

1 Kgs vi. 22. 28, 30, 32, 35.
3 lb. VÜ. 48-50. 4 2 Chr. iii. 4-9.
& Reckoning the silver shekel at 2s., the talent of silver,=3OUO shekels, would be
;E300; reckorung the gold talent, as, in weight, double the silver talent, and the'relation
of gold to silver as 1
to 1, (H. W. Poole in Smith Bibl..Dict. p.lï34, lï35.) the gold
talent would be ;t30o x 24, = Eï ,200; and GOO gold talents .t4.32U,flOO. This would
not be so much as Solomon imported yearly, 66ô talents =
,í!J:;,200.
ø 1 Chr. xxviii. 10. i lb. 20. 82 Chr. xi},.. n. 9 lb. 8.
10 Gesenius (v. pin) refers to the following; 2 Sam. x. 12, (Joab to Abishai in the war
:;tst
:r

:na

u
:i
r

d
T8
}t
J

f
tJ
.

v

.i

; x;

5, (:
it
8tb
b:

sponding promise that God would establish their hearts); Is. xli. 6, (in mockery of the

\
i(G
.f.
o

d
ftojao
ih
a)

. X

7
(M:l:
' t
u1'
h

;biJ:
; t
:. 1

lf;
Josh. x. 25 (Joshua to the people); 2 Chr. xxxii. 7 (Hezekiah to the people); j:1n itself
is repeated Dan. x. 19. pTm pin.
.J 1

:

a
Jeth
idi:
i:' f)
or
in
hï
rKa
eh:;e

:
t

I

b

I

clÿ :
;

4!):

I stron
, all ye people of HIe land, saith the c l
c
íe S T
I I LOlln, and work: for I mil, with you, saith
_
the LORD of husts :
5 d..lccm"di1/
to the word that I cm-enant- d
.29.45,
cd with von whcn yc came out of Eg-vpt, so
. : t . I t " .. t c Neh. 9.20.
Cmy S1>11"1 rcmamet 1 alllong you: ear ye nu. I.ai. G3.11.
I I ing-. The mure cxaet idiom would have been" Remcmher,"
"takc to heart." But the Prophet points to it the mOI'c
energetieally, hecau
c he {'asts it, a!< it wcre, into the mid
t,
nut bound up with anyone verb. This woultl be the rathcr
I done in !'peakin
to thc pcoplc, as David to his foUmrers 12,
I Tlwt w/âch the Lord hath given liS ami hath preSeTt'ecllis ll7ld
given the company lIgainstlis into our IW711ls! i. e. "". uuld you
deal thus with it?" The abrupt form rcjc(.ts it as !;hol'king-.
So herc, TIle ll'nrd u'/dch I cOl'eJlantecl with .lIOll, i. e. thi
, I
teil! he witlt .lIOIt, was thc central all-containing promi
e, to
which God plcdg-ed HilU
elf when Hc brolI
ht them out of
Egypt. lIe
l'caks to thclU as bein
onc with those who came
up out of L
rpt, as if thcy u'cre the \"Cry p('rsons. Thc
Chureh, evcr van'ing' in the individuals of whom it is com-
posed, is, throUg-ÌlOut all ag-es, in God's siç:ht. one; His pro-
mist,s to thc fathers are made to the ehildren in them. So
the P
almist says, There (at the dividin
of the Red Sea and
the Jordan) do we rt;ioice in Him, as if llresent therc; and
our Lord promi
es to thc Apo
tles, 13 I am wit/I YOll alll'{l.'/.\'
el'ell to tlte elld of tlte tcorM, by an eyer-present Preselwc
with them and His Church founded bv thC'm in Him.
JIy Spirit abideth among you, as thc P
ahnist says, 14t11l'.'1
[thc heavens] perish and Thou abidest; Iõ Tlte C()lm,
el of tilt'
Lord standeth for ever; I611is rigltte(JIlsness emluretlt for enr.
The Spirit of (;od is God the Holy Gho
t, with His manifold
g-ifts. \\'Iwre He i
, is all g-ood. As the
oul is in the body,
so God the Hoh' Ghost is in the Church. Himself its life. and
bestowing- on ail and each cwry
'ood gift, as eaeh and all
have need. As S. Paul says of the Chnreh uf Chri
t; l7Tltere
llre clh'l'I"sities of gifts, h;tt tI,e same Spirit; ({1If1 there llre
dil'ersities of operatious, hut it is the s{{me God, 'Vho ll'orketh
all ill all. All these ll'orketh one ami the se(f-same .....pirit,
dh'iding to el'cry malt sel'eralfy as Jlc ldll. But above amI
be).ond all gifts He is prcsent as the SIJirit of llOlille
s and
Inve, making- thc Church and tho!'e in whom He indh-idually
dwells, acceptable to God. Special application!.", siwh as ti,e
Spirit of wisdom and lIIigltt; a !'pÏl'it such as Hc ga'"e tll
l\Io
es to judg-e His people IS; thc !'pidt of prophecy 19; or th('
spirit given to Bczalcel and Aholiab fur thc work of the

anctuary20-thesc rccop:llise in dctail the one great truth,
work; " b) Haggai is exhorting them to this one work of rebuilding the temple, not to
obedience to the law generally; c) he speaks of what God had promised them, not 01
t
:'!it

::Ot
a

e 2
hr
lduEtt;;1:'
:
%

; :

Ys
;h ;

k. i
)T
t

s

.. Remember the word which I covenanted with )OU, fear not "(Ew.); a) gives undue
prominence to the absence of fear, which was one conseque!lce of God's covena!'t that
He would be their God, they Hi_ people. not the covenant Itself; b) Fear 'lOt, IS ..I.e-
where the counterpart and supplement of the exhortation," be strong," 2 Chr. xxv.
8, Is. xxxv. 41. c) In Ex. x'C.20, (rcf..rred to by Ew.)" fear not" is only Moses' eX-
hortation on occasion of the terrors of the manifestation of God on Mt. Sinai. 4) It is

h

v.

!

a
:,

:
:: b:el:ff:;e

o

:s,tfne o
d
re
;:e

:t
;Ii!.'
-

cher terms it, .. an acc. abs. of the object," and cites Deut. xi. 2, Ezek. xliii. í, xhii.
Ii ïl
' J::n
;

.

o
f:
tÆ::{':{ ::
;

:ct

..
'3

;'b
i

: S'! and in his Die
Proph. iii. 183. Only he, not very inteJli
bly, makes it a sort of oath, By the 1U0lfl,

:c

i.w.J'.ich the Lord hat
J

c
ia

'xxv
t
8. suggests the l:
p:r
i

ï
enlenc"
bIb. X'txiii. n. 16 lb. cxi. 3. Ii 1 Cor. xii. 4, G, H.
18 Alb. quoting ]S" urn. xi. 25. 19 Jon." My prophets shall teach you, fear not."
SO Included by Lap.

494

HAGG..\I.

Before
CHRIST
cir. 520.

G For thus saith the LORn of hosts; rYet
once, it is a little while, and g I will shake
f ver.2L Heb.12.26. II Joel 3. 16.

that all good, all wi
dom, from least to greatest, comes from
{;od the Holy Ghost; thong-h one by one they would exclude
more truth than they each contain.
6. Yet once, it is a little wMle. This, the rendering of
S. Paul to the Hebrews, is alone grammatical 1. ret once. ßy
the word .1Iet he looks back to the first great shaking of the
moral world, wh('n God's revelation by Moses and to His peo-
ple broke npon the darkness of the lJagan world, to be a monu-
ment against heathen error till Chri
t
hould come; Ollce
looks on, and ('onveys that God would again "hake the world,
but unce only, under the one dispensation of the Gospcl, which
should endure to the end.
It i.
a little wltile. "2The 517 years, which were to elapse
to the birth of Christ, are eallell a little time, beeause to the
prophets, as('ending in heart to God and the eternity of God,
all times, Jike all things of this world, seem, as they are, only
a little thing, yea a mere point;" whieh has neither length
nor bl'eadth. So S. Juhn ealJs the time of the lIew law, tlie
last how'; 3 Little children, it is the last hour. It was little
al
o in respe('t to thp time, whieh had elapsed from the fall of
Adam, upon which God promised the Saviour Christ 4; little
also in respet't to the Christian law, which has now lasted
above 1800 years, and the time of the end docs not seem
yet nigh.
I will shake the /Ieavens and the earth, and the .çea and
the dry land. It is one universal shaking of all this our
world and the heavens over it, of whieh the Prophet speaks.
He docs not speak only of 5 signs in the sun and in the moun
mul in the stars, which might be, and yet the frame of the

mrld itself might remain. It is a shaking, such as would
involve the dissolution of this our s)"stem, as St. Paul draws
out its meaning; 6 This wurd, once more, signlfieth the re-
moving of the tMngs that are shaken, that those tMngs which
CCl1l1Wt he s/wkeu ma.l/ remain. Pl'ophecy, in its long perspec-
tive, uses a continual foreshortening, speaking of thing's in
relation to their eternal meaning and significance, as to that
whieh shall survive, whell hetl,'ell and earth and e,-en time
shall have pa,;sed away. It blends together the beginning
and the earthly end; the preparation and the result; the
commencement of redemption and its elllllpletion; our Lord's
('oming in humility and in His l\Iajesty. Scarce any pro-
phet but exhibits things in their intrinsic relation, of whieh
time is hut an accident. It is the rule, not the exception.
The Seed of the woman, "Tho should bruise the serpent's
head, was promised on the fall; to Abraham, the blcs
ing'
through his seed; by Moses, the prophet like unto him;
to David, an everla"ting eovenant 7 . Joel unites the out-
ponrin!!." of the Spirit of God on the Day of Penteeost, and
tlU' hatred of the world till the Day of Judgement 8; Isaiah,
God's judgements on the bnd and the Day of final judge-
ment 9; the deliverance from ßabylon, and the first ('oming'
of Christ 10; the glnries of the Church, the new heavens and
the new earth which shall remain for ever, and the un-
quenched fire and undying worm of the lost 11; Daniel, the

I nfllt 2 Kgs vi. 10, Ps. lxii. 12, Job xl. 5; ,nll, as an adj., follows the noun. In the
only exception alle!;ed by Ges., Dan. viii. 13, it is used of one certain angel, as contrasted
"ith another. tJlI:J is used of time, Job x. 20, xxiv. 2J. 1 nnll "11 is the like construc-
tion as 1::JII;:) "11 Ex. xvii. 4, Ps. xxxvii. 10, Hos. i. 4. 2 Lap.
31 S. JO"II ii. 18. · Gen. iii. 15. 6 S. Luke ni. 25.
. Heb. xii. 2ï. ; 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. 8 Joel ii. 28-32, iii.
G I,. xxiv. 10 lb. xl.-hvi. II lb. lxvi. 22-24. I
Dan. xi. xii.
LJ Ob. 18-21. 14 See on Zeph. i. 2,3. p. JU. 10 1\Ial. iii. 1-3. Ii, 18. Iv.

the hea,'cns, amI the earth, and the sea, Before
C H. R}, S T
and the dry lewd; cu. ,,:.0.

persecntions of Antioehus Epiphanes, of Anti-Christ, and the
Rcsurreetion 12; Obadiah, the puni
hment of Edolll and the
everlasting king-dom of God 13; Zephaniah, the punishment
of Judah and the final judgement of the earth H.; Malachi
our Lord's first and second Coming 15. '
Nay, our Lord Him!'elf so blends together the destruction
of Jerusalem and the davs of Anti-Christ and the end of the
world, that it is difficult' to separate them, so as to say what
bcJongs exclusively to either 16. The propbe('y is an answer
to two distinct questions of the Apostles, I} TV/len s/wll these
tMugs (viz. the destruction of the temple) he? 2} and tv/wt
shall he the sign of Thy coming amI of tlte cud of tile wurld?
Our Lord answers the two questions in one. Some things

eem to belong to the first Coming-, as 17 the ahominatiun of
desolation spoken of b.1l Daniel, and the flight from 18.Judælt
il1to the 11lozwtains. ßut the exceeding deceivableness is au-
thoritatively interpreted by St. Paul 19 of a distant time; and
our Lord Himself, having said that all t/lese tMl1gS, of which
the Apostles had enquired, should take place in that genera-
tion 20, speaks of His absence as of a man taking- a far journey2I,
and says that not the angels in heaven knew that huur, neither
the Son 22 ; which precludes the idea, that He had just before
declared that the whole would take pla('e in that generation.
For this would be to make out, that He deelared that the
Son knew not the hour of His Coming-, whieh He had just
(on this supposition) de('lared to be in that g'eneration.
So then, here. There was a general shaking upon earth
before our Lord came. Empires rose and fell. The Per-
sian fell beforc Alexander's; Alexander's world-empire was
ended by his sudden death in youth; of his four slweessors,
t".o only continued, and they too fell before the Romans;
then were the Roman civil wars, until, under Augustus,
the temple of Janus was shut. "23 For it greatly be;eemed
a work ordered bv God, that man v kingdoms should be
confederated in onë empire, and that ihe Ul;iversal preaching
mig-ht find the peoples easily accessible who were held un-
der the rule of one !-Otate." In the Hem-ens was the star,
whieh led the wise men, the manife
tation of Angcls to the
shepherds; the preternatural darkness at the Passion; the
Aseen!'ion into the highest Heaven, and the descent of the
lIoly Ghost with 2
a sound from heaven as [uf] a 1'ushhlg
migMy 1l'Índ. "25 God had moved them [heaven and earth]
before, when lie delivered the people from Egypt, when there
was in hem'en a column of fire, dry /!round amid the waves,
a wall in the sea, a path in the waters, in the wilderness
there was multiplied a daily h.tl"\'est of heavenly food [the
manna], the ro('k gushed into fountains of waters. ßut He
movpd it afterwards also in the Pas
ion of the Lord Jesus,
when the heaven was darkened, the sun shrank back, the
rocks were rent, the g-raves opened, the dead were raised,
the dra
on, conquered in his waters, saw the fishers of men,
not only sailing in the sea, but also walking without peril.
The dry ground also was moved, when the unfruitful people
of the nations began to ripen to a han-est of devotion and
1. The second question about the end of the world occurs only in S. Matthew (xxiv.
3); the first, Wilell slmll tilese tilill{[s be? occurs in S. Mark also (xiii. 3) and S. Luke
(x,<i. 6). The words in S.
lark, This ge..eration shall 1Iot pass till all these thillgs be
do..e (xiii. 30) seem to me to be cast in the form of their question, When shall these
tilillgs be? \iz. tlte things about \\hich they had asked. I; S. Matt. xxiv. 15, 16.
IS lb. 24. 19 2 Thess. v. 2-10. 20 S. :.\1ark xiii. 30. 21 Ih. 34.
22 lb. 3
. :13 S. Leo Horn. 82 in ]';"at. Ap. Petli et I'auli. c.
. col. 322. Ball.
24 Acts ii. 2. 2, S. AmlJr. Ep. 30 ad hen. n. 11, 12. Opp. ii. 913 Ben.

CHAPTER I I.

Before 7 And I will shake aU nations, h and the
C
R_I)ST

. ..:.0. desire of all nations shall come: and I will
h Gen. 49. 10. Mal. 3.1.

faith,-so that more were tIle children uf the fursaken, thwl
of Iwr wldeh Iwd II IIllSIJ(lJ/(l, and 1 the desert jlouriÛled like a
li(IJ." ,.2 He moved earth in that
Tcat miracle uf the birth
from the Virg-in: He moved the sea and dry land, when in
the islands and in the whole world Christ is prcached. So
we see all nations moved to the faith."
.\nd yet., whatever preludes of fulfilment there were at our
Lord's first Coming, they were as nothinA' to the fulfilmcnt
which we look for in the Se('ond, when 3 the earth slwll be
utterllJ hrnkell down; the earth, clean dissulved; the earth,
71lOl'eli e.ueedingly; the earth shall reel to aml fro like a
drunkard, and shall be remuved like a Iwuging-cot ill a vine-
yard,\ aud the transgressiun thercof is hem'.1J upon it; aUll it
shall fall aml not rise again; whereun follows an annOUlH'e-
of the final judg-ement of men and ang-els, and the e\'erlast-
ill/! king-dom of the blessed in the prescnce of God. .
Of that cla,l/ of the Lord, St. Peter uses our Lord's Image,
5 that it shall 6 come as a tMef in tIle night, ill wltich tile
he(ll'elts shall melt with fervent Ileat, tlte earth also and the
works thenin shall he burned up.
ï. And the desire of all nations shall come. The words
can only mean this, the central longing' of all nations 7; He
whom they longed for, either through the knowledA'e of Him
spread by the Jews in their dispersion, or mutely by the
al'hing- craving- of the IUlman heart, longing for the restora-
tion from its decay. The earnest expectation of the creature
did not begin with the Coming of Christ, nor was it limited
to those, who actually came to Him. 8 The whole creation,
Saint Paul saith, gruaneth and travaileth ill pain together
until now. It was enslaved, and the better self 10nA'ed to be
free; evcry motion of g'race in the multitudinous heart of
man was a longing' for its Deliverer; every weariness of what
it wa
, e\'ery fleeting- vision of what was better, every sig-h
from out of its manifold ills, were notes of the one varied
cry, "Come and help us." Man's heart, formed in the imag-e
of God, could not but ache to be re-formed by and for Him,
thouc;h an unknown God, "'ho should reform it.
Tliis longing increased as the time drew nigh, when Christ

1 Is. xxxv. 1. S S. Ang. de Civ. Dei xviii. 25. 3 Is. xxiv. 19, 20.
4 l1J'
' Sc
a picture of one in Niebnhr.
6 S. Matt. xxiv. 4-3. e 2 S. Pet. iii. 10.
; ,:yJ is " coveted." It is the passion forbidden in the tenth commandment, Ex. xx.
14 (bis) Deut. v.18, vii. 25, Ex. xxxiv.2.J, Jos. vii. 21, Pr. vi. 25, Mi. ii.2. In Pr. xii. 12,
it :s a passionate desire which ends in choice. It is united with "loved" and" hated,"
lb. i. 2:J õ. of the pa;;sionate idolatry, Is, i. 2
. It is used of God's passionless .
oo<!.-
pleasure m that whIch He chooses, yet speakmp; after the manner of men, Ps.lxvm. I"
and of man's not longing for Jesus, Is. liii. 2. The P.iel is used once of intense .1on
ng.

f

:b '
Je
rc
;:,

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he

f

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d t
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de
i;

ble: '110n J
b xx. 20 Í'S. xxxix. I:!, Is. xliv. 9; 'enJ Gen. ii. 9, iii. G, Ps. xix.H. Pr. xxi. 20.
'::r;?with the gen. i;"thedesire of the eye," what it covets or desires, I Kgsxx. 6, Ex. xxiv.
Ii;
21 23 Lam. ii. 4; or desirable things, belonl(ing to one, Jo. iv. 5, Is. Ixiv. 10,
L
m. L 10' 2 Chron. xxxvi. 19, or from it, 1:J::):1 .,::no Hos. ix_ Ir.. "the desires of the
womb,"" the desired children that their womb had uorne," or with .", "the de
ired things
consisting in their silver."c!DJ"1Doo, lb. i
. 6. or abs.
ant. v.16. '1;)00 occUrs m th" same
sense Lam. i. í, 11 õ "11;;>11 or.n I7'K of Damel, as the obJect of the love of God, Dan. IX. 23,
x.I1;
.
;,,
nd of desirañ1e things, Gen. xxvii. 15, 2 Chr. xx. 25, Dan. x. 3, xi. 38,43,
EA

I;,
; itself, two idioms have been confused; 1) that in which it is accessory to
another word. as:n::n .o,J "vessels of desire," Hos. xiii. 15, Jer. xxv. 34, 2 Chr. xxxii. 27,

8:.
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.. my portion of desire," Jer. xii. 10. 'rhese we might paraphrase" pleasant v"s
el
,"
"pleasant land," as we might say" desITables." Not that the.w
rd l1-,::n means, m It-
self, " pleasant tbings," any more tban the word "coveted" sIgnIfies p/eas,!'
t, though
those things only are" c!'veted/' which are thought to be pleasant. T
e oT!g1nal sense
of the root to" desire," IS obvIOusly brought out the more, when the Idea IS not sub-
lidiarJ, bu't the chief. There are four cases, in which Che,,!dllh is so.us

. (
)" Jeh.oram
died ,''10:)1111'':1, unregretted," we should say; .. no one longmg for him, 2 Chr. xXi. 20 ;

4!}.')

fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of c HBï{oÍ
T
hosts. cir. 520.

should emlle. The Roman biog-rapher attests the existence
of this expet'tation, not among' the Jcws (lnly, but in the
East \I; this was qui('kened douhtless among the heathen by
the Jewish Sibylline bouk, in that, amid the expeetations of
une sent from heaven, who should found a king-dom of rig-hte-
ou
ne!'s, whi('h the writer drew from the HeLrew prophets,
he inserted denuneiations of temporal vengeance upon the
Romans, whieh Easterns would share. Still, although writtcn
lïO years bcfore our Lord ('ame 10, it had nut apparently much
effect until the time. when, from the prophecies of Daniel it
was ('Iear, that lIe mu!>t :shortly come n. Yct the attempt of
the Jewish 12 and heathen 13 historian to wrcst it to Vespasian,
:shews how g-reat 1llW.,t ha\'c heen the influence of the expec-
tation, whit'h they attempted to turn aside. The Jews, whu
rejectcd our Lord "-holU IIac.g-ai predi(.ted, still wcre con-
vinced that the predi('tion must be fulfilled hefore the de-
struction of the !'econd temple. The impulse did not cease
even after its destruction. R. Akiba, whom they accuunted
"H the first orade of his time, the first and greatest guardian
of the tradition and old law," of whom thcy said, that" 15 God
rc\'ealcd to him things unknown to l\luses," was induced by
this prophe('y to acknowledge the impostor ßar-eoehab, to the
destrnetion of himself and of the most eminent of his time;
fulfilling our Lord's words, ]6 I am come in .I.'JIy Futher's uame,
and ye receive
}Ie not; if another shall come in !tis mvlt lWllH',
!tim ye will receive. Akiba, following the traditional meaning
of the great prophecy which rh'ctted his own eyes, para-
phrased the words, " 17 Yet a little, a little of the kingdom,
will I give to Israel upon the dcstruction of the first house,
and after the king-dom, lo! I will shake heaven, and after
that wiU ('ollle the l\Iessiah."
Sim'e the words can only mean" the Desire of all nations;'
he or that which all nations long for, the eonstru('tion of the
,,'ords docs not affect the meaning. Herod douhtle!'s thouA'ht
to advance his uwn ('laims on the Jcwish people by his ma-
terial adorning of the temple; yet, although mankind do em-et
gold and silver, few could seriously think that, while a hea-
then immoral but observant poet could speak of "gold un-

(2) .. To whom is "'('111" ",:::n "J, the whole long;ng of Israel?" 1 Sam. ix. 20; (3) The
well-known words CTJ ",cn. Chemdalh Na.him, .. the desire of women," Dan. xi. 37. If
(as this is now generally understood) this means "the object of the longing of women,"
so much the more must C'U:t 'r.J m:::n mean, .. the object of the lonlring of all nations."
They cannot mean, .. the most desirable of all nations," "die liebsten aller Volker,"
Ew. formerly; "die edelsten aller Völker ," Hitzig; .. die auserlesensten derselben;" U m-

::

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i;
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Js off t
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people;" ("die höhen Schätzen aller dervölker," Ewald, "die Köstbarkeiten aller Ka_
tionen," Scholz). This, if e'tpressed by the word at all, would have been, C'U:t 'r.J !GCI?
Rashi, A. E.. Kimchi, explain as if :1 were omitted. R. Isaac (Chizzuk Emunah, in

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:
Kimchi, Menahem ben Saruk, Da\id b. Abraham, in their dictionaries. Abarbanel re-
tains the meanin!!. "the desire of all nations," interpreting it of the holy land. He para-
phrases .Jl1"J .n 1
1:1" "that they shan come to the holy land and there shall He be avenged
of them, and then at that time' I will fill this house with I!,"lory.' v. p. n
." 4. The Anon.
Arah. (H unto 2UI;) renders" the most precious things of all nations shall come."
8 Rom. vili. 19-22. g Suet. Vesp. c. 4. 10 See Pusey's" Daniel the Prophet,"
PP'4
9t
G
as Pres;

t
f't

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d 1
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:
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f
Rabban Gamaliel. and a man of sucb leaTl
inl(. and repute, that. he was accounted among
the Hebrews the first oracle &c." De RossI Dlz. stor. d. Autorl Ebr. sub v.
15 R. Bechai. See ab. p. 3li. note 12. 16 S. John v. 4.1.
17 Sanhedrin. dist. chelek in l\lart. Pug. fid. p. 305. R. Gedaliah B. Yechaiah quotes
R. Akiba, rejecting his interpretation. "o\nd not as Rabbi Akibah, who was interpre_
ting this section; " Yet once, it is a little and I shake the heat'/!fl and the earth. He in-
:h

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this I will bring the desire of the heathen to Jerusalem." Shalsheleth Hakkabbala ex_
tracted in the Carm. R. Lipmanni confut. p. 619. in Wagenscil Tela ignea satanæ.

496

di
('overed and so better placcdl," or our own of the "pale and
common dnukc 'Tween man and man," a Hebrew prophet
("ouhl recllp:ni:,e g-old and
ih-er as tllC desire of alilUltions. R.
Akiba and S. Jerome's Jewish teachers. after our Lord eame,
felt no difficulty in understandin
it of a person. '" e can nut
in En
lish expre
" the delicaey of the phrase, whereby mani-
fohlness is combined in unity, the Obje(.t of desire containin

in it"elf many ohjeets of desire. To rende,' "the desire of all
nations" or .. the de...ires of all nations" alike fail to do thi....
A great heathen mastcr of lan
ua
e said to his wife, "fare
you well, my longing-... \" i. c., I suppose, if he had analysed
his feelings, he meant that
he manifoldly met the long-inp:s
of his heart; she had in herself manifold gifts to eontent them.
So St. Paul SHIllS up aU the truths and g-ifts of the Go...pel, all
"hich God shadowed out in the law and had /!Î\'en us in
Christ, under the name of "3 the good things to come." A
pious modern writer 4 speaks of "the unseen desirables of the
spiritual world." A psalmist expresses at once the colleetÍ\'e,
" God's \Y ord " and the" words" contained in it, by an idiom
Iiii{' Hagg-ai's, joining the feminine sin
ular as a eolkcth'e
with the plural verb; 5 How sweet are TII.IJ W01'd unto 111.'/ taste
lit. palate. It is God's word, at once collectively and indi-
vidually, which was to the Psalmist so sweet. \\lmt was true
uf the whole, was true, one by one, of each part; what was
true of each part, was true of the whole. So here, the object
ofthis longing- was manifold, but lIIet in onc, was concentrated
in One, 6 ill Christ .Jesus, ,rho of God is made Ullto us wisdom
amI ri/{hteolt.mess and sanct[!ìcation and redemption. That
whieh the whllie world sig-hed and mourned for, knowingly
or unknowingly, lip,'ht to disperse its darkness, libel.ty from
its spiritual slavery, restoration from its degradation, could
not come to us without some one, who should impart it to us.
But if Jesus was the longed-for uf tI,e nations before He
came, hy that Dlute longing- of need for that which it wants
(as the parched ground thirsteth for the rain 7) how much
more afterwards! So Micah and Isaiah describe many peo-
ples inviting one another, 8 Come ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of the Lord, to the holtse of the God of Jacob; aJUI
.lIe will teael, ItS of His wa.lJs, amI we will walk in His paths.
And in truth He became the desire of the nations. much more
than of the Jews; as, St. Paul sa):s 9, God foretold of old;
JIoses saith, I will provoke YOll to Jealoltsy Ly them that are
not a people: by a foolish nation I will anger you. Bitt
E.wLÍas is very bold and saith, 1 was found of them that sought
.}!e not.
Su till now and in eternity, "10 Christ is the longing- of all
holy souls, who long for nothin
el;.;e, than to please Him,
daily to 100'e Him more, to worship Him hetter. So S. John
longed for Him; Come, Lord .Jesus 11. So Isaiah; 12 Tile de-
sire of our so/l1 is to TII.'I ÁYallle and to tlte remembrance of
Tllee: with 1/1.'/ soul have I desired Tlwe ill tile u
!JM; pea, witlt
1/l.'l spirit within me,
l'Íll I seek Tllee ear!.lJ. So S. Ignatius,
"13 Let fire, ero
s, troops of wild bea!'ts, diss('etions, rending-s,
!'eatterin
of hones, lllinein
of limbs, g-rinding-s of the whole
body, ill tortures of the de\'il ('ome upon me, only may I
g-ain J c>;us Chl"bt.-I seek Him Who for us died; I long for
Him 'Yho fur us rose."
'.10 HUll
erest thou and de
irest food ? Lon
for Jesus! He
is the bread and refre,:hment of AnI-refs. He.is manna, C01/-
taining ill .Him all s/('eetness a/ld pleasurable delight. Thirst-

1 .. Aurum irrepertum et sic melius situm." Hor. Od. iii, 3. 49.
:.. Valete, mea desideria, valete." Cic. Ep. ad Faroil. ....iv. 2, fin.
3 IIeb. x. 1. 'Të;w ,.,.E1I.1I.Ó..'T"''' It-ya8ôj... · Dr. WaUs Y 01. i. Serm. 4.
õ Ps. cxix. 10.3. 1n'1:::11 ':11
1

::] 110 6 I Cor. i. 3U.
7 Euripides so Uses Èp"", ot the ground longing for the rain.

HAGG.\J.

est thou? Lon!!.' for Jesus! He is the well of lit'Íllg water,
refreshing-, so that thou shouldest thirst no more. Art thou
sick? Go to Jesus. He is the Sa\-iour, the physician, nay.
salvation itself. Art thou dying? Sigh for Jesus! He is tlte
resurrection alld the life. Art thou perplexed? Come to
Jesus! He is the Angel of great cOllnsel. Art thou i!!.'llOrant
and erring? Ask Je:,us; lIe is the U'a."Ij, tile tl'llth and the l{fe.
Art thou a sinner? Call on Je!<us! For lIe slwll save His
people from their sins, To this end He came into the world:
TMs is all .llis fl'llit, to take aU'ay sill. Art thou tempted by
pride, g-Iuttony, lu,:t, sloth? Call on Jesus! lIe is humility,
soherness, chastity, love, fervour: He bare ollr Í1!fìrmities,
alld mrried, yea still beareth and carrieth, our griefs. Seek-
cst thou beauty? lIe is fairer titan tlte c/âldren of men.
Seeke,:t thou wealth? In ilim are all treasures, yea in Him
tile fuilless of tlte Godhead cl/('elleth. Art thou ainbitious of
honours? Glory a/ld riches are in His hOllse. He is the l{i/lg
(
f glfJrY.
eekest thou a friend? He hath the greatest love
for thee, 'Yho for love of thee eame down from heaven, toiled,
endured the Sweat of Blood, the Cross and Death; He prayed
for thee hy name in the garden, and poured forth tears of
ßlood! Seekest thou wisdom? He is the Eternal and en-
created \\Tisdom of the Father! "Ï!<hest thou for consolation
and joy? He is the sweetness of souls, the joy and juùilee of
Ang-els. \Yishe
t thou for righteousne...s and holiness? He
is the Hol.IJ of holies; He is eL'erlasting Righteousness, justify-
ing- and sanetifying- all who believe and hope in Him. "Ïshe...t
thou for a blissful life ? He is life etemal, the bliss of the saints.
Long- then for Him, love Him, sigh for IIim! In Him thou
\"ilt find all good; out of Him, all evil, all mis('ry. Say then
with S. Fram'i..., '1\1y Jesus, my love and my all!' 0 Good
Jesus, burst the cataraet ofTlJy Im'e, that it
"treams, rea ,..eas,
may flow down upon us, yea, inebriate and overwhelm us."
.dlld I will.fìll tlds hOlue with glory. The glory then was
not to be anything, whieh came from man, hut directly from
God. It was the received expression of God's manife,;tation
of Himself in the tabernaeIe 14, in Solomon's temple 15, and of
the ideal temple 18 which Ezekiel saw, after the likeness of
that of Solomon, that the glory of the Lorcl.fìlled tile house.
"rhen then of this second temple God uses the self-same
word..., that He will.fill it u.itlt glor.lJ, with what other g-lory
shou
d He fill it than His own? In the history it is said, the
glory of tI,e Lord .filled the temple; t'i,r thcre man relates
what God did. Here it is God Himself "'ho speaks; so He
says not, tlte glor.1J of tile Lord, but, 1 u'ill.fìll tile hOllse with
glory,
Iory which was His to p:h'e, which came from Him-
self. To interpret that glor.1J of anything material, is to do
,'iolenee to languag-e, to foree on words of Scripture an
unworthy sense, which they refuse to bear.
The g-old upon the walls, even had this !'econd temple ùeen
adorned lil,e the first, did not fill the t('mple of Solomon.
I1owe\'er richly any buildin
might be overlaid with g-old, no
one enuld say that it is fillcd with it. A buihling is filled
with what it contains; a mint or trea...ure-house may be filled
with gold: the temple of God ,,'as.fillt-d, we are told, with the
glo'".lJ of tlu' Lord. His creatures bring Him sueh thin
s as
thcy ('an offer; they brin
17 gold and incense; they 18 bring
presellts and (1fer gifts; they do it, move,", by His Spirit, as
a('('eptable to Him. God is nowhere said, Himself to give
these offerings to Himself.

s Mi. iv. 2. Is. Ü. 3. 8 Rom. x. 19,20; quoting Deut. xxxii. 21. Is. lxv. 2.
10 Lap. 11 Rev. xxii.
II. I: Is. xxvi. 8, \I.
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i
i
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.

vtl.a

& j1)3. 16 Ez

,diïi.15
1

: 4-
Ii Is. lx. 6. IS Ps. lxxii. 10.

CHAPTER II.

Before 8 The sih-cr is mine and the go1d is mine,
C
r
5
0
T saith the LORD of hosts.

8. The sih-er is .J.
Iine, and the gold is Jlille. These words,
whieh ha\'e occasioned some to think, that God, in !>peaking
of the p:lory with \vhich He should fill the huuse, meant our
material riehes, sup:g-est the contrary. Fur silver was no
ornament of the temple of So]omnn. E,'erything- was over-
laid with guld. I n the tabernaele there were bowls of silver 1.
in So]omon'" tcmple they and all wcre of gold 2. Silver, we
are expressly told, U'as notMllg accollnted of 3 in tile days of
Solomon: he 4111acle silver to be ill Jerusalem a.
stones-for
alJllwlaJlce. Rather, as God !'ays by the P
almist, 6 El'ery
beast of tile forest is J.Jline, so are the cattle upon a tlwlisallll
hills: I know all the fowls of the mOlilltaills, and the wild beasts
of the field are Jline. If I were IlIlI/gr./;, I wOllld not tell tllee:
for the world is _lIille and the fulness tllcreof: so here lIe tells
them, that for the glory of His h(H1!>c He needed not p:old or
sih-er: for all the wealth of the world is His. Thev had no
ground "6 to g-rien then, that they ('ould not equal the mag-
nificence of Solomon who had ahundance of g-old and sih-er."
AU was God's. He would fill it n ith divine g-]orv. The
Desire of all nations, Christ, should come, and be a glory, to
,,'hich all created glory is nothing.
"7 God savs reallv and trul\", that the silver and J!;old is
His, which i;l utmost bounty"He ereated, and in His mo!;t
just gO\"ermnent administers, so that, without His \\ ill and
dominion, neither can the bad have gold and silver for the
puni
hment of avarice, nor the p:ood tor the use of mercy.
Its abundance does not inflate the good, nor its want crush
them: but the bad, when bestowed, it blinds: when taken
awav. it tortures."
,,{, It is as if He would say, Think not the temple inglori-
ous, beeause, may be, it will have no portion of gold or silver,
and their splendour. I need nnt such things. Bow should I?
Fur Jline is the sih'er and Jlille the gold, saith the Lord

11might.//. I !<eek rather true worshippers: with their brig-ht-
uess will I gild this temple. Let him come who hath rig'ht
faith, is adm'ned by graces, gleams with Jove for Me, is pure
in heart, poor in spirit, compa
sionate and good." "The!;e
make the temple, i. e., the Church, p:lorious and renowned,
being- glorified by Christ. For they have learncd to pray,
9 TIle glor.'! of the Lord oltr Gud be Il]JOll Its."
9. The glO1"y of tlâs latter house shall he greater t/wn
of the former, or, perhaps, mure probahly, tIle later glory
I K u. vii. 19, 25, 31. &c. The" charger" (:1"1]1i') which in the tabernacle was of silnr
(Xu. vü. 13.
c.) does not appear in the temple of Solomon.

1 Kgs \ii. 50. 2 Chr. iv. 8. 31 Kgs. x. 21. I
Cd:
/r)n. 4, 5. 5 Ps.l.1O-12. 8 S.
:;
p. ,S.
1
.

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1

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b

õ1I:'I as in Ex. ill. 3, De. ii. í, iv. 6, 1 Sam. xii. 16, 1 Kgs iii. 9, xx. 13,28, Jon. i.I;!;
but, as Köhler observes, this is not quite uniform, as in 2 Chr. i. 10. I
11 This interpretation involves a change in the \\ ording of the argument from this
prophecy, as to tbe time of our Lord's first cOJT1ing. For thus interpreted, it does not I

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. this house' ofthe house which is to be built, since of the first house, which in their time
\\as of old waste, he said' this house' in the words, . who is left among }OU, who hath
seen this house in its first glory?' and as . this house' is spoken of the house of the
sanctuary which Was then desolate, which" as passed away, so he saith,' this house,'
of the house which shall be." Chizzuch Emunah, c. 34. \\. agens. p. 2!J
.
II In his oration to thc Jews, " Our forefathers built this temple to the supreme God
:[
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, Joseph. Ant. xv. 11. 1.) and a little later (n. 3) "exceeding the expenwture of those I

\lt
ris:'
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2

cehd.n2
other appears to have adornedlJthý
:

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. See I
PARI' Y.

497

I 9 i The g-lory of this 1atter house sha1l1)e C :ï{oíes T
greater than of the former, saith the LORD cir.520.
. John 1. U.
of this hOllse shall he greater thall the former; for he had
already 1'poken of the pre!'ent temple, as identÏf'al with
that b
fure t
e captivity; "10 "'ho is left among you that

aw tlus hOllsem her first glory, and how do you see it nnw?"
He had spoken of itsfìrst glor;.'/. iXow he say". in contra!'t,
its latcr glory should be greater than that of it
mo
t glo-
rious times n. In this case the (luestion, whether the t
Jllple
of Hcmd was a different material building- from that (If
Zerubbabcl, falls away. In either ease. the
eontra!-t is be-
tween two thinp:s, either the temple in that its former estate,
and thi1' its latter estate after the captivity, or the two tem-
ples of Solumon and ZcruLbabel. There is no room for a
third temple. God holds out no vain hopes. To eomfurt
those distressed by the poverty of the house of (
od whieh
they were huilding, God promises a
lury to this hou
e
greater than before. A temple, erected, after this had lain
waste above 1800 years, even if Anti-Christ were to ('ome
now and to ereet a temple at Jerusalem, couM be no fulfil-
ment of this prophecy.
In material magnifiC'ence the temple of Solomon, built and
adorned ,,'ith all the treasurcs accumulated hv David and
enlarg-ed by Solomon, far surpa
sed aU which 'Herod, amid
his attempts to
h'e a material meaning to the prophee,.,
could do. His attempt shews how the eyes of the Je,; s
were fixed on this prophecy, then when it was about to be
fulfilled. While taking' pains, through the gradualness of
his rebuilding, to preserve the identity of the fabrie, he
la,-ished his wealth, to draw off their thoughts from the king,
whom the Jews Jooked for, to himself. The fl"iend!>hip of
the Romans who were lords of all, was to replace the all
nations, of whom Hag-g-ai spoke; he pointed also to the
length of peace, the posscs
ion of wealth, the greatness of
revenues, the surpassing expenditure beyond those before H.
Å small section of Erastians admitted these claims of the
murderer of his sons. The Jews generally were not diverted
from looking on to Him JVIIO should come. Those fi,'e thing-
,
the ahsenee whereof they felt, were connected with their
atoning wor!;hip or God's Presence among- them; "13 the
ark with the mercy-seat and the Cherubim, the Crim and
Tummim, the fire from heaven, the Sheehinah, the Holy
Ghost." Material magnificence could not replaec spiritual
glory. The explanatiuns of the great Jewish authorities u,
I
.. Rab and Samuel wsputed hereon, or, as others, R. Jochanan and R. Eliezer.
The former said, . it shall be more glorious in structure;' the latter, . in years.' .. ßaba
bathra c. 1. f. 30. R. Asariah quotes also from the Shir hashshirim Rabba on Cant.
ii. 1
and viii. 1, and adds, .. We have found that the best interl'reters explained Ihis
prophecy literally as to the second house." This is followed by Kimchi, Rashi, A. E.,
Lipmann(
izz. n. 2fiO),l\Ianasseh ben Israel (de term. vitæ) iii. 4. (Hilpert de gloria
Templi post., Thes. Theol.-Phil. p. lOSt> sqq.) Tanchum. Of Ihe magnificence of the
building they allege only that the building \\as in 6ize e9ual to that of Solomon, while
even in material magnificence it was beyond measure infenor. The relative duration they
underrate; ".he first, 410 years; the second 420;" for from the xi th of Solomon's
reign, B. C. 1005, to the burning of the temple in the xi th of Zedekiah, were 417 years;
but from the vi th of Darius when the 2nd temple was finished, B. C. 615, to the bUrn-
ing of the temple under Titus A.D. iO, were 585 )ears. But mere duration is not

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greater than the first house, how saith Scripture of it on this Account, that its glory
was greater than the first. since the gloWj which dwelt in thE' first house did not dwell
:s,

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continually in the first house; but in the second house the glory did not dwell at all;
for they had not the ark and the mercy seat and the cherubim, or the U rim and Tummim,
nor the Holy Spirit, nor the heavenly fire. nor the anointing oil, as it was in the bl
4 C

4!J8

HAGGAI.

c J1 0 í e s T of hosts: and in this place will I give k peace,
cir. MO.

that tht'
econr1 temple was sUperiOl" to the fil'st in strueture
(which was untruc) or in duration, were laid aside by Jcws
who had anv other solution whcrewith to satisfv themseh'es.
"The shcI.ilinah and the five pre,'ious things;" says one 1,
"which, af'I'lIrding to our wisc of bl('ssed memory, were in
it, and not in the sel'ond house, raised and exalted it beyond
compare." Anuther 0 says, "When I1a
g<li
aith, 'greater
shall he the glory of this later house than the fir
t,' how is
it, that the house whif'h Zerubhabel built through the income
whieh the king of Persia gan' them was J\lOl'e glorious than
the house which Solllnwn built? And thou
h it is said that
the buildin
whieh Herod made, was exceeding beautiful and
rif'h, we should not think that it was in its beauty like to
the house which Solomon built. I
or what the wise of blessed
memory have said of the beauty of the house of Herod is in
relation to the house which Zeruhbahel built. IIow much
more, since Scripture saith not, 'Great shall be the beallty
or the wealtlt of this latter house ahlwe the first,' but the
!!Iury: and the glory is not the wealth or the beauty, or the
lar
eness of the dimensions of the huilding". as thev said in
th
ir interpretations; for the 'glory' is in' truth sl;oken of
the glory of God, which filled the tahernaele, after it was set
up, and of the glory of God whidl filled the house of God,
which Solomon built, when he Ll"Ought the ark into the holy
of holies, which is the Divine cloud and the Light supreme.
which came down thither in the ep's of all the people, and
it is said, 'And it was when the priests came uut of the
holy place, the cloud filled the house of God, and the priests
eould not stand to minister bet'ause of the cloud, for the
glory of God filled the house of God.' And this glory was
\lot in the second house. .And how shall it be said, if so,
.
root shall be the glorv of this later house abO\-e the first'?"
'Ùle poor uncon"e
ted Jew did not know the answer to his
'Iuestion: "Through the Prescnee of God, in the sub..tanee
of our flcsh; through the Son given to us, '''hose name
should be .J/igltt.'1 God." The glory uf this temple was in
Him "
ho 3 was made Flesh aml dwelt 1lI11Ong us, and ice be-
held His glory, the glor..'! as (
f the Onl!1 Begotten of the
Þàther, full of grace and trutlt. "4 There Christ, the Son
of God, u'as, as a Child, offered to God: there He sat in the
midst of the Doetors; there He taught and I'evealed things,
hidden from the foundation of the world. The glory of the
temple of Solomon was, that in it the majesty of God ap-
peared, veiling itself in a elond: in this, that same Majesty
shewed itself, in very deed united with the Flesh, visible to
sight: so that Jesus Himself said, 6 He that Iwth seen J/e
Iwtlt seen the Father. This it was which l\lalaehi sang with
joy: 6 The Lord TVlwm ye .
eek shall suddenly come to His tem-
ple, ez'ell the Jl/essenger of tIle covenant, 1dwm ye deligld in."
And ill this IJlace I u'ill give peace. Temporal peace they
had now, nor was there any prospect of its being disturbed.
They weJ'e quiet
uhjects of the Persian empire, whÏl'h in-
duded al
o all their former enemies, greater or less. .Alex-

house." lb. p. 293. Others made the glory to consist in the absence of idolatry. quoted
I h. p. 286. R. Lipmann Nizz. p, 42, makes in it to consist in the uninterruptedness of
the worship of God there, whereas the temple was shut by Ahaz and
Ianasseh [as was
the second a
least desec
ated by Antiochus
pip
anes for 3 years.
.\Iacc. i. 54! iv..59.]
I R. Asarlah de RossI Imre Bi,m}" c. 51, In Hilpert 1. c. n. 8. HIs own solutIOn IS tbat
theJ(lory was not in the temple itself, but in that kings brought presents to it. lb. 10.

Abarbanel Quæst. iv in Hal(g. f. 111'1. He says that" the interpreters, all of them ex-
prained it of the second house." p. n11'12. Abarb. suhjoins a criticism, which R. Asaria,
Imlt-Billa}, c. 54, SijW to be mistaken, that 1'1:'1<' andl'"Y11< could not be said oflwo things
(of "hich ,nl( and 'J:!:, are, he sa}-s, used) against which R. Asariah qnotes Jer.l. 17.
G
n. xxxiii. 2. Add Ex. iv. 8. Deut. xxiv. 3,4. Ru. iii. 10, Is. \iii. 23. [ix. 1. Eng.]

saith the LOlm of
· Ps. 85. 8, 9. Luke 2.14. Eph. 2.11.

hosts. C IPIioíes 1
cir. 5
O.

ander suhdued all the hordcrin
countries whieh did not
yield, but spared themseh'es. 'Temporal peaee then was
nllthing to be tlwn g'inn thcm; for the,' had it. In latcr
times th(,y had it not. The temple itscif was pl"Ofancd by
AntiOl'hus Epiphanes. "1 Her sanctuarv was laid waste like
a wilderness. As had heen her g-Iory, ;0 was her dishonour
increased." Ag-ain by PIl1\1IH:
y 8, hy Cra
susu, the Parthians lo ,
hefore it was destroyed hy Titus and the Romans. .Tews saw
this and, knowing nothing- of the peaee in Jesus, ar
ued from
the ab!<em'e of outward peal'e, that the propheey wa" not ful-
filled under the !'el'ond temple. .<11 \'That Scripture says, 'and
in this place I will give peal'e,' is opl'ost'd to their interpreta-
tion. For aU the davs of thc dlll"<ltion of the :!nd hOll!o'e \rere
in strait of times ami not in peace, as was written in Daniel,
((wi threescore ami two weel;:s: tlte street shall be built agaill
and the fosse, and ill strait (
f time, and, as I said, in the time
of Herod there was no pcaee whatever, for the sword did not
depal.t from his house to the day of his death; and after his
death the hatred among the Jews im'reased, and the Gentiles
straitened them, until they werc destroyed from the fa('e
of the earth."
ßut
piritual peace is, throughout prophe(.y, part of the
promise uf the Gospel. Christ Himself was to he 12the Prince
uf peace: uf the ill crease of His guz'emment and of His peace
there was to he 110 end; in His days 13 tlte mountains were
to bring peace to tile people; there should he alJ/lmlallce uf
peace, su luug as the moun elldurdh; the wurk of righteousness
was to be pmce 14; the cltasti.
ement uf our peace [that u'hich
obtained it] was upon Him 15; great should be tlte peace of
her children 16; in the GO!o'pel Gud wuu]d
h'e peace, true
peace, to the far '!tl and tlte near 17; He ,,"uuM extend 18 peace
to her like Cl river: the good thin!!"s of the Gospel was tIle
pllblishill
of peace 19. The Gospel is described a!' 20 a co-
'I:enant of peace: the promised king 21 shall speak peace to the
Heatlten; He Himself should be ollr peace 22. And when He
was born, the angels prodaimed 23 on eartlt peace, goudwill
towards men: 2
Tlte Da./IS]JI"illg from Ull /tiglt 'visited us, to
guide our feet into the ll''',11 of pence. He Himself says. 25 J/..'I
peace lleaz'e with yuu. He spake, that 26 in J/e .11P might IUll'e
peace. S. Peter sums up tIle word w/tich Gud sent unto tlte
children of Israel, as 21 preaching peace hy Jesus Cllrist: 28 the
kingdom of God isJoy ami peace; 29 Chri
t is ollr peace; made
peace; preacllCs peace. God calletlt llS to peace 30, in the
Gospel: 31 being Jus/flied by faith, we have peace ll'Ïtlt God
through Jesus Cllrist our Lord; 33 tlte fruit of tlte Spirit is
hJt'e Joy peace.
pi1"Ítual peace being' thus prominent in the
Gospel and in prophecy, as the gift of God, it 'H'!'e unnatural
to explain tIle peace which God promised here to gÍ\-e, as
other than He promised elsewhere; pcace in Him 'Yho is
our IJeace. Jesus Christ.
" 33 Peaee and tranquillity of mind is above all glory of
the house; because peaee passeth all understanding'. This
is peaee above peace, which shall be given after the third
3 S. John i.14. . Lap.
S. John xiv. 9. 6 1\Ial. iii. l.
71l\Iacc. i. 39, 40. sJos. Ant. xi\". 4. 4. B. J. i. 7. 9 Ant. xi\. ï. 1.
B. J. i. 8. 8. 10 Ant. xiv. 13. 3. 4. 11" Abraham B. Dior

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292, 293_ I
Is. ix. 6,7. 13 Ps.lxxii. 3, 7. H Is. xxxii. 17..
I. lb. liii. 5. 16 Ib.liv.I3. 17 Ib.lvii.I9. IS lb. Ixvi. 12.
19 lb. Iii. 7. 20 Ez. n.xiv. 25. '1 Zech. ix.lO. 2
\\Ii. v. 5. .
'3 S. Lukeii.l4. 24lb.i. i9. 2. S. John xiv. 27.
6Ib. x
. 33.
'7 Acts x. 36. 28 Rom. xiv. 17. '9 Eph. ii.I i, 15, Ii. 10 1 Cor. vn. 15.
31 Rom. v.I. 32 Gal. v. 22. 3J S. Ambr.l. c. n.I4. Opp ii.913.

CIL\PTER II.

C
:
:
} T 10.,-r In the four and twentieth du!! of
the ninth month, in the second year of
Darius, came the word of the LORD by
Hag-
ai the prophet sayin
,
I

t
fu1.oi

' 11 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; 1
\sk
)IaI.2.ï. now the priests concerning the law sayin
,
12 If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of
his garment, and with his skirt do touch
bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any
meat, shall it be holy? And the In'iest an-
swered and sail}, 1'\0.
.. Num.19.1l. 13 Then said Haggai, If one that is m un- i
clean by a dead body touch any of these, :
shall it be unclean? And the priests an-
swered and said, It shall be unclean.
1-1 Then answered Haggai, and said,
. Tit. 1.15. n So is this people, and so is this nation be-
fore me, saith the LORD; and so is every
work of their hands; and that which they
shakin
of hcaven sea earth, dry land, when He shaH destroy I
aH powers and principalities [in the day of judgement).-And
so shall there be peace throughout, that, no bodily pas- I
!'ions or hindrances of unbelieving mind resisting, Christ ,
shaH be all in all, exhibiting the hearts of all subdued to
the Father."
11-14. .fIsk now the priest.<; c01lcerniug the law. The priests,
answer rightly, that, by the law, insulated unholiness sprcad
further than insulated holincss. The fle!':h of the sacrifice
hallowed whatever it should touch I, but not further; but the
human being, who was defiled by touching a dead body, de- I
filed all he mi
ht touch 2. Haggai docs not apply the fir.st I
part; viz. that the worship on the altar which they rcared,
while they neglected the building of the temple, did not hal-
10\\". The possession of a holy thing does not counterbalance
disobedience. Contrariwise, one dcfilement defiled the whole:
Ulan and all which he touched, according to that, 8 whosoever I
shall keep the whole law and yet qffènd in olle point, he is guilty
of all.
In the application, the two melt into one; for the holy
thing', viz. thc altar which thcy raised out of fear on their re- I
turn, so far from hallowing the land or people by the sacri-
fices offcred thereon, was itself defiled. This people and tltis I
nation (not" My pcople ") since they in act disowned Him.
1Vhatever they qffèr there, i. e. on that altar, instead of thc
temple which God commanded, is unclean, offending Him
Who g-ave aU.
IS. And now, I pray you. Observe his tenderness, in
drawing their attention to it". Consider from this day ami up-

I Lev. vi. 19 (2ï Eng.) , Nu. xix. 22.
3 S. James ii. 10. 4 As e1!:pressed by IU, here and lB.
5 cnl'"o 6 Ruth iii. 7. Neh. xiii. 15. 2 Chr. xxxi. 6-9. 7 Vulg.
s LXX. 9 :rnÐ only occurs besides, Is. lxiii. 3; where it is the winefat itself.
The LXX render it p.fTprrral; Jon./'::I"1:1 (wlüch they use for
:U 1 Sam. x. 3, xxv. IB,
Jer. xiii. 12) Vulg. laRefllU.
10 Deut. xxviii. 27. II Am. iv. 9. 12 Ps.lxxvüi. 47.
13 c:Jnll marking the acc., C::Inll I'll is not for C::I]'II, which itself, according to the com-

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(bis).JtXxvü.14; "P.II Gen. xx. 7, xliii.S, Ex. viii. 17, Jud. xii.S, 1 Sam. xix.lI, 2 Sam.

4!)!)

offer there is unclean. c J3Jto:e s T
15 .And now, I pray yOU, 0 eono;;ider from _ cir. 5:!0.
I . I I . . 0 ch.1. 5.
t liS (ay an< upward. from J)t'fore a stone
was laid upon a stonc in the templc of the
LORn:
16 Since those dfl!IS were, pwhen olle p zh
k68.!lio.
came to an heap of twcnty /nf'Wi/O'CS, there
were bllt ten: whell OIlC ('ame to the press-
fat for to draw out fifty l.es!
cls out of the
prc!ois, there were but twenty.
17 q I smote you with blasting- and mil- q PKï
.2t3
:'
dew and with hail r in all the lahours of

.!I.
your hands; .yet ye tw.necl not to mc, saith : J
;.zs.lt
the LORD.
9::t..&
18 Consider now from this day and up-
warù, from the four and twentieth dav of
the ninth month, et.cn from t the day that' Zech.B.9.
the foundation of the LORU'S temple was
laid, consider it.

wards. He bids them look hackward, from l)(!.fore a stone teas
laid upon a stolle, i. e. fl'om the la
t moment of their ne
leet
in building the house of God; frnm since those days ture, or
from the time hackward
tehen those things leere, (re
mming,
in the word, from-their-being 5, the date which hc had ju
t
g-iven, viz. the beç:inning- uf their resuming the building back-
wards, during- all tho
c ycars of neglcct) one came to a heap
of twenty measures. The preeise measure is not mentioned 6 :
the force of the appeal lay in the proportion: tile heap of corn
which, usually, would yield twenty, (whether bu
hcls 7 or
seahs 8 or any other mea!<ure, for the heap itself being of no
defined size, neither could the quantity expected from it he
defincd) there were tell only; olle wille to the jJress-t:al to draw
out fifty vessels out of thc press. ur perhapsþft.V poorer/I, i. e.
the ordinary (!uantity drawn out at one time from the press 9,
there were, or it hac! become, twellly, two fifths only of what they
looked for and ordinarily obtained. The dried grapes yielded
So little.
17. I smote you wilh blasting aml mildew, two di
ea
es of
corn, which Moses had forctold lO as ehastisements on disobe-
dience and God's infliction, of whi('h Amos had spoken in
these self-same words ll. Ha
/!ai add
tile Iwi!, as destruetivc
of the vincs u. Yet [.-Jlld] ye turned you uot to life lit. there
1l'ere nOlle-you, (accusative 13) i. e. who turned )"ou unto
le.
The words are elliptical, but expre
s the entire absence of
conversion, of any who turned to God.
18. From the day that the fO/l1ulaticm of the Lord's house.
Zcehariah, in a passa
e eorresponding to this, uscs the same
words 14, the day that the foundation of the llOuse of the Lord of

f.' :"l

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here) .. ye turned you not unto Me," a. in Am. iv. 6, B, 9, 10, 11. Böttcher (LehrJmch
n. 516. d.) compares bene te (which implies a verb), en ilium (where en is as a nrb.)
These however are exclamations, not parts of sentences. He thinks .that'll is joined,
1) with a nom., and then an acc. after " 1 Sam. xxvi. Iti; that
has an acc. Gen. xxiii. 8,
2 Kgs. x. 15, and .
" Zech. vü. 7. .. Zech. viii. 9,

500

HAGGAI.

C Jífoíes T 19 u Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as
cir.520. yet tlU' vine, and the fig tree, and the pome-
Q Zech.8. 12. gr:mate, and the olive tl'ee, hath not hrought
forth: from this day will I bless !/Olt.
20
And again the word of the LORD

hosts was laid, that the temple might be built, not of the first
foundation, but of the work as resumed in obedience to the
words by the mouth uf the prop/lets, Hal!:gai and himself, which,
Ezra also !Oays, was 1 in the secund year of Darius. llut that
n-ork was resumed, not now at the time of this prophecy, but
t.hree months before, on the 24th of the sixth month. Since
then the word translated here, fr(mz 2, is in no case used of
the present time, Haggai gÍ\-es two dates. the resumption of
the work, as marked in these words, and the actual present.
He would then say, that even in these last months, since they
had begun the work, there were as yet no signs for the bett.er.
There was yet no seed in the barn, the harvest having been
blighted and the fruit-tree!' stripped by the hail before the
cluse of the sixth month, when they resumed the work Yet
though therc were as yet no sip:ns of change, no earnest that
t.he promise should be fulfilled, God pledg'es His wonl,frulll
this da!! I will bless .you.
Then(.efort.h, f!"Om their ohedience, God would give them
those fruits of the earth, whif'h in His Providence had been,
during their negligence, withheld. God, said St. Paul and
Barnabas, Steft 1Iot Himself withuut witness, in that He did
good, and gave us rain from heal'en and frui(ful seasuns,filling
uur hearts with fnod and gladness.
All the Old and Kew Testament, the Law, the Prophet
and
the Psalms, the Apost.les and our Lord Himself, bear witness
to the Providence of God "'ho makes His natural laws serve
to the moral disdpline of His creature, man. The physi('al
theory, which presupposes that God so fixed the laws of His
creation, as to leave no room for Himself to vary them,
would, if ever so true, only come to this, that Almighty God
knowing absolutely (as He must know) the actions of His
creatures (in what way soever this is rC('OIH'ileable with our
free-agcn('y, of which we are eonseious), framed the laws of
His physical creation, so that plenty or famine, healthiness
of our cattle or of the fruits of the earth or their "ickness,
should eoineide with the g-ood or evil conduct of man, with
his prayers or his neglect of prayer. The reward or chastise-
ment alike come to man, whether they be the result of God's
'Viii, acting apart from any system which He has created, or
ill it and through it. It is alike His Providential agency,
whether He have established an\" such system with aU it!'
minute variations, or whether those variations are the inllne-
diate rcsult of His sovereign 'Viii. If He has instituted any
physical system, so that the rain. hail, and its proportions,
size, destructiveness, should come in a reg-ulated irregularity,
as fixed in all eternity as the revolutions of the heavenly
bodies or the courses of the comet.s, then we come only to a
more intricate perfection uf His creation, that in all eternity
He framed those laws in an exaet conformity to the perfectly
foreseen actions of men good and evil, and to their prayers

2 Such use of 11:)" would beinconlsi
:
t
it
I
;ý }
rce of
. !tis used of a terminus à
quo, distant from the present, and is equivalent to" up to and from." So J ud. xix. 30,
.. No such deed was seen or done from the day that the children of Israel came up," i. e.
looking back to that time and from it. So 2 Sam. vii. 6, .. Since the time that I
brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt," lit. .. up to from the day." Add Ex.
ix. 18, Deut. iv. 32, ix. 7, 2 Sam. vii. 11, xix. 25, Is. vii. Ii, Jer. vii. i, 25, xxv. 5, xxxii.
31,1 Chr. xvii. 10,1\Ia1. iii. 7. But there is no ground for thinking that Haggai used the

came unto Hagg-ai in the four and twentieth C Jífoí
<; T
dUll of the month, saying, cir.520.
21 Speak to Zerubbabel, x g-overnor of x ch.l.14.
J üdah, saying, Y I will shake tbe heavens Y H:b
i

26.
and the earth;

also: thút He, knowing certainly whether the creature, whieh
He has framed to have its bliss in depending on Him, would
or would not cry unto Him, framed those physical laws in
conformity therewith; so that the supply ofn-hat is neeessarv
fOl' our wants ur its withholding shall be in all time inworked
into the system of uur probation. Only, not to keep God out
of His own world, we mu!.'t remember that other truth that
whether God a('t in any such systcm or no, He 411}Jhuld
th azl
thiugs h.ll the wonl of Ilis jJower by an ever-present working-;
so that it is He "'ho at each moment doth what is done, doth
and maintains in existence all which Hc has created, in the
exact order and variations of their being-. 6 Fire and hail,
suuw Clnd 'l'apUl.tr, sturmy wind fulfilling His word, are as im-
mediate results of His Divine Agency, in whatever way it
pleaseth Him to act., and are the expression of His 'ViII.
21. I will sllllke. Hag-gai closes by resuming- the words
of a former prophecy to Zerubbabel and Joshua, which
ended in the eoming of Christ. Even thus it is plain, that
the prophecy does not belong- personally to Zerubbahel, but
to him and his descendants, ehieflv to Chri
t. Therc was in
Zerubbabel's time no shaking of "the heaven or of nations.
Darius had indeed to put down an nnusual number of rebel-
liuns in the first few years after his accession; but, althougl!
he magnified himself on occasion of their suppression, they
were only so many distinct and unconcerted revolts, each
nnder its own head. All were far away in the distant East,
in Babylonia, Susiana, Media, AI'menia, Assyria, Hyreania,
Parthia, Sag-artia, Margiana, Arachosia 6 . The Persian empire,
spread "7 probably over 2,000,000 square miles, or more than
half of modern Europe," was not threatened; no foreign
enemy assailed it; one impostor only claimed the throne
of Darius. This would, if successful, havc been, like his
own accession, a change of dynasty, affecting nothing ex-
ternally. But neither were lasting, some were very trifling-.
Two decisive battles subdued Babylonia: of Media the brief
summary is given; "8 the l\Jedes revolted from Darius, and
ha,-ing revolted were brought back into subjection, defeat.cd
in battle." The Susianians slew their own pretender, on
the approach of the troops of Darius. '" e have indeed
mostly the account only of the victor. But these are only
self-g-Iorying records of victories, accomplished in succession,
within a few years. Sometimes the satrap of the province
put the revolt down at onec. At most two battles ended
in the crucifixion of the rebel. The Jews, if they heard of
them, knew them to be of no account. For the destrover of
the Persian empire was to come fl"Om the \" est 9; the tourth
sovereign was to stir up all against the realm of Greeia 10,
and Darius was but the third. In the same second year of
Darius, in which Haggai gave this prophecy, the whole earth
was exhibited to Zechariah as 11 sitting still and at rest.

:
::n
n.ri
l
h

c
!

h
r
i

ili
t
h
e
e;:?:=sh

qu;:.eel
Zh
:es

:

o
;
'111, having been expressed by the present 01'0, the wstant termj,lUs à quo is, as elsewhere,
expressed bl

b. i. 3. 3 Acts xiv
It
. cxlviii. 8.

Th
i

;

.v. Empires iv. pp.

dt

b.from Behistun Insc
i

'viii. 5.
10 lb. xi. 2. II Zech. i. 11.

CH.\PTER II.

501

Before
C l! R.I,ST
elr. ,,:..0.
. Dan. 2. 41.
!\Iatt. 24. 7.
. 'lie. 5. 10.
Zeeh. 4. 6.

U. 10.

22 .\nd z I will oH'rthrow the thronf'
of kin
doms, and I will destroy tht'
strength of the kingdoms of the heathen;
· I will overthl'o\v the chariots, and those
that ride in them; and the horses and
their riders shall come down, everyone

The ovcrthrow prophesied is al
o univcl":,'al. It i!'\ not one
throne only, as of Persia, but the throlle, i. e. the soverei1!"ns,
(
f kingdoms; not a ehan
e of dyna,:ty, but a de,:tru(,tion of
their strength; not of a few powers only, but the kingdoms
of the heathell; and that, in detail: that, in whieh their chief
;tren1!"th Jay, the chariot
aud lw!":-ellleu and their rider,:, and
this, man by man, ever.1f one h.1f ti,e sll'ord of Ms hrother. This
mutual de
truetion is a feature of the jud;.!:I'lIIent!Ò at the end
of the world ag-ainst Gog- and
la1!"og-l; and of the yet unful-
filled pr()phe('ies of Zechariah 2. Its stI'etching out so far does
not hiudcr ib partial fulfilment in earlier times. Zerubbabcl

tood, at the return from the eaptidty, as the representative
of the house of Dadd and heÍl' 41f the prolllise
to him, though
in an inferior temlwral l'ondition: thereby the rather shewin

that the main import of the IH'ollheey was not telllporal. As
then Ezekiel prophesied, 3 I leill set up One Shepherd m:a thelll,
mlfL lIe shall feed thelll, JIy selTwtf Dal'Íd; 4 Alld Ð(ll'id JIfI
seI"l'ant :o:hall be king ()l'er them; and JI./f sen'ant David shall
he tlteir prince for ever; and Jeremiah, 5 They slwll sen'e the
Lord their God ami DGl'id tlleir Ái/lg, ll'lw//l I will raise lip
unto them; and Hosea, that 6 after lIU1/1.11 da.lf.ç s1wll the cMIcL-
ren of Israel returJl alld seek the Lord their God, alld Dal"id
their killg. meanin
by David. the great dl's('endant of Da, id,
in whmn- the promi,:es cl'ntered,
o in his deg-ree, the pro-
mise to Zel"llbbabcl readIes on through his de,:t'l'mlant,: to
Chl'ist; that. amid all the onrthrow of empires, God would
protcet hi,: sou,:' son,: uutil CIll'i
t should eome, the liin,!.:' of
l..ings amI Lord of lords, "'hose 7 kingdom shall lIel'er be de-
stroyed, bllt it ,çhalrhreak in pieces alld COllSllllle all those kil/g-
dOll/s. and slwll stal/d fast for el'er.

3. I /('illlllake tllee (
S a sigl/et. Got! reHr
es to Zerub-
bahel the sentence (If) Jeeoniah for his impiety. To Jeeoniah
He had said, b though lie u'ere tile signet upon JIy right hal/d. .'/fet
t1'ould I plllck thee tlmlce; alld I will gh'e tllee into the IWlld of
them that seek th.1f life. The sig'net was very preeious to its
owner, never parted with, or only to those to whom authority
was dele
ated (as by Pharaoh to Joseph 9, or hy Ahasuerus
to Haman 10 and then to :Mordecai 11) ; through it hi,: will was
cxpressed. Hence the sp"use in the Cantieles says, 12S e t me,
a.ç a seal upon tlly Ileart, a.ç a seal upon tll.'1 arm. The signet
also was an ornament to him who wore it. God i.
glor!/ied
in His saints 13; by Zerubhabel in the huildin
of His hOlÙ;e.
He gave him estimation with C, rus, who entru..ted him with
the return of his people. and måde him (who would have been
the sue('essor to the throne of Judah, had the throne been re-
established) his I!O"l'l"IWr o,-er the restored people. God pro-
mises to him and his de..cendants protedion amid all ,:haking
of empires. "a He was a type of Christ ill bring-ill/.:" back the
people from Babylon, as Christ delh-ered Us from sin death I
:md hcll: he built the temple, as Chrbt built the CIIlIrl'h;
he protected his people against the Samaritans who would

1 Ezek. xx",iii. 21. 2 Zeeh. xiv. Ii.
3 F.zek. xxxiv. 2:i. · lb. xxx,ii. 21, 2';. · JeT. xxx. 9. I '
, HQ&' iii. 5. ' Dan. ii. .g.
8 Jer. Hii. 2-1. 9 Gen. xli. 42. 10 E'lher iii.1O. II lb. ,iii. 2.
I'.\1a '-1.

hy the sword of his hrother. C Ir
[ores T
23 In that day, saith the LOlto of hosh;, cir. j:!lI.
will I take thee, () Zerubhahel, illY servant,
I f
I I . I . I I L . b I b Cant. R G
t Ie son 0 .. lea tie , Salt I t Ie ORO, nll( Jer. 22:
i
will make thee a" a sig-lH't: for c I have.

:îö.1.
('hosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.

Ilinder the buildinl!, a" Chri...t pr"tects His Churf'h: II(' was
dear and joined to (;od, as Chri,:t was united to Him. and
hypo!'tati('ally united and joined lIis Humanity to the 'ford.
The true Zeruhhabcl then, i. e. Christ, the ..on and anti type
of Zerubhahel, is the sil!net in the hand of the Fatlu'r, hllth
passively and a(.th'ely. wherehy (;od impresses IIis own )Ia-
je
ty tlwu
hts and words and His own Imag'e on men anl!els
ami all ereatures." "15 The Son is the Ima:!e of God the Fa-
thl'r, having- His entire and cxact likene!'
, and in lIis own
beautv lwaming forth the natm'e of the F<lthel'. 1n Him too
God ;ed,: us aìso to His own likene,:s, sinee, bcin
conformed
to Christ, we
ain the ima
e of God!' "a Christ, as the
Apo:-tlc ,:ays, is lGthe Image of the inrisible God, the hrightness
of llis Glo/"!I amL tI,e e.1:press Image ({llis Person, ,n1O, as the
". Ol'd and Seal and expre
s Image, seals it Oil others. Chrh,t
is here ('aIled a signet, as :\Ian not as Gml. For it was His
:\1 an hood whieh He took ()f the flesh and race of Zeruhbahel.
lIe is then, in His Manhood, the
ignet of God; I) as being
hypo,:tatically united with the Son of God; 2) because the
"-ord imprt'

ed on His Humanity the likeness of I1imseif,
His knowledl!c, ,irtue, holines,:. thoug-hts. words, ads and
cIHn-ersation ; 3) hecause the :\Ian Christ was the
eal, i. e.
the mo
t evidcnt sign and \\ itne,:s of the attributes of God,
His power, ju,:ti(.e, \\ isdom, and especially His exceeding- 10\ e
for man. I
or, that God might shew thi,:, Ill' "ilIl'd that IIi,.;

()n should be Incarnate. Chri,:t thus Incarnate is as a sl'al,
in which we sec ð.pressed and depi('Ìcd the Ion power j\l'.;tit'e
wisdom &1.'. of God; 4) beeause Chrbt as a seal. attested and
certified to us the will of God, His doetrine law ('olllmalHis,
i. e. tho...e which lIe promulgated and taught in the GO"I)(
1.
.Yo one,
t. John saith, lï Iwllt secn God at any time: the 0111.1/-
Begotten SOIL TrllO is the IlIwge of the þ'atller, He hatll de-
elm'ed Ilill/. Hence (;od gave to Christ the power ofworkin
'
llIirades. that He mi
ht confirm IIis words as In- a seal, and
demonstrate that they were re'-ealcd and enjoine
l to Him hy
G()d, as it is in _S. John, 18
Iilll Iwtll God tI,e Tatller sealed:'
"14 Christ i,: al,:o tIle seal of God. be('ause by His impre,:s. i.e.
the faith
raee virtue and eonHl'sation fi'om Him and by the
impress in ßaptism and the lither Saf'raments. He 1l'illecl to
cOliform ItS to the III/age of llis SOJl I9 , that, 2U as Ice haz'e borlle
tile imflge of the eartlll.lf Adam, we ma.1f also hl'ar the image of
the HeIIl'('lll.'l' Then, Christ, likc a :-('al,
eals and
uards IIi,:
faithfill a1!"ain,:t all temptations and enelllie,:. The !'eal of
Christ is the Cro:,s, aecording to that of EL.c1.iel. 21 Seal fl
mark It}JIJ1l tlleforelteads of tile men u'110
igh, and in the Reve-
lation, 2
I saw another Angel haz'illg the seal of the liz'ing God.
For the Cross guardeth \IS against the temptations IIf the
flcsh. the wodd and the devil, and ma1.es us followers, soldiers,
and martyrs of Chri:-t erucified. '''hence the Apostle :oa)'s,

3 I bear ill 11/1/ bodll the marks of tile Lord Jesus."
"This is
åid wiÌ:hout doubt of the l\Ic,:siah, the expected ;.,

12 Cant.' iii. 6.
u Lap. 10 S. Crr.
18 S. John ,i. 2;.

I m I:

k. ix. 4.

13 2 Thes
. i. 10.
I,
. John i. 18.
:0 I Cor_ xv. 49.
23 Gal. >i. Ii.
4 D

16 Heb. i.3.
19 Rom. viii. 29.
"' Rev. vii. 2.

502

HAGGAI.

l'ays evelJ a Jewish controversialist \ "who .shall be of
he over Israel at the time uf the. redemptiun is the l\I6siah of
seed of Zerubbabel; and therefore tins promIse was not ful-!I the seed of Zerubbabcl and of the house uf Dadd; and God
filled at all in himself: for at the time of this prophecy he saw goud to shew him aU this to comfort him and to speak
had aflll'etimf:- been g'overnor of Judah, and afterwards he did to his heart; and it is as if he said tu him, 'It is true that
nut ri!<e tu any hig-hér dignity than what he was up to that thou shalt not reig-n in the time of the second temple, nor
day: and in like way we find that God said to Abraham our any uf thy seed, but in that day when God shall overthrow the
father in the covenant between the pieces, 2 I am the Lord" throne of the kingdoms of the nations, when He gathereth
who bl"Uuglti thee out of Ur of the C/wldees to give thee tM!. " His people Israel and redeemeth them, then shalt thou reig-n
land to inherit -it, and beyond doubt this eovcnant was eon- over )Iy people; for of thy seed shall he be who ruleth from
firmed of God to the seed of Abraham, as He Himself ex- II Isracl at that time for ever, and therefore he saith, 'I will
I'lained it there afterwards, when He said, In that da!1 God take thee, 0 Zerubbabel &e.,' for because the Messiah was
made a covenant 1l"Ïth AbrahU1
I, saying, To illY seed /wve I I I
o be of his seed he sai
h, that he will take him; a?d this
.riven this landl)"C., and many hke these." lIS as he says, H And DaVid My servant shaH be a prmee to
ð Abarbanel had laid down the rig-ht principles, thoug-h of I I them fur ever;' for the very Messiah, he shall be David, he
necessity misapplied. "8 Zerubhabel did not reign in Jeru- I shall be Zerubbabel, because he shall be a sl'ion going forth
salem and did nut rule in it, neither he nor any man of his out of their hewn trunk 5."
seed; but forthwith after the building- of the house, he re- J.òr I have chosen thee. God's foreeoming love is the
turnt'd to Babylon and died there in his captivity, and how ground of all the aeeeptableness of lIis creatures. 61Ve love
saith he,' In that day I will take thee?' For after the fall Him, because He first loud us. Zerubbabel was a devoted
uf the kingdom of Persia Zerubbabel is not known for any servant uf God. God a('knowledges his faithfulness. Only,
greatness, and his name is not mentioned in the world. the beginning- of all was with God. Gud speaks of the near-
'Yhere then will be the meaning- of 'And I will place thee ness to Himself which He had given him. But in two words 7
as a signet, for thee have I chosen?' For the sig-net is as the He cuts off all possible boastfulness of His f'reature. Zerub-
...eal-ring whi,'h a man putteth on his hand, it departeth not \ babel was all this, not of himself, but because God had chosen
from it, night or day. And when was this fulfilled in Zerub- him. Even the Sacred .Manhoud of our Lord (it is acknuw-
babel? But the true meaning, in my upinion, is, that God ledg-ed as a theological Truth) was not chosen for any foreseen
o;hewed Zerubbabcl that this very second huuse would not merits, but for the great love, with which God the Father
abide; for after him shuuld come another I'alltivity, and of, chose It, and God the Son willed to be in such wise incarnate,
this he says, 'I shake the hea,'en &e.,' and afterwarrls, after and God the Holy Ghost willed that that Holy Thing- should
a long time, will God take His veng-eanee of these nations be conceived of Him. So God says of Him, 8 Behold JI.'I
'which have devoured Jacob and laid waste his dwelling Servant 1vhom I liphold, lJIille elect in whom J
I/ soul delight-
pla('e;' and so He says' I will overthrow the thrones &c.,' eth; and God bare witness to Him, \I This is ...'IIy Beluved .sOil
and He sheweth him further that the king who shall rule" ill 117/0111 I am 1{'ell pleased.
II 4 Ezek. xxxvü. 2-1..
Is. xi. 1. ð 1 S, John iv. 19.
r R. Isaac Chiz. Em. I. c. pp. 289, 290. I Gen. xv. 7. 18. s p. z:
. 7 ,'n"V1:l';J s Ia. xlii. 1. v :So ì.\ldl. iii. 17. xvii. 6.

IXTRODUCTIO:S

T II E

TO

PROPHET

ZE C II-L
RI-LtII.

ZECH.\.fiL\H entered on his prophetic office, two months after that he survived the high priest, Joshua, sinC'e his own ac-
Ha
g-aïs first pruphecy. He ,,-as :-till a youth. when (;0<1 I'es"iun to his uffice of head of the prie"t,.;, in his di\i"iun, wa

('ailed him 8, and
o, since in thp !'econd \"Car of Darius Ih,;- in the days of Juiakim, the son of Joshua.
ta
pis It:' years had elal'"e<1 frum the fir;t of Cyrus. he milst His buók opens with a vel'Y simple touching call to those
ha,'e been bruu!!ht in infancv from Babvlon. His father returned from the capti,'ity, linking himself on to the former
Berechiah prub
bly died young., sim'e, in Ézra, the pruphet prophets, but cuntrasting' the transitoriness of all human
is ealled aft('r his
randfather, Zerharia!t the son of Ide/o b . thin
s, those who prophesied and those to whom they pro-
He succeeded his grandfather in the office of the priests. the I l'hesied, with the abidingness of the word of Gud. It consists
dtief of tlte fathers, (of which there were twelve) in the days of four pm.ts. differing- in outward character, yet with a
(If Joiakim the son of Joshua, the I1idl priest c . Since then, remarkable unity uf purpose and end. All begin with a
while he prophcsied together with H ag
ai, Joshua wa!' still foreground !'uhsequent to the captidty; aU reach on to a
hi
h prie!"t, and it is Jo!'hua whom he sees in his visiun in I further end; the two first to the coming of our Lord; the
that same yeaI'd, he must ha,-e eutered on his pruphetic oflke third from the delh-erance of the house then built, during
before he !Òucceeded to that other dig-nity. Yet neither is I, the invasion of Alexander. and from the victories of the
there any reason to think that he e\"Cr laid it aside, since we Maceabees, to the rcjection of the true Shepherd and the
hear not of any pl'ophet, called by God, who did abandon it. ('urse upon the false; the last, which is connected with the
Rather, like Jeremiah. he exerdsed buth; called to the priest- third by its title, reaches from a future repentance for the
hood by the birth gh'en to him by Gud, called to the pro- death uf Christ to the final conversion of the Jews and
phetil' offiee by Dh-ine inspiration. " Gentiles.
Like Jeremiah, Zeehariah wa,; called in early youth to the II The outward difference, that the fir!<Ì prophecy is in vi-
pruphetie uffi('e. The same designation, by which Jeremiah sions; the sccond, a respon
e to an enquiry made of him; the
at first excused himself as unfit for the offiee, is gh-en tu two last in free delivery, ub, iouslr did not depend upon the
Zechariah. .'lfJIlth e. The term docs not indeed mark any defi- I pruphet. The oecasion also of the twu first bodies uf pro-
nite age; fur Joseph, when he was so designated f by the phecy ill\'oh'ed that they were written in prose. For the
('hief butler, was :!t3 g; Benjamin and Absalum had son.. of imagery waN burne on the prophet's mind in vision
. The
their own h. They were probahly so called as terms of affec- I office of the pruphet was unly to record them and the expia-
tion, the one hy his brother .Tudah i. the other by David his I nations gh'en to him of parts of them, which could only be
father k. liut hi,; grandfather Iddo was still in the discharge done in pruse. He was so far like the Apo
tlcs. who elHluired
of his office. The length of hi
lllinistry i
e(lually unknuwn. (If our Lord, when in the flesh, the meaning of His parable5.
Two years after his first entrance upon it 1, when Hag!Cai's There i!Ò, as in the later chapters, ahundanee of imag-ery: mHI
office was clo
ed, he was hidden to answer from God tho
e it may have pleased God tu adapt the form of His revelation
who eJ1(luired whether, now that they were freed from the to the imaginath'c 'nind of the young pruphet who was to
('aptidty. they shuultl keep the national fasts whieh they had reeeÍ\'e it. Bnt the visions are, as the name implies, pictures
instituted on o('easion of some of the mournful e\'ents which which the prophet sees, and which he deserihes. E,-en a
had ushered it in. His remaining" pl'Ol'hecies bear no date. rationali
t writer !o'aw this. "m En
ry ,ision must form a pic-
The belief, that he lived and pruphe
ierl to old age, may 1111\-C ture, and the description of a vision must have the apl'ear-
a true foundation, though to us unknown. \\Y e only knun- ance of bcing read from a pieture. It folluws from the na-
a Zech. ii.
_ b Ezr. v. 1. ,i. H.
c Xeh. xii. 10, 12, 16. d Zech. iii. 1.
· 'l']. Jer. i. G, Zech. ii. -I. f Gen. xli. 12.

Joseph \\ as :
O, when he stood before Pharaoh (lb. 46). but the interpretation of the
dreams of Pharaoh's servants was given t\\O
ears belore. (lb. 1.)
· Benjamin had 10 sons "hen Jacob "ent down into Eg)pt(Gen. xlvi. 21); Absa-
l'lm's 3 sons (2
am. xi\". 2
.) "ere dead (lb. x\iii. b). Absalolll \I as Da,id's third son.

I (2 ..S
S

: :1iii. 5,12, 2f1,32. i Gen. xliii. 8. xliv. 22, 3
'v
f"1.
I m Eichhorn Einl. n. I;U \. iv. PP: 435,4.'36. "The stJ:le in these ,ision
borders closely
on prose: for the, relate wbat tbe Seer saw; and prose IS Ihe natural vehIcle of relation."
lb. !J. (jlI5. p. -1-12.
ichh".rn alsl? draws
t_tenhon to wha
he calls" the hymns, .ongs
of vIctor) or consolatIOn, wltb wblc'l the "Mons are sometImes closed, and which ar" a
more ele, ated finale." lb.

O-l

I:XTRODCCTJOX TO

turc of the de!'òcription of a vi
ion, that fur the mo!'t part it
eannot he cuml'o
cd in any elevated lan
uage. Thc !'iJllph,!'t
pru
e i" the bc
t vchidc fur a relation (and such is the
de
eriptiou of a ,-isiun), ami elaborate ornamcnt uf langua
e
werc f(lrci
n to it. Thc beauty,
rcatness, clevation of a
visiun, as deserihcd, must lic in thc cunception, or in the
svmmetrv, or wundrous buldne
s in the gruuping of thc
h;mg-es. .Is the whole
l"IIupe, pie('c by piccc, in all it!' parts,
to the most minute shadin
. faithful and deseribcd with thc
eharactcr of truth, the exl
ibition of the vi!'iun in wurds is
perfcct."
The fuur portions were prubably uf diffcrcnt date
. as thcy
!:'taml in urder in thc pruphct's boole, as indeed thc secund is
dated two vcars later than the first R. Fur in the first part
GOd'S peoÍ,le arc exhorted to come fl'um Babylon b, whieh
('ummand, many in thc timc of Ezra. uhcycd, and doubtles,;
imli\'iduals subse(luently, whcn a pl"ll!'òperuus polity was re-
stor'cd; in the latter part. Babylun is mentioned nil morc;
unly in onc place, in the ima
cry uf earlier prophcts. the fu-
tnre gathering uf Gud's peoplc i
!'ymholised under tll
pre-
viuus dclin'rance from \Y cst and East, Egypt and As,;yna c.
But they agrec in this, that the fure
l"IIund is no lon
er,
as in thc formcr IJrophct,;, dclivcranee from ßabylon. In thc
first part, thc referclH'c to thc visiun of thc fuur empires in
Daniel reJllo\-cs the promise of the Dclh-crcr to thc fourth
Empire. Fur the series uf vi
iuns hadng elosed with the
d
iun of thc funr chariots, thcre follows at uncc the symbulil'
ad of plaein
the eruwn or crowns on thc head of thc hi
h
priest and thc pl"Omi
e of the l\les
iah, "Thu shuuld bc kin

and pricst ù. In the later part the enemies spokcn of are in
IInc I'lal'e the Grceks c, subsequent to the protcction uf thc
temille under Alexander f; in another the final
athering of
all nations a
ainst Jerusalem g, which Joel also plm'('s at the
eml of all things h, after the outpuuring of the Spirit, as it
wa" outpoured on the day of Pentceost.
In huth parts alikc, therc is no mention of any kin
or of
any carthh- ruler; in both, the ruler to eome is the
Iessias.
In' both, the didsiun of thc twu kin
dums is
one. Thc
huusc of Israel ami house of Judah arc unitcd, not dividcd i;
they had been distinl't wholcs, now they are in intere!o'ts as
unc. Zedlariah prumises a future tu both ('olleetin'ly, as
did Jeremiah k long after the l'al'tivity uf brael, and Ezckicl
prumbed that they shuuld buth again be one in the hand of
(;mP. The brotherhood bet/ceell Judah ami Israel !"till existed,
after they had weighed thc thirty pieces of silver for the
(;ood Sllepherd. The ('aptidty, in God's PI'ovidenee, ended
at om'e the kingdom of I,;racl and the religiuus sl'hism, the
ohject uf whil'h was to maintain the kingdum. Even hefore
the eaptidty, m dh'ers of .Asher and l1Iwll(sseh and Zelmlun
hllmbled themselves, ami came to Jerusalem, tu the pas
O\-el' uf
Hezekiah; nay, n (l great multitude of the people fl"Om Ephraim
and .1lmwssel" Issaclwr ami Zebulun, who had negleeted or
dcspiscd the first ill\-itation 0, came subsequently. In the
great passO\-er of Josiah, we hear P uf all Judah and Israel
that were present. The edict of Cyrus related to the q people
of tIle Lord God of hem'ell, and was publislted thro/fglwut all

. .. I n the 2nd year of Darius." i. L .. In the 4th year of Darius." Vll. L b ii. 7.
cZech. x. 10. Compo Is. ",i. 11, 16, Hos. xi. 11_ d vi.l0-1:J.
;
ii.

. 3, 9. xiv. 2, 3, 14, flJ
' 8. See Pusey's" Daniel the Pro
hJ

YN: f!J-2S2.
I .. .\S ) e "ere a curse among the heathen, 0 house of J ud"h and house of Israel"
,;ii. 13; .. these are the horns which scattered Judah, Israel. Jeru<alem," i. 19. (ii.2.
Heb.) So in x. 6." I will.trengthen the house of Judah, and I "ill save the house of
,Jo:et
:

,Iit

_

:,g them again to place them." m 2

'x

i.iiit I. 2U.
D lb. b. D lb. 10. I' lb. XU\. 18.
q Ezr. i.l, 2. . 2 Kgs ",\ii. G. . Ezr. i;. 2, ::8. t Iù. \Í. Ii.

Ids kingdom, whi('h ineluded r tile cities of tIle .J1C'Cles, wllither
Israel had been renlllnd. The
acred hi
turY is eunfincd
to Jerusalem, whence the Gospel was to go fuj.th; yet enn
· th
sons of Bethel, the centre u
the rival, idolatrous worship.
wlut'h
-as lllllOJ/g tlte IIWUlltfl/IIS of Ephrailll, were alllun
.
those of the p('ople of Israel whu returned with Zeruhbahel.
It is int'onceÏ\ïlble that, as the material llrospcrih- of Paleii'-
tine returned, e, en many uf the ten trihes
huul
1 nut h.n-e
,'eturned to their country. But place was lIU eundition of the
unity of the Churf'h. Those whu returned n'('uf.mised the
rdi
iou,; oneness uf all th(' twelve tribes, whereYer
dispersed.
.\t the dedicatiun of the huuse of Gud, they t'1f'erecl a sill-
,1férillg for all J.
1"(lel, f1l'eh'l' he-goat.
, according to the IlUmber
of the tribes of bl"Uel. .\t that passover were IJrcsent, not
only the "lIÏldrell of Israel wllÏch Iwd cOllie again out of tIle
captid(l/, hut, U all sllch as had separated thelllselt'es 1111/0 them
from tlte d(filements of the people of tlte Iw/(l. to seek the Lord
God of L\'l"Uel, i. e., Israelites, whu Iwd Iwen defiled by the
heathen idolatries. The hou.
e of David ,. is mentiuned; for
of his seed aeeonling to the flesh
Ie!o'siah wal; to be horn, but
it is his Iwuse, not anv earthlv ruler in it.
In buth lJarts alike, .Zedlal'i
,h t'onne('ts his prophe('ie!' with
the furme)" prophets, the fulfilment of whuse warnings he im-
pressed upon his people in his I)penin
exhortation to them",
and in his answcr to the question ahout kecping' the fasts x
which related to the destrueti,nl of thc ('ity and temple. In
the first part, the title "y the Branch" is u!'ed as a proper
name, reealling the title of the )Iessiah in Isaiah ami J('re-
miah, the Branch of the Lord', a rigldeous Brauch a, a Branell
of righteou.mess b, whom Gud would raise up to David. The
propheey of the mutual exhortation uf l,eoples and cities to
wllrship at Jcmsalem C i
an eehu of those of Isaiah and
.Mieah, prolonging them. The jJrojlhecy of the f{)ur ehariots
,
the symbol of thuse world-empires, would be unintelligible
without the d!o'ions in Daniel whieh it presuppu!'es. The
union uf the uffices of prie,;t and king- in the :\le:-;siah is a re-
newal uf thc prumise thruugh ])add e. J n the last ('hapters,
the coutinuuusne!'s of the prophet's di(.tiun admits :-;tillmore
of this interweaving of the former pl"f)pheeies. and the!'e alike
from the earlier and later pruphets. The een
ul"(' of Tyre
tor its boast of its wisdom is a rene\ral of that of Lzcldd f;
the prophecy ag-ainst the Phili
tinc dties, of that of Zepha-
niah g; the remarkable predietiun that, when the king- should
come to Ziun, chariot,; ami hur,:('s, nut of the enemy Lmt of
Judah should 1)(' ('ut uft
is renewed from l\Ii('ah It; the extent
of his peaceful kinp:dmu is frum a p!o'ahn of Solumon i: the
loosing uf the exile from the pit, and God's renderin
double
unto them, aI'e in haiah k. The deseriptiun of the siftin
. in
which, two parb hadng been ('ut ofi
c\ en the remainin
third
:-;hould be anew tried and elean:-;ed, i
eOlulcn!o'('(1 from Ezekiel,
su that, shall he cut of!; slwlll'.lpire, currespund tu the natural
and dulent deaths, by famine and by thc s,,"lIrd, !o'pnlien uf in
Ezekiel'. The words, m I hare said, it is J1..'/ })/'ople, a/lll it ll'ill
say, the Lord 1/1!/ God, arc alnw
t verhally from nu
ea, I sa.,/
to mJt-m.lJ-people, tholl art .11.'1 p('ople, and it will sa.'/, 1/1.1/ God;
only omitting the allusion to the significant name uf the pru-
D Iù.21. . Zeeh. xii.í. The kin,,'s wine-presses (Zech. :..;\".10.) is but the
name of a locality in Jerusalem, "hieh retained its fmmer name. \\ïne-presses "ere
often hewn out in the rock. ßleek," ho all
ged this, afterwards (Einl. p. ;;u3. note) laid
no:
r:

i:t 5. " i. .1-6. b lb. :;
\ihI5
' 1 iii. 8. :iZ

h. viii. ;u

t
o;';p_
l\1ic. iv. I, 2. Is. ii. 3. d Zeeh. vi. coll. Dan. ii. -ii. See belo" on C. \i.
and" Daniel the I'rophet " pp. 3;;9-3Gl. e Zeeh. \ i. 13. c_,?ll. Ps. ex.
l ix. 2. and Ezek. )'A\iii. 3. g ix.;;. Zeph. n. 4.
b ix. 10. :\lic. v. 10. i lb. I's. h.xii. 1:'.
k lb. 12. Is. Ii. l-l. I
.
en,;st. Zedl. xiii. 9,

::i'if'2
. EZék. v. I:!. Hengst.

ZECIL\RI
\ II.

phet's son. ". The first part of xiv. 10, the whole laud sl/((II
be turned as a plaill from Ge/'alt tu llillwuJ/t. ((nd .Jerusalem
shall be e
t"([/ted, remind
of I"aiah and Eækicl; the latter'
part, it s/mll be illlwhited ÙI her place from the tower of HaUfl-
neel tu tlte king's winepresses, alld mell shall dll'ell ill it (lllli
there shall be 710 mure utter desolatioll, hilt .Jerusalem sh,tll
dwell sef'urely, rcminds uf Jeremiah, bThe citp s/wll he huilt tu
the Lurd fmm tlte tOll'er of HllIUlIlee/ unto tlte gate uf the
corner; it shallllot be plucked up 1I0r thrull'n tlm{,1l allY more.
The wurds, c allli (,l'ery olle that is left of all the lIatirms slwll
go up to u'ors!tip the king, the Lord (!f Itosts, ami to keep tlte
fellst of taherlllicles, reminds of haiah, clF,'om lIeW-lIwun tu
!tis new-moon, awl from .mMmth to /âs sabbath ,ç/lUllallfle.
h
come to tlIur.
/âp hefore J[e, saith the Lord. v. lï-I9 arc an
("..::pansiun uf Isaiah Ix. I
; v. 20 expn',.scs thc thuu
ht of
LZ. xliii. 13: the pruphet'y, etlu:reslwlllJe 1lU more tlte Cauaan-
ite ill tlte house of tile Lord fur el'er. refers ba('k to Ezekicl r/'
The symhuli"ing uf the Gospel by thc lifc-I,!;Íving watcrs ,,-hil'h
should flow forth from Jeru...alcm, originally in Joel iii. 18,
is a miniature of the full picture in EækicI g. The prmni"c,
"h I will cut uff tlte names of the iduls from the land alill the.1!
shall be no mure rememhered," in part ,'erbally agrces with
that of Husca, " And I \\ ill remove the lIames of the Baalim
from her muuth, alld they shall he 710 more remembered by
their namcs:" unly, siliCc the ßaal-wor,.hip was dc
troyed
by the captivity, the mure gcneral nallle of idols is suhsti-
tutcd.
Equall
., in descriptions not prophetic. the symholi"ing of
the \\-iekcd by the titlc of the g-uat", I ]Jllnislled the gfJllts i , is
rCllewcd ti'om Ezekiel; I.ill((
e betlt'eell .flock alill flock, be-
tll'eell tlte rams amL the he-goats. The de"eription of thc shep-
herds who destrovcd thcir tIm'ks retains frum Jeremiah the
('haracteristic ex'pressioll, k awL hold tltemselr-es 1/vt gllilt.l/.
The minutcne..:s of the cnumcratiun of their ne
lects and
ernclties is thc same (amid differences of thc wurds whercby
it is expn's"ed): ,. I the pcrishing shall he not ,'isit, tho
e
a
trav "hall he not seck, and the hroken shall hc not heal; the
smmd shall he not nurturc, and the tI('sh uf the ti.lt !Shall he
cat and thcir claws he shall split." In LæI.iel, ,.m Ye eat the
fat and cluthc vou "ith the woul; the fat n sla\'; the flock
vc fecd not; thë disea"cd ha\-e ye not hcale
l; ami the broken
ï.a\Oc vc not bound, amI the \\ andcring" have yc not
uu
ht."
The iin,u:
'en of Obadiah, that Isracl should be a flame amidst
('orn to
onsullle it, i!S retained; the name of Edum is dwppcd,
for thc prophecy relatcs to a Jargcr gathering of cnemics.
Zc('hariah has, ., n In that dav I will make the g'overnors of
Judah like a hcarth of fire åmong wuod and likc a lamp of

a Hengst. b Jer. xxxi. 38. 10. e Zcch. xiv_ Hi. d Is. l'ni.:!3.
e Z,ch_ xiv. 21. f Ezek. xliv. 9. g Zcch. xiv. R, E1ck. xhii. l-r3.
:

i

h

5
i

;
; /I
Jer. I. Î. i Zech. x. 3.
Z

il

i.i\i(j
7.
m E
ek. xxxi.'. 3, 4. D Zech. xii. 6. Obad. 18. D Zech. xi. 3.
P Jer. xii. 5. xlix. HI. 1. .U.
q Prof. Stanlcv Leathes, .. The "itness ofthe Old Tc.tament to Chri<t. Kote on the
Authur<hip of Isaiah." (pp. . :!8:!, 2":;.) gives the following
ummary a' to. tht; occu!rcnce
of ...ords in poems of )lilt"n and Tennyson, .. L'.\lle
ro IS a poem of I,,;! hnes: It con-
tains about !..n words; II Penseroso is a poem of 176 litJes. and contains about 578
words; L} cidas is a poem of HJ3 lines, which are longer than those of either of the other
two. most of them being heroics: its words are about Î:!5. It is plain, therefore, that
:\1ilton must ha.e used for II Penseroso 1:!8" ords not in L' Allegro, and lor L} cidas
:!
5 not in L' Allegro, and Ui not in 11 P
nseroso. _
.. But what is much more remarkable, IS the fact that there are only abollt 12" words
common to L' Allegro and II Penseroso; only about UO common to L} cidas and
B
=

:

;

l;v:
dsu

} f
nì?
)I
e

I

rf
; ll
ià!
; 5

1
0
inu
,1iìe

d f1

must h,l\ e used for L. cid?s some 5'1;; words not in 11 Penseroso, and more than GljO not
occurring in both togèther.. Also! there must be in L'Alle
ro some 3:!5 words not in
I. Pcnscro80, and 315 not 111 Lycldas; and there mllst be 111 II Penseroso nearly -li0
...ords not in L\cidas.
.. \gain, Teñn} son's Lotos-Eaters contains about 5
0 \\ords; <Enone
as about i:!O.
Thus the latter must contain 130 words not in the former: but a companson shows that

505

fir'c in a sheaf of corn, amI the\' shall ('at on tIle right hand
and on thc left an uatious ro'und about:" Ohadia"h; "Thc
11U1I
C of Jacob !'hall bcjil"e and the house of Ja('ob aflame,
and thc huu..:c of E
au !'tubble, and it
hall Idndlc 011 them
and shall eat thcm." E\-en so slig-ht an eXIJl'c"'"ion a:" tlte
pride of .Jordan 0, as dcsignating the cane-brakc aruund it, is
})eculiar to Jcrcmiah p.
Zechariah is eminently an Evangclic prophct, as much as
Isaiah, and equally in both portions.
The u
c of dilt'erent word..: in unlike
ubjc('ts is a neccssary
eon:,;equcnce ofthat unlikeness. In contrast with that I'"cudo-
criticism, which counts up the unliI.e u'urds in rlilt'..rent
chapters of a prophct, the diffcrent U urds used by the same
modern poet ha,-c becn countedq. A finer I'ert'eption wiIJ ""ee
the ('orrc"l'ondence of a stylc, when thc I'hythm, ""ubject,
words, arc different. No une familiar with l:n
lish puetry
could duuht that" the ßaril," and" the Eleg) in a country
Clmrchpml," how('vcr different in suhjeet and style and
wurds, were by the "ame haml, jlUl
ing alonc frum thc
lahoured "clcetion of the cpithet
, howc, er diffcrent. Yet
there i.. nut one charactcrh.tie word ur idiom which o('eur!'
in both. But the re('urrence of thc same or likc words or
idiums, if unusual elsewhere, is a suburdinatc indication uf
samenc
s of author,;hip.
They arc tlms enumcratcd by the writers who have an-
swcred the atta('ks on thc authorship of Zeehariah.
"Common tu buth parts are thc idiom
, frum /dill ?l'//()
!f()eth (lwl frum ltilll /('110 returneth, which do not o('cllr el"c-
whcre': the whole .Ten i"h people arc thruug-hout de!<i!wiltctl
as ". thc huu"c of I..:rael and the house uf Judah," or " t the
house uf Judah and thc hou,.:e of Juseph," or "u Judah I "'rael
and Jerusalem," or ", ephraim and Jerusa]('II1." or...... Judah
and Ephraim," or "x Judah and bracl." Therc i
in buth
par.ts thc appeal to future knowled
e of God':,; doings to be
ubtained by expel"ÍelH'c Y; in buth, intcrnal di"curd is dircetly
attributed to God, \nwse PrO\-idenee permits it z; in hoth
the pWl'het prumiscs God's gifts of the prodt1(.e of the
carth a; in buth he bids Jerusalcm bur"t out for juy; in thc
first, "bfm' 10, God !'õays, ] ,'ullle ami tl'ill (heel! in the midst
vf thee; in the sC('tJIul, c be/wid tit!! ]{;lIg cometh UI/to t!tee.
The purity of lanu:ua
e is alikc in both parts of the boo!
.
Ko one Syria"m oecurs in the carli('r chaptcrs d. The pro-
phet, who returncd as a ehiM to Judæa, furmcd his languagc
upon that of the older prophct
.
In both therc is a ecrtain fulness of langua
e, produeed by
dwcUing- un the same thou
ht or word e: in huth, the whole
and its
parts are, for em'phasis, mentioned tugether r. In

there are only about 230 words common to the two poems. That is, there must be 4!)O
words in <Enone ... hich are not in the Lotos-Eaters, and there must be in the Lotos-
Eaters about 3(j0 words not occurring in (Enoue; tbat is,-the .horter poem has :SûO
word' which the longer one doe< not contain."
. :t
, ':;1:) vii. 14, ix. 8. In E1. xxxii. 27, the e'tpression 1:1'''' I
:;:, "p".s through
and return," is not pro\erbial; in Ezck. xxxv. í, it is "I ...ill cut off from it" :t;"! ':.'.
. vüi. 13. \ x. 6. u i. 19, [ii. 2. Heb.] . ix. 10. .... ix. 13.
x xi. U. 7 ii. 13, 15. xi. II. . viü. 10. xi. 6. a viü. 12. x. I.
b ii. H. [HI. Eug,] e ix.9.
c1 ':";;';
) vii. 14 is no S} riasm (as so often allej!'ed) but has Hehrew analogies a<
']
Job xxit. 2\1. xxiii. Î, from :1)
. for "!!!
(Ew. Lehrb. n.li:!. b); but "IJich ofthese crilÌ
... ould arA"lle from the point> except III favour of what he wished to maintain? Biitt_
cher (Lehrbuch n. 437.
. 1!)8. 3. p. 301.) relZards the _ as emphatic. :!)" That C'J
'"
(üi. Î.) comes from a .

is self-evident." Ew. ad lac. 3) -;
, (i. 16.) is not" joiued
with acc. of object," but IS simpl
' our," helped to e.il."
e As in the repetition 01 jJ'õ1J 'r1]:.:iii. 14, 15; ofmt::l,in vi. 10: ,.
="'r
.
J:'''t
1 "
=.:-
It -;:1
vi. U, 13; n'J"
:t, "':""11, :'I11=;;,J, 3 times in viii. 4. !>; '''"1n'''-'''"1"> lb. 23; I"
:'I r" ").-/11
at the beJ!innlll
anll end of 'o.i. 7; õ'I'r1M :'1::1' and
J
é:71,> :'I:'" at the end, xiv _ 1U. II.
:t,
CI.:t ,
.
" ':1':1 .:,"], xi\'.
. In xi\. I. the sentence v.:n .s.c., explains the same e.-ent in
different words i CI'CJ -."H:: L:;'C)1-i:r.e", xiv. 5.
f V. 4. "the house, and its stones, and its timbers," x. ,I. "out of him the comer; outot
himthenail; out of him the battle bow; out of himc\eryoppre,"ortogelber." :x. 11.
.. the land shall mourl1, e\ery famil} apart," and tll,n tollows the enumeratioll of tile
fal1ùlies. 12, 13.

;)06

I:\"TIlODLCTIO
TO

hoth 1)art
, as a C'on
equence uf thi
fulnt's!', there occurs the!
division of the verse into five sectiuns, contrary to the usual
rule of Hebrew parallelism.
This rhythm will appear more vividly in in
tanees a;
" bAnd he shall build the temple of the LOI'd;
And he shall bear maje
ty;
And he shall !'it and rule on his throne;
And he
hall be a priest on his throne;
.\nd a clmn
d uf peaC'e shall be between them both.
cAshkelon !'hall see, and shall fear;
Gaza, ami shall tremble exceedin
ly;
And Ekron, and a",hamed is her expectation;
And perished hath a kin
frum Gaza,
And ..hhkelun !'hall not be inhabited.
d And I will take away his blood from his mouth,
And his ahominations from between his tccth:
.\IHI he too shall be Icft to our God,
.\IHI he !'hall be as a
overnur in Judah,
And Ekron as a Jebusite.
.. e In that day, saith the Lord,
I will smitp c,'ery hur
e with astonishment,
And his rider with madness;
_\nd upon the house uf Judah I will open my eyC'!',
And every hurse uf the natiuns I will smite with Llindness."
\\ïth one considerahle exC'eption f, those who would sever
the six last chapters frum Zcchariah, arc now at une in
placing them before the captivity. Yet Ze.':'mriah here tuu
speaks of the C'aptivity as past. Adoptinp; the imap;ery of
Isaiah, who foretells the dcli,'ery frum the ('aptivity as an I
openill
" uf a prison, he says, in the name of God, .. g By the
blood uf thy co,'enant I Itare sent forth th.1/ prisoners out of
the pit wherein is no water." Again," h The Lord of hosts I
hath visited lIis flock, the hou
e of Judah. 1 will han mercy
IIpon them [Judah and Joseph] and they shall be as though
I fwd not cast them '!II:" The mention of the mUIll'ning' of
all thefamities that remain i implies a previuus earryinp; away.
Yet more; Zeehariah took hi!' imagel'y of the future restora-
tion of J erusah'm, from its eonditiun in his own time. "k It
shall be lifted up and inhabited in its phu'e frum Benjamin's

ate untu tlte place of the first
"ate. uuto the l'Ol'ner-p;ate, and
frum the tower uf lIananeel unto the king-'s winepresses." I
.. The p;ate uf Benjamin" is doubtle!'s "the !!,"ate uf Ephraim,"
since thc road to Ephraim lay throug-h Benjamin; but the

ate of Ephraim existed in l\" ehemiah's time', yet was nut
then repaired, as neither was the tower of Hananed ro, having
heen left, douhtless, at the destruction of .Jerusalem, being
nsc!ess for defence, when the wall was broken down. So
"at the second ill\'a
ion the Romans left the three imprep;na-
hie tower
, of Hippicus, Phasaclu
, and l\Jariamne, as monu-
ments of the p;reatness of the citv which thev had destl'uyed.
Benjamin's g'
te, the ('orner p;ate:the tower of Hananecl, ,;'ere
!o'till standing-;." the king's winepresses" were naturally un-
injured, !'im'e thel'e was no use in injuring' them: hut the
Pl'st gate wm; destruyed, since not itselt
hut tlte place of it is
mentioned.
The prophecy of the detory O\'er the Greeks fits in with
t;mes when Assyria or Chaldæa were nu longer the instru-
c.
x

. ;;
5

ved by Köst
\i

elemata crit.. j

g. in Zech'lÎb
'7.Post.
e "ii.4. Kö,ter further refers to i. 4, Ii. Iii. 5, 9. and on the olher hand to ix. 9, 10,
13,15. x. 11. xi"
, 7, 9,17. xii. 10. xiv. <1, 8. f Bottcher. I
K ix. 11. h x. 3-5. I xü. 11. k xiv. 10.
I J"eh. viii. 16. xii. :J!1. m lb. iii. 1. n Jos. B. J. vii. J, 1. ,
o Hitzig. E.-all! avoids this; but \\ou!d have it, that the prophet ill Joel's time "as'

ments of God in the I'hastisement of IIis peuple. The nution
that the pl"Ophet inl'Ìted the few Hebrew slaves, sold intu
Greece, tu rebel against thcir ma
ters, is su absurd, that one
wunders that anyone cuuld ha"e ventured to furge it and
put it upun a Hebrew 1U"ophet o .
Sin('e, moreover, all now, who sever the six last chapters
frum the preceding, also divide these six into two halves, the
e,"idence that the six chapters are frum one author is a selJa-
rate gl"Ound ag'ainst their theury. Yet not only are they con-
nel'ted by the imag'ery of the people as the flock of Gud P,
whum God committed to the hand of the Goud Shepherd q,
and on their rcjccting Him, g-ave them over to an evil shep-
herd r; but the Guud Shepherd is One with God s. The poor
of the flock, whu wuuld hold to the Shepherd, are designated
by a curresponding word t.
A writer has been at pains to shew that twu different eon-
ditiuns of things are foretold in the two prophecies. Granted.
The first, we belicve, has its foreground ill the deliverance
during' the conquests of Alexander, and under the 1\Ial'cahees,
and leads un to the rejection of the true Shcpherd and God's
dsitatiun on the false. The later relates tu a later J"('pentance
and latel' visitatiun of God, in part yet future. By what law
is a prophet bound rlown to speak of one future only?
l
or those who critici"e the prophets, resolve all propheey
intu mere" antieipatiun " of what migltf, ur might 1I0t be, de-
nying- tu them aU ccrtain knuwledge uf any future, it is but
speaking plainly, when they imagine the author of the three
la
t ,'haptcrs to have "anticipated" that God wuuld intel"},use
miraculously to deliver Jerusalem, then, when it was de-
stro,-ell. It would have been in direct contradictiun to Jere-
miail, who for ;

) years in one unbroken dirge predicted the
evil which
hould ('ome upon Jerusalem. The pruphecy, had
it pre('eded the de
tructiclll uf Jerusalem, ('uuld not have been
ear!icl' than the reign uf the wretehed J ehuiakim, since the
nHmrninp; fur the death of Josiah is !'poken of as a prunrbial
SOl"l"U\\' .of the past. This im-ented prophet then would ha'"e
been one of the false prophets, who contradicted Jeremiah,
pruphe!'yinp; good, while Jeremiah pruphesied cvil; who en-
cOl1l"ap;ed Zedekiah in his perjury, the IHUlishment whereof
ELckiel solpmnly denounced u, I'rophe!'yinp; his l'alJtivity in
Babylun as its pcnalty; he would ha,'e been one uf those, of
whom Jeremiah said, that they spake lies' in the name of the
Lord. It was not.. anticipation" un either !o'ide. It was the
statement of tho!'e whu spoke more certainly than we could
say, "the sun will rise tomorrow." They were the direet
contradictories uf une another. The false pl"Uphets said, "" the
Lord hath said, Y e shall hm-e peace;" the true, " x they ha"e
said, Peace, peace, when there is no peace:" the false said,
.. ) SWOl"d and famine shall nut be in the land;" the true, ,,) By
swurd and famine shall their prophets be consumed;" the
false said, "z ye shall not serve the king of Babylon; thus
saith the Lord, e"en su wiJI I break the yoke of l\"ebuchad-
nezzar, king uf Babylon, from the neck of; all nations within
the space of two full years;" the true, ""Thus saith the Lord
of hosts, Nuw ha,'e J
h'en all these lands intu the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylun, 1\Iy sen-ant, and allna-
tiuns shall
en-e him, and his son and his son's sun." The
false said, "b I will bring ag-ain to this plaec Jeeoniah, with
all the capth-es uf Judah, that went into Babylon, for I will

stirring up the Je\\s tJ \\ar with the Greeks. Other evasions see in Pusey's" Daniel
the Prophet" pp. :!SI, 282. note. pix. Hì. x. :I. q xi. 4-14.
sa
;!

2.;

i.J2i
h
i
.
K\:

iii. 15, xx;x
N;:

:];!, xi

:;k.C:1;
:'i
it.' the
w ,Jer. vii. 11. xxiii. Ii. x Ezek. xiii.:!-lO. 1 Jer. xiv. 15.
. lb. xx\Ìi. 9-1l, xx' iii. 11. . lb. xx\Ìi. J, 6, i. bIb. xH'iü. 4.

ZECIL\RL\H.

5Ui

break the yoke of the king- of Bahylon;" the trne," a I will ;; should ha\'e helie\'ed in it. Grc'lt indeed is "the credulity of
ca
t thee out and the mother that bare thec, into another the incredulous!'
country, where ye were not horn, and there ye shall dic. Hut II .And yet this paradox is es!ooential to the theories of the
to the land, w}H'reunto they (Iesire to retnrn, thither they modern sehcwl ,,"hieh wuuld plaee these ('hapters bcfilre the
shall not return." The false said; "bThe vessels of the Lord's captivity. En
lish writers, whu thought themselves eUIll-
house shall now shortly be hroug-ht ag-ain from Babylon;" II pelled to ascribe these chapters tu Jel'ellliah, had an es('ape,
the true, "'"the residue or the vessels that remain in this city, "eeause they did not biud down prophecy to illllllNliatc
-they shall be carried to nahylon." events. Kewcome's critieism was the cuujeetural ('riticisllI
If the writer of the three last ehapters had lived just he- of his day; i. e. had, cutting knots instead uf loosin
th('III.
fore the destru('tion of Jerusal(,1ll in those last reig-ns, he liut his faith, that God's wurd is true, was entire, Sin('e the
would have heen a politH'al fanatie, on
of those who, by en- propheey, pla('ed at the time where he placed it, had no im-
eoura
ing- rebelliun ag-ainst Nehuehadnezzar. broug-ht on the mediate fulfilmcnt, he supposed it, in cOlllmon with thosc who
destructiun of the city, and, in the name of God, told lies believe it to have heen w1"Ítten bv Ze('hariah, to relate to a
ag-ainst God. ,. That whieh is most pe('uliar in this prophet," later period. That German school; with whom it is an axiom,
says one '\ "is the uncommon high and pious hope of the dc- "that all definite pruphe('y relates tu an immediate future,"
Ih-crance of Jcrusalem and Judah, notwithstanding' all visible I had no choice but to place it just before the destruction of
greatest dangprs and threatenings. At a time when Jere- the temple by the Chaldees, or its profanatiun hy Antioehu"
miah, in the walls of the capital, already despairs of any pos- Epiphanes; and those who placed it befure the Captivity, had
sibility of a suceessful resistance to the Chaldees and exhorts no ehoice, except to believe, that it related tu event,.;, by
to tranquillity, this prophet still looks all these dan
ers which it was falsified. .
straight in the face with swelling- spi1"Ït and didne confiden('e, lXcarly half a century has pas
cd, sin('e a leading- writ..r
hold:.;, with unbuwed spirit, firm to the like promÎ:.;es of older of this school said," f One must own, that the di\.j
iun of
pl"O(lhcts, as Is. c. 29, amI antidpatcs that, from that very olJÍnions as to the real author of this seetion and his time,
moment when the hlind fury of the destroyers would dis- as also the attempts to appropriate single oracles of this
charg-e itself on the sanctuary, a wondrous mig-ht would portion to rlifferent period!', leavc the re:.;ult of ('I'itiei
1Il
cnlsh them in pieces, and that this must be the bcg'inning of simply uegrttil'e; wllt.reas on the other hand, the vie'" itself,
the l\Iessianic weal within and without." ,;inee it is not yet earried thrlJu
h exc
etiealIy, laeks th..
Chapter 14 is to this writer a modificatiun of those antiei- completion of its proof. It is nllt till critieislll become:.;
patiuns. J n other words there was a g-reater human proba- ]Jf),çitivc, and e\"idences its truth in the explanation of detaih:,
hility, that J erellliah's prophel'Ïf's, not his, would be fulfilkrl : that it attains its cumpll,tiun; whieh is not, in truth, al,,'ays

'et he cannot g-i\"(' up his sang-uineness, thou;?:h his hopes had possible." Hitzig- did what he could, "to help to promute
uow becume fanatic. This writer says on ,'hap. 14, "e This the attainment of this end aI'cording" to his ability." But
pi('('e cannut have been written till somewhat later, when although the mure pupular theury has of late heell that the:.;('
facts made it more and more improbable, that Jerl1
alem chapters are tu be placed before the captivity, the one pur-
would not any how be conqnered, and treated as a conquei'ed tiun sumewhere in the reigns of Lzziah, Jutham, Ahaz, or
city by coarse foes. Yet then too this prophet could not Hczekiah: the other, as marked in the chapters themselye...,
yet part with the anticipations of older prophets and those after the death uf Josiah, there have not heen wanting ('riti('"
which he had him!"elf at an earlier time expressed: so boldly, of equal repute, who place them in the time of Ântiuchus
amid the mo:.;t visible danger, he holds finn to the old an- I Epiphanes. Yet criticism ",hil'h reels tu and fro in a periud
ticipation, after that the great delh'erancc of Jerusalem in of Ileal' SOO years, from thc earliest of the prophets to a
Sennacherib's time (Is. c. 37.) appeared to justify the most period, a century after Malachi, and this on histurical and
fanatic hopes for the future. (comp. I)s. 59) And so now the philolugical
Tol1nds, certainly has come to no definite basis,
prospect moulds itself to him thus, as if Jerusalem must in- either as to history or philolugy. Rather, it has enslaved
deed ac'tualJy endure the horrors of the conquest, but that both to precolleeived opinions; and at last, as late a rcsult
then, when the work of the conquerors was half-completed, as any has been, after this weary round, tu
'o bac'k to where
the great deliverancc, already suggested in that former pieee, it stm.ted fl'om, and to snppose these ehaptcrs to have been
would COllie, and so the Sanctuary would, notwithstandill!
', written by the prophet whose name they bear g,
he wonderrulJv preserved, the better :\Iessianic time would It is obvious that there must he some mi:.;take either in
uotwithstandiilg still
o come." the tests applied, or in their application, which admits of a
It must be a mal'veUous fascination, which the old prophets variation of at least 450 years frum sumcwhere ill the reign
exercise over the human mind, that one who can so write of rzziah (say B.C. 770) to "later than ß. C.
130."
should trouble himself about them. It is such an inten:.;e pa- Philulogical and historical eriticism. bearing un eHnts (as
radox, that the writing- of one convicted by the event uf it is assuIUed) of the day, whieh shuuld, in its variatiul1s, u
cjl-
uttering fal
ehood in the name of God, incorrigible e\'en by late between the reign of John or of Charles I, or (to brin

the thi('kel1in
tokens uf God's displeasure, should have been it nearer to our
c1ves) the first half of the xiv th century 01'
inserted amoi1 g the Hebrew prophets, in times not far rc- the latter part of the xviii th , would not gain much attention.
muved from those whose e\'ents cunvicted him, that one won- Indeed, it is instructive, that after tbe phiIolug:ical argument
ders that anyone should have invented it, stilI more that any has figured so much in all questions ahuut the date of bouks

a lb. xxii. 26, 27. b lb. xxvii. 16. this portion evinces acquaintance with the latest prophets, he could not deny it to be
c lb. 19-22. Zechariah's." Stáhclin p.8:?8. De Wette, Stiihelin, Köster, Bürger, were ot a dit-
d Ewald Proph. ii. 52, 53. ed. 18r.S. Zach. I ' X-XI ' V, l ' n C th Ib e ' .P l ' le 5 0 !l l ' . Stlldl ' en ferent school from Hengstenberg, Havemick, Keil, or again from Jahn and Herb,t.
f Hilzig, uber d. abfdsslmgszeit der Orakel r Slähelin says, .. in the investig:>tion I kept myself fre.e fro

ny inflÐ;ence f
om
ithout,
u. Kritiken 1&30. 1. p. 25. ' and first found the facts, "hlch attest the post-exIle orll!1n of thIs sectIOn, lì"iVen by
K De '''ette ed. 4 (after maintaininp; the contrary ed. 1-8) and St ,helin, Einl. 18fi2. I Hen!!;stenberg and de Welte!, when.1 sllb<cquently co
npare
the labours of others., eg-
.. De" eUe often assured me orally, that since he telt himself compelJed to adnllt, that " pecially those two scholars. Messlan. \\ el"sag. p. 1. J. I1H7.

508

I:\TRoorCTIOX TO

uf Holy Seripture, it is virtually admitted to be absolutely
wurthless, except neg-ati,'ely. For, in regard to Zechariah,
the arp:ument is not used, exeept in proof that the same
writer cannot have written pmse and puctry, which wuuld
establish that H/lsea did not write either his three first
ehapters ur his nine last: or ELCkiel hi,; inaugural vision,
the vi,..ions uf the ninth and tenth chapters. and the
im-
pie exhm.tatiuns tu repentance in his eigohteenth and thirty-
third. Only I knuw not on the same evidence, how, of
mudern writen., Scott and Southey euuld be supposed to
have written their pro,..e and their puetry. nO\\" easy it
wuuld be to prove that the author of Thalaha did not write
the life uf "'esley or the history of the peninsular war, nor

hakespeal'e Macbeth and any comedy whi('h critil'ism
may yet lea,-e tu him; still more that he ealllwt have written
the dC'ep tragic scenes of Hamlet and that of the grave-
di

'crs.
Yet sw'h negations have been practically eonsidered as
the domain of the philol/l/!,"ical neo-ITiticism. Style is to he
..ddcnce that the same prophet did not write certain pro-
phedes; but, this being demonstrated, it is to yield no evi-
Ilence, whether he wrote, when Hebrew was a dead language
IIr in the time of its richest beau tv. Individuals indeed ha,"e
theil' opinions; but philolu/!,"ieal éritieism, as a whule, ur as
rdatC's to anv acknuwledc:ed result, is altugether at t
lUlt.
lIa,-in
done 'its offiee uf èstablishing, that,
in the mind of
the el'itic and his disciples, certain chapters arc uot Zecha-
riah's, the witness is forthwith dismi,..sed, as incompetent
nen to assist in prO\-ing- anything besidcs. The rest is to be
established by histurical allusions, which are by sume adapted
to events in the reign of Lzziah, by others tu thuse of the
.:\laecabees: or rather, it being assumed that thel'e is no
prupheey, this latter class assumes that the book is to belung I
to the times of the .i\Iael'ahees, because one part of it pre-
dil.ts their victuries. Thuse whu tell us a of the unitv of the
results of this modern eritieism, must IHwe been thiilking uf
the ag-reelllent of its negation
. As to the positive rl'
ults, a
table will bcst shew their harmonv. Yet the fault is nut in
the want uf an ilI-exereised aeuinen of the eritil's; their
l'rindple, that nothing in the prophets can relate tu any
distant future, even though that future exactly realized the
wurds, is the mainspring of their confu,..ililis. Since the
wurds of Zechariah do relate to, and find their fulfihnent
in, e,-ents widely separated from each uther, and the theory of
the erities requires that they should belung tu some pruxi-
mate event, either in the present or
ome near future, they
have to "I'est those wurds fwm the events to whieh they
I'elate, some in this way, sume in that; and the must natural
interpretations are those which are least admitted. Cer-
tainly since the descriptions in e. ix. suit with the wars of
.\Icxander and the Maccabees, no one, but for some strong-
antecedent exigeney, would assume that they related to some
expected expeditiun of an Assyrian monarch, "b which ma

he conjeeturcd as ,-cry pruhahle, but whieh. fur want of his-
torical data, can nut be indicated mure eircumstantially,"
or to ,. C a plan of the Assyrians which was nut then carried
uut," ur d Lzziah's war with the Phili!o!tines e, and some ima-
gined "d attitude of Jprohuam II against Damaseus and Ha-

nath," or '.f a euneealed denunciati
n against Persia," agaiIu,t

a Essa) sand Rev;ews, p. 310. .. Among German commentators there is, for the first
time in Ihe history oflhe world, an approach to agreement and certainty. For example
the di,ersity among German writers on prophecy ;s far less than among Enghsh
..ne.." b Bertholdt p. li15.
c Knobel ;i. liD. d Hitzig Vorbemerk. z. ii. and iii. Zech. KI. Pro p. 3õ4.
. 2 Chr. "",i. 6. r De Welte Einl. p. 33i.
K .. The Ullcertain hopes of the fumre, here expressed by the prophet, are not to be

which Zel'hariah did not wi
h to prophesy openly, 01' to
ha,-e had no
pel'ial meanin
at all g.
It is marvcllou
, un what
Iight data this modern sC'hoo)
has satisfied itself that these chaptel's were written befure
the eapti,'ity. To tahe the statement of an epitomatur b of
German p1<eudo-eritil'ism: "Damascus, T.lJre, ami Sir/on, P/â-
listia, .Javall lix. 1, 6-1.:) .A'
'\lJrÙI and Eg.lJpt (x. 10.) are tile
enemies uf Judall." .. The Mstorical staml-point is rlftfántt
from tllat uf Zecll. i-l'iii." Of all these, J avan, the (JI'eeks,
alone arc spuken uf as enemies of Judah, who before the
captivity were known only as purehasers of IIebrew cap-
tives; the on1\- knuwn war,; arc thu
e uf the .i\Iaecabee
. .
, " The two kingdoflls of Jlldah ami Israel still exist. Surely
the language, . that I mi
ht break the brotherhood between
Judah and Israel.' implies tlwt both kingdul1ts e.:t:istecl as part
of tile covenant uatiun."
Zechariah speaks of Judah and hrael. but not as kiugr/oms.
ßefore the captivity, exeept durin
the effe('ts uf the inter-
marriage with Athaliah, there was not brutherlwor/ but enmity.
In the rei
ns of AmaZÍah and Ahaz there was war.
.. Tile h
llse of David is spokelt uf 3,'iii. 1." The IlOllse, not
the kin
dom. The house existed aftcl' the ('apth'ity. Zerub-
babel, whom the Persians made governor, was its represen-
tath-e.
" Iduls and false prophets (3,'. æ. 3,'iii.)] 0'C.) Illll"nlOltise onlp
with a time prior to tile e3,'ile."
Idolatry certainly was not the pr('vailing national sin, aftel'
God had taught the pcul'le thl'uu/!,"h the eaptivity. It is t'UlIl-
munly taken for
:ranted, that there was none. ßut where is
the proof? Maladli wuuld hardly ha,-e laid the stress on
'lIIll1"rying the daugMers of a strange god, had there been no
dan
er that the marl'iage would lead to idolatry. kl\"ehemiah
1<peaks of the sin, intu whieh Sulumon was seduced by " out-
landi!<h women," as likely to rCt'ur through the heathen mar-
ria/!,"cs: but idolatI.y was that sin. Half uf the ehildrcn euuld
only speal
the lan
lHl
oe uf thcir motlwrs I. It were strange,
if thev had not imbibed their mothel's' idolatrv tuo. In a
battle'in the .:\Iaecabee \\t1l', it is related "m under the ('oats
of e'"erv one that wa... slain the" found things eon...eerated to
the id
J1< uf the .Jamnites, which is forbidden the Jews by
their law."
The Tl'J"apMm were, moreover, an unlawful and for1Jidden
means uf attclIIllting to know the future, not any cuarse furm
of idolatry n; much as people now, who more ur less earne
tly
han their fortunes tuld, wuuld be surpriscd at being called
idulaters. llut Zedmriah was probably speaking of sins
whieh had broug-ht un the eallth-ity, not uf his uwn day. The
predietiun repcated ii'ulII an ulder pruphet, that in the true
Judah, the Church, Gud would Cllt (11" e,"en tlte uames and the
memory uf ir/ols, dues nut imply that they existed o.
False prophets continued after the captidty. Shemaiah,
who uttered a prupllec.1J against :Kehemiah, tile proplletess
LYuadiall, and tile 1'est of tile propllets, are known to us from
l\"ehemiah's relation P . Such there were before our Lord came,
of wholll He said, that they q 1l'ere tMeves ami robbers: He
warned against them, r as coming in slleep's c!utMng, but ilt-
1l'llrr/ly tlley (Ire nn"euing wulves; He furetohl that · many false
pruphets shall arise ami r/eceive uwn.1J ; the
\cts ten us uf the
false propllet t, a .Jell', Bar-jesus; and Theudas, amI Judas of

referred to certain events." Rosenmül1er on Zech. ix. 13. ed. 1.
b Dr. S. Davids
n iii. 3:!I, 32:!.
" ]\,
h.'l.iii.:!IJ.

I :\Ial. ii. 11.
m 2 !\Iacc. xii. 40.
oSee ab. p. ;;U4" and bel. on xiii. 2.
q S. John x. 8.
· lb. }.Xiv. 11,2-1. S. ;.\1ark xiii. 2:!.

t lb. 23, 2.i.
11 See below on x. 2.
P ]\.eh. vi. 12. H.
. S. !\Iatt. vii. 15.
t Acts xii;. G.

ZECIL\RLUJ.

Galilee e. S. John says, b 1111111.1/ .false prnphets hat'e grme uut
illtu the wurld. Fal
e prophets ag-g-l"a\'ated the re!Öi...tance tu
the Romans and the final de...trul'tiun uf Jeru...alem c.
,. The meutioll of (t king or kingdom, ill :L'Ì. U, 3,'i;i. 7, does
not suit the age of Zechariah."
Zeehariah had ah'eady implied that they barlno king then,
for he had hidden Ziun to rejuice that hcr king 'lL'uuld ('(JlIIe to
her; aecurclingly she had nunc. In xi. 6, Gud say..., " I "ill
no morc pity the land; I will dcli\'cr man, everyone intu
thc hancl of his king-." It is an event, not of the pruphct's
time, hut of the future; ia xiii. 7, thcre is nu mention of any
kin
at all.
Such heing the pntire ah...ence of proof that these chapters
werc written LefOl'e thc capth-ity d, the prouf that c.xi. relates
to the time of l\Ienahcm is even absurd. The pro('cs
with
those who maintained this, ha
hecn, a

uming- as prm-ed, that
it was written befure the captivity, and that it eontaincd no
prupheey of the future, to ask, to what period hefore the cap-
tivity does it relate? One verse e rclatc
to eivil cunfusion,
o,;lu,h as i..; foretuld also, with the same metaphor. by I"aiah
and Jeremiah. The choice was lar
e, sin('e the kingdom uf
hrael had the curse of di!Öcord and irreligiou ent3iJed upon
it. and no king- nutured to cut off the entail by cutting oft. the
('entral sin, the wor...hip of the calves, which were to eon...uli-
(late it hy a worship, the rival of that at Jerusalem. Of the
It! king-s between J erohoam and IIu...ea, 9, including Tihni,
died viulent deaths. The ehoice was directed to )Ienahem,
heeause uf the wurds in Zechariah, three shepherds also I cut
'!If" ill Olle mOllth, and Shallum murdered Zaehariah the sun uf
Jeroboam; and he himself. after he had 1'eigned a flll/11/onth
ill Slllllaria, was murdcred hv 1\Ienahem. Here then were two
king-s ('ut off. But the third? Imagination is to sUPI,ly it.
One f conjectures .Menahem ; hut he reigncd 10 years, and su,
he invcnts a meaning fur the word, that the prophet does
not mean Cllt '!.tf; hut deuied them, leaving it open whether
he meaut "removed" or merelv .. did not acknuwlecJge
them, as .:\Icnahcm at first certainlv found nu r('cognitiun
\,ith thc prophctie order (2 K1!-'
xv. 16.19);" anothe
g ima-

ined " sume third rival of Zaehariah and ShaUum, uf whum
there i... nu mcntion in thc historical buoks;" hut tll('re i... no
I'oom for a third king, sinl'c
hallum murdcrcd Zachariah;
and Menahcm, Shallum; another I. found in Hehrew words i
which had crept into the LXX, an u...urpcr Kobal-am, uf
whom he says truly, "we hear nuthing;" anuther j eon-
eeh'ed of sume u...urper after the murder of Zachariah ur
of Shallulll (this is left free), who ahout this time 11/ay have
set him...clf at the head of the king-dum, hut ...careely main-
tained himself some weeks; another k sap:, ,. This refers
prubably to the Interregnum 7t14-7ï3, in which many may
a Actsv. 36, 37. b 1 8.John iv. 1.
e II The cause of this destruction [of those who took refuge in the temple] was a false
prophet, who at that day preached to those in the city, thaI God bade them go up to the
t
mtt:t;
a::t
e

et

ep
i:;l

tidli

i
h
m
v
\tt

eh;refr

n60
,

:
r;;
i:
[t

de'ert, and that hope might master to their i11. thosew60 were be}ond fear or "atching.
-The deceivers, telling lies against God, then ml.deceived the wretched people." J os.
B. J. ,'i. ó. 2 and 3.
th

e

i

sb:)o
h:

i

!:;te

r:p:
:e Zechariah's, and 2} whether
e xi. 6. Compo Is. ix. 20, xlix. 2t;. Jer. xix. 9. r Hitzig ad loco p. 373. ed. 3.
11' '[aurer, followed by Bunsen Bibel"erk on Zech., Dr. Davidson Illtr. ii. 33U.
h Ewald (Gesch. d. V. Israel iii. (j.1..J..), followed as elsewhere by Dr. Stanley, Jewish
Church ii. 36.J..
1 The oril(inal text of the LXX seems to have corresponded with the Hebrew. The
meaning of the two. Hebrew words, =v

i'. i.s verr sin
p!e, .. before people:' i.. e. publicly;
t
"
Ji' wou1d (as Bòttcher observed, Jen. L,t. ZCit. 1'<1,. p. II-t..J.) ha\e sl
mfied" before
the people publicly assembled together." The Syro-He>.aplar \ersion by Palll of Tela
tr:ll1s1ates the "ord<. and introduces" Kebda'ln" "ith Ori!!en's a>terism, and so, as not
belon
illg to the LX
. The Ale...alldrian alld two other :\1 SS. (one of Con'talltinople
cellt. x.) alro retain the rendering. The singular .. con'pired," which e\.clude. .. Keblaalll 0'
)'A Ill" n.

5(m

haye set them..eln!' af' kinç:.., but none have maintained
them!Öeln's." Another 1 .. An allti-kin
UIflI! at thi!Ö time IJa,'e
...et him...elf up ill uther I'art
uf the killgdoill, \\ hom .:\Ienahelll
uverthr('\V as he ùid that murderer." Uthers m
av (If the
whole, ., The !'ymhuli('al reprc"entatiun, Yerss. :J S(ICJ:. admits
(If no detailcd explanatiun. hut ('an he under!Ötuud unly as a
\\ hole. It d('!Ö('rilJt's the evil {'uudition uf Judah uncler Ahaz."
.\nother n , e(lually c'ertain that it relat{'
to Ahaz. says, "the
three ...heph('J"(ls, who peri,;h{'d in une alld the ...ame lIlonth.
were probably men whu, ill th{' IUIlç: anarehy hefure IIusca
a
eended the thrune, cUlltellded for the ;.;("el'tre."
Yet another is
fI ('flllfidcnt in this interpretation as to
the three kings, Shalltl1ll Zeehm'iah and l\Ienahem, that,
whereas the houk uf Kinç:s ...ays expl"(.s...ly that Shallum
rei
'ned "oa full month" lit. "a month uf days." the c'ommeu-
tat'or sav
, "The mouth call1lot IHn-e heell "full )J; Zechariah
xi. 8 e, Ûlently rcfers to the three KinJ{s, Saehariah. Sallum
amI )Ienahem," \\ hile others q will han' it that Zc('hariah hy
olle mUll tit means some indefinite spac'e more than a month.
Thi... is indeed required (althouç:h not stated) hy all tht,;.;c
them.ies, sinee Shallum alone reig-ned "a full munth," and,
eonselj 11 en tly, the uther t,,-o kinç:s (if intendc(I at all hy the
term .. shepherds") mll...t have heen cut off at !'ume period,
out;.;ide of that ,. one munth."
Truly, theory is a ,-cry exacting- taskmaster, though
stl'allg-ely fa
einati ng. It is to be une of the triumphs of the
neo-('ritiei...m to disting'ui!Öh between the authCII'!Öhip of Ze('h.
ix-xi ami xii-xiv. The puint alleç:ed to pruve that e. xi. he-
lon
... to the time of l\Ienahem is one at varianec with history.
It is uot that the wlwle i... like, while in one point the lil";'-
ne
s is imperfect. It is tI,e puint, alleç:ed as the key...tone
uf the whule, whil'h fails. The wurds of (
Cld by the pruphet
are, " Three shepllerds have I cut oft' in one mUlltl,:' It lie...
on the slll"faC'e of the hi!'tun., that Zaehariah. son of Jerohoam,
,,'as murden'd hy Shallum: after reigning (j nwnth...; ami that
Shallulll, after rèb:ning une full mOl
th,
nls himself murderecl
by 1\1 enalwm r. The ...ueeessiun of murdcrs was not so rapid
as when Zimri had murdered Elah, Baa
ha's ;';UII. and aftel'
reig-ning 7 days, committed suici,le, le",t he ...llUuld fall into
the hands of Omri s. J:lah and Zimri \\"('I'e ('ut off in 011('
month; Zachariah and Shallum, in two. llut in neither ea-e
was there any visihle rcsult, ex('ept a partial retrilmtiou of
God's justice. The la...t cxe('utiuller of God's ju
tiee sl/pt
ll'itlt /âs fathers; his retributiun was after death. He was
not cut oft'. .AmI this i... the proof, whieh i
to supplant thc
tc
timony to Jesus. The .Apustle's wurd
cUllie true, a...
u
often besides: t The.1! slwll tllrn all'ay tlteir em's fJ'ulIl tlu:
truth allli shall he turned wdu faMes.
u Tlwu art 'll'earied ill the greatness of thy u'ay, yet saicb.t

from the place which it commonly occupies, occurs in 3
ISS., the S
ro-He'[. Geot}(.

a;

'Jeb

:' Cdo
E:k
'

r:
h.:
e
;:'; :o

, s

it

1:

;:

:dn

t
know how to translate them, and i, variously wrlttcn and placed a.-; if the scribes did not

o::t
t;:
tin d:h:
t
'l
t: ri
t;

u

l
\
e ili
n\e a

)tJ
ï;
: i
lO
:b

nl

added to .. ShaUum son of Jabis:" in some )ISS. and a not
in the S
7. Hex., they are
follo"ed bv .. and Selem or Selëm his tather." The} are WI1tten, .. Kebdaam, Kehdiam,
Kebdam. KaddaArtl, Kaibdaam, Keblaam, h.eddaarn, Kebdaan, Ieblaam, Iebaan, Iebdaam,
lldd3ID, Beldaam." See LÅ-.X ed. Pan.ons.
i llleek Einl. p. 559. 11 Knobel. Proph. ii. 171.
1 Bunsen Gott in d. Gesch. i. 450. m Bertholdt Einl. i\. li16, and
so seemingly Rosenmül\er. .. Single tt'aits are not to be pressed here; that of v. 8, that
Jehovah had slain 3 bad shepherds in one month, belongs merely to poetic indi,idua1is-
illg." Gramberg ii. 5:!3. P Herzfeld, Gesch.d. Yolkes Isr. E\curs. ii.
3. p. :!."3.
o 2 Kgs xv. 13. P Thenius on 2 Kg. I.c_ p. 351-
Se
::l;trs
;':li
sviil
e
'i

t

:f
H

ne
n
e:r
h:r
eti

n

'
a
'
il
r
,
let 1f

;
Ge.ch. d. poet. mtion. lit. d. Hcbr. p. 307.
r 2 Kgs x\. 8-14.
. 2 Tim. iv. 4.

· 1 Kj:(S ni. 15-18.
" 10. hii. 10.
4 E

f,lU

IXTRODI:CTIOX TO

tllOn not, there is no hope. One should bave thou!.!"ht that
!'ome mu
t han', at timc
. tholl
ht uf the old da
's, when the
pwphcey wa
interpreted of the Good Shepherd and of the
:{O picec
of sih-er which were the pricc of His mood, and
which 1l'cre cast intu the huuse of the Lord a. But this would
have bcen fatal to "historieal criticism," whose province
u as to lind uut events of the prophet's uwn day to fill up the
worrIs of propheey.
The' human authurship of any book
of Holy Scripture, and
50 of the
e ehapters of Zechariah i
, in it
elf, a matter whieh
does not eoncern the soul. It is an untrue imputation, that
thc datc of books 111' thp Bible is eonverted into matter uf
faith. In thi
('a
e Jesus has not
et His seal upon it: God
the Hoh- Glw4 has not del'lared it. But, as in other cases,
what la,' as the foundation of the theorv was the unbelief
that Go'd, in a way abuve nature, when 'it seemed good to
Him. revealed a certain future to Hi
erpatlll'e man. It is
the pustulate, (or axiom. as appeal's to the
e erities), that
thpre i,.: 1111
l1per-human prophpey, whieh g-i\-es rise to their
('ap:erness. to place thesc and othcr propheti(' books or por-
tions uf houks where they can sav to themseh-es that they do
not in\-oh-e sueh propheey. Tõ believers it has olwio'usly
no reli
ions intel'est, at what time it pleased Ahni
hty God
to s('ml any of His sen-ants the prophets. Not the dates
assiu:ne(l by auy uf the
e self-devuuring theories, but the

round
alle
ed in support of those dates, as implying- unbelief
iu (;ml's revelation of Himself, make the question one of
rdi
dous interest, \"Ïz. to
hew that these theuries are as
uu"'ubstautial, as their a
sumed base is baseless.
It is all infelicih' of the mudern German mind, that it is
acute in observing" detailed differences, rather than eompre-
heu
i\-e in
l'a
ping deeper resemblaue'es. It has been more
hu,.:ied ill di,,:('U\-cring what is new, than in ubserving the
gl"Uunds of what is true. It does not, somchuw, acquire the
pUlnr of balancill!!,' evidenee, which is habitual to the prac-
tical milllis of 01\1' own cuuntrymen. To take an instance
of I'\"iti('ism, apart from Theolugy, the genuineness of a work
uf Plato.

. S.
latl. ,,",vi. 14-16, xxvii. 3-10.
b Prof. Jo\\etl, Translation of Plato's DialOjl:Ues. T. iv. p. 1.
e Philopou, de Ætern_ mundi \i. '!.ï. in Smith Gr. & Rom. Biogr. i. 317.
d From B.C. 3Gl. to Plato's death B.C. 34ï.
e Pall Mall Gaz. March 28.1&;8.
r .. The style of the Laws differs in several important respects from the other dia-
lo
es of Plato: 1) in the want of character, power and li\ely illustration; 2) in the
frequency of mannerisms; 3) iu the form and rhythm of the sentences; ,I) in the use of
"onls, On the other hand, there are many l'assages 5) which are characterised hy a

,o;n
h
c

::

d;
:dh a
t p
a
ric:iIi
så:

s;h
J
e
: ÿ;.si!
;

l

rh
fnpïa
:'

\\riti.lgc;:.
.. The Laws fall very short of the other Platonic dialogues in the refinements of
courtes}. Part!y the subject did not properly take the fonn of dialogue and partly
the drdmatic vigour of Plato had passed away.-Plato has given the Laws that form
\I hich was most suited to his own powers of writing in the decline oflife.
.. The fictions of the Laws have no longer that verisimilitude, which we find in the
Phædrus, and the Timæus or even in the Politicus-Kor is there any where in the
Laws that li\ ely l"áp'Y""" that vivid mise en scène. which is as characteristic of Plato,
as of
ome modern no\"eli.ts.
.. 'Ve no lonp:er hreathe the atmosphere of humour which pervades the earlier writings
of Plato. and which makes the broadest Aristophanic joke as weB as the suhtlest
refiuement of wit possible; and hence the impression made npon us is hald and feeble--
The irony of -he earlier dialogues, of whicll some traces occur in the 111th book, is
replaccd b} a sort ofse\erity "hich ha!dly condesce!,ds to regard human things. .
b;'tleh:u

:
rl

gS
h

e
ï

ns
r:W

R;;ulb'ìi

nnti::h
\ ::rîi

dr
ol

tcs

t

are struck" hich are repeated from time to time, as in a strain of music. There is none
uf this subtle art in the La"s.-The citations from the poets have lost that fanciful
character, \\hich gave them their charm in the earlier dialol(ues.
2. "The clumsine ,of the dialogue leads to frequent mannerisms-This finish of sty Ie
l in the dialogue: - ; no !onger d!scernible !n the Laws. Agai.n and aga
n the .peak!,r
is chdrged or chalges hmlseJfwlth obscunty; he repeats agam and ag-am that he will
e,plain his \"iews more clearly.- A tendency to a paradoxical form of statement is also
obser\able.-:\lore than in other "riting. of Plato the tone is hortatory; the Laws are

erlllOI1S a. "ell as la\\s: they are supposed to ha\e a religious sanction. and to rest
h

l b:
'
.ll
'S df;
t

t
;
I::e

10

t;=s

::

s

ì

I
:

S: o:h:u

:
:l
:

"The genuinene
s of the Laws," savs their re('('nt tran!'latorb,
"is sufficiently lu'O\-ell Ly 1II00'e thåll :!() I'itations of th{'1\} in
the \\Titing-s of Aristotle [whom Plato de,.:ig-nated .. r the
intellect of the schuul." and who must have been intimate
with him fllr some Ii years d] who was residin
at Athens
during the last years of the lite uf Plato, and \\
lllJ returned
to Athens at the time when he was himself writing his
Pulitics and f'on!<titutillns; 2) by the allusion of l
uc
'ates,
writing- B. C. :Hö, a year after the death of Plato, and nut
more than 2 or 3 years after the COlllp(l
itioll uf the Laws-
3) by the referenl'e of the comic poet .\lexis, a
-ounger
eontemporary of Plato (B.C. 3,'jö.); 4) by the unanim(lUs \-uil'c
of later antiquity. and the absence of any suspieion amon

anc'ient writers worth Ilutiein
."
Yet German acuteness ha
found out reasons. whv thp
treatise should not be Plato's. Those reasons are plm;sible,
as most untrue thin
s arc. As put tog-ether carefully by one
who yet attae'hes no weight to them, they look like a parody
of the arguments, produe'ed by Germans to take to pie,'es
books of Holy Scripture. :\Iutatis mutandis. they haH sUI'h
an absurdly ludieruus n'semLlanee, that it prm-ukes a smile.
Some j() years ag-o, there was a tradition at Gütting-en,
where Herne harllivcd, that he attributed the non-receptiuullf
the theories as tll Homer in Eng-Ialld to the English ßislwp,.:,
wlw .. apprehend('d that the same principle would be applicd
to Holy
cripture." XO\\', for half a ccntury more, both sets
of ('rities have had full seope. The ela"'sieal sceptics seem
to me to ha\'e the ad\-antag"e. Anyone, who knc'," but a
little of the uncritieal ('ritil'i
m, applied to the saered bool;
s,
eould imag-ine, what a jubilcc of triumph it would have oeea-
siuned. eonld such diAerences as those pointcd out bctwcen
.. the La\\-s" and other tl'eatisf's of Plato. ha\-e beeu poiutcd
out tu detach any book of Holy Scripture from its tmdi-
tional writer. Yet it is held inadequate by one. of whom an
admirer said, that" e his peculiar mude of criticism ('ut the'
very sinews of bt'lief." I ilH;ert the criticisms f, (omitting the
details uf iIIustratiun) bCI'ause their failure may open the
e)'es of some to the utter valuelessness of this sort of

has neither the clearness of art, nor the freedom of nature. Irrelevant remarks are
made here and there, or illustrations used which are not properly filled in. The dia-
logue is generally weak and lahoured: and is in the later hooks fairly given up; ap-
parent!} , hecanse unsuited to the subject of the work.
fa
il:
;
ffint

ft:
:,c

,o[nstr
:

;,

u

F

e

e

hi

:r
h

:h
i;å'í
and monotonous :-second, they are often of enormous lenl(th, and thc latter end fre-
quently appears to forget the beginninl( of them: they seem never to have received Ihe
second thoul(hts of the author: either the emphasis is wrongly placed, or there is a want
of point in the clause, or an absolute case occurs, which is not properly separated from
the rest of the sentence; or words are ag-gregated in a manner, which fails to shew their
relation to one another; or the connecting particles are omitted at the heginning of sen-
tences ; the use of the relative and the antecedent is more indistinct. the chang-cs of num-
ber and person more freqnent: examples of pleonasm, tautology and periphrasis, un-
meaning antitheses of positive and negative, and other affectations, are more numerous
than in the other "ritings of Plato; there is also a more common and sometime. un-
meaning use of qualif}ing formulæ-and of double expressions-; again there is an
0\ er-curious adjustment of verh and participle, noun and epithet: man} forms of af-
fected variHy: thirdly, the absence ofmetapl'orical lang-nage is remarkable: the st}le
is not devoid of ornament but the ornament is of a dehased rhetorical kind, patched
on it instead of growinl( out of the subject; there is a great command of words, and a
lahoured use of them; forced attempts at metaphor occur in se\"eral passages-( comt'arp
also the unmeaning extravagance of language in other passagesj; poor and in'lpid
illustrations are aho Common: fourthly, "e may observe an uumeaning use of clima>.
ant

th
)

iarities in the use of words, which occur in the Laws, have been collected
by Zeller and Stallbaum: first, in the use of nouns. such as" [S are given]; .. secondh ,
in the use ofadjectÌ\es, such as" (5 instances] "and of adverbs, such as" [8 instancesl
" t'
Z
1re

J
::Ií'ta\;,

s
s

I

t

f

:'
ords in the Laws differing from
the forms ofrhe same "ords, \\hich occur in oth"r places (ï instances, "and the Ionic
word-"). Zeller has noticed a fondness for suhstanti\es ending in J.La and 11", such
as [9 instances "and olhers "); also a use of suhstantives in the plural, which are

io

n

n

i

I
.iint
fi\
li

c

dl

h:h
l:
: fr:

::
{th
ef

:

datÌ\es plural in "'1111 and 01111.
"To the.e peculiarities he has added a list of peculiar expressions and constructions
[9 are gi\'en). He remarks also on the frequent use of the abstract for the concrete

ZECI-L\ RL\II,

;'11

critieism. The ae(,ul'acy of the el'itieisms i
not quC'
tionC'd; ehaptel's of l;;aiah, or Leelesiao"Ìc<:, or thc..e cl1al't('I'S nt
the statenlC'nts al'c not !<aid to 1)(' cxa
'g('l"ated; yet they aI'C " ZeehaI"Íah. III' the l:l'i!<tlC' to the lIehl'C'\\"s. or the He, elatiun
held invalid. The question thl'n cUllle;; with gTeat fOl"l'c to of S. John the Hivine,-ü.('C'pt on
rounds uf th('oloI!Y, nllt
the con;;cience
""'hy, J"('jel.tin
arguments so fOl"l'ihle a
I of (Titici
lII, and how am I tl'ue to lIly
elf ill rcj('eting
IJ('h
to a t1'C'ati;;e of Plato. J.o I a('eept al'l!ulIH'nt;; VCI'Y infel'ior. as al'g"ulllent... a... to human bouks, and a('C'eptin
thcIll a
to
to slIl.h or such a hook ufthe 01J. 01' Xew 'l'e;;talllent,-ccrtaia Vivine bouks?"
æ

d
:o f:
:rr

:

,

nus

i
j,

::s
fats
fh
i
k
I
:::;-

I of.:teoL
\
a
llt:::b

7
d:'

; :o%C
t:
tj,

ed
1e
:li

:
s
,

neni

the enclitics TU and of 'YO, of T<<J'jjJ', of ws, ani the periphrastic use of the prepo,ition their genuinene ;, becaus everal words occur in them,,, hich are not found in th r
"'EpC. Lastly he observes the tendency to hyperbata or transposition of words; an,1 to "ritings of Plato. An imitator "ill ollen prescrve the u'ual phraseolop:
of a "nh

t

l uniformity as "ell as grammdtical irregularity in the structure of the \I
.t

:

nlf:16.ould himself." From Prof. Jowett's Introduction to the Law80f Plato,

TABLE OF DATES, WHICH I
THIS CE
TCRY HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO ZECHARIAH IX-XIV-.

AFTER THE DATE OF ZECHARIAH.

c. ix-xiv.

Yatke 1 .

.. At the earliest, in the first half and
middle of the fifth century."
.. The younger poet, whose visions were
added to those of ZechlU'iah."
Last years of Darius Hystaspis, or first
ofXenes 3 .
After the battle of Issus B.C. 333.
After 330.
Antiochus Epiphanes.
On Hyrcanus i, as the )Jessiah.

Geiger 2.

Gramberg
.

Eichhorn ".
Böttcher 6.
.. many
interpreters'i."
Paulus 8.

t'. xiv.

c. ix.

a J. D. l\Ii
haeJis, liSG, was uncertain. The opinions or doubts in the last century "ere
altogether vague. .. I have as yet no certainty, but am seeking: am a]so not opposed, if
nny deny these chapters to be Zechariah's." Neue Orient. u. E xe
. Biblioth. i. 128.
Augusti stated attack and defence, but gave no opinion, Einl. IbOG. G. L. Bauer (li93)
said generaIly, .. c. ix-xiv. seem not to be Zechariah's," but professed himself in utter
uncertainty as to the dates. Scholia T. viii. On ix-xiv. he says, ""hich seems not to
be Zechanah's," hut whether Flügge was right who thought c. ix. belonged to the time
of Jeroboam ii., or Eichhorn, who doubted whether it "as not later than Zechariah, he

.a
;

c:
di

t\:'

:
v

:oia
iJ

\i
fti

d:

gf.'l:' w
'ì'lx:

:"J:

derstand the Assyrians, than Ant. Epiph. or the Romans. pp. 9ü, 9i. Of xii-xiv. he
leaves subject and time uncertain. pp. 109. 119. 121. Dóderlein also seems uncertain,
Auserl. thcol. BibJioth. iv. 2. p. 81. (17S7)
I Biblische Theologie wissenschaftlich dargesteIlt. i. 553. .. It seems to have been
occasione,1 by the Persian-E
ptian wars, and by the feuds of the Jews with the nei
h-

i

ie;;

al
:
e.:

h

k

i:

bl

e
;::fJ

S'"h

de
aifs rr

:

.J' The

(Rabbiner d. S)nag. Gem. Breslau) Urschrift u. Uebersetz. d. Bibl. p. 55, 5i. 185i.
3 .. \\ hen the fame of the Greeks, even in Palestine, must have been great enough to
sug
est to the poet the thought, that so mighty and warlike a people could only be COn-
qu:rR
I

::
'ìd

:d
f. s i
(':I:

:;aec
b
'ì
::r;sntC
2

d prosperity prevail."
5 Einl. ins A. T. n. 605. iv. 415, 4.J.9. 450. 1821. .. If it is true, that all prophecies start
from the present, and prophets threaten with no people, and promise nothing of any, till
the people itself is come on the scene and into relation with their people, the poet cannot
have spoken of the relation of Alexander to the Jews, tiIl after the battle of Issus." "Alto-
gether, no e?lanation of the "hole section (ix I.-x. Ii.) is
ible, if it be not gained from

et
kto

n.:TIrs
a
.iiid
is:i;lo

I::a

ffi
u1iie
ho

e
ae

ï:

of military contrivance unheard of elsewhere, he conquered and destro)ed island- T)-rE; how,
of the maritime cities of Phili,1ia, with indomitable perseverance he is specified to have 00-
.ieged and taken Gaza, punbhed with death the opposition of its commancler and its inhabi-
tants, can any require more to justiíy this explanation!" "The portions xi. xii-xüi. G. have
no matter, from" hich their age could be determined; ) et neither do they contain any
thin
to remove them to an early time; rather lIas the language much \\ hich is late; if
then the contents of xiii. i-end, set it late, they too may be accounted late. Thb last
mu t either ha\e been to comfort the people on the first tidings of the dealh of Judas
l\Taccabi in the battle "ith Bacchide>, or ha\'e no definite oubject.-ln that case it "ould '

ZECHARIAH HIMSELF.

[Beckhaus v li92] Jahn 10. Koster 11,
Henstenberg l ",Burger I3 . De Wette (edd.
4-6). A. 'fheiner 14. Herbst 15. t:mbreit 14,
Hävernick Ij. Keil 's , Stähelin 15. von

Hoffmann 16. Ebrard, Schegg, Baumgar-

ten H, Xeumann ". Kliefoth 14, Köhler I
,
Sandrock 17.

belong to B.C. lül, yet one must own that there is not the same evidence for this, as thaI
ix. I.-x. Ii. belongs to the time of Alexander.-These must be the proofs, that the 2nd
half of Zechariah cannot have the same author as the first, or one must allow what
tra,lition gives out, and since there are great doubts against it, one must regret that one
can come to no clear result as to Zechariah. For the other proofs wlâch could be brougM
orc not d,'ci.ir'e." pp. 45U, 451.
Corrodi had on the same grounds assigned c. ix. to the tÚTIe of Alexander; c. xi\. to
that of Antiochus Epiphanes. Yersuch e. Beleuchtung d. Gesch. d. Jud. u. Christl.
Bibel-Canons i. Hii.
na

t
. a

Ý

e
r
n 7;

dill
r
i

. t

f J::err:. 6
ì's
IÌx

.îr:h
:f1

e.:r:

d:l

id

l;

rb:

re

: ÃI

c;;.
:;sir;;:r
cr
h
Palestine. " itb th,s agree the later colouring, the Levitical spirit. the style full of COIII-
pilation and of in1Ïtation, as also the phantastic messianic hopes. These last must have been
revived among the Jews after the overthrow throngh Alexander. In comparison with the
lifeless language of these chapters, as to "hich we cannot at all understand liow any can ha\e
;h

':

::
z
i;rÌes

-(fnItl.:
::'w

i

::r
;n,:.d w

::it o:f t

Psalms of the Maccabee times.'" Nene Aehrenlese ü. 215-12i. One ground, "ruch has b\
others of this school been allcged for not ascribing them to Zechariah, had been that they were
so much more poetic &:c. "In regard to langu3#(e also. the style in the second Part is wholly
different. c. 9_ and 10. are energetic, vivid, &:c." Hitzig, Y orOOmerkk. z. d. ii. u. ill. Zech. n.
.
.. Rosenmüller sa)s truly:-How much the poetic, weigh I)', concise, fervi,1 style of the six
last chapters diffÈrs from the prosaic, languid, humble style of the eight first." Maurer on
Zech. ix-xiv. p. 6t.i7. "These propbecies (Zech. ix-xiv.l cannot be from Zechariah. not on

D: ,t: Ë
?1'

c edt
t (comp. xi. 4-1i.) but Ol
a
&:t

\

i::J.fi
f7
;?le"
a Comm. z. N. T. ill. 13U.139. Else he follows Eichhorn 1832.
9 iib. d. Integrität d. Proph Schrükn d. A. B. P 33i. sqq.
10 Einl. ii. Gi5. sqq.
11 l\Ieletemata crit. et e...:eg. in Zach. proph. part. post. 1818.
12 Beitrdge zur Einl. ins A. T. i. 3ü1. sqq.
13 Etu,les exégét. et critiques sur Ie proph. Zacharie. Strasburg 1841.
I
In their commentaries On Zechariah.
15 In their Introductions to the O. T.
16 !'chriftbeweis ii. 2. p. 550.
Ii Prioris et posterioris Zach. partis vaticin. nb uno eodemque auct. profccta. 1:;;;j.

ZECHARIAH.

512

'l'AllLE OF DATES.

xi.

Beginning of reign of
Ienahem.

Hitz g17.

DATES BEFORE THE CAPTIVITY.

Possibly contemporary with Hosea.
After capture of Damascus by Tiglath-
Pileser.
Manasseh, in view of a siege by ESllr-
haddon.
Between B.C. 607-604 (though falsified)
Soon after Josiah's death, by Uriah,
Jeremiah's contemporary, B.C. 607 or
606.
:Most probably, while the Chaldees were
already before Jerusalem, shortly be-
fore Jerusalem was first conquered
(599).
Under Joiakim or Jeconiah or Zede-
kiah in Xebuchadnezzar'slast e\:pedi-
tion (no objection that it \Vas fabi-
fied).
Soon after Josiah's death.
The last years of Jehoiakim, or under
JellOiachin or Zedekiah.
"Exceeding probably under Josiah or
Jehoiakim."
Fourth year of Jehoiakim.
Fifth.
The latter half of 600 B.C,
Later than xii. l.--.::iii. 6.
12 years after Habakkuk [about B.C.
607, Ewald] shortly before the de-
struction of Jerusalem.
Same date as i". xi. (see above).
A little later than xii-xiii.
or, In the first rebellion against X ebu-
chadnezzar" 3
by Chananiah, or one of
the many prophets who contradicted
Jeremiah."
Zedekiah, "Beginning of revolt."
" Prophecies of fanatic contents, which
deny all historical e"planation, but
xiii. 7. must rather be conceived as
future than' past,' as Bertholdt."
After death of Josiah, yet relating to
the repentance for the putting the

Iessias to death, and so independent I
of the times in which it is placed.
I
" What I think, or rather, conjecture." Schulzii Scholia continuata viii. 100.
19 Phænicien ii. 1. p. :1"3. :\
I.
20 Kl. Proph. ii Ilnd iii. Sach. II. 5. Ü. ed. 2, 3.
:
:o

:

Êi
ieT

;g, re-written from his E:

lt. i
o
: ?
:
h
c;
e182:"1, 452.
24 Einl. iv. lili. ;J5 Ih. lil!J.
26 Einl. p. 5GO. 27 lb. 5ü3. 0' Proph. :\lin. p. 6iO.
29 Be8tandtheile &c. p. 87. 10 Kl. Proph. ii. 52.
31 lb. ii. 59. .. At a time when the earnest and more threatening condition of the
world softened the proud certainty of ,ictory, and occasioned the anticipation of the
fulfilment of a jud!(ement on the holy city." xiv. 1-2.
:t
Geschichte d. Y olkes Isr_ iii. Su3. Ewald says that he often balanced between them,
but always ended by coming back to the first, since xiv. 2. probably referred to the capture
under J ehoiachin.
JJ J ew:ish Church. Sect. ...i. "special authorities." p. 513. Passing him over in the

ì:
1
;h

f:hO

h ch

ea

hea

\
h J:n

iat;:"wh

t
:
t
eJ:::

hha;
p
:ied
for .. telling lies in the name of the Lord." .. passed a\\ ay the last echo of [he ancient
invincihle strain of the age of Isaiah." p.515.
J.I Einl. n. 2;;0. p. 338 ed. 1822. 16 Lutherische Dogm. i. 359-3ü1.

Hitzig 1 ,
Rosenmüller 2.
llertholdt 3.
Credner <,
Herzfeld 5.
Baur 6.
KnobeF.

xi,
ix.

Bauer 18.
Movers 19.

Uzziah B.C. 772.

h-xiv.

Under Ahaz, during war with Pekah.
Beginning of Ahaz.

ix-xi.
i,,-xi.

xii-xiv.

Hitzig
O.

KnobePI.
Bunsen 2:1.

Later time of Hezekiah.
Between B.C. 771-710, i.e. between the
invasion of Pul, (2 Kgs xv. 19.) and
the capture of Damascus by Tiglath-
Pileser (2 Kgs X\'I. 9.) i.e. between
the 40th of U zziah and the 3rd of
.\haz.
In the first 10 years of Pekah before the
war with Ahaz [i.e. between B.C.
ï59-749].
" Very probably U zziah's favourite pro-
phet in his prosperous days."
Contemporary with Isaiah under Ahaz
towards B.C. ï36.
Perhaps contemporary with Zephaniah
[in the time of Josiah].
Might be put in the time of Ahaz.
Perhaps out of the time of Zephaniah.
(J zzillh.

ix-\:i.
ix-xi,

Schrader 2J .

Ewald 8.
xii. I-xiii. 6.
Stanley 9.
Bunsen 10. xiii.7.-end.
xii. I-xiii. 6.
De "'ette n.
xiii.-7. end.
Id.
Gesenius 12. xii. I-xiii. 6.
Bleek 13. xiii. 7.-end.
Forberg 14. xii. I-"iii. 6.
Bleek. 'Xiv.
xii-xiii. 6.
Maurer 15.
"iii.7-9.
xiv.

ix-xi. and
xiii. 7-9.

Berthold t
4 .

i\:-xi.
xiii. 7-9.
ix-"i.

Bertholdt
5
meek
6.

i". x.

Bleek 27.

xi.
ix.
i".

Maurer
.

v. Ortenberg
.

Ahaz, soon after war with Pekah and
Rezin.
Im'asion of some Assyrian king.

Ienahem, and end of Uzziah.
Between the carrying away of 2! tribes
and the fall of Damascus.
Between 739-731, the 7 years' anarchy
between Hosea's murder of Pekah and
his own accession.
In reign of Hosea.
Under Uzziah and Jeroboam.
The Anarchy after death of Jeroboam ii.
[B.C. 784-772].
B. C. 'il6.
Shortly after the war of Pekah and
Rezin.
Xot before Jeroboam, nor before l7zziah's
accession, but before the death of
Zechariah son of Jeroboam.
I Theo1: Studicn u:. Kritiken 18-30. 1. p. 25. sqq. followed by t7. Len
erke, d. Buch
D
n

h
i
li
tir

iï. 4. p. 254. "qq. ed. 2_ In ed. I. he had followed Jahn. I
ha:;:

nZ

h:r;;h'

n43;i )
b:
ti

I
is
nv1ii. Wt! ah
o

r

c

Ir.

dt
; I
(;,'sen;lls, Jesaia i. 5:!7 38 " an acute combination." Ewald calls the theory of one or more I
Zechariahs, "an over-in!(eniOllS device (erklügelte) .idle conjecture, a plea of those who will
1I0t look straight at the truth." Proph. I. 2 I!I.
4 Joel p. 67. 5 Ge"ch. d. V olkes Isr.. Excurs. ii. n. 3. pp. 2
O-2"2.
6 d. Proph. Amos p. :14. 7 Prophetismus d. Hebräer ii. HiS-lill.
R Kl. Proph. i. 248-251, followed mostly by E. .1[,.;er Gesch. d. poet. national. lit. d.
I1 ehräer p. ;sufi. · Jewish Church ii. 441, add 3&1. 366.
III Gott in d. Geschichte i. 453. In p. 24i, he placed ch. ix. at "a generation after Ahaz."

i
t i

1.:
:
:

J60
38. edd Ù lê

m. crit. et exeg. inl
3?

x4

l:: þ

:
15 Maurer Comm. 1" ü(j9. 16 Die Bestandtheile d. Buchs
S

hD
tf:p

iZ
'I:;iJ

;h
r
:.

:I
'
kt.h

e3
I

' J:. fol

:.i b
- Srhmd,,-
in his re-writing of De W cue's Einl. n. 308, only placing c. ix. dffiuitely in the time of
Jeroboam ii.

x.

Ewald 30.

"i. 1-3.
xii 1-17.

ix.

EWIIld 31.

x.

xi.
ix.

\'".Ortenberg I6 .

Stanley 33.
De "'ette ed. 2 3 <.

"ii-xiii. 6. "iv.
xii. I-xiii. 6.
xiii. 7. end.

x.

xi. 1-3.
xi. 4-1i. xiii. 7-9.

Kahnis 35.

xii. I-xiii. 6. xiv.

ix-x.

Hitzig 17.

Before
CHRIST
cir. 520.

CIL\PTER I.

(ïL\PTER J.

513

Zeclwriah e:dwrtetl, to repentance. í The t'Ïsion
uf the hurses. 1
At ti,e prayer of ti,e angel
comfurtable promises are made to Jerusalem.
18 Tile vision of the horns, and ti,e four car-
penters.
. E H zra 4. 2-1. I
the ei
hth month , · in the second ' . -car
ago 1. 1. 0
of Darius, came the word of the T .ORD
b

t
2
:35. b unto Zt'chariah, the son of ßcrechiah, the
son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

CHAP. I. 1. In the eighth month 1. The date joins on Ze-
chariah's prophecy to those of Hag-goal. Two months befiJre,
Ùl the si..l'flt moutl1 2 , hatl Ha
gai, conjointly with Zechariah 3,
exhorted Zerllbbabt'l and. the peoplc to resume the inter-
mitted huilding- of the temple. These had useel such dili-

ence, notwithstanding the partial discourag-ement of the
Persian Gm'ernment \ tllat {
od ga"c thcm in ti,e sel'euth
month, thc magnificent promise of thc later glory uf the
temple through the Coming of Christ s. Still as Hagg-ai tuo
warned thcm, the eOl1\'ersion was not complete. So Zc('ha-
..iah in the ci
hth, as Hag-gai in thc ninth 6 month, uru:es
upon them the ncee!<sity o(thorough and inward repentance,
as the I'ondition of partaking" of those promises. .
"iThrice in the course of olle saying, he mentions the mo
t
holy namc of God; partly to instruct in the knowledge uf
Threc Persons in one
ature, pal.tly to confirm their minds
more strongly in the hope of the salvation to come."
2. lit. Trroth It'as the Lord against YOllr fathers with 11'ratI1 8 ,
i. e., a wrath which was indeed such, whose g-reatnes
he doe'"
not further e'ípress, but leaves to their memories to supply.
"9 Seest thou how he scares them, and, settin
before the
young- what befe! those before them, drh'e
them to amend,
thrcatenin
them with the like or more g..ievous ill", unless
they would wisely reject their fathers' ways. esteeming the
l'lea"ing of Goel worthy of all thought and care. lIe speaks
of great I('mth. For it indieates no slig-ht di"pleasu..e that
He alJowell the ßahdonians to waste all J uelah and
alUa..ia,
burn the holy places and de
troy Jemsalem, remove the eleet
I"..ael to a piteous sla,'ery in a foreign land, severed from
saerifiees, enterill
no mo..e the holy eourt nor offering the
thank-otfering, or tithes, 0.. fi..st-fruits of the law, but pre-
eluded bv ne('es
itv and fear e\"('n f..om thc dntv of eelehra-
ting- his prcse..ibed and dea..est fe"th-als. The li'kc we lIIi
ht
address to the Jewish people, if we would apply it to the mys-
tery of Christ. For aftcr they had killed tIle pl"Opllets and
had rrucf/ied tile Lord of /(lor,'I Himself
they we..e captu..ed
and destmyed; their famed. temple was levelled, and Ho
ea's
words were fulfilled in them; 10 Tile dÛldrell uf Israel shall
abide 111(/11.'1 days l('itlwut a king mill 1('it hont (/ prince, witll-
out it sflcrffice liml witlwllt WI image, Wit/lOut (lJl eplwd limi
wit/witt terapltim."
3. Therefore S(I.'! tholl. lit. Ami tllOll.myest, i. e., thi
hav-
ing bcen so, it follows that thou say cst or mu
t sayll, Turn

1 Not as Kim. in the 8th new-moon; for though eM" is used of the new-moon, Kllm.
xxviii. 1-1, 1 Sam. xx. 5, IB, 2-1; Am. viii. 5. (not Ex. xix. 1. or Hos. v. 7.) it is not so
used in dates, in "hieh it would be amhiwlOus.
2 Hagg. i.I. 3 Ezr. v. 1, 2. · lb. 3-5.

Hagg. ii. 1-9. 6 lb. 10-14. 7 Dsor.
s As we might express by the indefinite article" a b]ow" for" such a blow." The
L:\. X fiU up òp'Yfrv,.eråÀ>/J'. Ewald (Lehrb. n. 281. p. 702.) quotes X<<P
X<<1P'I, S. John
iii.29.

2 The LORD hath been t sore (1isplea
etl B . re
C H w ' . R
' _ ! II
. T
with your fatlH'rs. _ _ v _
: t Heb. Wit/I
3 fheretore say thou unto thpm, Thus dl$l'leasun

aith the LORD of ÍlO!oItS' Turn c ve unto IlIt' · Jer. 25. 5.
I '.' &
l5 15
' I ' saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn 'lie:7.Ï!J.

lal. 3. 07.
o llllto you, saith thc LORn of hosts. }:n
:sIt
?
4 ße ye not as your fathers, d unto whom 4 21f.

n. 3tj.
the former prophets ha'"c cried, sayin
,
Thus saith the LUlU) of hosts; eTurn yc now
· Isai. 31. 6. Jer. 3.12. & 18.11. Ezek. ]8.30. Hos. U. 1.

lIe unto Jle. In !'ome de!!ree thev had turned to God. till'
\\Those !'ake they had retui'neel to tileir land; and again when,
after some ne
ligcnee 12, they renewed the buildin
(If the
temple, amI God had
aid, 13I am/d/h !lOll. nut there needed
yet a more inward complete)" turnin
, whereun God promises
a yet nearer presenee, as
[alachi ..epeats the words Ii, amI
S. James exho..ts IS, Draw 1II:[[h to God fIIllI Hp will dr{lll' ni{:h
to 11011. Tho
e who have turned to God neeù ever to turn more
into the ('entre (If the narrow way. As thc s(lul open!' it
eJf
more to G(ld. God, "'ho
e communi('ation of lIim!'elf is e, CI'
hindercd (Jnl\" hv our ('Iu
in
tht' door of ou.. hearts au:ain'it
Him, entel's 'lIlI;re intu it. \6 If a /JIalt I()/'e .1le. he will keep
I .11./1 Il'Ords, ([nd .11./1 I,'atl,er will love MIil, llIul Ire ll'ill COllie
lluto Mill, awill/like Our abode with Mm.
I .. i l\Icn arc said to be eOlu-e..ted, when Jea\"Îng- hcJlind
I them deeeitful goods, they gÏ\'e their whole mind to (;od,
I be40n ing- no less pains and zeal on Divine things than bcforc
on the nuthinu:s of life."
"17\\Then it is said in Holy Seripture, TUrll uuto
lIe amt
I u'ill turll Ullto 'lOll, we are admuni
hed as to our own f..ec-
dom; when we' answer, TnTn LIS, Lord, uuto Tltee, ([/HI /l'e
shalf be turned, we (
onfess that we ar'e fore(
ome by the gm('c
of Goel."
4. Be .lIe not liAe your .fatllers. St..angely infection!' i...
thc precedent of ill. Tradition of good, (If tmth, of faith. is
decried; olllv tradition of ill and erru.. are adhered to. 'fh...
sin of Je..oljoam was held !'aered hy e\"Cry king of br;u'l:
18 The statutes of Omri u'pre Ililigent(1j kept, and all the lI'orl..

uf the h(Jllse of A Iwb. Tlle.1j turned hack and lare treacherrJ/l.

like their forefatllel's; tlle!1 tllmed thelllselus like a derei{flll
bOlL'19, is God's summary of the history of l
rael. "9 Ahsu..d
are the,' who follow thc i
noranees of thci.. fathel's. and eve)"
pleael i-nhe..ited cu"tum as an ÏlTefra
able defellee, though
blamed for extrcme:,:t ilk So id.olaters especially, being
callcd to the knowledge of the tmth, e' er bear in mind the
e....o.. of their fathers allll, embracing thdr ignorance as all
hereditary lot, remain blind."
Tile f(Jrmer proplwts. 'fhe propl'ets spake God's words.
as well ill their pastoral office as inpredi('ting- things to eOIIIC,
in enforeing- God's law and ill e'ího..tilll!" to repentanee, as
in annoUlH'ing tIll' judgements on di"obedienee. The p..edi('-
ti,-c as well as the I}a
t(lral otfiee we..e nnited in Xatban 20,
Ga(Pl, Shemaiah

, Aza..iah 23, HallanF\ Elijah
5, Elisha
6,

9 S. Crr. 10 Hos. iii. 4. See ab. p. 2-t.
11 The force of
;':I<'. The duty is implied in Y. 2. ]
Ha/tg. i. 2-11.
13 lb. 13. . 1'.'
Ial. iii. 7. 1. S. James iv. B. 111 S. John xi..
:I.
Ii Cone. Trid. Sess. vi. e. ã. IS l\lic. vi. 16. 19 Ps. Ixxviii. -jì.
20 2 Sam. vii. 4-1(;, xii. I-H. 21 1 Sam. x'tii. 5, xxiv. II.
2:! 2 Chr. xi. 2--1, xii. 5-8. !3 lb. xv. " lb. x_i. i-!J.
:Ii; 1 Kgs xvii. 1, 1-1, xviii. 1,41. xxi. 19, 21, 2:
, 2!1, 2 K!rs i. 4, 16.
26 2 Kgs iU.17, 1:;. iv. 16, v. o 27. ..ii 1. 2, viii. 10-13, JÜi.i. 14-W

;,u

ZEC'IL\.RL\H.

c Jliioíes T from your eyil ways, and fi'01n your evil
cir. 520. doin
s: hut they did not hear, nor hearkcn
unto me, saith the LORD.
5 Your fathers, where (I).e they? and
thc prophcts, do they li,'e for evcr ?
fIsai. 55. 1. 6 ßut f my words and my statutes, which
I t'ommand('(l my sernmts the prophets, did
I:
::rtake. they not II take hold of your f

thers? and
. Lam,!. 18. thcy returned and said, g Like as the LORD
&:!. Ii. of hosts thought to do unto us, according

l\Iicaiah the son of Imla. who
e habitual predictions ag-ain:<t
Ahab induced
\.Imb to
ay 1, I hate ltilll,lor he doth lwt pro-
plles." good concerning me, bllt el'ÍI. The :<peeific calls to con-
ven-ion here named and theÏ1' fruitles
ness. arc slimmed up
by Jeremiah as words of all the prophets. For ten years he

ap;, 2 Ti,e word of the Lord hath come unto l/Ie, and I have
spoken Ill/to YOIl, rising early and speaking, and .tie Iwve not
hearkened. Ami ti,e Lord Itath ,çent unto 'IUIl all His sel"l'auts
thl' propllet.ç, rising eart.1f and sendiug; hilt .lle Iwve not I,eark-
eued uor inclined YOllr ear to I,ear. TIIe.1f sairl, Tllru ye agaiu
IIOW n'eI,!1 one from his ellil l(J({.lfs and from tlte evil of .1/Ol(r
drlings, ami dl('ell in the lal/d that ti,e Lord Itath gillen Ilnto
!IOIl alltl to your .fatllers for ever autl el'er; and go 1tot after
other gods to serl'e ami worsltip tltem, al/d provoke lIIe not to
anger with tile U'OriiS of YOllr l/ll1uls, aud I will do llOlt uo hurt.
Bilt ye hat'e not Itearkeued Iluto .lIe, saith tlte Lord j that .lJe
migM prot'oke .lIe to anger u'ith the lL'orks of yuur hands to
.1/ollr own hllrt. Tllerefol"(', tlllls saith tlte Lord (
f bosts, Be-
('((use ye bal'e 1tot I,eard Jl!/u'ol"lls !!J'c. The prophetic author
of the hook of Kings sums up in like way, of all the prupltets
and all tlte seers. 3 Tlte Lord testilied agaillst fs/"(/el alUl
against .Judah b.1f the Iwnd of all ti,e propllets alltlall the seers,
:<aying, Tnrn .lle from your el'ÍI u'((.'ls and keep
11.'1 r'ollllll(wd-
melds, .11.'1 statntes, according to all tlte lal(' u'hiclt I colllmauded
.'Iour fathers, and w/tich I sellt to you b.1J JIy SelT(tlItS the pro-
phets, and tlte." did 1lot hear, and hardened their neck, like ti,e
ner,li of tlteir fathers.
The ehararteri
tic worel4, turn from YOllr el'iiu'a.l/s and tlte
I'/'il of your doings oer'urring in Jeremiah. it is probable. that
this summary 'n

ehiefly in the mind of Zeehariah, ami that
he refers not to Isaiah, Joel, Amos &e., (as all the prophets
\n-re preachers of repentance), but to the whole body of
teachers, whom God rai!"ed up, analogous to the Christian
mini:<tn, to reeall men to Him
elf.
The Íitle. tlte fOl"mer prophets, eontmsts thc offire of Hagg-ai
amI Zc('hariah. not with definite prophets before the captivity,
hut with the whole company of those, whom God sent as lIe
:<ays, so unremitting-Iy.
..Iud fllP.1f hearkened not unto lIIe. "5 They heard not
the LOI'd warning throug-h the prophet:<, attended not-not
to the Prophets who spake to them but-not to l\Ie. saith
the Lortl. For I was in them who spake ami was de
pised.
"'henee also thc Lorel in the Gospel saith, 6 He that receiveth
.110U, receivet!t .lIe."

11 Kgs xxii. 8. 2 Jer. xxv. 3-8.
4 Zech. [:;:-" t::."J,.=a [:')1-" t::.:,,
;]
;,;. .
:
. ;
,:. 5. [::..,.,
'O 1fI':1 "
.,,, 1J"rn 1:"11 II] 1:lZ;
In Jer. x'\iil.ll. the
cOlld clau....
. i.., [::I

;'.
' [:
.
" 1::":::':11: in Jer. x
x\'.l;j., it is,
CJ'

'":) 1:-:J''''. In Zech., the Kri c:"''')lo sub.mutes Jeremiah's "ord for the éi.... ^<'Y'
[:''''

'":). 5 S. Jer. 6 !'. "Iatt. '<. 10.
;
t is probabl} for emphasis, that (here alone) the full c:J :1:!:! stands for the con-

to our ways, and according to our d0Í11gs, c J
7ST
so hath he dealt with us. cir. 5
1).
7
L pon the four and twentieth day of cir.519.
the elc,-enth month, which is the month
Sehat, in the se('ond p'ar of Darius, came
the word of the LORn unto Zechariah, the
son of ßcrechiah, the son of Iddo the
prophet, saying,
8 I saw by ni
ht, and behold h a man h Josh. 5. 13.
. 1 . ' I I 1 I Rev. G. 4.
1'1( IIlg upon a rc( lOl'SC, an( IH' stOUt

5. rOllr fatlters, tcltere arl' tI,ey 7? The abmpt :<olcmnity
of the quc4ion seems to imply an une"pected close of life
whieh t'ut short their hopes, plans, promi
e
to self. 8 lVI,ell
tlley sail1, Peace and safety, tl,ell slldden destruction cometh
UpOIl lI,em. Yet 110t they only but the prophets too, who
ministered God's word to them, these also being- men, pas
ed
away, some of them before their time as men. hy the martyr':<
death. :\Ianv of them saw not their own words fulfilled.
ßut Gotl's w'ortl which they spake, being from Gild, l'as...cd
not away.
6. iJllly JIy 1('ords and 1I1.1f decrees 9, which God spake
by them, did nvt tlte.1I overtake them? Heathen remini:<cell('c
of God's justiee acknowledged, "10 Rarely hath puni:<hment
with limping tread parted with the foremnning mi:<('reant:'
All these CUl'ses, l\Ioses forctells 11, slwll come UpOll t!tee ami
overtalie thee 12, until tllOll art destro.lled.
And t!let/ returned to God ([1/(1 said. The history of the
Jews in ß'ahylon is omitted in Holy Scripture, excëpt as to
His special dealing
with Daniel and his three companion!'.
Yet Jeremiah confesses in words, what Zeehariah had ap-
parently in his mind; 13 The Lord hath done tlwt teMch He
pU'1JOsed; He Illltll ftt(lìlled His word, ll'hil'l, He com11lwuled
ill the da/ls of old. The Lamentations are one long con-
fc
sion of desen'ed puni
h\llent, surh as Daniel too lllalle
in the name of his people with himself1\
It was one long- waiting for God and for the re"toration of
His visible worship. Yet repentance was a condition of their
restoration.
ï. 011 tlte tll'en(1f fourth day, exactly lh-e months after
the building of the temple was resumed 15, and two months
after Haggai's la:<t pl"Ol'hecy 16. The series of vision:<, Icading"
onwards, from the first deli,'emnee f/"Om the enemies who
oppres
ed them, to the Coming of Chri:<t, is gh'en as a reward
to their first whole-hearted endeavour to restore their wor-
ship of Him. The ,-isions are (
alled the word of ti,e Lord,
heeause they were prophecy, made vi:<ible to the eye, ('on-
nying the revelation to the soul, and in pal.t explained
bv Him.
.
. I sail' in tile lIight, i. e. that following- on the t7('en('I-
fow.tli da.'l. The darknes
of the night perhaps was cho:<en,
as agreeing with the dimne:<s of the restored condition.
Xight too i
, "Ii through the silenee of the senses and of the
fancy, more suited for reeeh'ing Divine revelations."
.A mall riding upon a red ItOrse. The man is an angel

tracted t:;!:!; our," where are they?" s 1 Thess v.3.
9 As Ps. ii. 7. Zeph. ii. 2. JO Hor. Od. ill.
. fin. 11 Deut. xxviii. 45.
I
The same word r;,.'" (as here) occurs also lb. 15; of the Divine wrath, 1's. lxix.
23; of iniquities, l's. xl. 13.
13 Lam. ii. Ii, [::)1 is used of God, in connection with :1Ï:>V in both places and in Jer. Ii.
12. [:':1 is u.ed of God besides onl}" in Jer. iv. 28. The \erb is used only 13 times in aU.
14 Van. i.... 4-16. I. Hagg. ii. 13. 16 lb. ii. :!O. 1; Dion.

CIL\.PTEIt I.

c N e fïí\1 among' the myrtl(' tr.('('s that 'l('C}'C in the
cir. 51
. hottmn; anti lH-'hind him u'ae thc)'c ired
:ITI;,(ìi,;.r- 7 . horse.., \I spedded, and white.
D Then saifl I, 0 my lord, what m'('
these? And the an
el that talk('d with
me said unto me, I will shew thee what
these be.

of God. appearing- in form of man, as Daniel
ays, "1 The
man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vi
ion at the be
in-
ning-, touched me." He is douhtle
s the same who appe
u'eel
to Joshua in form of man, preparing- thercby for the revela-
tion of God lIIanifest in tile flesh-lIe, before whom Joshua
fell on his fat'e and in him worshipped God, thwug-h whom
al
o Goel required the same tokens of renrence as He had
fWIll l\Iu
e!ò 2. Joshua lifted lip /âs f'.'l/es, llud looked, aml be-
Imld there stood a man over against IÛm ll'itlt a sl('ord drau'n
;'t his l/fwd, u,11O said, as Captain of the Lord's host a1// 1
('ome. lIe ride
here, as Leader of the host who foHO\,' Him;
to Him the others report, anel He instructs the An
cl who
illstl"Ut'ts the prophet. Reel, being the colour of blood, spnho-
lises douhtless ,. ;\ the vengeance of God to be infli('ted on the
('nemies of the Jews fOl:- their sins committed a.gainst the
.Jews," exceeeling- the measure of chastisement allowt'el hy
God. It prohably was S. Jlichael4, who is entitled in Daniel,
1/,mr prince':>, the great prince ll'llicll standeth lip for tlte cltildrell
of thy people 6.
And he was standing, almost as we say, stationary. abid-
in
in that one place. The deseription is repeated 7, ap-
parently as identifying- this angel, and so he anel the angel
of the Lords arc probably one.
The m.'/rtle trees 9, from their fragrance and Jon-ne
s,
prohably symbolise the Church, as at once yielding a s\\"('ct
odonr, and in a low estate, or lowly. The natural habits
of the llI\Ttle make it the fitter snnbol lO .
And IJ/:/dnd !tim. The relåtion of the An
el as their
chief is represented by their following- him. "rhis is eon-
sistent with their appearing subsequcntly as
'i,'in
report to
hilll. The red and white horses arc well-known spubols
of \I-ar ami /!Iory, whence He "'ho sits on tIle wltite IW1'se II
ill the Rc\'elations, went fortlt cOl/qllcring llnd to conquer.
The remaining" colonr is somewhat uncertain. If it be aSllell
gray, it wOllltl correspond tu tile pale IlOrse 12 of the Revela-
tions. alHl the union uf the two rolmll's. blarl{ and white,
is ealeulated to be a symhol of a eheflllcred state of thim!,'s,
whereas a mingled colour like" chestnut" is nut suggcsti,'c
of an\" !o:nnhol.
!;. iVlwt are tllese? lIe asks, not who, but lVlwt 13 they
impuI.t.

I Dan. i'C. 21. 2 Josh. v. ]'1-]5. See on" the Angel ofthe Lord"
in" Daniel the Prophet," pp. 519-5
5. 3 Dion. 4 Dan. x. 13. ó lb. 21.
6 lb. xii. I. S. Jerome oùóerves, .. The Je\\s suppose the "/all on the Ted horse to be
the Angel Michael, who was to avenge the iniquities and sins against Israe!."
i ver. 10. 8 ver. 11.
9 The name of the plant, 0;\:1, occurs in the Arabic of Yemen (Kam. p. 812 and
Abulwalid) and is probably the basis of Esther's original name, "';J:C!. perhaps i. q.
"ATO(J'ua. Ges.
1U "'
. ã.... in form, is doubtless the same as ;1
110
,

being used of sinking in the
water, E". XV. lU. "In profundo," S. Jer. (Virg. Georj!:. ii. 112, litora myrtetis
lætissima, and lb. iv. 12!, amantes litora myrti.) The LXX KØ7ØUK.WJI would rather
have been "'

. and the myrtles make shade, but do not grow in a shady place. llitz.
Ew. 'faur. correct ,'
, "the tent," (as Arab. ",le:!) i. e. .. of God," they say. But the
tabernacle, while ite"\.isted, "as not so called; nur did m)rtlesgrow before it. Bottcher
n. 641. -y.) ",:'7," schatten-daeh:' 11 Re,. ,i. 2.

51;'

10 A\nd the man that stood amollg' the C lrít o í e s T
mp.tle tre('s answered mHI said, k Tlwse cir. :>19.
(l)'C tlll'.'j whom the I JORIJ hath sent to walk k Hcb. 1. U.
to and f.'o tln'ollgh the earth.
II I And they answered the an
d of the I

103.20,
LORD that stood amnll
the Ill)-rtle tref'S, -.
and said, "T e have walked to and ft.o

Tile augel tlml tllikedwith me. lit." spake in me." The
very rare expre

ion a !òeems mcallt to cOII,'ey thc tll(lu
ht ot
an inward speaking, whel'eby the words !olwuld be borne
direetly into the soul, without the internutioll of the or-
dinary uutwarel organs. God says to
Iose
, 1. If tllere is (l
propltel a]}/ong you, I, tlte Lord, u'illlllake JIysdf knolt'Jl Ullto
Mm ill a "isiun, I u'ill spea/. [lit.] ill Mill in a dream. ..lIy
!je1Tll1tf .JIo!>es is 1Wt so-In Mill will I ,
p('(ll, 11lOutit to
111,J/tth; and lIahakkuk says (,1' the like inwan] tcaehill
,
16 I 1I'ill u'atc/t to see, ll'hat fIe lL'Ïll spellk iu lI,e. It is th('
charaeteri
tic title of one attendant-an
c1, who was (;od'

expo
itor of the vi
ions to Zechariah 17. "3 fly his ministry
God !oòhewed me things to eome, in that that ang-d f"rmed
in the spirit awl ilUa
'inative power of Zel'lHlrÍah phanta..ms
or imag-es of thilll!.'s which were foreshcwn him, and gave
him to lIlHlcrst:ulll what those imagoes
i.rnified."
II. .Alld tlte //Iall (tIIsll'ered to 'the q
c!'tion addressed to
th.. attendant-angel. He hims('lf took the word.
These are tlu.'Ill'luJ/1z tlte Lord sent to u'alk lip alld dfllt'1l.
Satan say" of himsclf that he came 18 from goillg to alld f/"(J
ill tile ew.tlt amI fro//l ll'a/lÛng up and dtJ/l'n in it. .\,.. he
fur evil. so these for'
'ood. Their offiee was 1I0t a speeifi.'
or passing duty, a
when God !oòcnt IIi!< all
els with !'()IUC

peeial cunllllissioll, such as those rc('orded ill I1ol
'
(Tip-
ture. It was a continuous eOlll'crsation with the atfaÏi'" of
men, a minute course of visitin
, in!'peding- our human
deeds and way"" a part of the" 19 wonelerfu} Ol'eler," in which
God has "ordained and con4ituted the
cn iees of .\n
els
and men." Xor is it said that the Angels were Jimited.
aeh
to hi!< own p('t'uliar prO\ in('e, as we 'learn through Dallicl.
that eertain p:reat Angels, Pri1lces among- them, had the
char
e of empires or nation
, even of the heathen 20. Thesc
Angels had apparently only the office of in
)le.,ting- and re-
porting to Anl!.'c1s of a higher order, thcmseh-e!< a suhordi-
nate order in the heawnly Hierarchy. Xor aJ'e they spuken
of, as executing- any judg-ements of God, or as IJaeifyilll{ the
earth; they may han been so employed; but they arc only
,..aid to ha,-e reported the state ill whieh they found it.
The
e tlll.Ht'C}"('(! the unexpres!<ed elllJuiry of tIle angel (
r
the Lord. as he had allswered the un uttered que
tion uf thl'
angel, atteudant on Zechariah.

I
Rev. vi. 8. ,z,øpol,ð;"varü," S.Jer.. !aJlOul Ag. The I-:::i? of the Targum is itself un-
certain. It is a conjecture only of Levy, that it may be i. q. KlIaJlOxaiT'I1<, .. dark-
maned." R1'hi and Kim. uwn that they do not lllow. The I'e.hito II:::;:';'; eoneó-
ponds to the Heb. "'
in Gen. ,<xx. 32. (bis) 33, 3.; (bis) 39. but its meaning, in itself, is
equal!) unknown. The Hebrew root occurs besides, only of a choice ,'ine, pI. Is. xvi. 8.
""" Is. v. 2. Jer. ii. 21. "'i<1-" Gen. xlix. 11; in Arab. P,"", -\bu]w. But althongh thi'
i: 1 ;:, s
r

N

f

i
j,it,Si:l
I
;,a:r s

l ;;u:;'
ifi

:T

<;'
k..), j
:: 1

:lf;':."s,,

a

:7o}st
rea

f;
:
:r

. Arab. '
l< "c
c
t;,u::
't

distinct from "I
d
'

; '. "
I.
u. "ii. G-!I. 16 Hab. ii. 1. Thbe are the onl... addit"onal inst nc-
of the construction. unless Jer. x"xi. 2U, be used of tender speakiJlg, .. in (el _...hel

in the heart 01) Ephraim_"
I, i. I=t H, 19 (ii. 2 Hch.) ii. 3. [ï] iv. 1, 4, 5. v. 5.10. ,i. I.
I IS Job ii. 2. 19 Collect lor S. )lichael's dav.
, See" Daniel the Prophet" Pl'. :>2;;, ;;:!(). .

5lG

ZECIL\.RL\.H.

c ..r
[T's T throng-II the earth, and, hehold, aU the earth
cir. :;UJ. sittcth still, amI is at rest.
12
Then the angel of the LORD an-
m P,. IO
. 13. swercd and said, m 0 LORD of hosts, how
ltc\. 6. IU.
lon
wilt thou not have merey on J erusalclll
and on the cities of J uùah, ag-ainst which
nJer.
5.1I,I
. thcHI hast had indiO"nation n these three-
nan.
'.2. ,...
ch. i.5. seOl'e and ten years

Sittet" still and is at rest, at re
t, a" the word ,,{'ems
tn express \ from its wontC'd
tate of tumult and war. \\T ar,..
although soon to hreak out again. were in the
e('ond year of
Dariu,,; for the time su..pended. 'fhe re!'t. in whiC'h the wodd
was, sUl!:l!:ests thc eontrast of the yet continuing- unrest allot-
ted to the people of Goel. Such rest had been pl"Omised to
I srael, on its return from the enptidt y 2, but had not yct been
fulfilled. Through the hostilitv of the.' Samaritans the building
of the temple h<
d been hillllel:ed and was just reeommenced';
the wall of Jerusalem wa!' yet bmken down 3 ; its fire-burneel
I!:ates not restorcd; itself ,\'as a waste 4 ; it,. hou..es unbuilt ".
This gives occasion to the intcrcession of tlte Angel of tile
LrJ/'d.
12, And the ÅlIgf'i of the Lord mlSll'ered the implied
10n
inA", by intercession with God. As thc ang"cl-interl'reter
in J ub had" G the orlìce of no mere c'reated angcl, but onc,
antieil)ati, e of lIis, "'ho camc at onc'e to redccm and ju..tify,"
..0 the Anl!:cI of the Lord, in whom God was, exereised at once
a mediatorial ()!fiee with God, typical of our Lord's High
Prie!'t"s I'raycr 7 , and <lC'te(1 as God.
Thl'se sel'ell(ll years. The se,-enty years of the eaptidty,
l'rol'hcsicd hy Jeremiah 8, were on the e,-e of thcir ('onclu..ion
at the time of Daniel's great prayer of interee!'"ion 9; they
cnded with the capture of Babylon. and the ediet of Cyms,
pel"lllitting the J cw.. to return 10. Yet there seem" to ha,'e
hccn a secondan fulfilment, fl'om the destmetion of the tem-
ple and city, in' Zedekiah's ele,-ellth year 11, 588 B.C. to the

eeond year of Darius, 519 B.C. Sueh double fulfihnents of
prophecy arC' not like alternati,'e fulfilment". They arc a
more intrieate ami fuller, not an ea..icr fulfilment of it. Yet
t Itese íO years do not ncee..sitate such a double fulfilment.
It might expre,.;.. only a reverent wonder, that the 71) years
being aeeomplishecl, the complete re!'tomtion was not yet
hnlllg-ht to pa..s. hI2Goel ha,'ing fixed the time of the eaptidty I
to the íOth Jeat', it wa
nccessary tn he silent, !'o long as the
time was not yet ('ollle to an end, that he might not seem to
npl'o!'e the Lord's will. But, when the time was now come
to a dose and the fea.. of offcnding was removeel, he, know-
inl!-' that the Lord cannot lie, entreats and ventures to enqui..e
whether His anger ha" cnme to an end, as had those who sin-
ned; or whethe.., f..e,.1I "ins hm-ing acerueel, there shall be a
fu..ther delay, and thei.. fo..lorn estate !'hall be yet fu..ther ex-
tcnded. They then who wo....hip God have a good and not
Ulll'ertain hope, that, if they should off'cnd from infi..mity, yet
ha,'c they those \\ ho shoulel entreat for them, not men only,

I t:þ is the word used in the book of Judges of the rest given to the land under judges
ì

i
J
h
r;:p1:p;tL;
I
:oY.:.?

'd.7
'1
i;
"ir
':;.
:r
:' :

7;
: ;iso
ð'J':ð.uJ

}.iÌt

'u
dt
f th:
:

i
t

::ï:r

r;th

r:
t2

l'ì
bi.ng;.:
ehi

,\
g
:e

, 4,5.
of the rest of the city after the death of Athaliah,
Kgs xi.
O, 2 Chr. xxiii. 21; of
the earth, after the destruction of Babylon, Is. xiv. ï.

",ith the same word t:j)=' Jer, xxx. IU, xlvi. :!.ï. 3 Keh. i. 3.
· 1 b. ii. 3. 5 Ib, vii. 4.
;, :See" Daniel the Prophet" p. 523. ; S. John xvii.

13 AmI the LORD answered the arwel C HBífOts T
that talked with me 'L{'ith 0 gooù words U
tJ cir. ;;19,
comfortable words. 0 Jer. 29.10.
14 So the angel that mmmuned with
me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus

aith the LORD of hosts; I am P jealous p Joel 2, lB.
fì J 1 d fi Z . . I ch. 8. 2.
or .. erusa em an 01' IOn WIt) a great

T.
but tll(' holy ang-eJs themselves, who rende.. God g-raciolls and
prol)itiou.., soothing" His anl!:er by their pu..ity, and in a man-
nel" winning" the g..iewd Judge. Theil the Ang-cl entreateel
for the synag-Og"llC to the Jews; but we, who belie\"e and ha,"e
been sanctified in the
pi..it, 13 have WI
/dl'(Jcate with the
.Fatller Jesus Christ tlte rip,hteous, and He is the propitiation
for OIl]" sins, and as thc l)i, ine Paul write", U God haflt set
Ilim forth as II propitiation through fait/I, freeing from sin
those who eome to Him."
13. _Ind tile LordwlSll'ered the angel tlillt tnll.-ed 1eith me.
Eitllel' di..e('tly, at the intercession of tlte llngel of tlte Lord,
IIr mcdiatcl
thron
h an answer first g"h-en to him, and hy
him comlllunicated to the subordinate angel. :Keithcr i:,;
eXIH"e!'sed.
Good ll'ords, a" God had promised I", after serent.1/ yem's
slndl be accolllplishedat Bahylrm, I ll'ill t'Ïsit yolt and perform
J1..'I good word UlltO .1/ou, causing .you to l'eturll to this place;
and Joshua !'ays, IGT/,ae failed 1lot (Jugld of allY good 1c(JrCi
1l'1IÍch the Lord .çpake unto tile house of Israel.
Cm/{f(Jrlabie ll'ords, lit. cOllsolatiolls 17. Perhap" the Ang-cI
who reeeh'ed the me:;sal!:e had, from their tcnder eUlnpassiun
for us, whereby they I
j(J.11 Ol'a olle sinner that repenteth, a part
in the..e cOllsolations which he conveved.
14. Cry tiIOU. The vision was not for the prophet
alone. "That he saw and hcard, that he was to proelaim to
others. The vi"ion, which he now saw alone. wa" to he the
basis and sub:;tanee of his subsequent preaching 19, wht'reby
he was to enC'ourag-e his peoplc to l,ersevcl"e.
I am.iealrJ/ls for JeI"ll.mlem, lit. Ilult'e beell, not now only
but in time past even when I dielnot shew it, allli amjellloll,
2U,
with the tender love whieh allows not what it loves to be in-
jured 21. The lo,-e of God, until finally shut out, is unchat'lge-
ahle, He pur
ues the sinner with chastiscJllent
and seourges
in His lo,'e, that he mav vet be eonverted anellive 22. But for
God's Im-e to him and' the solicitations of His grace, while
yet impenitent and displeasing" Him, he could not turn and
please Him.
Alld f(Jr ZiOIl, whieh especially Hc had eho
en to put
His Kame there, and there to receive the worship of His }'CO-
pIe; 23the 1â1l1clâch God desired to dwell in, 2-J.wMch He lored.
"2;;\\Tith I!:I"eat and special love have I lm-ed the people of the
Jews and \\ hat pertained to them, and out of that love have
I so diligentlv and se\'erelv corrected her excesses. that she
may be ;nore 'careful for tlic time to ('ome, as a llU!'band cor-
rects most sharply a wife most dear to him, if she be unfaith-

8 Jer. X'i:'1. 11, I
. xxix. 10. 9 Dan. ix. 2.
10
Chr. xxxvi. 22, 23. Ezr. i.!. II 2 Kgs xxv. 2, 8, 9.
I
S. Cyr. 13 1 S. John ii. 1, 2.
14 ROIll. iii. 2:;. lõ Jer. xxix. 10. 16 Josh. ni. 43 (15 Eng.) add xxiii. 14, 15.
17 as Is. Ivii. It;. IS S. Luke xv. 10.
19 "'j), ab. 4. Jon. i. 2. Is. xl. 2, 6.

E\\a1d compares '/1J1"1', oîða, novi; 'I1'DI,memini, Ku. xi. 5, '11'0:'1,
'n1:'1, Ps. xxxviii.
16. &c. Lehrb. n. 13;;. b. p. 351 ed. B.
l See on
ah. i. 1, p. 3ï3.
Z
S. Au::. Conf. iii. 1.
. I's. Ix\ iii. 16.

4 lb. Ixxviii. U:3, add Ps. cxxxii. 13, U. :::; DioD.

CIL\.PTER I.

517

C HB
{ofs T 15 And I am '"cry sore displeased with' hosts, and I a line shall he stretched forth C HBlIofsT
cir. ;'l!I. the heathen t!tat w'e at ease: for q J was II upon .J erusalcm. dr. 5l!J

'Isai. 4Î. 6. but a little displcasèd, and they helped II I ï Cry r et , sayin
, Thus saith the LOIm . cld. 1, 2.
forward the aftliction. of hosts;
[y cities throu
h t prospel'ity t Heb.good.
. Isai. 1
. 1. 1 ü Thcrefore thus saith the LORD; r I am shall yet bc spread ahroad; t and the I,()Im t Isai. 51. 3.
t\. 51. 8.

i.t3
0. returned to .J erusalem with mereies: my shall yet comfol.t Zion, and U shall) et choose G I
h
-lliL
house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of II J cl"llsalcm. &, 3. 2.
I
ful. ".henee in the book ot l\Iac('abees it is written, "1 It I I tMnketll not so, but lûs !teart is to destroy llmi cut (1lnatirms
is a tol;;:en of His g'reat g-nodnes
, when wicked doers are not not a few.
suffered any long time, but are forthwith puni
heel. For not I H.i. Tilerefore. This being' so, since God was so jealous
as with other nations, whom the Lord paticutly forbeareth for His people, !'o displea
ed with their per!'ct'utors, tl,us sai/lt
to punish, till they be come to the fulness of their sins, so tbe Lord, "11] \\110 i3hl wrath remember mer(:I/, allll'eturllelf1\
dealcth He with us; lc
t, being' eome to the heig-ht of !'in, not by chan
e of place, ,rho am uncin'umscribeel. not ü.istin

after,,'ards lIe should take "engeanee of us. And therefure in place, to the people of Judah and JCl"ll!'alcm in mercÍc!',
He never withdraweth His mcrey from us, and thoug-h Ht' manifoldly benefitting' them by various cft'el'ts of
Iy IOH."
pUlli
heth with a(h'ersity, yet doth He nevcr forsake His The !òing-Ie benefits, the rebuilding of His House, amI so the
people." restoration of His public worship, and the rehuilding- of Jeru.
15. I am sore displeased, ]it. with great auger am I a1l- !'alem, are but instam'es of that all
containin
merey, IIis
gered against tbe nations which are at ease. The form of the restored presence in tender merl'ies 15. ] am l'etlimcd, God
worl1s 2 shews that the g-reatne"Òs of the di!òplea!'ure of GlJel says, although the effeets of IIis retum were yet to come.
a

:ain:st those who oppress His people, b proportionate to the A line Ûwll be .
tretrlu:d forth ot'er Jerusalem. before,
great and tender love ton'arl1s themseh'es. God had been wben it stood, this had bcen donc to destroy 16; now, whcn
angered indeed 3 with His people; with their enemics He was de4royed, to rebuild 17.
angered with a great angel'; anel that the more, be('au
e they "18 The temple was built thcn, when the foundations of the
were at ease4, in unfeeling sclf-enjopnent amid the miseries walls were not ret lai(l. In man's sig-ht it would have seemed
of others. more provident that the walls should be first builded, that
I was a little displeased 5 ; little, in compari50n with our then the templc Illig-ht be buill1ed more securely. To God, in
deserts; little in cOlllpari
on with the anger of the human \\'hOlll Alone is the most firm stay of our lifc and sah-ation,
instrulIIents of His elispleasure; little in comparison with it seemed otherwise. For it eannot be that he. to whom no-
their's who, in their anger, soug-ht their own ends. thin
is dearer than zeal for the most holy religion, should
They helped Im'ward the q!fliction 6 . ..7 He is wroth with be for
aken of lIis help."
the nations at ease, because He delh'cred His people to he 17. Cr.1J yet, a fmther promise; not only should .Terusa-
corre('ted, but they useel cruelty towards those delivered; lem he rehuilt, but shoull1, as we say, ol'e1jiow ll'Ïth gf)(Jd I9 ;
lIe wills them to be amellded as a son by a schoolmaster; and God, \\110 bad seemed to cast oft' His pcople. should yet
they set themseh'es to slay anel punish them, as an encmy. comfort bel', and should shew in act that lie had dlO
en
Like that in Isaiah, 8 I gave tlleIn into thy hands; tholt didst h cr 20. Zechariah thri('e 21 repeats the promise. g-h"en through
shew them no mercy; upon ti,e ancients hast tllOu t:ery Ileavily haiah 22 to Jerusalem, before her wasting hy the Chaldæalls,
laid tilY yoke." remindin
the people thereby, that the restoration, in the
Or it may be, helped for evil, in oreler to bring about evil, dawn whereof they lived, had been promised two centuries
as in Jeremiah 9, Behold I set
']y .face against YOlt .for evii 10 , before. ret, a
ainst all appearances. .11.1/ eities !'hall O\"er-
and to destroy all Judah i. e., as we shoulel say, they were the flow with good, as being God's; yet would the Lord comfort
instl"llments of God, "11 cöoperatcd in the execution of My Zion; .Vet would
e ('hoo
e Jeru!'alem.
justiee towards you, but cruelly and with perverse intention. "18 ".hat is the hi
hest of all g-oods? what the swcetcst
For althoug'h the Assyrians and Chaldæans wasted the Jewi!oh solace in life? what the subject of joys? what the oblh ion of
11Cople, God so orelaining in as far as He willed throug-h them past sorrow? That whieh the Son of God bwug-ht upon
to pUlli
h in the present the sins of His people, yet they did earth, wben He ilIumilleel Jeru!'alem witb the brig-htness of
it, not in view of Goel alld out of zeal for righteousness, but His light and heavcnly diseiplinc. For to that end was the
out of pride cm"etousness and with the worst ends. Hence city restored, that in it. by the ordinance of Christ. fur eala-
God !':ays by Isaiah 12, 1Vo to AssltUr, tlie rod of .1line unger, mity should abound bJiss ; for desolation, flllness; for sorrow,
and tile str!1f Ùl Ids Iwnd is JJIine indignation. Howbeit he joy; for want, affiuence of heavenly goods."

12 Mace. vi. 13-16.
2"\1 '1xÞ 'JII""11 r;
p ver. 15, as contrasted with :I"m :lIIJi' .., 'l1I1Ji' ver. 14:
3 'l1
.i' 'i
i' i. 2.. '1

iÏ, as
pplied to pCI
ons, IS al
ays used 1D a 1?!,d_ sense;
the noun, :3 Kgs XIX. 28, Is. XXXVIl. 29; the adJ. h. XXXlI. 9, 11, Job XII. ", Am.
vi.

;

i
b
O

I

asted witb ",,1.1 'i
i': others" for a little while." But be-
sides this contrast,
!I:J is seldom, comparatively, used of time, and that, as indicated
by the context. G
n. xlvii. 9, .. my days have been few;" Lev. ,<xv. 5
, "if a little re-
mains of the years;" Ru. ii. Î, " she sat a little in tbe house; " Job x. 20, "are not my
davs few?" xxiv. 24, .. they are exalted a little, and are not." Add Ps. xxxvii. 10, Jer. h.
33; Hos. i. 4, .. yet a litt.l.e:, and." Hagg. ii. 6; "yet once, it is a little, and;" [all,
except the doubtful Ps. VIII. r..l
6 As
Chr. xx. 23, l1'11;;-::
1
!" "aided the destruction." L
. Is. xlvii. 6. g J
r. xliv. 11. 10 l1P
11
;':j[1/.
PART n.

12 Is. x. 6, 7. IS Hab. iii. 2. U 'I1J=', although 11J:', "1:".
15 c'Om occurs 27 times of the tender love of God; 12 time. onl
'. 01 the comp".sion
of man, and in 6 of these, of compassion of man as given b) God. !:..::m" Ð InJ; 2æ with
the word rc
]. 16 2 Kgs xxi. 13, Is. xxxiv. 11.
17 It is used _?f the creation. of the earth, Job XXX\iii. 5. The Chethib, probably :T1,i?,
occurs 1 KgsVll. 23, Jer. X'<XI. 19, and here.
180sor. 19" afflueut bonis," S. Jer.; .. effluent bonis," Vulg. more exactly.
The word f'!' is used of the" gushing forth of a fountain," Pro v. 16; also of the clis-
pe"ion of people; not of the spreading abroad of a people for good.
G=.

ei: a
l;i
:

ì'
:;'''',(

: :t.2
.laS

t

':"a
:
oS
;.
:.

,
:. i.a

'iTI

clh
Is. i.
9} tbe sense would be injured by renderinl1:. "loved." 21 here, iL 1:1, iii. 2:
22 Is. xiv. I. """,,,,'J 11\1-n:l. Isaiah ha< the same cadence as Zechariah, though Zechariah
I only retains the characteri.tic words T.;
r;J.

4 F

is. Jer.
11 Dion.

518

ZECIL\RL\.II.

Before
CHRIST
dr.. ãHt

18
Then lifted I up mine eyes, and
saw, and behold four horns.
I!)
\.nd r said untu the angel that talked
with me, "'hat bc these? And he answered
me, "rfhese lIrc the horns which have scat-
tered Judah, Israel, and .J ernsalem.
20 .And the LURD shewed me four car-
penters.
21 Then said I, "That come these to do?
And he spake, saying-, These arc the horns
which hayc sf'attered .J udah, so that no man
did lift up his head: but these are come to

K Ezra 4. 1,
4, i. & 5.3.

This first ,i
ion ha\'ing- predicted the entire re!'toration,
the dctails of that restoration are given in subse(luent
visions.
18 lAnd I lifted up mine e.lJes. "2Kot those of the hody
(for sueh visions are invi
ible to the eyes of the flesh), but
rather the inner e,'es of the heart and mind." It seems as
though, at the elo
e of each dsion, Zechariah sank in medi-
tation on what hael been shewn him; frolll which he \Vas
ag-ain roused Iw the exhibition of another yision,

I saw low: horns. The lllention of the homs naturally
su
;?;ests the thou
ht of the ercatures whieh wielded them;
as in the fil'st d
ioll that of the I/Orses following- the ehiefs,
implies the presence of the riders upon them. Anel this the
more, since the worel "fray them a\\'ay" implies Ii\'ÏIl
crea-
tures, liahle to fear. "3 The homo in in!':pired Scripture, is
always taken as an imag-e of sh'en
th, and mostly of priele
also, as Ihn"id said to some, 4 I said 1tIito the lool.
, Deal not
so f(Joli.
M.'I, ami to the ungodly, Lift not up tlte horns. L{lt
llot up your horns on high ami speak llot with a stij" ?lcck.
The prophet then sees four I/Oms, i. e. foul' hard and warlike
nations, who could easily uproot dties anel countries."
Tllese are the horns which hm'e scattered. "5 The four
horns which scattered Judah Israel and Jerusalt'l11, are four
nations, Babylonians, l\Iedcs anel Persians, )lacedonians and
Romans: as the Lord, on the pl"Ophet's enquÍl'Y, explains
here, an,l Daniel unfold:,; most fully 6; who in the vision of
the ima
e with ,!,:"olden head, silver breast, belh' anel thi
hs of
brass, f
et of ir
n and clay, eXplained it of the;e foul' nàtions,
and ag-ain in another vision of four heast
7, lion, beal', leo-
IJanl and another unnamed dreadful beast, hc pointed out the
same nations under another fig-ure. But that the )Ieùes and
Persians, after tbe vietory of Cyrus, were one kin
'dolll, no onc
will doubt, who rea tis secular and saered literature.-"Thcn
this vi:,;ion was beheld, the kingdom of the Babylonians had
now pas
ed away, that of the )Iedes and Per!'ians was in-
stant; that of Greeks and :\Iaeedonians and of the Romans
was vet to come. "That the Babvlonians, what the
Iedes
and i'ersians, what the Greeks i. é. the l\Iacedonians, did to
Judah, Israel ami Jerusalem, a leamed man acknowlcdgeth,
es
weially undcr Antiochus, sUI'named Epiphanes, to whit'h
the history of the -'Iarcabees belong!':. After the Coming of
our Lord and Saviour, when Jerusalem was eneompassed,
Josephus, a native writer, tells most fully, what the Israclite

1 The Eng. Vers. follow. the L -XX and S. Jer. in adding the 2nd vision to the first
chapter. e s. C
ril on ii. I. 3 S. C}r. 4 Ps.lxxv. 4.

S. Jer. Kimchi and Abarbanel agree with him in the general line.
6 Dan. ii. i lb. vii.

fmy them, to cast out the horns of tIle c J
oÍes T
(;cntiles, which Y lifted up tlw;,' horn over dr. 519.
the laud of Judah to scatter it. ' l's. is. '0\, 5..

CI-L\PTER II.

God, in the care of Jerusalem, semleth to measure
it. 6 The redemptioJl of ZiOJl, 10 The promise
of God's jJl'esellce,
I LIFTED up mine eyes ag-ain, and 519.
looked, and behold a a man with a. Ezek. 40. 3.
measuring line in his hand.

endured. and the Gospel fore-announced. These hOnls dis-
persed Judah almost individually, so that, bowed down bv
the heavy weight of' evils, no one of them raiseel his head}'
Though these were successive in time, they are exhibited to
Zechariah as one. One whole are the elt'c;rts a
ainst Gud's
Church; one whole arc the instl"lllnents of God. Lwhether an-
g-elic or human, in doing or suffering, to relJcl them. Zeeha-
riah then exhibits these hostile pon'ers as past and gone 8,
as each would be at the end, having put fm.th his passin

might, and perishing. They st'attered, each in its day, anel
disappeared; for the next displaced it.
The long schism being ended, Judah anel hrael are a
ain
one; and Jerusalem, the !Jlace of God's worship, belongs to
Ismel as ,,-ell as to Judah .
The explanation of the number four, as spnbuIising- con-
temporaneous attacks from the four quarters of the heavens,
fail,., in matter of fact, that, in these later times, the Jews
suffered always from one power at a time. There was no
such fourfoM attack. In Zechariah's time all around was
Persian.
"loThose horns, broken hy the ang-cIs' minh.try, portended
that no g-uilt ag-ainst the Church of Christ !>hould he un-
punished: :Kev
r ".iIl there be wanting- fierce enemie:,; from
E. 'V. 1\. or S., whom God will stren
then, in order by them
to teaeh His own. But when lIe shall see His work finished,
i. e. when He !o'hall ha,-e deansed the stains of His own and
hrought hack His Chureh to her former purity, He will puni
h
those who SCJ fierceh' afflicted her."
Spiritually, "11 tliose who de4roy vires, build up virtue!',
and all the !;aints who, posse

ing- these remedies, e,'er build
up the Churt'h. may be called' builders.' "'hence thc Apo
-
tic says, 12 I, as a wise lmilcler, laid the .foundatioll; and the
Lord, when wroth, said that He woultl 13 take (lIl'a.'1 f!"Om Jem-
salem artificer all(11l'Í.
e man. .\nd the Lord Him!o'eJf: Son of
the Almiihty God and of the Creator of aU, is called 14 the son
of tlte carpenter."
ii. I. A 1//(/n with a measuring line in his halld. ProlJably
the An
el of the Lord, of whom Ezekiel has a like vision.
"11 lIe
dlO before, when he lift up his eyes, hael seen in the
four Itoms thin
s moumflli. no\\" a
ain lifts up his eyes to see
a man. of whom it is written, 15 Be/wid a man 1l'ilOse ?lame
is tile Bmnch ; of whom we read above, 16 Behold a man ,'it/ing
upon a red /lOrse, and he stood cllJwng ti,e myrtle trees, wl1Ïcll

8
'1 9 This is expressed by the use or omission of the nil. Its use eöordinat""
JUllah and Israel; its omission subordinates Jerusalem. IU O.or.
11 S. Jer. 12 1 Cor. iii. lU. 13 Is. üi. 3. 14 S. IIIatt. xiii. õli.
1. Zeeh. vi. 12. 16 lb. i. 8.

CH
\rTER II.

519

c J3íi7s T 2 Then said. r, ""hither goest thou? And l
_ cir
519
he said unto me, bTo nll'asure Jerusalem,

Re... 11. 1. .
& :H, 15, 16. to Sce what lS the breadth thercof, and
what is the Icngth thercof:
3 And, behold, the angel that talked with
me went forth, and another angel went
out to meet him,

4 .And said. unto him, Run, speak to this c HBeJor
S T
young" man, sayin
, c.J erusalem !o.hall he in- .--cir. 51
._
hahih'd as tuwns withlJUt waJls for the mul- J

3ii
io.
titude of men and cattle therein: 11.
ð For I, saith the LORD, will he unto IH'r
d a wan of fire round about, e and will he 4 I:h
'9:
.I.
the glory in thc midst of 1)('1'. · \

.r1i.I
.

tcere ill tile bottom. Of whom too the Father saith; lIe 12 the wall wasfillislledllnd ollr ellemies I,eard, and. the heatheu
build cd )Iy city, I whose bllilder Clml 1I/aker is God. He too about llS saw it, thnl were mllc/' cast dOli'1l ill tl,eir O/('}( elles;
is seen by Ezekiel ill a de
cription like thi
, 2 a mall whose for tile!! perceived tiwt tMs work 'll'CiS 'll'rougld of our God

appearallce was like the appearance of brass, i. e. burnishcd 3 This prophecy then looks on dircctly to the time of
anel
hining- as fire, with a lille of flax ill his IWlld aud a mea- Clu.i
t. '" onderfully docs it pil'turc the g-mdual expansion
sllring 1'ecd." The office also seems to be one of authority, I of the kingdom of Christ, without bound or limit, whm.c
not to measure the actualleng-th anel bread.th of Jerusalem, protection and p:lory Goel is, and the charader of it
de-
but to lay down what it should be, "4 to mark it out broael I fcnees. It should dwell as rillage.ç, peaC'efully und g-ently
and very long." expanding itself to the rig-lit alld the left, throug-h its 0\\ n
3. The angel that talked with me went .fOrtll, prohahly inherent powcr of multiplying itselt
ai; a city, to \\ hi('h no
to rcceivc thc explanation which was ;.:-inn him for zeeha- I bound.s were assig-ned, but whi,'h was to fill the carth.
riah; and mwtl,er angel, a higher an
el, since he gins him a "4 I
or us God hath rai
ed. a Chul"(
h, that truly holy and
cOlllmission, wellt forth to meet lâtll, IJein
(it seem,; probable) far-famcd city, which Christ fortificth, ,'ollsulllilig ul'poncllts
instructeel by the Angel of the Lord.. who laid down the future by im-isihle powers, and filling it with His own g-lory, aud as
dimen
ions of the city. The indefinitene
s of the de,;cl'il'tion, it were, standing- in the midst uf those who dwell in it. Fm'
llIwtller allgel, implie:; that he was neither the Angel of the lIe pWlIlised; Lo, I am with you alw(/!/s n'ell unto the eml of
Lord, nor (were thcy different) Michael, or ti,e mall with ti,e the world. This holy city haiah mentioned.: IS t/,;ne e.'Il'S
measuring line, but an an
cl of intermed.iate rank. instructed. shalf see Jerusalem, a guiet I/Ubitation; it tahel'1wcle lI'at
by one hig-her, in,;tructing the lower, who immediately in- shall not he takm dowll; 1I0t one of the stal.es thererif Ûwll
structed Zechariah. I eur be removed, neill,a shall all.1/ of ti,e cords thereof he
And said unto !tim, RUll, speak unto litis young man, the hroken; anel to her he ,;aith, 14 enlarge the place of thy tent,
prophet himself: who was to report to his people what he and let them stretch forth the curtains of tMne IUlhitation;
hearel. J cremiah says, 5 I am a YOllth; and 6 the .I/oltug mew, spare not; Lengthen thy cords and strengtlleu t1IY stakes. For
the ,l/oung prophet, carried. the prophetic mcssage from Elisha tlwu shalt hreak forth Oil the ,.;ghf luaul and on ti,e left.
to Jehu. " Youth," common as our Bng-lish tcrm in rcgard For the Church of Christ is widcned and extended bound-
to man, is inapplicable and. unapplied to angels, who have uot lessly, evcr receÎ\'iug' eountless souls who wurship Him."
our human variations of age, but exi:-t, as they were created. " 15 "'hat king or cmperor could make walls 1'0 ample a

Jerusalem shall be inlwiJited as towns without walls, to inelud.e the whole world? Yet, without this, it could
or as villages 7, viz. an uneonfined, unC'ramped. population, not cncirele that Jeru:>òalem, the Church wllieh is ditfu
ed
spreadin
itself fl'ecly, without restmint of wall,;, and (it throug-h the whole world. This Jeru,;akm, the pil
Tim part
follows) without neeel of them. Clearly then it is no eal.thly of the hca\'enJy Jerusalem, is, in this prescnt wudd, inha-
city. To be inhabited as villag-es \Hmld be weakness. not bited without walls, not being- eontained in one place or
stI'cngth; a peril, not a blcs!'i;Ig-. The earthly Jerusalem. une nation. But in that world, whither it i
daily lJeing re-
so long as shc remaincd unwalled, was in continual fear and moved hence, much more can there not. lI11r ou
ht to be, nor
weakness. Goel put it into the hcart of His servant to desire i
, any wall around,
a\'e the Lurd, \\'!tu is al
o the glory ill
to restore her; her wall was built, and then she prospered. the midst of it."
He Him,;elf had promised to Daniel, that 81ler street shall 5. ..And I, )IyscJfI6 in
Iy own TIeing. will be to her a
he rebuilt, alllL her wall, even ill strait of times.
chcmiah wall of fire, not protection only, an inner ein'Ic arounel her,
mourned. í3 years after this, B.C. 443, whcn it was told him, howe"cr near an enemy Uli
ht press in upon her, but de-
\I The reTluuwt that are left of the captivity there in the pl'O-
trudivc to her enemies. Isaiah !'lap, 17.LYo weapoll that is
t.inl'e are in greed qftlirtion and reproach: the waf[ of Jel"lCsa- formed against tl,ee shall prosper, and et'ery tonglle that slwll
lem also is lJroken dOll'n, alld tlte gates tl/ereol are bllmed with 1'ise ill judgemellt agaiH.st thee tholt shalt cf/llllenl1l. Its de-
,fire. He said to Artaxerxes, 10 Jrhy should not my crJltnte- fenec, Isaiah says, s-hall be immaterial. 18 Ire hal'e a strong
1/ance he sad, whell the city, the place of my fathers' seplllcilres, citp; salvation shall God appoint for walls (/1/(l I)/(lrl'arks;
liet" 1('a.çte, and the gates thereof are consumed 'lcitll fire'? 19 tholt shalt call tll.1/ walls salvation amL tll!1 gates praise. By
\\Yhcn permitted by Artaxerxes to return, hc ad.dressed the a diffcrcllt figure it is said, 20 I will ellcalJl}J about mine IlOuse
rlllers of the Jews, II Ye see the distress that .we are ill, how because of the arm.l/.
.Jerusalem lieth waste, and tlte gates thereof are burned'lt'itll And glol"..'1 will I be in the midst of her, as Isaiah says,
fire; come, and let u.s buildup the wall e
f Jeru.çalem, that ./l'e I' 21 Tile Lord shall be Ill/to tllee an {;l'erlasting ligM, and tll,ll
. be no more a reproach; and they said, let us rise aml bllild. I Goel thp glory; and of Christ. 2:Z III tllflt day shall the Branch
So they strengthened their hands for this good'li'OJ'k. "'hen i of tlte Lord he Beauty alld Glory-to the escaped of Israel.
I Heb. xi. 10. 2 E7ek. xl. 3. s Ih. i. Î. I 11 lb. Ii, 18. I
lb. ..i. 15, II!. 13 Is. xxxiii. 20.
. S. C)T. 5
>'J Jer. i. (j.. _ 6 I('::
:'I-,'
."! -,'J"!:? Kgs i-.:. 4. H Ib..liv.
, 3. 15 Rup. I
'JM,emph. I. Is. Ii v;, Ii. .
i See on Ilab. iii. U. p. 43
. 8 Dan. IX.
". 9 1'dl. i. 'S. ." lb. ii. 3. IS lb. '-XVI. I, 19 lb. h:. IS. -" Zech. 1'-. 1;. :J Is, he_ I!'. - lb. IV. 2.

520

ZECII.ARL\II.

c æ
oìs T 6
Ro, ho, come jud}" amI flee r from
r c
r.

. - the latHl of the north, saith the LORD: for
I';;'J52\I
O. I hm-e g spread ,.on ahroad as the four

e
o
'l
winds of the hea\:cn, 'saith the LORD.
51. (;, 4,";. g Deut. 28. <>>. Ezek. 17. 21.

(). .Elf}! llO! al/fl.flee. S\H'h being the !'afety and glory
in !'torc for Gm]"s people in Jerusalcm, He 'Vho had
o pro-
vided it, the Ang"cl of the Lord, bid... Hi
peoplc everywhere
to ('omc to it, saving themseh-es also fwm the peril whil'h
was to eome on Babylon. So Isaiah bade them, 1 Go ye fortlt
(
r Bahylon ; .flee .'Ie from tlte ClwldlCans ll'itlt (l 'L'uÙ:e of sing-
illg; der'lare .lle, tell tMs, utter it to tlte end of tlte eartlt; ,Wl.'1
.'Ie, The LOI'd Ita tit l'edeemed His sen'ant Jacoh. 2 Depart ye,
r/epnrt !Ie, go :lle Ollt from tlwuce; tOllch llfJ lln('lean thiug: go
.'Ie Ollt (
f tlte midst of Ita; hp .11e clean, that hellr the 'L'essels of
tIle Lord; and. Jcrl'miah, 3 Flee .71e out of the lItidst of BrtlJ.'/-
lon, ami de/h'er ez'eJ:'I1J1fln /tis soul; he 1lot cut (!If'ill her ini-
quity, for litis is the time of the Lord's vengeance; He u'ill
re1/(ln' unto Iter a recompense. 4 JI.'I people, go .7Ie out of the
midst of Iter, a1/(l deliver ye, cl'ery mall his soul from the fierce
angel' of the Lord.
The wllrd!':..flee, delil'er tll.'l-
elj, imply an imminent peril on
ßahylon, sneh a!'ò eame upon her, two yeal's after this pro-
phecy, in the fonrth year of Dariu
. But the eamestness of
the command, its repctition by three pwphets, the context
in Isaiah and Jeremiah. imply something more than tCIll-
IJOral pcril, the peril of the inf('('tion of the manners of
ßabylon, which may ha,'e detained there many who did not
rf'turn. \rhellce in the Ke\V Testament, the words are
citt'd, as to the great evil city of the world
5 lFlterefore
come out from all/uug them and he ye separate, and touch l10t
tIle uncleaJl tMug, and I 1('ill l'eceit'e .7/ou; and und.er the
name of Bahylon; 6 I h('ard wlOtlter t'oice from hearell. say-
illg, COllie Ollt of Iler, 111.// people, tltat ye he not partakers of
Iler SillS, aml that ye receive 110t of her plagues.
J.òr I have spread .71011 ahroad as the four winds of herzt'e1l.
TIle north (,ollntr.'I, although its capital and centre was Baby-
lon, wa
the whole Babylollian empire, called. . the Korth 7'
he('ause its invasions always came upon Ismel from the
Xorth. But the hook of Esther shen-s that, sixty years afte)'
this, the .J cws were dispcrsel1 over the 12, prodnees of the
Per
ian empire,f1"fJ11l Iudia (the Punjaub) to Ethiopia 8 ,whether
they were purposely placed by the poliey of the conquerors in
dptached gnmpes, as the ten tribes were in the cities of tlte
.lledes 9. or whether, when more trusted, they Illig-rated of their
own aceord. God, in callin
them to return, rcminds them of
the
eatness oftheirdispersion. He had dispersed themabroael
as the four winds of heaven 10: He, the
ame, recalled them.
7. Dll'ellest with tlte daughter of Bab,lllon. The unusual
idiom ll is perhaps chosen as expressive of God's tendernes!o',
even to the people who were to be destroyed, from which
Israel ""as to escape.
I Is. x!vüi.
O.
lb. Iii.H. a J er. Ii. G. add 1. 8. 4 lb. Ii. 45. I 2 Cor. vi. 17 .
6 Rev. x\iii. 4. ; J ". i. 1:3, 11, iii. 18, iv. 6, vi_ 1. 22. Hiii. 8.
S Esther i. I, iii. 8, 12-14. viii. 5, 9. 9 2 Kgs xvii. 6.
10 .. As the four winds of heaven are distant one from the other." SaI. b. l\'IeI. Kim.
A E. Thc LXX alone paraphrase, .. For from the "inds of heaven I wi1l gather you."
Olhe.. take the word of an intended diffusion of them, through the favour of God, the
f,.lure heing spoken of, as if past. But although i:'1!) is used of dispersion, besides, in

;Jh:

;i

' :;;h
:e:: ;
,

d

:;

r
e

' :eil;
[o
.i, sf:
:

K:h

See instances Ges. Thes. p. 1132.
II ;
::ò1:J 11:JZ'1' d'L'elier qftile dauflhterof Bab!/Ion, as Jer. xlvi.19.1:
n:Jn::ci" lb. xlviii.
18, p
" n:J n:J:7" In Jeremiah however, it is the same people, Eg)pt or Dibon; here,
hrael as seuled in Babylon.
I
n
::" is used with ace. pers., and "1'111 also of persons, 2 Sam. üi. 26,2 Kgs viii. U,
or with ....11 of pers. alone, 2 Kgs xiv. 9. "'.11 r;;r; is not else" here used like our" sent

7 h Deliver thyself, 0 Zion, that dwell cst c HB
[oÍes T
ldtlt the dau1;hter of ßahvlon. cir.51!).
R For thl
s saith the . LOIm of hosts; h Rev. lB. 4.
After the gIOl'Y hath he sent me unto the

. After the glor.'I 12, '.13 which it is pl'Ombed to brin

upon you." This being- the usual eonstruetion, the words
involve a great course of God's dcaling", uf first shewing
favour to those who will receive favour, then ahandoning or
punishing the rest; as, when the eight souls had been re-
cci,"ed into the ark, the flood came; when Lot and his had
e:;('al'ed out of SOdOlll, the fire came down ii'om heaven;
whcn Israel had pa!'sed the Red Sea, Pharaoh'
hosts were
dl'Owned; the election obtained what Israel sllug-ht for. the
rest we)'e blimled H. Tile glol'.'1 then would be the glory, uf
which Gnd says, I u'ill be the glury in tile midst Of:IIOIl.
But further He \\110 speaketh is Ahlli
hty God, Thus saÏfh
tile Lord of Ho,
ts, He Iwtll sent 15 me; For 10 I u'ave 111.1/ iland
agaiust them-awl .'Ie .
/wll know tilat tlte Lurd of ilost,ç hath
sod me; Lo I come and dwell ill tlte midst of tltee, sait11 the
Lord, and many nations sltall cleave unto tile Lurd in that
da.'/, aml t1u'.'1 .
/Ulli he to IIIe u people and I1('ill dwell in the
midst of thee, and tllOll silalt knu/t', tilat the Lord of hosts Iwth
sent me uuto .'lOll. In ull whieh series of promises. the I, of
,,-hom Israel werc to know that the Lord of hosts had sent
Him, is the I, "Tho affirms of Himself what belonl!s to
Almighty God only, inflicting punishment on the enemies
of Judah, indwelling" the Church and people, recei,-ing' the
Heathen as His own
and it is preeisely by aU thesc act

of power and. 100"e, that Israel shall know that the Lurd.
of hosts had sent Him.
'.16 In what follows, Tlllls saitil tile Lord of ItfJsts, After
glory, He ilath sent .lIe
c., the Saviour is introduced speak-
ing, 'Vho, being- Ahnighty God, saith that He was scnt by
the Father Almkhtv. not according to that wherebv He was
Almighty, but a
'cörding to that,
that, after glory: He ,,'as
!'ent, 17 IVI/O heiug in tile Fur1/1 of God, tlwllgltt it uot robbery
to be eqHal witil Gud; hilt ell/ptied Ilimselj, taking tile form of a
Serl-'flllt, and was made obedient unto tile
Fatltel' even unto
rlelltli; awl tlHlt, the death of the Crms. Knr is it man-cl that
Christ is called Almig"hty, in "Those Pcrson ""e read in the
Apocalyp!'e of John, 18 These tltiugs saith the faithfttl1/ïtups".,
-I am Alpl1ft and Omega, the beginuing and tile ewliug,
saitlt tile Lord, u'Meh INIS aud 1l'hich is awl which is to COllie,
tile Almigltt.,/. 19 to 1/71Om aIlJ}(Jl('er i,
gil'en ill ilea1'en ami ill
,.."rtll; and \nlO !'aith, 20AIl tMng.ç (
f the Father's are .lliue.
But if all thin
s, i. e. God fmm God, Lm'd fl'Ol1l Lord, Lig-ht
from Li
ht, tÌierefore also Almi
hty from Almighty; for it
c
nnot be, that diverse should be the glory of those whose

ature is One."
For he 1(,110 toucheth, so as to injure 2\ you, tuucheth tlte
apple of His eye, i. e. of Him \Vho sent Him, Almighty
after a thing." So generally "11'111 is used with verbs of motion. .,r;1I '
'" Gen. xxx,ii.

;,

g
S

:
i: ;ko

'

r
t.;
ìl
',

'

:'

II S
:

.,
iiis
1
v

;

;,:!

sÊ

v
it:
3; ':J
,;1'1 'J"!I "11111. Job xxxi. 7; but ,nN is not used in our sense of seeking, .. going
after a thing," except in the one phrase 1:",' jJ1" ;
,nlll Job xxxix. 8, .. searcheth after
every green thing." It is the less probable here, because, apart from this, (besides
the 5 duplicate passages in Isaiah and 2 Kings. 2 Sam. and 1 Chronicles) the Con-
struction of n
;:j with acc. of the person sent and
II of the person to whom he is sent,
occurs in 71 pass,ures, (Ges. cites:!3 ofthem) and in no one case ig the object for whi_ch
they were sent, added by a'!y preposition. Fou
are in .Zechari
h himself ii. 12, 15, IV.
9, vi. 15. To" send for". IS expressed by
n;" J er. XIV. 3, 1 Kgs xx. 7... ...
13 Jon. U Rom. XI. 7. 1. ver. :;-10. 16 S. Jer. I, Ph,l. 11. 6.
IS Rcv. i 5 8. 19 S. :\Iatt. xniii.18. 20 S. John xvi. 15_

l :J J,']J, a
i
Gen. xxvi.n, Jos. ix.19, 2 Sam. xiv. 10, Jer. xii. H, Ezek. x\Ïi. 10, Ps.
cv. Iii; with acc. Gen. xx\i. 2
, Ru. ii. 9; of God, I Sam. vi. 9, Job i. 11, xix. 21.

CIL\PTEIl II.

C Hllífors T nations which spoilc'l1 you: for he that
ci r. 51
i toucheth you toucheth the apple of his
1 Deut. 3
. 1O.
Ps. Ii. 8. eye.

is
i

7:
it 9 For, hehold, I will Ie shake mine hand
& 19. 16. I I I I II
upon t lem, all( t ley s m he a spoil to
1 ch. 4. 9. their servant,;: and I ye shall know that
the LORD of hosts bath scnt me.

(iodI, as in the song of :\Ioses, 2 He led!tim about, lie iu-
stmcted !tim, Ele kept !tim as tile apple of His eye; and David
pray
, 3 Keep me a.
tile llpple of tile eye.
9. For bell old I will slwke .Jly Iwnd against them, as God
promised of old again
t the enemics of His pcople 4, and
thcv shall he a spoil to those who sen-ed thcm habituallv 5.
. And .1/e shall kllolV that the Lord of host,
hatlt seni ..lIe.
.. 6 He "Ta
sent, not as God, but a., l\J an. For as God lIe is
equal to the Father. For He saith, 7 I am ill the Father aud
tile Fatller ill 11le, and, Tile
Fflther TVlw dwelleth ill Jle He
doeth the works, and, 8 I aml .J1.'1 Fatl,eJ' are rme, and 9 lIe
I(.ho hath seen JIe hath seen tile Fatller. llut He is sent, as
:\Jan, fulfilling the di
pensation for us, not les
cning- the Di-
vine Kature. The Prophet then intimatcd not the duality
only, but the equality of the Persons."
10. Sing and rçjoire, 0 dtlllglder of Zion. It is a g-reat
jubilee of joy, to which Zion is invited. Thrice besidcs is
she im'ited with this same word, and all for the restored or
renewed Prescnce of God. 10 Cry aloud for .iO.'j, thmt barren
f(.lticlt bare 1Iot, as here, on the cmllin
in of the Gentile
,
II CI".'1 aloud for joy, 0 dauglder of Zion; jubilate, 0 Isrctel;
rçjoice and exult with all the heal"t, 0 daughter of Jerusalem;
the Lord, the King of Israel, is in the midst of thee. 12 Shollt
a/l(l cry aloud f01' .1'0.1/, 0 inhabitant of Zion j for
reat in tlte
midst of thee is the HU
/I One of fsl"(lel. Thc source of joy
is a fresh coming- of God, a cuming, whereby He should
dwell abidingly among- them: truly what is this, but the
Incarnation? As S. John saith, 13 The TVortlwas made Fle.
h
and dwelt amollg us j and, H Behold the tabernacle of God is
u'ith men, and He will dll'ell with tllem, and the.'I shall be His
people, and Godllimse(f shall be with tllem ([ud sllllll be tlleir
God. "15 Hcnce too you may learn how I!reat a subjeet of
contentment above is the Presence of the Saviour upon
earth. He could not then but bid the spiritual Zion, 161(';';(:h
is tile C/mrdl of tI,e Living God, thc most sacrcd multitude
of those sa,-cd by faith, to cry aloud for joy and r('joÏC'e.
But it was announced that He should cOllie and be in the
midst of her. For S. John saith to us, The "'ord 17 was in
the 1('orlrl, anel, bein
GOtI, was not se,-ered frolll His erea-
tllres, but He was Himself the Source of lifc to all living, and
holding aU things together to well-being and life; but 17 the
It'Orltl knew llim not: for it worshiplwd the creature. But
He (',une among us, when, taking our likeness, He was con-
ceivcd by the holy Virgin, and 18l('as seen upon earth and
cOllvcrsed with men, and thc divine Daviel witnesseth saying,
1 So s. Jer. Theod. Others, as S. Cyr., of his own eye. turning to evil to bim-
ßelf; but the analogy of the other p.ass
ges is. a!(ainst it. I'V 1'1::1::1 I ä"..] is dou
tle
s t
e
Same as 1'!7 I\::J with the same reduphcatIon as In Arab. Syr. Ch. "The reduphcatIon IS
plain in the Arab. 111::11::1 from
;tll;t .. papavit," not from a separate root, as Ges. Thes.
p. 8-1.1.
Deut. xxxii. 10. 3 Ps. x\ii. 8.
4 The same idiom, Is, xi. 15. xix. 16.
5 The force of the part. [:;;t':'::IV, in.tead of [:;;t"::I1.. SO "
'II ,
j), Zec
. xi!i. 5, Is. xxx.
2.\; 'n
'11 '::Ii1 Pro xii. ll: I:I'''
II '::Ii1Mal. iii. 18; ,nll ,::IV" Ib.lÏ.
V::I" ':'::IV 2 Kgs x. 1.9,
I,
22. 23, ',c
.11 Ps. xcvii. ï. '.V" "::Ii1 Ez. x.I.
iii. 18, "v., '::Ii'". lb. IV, So,j/tJ
"II::I '::I>
7::1,
Xu. iv. ;
i, 41. [:"::1;1 I:I""IC"II [:n,::v lb. XVIII_ ;1. '::I!7
the labo
rer. Ecc!. v.H. In Gen.
iv.2, xlix. 15, Jos. xvi. lU, 1 Kg8 v. I, 2 Kgs :1<\11. 33,41, It has this force from the

521

I 10
m Sing and rejoice, 0 dai1
'hter of c Jí[oís T
Zion: for, 10, I eume, and [ n will d wcll in c. ir . ;;19. _
I . 1 m I sai. 12. 6.
I tIC mH st of thec, saith the LORD. & 5.\. 1.
II 1 I .. 1 Zeph. 3. U.
o .An( man v natiuns shall )t' Jomc( to D lev. 26. 12.
I L .' . Ezek.3i.27.
tIC ORO!' III that <la,', and shall bc oj my ch. 8. 3.
I I I . 1 . I . I . I '. John 1. U.
peop e: am WI I dwe I m t le JIll( st of 2 Cor. 6. lû.
thec, ami r thuu shalt know that the LURD 0 I
ai!J
2i: 3.
p ch. 3.10. q Ex. 12. 49. r Ezek. 33. 33. ver. 9.
h?
..
:!

3.

19 Ollr G'Jd slwll ('ollie lIWll
festiy, alld sliall 1l0t keep silence.
Then also wa..; there a havcn for the Gcntile
. For now no
Itln
cr was thc racc of hmel :ilone tau
ht, but the whole
ear.th wa
engoldcncd with thc eVilug'f'lical pl"l'achiug
, and in
e,'ery nation and ('olllltry great i,ç llis ..Yall/e."
" 20 Thi
too is to hc und('r
tood of the Per
on of the Lord,
that He exhorts His people, being rcstorc(l from the cap-
tivity to their formcr ahode. to b(' glad and1'r:juice, becau!<e
the Lord Him
clf cometl, and dll'ellcth ill the midst of lier, amI
man/Illations
hall believe in Him, of \Vhorn it is said, 21.d8k
(
f l1ic and I will gire Thee lIatioliS for Tldne inlieritance, am[
tI,e ellds of tile earth for Th.11 possession, and IIc shall dll'ell ill
tIle midst of them, as He saith to His disciplcs, 22Lo, I am wit/'
you always, eVen unto tile end of the u'orld."
II. .dud 1/Iall.1J natiuns slialljoin themselres, d('a,'ing- to
Him hy a elosc union. l
aiah had
o !'poken of sin
le pl"OSC-
Iytes 23; Jcremiah hall used 1;he word of lsrael"s
elf-cxhorta-
tion after the return from Babylon; 24 going ami It'el'ping,
the.'I slndl go and seek tile Lord tlieir God, :<aring", Come aJUt
let 1IS Joilt our.çell'es Ulltu tile Lord, ill a perpetual COl'emmt
that shall 1I0t be forgotten. This Zechariah now prcdicts of
llwnpllatiolls. The Jews were scarcely half-restored them-
selves, a mere handful. They had wroul!ht no conversions
among the heathen, )-et prophecy continucs its unhroken
voice, mrl/l.11 nfltiom .çlwllJoill tl,emseh:es Ullto tile Lord.
Aml shall be .11.'1 people, lit. be to
lIe a lJeople. This is
exaet!y the historv of the Chri
tian Church. unitvamid di-
\"ersit,
. man\" nations !'till retaining their nationat" t'xistene{',
yet m;';led bÿ God as olle people ànd Hi!' own. Th
wOl"
l..;
are those in which (:Ìorl adopted I!<racl in L
)-pt; 2. I 1('lll
take pOll tu Jle for a peo/Jle, and I ll'iLl be your God. This
was thc covenant with th('Ill. 26 that tllou slwllldest ellter iutu
('ovenant with the Lord tli.'1 God,-that He 11U1.'1 establish tllei:'
to-day for a people unto Himse(f, alld tliat 111' lIIll.'I be unto
thee a God. The eontran was the title of the heathen, 27uot
a people; witlt l(,IIom Gori said, [.,rill m01:e I
racl tojeaIOll.\y.
The closeness of union J cremiah expre
ses; 28
.J,<; the girt/li:'
cleaveth to tile loins of a mall, so Itm'e I callsn[ to cleave to Jle
ti,e ll'lwle house of IS1'ael ailti tlte whole hUllse of Judah, saitlt
tlw Lord, that tlley might he 111lto l11e for a people awl for (l
uame mulfor a praise and for a glory. This was the obj(,(.t
of the existence of Israel; to this it was to be restored 29 by
com ersion 30; to this special privilege of Israel 111 a "Y 1/atioll.\
wcre to be aelmitted. vet not so a,,; to be sel'amte frol11
Israel, for He adels,
lld I will dwell in the midst of tltee,
preceding ".". e Theod. 7 S. John xiv. 10.
8 lb. x. 30. g lb. xiv. 9. 10 Is. liv.l.
11 Zeph. iii. U. 15. 1
Is. xii. 6. 13 S. John i. 14.
H Rev. xxi. 3. 10 S. Cyr. Ie 1 Tim. iii. 15.
17 S. John i. 10. 18 Baruch iii. 3ï. tV Pß. J. 3-. aJ S. J er.

l Ps. ii. 8. 112 S. Matt. XJ\. viii. 20.
23 Is. lvi. 3-6.
. Jer.1. 4, 5.
o Exod. vi. 7.
23
e2
e
tK
:i:i.. W: l3Ch

x
ii:'2

\;l2;.

NL ft.vl
r

a.

,

til..22, 2 Sam. vii.

1 Deut. xxxii. 21.
s Jer. xiii. II. :g lb. xxiv. í, x'<'<. 22, x:ni.l, xxxii.
8.
au Ez. xi. 20, xiv. 11, xxxvi. 28, xxxvii. 23, 2ï, Zech. \iii. ;:S.

522

ZECIIARL\II.

CIL\PTER III.

C J3íI o í e s T of hosts hath sent me unto thee.
cir.519. 12 And the LORD shall · inherit Judah his
;

u::
i: 9. portion in the holy land, and t shall choose
u
:
h
i

'. Jerusalem again.
.
:
E'}'15. 13 u lie silent, 0 all flesh, hefore the
t i

'i:
eoja- LORD: for he is raised up x out of this
t

/

s:5. huly habitatiun.
Isai. 63. 15.

Judah. Go'd would dwell in His Church, formed of Israel
and the Gentiles,
et so that the Gentiles should be grafted
into I
rad. heeoming one with them.
]:!. .d lid the Lord shall inllerit Judah Ilis portion. The
inheritance of the Lord is the title which God eommonh-

avc to l..raèl 1 . God is said to ue the portion of hrael 2 ; of
the pious 3; once only be
ides, is Israel saiel to be the pOl.tion
of God 4; onee only is God said to inherit Israel, 5 Pardon
(JIlr iniquit!1 am[ ollr sin, and take llS for thine inheritance.
Zechariah unites the two rare idioms.
In the hO('llaud. The land is ag-ain maele holy by Goel,
and sanctified uv His Pre
enee. So He calls the pla('e where
He rC\"ealed HiJ;lseU to :\Joses, Iwl.lf grolf1u[6. So it is said,
í the hot.lf place, 8 the holy hOllse, \I the holy ark, 10 the 1101.'1
rit!/, 11 the IW(,!lIIOll1ltain, 12 tile Iwlp people, 13 the 1/O1!1 clw/lt-
bers, or, with referenee to tllPll'relation to God 'Yho eonse-
('rates them, 14 .11..'1 hO('1 lIwlf11taiu, 15 TllY holy IwMtatioll.
10 TI,.'I IW(lf dwelling-place, 17 Th.'1 Iwl!1 temple, 18 Thy Iwl.'l
mountain, 19 TI,.'1 1/11('1 omcle, 20 Th.,! holy city, 21 cities, 22 His
110('1 place, 23lIis hol.'I bOl'der. It is not one tedlllical expres-
sion, as people now by a sort of effort speak of .. the holy
land." En'I'Y thing which has reference to God is holy.
The land is holy, not for any merits of theirs, but because
{
od was worsllippeel there, was specially present there. It
was an anticipation and type of "Thy holy Chur('h through-
out all the world doth acknowledge Thee." This land their
fathcrs had 24 polluted with blood / God say
, 25 they {il!filed
JIy
lfiud; Ezckiel called her emincntl\", 26 the ll/Ild tlwt is 1I0t
rlel/Ilsed. Kow Goel said, 27 I will ;emol'e tIle iniquity of tlte
lal/d. and she was a
ain a hol.'I land, as hallowed by Him.
It is not a mere ('onversion of the heathen. but, as Isaiah!!8
and 3Jicah 29 foretold; a conversion, of which Jerusalem should
be the centre. as our Lord explained to the Apostles after
His Resurrection, 30 that repentance am[ remission of sills should
1 Deut. iv. :!O, ix. :!fi, :!9, 1 Sam. xxvi. 19, 2 Sam. xiv. Hi, "x. 19, xxi. 3, 1 Kgs viii. 51,
PS, Lxviii 9, xx"iii.l:!, Ix\ iii. 10, Ixx\iii. G2, 71, Ixxix. 1, cvi. .w, Joel ii. 17, W. 2,[Heb.]
Is. xix. 25, xlvii. G, Jer. xii. i-9. I. 11. 2 Jer. x. 16. Ii. 19.
" Ps. xvi. 5, Ixxiii. :!G, cxix. 57, cxlii. 6, Lam. iii. 24.
4 Deut. x"xii. 9. " Ex. xxxiv. 9.
6
jJ n.':I,", Ex. iii. 5.
7 c:i'jJ" ;:;jJ::!, Lev. x. 17, xiv. 13.
s .jJ" n'::I, 1 Chr. xxix. 3.
o .jJ" 11''', 2 Chr. xxxv. 3.
10 .ì" "11. Neh. xi. 1, 18, Is. xh:ii. 2, Iii. 1.
II .jJ' '''. Is. xxvii. 13, Jer. xx"i. 23, Zech. viii. 3.
12 .jJ" ;:;1. Is. Ixii. 12.
13 .jJ" n,:.:I' Ez. xlii. 13. [all.]
14 'IIi'jJ'" Ps. ii. G. Is. xi.
I. Ivi. i, hii. 13, lxv. 11,25, lxvi. 20, Ez. xx. 40.
Jo. ii. I, iv. Ii, Ob.16. Zeph. iii.Il.
lS
i' "2) Ex. xv. 13.
16.jJ j1!1':1 Deut. "-X\i. 15. His hol" hub. Ps. lxviii. 6, Jer. xxv. ao, Zech. ii. 17.
17 .jJ '::1';0 PS, v. 8, Ixxix. 1. cxxxviii. 2, Jon. ii. 5. 8, His 1101., temple. :\Ii. i.2. Hab. ii. 20.
;: :g

,pp
.x:

iii

i. 3, Dan. ix. 16. Hi. holy hill, PS, iii. 5, xlviii. 2, xcix. 9.
20 .jJ ")1 Dan. ix. 24.
21 .j> "11 Is. lxiv, 9.
: :g

:s
'I

iï
54.
2-1 Ps. c\i. 38. 25 Jer. ii. 7, iii. 9. xvi. 18.
Ezek. xxii. 24.
27 Zech. iii. 9. 28 Is. ii. 3. e"
Iicah iv. 2. 30 S. Luke Hi.. 4i.
31 See on Hab.ii. 20. p. 422. IcJ Gen. vi. 3, 2 Chr. xxxii. 8, Job x. 4, Ps.lvi. 4,

Before
CHRIST
Under the ('Ipe of Josll/la, the restoration of the cir.519.
clturclt, Ij Cltl"Îst tlte Bral/clt is promised.
A XD he shewed mc aJushua the high a Hag. I. 1.
priest standing befUl'e the angel uf
the LORD, and b II Satan standing at his b

\I.oi2.6io.
right hand f to resist him. II
::r:dr;

t Heb. to be his adve".m'y.

he preached ill His ltCWle among all Ilatiolls, heginlling at
Jerusalelll.
. 13. Be silent, lit. hllsh 31, all flesh, hefore tlte Lord; man in
Ills weakness 32, .flesh l/ml blood in the languag-e of the Kew
Testament 33, hefore God his l\Jaker. _ill .flesh, the whole
human I"a('e 34, is to be hushed before God, beeau.;e Hi:; jud<re-
mcnts. as IIis Illel"{'ic
, al'e over all. If b
For God arisetlt. God scemeth to be (juie!'òeent, as it
were, when lIe hcars with us; to arise, whl'n He puts forth
His power, either for us, when we pray, 35 Lord, a/t'ake to
IlClp me; or in displeasure. His ho("lwbitatÎtJ/l is alike the
taul'rnaele 36, temple 3;, heayen 3t\, since His presence is in all.
III. 1. Ami He, God, (for the offi('e of the attendant
an
el was to e:\.pJain, not to :;he\V the vi!<ion
) shell'ed me
Joshua the .lIiglt Priest, standing before tile Angel of tI,e
Lord; probably to ue judged by him 39; as in the Xe\V
Testament, to stand before the Son of Jlall; for althou
h
standing IJefore, whether in relation to man 4û or God 41, ex-
pres
l's attendance upon, yet here it app('aI'8 only as a
eondition, contemporaneous 42 with that of Satan's, to ae('use
him. Ålthou
.dl, Illore(wer, the An
el speaks \\ ith authority,
yet God's PI'e:;cnce in him is not spoken of
o di
tilll'tly, that
the Hi
h Prie
t would be exhiuited as standing before him,
as in his office before God.
And Sutan, etymolog-ically, the enem.l/, as, in the Kew
Testament, 43 your ad/'er.mr.'I the del'il, etymolog-i('ally, the
aCCllSel'. It is a proper name of the Evil one, yct its ori
inal
meaning, tlte el/em.lf-H, was not lo
t. Here, as in J ou, his malic'c
is shewn in accusation; 4õ tI,e accllser of our hretltrell, wl/fJ
accllsed tltem hefore our God, da.'I llnd nigltt. In Job 46, the
accusations were calumnious; here, douutless. true. For he
accused Job of what would hm'e been plain apostaey 4, ;
.Joshua and Zerubbabel had shared, or
i\-en way to, the re-
missness of the people, as to the reuuilding of the temple and
Ixxviii. 39, Is. xxxi. 3, Jer. xvii. 5. 33 S. ;\Iatt. xvi. Ii, 1 Cor. xv. 50, Gal. i. 16.
3< Gen. vi. 12, Ps.lxv. 3, exlv, 21, Is. xl. 5, 6, xlix. 26, lxvi.2:3, Jo. iii. 1, Ez. xxi.
4,9,10. 3õ Ps.lix. 4. add Ps. vii. 7, xliv. 24.
36 1 Sam. ii. 29,32, Ps. x"-Vi. 9, Ixviii. G. 372 Chr. xxxvi. 15.
3d Deut. xxvi. 15. Jer. xxv. 30. 2 Chr. xxx. 27.
39" Stand before" is used judicially, Nu. xxxv. 12. Deut. xix. 17, Jos. xx. 6, and of
plaintiffs, Nu. xxvii. 2, 1 Kgs iii. 16; stulld bdure God, Re\". xx. 12; before thejudge-
'ne
tl

:;[ef

ohi,vG

: ;il

;aJ

'b
fo

\Æ
:;,3Beut. i. 38; David
before Saul, 1 S"m. x\"i. 21; the young virgin before David. 1 Kgs i. 2; Solomon's
servants, lb. x. 8; his councillors, 2 Chr. x. 6; Gedaliah, of serving the Chaldæans,
J er. xl. 10: Xebuzaradan, Jer. Iii. 12; Daniel and his companions, of office be/ore
the killg of Babylon, Dan. i. 5. But it is also used of presence with a commission to
the person; :\Io,es before Pharaoh, Ex. viii. 20, ix. 13; of an office towards others, to
minister unto them, as the Le\'ites before the congregation, N u. xvi. 9; degraded priests,
"to serve them." Ezek. xliv.n.
41 The tribe of Levi, Deut. x. 8, 2 Chr. xix. 11; the High Priest, Jnd. xx. 28, Ezek.
xliv. 15; Elijah, 1 Kgs xvii. I, xviii. 15; Elisha, 2 Kgs iii. 14, v. 11\; Jonadab's des-
cendants, Jer. xxxv. 19. It is used of standing to intercede with God, of Abraham,
Gen. xviii. 22; Moses and Samuel.
er. X\', 1; Jeremiah, lb. 19. Also of worship,
Jer. vii. 10. .
The t.wo '::;1 e'press a correlative condition.
4J I S. Pet. v. 8.
44 As in other appellatives, 1:':::' (1J1
twice only), 'J:
èI, but in its contracted form,
when the etymology was lost,
;1, &c. i
::;' as a Prop. Name, without the article, occurs
1 Chr. xxi. I, Ps. cix. 6; with the article, eleven times here, and fourteen times in t!.c
first narrative chapters of Job.
.. Rev. xii. 10. 46 Job i. 8-11, ii. 3-5. of.; lb. i. 11. ii. 5.

CIL\P fER II I.

5
3

Before
CHRIST
"lr.519.
< Jude II.
J ch. 1. lì.
Rom. tt 33.
. Amos 4. 11.
Rom. 11. 5.
Jude 23.
r Isai. tHo 6.

2 And the LORD said unto Satan. c The
LORI} rebuke thee, 0
ahU1 ; even the I,OIw
that d hath chosen .J erusalem rchuke thec :
e is nut this a brand plucked out of thc fire?
3 Now Jushua was cluthed with ffilthy
garments, and stuud hefore the an
cl.

the full re
toration of the wOf'ship of GO(P. For this, lIag-gai
had rcprm"c(l the peoplc, thrmlg'h thcm 2. Satan had thelJ a
real charg-c, on which to implead tlH'm. Sincc also the
whole serics of visions relates to the rcstoratiou fl'om the ('ap-
tidty, the
uilt, ti,r which Satan impleads him with Jerusalcm
and ,Jerusalem in him, includ('s th(' ,,'holc guilt, which had
rcsted upon them, !'o that for a timc (
lJd had seemed to have
('([st (Ill'lI.'1 His peril/Ie 3. Satan stands af his rigltt hand, the
IJlaee of a I,roteetor", to shcw that he had noue to save him,
and that himself was vietorious.
2. And the Lord ,mid unto S([tal1, Ti,e Lord rehuke thee.
"5This they so explain, that the Father and the Son is Lord,
a
we reud in the II Oth P!'ahu, The Lord said unto 71111 Lord,
Sit Tltoll 011 .11.'1 rigid hal/d. The Lord spcaketh of anothel'
Lord; not that He, the Lord 'Vho speaketh. cannot rehuke,
hut that, frmn the unit\' of uature, wheu thc Other rebukcth,
He Himself ',",10 speaketh rehuketh. For 61te WIIO seeth tlw
SOli, ,çeetlt the Father also." It may hc that God, by SUdl
savings 7 , al;:o aeeustomed men, hefore Chri,.t came, to believe
in' th
Pluralitv of Pel'sons in thc Olle Gudhead.
The rebuke' of God must. be with puwcr. 8 ThOll hast
rebuked the mtlio/ls, Thou luut destro.llrd tlw ung(J(lIy. '4 Tholl
hast rebuked the proud, llccllI'sed. 10 The.11 pe/"ish at the rebuke
of Th.ll COlllltena/lce. 11 At Th.'1 rebuke, 0 God of .Jacob, hotlt
tile clulJ"iot a/ld horse are cast i/lto (t deep sleep. U God slwll
relm/æ 1lÍ1It, and he fleetlt far qff; ([nd sh([ll be ('hased as the
cll(!U" (
f the nWllIttains before the u!iwl. 13 He rebuked tile Red
Sert awl it dried up. 14 The foundations r
f the world were
dis('ovc}'erL at Thlf rebuke, 0 Lord. He 15relmkerL the seed,
and it pcri
hed; . tlte df'l}fJurer 16, and it no 101l
er de,-oured.
Thc rebuke then of the blasted f;l'il'it im-oh'ed a witherin,g-
reje('tioll of himself and his aCt'llsatilln
, a
when Jesus
rcbllkpd the unelean spirit anel he departed out of his
\'ictim I7 ,
The Lord hath chosen.Temsalem. Jo!'hlla then is acquitted,
not becall
e the accu!>ation of Satan was falsc. but out of the
frec lo\"e of God for His people and for J o"hlla ill it and as
its rcpresentative. 18 Trim shall IfI.'! aJ(llt//ÍIIg to the charge of
God's elert ? It i,ç God tlUlt .iust{/ìeth. TrllO is he that COll-
dell/llcfll? The lIÍ<rh j1ri(',çt, b('in
19//Ìl/lse(f also cumpassed
u'ith il/firmitll, needed daihl to ,!ffèr up .wt('/"!/Ìces .fi/"st for IlÍs
(}It'll Si;IS, rl1l
l then for tll
people's. As Isaiah !'aid, on the
!'iu:ht tlf God, 20 I (t1Il undol/e, because I am a mUll 0/ unclean
liì"ç. aml I dwell ill tlte midst (f a people of llIJ('lelllt lips, and,
until cklll;:ed hy the typi('al coal, dared lIot (ltre
himself for
the prophetic office, so here Satan, in Joshua, anned at the
whole priestly office, and in it, at Israel's rc]atiou to God.
1 Ezr. iii. iv.
Hagg. i. 1-11. 3 Rom. 'l:i. 1.
4 Ps_ wi. 8, cix. 31, cxxi. 5, cxlii. 4. 6 S. Jer. .6 S. John xiv. 9.
i As in those, .. 'he Lord rained "pon Sodom and. upon. Gomorrnh brlmsln,ne '.mdji

from
the Lord out of Mat.ell," Gen. xix. :!4, and others In whIch God speaks of Hllns
1I m the
thil
dlb
rl
:
.i

.Lord. Ge
. tb.iÿ

i.li.' I

s

:ii: :3. 9
3bp

:i:
:
14 lb. xviii. 15. add Nah. i. 4. 15 1\Ial. ii. 3.
16 lb. iii. 11. ,;:J is used Ii times of God, only 3 times of man ; Gen. x'O{xvii. 10, Ruth

a
' ,;';J'I

x
Î ir.J/
8 times ofl?S
ht
:ri

t :t,oi
.

:I
cr
k
ii
:
ti
.u
. of
la Rom. \ iii. 33, 34. 19 Heb. v. 2, 3. :::0 Is. \'i. 5.
I
. C) r. ::-
The force of the

4,
\nd he answercd and spake unto those c Jíioíes T
that
toud hefore him, saying, Take away cir.519.
the filthy garmcnts from hilI1.
\nd unto
him he said, Behold, I h.n-e caused thine
ini(luity to pass frum thee, g and I will clothe Ir IL
k

2.
thee with chang.. of .'aimcnt. Rev. 111.8.

I.ç not tltis a hrmul plucked out of the .lire? "21 As if he
should !'av, Israel eonfc:,;sedl\" has sinned, and is ]iahle tu
these ehal:
es. Yct it has suffcred no !<oli
ht punishment; it
has endlln't! sufferings, and has !'caree ueen snatchcd out of
thcm, as a half-burned brand out of tlle.lire. l
or not yet had
it shakcn uff the dll!'t of the IUU"lns from the capth-ity: only
just now and se'arceJy had it escaped the flamc of that most
intolerable calamity. Cease then imputing sin to thcm, on
whom God has had mcrcy."
3.
YolV .Io,Ç/uUl was clothed witlt/ìlth.1f garments; "uch,
it is cxpressed, was his habitual ('ondition 22; hc ,,'as olle J"O
clothcd. The .filtli,1f grlrment, as tlefilemcnt generally, is, in
Scripture, the symbol of sin. 23 TVe are all as the unclean,
altd all ollr rigltteollsnesses are as jiltliy rag,ç. 24 He that
is left ill Zion and he that remrâlleth ill .Jerusalem shall he
call
d 11O(l/
whe/l the Lord shall Itave ll'ashed au'ay tlte .filth
of tlte daughters of Zion. 25 There is a generation, ]Jure in it,,;
own e.lles, and it is not waslted from its.filthiJU'ss. The samc
is expre
sed by different words, signifying pollution, defilc-
ment by sin; 26 TVo unto her that is .filthy and pollilted; 27 The
land was deftled witlt blood; 28 tlwlI u'ere deftledlcith theil' 011'n
works. It'is spnbolised also by the 29 dit,èrs 1l'(lshings of the
law, repre:,;entin
restored purity; and the u
e of the worel
by P:,;almists and Prophets; so TVas!t me tltroltghly from mine
iniquit.lI; 31 waslt you, make you clean; put alVa.1I tlie el'Í1 of
YOllr doings from hefure JIi/le e.lfes; 32 0 .Ieru,çalem. wash th.'1
heart from wickedness. In latcr times at least, the accused
were clothed in black 33, not in dcfiled 34 garmcnts.
4. And He spake to tllOse 1dlO stood before Him. the
ministering Angels who had waited on the Angel of the Lord
to do His bidding".
See, I have caused thine inirjltÍt.1/ to pass .from thee; the
pardoning words of the Lord to David by Kathan, 35 'I'lie
Lurd too Iwtlt put away thy sill. And clotlJe thee 38 with
change (
f raiment 37, i. e. such as were taken off and reserve(l
for great occasions. As thefiltlly garments were not neees-
sari Iv other than the High Priest's vesture, !>nnbolicallv
dcfil
d through the sins or' the people, so neither' need the
è
be other than the priestly
arments in their purity and
freshness. The words imply the condition, not thc nature ot
the '"estment. "21 The high-priest ha\"Ín
becn thus takeu
to represent the whule peop]e, the fi]thy garments would be
no unclear symhol of the wickedness of the people. For
('lad, as it were, with their sins, with the iIl-efl'aceahlc spot of
uu!!tldliuess, they abodc in captidty,
uhjeet to retribution,
paying the penalty of their unholy dceds. ßut when GOtl
had pity on them, He bade thelll be freed frolll their defile-
paTtic.plewith 1m. :/als.lxiv.6. 24 lb. iv. 3, 4. 25 Pr. xxx. 12. Fi1th,jilthines8,

x
:!

:.;
_aIS

si
:'JI, the :;b;
.a

i
f3tfe'J
;i.

ê

\'. 3'
'
;:.

r.h;ii

upi>. 'to
"1::). 29 Heb. ix.lO. 30 Ps. h. 4, 'J

f:? Eng.] 31 Is. i. 16. I

!
'
,Ter. i,". U, 'C;!
. 33 Jos. Ant. xiv. 9. 4. .. \thosoe\er is brouKht before the
tribunal to be judged, is set. as lowly, before it, and is clothed with b]ack raiment."
J.I As in Latiu, .. sordidati." Li\". ii. 54, vi. 20.
35
!"am. xii. 13. "V'1I::>n "::111" "I:J. The idiom occurs lb. xxiv. 10. add Job vii. 21.
36 The info expresses the more. the contemporaneousness of the acts. See below vü. 5,
xii. 10. a'1d others in Ewald Lehrb.
351. e. p. 6;;3. ed. 8.
;;; n"'
n;:) recurs Is. iii. 22.

:>2.t

ZEClL\IlL\H.

13cfore
CHRIST
cir.519.
. Ex. 29. 6.
ch. 6. 11.

5 .\nd I said, Let them spt a fair h mitre
upon his head. So they set a fair mitl'c
upon his head, and clothed him with 1!ar-
ments. And the angel of the LORD stood
Ly.
G ...\nd the angel of the LORD protested
unto Joshua, saying,
7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou

ments, and in a manner re-c1ad with ju
tifying- g-raee. He
indicates to them the end of their toils. For where remis-

ion of sin is, there follows of ncee
sity frcedom from the
('\-ils brought thron
h sin."-He adds that a clean mitre
sltould he ]Jut upon /tis head," 1 that so we might understand
that the p:lory of the priesthood e\-er, in a sort, eoncurs with
the condition of the pcople. For the boast of the pricsthood
is the purity of those in their char!!e.-As then when the
people was in sin, the raimcnt of the pricst also was in a
manlier defilcd, so if it were again well-apprm'ed, pure and
hrig-ht is the fa,.hion of the pricsthood, and frec its a('eess to
(;od. So the divine Paul havin
ministered to thc Gcntiles
the Gospel of Christ, seeing thcm admncing in graces, writes,
2 By YOllr boast, brethren, which I have ill CIH'ist Jeslls, and,
;) lilY joy a 1111 crown."
5. Ami I said, let them set a fair mitre 4 on his head.
This !'eems to have bcen purpo!'ely omitted, in order to lea,-e
something, anel tflat, the completion of all, to be elone at the
intcrce!'sion of the prophet. The glory and eomplement of
the High Priest's sacrificial attire was the mitre with the holy
rrou'nupon it and the plate of pure gold, Oil wMcllll'as g1"Clt'en,
Ifuliness to the Lord 5 ; which was to be llJjun the High-priest's I
forehead, that he 1/Ul.1l hear tlte iniqllity of the 1101.'1 things
n'Mch the cltiUrell of Israel slwll halluw in all their holy gifts;
whieh was alll'ays to be upon his forehead, that tlle.'111Iay he
accepted before the Lord. The rcncwed g-ift of this was
rcscrvcd for the interces,.ion of man co-workin
with God.
And the angel of the Lord standing h!!, ';.eeing that all
was done aright, and, now that the acquittal was complcte,
standing to gh-e the charge.
G. And the angel of the Lord protested solemnly (etymo-
logi('ally, called God to witness) as in, 6 Did I not make thee I
swear h,l/ the Lord anci protestecillnto tbee, la)-ing it as an obli-
!!ation upon him 7. The charge is
i\'Cn to Joshua, and in him
to all successive high-priests, while [sracl should continue
to be God's people, as the conelition of their aeeelJtauce.
ï. If tlwu wilt wlilk ill
lf.'IlCll!IS llnd if thou wilt keep JI!I
charge. Both of these are expressions, datin
from the Pen-
tateuch, for holding on in the way of life, well-pleasin
to God
and keeping the charge given by God 8. It was the injunction
of the dying David to Solomon, 9 Keep the charge of tlte Lord
tby God, to wal!c in His wa.lfs, to keep His statutes q'c.
Then shalt thou alsojudge .J.1Jy house. Judgement, in the
1 s. C)l. 2 1 Cor. ,<v. 31.
3 Phil. iv. 1. 4
'J" is used of the turban of women, Is. iii. 23;0> of nobles,

:r
;.tI

IlÌ
h
ri!;
.so,
it%:
'J.
in

ii

t
ee

?i
(
;

:;!)
:

e Pentateuch
5 Ex. xxviii. 3G-38, x.ill. 6. 6 1 Kgs ii. 42. . ï ')1" wita:J Gen. xlili. 3,
Veut. viii. 19, xxxii. 46, Ps. 1. 7, &c.
8 n"'L)C1O -CZ' first used of Abraham, Gen. xxvi. 5, then Lev. xviii. 30, xxii. 9, Deut. xi. 1,
Jos. xxii. 3. 9 1 Kg, ii. 3.
10 Deut. xvii. 9-13, xix. Ii, ?VIaL ii. i.I" is u<ed of judging a cause (with /'"I, Jer. v. 28,
xxx. 13; with 1::=, lb. xxi. 12) or persons; with the J:.rsonal pronoWl, Gen. x.,<x. 6; or

i:Yl;'
E
es

ee

<

l;
\

r 7
tn:f!it;}u
i?:.e:.ll
;

:o
::
o

a::.':

wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt i keep C JiIoíes T
my 1\ charge, then thou shalt also k judg-e I cir. 51
.
I I 1 1 1 k Lev. 8. 3D.
my louse, am Stat a so -eep my courts, 1 Kin. 2. 3.
ami I will giye thee t places to walk among lIl;r

k.44..16.
these that I stand hv. k D

..af7
'9.
o H ' ) J " 1 tl h . h . ;\-Isl. 2. 7.
., ear nuw, '- us lua Ie Ig priest, t Heb. walb.
thou and thy fellows that sit Lefure thee: I t. t:

.
fur they W'C mOt men wundered at: fur, Le- m r:
i
k
8.
t H
h. 11len of wonder, or, .ign, as Ezek. 12. 11. & 24. 24. & :!u. 3.

place of God, was part of the High-priest's office 10. Yet these
judg-cments also were
ivcn ill the house of Goel. The cause
was dircctcd to be brought to God, anel lIe through His priests
judged it. Goth then may bc comprehcnded in the word, the
o\-ersig-ht of the people itself and the judg-cment of all ('aUSC8
broug-ht to it. "11 Thou shalt judge those who miuistcr in
the hou!';e of My sanctuary."
.And 1 will gÎl'e tllCe place to 1('alk among those wlw stand
b./f 12, i. e., among the ministcring sl,irits, who werc 13 standiug
before the .Angel of tile Lord. This can be fully only after
death, when the saints shall be ret'eived alllong thc sc,-eral
choirs of angels. "11 In the resurrection of the dead I will
revive thee ami
ive thee feet walking among these Seraphim."
Even in this life. !'inee 14 ollr conversation is in heavell, and the
life of priest
should be an angel-life, it may mean, that he
should ha\-c free access to God, his soul in heaven, while his
body was on this earth.
S. Tltoll allli th.lf companions tl'llich sit before thee; yea 15
men of marvellolls signs are t1le.lf 16. It seems probable that
the words addres
ed to Joshna begin here; clse tlte men of
signs wonld be the companions of J o
hua, to the exclu
ion of
himself. His companions arc probably ordinary priests, who
sit as sharing his di
nity as priest, but hefore him, as inferiors.
So Ezckiel says, 17 1 lVas sitting in 111.11 house, alld tlte elders of
Israel were sitting hefore me. They are 18 images of the tMngs
to come. Isaiah"s two sons, with their prophetic names,
Haste-spoil speecl-pre.lf, and a-rCiIl1/UlIt slwll-retllrn, were with
his own name,sah'atioll-of-the-Lord, 19signs and portents of the
future I sracl. Isaiah, walking naked and barefoot, was 20 {l
sign ami portent against Egypt. Goel tells EzeliÏt'l, that in the
removal of his stuff; as stuff/or tllC ca}JtÎl'it./f, 21[ IUl'L'e set thee
for {l portent uuto tIle Itouse of Israel. I, he explains his act 22,
am your portent; like as 1 have done, so sball it be done unto
.lfOll. "Then forbidden to mourn on the death of his wife;
23 Ezekiel is uuto you for a portent; according to all tlwt he
hath done, shall ye do; alld 1('ben this cometh, ye shall know
that I am the Lord God. "Therein then were Joshua and the
other priests portents of what shoulcl be? One fact alone hael
stood out, the forgi\'eness of sins. Accusation anel full for-
giveness, out of God's free merry, were the substance of the
wholc pre,'ious vision. It was the full re-instatement of the
priesthooel. The priesthood so restoreel was the portent of
what was to come. To 24 tiffer tlte '!tfèriug of the people, and
Jer. xii. 7, 1 have left M.v hou..c. Here the parallel word M.v court., shews that the house
is }
el

P

dering. ..

:
n
ho shall make thee to go," i. e., guide thee. (c':7"__ for
C':J.
õ1;)) there were valid objections; 1) that the Hif. is ah, ays "1",,. exæpt ,.
." Ex. Ïi. 9.
The Partic. :r
o occurs 9 times, once m Zech. v. 111. 2) It would ha\e been 'probahly
.
out of theæ" or at least .
from am!?
these." c':I
"
is then probab!l from a 6ll1g.
?õJ

like

":;I.1.'!/?' :J
r;t?) for
.
Jon. lll. 3, 4,_ Ez.. >qll. 4.. . v
rse 4. .n
.. l'hil. lii. 20. I. ." IS mserted m the like way III Gen. XVIll. 20.
Ps. cxviii. 10-12, cxxviii. 2. 16 The subject addressed in the nomÌnati\e is resllmed
bYI
Ís:
lli
fthe 3rd pe
oÎb.

8
eph. ii.l:!,
l
z
k.e

t 1. IS
e
b\t
:II lb. D.iv. 24.
. Lev. ix. 7.

CIL\PTER Ill.

.'J-
a_a

Before
CHRIST
cir. 51
.
---
Ð hai_ 42. 1.
& i9. 3, 5.
ð: 5
. M. &
:;:1.11. Ez
k.

.:!:!,:!i.

hold, I will bring forth n my <;,ernmt the II hefore .J o!o.hua; p upon on(' stOIlP shull be C
l{rs T
o llRA
CIl. q se,-cn eyes: hehuld, [ will ell
ran' the ;p:'

:I
;.,
!) Fur hehuM tl1P ston(' that I h;wp laiel graving thereof, saith tilt' Lord of hosts, Is
i.

.-ïci.
o Isai. i. 2. & 11. 1. Jer. 23. 5. & 33. 15. ch. G. 12. Luke 1. 78. I q ch. 4. 10. Rev. 5. G.

1//a!.-e WI atonement for tltem: 1 to 1IIake all atonemcnt .for the'
clâ/drl'll of brael for all tlteir sills {Jure a !lear, wa!'ò thc ohjeet
of the ði
tl'nee of the priesthood. Typical only it euuld be,
because they had hut tlte blo{Jd (
f bulls am/ goats t{J (!llf:r. u'/ârh
coilid. in themseh-c
, 2 /if l'er take all'f1.'J sins. But ill thi
their
m.t they wcre IJortent
of what was to come. lIe adds here,
For, helm/d. I ll'illlJrillf{ J
I/ Servant tllC Bmurh.
Tlte IJl"lluch had uow bccome, or Zcc'hariah made it, a
prllpl'r name. Isaiah had prophc!"i,'el, 8 In that cllI.11
hall tlte
Branch o.f the Lord be beautijitl aud glorious .for the escaped
of brael; and, in reference to the low e
tate of him who
should eome, 4 There ,
h([ll come forth a rod {Jilt of the stump
of .Jesse. alld a Brllnch shall grOll' Olft (if his roots; alld
.h'remiah, · Behold tlte rllI.'ls come, .wtit h t Ite Lord, that I ll'ill
rrti.\e Illito Dal'id a rightl'lJlls 1J1"(l1lcl,. alUi a kiug sluLlI reign
and prosper, lInd shall e.t'ccltte .iudgemeut aml.iustire i1l tile
earth. ((nd tMs is the uame 7l'heretJ,1J He shall be called. TIIC
Lord ollr Rigllteou.mess; and. 6 lit t/
ose da.'ls lImi lit that
time, 7l'ill I cause the Brauclt of rigldeoilsne,çs to grow lip unto
David, ((Illi Ill' .
h((11 e.1.'('('IIte .i1((
!i('}neJlt find 1.

.hteoll.mess il1
tlte l((nd. Of him Zel'hariah afterward
!:'poke a!'ò, 7 a 711(11.
whose lIa1lle is the Brandl. Here Zechariah names him

imply, a!" a pruper naIll(', JI!I .
el"l'(lIlt
the 1 Brllurh, as
Ezekiel prophe..;ied of 8 1 1.1./1 SeJT(mt lJm'itl. The title JI,/f
,
erl'allt. whieh is J:o:aiah's chicfe!"t title of the )Ie

iah. occurs
in connection with the !"ame image of Hi!" ,"outl..,; lowlv estate,
and of Hi
atoning Dcath. II H
,çhall gr
ll' up hefore' Him as
a su,.].-er, ((Jld as II root from a dr.l/ grml1ul; 10 a ,
rion ,
hall grOlt.
met of hi,ç roots. "11 He alone was ahove all marked hy thi

nam
, who never in anything- ,,-ithdrew from the ""ilI of
Gnd." "12 God had hefore pr01nised to Joshua. i. e. to the
})ri('sthucul of the law, that they !'òlwulrl judge His house and
fulfil the types of the legal w(lr
hip. Yet nut long- after. the
thing!" of the law were to be trall
lated into the true worship,
and the unlonline!:'s of the types to be recast into the 10,'('ly
spiritual polity. 13 A rigldeOl(s killg ll'aS to reign lInd priltces
to rille witll.iudgement, as the Pr(lphet !"pake. .Another priest
was to arise, after the order, Hnot (
f AaroJl hut of Jlelcltise-
der, 15 a 1IIini.çter (if tile sanctuary ami of tile true tahernacle
7('Mrl, God pitched alld llot 111((11. For our Lord .Te!"us Chri
t
{'ntered the holy of holies. 16 not by the Mood of hulls and goats,
hilt h.'1 His OIl'JI Blood. IIm'iug ohtained eternal redemption,
and Ii l/fll'ing b.'1 One Oblation pel:fected/or el'a them tllat are
,WlIlrti/ìerl. Le
t then (;od !:'h(lulcl !'òeem to have spuken un-
truly; in promi
ing- to the legal priesthond that it !:'hould e,'er
ha,-e the O\'ersi
ht over His house, there was need to fore-
amwnnce the lIlY."tpn- of Christ, that the thingI' of the law
!"llIJul(1 l'ea!"e and He' JIiIll!"elf !"hould judge His OWll house
through the Scion frolll Himself, His Son."

I Lev. xvi. 3t.
Heb. x. 4. · Is. Ï\', 2.
. lb. xi. 1. 5 Jer. xxiii. 5, G. 6 lb. ""....iii. 15. . Zech. vi. 12.
8 ,.., .-,:::;: Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 2 t XXX\ ii. :!4, as here r:;:1> .,::v
v Is. liii. 2. -, 10 lb. xi. 1. 11 O,;or, I
S. C) r. 13 Is. xxxii. 1.
I< lIeh, \ii. 11. I. lb. viii. 2. 16 lb. ix. 1:? 17 lb. x. 14.
IS Rash]. IV Kim. r\or, of COW"'e, were either foundation-stone or head.stone
PI1
""en. !O A]<o in Kim. 21 Is. xxviii. 16_
Ps. cxviii. :!
.
S. )bu. xxi. 4
. add Acts iv. 11. The passages of the P.alm and of Isaiah are united
1 S. Pet. ii. 4--i.
Eph. ii. 20, 21. 24 Zohar Gen. fo1. 124. co1. 492.
hp
;s

.o

,n:;
'r
o

. a
':f
c
do
e:
rr
ll
Î,e

h
:
r:
:: tl ;

. c

.
7

,l'j

h
:
PAHT '-I.

"II Look ye to tlH' Branch of the Lord;
ct Him a
the
l''\.ample of life; in Him, a
a mo
t !:'trlJng- tower, place with
mo
t hec'olllin
faith all your hope of
alnltion and ill/nwr-
tality. rur III' i,. nllt nnly a Branch, \\ ho ,.hall fill )-on with
the ril'hnt'!oos of Dh-ine fruit, but a :-tolle also, to break all the
c,.,.a

of th(' en('I1/)"."
9. .For helwld tlie stone, tlwt I hrtl'e laid hefore Jo.,hllll.
This 11/114 be an CX(HlIl!'ioIl of what he had !'aid, IIr thc
g-rlHlIulof it, being- introduced hy,for. It mu
t he sllmethin

future, to hI' done Lv God II im!'òclf. !"inee God says. I will
gral'e tIle gral'ing thereof;
omething- ('OnIlel'ted' with the
rcmi..
ion of !'in
, which follows upon that graviII g-. The
stone. tlH'n, cannot be the stone of foundation of the material
tcmple 1M. For thi,.; had long before heen laid. The head-
('lIl"Il('r-
tone. the c'lIIuplction of the building" 19, had nothing-
remarkahle, why God ::-hlJuld he said to gTa,-e it. The plumb-
line 20 wa
not a part e,-en of the material tcmple. The stone
i
one ,
tone. But to iuterpret it by other rrophee)', one !"tone
there is, of which God say::-, 21 Behold I lay ill Zioll for II
fOllndation, a stolle, (l tried stone, fl preciou.
corner-stone, II sure
jfJ1lJul"tirm, Ill' that beliel'etlt s/irtll not mal..e Iw,çte; that !'òtOIl(',
IIf whit'h our Lord reminded the Jews, 2J ti,e stmle roMrh tl/C
Imilders re.fused is become the I/Cad-stone of tllC corller; 21Jeslls
Christ ll;,n.
elj: tlte chief corner-stone, ill whom all the huild-
ill,!!,.fttly framed togetlier, g1"oll'etlt into em Iwly temple ill tllC
Lord, ill 1c1lOm .lJe also are hllilded together for all hahitatioJ/
of r;(ul thl"Ollglt the Spirit.
On this !'òtone had Jo,.hua, with all tllO,.;e typiral priest!",
to look. in "'hom .Alone thev ami all have f(lrginnc,.;
. "'ho!'e
Sal'rifit'e their
acl'ifices pi"tured and pleaded. "It." says an
oltl mystical Jl'wish hook 2\, "is the stllne of foundation, on
which the earth is fOlluded. which God Him!'òelf laid. that the
world mi!.dlt rel'ei,"e hle

in
from it." ,,25 The She('hinah is
raIled the stone, throll
h 'which the world sub
i,.;tcth; of
whi('h it is
aid,
J stone of seveJ/ e,lles. and, the stolle ll'Mcf, thp
bllilders refused." Thi
stone, God says, I lim'e laid 01' set
hefore Joslilla, i. c. for him to con!:'ider; as He !'peak
tll
Solomon and his ehildren, of Jlt, C01I/JJ/llnr/ments ll'!âch II(al'e
set hefore vou
6. "27 That the ,.;tone i!" the Lord J('su
(,hri
t.
tile II
ad c
,.ner-stone, elect, laid as a foundatioJ/; and that the
Sl'1'('JI eyes 011 the one stolle are the !"e,'enfold Spirit of GOII
which rested upon Him, is or oug-ht to 1)(' unknown to no
one. Fur to Him 28 God gil'efh 11M the Spirit b!1 measure, and
29 ill Him ([,('elleth all tI,e fllllless of the Godlwad bodil!l. Thi

t()ne \\ a
rejected by men, bllt ('11lJ:<en and honoured IJy
Gild." .. II This !:'tone thcn, on whieh the house of Gild ancl
our whole sah'ation resteth. is placed h
- God lwfllre that
hi
h pric
t. That is, the 1Il0!"t holy Xame of .1e
us. the
vil.tue piety and largeness of Jesus is, by the Divine Spirit.

seems to identify the Branch, the Messiah. and the !'=:one; "Ln I am bringiup: )1)'
Sen ant Messiah, and He shall he re,'ealed. Lo, the stone" hich I have sel before
Joshua, upon one stone seven e)es, behold:ingil; 10, I re\ealed the ,ision Ihereof, saith
the Lord of hosts. and will remO\e Ihe guilt of that land in one day." The Zohar chada.h
Cf. 7G. 1.) joins the mention of the stone in Dan. ii. 3;;, Ps. cx\iii. 2
, Gen. xlix.:!

an
tt

ai
:

ST

e::il

i
;h

,c

..!:
',"L'U. See also Deut. iv. 8, xi. S2. ,Ter.

;

'e

i
: ;l
v;!:
s ;

V?I"

.i
,gÌ"h

w;í:c;dh

o

1Sj

::
:;:}
i.fc1;\

are to consider and (0 execute.
. Rup.
;z.s S. John ii;. 34. :!9 Col. ii. !J.
4 G

ã2G

ZECH
\RI.AII.

C Jifoíes T and r I wiH remove the iniquity of that land
cÏr_ 519. _ in one dav.
r J
\l12g:' 10 8 I
that day, saith the LORD of
l\Iic. 7. 18,
19. ch. 13.1. · ch. 2. 11.

hewed to the l)i'iest, that he mi
ht undel"
tand the end of the
law and Iwline!'
, to "110111 all the <H'tions of life and the
offiees of the prie,.;thood were to be referred. In whit'll
tone
was forc
hewn to the divine man, not the ind!'ihle ",trength
only, but abo the manifold light of the Divine intelligen('e.
For it follows; J)
UpO/l this oue stoue are sel'en eyes, whether they are the
('.'Ies of GOIl, re..:ting in Im-ing care upon it, Ill' wht'ther, as I
the wheels in Ezekiel's ,-i
ion were Ifllll of eyes TOUIIlI ahullt, I
the eye
arc pictured as on the stone itself. mal'king" that it
",nnholi",ed a beinA" with manifoltl intelli
'enc'e. Zcchariah
!:<ÌJeaks of the eyes
f 2 the Lord wMclt 1'1lI; to alllifro OIL tllf
earth, and S. John, of the 3 Lamb, as it hael been slain, lult'iug
sel'el1 Iwrlt.s allli Sel'en epes, wl1Îrh are tile sel'ell .spirits of (;od,
.'1ent forth into all the em.th. Either sYlllùol harmonises with I
the cOlltext, and is adllli
",ible in lanp;uage 4. The ('are uf:
God for this stone is expresscd before and afterward
, I !taL'e
laid it, I,{'ill engral'e the grm'ing tIlfrer
r; and so it corre-
sponds to the 5 It shall grow up before Him as a tender plant.
Dut the eontz'ast, that on one stone there are Sel'en eyes, per-
ha}l
rathcr sug-I!,'ests that the eyes are on the
tone it!oÒelf,
and lIe, the Living Stone, is pictnred with an universality of
sight, whereby, with a Divine knowledg-e, lIe suney
and
proddes for the well-being of His whole Church. It has
some analogy too to the sevenfohl Spirit which was to re
t
upon Him. " 6 For this stone to ha\'e seven eyes is to retain
in operation the whole virtue of the Spirit of se\-enfoJd
grace. For accOI'ding to the distribution of the Holy Spirit,
one reeeh-es prophecy; another, knowledge; another, mira-
eJes: another, kinds of tong-ues; another, interpretation of
words; but no one attaineth to ha\'e all the g-ifts of that same
Spit'it. But our Creator taking- on Him Ou/' infirmities. be-
('ause, throug-h the power of His Dh-inity, He shewed that
He had at onc'e in Him aU the \'irtues of the Holy Spirit,
united be\'ond doubt the briA"ht gleams of the !'e\"Cnti)ld
eonstellation." ., K one alJlOl
g l1I
n had together aU the
operation!' of the lIoly Spirit, san the .ì\Iecliator of God
and Ulan Alone, 'Vho!'e is that same Spirit, "'110 proceeds
from the Father before all worlds." "7 The stone is one.
For as we have in God Onc Spirit, one faith, one !'ael'a-
ment of that Illo!'t pure Javel', So we wOI'ship One Christ,
the one only Deli, el'el' of the human race, and .\uthor of our
rig-htcousness anrl e,'erlasting" salvation; and streng-thened
by His g"uardianship, we hope fol' immortality and L eternal
glory_ "'ho, though He be One, governs all things with

. Inlp
z:

k
'i
'i

;'Jlj'l,v "
J."K 1 ",ill co:
:
l,O;'f.1I E.lle upon thee

ep;.v

iii. 18,
'''M''
'It ..
r'.Il; in Ps. xxxiv. llj. c
p.,

K ... 'rv; but II directed towards, or resting upon:' are
"nly shades of the same meaning. In Gen. xliv. 21. is I'
)I'J')I
'i7I<'; Jer. xxiv, 6, 'ro:..,
[:11"11 ','II and xl. 4, for good, "
)I ']')1 nK [:'i7I<. ó Is. liii. 2.
6 S. Greg. on Job L. xxix. c. 31. n. ï4. Opp. i. 951. ; Osor.
s
t
only oCCUrs besides of the carved "ood of the house of God, 1 Kgs vi. 29, Ps.
hxiv 6, or of the carving of a precious stone, E"í. xxviii. 11, 21, 36, xxxix. 6, 14, 30.
::-"
is n<ed of engra\ing thing. on wood, 1 Kgs vii. 36, 2 Chr. iii. 7; on precious stones
!':x. xxxviii. 9. The whole idiom, "skilled to {!rave p.av;ngs," to grat'e all I!TQL';nl?:
recurs 2 Chr. ii. 6, 13; thou shalt grave 01' it with the engmvings of a si{;lIet, holil/ess to
tiLe Lord ö Ex. xxviii.3û.

hosts, shaH ye caIl e,'cry man his ncigh- C :
oíes T
Luur t under the ,-ine and under the fi.r cir.519.
tree. ð · 1 Kin. i 25.
hai. 36. 16.
Mic.4.4.

ineffaùle wisdom. For His wi!'dom is aptly de
c'ri"cd by the
se,-en eye!'. For the number seven generally describes an
unh-er
alitv of A"ood."
Beho!t{ I witl engl:al'C. th
grcl1'ing 8 t(lf'rerif, ai> of a co!'tly
stone. "hat the
ravIllg- I!'. IS not ex pI allied; but manife!'òtly
it is e,'ery thinl!,' whieh COIl curs to it
bcautv. "9 This stone
is of earth, and of the power and wCll'knian
hip of Gild."
"10 It
i
nitic!oò lIim "ïw had His birth in ,-irgin-earth, but
framed !<kilfully "y the power of the Holy Spirit." That Pre-
C'iOll
!'tone \Ya
further gnn'en. throll
h the Proviclenee amI
"ïll of God, when "11 lIe ('au
('d it to be wounded hv the
nails of the Cro!'!' and the soldier's lance, and in Hi!' Pa
..:ion
took away the iuiquit./f of tlte earth in oue da.l/, of n hich it is
written. I
Thi.s is tlte da.'lu'/âdl lite Lord Iwtlt made, we will
rt:ioice and he glad ill it." ß{'autiful were the
ifts an'd
ra('es
which Chl"Íst rc('cíved, as :\lan; but beautiful be,-ond all
beauty IllU!'t he tho,.;e glorious seal'S, with which He" allowed
Hi
whole ßody to be riven, that "IS thr(lu.
hollt the n hole
frame His lo\"e mil!,'ht be cn
Tin-en." "14 "That even in the
Dody of the LOl'd ('an he lonlier or more liA"htflll than those
five "'oulHb, whi('h lIe willed to rctain in His imnwl.tal
Being-, le
t the hles!'ed should be deprived of that splcndour
surpa
sing- far the lig.ht of sun and
tars ?" ,
And I will Tell/Ol'e tile iniquit.1/ (
f tlte land in one dm/.
On one (/a.1/ in the year was the typical atonement; in o;,e
da.l/ absolutely, God Him!'elf would make tlte iniqllit.1/ (
r !Iwt
land to depart. One (/([.1/ is always emphatic 15, that thinA"s
al'e crowdeel into it, which seemed too much fOl' one dt;'I.
Year by year came the da.1/ of atonement: its
'early repetitic)n
shewed that nothing lastin
wa!; effected. On one dal/ that
remm'al
hould be, whieh needed no renewal 16 . A jewi!'h
writer confe
scd the Illy
tery, while he said 17, " One dl/I/; J
know not what that da\' is." ..hk an\' Christian child :, On
what day was inicluity removed, not f;'OIll the land onl;', but
from all lands?" he would !'ay, "On the day whell Jesus
Die(l."
10. Under tlte vine and under tlte /ì.t:tree. l\Iieah had
alreaely made the des('ription of the I}eac
ful da)-s of
olo-
I1H1I1 15 , a symblll 19 of the unÌ\'er!'al fearle!'s peace of the time
of Christ. ,,
oChrist Lv His Pa!'
ion shaU not onlv take awav
iniquity, but al!'o brin
peacc, delig-ht, free conunimication cjf
all things, !'o that aU thing-s among- Christians !'òhould be
COlUmon. For the law of Christ cnjoineth charity, forg-i\'e-
ness (If injurie!', patience, Jo,-e of enemies &e., all whieh brinA"
temporal peace." ,

9 S. IreniIHs
rj::
'
1. 7. 12 Ps
Oc
it: 2
.from S. Iren.
Ii I
::::
f
'

!.:
o;
h

dÍeb
cd

Sed
F
.

ibo
hf
one da "'1 Sa

if.
i, .. in
one da.v Ihey shall die both of them:" I Kl(s xx. :!!I, .. Israel slew or the S, rians 100 uno
foot
en in. one dall"" 2 Chr. xniii. 6, .. Pe
ah slew in, Judah 120,000 in one da;/:"
Is. IX. U, . shall cut off branch and rush In one day: ' x, 17, "devonr his thorns
and br
ers in one d"yô" Is. xlvii. 9, "h
o thinl(S shall come to thee in onedayö"
lb. Ixvi. 8, "shall the earth be made to brlllg forth ill Olle day?"
16 It includes then the i<Pá....a
of Heb. vii. 27, ix. 12, x. 10, though the idiom is
different. I, Rashi. 18 1 h.gs iv. 25.
10 Mi. iv. 4. See ab. p. 3
-1. :;0 Lap.

. I

Refor'
CHRIST
cir. 519.

CII.\PTER (Y.

CIL\PTER IY.

527

B.'I tI,e golden CllJl(l/l,,
tick is furesllell'ed the gooel
Sllcce.
S of ZerllMHlhel's fOlllulfttirm. 11 B!I the
two olh'e trees the twu al/ointeel olles.

. ch. 2. 3.

A i\" D a tlU' an
d that talkt'd with me
eanw a
..in amI waked mc, b as a man
that is wakened out of his slecp,
2 Anfl said unto me, "Yhat seest thou?
.And I sai,), I ha'-c looked, and hehold c a
l'and)estiek all of gold, t with a bowl upon
the top of it, d and his se,-en lamps then
on,
and II 'ie,-en pipes to the se,-en lamps, whieh
woe upon the top tlu'reof:
3 e ...\nd two oli,'e trees by it, one upon

Dan. B. lB.

. Ex. 25. 31.
Rev. 1. 12.
t H"b. with
her bowl.
d LX. 2;;. 37.
Rev. 4. 5.
1\ Or, seven
Ii.veral
pipe. to the
lamps,
c.
ever. lL l
.
Rev. 11.
.

h-. I. Tile angeL ('([lIIe again. The angel (a
hefure 1)
had
one forth to receive some fresh instl'uction from a
high
r anp:eI or from God.
AmL wl'((knu:d mc, a!oò a man is awakeneel out of !<leep,
Zechariah, ovcrwhelmcd by the I"reatne,.;s of the vi
ions,
lIIu
t havc sun1\: down in a sort of stupor, as nfter the \"ision
uf the ram anel he-guat, as Gabriel lCftS speaking u'itlt him,
Daniel
ays, 2 I "Il'((.
ill (l deep sleep Oil lilY face tOlNlrel tlte
ground, ((nd !Ie tOllcl,ed me alld set me uprij;ld; and again
at the voiee of the ang-cl, who. aftcr hi
thrcc weeks' fa,.;t 3,
CaIne to dcdare to him 4 the scripture of tr/lth; and at the
Tran,.;fil"uration, ó Pder alld tlley that ll'ere ll'it/, Mill u'ere
I/(,(IL,!!
l'ith sleep, llnd witt'll tlu,.,! were all:ake, they saw Ilis
gIOl:,!. "6 ". ondl"Ous and stupcndou,.; my,.;teries were they
which wcre shewn to the' di,-ine man. He
aw the Brauch
of the Lord; he ,.;aw IIi,.; invincible mig-ht; he saw His
hrightnes
of Di,-ine intl'JIi
('l}('C and Providence; he saw
the amplitude of beauty and ùi
nity. K ailed thcn and struck
still with amazemcnt, while he revoh'cù the,.;e thin
s in his
mind. sunk in a sort of sleep. he is borne out of hilU
clf and.
mantled al"Ound with darkness, understands that the se('ret
thing-s of Didne wisdom cannot be perfectly eomprehendeel
hv the mind of anv. This then hc attained that. his
enses
hëin
ovcrpuwcred. he should see nothing-, save that whercin
is the sum of wi
dllln, that this immcnsity of the Didne
excellence cannot be scarehed out. By this sleep he was
seized, whell he was roused by the ang-el to sce furthcr
mv
terics." "I Sm,h is the condition of our mind, so far in-
ferior to that in the holy an
ds, that their
tate may bc
called wakcfulncss, our's it sleep."
:!. Antll said s , llull'e Iou/wI alld behold II calldlestick all
of gold. The candlestÍt'k is thc scven-brmH'h('d ('andle4ick
of the tabernacle
, but with Hlriations pUl'po!<dy intmduced
to symbolise the fuller allli mu}"" ('on
tant supply of the oil,
itself the symbol of God's Holy Spirit, Who
"Enahlcs with perpetual light
Thc dulncss of om' blim[cd sight."

I ñ. 3. 2 Dan. viii. 18. 3 lb. x. D. 4 lb. 21.
5 S. Luke ix. :
2. 6 Osor. i S. Cyr.
s The Kri 'Çi<' mu't be rip:hl, .. "\':1('. a manifest blunder, which the Kri corrects: count-
Ie", '158. correcÚn the text also, the 13ib1. Brix.. an old tolio without date, and the Salicin.
Prophets,ll8l'," De Ro,;si ad loc. All the Yerss..a.,"I'ee with the Kri. ""
e text ."ould
suppose that. in t
e
i1enc_e of the prophet. the

-mterpreter related the '"1Slon which he
al"" saw. But thIs IS llillike a1l the other cases. Kml. "upposes that the prophet speaks of
himself in the third person. There is the same variation in :! Sam. i. 8,
eh. v. 9, vii. 3.
9 E'\:. xXV. 31.

the rig-ht sid,> of the howl, and the other C J
Ots T
upon the left .o;;t!e thet'pof. cir.519.
.t
o I answert'd allfl spakt' to the an!!;t'l
that talked with me, saying", "lmt woe
the
e, illY lord?
ã Then the an
('l that talked with me
answt'red and said unto me, Knowest thou
not what thesc he? .And I said,
o, my
lord.
G Then he answered and spake unto HIP.
sayin
, This ;s the word of the LORIJ unto
ZeruhhalH'l, sa\"in
. ';\ot hv II mi
ht, nnr f JIos.l.í.
. . .. I Or army.
hy power, but by my sl)irit, saith the LORD '
of hosts.

The first ,'ariation i
I,er h/Jwl lO 011 the tup (
f ti,e calldlestick,
('ontaining thc oil; then (as dependent on thi
) the pipes to
dcrh-e the oil into cad) lamp, sel'C1l sel'era[ll pipes to tlte ,çn'ell
lamps, i. e., sc,-en to each; and the tæo olit'e trces on cithcr
!oide of the howl, whose extreme and fine brandlcs poured
thrnugh two golden pipes the I"olden oil into the bowl whieh
SUPl)licd the lamps. The multiplied conduits imply thc lar
e
and perfect ,.;upply of oil unceasin
ly supplicd. the
e"en
beinl" symbolic of perfcction or of the reconeilinl" IIf (;od
(symbolised by 3) unto the world (symbolised by 4, its four
quarters); the
pontaneou
flow of the !:"oltJen oil from the
olh'e trees !'Hnholise,.; the free I!:ift of (;od.
4. "6 .\,,:akencd from hi
state of !'Ieep, e\"Cn t1m,.; the
prophet seemed slowly to understand what was she" n him.
He a
ks then of the instl"Ucting" an
cI. The ang-e1, almost
amazed. a
ks if hc knows it not, and when he plainly declares
his iguoranee, makes clear the enigma of thc vision."
ö. TMs is the wurd of the Lorclllllto ZerllMabel. "6.-\.
if
he were to say, the mear;in
of the vision and
(,ol'e of what
ha!' been exhibited is. ' God's doings have almost cricd aloud
I to Zerubbahd that all these ,-isions shall ('OlllC to an end in
their time, not effceteù bv human mig-ht nor in ßeshlv
strenl"th. but in power o{ the Holy Gho!<t .md throu
j)
Divine "ïll.' Fur the Onl\ flcgotten be('amc .:\Ian as we:
but He warred not after the' flesl
, to set up the t:hurl'l. as a
eamllestick to the world, nor did He, through seu,.;ihle
wcapons and armed phalanxes, make those t,,-o people His
own, or plal'e the spiritualli
hts on the candlestiek; hut in
thc might of His own Spirit He appoiuted in the Church
12fìrst ..Jpostles, then prophets and evam:elist,ç, and all the
J"('st of the
aintlv band. filling them with Hi,-ine gift
and
enriehinl" them aiJUndantly by <the influx of His Spirit."
'.7...Yut then ill I"reat power 1I0r ill fleshly 7IIigM "ere the
thin
s of <':hrist, but in power of the Spirit wa!'
atan

p(/ilcd. and the ranks of the adwr,.;e power,; fdl with him;
and h;rad and tho
e who aforetime
en-cd the ('rea t Ul"t'
rather than the Crcator, were ealled to the b..nowll-dge uf

10
) li",. "''Y. for :-
" like other rare masculines, as [:
1:". Hos. xiii. 2: C'
. Ps. xlix. 15.

;:'.<: Jo," v.l.3; ;,;
'Vr. vii. R, as ;:.'.!iI Zech. xiv. 10: I:,'J::;I, Ps. Iv. 16:
'i' P,. luvi.3;
1::';;'li
.
;:
'
:;d4s
,

:-
: e
s

. e
h, as in Gen. ,;i. 2, witbout the', [:'
;:_. r-;:-:n 11'.::'
n
;
i
..
ve shekel. a
iece. b
the pol!," "!'u. iii. 4ï; .. th
fin:,:ers of his hands. and the fin-
Re
of hIS feet
ere C"'""'1 C":'. ...lX and Sl..'{. four and tv.ent.v In number," 2 Sam. xxi. 2u: I-hie;:.
lingers (including as in ::! Sam. those of his feet) were ,jx and .ix, t"ent\" fOIlI." Ilhroil.

& -
12 1 Cor. xii. ;]8.

á2H

ZECIL\RL\II.

c Jí{Oíes T 7 ,nlO m.t thou, gO great mountain?
cir.5ì9. he fore Zcruhbahel tholl shalt [J('come a plain:
K '

{
t

21. and he shall bring forth h the headstone
bps. 118. 22. L

God throm
'h faith. ßut that IIc saH'd an undcr he<n-cn,
not b
human arm, but by Hb own powcr a!' God Emmanuel.
Ho
ea too prote!'tctll, I will luu'e /II('n:'1 up 011 the house (
f
.Judah amI will Slll.t: them hy till' Lord their God, ami will
1I0t Sal'l' them h.'I holL' 1101' hy sword 1101' h.'1 hattle l/or h!l
clwriot5 nor h.'1 horses 1/01' h.'1 horsemen. nut c
ccedinc: fit-
tindv was this said to ZerubLabcl, who was of thc trihe of
Judah and at that timc atlministcretl thc roval !"('at at Jcru-
salem. For that he mig-ht not think that. !'il;ce SUt'll glorious
!'ueeesscs wcre fore-an;IIHlIleed to him, ".U'S would in their
,.cason have to bc or
anised, he lifts him up from these
un"ound and human thought!', anti bids him bc tlllls min(kd.
that the for('c was divinc, thc mi
ht of Christ, "-11lI !'houlcl
hrin
sm'h things to pass, and not human."
lIavinc: C"Ï\"Cn thi
ke\' of thc wholc dsion, without explain-
ing- its dctàils, God enhirg-cs what Hc hatl said to Zerubbabel,
as Hc had in the pre('edin
chapter to Joshua 2.
7. 117w art tluJIl, 0 great 1J/01llIfain 3 ? Be/f)re Zeruhha-
hel thml slw/t he a plain. Thc word!' hm"e thc t'lmractcr of a
sacred prm"erb; 4, El'er.'I one that e:ullteth Mmse(f shall he
abased. Isaiah prophesies the vi(,torics of the Go"'pel in thc
!o'aIne ima
el'Y. 5 EI'eJ".1J ,'alle.'I shall he e:ntlted amI el'Cr.'I
mountain amI Mil shall he made Loll'; amI till' cruol.-ed shall he
/IIade straight and the 1"OIlgh places plain. .And in thc X ew
'l\,!'tament S. Paul says, 6 TIll' u'eapmls (l 0111' warfare ({re 1I0t
camal, hut migh('I through God to the pulling dozcn of strollg-
IlOld.
, casting dolt'n imaginatiolls alld el'e}"!1 Mgh tMug tlwt
e.mlteth itse(f against Gud, and brillgillg into CllptÏl'i(1J el'a.11
tl/fJllgbt to the obedience of Christ. .\s it is thc character of
Anti-Christ, that he 7 oJiposeth and e.ralteth himself ah(Jl'e el"(:r.'I
tiling that is called Gud, so of Satan himself it had been
aid
in thc former ,-ision, that he stood at the right hand of
.To,.hna 8 to resi.
t !rim. So then thc mountain svmboliscs
e,-ery I'esisting- power; Satan and all his instrume'nts, who,
cach in his turn, shall opposc himself and be broug-ht low.
In thc first in!"tance, it wa!' Sanballat and his ('om pan inns, who
opposed thc rebuilding of the temple, on a('('onnt of thc ,. ex-
dusi,-cness" of Zerubbabel mlfl J (lshna 9, be('ause the\" would
not malic the temple thc ahodc of a mh.ed worship' of him
whom thcv ea1l110llr God ancl of theil' own ïchllatries. In all
and each òf his instrunH'nts, thc per!o'e('utin
Emperors or thc
herctics, it was the onc adversary. "IU The words !'eem all
hut to rebukc the great mountain, i. e.
atan, who riseth up
and leadeth ag-ainst Christ thc power of his own stuLborn-
JlC!'S, who was fig-uratÏ\"cly spoken of beforc 8._ For that as far
as it was allowed and in him lay, hc warred ficrcely ac:ainst
thc S.wiour, no one would cloubt, who ('on!'idered how he
approat'lH'd Him when fasting in thc wildernes!', and s('cing-
Him sa, ing- all below, willed to make Him his own worship-
per, shcwing Him 11 all tlu' kingdoms of the wodd, saying
that all !'hould be His, if He u'ould fall down ({wi 1l'orship
him. ThcIl out of the 'Try choir of thc holy .\postles he
3
mll.,; the co
s

ti
!
11:7/1.' ,
.;;, x;v. 10; ,
j

'

782l

. xii. 4; 1,,']II"T1J 'p,
1
am. xix. 22; m;:t 'J:1-;==t= zioN 1 Sdln. xvii. 12; '-="
C':"I K'I

Jer. xxxviii. 14 i ;'I!;:! "
'J lb. xI. 3;
"
è' ,,-
è'
:J lb. xuii. U. al<o 1 h.gs vii. 8.12. Ges. L..hrg. n. lrob. p. (;59.
'. S: LlÎke xiv. 11, xviii. U. 5 Is. xL 4. Th.. ,ame word "TI::'o
. there with ,",':'11.
6 :J Cor. x. ,
, 5. 7 2 The... ii. 4. 8 iii. 1. " S..e ab. Introd. to

:tere i
o a
p
J;;
n to ItJ
.:\latt. iv. 8 b 9 Ezr .
.II.;II' is a fo'i
' f.
r

tiitr
:
ed
I., Ps. cxviii. :J:J. Thi. is implied In the :\lidrash, quoretJ. by De Lira. .. They explain it
of a c..rtain stune of this bujldin
. which was frequentlv ol1;,r..d bv the stone-nu\.<ono lor the
building of the wall, but was always found too long or too short, aild so was often rejected by

tltr}'c(
fi with shouting-"', Ct'!/ i1l 7, Gmce, grace c J3![o[e s T
untu it. cir. ;;19.
S .Mureover the wurd of the LORD came i

:a 3.11,

snatehed thc traitur di
cipl('. per!'uacling him to becomc thc
in!'trUlllcnt of thc Jcwi,.h pern'rseness. lIe ask,. him, 11"1/0
art tholl? di!'para
ing him and making him of no ae('ount,
great as thc 11I00111tain was and hard to with!'tmHI, and in
the way of c\-ery one who would bring- auout sut'll things for
Chri!'t, of "'hom, as wc said, Zeruhbabd was a typc."
And he shall bring fortlt tlte I/eadst(me H. The fll1wòation
of thc templc had lon
hecn laid. Humanly it still hung in
the balalH'c whethcr thcy wouhl be pcrlllitted to ('omplr.tc
I it 13: Zc('hariah forctells ah
olutelv that thcv would. Tn-II
imag'('!' apII('ar to be u!'ed in Holy'Scripture;hoth of whil'l
IlIcet in Chri!'t: thc onc, in which the !'tonc spokcn of is the
foundation-!'tolH'; thc other. in whieh it i
thc head comer-
!'tonc binclin
thc two walls tog-ether, whid. it ('onne(.t,..
Both wel'c corncr !o'tones; thc onc at thc base, thc other
at thc sUlllmit. In baiah thc wholc emphasis is on thc
foundation; 14 B( Iwld Jle 117/0 IUll'C laid ill Zion It stoue, a
tried stone, a j11'eciolls co}"}/er-.
toue, 1('ell-.fOllllded. I n the
Psalm. the buildin
had becn eomnwnced; thosc who wcre
building- ha(l di!'n'
arded and despi!'ccl the !'tone, but it
became tlte Itead (l tlte comel", erowning and binding thc work
in one 15. Both imag-es toc:cther cxprcs!', how Christ is the
Beg-inning and the End, thc First and thc Last; thc Founda-
tion of the spiritual builclinc:, the Chureh, and its summit
amI ('ompletion; the unsecn Foundation whieh was laid de('p
in Cah-an-, and thc Summit to which it /!,TOWS and which
holds it firm tnC:Pther. "'hencc S. Pete'r unitcs the t" 0
propheeies. and hlcnds with them that other of I!'aiah, that
Christ would 16 he (t stolle of stllmblillg, and a 'rock of (!lreuce.
To 1171011l coming, as uuto (l living stone, disallull'ed iI/deed
of 11/(:n hilt clWSt:ll of God and preciulls, .1/e also are Imilt ujJ a
spirituall/Ouse-1rheuce aL.m it is coutained in the Scripture,
Behold, Ila.'1 ill ZiOll a chief comer-stoue, elect, pl"eciolls:-
U1lto .'IOlt whirll hr:liece .lIe is preciuus, bllt unto them u'hich
he disobedient, tlte same stone wMcll the huilders re.fased is
made the head of the corner, amL a stolle (l .
tllmhling ((}ul
a rock of ()ffence, to them 1('Mrlt ,
tllmMe at thp word heing
disohedient.
A Jcw paraphrases this of thc :Messiah; "17.\ncl He shall
re,'eal His )Ic!'siah, who!'c name was !o'pol.en from thc bcgin-
ning', ami he shall rulc ovcr all nations."
Iritlt slwlltings 18, grace, grace unto it, i. e. all fin-our
t'rom Gocl unto it, redoubled favours, grace ullon gracc. The
completion of the huilding wa" but the commen('cment of
thc di!'pcn
ation under it. It was the beg-inning not the encl.
Thcy pray then for thc continucd and manifold g-1"a(,C of God,
that He would carryon thc work, which IIc had be
un.
Perse\-erance, by thc gra('e of God, crowns the lifc of thc
Christian; our Lord's abiding prcsence in gracc with Hi"
Church unto the cnd of the world. is the witness that He
\rho founded her upholds hcr in being.
8. And till' word of the Lord. ,. l
This word of thc Lord
them as unfit, but in the completion of the wall, in the coupling of the two walls, it is fonnd
mo't fit, which was then accounted a mal"\ellous tmng." in Ps. cwij. (l1S) 22. I:'N"T" head,"
I is a .natural me

phor for
he summit; the
ops of mountains, Gen. ,

i. ;; &c.; ul a hill over
valhes. Is. X'<V1U. 1, I; 01 a toner. Gen. '0. 4; of column., 1 h.gs \"11. l!J; the rounded top
h
:v

o

..;
: }
b

.b;g;
F
h
I
:
:
t
;
tl
a;rf

tto
,X:1";';i

.t:
,'::Z
places. Although ll.""d of the chief among things, It CdlllIOt. any more than Kf<þaÀ!j, be uæd
of" the b&e," as Geo;enins would have it. Thes. p. 12;;1. v. õlo:"N"T.
I. 1 :So Pet. ii. 4-7. 17 Jon.
IS 11i!1::R always plur.; of the cries of a city, Is. xxii. 2; of the exactor, Job xx....ix. 7;
cra..JI of thunder, lb. Lxxvi. 29. [all] 19 Keil.

CIL\PTEH IY..

Before unto me, saying,
c
ir
5
l
T
.. Ezra 3. 10. 9 The hands of Zeruhhahcl k have laid the
I Ezra G. 15. fnundation of this house; his hands 1 shall
m
6
i5: 11. alsn finish it; and m thou shalt know that
Ð I
ì
\l
.. 16. the n LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.
10 For who hath despised the day of
Ü
;
}
c
. 0 small thin
s? II for they shall rejoice, and

/
:
J
.e shall see the t l)lummet in the hand of

j:
;
.all Zerubbabel 'll'itlt those seven; p the\' woe
t HLb. .
p ;tch/
:;
n9. the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro

h

'.1
' 3. throug-h the whole earth.
11
Then answered [, and said unto

is not addre!"scd throug-h 'the interpreting- angel,' hut direct
from the Lord. and that throug-h the '.\ng-d of the Lord.' IFor
thou
h in the first in!'tanC'e the word
, the hauds of ZemMmbct
I).c., relatc to the building of the material tcmple, and an-
nounce its completion through Zerubbabel. yet the inferenee,
and thort shalt know that t!le Lord of hosts hath sent me unto
.'l/Oll, shews that the nl('aning is not exhau
ted thcreby. hut
that here too this huilding- is mentioned only ns a type of the
building- of the spiritual temple 2; and the eOInplcti'Jll of
the typical temple is hut a plcdl!,"l' of the eompletion of the
true temple. For not throul!,"h the completion of tilt' material
temple. hut only throu
h the building of the kin
rlllln IIf (;(ld,
l'ihmlowed forth hy it, ean Judah know, that the Angel of the
Lord was sent to him."
10. The simple
t rcnclering i!' marked by the acccnt
.
For who hath despised 3 the da.'I of small tlângs 4? and [i. e.
seeing tlUlt 5,] there hare n'.Íoiced ami seen tile plnlJlml'f in t!le
hattd (
r ZerllMwbel, tltCse sa-ell, the E.'Ies (
r t!le Lord, t!ley are
TWilling to ({Iulfro ill all the eartlt, i. e. since God hath with
joy and
ood-plea!'ure bcheld the pro/!re!'s of the work of
ZerubhahcJ, wlw call despise the cia.'1 of small things? TIle
dll.lI of small t!linp:s was not only that of the foundation of
the temple, but of its continued building also. The old men
indeed, that Iwd seen tlte .fir.çt house, u'ept ll'itlt ([ 101lt! 'Voice,
,l'Ilen the fO/llultttioll of this house was laiel hefore t!leir eyes 6.
But while in pro
l'ess too, Ha
g-ai a
ks, 7 ff7w is left among
you t!lat saw tllis !lollse ill its.first glory? And how do ye see
it now? is not ill YOllr e.'Ies sllch as it, as nothittg? But that
temple was to sce the day of great thin
s, when 8 the later
glory of tlâs ItO/lse s!lall be greater them the former, alld ill this
place u'ilL I give peace, sa it It the Lord of Iwsts.
Tlle.'I are the e.1Jes of the Lord u'hic!l run to and fro. He
uses almost the words of the prophet Hanani to Asa 9, tlte

I "comp. v. 9 b with ii. 13 band 15 b." 2 "as in vi. 12. sq."
3 I
i. q. Iii (and with its con.t. with .,) as nl;;) for n;i. Is. xliv. 18.
4 nU::j).. as n'111, n\"

J. n
!!J
s. xvi. 11. sing. "7"
i..

i? :N
lm. XXÜ. lR..
b This IS not a llIere relatIon 01 a contemporaneons fact, 1ll whICh the noun IS placed fj"'t.
(Ew. Lehrb.

U p. 8=1;;). It is a contrast; in wbich case the word, in which the contr&t
lies, is placed fj"'t. \I hether noun or verb. Here the contrast being between" despising" and
.. rejoiclllg." '
r:1 is placed first. So in Ps. v. 12, 'r!::EI'1; lb. '<'<Y. 3, all that trlUt in Thee
.hall not be ashamed; ashamed
e they who &c.; 1's. xxxviii. 17. The arms oj the un-
1(odly shall be broken, and "pholdeth the Lord the righteous, .. c'j)_"x T-101_..
6 Ezr. iv. 12. I Hag!(. Il. 3.
ß lb. 9. 9 2 Chr. xvi. 9. c
f11 is IDa.'c. in Zech. Loth here and ill. 9,
which is rare, but also Ps. xxxvüi. l\o"ftili:
:,.n
. iTh

.

: t<;
.x-XÜi. ï.
11 J..;;;&. Ii".. after the analO!(}' of n
::;i, c
;þ of ears of corn.
12 Kim., by his p"\ planation" in the mid,t" and that the olive tnoes w
re p:ess
d in the
midst of the golden pIpes, seems to mean that the branches WJth thell' olives !el1111to those

52!>

I him, \Yhat m'l' thf'se
two olin' trPl'S upon C Jí;oíes T
I the rig-ht Ûd,. of the ('é.lIldlestick aud upon _ cir. ';19.
q ver. 3.
the left .<sid" tlH.'reof?
12 .And [ answer'ed ag-ain, and said unto
llim, "'hat II(' tilt'.';,. two oliyp hran('hes
I . I I . t II eb. "11
W 11(' 1 t t lrou
h tlw two g-oldpn pIpes t!.ehrwd.
lOr, en/ptll
II empty tthc goMpn oil out of thelllspln's? :;ítv'!.

íi;;_
13
\nd hp answerpd me and said, Kno\\"- t
e
.e gold.
est thou not what these he:> ...\nd I said, r

'4.
I . t Beb. .mu
I
0, my lord. .
t o
\
14 Then said he, r TIH'se (t1oC the two t s

I

!h.19.
t anointed ones,. that stand hy t tlH' Lord
h.lk

.

e.lJes of tlte Lord rU1l to aml fro thro1t{{lwut t/'e ,clwte eurt!l,
to s/'ew IIim.
e(f strong ill lle/wlf of tlwse 7l'/'0.\e /'mrt is
J1('rfed towllt"d.ç Ilim. Y et thi
a
suran('e that Gud's watl'hful
Providence is over t!le 7l'hrlle earth, hetokcn
llIure than
the rf."toratinn uf the material telllple, who
e ouly hindranC'c
eouid he thc will of nne man, Darius.
T/'e cia!1 of small tMugs is e
peeiaUy God's day, ',"JIII",e
strength is made }Jelfer{ ill ll'eakttess; ,rho rai"ed .Jo"eph
I from the prison, Den-id from the !oheepfold. Haniel from
slavcry, and connl.ted thc world hv the fi",hermen and the
h'ntmi',ker, IHn-ill
IIim
df first -becollle the Carpenter.
" ''" OIlJd('
t thou be g-reat? Be('ome little." """hene\"er,"
said S. TherC'sa 10, (. I am to n'eeh-e some sint:!.'1I1ar
race, I
fir4 annihilatp lII\"s('lf, sink into mv own nothingness, so al'i
to seem to mp.el{ to be nothing-, be .capable of no'thing."
II. AwL I wls/l'ered amI .wtid. The dsion. as a \\ hole,
had heen explained to him. The prophet asks a<.; to subor-
dinate part!'. which seemed perhaps iuconsistcnt with the
whole. If the whole imports that evcrythiug should be done
by tIle" Spirit of God, not by human power, \\ hat means it
that there are these fll'O olive-trees? And when the .Angel
returnctlllo answer, to invite perhaps closcr att('ntion anil a
more definite question, he asks again;
I:!. 1/7wt lire tlte tlCO spikes II of tlie olh'e? comparin

the extreme branchcs of the olh-e-tree. laden with their fruit,
to the ears of {'orn, whil'h u'ere by or in tlte Itllnd of12 tlw
golden pipes 13, ll'/tich empt.lJ fortll tile golden (lit/rom tltemseh-es.
Zel'hm'iah's cxprc

ion, ill tlte Illlml of or, if so he, by tlte Itand
of the two I'ip(',;,
hew
that these two were sYlllbol
of
Ih'ing- ag-ents, for it is nowhere u,;;ed exeept of a living agent,
or of that which is personified as such H.
14. Tltese are tlte two SllUS of oil, prohably not as tllem-
selves anointed, (for another word h; u
ed for thb IS, and the

pipe, as hands, and) ielded in them their oil; Rashi renders .. near it" like ", "" 2 Sam.
xiv. 30. &, n';] Job xv. 23.
13 nl'nJ
is doubtles. the same as Ch.l.,nJ
E-th. (ii.) i. 2. "tubes" ..
';1n "1J
Eccl. i. í,
Targ. in HlL"\t., yet lalger tban the i'>'D. both from its etymology, and since the oil "asderÌ\e<\
tluough two tubes to the bowl, but by 7 x 7 = 49 to the lalllps,
14 Of the 276 cases be,ides this, in which ";] occurs. in three only is it used of any other
than a personal ag-ent. and in these the agent is personifie<l; Job viii. 4. and Ile end the",
awa.'1 in the hnnd of their to.ans(!reosion; Prov. xviii. 21, deatl. and life are in tile power,
lit. the hand. of the ton"..e; Is. hiv. 11, tho", hast made ... to ."elt away 11'1 tlte hand of our
iui'l"itie... "'ith rfl(arÌ! to .,;:::.
';:::, this could not be othernise; but alw III the 92 CaJ>es in
whIch "'::J ; 6, in which ;:n'::J; and 3-1, in "hich C";], occurs, the pronoun relates to a personal
agent.
I. ""'
'. in the other 20 places where it occurs, is always united with other natmal product,:
both
".n (notI"), the fresh wine, and 11' ""heat." F" is used of the oil as uerived from w"
oli,-e (n.. PEl. Ex. xxvii. 20. Lev. xxiv. 2.) for the candlestick, Ex. xxvü. 20, as "ell a q 1..r
the anoint:ug oil, but not "'X'.

530

ZECI-L\RL\II.

C HB
oíes T of the whole earth.
cir. 5l!J.

CfL\P'fER Y.

B!I thE' filling roll is .
hell'ed the curse of tllÏet'es

whole ,'ision has tm'ned on the use of oil as an ill4rument
of light, not of anointin
) but as them
dns ahundantly
ministe1"Íng the stream which is the soun'e of light 1.
117lidl stand h_'I tiLe Lurd of tile wlwle eurth, as His
sen-ants and mini
tcrs.
The candle4iek is almost authoritath-ely interpreted for
us, hy the adoption of the symbol in the Renlation, whcre our
Lord is exhibited 2 a.
ll'alking in the midst of tile SCl'en goldru
candlcsticks, and, it is said. 3 the seven caudit-sticks are the
scvpn Churches; and our Lord says to the Ap()
tks, on whom
He founded the Chun'h; 4 l'e are tile light of tile 1l'0l'lcl: 1J/en
light a cuudlc, aud put it ou a cundlestick, and it gil'eth light
to thcm that are ill the house.
"5 The g'oldcn candlcstick is the Church. as being' ho-
noured in the world, most brig-ht in ,irtucs, raised on
hi
h
exceedingly by the doetrines of the trne I
nowlcd
e of God.
But there arc se"en lamps, lun-inA' lig-ht, not of their own,
but brou
ht to thelll fl'Om without, and nourished by the
supplies through the ()li,-e tree. These si
nify the holy
Apostles, Evangelists, and those who. each in thcir sea
on,
were teadlcrs of the Churches, rC('eivin
, like lamps. into
thcir mind and heart the illumination from Christ, which is
nourishe(l by the sUl)plies of the Spirit. castin
forth light
to those who are in the house." ,. G The pipes of the lamps,
which pour in the oil, si
nify the unstinted prodig'ality of the
loving'-kindncss of God to man."
Th'c mo
t difficult of explanation (as is plain from the
varictyof interpretations) is this last symbol of the spil;:es
of the olh'e-tree, throug-h whom flows the oil of the lIoly
Spirit to the candlesticks, and which yet represent created
beings, minbters, and selTants of God. Perhaps it repre-
sents that, in the Church, grace is ministered throu!!.'h men,
as S. Paul says, 7 Unto every oue of us is given grace according
to the measure of tlte g
ft of CI,rist. lrllaefure lie saitlt, when
He ascended up Oil high, lIe led captiL'i('I captive and gat'e
gifts unto men. And He gave some, apostles; and some. pro-
pllets; and some, eVllngelists; ami sOllie, pastors and teachers,
for the pC1:fecting of the saints, for the work of the ministr.'/,
.for the edifying of the hod.1I of Christ-that 1l'e-1J/(t.'I gJ'fJll' up
into 11im in all things u'hich is tI,e lIcari, el'en Christ. from
lT7w11I the whole hod!l, .fitly Joined together ami compacted h.,!
that which evCI".,! Joint supplietll, according to tlte c:tt'ectual
1l'orkillg ill the measure of el'l'l".'1 part, makdh illcrcaM: of tlte
Iwdy Ill/to tlte eclif,!il/g of itse(fiuIUl'e. "'hat
. Paul expresses
by Sall the !Jod.,!, h([ving 1l0llrislwlent millistered ([1/(1 heillg kllil
togetlter h.'!.iuints ([lid hallds,frmn the Head, amI so increasing
with tlte increase of God, (as he eh.ewhere speaks of 9 the mi-
llistratioll of the Spirit; 10lte that millistereth to .'l/ou tlte Spirit)
that Zechariah may expre!'s by the oil being p"ure(l, throu
h
the living 11 tubes, the bowl, the se,'enfold pipe". into the
lamps, which shone with the God-given light. So S. Paul
sl'eaks again, of 12 hlll'ing this treasure in eartlleu 't'e.
sels.

1 So Ii:::- 1::1 Is. v. 1, and the other imoms of qualit:e.,
';' /::I,
):'
::1 /::I, ;,
,;; j::J &c.
2 Rev. i. 13. ii. 1. 3 lb, i. :!II.
4 S. Matt. v. 14. 15. cf. Phil. ii. 15. 6 S. C)r. 8 Theod.
7 Eph. iv. í, 8, 11, 12, U-1ß. 8 Col. ii. 19.
9 2 Cûr. iii. 8. 10 Gal. iii. 5. 11 See ab. on ver. 12.

(md Sll'earers. 5 B!I a woma1! pres.çecl in all C HB<;t'fes T
epllllh, t11e.finlll damnation of Babylon. cir.519.

T HEK I turned, and lifted up mÏrH' en's,
and luuked, and hellUld a flying ar
,lI. . Ezek. 2. 9.

JII"hua and Zerubbabcl, as repre
entatives of the priestl\"
and royal offices. shadowed forth what was united in (,hri
t,
and !"o, in their !"e"eral offi.res, they might be int'iudcd in the
"YIubol of the olh-e-tree: they could not exhau
t it; fOl" nwn
who, ha,-in
served God in their generation, were to pa"" away,
('ouM not be alone intendcd in a ,'isioll, which describes the
abi.ling being of the Church.
"13Christ is both All-holy Priest and suprcme Eternal King.
In both ways He supplies to us the li1!'ht which He bmu
ht.
For fmm Him piety and ri
hteou
ness flow uncea"ing-Iy to
the Church, that it nenr lack the heaH'nl\" li
ht. The oil is
e"pressed into tubes; thence pa!"!'ed throil
h pipes into the
n'ss{'l which contains the lamps; to designate the variou!" sup-
pliers of li
ht,,, hich, the nearer they arc to the effluence of the
oil, the more they resemble Him hy "'hom they are appointecl
to so Divine an office. The se,-en lamps are the manitiJld
Churches, di
tin('Ì in place but mo
t dosely bound together
bv the ('onsent of one faith ancl by the bond of charity. For
aithou
h the Chureh i" one, yet it'is distÍlH't accordin
to the
manifolcl variety of nations. They are said to be se"en, both
on account of "the seven
ifts of the Spirit, mentioned by
Isaiah, and because in the numbers 3 and 4, is contained an
emblem of piety and ri
hteousness. There are ï I)ipes to
each lamp, to si
nify that each has need of many instrumcllts,
that the li
ht may be maintained lon
er. For as there are
dh-ersities of gifts, so must there needs be the functions of
I many minister
. to complete one work. But the lamp" are
S(.t in a circle, that. the oil of one mav flow more readih' into
others, and it, in turn. may receive t'rom others their ;uper-
abundance, to sct forth the ('ommunion of love and the
indissoluble community of faith."
v. 1. Hithcrtll ail had heCll brÎ!!:ht. full of the larg'ene!o!-
of the
ifts of God; of God's favour' to His people H; the re-
moral of their enemies 15; the restoration and ('xIHUJsion and
security of Gocl's people and Church under lIis protection 16;
the a('('eptance of the present typical priesthood and the
promise of Him, throug'h "'hom there !-hould be entire
forg'iH'ness 1Î: the abidin
illumining of the Church by the
Spirit of God 18. Yet there is a reverse !'ide to all this, {jod'!'
judgements on those who reject all His mercies. "19 Pro-
pheeics partly appertain to those in whose tilll('s the sacred
writers prol'he",ied. partly to the mysteries of Christ. And
tlu'refore it is the wont of thr prophets, at one time to
chastise \'i.'es ami set forth punishments, at another to
predict the mysteries of Christ and the Church."
Aml I tUrJied and, or. Again 20 I l
ftcd up 1II.lf e.lfes. ha,'ing
Hg'ain sunk down in meditation on what he had !'een, aml
ÚllOld ({ roll.fl.lling; as. to Ezekiel was shewn a hand 1l'ith a
roll of a houk tllerein, and he .çpre(/(l it before me. Ezekiel's
roll also was 21 written ll'itldll and 1l'ithout, and there ll'aS
ll'l"ittell therein lamentation (Iud 7lwuruing aud woe. It was
a wide unfolded roll, as is im'oh'ed in its .flying; but its

12 2 Cor. iv. ï.
14 Vision 1. i. i-Ii.
18 Yis_ 3. c. ii. I
Vis. 4. c. iii.
19 S. Aug. de Civ. Dei. xvü. 3. Rib.
Jer. x,iii. 4.

13 Osor.
15 Vision 2. lb. 18-21.
IS Yi
. 5. c. iv.
:20 Gen. n, i. 18, 2 Kgs i. 11, 13.

l Ez. ii. 9, 10.

CJL\PTER \T.

C IrIioíes T 2 And he said unto me, 'Yhat seest

ir. 519. thou? .Anti I answered, I see a flyin
roll ;
tIlt' I(
ngth tllt'reof i.\' twenty cuhits, and tlH'
breadth thereof ten euhits.
:J Then said he unto me, This is the

:.l
';r
' b ('urse that gocth fm.th on' I' the fa('e

;fet:
:
l of thc whole earth: for' \I eyery one that

him- stcaleth shall be cnt off as on this si(le
:
fd

ss, accOI'cling to it; and eyery olle that swear-

"lfli
ht !'ignifietl the ,"ery swift ('omin
of puni
hment
ib,
flyin
from heaven that the sentence camc from the judge-
1lIent-
eat above."
2. .1ml he (the interl'retin
angel) said Ulltn me. It
('annot be without meaning, that the dimen
illns of the roll

h()uld be tho
c of the tabernaele 2, as the last vision "as
that of the candlestic'k, after the likene
s of the eam!lestid\.
therein. The explanations of this eorrespcnHlenee do not
exelude eac'h other. It may be that 3 judgement slw/l hegill
at the hOllse of God; that the punishment on sin is propor-
tioned to the nearness of God and the kn()wled
e of Him;
that the presence of God, which was for life. mi
ht also be to
death, as S. Paul says; 4 Gud maketh manifest the savuw' of
this kllUldedge b.i/ ItS Ù, eVel:1/ place; for we are unto Gud a
sweet l,(WOltr of Christ ill them that are S(lL"ed and ill lIlem tlla!
perish; to the olle we are the saVUlll' of death ulltn death, and
to the uther the sm'oltr uf life Ullto life; and Simeon said,
5 This child is liet for the fall amI rising again of many ill
Israel.
Û,'a the face of the whule earth, primarily land, since
theperjuretl persons, upon whom the eurse was to fall 6 , were
those who swore falselv bv the name of God: and this was in
Judah onlv. The referen'ee to the two tables of the law also
confines it" primarily to those who were uuder the law . Yet,
since the moral law abitles untler the Gospel, ultimately the
e
visions rclatetl to the Christian Chmch, whieh was to be
spread over the whole earth. The roll apparently was shewn,
as written on both sitles; the commantlment:,; of the first table,
in whil'h perjury is forhiclden, on the one side; those relating
to the love of our neig-hhour, in which stealing is forbidden,
on the other 7. "B He calleth cltrse that vengeance, whieh
goeth throu
h the whole world, and is hrought upon the
workers of iniquity. But herehy hoth prophets and people
were tal1
ht, that the God of all is the jU(l
e of all men, and
will exac.t meet puni
lllnent of all, bringin
utter de:,;truetion
not on those only who live nngotlly towards Himsclf. but on
those al:,;o who are unjust to their nei
hhours. For let no
one think that this threat was only against thieves and false-
swearers; for He gave sentence against aU iniquity. For

1 Rib.
th:

; e

1:
::t

::!
o

:X

r::'
S

c
h:í: i

l
.fu:: th

oî
d:f
holies, is detemlÍned by the twenhl boards on each side, a cubit and a half, the breadth of
each board; lb. 16, 18. The breadth is fixed by the sir boards, i. e. nine cubits, with .the
two boards for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides. lb. 22, 23. Josephus gives
tbe whole thirty cubits long, (the h.olyof holies being ten cubits square) ten broad.< Ant_, 3.
6.3.). Kimchi strangely neglects this, and refers to the porch of Solomon's temple, m wIüch
the dimensions of the tabernacle were repeated (1 K
vi, 3,), but which was itself only an
ornament to the temple. 3 1 Pet. iv. 17.
4 2 CUr. ii. 14--16. 5 S. Luke ii. 3-4.
6 ver. 4. 11'1p I'Ip. in two cOITe!:ponding sentences, can only be partitive, as
in Ex. xvii. 12, xxv. 19, Lx,i. 13, xxxii. 15, of the two tables of the law, written on both
,;ide.; xxxvü. 8, x:aviii. 15. N u. xxii. 24; J os. viii. 22, and ten other places. 80 also 1'11:)
I'
at
,,1:)1 Jos. viii. 33. ;T!:)1."TJO Ez. xlvii. 7, 12, as in oilier partitives I'I
, I'I
, or \9Q Ez. xl.
10, 12, 21, 26, xli. 2. I'IIC also, when used of place, always means .. from here," i. e. a definite

531

etlr shan be cut off lM
n that side accord- C HB
oÏS T
in
to it. cir.519.
4 I will hrin
it furth, saith tIt(' LORn of
husts, and it shan enter into th(' house of
thc thit'f, and intn thp hnus(' of c him that c
8

/2.
sweal"t,th falsely hy my name: and it shall 'Ial. 3. 5.
I'clllain in the midst of hi!'> hUIl<;p, and dshall d

v.
eonsullIe it with the timlU'r thereof and the
stones thereof.

!'inee all tJIC law and the prophets han
on this word. FIIOIt
,,'!talt lol'C tIle Lord th.'1 GOcl1l'ith all /h.'1 heart amI th!l1leigh-
/'01(1' as tlt.'lse{f. lIe cUlJlpri!'ed every sort of sin under fal"e
!'\\"earin
and theft. The yiolatilln of oaths i:" the head of
all unC"odline,,<:. One who so doeth is denlid of the 10' e of
(;0(1. C But theft indi('atr" inju;;tiee to one's nci
hhour
fUl'
1111 one who lll\-e
his neig'hhllur will endure to be unjust to
him. The
e head:,; then c'omprehcnd all the other hm s:'
Sllftl/ be mt
tf: lit. rleumul Illl'a.'/ 9 , as something" defiletl
and defilin
. whi,'h has to be t'learrd awa\" as offcnsÏ\'e: a:,;
(;od sars, iu} l(,ill take all'a.'! the remnant oj the house of Jero-
110((111, ({!J' a man taketh Owo.'1 dung, till it he all gone. and so
often in Deuteronomy, tholf shalt pllt the edl (m'ap f/"ll1/l
the midst of thee 1\ or (
f Israe[l2, and in Ezekiel, 13 I 1cill
disper.'ie tllee in tlte countries amI 7l'ill consume th.'I.filthiness
out of tll('e. 14. "
"et it empt!1 upon the coals there(!t
t!tat the
brass nf it 111(/.'1 be hot ami lJl(/,'1 Imrn, ((ml the .filthiness of it
JJla!f he moltell, that the SCIfJJI uf it nUl.'1 be consumed.
4. lwill bring it furth out of the trea
nrchous{', a:,; it
were; as he sars, 1. He hriJigeth forth the 1l'ind Ollt of llis
treasures; and, 16 Is 1lot this laid up in store 1t'itlt
1Ie, sealed
up among Jl.'1 treasures'f Tu
1Ie belongcth vengeance anrl
recompeJlse."
And it shall remain, lit. "lodg-e for the ni
ht 17," until it
has aecompJi!'hed that for which it was sent. its utter de:,;-
truction. '.18 So 'We ha,'e seen antl see at this day powerful
families, which attained to "plendol1r hy rapine or iIl-
otten
I!-'ood:,;, de
tro
ed hy the just j\Hh!'ement of God. that tlwse
who see it are amazed, how such wealth pereeptihly yet
insensibly di"appeared." "19 "'hy doth it m'erthrow thc
!'toues and the wood of the swearer's house? In order that
the ruin mav be a eorrection to all. For since the earth
must hide tile s"-eal'er. when dead, his house, m'erturned
and hecOlne a heap, will by the very sight be an admonition
to aU who pass by amI see it, not to \"enture on the like,
lest they suffer the like, and it will be a lasting wi.tness
against the sin of the df'parted." I1eatheni"m was impre
sed ro
with the doom of him who ('on
ulted the oraele. whetJwr
he should forswear himself for gain 21. .. Swear," was tlU"

place where people are, Gen. xx:xvii. 17.
I

xod. xi. 1 (Maurer's instances).
9 So is lCaflapi(", used Mark vii. 19, (See reff. notes 10-14.) For '"j'] is not simply
"clear," but "cleanse out," a8 lCaflalp'" Soph. Tr. 1012, 10G1, Plutarch Thes. n. 7, 'Iar.
n. 6. "of monsters and robhers." (Gesenius in comparing Arab. ';:];-::-1<, "emptied clean
?
:';:k(:

y

';h
le
:>'S{.:;

i, ':,

tft
ltoff.
,I':i

i
:
r

':'

:
H
b. word. 10 1 K
xiv. lU, add xxi. 21. 11 Deut. '<ÍÍÎ. 5 (6 Heb.),
",ii. 7, xix. 19, ni. 21, xxii. :!1, 2-i, xxiv. 7. I
lb. xvii. 12, xxiii. :!2.
13 Ezek. xxii. 15. 14 Ib, xxiv. 11.
11 "1
for"b 1
:

bÏi;
'; lj
1:
rt. pa... :T;11 18. l

t. xxxü.
, 35'18 Lap.
. . 19 S. Chr}'s. on the statues 15. n. 13. p, 259. Oxf. Tr.
J u
":;r'(X
rryl

\CCl

Sd(
:

}
';F4

' Úi;>

s
:
o

Ò

\d
i
.n.;.
v

and others." Raw!. Herod. iii. 4ï7. "1 Herod, vi. 85.

:\:,

ZI
t'tI \ H 1.\ It.

\\
, H

.T

:\.. 11h'1\ tilt' un
,'1 that lalh,',1 \\ ilh I\h' ,h"'''I
.::h nil tilt' ,'al.th. (' \:
trsT
\\ ,.,,1 1',"'lh, n\Hi
ai,1 unlu nit., I.ift "I' Iltl\\ II ; .\n,l. h,'huhi Ih"I'" \\ n
liflt,tl "I' 1\ II ta- 1111.
thin,. ,.
,'
, n\HI
,',' \\ hnl ;,
thi
thnl
,It'lh I h'nl tlf h'ad: &HHi thi
i,.. u \\ u"mn liml
il-. t\r.
At,
h'I'lh. It'lh in Ih,' Uli,i
1 tlf lilt' "I'lmh.
Ii \ u,1 I
ntti, \\ h,lt ;,.. it ? \ 1\,1 I.,'
lIhi, I
_ \ n,i ht'
nÌtI. rhi
i,.. \\ Îl'h,',h\l'
s.
rhi
i,,' UI\ ,."huh Ihal
tlt'lh 1,"'lh. II" \ntl I.,' t'n..t it il\lo th,' mÌti..t "I' Ih,'

aitl """',',1\ "1', rhi
i,.. ti,,'i.. ""
"Ulhla""" "Ilhuh; "'HI lit' t',hl Ih,' \\,,'i
'hl tlf h'lhl

U..\\ "I'. .. !oill"" ,It',llh u\\ .Iit.. hi" tilt' 111.\11, "h,1 }.""I" lilt' u.,,' "1111 h.' lit' I""II11It rl'tl1II jll,l
"III"lIt P""PtI"IÏt,,,,',1 Itl \\ hilt
..
th; ".t '),Ilh h<llh 1\ ",'U, U<lIII..It....., hlllHlI....... ti.,,'lk....; lit' hll!o .Itlu.,.
,. th"11 t'hri!ol !oll
' Itl Ih,' .It.\\ i
h Ilt'tlpl,'.
hilt ,," itt h.' l'III'..II,'lh. ulllil lit'
"'<I"II hl
"lh"I' 1111,1 ,1t-..tI'tI
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\I ,I" ,,,,,,..::hl ,k"",'II,It.,I thallI him:' \\ htl h<l'" """..,,lh'.1 nhtllli \\ I" !\t'.' II. I'tlillh',1 ttl th,. t1t H II!:,' "II tlf Ih,' ""'11,,11\'" ..f Ih,'
thi.. p.,...i""
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r,.!o"it," tlf th.. 1".tll'h' ":.:.,Iill!ol Hilll
,'If." .., 'Th,' IIII:';'l'I
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\1.'11 hu,'\\II. Ilult ..th,' 11t":ìlll"'1' "M'"I''''' IItit th.. "'II
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n.
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tI,l.., 11,,,1 if nllt hi",...'lf.
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, "hit'h """1111"" 11111 it..'. "II" h
' ""'''
..f th.. f..I'!o\\ "1'11 1',111 iUhl
r".lt mi..li'I'''III''".'' t"..1 Il'It 'h.t 1IIi
ht, \\ h"11 ""II.'.'h'.I hl
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.'S tlf
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n".1 ,"h:.hl
tI ftlnh fr,lm il!o pili,"', III1tI il mi
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",,,I fal",' ,,\\ .',11"'1'" ,If hi!o ,Il'" ,I." : hilt ÌI ftll.tit,,'i III' Ît"'h,,It... th.. I tI".I 111111.1.,,1 h. th.. \\ "",Is of Ih,' p\"t'l'h,'I. liS thtl,,
h
thut "hit'h .' III lit' UptiU th,'m f,.i. "l<l
ill
t'I"'i,,.. 1\". thi!o I It, ".,,,1.1 !o,I
, Pill lip tit,. "'f'f',.II,.,. 'tf sill
\\ hi..h
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!o"''''',1 ......11......."'. th" It'III1'It' 1111,1 I",lil
, !o" thlll th.lt IIIh.it'lIl it; f.,..
" !oU hll..h' hi ,hi ,'\ iI. thllt
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j. nt,.,. ,>. "".':f'1 'H'f'II' f"rtA thllll th., ,'ll1'Ît's ut' 1I1I
t'1s, II h.""" h,'ill
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h\'fur.... hI' ,.it"'I1I",' H. ..tI'T"!oI"I"tHII
' tu th,' 1
l'h.lh. Th.. "'llfmh h'u WIIS
hl,,1
,,"., ti.rlh hi .","t.t m",th.'I' illl
,'I. th,' hll':';",'''1 IIt.h....\\ "1t'II!oIll't" \\ hu!o.. "IIIIII'"
" "llIlIwt 11.1\\, \\ ith
('. l' i,. i., 'lef' f''JlllfiA ,Aflt got'tA ,tìlrtA. ... \\.' It'u 111"\' ",'I'millty. ht, """,'rtllill...lu. Ih,th I'rtlhl\hl
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1111 thill
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fll N't ..:At fllIIl 11,.1' Hn.
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...."',1
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h,I\.. 1I"t ,t't "I'"IIlIitft',I !oills "'h'lI
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t III'II'Y
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(h." II th,' "tllI",'i.""'."u
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, III' th.. \\ Iwlt. is 1',,11. /'/,;s ;s t1 1I',,,,ulll. lit. Vllf' 1('''IIf1U'. ull !oill lIcÎt1!:: 1'''''''.'11-
; i ,h.'ir,'t. lI.bIIUlN'. ,,",, ".' !oll
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'I"S (III hi
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r.'I'I','S.'lIt
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th... ",,"tliti.II1 "t" tht' II'
'1'I{' 'If tht' butl. lit th.. h,'r nhit1ill
tral"llIil ,...mliti,.n ill ht'I'
ill
. ""t"I\'tlill
tu th..
tilll" hi \\ hid, th.' ,i!oi,11l l't'l II It.s. th.. ,\ IIIbulkul ,'a...', ill
dimu, ill tl,,' fil'!ol I'..alm. fII,,1 Ittltlt "ot Slit ill tit,. Sf'"t of tlte
,1\\ "'
,If th... full IIIt'U"IlI't' III' !oill ,',11111111 'bl' it, f'II"!:,'Î\ ."i....", .,('fl,.,
f,,/; UlH1. il tlt,m ..ill,.,.t "",/ "J f'(fl.f'st /lg(,;".
t tlt.1I hroilt,.r;
"iut"t, thl'l't' ,\ ,I' 11.1 l't'IWlltllll..... but th" tl\}'ill
II" d
"I' tht' ..:! IItit !olmHIiIl
R' by Ih.' "II
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!oill \\ith ,lit' !oillll."', ..I I'h.. LII"tl,'f IIII i" ;"',",I",lllllllltl\ill
I"'!o", III' \\'I\It IIIHi hllhi.." .. '\\"1",,,,, hath 1't'1I\"t' ill
ills is
ha lUullhill,l; fur II., is l'l\tÍt'llt ha" "1"tIs sillu."'S lIud t'IIIIUl"'
'''It fur 1"'1.1111 l
iu
' dtl\\ 11 iu th.'III, ,tI thllt, "1'1'1"t,
",'(1 by "
trall...:.I".....l.I
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hiI' th,' 1"'l't'IItUII.'., l,f .'II..h; hut if !oI'Ît.it ..1' ..IIIlIIh,'". h.' IIdlh..1'
t'I'S Ii
ht, 1l,lr f",'ls 1I11
hit""
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th.' 1..(,,1"11 talt'llt uf his "h.lurac
."
"lHhH""Il".' "U.I" ,>t1. it I','''mi,,
tlmt h,' !ohuuht bl'
uhj'''l'h'll to II
, .J",I ('fISt Ita ;IIto thf' "'ÌlI,
t 't" tlte J.:pll"h. .h y('t
I'IllIi!ohUll'ut, lIutl th,'I'.' i
110 Ih'.'.IUllt of thi
It1Il
forbl'ul"Uut.." th,'11 thl' III,'USIII'.' \\ ,I
IIot full. ,'I'
h,' lultl th,' 10\\ .", part
H. Ill. vi. "ð..
. b
OI',m Lro.:r. p.137&. 3 Lap. /fJI'__.A\....' .., Ew, Ltllb. n. 2W.l,p. -54.N,S. " S. (')r.
.
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au 1Not, ""u, Xl. U It i- tb<-u 'it ," t J(\., -...... \nl. 13. .. 'ut tlot" (0<..5';'''01 by mistake for tbe ....TI"I7....
__ INot _..1ooI>t \,& 'I t.Wo.. 'K k. x. 11.',- wb "" t 01 1 oe .
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_ .-" \dJ ü. i. -1. ;", 1 . al..d l' _ ,.h.1b w '}' _..J n ._ .. . lite L" .n .Iim,.. l);lþO !\c. l'Omti.
l' . \>OI
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.

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and t'h Jd, th,'1' earn ',U
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th . IJ d uJ' it f V bab
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with 11 ,\\ Lith ..,. d I tt. }, r th '1'h h.
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, 'an,. t bnd. ..itlw I. ,..-n,. rf' d '- ,a .. W9I i
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n "'.. lhin ,at
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I gt wh 0 Ih,.,. had aatikd thri t aDd".,. 11'11 It a iii mrpi . Allh '*1, I weft'l
'P' tin and 1fM! I I, It rr Qr wa (qIJ; w:u lJu: faith, aDd I rth,
J
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wt.,lIy íthw Ih f'ph h, nQ r1 rt'm ined wil a lhat w"O At Jd dr 1m ral.mm ; Cb'
tt.", .". wa fiJJt'd." w",. madt' a ,Ad y( rt P"' I I. I
1,,1 I Ld II ". I I I ot/ 1.1 ", T,.lftlll, II. ,.... Iin't'ð. It.as \nt...{''hn 1 14 f,., I
. &mbt"" ,,( Ih pflah; a
in f" I, II III tl fU I I ..flUid rru..-t' L' fIJ a Itw.,. U
n 11" fa r.
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lbat tLnt' mil}' I " ,
Oil ftym! 11 hnoMn, bal d,at h nam W'11J'Wß
II \'1. J. J I, !I, ' n "'In
w a wmnan whll wa

rri ; yl1ll>> ',. W'D
wnot' 1fM! di*p" al ffl ,.,,.. inl.., lhe I of It
win *, (ao .. I n tñ,.d, AI,.'m
",,..mal, bIJrrMo by a II N: ,1 h' nl1111U ,
J" .
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n'l! Ihrir, n; with Ih i,. will, ..in" Ih tI ; beylmd I I,.
lhal If, If I' barit rda1 18
.m ftin Ih wind wa in tfw1r ín
"; rapidly, ; ,naJ I,., I 1m ri..11 *;. Da..
I. .. TI I." . ." II
irril""ti. t.My, Ih tI and Iw t' tl>> J.pbab bdwft1l ma.
M thai I i... ny' Ir It Iw" Daa; '1
.nli f1U1h. ", t'al'tbJy P' no ('flUid I' h ffl' U"wa ia. G"d i& I .-aJ , J Lfflbaphal ..wI>> Jf Iud
w",1d n'''. II DIll"
lhat ml pint r ymlw Ii d, at ,,( a
aLf: plat.' m (,I A j 11, 7
ficin lik ill lhi puwmifird bQman wirk .1r,,"*"', h at I _ard:t1'J. It ma,.lbnI J"d1Ir
lhat a j1Ml I. I fm
natl h a.a,. 11.,- Hml_, It damnt'd, 00, by KTTÍ IhnJ, (rom (",fI. ..\ny hi,.. I "" JwJI
d by I
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II. fi I,/.JIM r IJn I,m/,
in 11. l'md" f,'f,;ml. n m' ..Iaín
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back If, aD
lhal I . Jd, , f, rth 18 fJIIbtT Ja 18 t: ,
, P""''''' lhan Ih ",,,rtd.,-,,,pin ,,( Pabylml; ..M -II 0' anlil lhe- limt' b".Jd t:f1fUe, st'ð fIT I'" (.IJId.
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I .1J,,.Jd bt',
d lor I I' mn 1m ,"
"""")11 II) array a ,,"rtd
pir" a
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t f",d,,,,, fß4Inliihð 1'ht' JDØ8øtain,. bra. may 1 . yl I I Dm
a.. ,.d di. . And it iolf It apW:' ymool o( am tri..dnm mdtTJ Ih aDd 1m bJí.øh fA I tT b""b
antilbn.I' Anli-{'''bri.tåao w"rld, whi h by ritlml':t', art, J1Uul1h I In
'; a
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ral h, 1d, IIofJPL..*a,.,., w " III ain!lta ab lralh, T" lhift
I r /,I, nun

f' I11a I" mIAmi .. (, .
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"'t' hi m>>ly, ...1. I . r ri&T
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, l:1IIJ.i t'; bnt' I war anlll" tnlh I .
í. (, 1';1 '''1ßmJr and ",..,.; IJ
' n J ,." A4IMarotb',"" b
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wMrh Ih,.
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534

ZECHARIAH.

cJífOïsT 5 ...\n<1 the angcJ answered anrl said unto I
cir.519. me, e These m'p the four II spirits of the
. P.. 10
. 4. I } . } c 1 f ' f 1 . I
Hcb" 1. Î, 14. leavens, W He 1 go 10rt I rom stan( mg

i
!

\9. bcfore the Lord of all tbe earth.

I
.
}o. 6 The black horses whicb arc therein
R .te

.\2' go forth into g the north country; and the:
same as the speckled of the first vi
ion, tile black horses arc I
wanting there. as well as the succession, in which they /!."O
forth. The only resemLlauee is, that thcl'e arc hurses uf I
dh'ers colours, two of \\ hich, red and white. arc the same. ,
The symbol uf the fourth empire. grizzled, st1"Ong I. rcmark-
ably e(l['l"e
punds with the strength and mingled character uf
the fOUl.th eml'irc in Dauiel.
5. Tllfse are the fuur spirits of tIle Ileal'cJlS. They can-
not be literal winds: fur spirit!<, not winds. stand before Gud.
as Hi

er\"ants, as in .Jub, 2 the SOliS of Gud came tu present
themselves befure tile Lord. This they did. "3for tllesc fuur
kin/!."doms diil nothin
without the will of (;od." Zechariah
SUlllS up in one, what former prophets had said separately
of the Assyrian, the ßabylonian, Egyptian, Pen.ian. 4 U
Asspria, tile rud of JJlille anger-I 1(1ill send !lim against all
nJlgud(1f nation, ami against the people of J1.1f 1l'rath I u'ill
giz'e him a charge. 6 I will scnd and tnke all the .families of
tlie north, and
YelJltcll(ldrez:;ar, the king of Bab.lfloll, JI.1f
serl'ant, and will bring them ag(tÌnst tltis laud. 6 Tile Lord
shall /tiss for thc.fi!I, that Ü in the uttermost part of Egypt,
alld fur the bee that is ill the land of Assyria, aml the!1 slndl
come, and shaU1'est, all of them, ill the desolate 'l:alle.'ls. 7 I
will call all the families of the kingdoms of the lIorth, saitlt
ti,e Lord; ami tlle.1f shall cume, and slwll set ever.1} {me !tis
throne at the entering of the gntes of Jerusalem. '''hatenr
the human impulse or the human mcan
, all stand before tile
Lord {
f tile whole curtll, ministering to I
is will 'nlU
e
arc all thin
s, the Judge of all, "Tho u ithholdcth the c1ms-
tisement till the iniquity is full, and then, throup:h man's
inju
tiee, executt'
His own just judgement. "8 He says
that they went forth fl"om where thev had stood hefore the
Lord o(the whule earth, to shew that their power had been
obtaiued by the eounscl of God, that tÌley might serve His
will. For nit cmpire wa
ever sct up on earth witlwut the
mind, counsel aud power of God. He exalts the humble and
ob
eure, He prustrates the lufty, who tru
t overmueh in
them!':eh-es, arms une against the other, so that no fraud
or pride
hall be without punishment."
6. Tl.e black horses leMelt are therein go fortll. lit. That
clwriot wl,ereÙi tile black hurses are, these go fortll. "3 J\Iost
suitahIy is the first chariot, wherein the red hurses were,
passed over, and what the !'ccond, third, fourtll did is de-
sl"I"ibed. Fur when the prophet related this, the Babylonian
empil'e had passed, and the power of the l\Iedes (wssesscd
all .\.sia." Red, as the colour of blood, repl'esented Babylon
as sanguinary; as it is said in the Revelation, 9There went
out llJwtlu:r horse, red, and power was given to him that sat
1 The guess of Abulwalid and Kimchi that fOil might be i.q., J'1=1J bright red, Is. !xiü. I,
is at variance with the whole lL'<e of the Hebrew root. which occurs 40 time, in the verb,
1';1;'; ï times in the adj. f'':è!:C; and once each in r;k, õt
?!:C, r:;!!:;!, besides the Proper Names
1"'''1;', Isaiah's father;

!:C. of t\\O persons, õt;X:;
, of four persons. The Arab. t
" which

í:

n
:;

i

.

':

:'

:O
e aw

othit
h
:o
dei

e:3;

of colours: with E\\ aid, to replace the red horses, on which the prophet is silent. See

:
:d ïErlf:b.
'
tth

P
::r
n:
e c
nJ3
è
.
!

s

e

}b
e
i}

:
but the pronunciaticn of Proper .Names varies in all lan:;uages. See" Daniel the prophet"

white [!O forth after them; and the grisled c lí
oÍeST
go forth toward tilt' south country. cir. ;;19.
7 .And the bay went forth, and soug-ht to

o that they miA"ht hwalk to and fro through h 3,
ni.l:õ.17.
the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk
to and fro through the earth. So they

tl/ereon, to take peace from the eartll, aud that th('y should kill
one ([uother, and there ll'as giz'en him ([ sharp sword. The
LInck were to go furth to the :I\"urth cOUll1n', the aneicllt
title uf ßabylon. For 13abylon, thoug-h takcn: was far from
bein
bl"ukcn. They had probably bcen betrayed thruug"h the
weakness of their kings. Theil" resistance, in the fir
t ('are-
fully prepared IO revo lt against Darius, was more cuura
eous
than that against Cyrus: and more desperate n.
ince
prubably mure Jews remained in it, than returned to their
own country, what was tu befall it had a
peeial intel'cst for
them. They had already becn warned in the third vi
iol1 u
to e
cape from it. The cui our blael. doubtless
pllboIi
es
the hea\-y lot, inflietcd by the l\Iedu-Per!'oians; as in the
Re\'elation it is sai(l, 13 tile Sl/II became blarl. as sarkrloth Hf
IUlir; and to the beast in Daniel's vision which corresponded
with it, U it was said. .Arise, devul/r mllrlt fiesll; and in the
Revelation 15, he tllllt sat on the black horse was the angel
char
ed with the infliction of famine. Of the :\lcdes. baiah
had 'Said 16, I will stir up tlte .I.JIedes against them [Dabylon],
Il,/,j(.h slw1l1wt regard silver; and gold, the.1f shall nut delight
ill it. Their bows also shall clash the youug men to pie('e,,;
and they shall Illlve 110 pity on tlte fruit of the womb; their
eye shallllot spare clâlrlren.
Ti,e u'Mte ll'ellt furth lifter them: for the Creel;.: empire
occupied the same purtion of the earth as the Persian.
"'hite is a symbol uf joy, gladness 17, ,ietury 18, perhaps al!,(I,
from its relation tu light, uf acute intelli
ence. It may relate
too to the benevolenee of Alexander tu the Jewi
h nation.
" 1 Alexander used such clemency tu the eOlHl'lCl"('d, t hat it
seemed as th(lu
h he mi
ht be called rather the fuunder
than the destru,:cr uf the ;mtions whom he subdued."
.Ami ti,e g;i:;:;;/ed, the Rumaus in their mill/!."lcd charac-
ter. so pruminent in the fourth empire uf Daniel 19, go furth
to the south country, i. e. EgTpt; as Daniel
peahs uf 20 the
ships of Cilittilll and the inter,'ention uf the Homans first in
rep:ard to the expulsion of AlltiudlUs Epiphanl's fwm Lg").pt;
in Egypt al
o, the la!'t enduI"Ïllg killgdom of any suecessor
of Alexander. that of the Ptulemies, exph'ed. "au years
afterward
, the Son of God was to IH"ill
light to the earth.
The l)rophet su interweaves the predictiun, that ti'om the
series of the four kingdoms it is hrought to the Birth of the
Eternal King 21."
7. And the strong went furth and sought to go, that they
might walk to and fro through the earth. The mentiun of
their strength corresponds to the extent of the po\,"er alld
comnlÍssion, for which they asked. to go to and Ji'u, up and
down, at their will, unhindered, through the whule earth.

p. 405. Fürst's instances (Handwärt. p. 3ß8) are conjectures of his own. 'Within Arabic,

IJt)
;' ;ft; i
;;:':' .l;,
t
y C1t
e
" ej;;,; i
f;c
':;,n
'

p

l: a.
:;dw
h
u:O
t
;
pronunciation of c;a in this one sense ; "1J<N and "WI are perhaps from the same bilitteral root.

Job i. 6, ü. 1. The same idiom SII ::IS'lIõt.
S. Jer.
4 Is. x. 5. 6 Jer. xxv. 9. 6 Is. v;i. IB, 19. 7 Jer. i. 15. B Osor.
ppV.

;:
Õ

d. !!. I
Oir7
d. iü. 15?:i Rev. vi. I!!. 11 See .. RD

.t

.P;:ophet,..
15 Rev. vi. 5, Ü. 16 Is. liii. 17, IS. 17 Eccl. ix. S. .' Rev. vi. 2.
19 Dan. ii. 41-4-3. to lb. xi. 30.

1 Osor. See .. Daniel the Prophet," pp. 14:!-150.

CHAPTER VI.

C f

oìsT walkc(l to and fro throu
h thc earth.
cir. ;;19. 8 Thcn cried he upon me, and spake unto
mc, saying, Behold, these that
o toward
I JÊ

}ò. 4. the north country hm'c ({1_1Ïcted my i spirit
in the north ('ountry.
!)
A nd the word of the LORD came unto
me, saying,

The Bahylonian empire held E
!;ypt only out of A!'ia; the
Per
ian was conquered in its efforts a
ainst Em'ope, in
Grccl'e; Alexander's was like a meteor, /!,"leaming but hreak-
in!; into the four: the Roman combined East and 'Vest ami
within lar/!,"e limits tranquilly.
Ami he said go, ll'fllk to and fro in the earth. lIe
commanded, and they, whil'h were before withheld, went, {(ud
tl'(1/ walked to allli fro I on the earth, ordet'in
all thing-s at
their will, under the Prlwidence of Gild, whereby He /!a,-e
fl'ee acccss to the Go
pel in all their wide empire. The
(;reek empire being extingui
hed, the Romans no longer
went into any g-h'cn country, but
upel"intended and governed
all human thing's in (it is the lan
uage of the Kcw Testa-
ment) all the ll'orld. "2 These same, the dal)pled and ashen
grey horses were commanded to traverse the earth, and they
did traverse it; for they masteretl aU under hea,-en, and rulcd
the whole earth, God con!'enting and arravin!; those who
swaycd the Roman might with this brilliant gl;,ry. For. a'"
(j-(Id, Hc knew beforehand the greatness of their future piety."
8. Then God, or the .Angel of the Lord, who speaks of
what bdonged to God alone, called me (probably" loudly3"),
so as to command his attention to this which mo
t immedi-
ately concerned his people.
71tese have quietfd .JI.lJ spirit in the lY(J1'th COll1tfl:1J, or
rather, hal'e made
11.1/ auger to rest 4 on, i. e. ha,'e earried it
thithcl' and depo.o;íted it there, made it to re
t upon them, as
its abodc, as S. John saith of the unbelievin!r, 5 The wrath of
God abideth on him. Babvlon had been the final antagonist
and subduer of the pt'opÍe of God. It had at the
utset
destroyed the temple of God, and carried off its vessels to
adorn idol-temple
. Its empire closed on that night when it
triumphed o\"Cr God II, using- the ve
scls tledÍt'ated to Him, to
the glorifying of their idols. III th(a night was Belshazzar
tlte king of the Clwlctæans slain. This final execution of
God's ang-er upon that their destroyer ,,"as the earnest of the
rest to tlle111; and in this the visions pause.
9. .Ami the u'ord of the Lord rame to me. The vision!;
being- cI()
ed, Zecharia'h marks the ehan
e by adopting the
usual formula, with whi(+ the prophets authenticated, that
they spake not of themsclves, but hy the Spirit of God. The
act enjoined is a symbolic act, pointin
and !'umming- up and
interpreting- the \"Ísiuns, as some of the visions had been
already expanded by fresh revelations following immediately
upon them.
I The fern. :'!J:
-M maì; have been occasioned by the symbol n,:::-.':) v. I, or the explana-

d

;
d
ltb

:I

t,I(

;;;
ir

b::li
dn
;

:

:ri

.

l
) :
ír
2 S. C}"J". 3 jJ'
,;t, "ith ace. p. is used elsewhere of calling to!(ether people.
:oï
;:d
iJ;"

;':;S:
it:

v. 13: th:::
/

t:,,)

t
l

::e;
n

J

n ;
7

made m'l an !!e,' to rest "pan thee. The idiom, .. to cause to rest upon" a person, invoh e>
that thai person is the object, on whom it abides; not that an!!er or spirit was quieted in
him wlJo'e it "as, (as Kim.). "" is .. anger," Jud. viii. 3, Elcl. x. 4.
S S. John iii. :\6. 6 Dan. v. See in Daniel the Prophet pp. 450-453.

nit': rõh. _
Ex.
v. 2,
. 16, xxcv. 5. Ley. vji. 3-1.... . ""
9
":
k
i:.121: i
.

l,\l: t.

-i,3

.(rq lb. X.
':Eir
I.\

.. 4, X....1X. --, X\l \l. .iii. 35.

..-,-
",J,)

I I 0 Take of them (if the capth-ity, er.'CIl of C IP
oÏS T
I1cldai, of TuLijah, and of Jcdaiah, whi('h cir.5HI.
are come from llahylon, and come thou the
same day, and
o into the house of Josiah
the son of Zephaniah;
II Then take silvcr and
()ld, and make k

ti.8r."3().
I k crowns, and set tltem upon the head of
v3.85.9.
10. Take of the cflplh'i(I/, of that whieh thcy had
I hroudlt with them 7. The ca}JtiL'Ït!/ wa
, in Jet'emiah 8, and
Ezckiel 9 , the title of those who had becn al'tually earried
captive and were at that nwment in captivity. J
zra (
on-
tillues it of those who had been in captivity, thou
h now
rcturned from exile. Y ct not without a refcrelll'e to the
eirelllll
tances or causes of that captidty. It is the cliptivit.'llU
which Sheshbaaar hrin
s from Babylon, or Ezra subse-
quently Il; the children (
f tlte ca}Jtiz-it!!. whu
ct tllt'UlselveS to
huiltl the temple of God 12
who dcdi(
ated it ami kept the
pa
sm"er 13. The title is used apparently as an a{.?:u:ravatiou of

in. like that whidl had been dla
tencd by that capth'ity H.
Here, the term seem
to imply !"ome blame, that they rc-
maiued of their own aceonl in this
tate of !'e'"crancc fl"llm
thc altar, where alone spccial wor:-hip of God and
acl'ifil'('
(
ould be offered. Thev had bCf'n removed again
t thch'
will; yet, as Christians often do, acquiesced 'in the 10:-:-.
rathcr than fore!ro their telllporal advantau;e!". Still they
wished to takc part in thc work of restorin!r the publie
\1"(,r....hip, and so sent the!;c men, with their ('ontribution of
g-oM and silver, to their hrethrcn, who had returned; as, in
the first times of the Go
pcl, the Christians every where
made eolleetions for the poor !'aints, who dwelt in Jerusalem.
And thi!' their imperfect zeal wa... instantly ac('('pted.
.And go t"y
elf, to make the aet mm'c impl'e
sh'e, 01'
that same da.'!, as matter of ut'geuey, aud t/wu shalt come tu
the hOllse (
f Jusiah SOli uf Zepl/(l/liah, whither they hau come
.frum BalJylrm Iii. The exiles ,,-ho had hruught prcsents for
the buildiug" of the temple, lodg-ed, it seems, in the house of
Josiah, whether they duubted or no that their pre"ent

""ould be aecepted, !'inee they chose Bahylon, not Jerusalem
for their abode. This a('ceptance of their gifts !"
mholiscd
the inl'omin
of tho
e from far. It is remarkahle that all
five names expre!"s a relation to God. Tobiah," 16 The Lord
is my good; 1"edllialt," God knoweth" or "careth for;"
JoÛah, ., The Lord
upporteth 17
" Zephanialt, ,. The Lord
hideth," and perhaps Cheldai, "The Lord's world 18." They
had taken reliu:ious instead of worldlv names. Prohabh"
Zeehariah was L first to accept the offc
in

from the three
e
iles, and then to take the actual gold fl'olll the hou!'e of
Josiah whither they had broug-ht it. The pil!!rillls from
Babvlon and their ho.st are included in one common blessinl!.
11. '.dmi make crOWltS; or a crml'n I9 , a!' in Job, 20 I u'(mld bÌ1
d
it as II CrOllJ1l unto me, and our Lord is seen in the Revelation,

I
lb. iv. 1. 13 tlte children of the cf7pli1'it.I{ lb. .i. lü. Ch. 19,
O.
J4 ;t"J;t lb. ix. 4, x. 6. :I'U" 'J:1 lb. X. 7. 16, :I
1J;t '''i' lb. 8.
of ;I.:. in k
': reX::de;
,":?w:: h::::t

:

d l=t;I=

l

l!ilin
jo
t.h
\u:t
this too is an impossible construction.
in
;
;.;

. 1
,o

1
1)
h: T
fas t
e
C:/::
l
T%
e;.;
io

iin
i'
k
i. 62; 2)
Ii Josiah only occurs besides, as the name of the well.known kitll(.
18 .,t.,n. The name is preserved, though obelise<1. in the LXX. 'EÀl>øvJ, EÀl>al; not from
Aq. who has 'OÀl>å. Jon. retains the name; the Syr. and S. Jer. Holdai, (the S}r. in v. U.
alsO.) The Lx..'\. only trapà Tr;JJ/ åpXÓvr",,,.
19 I( great crown." Jon.: " a cro""n," S='T.

o nn:;I Job xxxi. 36. The plural fonn is u-ul o..I
in the>e two places aud as, or in, t
I'

.)3ft

ZECHARIAH.

C IPí{oï S T Joshua the son of J ose<lech the high priest;
cir. ;;l!). 12
\Ild speak unto him, saying, Thus
speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Dehold

Ion His Head were mall.'1 crowns. The sinp;ular is used of
2a 1'o.lJal crOWIl, al'pm'ently of a festi\'e crown 3; and fig-ura-
tively.j,; even of Almig'hty God Himself as a crown;;; but no
whcl'e of the mitrc of the hi
h-prie
t.
The c:haracteristic of the a('t is, that the crown or crowns
(it is not in the cnntext said, which) were pla('cd on the
head of the one high priest, Joshua; and tholl shalt place [it
or t/WIl, it is not said which] upon tlte I/Cad of JOSllllll SOil of
.Iosedeell the high-priest, ami shalt sa.,! unto !lim. If crowns
were made of each material, there were two crowns. But
thi
is not said, and the silver might have formed a circlet
in the crown of gold, as, in modcrn times. the iron crown of
Lnmbardy, was ('alled iron, because it had" 6 a plate of iron
in its summit, being else of gold and most precious." In
any case the symbolical act \Va::; ('ompleted by the placing of
a royal crown upon the head of the hi
'h-priest. Thi:,;, in
it,;;elf, represented that lIe, '''hom he and all other pricsts
repn'scnted, would he also our Kin
. It is all one then,
whether the word designate one sin
'le crown, so entitled
for its greatness, or one united royal crown, i. e., one crown
uniting many crowns, spnholising' the lUany kingdoms of
the earth, liver which our High Priest and King should rule.
Either symhol, of separate crowns 7, or an united crown 8,
has been used in the same meaning, to spnbolise as many
elllpire
, as there were crowns.
On Zerubhabel no crown was placed. It would have been
confusin
; a seeming restoration of the kin
dom, when it
was not to be restored; an eucouragemcnt of the temporal
hopes, which were the bane nf Israel. God had foretold, that
none of the race of Jehoiakim should prosper, sitting Oil the
throlle of David, or ruling any more in Israel. Nehemiah
rejects the imputation of ::5 an baJIat 9, Thou hast also appointed

Proper Name offour towns; 1) ni';lJI, a town of the Gadites, Nu. xxxii. 3, 34; 2) of Ephraim,
Jo_h. xvi. :!.i, also ,
t( ni"11;))1 "cro..n of Addar," lb. xvi. 5, xviii. 13; 3) of Judah ni'I;))1
:1I:,i' n'i ("crown of the house of Joab") 1 Chr. ii. 54; and 4) and of Gad, I
ici nl-'::)1,
(mentioned with Ataroth) Nu. xxxii. 35. In all these it must needs be sinl(ular. '
I Rev. xix. Ig. In Rev. xii. 3, the i crowns are for the 7 heads of the dragon. c'"ifj:1 is
used of the one j1;Ìrdle, Jer. ii. 32. ! CJ
C n'
p :!. Sam. xii. 3U, 1 Chr. xx. 2;
also ofa kinl(. Ps. xxi. 4, Cant. iii. n, Jer. xiii. 18; perhaps E_ther viii. 15, (coll. vi. 8.)
possibly Ezek. xvi. 12, (coll. 13); fig., parallel with nJI
c
1J:> Is. lxii. 3; compo also
m'
po ,,:> Tyrz the crowliing i. e., the kingmaker. in her colomes, Is. xxiii. 8.

Is. xxviÎi. 1, 3, Lam. v. 16; of festive array, Ez. xxiii. 42.
4 Job xix. 9. [I?lur. lb. xxxi. 36] Pro iv. 9, xii. 4, xiv. 24, xvi. 31. xvii. 6.
:

r:

i;l
. &

ï

h5:'
Dc:é..'n

IGl

:'\ .lè:

l
errea.
(1 \::

'Z :;r
a1

:
:

i
w:h=
h:Ei

mh
f'i;;
hi

de
:,
:.lt';o
i
!I.r.

(Herodian Hist. vi. 2. p. n9 Bekk.); "the Emperor of Germany received three crowns:
fi,'St, sih'er (at Aix) for Germany; one of iron at Monza in the Milanese or Milan (for
Lombardy); that of !(Old in divers places," (Alberic. Index v. Corona in Du Canl(e v. Corona
Imperialis) "the !(Olden at Rome." Du Canl(. Otto of Frisingen said that Frederic received
5 crowns; the fir"t at Aix for the kingdom of the Franks; a second at Ratisbon for that of
Germany; a third at Pavia for the kin!tdom of Lombardy; the fourth at Rome for the
Roman empire from Adrian iv; the fifth of Monza for the kin
dom of Italy." In our
own memory, Napoleon I. having been crowned in }'rance, was cro...ned with the iron crown
at
Ionza.
s .. The headdress of the king, on state occasions, was the crown of the upper or of the

h:b..idu
J\

ei

t'

J L

f :

et\

re
::Jl

gth

:
:

ig
70
f
:
double crown at his coronation, and we find in the grand representation given olthis cere-

h
nlh

e;:n:
eH

u

;

l

iPR

::
rh

t
1h::

o

a:;:
o

lower country.-'Vhen crowned, the king invariably put on the two crowns at the same

:
l:

i
;,

e ficlt
rba

le
:'"
,
TIki
:o
.
o A:
i
n
É
:
i,ili
e
ti:

ter in the
9 N

. p
:

: 12 I;b
ii

: xxi. 31, 32 [26i32
h
.nfï19.
14 The consent of the ancient Jews in interpreting" the Branc!I" of the l\
ec,iah is very

I the man whose name is 1'he m nRX
l'H; C I

{oïsT
and he shall II grow up out of his place, n
lIld 1 s
t

:"-
he shall build the temple of the LORD: 1. it;.
John 1. 4.5.

m ch. 3. 8. U Or, brane" up from under him.
D ch. 4. 9. Matt. 16. 18. El'h. 2. :!tJ, 21,
:!. lIeb. 3. 3.

prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, There is a king in
Judah. He answers, There are no such tMugs done as tlWll
sa.,!est; aml thollfeiguest them out of tlâlle own IH:a/"t. But
Isaiah had foretold much of the king who should reign:
Zechariah, by placing the royal crown on the head of Jo,.hua,
fOl'eshe I\.ed that the kingdum was not to he of this wodd.
The ro) ul erown had been tal..en away in the time of Zcdekiall,
I IOThu.
sldth the Lord God, Rnnove ti,e diadem aUlI take
I away the C1'OlVll; tlli.
slwll not be tMs; exalt the luw aml
I abase the high; all overthrow, overthruw, overtl'ruw will I make
, it; tlâs too Ü not; until he come whose ti,e right is, and I will
giu it.
ßut the l\Iessiah, it was furetold, was to be both priest
and king; 11 a priest ({fter the order of
1Jt:lclâ::;edec, anti a Idug,
set hy the Lord 12 upon His Iwly MIL of Zion. 'file ad of
1'Iaeing the crown on the head of Joshua the hip;h-l'rie!St,
I pictured not only the union of the otlices of 1'l"Ïcst and king
in the person of Christ, but that He should be King. being
first our High Priest. J ushua was alrc
llly II ig'h Priest;
bcin
such, the kin
ly crowll was addetl to him. It sa
.s in
act, what S. Paul !Says, that 13 Christ Jesus, being ,fuuud in
fasMoll as a man, Illl1llMed Himself aUlI became obedient uuto
death, even the death of the Cross. II/herefore God also hath
, Mgh(1J e:l'alted IIim.
I 12. The Prllphet is taught to explain his own symbolic
act. Behold tI,e JIau 1('h()se name is the Branch 14. "1\ ot for
hilllselt
but for Christ, \\llUse name Joshua hare, and "Tho
e
I Priesthood and Princedom he represented," was the (
rown
p:Í\'en him. The Prol)ht't had already foretold the l\lessiah,
under the name of the Bnllleh. Here he adtls,
And he shall grow up Ollt of Ilis place 15, lowly and of IW
seeming account, as God foretold by Jeremiah, 16 I u'ill cause

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father; the Redeemer too, 'Vhom I am about to make to stand from you, He shall have no
father, as is said, Behold the Man 'Whose name is the Branch, and he shall shoot [lit. from
below him] from his place; and so saith Isaiah, And he grew np lih a sucker before him.'"
(Bereshith Rabba on Gen. xxxvii. 2:!. in Martini Pug. Fid. f. 594 quoted also by a Jewish
convert, Joshua Hallorki, known among us as Hieroll. de S. Fide, c. J ud. i. 5. Bib!. Max.

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Priest on his throne. and counsel of peace there shall be bet\\ een them both." llnslü says,
"He hin
at the :Messiah, and so parayhrases Jonathan, Behold a Man "Those name is

fessiah, &c." (in Mart. p. 3i6. The pnnted edd. sub,titute .. And some interptet it of king
Messiah.") R. Nachman observes on the force "fthe \\"ord man, "Man (in Ì\u. i. 4.)i8 not
said here but ofthe Messiah the Son of David. as is said, . Behold the Man, 'nlOse name

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f.5, 1. quote R. Joshua B. Levi (end of 2nd cent., Wolf. B. H. ii. 842, coli. pp. 834, 8-U) as
alleging this place in proof that" Branch is a name of the Messiah." Schöttgen [ad loe.].
Schöttgen quotes also the Pirke Elieser c. 38, " God will free Israel at the end of the
4th kin!l:dom, saying, I have put forth a germ unto you, Behold my servant the Branch."
Bammidbar R. sect. 18 f. 236, 1, Tanchuma f. 68, 3. "Behold the l\Ian, whose name is
the Branch. This is the Messiah, of Whom it is said (Jer. xxiii. 5.) And I will raise
up unto David a righteous Branch." Midrash Mi,hle xix. 21 f. 5i, 1. quotes, "R. Huna (:ird
eent.) said, The name of Messiah is Branch, as in, . Behold a man.'" lb. After all this
Kimchi says, .. Some interpret it of king Messiah."
IS I'nnno as Ex. x. 23. "neitner rose any from his place," "nnnc.
16 Jer. xxxiii. 15. This is the nat!lral construction, 1) /'t!:)S being the common worf1 for
the shooting ofplants,(Gen. ii. 5.x1i. fl, 23, Is. xliv. 4, Ez. xvii. 6,) the name of "the branch,"

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I unnatural to assume an impersonal, since a suhject has been mentioned in the preeeding
clause to wl';ch it is united by '; and 4) it is follo\\"ed by a personal verb, with that same
J subject for its subjcct.

CIL\PTER YI.

Before
CHRIST
cir. 519.

õa7

13 Even he shall build the temple of the shall sit and rule upon his t1)rone; and C HB
oÍes T
LORD; and he 0 shall hear the glory, and I' he shall be a priest upon his throne: cir.519.
o hai. 2:!. 24. I p Ps. 110. 4. Heb. 3. 1.

lite Branrh of righteousness to grow up unto David; and Jcsus
Him,.clf said, 1 Except a grailt of wheat flill iuto the earth
alld die, it ahideth alone; hut if it die, it hringethforth mud,
fruit. Alone Hc grcw up beforc (;od, as a tendcl' plant 2,
unknown of man, known to God. It is that still, Divinc lifc
at
azarcth, of which we see only that one bright tla
h ill
thc tcmple, the dccp sa
.in
, unundcrstood cvcn by Jo:;cph
and .Mary, and thcn, S lIe u'ent dou,lt with tllem alld came to
_Yazareill amlwas su1!iert llnto tltem.
.Ami he sltalllJllild the temple of the Lord. The material
tcmple was soon to bc finishcd, and that by Zcrubbabel, to
wholll this had bccn prllluisctl.J, not by Joshua. It was thcn
a ncw templc, to bc built from thc foundation, of which IIp
Himself was to bc the foltlillatioll., as lIe said, 6 Un tit,s
rock I will huild _JIy Cllllrclt; and ill Him 7 all the building,
fitly framed together, groll'etlt wilo all Iwl.lI temple to the
Lurd. "8 Hc it is, ".ho built thc hou
c; for neithcr Solomon
nor Zcrubbabcl nor Joshua son of Joscdech ('ould build a
hOIl
c worthy of thc majcsty of God. l
or 9 the must High,
S. Stcphcn says, dll'elleth uol in temples made ,citlt IWlUls, as
saith the proplwt; Heaven is _J/y throne alld e/O.tlt is JIy fuot-
.
toul; zclmt huuse ll'ill ye build _lIe, saith the Lord? For if
they could ha
-c built a housc for God, Hc wuuM not have
allowed His house to be burn cd and overthrown. "ïmt
thcn is the housc of God which Christ built? The Church,
founded on faith in Him, dcdicatcd by His Bloud, !"tabli!"hcd
by thc staycducss of Divine virtuc, adorned with Dh.ine and
ctcrnal richcs, whercin the Lord c\-er dwclleth."
13. Even Ill', lit. Ife IIimselflO. Thc rcpetition shews
that it is a g-rcat thing, which he affirms; and lIe, agaill
cmphatic, lIe, the same who shall built} the temple of the
Lord, He shall bear the glor.l!, Great must hc thc glory,
sincc it is affirmcd of I1im as of nonc bcsides, "He shall
bcar glory;'" He should build the templc of the Lord," as
none bcsides cver built it; He should bear glor.l/, as nonc
bcsidcs cycr bare it, II ti,e gIOl'.1I as of tile Ollly Begotten of
the l"ather, full of grace alld tl'utll. This word glor.1I is
almost always used' of thc special
lory of God 12, aud then,
although seldom, of thc Majcsty of thosc, on whom God
confcrs lllaje
ty as Iris rCl'rcsentati\-es, as .:\1 uses, or Jushua IS,
or the glory of the killgdom givcn to :Sololllon 14 . It is us cd
also of Him, a likcncss uf "'hulll thcse vice-gcrents of God
barc, in a Psalm whose languagc belongs (as J cws too have

ccn,) to One more than man I., althou
dl also of glory givcn
by God, either of gracc or nature 16. :So in our Lord's great
Hi
h Pricst's prayer IIc says, 17 Fatlter.gloriflf Tlwlt _lIe with
Tlâlle own self with ti,e glury 1('Mc/t I had lcith TI,ee before
tlte world 1('[IS; and prays, 18 that they alsu whom ThOll hast
gh'ell i.Jle, be u'itl, JIe, Il'here I a.lI; that they may he/wid
JI.II
glor.l/ 1('Mch Tholl hast givell JIe. So S. Paul. applying the
wm'ds uf the eighth Psalm, says of our Lord, 19 Tre see Jesu.
,
TfTllU was made a little lower than the allgels, crowned with
glory and Iwnour; and the angels and saints round the Thronc
1 S. lohn xii. 24. 2 Is. liii. 2. . See S. Luke ü. 49-51. · iv. 10.
, Is. xxviii. 16, 1 Cor. iii. 11, Eph. ii. 20, 21. 6 S. Matt. xvi. 18.
7 Eph. ii. :!l. S O>or. 8 Acts vü. 48, 49. 10 /<1," emph. II S. John i. 14.
I
".""11:'1 Ps. xcvi. 6, (1 Chr. xvi. :!ï.) civ. I, cxi. 3, Job xl. 10. of Christ. Ps. xlv. 4,

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' xxx. 30, \Pfc
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: Ji: viÜ. 2,
16 Ps. xxi. 6. See in Schöttgen de )Iessia ad )oc.
II It is used of the inward glory given to regenerate Israel, Hoe. xiv. 7. (6 En
.), or as

I ,.ay, ooTVortltY is tI,e Lamb u'/dch was slain to reæÍl'e power ami
I wisdom ami .\trellgth allllltfJllO
lr [[1ll1 glory ami bleMillg. and
I those on earth answer, Bles.wllg alld IWI/(JIlr alill glory aml
I pOll'er be Ullto llim tlUlt sillet/, UPOIl tile Throne fIIlllwtff) till'
Lamh fur ever and Cl'er. That glory Isaiah "aw 21; in IIi,.
minlclcs IIc llUlIlifestl>d furth His glory 22, whieh rc
ided in
IIim; in His Tran:;fig-uration, the three AJltlstk
saw Ili.

!.{Iory 23, shining out frul1l within lIim; into thi
llis glory::4,
lIc told the di!<f'Ípks at J:l1IlIIilUS, the propltet.s said, that Hc
was to euter, having fir:;t :mfl'l'red what Hc !iuffcrcd; in this
I1is glory Hc is to sit, when lIe judg-es 25. .And lIe shall sit
ami rule Oll His Throne. His rulc shall be, not JHl!;!'ing but
abiding, not by human mip:ht, but in pcaceful majc
ty, as
God says, 26 ret hllve 1 set Jly king llpOll JIy holy Mil of Zion,
and a;.:-ain, 27 Sit Thou OIL .11.'1 /light Hand, until I makp rhine
enemies Thy footstool; and the ang-cI said to :\Iary,
Ti,e Lurd
Gnd shall git'e unto l1i11l the th/"One of Ilis fathi:r David, lll.d
He sIIll1l1'l>ign oz'er the house of Jacoh for ever, ami of Ilið
kil/gdol/l there shall he 110 end.
Ami lIe .
hall he a priest UpOll His Throne. IIc !'haIJ bc
at oncc king' and prie!'t, as it i
said, TluJll art a priest for
ever after the order (if JIelchi:::.edec. "'hen thc Chri
t shoul(l
rcign, lIc should nut ccase to bc our Priest. He, haring all
pfJ/L'er giun to IIim ill IIem'en aml ill earth, reigneth o,-er His
Chureh and His elcct by I1is gnH'c, amI orcr the world by
IIi.. power, yet eur lil'eth tfJ make intercession for us. ,'2

ut
dwclling now on what is ('hiefcst, that 30 by Ilim were all
thiags created, tlwt are in ht>Ol'e,l llmi that are in earth,
visible ami illvisible, u'hether they be throlles 01' llomil/iolls or
principalities or powers; all tltings u:ere created hy Him awl
fur Him, and He is before all thil/gs, alld Ly l/im all thiugs
consist, huw many crowns of glory belong to Him, One ami
thc Samc, God and .:\Ian. Chri:;t Jesus! He thcn will Lear
glor.11 and will sit UpOll His iI,rone and shall he a priest OIL
Ili.
throne. How ju!'t this is, it is easier to think than to
exprl'ss, that Ill' shuuld sit al/d rule all thillgs, b.1I TT7wI/I alt
t/dugs u'ere 1Ilade
and Hc shoultl bc a Priest for Cl'er, by
'Yhosc Blood all thing!' are rc('oncilcd. He shall rule then
Up Oil I-Jis throlle, and Hc .
hall be a priest llpOIl Ilis throlle,
whit'h cannot bc said of any of thc saint
, becausc it i
the
ri
ht of nonc of them, to eaÍl the throne of his rule or (11' his
priesthood his own, but of this Only Lord and Prie!"t. "lrosc
maje!'ty and thronc arc one and thc same with the .:\Iajesty
of God, as Hc
aith, 81 ff7'ell tI,e SOli of JIllll slmll Clnlle ill
His J[ly'es(l! [Glory], thm shall He sit UpOll the throlle of His
..lI(y'esty [Glory]. And what meancth that re-duplication,
and lIe shall rule un Ilis Thrune, but that Onc and tIll'

amc, of "'hom all this is
aid, should be and is I\:in
ami
Pricst. He "'110 is King shall rule on His Thronc, bceausc
king-dom and priesthood shall mect in Onc Pers(1n. and One
shall occupy the doublc throne of kingdom and prie..thood."
He Alone should be our l\:ing; He Alonc our Saviour: 1I(>
Alone the Object of our love, obcdience and adoration.
p;lorified by God, Zech. x. 3, of kingly glory. Jer. xxii. 18, Dan. xi. 21; of the inward

l7x

[alîj:ch, Dan. x. 8, Pr. v. 9'1
r S
\'j
ru':
,<
t
rrse, as the
ti
. 2
.God,
19 Heb. ii. 9. :10 Rev. v. 12, 13.
I S. John xii. 41. 22 lb. ii. n.
23 S. Luke ix. 32. It lb. xxiv. 26; add 1 S. Pet. i. 11, 12.
25 S. Matt. xix. 28, S. Luke ix. 26. :28 Ps. ii. 6. 2; lb. ex. 1.
:!S S. Luke i. 32, 33. 29 Rup. 10 Co]. i. 16, 1;.
II S. Matt. xxv. 31.

538

ZECHA RL\H.

C If
oÍeST and the counsel of peace shall he between I and to Tobijah, and to .Jedaiah, and to Hen C J
oIsT
cir.51!). them both. the son of Z('phaniah, q für a memorial in

14 .And the crowns shall be to Hf'lem, the tcmple of the LORD. q
i
rril.49.

Aml the cOlll/.w:l (
f peace .
11(l1l be betweeJl tltem both. TIle
<:Oll1lsel of peace is nut mcrely lJeace, as S. Jerume scems to I
inteJ'JH'et: "He is buth kin
and priest, and shall
it both
on the royaJ and sacerdotal throne, and there shall be peace- I
ful counsel between both, so that neither should the roval
cminence depress the dip;nity of the priesthood, nor the
dip:nity of the prie,.;thoud, the royal eminen('y, but both
shouhl he consistent in the
'Iury uf the One Lord Jesus."
FOl' had this been all, the simple idiom, thel'e sllllil be lJeace
betweeJl them, would have becn u,;;ed heJ'e, as elsewhere 1.
But counsel of lJe(lce, must, according- to the like idiums 2,
signify "a cOllusel devising or prueurin
!: peace" for
ome
other than those who counsel thereon. "T e have the idium
itselt
cOllllsellurs of peace 3.
The.1f twaiJl mip:ht be said of things 4: but thing-s are I
naturally not said to cO/lnsel, so that the meaning- shuuld be,
that the thrones of the priests and of the Brandl should I
counsel. For the throne is in each case merely subordinate.
It b not as we might say, "the See of Rome," or "of Con- I
stantinople," or ,. lit' Canterbury," meaning the succcssive
Bishops. It is simply the material tlll'one, on which He sits.
1\'ur is any thing- said of any thrune of a priest, nor had a
priest any throne. His office was to stwul.before the Lord 6, I
his intercessorial offiee to 6qftèr gifts aud sacr!!ìces for sin.
To 7 qtf"a up sacrf!ìce,.fìrst fur Ids OWJl sins and thm for the
peuple's, was his special uffice and honour. There are then
not two thrones. One !<its on His Throne, as King and Priest.
It seems only to I'emain. that the counsel of peace should
be between Jesus and the Father; as S. J el'ome says, ,. I
rcad in the book of some, that this, there slwll be a peaceful I
collJiSel betweeu tIle two, is rcfcrre(l to the Father and the
Son, because lIe 8 came to do uot His Olcn will, but the ff/ill
(!f the -Father, and D tlte Father is iJl tile Son, and the Son in
tIle Fatiler." In Christ all is perfect harmony. There is a
counsel of peace between Him and the Father "Those temple
He builds. The 'Yill uf the Fathel' and the Son is one.
Both had one 'Vill of love towards us, the sakation of the
world, bringing forth peace thruu
h our redemption. God
the Father 10 so loved the world, that [-Ie gave His Only-
Begotten Son, tlwt whosoever believeth in Him sllOuld not perish
but Illme everlasting life; and God the Son 11 is ow' peace,
lfTl/() hath made botlt oue, that l-le might reconcile both unto
God ill one body by the C1'OSS, and came aud preached peace
to tltem w/âch were (
far qft and to tllem that were nigh.
Others seem to me le!'s naturally to interpret it of Christ
in I1is two offices. "12'fhere shall be the C01l1lscl of peae('
between them, the fuler and the priest, not that Christ is

I Jud. iv. 17, 1 Sam. vii. 14, 1 Kg. v. 16 (12 En!!:.).
2 The verhal noun retaining the active force of the verb, as V1 n.!! C'S!lWI Ez. xi. 2. as in
the verb ,n':1
nci:1 nS!I' Hah. ii. 10; fl/: n;l!)! "''', Is. xxxii. 7; rl/; ni:1"
:1"
, lb. 8.
3 Pro xii. 20. . c,,']c' is used of thin!!:s, thlOu"hout Nu. vii, ofthe offerings of the
p,rinces .of the 12 tribe
; also Ex.
xvi.
,
vi. :!!I, De. xxüi. 1!), Pro xx. 10, xxvii. 3,
Ecc!. XI. 6: but not WIth any verb lillplYlllg action.
. See ab. p. [;22. n. 41. ti Heb. v. 1, ix. 9. 7 Tb. vii. 27.
s S. John v. 30, vi. 38. 9 lb. xiv. 10. 10 lb. iii. 16.
II Eph. ii. 14, If., 17. 12 Rup. IS CO!. i. 1!), 20.
14 AII.1'.tSS. and the Versions (except the Sir. which repeats here the names of v. 10)

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to both verses by the same words. (7"<." XP7jtTl/-<w" aV.-7js, 'TW" 11rf1'"wICÓTw" av...
w) but use
different words for Holda; and Helem: for Hnldn; (v. 10) åpXó,,'Tw,,; for Helem, 'ToÎs
;,-rro/-<'''0I)tT1, as if c'
'n'. (The Prop. Name
,,
n' is, in Gen. xlvi. 1 J, the third son of
Zabulon, the patron)lI1ic ""
n', 1\u. xxvi. 26, and the adj.
'n' Lam. ill. 26). The Jew.

divided, but that those two princedoms, whidl were hitherto
dividetl, (the priest amI the king- being dift'erent pcrsons)
should be united in the One Christ. Betu'em t/le,çe two
princedoms, being in!'eparably juined in one, shall be the
conJlsel of jJl'fiee, because through that union we ha,'e peace;
and through Him 13 it pleased the Father to 1"
l'(mcile alt
tMngs unto Himse{f, and tltat all tllÌngs should be brought
to lJeace through the Blood of His cross, u:hether things in
eartlt or tMngs ill Item'ell."
14. AmL tlte croZl,ns ,çltall be to [lelem. There is no
ground al)parent to us, why the name l-lelem appears instead
of Hob/ai 14, or lIen for .Jo
iah: yet the !:'ame per
on must
ha,'e been called both lIen and Josiah, since the father's
name is the same in both places. They cannot both be
intcnded as explanations of t:le former names, sin('e Helem
stands insulated in Hebrew, its mcaning- cOlljeetural 15 . Per-
haps then they were the own names of the imlividuals, and
the namcs eompollnded with the name of God, honourable
names whieh they had taken.
J;ùr a memorial in the temple of the Lord. They hl'ought
a passin
gift, but it should be for a la!:'ting- memorial in their
behalf. It is a renewal of the well-known term of the law 16.
The two stones, engra"en with thc names of the children of
Israel, upon the s!tolliders of tile EpllOd, were to the end, that
Aaron should bear tlteir names be/m'e the Lord upon /âs tu'o
sllOulders for It memorial 17 ; continuall.lf, it is added of the
breastplate wit/z its tweh'e precious stoues 18; the atonement
1lI01/e.1f of tlte children of ISl"llel was to be appointed for tIle
service of t/ze taberJlacLe of the congregation, tlUlt it may be (t
memorial for the ('hildreJl of Israel before the Lord, to waIte
atonement for their sOltiS 19; to make an atonement for their
souls before tlte Lord. They were to blow with the trumpets
over their bllmt-qtf'erings, and over tile sacrf!ìce of their
peace-qtfèrillgs, that t/ze." 1/Ia." be to you for a memorial lJl:fore
your God 20. 'Vhcn .l\Ihlian had been smitten before l
rael,
and not one of Israel had been slain, they bron
ht all the
gold which had accrued to them, and .lEoses ami Eleazar took
tI/e gold, and brought it iJlto the tabernacle, a '/1IeIl101.ial for
the clzildren of Is/'(:el before the Lord 21. So the angel said to
Cornelius, 22 thy pra.lfCl"s aud t ily alms are come up for a
menU/rial hefore God. "12 This is what we louk fur, that to
aU the saints and friends of God, whum these si
nify, those
crowns whieh they made of their gold and sih'er for the
Lord Jesus, !:'hall be an pverlasting- memorial in that hea,-enly
temple of the Lurd." The tradition of the Jews, that this
was literally obscrved 23, (
an hardly be without foundation.
"24These their offcrings shall be for grace to those who

in S. Jerome's time identified the three with Ananias Azarias and Misael, and Hen,
" grace" with Daniel.
16 Tn Syr. the central meaninp: of '
n seems to be" crept," hence nsed of a "cancer" or
a" mole." Ncither .,
n nor Ië
n signify" strong." '1
n is rather u,ed of "the world" as
.. fleeting." '1
ñ Arab. is perhaps originally "Iin"ered," hence was" slow in becoming grey,"
" lingered," abode in a place ever, "everlastingly," ;1/ heaven or hell. It is not used of strength.
c
n is nsed of "good condition" of an animal. Job xxxix. 4; (a- in Arab.); in Hif. i.
.. re<;tored one to health" (Is. xxxviii. 16), as Syr. in Ethp.. Tn Syr. c'
n is used of rec01.e,'ed
health, S. Mark v. 34, S. John v. 11, Ad, iv. 10; as opposed to sickness, S. )Iark ii. Ii;
or sound healfl'!1 words, S. John vi. 3, 2 Tim. i. 11. In Arab. c
n conj. i. is "dreamt" ii.
"was kind, forbearing," V. "became fat" (of animals). Other senocs are deri\ed from
dr
:

;f' 17 Ex. xxviii. 12, 22, xxxix. 7. 18 lb. xxviii. 2!). 19 Tb. xxx. 16.
:;)0 Nu. X. 10. 21 lb. xxxi. 50, 54. z.! Acts x. 4, 31.
23 "The crowns were hung in windows in the height of the temple," as we learn from
the tract )liddot. a. f. 36. Uaohi ad loco 24 S. C)"I'.

CHAPTER YII.

clPioÏST 15 And rtbey that w'e far off shaH come

;a
and build in t.he temple of the LORD, and
r l
aAi)
{ò

' Bye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath
.

-.2!Î
3,19. sent me unto vou. And tlâs shall come to
& -1. 9, pass, if r e wiÚ diligently oùey the voice of
the LORD your God.
CI-L\PTER YII.
I The captives enquire of fasting. 4 Zecllariall

dcdÍ\'atcd thcm and an occasion of doxology. For the picty
of princes hccomcs to the rest a lmth to the lo,re of God.
But when Christ is crownc(l hv us, thcn shall also thc mul-
titudc of the Gcntiles hastc to the ímowled:.::c of Him."
15. Ami tile.'! wlw are far (!II'slutll come. L Thcy who camc
from Babylon with ofl'erill
s to Gud, became types of th('
Gcntilcs, of whom the Apostlc says, l.lVOW ill Christ Jeslts !It:
1L'/w sometimes 1t'ere far '!if' llave hecome 7âgll through the
b/uod of Chri.çt; and, 2He came ([nd preached peace to you
which were far '!if' and to them tllat were nigh; and 3 tlte
lJromise is to ,!/:Jll ami to YOllr cltildren, llnd to all that a7'e far
qff; as many as the Lord our God shall call.
And huild in, or llpon, ti,e temple of tile Lord\ not
"build it" for it was to bc built by the Brallch, but build 01/,
lahour on, it. It was a building-, which should continually
be enlargcd; of which S. Paul says, ó I, as a wise 7IIaster- I
huilder, according to the grace given unto me, laid tlte
fOltlldatiolt, and another lmi/detll tltereon; let ever.,! man take
heed how he buildeth tllereu]JOll. "6 'Vhat shall thcy build!
Thcmselves, compacting" thcmselves with thc saints, ami
joinin
tog-cthcr in faith to oncness with thosc of Israel, I
Jesus Christ Himsclf bcing the hcad corncr-stone and uniting-
to
cther in harmony through Himself, what was of old
didded. For He unitcd 7 tlte two peoples into one new man,
making peace, and reconciling in His Oll'n Bod.'1 all things
unto the Ii'atlter, which bcing accomplished, we shall own the
truth of thc holy prophets, and know clearly that it was God
'Vho spakc in thcm and dcclarcd to us beforehand the
Illvstcrv of Christ."
. . And this sltall be; not as though the coming of
Chri!'Õt depended upon their faithfulness, but thcir share in
it. re sllllll know (he had said) t!tat tlte Lord of hosts hath
sent me unto J!Olt; but whcther this knowledge should reach
to individuals, dcpends upon thcir ohedicnce and their
wiUint:'ncss to know; it shall he, 8
f .'Ie will diligently oLe.1f
the t'oice of the Lord YOllr God. For none of the fcicked,
Daniel says 9, shall understand ; and Hosea, 10 IV/tO is wi.
e, and
he shallunderstcmd these thinf(s? prltdent, ami he shall know
them? For the ways of the Lord are right, and theJllst shall
1l'al/, in tltem ami the tram:t;ressU7's shall stumble at them;
and thc wisc man, llhe that ket:petll the law of tlte Lord getteth
the understanding t!ter
of, So our Lord said, };! If any man
I Eph. ii. 13. 2 lb. 17. I Acts ii. 39.
4.:] nJ:] :Keh. iv. 4,11 [10,17 En
.] 11 Cor. ill. 10. I S. Cyr.
1 Eph. ii. 15, 16. s So 1\1 Ll'Ck. 9 Dan. xii. 10.
10 Ho>ea xiv:.9. [10 Heb.] see ab. p.p., !)::, \:13. .n II" Ecclus. xxi. 11.
I
S. John Vll. 1;. 13 lb. Vlll. 4,. .. lb. XVllI. 3,. 1ó Osor.
II The LX
, Jon., Syr. render in the accusative, to Bethel. The Vclg. alone has .. ad
domum Dei."
11 Although n':] is used alike of the .. tent" 3I1d the .. house," it is used but little of t},e
;

L

,
':
:
!

r
8
oIosa:.'i.t7:nrl: hi'.' f

s

ii

ò

;6
,fj

.
m:
i:
Subsequently" n':] occurs in the books of Kin
, 73 times: in the Chronicles, 92; in the
rï:h
' tJ
g
:a
;

J:

a
:;;,; 7 i,n in
I'î24l;' ;';,

':J 6dcc
oseG
n
;lvi
l: 13;:
22; in two of David's Psalms (Ps.Iii.W, Iv. 15,); once in the Chronicles,2 Chron. xniv. 9;

53!)

reprouetll their fasting.
captivity.

8 Sin the cause of their C lr
roi S T
cu. -113.
--

A i\' U it came to pass in the fOUl.th year
of king Darius, that the word of the
LORD came unto Zechariah in the fmu.tb
dll!1 of the ninth month, Cl'cn in Chi
l{'u;
2 'nlCn they had sent unto the house of
God Sherezcr and H.cgt'm-meleeh, and

515.

will do His lI'iil, he sltall know of tlte (]orfrine, u'/Iether it he
of God or u'/tet her I speak of lJlyse(f; 1311t: t Itat is of God
hearetlt God's words: .'Ie therefore hear them uot bccau.çe .'Ie
are nut of God: 14 Ever.1f one t!tat is of tlte tmtlt Iteareth Jly
l'oice. "15 ßecausc hc had said, Ami .'Ie slmll I.now that tlte
Lord hatlt sent me unto you, hc warns them, that the fruit
of that eomin
will rcach to thosc only, who !"Iwuld hear
God and with ardcnt mind join them!'el\"es to IIi!'Õ name,
Fur as mall.1f as beliel-'ed ill llim ll'cre made SOliS of God; but
the rest were cast into ollter darkness. nut the 'I rcceive
Christ, who hear His voicc and do not refu"'c His rulc. For
lIe ll'as made tlte cause of eternal salvation tu all who ohey
flim."
VB. 1. II/ the fourth year of Darius. T" 0 years aftet.
thc scries of visions, shcwn to him, and two year!': before the
c(lmplction of thc temple. Chislcu bcing Dcccmbcr, it was
the cnd of B.C. 518.
i. IVlten tltey !lad sent unto the hr!llse of God. Rather, Ami
Bethel sent; i. e. thc inhabitant
of ßethel sent. The hOl/se
of God is nowhcre in Holy Seripturc called Bdhel. Bethel
is always the name of thc pla('e 16. Thc Imuse of God is
designated by historians, Psalmi!'Õts, prophets, by the name,
Beth-elo/tim, morc commonly lJeth-Ha-elohi71l, the God; or
of the Lord, YH\'H 17. Zechariah and Ha;!g-ai usc thesc names.
It is not likely that the name, ßeth-el. should havc first been
givcn to the h
usc of God, when it had been desecrated by the
idolatries of Jcroboam. ßethel also is, in the Hehrew order
of the words, naturally the subj('ct 18. Kor is tllere any reason
why thc\" should ha\"c sent to Bethel. sinec they sOlHdlt an
an
wer t"l"Om God. For it would bc forced to !'
v th
t thev
scnt to Bethel, in order that thosc at Bcthel shotild scnd to
Jerusalem; which is not said. It were unnatural al
o that
the name of thc sender should not ha,"e been mentioncd,
when the names of persons inferior. because sent, al'C re-
cordcd 19 . nethel, in Xehemiah's timc lO , was onc of thc chief
places of ßenjamin. Two /Illluirecl twenty a7ld three of tlte
mell of Bethel ami Ai 21 had returnCd ,,-ith Zerubhal)pl. Thc
answcr bcing to the people of the IFlI/d. such wcre douhtlc
s
thc cnquircrs, not those still in ßabylon. The answer !':hcw!o
that the question wa
not rPlig-iou!'Õ, though put as matter of
rcligion. It is remarkable that, whereas in the case of thosc
who brought prcscnts from Babyloll, the namcs eXl'ress some
in all 5 ; and 1ë'''
H:I n':] in E<'CI. iv. 17; in Chronicles, 33 times (intenningled with" n'J);
Daniel i. 2; Ezra, 7 times; Kehemiah, f\ times; in all 50.
IS So Ihn Ezra, althou
h regarding Bethel as the name of a man, who oent the others.
Rashi and S. Jerome's Hebrew instructors made Shareser and Rej::emmelech the senders.
Rashi says that they oent to their kinsmen in Bethel, that these should come to entreat th

face of God at Jemsalem. S. Jerome's teachers said more naturally, that" Shareser and
R.ej(emmelech sent to the nou."I' of God ;" only" Bethel" is not so used, and the theory that
they were .. Persian officers of Darius fearing God," is inconsistent with the question as to a
Jewish political fast of long standing. The interposition of the place whither they were sent,
between the verb and the subject, without any mark that it IS not the subject, would be
unnatural. The E. V. follows Kimchi, taking n
.", as im{'!:rsonal. But here it is a fonnal
mes
e from some definite person or pe=ns. In Gen. xh-:1ii. 1,
P";'
"CH" is altogether like
o
:'Ab:

î:
::esI

? the subj

eh:u

bJ1.:\lordeæi,
et

if.
S
9.

5-10

ZECHARIAH.

C IP
or'S T their men, t to pray before Ule LOIW,
clr. :31''. 3 ./lnd to a speak unto the priests which
t i
t

Othe U'Cj'C in the house of the LORD of hosts, and
{

'tt"e to the prophets, sayin
, Should I weep in

h
a

'N.12. b the fifth month, separating myst'lf, as I
a
e;
:

: havt' done these so Illany years?

1
f.tJ7. 4
Then came the word of the LORD of
b
h
Æ
i9
2. hosts unto me, saying,

relation to God, these names are sing-ularlv, the one of a
TJarricide son of Sennacherib 1, and of one, ;'hicf among- the
King of Babylon's princes 2; the other probahly a secular
name, "the kinj.!:'s friend 3."
"-I. I do not see why under the name of Bethel, the city so
('ailed is not understuod. For !>ince Jerusalem was not ,'et
fortified, the Jews chuse them sites in variuus places, whëre
thev should be Icss harassed. All hatred ,,,as concentrated on
that city, which the neighbuurs wishetlnut to be restored to
its former greatness. Other cities they did nut su mulest.
Bethel then, i. e. the a!<sembly of the eity, sent messeng-ers to
Jermmlelll to offer sacrifices tu Gud and consult the wise
there."
2. To elltreat the fare of the Lord. They wished, it
seems, (so to speak) to ingratiate thelll!'clves with God with
an account of their past self-Immiliation, on the day when
the house of God was burned by Xebudmdnezzar. In reg'ard
tu God, the word is always used of entreating Him by earnest
I'm yer ..
3. Should I we{'p in the .filtlt month, separating rn."I/,
e{f?
III tlte.fiftlt month, from the seventh to the tenth day, Jerusa-
lem was in flames, fired by Nebuehatlnezzar. 6 He burnt tlte
h,mse of the Lord, alld tlte kiug's hvuse, and all tlte hvuses vf
Jerusalem and el'el:1/ great malt's house he bwut with.lìre.
"7 Xow sin('e it is said that the temple is builded and we
see that no cause of sorrow relllaineth, answer, we pray, are
,,'e to do this or to ehange our surrow into juy 1'''
Sepamtillg 1II.'lJ.
e{r. This !'eems to be added, to intensify
the fast which they had kcpt. The Nazarite was buund tu
8 separate himse{f .frvm wine aml strong drink, and su, they
sew'red themselves to the Lord, and consccrated themselves
to Him 9. These had severed themselves from food, from
things pleasant, from plea!'ure, from sin, it may be, fur the
day, but not abidiugly: they had 1I0t given themselves to
God.
As I Itave done tltese so many years, lit. how mall."I/ 10. As
if, althuugh they knew that they were seventy years, they
('ouM not count them.
5: òìleak unto all tile people of tlte land. They of Bethel
had spoken as one man, as Edom said to Israel, 11 Thvll shalt
J h. xxxvii. 38, 2 Kgs xix. 3í.
2 Nerga]- <;har-ezer, "Nef!(a] preserve the prince," Jer. xxxix. 3, 13. ,,*p."}'lI..tTtTáp. The
omi"ion of the name of the idol ]etì it less openly idolatrous, but retained the prayer
originally idolatrous.
3 CJ,! occurs as a proper name, I Chr. ii. 4;. The Kamoos and Fasee say that the Arab,
b
1 is'" friend," (see Lane] and, though this meaning is wholly insulated from the rest of the
root, their authority is, of course. decisive. 4 Osor.
de:c;'
:d e

a

;
is

s
tiso
í:

h{:ci
I

;;
o ;í
::
:::,
eaì,

'i

:eÊ

{.dlt fS;;,,
h
ili.o:2
hr'k

xlil.

]b
r2
;;
ri
4.ii
e

';;Aan
I
Dan. ix. 13, Ps. cxix. 58, 2 Chr. xxxiii. 12, Mal. i. 9, and aI] the simp]e.t prose. Of
man it occurs only 3 times Ps. xlv. 13, Pr. xix. ß, Job xi. 19. In no dialect is there any
trace of the meaning I,",i. or polpo. The Arah !:I21J is, an
how, used of hard friction, as to
hrui-iug; collyriuP1, rubbing off hair from skin [tanningJ, striking with sword, &c. at'zO
(ult. ,> is," sweet;" -71) is .. adorned with jewe]s."
.; 2 Kgs xxv. 9, Jer. Iii. 13. Jeremiah mentions the tenth do!!; the book of Kings, the
.eventh. , S. Jer.

5 Sp('ak unto all the people of the land, C 1
í{oÏ S T
and to the priests, sayin
, "Then ye cfasted c
. 518-
and mourned in the fifth d and seventh: }

.:. t..
month e e\'en those seventy years, did ye at. 3:::: t::
all t
lSt r unto me, even to me? t

:.om.
6 And whf'n re did eat, and when ye did
drink, II did not ye cat for yourselves, and II Or, be
drinkjur your.<;eb'(','; ? ;

l'
:
ey

not JIllSS h!1 me; and 12 tIle men (
f Ismel said to the Hivite;
Perhaps thOlt dwellest in tI,e midst of me, wulllOw slmlL I make
a league witll thee? Gud g-h'es the awswer nut to them only,
but tu all like-minded with them, all the pevple of the Lan;l,
the whole population (in our language); as Jeremiah
af!':,
13 ye aud yvur fathers, yvur kings awl your princes aud all
the people of tile land, and, 14 the scribe wlw mustered the
people of the laud.
IVI,ell ye fasted and that, mOllr7ling. It was no mere
ab!'tinence from food (severe as the Jewish fa
ts were, one
unbruken abstinence from evening- to evening) but with
rcal monrning", the word being- used only uf mourning for
the dead 1., or, in a few instanees l6 , for a very great publie
calamity; prubably with beatin
on the breast.
III the sevellth 1IImtib. The murder of (
edaliah, whom
the killg of Bah."l/lrm made gUl'el'llOr uf the lrlud, completed
the calamitics of Jerusalem, in the voluntary, but prohibited
exile to Egypt, for fear lest the murdel' shuuld be avenged
on them lÎ .
Did ."l/e at all fast uuto lIle, lIle 18? God emphatically
rejeets !Ouch fasting as their's had be('n, as
umethintr, un-
utterably alien frum Him, tv .J/e, jJle}9! Yet the fastin
and
muurning had been real, but irrclig-ious, like relllorse for
ill-d('eds, whieh has self unly for its g-ruund. He prcpare

the way fur His answer by (
urreetin/!." the error of the
questiun. "4 Y e fasted to yourselves. not to 1\1 e. For )-e
mourned your surrow!;, not your mi!'.'deeds; and your publk
fast was undertaken, lIot fur 1\1 y glury, but out uf feeliug'
for your own grief. nut nuthing can be plea!<ing tu {;url,
which is not referred tu His glurv. nut those thing-s alone
can be refen"ed to His glury, whiëh are done with righteous-
ness and devotion."
6. Aud It'bell ."l/e eat ami l('hen ye drink, is it not ye 1['/10
eat alld .lle wlw drink t Cunversely now that, after
'tlllr
return, ye feast for joy, this is no relig-iuus ad; ye have all
the g-uod of it, there is no thanksgiving to God. Contrar
'
to the Apostle's saying', 20 IVhetl,er ye eat or driuk, vr what-
et'er ."l/e dv, dv all tv tlte glOl:1/ uf God. "21 He eateth and
drinketh to himself, who receÍ\'eth the nourishments of the
body, which are the COllllllun gifts of the Creator, withuut
S Nu. vi. 3. 9 lb. 5. See above on Am. ii. n. p. li5.
:

. i

tn excla

ti:h
f
.i7
errogativ
1j:r
ii

.:A
viii. ,W, !.o
:.t/
5.
16 Gen. xxiii. 2, I. 10. 1 Sam. xxv. 1, xxviii. 3, 2 Sam. i. 12, iii. 31, xi. 26, 1 KI(S xiii.
29,30, xiv. 13, 18, EccI. xii. 5, Jer. xvi, 4,5,6, xxii. 18, [bis], xxv. 33, xxxiv. 5,
Ezek. xxiv. 16, 23. Zech. xii. 10, 12.
16 Is. x.xxii. 12, Jo. i. 13, l\'Iic. i. 8, Jer. iv. 8, xlix. 3. In Eccl. iii. 4. it is" mourning"

;fIf
:etì;Od
, '
:
ï

;;
.r Ji: 2
j
]

el

We

:g,
i
1

Yf

eo
;:;:

.

Ë,

i
.
7
:

t 3p;'b
:'

i

' J

i\
: \
: !rii.iT2
inÍ
t p

s
ti

:
it stands contrasted with a great outward expression of joy, dancing, \0,1'0. [all]
I, Jer. xli-xliii. IS 'J."11::S. The allix is almost a dative, as in Is. xliv. 21, lxv. 5,
Job x.xx;. 18; and Ch. Dan. v. Ii. ':TIJid. for which, '",\oV I'J::i, occurs ver. 9.
32: 9 aJ.f
ftho

Hr
fe

í

. t
\

;S ;'" 2 t::
. ;
i

i xK;

i.C

. C

!j x

t "1;:
J er. '-XV. 14, xxvii. ï. :lU 1 Cor. x. 31.

l S. Greg. in Evang. Hom. 16, n. 6. Opp. i. 149.>.

II...\PTEIt YII.

c Jífoíes T 7 1\ Should ye not hCllr the words which
cir. :;18. the LORD hath eried t Lv the former p1'o-
II Or, Are . . .
"ot these phets, when J erusalcm was mhalnted and
th" ltJord,. . . I I .. I
t Heb. bllth
m prosperIt\', all( t Ie cItIes t 1creof round
I
:;:d11.' 2t
. about her, ,
'hen men inhabited g the
outh
and the plain?
8
A\nd the word of the LORD callle unto
b
:r
i:
{ Zechariah, saying,

c8.6Ït
' 9 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts,
t iJ.:

-;,;;,::' saying, h t Execute true judgment, and

j
f

:t shew mercy and eompa
sions every man

the ncetlv. .\nd any onc fasts to himself, if hc doth not
g-Í\'e to the poor w'llat for the time he withdrawcth ti'om
himself, but kcepeth it to be thcreaftcr otfcrcd to his appetite.
Ue])('e it is
aid by Joel, sanctif./f a fast. For to 'sanctify a
fa
t' i
to shcw an abstinence worth
' of God through other
good deeds. Let angcr ceasc, qual"l"cls be hushed. For in

-ain is the fle!<h worn, if the mind is not rcfrained from e'7il
plea
ll"es, since the Lord
ays by the Prophet, I Be/wId, in
the da.1/ of !/our fast ye fiJtd pleasure. Belwld, ye fast for
strife amI ddmte l!fc."
j.
hould ye not hear the ll'ords, or, Know yc not tlte
tl'ords? The verb is prC
ul}po
cd in the emphatic questioll, as
in, ;) Shall I, the blood of these men r Dm-id omits the word
,. drink" for abhorrencc.
By the former prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah 3 , 1l,/1e1l Jeru-
,mlem was dwelling abidingly\ lit east', as the wholc world
then was, cxcept herself, awl the south and the low-cO/mtry,
both belon
ing to Judah, u'ere inhabited. The restoration
then wa,; still very inenmplcte, since he contrasts their then
eondition with the prcscnt, as inhabited or no. The 7lWItIL-
tain, the sOl/th, (lnd the luw cmmtr.1/, known still by its name of
Sephëla to Grceks., made up the territory of Judah 6.
t!. I nstead of quoting- the formcr prophcts, Zechariah gh'es
the sub
tallce of their exhortations, as rencwed to himself.
9. T/llIs spake the Lord, i. e. throu!!;h the former prophct!:,
for he g"oes on to !'peak of their rcje('tion in the past. E:recute
trllejlUlgement. He retains the worùs of Ezekiel 7. The in-
junction itself runs throughout the prophet
8. Shew 7I1erl
1/,
i. e. tender 10'7e, to all; compassiou. to the unhappy. Omit
no act of love, God so lovcs the lo,'ing. "9 Like S. Paul
to the Romans 10, he names only thc duties to thc neigh
our,
but undcrstands what relates to God. For the love of our
ueigohhour pre!'upposes the love of God. from which it
springs." "II After strictness of j
lstice, let mercy to all.
follow. and specially to brethren, of thc sallie Llood and of
one faith. Brother and ncighbour we oug\lt to account thc
whole human race, sinee we are all horn of one parent, or
tho
c who are of the household of faith, aceording" to the
para hie of the Gospel 12, which wil\cth us to undcrstand by
Ilcig'hLour, not our kin, but all men." . .
10. Aml oppress 7/ot. lIe had eommanded posItIve
lI.('ts of love; he now fOl'bids evcry sort of unlove. He t!Lat
I Is. hiii. 3, 4. 2 2 Sam. xxiii. 17.
3 Is. lvili_ 4, Jer. xiv. 19. Since Isaiah's is the chief passa!(e alld Jeremiah's scarcely

ore than allusi\e, Zechariah, ju,t after the captivity, knew that the prophecy Is. IvUl.
Was I -aiah's. not h
a p,uphet after the .capti.vity.. .
. IT'
'" nJ;1'-;n'o'T:J as ab. i. 11. n:p:1o
J:"; the '
at

f ease IS
nv
y
by the IT':t W1th
tloe act. part'c. 5 I :\Iac!" Xli. 38. :: It IS stlll.
alled Set'

ela. },.us. Onom.
6 Josh. x. 40, Jud. I. 9, Jer. XVll. 2n, X'<.'OI. -1-1. X'"'''\II. 13.
; I"CI!

.;;
oc 'urs besides in Ezek. ,,:viii. 8, only. In Deut. xvi. 18, occUr> ;n

""'O.
p.\ RT '"I.

5.n

to his brothcr: c }

oíeS T
IU And 10 1 ) l u'cSS not the widO\v, nor the _ cir.5IS.
1 Ex .J.) 21 ,,'J
fatherlpss, the stl'an
('r, nor the pour; Ú
';t
'21:ï7:
k I I e. . 1 . bai. 1. Ii".
am et none of you imagme en agamst Jer. 5.28.
his hrother in ,"our heart. k
ìic
2.4i.
II II I . . d 1. d ch. 8. 17.
ut t ICy refuse to hcarli"cn, an
ItpulJed away the sholllllpr, and till stopped I
:
'i.'Jl'
their ears, that they should not hear. t W
b..J.. 16.
12 Y ca tllPY made their n hearts as an f

l!J
;i
;
adamant stone, 0 lest they should hear the t '

ï:.d::
.
law, and the words which the LORD of hosts m
:
Y7. 57.
b Ezek. n. 19. & 36. 2G. 0 r\eh. 9. 29, 300

oppresseth the poor, Solomon had said 13, reproacheth /tis

J[(lker. The widow, the orphan, the stra7lger, tlte (!//licted,
are, throl1g-hout the law, the spccial objects of God's carc.
This was the condition which God made by Jcremiah 14; ]fye
throllgltly amend .7JOllr ways and your doings, if .lIe throllgld.1/
e.Z"ecutejlldgemellt vetll'ecn a man and !tis neighvour: if ye op-
press not the stranger the fatherless alld the widoll', aml shed not
iltnocent blood in tltis place, neither walk after other gods to
your hurt, then will I cause !/ou to du'ell in tltis place. It was
on thc breal"b of the em-enant to set their brethren free in
the year of release, that God !'aid; 15] proclaim a lihert.7J for
!/ou to tlte sword, to tlte pe.
tilence and to the famine, and I u'ill
make
/fml to he remol'ed into all the killgdoms of the earth.
Altd let none of you imagiue, i. e. del'ise 16, as, b)' Micah,
God retorted the evil upon them. They 17 det'ised et'Îl 071 tlleir
beds; therefore, he/wid, against tltis family do I devise an evil,
from which ye shalll10t remove your necks.
I l. But they gave a vacl.'slidi7lg shoulder, like a rc!'thoe
animal, which would not endure the yoke, dull and stupid as
the bcasts: as Hosea says, I
l
rael slideth hack like a backsliding
heifer. Kche1l1iah confe",
cs the same; 19they grlt'e a backsliding
shoulder and hardened t/leir neck and 7l'mdd llot hear.
And made hem'y their ears, fulfilling" in thclllsclvcs what
God foretold to Isaiah would be the result of his prcaching",
make their ears heat'y 20. The heart, which will not hearken,
becomes duller by the outward hearing, as S. Paul says, 21 The
earth which driltketh in the rain. that cometh oft UpOlL it, ami
brillgeth forth herbs meet for them by u'hom it is dressed,
receÎl'eth blessing fl'mIL God; but that w/âch heareth thorns
altd hriars is r
iected.
12. Harder th{l1t adamant. The stone, whate"er it he,
was hard enoug"h to cut inefloaecahle characters 22: it wa" harder
than flint 23 . It would cut rocks; it could not be graven itself,
or receive the ehara('ters of God.
This is thc last sin, obduracy, pf'rsevering- impenitenl"c.
whieh 2
resi.
ted the Holy Ghost, and 2. did despite to the Spiri.
(
f grace. "Kot throug-h infirmity, but of sct purpose, they
hardened themselves, lcst 26 t!ley should COli vert alld be healed.
'rhey feared to trust themselvcs to God's word, lest He shoulJ
convert them by it.
Lest t/tey should hear the law and the It'ords ll'hich the
Lord God seut hy His Spirit h./f the !Laud oftheformer prophets.
I:
1

'
F
.23, hiii. 6, 7. Jeril\
:

zek. xvÜÏ. 8. Hos. xj
.
.&L
eJ:. 3O
t;.P.
13 Provo JOI.iv. 31. 14 Jer. vü. 5-i". II lb. xxxiv. 17. 16 ::
n
11 !\lie. ü. 1, 3. 15 Hm. iv. 16. IV Xeb. ix. 2:1.
20 The same word.: "TJ:::t \']1111 Is. vi, 5, 'I1'J::,"T CIT'31111 Zech. 21 Heb. vi. 7. 8.
2'l Jer. xvii. 1. "Th.. .itl ot Jud.:1h i. "ritten with a pell of iron, with the point of 8 ".1:...'
diamond." E. V. :13 Ezek. iü. 9. .. As an adamant harder than f1::1t."

. Acts vii. 51. 2ó Heb. x.
9. 26 Is. vi. 10
4 I

;;.J2

ZECIL\RL\H.

c æ
ols T hath sent in his spirit t by the former pro-
_ cir-=- 5
8
phets: p therefore camc a great wrath ii'om
t :::
"u:j if. the LORD of hosts.
p 2 (;hr. 36. W.
Dan. 9. 11. 13 Therefore it is eome to pass, th"t as
'I Provo 1.
:!
2S. he cried, and the V would not hear; so
lsa. 1. 15. .

e
"/\:ll. q they cried, and I would not hear, saith the

Iie. 3. 4. LORD of hosts:
· Dent. 4. 2i.

z
t.
ci:19. 14 But r I scattered them with a whirl-
. Jj'.:n
:
8. 33. wind among all the nations · whom they
· Lev. 26. 22. knew not. Thus t the land was desolate

Thc Holy (
ho
t ,,-as thc chief ag-ent; h.'1 His Spir.ï; the
inspired prophet
were His instruments; by the hand of.
Xehemiah confc

es thc samc to (
od: 1 Tholl dietst protest
to thelll by Th!1 Spirit hy the halld (
f Th./f prophets. l\Io
es
was one of the gTeatest prophets. The law then may bc iu-
duded, eithcr a
delÏ\-ered by :\Ioses, 01' as heing- continually
enforced b
' all the prophet
. Obsern the g-l"adations. I) The
words of God are not heard. 2) Thc resth'c shouldcr is
she,,'n; lllen turn away, when God, by the inner lllotions of
Hi,.; Spirit or by le

er cha,.;ti
cment
, would bring- them to
the \"lIke of ohedicncc. '.2 They would not bear the burden
of thc law, ,,-hcrcas they willing-ly bore that most hcm-y
weig-ht of their "ins." 3) Ohduracy. "2 Their adamantine
hcm.t could be softencd neither by promi,.;cs nor threats."
Thcrcforc nothing- rcmained but the {veat ?emth, which thcy
had treasured to them.
ell'es w:[aiJlst the dU/f of wrath. And so
ZCt'hariah returns to that, wherewith hi
'mès,.;a
e and yisions
of future mcrcy began, thc great tcl"lltlt which t
ell upon their
fathcrs 3.
"2' I soug-ht not,' Hc say!:, 'for your tcars; I enjoined
nut bitterness of sorrow; but what, had thcy bcen done, the
calamity. for which tho
e tear,.; were mect, had lIe,-er befallen
you. '\llat was it which I admonislwd you formerly by the
fUl"llwr prophets to recall you from Sill? 'rImt I bid YOli hy
Zcchariah lion'. TllÌs I In'cach, admonish, testify, inculcate
Upllll you.'''
I;J. .AmI it mme to pass. i. e. this whieh God had said,
As He cried alld t//p./f heart! not, so shall thl'.1f cl:'1 anr/l11'ill
not hel,r, .mitlt the Lord of hosts. God had oft(.u said this.
"It shall he too late to cry for merey, when it is the time of
ju
tice." So \\Tisdom had said by SolonHIll: 4 thell. i. c. whl'll
di.
trpss and allguish cometlt upon them, thc.1f shall call upon
J1Ie, but lu'illnot anSll'eI"; [he,lf shall seek _lIe earl.lf, amI tlll'.'1
shaUnot filld .lIe. So br Isaiah, 5 fJ''tieu .'lJe spread fortlt your
hands, I will hhlp JIille e./fes from .'Iou; yea, 1flten ye ma/.'e
man.'1 pra!lers, I 1('il/ not hear; .1/01/]' lutluls are f/(I/ (l bloods.
So by lIosca 6 . by :\Iicah 7 , hy .Teremiah 8. It was one me
sag-c
which wa
verificd in every day of chastisemcnt, '. there will
be a 'too late: ,,, not a final" too late," until the end of ends
comes, but a "too latc" fill' thcm, a ,. tOil late" to .wert that
particular judl!emcnt of God, whereby the sinncr's earthly
trial and future werc dmng-ed permanently 9.
14, Bllt I scattered them, rather. Aud I will scatter
tI/em 10. Thc saying eoutinucs what God had said that He had

1 1\eh. ix. 30. 20s0 r . S i. 'i. 'i

; here
'iJ
· Provo i. 2i, 28.
" Is. i. 15. ð lIos. v, 6. see ab. pp. 31. 35. 1 iü. 4. see ab. pp. 311, 312.
8 Jer. xi. 14, xi,-. 12.
9 See Pusey's Parochial Sennons, Yo!. I. Senn. 12. .. Irreversible chastisements."
10 The fonn c,;r,

' for -!!!. is remarkable chiefly, if the pnnctnation comes, (as is assumed)
from Zechariah', tillie. for the care with which the vowel pronunciation has been prcsen-ed.
It has no ex,ct parallel. The conjugation recurs with the i:', Job n\Îi. 21. See Illtrod. to

after them, that no man passed throu
h c :
oÍes 'l
nOlO returned: for they laid u the tpleasant
_
land desolate. t Y,
ì;.

'
d
of de..,"e.

Cl-L\PTER YIlt
The restol'lltiolt of Jerusalem. !} Thpy are ell-
coul'Ilgpd to the Imildillg by God's fm'our to
them. 16 Good works are required of them.
11:3 .Joy aml enlargement are promised.
A l';'
\IX the word l
f the LORD of hosts
came to me, sa)'mg",

I said, and wllich !tad come to pa
s. Among all nations whom
the.1f knew 1I0t. So God had repeatcdly said by Jcrcmiah,
III will cast .1/011 out of this land into (t laJld that ye know
1Iot, ye 1101' your fathers; wltere I lei/! 1/ot ,
ltel/J you fell'our.
This was the a

nl\-ation of thc original woe in the law:
12 The Lord shall briug a 7/ation agaimt thee from fa1',frum
the elld of tlte earth, a nation wltose tougue thou shalt not
lUlIlastwul, a 1/atiolt of .fierce cOll/deuauce. There was no
mitig-ation of suffering, whcn the eommon bond betwccn man
and man, mutual speech, was wanting.
That 110 malt }Jas.
ed through nor returJled, lit. from passer
tltrouglt (ind from returner; as ill thc proph('cy of Ale
alJder's
march amI return, 13 because (
f!tilll tltat jJassetlt by and of !tim
that relumelh; and of Seir God saith, 14 I will cut eft from
hint, passa-tlt/"()u
:h and returuer 15. As we say, there shall
be no tratlic more throug-h her.
And the!1 made tlte pleasaut lam[l6 dpsolate. They were
the doers of what they by thcir sin
caused, by hrilldng down
the jud
cmcnts of God. Heretoforc the land which God had
givcn them, had been in our language" the em'y" of all who
kncw it; now they had made it into a desolation, one wide
waste Ii.
"18,rhat is ,.;aid in the heg-inning of the chapter a
ainst
Jews who abstained indiscreetly, applies my
ti('ally to all, nol
inward, but rude Christians, who not being dilig-ent enough
but rather negligcnt about a('ts of piety and inward prayer
amI reformation of the powers of thc
oul, account hiu:hly of
bodily exercises amI outward obsernlIlees, and use no slight
scrupulo
ity as to thing-s of less moment, and do not attend
tll the chicf things, charity, humility, patience, meekness.
On thc!:'e it must be inculcated, that if the)' wish their fasts
and other outn'aI'd exereise., to please God, they must jlldg-e
true judgement, and be compassitlnate, kind, libeml tll their
neighbours. kcep their mind e\-cr steadfast in God, cast away
wholly all hardne!:'
of hcart, and be soft and open to rcceive
within them the word of God. Otherwisc their land will be
desolate, i. e. dq}ri\ cd of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit,
aud thev scattcred amid nll'ious \"Í('cs." ,,19 That whi('h was
formcrl
' a pleasaut laud. and the ho
picc of the Trinity, is
turncd into a dcsert and dwdling-plaee tlf drag-ons."
\"IB. ,.18.\ftcr the LOl'd had, in the prcceding chapter,
manifoldly rcbuked the Jcwish people, He now comforts it
with renewed I'romi
es, as a good physi('ian, who after a
hitter draught emilloys !m'ect and soothing remedics; as

Zech. p. 505. n. d. 11 J er. x,i. 13; add Xv. 1-1, xyii. 4.
I: Deut. Lxviii. 4!J, 50.
13 ix.8. 14 Ezek. xxxv. 'i. '" The fonn implies that the same did, or did
not, p,s. and return, "hence he caIne. Ezek. xxxii.
,.
16 õ1,::n I
oCCllrs Ps. cvi.
4. Jer. iii. 19. On :'I>:nsee ab. on Hap:g. ii. í. p. 1!J5.
11 Thi, idiom õ1::::;, n
,:i or .1:', [;,i:' had been used b, Jo. i. í, Is.1o.Ïii. U. Jer. ii.1S, iv. í.
I xviii. 16, :>..ix. 8, xx,. !/, 1. 3, li.
(J. 18 Dion. I
8. Jer.

CHAPTER YIII.

c IP
oreS T 2 TIllis saith the LORD of hosts; B I was
.- x
.
1
:- jealous for Zion with
rcat jealousy, and I

h. i. Ü:' was jealous for her with great fury.
· ch.l.lG. 3 Thus saith the LORD; b I am returned
e ch. 2. 10. unto Zion, and c will dwell in the midst of

that mo
t loving- Samaritan poured in wine and oil." The
ehapter falI
into two portions, eaeh marI
ed by the words,
The Irord of the Lord of IIOSts ('allte 1, or callie unto me, the
first 2 de,'laring" the re,-ersal of the former jUl1
enJ('nts, and
the cOJllplete. though conditional, restoration of (;od'
fa\'oUl';
the 2nd,! containing- the answ('r to the original question as
to tho
e fa
ts. in the declaration of the joy and the spread
of the c.ospel. The first portion has, ag-ain, a sevenfold,
tIll' !'e('ond, a threefold suhordinate dh'isioll; marked by the
heginning-, TILllS saith the Lord of hosts.
2. Thlls saith the Lord of hosts. "'At eaeh word and
senten('(', ill whieh g-ood thin

, tin their gl'eatne!'s, ahnost
ineredible are promised, the prophet premises, Thus ,with
the Lurd of hosts, as if he would !'ar, Think not that what I
pled
c you arc my own, and refuse me not erellenee as man.
'''hat I unfold arc the In'()lIIi!"e
of God."
I U'flS .iealoll,y, lit. I IUll'e beell alld am .iealoll,
for s. lIe
repeats in word
!'lip:htly varied, hut in the same rhythm, the
deelal"ation of His tender Ion wherewith He opened the
series of visions, thereby a"sl1rinp: beforehand that thi
wa",
like that, an answer of peace. The form of words shews,
that this was a jealousy f{JI', not 1cith her; yet it was one
and the same strong, )'ea infinite lon, whereby God, as He
says, 6 cltwe untu their faillers to lore tlwill alld chose tlleir
seed after them out of all natiullS. His jealousy of their sins
was part of that lo\'e, whereby. "7 without disturhance of
passion or of tranquillity, He inflicted rigorous puni
hment,
as a man fearfully rcprm-es a wife who sins." They are
t".o different forms of love aCI'ordin!!,' to two needs. "b The
jealousy 9 of God is g-ood, to IO\-e n
('n anti hate the
in
of
lI1en. Contrariwise the jealousy of the de\"iI i
evil, to hate
men and love the sins of men:' '.10 Since God's anger had
its orh!;Ín in the vehemence of His love (for thi
sort ofJcaIOlls,-
arises <frllm the g-reatness of love), there was hope that the
anger mi
ht readily be appea...ed towards hel'."
3. 1(/111 retllrned. ',7 Witlwut chan
e in :\Iyself, I am
turned to that people fl'om the effect of ju!'tiee to the sweet-
ne"s of merev. and I l('ill dwell ill the midst nf Jerusalem, in
the temple a'-Id the people. indwclling- the hcarts of the g-ood
hy charity and grare. Chri"t also, Yery Gild aud 'Tery :\Ian,
visibly conversed and was seen in Zion." "10 ".hen Be says,
, I am turned' He shews that she was turlle(l too. lie had
said, Turll llI:to
'JIe awi I u'ill turn Illlto .'IfIll; otherwise she
would not have been reeeived intll favour bv Him. As the
fruit of this conversion, He promises her His l'resenee, the
ornaments of truth, the hOl)C uf security, and adorns her
with g-lorious titlcs."
God had snnbolised to Ezekiel the departure of His
speeial presence, ill that the glor!1 of the Gud uf Israel whi('h
was o\-er the temple, at the very place where they placed
1 '
It, ver. 1 which is added in 22 Kenn. '[S
., 13 De R.; 7 at first, 3 corrected: 2 early
edd.: Jon. Syr:, is only an explanatory addition. It is noted to be .. wanting in correct
lSS."
De R. 2 I-H. J 18--23. ·
. Jer.
. It is the imerted Hebrew parallelism I, 2; 4, 3. I amjealou$ for Zion 11,;th a great
i 'nlnllS.". nnd with gren! u'ruth u
1 je::lo".s for her. only suústituting "
nJ õt=n for
I",J "110;), in it. 6 :I t'wi] De. x. 1a. . DlOn. B Rup. P Zelus. IV 9>or.
II Eæk. viii. 4 5. t2 lb. ix. 3. 13 lb. X. -1, 18. U lb. Xl. :!3.
\. lb. xliii. -1. ' 16 ':p1n:! 'ro:&:'1 ii. H. Héb. [10 Eng.) 11 Is. i. 26.

5-13

J ern.,alem : and .J erusal('m d shalllw called C HBtoreS T
a city of truth; and ' the mountain of the cir. :;1
.
LORD (If hosts I the hoh- mountain. : }:: k
.\
6.
4 Thus saith the Lo;w of hosts; gThel'e f Jer. 31. 23.
shall yet oM men and old women (hn'll in
c Sc
1 Sam.:!. 31. Is. G5. :!", :!:J. Ldm. 2. :JII, s.c. &
. 11,-14.

tlte image of.iealous.,/\ 12 / 1'Ult up from the Cherub, It'hereupon
it l('as, to tile tlu'( ..Iwlt! (
f the Iwuse; then 13 stO(J(i Ol'er the
Cherubim; and then 14 1l 'wf up from the midst IIf the cit.'! mul
stfJOd upon the u/fJ/tntain, 1t'/iich is fJl/ tlte ea.st side of the cit.'l,
so I"emll\-ill
from them. lIe had l'rophcsied its return ill
the dsion of the symholil' templt'. how I. the glor.'l of the Lonl
callie intu the Iwnse b.'I tile 1('U.'I of the gate loot.illg tfJ1l'ards
the East, alld tlte "iJirit to(Jk lIIe up aUtI hrougM me illto the
inner court, awl In.h 0 Id, the glor.'1 (
f t I(e Lord jilled the house.
This renewed (hn'lIiug" in the midst of thcm, Zel'llilriah tOil
prophesies, in the same terms as in his third vi
ion 16, I will
dwell ill tlte midst of ..TerIlSfllt:JlI.
Ami ..Terl/.mlell
sha/l he {"{tlletl the elt.v of truth, heing
what !'he i
('aIled,
inee God would not call her ulltruly; so
J"aiah
ay
, 17 (
fterll'ards thUlt shalt 'Ie called the city (if
rigldeolislless, the fuithful rit!/, and 18 the.'l sllllll call thee the
city of the Lord, the Zioll f
f tlte IloI!1 (Jlle of brae!. So
Zephaniah had prophesied. 1uThe reltllwnt of brael ,'ilwllllut
do iuifjltlt!l, 1101' .çpeflk lie,
. Truth embral'es e,-erytllÎng
opl'o
ite to untruth; faithfuh}('

, a
opposed to faithlc
...ne
s;
I
incerity, as oPI'"sed to simnlation; V('racity, as oppo
t'd tll
fal!'{'hood; hone
ty, as opposed to untruth in act; truth of
reli!!;ion III" faith, a
oppo
cd tll untrue dO(.trine. ..7 It shall be
called the dtp of truth, i. e. of the True God or of truth of life.
dodrine. and justice. It i" ehiefly verified by the Comin
of
Christ, "'ho often preached in Jeru!"alem, in 'Yhom the city
afterwards helieved."
.A1U1 the mOlintaill (
f the Lord of hosts, Mount Zion, on
which the temple shall be built. shall he {'ailed and be the
lIwlilltaiu of Iwlines.
. This had heen the f.,,'ourite title of the
Psalmi
ts20, and Isaiah 21; and Ohadiah had foretold, 2
Up(JlI
moullt Zion there slmll he holilless; and Jeremiah, 23.As yet
ille.'! slwll use tlds speech ill tile lflnd of Judah aud ill the rities
thereof, U'lWi I shall bring agaiu their captil'ity; The Lord
shall hle.ss thee, 0 habitatioll of Justice, aud 1/I0IWt(tÏU (
f
holiness. I t
hould he ealled and he; it should fulfil the
destination of it
title
: a
, in the A po
tlf's' Creed we profess
our belief of ,. the holy Catholic Church," and holincss is
one of it
ehara('teri
ti('s.
4. There shflllilet dll'ell old men and old it'omen. "7:\Icn
and women shall liot be slain now, as before in the time of
the ßahylonish destruction, but
hall fulfil their natural
('our
e." (t shall not be, as when 2,J, He gal'e Ilis people our
unto the su'ord; tlle.fìre colis1lmed their ,'IOlIlIg me" ami their
maidens ll'ere not gil'en to marriage; the prie.
ts i('ere slain by
the sll'ord and their lI'idou's made I/O lamentatioll; apart from
the horrible atrocities of heathen war, when the unborn
children were de
.;tro,'ed in their mothers' womb 25, with theil'
mothers. 1'et 26 , onre'more as in the days of old. and a... t'"ndi-
tionally promised in the law 27. .As death is the puni",hmeut
L::2 b . lx. u. So 1
e
e
t l
'.

tlmt tim
they .hall call Jerr;:u-t
i:::
P:
"Ü."6, o{i:'::.
xv. I, sons of Korah, xliii. 3, xhiii. I, 1x.."G{\-ii. I, and anon.. Ps. xcix. 9.
21 is. xi. 9, hi. i, lvii. 13, lxv.n, 25, b.-vi. 20, also in Jo. ii. I, iii. Ii, Ob. 16, Zepb.
üi. 11, Dan. ix. 16. :?O. 22 Ob. Ii.
:z:J Jer. x..x.xi. :?3. :. Ps.lx.....'iii. r..'J. 64.
>101 2 Kt'!; xV. 16, Hos. xiii. 16, Am. i. 13. :.15 _\_ in Zech. i. Ii.
01 De. Í\'. III, \. 16, 33, \i.:!, xi. 9, x,ii. :J o , "(Xii. i, xx'<ii. -Ii, Ez
k. xx. Ii.

;),,1.1

ZECIL\RL\H.

c J}{Ores T the streets of .J erusalcm, and every man
cir.5i8. with his staff in his hand t for very age.
1
,
ti{.:';e !} A\nd the streets of the eity shall be full
ofda!J" of hoys and girls playing in the streets
thereof.
(; Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be

of sin,
o prolon
ation of lifc to the time whieh Gild has now
made its natural tcrm, seems the more a tol;:ell of His

oodness. Thi" promise Isaiah had renewed 1, There shall
no more he Wl Ï1
fallt uf d(f.'I'
, nor an old man that hath not
filled his da.1Js. In those fil'l"I'e wars neither young nor very
old wel'e spared. It implied thcn a long pcaee, that men
should li,-e to that utmo
t verge of human life.
4. The lIUI1l, whose òtqff'is'in his /wnd for the multitude of
days. The tWIl upP"site pil'tures, the old men, "2 so aged
that they - support with a stati' their failing and trembling
limbs," and the young- in thc gJad IU1IIp1lll'y of rceent Jife,
fresh fl"llm their Creator's hands, attest alil;:e the goodness
of the Creator. 'Vho protecteth both, the children in their
yet undcveloped strength, the very old whom lIe hath
brou!!ht through "all the changes and chances of this
mortal life," in their yet sustained weakness. The tottering
limbs of the vcry old, and the elastic perpetual motion of
childhood are like far distant chords of the diapason of the
Creator's love. It must have been one of the most piteous
siA"ht,.; in that first imminent destruction of Jerusalem 3,
how 4 the childrell llud the suckling.
.
lVoolled in the streets
of the rity; how the young cltilclrenfaiutedfor hunger in tlte
top of el'ery street. 'Ve have but to picture to ourselves
any city in which one lh'es, the ground strewed with these
little all-but corpses, alh'e only to suffer. '" e know not,
how gTeat the relief of the yet innocent, almost indomitable ' I
joyousness of children is, until we miss them. In the
dl'eadful Irish famine of 18-1í the absence of the children
f1'om the streets of Galway was told me by Religious as
one of its dreariest features 5. In the dreary back-streets
and alleys of London, the irrepressible joyousness of children
is one of the bright sun-beums of that grcat Babylon,
amid the oppressiveness of the anxious, hard, luxurious,
thoughtl;,ss, care-worn, eaA"er, sensnal, worldly, frivolous,
vain, stolid, sottish, eunnin
, faces, which traverse it. God
sanctions by His word here our joy in the joyollsness of
children, that lie too taketh pleasure in it, lIe the Father
of all. It is precisely their laughing 6, the fulness of her
streets of these merry creations of IIis hands, that He speaks
of with t'omplaeency.
(). If it should be marvello/ls in the eyes of tile remnaut
of this people ill those 7 [not these] clay.
, shall it he marvelluus
in lIIille e.lJes also? .mith tlte Lord of Itosts. l\Ian's antiei-
pations, by reason of his imperfections and the ehe(}uered
character of earthly thing's, are always disappointin
'. God's
doing-.;:, by reason of I1is infinit(' g-reatness and g'oodll('
s,
are always beyond our anticipations, past aU belief. It is
their very greatness whieh !;taggers us. It is not then

I Is. lw. 20. t Dion. a Jer. vi. 11, ix. 21. · Lam. ii. 11. 19.
gr:a
e

"

Ö

,
:
aïfS

o

in Pusey's ,. Cha.>tisemen

0,
;ted. forerunners of
.. Cò1õ1 C'O'J as in Gen. vi. .I, Ex. ii. II, De. xvli. 9, õI';::!t' C'C'J are tlte times of the Gospel,
Jo. iii. 2. iv. 1; bel. 25.
. S. J er. P Ps. cxviii. 23. The phrase occurs be -des only 2 Sam. xiii. 2.
10 See ab. on Am, i. 8, p. W3, n, 36. and on Hag!'(. i. 12, p. 4fJl. 11 Rom. xi. 5-7.
12 As in 2 Sam. xvi. 17, This tllY kindness! for, I. this thy kindnes.r Gen. xxvü. 24,

II marn'llous in the eyes of tbe remnant of C Ir J'res T
this peoplt' in these days, It shnul(l it also cir. .,I-i.
be IlHu',-ellous in mine eycs? saith the"

'j.':;;:!.:/t.
LORI) of hosts. h t
k

'3

'
7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, tt
I
'.:Y'21.
1 I will save my people fl'om the east cuuu-
I Is. n. 11, 12. & 4:J. 5, 6. Ezek. 37. 21. Amos. 9. U, 13.

merely that the temporal promi
es !'ccmcd ., too good to
be true" (in our words) "b in the cyc!< of the people whu
had comc from the t'apti\"Ïty, secilll!; that the ('ity almost
dt'solate, the rllill
of the city-walls, the eharred houses
shcwed the doing-s of the llabylunian:>." It is in the day of
thc fulfilment, nut of the anticipation. that they wuuld
ecm
maneUous in thcir eyes, as the Psalmist says, 9 This is the
Lord's doing: alld it is marvellous ill our e.lJes. The temporal
hlessings which God would gh-e were not so incredible.
They were but the ordinary gifts of [Iis Pro,-idenee:
they involved ]10 chan
e in thcir outward relatiolls. I1is
p(,o(lle were still to rcmain under their Persian ma,..ters.
until their time too l"hould come. It was matter of
Iad ncss
and of God's Providence, that the walls of Jcrllsalem should
hc rebuilt: but not so manellous, when it eame tu pass.
The mystcries of the Gospel are a marvel c\'en to the blessct1
Angels. That fulfilment being yet futurc, so the pcople, in
whose eyes that fulfilment should be man-ellous, wt're future
also. And this was to be II remuant :,till. It docs not say,
this people which is II remnant, nur this 1"eUllwllt (If the people,
i. e., those who remained over out of the l'eol'lc \rho went
into cal'tidty, or tltis remuaut, but .. the r
nlllallt of this
people," i. e. those who should remain o\'er of it, i. e., of the
people who were returned. It is the J"emllaut of the larger
whole. this peo}Jle IO . It is still the l'eJJlllllUt ([ccordillg to the
election of grace; tltat electiun which obtained what aU Israd
sought, but, scekin
wrongly, were hlimlecL 11.
,""'lwU it be 71U1lTeUO/lS ill Jliue eyes also? It is an in-
direet question in thc way of exclamation 12. It he lIUll"l'eUOUs
in lIIille eyes also, rejccting the thought, as alien from the na-
ture of God, to "'110m 13all tMugs are possible, yea, what with
7/lell is impossible. As Got! says to JerentÍah, H Be/wid, I am
the Lord, the God of allfiesh. Is tltere aU.7It/Ling too hard for
flIer 15 Jtòr witlt God Ilothing shall he impussible. 16Tlte thillg.

wltich are impossiúle with well cae possiúle leith God. 17 Jtùr
with God all things are possible. "]h 1'or He is the Lord of
all powers, fulfilling by His will what exeeedin
'ly surpasseth
nature, and dfe('ting; at ollee what seemeth Him A"oud. The
mystery of the Inearuation IHls!<eth all marvel and discourse,
and no less thc benefits redounding to us. :For hllw is it not
ncxt to ineredihle, that the \\. ord, ßegotten of God, should
be united with the flesh and be in the form of a
er\-ant, and
endure the Cross and the insults and outrages of the Jews?
Or how should one not admire abm-e measure the issue of
the dispensatiun, whereby sin was destroyed, death abolished,
corruption expelled, and man, onee a recreant sl<\\'e, became
rcsplendent with the A"l'aee of an adol}ted son?"
7. I will save lily peuplefrom tlte East COUll try ulldfr07ll

:
Ot
'/:;:' ,:/J::;
,s:l

i

J 10;
.
'::z
;:;;" ;::ë'l/Ojoeir u 9: ih
:m.ii

:
I
i,
;J:'s
otl
:
i"tej!ril'/! for, art thou! Jud. xiv. 16, 1 Ilare 710t told my/atlter fllld 1IJ.II 'I1lVt/ler,
"JII '
1 mId to thee 1 s!lall tell! i. e., shall I tell thee"! Jer. xxv. 29, For 10, 011 the city
::':
'
h:

e:a:y,. ;
g ::(b:',;t{ej?r:::':

"frI.

i
::'t1
b

1 tJ/

8
.u:(e8:shed !
13 S. Matt. xix.
Ii. 1< J cr. """ii.
ï.
Ii S. Luke i. 37. 16 lb. xviü. 27. Ii S. :\lark x. 27. 18 S. Cyr.

t:IL\lITEft '
III.

Defore
CHRIST
cir, 518.

try, and from t the west country;

And [ will hring them, and they shall
dwell in the midst of Jct'Usalcm: kand they
shaIllJe my people, and I will he their God,
1 in truth and in ri
hte()usncss.
9
Tlms ::.aith the LOlln of hosts; m Let
your hands be strong, ye that hCal. in these.
days these words by the muuth of n the
m Hag. 2. 4. ver. 18. D Ezra 5. 1, 2.

t Heb.
the country
of the going
dow.. Of the
suo.: :See
1's. 50. 1.
& 113. 3.
;\lal.l.11.
I< T er. 3U. :!;!.
& 3T. 1, 33.
ch. 13. 9.
I Jer. 4. 2.

tlte lYest COUll try, "1 i.c. thc whole worM; fOI' Israel had
bcen scatterl'd in evcry part of thc world." God had
aid tu
Israel, 2 I will bring thy seed from the east and gather thee
from the west; I will say to the north, Give lip, awL to the
soltth, Keep llot bar;k. The twu trihes had becn earricd to
ßabylon and had bccn dispersed, or had bCl'n allowed to
migratc to the various pro\"Ínccs of the ßabylonian 01' Pcr-
sian empire. ßut thcse were in thc East, though c0l11m01lly
callcd the Korth, because thcy ilwadcd brad from the

orth. Those who had migrated to Egypt were in thc South.
As yet none were in the \\
cst. The di
pcr
i01l, as n-cJJ as
the gathering, was still futurc, 'Yhen our Lord came, they
had mig-rated "
est\\"ard. Grceee, Italy, Asia minor, were
full of them; and from all they were gathered. AU S.Paul's
EI,isties writtcn to named Churehes, were written tu Churehcs
formed from converts in the \Y cst, In aU thesc couutrie

God would gather His one peoplc, His Church, 1Iot of 3 the
.FeU's 01l(1j, hilt also of the Gentiles, grafted into them, as our
Lord said, 4,I sa.1J unto YOlt, that many shall come jì'om the
East aud jì'om the If/est, and shall sit dozcn witlt Aúraham,
and Isaac, and Jacob, ill the kiugdom of hflll'ell; but the
children of the kingdom (the unbeli('ving .J ews, who wcrc not
the remnant) shall be cast out inlo ollter dar!iIless.
8. They shall dwell in the midst of Jerw,alem, not the
literal Jcrusalem; for this would not contain thc Jews from
all quarters of the world, wholU, as they multiplied, the
whole land eould not contain; but the promised Jprusalem,
thc Jerusalem, which s/lOuld he inhabited as to/l'JIS witholtt
tL'all.
, to which the Lord should be a wall of ./ire round
about.
.And tlley shall/Je 1JIy people. Hc prolllises this as to thosc
who were ah'eady His people: I will sal'e JI..'I people-awl will
bring them, and t/ley sl.alL dwell-find the.1I shall úe JIy people.
And this they werc to be in a ncw way, by c01l\'ersiun of
heart, as Jeremiah !':ays, 6 I will gh'e them Wt heart to know
.lIe, that I am the Lord, and they shall be JIy people, ami I
will be their God: for they shall )'etltm unto )Ie ll'ith their
whole heart, and,6 This :shall bc the covenaut that I will make
willi the house of Israel; .After those days, saith tlte Lord, I will
'1J1tt JI.IJ law ill tlwir inward parts, and will write it ill their
hearts; altClldlL be their God, an l tlley shall he J/y people.
n'i The circuit of one citv will not contain so grcat a
multitudc. llut one eonfcs
i
n of faith, one conspiration of
sanctity, one comlUunion of religion and rip:htcousness. ean
easily enfuld all born of the holy fathers, unitcd to thelll in
faith and piety. And God is specially called the God of all
these. For He specially consults for thc
c, load,; them with
benefits, fences them in with most !'òtrong protcetion, iIlumincs
I Dion. 2 -Is. xlüi. 5, 6, l!Wm. ix. 24. 4 S. Matt. vñi. 11, 12.
Ii Jer. xxiv. 7, add xxx.
2. 6 lb. xxxi. 33. 7 O-or.
B I.. xhiii. 1. 9 Jer. iv. 2. 10 Rib. 11 HRI!'!, ii, 15-19.
12 11'11J K
. 117JJ occurs on]y in 19 other p]aces: .. it came to pa
s."" ith "N:=!. .. it was
froln," i e. his doing, 1 Kings i. 2ï, xii. 24, ;! Chr. xi. 4; of a L'Ung which had 1I0t its like,

5.15

prophets, which u'c).e in 0 the day thut the C HBj[orS T
foundatinn of the hOllse of the LORn of cir. 51:;

1 I '.' I I I . I b 0 Hag. 2. 18.
lOsts was alu, t mt t)e temp e nllg It c
huilt.
10 For before these days II there was no II
;'hjTe 0/
p hire for lUan nor an,' hire for heast. ".an_became
'. , nOl/unl!,
c.
q neither U.liS thc)'c (HI!I peace to him that P

\: k
'6:'
wcnt out or came in because of the aflli('- 'I 2 Chr. 15. 5.

thelU with Uis li
ht, crowns them, when ('unfirlUcd in the
lmag-e of His beauty, with dory immortal and Di, inc."
lit truth and in righteousltes,
. Thi
too is on ac('ount of
theil' former reiation to God. h,aiah had upbraided them for
a worsl.ip of God, b not in trlltll aud rigltleollsuess. Jen'miah
had said, 91'lwlt shalt Sll'ear, the Lord liL'eth, ilt trutlt, iltjudge-
meltt, ami ilt rigldeollsltess. Gud !'huultl hc their (;ud ilt trutlt
altd rig/deow,ltess; .. 10 truth in fulfi\lin
Uis prmni
e
; rightc-
ousncss in rewarding- e, cry man according to hi
works."

. Let .'l/fJllr "
lld5 he strong. The' fulfilment of God's
former prumi,;c,; are the earne
t of the future; Uis former
pro,-idence,;, uf those to comc. I1a,-ing" then those g-reat
promi"cs for the time to eOIllC, they wcre to bc ean((>
t in
whatever meantime God ga,-c them to do. I1c speaks to
thcm, as hearing in tltese tlll.IIS, i.e. thatfourlh )ear of Varius
in which they apparently were, t{,ese ll'ords from tlte mOlltlt
of tlte lJl"Ophets, which werc Ùt the da!1 when the foundatiolt
of the house of the Lord ll'aS laid, tile temple, that it migltt
IJe built. Haggai" as now g-one to his rest. His ,-oicc had
been
ilcnt for two veal's. ßut his words lived on. The ful-
fihllcnt of what the 'prophets had then !'polien in God's Xame,
was a
round, why their hands should be stron
, now and
thcreafter, for c,-ery work which God gave or should give
them tu do. ,,10 Some thin
s arc said to Jeru:o::alem, i.e. to
the Jcw
, which belong to them only; some relate to what is
common to them amI the other members of thc Chureh, i. e.
those who are called from the Gentiles. Xuw he speaks to
the Jews. but not so as to secm to forget what he had said
before. He would say, Ye who hear-the words, which in
those days when the temple was founded. Hag
ai and
Zeehariah spake, be strong- and proceed to thc work which
ve bcgan of fulfilling- the will of the Lord in the building- uf
the t
lIIple, and in keeping from the sins. in whieh ye
-ere
before entang-Ied. For as, befOl'e )-e beg-an to builtl the
temple, ye n cre affiicted with many calamities. but after ye
had begun, .111 things went well with you, as na

ai said ll,
so, if you eulti\"ate piety and do not depart fI'om [;od, yc
shall cnjoy great ahundance of sl)iritual
ood." ., 7 The
memory of past calamity made the thcn tranquillity much
sn eeter, and stirred the mind to grcater thanksgh'ing. lIe
sct forth thcn the gricf of those times when he says;"
I O. There u'as no hire for malt, lit. hire for mall came not
to pass 12. It was longed for, waited for, and eame not. So
little was the produee, that neither labourer nor beast of
burden werc employed to p:ather it in.
.Yeitlter wa.\ there peace to ltim who went out or came in
becallse of the l!flliction, better, of the adversary. In :mPlI an
cmpire as the Persian, there was large seope 1'(11" actual
with J or ,:=!J Ex. xi. 6. Dent. iv. 32, Jo. Ü. 2, Jud. xix. 30, Dan. xii. I, or abo.. Jud. xx.
3,12, Jer. v. 30, xhiii. 19, Ezek. xxi',.12, =xix. 8: There r
main fhe
]ated case...
.. was made God's
op]e," Deut. XXVlI. 9; .. a desIre accomphshed," Pro Xli. 19; .. hatb
not been done," (rejecting an imputation) Xeh. vi. B; .. ,,-as depaned," Dan. ü. 1; as if
he had ceased to be, lb. viii. Z7.

5-1G

ZEc;HARL\.II.

c :'}{o
es T tion: for I set all men everyone against

ir.
his neig-hhour.
U Uut now I will not be unto the residue
of this people as in the former days, saith
the LORD of hosts.
12 r .For the sel'd slmll be t prosperous;
the yine shall g'Ï\'e IH'r fruit, and 8 the
ground shall gÏ\'e her inerease, and t the

r

s. 2. 21,
Joel 2. 22.
lIa
. 2. 19,
t Heb.
, of pe.'!.ce.,
Ps. li,. li.
t See Hag.
1.10,

hostility among the lwtty natiolls !'uhject to it, so that they
did 1I0t threatcn revolt agaillst it
elf, or illterfere with the
paymellt of tl'ibute, a
in the Turkish Empire now, or in
the weak go"el"lllllent of Gree('c. .\t the rebuildillg of the
walls, afteI
this time, the Samaritans, .drabiaus, .d';lmuuites,
.Ishdodites conspired to figld against .Jerusalem, and to sla!!
tltem I. They arc slimmed up hcrc in thc general title IIsed
here, our adl'ersaries 2.
.For [ set; lit. and [set. Domestie confusions and strife
were added to hostilih' frllm without. lXehemiah's reforma-
tion was, in part, to stop the grindill
' usury ill time of dearth
IIr to pay the king's taxcs, through which men sold lands,
dneyanls, e,-en their children 3.
(;od (lit.) let tltem luuse, each against IlÏs neigllbour, in that
He left them to their own wan; alld withheld them not.
I I. .dud uuw. Thc words imply a contrast of God's
dealin!!;!', rather than a cOlltrast of time. I am not tu tlte
l'elllJl(l
tl uf tllÏs peuple. He had said, I will he to tltem
Gue/; so now lIe docs not sav that He will not do to them,
as in former da.If'
, but I am n"ut tu tlte l'emlUlut of this })eople
as heretofore. He would be, as He was in Jesus, in a new
relation tll them,
l
. For the seed shall be peace 4. " 6 Your secd shall bc
peace and a blessing, so that they will call it 'a sped IIf
pea('e.''' The IInusual construction is perhaps adopted, in
order to suggest a further meaning. It is a rever!<al of the
eOlldition,just !'poken of, when there was 110 peace tu Mm that
went, or to Mm that returnee/.
The vine shall give her fruit and the ground shall gh'e
Iter iUl'/"(,(lse. The old promisc in the law on obedienee 6, a!"
thc eX
I't eontran' was threatened on di"obedienee 7. It had
Iwen re,-ind in the midst of promise of spiritual blessing and
of the coming of Christ, in Ezcldcl 8 . "9 By the metaphor of
sensihle thin
's hc explains (as the prophet" often do) the
alJ\lndanee of spiritual good in the time of the new la\\', as
did Hosea 10, Joel II, .Amos 12, and many others." .dnd I leill
cause the remnant of tlte people tu iuhait. "9 As if he said, I
promised these things not to yon who li,Te now, but to the
future remnant of yonr people, i. e. tho
e who shall believe
in Christ and shall bc !'aveù, while the rest llcrish. These

I,all possess thesc
piritnal goods, whieh I promise now,
under the image of temporal." As our Lord said 13, He that
overcumetlt shall iuherit all tMugs, aml [u'ill be his Gud, aud
he sltall be JI..'/ son.

U"
:Keh. iv. 5 Heb. (11 Eng.),
.

1
.;,r
1
'very rare, except in the idiom
"nIJ.
I t is used twice in the con_truct, as a sort of adj., ,
CõI', bread of aff/iclion 18. xxx. 20; ,
1"'11
lime of aff/iclion, Job xxxviii. 23; and as united with the synon
"lne õli'1
7:>I, Job ,,:v. 21, i'1)c1
Ps. cm. U3; absolutely, once only, Is. v. 30. The fern. õl1
occurs, in all, 72 times.
3 Neh. v. 1-12,
4 It cannot be, the seed shall be safe, (Jon.), for CI',co;, is never used except of peare; nor
i_ even CI
1I' used as a predicate, except of human beings, either directly or as implied. as in
Job v. 21, ,th." tent! ,'õI". C1,;:i! Jo
x...xi. 9, their houses !,re1'
acefromfear, 'n!:.':J CI'C'_l:õI'l1J.
The sense lJlcolumltas, mtegntas, IS wrongly assumed m Rod. Ges. 'thes. Deut. xxn:. II'.

i
3t

i1;
1::d f:i.i";a
}'s.

:

1
it 2

:r
':

, a
;.
f:r
c

hean'ns shaH
h.e their dew; and I will C lrifoíes T
eause the remnant of this people to !wssess cir.618.
all these things.
13
\nd it shall come to pass, that as ,-e
weJ'e U a curse among the heathen, 0 hUll.se =

.4iklf.'
of Judah, ami house of Israel; so will I Th
th 4.11,
save you, and :I.
Te shall he a hlessing: fear

p
?'i.42

'
not, but Y let your hands be strong. "T
-;'!I:' HI.

13. .ds l/e 1('ere a curse among tlte uatious, 0 huuse uj
Judah ami house of l
l"flcl, SU I ll'ill Mll'e you. The ten tribes
hore the name IIf hracl, in contrast with the two tribes with
the nallle of Judah, not only in the history but in the
prophcts; as I1os('a
ays 1,1, I leiU JW lIIure lun:e mercy upuu tlte
house of Israel, and Ull the Ituuse of .Judaft I will Iwve lIIercy.
IIere he unites both; bllth, in thc time of their cal'ti, ity, were
a curse, were held to be a thing" ael'ursed, a
it is said, 16 He
that is hanged is the curse (
f God, i.e. a thing accursed by
Him; and God fOl'etold of Judah, that they !'hould be 16 a
desulation and a curse, and by Jeremiah, 17 I "will deliver tltem
to be l'enwved iutu all the l.:ingdollls of the earth fur llllrt, a
repruach amI a pruverb, a tauut and a curse ill all places whither
I shall drive them; and in deed, when it was
o, 18 therefure
is lluur land a desulatiull aud all astonishment and a curse
1l'iÌ Iwut au inhabitant. as at this elm/. Xow the sentcnce was to
be re,-ersetl as to both. _Is ye werè a curse, amung the lUltiun.
,
naming" each, su [leill save .'lOll. Thcre would lHl,-e been no
proportion between the (,ul'
e amI the hlessing, unles" both
had been induded under the bles!-ing, as they were under the
I'urse. But hrael had no share in the temporal ble

ing", not
returning' from ('upti,'ity, as Zechariah knew they were not
returncd hitherto. Thcrefore the blessing-s promised must bc
spiritual. E,-en a Jewish eúmlllentator
aw this. .. 19 It is
possihle, that this may ha,-e been spoken of thc sccond
temple, on condition that they should keep the commandments
of the Lord; or, it is still futurc, referrinc: to the days of the
l\lessiah: and this is prond by the fu1iowing ,-cr;e whieh
says, 0 house uf .Jlldaft ami hUllse of Israel. During the
second temple the house of brad did not return."
.dlld ye shall he a blessing. This is a reviyal and an
application of the oI"Íg'inal promi!'e to .Abraham, 20 tlwll shalt
he a Messing; which was continued to Jacoh,
I God give thee
the lAes,
ing (
f ALralwlll, to thee and tu th.'l seed teith thee.
And of the future king", of whom it is said, 22 ThOll gavest
him length uf da.'ls fur Cl'er aud ael", David sa
's, Thull
hast 1//ade him lAe8sings fur ever, and ag-ain, 23 The.'1 shall be
lAessed in Ilim. So I
aiah had ",aid of the days of Christ,
24 III that da.1f shall Israel be the third tL'ith Eg.
pt alld witlt
.dss.lfria, (l blessing ill the midst of the land; and symbolieally
of the cluster of grapes, 2" Destroy it lwt : fur a blessing Ü ill
it; and EzckicI, 26 I tl'ilt make them and the places roulld ahout
JI.i/ !till a blessing. They were this; for of them, 27 accurding
to the flesh, Christ came, /lïw is uver all, Gud blessed for ever :
..
K

f peaæ, the 6 vt:v

t.

d her f.wt ;;' f

'

d .. has no re1a

k
0

i
. v

."
9 Rib. 10 Hos. ii. 21, 22. 11 Jo, ii. 23-2;;, iii. 18.
12 Am. ix. 13. 13 Rev. xxi. 7. 14 Hos. i. G, í.
15 De, xxi. 23. 16 2 Kgs xxii. 19.
17 Jer. xxiv. 9, add lb. xxv. 18, to make thee a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing
and a curse; and of those who went in rebellion to E!,ypt, ye shall be an aecralion
[n,"] and an astonisllment and a curse and a repmach (lb. xIii. 1:,1), and Illal ye 11Iigl.,
be a curse

dIb:
{i

:. among all tile nations of tile eart
9 (k

I

:. I
.
!!O Gen, xii. 2. 21 lb. xxviii. 1. 22 Ps. xxi. 4, 6. :a lb. lX'Cii. Ii.

4 Is. xl". 24. ::;; lb. Ixv. 8. 16 Ezek. :!<Lxiv. 26.
Rom. ix. 5.

CfL\.PTER '?III.

5.17

c :
oÍes T 14 For thus saith the LORD of husts;
cir_ 518. z
\s I thou
ht to Inl1li
h you, whell yom'
. Jer. :n. 28.
fathcrs provoked me to wrath, saith the
·

f.'l.6.16. LORD of hosts, a anti I repentt'd not:
1
So a
ain havc I thou
ht in thes{'
days to do well unto .T t'rusalem and to the
house of Judah: fear yc not.
b

/i9
' Hi
Thesc w'e the thing's that ye shall
l':phes. 4.25. I b '-! k t ' l I I .
t Hcb.j',dge (0; ùlwa - ye evcry man )C trut 1 to llS

:

dU;
d neighbour; t execute the judgmcnt of

:::e
truth and peace in your gates:
· ch
7:
o
9. Ii C .And let none of rou imagine evil in

of them were the Apo
tles an(l Evang-eli
t
, of them even-
writer of G(ld's word, of them tho
e who earried the Gospél
throu
hout the world. "1 "'as this fulfilled, when the .Jews
were uuder the Per
ians? or when they paid tribute to the
Greeks? or when they trembled. hour by hour, at the men-
tion of the Roman name? Do not aU ('Hunt tho
e who rule
much happier than tho
e opprc:-:sed hy the rule of others? The
prediction then was fulfilled. not then. hut when Chrbt. the
Sun of Righteousness. shone on the earth. and III' cho!<e from
the Hebr
ws lig-hts, throug-h whom to di
sil'ate dal'kness alld
illumine the minds of men who were in that dal'knes
. The
Jews, when re
tored from the ('apth-ity, seemed born to
slavery." They were reputed to be of sla,'es the most
desph:ed. "But when they had through Chri
t beell put ill
posse
sion of that most sure liherty. they 0' erthrew, through
their empire, the power and tyranny of the edl
pirits."
14. As I thought to punish .'IOIl flit. to do eril to you) and
repented not. In like way God says in Jeremiah
, Iluwe
'Pllrposed and ll'illllot repent.
J 5. So have I turned and jJ1l11JOscd 3 in these c!ll.'IS to
do well UTito Jerusalem. "4 God, to be better understood,
!>peaketh with the feelin
s and after thc IIHUlIWr of men.
although, in the pa
sionle

and unchangeable God, thel'c
is no prm-ocation to an
er, nor turnin!r. implying r'hange
in Himself." So He says by Jeremiah, 51 kllow the thougMs
that I tltilik tOll'arc!s you, srLÍtlt ti,e Lord, thollghts of peare
ami not of evil. And, with the
ame eontra
t as here,6As
I haz,e watched over them to pluck up alld to break dO/l'lI
and to th/"Ow down, ami to destro.'l al/d to (!I!lict, so will I
tea tell oz'er tltelll, to build llml to plal/t, saitl, the Lord. His
having done what He purpos('rl before was all earnest the
more. that lie would do what IJe }lurpo
ed now. IIi

chastisements were the earnests of His llIerr.ie
; for the\"
too were an au4ere form of IJis lure. "1 "'hen the Lord
stretches out His hand to
trike tlw
e who are contumaciou

in
uilt, none can hold IIi
hand that He e"aet not the due
punishment. Therefore lIe says, that He repented uot; so.
when He reeeh-es to grace tho
e who repent of thcir sins. lW
one can any wa,- dclav the course of IIis bene,-olel1ee, 7.For
the gifts al/'d caÏling oj God are withoul repentallce."

1 O
or. 2 Jer. iv. 28. . On 1:::1 see abo\e on i. 6, p. 514, note 13.
. Dion. 5 Jer. xM.x. n. 6 lb. x.u.i. 28. i Rom. xi. 2':1.
8 Rib. e vii. 9, 10. 10 Kim.
11 Sanherh. f. ï. a. quoted by :\[c. Caul, p. ;
. 12 Ra.,hi, quoted lb.
13 Exod. xviii. 23'15 :!
N
J nil is a :;rtJ
t

;;

,c:::
Ï

' I: G b. lb.
16 Jer. >-x.xix. 2, 3; Iii. 6, 7.
172 Kgs. x.xv. 1, Jer. ",,-xix. I, ill. 4. 18 Ezek. xxiv. 1, 2.

r our hearts against his neig-hbour; and c }r
Ots T
d lm'e no false oath: for all these are thillgS cir.518.
that I hate, saith thc LORD. d ch. 5. 3, 4.
IS '1 .\.nd the word of the LORD of hosts
came unto me, saying,
IU Thus saith the LORD of busts; e The · Jer. 52.6,7.
fast of the fourth mOllth, {and the fllst Off:h:

3

..13.
the fifth, g and the fast of the scvcnth, K ie

i.2t

.
h and the fast of the tenth, shall he to the b Jer. 52. 4

1 E-th. R. I,.
house of Judah i jO\' and g-hulness, and l..ai. 35. 10.

'- II Or, solemn,
cheerful II feasts; t therefore lm-e the truth t o:
:.e

:me'.
and peace.

Aml to the house of Judah. 8 He speaks to the two
tribes, not to. or of, thc tcn, becam'(' Christ was to ('ome to
the two tribc!", alld Zechariah was prophesying- to them, and
the
- ,,'ere to IJC admoni,..hed to prepare them,.eh-es in good
works, lest the coming of Chri
t should not profit them, on
account of thcil' del'ra' cd wa
's. nut thc ten h'ibes werc
far off in the eities of thc )Iede!', nor was Chri
t to ('(JIIle
to them; hut they were to hear thc Go
pel tlll'oll
h the
.\po!<tlc
, and so he prophe,.ie
of the cOll\-ersion of all to
the glory of Chri,.t, yet he could not admonish all, but tho"c
onlv to whom he "as sent.
, W. These are the thillg,Ç that ye sllllll clo. lIe exhorts
them to the ,.ame dutie,., to whieh thc former prophcts had
cxhm.ted their fathcl"s 9, and, as" before, first posith-ely to
truth and peace; then to a,'oid e'.erythin
eontrary to it.
Judgement (
f peace must be judg'ement "hir.h issues in peape,
as all ri
hteous judg'ement righteously recei,-ed, in which
case each party acquiesees, must. "10 If ye jud
e rig-htemls-
ne

, therc will he peace between the litigants. a('conling to
that prm'erb, ell He that hath his coat tal.en from him by the
trihunal, let him sin
and gO his way' [" beeause," says a
g-loss 12, ., they han jlHked the judg-ement of truth, and ha,.c
taken away that whieh would hm-e becn stolen property, if he
retained it," bcing in fact not his].
\nd they have quot('d
that. 13 Ami all tltis people shall go to tl,eir place in peace:'
.. H All this people, even he that is condemned in judg-ement.
It is al,.o illtcrl'reted of arhitration. "-hat sort of jud!.:-ement
is that, in "hich there is peace? It is that of arbitration."
Ii. Fo/" all tl,ese things do I hate. lit. emphatic. 15
For
they are all these things tl'hirh I hate. This i
the sum of
what I hate; for they comprise in brief the brcaches of the
two table,.. the Ion of God and of man.
19. The fast of the fourtll mouth. On thc ninth day of
the fourth montlt 16 of Zedekiah's c1e,-enth year. .Jeru,.alem,
in the extremity of famine, opened to Xebuchadnezzar. and
his princes sat in her gate; in the telltlt mOllth Ii of hi
ninth
year Kehuehallnezzar began the sie
e. Ezekiel was IJiddell
18 Oil its tenth day: lerite thee the name of tlte day, of Ibis same
day, as the beg-inning of God's uttermo
t judgements again
t
the bloody city 19, The days of national sorrow" cre to be

19 lb. 6-14. The Jews in S. Jerome's time ad.ded., that in the {ourth month
foses brake
the tables of the law; in the fifth month was the rebellion on the return of the spi s, and
the sentence of the forty years' wanderin
. This is troe. For since Moses went up into
the mount in the third month (Ex. xix. 1, 16, xxiv. 12, 16.), the end of the forty da
s
(lb. 18), after whicb he came down and brake the tables (Ex. xxx;;. 15, l!1) would Tall III
the fourth month. Ribera calculates the fourth month thus: setting off from Sinai. "I'th
day of
nd month. Nu. x. 11 ; 3 days' journey. lb.
:J; lllilt of one month, lb. xi,
O, 21,
of ï da)s, lb. xli. 15; 40 days' search ofspies. lb. xiii. 25.

548

ZECHARIAH

C HB
oÍeS T 20 Tlms saith the LORD of hosts; It shall
cir.518. r et CUlm' to pass, that there shan eomc

turned into e_'i:uherant joy, .io.1I ami gladness amI cheer fill
feasts \ fur the !'on"oWs, which they ('ommemorated. were but
the. harbine:ers of joy, when the cha
ti"ements were ended;
only lie adds, IOl'e the truth and peace j for !'ul'h love whereby
they would he Ismditc" indeed, in wJlOse spirits is no p:uile,
were the eomlitions of their participating the blessings uf the
Gosl1el, of which hc g-ues on to
peak;
:!0. It shall yet be that. The promises are those wllich
God had already made by lsaiah 2 anù :\li('ah 3 . Yet \\ hcre
was the !'he\V of their fulfilment? The
Tcw" themselve!', a
haudful: the temple unfinished; its completion depending-,
in human sig-ht, upon the will of their heathen masters, the
rival worship at Samaria standing and inviting to coalition.
Appeamnces and experience wcre against it. God says
\'irtuaIly, that it \Va!', in human I"ight, contrary to all expecta-
tions. ßut" weakness i" aye Hea,'en's mil!ht." Despite of
all, of the fewness of those who were returned, their down-
heartedness, brol,en condition, hopclessnes!', thoul!h all had
hitherto failell, though, or rather because, all human energ-y
and strength were gone, as God had said before, The Lord
.
/wll vet 4 choose Jerusalem, so now, It shall yet 5 be that.
.l\-ations and many cities shall come. Ill' deseribes ,-iddly
the ea;!:erness and mutual impulse, with which not only
many but mig-hty nations shoulJ throng to the Gospel, and
c\'erv fl'esh con\"Crsion should win others also, till the great
tide 'should sweep through the world.
21. The inhahitants of one city shall go to another. It
is one unresting extcnsion of the faith, the re!'t\essness of
faith and love. "6 Th{'\- shall not be satisfied with their own
sah-ation, careless abOlit the sah-ation of others; they shall
employ all labour and industry, with wondrous love, to provide
for the salmtion of others as if it were their own." It is a
marvellous stirring of minds. l\Ii!'sionary efforts, so familiar
with us as to be a household word, were unknown then.
The time was not yet come. BEfore the faith in Christ came,
the Jewish people were not to be the com'erters of mankind.
They were to await for Him, the Redecmer of the world,
throug-h ""hom and to "'hom they were to be first converted,
and then the world throu
h those who were of them. This
mutual conversion was àbsolutely unknown. The prophet 7
predicts certainly that it would be, and in God's time it was.
.Froln .VOIl, S. Paul writes to a small colony in Greece 8,
sounded Ollt the word of the Lord, not on(l/ in
lIacedonia
and .dc/wia, hilt aLso in every place yo Ill' faith to God-ward
;s spread ahroad. II rOllr faith, he writes to the heathen
capital of the world, is spoken of tliro/(g/lOllt tile u'/lOle u)orld.
"'ithin eighty years after our Lord's Ascension, the Roman

overnor of Bithynia reported, on occasion of the then
persecution, that it
pread as a con tag-ion. "10 The contagion
of that !;uperstition traversed not cities only but villages and
!'cattered houses too." ßefore the pcrsccution, the temples
had been desolated, the solemn rites long intermitted, the
sacrificed animals had '"cry rm'ely found a purchaser. An
imJlo...tor of the same date says, "11 Puntus is full of atheists
and Christians." "12 There is no one race of men," it was said
before the middle ofthe second eentury13, "whether Barbarians

1 :111) as :1'11:) t:'I', Esth. viii. 17. ix. 19, 22. Eccl. vii. H_ 2 Is. ii. 2, 8fjQ.
:

.iv. 1. sqq. 7 See b:l
;}

. J[2
1:! Eng.] B 1 '
'1;:
si
8.mised e
'1i'

i
J
:
10 Plin. ad T:;;,js
l'

!I
i. Dial. n. 117, on Mal. :
1

e;
2f

J:uT
n. Alexander.

people, amI the inhabitants of many cities: C IP
oÏST

l .And the inhahitants of one city slmll go --,,-ir.518: _.

or Grecks or by whatsoever name {'ailed. whether of those wan-
derin
houscl;ss tribes who live in wag-gons or those pastoral
pcople who dwell in h'nts, in whil'h there are not prayers and
Lu('harists to the Fathcr and Creator of all things, through
the name of the crueified Jesus." "The word of our teacher,"
said another 14, ,. abode not in J udæa alone, as philosoph\" in
Greece; but was poured out throughout the wholc w
rld,
persuading Greeks and barbarians in their I"evcral nations
and villa
cs anù everv citv, whole houses and each hearer
indidduaCIIy, and having br
ught over to the truth no few evcn
of the vcry philosophers. And if any ordinary ma;dstrate
forbid the Greek philosophy, forthwith it vanishes; but our
teaching-, forthwith at its first announcement, killg-s and
emperors and
ubordinate rulers and govcrnors with all
their merceuarics and countless multitudes forbid, aud war
a
ainst us and try to extirpate; but it the rather flourishes."
The second eentlll'y had not closed, before another said,
,.1;; Weare a people of yesterday, and yet we have filled every
place belong:ing to you, cities, islands, ca
tles, towns, assem-
blics, your \-ery camp, )-our tribes, companies, palace, scnate,
forum! "'e Jcave you your temples only. "'e can count
your armies; our numbers in a !;ing-Ie pro,-ince will be
g-rcater." '.16l\Ien cry out that the state is beset; that the
Christians arc in their fields, in their forts, in their islands.
They mourn, as for a 10s5, that every sex, age, condition, aud
now c\-en rank is going o,'er to this sect." "17 On whom
besides have all nations belie,'ed, except on Christ '''ho hath
already come ?" Then having enumerated thc nations men-
tioned in the Acts 18, he adds, "And now the varieties of the
Getulians, and the mallY tmets of the l\Ioor
, all the bounds
of the Spains, and the divcrs nations tlf the Gauls, and places
of the Britons, unreached by the Homans but subdued to
Christ; of Sarmatians, Daeians, Germans, and Scythians,
and of many remote natiOll!;, and many prodnccs and blands,
unknown to us, and whieh we can !'('aree enumerate. In all
which plal'es the name of Christ, "'ho hath already COI1}C,
rcigncth, seeing that before Him the gates of all cities are
opened and none are shut against Him, before ,,'horn 19 the
hal's (!f iron are hrokeu ill pieces and the gates of h1'ass are
opel/ed. In all these places dwelleth a people called by the
name of Chl'i!<t. For who could reign m-er all, save Christ
the Son of God, 'Yho was foretold as about to reilrn over all
nations for e\-er?" Then having contra!'ted the limited rule of
Solomon, Darius, the Pharaohs, Kebuehadnezzar, Alexander,
"the Romans who protect their own empire by the strength
of their le
ions and arc unable to extcnd the mi!!;ht of their
kingdom beyond these nati"us (Germans, ßrit
lls, l\J ours,
GetuliansJ. he sums up, "but the kinp:dom and the Kame
of Christ is extended every whcre, is believed in every where,
is worshippcd by all the nations above enumerated. Every
where He reigns, every where is adured, is given evcry where
equally to all. "ïth Him no king- hath greater fa,-our;
no ßarbarian inferior joy; no dignities or birth enhance t\H'
merit of any; to all lie is equal; to all, I\:ing; to all Judge; to
all, God and Lord." A little latcr, a heathen own!', while
calumniating, ,,20 Those most foul rites of that impious coali-

II Trypho says, .. I escaped from the late war." (A. D. 132-135) Dial. init. p. 70.
14 Clem, Ale". Slrom. vi. fin.
15 Tert. A
l. n. 37, p. i8. Oxf. Tr. lð lb. n. 1. Pt'- 2, 3.
17 Telt, adv. Jud. c. 7 p.U3 Rig. IS Act., Ii. 9-11.
19 Is. xlv. 2. :JO Cord. in lIlinut. Fe!. I). 80. Ouzo

CIL\PTER YIII.

Before
CHRIST
eir. ;;18.
I Is.ti. 2. 3.

Iic. I. I, 2.
a Or, l'l'n-
1;1Ili. u".
t H
b. , ving.
t Heb. to
intrent the
jnce of the
LURV,
ell. i. 2.

to another, saying', 1 Let us go II t speedily
t to pray before the Loan, and to seek the
LORn of hosts: ] will go also.
22 Yea, W n 1Uny peuple and strong na-
tions shall come to seek the LORD of
hosts in J erusdem, and to pray hefure
the LURD.

m I>ai. 60. 3, &c. & eG. 23.

tioll arc gl"Owing throng-hont t]lC wholc world, as had things
('lime up most luxuriantly, evil ways ereepin
on daily." The
Chri,;tian answers, ., 1 That our number inl'l"eas(',; daily, this
i,. no impntation of crror, but a testimony to praisc. For in a

ood modc of lifc, its own Ilersevere, alicns a('('rue to it."
Let llS {iO Oll llnd Oil, 2 perseverin
ly, until we attain to
entreat the face (
f the Lord. It i,. not a Thci,.1ll or )lono-
thei
m, but the God, "110 had re,'caled Him,.elf to Israel.
"'ho, whcn our Lord camc, was wor,.hipped in .Jerl1
alcm,
to wl.ieh those invited say, I too ICVlt/1i gu with thee. Yet
not so, but the words seem to speak of that which is a
special gift of the Gospel, eontinucd progress, "3forgettiltg
tltfJi;e tltiltgs 1clticll llre he/âml, and r('ac!tiJlg forth unto tlwse
tMngs ll'hich llre hefore, to press tUlca/"f1 tlte mllrk of the prize
of the high clllling of God ill Christ .Jesus. Let us go Oil llllll
on; whence it is a Christian prm-erb, "4 not to g-o on is to
go back." (:iiThe wholc life of a good Christian is a holy
IlInl-dng to ma
íC pl"OgTess." "G The one perfet'tion of man
i,:, to have found that he is not perfe(.t." "7 If thou sayest,
It sufficeth, thou art lost." ., 8 'I'u be un willing to incrcase,
is to dcen'ase."
23. Tell //len of alliallg1lages of tlte nations. Ten 9 is the
symhol of a whole, all the numbers before it meeting in it
and startin
ag-ain from it. The day of Penteeo
t was tu be
the rc\ ersal of the eOllfu
ion uf Babel; all "ere to ha,-c one
,-oit'e, as Gild had said, lOlt (the time) shall come to gather all
/lations aml tongues, and tltt'.1f shall come aml see Jly glory.
The.1I slwll la.1I /wld of the skirt of one man 1dw is a Jew,
"11 that is, of the Lord and Saviour, of "'hom it is said,
I! A prin('e sit all not depm.t frolll Juc/ah, nor II /all'gil'C1' jì'oJJl
hetll'een IlÌs feet, until He sltall come, for 1Tïwm it is laid up,
llnd for Him sltall the Gentile.
wait; for 13 there shall he a
rod uf Jes.
e, and He 1cllO ,
hal1 arise to rille Ol'er tlte Gentiles.
to Him .
hall tlte Gcntiles seel..
\nd when the\" !<hall la\"
hold of Him, the," shall desire to tr('ad in His ;teps, sin('e
God is with Him.' Or else, whosoever shall bcJieve out of all
nation
, shall lay !told uf a /J/alt u'lw i.<; a .Jell', the Apostle

who are from the J en=s, and shall ,:ay, Let u.'ò go reitlt .'Iou; for
we have known throng-h the prophets amI from the voiee
Ill' all the
eripture
. that the Son of God, Christ, God and
Lonl, is "ith you. "'here therp is a most lllanife
t prophecy,
and the eoming of Christ and His .\postles and the faith of
all nations is preached. let ns sed
for nothing more."
,.1-1, Christ turniuA" our SOl"1"O\V into joy and a feast and
good days and gladne,.s, and transferring lamentation into
cheerfulne,:s, the accession to the faith and union to God by
sanctification in those called to salmtion shall not hcneeforth

,
Iimlt. Fel. lb. p. 312. Other like sa) inJ!;5 are in Origen, (de Prine. iv. 1. c. Cels.
i. i,Gi, ii.13,}i!._2I,) Laetantills, (v.13
A
lIobilis (i.p. 3:i,.ii.
). Lugd.), who argues
thence to thedivuuty of the Gospel, )ul.Fmmeus,(c.21ll. P.lv.l,2.)
2 il
;' ;':;
J. 3 Phil. iii. 13, 1-1. · "non pro!(Tedi est regredi."
õ S. Au!!. in 1 Ep. S.Joann. Horn. iv. n. 6. p. ll-t4. Oxf. Tr.
61d.
enn.120, (1iO. Den.] c.B. p. 8i;. 0..[ Tr.
i Id. Serm. 119, [16Ð.l fin. ib._p. 8il. O"f. Tr.
" Kolle profieere defieere est. S". Bern. Ep. :!JJ..d Guarin. n. 4.
PART n.

54!)

2:1 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In C IfJoíes T
those days it shull come to I'm.s, that ten eir.518.
men shall n take hold uut of all lantruatrcs Ð I",i. 3. G.
of the nations, evell shall tal.e hold' of the & -1.1.
skirt of him that is a .Iew, saying, \\'e will

o with you: for we hm'e heard 0 t!tat God 0 1 Cor. 1
. 2:3.
is with you.

be individuallv: but thc ('ities
hall ex hurt each other therc-
to, aud all mitions !'hall ('ome in multitudes, the later e,-cr
eallin
out to those beforc them, I too 1l'ill go. I.'or it i

written, 15 irun Shfll]Jenetlt iroJl, su dutll U II/(/U the f'Olf/tlenflll('e
of wwtlter. For the zeal of some is ever found to call forth

thers to fulfil what is g-ood. Hut what is the aim Jlropo
cd
to thc cities, that is, the
entile
? To ut!/'{((t ((/t(l to seek
tIle face (
f tIle Lwd, i. e. Chl"i
t, 'H:o is the t'
act imagc of
God the Father, and, as is writtpn, 16 the brÏt:ldlless of Ilis
glor.'I, and tlte express image of 11is PerslJ/l,
,f \YhOlÎl al
o
the di,-ine David
aith, 17Slu:l(' TIt.'1 {"(Jllnte1lllnCe to Thy servllnt.
For the Inwge HlHI Counte1l3lu'c of God the Father hath
shone upon us. lhn-ing- Him }Jropitious and I,ind, wc lay
aside the injury from sin, being- justified throu
h faith, 18 not
hy ll,o,.ks of l'ighteIJllsness, 1l.ltich Ice luwe done, hut llcmnling
to I-Jis great 1/lac.'I.-ßut how they shall cOllie, hc explains.
By the tell men
'ou arc to undcrstand the pcrfect number of
those who come. Fur the number teu is the svmhol of
IIPrfeetion. liut that those of the Gentiles, who
'Iea,'e tu
the holy .\postl('s, tool,. in hand to g-o the samc way with
them, hcillg' justified by the faith in Christ, hc sets e, idently
before u
. For little childrcn, if they would fullow theÍ1'
fathcrs, lay hold of the heJll of their dre,:s, and, aidcd by thc
tuul'h ami han
in
froJll their dl'CSS, walk
teadih' and
afclv.
In like way, they too who 19 u"Jr.
ltipped tlte cre
tlu,.e ratlt;r
than tlte Creator, choosing as their true fathers the hrin
ers-
in of the (jo"pel-doetrines, and joining- themseh-es by like-
mindedness to them, follnw them, Lcin
stiIJ of childlikc
minds, and go the same wa)', e'-er shewing themseh'es
zealous followers of their life, and by eontinued prop:re

a{h-ancing 20 to a pelfeet ma1l, to tlte mea!>ure of tlJe stltture uf
tlte fillness f
f Cltri!>t. But why do they follow them? lleing-
persuadcd that God i
with thcm, i. e. Emmanuel, Gud
ll'itlt us. But that this ealling belongs not only to those
of the bluod of I sracl but to all nations throug-hout the
world, he indieatéd by saying, that tho..e who laid hold of
that hem shuuld he of all /augull!;cs. nut when were the
nation,; called to the knowledp:e of the truth. and when did
they de
ire to seek the face of the Lord and to cntrt'at it,
and to go thc Same way, as it were, as the holy Apostles,
except when the "Onlr-ße
:otten eame to us. '\"110 is 21 the
e:t1Jecfatiull of the nations: to "'hom also the divine Da, id
sin
eth, 22All tlte nations, wltom Tltuu hast made, shall CO/llf'
([Illl 1l'UI'sMp IJefore Tltee, 0 Lord t 1"01' tile multitude of the
nations al
o is saved throu
b Him."
The startling conde
('enLsion of this passa!:e i
. that our
Lord is spoken of as "a man, a Jew!' Yet of His Human

e As in Gen. xxxi. Î, he hath changed m'l u."u.!!u these ten times; Lev. xxvi. 2G. .0he71
I have broken 'Iollr staff oj bread, ten wome.. .IIa/i bake yo., bread in one o,'en; Ku. xiv.
2,
tltose ...en wllir/. have ..en Illy glory, Itarle tempted JIe now the.e ten time., and have not
htUl"kelled to .u y voice.
10 Is. lX\i. 15.
14 S. C)r.
17 P
. cxix. 133.
20 Eph. iy. 13.

11 S. Jer. J
Gen. xlix. 8-10. 13 Is. xi. 10.
I. Pro xxvii. Ii. 18 Heh. i. 3.
18 Tit. iii. 5. 19 Rom. i. 25.
:1 Gen. >.li.... 10.
Ps. lxxxvi. 9.
4 K

Before
Cll It I ST
cu. 4Si.

CI-L\PTER J
.

ZECIL\.RL\.I1.

5jO

God cleft'ndLlIl his cll1lrclt. 9 Zion is exhorted to
1'f{joice for the comillg of Cltrist, alld /âs pC:lceaUe

Xature it i
not ònly thc ,..imple truth, Lut es
eutial to the
truth. Pilatc
aid to Him in !'(,OrI!, Am I a .Iell,l? Tldue ()/CU
uatioJl and the C!tiel Prit',
ts 1/(I1'e de/iv(Tnl Thee Ullto 1IIe.
But it wa
e

entiål to the fulfilment of God's promise,.;.
The Chri,..t was to be 2 tlte SUIl of ])a,.id. :llJath uut the
Scripture said, That Christ eUlI/eih' of the seed (
f ])rn'id, ami
Ollt of the [OWIl of Bctlt/ehem, tc/u:re Ðal'id was{' l>add,

beiJlg a prophet alld kn()/l'ing that God IUlll slcm'n with uu
oatlt to /tim, that of the fruit of his loim accordin
to thejle.
h,
lie I(,(J/lld l'aise lip Christ to sit ou /tis tit rune ; 5 Vf t/tis mail's
,,('cd Itatlt God, accordillg to promise, raiM
d /lido Israel a
,Ç,'a/'iour, .]es/(s. "'hencc S. Paul be!!"ins his g-reat doctrinal
J:pistle with this contnl!'t,6 tlte Gospd of God conceruill{: llis
'.OJl Jesus Christ, lC!tiC" u'a!; 1Jullle qf the seed qf ])a/'id
accordillg to thefiesh, aud declared to be the Son of God witlt
/IO/l'er. He was that 7 one .'11(111 among a tlwusllIul, whom
Solomon says. I /tJ/lllc! ; but a u'O/lIan among all those ha/'e I
not ffJIwd; the one in the whole human raee. Jt n-as ful-
tilled in the very ktter when 6 they brollgld to Ilim all that
/l'ere diseased, and besougltt Him tltat they might oul.lJ touch
tlte hem of IIi!; garmellt: alld as 1IIallY as touched were mwh
j1l'lfcet/y u,llOle. \I The wltole multitude sOlfgltt to touelt Him,
(or tltere wellt 't'irfue out of 1Iim alldltealed all.
E,-en the Jews saw the reference to the :\Ics!<iah. "10 All
nations shall come, falling on their face
before the Messiah
and the Js;raelites, saying, Grant, that we may be Thy
sen-ants and of Israel. For as relates to the doctl"Íne
and the knowledge uf the law, the Gentiles shall be their
sern\I1ts, aecording to that. III t"use drl.'ls tell mell &c."
lX. I. The burden 11 of the word of t he Lord ill [01' llPon 12 ]
the lund of IIadracll. The fore
rountl of this prophecy is
the ('ourse of the victnrie" of .\Iexaudcr. whieh circled round
the holy land without hurting it, and ended in the onrthrow
of thp Persian empire. The surrender of Dama"l'us foIlo,,"ed
first, immediately on his great victory at the bsus; then

idon yielded it
clf and reeeh"ed its ruler from the cunqucror.
Tyre he utterly destroyed; Gaza, we know, perished; he
passed harmle
s by Jerusalem. Samaria, on his return from
Egypt, he l'hasti
ed.
It i
IHI"" certain that there was a city eaUed Hadraeh in
the nei
hhourhood of Damascus and Hamath, although its
exaet site is not known. .. It was first found upon the geo-

I S. John xviii. 35. 2 S.
Iatt. i. 1. X'tii. 42. 3 S. John vii. 4
.
4 Acts ii. 30. 6 lb. xiii. 23. 6 Rom. i. 1-.1. 7 Eccl. vii.
S.
s S. :Matt. xiv_ 85. 36. 9 S. Luke \i. I!). add lb. viii. 46. S. "'lark v. 3U.
10 P""ikta Rdbbathi, in Yalkut Shim 'oni ii. 56. 4. in Schött)!:en ad loc.
tl 011 the "on\ .. Burdell" see aho\e on 1'\ah. i. L p. 3ï3.
12 AsIs. LX. 8, "The Lord 'ent a \lord up&n Jacob(:i'
":I)and it lighted 011 I,rnel" (
,\'"P':I).
13 Publi,hed in the Briti.h Mu'eum Series \01. ii. PI. 5:
, Prof. Ra"linson.
H Sir H. Ra\llill'on, Athenæum.1'\o. I8G!!, Aug. 2
, 18G3, p. 2
, where he "published
his rcadin)!:, >ome time after he idelllilled it." .. It has since been identified by others."
t. Sir H. Ra\\ limson adds in a note; .. From the po,ition on the lists. I should be inclined
to identil) it with Homs or EdesS& which was certain1y a very ancimt capital, (being the

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n
rip

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fb
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e

no
:rR
:U
eA

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e
S

T. :!. Pis 3i
: p. 28
. 19 i

. h

t
6:'

1
OFri':d.
:
:Ï5).
20 In the time of Hadrian. WolfBibl. ïI'ebr. i. 411.
I Here.
m:d

1
.beTI
I::

t ;:fs,;n?Ifo:e:hdib;ssf
h
"
%dw
;

b:ï
tÌ;?cif;:

t

;
,,"all; that the Arabs told much of its killgs and princes; that it was said to h,,, n I'"d
"iallt:. and wa, about 10 miles from Damascus," no doubt relates to Edrei. :"ee
1.lel
>tenþerg ChriHol. ii; 9
sqq. .
. v. Kremer. 1!.
iträge zur q.eogTaph!e des .nörd]ichen

>nen. (Ill d. Denk>.chriften d. Kals. AJ..ad. d. \\ I,""n><,h. [" leu] plnlus. hi.t. Clot..e,

kingdom. 12 God's promises of 't'ietory and C Hní[o
s T

ci

T HE a hurden of the word of t11P LORn. Jer.
3_ 33

in the land of Hadr
lI'h, and b Dalllas- b Amos 1. 3.

graphieal tahleb 1
amon
the .\"''''yrian ill
('riptions." "HIn
the catalogue of Syrian cities, trihutary to
ïn('n'h. (of which
we have scveral ('opies in a morc or les,.; Iwrfeet statc. and
"Irying from cadI other, hoth in arran!!"enwnt and c
tent)
there are three names. whil'h are uniformly g-rOll)wd tu!!ether
and whil'll we read l\Ianabuah, :\1 a
ida
)1('
idduJ and IhÙlr
fDor]. ..\... the
e names al'e as";/I('iated \l ith those of
aJllaria,
Damascus, Arpad. Hamath, Carchemish, HlIrirach, Zohah,
there can be no douht of the po
ition of the eitic
15." In the
Assyrian Canon, I1adra('h is the ohjcct of thret' .h
yrian ex-
peditions, 16 918:3 (B. C. 818), 9190 (HI I) and !J:!()O (Hill). The
first of the!'e follows upon one against DanHlsl'us. nUt? (Rlï).
I n the war
of Ti
-Iath-pileser ii. (the Ti
lath-pilcser of Holy
Seripture.) it has been twiee dceyphel'ed; I) in the WaI' B. C.
ï3H, ï3ï, after the mention of"' the ('itip;; to Saua the nltHlntain
which is in Lebanon were dh-ided, the land of Bahalzephon to
.\.mmana"
.Ammon). there follow
Hadraph 17; and suh
;ettuentl y
thel'c ilre lIIentioned as joined to the league, " 19 di
tricts of
Hamath, and the cities whieh were round them, whil'll are
beside the sea of the setting sun." 2) In his" war in Pale
-
tine and Arahia," "bthe cih- of Hadraeh to the land of Saua,"
and six other cities are ell1imcrated, as ., tlw l'ities beside thc
uppcr sea," whieh, he says," I po!'s(',.;
ed,and six of my
('ncral.,
a
ç:o,"ernors Over them I appointed." Ko other authority
nearly al'proal'hes these times. The nearcst authOl'ity is of
the
e('ond I'entu.v after our Lord, A.D. 116. '.lD R. Jo
è, horn
of a Damaseene ;11othel", said," answ('ring R. Yehudah hen
Elai ;U, .- I eall heavcn and earth to witness upon me. that I
am of Damasl'us, and that thel"e is a plaee ealled Hadraf'h."
S. Cyril of Alexandria says
l, that ,. the land of Uadra('h mu!'t
be somewhere in the Ea
tern part
, and near to Emath (now
EpivlHlnia of .Antiol'h) a little further than Dama
('u
, the
metropoli
of the Phænieians and Pale
tine." .\ writer of
the lUth ccntun- 2
sa,.s that there was "a ,-erv heautiful
mosque there, eailed the Mesjed-el-I\:hadra, and thií.t the town
was named from it." The conj('cture that Hadral'h might
be the name of a king 211, or an idol 2\ will now probably be
abandoned, nor can the idea, (which before seemed the most
IH'obable and whieh wa
\"Cry old), that it was a symbolic
name. hold any longer. For the Prophets do u
(' I'ymholi('
names
;;; but then they are name
which they t helll
eh-es
frame. l\Iicah again sclcets se,-entl names of to\:-ns, now

t'l
:
:

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q p}
I
\
",::;
,

or.aK
=ki
dD
::c
sb'&;:;
I

I

r
.s1
J s

.

Reioebericht üb. 'hauran u. d. Trachonen (lSCO), carry out the e\Îdencc that no trace 01
such a place can now be fOlmd. Köhler ad loc. T. ii. p. í.
2ö The idiom, Ihe land oj. is used of a people, Canaan. Benjamin, Israel. Judah. Zebulon,

ap'htali,.sinim, Ch}ttin!, EI!>pt. A&')'ria, the Phili,tines; _or of the actual kin::. >peaI..!ng
01 h" temtory, (as 1'\eh. IX. 2', Ihe.11 posses.,ed Ihe Irl1ld of 811,011, and Ihe llllld of II,,' J.III.'!
ft,i

:s

b
17e
r:'::

k;

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any pa>t king or of an idol; much less \I ould it be used in reference to an 1lIlkno\\ n J..in!!; 01
idol. Scotland mi:::-ht. in orato1"\"", be called h land of the Bmce." or En::land perhaps,
"thon land of Mammon." But it would not be called, without emphasis, h land 01
Stephen" or U Ed!!ar" or any om-cure Sa'mn ),jng.

. The pE:oyle, not the land. is called hthe people of Chemosh" (i. e. the people who" or-
shipped it) 1'\u. xxi. 2(): Jer. xlvi.ii. .4ü. 1'\or IS there any li
e name o
an idol. .. Derketo"
(v. Alp-hen) "ould he N;'7.
J). Hltzlg gave up the combmatlOn, by"luch he made the nam.'
of an Idol. (KI. Proph. .I:;d. 3.)
::s As .. A,icl," Is. xxix. 1. 2, í; U The burden of the desert of the sea_" lb. xxi. 1 :
.. the sea." Jer. xlix_ 2:J; .. Sheshac," of Hah)lon, (whatever the e"planation is, perhap'
from sinking down. coIl. jJ::I Gen. \iii. I) Jer. xxv. 21i. Ii. 41; .. th
land )Ierathaim:'
(U double rebellion"), and -'the inhabitants of Pekod" (u\ i,iuti .n") 01" Hal" Ion (.Ier. I. 21):
110t Dumah, "h;dl is proLablya real prop
r name, Is. xxi. 11; nOl ':::jJ :!., (Jer.li.l.)

CIJ.\.PTER IX.

C HB
Ts T ellS shull be the rest th('reof: when c the
('or. 4-<7. eyes of man, as of all thl' triJH'''' of Israel,
e 2 Chr.
O. 12. Ps. 115. 15.

ahnu
t unknm\ nand I'ruhalJly unimportant. in unkr to
illlpres
UPOIl his pt'ople
ome nH'aning" I'ollllef'tt'rl with
them I, but then he docs himself
o con nee! it. lie dues
not name it (so to
ay), lea\-in
it to explain itself. The
name IIadraeh 2 would be a real name, used snllhulieaJlv.
"ithout anythin
in the eOlltcxt to !'hew that it 'is a svmh(;L
The eities, up;ln which the hm'den or heavy pwphe;'y fell,
I'oss('sscd no interest fur ISI'aeJ. Damascus was nu lun
er
a ho!>tile pmvt'r; I1amath had en'r been peat'eahle, and was
far away; Tyre and Sidon did not no\\' carryon a tl"ade in
Jpwish eapti\'es. fiut the Jews knew from Daniel, that the
empire, to whil'h they were in suhjcction, wuuld be o\"er-
thrown by Greeee 3. ""hen that rapid attack should l
flme,
it would be a gl'eat consolation to them to kllow, how they
themselves "-fluid fare. It was a turnin
point in their
history ami the hbtory of the then known world. The pro-
phet dl'
I'ribt's"' the circuit, whil'h the t'olulueror would take
around the land whil'h God defendt'd; how the thund('I'-
eloud eÌt'clcd round Judæa, broke il"l"esistibly UPUIl eities
more powerful than Jerusalem, hut was tm'ned aside frum
the holy city in going llmt returning, because Gud eueamp('d
around it.
..5 The
elel,tion of the places and of the whole line of
I'mmtry eorre
ponds very e'\:aetly to the march uf A.lexander
after the battle of Issus, when Damascus, whieh D,u'ius had
elwsen as the stronp: depusitory of his wealth, of Persian
women of rank, confidential offieers and envoys 6," was he-
tl'ayed, but so opened its g-ates to his gencrål, Pal"lnenio.
Zidon, a eity renowned for it,.; antiquity and its foundl'l"!',
,.nl"l'eudered freely; T
Te, here specially marked out, was taken
after a ï months'
i('
e; Gaza too rcsi
ted for 5 months, was
tal.f'n, alllI, as it was said, .. plueked up i."
And ])nlllnScll.ç shall he the rest thereof. God's judg'ement
fell first upon Damascus. But the word ,. re,.tin
-pla('e" is
romnwnly usell of quiet peaeeful re
tin
', e
l't'eially as
'Î\'eu
hy God to hracl; of the ark, the tokcn of the Pl'e
ence of
God, after its manifold rellH,,-als, aud of the glorious dwell-
illg'-place of the Chl'ist among men s. The prophet scems
thf'n purposely to IUl\'e elw..;en a word of largc meaning,
whi,'h should at ont'e expre
s (as he had before 9), that thc
word of GOII :,hould fall heavily on Danulsl'uS aud vet be
its resting-plaee. lIenee, ahout' thc time of om' Lord, the
lor r:',::'
; for D'Tj
could not be mentally substituted for it, since D'T.:'
'
=" would be an
imp"""ble combination. For inhabitants are of a land, city &c; but c,,;;'
are the people
themselves. I See ab. on :\licah i. 10. p. 3110.
;; The wonl, divided into two hahes, would signify, "sharp-soft." ., is used of sharp-
ness (see On Hab. i. 8. compo Ps. lvii. 5, Is. xlix_ 2.); ", of delicacy, Deut. xxxÏÜ. 5-i-56; of
neakness, lb. xx. 8, 2 Chr. xiii. i. And so il\H)uld signify, what was in one respect or at one
time" sharp," and in or at another, .. soft." A Jewish tra!lition, extant in times soon alter
our Lord. so eXplained it: .. I:;evere to the Gentiles, and tender to Israel." (R. J uddh ben
Elai, a disciple of R. Akibah. Wolf. Bibl. Hebr. ii. fj!Jl)) S. Jerome ha.. the same from his
J e\\Ïsh teacher, "The burclen of the word ofthE;
rcl is on the land of Hadrach; on which

.
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:

;

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t
:
sinl(lliarly suit cd Persia, whose empire Alexander was engage!l in destro) in
, when this pro-
phecy was fulfilled, and which was aimed at in them. It would describe them as they were,
fierce and cruel. as conquerors, but infamous. even among the Heathen, for their mce.ts.
Sins of the fiesh, destroyinp: pure love, brutalisin
the soul, disorganising the frame, are
parents of ferocitv, from \\ hid, voluptuousness seems at fir't sight most alien.
3 Dan. viii. 211, 21. 4 See below on . er. 8.
o Puse) 's .. Daniel the Prophet," pp. 2i9,
80. E Grote's Greece xii. li3, 4.
i KaTfrnrau/LÉJl1J. Straho
i. 2. 30.
:\I
. 7r';fu
s I
.

fïf.e

:

e8
f .í
:iß
;e
f rao
i\
.

iï
ii
,1lì
.ï

. 7 0
; :

ark, 1 Chr. xxviii. 2; of the ;'\lessiah. k xi. 10. It is probably a proper name, Jud. xx. J3.
· n';" Zcch. .i. 8.
10 R. Johanan in :\Iidrash Shir Ha.-hil;m on Cant. vii. J in Ra) m. Pug. Fid. f. f.t:3,

.i.iJ

shalllw toward the J 101m.
2 .And II llamath also shaH hordl'r thcre-
ð Jer. 19. z3.

Ber')rt!
CHRI!'T
ci. i. ï.

Jew
inteqll'eted this of the comin
of the )]e
,.iah, that
.. 10 J f'l"l\sa\f'1ll
hould reach to tht'
ates of ])ama,.I'us. Sirll"e
Damascus shall he the 1,Ial'c of lIis re,.t, hut the phu.e of IIi,.
rest is only thc h()u
e of the sanduary, as it i
..aid, This i.\
JI!I re
t for el'er; here Icilt I dwell." .\lIothl'r added Il, ".\11
the prophets and all prophesied hut of the years of rCllcmp-
tion and the days of the :\Ie
siah." Dama
ens, on the
eonn'r
ion of S. Paul, hel'ame the first restillg'-place of the
wurd of(h,d, the first-fruits of the Gentiles whom the _\l'ustle
of thc Geutilcs g-athcred from East to "" e!:;t throu
IHJut the
n odd.
l1'lu'Jt [or For] the e.r;es of mnn, (IS [lit. aurl i. e. el"lwl'iall

beyoud others] of all the trihe.ç of hmel,
hall he tUll'(lrd tile
Lord. Thi
al
() illlplics a l'onHr
i()n of (Ìentilc,>. as wcll a!oo
Jews. For 1/ll1ll, as t'ontra
ted with hrael. must be the
heathen world, mankind u. "lJ The eycs of all must necds
louk in adoration to God, expeetin
;ill I.mod fl"Om Him, "e-
('anse the Creator of all pro\'ided for the well-being' uf all,
ao.; the '\l'"sth' ...ays. 1-1- Is Ill' the God of tile JIW.Ç ollly? h
lIe IlOt also (
l the Gentiles t rea, '!f the Gentiles also. Glld's
time of deli\"ering' II is people is, when they pray to Him.
o
J('ho
haphat prayt'd, 15 (J our God, 1I'ilt Tholl not judge themf
For we hare 110 streJ1,!;[th against tlli.ç great cOlI/pauy, lI'ltich is
cOllie against us. alldwe !moll' not u,lwt tce shall do; hilt our
e!tes fire on Tlil'e 16; aIHI the Psalmist say
, 17 The eyes of all
wait tOl('ards T!lCe; and, I
as the eyes of servauts are unto tile
!Ullut of thl'Ír lIIasters, ami as the eyes (!f a maiden are unto
tile hand of her mistress, so 0111' eyl's (Ire unto tile Lord our
(;od. ll/Itit He have mere,r; "}JOlt u.ç. ., For in those day...;'
!'ays a Jcw, who rel,,'eseuts the traditional interprctation 19,
'. man shall look to his Creator, and his eyes shall look to
the ßle
st'd One, as it was said ahme. lce' 1I.i/l p,o tl'itlt you,
and they !o'hall join them
eln
, they and their eities, to the
cities ùf bmel." And another 20 ; .. In thol"e days the ('\-es of
all mankind
halJ be to the Lord, not to idoi
or in;ag'es;
therefore the land of Hmiraeh and DallJa
('us. alIli the other
plaees near the land of lsrael-
hall be ineluded among the
cities of Judah, and !:'hall be ill thc faith of brael."
2.
.Jlld HaJJlllth ([/
o shall horder therehr; 21. Xl'ar to it
in plaec and diameter, it !'hall !o'hare it
sub'dual. .\ftl'r the
betrayal of Damasl'ns, Parmenio was
et o\'er all

Tia.
'.2
The S
rian
, not as yet tamed by the los
cs of\\'ar. de"pi
ed
This l\Iidra.sh giVE a second m) stical inte!l'retation of Hadrach. .. Hadrach (-,,,) is the
King !\Ie siah, "ho is to guide (T""
) all "ho come into the world by rept'IIL' . belore
GOlI, BI.",,,,d for e,'er." lb. .. R. Johallan was a di>ciple of the elder Hillel and ::'haa1ln,.;,

i

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Jl::;:

;d
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if5lli

H

;
li. t

f cstruc -
11 )Iar(quoted by Raslll) i. e. Rabbi bell ='achman .. Rector of the Academy of Pombedila
in 3nn." De Rossi Diet. St. v. Rabboth. Ibn Ezra has; "the rest of the pr phl"y shall
be on Damascus; for this prophecy shall be fulfilled, colmected with the st'Q I temple;
For the e) e. of man are to the Lord; for many from the men of Damascu. "hall relurn to
\\OI..,hip the Lorcl and to turn to the obedience of Israel in Jerusalem." And so Kil1lehi,
" Damascus shall be His re;ting-place, i. e, the Shechinah of His glory and prophecy."
I
SO Israel and mall (r:'IC:t) are contra-ted in Jer. x'\:xü. :!U. 13 Rib.
.. Rom. iii. 2U. I. 2 Chron. xx. 12. 16 'IJ'JlI T
;: ':]
Ii ,,
;:O'T
IC Ps. cxlv. 15; without '311 Ps. civ. 2i; and in the same selli>C, willi
7'
'.7'
or:n;l
P
; P

J:
'. 2. God's eye is said to be ''1$"2;

. tou'ards Ih,m Ihalfear Him. P-. ï. l
,
or in Ezra's Chaldee, Th. ''Ie of Iheir God was !lpon Ihe elderi (-=;:. t.y of Ow Jews
(Ezr. v. 5.), or, tite e.'Irs of Ihr Lord tl'i/ God are "/,on it (the lalld) ":;. De. xi. I:!: hut
there is no constructioll hke C'1/( !"i1"
.. the Lord hath an eye on (obj.) man" (as Ix . .Ton.
!'yr.) The EllS' -,..Whose e.'I'" !'re opened (nini?';!) "pOll .(/Ill
e II'nl/.' of the sons of ,10
give &c, per. "'''-'ù1. HI), h HIs e)e. behold the natIons' "J';)>/1 ':'U:1 Ps. be\!. n, are
altogether dilfèrent. "1he e)e of" must be construed as "his ,)"n e)e:'
Ig Ra-hi. 20 h.imchi.
21 It mi!(ht be al-o. al/d Hrl11/ath. 100, ,).'hich bordrrrth Ih.reh!" vi? shall be Ih. piaer nj
ils resl. a. "cll as Dama-c"" but It -celllS not so fOle .,Ie-. .. Q CurtJus 1\_ L

:;:;

ZECIL\RI.AII.

C HB
oíes T hy; e Tyrus, and (Zillon, thou
h it be very
cir. 4S
. g wise.
·
":
k

C., & 3 And Tyrus did huild herself a strong
2ï, &, 2:3. .\.mos 1. 9. f 1 Kin. 17. 9. Ezek. 28. 21. Obad. 20. II Ezek. 28. 3, &c.

the ncw empire, but, swiftly suLdued, they did oLediently
what they were eommandcd."
Alii Zidoll. Zidon. althoug-h probably older than Tyre\
is lu're
poken of parenthetieally, as subordinate. Perhaps,
on ing- to its !'ituation, it was a wealthy 2, rather than a :-:tronA"
place. Its name i
" Fi
hing-town:" in Jo
hua. it is called
.. the g-n'at 3," perhaps the metropolis; ,,'hile Tyre is named
frum its strength
. It infel'ted hrae1 with its idolatry., and
is mentioned among the nations who oppressed them and
from whom God de1i,'ered them on their prayers 6, probably
ulUler Jabin. In the time of the JudA"es, it, not Tyre, was
louked to for protection 7. In the timcs of Ezekiel it had
become subordinate, furnishing- ., rowers 8" to Tyre; but
Esadwdd(1l1. about 80 years hefore, boasts that he had taken
it, de"troyed its inhabitants, and repeopled it with men from
the East, building- a new I'ity whil'h he called by his own
name 9. Tyre too had been taken lw J'\elHlI'hadnezzar 10.
At the restoration from the cal'tidty; Sidon had the fir
t
IJlace n, whil'h it retained in the time of Xerxes 12. nut
Artaxerxes Oehus gained l'osses,.;ion of it by trcat'hery,
whcn aU PhænicÏa l"I',"ulted from Per
ia, and, besides those
t'I"lH'itied, 40,000 of its inhabitants perished by their own
hands 13, twenty years before the inva
ion of Alexander, to
whom it suhmiUcd wiJIinc;h,a.
The prophet having n
mied Tyre amI Zirlon tog-ether, yet
t'ontinues as to 'l'yre alone. a
being- alone of account in the
days of whieh he'is spcaking-, tlwse C of .-\.Iexander.
Altltouglt, rather, because sl,e is 'l'el'.'1 ll'Ïse. l\Ian's own
wi!Odol\1 is his foolishness and destruction, as the foolishness
of God is his wisdom and sakation. God 15 taketlt tI,e wise ill
ti/Cir OIl'n cl"({ftiness. 16 For ({fter tltat, in the u'isdoJn of God,
tlte world 11.'1 wisdom l.:lIew not God, it pleased GodlJ.lI tI,e fool-
is/mess of preadiÏJlg to Sfll'e tllem tlwt believe. Of the Haga-
rcnes it is said, they 17 seek wisdom upon 'earth; Ufme of tbese
know the wa.'/ f
f ,âw/om, or 1'ememher her patlls. The wisåom
of Tyre was the !'ource of her pride. and so of her destruction
abo. 18 Becall.se tb.1f heart is l
fted up, and tholl Illlst said, I
(lilt II ,!!,'( d, I sit ill tI,e seat nf (;od, ill the midst of the seas;
11et tholt art a mall aUlI not (;od, though tl.oll Itast set tMlle
heart as tbe I/Cart of God; behold tholl art u'iser than Daniel,
there is 110 secret "awt tlley Cflll hide fJ"Om thee. Therefm'e
I will hl'ing strangers upon tltee-tlte.'lf shall bring thee dmell
to the pit. So of Edolll Obadiah says, 19 Tbe pride of tit.,!
I,eart Iwtlt deceÏl'l'll tbee, tllOll tlwt dwel/est in tile clefts of tlte
J"Ock. Slw/l I not de,stJ"O.'1 the 1l'Ïse mcn out of Edom, aUll
um/erstw/l/Ï1If! out of tbe mmmt of Esall?
3. And T.'Ire did bllild herself a strongbold. She huilt
it for her,.;clf, not fill' God, and trusted to it, not to God, and
so its strell
th brought her the gTeater fall. The words in
Hebrew eXl're,.;s yet more. " Tyre" (Zor) lit. " ti,e rode."
huilt herself mazor, tower, a rocli-like fort, as it were, a rock

1 .. The Tyrlans are often called Sidonian.; the Sidonians are never calleo:l Tyrian.."
. It, manUfactures of silver bowls and of female rohes of !!Teat beauty, are mentioned by
Homer (ll. vi. :!
\I, x"iii. 743, ï-1-J.; Od. iv, GU-tHS.); Homer does not name T)re.
a Jos. xi. 8, xi". :!8. 4 lb. xU:. 29. · Jnd. x. ti.
6 lb. 1
. 7 lb, xviii. 7, 28. 8 Ezek. xxvii, 8.
9 In.CTiption of Esarhaddon (Annals of the past iii. 112). Such names, in the East. !a.t

;\

I
\

conqnerors'l1 Ez;

7
b, p. ItH, a:;dii

A
YÍ;;:
:'
í
o
.

oJ.llet,"
13 Diod, xvi. 41 sqq. :Mcla i. 12. 14 Cnrt. iv. 3. I. Job v. 13.

'hold, and h heaped up silvcr as the dust, C HBR'ofsT
I and fine
old as the mire of the str('ets. cir.487.
4 DchoId Ithe Lord will cast her out h Job 2..16._
, , Ezek.
S.-l,o.
I !sai. 23. 1.
I

; upon a rock for ex('eedill!::, strcn!!th. hinding her together.
I .- 20 The walls, I.jO feet high and of hreadth proportionate,
elllllpaeted of lan!,'e stones, embedded in g-ypsnm," seemed to
defy an enemy who {'lIuld only approa('h hl'r hy s('a. "21 In
order to make the wall twice as strong', they built a !'eeond
wall ten eubits broad, leadng a spru'e bctween of th'e cubit!!',
whieh thev filled with stones and earth." Yet hig-h nails
do not fen
'e in only; they also hem in. JIaz(Jr i
c both ,. a

trOl1.!!:I)(Jld" and "a siege." ". ealth and stren
th, with-
out GolI, do but invite and emLitter the spoilcr and the
eonqueror.
Alld she bmped up ,sift'er liS ti,e dust, amlfine gold liS tlte
mire of the streets. TlwlI,!!,h l,e heap IIp ,sillIer as the dw.t,
Job says 22. The [{illg, Solomon, 1/wde siIL'el' ill .Jerusalem
as stolles 23 . ThJ'()Ugh hcr manifold ('(I11I111Cree she gathered to
herself wealth. as abund.\IIt as the mire and the du
t, and as
valueless. "(;old and sih'er," said a heathen, "arc hut red
ami white earth." Its !'tren
th was its de
tl"lu,tion. T'Te
determined to resist .\Jexamler. ., 2' tru!'till!::, in the "'tren
th
of the island. and the
tores whit'h they had laid up," the
strength within and without, of whi,'h the Prophet "'pealis.
4. Belwld. Sueh were the preparations IIf Tyre. Û,-er
a
ainst them, as it wcre, the prophet !'ets before onr eyes
the counsels of God. "25 Sillee they had sen'rcd themselves
from the provident'e of God, they
'ere nllw to experienee
His power." The Lord ll'ill cast her out 26, lit. deprive her of
her possessions, gÏ\'e her an heil' of what she had amassed,
dz: the ellcmy: awl be u'ill smite I,u }lower or u'ealtlt 27, of
which Ezekiel !Oays, 28lrit/t tlty wisdom amlll'itli t!tiue under-
stalldillf{ tllOll hast gottell tltee 1'iclles, amI hast gotten gold and
sih'er ill/o tit.'! trf{uures: [,.'! ti,e greatness (if tll.'l wisdom will b.lI
th." traJ/ic tholt Iwst illcrea.sed tllY riches, and thille bellrt is
/ffted lip because f
f th.'l1"icbes 29. All wherein sht' relicti, and
so too the stron
,dlOld itselt
God would .smite ill the .selL. The
sea was her ellntiden('e ami boa"t. She !'aid 30 1 am a god;
I sit ill ti,e seat of God, in the midst of tI,e seas.
The s('ene of her IH'ide "as to be that of her overthrow;
the ,,-m-es, whil'h g-irt her round, shouhl bury her ruins and
wash over her site. LYen ill the sea the hand of God should
find her, and smite her ill it, and illto it, ami so that she
should abide in it. "31 They moeked at the kin
:, as though he
thou;.?'ht to premil ag-aimt Xeptulle [the sea]." .. 32 Ye despise
this land-army. thJ"(lll
h t'ontidenee in the place, that ye
dwell in an island," was the lllcssab'e of Alexander, "but
soon ,,'ill I
hew vou that ye dn ell on a continent:'
E,'ery dedee imd been" put in furee in its defence: the
versatilitv bv which the inhabitants of an island, some 2

miles in' ('ir
Ulllf('relu'e, held at bay the cOlHlueror of the
battle of lssus with unlimitcd resources, "33 en
i neers from
Cyprus and all Phænil'ia." and ., 3! a fleet of ISU ships from
Cyprus," attests the wisdolll in which the prophet says, she

16 1 Cor. i. 21. n Baruch Ei.
3. 18 E7Ck. xnüi_ 2. 8.
19 Ob, 3,
. ro Arrian ii. 21. 2\ U.od. SIC. ,,\ii. 43.
\r. ,Job """vü. 16. D
Chron. ix. '!.ï. 2< Diod. Sic. x\ii. 4U. 25 Theod.
E:'

:l
.
4?X
;,i

llï
fllt,np

fi:
rrì!;'!"fv
t

S

t
lk;s
:

;:[;

,

e
:

7 ';I'n cmnol be here the outer wall (on "hich see X.lh, iii. S, ab. p. 3fH,n. G.) \\hi,ch "all
nseless in island Tn'e, "hose "ails ri,jng from the sea needed 110 outer
,II and ad" 111..1 of
no fo,se or pomærÍnm. 2>1 F,,'k, ",,,\ili. 4, 5. .

'n 3u E
,'k. ,,'\.\iii.:J.
31 Diod. Sic. x\ii. 41. 8: Q. Curt. j\. 7. 33 Arr. ü. 21. 3-1 Q. Curt. iv. J3.

C :
oïs T and Iw will smite k hpl" power in the sea;
cir.467. and she shall he dcrum'cd with fit.c.

i::.
?3i, f 5 I A shkclun shall see it, amI fear; Gnzil
Zeph. 2. 4. also shall see it, nnd he ycry sUl'ruwful,

would trust. "1 She had already a pl"Ofusiou of catapults
ancl other mac'hine
u!'eful in a !'il'
(', and casily pl'epared
manit()ld other
bv the makers of wm'-enÔnes aud all SOI.ts
of artificers whon
!'he hael, and these imented new endnes
of all sorts; !'o that the whole cireuit uf the ('ity \Va.. filled
with en!:"ines." Divers who !'hould loosen the mole; g-rap-
plin
hooks and nets to entan
'le near-as!'ailants; n\('!teû
metal or heated sanel to penetrate between the juints of thcir
armour; hag-s of sea-n'eed to deaden thc blon s of the baU('r-
ine; mal'hincs: a fire-ship na,-ig.lted so as to d(.,.tro
' the
works of thc enemy. while its sailors escaped; fiery arrows;
wheel.. set in continual motion, to tUl'n a!'iele the mis!'iles
a
ain!'t them 2, bear witness to an unwt'm'ied inn'ntiveness
of defence. The temporary faihu'es l1li
ht ha,-e :,;haken an)
mind but Alcxander's (who is even
aid to Im,'e hesitated S)
hut that he dared not, by abandoninl!: the enterprise, losc
the presti;.:'c of vie tory. Yet all ended in the massacre of
6, 7, or
OOCI of her men, thc enH'ifi "ion of
WOO, the sale of
the I'est, whether 13,000 or 30.0UU, into
lavery4. Kone
escaped sa,-e those whom the Sidonians seereted in the
vessels 5, with which they had been eompelled to sen'c
against her.
Áml she herse(f6, when her streng-th is overthrown, shall
he del'oured witlt fire. "5 Alexanclel', ha\ in
slain all, !'a\'e
tllOse who fled to' the temples, ordered the llOuses to lJe set
on fire."
5. Áshkelrm slwll see (lm[ fear. The u"ords eXI'I'es
that
to see and feal' shall be as one 7. The mi
hticst and wealth-
ie!"t, Tyre, hfl\'ing- fallen, the nekhbour cities of Phili;.;tia
who had hoped that her might !'hnuld he their !'tay, shall
!<tand in fear and shame. r!'vre, bein!!" a merchant-eitv, the
mother-city of the cities of tile AfrÍt'.ìn coast and ill Spain,
its desolati;m cau,.;ed the morc terror 8.
Am[ tlte [a] king sltrtll perish fl'01ll Cflza, i. e. it shall have
no more king-so It had heen the policy of the world-empires
to have fl'ibutary kin
s in the petty kin
doms \\'hieh they
c'onqnered, thus providing- for their I'outiuued tranquil sub-
mission to them!'eh-e!" 9. The internal gO\-ernmcllt remaincd
as before: thc people felt no difl'erellee, e
cept as to the
pannent of the trihute. The policy is exprcs,.ed by the title
., kinO" of kill
s " which thev !<ucee,.,.i\'eh hon
. Sennac'herib
speal
of th
killp of A..e
llon, .El
ron 'and Gaz
10. :-\
(ln-
temporary of Alexandel.lI mentlOn.s. that the kllll!: of (Taz,a
was brouf?'ht ali\'e to Alcxander on Its eapture. Alexander s
I Diod, Sic. xvii, -n. 2 Q. Curt. iv. 11.16. Arrian ii. 18-22.
3 Diod. Sic, xvii. 4:!-4û. . Diod. xru, I'., Q, Curt. iv. HJ, Arr. _

. 2-1.
S Q, Curt, I. c_ 8 /(":'11 emph_ ; H
';"-K1
" Is, "-Xlii. 5.11.
) Herodotus 'Iates it to ha,e been the wont ot the Pe'-"Idu lIIon
rchs to put the, sons even
Df revolled king, on their fathers' thrones (iii. 15), and in the review, of the !.'erslan troop'
under Xerxes mentions di tterent tributary kiu,...... among .. horn the kmg of
)(lon h
fir,

rank; then Ihe king of Tyre; then the- rest (viii. (1). J

epllUs speaks of .. the kings of
Sp'ia." (Ant. xi. 8_ 5.) , 10 ill La}anl}.;m. ":Id B
b, p. J-U. ,
11 Hegesi", in Dionys. HaL de romp. verb. c. 18. ,T, '_' p. I:!? ,R"..)..e. .
her
,lS m
ch
obscurity about the indivi,bal, Dion. Hal. has. "Its kmg Balst.. ?r BalstJos; Aw!,n
(ii.
;;) mentions Batis, an E,much and so a Persian officer, as .. ha
mg supreme autho.nlr,
O\'er Gaza;" KpaTwII "T. ra(ai",,, ....óÀ."'.. Q, Curtius says," BetlS ..as over the c
ty
(iv,
(;). "Jo<ephus{Ant.xi.8,:\:'says that ," the name of the commanda.nt of the garn.on
..as Babèmi;'es," 12 See" Darnel the Prophet," pp.1-l2-1
, ..
1" 1 l\lacc. x. 811. .. Ib, xi. 60, lj\. la Ih. 1'11.:\3. ,
18 .. The name was given twire to Lieut. Conder and 3 times to C.o
poral B
p
y by dIf-
ferent witnesses." .. so that there is nO doubt (Lieut. Couder 6ubJoltls) lbat Jt IS a well-
I<IlO,,;r ji
itxi
i

. Conder's Re

r

;.vJ8.1;,3. 19 LiM. Conder, lb.

CIL\PTER IX.

.').')3

and Ekl"On; [or her expectation shall he C HBí{ois T
I ashamed
and the king shall perish from dr, .bi.
Gaza, and Ashkelon shall nut he inhahited.
I G
\.nd a hastard shall dwell in m ...\slul()(J, m Amos 1.8.

puliey was e!'
entially ditrcrent frClm that of the "orld-
monarchs befClre him. Thl',/I rle,.irell Clnly to hClld an cmpire a

I wide as po,.;...ihle, leaving- thc nati\'c l
ing,.;, if ther could: and
\ onl}', if tlH'''P were intraetahll'. pla,'in
their 0\\ n licutl'nant
.
r .-\lexandcr's policy was to blend Ea
t and \\- ('st into one 12.
These petty !òO\'ereig-ntie
, J.òO many in
ulatcd eentr('s of
mutual rcpul...ion, were e",.elltially at varianc'e with this plan,
and so thi.. remnant (If sm-ereig-uÌ\' flf I ,;UI) ,car" was taken
aWfl\' bv him, when, after a ..i
'!!"e 'in whieh "he him,.;df was
twi("e \\'ouncled. hc tClok it. .\Iexandel' wholly dcpopulated it,
I and repeopled the C'Íty with stran
ers.
Ami .1shkehm shall llot he inhrlbited. .-\...hl.elCln vielded
I at on('e tu JCluathan, wlwu he <. C'amped ag-ain...t it 13,'" after
he hall talien and '<burned .\.;hdllCl and the eitic'", round ahout
it." In alwther e"l'editilin uf Jonathan its inhabitants .. 14 met
him h(lnoumhly," while "they of Gam
hut him out" at tirst.
,'I"SiIllCln-passl'd throug-h the cCluntry unto .-\!'caloll. and the
I holds there adjuinillg,"without resistance. \\ herea.. .. he turlled
I a!'ide to JIIPI)e. and \\'on it." He pl<lI'r'd JI'W" in Gaza, hut
of .-\.sealon nothing- i" !'aid. The ruins of a Chri"tiall citv,
'built on its site, .. khirhet-As('alclU," ha,'e h('en latelv di
-
I em-ered in the hill,.; Ilear Tell Zakari
eh 16, and ,.0. a littlc '
outh
of Timnath, a Philistine t'Ítv in the rlm's Clf S,lIINlIl, "henee
I Samson -went to it, to g-ain tlie 30 dlang-es of raiment 17. Com-
I mentaturs ha\'e a
...Í!!"ned reaSCln
, whv Samson mi!!. ht ha,'e

'une so far as the maritime A,.c'alon, wilereas, in fact, he \\ ent
to a l'Ìh' e\f)
e IH'.
I That 'city, in 5;JG .-\. D., had its ßh,hop 18. <,19 The site shews
I the remains of an early Chri...tian Chlln'h or convent:" as
a
reat lintel of stone:JO, resemhling" somewhat the )1 altese
Cl"CJs", lies on the g-rcmnd." It was probably destrlly('11 by
the inundation of )lohammedan conquest. In 1l(j3 .-\.D. it
\\ a... a ruin. The distanc'c of the ruin!" from the A,.c'alun
Maiuma
eorresponcls to that as!"b:ned hy Ueujarnin of Tuclcla,
bein:?; twiee the di..tanee of that ('ity from .\.shdod
1; but
inec
he was at lleth Jihrin 2\ he must ha\-e been not far from the
spot -where it ha,. heen lately disl'ovc!"ed Z3. The .-\,.hkelon,
whieh was Ber(H!"!' hirth-place and \\ hieh he beautitied, mu!'t
: have been the we]l-known eitv bv the !'ea; since the di4anee
fI'OUI Jerusal('m as..i
ncd by J
sei)hu,;
! is too great for the old
"hhkelun, and he
peaks of it as on the sea 25.
6. 3ncl a hastard slmll du'ell at ./SIIlIfJ([26. The" mamzer"
was one born unlawfully, \\ hether out of marriag-e, ur in f(lr-
bidden marriage, or in adultcry
7. Here it is, probably, like
:0 "Such linte's are to be found in all that class of ruins, which date from about tbe 5th
to the jth centuJ):' lb.
21 He '8VS that the new Ashkelon, that on the sea, is 2 p,rasangs from Ashdod, 4 from
th
IO
der

.o
i\"ü. ï, lIow can it {the sw::lorr

:'lo;;f)'be qflirt, Bfeing that thr Lord
l.as !;i"Pli il a ci",rf!e af!aillst Ashkflrm, and altain" tlw sea-shore I has often been wrongly
ð:

":i:,

;
,
;
,

oÄ:hke'ì
nt

'd

%
' th
n:
_es

ry1i:

i

sÌna
e oi
other places, in which it occurs, is only a title for Phili,tia itself, as I} m
'between the

hephelah and the sea. Thus in Dent. i. ï. Pdle_r:ne is divided into the hill count!), the
'Arabah. the Sh"phelah, the
ejeb. and the t';'
\,. In Joshua, ix, I, the dõv:'ion is. .. the
hill coltlllry, the :O;hephelah. and the.. hole co.1't of the !!.Teat sea, 'mJ., 1:';'1 'iV! ')J." Ezekiel
(xx,. I6'j use.> C';'I 'iV!. as equivalent to the Chertthim and Philistim. whom he had named

ft

5;pea

:j
I:
a
JJ
e

,
hole tract and a c

2Ói:iad[a.i

.tài.

hel> '0
". lb. iv.11.5. 26 On the omission ofGath see on Am. i. G.
':; l" 1rOp,,;js, Ó in Dent. xxiii. 3; "descorto." Yul
. and >0 Saad.; "son of adultery." S",..
With this agrees the opinion of R. Jo>hua A. D. í3, "every one, for whom th , are j!1J:'"
\ of death in the house of judgemen:." R. Jo.hua b. AZ&l says, 'I have foul d a roll 01

;),)-1

ZECIL\IlL\II.

t IPí{oíes T and I will cut oa'the Pl'idc of the Philistincs. I

4bï. 7 And I will take away his t Llund out
t Hcb. bloods. of his month, and his aLominations frolll I
betwecn his tecth: but he that remaineth,

our ,<
purious hroll(l';" wh('the)' it was so itself OJ' in the
eves of the .\shdodite
; whence he add,.;,
. lll'ill Cilt (r!f" tllf' In'ide (
r tile Philistines. Pride would
!"urvÏ\-e t he ruin of their country, the capture of thcir eitie
,
the lo
s of indepcndenee. It would not !-urd,'e the los!" of
their nationality; for they them
ehes would not be the same
people. who were proud of tJwir long- deseent and their
\"Ïetories 11\ er ISJ"a('1. The bn'a]
ing down of nationalities,
whieh was the poliey of .\lexander, was an instrument in
GUd'
hand
in ('utting" off their pride.
í.
-1mllll'ill take (lIN/,'1 his Mond.<; Ollt of /tis mOllth. The
ftbmnilU/tiÚ1/s being- idol-saeritiees 2. the bloods will also be,
the blood lIIi"<!,"led with the wine of sacrifice
, uf which Dadd
!"ays, :I Tlleir driuk-ojfàillgs of blood Il'ill I 1/ot otfèr; amI
I:zekiel unites the offence!", "4- re cat witll tIle blood, and lift
'/P your e.lles toward your idols, and shed hlood."
Bitt he that rel/Willetll, hettel', .And lie too shall 1'emaill
over to ollr Goel. Of the Phili!"tines too. as of Israel. (t
l"em1Uâll ,ç/1ll11 be saved. After this vi
itation their idolatrv
!"]IOU]d eease; God speal;:s of the Philistine nation as one
lIIan; lIe would wring- his idol-sa('ritiees and idol-enjoyments
fl"Om him; he should exist as a nation, but as Goo's.
Ami IIC shall be as (t KOl'eJ"lwr ill Judah, lit. "a captain
(If a tlllln
and," merged in Judah as in a larg'er whole, as
each tribe was divided into its "thou
a))(I
," yet intimately
blended, in no inferior position, with the people of God. as eaeh
eonverted nation became an integral yet unseparated whule
in the people of God.
Allfl Ek/"Oll as a .Jelmsite. Ekron was apparently the
Icast important of the few remaining Phili
tine l'Ïties 5; yet
he !<hall be, as thnse of the Canaanite nations willi were not
(Ie!"troyed. nor fled, but in the ,'ery ('apital and centre of
hrad's worship, 6dll'elt IÔtlt the children (
l Bely'alllill aJUi
,"Ulfllt, aIHI were, a
a type of thc future co",'crsion and
ah
orption of thc heathen, incorporated into .Tudah.
I:t And 11l'ill encamp flbout 11/,'1 house [lor 7 111."1 house's
.,'ake) bc('(Utse of tlte a"/J/Y
; becllllse, it is added in explanation,
(
ll,illl t!tat {Jfl.<;.<;et!t by and of him t!tat retltrneth; .\lexander,
-,1"110 }}([s.<crl by with his army, on his way to Eg-ypt, and
l"l,tlll"JlccI, hm-ing" founded .Alexandria.
It. was it most ('\'el\1ful march; une of the most eventful
in thc histon' of mankind. Thc destruetion of the Pen-ian
cmpirc, for ,,:hich it prepared, was in itsclf of litt]e moment;
Alexandcr's uwn empire was very brief. As Daniel bad

;!cncalogies in J cmsalem. and there was "ritten in it. '1\1.. a mamzer from a man's wife;' to
confirm the "onls of R. Joshua:' in Yehamoth c. 4,
13. R. AJ"iba's opinion was, that
.. it Wo!.S any near of kin, with "horn marriage was forbidden;" Simon the Tcmanite said,
.. an) liable to exci.ion at the hands of God." lb. in Ges. Thes. p. íMI sub v. Of the etymo-
lo
ie<. Kimchi"s is perhaps the mObt probable, that it is from "1, the two C's being added, as
in .n
)i
i:.l

'S r. agree in the renderinfr, .. strang-ers." Jon. and the S}r. usin
the
same word; 1I'"1J1J pe.},.; .. and the children of Israel shall d"ell in Ashdod, "ho "ere in it,
a< .tran!:ers" (i
1JJ). Jon. Aq. S}'1um. Theod. retain the Hebrew word, as do auk. and
Sam. in Deut.
" f1;;>i,!Ì always retains its aP f ellative sense. It is not merely" idols," but idols, in that
they were "ahominations
" tis g-enerally in constr., "the ab01nination of" such a nation,
l Kgs xi. 5: 7 [bis], 2
s xxiii. 13 [bis 1; .. the abomi_n
:ion of his,
e.ir, eyes:' E:e
. xx.
,. Ii; or "Ith the personal pronolm as 1iere, Deut. X'ilX. 16, Is. lxV1. 3, Jer. [" times]

h\

i::iÎa
i

/tof
he fJ
ï;.

I

n:.bH

tt
' li3; i
thri

at\':lfJ
li
bo:i

'ions (2 Kgsxxiii. 24, 2 Cill. xv. 8); and the abomination of desolation. Dan. LX. 2ï,
xi. 31, "ii. II. [all]. S Ps. xvi. 4. . Ezek. xx-xiii. 2;;.
5 See on Amos i. 8, ab. p. IG3. 8 Josh. xv. 133. J ud. i, 21. ; 'n':'

en'n lIP, ,yllflll be for our
od, and he shall c l?
orS T
hc as a A"m-enor in .J udah, and Ekron as a cu. -lliì.
J ebusitc.
8 And n I will elU
amp about mine house U
:: t::t

fun.told
, he ('ame. cast rlml'n Persia to the ground. IN/xed
I'el".I1 great, and 1l'/tCll lie 1l'as stl'ong, tIle great hOl'llIN/S [,roILCll.
But witll thc marvellou!" perception whieh ehanu.tcri!"ed him,
he saw and impn'
!'ed 11pon his sucee

ors thc d('pendible
ne!"s of thc Jcwi
h peoplc. "'hen he (
ame into J udæa, 1lE'
sent to the hi
dl pricst for aid a
ain!"t Tyre and for thc
like tribute as he used to pay to Darius, promi!-ing- that he
would not repent of ('Iwo
in
the friend
hip of the :\Iaec-
donians 10. The hig-h pric:-;t rcfused on thc
round of the oath,
by whi('h his people were hound in fcalty tu the earthly kin

of ki n
s. whom Alexandcr came to !"ubdue. .A1('xander
threate'ncd to teaeh all, throu
h its fate, to 1l'lwlIl fcalty was
due. Thi,;:, aftcr the eOlH]Ucst of Gaza, he p)"('parcd to fulfil.
Ill' ('amc. he
aw, he was eonlJucred. llJaddua and his pcople
prayed to God. Taught by God in a dream not to f('ar, he went
to meet the conqueror. Thc g-ates of the city were thrown
open. Thcrc marched out, not an army
uell as cneountercd
thc Romans, hut as he had becn tau
'ht, a multitude in white
g-arment", and thc l}rie!"ts g-oing- hcforc in thcir raiment of
fine linen. The high priest, in his apparel of purplc and
gold, ha\"Ïng on his hcad the mitre, and on it the
olden
platc B, whereon was written the namc of God, advan('ed
alonc, and thc Conqucror, who was expected to
ive the city
to be plunrIercd, amI the high pl"Íe
t to be insulted and slain,
ki!"sed thc name of God, rCl'ognising" in the priest onc whom
hc had seen in the like dre!is in a dream, who had bidden him,
when hcsitating. cross to Asia; for that hc would go before
hi!" army and deliver the Per!"ian cmpire to him.
The re!"ult is )'elated to ha,-e be('n, that Alcxandcr promised
to allow thc Jcws in .Judæa to live aceordin
to their OWII
laws, remitted the trihute of c,-erv scvcnth
year. aecedcd
beforehand to the terms to be propo
cd by tho!"c in Babylonia
and )Icdia, and that mallY Jews joined his arlllY, under
cOlldition that thev miu:ht Ih'e under their own laws.
Rationalism, whilc it'remains such. eannot admit of Daniel's
prophecies which the high priest !ihewed him. dcelarin
that
a Greck
hould dcstroy thc Persian cmpirc, whieh .\Icxandt'r
I ri
ht]y interprctcd of him!ielf. But the fads rcmain; that
the cOllflueror, who, above mo
t, g-ave way to his ang-er,
bestowed prh-ileges almost ineredib]e on a nation. which
undcr the )11.des and Pcrsiaus had been "13 the mn"t despiscd
part of thc ell
la\'cd;" made thcm cqual in privileg'es to his
own )Iaeedonians H" who eould hardly brook the absorp-
tion of the Pcrsians, although iu infcrior condition, among
8 ;O:
J. for II:;tJ. according tothe:\1asorites as in the verb also, Is. x'\:ix.7. SoS)mm.
KWÀVWII (fTpan,a.. The context also favours the reading; for unless the passers bll and
..../lIrliers had been a po"erflll army, there had been no occasion for that del'eJice of
which God speaks. The correction ;o::;t
would come to the same, "a military post ;" only,
in actual use. this is a" fort."" fortress," 1 Sam. xiv. 12, i. q. J.ÿ Ih. xiii. :!3. xiv. I, ..J.,
Ii, 11, I;;, 2 Sam. xxiii. 14. :Iv:? Is. xxix. 3, is a "ork on the offcnsive, not defcnsiw.
Ewald comes to the same scnse, that God would protect her against anyone coming
against her. 9 Dan. viii. í, 8. 10 Jos. Ant. xi. 8. 3. II Ih. n, 5.
l
Justin says, .. then he, Alexander,
oes to Syria, where many kings of the East with
fillets met him. Of the<e, accordin!: to their deserts, he received some into alliance; others
helfet

s ï

::t

nâ

.:rip

t
ili

w
e
h

e P

"

n
d to the Assyrians,
1\ledes and Persians." Hist. v. 8.
Wi
;' ';
l
ì:

:
lfï
:. thetk

:t
l:l

o
o
:ì
l i

v
n
a
S

t
"t;d b

a
e
:

near the Kecropolis and not near the palace. and were not their race now too called' Maee-
donians.' If dim he (Apion) has read the Epistles of Alexander the King. and has met with
the re-cript< of Ptolemy Lagi and the kin!(S aller him. ant! has liJ!;hted on the co'umu "hieh
, stands in Alcxandria and contains the rights given by the great Cæ:.arto the Je"s; if,l say,

f'IL\PTEIt IX.

5,"),)

c Jí
Y 8 T because of tl}(
army, hecause of him that seen with mine ('y('s. c Ir
Ts T
cir.48ï. _ passetli by, and because of him that re-,I 9
qHejoit'e .rreath-, 0 dau
htl'I' ofZioll; _ c;

.. Isai. 60. 18. t . tl I 0 I 11 I 0 ' I l ro- . f ' J L l I I ) 1 'I I, i. (,
. 11.
Ezel... 28.
-1. Ul Ill' 1: all( no oppressor s la pass s lUut, ( all
Iter () . ('rwsa em: Ie 10 C, ch..!. 10.
, Ex. 3. 7. through them any more: for U,)\\' P lUl\'e I I I 'thy I
iug- cometh unto thee: he i,\' just, and

'
:'I

i
:
r Jpr nn "'. ð. 311. 9. Luke I!), 3
. Jolm 1. 4'1.

themselns I. The most dcspi
ed of the enshn ed be('ame
the most trusted of the trusted. The\" became a lar"e
portion of the H'('ond and third then kiwwn ('ities of tI
e
world. They became _\Iexandrian
. Antioehcne!', l:phe
ians2,
\\ ithout eca
ill
to be .f('ws. The law comlllaIlIlcd faithful-
ness to oaths, ånd they who despised their religion resl'cctetl
its fruits.
The immediate succes
OI's of A!cxander, Ptol{,lIIv La
i 8
and _\ntiUl'hlls l'ìieator, 1'0110\\ cd his poliey: Ptulen'IY {'s;le-
j'ially on the
rollnd of the fealty shewn to Darius; :\"i(';ltlll',
as lUl\'inl! ubs('n-ed their faithfulness a

oldiers. who had
sen-ed with him 4: but thev were so enrolled on this vi
it tu
J erllsalcm. The Heathen liings multiplied. in their o\\"n pur-
po
e, faithful subjects to themseh-es; in God'
dc
i;!."n, th('y
prepared in .Asia and Eg-ypt a seed-plot for the Go
pel. The I
settlement of the Jews at Alexandria forlllcd the lan!!"ua!!"e I
of the Gospel; that wonderful blending- of the dCl'th of the
Hebrew with the clearness and prel'Í
ivn of the (;reek. I
E,'erywhere the seed uf the prcpamtury dispen
ation was
sown, to be fostered, grow and rillen \\ ith the hane1it of the
Gospel. I
Fur 11010 !tm'e I $een u'ith JIille e'les. This is the counter-
part of what the Psalllli
t
aud pious men so often pray,
· All'ake to help me ami behold; v Luolc dmt'/l.from heavcll, be/wid
w/(f visit this vine; 7 Look upun my trouble .frolll thclIl that I
hate me; 8 Look UpOIt my r!flliction allcllll.'1 tmuLde; look UpOIl
111.'1 ellemies, .for tlley are lI/(l/I.ll; 9 Look upon 111.11 adl.:ersitpaud I
delh'er me; 10 0 Lurd. helwld 111.'1 {!//t'icti{JIl; II Bel wid, 0 Lurd, I
.for I llilt ill distress; U LrJuk alld behold m.lf rt'fJl'ollch; 130pell :
TMue e.'le,ç, 0 Lord, aJUI see; H Look dowll frum "em'ell, {[lid
behold frolll tile habitatiu1l of Th.'1 huliness alld p:!or.ll. \\ïth I
God, compas
i()u is
o intriusic an attrihutc, that Ill' i
I
pictured as Jooking- away, when Hc docs not put it tiJrth.
With God, to behold is tu help.
9. From the Iu'oteetion, which God promised to I1i

people and to lIis I1ou
e, the PI"ophet l'a
se" ()II to Him "-ho I
was e\"er in his thoug-hts, and tin" "'ho
e :-:ake that pe()ple
and temple were l}re
el"\'ed. He had desl'ribed the
Teat
conqueror of this world, sweepinl! aloll
in his ('our:-:e uf
,'idor\", In contrast with sueh a
he, lae non' exhibit
to hi.s
pcoplë the ('hilraett'r ann proces
ion vf theÍ1' kinl!. Rrjoire
greatly. l'ì ot with this world's joy. God ne,-er exhorts
man to rEjuice greatly in this world's fleeting joys. lIe

alllJws us to he g-lad, as ('hiltlren, hefore Him: lIe permit,.

u('h hlwya'Il'Y uf heart, if innoeent; but 11(' docs nllt ('11111-
maml it. 1Y,Ii' Ill' eUlUm<lJIIIs His pe()ple tv hur,.t out iuto
a jubilee of rej()i('in
: they were to dance and
hout fur

Iadne
'" of spirit; "dc
pi
illg- the pOllr exultatiun uf thi

world and e
ultinl!: '\Îth that ex('eediu
" yet dw..te joy,
"hich befits the true bliss to he hroug-ht bv theil' I\iu
and
t'm'iuur. ..I. This word, grcatl.'l, mean
tha"t there !'IHIllId be
no mca
ure whatc,'cr in their exultation; for the exult,ltion
of the ,'hildren of the bl'ide
rllolll is far nnlil,e to the e,,"ulta-
tilln of the ehildren of this world." " 16 11e biddeth the
Spil'itual Zion rejoice, inasmu('h as deje('tion was removed.
r,lr what eau
c of
orruw i
there, when sin has hcen re-
1lI00'ctl, death trampled nnder fout, and human nature ealle(l
to the dig:nity of fl'eedlllll, and cl"Owned with the grace of
adoption and ilIulllincd with the hea\'enly g-ift?"
lJdwld, tll!1 killg ('(}IlIctlt Ullto tllee. lIe docs not say" a
liÍn!r." but .. th.'1 king-;" thy king-, thine 0\\ n. the 100'g--pro-
llIi",cll. the lon
-expc.,tcd: He \\110, when they had kin
s
of their own, g-i,-en them by God, had becn pl"lIlIIi
cd a
tile
king- 17 ; 18the righteous iluler among mell. of the !oiced of Da, id;
He "'ho, abm"e all other king:
, was tlleir Kinl! anti
a\"Íllnr;
"llO
e IÚnl!dom was to ab
ol"b in it!'elf all hinj.!;doms of the
earth; tlte Iíing r
f kings, llJill Lord of lords, lIel' l.ing- wa"
to ('ollie to her. He was in a manner then "of her," and
.. not of hel';" .. of hel'," since lIe \\"a" to be her king, .. nlll
of hcr,"
ill\'e He wa
to .. collie to her." .b :\}<In, He was
bllrn of hel": as God. the \\' ol"d made fle...h, Ill' ('ame tl'
her. ..19 To tllee, tu be manite
t unto thee 20; to be thine
In' ('olllmunion of nature 21; as lIe is thine, bv the earnest
ot' the Elcrnal Spirit and the
ift of the Father, to pro-
cure thy g-()/)(l. 22 Unto liS a Cltild is born, untu us a SOil i.\
gÏl'ell." Of thi!', Hi., entry into Jeru
alelll wa
an imag-e.
liut how shonld He ('ollie? .. He shall eUllle to thce;'
says an old Jewi
h writing- 28, "to atone thee; Ill' shall
cume to thee, to upmise thec; Ill' shall come to thee, to
mise thee up to IIi", temple, and to e"'llou!'e thee with an
e'-erlastin
e
pou
al."
lIe iSþlst aml ha
'illg sah'ntÏrm. Ju..t ur righteou!'. and
the Fountain of jllsti('e or ri!!;hte(IIISnc

. For \\ hat lIe k
that Ill' ditfll
eth. Rig-hteouslless which Gud Is, and rig-ht-
eou:-:ne
s whieh God, made :\Ian, illlpart
" al"e uften blend('(1
in Holy Scripture2
. This is al,..o the
m:re
uf the e
ce{'dill""

he knows these things, and. knowing them, has dared to write the contrary, he is unprin- 8 Ptolemy Lagi, "understanding that those from Jern!!lliem were most reliable as to their
c pled; if he J..nèw notl,ill/( of them, he is ill-instructed." ." Ale:'3.1llJer collected _some of oaths and f
aJty, (from the answer which they gave 10 the embassy of Ale'tand r after he had
our people there. not for w..nt of :mch as should colo
ise the c.ty ,!hlch he found
d
")t
gr
at CO r, - g n h q ts ue o red f c" t D , - z
n .
hI : p ) ha wl .V t Íllg h the loca _ ' l te a
d m oIU
a Y ns of lD - th A em lex in andria t
e , gam look ':-O a ns n oa an t rl lI
of ;' th n em the t ' h n at eql t ua ) 1
eal11estne>s. Hut carefully p.ovmg all as to good faIth and plObJty. he ga\e this di:,tmctlon I ç 0 !>
: th
to our 1>"Ül?le. For he hono.u-ed our nalion, a, Hecatæus too says o
us. t
a
. for the probity I "ould keep fealty to the de",:endanl.< of bin..' wbo gave
her:n this charge. -\nd no few vi
and gOOd faith which the Jews evinced toward< him, he ga
e them"..' addlf}on the. temtory I the other_ Je"s.came of thel1' ,?wn accord '!!to E
\ pt, III\
ted lJy the goodness ofthe sOli
of Samaria to hold, free from tñbute. And Ptolemy Lag! 100 was like-mmd
W1th Alex- and
e hberahty of Ptolem
. Jos. Ant. xn. l. If,. p. l
. n. 8. . .
ander as to tho,e "ho d"elt in Alexaudria."cont",P.I-l. Thi

arl)eq\l.\hsmgoltheJe
s \ . t They(th
Jews) obtamed the hono
r from. the kmgs of 1\sIaalso, bavmg.serv<<:d
"ith Alexandrians is recwn;..ed in the edict of ClaUllms: .. Havrng learnt thal the Jews m I ' m the anny "Ith them. For SeJeucus 1'Icalor. m the CItIes which he founded ill A>ia
\le'Laudria "ere from the'" fi,."t called Alexandrian;', having be
n settle
there [Q
ether
[h and in lo\\er 8) ria, an
in the melropo_lis itself, -\ntioch, conferred on them c
tizensh;p.
the Alexandrians straightway at the earliest pen
, and havIn<r rece.ved fr?lll the
mgs a,
d
I
de th
m rdnJ... wIth the 'Iaædo
laus an
_
reel..s \\ho \\er;e seltled [,ler Ill, 50 th,.[
equal citizen,hip, as aE
eared pl
both _from theIr lelt
;-' and trom tbe ordinances, J:i.c. th
C1tIze

hlp remams 6even now also. Ant. XI
, .1. I: lb. ,p. 116. n.
.
Lm Jo<. Ant. XIX. 5, 2.j m Pusey 5" Dan.el tbe Prophet, p. 1 \I), n. 3. . I An. \u. 6. 9 Ps. I,,
. -t. _
h, hxx: U. ..' ,lb. IX. 13. 11 . lb. xxv. I
. 19.
2 .. His (Apion's) marvelling, how, being Jews, lhey "ere called Ale'tand
ans: betra)S the \ 13lb, CXIX. }.,,3._ . Lam. 1. 9, a

11, n..
.U. _ l
Ih.I. 2U. I;' lb. v. I.
s.me ignorance. For aU who are invited into a given colony, mu
h as they d,ffer 1D ,?ce. take 1- Is. 'LXXV!!, I,. ..Dan_ IX.
!3.

: l.:e lJl . 1". Ru p ;
8.S) r.
their name from its fmmde..,.. Those of .us, ,,
o dweU at AutIo<oh. are called Antlochenes. I
e.l:. Ps. u. IxXll.
S. "\. ,,:xn. .
: Jer. XXIU. ". 21 .. ' :. La
n. XX!U, :
.
For. Seleucus. the founder, gave t
em Clbze
,hip. A;nd so 100 III Ephesus, and t
e
t of Cocc':13 I TIn.." lll. IG. . ,. Heb, u. U. ,. " ::2 h. IX. t).
lorna. they bear the same name wIth the natiVe.,
he Succe&,Qrs \
f A!e'LandeQ haung gn en
Zo
ar
.
\lt. f. 3. co1. .
. '
8chott
:._on !Jos. u. .1.. "
,110 them." JQ8. c. Ap. ü. -t. See Puse) 's .. Dantel the Prophet, p. ltG. n. _. I Is. xlv. :.1, 1m. 11, Jer. XXlU ",6. XX"\.lll. I", 16, IIlal. IV.
.

;)
6

ZECIlARL\II.

C J[[oíeST II had:Jg sah-ation; lowly, anù riding upon
cir. -1:>;. II Or, saving !tim.elf.

joy. ]
or th{' eOll1inp: of ClCir JiÍnp: in rig"hteousne
s w(mld
be, to sinful man. a ('all
(,. not of joy but of fpar. This was
tilt' sOUl'('e of the .\ngel's message (If joy; II hring .YOlt good
tidings (!f' greatjtJ.'/, Il'!tic!t shall he to all people; fur unto YOlt
i.
horn tltis da.,!, ill thc l'Ìly (if ])((I'irl. a Sal';'Jlfr.
He is i/(.
t, ,. 2 beeau
e in thc Divine lXature. IIp is thc
FOllntain (;f all holinc,.;s and justice." ..3 As Thou art ri
'ht-
e/lus ThpeJt
Thou /lrdcrest all thing's righte(JI1
ly. For
Thy power is the' IWg"inning- of righteou
nc
s." AC('/lnling to
the nature whieh Hc took, lIe was al
u IIICJ1<t just; for He
c,-er
/lug-ht the
,dory of the Father, and 4 He did uo sin,
neitller was
llile fo/(nd ill llis Jlrmth. In the wav al1<o of
justi('e He
ati
ti(.d for men. delin-ring- Himself iiw their
faults to the pain of the mo
t bitter death. to
atisfy the
honour of the Oi\'in(' Maje
ty, sn that sin shollld not relllain
unpunished. H('IU'c He saith of Hilll
elf; 5 lie tlUlt secketlt
His glm:,/ tlwt sellt FIim, lIte same is trne, and no ltllrigldeolls-
11ess is ill Him. Of Whom also Stephen said t(l the J C\YS,
6 rOil,. fatlters slcu' them 7I,Mdt .
llt:ll'ed hefore of the coming
f
f' tIle Jllst Olle, f
f JVhom !/e hare been IWU' tIle hetra.ljers and
Ulurderers. Ric:htcousness is an aweful attribute of God. Jt
is a
:Jory and' perfeetioll of His Being-, for the IJcrfeet to
gaze (In and aden'e. l\Ierey, i
suing in our
alvatiun, is the
attl'ibute which draws us sinners. .And this lies in thc
promise that He SIHlllld cOllie to them, howe\'er the one word
1l0slw' be rendered 7. The meaning of sueh a IJrnpheey as
this is Se('lIre, independent of !.'ingle words. The whole eon-
tcxt implies, that He should ('Ollie as a ruler and delh'erer.
whether the word no.
/w' sip,'nify "enilued with salvation,"
(whereas the old ver1<i/lns rendercd it, " Saviollr") or whether
it be, " s,l\'ed." For a
He ('ame, not for Himself but for liS.
so, in as far as He could he said to bc saved, He was ,. sa\'ed,"
not for Himself but for m:. Of our Lord, as Man, it is, in
like way, said, 8 Thou .
/Ul/t IIOt leave His soul ill lieU, or.
9 fl'lwllt God rai.
ed up, IUll'iug loosed the pain.ç of deatlt.
[,cC{[use it wa.ç not ]JossiMe that He .\lwuld he holdell of it. As
1\1an. He was rais{'d from the dead; as God, He raised Him-
self from the dead, for our !'al(l's, for whom He died. For
us, He was horn a Sa\'Íour; for u
. He was endued with

nh'ati(m; for us, He was sa\'ed from being- held of death; in
like way a
, of His Human Nature, the Apo!.'tle says, lU He
1/'fIS /teaI'd. ill that He feared. To u
. as sinner
, it is happiest
to Iwar of the Saviour; but the most literal meaning"saved"
has its own IJruper comfort: for it implies the Sutrel'ing
, by
whieh that salvation was proeured. and so it contains a hint
of the tcaehing- by hmiah, J-fe WflS taken f]'(llll oppl'cssiolt
ami .Ii'mll j1/((!!emeltt; upon whieh that same wide reign
follows. of whieh Dadd, in his pieture of the Passion 11, and
Isaiah 12 pr/lpllf'
y, hlJThis' sa\'ed' does not imply, that He
ohtaillf'd sah ation for His own otherwise than from Himself.
iI/ille oll'n arm. He saith in J!oòaiah, B hrought salNltioll unto
ille. But as -'Jan, He obtained sah.atioll from the indwelling"
Godhead. For when He destroyed the lllight of death, when,
rising- from the dead, He ascended into heaven, when He
I S, Luke ii. 10, 11.
Dion. 3 Wisd. xii. 15, 16.
· 1 S_ Pet. ii, 2
. i S. ,101111 vii. 18. 6 Acts vii, 5
_
-; The J e\\ ish Yersions as ",ell as the Christian render, actively, "Saviour," LXX,
fTWçw.; Jon. i'''
, as well as the Christian, the Syr. and S. Jerome. The participle !lI7U
might, according to analogy, be a reflecti,-e, but it only occur6 elsewhere as a passive;
with :1 p.. Deut. xxxiii. 29. Is_ xlv. Ii; with:1 r., Ps, xxxiii. 16. Imperat." look unto

i.b:. Y(2 S:

,'
:I1.%Iì

'i,2
,

n
x;

a:
7. 'ìr.,.
:;;i
I

iets.Nx
x
'lt
Ixiv. 4. Jer. Iv. 14, viii. 2U, xvii. H, xxiii. Iô. xX"(. i, xxxiii. 16. [all]
s Ps. x,,"i. 10. U Acts ii. 2.1. 10 IIcb. v. 7.

an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. C IPIiT's T
cir. .J
ï..

took (III Him the e\-erlastillg- kingdom of hem'en and earth,
lip oht
ined !.'alvation fr(lm the g-I(lry (If the Father, i.e. ii'om
His own Divinity, to impart it to all His. Thc JIeLrew
word then in no way diminishe!oò the amplitude of His dig'nity.
For we (.()IIf(...;.... that the Human lXature of Christ had that
e\'erlasting" g-lory ad.led tu Jt from His Divine lXature, so
that He 1<hould lIOt onlv be Himself adorned with those
e,'erlasting- gift
, but shOl;ld hceome the cause uf everlasting
salnltion to all who ohev Him."
LOll'(I/. Outward l
wlincss of condition, i!':, throug:h the
p,Taee of God, the best fosterer of the inward. The word
lOIl'I.'1 wllllfierfully eXl'rc
.,es the union of both
luwness of
outward state with lowliness of soul. The Hebrew word
expresscs thc ('clIldition of one, who is bowed down, brOl,ght
10\\' throu
h oppression, affliction, dc:,:olation, poverty, per!.'e-
eution, herea\"ement; hut onl\' if, at the same time, he had
in him the ft'uit of all the!oòe. i
1 lowliness of mind, submission
to God. picty. Thus our Lord pronounees the blessedness
of" the 1'001''' and" the ponr in 1<IJirit," i. e. poor in estate,
\\'ho are poor in soul also. But ill no case docs it express
lowline
!oò of mind without Jowness of condition, One lowly,
who was not afflicted, would ne\'er be so callcd. The Prophet
then deelares that their king should eome to them in a poor
eondition, stricken, smitten, ami f!lf/icted I", and with the spe-
cial graee of that eondition, meckness,
:entleness and Imdi-
ness of !':nul; and our Lord bids us, 16 Lear" of Jle. for I am
meek aud 100d.,! of Ilead. "
He
aith of Him
elf in the Gos-
pel, 17 Tlte fo.t'es Ilfll'e holes ami the birds of the air han nests,
but tlte SOIt of 1.11ult 1/fIlh /lot u'here to lay His Ht:lId. 18 For
tlumgh I-Fe 7l'as riclt, He for o Ill' sakes became poor, that we
tltrough llis }JOl'ertp lIlÌ,
lll he rich.
Low!.,/ amll'idiug UpOIl all ass. King-s of the earth ride
in state. The days were long- :-;inee by. when the sons of the
judges rode on assc
19. Even then the more disting-uished rode
on ll'!tÏte (i. e. roan 2U ) a
ses. The mule, as a taller animal, was
u!<ed bv Du\'i(121 and his snns 22 , while ass('s were used for hi;;
housel;old 23 , and by Ziba, Shimei.l\Iephibosheth, Ahitophel 2 4,
and, later, by the old pl"Clphet of BetheI 2 ". D,\\'id had resened
horses for] 00 ehariots 26 , after thc defeat of the Syrians, but
he himself did not use them. Absalolll employed c/tariot.

and Iwrses 27 as part of his pomp, when preparing- to di...place
his father; and Solomon multiplied them 2
. He speaks of it
as an indignity or reverse; 29 I have seen Sel'l'ullts 11pOll horses,
alld princes walking. as serz'{[]lts, "pon the earth. The burial of
an ass became a proverb for a disg"rileed ('nd 30. There is no
instance in which a king- rode on an ass, save Hc "'hose
king-dom was not of this world. The prophecy, then, was
ft'amed to prepare the Jews to cxpect a prophet-king, not a
kinp.- of thi
world. Their eyes were fixed on this lJa

age.
]n the Talmud, in their traditional interpretations, and in
their mystical books, they dwelt on these words. The men-
tion of the ass. elsewhere, scemed to them typical of this ass,
on which their l\Iessiah should ride. " ]f a man in a dream
seeth an ass," says the Talmud 3\ "he shall see salvation."

11 Ps. xxii. 2i, 28. 12 Is. !iii, 10-12. 13 Osor.
14 1s.lxiii. 5. 15 Is. liii. 4. 18 S. l\Ialt. xi. 29.
17 S. Malt. viii. 20. 18 2 Cor. viii. II.
19 Jud. X. 4, xii. 14. "" lb. v. 10. 2t 1 Kgs i. 33, 38,4-1,
2
2 Sam. xiii, 29, xviii, 9. 23 lb. XVI. 2.
24 lb. xvi. I, xvii.
3, xix. 26, 1 Kgs ii. 10.
25 1 Kgs xiii. 13, 23, 27. 26 2 Sam. \W. 4.
Zl lb. xv. 1. 28 1 Kg. iv. 26. x. 26, 2 Chr. i. U, ix.25.
29 EccL x. 7. 30 Jer. x."ii. 19.
31 Berachoth f. 5(;. 2 (hi :Schóttgen ad loc.). There was a genelal consent :lmongthe Jews,

CIL\PTEIt IX.

557

It is an instance of a prophecy which, humanly speaking, a I
false l\I('s
iah could have fulfilled, but whil'h, from its nature,
none would fulfil, save the True. Fur tI,e;r minds were set on I
earthly g-lory and worldly g-reatlless: it would h.n e becn
illcon,;i,;tent with the claims of tine, whuse kingdolU was of

that this prophecy related to the Messiah. R. J06
ph (probably "the pious," the disciple
of Jochanan, the disciple of Hillel. Wolf, Bibl. Hebr. ii. iWI. 844) used it as an arKUment
against R. Hillel. who disbelieved in any Messiah. .. R. Hillel, 'Israel haa no Me...iah, for
they enjo)ed him in 1."e days of Hezekiah.' R. Joseph said, 'Lord, forgive R. Hillel!'
When did Hezekiah live? In [the time of] the first temple. But Zechariah prophesied in
[the time of] the second temple; 'Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion, behold, thy king cometh
unto thee. righteous and n0611a .." He said also, "0 that be may come, and that I may be
worthy to sit in the shadow of the dung of his ass." Sanhedrin, f. 99. 1. "R. Akzandri said,
that R. Jo
hua ben Ll!vi set against each other the Scriptures, ' Lo there came with the clouds
of heaven one like unto the Son of Man,' and that. 'lowly and riding on an ass.' Deserve
he [Israel], 'with the clouds of heaven ;' deserve he not. 'lowly and riding on an ass..., lb. f. 98.
"All these goods, which I will do to them through the merits of the Messiah, shall be ex-
tended in all those years." R. Jannai (about A.D. 130) said from Ra/, "whoever looketh for
salvation, God will give him rest in the garden of Eden, according to that, ' I will feed my
flock and cause them to lie down' (Ezek. xxxiv. 15.) 'Just and n05ha.' This is the Messiah,
who justifieth his judgement against Israel because they mocked him, because he sat in prison,
80 he is called 'just.' But why pn, but that he justifieth the judgement upon them. He
says to them, 'ye are my sons; are ye not all to be saved only by the mercy of the Holy
One, blessed be He?' 'AfRicted and riding on an ass.' This is the Messiah. But why is
his name called 'J.!/, 'afflicted /. Because he was afflicted all those years in prison, and the
transgressors of ISTaCI mocked him. because he rideth upon an ass on account of the wicked
who have no desert." (a dislocated passage, Schött?;. says. of the Pesikla Rabbalhi f.61.
1. 2. in Schöttg. de .\Iessia, loci gen. n. xcvii. p. 136. The Hebrew of the latter part is
given by Wünsche d. Leiden des Messias p. 66.) And in a remarkable passage on Cant.
i. 4, " Let us exult and rejoice in thee." "The Matrona is like a royal bride, whose husband
the king, her sons and sons-in-law, were gone be} ond sea. When they brought her v.ord
that her sons were returned, she said, '''fiat cause of joy have I? Let my daughters-in-law
rejoice!' Another messenger came, that her sons-in.law were returned, she answered, . "-hat
cause of joy have I 1 Let my daughters rejoice!' But when they told her that the king,
her husband, was returned, she said. 'This is perfect joy, a joy above all joys!' So also in
the time to come, the time of the Messiah, the prophets shall come to Jeru!!lliem and say,
(Is. Ix. 4) . thy sons shall come from far;' she will answer, ' "fiat cause of joy have I I' The
prophets will add. 'Thy daughters shall be nurtured by thy side;' she will answer in like
way. But when they shall say to her, . Behold, thy king cometh unto thee, just and a
Saviour,' then she shall say, 'This is perfect joy ;' as in, ' Exult greatly, daughter of Zion,'
and elsewhere, 'Sing and rejoice, 0 daughter of Zion.' Then she shall say, . I will greatly
rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be jorful in my God (Is. 00.10.)''' SIIir IIasshirÎm Rabba
tol. í. 3 (in Schöttg. loco gen. n. v., .\Iartilli f. 512). They quote the prophecy also as to the
union of the royal and priestly offices of the
essiah. The B
resllitll RaMa had on Gen.
'll:iv. 18, '''And J\lelchizedec. king of Salem.' This is the name of Shem. the son of JIooah.
\\fiat would that teach, 'he brought forth bread and v.ine t' R. S"muel Bar lI-achman said,
He delivered to him the ways of the priesthood. and he offered bread and wine to God, as it
is said, 'He was priest of the most High God, king of Salem.'-Otherwise; :\Ielchizedec;
this is what Scripture saith. 'The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever
after the order of )Ielchizedec.' And who is he ? This is the king, righteous and!/ll'u, the
king ;\Iessiah, according to, 'Behold thy king cometh unto thee, righteous and !/II'u.' And
v. hat would that teach, , He brought forth bread and wine t ' It is as is said, 'Be there a
handful of corn upon the earth.' (Ps.lxxü. 16.) This is what is written, 'And he was a
priest of the most High God.' " (in )Iart. f. 65,1, end.) Or they argue from JIt1J, as to the free
mercy of God, , 'God says to Israel, If your merit is not of such account, I do it for my own
sake; for day by day, when rou are in trouble. I am with you, as in, . I am with him in
trouble,' (Ps. xci. 15); and so I deliver myself, 'And he saw that there was no one, and
wondered . lIs. lix. 16.); and elsewhere, , Exult greatly. daughter of Zion-behold thy king
cometh unto thee, just andp
-u.' It is notwrittenyclOl L"andsaving"] butpe'u1["and
saved"] ; whereby it is hinted that, though )'our merits are not of such account. God will act
for His own sake, according to. 'For my salvation is near to come.'" (Shemolh Rabba sect. 30.
fo1.129. 1. Schöttg.loc. gen. n. ix.) Martini quotes a like saying from the Bereshith Rabba on
Gen. xlix. 8. .. R. Berachiah the priest, son of Rabbi, sa;d, See what is written, ' Rejoice greatly
&c.' It is not written, 'Jwt andJ;o;7o, a Sa\iour,' but 'Justand
saved,' and thus he sa}S,
(ls.lxii. 11.) , Say ye to the daughter of Sion-it is not written, . thy Saviour (-..,-=':0) cometh,' I
but, 'Behold thy salvation ('j!ItÌ') cometh.' As if one might so speak, 'Israel was redeemed, I
and it is as if God were redeemed,' and this is one of the hard Scriptures, that the salva-
tion of Israel is the salvation of God." fo\. 518. Martini quotes also from a comment on
Isaiah lvii. 1. "The righteous perisheth." "This is Messiah, of Whom it is said, 'Just and I
saved.''' f. 331.
In other places, the riding upon the ass is dwelt upon. lJ[idrrrsh Coheleth on EccI. i. 9.
f. 73. 3. .. R. Berachiah I\a.Íd from R. I.aac. As was the first redeemer. so also shall be the
last redeemer. What did the tirst redeemer? (Ex. iv. 20.) 'And )Ioses took his wife and his'
MIlS and placed them on an ass;' the second. as i. v. ritten, 'lowly and riding on an ass.'''
(:\lartini f. 380. and 600, Sehuug. Hor. Hebr. on S. )Iatt. xxi. 5.) In the .1Iidrash S/,pmul!l
r.\la n.

thi!'ò world. It he1on::::ed to tl1C character of Him. "-ho was
buffeted, m()l'l,ed,
w
uq!:ed,
I'it upon, ('rucitied. dit'd fur U",
and r()
e al!ain. It was Divine humiliation, which, in the
purpose of God, was to be (,()Jllpt'llsated by Di,'ilW po" er.
In itself it would, if insulated, have becn unmeaning. The
f. 66.1. the saying is ascribed toR. Levi (Schöttg. on this plare). And the Pirkl! R. Eli
%
r
c. 31, of Abraham's ass, "This is the ass, on which the liOn of David shall ride. according to,
'Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion.''' (lb.) The Zohar ov. ns that the prophecy relates to the
Messiah, but apologises for it. "It i. not the custom that the king and his Matrona should
ride on an ass, but rather on horses, as in (Hab. iii. 7.) 'For thou shalt ride on thy horses,
and thy chariots are salvation.' For they do not esteem a matrona .0 slightly, that she
.hould ride on an ass, as the king wonteth not to ride on an ass, liIr.e one of the people.
And therefore it is said of the :\Iessiab, , Poor and riding upon an ass.' And he is not there
called king, until he ride upon his horses, which are the people of Israel." (on Levit. f. 38.
col. 151. in Schöttg. de !\less. vi. 213. p. 5-13.) Or they say great thing. ofthe as!. "Thill
ass ia son of the she-ass, which was created within the six days in the twilight. Thi. ia the
ass, which Abraham saddled, when he purposed to sacrifice Isaac. Thi. is the ass, on which
Moses was carried when he went to Egypt. This is the ass, on which the lion of David shall
ride hereafter." Yalkul &ube"i (f.i9, 3, 4 on Exod. iv. 20 in Schòttg. on S. :\Iatt. xxi. 5.)
They connect it with Balaam'lI ass. "This is the ass destmed for the Messiah, u it is
written, , Poor and riding on an ass.''' (Zohm' Num. f. 83. col. 332.) Or they >peak of hi.
reigning thereon. 'This is the ass, on which the Messiah shall reign, a. it is written, 'Poor
and riding on an aas.''' Zohar Num. f.83, col. 332 (on Deut. xxii. 10.) in Schöttg. de
Messia vi. 2. 12. p. 543. The mention of an' aas' in Holy Scripture suggests the thought
ofthis prophecy, as relating to the Son of David. "'And I have oxen and asses.' :\Iessiah
son of David is hinted at here,. of whom it i. written, ':\Ieek and riding upon an ass'"
Tanchuma on Gen. xxxii. 6. f. 12. 2. (in Schöttg. on S. Matt. xxi. 5). And the Ber
shilll
Rabba on Gen. xlix. 14, had. "By the foot of the ox (Is. xxxii. 20.) is understood l\Iessias
liOn of Joseph, according to Deut. ][X.xiii. 17. 'Hi. glory is of the fin.tIing of a bullock.'
But by the foot of the ass, Messiah son of David, as in Zach., ' Meek and riding on an ass.'''
(in Ma.lt. f. 330. See also Schottg. loc. gen. n. liii. and \xxiv.) "When he shall come, of
'Vhom it is written, ''J.!I and riding upon an ass,' he will wash hi. gannents in wine, i.e.
make clear to them the words of the law, and his clothes in the blood of grapes, i. e.
cleanse them from their elTors." lb. f. g:;. col. -1. And in the Berl!shilh kdanna on Gen.
xlix. 11. "binding his foal unto the vine and his ass's colt unto the choice vine." "Thia
ia he of whom it is written, ''J.!I and riding &c. ' and he it is who planteth Israel as a choice
vine (Jer. ii. 21): and how will he do it t As it is written, I ,,-ill sprinkle clean w
teT &c.
Ezek. X>.xvi. 21." Zohar Deut. f. 118. coI. 4i1. in 8chöttg. Horæ H. on Hab. ii. 3. p. 21:;.
" After that depth (of the fulfilment of the vision, Hab. ii. 3.) was opened, whoever fell
into it, never came up. The :\Iessiah Ben David fell into it. with the Messiah ben Joseph,
of whom one is 'poor and riding upon an ass.' the other, 'the firstling of his bullock' (Deut.
xxxiii. Ii.), viz. the Messiah ben Joseph. And this is alluded to in (Ex. xxi. 23.) 'If any
one dig a pit and cover it not, and an ox or an ass fall therein.' And therefore the )Iessiah
is called 'Bar naphli' 'son of the fallen." The Berl!shirh Rabba quoted the prophecy
also in proof of His meekness. ""-hen the king :\Iessias shall come to Jerusalem to save
Israel, he shall bind his ass and ride upon it and come to Jerusalem, that he may conduct
himself m lowliness, as it is said, 'lowly and riding upon an ass.' And his ass'. foal
unto the choice vine, when he shall come to gather the congregation of Israel, [" whieh is
called a vine in that, Thou hast brought a vine out of Eg) pt," added in Schöttg. loco gen.
n. lix.] as in Zeeh. x. 8. ' I will hiss to them and will gather them,' then he shall ride on
the foal of his ass. as in Zech. ix. 9. '&jo;cl! {(1 eatl." &c.' And is it not of old said ofthe
Messiah, . And in the clouds of heaven cometh one like the Son of man t' (Dan. vii. 13.) If
Israel deserveth, 'He cometh with the clouds of heaven,' and if he deserveth not. 'lowly and
riding on an ass.' on Gen. xlix. 11 in :\Iartini f. 65G (or latter paJ t as in Sanhedrin abo, e).
In times not far from our Lord. the :\Iessiah seems to be mentioned, as under a well.known
name, "he who is borne upon an ass." The Zohar quotes a revelation to R. Elie'u. and
R. Abba, "Did I not say to )ou that the precept of the king lasts, until he shall come
who is borne on an ass?" (Zohar Gen. in Schöttg. loc. gen. n. xxxi. 7 p. ;9.) And ';p
" aftIicted" becomes an indication that the passage relates to the Messiah. Thus' the
steps of the needy,' 'J.!/. (Is. x.wi. 6.) is explained' This i. the Messiah, 'JP and riding on
an ass.' (Bereshith R. on Gen. xlix. 10. Mart. f.656.) The Uidrrr.h Tl!hillim explains
Ps. xc. 15, " , accordinll to the days of the )Iessiah.' The word, 1JI1'J.!/ 'hast afßicted us' cor-
responds to the other, ''JII afBicted and riding on an ass,' aa if he wonld say 'according to
the days of our afflicted.... (in Schöttg. ad loc. p. 2,1,2.) and the Zohar Chadash on Eccl.
ix. U. sqq. "A little city is Zion; 'and a few men in it:' these are the six days of the
creation; and there came a great kinp: against it,' this is a certain one; 'and there was found
in it a poor wise man.' This is Messiah Ben David, as it is said, ''JII and riding upon an
ass' and 'the righteousperisheth. (Is. lvii.l.)so long as the over1lowingcometh not upon
him, it is said, 'the river shall be wasted and dried up.' (Is. xix. 5.) 'The sss,' that is
Samael, and the wise man. that is )Iessiah Ben David, and of him it is said, . and he
delivered the city by his wisdom.' And he shall be the deliverer of Mes.iah ben Epluaim.
And this is a redemption from above." (f. 63. 2. in 8chottg. loc. gen. n. 103. tilled up
from Wünsche Leiden d. :\Iess. p. lOù.) Schöttgen ad loco quotes also from the Zohar
Deut. lli. col. ,1,.)5.
The name "IIC.' is understood as il:d'e..t:ng the :\Iessiah. "B) the word "!tn, 'at>;' is indi-
4 L

538

ZECI-L\RLU-I.

Holy Ghost propll{'
ied it, Jesus fulfilled it, to shew the Jews, ,
of what nature His king:dlllll was. Hence the challenge;
'.1 Let u,; lool{ at the prophecy, that in words, and that in :
aet. "'hat is the prophecr? Lo, thy king cometlt unto thee, I
1J/eek, aml
,.;tting UpOIl all ass, and UpOIl a colt; not driving
chariots as other kings, not in pomp nor attended by guards,
hut shewing herein also all gentleness. .thk the Jew then,
"'hat J,;jng, riding on an ass, came to Jerusalem? He could
name none, sa\'e this One alone." An ancient writer sars,
" 2 The Gt'eelis too" (not the Jews only) .. will laugh at us,
!<aying", that 'The God uf the Christians, "Tho is called Christ,
sat upon an ass.'" The same mock('ry was probably intended
by Sapor 3 king of Persia, which the Jews met with equal pride.
The taunt continues till now. "oJ. It is not hid from yOU, 0
congregation of Christians, that 'rider ulwn an ass' inflieates
Christ." The l\Iohammedans appropriate the title "rider
upon a camel" to l\lohammad, as the grandcr animal'. The
taunt of worshipping" Him "Tho sat upon an ass" waS of
the same class as those uf the worship of the Crucifiecl; "60ne
dead and erueified, who could not save himself;" "a erueitied
1\1an," .. that great Man," or (if it suited them so to speak)
"that grC'at sophist who was c'ruC'ified," but "'ho now, for
above J
()O years, reigns, "to all, the King; to all, the Judge;
to all, Lord and God." " 7 Christ did not only fulfil prophe-
('ies IH' plant the doctrines uf truth, but did thereby also order
our life for us, every where laying down for us rules of neecs-
SlU'Y use and, by aU, correcting our life." Even Jews, having
catcd the king Messiah, according to that, I poor and riding on an ass.''' Bereshith Rabba
sect. í5, f. í 4. 2. in Schöttg. ad loc.
In later times, R. Saadia" Gaon said on Darnel vii. 13; " I And behold with the clouds of
Ileaven one came like a Son of man.' This is the Messiah our righteousness, and is it not
written of the l\Iessiah, I '])/ and riding upon an ass?' i. e. he shail come with meekness, for
he shall not come on horses with pride; and 'the clouds of heaven' they are the Angels of
the heavenly host. This is the exceeding greatness, which the Creator shall give to the
:Messiah." And Rashi says, "This cannot be explained, except of lúng Messiah; for it is
said of him, . and his dominion shall be from sea to sea; , but we do not find that such an one
ruled over Israel in the time of the second house;" and (on Exod. iv. 20)" On an ass the '
Messiah will reveal himself, according to' Meek and riding on an ass.''' (in Schöttg. ad loc.) ;
The first who referred it to any other was R. l.loseh Haccohen (A. D. 1148), whom Ibn Ezra'
qu
tes,. as explaining it of " Nehemiah, the Tü:"hatha, because of him it was said, 'There is I
a king m Judah;' and that there was no mentIOn of a horse, because he was poor;" which,
Ibn Ezra says, was contrary to the fact in Nehemiah, and also the mention of the Greeks did I
not suit his times. Ib" Ezm says that, as far as he knows, II it was the king Judas the Has-
monæan, whose might suited that, 'I have made thee like the sword of a mighty man,' and
his han
was
i
hty ag
inst the Greeks, and at first he had not wealth or horses." These I
"
re J?nva.te opm
ons; lor Ib". Ezra says, "The expositors are divided about it; some say,
th,s king IS Mess,ah ben David, and SOme say, Messiah ben Joseph." Both then agreed'
that he was a :\Iessiah. A barbanel says of Ib" Ezm; " I wonder that his ill intent blinded I
his understanding; for 10, Judas the Hasmonæan was never called king all his days much I
bs of Zion; that had he prophesied of the Hasmonæan, "hat had he
do with E
hraim, I
since t
e kingdom .of Ephraim was not in. the second temple; also he did not speak peace to
all natIOns, and did not role from sea to sea." (On his own exposition see below.) Even
It. baae (Chizz. Emunah c. 35 p. 293 Wagenseil), denying it as to our Lord, insists upon it
as relating to their Messiah whom they looked for. R. Becha; says that" Jacob(Gen. xlix. ll}
used the words :n')/ . his ass' and \)1/111 ']J' . the foal of his ass,' because it is written of him
(the king Messiah) 'ami upon a colt, the foal ofan ass' (the same words being used, nU1l1I1 jJ "1/.
Binat-hatthorah ad loc. f. ntJ col. 3. Arnst.) R. Tanchllm admits the difficulty of supposing
it to relate to a future }lessiah, or, since as a Jew, he could not interpret it of Jesus, of
interpreting it of anyone in the time of the second temple. " Some of the interpreters make
this consolation an announæment of the Expected (may he soon be revealed!) and this is
found in most of the Midrashoth of the ancient wise (blessed be their memory!) and the
obvious meaning of his words, I and his dominion is from sea to sea and from the river unto
the ends of the earth' supports this; and some of them think, that from the context it
relates to the circumstances of the second house, and this is supported by his words in the
passage. 'And I will raise thy sons, 0 Zion, against thy sons, 0 Greece,' wlüch was in the
second house, through the Hasmonæans, and now the empire of Greece is dispersed and gone.
How then should he promise help against it in the future? And alto
ether the word of the
prophecies admits of the interpretation. And many vary therein from one meaning to the
ot
e
, And therefore we will mention how the language can be explained according to each
oplIUon. And God, most High, knows what is hidden! The meaning then of "])/ and
tiding upon an ass' is, in my opinion, in the fi"t way, beautiful; that '])I means one \\ho

rejected our Lord, saw this. "Kot from poverty," says one 8 ,
"for behold the whole world !'hall be in his power-but from
humility he will ride upon an ass
and further to shew that
Israel [viz. the establi
hmcnt of His kingdom or Church] shall
not want horse nor chariot: therefore it is added, And I u'ill
Cllt (11' t he cllllriot fl'mn Ephraim and ti,e Iwrse from Jeru.
alelll."
.\nd another 9; "He, i. e. thy true king David, shall come to
thee; and he mentions of his qualities that he shaH be rigltte-
OilS and nosllll'10 in his wars; but his salvation shall not be
from strength of his wars, for he shall come low!.,! and riding
upnn an ass n. And riding on au ass, this is not on account
of his want. hut to shew that peace and truth !'hall be in his
days; and therefore he says forthwith, And 1 will cut (1f'the
chariot from Ephraim and the horse from .Jerusalem; viz. that
sueh shall be the peace amI stillness in the world, that in
Ephraim (i. e. the tribes) and in Jerusalem (i. e. the kingdom
of Judah) they shall truçt no more in hurse and in rider, but
ill tI,e name of God. And be('au!'e it is the way uf princes
and chiefs to take example from the life of their kin
s, and
to do as they, therefore he saith, that when the king Messiah
rideth upon an ass, and has no pleasure in ti,e stJ'mgtlt of a
horse, there will be no other in Jeru
alem or the lands of
the tribes, who will have pleasure in riding on a horse. And
therefore he says, And I wiLL cut (1f' ti,e chariot from Ephraim
and the h01'se from Jerusalem; and he assigns the reason for
this, when he says, And the hattle-how shltll he cut off; aJUl
he sllllil speak peace among tile nations, i. e. there shall be
humbles rumself, like (Is. Ixvi. 2) 'And to this man will I look, to the humble ('J)/} and con-
trite of spirit,' not weak in condition; on account then of his lowliness he will ride upon an
ass." (He compares the reduplication to that in Gen. xlix. n.) .. Or," he says, "the whole
of this may be a metaphor for self-abjection, not an actual history; and what is known, is
that trus is his condition at first for his weakness and lowness; afterwards he will atuin hi8
later condition in strength and felicity. And so for the second way, this points to the return
of the kingdom to Israel through the Hasmonæans, and his saying 'meek and ridinp;
upon an ass' indicates their first king, Judas the Hasmonæan, and he, at the outset, "as
weak, because he followed upon the oppression of Greece, according to what has been trans-
mitted of that history; and that, 'his domirnon shall be from sea to sea &c.' this is the
kingdom to which he attained at last, and the extension of his house; and he means by this,
. from the red sea to the sea of the Philistines and from the river to the end of the habitable
land;' and this is, 'And from the river &c.' and thus rus words, 'I will raise up thy sons, 0
Zion, against thy sons, 0 Greece,' will fit. And in the first way; 'from sea to sea' will be
the encircling sea [the Ocean] and from the river which is the bound of the land of Israel to
the furthest habitable earth." He answers the reference to Nehemiah, but ends by leaving
the other two open. Moses ben Nachman quotes it in illustration of the contempt of the
Messiah spoken of in Isaiah Iii. 13. !iii. 3. í. "Theirs [the kings'] astonishment was shewn
by mocking him, when he first arrived, and by ""king, how one' de-;pised, meek and riding
upon an ass,' could conquer all the king. of the world who had laid hold on Israel ?-He was
I despised,' for he had no anny and no people, but was' meek and riding on an ass,' like the
first redeemer Moses our master, when he entered into Egypt with his wife and children
riding upon an ass. (Ex. iv. 2U.) 'He was oppressed and he was afflicted,' for when he first
comes 'meek and riding upon an ass,' the oppressors and officers of every city will come
to him, and afflict him with revilin
s and inslùt, reproaching both him and the God in whose
name he appears, like Moses our master, who, when Pharaoh said, I know not the Lord,
answered him not." in Jewish Commentaries on Is. !iii. p. 80, 81.
The modem school, which rids itself of defilüte prophecy, would have this relate to "the
ideal Messiah." One does not see, how a literal prophecy, fulfilled to the letter, can relate
to an ideal lúng; unless on the implied assumption, "There ea.. be no prophecy of a definite
event." I S. ChryST in S. Matt. Hom. G6. p. 656 marg. Ed. Oxon.
2
u!
or of the J.Iom. in
. Matt. xxi. 2. in the Dubia
f S. Athan. n. 6. Opp. ii. 'ii.
se
d' h
'

[:

t
tR

:

,lj
1ichI

.
he J
e
:
e
ed.
H

thou

! .:

100 colours' (so Rashi} or, 'with 1000 qualities.' (Aroch and Reland Diss. ix. T. i. 288, 291'\.)
Sanhedr. f. 98. 1. .. J:n the deep humility of the Messiah," subjoins Lightfoot "they dream
of pride even in his ass." Hor. Hebr. on S. Matt. xxi. 5. '
4 Epist.
Iohammedan. Anon. inserted by Hackspan Nizzach. pp. 39i--401.
& The titles" rider on an ass," "rider On a camel," are derived f10m Is. x..xi. 14.
8 S
Luc.ian d
morte.Per
rn c. 11, 1
. T!)pho i
S. Justin Dial. n. 14. p. 83, Oxf.
Tr. C
lsusmOngenc. Cels. vm.12. 14.1". and other.;m Pnsey's Lenten Sennons pp.454,
4:>5. Liddon's Bampton Lectures pp. 392-39'i. ed 2. Kortholt de calumniis Pagau. c.
4 pp. 31-36. 7 S. ChryST 1. c. p. (;55.
8 Kimchi. 9 Abarbanel in his )Iashmi'a Yeshu'ah p. í3.
10 I lea\ e the word nosha' untranslated, in or,!er no! to give any possible colour to his
words, though he seems from the context to take It actlVl'ly "Sa\'iour."
11 He says here that .])/ is like 1])/.

CH...\.l)TEll IX.

c æe
oi S T 10 And [ · will cut off the chariot from

Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem,
.
o;: lB?' and the battle how shall he cut off: and he

.
..1
: shall speak t peace unto the heatlll'n: and
· ft
:. 1
, his dominion shall lJe u from sea Cl'(,ll to
u Ps. .
. 8.

no more war in thc world, because he shall speak peace
unto the 1lations, wul bJ' the word of !tis lips 1 he shall dispose
Ileace unto them."
And upon a colt, the foal of all ass. The word rendcred
colt, as with us, !;ignifies the young, as yct unbrokcn animal.
In the fulfilment, our Lord direetcd His disciples to find 2 an ass
tied, alld a colt with her, whereon nel:er num sat. The prophet
forctold that Hc wuuld ride on both animals; our Lord, by
emnmanding both to bc broug-ht, shewed that the prophet
hall a spedal mcaning- in namin
both. S. .Matthew relates
that both were employed. "They bruug-ht the ass and the
cult, aIHllmt on them their clothes, and they set Him thereon."
The untrained colt, an appendage to its mother, was a yet
humbler animal. nut as the whole action was a pi(,ture of
our Lord's humility and of the unearthlinc
s of Uis kingdom,
so, doubtlcss, His riding upon thc two animals was a part
of that picturc. There was no need of two animals to bear
our Lord for that short distancc. S. John notiecs e
pccially,
:; These things 1l1ulersto()(lnot llis disciples at tlle.first. The
a
s, an unclean stupid deba
cd ignoble drudge, was in itself
a pieturc of unregenerate man, a slavc to his passions and
to dedl
, toiling- under the luad of cver-inercasin
sin. Dut,
of man. the Jew had been under the yoke and was broken;
the Gentiles were thc wild unbroken colt. Doth were to be
brou:?:ht under obedienee to Christ.
10. And 1 will cut '!.tl the c1wriot. The horse is the
,-ymbol of worldly power', as the ass is of meekne
s. Some,
sap: the Psalmist, oJ. }Jut tlleir trust in ,:hariots, ami some ill
IlOrses; hilt we will remember tile nall/e of the Lord ollr Gael.
S A horse is but a vain thin{{ to sm'e a mall. 6 l-le deligldeth
not in the strength of a horse. In sean'ely any place in Holy
Scripture is the hOl'
e
poken of in relation to man, except
as thc instrulllent of war. It rcpresent
human mi
ht, which
is either to be eonse('rated to the Lord, or destroyed by Him ï.
_-\.s the 8,çtone, cnt Ollt ll'ithout hfUllls, brokc in pieees amI
ah
orhed into itself all the kingdoms of the world, so here
He, \\ÏlOse Kingdom should n'ut be of this world,
holild
supersede human might. His king-dom was to begin by
doing away. among His followers, all. whereby human king-
dom!'; aI'e established. He first cuts off the chariot and the
hor
e, not fl'om His enemies. but from I1is own people; His
people, not as a eidl polity, but as the people of (iud. For
the prophet speaks of them as Ephraim and J lIdah, but
Ephraim had no lung-er a distinl't existcnce.
And He shall speak peare unto tlte heathen, as the Apostle
say!", 911e came alld prellched peace to .1Io/lwlâch were afllr '11',
((nd to tltem that were nigh. He shall speak it to them. as
He 'Yho hath power to give it to them, peace with God,
peace in themseh'cs, the reconciliation of God and man, and
the remis
ion uf their sins.
..lOAt His birth the hea,"enlv ho
t announced peace to men;
all His clol'trine has peace foi. its end; when Hi
de?-tl
was
at hand, He eSIJccially commendcd pea('e to HIs dIscIples,
1 Is. xxvi. 12. 2 S. )Iatt. xxi. 2., S. :\Iark xi. 2, S. Luke xix. 30.
3 ". John xii. 16. 4 Ps. XX. .. j lb. xxxiii. Ii.
6 lb. cxh ii. 10. 'i See )Ii. v. 10. s Dan. ii. :H.

55!)

sca, and from the rivcr ct'cn to the ends of c HHe
orS T
thc f'arth. cir. 4" . =-
lIAs fur thee also, II hy the hloud of thy II
':::::
Ï5
cO\.cnant 1 hm-e sent furth th,' x prisoners tf.x

"1
8.
t f . t} . } ..' Heb. lU. 29.
ou 0 IC I))t W lerCm IS no watt'r. & 13.20.
. lsai. 42. 7. & ;;1. 14. &: Gl. 1.
I that peaec which the world knoweth not, whieh is contained
in traIuplilIity of mind, hurning zeal for charity, Oh'illc
J!'race. This same peaee He bruu!{ht to all who g-athen'd
themselves to His empire and g-uidallce, that, emerg-ing- from
intestine wars and fuul darklle
s, they mi
ht behold the light
of liberty, and, in all wisdom keep the g-race of Gild."
And His dominion slwll be from sea to sea. The bounds
of the prmnh;cd land, in its utmost range, on the 'Yest, were
the :\Iediterranean sea; un the East, the great river, the
Euphrates. The prophet pÏetnres its eÅtension, so as to
emhraee the whole wurld, taking away, first the one bound,
then the other. From sea to sea is from the :\Iediterranean
to thc extremcst East, where the Ocean encircl('s the con-
tinent of A
ia; from the rÏl'er to the ends of the eartl" is from
, the Cuphrates to the extremest \\.est, embracin"g- the wlwle
uf Eurllpe; and whatever may lie Lepmd, to the ends of the
carth, where earth cea
eth to be n. It is this same lowly and
afflided kin
, \\llOse entry into Jerusalem is nn a despised
animal. '\"110
hall, by IIi!< mere n ill, make wars to eease,
; 'Yho shall, by His mere 'HII'd, g-i,"e peace to the heath(.n.
11. As for thee also. The Prophct turns from the deliver-
I ance of the whole world to the former people, the !Sorrow

I which they should have in the way, and the protection whi('h
God would bcsto\V upon them for the sake of Him, ,nUl,
, aeconling- to the flesh, was to be born of them. Tholl, too;
I he had spoken of the glories of the Chureh, such as her
I kin
, when He should comc, should extend it, emhraein

I earth's remotest bounds: he turns to her, Israel after the
flesh, and assures her of the eontinued protection of God,
even in her lowc
t estate. The delh'eran('e under the 3lac-
cahees was, as tho
c under thc judges had been, an image of
the salmtion of Chri
t and a pr'cparation for it. They were
martyrs for the One Gud and for the faith in thc Rc"'urreetion,
and, \dlCther by doing or by suflering, presened the sacred
line, until Christ should come.
n.1! tlte blood of t".1/ COl'ellllllt. "10 Kot by the hlood of
those \"Íctims of old, but h.1I the blood of thy cot'e1/lll/t, wilt
I thou bc uniterl to the empire of Chri
t, and so obtain sah-a-
tion. As the Lord Himself
ays, This is the blood of COl'enllnt,
tt.flil'h is shed for you." 12 TI,e {{ifts llnd clllling of God are
witllOllt repentance. That symbolic hlood, by which, fore-
! signifyinl!: the new Co,.enant, He made them Hi
own people,
13 Behold the blood of the cOl.-enllnt, wldch the Lord 1m tit made
, tâtlt YOIl ('(Jllceming all tllese ll'ords, endured still, amid all
I their unfaithfulnes!'ò and breache
of it. ß,' ,"irtue of it Gotl
would send forth her imprisoned oJ)e
oui of t"e dt't'p, dry
pit, tI,e dllngeon whcrein they cOll]d he kept sl'em'cly. beeause
life was not threatened H. Out of an) depth of hopeles

misery, in whieh they seemed to he shut up, God wuuld
de]i,-cr them; as Da\'id sa
s, 1" He brought me up also out of II
horrihle pit, Ollt of the miry clay, ami set 1/1.'/ feet upon a rock
./ and establis/letlmp goings; and J ercmiah, 16 They have Cllt n.D'
I my life ill the dlll/geou, lllld cast a stone "pOll me. 1 called
, Eph. ü. Ii. JO Osor. 11 See" Daniel the Prophet." p.483.
1
Rom. xi. 2t1. 13 Exod. xxiv. 1;.
11 As in Gen, xxx'ü. :'!-1. Ji Ps. xl. 2. J6 Lam. ill. 53, 55, 56.

560

ZECII.\IU.AII.

C :í
o
s T 12
Tnrn r ou to thc strong- hold, Y ye
cir.43i. prisuncl's of hope: C\-en to dar du I declare

f::1:

:
: thllt z I will rendcr duuhle unto thee;
13 'Vhen 1 havc bent Judah for me,

upon Th.1J
V([1ne, 0 Lord; Ollt 0/ the low dllngeon ThOll hast
heard m.1I 'voice. '.1 The dry and barren depth uf human
mi
ery, whet'e are no streams of righteousnes:;, but the mire
uf iniquity."
12. Turn ye to the strrmgllOld 2 , i. e. Almighty God; as the
Psalmi
ts so oftcn
ay 3, The Lord is the defence of 11I.1f life;
and Joel" The Lord slm/[ be a stronghold 0/ the clâlclrell of
Israel; and Xahum 5, The Lord is (t strrmgllOld in the day of
trouble; And, Dadd said, 6 ThOll hast been (t shelter for me,
a strong t'J/('er against the ellem!/; 7 tlu; .L"Vame 0/ tI,e Lord
is (t strong tower, the righteous runneth into it and is safe;
and a
ain, 8 Be ThOll to me (t l'ock of strength, (t house of de-
fence to save me-Briug me .forth Ollt of the net that the.1J
hm'e laid privily for me; for Tholl art my stronghold. The
stronglwld, "cut off" from all approach from an enemy,
stands" in eontra
t with the deep dung-eon of ealamity. Thc
return must be a willing return, one in their own power;
retlll'll to the stronghold, which is Ahni
hty God, must be by
t'onversion of heart and will. E\'en a Jewi
h eommentatnr 9
paraphrases, "Turn ye to God; for He is a
tronghold and
tower of strength."
re prisone'rs of [tile] hope 10 not. appording-ly, any hope, or

eneraUy, hupe, but the sln-cial hope of I
rael, the IlOpe whit'h
sustained them in all those )'ears of patient expectation, as
S. Paul spealis of 11 tile IlOpe of Israel, for whieh, he says. 1
am bOllnd with tltis chain. 12 I stand to heþulged for the hope
of the promise l/lllde h.// God unto 0111' fathel"s, unto 1vMch
promise Dill' tweh'e tribes, serving God instantly da.1f and
night, IlOpe to cOllie; for u'hiclt hope's sake, King Agrippa,
1 am accused of tI,e Jell's. And in his Epistk
, 13 tlte IlOpe
laid up for YOll ill Ilmull; 14 the hupe c-f tile Gospel; and,
15 looking f01' the blessed hope and the gloriolls lIppearing of tile
great God and Ollr Sfll'iolll" J"SIlS Chl"i.
t. He writes also of
" 16 keeping the rpjoiein
of tile hope firm unto the end;" of
" 17 the full a
snrance of the hopc unto the end;" of ,n8 fleeing
to lay hold on the hope !:'et before us; which hope we ha,-e
as an alll'hor of the soul, both sure and stedfast." lIe does
not speak of hOl)e as a grap
or theological virtue. hut, ob-
jectively, as the thing hoped for. So Zechariah calls to
them as bound, held fast by the hope, bound, as it were, to it I
and by it, so as not to let it go, amid the perseeution of the
world, or wearincss of expectation; as S. Paul also says,
19 before faith came, u'e were guarded, kept in ward, under tlte I
(rliD, shut up unto tI,e faith 20 wltich was ahout to be revealed.
I S. Au!!. de Civ. Dei. xviii. 35. 3. I
:
;I ii

6."[Ji. 16 Eng.] 3 Ps. xxvü i
:g
i

i. 5, xxxviii;

.
i
;:I

:
:
7 Pro xviii. \0. 8 Ps. xui. 3, 5. [2, 4, Eng.)
Kim.
10 :T1j)n:t. The only place, where it has the art. It is used 12 times with dilferent
pronouns; 6 times "ith the gen., of him whose expectation is spoken of; it is userl
ahsolutely 13 times, viz. 5 times of a hope which will not fail, in the idiom :T1pn ei'
Ruthi.I2. Ier. xxxi. Ii, .n
'J Job xi. 18, xiv. 7, Pr.xix.18, modified by ''''11 Lam. iii.2l1, I
with ". a solid expectation which a person has, Job v. 16, Pro xxvi. 12, xxix. 20; givpn !
bv God, H os. ii. 17, J er. xxix. II; twice with the neg., the ab.ence of all hope, Job ,-ii. ü, I
PT.

.
JaN. 14 lb. 2;: Acts xxvi:
.
t. ü. ]3. 1: 6 I

b

]:
.7.
17 lb. vi. 11. 18 lb. IS, 19. 19 (;al. iii. 23.

l<1>povpo{,,..09a, (1'1/')'1<01<"0'''''''[''0' ois. 'I Is. lxi. 7. The same word,
W:;J.
22 n::'j) 1", in different inflections is too common an idiom to leave any ambiguity,
though the word n:'j) occurs in the following c1au.e only. 'J he idiom occurs Ps. vii. 13,
"xxvii. 14, Is. v. ::b, xxi. Vi. Jer. xlvi. 11,1.14,2\1, Ii. 3, Lam. ii. 4, iii. 12, I. Chr. v. 1 "
viii. .J.U, 2 Chr. xiv. i. ", i. used Iwice in the s:..ne sen"", when the arroW IS made the

filled the bow with Epllraim, amI raised up
thy SOilS, 0 Ziun, against thy SOIlS, 0
Greece, and made thee as the swurù of a
mighty man.

Before
CHRIST
cir. obi.

Even to-cla.1J, amid all contrary appearalJ('l'
, clo I derlare,
tllnt I will renrier double unto thee; as He had said by Isaiah
1,
For Yflllr shame ye shalllllLL'e double.
13. 11 "hen, or For I Iwve bent 22 .Tudah for me, as a
mighty how which is unly drawn at full human stl'ellgth, the
foot being- placed to steady it. It becomes a strong instru-
ment.. but only at God's "ïll. God Himsplf bends it. It
cannot bend itself. And.fìlled the how ll"itlt Bphl'llim 23. The
bow is filled, when the arrow is laid upon it. liod would em-
ploy both in their different offiee
, as one. And raiseclup 2.J.thy
SOliS, 0 Zion, against tll.1/ sons, 0 Greere. Let men place this
prophecy where they will, nothing in the history of the world
was more contradÍl,tory to what was in human siKht po
sible.
'.
5 Greecc wa!':, until Alexander, a colonisin
, not a conquer-
in
, nation. The Hebrews had no human knO\dpd
e of the
site OJ' cirpumstances of Greece. Thcrc was not a littlc cloud,
like a man's hand, when Zephariah thus absolutelv foretold
the conflict and its is
ue. Yet hcre we have a dcfinite pro-
phecy later than Daniel, fitting- in with his temporal pro-
phecy, expanding part of it, J'eaehing" on beyond thc time of
Antiochu
, and fore-allnouneing the help of God in two de-
finite ways of protection; I) witllOut war, a
ain
t thc army of
Alexander 26 : 2) in the u'ar of the :Maccabees; and these, two uf
the most eritical period
in their history after the eaptidt y 27.
Yet, being expansions of part of the prophecy of Daniel, thc
period, to which they belong, becomes clearer in thc event hy
aid of the more comprehensive prophecies. They were two
points in Daniel's largcr pre(liption of the 3rd empire."
Aml I will make thee liS the su'onl of a mighty man
The strength is still not their own. In the whole hi
torv of
I
racl, thèy had only once met in battle an army of oné of
the world-Empires and defeated it, at a time, when Asa's
whole popnlation which eould bear arms werc 51:)U,000 28,
and hc met Zerah the Ethiopian with his million of com-
batants, besides his 500 chariot!':, and defeated him. And
this, in reliance on the 29 Lord his God, to "-holll he cried,
Lord, it is not Mug to Thee to help, whether with 1J/lIJllj. or
ll'ith them that hal'e no pOll'er: Ileip us, 0 Lord our God;
for we rest Oil Tllee, and in TII.1f .1"VlIme ll'e go against this
multitude. Asa's words found an echo in Judas :\Iaceabæus 30,
when the "small company with him asked him, How shall
we be able, being so few, to fight against so
reat a mul-
titude and so strong?" "I t is no hard matter," Judas
answered, "for many to he shut up in the hands of a few,

ob
c
't f:t
:i

v

,truction of tt
with a double ace., "fill a thing" ith ö" which,
in different idioms, occurs 38 times besides. [Gen. xxi. 19. xxvi. 15, xlii. 2;;, Ex. xxvüi.3,

l,X}"o
it

: 3
h
21,1 x

: :;k.18

.x
P

.

ü

'l

it' i.

x
1:
Pr. i. 13, Is. xxxiü. 5, Ier. xiii. 13, xv. Ii, xxxili. 5, xli. 9. Ii. 14,34, Ezek. üi. 3, ix. 7,

i

!t'i:

:de

h 8G::.a

'}:
]f.el
'i:h 7u
:ffe

il'l J;
:
;h

.
:ltiTk:
Arab: Clj;'11 '!)
h

does no
bear this out, beiug for ClP'H '() !I!J71111'n:H. The Syr. Hi'1ifil

Ps. Xl. 2. H'''
IIn::'p Is. XXI. 15, probably mean, .. filled the bow" "the bow filled" viz.
with the arrow.
.. Since"'l1 occurs of rousing a person, Cant. ii. 7, iü. 5, viÜ, 4, 5, Is. xiv. 9 or livin"
thing, Job iii. 8, or His might, (of God) Ps. Ixxx. 3, it would be unirl;omatic u: interpret
it here, .. lift up as
spear," On the ground of the idioms ""JI'l rll "'11. 2 Sam. niü. 1M.
1 Chr. xi. II, 2u. 1:'1:' "'11, Is. x. 20, siure here no instrument is mentioned but a person and
"'11 is not u:-.ed of an r one instrument, nor, by itself, signifies U wave." , ,
.. Pusey's" I?anie the Prophet" pp. 282. :!M. ;,'6 Zech. ix. 1-8. .., Ih.!L!G.
::!J 2 Chr. XlV. 8--10 sqq.
lb. n. 3C 1
lacc. iii. IG-ltl.

CII...\PTER IX.

B
f01'e
CHRIST
cir. k\ï.
· I's. II'. U.
& ii. Ii.
& 14-1.6.
11 lsai. 21. 1,

]-1 ...\nd tht' LORn
han 1)(' s('('n OW'1"
them, and .1 his an'ow shan go fut.th as the
lig-htning-: and the Lunl (
on shall Mow
tlU' trumpet, and shall go bwith whirlwinds
of the south.
15 'flU' I.ORO of hosts shall defend them;
and they shaH devour, and \I suhdue with

II Or, .fJbdue
the .Ione. qf
the .li"K.

and with Heaven it is all onc to deliver with a p:reat mul-
titude or a
l1lall cmu "anv. For the ,';eton' of battle stand-
eth not in thc multitud(; of all hO!'òt; but '!'trcn
th cometh
from Hea,'en." liut his anllie" \\"('rc but a handful; aooo,
on thrcc occasions 1, on one of which thev are reduced bv
tear to HOO 2; 10,000 on two occasions:;;" on another, two
armies of 8000 anti :
OOU, with a garrison, not trustcd to
fig-ht in the open field -i; on one, :!
),OOO 5; onee only 40,000,
whieh 'fryphon treaeherously persuaded Jonathan to dis-
pcrse 6; these n-Cl'e the numbers with which, always a
ainst
.. great host!'ò," God gave thc victory to the lion-hearted
Judas and his brothcl'S. But 'nw ,.;a,'c He. in "'hose hantls
are the hearts of men, could fm'e,.;ce that He, at that criti-
cal moment, would rai!'òe up that dc,'otcd family, 01' inspirc
that faith, throu
h which they 7 out of weakness were made
strlJng, wa,t'ed valiant ill fight, turned to Jiiglll tlte armies uf
tlte aliens 1
14. Ami the Lord shall he seen over t1lem 8, "V lIe will
reveal Himself," protecting" thcm. "10 He says plainly, that
the Lord God will be with them and will fight in serried
array with them and will ,,-ith them subdue those ,,-ho re-
sist 'thcm." It is as if he would sa\', ""Thcn thev go forth
and preach every where, 1l the Lord shall u'urk tl'ith them alld
C01!/irm the word witlt signs fullowing." Aml His arruw slwtl
go forth as the lightnillg. Habakkuk dircctly calls the
lightllill
s the arrows of God 12: at the ligM of Thine arrows
they went. Here it is Pl'obahlr of an im'i"ihle ag-cney, and
so t'ompared to that aweful symbol of His presenec, thc
ligh tnillg".
And the LI,rd God s!tall blow with the tmmpet, as their
Commander, ordering- their g-uinl!:'" The blowing of the
trumpct by the priests in war was eommanded, as a remi-
niscence of themseh-es before God, 13 If .'l/e go to ll'ar ill -",'ollr
land against tile enemy t!tat oppressetll you, tllen ye sltall úlow
an alarm with t!te trllmpets, and .'1/e shall be rememhered before
the Lord your Gud, and !/e shall be saved from yuur enemies.
Abijah said, 14 God Himse{f i/>' with us for uur captain, and His
priests 'ldth sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you.
Aml slwl/ go wit It u'/li,.{winds of the sOllth, as being- the
most vchemcnt and destructive. So Isaiah, 1. As u'hi,.{winds
ill the sou tit sweep b.'l/, .FIe comethfl"om a desert,fl"Om a terrible
land. Such smote the four corners of the house whcre Job's
children were 16, and they perished.
15. The Lord of hosts shall defend them. As God !'ays 17,
I will defend tltis cit.'l/ to SUl'e it, fur 41line OWIl sake and for
.11.1/ servant Ð(Il'Ùl's Mike. The word is used by haiah only
before Zechariah, and of the protection of Almighty God.

1 1 Mace. iv. 6, vii. 40. ix. 5. 2 lb. ix. 6. a lb. iv. 29, x. 74.
4 lb. v.17-20. 6 Ib, xvi. 4.
. Ib, xii. 41-4i. See more in detail in" Darnel the Prophet" p. 3i1. note 5.
7 Heb. xi, 34. 8
II as with the ,,"ord I].], :DJ, 1=0. ,'1::11.

Jon. 10 S. Cyr. 11 S. Mark xvi. :!O.
12 Hab. iii. 11. The arrows of God, and the lightnings, stand in parallel or connected
clauses, Ps. xviii. 14, !xxvii. Ii, 18. cxliv. 6.
13 Nu. x, 9. 14 2 Cill. xiii. 12. 1.1 Is. xxi. 1.

5G1

's1in
stones; and t}wy shaH drink, ((11([ C HB
oïs T
malie a noise as throll
h wine; and they cir_ "'''1.
II shall be filled like Lowls, and as c th
"ji
h;:i

"e
corners of the altar. c t,
'
J.1
:
,'j.
I 16 .And the LORn theh' God shall save Dcut.12. :!j".
I them in that úay as the floek of his pco- .

I 1 r d I I Ii 1 I f ' ð hal. 6:..
.
I P e: lor tlU'.'! SIW ue as t le stones 0 a Mal. 3.17.

I The illla
c of the complcte protef'tion on all
idc
stand"
fir
t in God's words to Ahraham 18, I am tllY s/âeld; Ðm'id
. thcncc says to God, IV Thuu, 0 Lord, art a s/âeld aruu1U[
I me.
And tlley shall dezoollr, and sU!Jllue, or more probahJy 2\1,
shall tread un, the slimes (
f tlte sling, as in thc imag-c of
le\'iathan in Job, 21 The SOil of tile hOll' Wil/1Wt make Mill jlee;
sling-stones al'e to !tint tumed Ù,[o stuhble; clnh.
are mUlltcd
as stubUe; he laughetlt at the sllflkillg of a spear. Their
cncmics shall fall undcr thcm, a!' harml('ss and as of litth'
account as the sling-stones which ha,'c mis:,.ed thcir aim, ami
lie as the road to be pa
!'òed o \'C 1'. It is not expre,;sed what
they shall dc\'our, and !'òO the imag-c is not carried out, but
Icft indctinite, as dc
tl"ll('tion or ab
orption only; as in that.
22 tholt shalt COlmlme [lit. eat] all the people ll'!tich the Lord
thy God shall deliver thee; and, 23 they are our bread; and ill
that, 24 they shall del'IJ1lI' [lit. eat] all tlte people round about,
where the imag"e is of tire, not of catin
. Thc one thought
secms to bc, that tl)('ir enemies should cea
e to be, :50 as
to molest them anv III Ol'e , whether bv ceasing to be their
enemies or by ecasin
to be. There is no cOII;lmri
()n hert',
(as in Balaam) with the lion; or of eating fle!'òh or drinhing"
blood, which, apart from the imag-e of the wild beast, would
be intolerable to Ismcl, to whom the u
e of blood. even of
animals. was so strictly forbidden. They
hould disappem',
as completely as fuel before the tire, or food bcfore till'
hungry, The fire was invigorated, not extillg"ui!'òhed, by tlH'
multitude of the fuel: the multitude of thc enemies but llcn-ed
I and braced those, whom ther sought to destroy.
And they shall be .filled like howls, like the corners of tI,t'
. altar. Thev shall be consecrated instruments of God; th('\"
I shall not premil for themseh'es, but for Him; they shall b
'
hallowed like the bowls of thc templc, from \\"hich thc sacri-
I ticial blood is sprinkled on His altar, or as the corners of the
j altar which reccin it.
16. And tile Lord their God sllltll sare them ill that dal/.
Still all should be God's doin
; they themseh'cs wel'e hut
IS
a flock, as shecp among wolves, ready for the slaughter; but
they were tlte .fluck, His people 2., as He says, 26 I will increase
them like thejiock, men, as thejlock of IlOly tMugs, as thejiocJ.
of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities ht,
/illed witlt jiocks, men. "27 As a man savcs his flock with all
his streng"th, so He wilJ sa\'e His people; for th('y arc IIi...
flock." As in, 28 TllOlt leddest Thy people like sheep hy tlte
hand of
l1oses and Aaroll.
They shall he as the stones of a crown. ,rhile God'

enemies shall be trampled unùer foot, as a common thin.
'

18 Job i. 19. In Job xxxvii. 9, E.V. has followed Kim. who e"plains ,'r" jO by j071 ":!-

Job ix. 9; but in this case the chief characteristic word would be omitted.
17 Is. xxxvii. 35, 2 Kg. xix, 34, Is. xxxviii. 6, 2 Kg.; xx. 6. It occurs again Zech. xii.
.
18 Gen. xV. I, I
from the same root. 19 1's. iii. 4. ('\ Eug.)
10 As in m
nNu, xiv.
l. Job xli. 20, 21 (28, 2!J

Z
h. xii. 6
Deut. vii. 16.
25 'CP 1

i
:positi0l1, as in Ezek. C'IC ikq. 2
Ep
:"

' 23J:' 38.

5G2

ZECl-L\ RLUI.

c Ir
o
eS T crown, e lifted up as an ensign upon his
cir.4ð7. land.
;
':.i3

'I

' 17 For f how great is his goodness, and

which has failed its end, these shall be precious stones; a
eon
eerated 1 diadem of king or priest, raÜed aloft 2, so that
all ('an see. Oil His land. It was laid down, as the title-deed
to its whole tenure, 3 the la1ld is Jline, and much more our
Christian land, bought and purified by the blood of Christ.
17. For llOw {{reat is His {(ooelness. :For it is unutter-
able! As the Psalmist said, 40 Lord, our Lord, how ercellent
is Tliy .Yame ill all tlte earth! and Jacob, · Huw awe.ful is
this place! and the Psalmist, Huw llll'eflil are Thy duings!
The gnodness and the beauty arc the goodness and beauty of
(;od, "'hose great doing"s had been his theme throughout
before. Of the g"oodness the sacred writers often :-opeak 6,
sin('e of this we have extremest need. And this He shewed
to )Io
p
, 7 I will CWlse all Jl.1/ {(oodness to pass be.fure tlty
fare. Of this we know somewhat personally in thi
life; for
besides the !.òurpassing amazingness of it in the work of our
redemption, we are :-ourrounded by it. immersed in it, as in
a fathomless, shoreless O('ean of infinite lo,'e, which finds
ent,'ance into our souls, whene"er we bar it not out.
(;oodne
s is that attribute of God. wherebv He 10Hth to
('olllnnmicate to all, who can or will r'e('eive it: aU good; yea,
Himself, "8 "'ho is the fu]ness and univer:-oality of good,
Creator of all good, not in one way, not in one kind of good-
ness only, but absolutely, without bep;inning, without limit,
without measure, save that whereby without measurement He
pussesseth and embraceth all ex('ellence, all perfection, all
blessedne
s, all good." This Good His Goodness bestowetll
on all amI each, ac('ording to the calmcity of each to receive
it, nor is there any limit to His p;iving, sa,-e His ereature's
capacity of receidng, which al
o is it good gift from Him.
"From Him aU things sweet derive thcir sweetness; all things
fair, their beauty: all things bright, their splcndour; all things
that lin, thcir life; all things sentient, their sense; all that
mo\"C, their ,-igour; aU intelligenees, their knO\d('(b;e; all
thin
's perfe('t, their perfection; all things in any wise good, I
their g"oodness,"
Tlte hemtf.1/ of God bclonp:s rather to the beatific vision.
Yet Da,-id spealo, of the Beauty of Christ 9, TltOll art e3:ceed-
ing fairer titan the cliildren of men; and Isaiah says, IO'/'1lÎ1le
e.lles ,çhall heho/tl tlle King in His be(llIty. But the Beauty of
God .. cve hath not seen nor ear heard nor can heart of man
('onceh-ë." Here, on earth, created b('autv can, at least when
suddenly seen, hold the frame motionle;s, pierce the soul,
p:luc the heart to it, entrance the affections. Light from
hcaH'n kindles into beauty our dullest material substances;
the soul in graee diffuses beauh' o,'er the dullest human
('ountenanee; the soul, ere it has' passed from the body, has
Iwen known to catch, throup:h the half-opened portals, such
hrillian('y of li
ht. that the eye e,-en for some time after death
ha
retai'nl'd a'llI'ig:htness, be
'ond anything of earth ll . "12The
t'arth's form of beautv is a
ort of voice of the dumb earth.
Both not, on considcl:ing the beauty of this uniyerse, its ,'ery

1 The et) mnl,,
v implies this, properly" consecration," then the diadem of one conse-
crated, as the ;M,
ëI '1
Ex. xxix. 6, xxxix. 30, Lev. viii. 9. or the '1] of the king.
,
Comp. Ar.
J " lil
edL,
.h

:' :::.] "throne exalted."
4 Ps. viii. 1. 5 Gen. xxvjji. Ii,
JL:' ;]

.t

,
.dnH
: ili
1
e lAJrd, Ps. LXV. "i, Xr'
!;!J \
.

x

:>
t
:

iii

: 7,

how great is his beauty! g corn shall mak(' C J
nrs T
the young men II cheerfuJ, and new wine cir.487.
the maids. & i:

'3i/

.
n Or, grow, or, speak.

form answer thee with nne voice, ':Kot 1 made mp;elf, but
God'?" Poets ha,'e said,
"13 Old friends . . . . . shall lIn-elier be,
As more of heaven in each we see,"

or,

" 14 'Yhen he !.òaw,
"- God within him light his face."
and Holy Scripture tt
lIs us that when S.
tephen, full of faith
and uf tIle HO(/I Ghost, was about to speak of Jesus to the
council which arraigned him, 15 all that sat ill the council,
looking steadfastly at //Îm, saw //Îs face as it had heell the face
of all Angel. It has heen
aid, that if we could see a soul in
grace, its beauty would so pierce us, that we should die. But
the natural beauty of the soul transcends all corporeal beautv
which so attraets us; the natural beauty of the last Angel
surpasseth all natural beauty of soul. If we could ascend
from the most beautiful form, which the soul ('ould here
imagine, to the lea
t glorious body of the beatified. on and on
through the countless thousands of glorious bodies, ('om pared
wherewith heaven would be dark and the sun ]o
e its shin-
inp:; and yet more from the most beautiful deified soul, as
,'isible here, to the beauty of the disembodied soul, whose
imap:e would scarce be recol!nized, because" 16 the bodi1v eyes
gleamed with angelic radiar;cy;" )'ea, let the God-enligliteried
soul go on ami on, through all those choirs of the heavenly
hierarchies, dad with the raiment of Di,'inity, from choir to
choir, from hierarchy to hierarchy, admiring the order and
beauty and harmony of the house of God; )'ea. let it, aided
by dh'ine graee and lig1Jt, as('end e"en higher, and reach the
bound and term of all crcated beauh', yet it must know that
the Divine power and wisdom could' ercate other ('reatures,
far more perfeet and beautiful than all which He hath hither-
to created. Kay, let the highest of all the Seraphs sum in
one all the beauty by nature and gra('e and glory of all crea-
tures, yet could it not be satisfied with that beauty, but lllust,
because it was not satisfied with it, ('onN'h'e some higher
beauty. ". ere God forthwith, at eHry moment to create
that higher beauty at its wish, it could still conceh-e some-
thing beyond; for, not being God, its beauty could not satisfy
its con ('cpt ion. So let him "till, and in hundred thousand,
hundred thousand, thousand )"ean; with swiftest flight of un-
derstanding multiply continually those deg-rees of beauty, so
that eat'll fr'esh degree should e,-er double that preceding,
and the Didne power should, \\ ith like swiftness, ('oncur in
creating that beauty, as in the heginning He said, let there he
light, and tllere was ligM; after all those millions of )"ears, he
wouhl be again at the beginning, and there would be no
comparison between it and the Di,-ine Beauty of Jesus
Christ, God and Man. For it is the bliss of the finite not to
reaeh the Infinite 17. That eity of the blest which is lightened
by the glory of God, and the Lamb is the light thereot
sees

:

i
v

a in " Paradis

s

n soul," P. 1. c. \
ii Tht; r
;o
;
.
I
S. Aug. in Ps. cxliv. n. 13. 13 Christian Year. Momin!,: Hymn.
It Tennyson In memoriam. T. has" Tile God." 15 Acts VI. 5, 1:;.
16 S. Flavian', of Succcssns a martyr, whom he saw after death. Pasaio SS. ì\1ontalli, Lucjj
&c. cx.'Lxi. in Ruinart. Acta mart)r. since!", p. 2.Jl. . ..
1: abridged from Joannes a Jesu ::.\Iana, ars alllandi DelUn c. 3. Opp.n. 301-304.

CIL\l)TER X.

5(j

Before
CHRIST
cir.487.

CH
\PTER X. I
God i.ç to he sOllglit unto, aTld not idols. ;') A.ç he I
viÛted his fiuek fur Sill, so he will save and rp.
tore I
them. I
:
:
t

}
'4. A SK ye · of the LOR/) brain c in the
·
:1
:'2

' time of the lattl'r rain; .
u the LORD'
I
It, enabled by God, as created eyc can sce It, and is held fast I I
to God in one jubilant exstacy of everlastin
love.
"1 The Prophet, borne out of himself hy consideration of
the Divine /!oodness, stands amazed, while he contemplates
the beauty and Deity of Christ: he bursts out with unwonted
admiration! How great is His
oodness, \\'ho. to g-uard His
Hock, shall come down on em.th to lay down His life for the
salvation of His sheep! How g-reat His beanty, \\'ho is the
brightness of the glory and the Image of the .Frllhn', and com-
prises in His Godhead the measure of all order and beauty!
'nth what firm might does lIe strengthen, with what joy
does He overwhelm the souls which gaze most frefluently on
His beauty, and gins largely and bountifully that corn, by
whose stl.eIH
th the youths are made strong. lie supplieth
abundantly the wine, whereby the virgins, on fire with lIis
love, are exhilarated and beautified. But both are necessary,
that the strength of the strong should lJe upheld by the bread j
from Ilelll'ell, and that sound and uncorrupt minds, melted
with the sweetness of Im'e, should be re-created with wine, ,
i.e. the sweetness of the Holy Spirit, and be borne aloft with'
great joy, in the midst of extreme toils. For all who keep
holily the faith of Christ, may be caned YUlltlls, for their un- i
rOluJllered strength, and virg-ins for their IHlrity and integrity
of soul. For all these that hem'enly bread is prepared, that,
their strength be not weakened, and the wine is in poured, ,
that they be not only refreshed, but may Ih'e in utmost
sweetness."
X. J. Ask .?t,e of the LordntÍll. Ask and ye slwll receÍl'e,
our Lord says. Zechariah had promised in God's name
blessing's temporal and spiritual: all was ready on God's
}mrt: only, he adds, ask them of the Lord, the Lnchangeable.
the Self. same, not of Teral'llim or of di\"Íner, as Israel had
done aforetime II. He had promised, 3 If ye sllllll hearken I
diligently uuto lJly cmnmawlmeuts, to 100.e the Lurd yuur
God, I teil! git'e yon ti,e rain of YUllr laud ill his due seaSO/l,
the.fìrst rain allli the latter rain, aud I will send grass in tllY
field fur thy cattle. God bids them ask lIim to fulfil His pro-
mise. The latter rain -i alone is mentioned, as completing
\\ hat God had begun by the forme I' rain, filling the ears be-
fore the han'est. Both 5 had lJeen used as sHuhols of God's
spiritual gift
, and so the word:, fit in with "the close of the
la!"t chapter, both as to things temporal and eternal. "1 He
exhorts all frequentlv to ask for the dcw of the divine grace,
that what had
prUlig up in the heart from the seed of the
word of God, might attain to full ripeness." I
. TIle Lord.rnaketh kr
f!ht clouds, [!"ather] lightuings 6, into
ram, a-; J eremmh says. ' lIe l'WlSefh tlte l'a}lOllrs tu ascend from
the ends uf the earth; Ill' maketh liJ{ldllings iutu Tai1l; and the I
I Osonus. 2 Hos. ii. 5-1
, Jer. xliv. 15-28. I Deut, xi. 13-15. I
. It is mentioned alone in Pro x\i. 15. I
I See above on Hog. vi. 3, p. 39; J O. .ii. 23. pp: 125, 126. ..
I 1:"1"1;"1, Its etymology is unknown, its meaning IS detenmt;ted.
y the lihom rn""" Mn
Job xxv1ii. 21ì. xxxviii. 25. The Arab. JIJ only signifies" made InCISIOn" notches, cut the
heart," (of misgh inJ(S of conscience.)
;- Jer. x. 13. li. 1û. S Ps. cx-'<Xv. 'i.
g As the words are transposed in Jobxx.mi.6, '1!1n
t:::'I'
t:C'J1. t::7
occurs,

fìned I
hv &"'1 I Kjrs xvüi. 45; b) ';;:)1::i Ezek_ xiii. 11, l:i. xxx\iii. 2:!; by n1:J
1 Ps. !.xVll1. 10,
::
."I i 1 ':-"I 1 Kgs x\iii. 41. "The clouds are full of t:::il," Ecc1. xi. 3. The waters of the ,J

shall makc \I brig-ht doud:;, and gh'e them C JkJofs T
showers of f'lÏn to ever y one crrass in cir. 1ði.
. , 0 II Or.
the field. light"j"Il!,
Jer. 10. 13.
2 For the d t idols have spoken vanity, and d :t:i/
:
8.
the diviners have seen a lie, and have told t lIeb.
teraphim.,
false dream
; they e comfort in vain: there- . j

'3

. 5.
Psalmist, 8 lIe maketl, l(t;lttniugs iuto rain, di
appearillg- as it
were into the rain \\"hich fullows on thcm. .Aud gÍl:eth tl,em.
"'hile man is asking, God is allswcrin
. SllOll't:I"s uf rain 9,
"rain in torrent
," as we !"hould say, or "ill floods," or, in-
verted, "floods of rain." To everyone gras.ç, rather, the greell
herb, ill tlte .field, as the Psalllli!"t says, 10 lIe callset/l tile grass
tu groUJ for the cattle, and greell herb for the sen'iee of lIu!n.
This He did with indh'idual eare, as each had need, or as
should be best for each, as contrariwise lIe says in Amos, 11 I
caused it to rain upon olle ci(lf, llnd callsed it not to l'aill UpOIl
allother city; uue piece was rained upon, a11l1 tI,e piece, 1('hereo/l
it railled lIut, withered. The Rabbins oh:,ernd these exccp-
tions to God's g-encral law, wherebv He 12 sendeth raill un
the,;ust ami OJl the llI!il/.
t, thou
h expressing it in their way
hyperholically; "13 In the time when Jsmcl doeth the will of
God, lIe doeth their wiJI; so that if one man alone, and not
the others, wants rain, He \\ ill give rain tn that one man;
and if a man wants one herb alone in his field or garden. and
not another, lIe will give rain to that one hel'b; a!< one of the
saints used to
ay, This plot of g-rouml want:, rain, and that
plot of g-ronnd wants not rain H."
pirituaHy the rain is
divine dortrine bedewing the mind and making- it fruitful. as
the rain doth the earth.
o Moses saith, I. J[y doctrine sltall
drop as tlte l'aill, my .
}leech slwll distil as tlte dlil', as ti,e slllall
rr,;n "pOll the tender Ilerb, and as tlte slwwers Up OIL the grass.
"HThe law of
Joses and the prophets were the former rain."
2. Fur tlte terapltim Iwu .
pukell l'(l1Iit!J, ratht'r. spake
vanity. He appeals to thcil' former e
perienee. Their f,lthers
had !"oug-ht of idols, not of God; therefore they wcut into eal'-
tivity. The teraphim were used as instruments of di\"Ínation.
They are united with the ephod, as forbidden, onr against the
allowed, means of enquiry as to the future, in Hosea, 16 l('i,h-
Ollt all ephutl and reitlmllt terapltim; they were united in the
mingled worship of
Iieah 17; Josiah put them fIll'(I!1 tug-ether
with 18 tI,e wurkers witlt familiar .
}Jirits and lite tl'Í:;ards. to
which are added, tlte idols. It was probably, a superstition
of Eastern oric:in. Rachel brought thelll with her from her
father's hou!"e,' and Kebuchadne'Zzar u
ed them for (\h-ina-
tion 19 . Samuel !'peaks of them, apparently, as thing-s \\ hieh
Saul himself condemned. 20 Rebelliun is as ti,e sin of divillll-
tioll. alld stllbhurllness as illiquityor idolatry, and terapltilll.
For it was l)robably in tho!"e his better days, that 21 Saul !.ad
put aWll!1 those that 'tad fan/iliar spirits and l('i::.(/rcl
nllt qf tI,e
laud. Samuel then seems to ten him. that the sins to whil'h
he dave were as e,'il as those wbieh he had, in an uutward
zeal, like Jehu, condemned. Any how, the taaphi'lll !'tand
united with the llivillatirJll which was eXl'res!<lr eon(\ellllIcd by
the law 22. The use of thc teraphilH by Rachel 23 and
lichaF4

flood are ca1led
c'I' Gen. vii. 12, vüi. 2. Kim. compares the two synon
es, '1!:j.I /1:-"
(Dan. xü. 2) p'et C'C Ps. xl. 3. 10 P,. CIV. 14. See .1"" Gen. I. 30, ill. lb.

11 Am. iv. í. See note p. 188. JJ S.
Iatt. v. 49.
II Taanith f. i,<. 2 in Kim.
Ic. Caul pp. 111, 11
.
14 S. C) ril. 15 Deut. xxxii. 2.
II Hos. iii. 4. Every fresh attempt to find an etJmolO!rY for t:'!Tr1 .lte!>t
the unsatisfac-
toriness of these before it. without finding an) thing belter.
17 Jud. A"VÎÌ. 5. x>iii. 14, Ii, 18,20.
Ig E7ek. xxi. 21. :JO 1 Sam. xv.
3.
::l De. x>iii. I:J, U. :3 Gen. xxxi. HI,
, 35.

IS
Ke:< "-Xiii.
I.
c . lb. ). w:ii.
.

.. I :"',1111. xix. I}. Itj.

5G-1

ZECH..\RL\II.

C :
oÍeST fore they went their way as a flock, they
cir.487. 1\ were troubled, fbecause tlw)'e was no
II Or,
a"su't!red shepherd.
I
';:k.
:fi.5. 3 :\line anger was kindled against the

Ezek.3S.17. I I I d I t . I I ' }
t Heb. visited S lep ler( S, g an pums)C( t Ie goats:
b l.ik
1. 68. for the LORD of hosts h hath visited his flock
1 Cant. I. 9. the house of Judah, and i hath made them
as his goodly horse in the battle.

(for whatever purpose) implies that it was some less offensh'e
furm of false worship, though they were prolmbly the st1"Unge
g()(ls 1 which Jacob bmle his household to
ut away, or, any
how, among them, since Laban calls them, m.l! gods.
Zechariah uses ancw the wOl'd
of Jeremiah and Ezekicl,
:; llearken ye not to your prophets, nor to your cliÚners, nor to
.'IOW' dreamers, nor to .l!ollr enchanters, 1I0r to your sorcerers;
and, 4 let not .l!ollr prophets and yonr diviners, that be ill the
midst of YOIl, deceive .l!ou, neither hC(lrken to your dreams, which
.'Ie rause to be dreamed; and Ezekicl, 51Vltile they see vanity
/lnto thee, while the,lf divine a lie unto thee. The words not
only joined on the Prophet's warning- with the past, but re-
minded thcm of the sentence which followcd on their ncglect.
The echo of the words of thc former prophets came to them,
floating, as it were, O\"er the ruins of the former temple.
Therefore tlley went their Wll.'1 as aflock, which, havin

110
hcpherd, or only such as would mislead them, remon'd ti,
hut into capth'ity. They were troublelL7. The trouble lasted
elll, thoug-h thc capth-ity ended at thc appointcd timf'. :r\ehe-
miah speaks of the exactions of formcr governors, 8The former
governors u,lticlt were before me, laid heavy wcigMs upon the
people 9 , and took from them in bread and wine, lifter f01't.l!
.
hekels of silver; also their servants used dominion over 10 the
people; and I did not so, because of tllefear of God.
Because tl,ere u'as no shepllerd. .-\.S Ezekiel said of those
times, 11 TIley u'ere scattered, because there is 110 shep/lerd; and
the.1f became meat to all the beasts of the .field, wl'ell they were
sf'Uttered: lJIy flock was scattered upon all tI,e face of the
earth; and none did search or seek after tI,em.
3, ...1Iine aJ/ger u'as kindled against the shepllerds. As
J:zekiel continued, 12 TllIls saitll the Lord God; Bel wid I am
ftgaimt the shepherds, and I will require ..1.1.1f flock at their
haud.
I Pll1lislled the lie-goats. The evil powerful are called the
Ite-goats of the earth 13; and in Ezekiel God says, 14 I will.iwlge
hetll'eell cattle awl cattle, betweell rallls and he-goats; and our
Lord speaks of the reprobate a!': g'oats, the saved as sheep 15.
(;od visited llpOll16 these in His displeasure, because He visited
Hisfiock, tlte people of Judah, to see to their needs and to
relic,-c them.
And hath made them as the goodly horse, as, before, lIe
!'aid, 17 I made thee as tlte sword (
f a might.l! man. Judah's I
might was not in himself; but, in God's hands, he had might I
1 Gen. xxxv. 2, 4. 2 lb. xxxi. 30, 32.
3 Jer. xxvii. 9. 4 lb. xxix. 8. I Ezek. xxi. 29; add xxii. 28.
6 The ctym. meaning of
'ûJ, "plucked up" pegs of tent, in order to removal, must have
been lo.t in the idiom. The captivity is spoken of as past, and the idolatry as before the
captivity, which was its punishment.
; i"Ij)/ occurs in this sense Ps. cxvi.1O, cxix. 67, of man ; with:a of wearisome labour Eccl.
i. 13, iii. 10; ofthe lion, Is. xxxi. 4; ofthe song ofthe terrible, lb. xxv. 5 [4 Eng.] all.
s Neh. v. 15. g "'JJi"I with
j1 p., like" made our, your, yoke heavy,"
1 Kgs xii. 10, 14, 2 Chr. x. 10, 14. .. thy yoke," Is. xlvii. 6. "my chain" Lam. iii. 7. or
t)'CJII Hab. ii. 6. 10
1I

ti 11 Ezek. xxxiv. 5, 6. I
10 lb. H!. 13 Is. xiv. 9. 14 Ezek. xxxiv. 17. 16 S. Matt. XXv. æ.
16
II 'i'!J, as commonly, of chastisement; 'i''', like 17rEUICÉ1jtaTo, of visiting to .hew fa\"Our.
17 U. 13. IS 2 Cor. x. 4. .

4 Out of him came forth k the corner, C :
ol S T
out of him 1 the nail, out of him the hattle ci r.487. _
bow, out of him every opprcssor togcther. It r
:r:;.21
.

:
5
.And they shall be as mi
hty men, 1
:U
:g:
which m tread down tlll'h' f'llemies in the mire m Ps. 18.42.
of the streets in the hattle: and they shallu Or. they
fight, because the LUlm is with them, and :
;
/:e

e
/I thc ridcI's on horses shall be confounded. :
l':.::
':_

like and above the mÎ!!:ht of this world; he was feal'less, rc-
sistlcss; as S. Paul sap', 18 the weapons of our warfare are nflt
camal, but migM!I tltl"lJugh God to the pulling dOW/l of strollg-
I/Olds.
4. Out oj Mm 19 came .forth, or rather, From ltim i" the
corller, as Jeremiah 20, Their uobles sltall be from themselve.
,
and their gOl'el"lwr shall gu fortll from tlte midst of tltem. HCI'
stren
th, thou
h g'ivcn by God, was to bc inhcrent in her,
though from hcr too was to come He 'Yho was to be the
head:cor1lCl"-.çtolle, thc surc Foundation and Crowncr of thc
whole buildin
.
From tlt
e tlte mdl, an cmblem of fixcdness in itseU:
(as Isaiah says, 21 I ldll fasteu him a 1Iail to a sUl"e place) and
of security
Í\-en to others dependent on Him, as Isaiah says
further, 22 Alld tlll'.'1 .
/l(lll Itallg ujJon him all ti,e gIOl:'! of M.

father's Iwu.
e, tlte
j.
prillg alld the issue, from tlte vessels of
cups to the vessel.ç of }lag-ulls; all, of much or little account,
the least and the g-rcate
t. ,'23 Christ is the corner-stone;
Christ is thc nail fixcd in the wall, whcrcby all vessels are
supported. Thc wurd of Christ is the bow, whence the
I al'rows rend the king's enemies."
From it e'l:er.1f e:l'actol" slwll go forth together. God had
promised 2-1. that no oppre.
sor, or e3:aclor 25, shall pas.s through
tltem all.1f more. Hc secms to repeat it here. From tltee slwll
go furtlt ever.1f oppre.
.wr together; go forth, not to return: as
Isaiah had said, 26 TII.'! children sltall make !taste to rcturn;
thy destro.lfers and tlle.1f tltat made tllee ll'aste sllllll go forth of
tl,ee. "From it, its eorner-stone; from it, the sure nail; from
it, the battlc bow; from it,"-hc no long'er unitcs dosely with
it, that which should be from it, or (If it, but-from it s!tall go
I fortlt C'I'er.1f oppressOl' together; onc and aU, as we say; a con-
, fused pêle-llIêle body, as haiah, 2í all that are found of tl,ee are
bound together; 28 together .
/wll tlleY all perish; or, in sepa-
rate dau!'es 29, tltey are all of tltcm put to sltame; togetlter
they shall go into cm{fusion.
5. Alld the.,! [the house of Judah 30, of whom he had said,
He hatlt made tit em as tlte good(1f horse ill the battle] sit all he (18
llIigh(1f men, tl'lllllplillg OIL tlte mire of the streets. l\Iicah had

aid, 31 she slwll be {l tl'a7llplillg, as tlte mire of the streets, and
Ða,-id, 32 I did stamp tit em as the mire of the street. Zechariah,
by a yet bolder image, picturcs tho
e trampled upon, as
what thcy had becomc. the mire of tlte .streets, as worthless, as
foul; as he had said, 33 tlley s!tall trample Oil the slillg-stones.

m;

:r :
:dlo

does not suit i"I
je

:.

l
l
(which is not probabJ
iss.

he
"0 lb. :!4. OJ O,or. 24 Zech. ix. 8.
25 Is. xiv. 2. t:'

is nowhere used ofa ruler or king, as in Æthiopic. The idea of "oppres-
sors" remains in Is. iii. I:!, (comp. i:-
J lb. iii. 5) xiv. 2. add Is. Ix. 17. where the contrast
is of change of the inferior for the better; fo,' bra_" 1 will brill/! !loid &c. It is summed up
and it ends in, 1 will make tlleir eæactorsrighipOllSlw.<I. [all allel!"edl
Zl With the sa::idÌ

:
;

'

'n"

;
;

;7s. xxii. 3.
:s Is. xxxi. 3, p,L,J' t:I.J 1,n'. 2!1 lb. xh-. !G, i"I,:::
JJ 1J?i"I "n' C
J C?JJ Cl1.
30 They arc the JIIdin ,ubject in v. 3. The words in v. 4. could not he tbe subject: for
neither comer-'tone. nor nail, nor 00", can be said to be like might} n en &c.
31 Mic. vii. 10. 3
2 Sam. xxii.
. &;j U. 15.

Cf-L\PTEil X.

c J1([oí e s T G And I will
tren
then the house of
cir.4Si. .J udah, and [ will save the house of Joseph,
·

k\}
':n. ami n I will hrin
thcm again to pla('c thcm;
· Bo..l. 7. for I ol1a\Oe mcrcy upon tht'll1: and they shall
be as though I had not cast tl)('1)) ofi": for I
f'ch.13.9. am thc LORD thcir God,and pwill hcar thcm.
7
\nd they ()f Ephraim shall bc likc a

And they slwll.fi!{ltt, hecnuse tIle Lord is leith them, not in
their own !òtrength, he still reminds them; thcy shall han

power, hecau
c God clllpowers thelll; !òtreng-th, beranse God
in,.;trcngthcns them 1 ; in prcsencc (If which, the goodly war-
hor:;e of Gud, human strength, tIle riders Oil llOrðes, slll111 he
ashamed.
G. I 1('ill Lring them agaill to place them. Zechariah

eCIl1S to ba\Oe condcnsed into onc word two 2 of Jercmiah,
8 I ll'ill hring them again unto thi
placc, and I will cause
tltem to c/u'e/l safely. '''
Thc 1\'00 ideas are here both implied,
he will ('ausc them to return to their land, and will causc
them to dwcll there in peace and security."
For I u'ill 'I(lt'e merc.lI upon them. "5 For thc goodne,.,.
and I()ving-kindne
s of God, not any merits of our's. is the first
and principal causc of our wholc sah-ation and g-l"ace. Thcrc-
forc the PsalmÏ!;t says, 6 neillier did t/wir Oll'n arm .ml'e them;
Lilt Th.1f rig/It halld alld T!tille arm, aud tIle ligltt uf Thy
COlilltenallce, becallse Thou /lll(l
t a fal'ollr Ullto tI,CIIl.
And the.lI shall be, as tllOUgl1 I lwei 1Iot cast tltem (!fT.
(etpnologically, "Ioathcd," "cast uff as a thing ahhorr(.nt;".)
God is c,'er "the God of the present." He docs not ha1f-
forgh-e. 8 Their sim alld tlleir illiqllitie,
I will remelllher 110
more. God casts off the sinncr, as heing- what he is, a thing'
abhorrent, as penitence conf('!òs
,.; of it
elt. that it is "9 a dead
dog', a loath!'omc worm, a putrid corp,.;e." God will not clothe
with a rig'hteousne!òs, which Be docs nut impart. He restores
to the pcnitcnt all hi:, lost p;races, a,.; tllllug-h hc had ne\'er
forfeited them, and t'umulates them with the fresh g-race
wlH'rchv Hc com-erts him 10. It is an entire rc-creation.
Tlle.l/ Û;all be, as tlwugh I lwei not cast tllem qff: U [will
,
ettle .lfult as in -'Iollr uld estates, andll'ill do good, nwre than
at yoltr beginnings, and .lfe shall knull' tlwt I am tile L01'd.
.For I tun the Lord their God, a 1111 will lIear tllem, as He
I'ays by -'I alachP2, I am tlte Lord; I chauge 1I0t. His un-
chan:!"cablcne!'s belon1!"
to His Being; I ALii; therefore ye sam

f Jacob are not cun.mmed; and by Hosea, 13 The Lurd of
hosts, T/Ie Lord is [-lis memorial, therefore turll tlwu to tlly
God. necause God was tlleir God, and as surel\' as He was
tlteir God, He would hcar them. His Being- wa
thc pledge
of Hi.. hearing. HI, tlte Lurd, It'Ìllltear tht:lJl ; I, the God of
Israel, lI"illuot forsake tllem.
7. And Ephraim, tlley shall be like a migltty malt. Pro-
phecy, through the rest of the Lhapter, turns to Ephraim,
which had not vet been restored. "ïth regard to them,
human victory r
tires out of si
ht. though doubtless, when
their wide pri;on was brokcn at the (!e"tru'Ction of the Per"ian
empire, many were free to rcturn to their nath'e country. as
others sprcad moer the "
est in .\sia Minor, Greece, Rome,
and !So some may ha\'e taken part in the victories of the
I i" 'Téf i"6u,,a/.LoûJI"T[ p.
XP'U'T<p. Phil. i\. 13.

C
(I;J::;':'1 from c:çc;::'I) and L:"ã:':r
4
3 Jer. xxxii. 37. · Kim. It is not a confusion of fonns, but the blending
of two words into one. So also Ibn E. ;; Dion. 6 p'. xliv. 3.
,ñJL Arabusedof"rancid"oil. Ohsene1l1'JlN:1 Is. xjx. 6. s Hch.,iii.l:!.
9 lip_ Anåre..es'de\otiollS. )lom. Pr. 10 See ab. on Joel ii. 23 pp.
::!tj, l::!i.
P \RT VI.

ój(j,1

1l1ig-hty 'mUll, and their q heart shall r
joice c J3íf o is T
as throu
h wine: yea, thcir childrcn shall cir.4."i.
. . 11 1 d ] . 1 ] ]1 .. Q P.. 10.. 15.
!'ce It, arl( JC g a ; t )e)r )Cart s la reJOIce clI.9.15.
in the LOItD.
8 I will r hiss for tl)('m, and
at her them; r lsai. 5. 2/ì.
for I hm-e redeemed thelII : · and they shall .

;k
!)3

3ï.
incrca
c as they hi.n-C incrcased.

)Ia('('ahees. Y ct not victory, hut
treng-th. g-Iadness h('Y')IId
natural g-Iailne
s, as throug-h wine, whereby the mind is e:\.-
hilarated ahov(' it!"elf; and that, lastin!!, transmitted to th('ir
children, largc inercasc, holy life in God, arc the outlines of
thc prllmbe.
The;r Itearf ,çlwll rf!.jo;ce in tIle Lord, ,,& as thc prin('ipal
ohjel't. thc first, hig-hest, most worthy Givcr of aU J!;ollfl, tll
Whom is to be referred all g-ladnes!", which i
('onf'l'in'd from
rreated g-oOlis. that l"ll'1IOSf) glorietlt 1lla.'/ glor.1f in the Lnrd, in
\Ylwm Alonc the rational crcature oup:ht to take delidlt."
K Ill'ill hiss fur tllem. Formerly God had so spoken of
IIi,.; summoning the pnemies of IIi" l}eoplc to cha
tise them.
16 It slwll he ill tlwl da.'/, tltat tIle Lord slwll M,
s for tile fl.'/,
tlmt is ill tile ulterll105t part of tile rÍl:ers of Egypt, and/or
tlte hee that is in the land of A,
s.lJria, alld tlle.1f .
/l(lll come. (/1/(/
s/mll rest all of them in the desolate valle,lfs, ami in tlte holes f
f
the roc/i.ç, and upon all thorn
and upon all hu.çltes. 17 IIe 11';/1
!tis,\' uuto tllemfrom tlte ends of tlte earth, a/l(1 behold tlle.lI slwl{
come ll'ith speed slL'{ftl.lf; nOlle .çlwll Le ll'ear.ll or stumhle among
tltem. Hc would gather them, like the countless numbers 111'
the insect creation, which. if united, would irre,.;istihly de-
!<olate life. Hc would summon them, as the bee-owner. by
his shrill caU. summons and unites his own swarm.
ow,
contrariwi!<e God would summon with thc same Hi.. o\\"n
p('ople. The fuJfihnent of the chasti!'ement was the earne:;t
of the ea
e of the fulfihnent of the mer,,)".
For I IUll'e redeemed tllem. Then they arc Hi<:. 1win/.{
redeemed at !'o dear a pri('e. "5 For Chri
t, a
far as in Him
lay, redeemed all." God had donc this in purpose, as S. .1l1hn
spcaks uf 18 the Lamb slain from tlte fUlI1ulation of lite u'orld.
Ami the.1f shall iucrease as they increased. "19 As they
increased in Lg'ypt, so
han they increa,.;c at that time."
Thc manoels of God's favour in Eg-
'pt shall be repeated.
Thc increase therc had been promi,.;ed beforehand.
o Fear
not to go dOll"n into Eg,I/pt; for 1 1l'Í/I tllere make of tllet'
Il great lIation. The fulfilment is recorded, 21 the clâltlrell f
f
Israelll'ere fruitful, and increased abuudantly, aud multiplied,
Ilnd ll'lacd e.l:ceediug m
!jht.'l; aud tlle land ll'a,ç.filled tl'Ítltthelll.
God appointed that this shou1d be part of their confession at
their yearly prosperity, the offerinp; of the ba..ket of fir..t-
fruit
; 22
1 Syriall 1'eady tu perislt ll'aS m,lI latlter, and he ll"('n l
illto r
g.'lpt ailll sqiollrlu:d there ll'ith a fell'. ami becallle there
a natiun. gre(cf, 1lIigltt.lf, alld jJOPUIOll.y. The Psalmist dwelt
upon it. 23 He increased llis people great!.I/, alld made them
stronf:cr than their enemies. It became then one of the re-
seml;lanee
between the first deli"erancc and thc last. .." FOI
the <\postl('
and others comoerted from Judaism. had nwrf.>
spiritual children, all tho!'e whom they hegat in Chri,.;t, than
the synagogue e, eT had aftcr the flesh."
1\ Ezek. xxx,i. n. U Mal. iii. 6. 13 Hos. xii. 5. 6. [6, Î Heb.1
See ab. pp. íi, 7:3. H Is. xli. Ii.
I. ::! Cor. x. Ii. 18 Is. VÜ. 18, 19.
I, Ib.
,;

\
i:ciü:g.e word is onIYI

: ùùs same 5ens
}G

I

places.
JI Ex. i. i.
De. xx\i. 5. 23 Ps. c\'. 2
.
4 ,(

5GG

ZECH
\RL\H.

c :
[oí"s T D And t I will sow them among the
_

::.._!y
pcople: and they shall u remember me in
:

t
3g
i. f
ll' ('ountries ; and ther shan IÏ\-e with their
children, and turn ag-ain.
. U
2ÏI
\l.G. 10 I I will hrin
them ag-ain also out uf
the land of Egypt, and gather them out of

9. Ami I ll'ill sow them amOll[[ ti,e lIations. Such had
heen the prophecy of Ho
ea; 1 I will sou' Iter unto
1/e ill tlte
carth, a!.ò the prelude of spiritual mcrcies, and I lcill Itare
mercy Oil her that IIad not obtained mercy, and Ill'Íll say to
lIot-m.lI-people, Tholl art
1J.1/ people, ami the.1f sltall say, m.1f
Gael. Ho
ca's saying-, I ll'ill sow I,er in the eartll i. e. the
,,-hole earth, and that to JIe, corresponds to, and explains
Ze('IHu'iah's brief sa)'ing, I will sow them among the nations.
The
uwing, whieh was future to Hosea, had beg-un; but
the purpo
e of the sowin
, the han-est, was wholly to come;
when it
ll(Iuld be seen, that they were indeed sown by God,
that gr('(lt should be the day of Je::.reeI 2 . And Jeremiah said,
S Belwld the e/elfls come, sailh the Lord, that I ll'ill sow the
house of Israel alld the IIouse of Juda/', with the .
eed of man
alld ll'ith the .
eed of beast. The word is used of sm\"Îng to
multiply, Ile,-er of mere scattering 4.
Ami tllI'.'1 .
/UlII rcmember JIe in far countries. So Ezekiel
had said, 6
lml they tlwt escape of YOll sllllil remember .1.1/<<
all/oug t he nations, ll'hither they shall be carried captive-and
tlle.'1 shall loath themselves for the evils ll'hich they Iwvc com-
mitted in all their abominations, and tlley shall know that I am
the Lord.
Alid sllall live. As Ezekiel again sa)-s, 6 re slwll knoll'
that I am the Lord, when IopCll !Iour grlll-'es, alld bring YOIl
up out of YOllr graz'es, 0 J1./1 people, and shall put
11.'1 .Spirit
ill .lIoll, al/ll .lIe sllllillive. Ilïtl, tI,eir cldldrCll. A continuous

ift, as Ezekiel, 7 the'.1f ami their cltildrell, aud tl,eir children's
cldlclren for ever: and JIy SelTant David shall be tI,eir prince
fur ez'cr.
Aud shall tUI"ll again to God, being com-erted, as Jere-
miah had been bidùen to exhort them; 8 Go ami proclaim
these 1('ords toward tI,e
Y()rtll, the cities of the :i\Jedes whither
they wel'e carried capti,-e. and SllP, Retllrn, thou backsliding
I'I"Flel, amI I lcill not callse JlIine anger to fall upon YOll;
9 Tum, U hackslie/iug children-and I1('ill take you, one of a
('it.'/. and two of (l family, alld will bring YOIl to Zion, and I
ieil! gil'e YOIl pastors according to JIine heart. 10 Return, ye
backslidillg cltildrell; I willlleal.'l/ullr backsliding!;. And they
answer. BellOld, we come unto Thee; for Tholl art ti,e Lord I
0111' God. So Isaiah had said, 11 A remnant shall retllm, tlte
i'emnant e
f Jacob. UlltO the migltt.1f God. "12They shall return I
hy re('ollection of mind and adunation and simplification of
the affections towards God, so as ultimately to intend that
une thing', which alolle is necessary."

('

I

d
i.

p;;;eâ
; is co:tr

i
is
I;,e
: :::,,,

:;, I !E'z:L
;i.2
:
6 lb. xxxvii. 13, U. . lb. :!5. " Jer. iii. 12. 9 lb. 14, 15. 10 lb. 22.
.I
Is. x. 21. con
.I" 1;!'J;1, "her conver
;' Is. i. 2ï, and
1..ï1l :;Olon:on'
pra}er,,.2 Chr.
VI. _I. - DlDn. See ab. on Hos. un. 13,1" "i, IX. 3. p. "G.
.. Hos. xi. 10, 11, Is. xi. 15, 16; add lb. xix. :!3-25, "-,,vii. 13, In. 4, )Iic. viI. I:!. See
ab. p. 350- 15 See on Hos. xi. 11. p. 74. 16 2 Kgs xxiii. 2!J, Lam. v. 6; and,
unle-s :
Ë
e::
i.
"l.lier history, Jer. ii. 18 ;I:
}

2
2
: c
Iì:' rid

'xi. 30.
19 Thus Herodotus. ill the familiar passag-es, "rea!,.s of" Assyria. all but the Babylonian

=:'

tl

;l1
?:
ocieti

s

=/rll:

e
hJ:
i

bË
g
ion:'

t
: rl
;
the fall of !,;ine\eh the seat of government was removed." lb. li8. "manv soverei
s ha\e
ruled o\-er this city of Bab\ lon, and lent their aid to the building of its waI1s and the adorn-
ment of its temples; of whom I shall make mention in my Ass)rian history." lb. 1
.

.Assyria; and I wiII l,ril1g them into the C J
oï S T
land of Gilead and Lebanon; and Y place c
r. -lliï; _
shall not he found for them. ., Isal. 49.:'0.
II Z And he shan lJasS throu",'h the sea aJsai. 11. 15.
. I ffi " I I 11 . I:> I 16.
WIt 1 a lctlOn, an( s la sHute t le wayes
in the sea, and all the deeps of the rh-er

10. I leilllJ,.ing them aE!aill al.m out of tlte laud of Egypt.
Indh'iduals had fled to Eg-Yl't 13; hut here probably Eg-nt and
A!'syria stand. a
of old, for the two great conflicting empires,
between whieh Israel lay, at whose hands she had suffered,
and who represent the countries which lay beyond them.
Hosea unite
, 14 the Irest. Ass.lJria, Egypt. the three then known
di\'i
ions of the world, Europe, Asia, Afri('a 15. A!"shur, after
:Kineveh peri
hed, stands elearly for the world-empire of the
East at Babylon 16, and then in Persia 17. Balaam indudes
under Asshur, fir!"t llabylon, then tIle third world-empire 18.
ßabylon, which was first suhject to :Kineveh, then subjected
it. was at a later period known to Greek writers (who pro-
bably had their information from Persian sources) as part of
Assyria 19.
And I ll'ill bring them into the laud of Gilead aud Le-
bemon, their old dwelling-s, Ea
t and "'cst of Jordan. Aud
fllare shall not be fouud fur tl,em 20, as Isaiah says, 21 Tlte
childrClt of tlty bereaved estate shall yet .m.1f ill tldlle ears, The
place is too strait for me: git'e place, tltat I may dwell.
II. Alld He, i. e. Almighty God, sltall pass thruugh tlte
.
ea, '!/flirtioll 22, as He says, 23 IVIlen tllOll lL'alkest tlt]"(Juglt the
waters, I will be witlt tlwe; am{ through ti,e rivers, they sllllil
not Ol'er.fioll' thee. Ami shall smite tlte 1l'aL'eS in tI,e sea, as in
I!"aiah, 2,1. Tlte Lord shall uttert.lI destro.1f the tongue of tile
Eg.1fptian sea. The image is from the deliverance of Egypt:
yct it is said, that it should not be any exact repetition of
the miracl('s of Eg-
'pt; it. would be as the Red Sea 25, whieh
would as cflcetually shut them in, and in presence of whieh
thcy mig-ht again think themselves lost, through which God
would again bring them. llut it would not be the Red sea
itself; for the sea through which they should be hrought,
would be qlfliction; as our own poet speaks of 'taking arms
against a sea of troublcs.' "26The promise of suecour to those
who belie,-e in Christ is under the likeness of the thin
s
gi,-en to tho
e of old; for as ISI'acl was conveyed across the
Red sea, braving the waves in it; 27 for the waters stood llJJ1'igltt
as all lleap, God bringing this to pass marHlIou!"ly; and as
28 they passed the Jordan on foot, so he say!", those who arc
called through Moses to the knowledge of Christ, and ha,-e
been i"aved by the ministries of the holy Apostles. they shall
pai"s the waves of this present life, like an angrily foaming-
sea. and, being' removed from the tumult of this life, shall,
undisturbed, worship the true God. And they shall pass
through temptations, like sweeping rivers, saying with great

"Babylon supplies food during four, the other regions of Asia during eight months fto the
great kin
] by which it appears that Assyria in respect of reo;ources is i of the wnole of
Asia." lb. I!!:!. "Little rain falls in Assyria. The whole of Babylonia is, like Egypt, in-
tersected with canals. The laf!':est is carried from the EUfbhrates into another stream called

p
tr.\ir.

,
i

h fonnerlystood." 1 .193. so Straboxiv. init., Arrian
"0 1:,,1;. lNSD NI;. Jud. ,,-xi. 14, is "they found not (enough) for themselves;" thence here.
Nif. "there was not found for them." 21 Is. xJix. 20.
::2 :nI is in appos. to C:J.. Against the rendering of the LXX ill Ba.Àauuiì rrr.IIfì. 1) c', ",q
the sea, no where occurs as fern.; ill 2 Kgs xvi. 17. it is "the brazen sea ,I which is spoken
j{i i I
:it

:ili
e

f
ec.
e

ltl:i
ai
:

d o

i

o

b

::id n:o;
:v:
ference to the sea, or "the red sea," "sea n becOlning a nlere n1etaphor.

Is. xliii. 2. 241b. xi. 15. 2õ Ex. xiv. 10,12.
16 S. Cp. 'J:1 Ex. xv. 8. :IS Josh. iii. Ii.

CIL\PTER XI.

5Gj

C HBt
rs T shall dry np: and 1\ the pride of
\ssyria
.c
r. .pj
_ shall lJC hrou1-
:ht down, and b the sceptre
hal. 1
.
. . E
b Ezek. 3U.13. of
ypt shall dppart away.
1
.And I will strcngtlwl1 them in the
LORn; and C thf'Y shall walk up and down
in his name, saith the LORD.

< JIic. 4. 5.

joy, in like way, 1 Unless tile Lord had been for us, may brael
1WW say, the lI'aters Iwd drowned us, tile stream Iwd gone over
Ollr souls." lIe shall smite the u'nz'es ill the sea. TllPre, where
the strength of the power
of this world is put forth agaill
t
His peoplc, there lIe willlJring it don n. All tlte "peps of tIle
river, i. e. of thc Xile 2, shall be dried up. The :Kilc a,. a
mighty rinr is sub,.tituted for the Jm'dan, !'ymbolising- the
greater puttin
furth of God's power in the times to come.
.And the pride of .Asslllll" shall be brought down. "S "'hen
the !roml receive their reward, then theirenemie
shall have
no power ovcr them, lJut shall Le puni
hed by
Ie, becau
e
they injured .My elel't.-By the Assyrians and Lgyptians hc
under>'tallds all their enemies."
J:1. I1('ill strengthen tllem in tIle Lord, as our Lord said
to S. Paul, J
I strength is made ]Jofect illu'eaklless, and S. Pan I
said in turn, IVlwn I am weak, tllen am I strong. .And ill }/Ú
.1Yame slwll the.1/ walk up and dOlI'n, ha,'e their whole con-
n'rsation "4 in Him aCI'or'ding to His wi]], and dilig-ent in all
things to spcak and act in His grace and Di,'ine hope."
',5 Christians walk in the Kame of Chri
t, and there is written
on the new white stone gh'en to them fI new lInme6, and under
the dignity of a name So great, they walk with God, as í Lnoch
walk cd and plcased God and was translated."
Saith tIle Lord. "4.-\gain the Lord God speaks of the
Lord God, as of Another, hinting thc plurality of Pcrsons in
the Godhead."
XI. '.8.All the 1l,(/YS of the Lord are mere.lf and truth,
saith the P
ahnist 9, and, 10 I will sing to Tllee of mercy alld
iudgement.
o is this prophecy dh'idcd. AbO\-e ll, almo,.t aU
werc promises of mercy, which are now fulfilled in d('ed; and
from this, uO pen , 0 Lebanon, th.'l doors, all are tenible edicts
of truth anrl tokens of just judgement. How much swectncss
and softncss and plcasantne
s is therein, llpjoice greatly,
dllugltter of Zion: sllOut, U daugMer of .Jerusalem; what
bitterne..s and acerbity and calamity to tho
c, to whom he
says, Open, 0 Lehll/IOU, tllY doors, that tile fire 1/1(1.1/ devour
tlt.1/ cedars; !towl, Ofir tree; howl, 0 ye oaks of Ðr[san. As
thcn, IJefore, we bcheld His mel'CV in thosc who IJelieved and
bclie'"e; so non" let us conteml'Íate His just jud
ement on
tho,.e who belie,-ed not." Gilead and LeIJanon 13 had been
named as the restored home of Ephraim: but there remained
a dark side of the picture, which the prophet suddenly pre-
sents, with the names of thosc self-sallie lands, 1,1, Opcn tllY
doors, 0 Lebanon; howl, 0 .lfe oaks of BaSWI."
1. Open thy doors, 0 Lebanon. Lebanon, who
e cedars
had stood, it
glory, for centuries, yet could offer no re-
sistance to him who felled them and were carried off to
adorIl the palaces of its conquerors 15, was in 1saiah 16 and

1 Ps. c
"iv. 1-5.

"11M', always the
ile, except Dan. xii. 5, where it is part of his revival of words of the
Pentateuch. So Gesenius al,o. It ","S been conjectured that a canal now connectinJ; the
TiJcrÌs and Euphrates, called Bahr-el-Nil, may have had that name in the time of Daniel
and been the nver in his vision (Stanley Jewi.h Church i;i.12). 1) The Bahr-el.Xil is only
the modern Arabic name for the Xile. 2) Had the canal been so called in Daniers time
and had he meant it (which is un1ihely) he "ould naturally ha\e called it by its name, not
have translated it into the old Eg) ptian and Hebre" name.
3 Rib. . D:on. "S. Jer. 6 Re\. ii. Ii. 1 Gen. v,
1.

CfL\PTER XI. CHBr[T:"T
1 The destructioll of Jerusalem. TIle elert lJeing <.ir. -Jðï.
cared/or, tlte rest are rt:jertecl. I () fIle
tal"e.
(
l
Bnllll!/flllllBllmls broke" by tlte rf.jectioll (
fCltrist.
15 TIle t.ifpe alld curse of II foolislz s!tl'plterd.
O PEX & tin" doors, 0 Lehanun, that thc
fi . I I · ch. 10. 10.
re may ( cvonr thy CC( ars.

Jeremiah 17 the emhlelll of thc dory of the .T ewish state; and
in Ezekiel, of .1erusalem, as thc pl"Ophet himself e'-plains it 1b ;
g-Iorious, beauteous, ina('ce,.!'ible, so Jon!! a
it was dcfenùcd
by God; a ready prey, wh('n abandoned by Him. The eentrc
and Fource of her
tren
th "as the wor
hip of C;IId; and so
Lcbanon has of old hcen undcrstood to be the temple. which
was built with cedars of Lebanon, towering- aloft upon a
!'tl"Ong" summit; the spil"Ïtual
lllr
anrl thc eminenf'c of J crn-
salem, as LeIJanon was of thc wholc clluntry, and" 19 to
strang'Pl"s who came to it, it al'l'cared from afar like a moun-
tain fuU of snow; for. where it "'a
not gilded, it was ex-
ceedin
white, being built of marblc." But at the time of
dcstl"lU'tion, it was ;:u a dell of tMet'es, as LcIJanon, alllid
t it:;
IJeauh-, was of wild beast!'.
'.8 i Slll'po>,e Lehanon itself, i. e. tIle temple. felt the COm-
mand of the prophet's words, sÍ1H'e, as its de,.truction ap-
I'l"Oached, its doors opened without thc hand of man. JOH'I'hlls
relates how" 21 at the pa
,.O\-er, the Ea4ern gate of the inner
temple, IJeing- of IJrass and very firm, and with difficulty shut
at e\ en tide by twenty men; morcO\'er "ith hars "trcn
thened
with iron, and ha, ing very dcep bolts, which went down into
thc threshold, it,.elf of one stone, \\ as seen at six o'clock at
night to open of its own accord. The g-uards uf thc temple
running told it to thc officcr, and he, goin
up, \\ ith difficulty
closed it. This the uninstrlU'ted thought a very fa,ourable
sign, that God opened to thelll the
atc of all
ood
. But
tho
c taught in thc Didne words, undcr,.tood that the safety
of the temple was remo\'cd of itself, and that the gate opened."
A sa,'ing- of this sort is stiU exstant. ',22 Our fathers ha,'c
halHied'down, forty years before the destruction of thc hou>,e,
thc lot of the Lord did not come up on the ri
ht hand.
and the tongue of splendour did not become white, nor rlid
the light from the c,-ening IJurn, and the doors of the temple
opened of their own accord, until Rabban Johanan ben
Zaceai rebuked them, and .!'aid, · 0 temple, why dost thou
affrig'ht thn:elf? I know of thec that thv end is to be d('-
stroycd, an'd of this Zeehariah prophesied; Open th." doors, ()
Lebanoll, alUl let the .fire devour thy cedars.''' The" forty
years" mentioned in this tradition carry back the event ex-
actly to the Death of Christ, the temple having been burned
A.D. 73 23 . J osel'hus adds that they opened at the ra"'
O\'er,
thc season of His Crucifixion. On the uthcr hand, the shm-
tin
of the gates of the temple, when they had 2.J. se ized Palll
ami rlrat:'ged Idlll out of tlte temple, scems miraculous and
significant. that, ha,'ing- thus violently refused the preaching'
of the Gospel, and cast Paul out, they thpmselves "crc al,.o
shut out, dcnoting that an entrance was aftcrwards to be rc-
fused them.

S Rnp. . Ps. xxv.n. 10 lb. ci.l. 11 "viii. 19-x. end."
12 "all c. xi." t3 x. 10. If xi. I,
.
15 See ab. on Zeph. ii. U. and note 3. p. -1ï2. IS Is. xiv. 8, xxxvii. 21.
11 Jer. xxii. G, ï. IS Ezek. x\iJ. 3, 12. 19 Joseph. de Bello J. 5. 5, G.
::0 S.
1att. xxi. 13.
1 de Bell. J. 6. ã. 3 quoted b) Rup.
Z1 Yoma f. 39 b. quoted by Mart. PuK. fid. f.297. Eusebius (Dem. Evang. vii. -1) sau,
.. He call. the temple Lebanon. as is his "ont, since in other prophecies it has been she;.n
I that the tEmple it",,1f is called Lebanoll. This the Jews themsehes stilI confess,"
I .:I Euseb. Cbron.
. Acts xxi. 30.

M:S

ZECIL\JtL\J-I.

Hefor!
CHRIST
cir. 48;.
II Or,
e f:f
3
' 19.
It Or. tile
defe1lced
forest.

2 Howl, fir tree; for the eedar is fallen;
b('cause the 1\ mighty are spoiled: howl, 0
ye oaks of Bashan; b for 1\ the forest of the
vintage is come down.
3
T ThC1'e is a yoice of the bowlin
of
the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled:

And let a .fire dWOllr thy cedars. Jerusalem, or the
temple, u'ere, after tho!'e times, burned by the Romans only.
The destrut'tion of pride, oppo!'ed to Christ, was prophesied
by Isaiah in ('onnectioll with His Coming-]. .
2. HOIl'I, 0 c.'lpres.ç, for the cedar is fallen. Jerusalem
or the templc ha,'ing been Jikeneò to Lebanon and its cedars,
the prophet carries on the image, speaking of the priests
princes <1IId people, under the title of firs cYl'res!"es and oaks,
trees inferior, but mag-nificent. He shews that it is imagery,
bv aseribinl{ to them the feelinl{s of men. The more dorious
aild stately, the cedars, were destrm'ed. "'oe then
to the
rest, the c!ipress; as our Lord says, 2 'If the.1f do these t/tings ill
the green tree, 1l'lmt ,çlwll he done in the dry? and S. Peter,
3 If tIle righteous scarcely Le sltl 1 ed, wllere shall the ungodly
alld the sillner appear?
For the defenced 4 forest is come dOll'n; that which was
c1o,.('d and inaccessible to the enemv. All whkh was high and
liftetl up was broug-ht low, came dOl
m, even to the grOlind 5.
3. A 1.-'oice of the howling of tI,e shepherds, for their glor.1f
i.ç spoiled. It echoes on from Jeremiah before the captidty,
6 1IOll'I, !/e shepherds-A 'Voice of the C/'.If of the shephertÜ, and
all IlOw/ing of the prinripal of the .flock; for the Lord hath
spoiled their pasture. There is one chorus of desolation, the
mic-hty and the lowly; the shepherds and the young lions;
what. is at other times opposed is joined in one wailing The
pride of Jordan are the stately oaks on it!ò banks, which
slmmd it fl'om sight. until you reach its edges. and which,
aftrr the rapti\"Ïty of the ten tribes, became the haunt of lion!:!
and their chief abode in Palestine. "on account of the burn-
ing- heat, and the Iwarness of the de
ert, and the breadth of
the va
t solitude and jungles 7."
4. Tlms saith the Lord 111.7/ God, Feed the .flock of the.
.ifa/lglder. The fulfilment of the whole prophecy shews. that
the per!òon addressed is the prophet, not in, or for him
c1f,
hut (as belongs to symbolic prophecy) a!' reprc
enting .\.no-
ther, our Lord. It is addressed, in the first instance, to
Zechariah. For Zeehariah is bidden, 8 take unto thee yet the
instruments of (l foolish shepherd, in words addressed to him-

elf, personally; And the Lord said uuto me. nut he who
was to represent the foolish shepherd, had repres('nted the
True Shepherd. since it is said to him, "Take unto thee yet."
nut He, the Shepherd addressed, who does the aets rom-
11Ianded, speaks with the authority of God. lIe says, 9 I cut
'iff" three shepherds in one month; ]0 I broke JI.IJ crweuant w/tich
I fwd made 1l'ith all the peoples; n the poor of t"e.flock 1l'aited
upon Jle; 12 [cut asunder lJlille other str!ff; Bauds, that I migltt
hreak the brotherhood between Judah and l
rael. ßut in
Zerhariah's time, no three shepherds were cut off, the cove-
nant made by God was not broken on His part, there was no
I Is. x. 34. xi. 1. 2 S. Luke xxÏÜ. 31. 'IS. Pet. iv. 18.
4 As in E.)1. The E. V. has followed the Kri. correctinp; "
J:'I"1)I" for "'
J:'I"1)I", probably
in order to substitute the common nom. and gen. for the less usual con.truction of the s-ubJ.
and adj. being- defined hy the art. of the adj. as in Zech. himself, iv. í, xiv. 10.
7 S. Je:.
..:
n.T

;i,,
9iJ\lt

\.p;s xvii. 25. The Ii;

e
d'"t
:;;'3
:en to the
c'ose of the XlIth ceut. PhûCas in ReIand Palæst. i. 2;4. S. Cyril says in the present,
.. Ùere ,lre ...ery 1113ny Eo"-s there, roaring horribly aud striking fear into the inhabitants."

a ,.oice of the roaring of young lions; for C HEeIiots T
the pride of Jordan is spoilcd. cir.48;,
4 Thus saith the LORD m)' God; c Feed 'ver.1.
the flock of the slaug-hter ;
5 "'hose possessors slay them, and d hold d t'50:l
themseh-es not guilty: and they that sell

surh visible distinction between those who waited on God,
and those who, outwardly too, rejectcd Him.
Feed the .flock of the slaug/der ]3, tho!õòe who were, enn
before the end, slain by their evil shepherds whom they
followed, and who in the end would be g:iven to the slau
hter,
as the Psalmist says, ]4 1ve are couuted as sheep/or the ,ç/.. ugltter,
because they would not hear the voice of the True Shepherd,
and were not His sheep. They were already, by God's jU(l
e-
ment, a prey to evil shepherds; and wuuld be so yet more
hereafter. As a whole then, they were ,çheep of the slauglder.
It is a last charge g-i,'en to feed them. As our Lord sap',
]5 Last of all, He sellt unto tltem [lis SOli, sa.lfil/g, They 1('i/l
reverence lJíy SOil. This failing, nothing- remaincd but that
the flo('k would be given up, as they themselves say. 16 He
1vill miserably destro.'! those wicked mell, al/d 1l'i1l let Ollt
His ville.lJard unto other l/IlsLalUlmen, 1l'/tic!t ,çlwll renda 11im
the fmits in their seaSOIlS, i. e. our Lord explains it, 11 TIre
kingdom 0/ l,em'elI shall be taken from thelll, and girell to It
nation hriJ/gill
forth the fruits thereol. Yet (l remllant should
be slt7'ed, for whose sake the larger flock was still to he fed:
and, as our Lord, as :\Jan, wept over Jerusalem, whosc sen-
tence He pronounced, so He still fceds those who would not
turn to Him that they might be sa,-cd, and who would in the
end be (l .flock of slaughter, ]8 Death their shepherd, since
thev chose death rather than Life.
. 5. IVhose possessors [buyers 19] slay them amI hold thelll-
,çeh:es not guilty, rather, are not guilt.lJ, either in their on'n
eyes, or in the
ig-ht of God, since He gave them up and
would no more aveng-e them. They eontract no guilt. Atilre-
time God said; 20 I.
/"(lel was holiness to the Lord, tlte.fìrst":li'llit.

of His increase; all that tlerollr him slw/l be glli/(1J 21: edl
shall come upon them, saitlt the Lord. Kow God reversed
this, as He said by the samc prophet, 23 JI.'1 people hatl, beelt
lost sheep; tlteir shepherds /ull'e callsed tltem to go ast/"(l.'I;
they !tare turned them all'll.lI on tlte mOllntains ;-all that found
them have deroltred them; alld tI/eir mh'ersaries sa.lf. Ire are
not guilt.1f 23; because tlley have siuued against tlte Lord. the
Iwbitatioll r
f justir'e. yea, the IlOpe of their fathers, the Lord.
TIle offcnce of injuring Israel was that they were (;od's
peoplc: when He ea!"t them forth. they who ('hastened them
were His sen-ants
\ His instruments, and offcnded only whcll
throug-h pride they knew not in "Those hand,. they thcmselns
were 25 , or through cruelty exceeded their office 26 , and so they
became guilty.
And tltey that sell them say. Blessed he the Lord, for I (tilt
rich. E,.en Sennaeherib felt himself in part. or thought hest
to own himself, to be an instrument in God's hand
ï. nut
Titus when he .<2 Q cn tered Jerusalem, marvelled at the strength
of the city and its towers, which < the tyrants' in phrenzy
s v. 1;;. 9 v. 8. 10 v.l0. 11 v. n. 1
v. 1 t
13 :'InQ
ì"
. a. .:1:111'1 Jer. vii. 32. xix. 6. :1 [:1' lb. xii. 3. 14 Ps. xliv. 22. ,"I/:;::' il/
.
I. S. Matt. xxi. 3;. IS lb. .11. 17 It>. 43.
: j:;.
V
iH. 19 I
'
Ì' sJ,al::'p

\
O I
'!?'J. as in Is. xxiv;_
J:r:
J
Z:'

[:
I<
I/
. The same word. "4 Jer. xxv. 9, xxvü. 6, "liii. lit.
25 Is. x. 'i. [:1:'111 H,lb. i. 11.
I.. xlvii. 6, Zeeh. i. 18. 27 Is. x"",vi.. 10.
2S Jos. de ll. J. 6. 9. 1.

CIL\PTEll XI.

c lr
ofs T them e say, ßlesst'C1 be the LORD; for I am
cir.4.";. rich: and their own shepherds pity them
· Deut. 2\1. 19.
Hos.12.8. not.
G For I will no more pity the inhahitants
of the land, saith the LOIw: hut, 10, I will

abandoned. "'hen then he had behcld thcir !'olid stren
th
and the
reatness of each rock, and how ac('urately thcy ,,:erc
fitted in, and how g-reat thcir leng-th and breadth, hc said
, By the help of God we havc warred: and God it was "'ho
brou
ht down the Jcws from tlw:<e bul,,'arks: for what avail
the l
ands of man or hi" en
ines a
ain
t slH'h towers?' l\Iueh
of this sort he said to his friends>' The Jews also wcre sold
in this war, as they had not been in formel' captures; and
that, not by chance, but beeause the Roman poli('y was dif-
ferent from all, Imown by" experience" in the time of Zecha-
riah. Into ßabylon they had bcen carried captive, as a whole,
becau
e it was the will of God, after the sel'ndy years to re-
store thcm. In this war, it wa
His will to dcstroy or di,;persc
them; and so those above Ii were scnt to I:gypt to thc
works; tho!'e below Ii were sold. "lThc whole number taken
pri
oners during the wars were 1100,000," besides those who
perished elsewhcre. "2 Read we the ancient hi!'Õtories and the
traditions of the mourning Jews, that at thc Tabernaeulum
.\brahæ (where now is a very thronged mart e,-ery year) after
thc last deqruction, which they endured from Adrian, UlallY
thousands were sold, and what could not be sold were re-
mm'ed into Egypt, and destroyed by shilm-reek or famine
and slaughter by the people. Xo displeasure came upon the
Romans for the utter destruction, as thcl'e had up Oil the
Assyrians and Chaldæans."
.dnd tlteir OIl'Ji shepherds (in contrast to tho!i'e who hougld
and suld them, who aecording-Iy wcre not their 0\, n, tem-
poral or spiritual) they to whom God had a!i'signed them, who
should ha\'e fed them with the" ord of God, 3 strengthencd
the dh;eased, healed thc sick, bound up the broken, and sought
the-lost, pi'.,! them not. Hc says what they should ha,'e done,
in blaming them for what they did not do. They owed them
a tendel' compassionate love -1; they laid aside all merey, and
became woke", a
S. Paul says; 5After 11I.1! departure shall
grievous 1l'oh'es enter ill alliong you, not s]Jariug the flock.
.dlso of .'Iour ml'1l seh'es sllllll mell arise, speaking pen'erse
thiug,
, to draw fliNty di.
('iples after tl/em. They who owed
them all 10\"(', "hall have none. "2 X 0 man-c1 then, he !'ays,
if enemies "hall use the rig-lit of cOllfJuest, when their very
!'hephenls
Uld teachers spared thelll not, and, throug-h their
fault, the floek was given O\'er to the woke!'." .\11 were cor-
rupted, I1i
'h Prie!'Õt, prie!'ts, scribes, lawyers, Pharisees,
Sadducees. X 0 one 6 had pity on them.
6. For I u'ilIno more pitp. Therefore were they a.flock
of the sla/lgltter, because God would lutu no pity on those
who went after shepherds who lutd JW pity upon them, but
corrupted them; who 7 elltered not ill t1lemsclus, and those
wh;) u'ere entering ill, tlle.1! !tindered.
The inllahitllnts of tlte land, "that land, of which he had

3 Ezek. xxxiv. 4. 1 Jos. ib t
1
r!
' I Acts xx. 29,

. Jer. 8 This is expressed
by the Hebrew iiliom, "their shepherds fplur.] one by one. pity [sing.] them not."
7 S. LuI..e JÒ. 52. 8 ':311 emphatIC. 9 Acts iii. 1:3, 1
. I. S. J o!m xix. 15.
11 Of which nJJi1 is used, Is. 1.=. 14; of the golden calf, De. ix. 21. SO ",'J, of the brazen
IleW

,
fud

: i

d
i,;.

'j:b
. 4, Ps. vii. 3, I. 22, L
'ti. 11, Is. v. 2(),
xlii.22, Hos. v. 14, l\Iic. v. 7, 8. 13 De. xxxii. 39, Job x. 7, Ps. I. 22, 1x.'tÌ. 11.
b. xliii.13'IPE
.v
.:., i'Kgs u. 6, Jer. xv. 21, xxxix. Ii, Ezek. xniv. 2ï.

51j9

t dclin
r the men eyery one into hi.. lleÎA'h- c .f"lOí\T
bour's hand, and into the hand of his kin
: _ "-'._-1."';.
1 I 1 11 . 1 1 1 I t ' t lIeb. .,lUke
all( t ICY s m smIte t Ie ane, ane out V to befuund.
their hand I will not delin-r '''('n!.
7 And I wiJl f feed the flock of slau
hter. f 'er. 4.
been speahing-," Judæa. And 10. God, by thi
word, 10, al-
ways commands heed to His g'reat doin
s \\ ith man; I, I,
.MY!i'eIP, visibly interpo!<iug, 1I.ill delil'er 1/Illn, the wholc ra,.e
of inhabitants. everyone into hiy neigh/JOur's hand, by e'on-
fu
ion and strife amI hatred \\ ithin, llml into the hand of ItÌ.

king, him whom they dwse and took a" their ()wn I,ing',
whcn thpy rejeded Christ as thcir King-, repudiating- the titlc
whieh Pilate gave Him, to mon their pity. "-hcrea.;: He,
their Lord and God, was their Kin
, they furmally \I dmiNi
Him in the presence of Pilate, tl'hen he ll'a.
determilled to let
Ilim go; they denied the Holy One and the .Just, antI
aid,
10 Ire lun'e uo killg bllt Cæ.Wtr.
A/lid tltey, the king- without and the wilù !'Õa,'a
cs within,
sl/llll smite, bruise, crush in piec('s. likc a brohen vc,..sel)l,
the laud, aml Ollt of their Itand I ll'ill1l0t delh:er them. Their
capth'ity shall be without remedy or end. Holy Seripturc
often SlYS, there is no deliz'erer 12, or 13 none call deliz'er out
of AJI); hand, or, since Goù delighteth in doing good, 1 14 , He 15 .
will deliver, or deli,-ereù 16 frum the hand!" of thc enem). IIr
their slaven-, or their own fears, or afflictions, or the lik('.
Gutl no where else sa,'s ah!'oluteh- as here, I 1l'illllot deli ur 1ï.
,. I1ear, 0 Jcw," says' S. Jeromc, '" who holdest out to thyself
hopes most ,'ain, and hearest not the Lord strondy a
!'Õertin:!',
I will not deliver theIll Ollt of tlteir hands, that thy ('aptivity
among' the Romans shall ha,-e no end." In the threatenc,1
capti
'ity Iwfore they were carried to Babylon, the prophet
foretold the restoration: hcre onlv it is !'aid of Judah, a..;
Ho
ea had saiù of Israel, that thci'e should he no deli\'en'r
out of the hand of the king ,,-hom they had chosen.
i. Thc prophetic narratin which follow!", ditfcrs in its
form, in slime re"'pects, from the symblllieal a(,tions of the
prophets and from Zechariah's own visions. The "} mholil'al
actions of the prophets are actions of thcir own: litis imolH''''
acts, which it would he impossible to repre
ent, exeept a,.. a
sort of drama. Such are the ,-err central points, the feedin:.:-
of the flock, which yet are intelligent men who understand
God's doings: the eutting oft" of the three ,..hepherds: the
a..ldng for the price; the unworthy price offered; the ca!i'ting-
it aside. It ùiffers from Zechariah's onn ,i
ion
, in that th(/I
are for the mo!'Õt part exhibited to the eye, and Zechm'iah\
own part is simply to enquire their meaning and to learn
it, and to receh-e further revelation. In onc ('a,..e only. h('
hilll
elf interposes in the action of the ,-i!'Õion IS; but this ton,
a
a
king' that it Illi
ht he done, not, a
him!'Õelf doing' it.
Here, he is himself the al'tor. yet as representin
Another.
Who alone could cut oft' !'Õhcpherds, abandon thc people to
mutual de!'Õtruction, annulling the cm enallt whil'h He had
made. l\Iaimonides, then, seems to say rightly: ., 111 This, J
fed the flock of the slaughter, to the enù of the narrati, e,

15 1 Sam. vll. 3, Ps. xvÜi. 15, Ixxii. 12, 2 K
xvii. 39, Is. XL't. 20, xxxi. 5, Job v. W.
18 E". xviii. 10, Josh. xxiv. 10, Jud. vi.
, 1 Sam. x. 18, xiv. lU, 2 Sam. xxii. 1,
Ps. xxxiv. 5, 18, liv. 9, En. viii. 31, Jer. xx. 13.
1; Once only on one of the brief repentances in the Judges, God a
"'el'S their prn)'t'r. /
will not &ave 'IOU ; go and cry to the f!od& which 'Ie have chosen; let them lave you: -but only
to sa\e them on their renewed repentance and prn)'er. Jud. x. 13-16.
18 iii.15. 19
Iore l'eOOeh. ii. 4ô, p. 123, 6. Buxt. Tr. p. 32ft Abarbanel (ad loco

:
,,
e :d
cl":ti

U;n

c
;' 2t:
';
;b
e
hb

d;,:i
;
/i::
<l S
k=;
length in 'Ic Caul's transl. of lùnIchi on Zech. pp. 10"'-:!OS.

570

ZECI-L\JUAH.

('
e
!ì S T rl Cl'cn you, gO poor of tllf' flock. .And I
ci r. ISi. touk unto me two staves; the one I called
!I
'j;:;

'1 llcauty, and the other I called 1\ ßands; and
r Zeph. 3.12. :\[att.]1._5. II Or, Binder..
wherc he is said to have a!'Õketl for hi
hire, to have rel'eÏ\-cd
it. and to ha,-c cast it into the temple, to the treasurer, all
this Zechariah saw in prophctic ,'i
ion. For thc command
which hc receivcd, ami thc act which he is said to ha\"C donc,
tlluk plaec in prophetic ,'ision ur dream." "Thi!'," he adds,
.. i
be)'ond contro,'ersy, as all know. who arc alJIe to dis-
ting'uish thc po
:-ilJIe from the impossible."
.. 1 The ,H'tions, presented to thc prophets are not always
to be understood as actions but as predi('tions. As when
(;()(l conl\llalHl
haiah, to make thc hcart of the peoplc dull 2
i.e. to denoUlH"e to the people their future blindness, through
which they would, with obstinate mind, rf'ject thc mercies of

hrist. 01' wh('n He says, that He appointed Jeremiah 3 to
destroy and to build; to root out and to plant. Or when lIe
commanded thc samc prophet to cause the nations to drink
the cup, wherelJy they :-hould lJe bereft of their senses \
.Teremiah did nothing of all this, but asserted that it would
IJc. So herc."
Aud I will feed theJTock of the slaugMer, rather And [our,
so] Ifed". The prophet declares, in the name of our Lord,
that He did what thc Father commanded Him. He fed the
flock, committed to His carc lJy the l
ather, who, through
their own obstinacy, beeame the .flock of slaughter. \\1 tat
could be done, Hc did for them; so that all IlIig-ht see that
they perished by their own fault. The symbol of our Lord,
as the Good Shepherd, had been made prominent by Isaiah
Jeremiah and Ezekiel, 6 Belwld the Lurd will cume, as a
Jlighty One-He shall feed His .flock like a sllepherd: He
,
/wll gather the lamhs with His arm aud carr.v tllem ill His
l}(JwlJl: He slwll gently lead tllOse tlwt are with young. .And
Jeremiah, having- (leclared God's judgements on the then
shephel'ds 7, 8 I 1l'ill gather the remnant of lIly.flock out of all
countries whither I have driz'en them, and will bring them again
to tlleil' fold; and they Ûwll be fruitful and ill crease. Alld I
u'ill set up sllepllerds over them which slwll feed them. Behold
tIle days come, saith the Lord, tlmt I will raise unto David a
rigMeous Branch, and n king shall reign and prosper-and
t/âs is the name whereh.v He shall be called, the Lord our
llig!tteoZlsnes,
. And Ezckiel with thc like context 9; 10 There-
fore will I save }Ily.flock and they shall he no more a prey;
([nd I will.illdge between cattle and cattle. And I will set Vne
....hepherd ot'er them, and He shall feed tltem: J'fI,1f servant
D(whl, He shall feed illem; and He shall be their Shepherd;
and, uTJ.iting' both offices, 11 David, l1I.f/ servant, shall be king
oZ'er them, and they shall all hm'e One Sltepherd. It was ap-
parent then lJefOl'ehand, 'Vho this Shepherd was to be, to
Whom God gave thc feeding of the flock.
,. Even you, or for you, ye poor of tile .flock ; or, t/lerefore,
hcing tlm,.; commanded, [feel I] the poor of the .flock 12. The
,,-hole flock was committed to Him to feed. Hc had to scck
out all 13 the lost sheep of the house of Israel. "14 He fed, for
the time, the Jcws destincd to death, until thcir time should
I Osor. t Is. vi. 10. 3 Jer. i. 10. 4 Id. xxv. 15 sqq.
5 :! retained in ò'I!(1
! as in verbs
in 1 Sam. i. 7, 2 Sam. xxiii. 15, 1 Kgs xiv. 9, 2 Kgs
ii. 8, 14 [bis] Jer. xx. 2. 6 Is. xl. 10, 11. 7 Jer. xxiii. 2. sIb, 3-6.
9 Ezek. xxxiv. 1-21. 10 lb. 22,23. II lb. xxxvn. 24.
10 The masora parva sa) s that" the p
is a feminine," i. e. so punctuated for i
?, as in the
:\rd pers. t:t!
2 Sam. xxiv, 3, Eccl. ix. 12; it!;1 Gen. XL". 29, LXX.26. Yetp? being, so often,
some 60 times, illative, t"erdore, it wOlÙd be arbitrary to take it otherwi-e here, since evenl

ir.elf nowhere o;x:urs as a pronoun. IJ S. Matt. x. 6, xv. 21.

I I fed the fl()('k. Before
CHRIST
8 Three shepherds also I cut off h in one dr. -Ilii.
month; and my suul + luthed them, and h Has. 5. i.
t H eb. rva! straitened for t"em.

me,;" the fruit of
is lab?ur ,-,'as in the. IS little .flock, "the
faithful, Jew
who beheved III HUll, out of the people of the
flo('k atorc!'md. or thc synag-ogue, 'Vho in the primitin Chur('h
de:-pis('d all earthly things, leading a most pure life." So Hc
sar s , 16 I will feed 11I!J .flo.ck and I will cause them to lie down,
swth the Lord God: I1mll seek that wllÎch was lost, ([nd brÏ1w
agaill that w/âch WllS driven llway, and will hind that which w,

bruken, and will strengthen that which was sick: bllt I u'ill de-
s/ro.'! tllefat and the strong, I willfeed them with.indgemeut.
The elcct arc the end of all God's dispensations. IIc fed
all; yet the fruit of Hi:- fceding", His tllil
, His death the
tra,'ail of His soul, was in tho!'e only who arc saved.' So
S. Paul says, 17 Therefore I endure all things for the elect's
sakes, that they l1Ul.1f also obtain tIle salvatioll w/âch is in Christ
Jesw" with eternal glory. [Ie fed all; but the poor of the
.flock alone, those who were deslJised of men, because thcv
would not follow thc IJride of the High Pl'Íests and Scribe's
and Phari
ees, believed on Him, as thcy themselves say,
18I-lm:e aU.1f of the nt/ers or tile Pltarisees believed on Him?
and S. Paul says, ]9 J\i'ut lIUlll.'1 wise men after tile .flesh, '/lot
1Illm.v mighty, 7Iot man.v 7Ioúle are called; hut God lIatlt
cltosen the fuolish tllings of the 1l'orld to c07lfuzmd the wise;
and God hatlt clw,
en tlte u'ealc things of the world to C07{fuzl1ld
tIle things that are might.v; aud base things of tlte world, and
tMngs despised, hatlt God clwse1l, yea, mul t/ângs which are
not, to hring to nought tMngs that are.
And I tuok unto _"'lIe two [!5hepherd's] staves, as David
says, 20 Tlql rod and TIt.V stqil t Ite.v comfort me. The one I ca /led
Beauty or Loveliness 21, as the P.-;ahnist longs to helwld tIle
beauty or loveli7less of God in His temple2
, and says; let 23tlw
beauty of tile Lord our God he upon ZlS.
And tlte other I called Bands, lit. Binders 'J.4. Thc one
staff repre!'ents thc full favour and loving-kindness of God;
when this was broken, there yet remained the other, by whi('h
thcy were held together as a people in covenant with God.
And I fed the.flock. This \\'as the use of his staves; He tcnded
thcm with both, ever putting in exercise towards them the
loving beauty and grace of God, and binding them together
and with Himsclf.
8. And I cut qlf three sltepherds in one month. "25 I have
read in some one's cOlllmentary, that the shepherds, cut off
in the indignation of the Lord, are to be understood of
priests and fabe prophcts aud kings of the Jews, who, after
the Passion of Christ, were all cut off in one time, of whom
Jeremiah !'peaketll, 2ð TIle priests said 7Iot, 'Vltere is the Lord?
aud they that handle the law knew lJle not; the pastors also
transgressed agaiust lIIe, ami tlte prophets propltesied h.lI Baal,
aud walked after things which du not P1"(!fit," and again, 27 As
tlte thief is aslwmed when he is found, so is tile hOll.fiie of Israel
asltamed; tIleY, their kings, aid/" princes, and tlleir priests and
their prophets; and 28 they said, COllie, let us devise devices
against Jeremiah; fur tlte law sltall not perish f1"Om the priest,
14 DiOI1. 15 S. Luke xii. 32. 16 Ezek. xxxiv. 15, 16.
17 2 Tin,. n. 10. 18 S, John vii. 48. 19 I Cor. i. 2li-28.
20 Ps. xxiii. 4. tl KáÀÀos, ó; .û7rpÚrua, Aq. Svm. (Theodot. also, see Field
Hexapl. on v. 10.) II decus." S. Jer.
" "t:!Ij Ps. xxvii. 4.
3 Ps. xc. 17.
24 From the common
:]IJ "rope;" in Arab. verb, .. bound fast as with rope,"" made cove
L
:
t

::
:;
1q
I

'f
i

,iIS. cJ;
t of God or man, personal security,'

5 S Jer. 26 Jer. n. 8. 21 lb. 26. 28 lb. xviii. 18.

CIL\PTER XI.

oj; I

Before
CHRIST
cir.
..j.

t1H'ir soul also ahhorred me.

Then said I, I will not feed you:
i that that dieth, let it die; and that that
is to be cut oft", let it be cut otl:'; and
let the rest eat eyery one the flcsh t of

I Jer.15. 2.

n. II.
t Heb. oj his
fellow, or,
tlei/lhbour.

1mr cmlll.
el.from ti,e wise, nor tlte word from the proplwt. <0 He

peaks of thc king-s of thc Jcws, and prophets and prie
ts; for
by thc threc orders thcy were
hephenlcd." ,.
The tl"Ue and
guoll Shepherd ha, in
heen already pointed out, it was rkht
and ne('e

ary that the hirdin

and false
hepherd

hould he
removed, the
uide
of the Jews in the law. The three !<hep-
herd
wcre, I deem, tho
e who excreised the leg-al priesthood,
and those appointcd jud
e
of the people, ami the illterprctel's
of Scripture, i.e. the lawycrs. For these too fe(l Israel. Those
who had the glory of the prie
thood were of the tribe of Levi
only; and of them :\Ialaehi
ays, 3 The priest's lips shall keep
!mow/edge, aml the.lJ shall see!. the law at his lIwllth. But thosc
who reeci'-ed authority to judge were al
o selected, yet were
appointed out of evcry tribe. In Jike way the lawyers, who
were ever as
es
ors to the jud
es, and adduced the words of
thc Jaw in proof of every matter.-But we shall find that our
Lord Jesus Christ Himself exprcssly pronounced woe on th.e
Pharisees and scribes and lawver
. For lIe !i'aid, 41Voe lmto
VOll saihes ami Plwrisees. And when onc of the lawvers here-
'upon answered Him sayin
, 5
1Iaster, so saying Tholl'reproach-
est llS also, lIe said, IVoe llilto YOll also, .lIe larl'yers! for ye lade
men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye YOllrselt-es touch
1I0t the burdens with one of .lIolll'.fìngers. These three Shepherds
then, priests and jud
es and lawyers 6, who remained in their
o,,'n onlers and place
, until the coming of Chri
t, were very
justly taken away in one mOllth. For since 7 the.lJ killed the
Prince of l{fe, thereby also arc they mown down, and that
in the month of the first fruits, in whieh Emmanuel endured
to he slain for us. The\" remailll'd indeed allmillistering- I
rael.
e'"en after the Saviour's Cross, throu
h the long--sutl'ering- alld
('ompassion of .Almi
hty God eallinlr them to repentancc; but,
ill the sentence pas
ed by God, they were taken away, at that
time, when they delivered to the Cross the Sadour and Re-
deemcr of :lll. Thev were takell awav then ill olle montlt;"
lXi
an. .\. D. 33. thc three offices, King-, Diyine Teacher,
Priest, were to be united in Chri
t: they might ha""e beell
held under Him: those who rejeetcd them in Him. forfeited
them themseh-es. These thcn He made to disappear, cffaced
them from the earth 8.
Alld
JII/ soul was straitened for them 9. It i
ll
ed of thc
On'ine grief' at the miserr of His people 111. And their soul
(/bhol"J'ed Jle, 1UlltSeated Jle n. ,. U 'Yhen it is
aid, Tlleir soul
also aMorretll JIe, the meaning is, '
ly soul did not loathe
them first, but their soul first despised 1\Ie, tllf'refore :\Iy Soul
abhorred them.''' The soul which drives away God's good
1 Theodoret. 4 S. Lnle xi. .U. 2 S. C}l. 6 lb. 45,

Ial. ñ. 7.
6 Ko other explanation of the' three shepher<is' seems to me at all to recommend itself.
The Jews made them )Ioses Aaron and l\briam (Taanithf. 9a.}and, from them, S.Jerome;
J. Kim. and (as one solution) Ibn Ezra, sU!!!(eSted Hagp;ai, Zechariah, l\Iala!=/ù; '" After
\\ horn,' Ù1e rabbis say. 'prophecy departed from Israel'" (.. on ac::'nnt of
he.cnt
mg off of pro_
phecy at their death," opinion in Tanchnm.) Abraham Lev. the. pnnclpah
r of the_;;ons
of David. and Ù1e monarchy of the Hasmonæans. and that of theu servants. D. Kim.,
"the three sons of Josiah, Jehoahaz. Jehoiakim and Zedekiah:" Abarbanel, "the )laccabees,
Jndas Jonathan and Simon:" Rashi. "the house of Ahab and the house of Ahaziah. and
his brethren and all the posteritv of the
ingd,!m of David (except :flk1sh) .Jain by
ab
and Athaliah:" Tanchum, "
o,I\lla the hl<:::h-pn_cst and, the second P!lest '!lid the an
mted
for war:" (Bu'i:torf refers for hIS office to :\Iaunonlde;<, _HIJ<:hos melachm unulchamac. i: and
massechcth Sota c_ 8, Le\':. Chald. co\. I
Gï). "And It IS said, Joshua. Zerrubbabel and
ehe-
miah," Tanchum. Theodorus of )lops. interpreted i
of 'Ù1e P':Îe,ts' generally, not of any
three classes of persons. Three cIaso,e,;, Prieots, Pharisees and SadduCl'es, "ere adopted b} I

anothcr.
lU

\ß(l I took my statf, ('l'('n Hpauty,
and cut it asnndcl', that I mig-ht hrl'ak my
eo\-cnant which I had made with all the
people.

Def .
C II R 1sT
cir. 4Ioj.

Spirit, ClIllICS at la
t to loathc Him and thc thou;ht and mcn-
tilln lIf Him.
!). Ami I said, I will not feed YrJll. God, at la"t. kaH8
the rebelliuus soul or peoplp to it"'elf, as He
ay
hy :\Iu"'(''''_
13 TI,ell Jl,l/ anger shall be kindled (/gaill
t tltem in tlwt day, alltl
I It'Îll .for.mlte them, alld u'ill hide JIy þ'ace Ji'om them, m/fl
tlley shall be cln'(JIlred. alld II/all!/ ails alld troubles slmll.fim[
them: and our Lord tells the eéll'tious Jew
; 1-10 I go J/y U'(/Y,
and ye shall seek Jle alld shall die in your sills.
That which dieth, let it die. Zcchariah seems to ('on-
dense, hut tu r('peat thc abandunment in Jeremiah; Iii Ca.
t
tllCm out of .J.1Jy sigltt, amllet them go forth. .dlld it shall !'e.
lf tlte!/ shall .m.,/ Ilnto tllee, li7Úther slwll tce go .forth f thlll
tholl slwlt tell them, Tlms ütith the Lord, Such a,
arc for death.
to death; and ,mch as arc for tI,e sword, to the sword; aJUI
Sllrh as arc for tlte captiz'ity, to the captiz:it!/. Fir
t, God give,.
over to death without, iolcnce, by famine or pe
tiJenec. tho"'e
who
e lut it should be; another pOl.tion to violent death hy
the
\rOl'd; that which iy cut '!if" slwll he cut fl.1!"; aud the 1'e,
t,
the floek of slau
hter. would be tUl"lled into wolvcs; and, a

in the nweful and horriblc sie
e of Jeru;;alem, tllll;;e who had
e
eaped these deaths, tlte left-ot'er. Ûwll eat el'er.'l olle of the
jlesh of his ueighlJOllr, e,'ery law of humanity and of nature
hroken. "16 So !'hould thcy understand at la,.t, how edl and
hittcr a thin
it is for all who li,'ed by :\Iy help to hc de:'-
poilcd of that help."
10. Aud I took 11/.'1 str!ff' Beflu(,/, and rut it asuuder. Xot.
as aforetimc, did He chasten lIis pellple. retaining IIi,. relation
to thelll: for such eha"tenin
is an austere furm of IO\-e. By
breaking' the staff of IIis tèndcr lo,,'c, H e
igJlificd that thi

relatiun was at an end.
Tltat I might dissoh-e ..11.'/ COt"enanl u'hich I had made u'ith
all the 1Jeople, rather, teit h all the peoples, i. e. with all nation
.
Often a:, it is
aid ot brael, that they brake the covenant uf
God 17, it is spol
en of God, only to deny that He wouJd breal,
it 18, or in prayer that lIe would not 19. Herc it i
not ab
o-
lutely the covcnant with His u hole people, which Ill' bmke:
it is rather, so to speak, a cO\"enant with tht' natiuns in f,n-our
of I;;rael. aJlowing thus much and forbidding more, with re-
g-ard to His people. So God had said of the times of Christ 20;
III tlwt daylwill make a covenant for them tcith the heasts of
the field ami u'ith the fowls of tile heat'en, (md with ti,e creeping
tlliugs of tI,e ground; and, 21 I u'illllla!..e teith them a COl'eJUmt
of peace, and will callse the evil heasts to ('ease out of ti,e laud;
aud in Jub 22 thOll sltalt be ill league with ti,e litones of ti,e
O

h
l

;=s
f
dG:

ï:::
l. t:

(M
ahb;:

9
' John x.).
7 Acts. iii. 15.
8 '1'n
:'1lit. "lûd," Job:n. 12. as
:;) unifonuly (IS times), thence Il.lþavE(",. It is used of
numbers: the 7 nations, Ex. xxiii. 23; of Israel, III the intention of their enemies. from beinl/;
3. nation, 'IJ::) Ps. Lu_..uñ. 5; of the house of Jeroboam from the face of the earth. 1 h.;.:riii.34;
of Sennacherib's anuy, 2 Chr. xxxii. 21. g As in R.
1.
m;:rt:isX;',

f::!:,'
S

:;'-J
tparison of Arab. J..!
is wrong. Its primary
II Such is the traditional meaning 01 "rD_ "Loathed )Iy worship," Ch.; "loathed," Abulw.
Tanch. coll'I

D

:
. '
7
e so nauseating 8S to vomit his f
.
. John viii. 21. I
Kim.
15 Jer. xv. 1,2, and simiJarly xlñi. n. 1ft Osor.
17 Lev. xxvi. 15. De. x.=i. 16,20, Is. xxiv. 5, Jer_xi.l0. xxxi. 32, Ezek. xvi. 59, xliv. í.
18 Le\. xxvi. .li. Jud_ ii. 1. amI, strongly, Jer. Dxiii. :!O, 21. 19 Jer. xiv. 21.
::0 Ho" ñ. 18, (:!O, Heb.l "1 Ezek. xx..ùv. 2.3. 22 Job Y. 2'
.

;)72

ZECH..\RL\H.

Before
CHRIST
cir. lSi.
'. Or. the poor
of the .flock,
.I'c. cu"tain-
{" knew.
t Zeph. 3. 1:J.

II
\nd it was broken in that day: and
II .,0 kthe poor of the flock that waited upon
nw knew that it Il'ClS the word of the LORn.
12
\nd I said unto them, t If ye think
ver. í.

field, awl tile beasts of the field .
/lllll be at peace wit It tltee.
This covenant He willed to annihilate. He would no more
interposc. as He had hefore said, lIll.illnot deliz'er frum tlteir
Itand. "llOenr would mi;dlt do, what they would, a... thc
Romans fir:,t, and well ni;.?;!1 all nations SiIH'e, have inflicted
on the J en's, what they willed; and
Iohammedans too havc
requih'd to them their ('011ttnnely to J('sus.
II. Aml so tile poor of tlte flock tllat waited upon JIe 2
I,new. The rest werc blinded; those who listened to God's
word. ohsl'rved His Prophet, waited on Him and observed His
words, knew from the fulfilment of the beginning, that the
whole was God's word. Every darkening cloud around the
devoted eity was an earnest, that the storm, which !'hould
,lcstroy it, was gathering upon it. So our Lord warned,
,; 117ten ye slwll see Jerusalem compassed tt'itlt arl/lie,
, tllen
know tllat tlte desolation tltereof is niglt. Then let tllem lI'hiclt
are in .Judæaflee to tile mountaim; and let them tl'lâch are ill
tlte midst uf it depart. The littlejlock 'U.'lticlt u'aited upon the
(;ood Shcpherd, obeyed the warning, and, flecing to Pella,
es('appd the horrible jud
ement which fell on those who re-
maincd. "4 They remembered that it had been predictcd
many eenturies before, and that the Lord, by 'Yhosc Spirit
the prophet spake, foretold that in that city 5 one stone sltuuld
not be left upon U1wtller."
12. And I said unto tllem, If ye thin!e
ood, giz'e
JIe IJl!/
I'rice. God asks of us a return, not IHl\-in
any proportion
to His g-ifts of nature or of gl'aet', hut su('h as ,,'e can render.
He took the Jews out of the whole human raee. made them
Hi" own, a peculiar people, freed them from tile bondage aml
tlte iron furnace of Eg.'lpt, gave them the land fln/l'Ìug wit It
milk and honey, fed and guarded them by His Providence,
tall
ht them by His Prophets. He, the Lord and Creator of
all, was willin
to ha\'c them alone for His inheritance, and,
in return, a...ked them to love lIim with their whole heart,
and to do what He eommanded thcm. 6 He sent His sen__auts
tu tlte IlllslHlmlmen, tit at they might receive the fmits uf tlte
t.ineyard; aml tile !msltftlUlmeu took His servants, elml heat one,
and killed another, aml stoned mwtller. Last of all, He Se1lt
Imto tltem His Sun, to ask for tho
e fruit
, the return for all
His bounteous care and His unwearied ads of power and
Im'e. .c 7 Give :\Ie," He would say, "some fruits of piety, and
tokens of faith."
"4 'Yhat? Does IIc speak of a priee? Did the Lord of all
let out His toil? Did He bargain with those, f()r whom he
expended it for a certain price? lie did. He eonde...cended
to sen'e day and night for our sah"ation and dig-nity; and
as one hired, in view .of the reward which He set beforc Him,
to give all His care to adorn and su
tain our condition. So
He complains by Isaiah, that He had undergone great toil to
do away our sins. But what reward did He requirc? Faith
and the will of a faithful heart, that thel'eby we might atté.Ín
thc gift of righteousness, and might in holy works pant
1 v.6. 2 '1111 C'"a':'1."'C::I occurs more common1y w. acc.of thg., commandments &c.
but w. acc peN., in good sense, 1'J'!/ TitJ "he that obsen-eth his master," Pro xxvii. 18;
also of God, Hos.iv.l0; of idols,!'s. xxxi. 7; and of observing for evil, 1 Sam. xi..x.l1,
Job x. U. 3 S. Luke xxi. 20, 21. . Ü",r. i S. :\1att. xxiv. 2.
6 S. :\Iatt. xxi. 3+-'37. 7 Eus. Dem. E\. x. 4. So Theod.
S Ezek. üi. 2i; add ü. 5,7, üi. 11. i 1 Kgs xvüi. 21.
10 Ex. ),xi. 32. II Maimonides More Keboch. c. 40. P. 3.

good, give me my price; and if not, for- c :
oÍes T
hear. So they I wcighed for mv price
: 48i,
thirty pieces of silver. . t :'

'l(;
u
e
13 ..\nd the LORD said unto me, Cast it I {i'::i. 26. 15.
See Ex. 21.32.

after enrlastin
glory. For He needeth not our goods; but
He so bestoweth on us all things, as to esteem Hi... labour
amply paid, if lIe see us enjoy His gifts. But He so asketh
for this as a reward, as to Icm'e us free, either by faith and
the lo\-c due, to cmbraee His benefits, or faithles...ly to l"('jcet
it. This i... His meaning, when lIe saith,"
And ifnut,furhear. God does not forcc our free-will, or
eonstrain Oul' sen-iee. He places life and death before us,
and hids us choose life. By I1is graec alone we can choose
Him; but we can refusc His g"rm'c and Him...elf. 8 Thou shalt

rl.'/1tltto them, He says to Ezekiel, Tlms suith the Lurd God,
He that heareth, let Mm hear, altd he that furheareth, let ltim
furbear. This was said to them, as a peoplt', the last offer of
graee. It ,!!"athered into one all the past. As Elijah had said,
9lf the Lord he Cud, fulluw Ilim; but if Baal, then follow
Mm; so He bid... them, at last to choose openly, whose they
would be, to whom they would g"Í\-e their SeITi('e; and if tht'y
would refu...e in heart, to refu...e in act also.
Furbear, cease,
leave off, ahandon; and that for ever.
Su they tl'eiglted fur JIy price tMr(v pieces (
f silver; the
-priee of a slave, gored to death by an ox 10. "'hence one of
themscln
s says, "11 you will find that a freeman is valucd,
more or less, at (iO shekels. but a slave at thirty." He then,
'Yhom thc prophet repre...ented, was to be valued at tMrl.'!
pieces uf sill'er. It was but an increase of thc contumely,
that this contemptuous price was given, not to Him, but for
Him, the Price of IIis Blood. It was matter of bargain.
12 Judas .mid, IVhat will ye
ive me, and I 'U.i/l deli1'Cr Him
unto !/Olt? Thc Hi
h Pricst. knowingly or nnl\nO\\'iug"ly,
fixed on the price. named hy Zechariah. As they took into
their months willing'ly the blasphemy mentioned in the
P:;alm; I3tltey shuut uut tlte lip, tltey shake tlte Iteat!, saying, He
t1'llsted in tlte Lord, that Ill' would delh'er Him; let Him de-
lirer Him, seeing that I-lc delighted in Him; 1'0 perhaps they
fixed on the thirty pieces of silver, because Zechariah had
named them as a sum offered in contumelv to him, who
offered to be a shepherd and a...l{cd for his re,,:ard.
. 13. 4-111t! tlte Lurd said uuto me, Cast it, as a thin
vile
and rejected, as torn flesh was to be cast to dOg':;H, or a eoqlse
was east unburied 15, or the dead bodv of .Absalom ,vas ca...t
into the pit 16, or the dust of the iò
l-altars into the brook
Kedron by Josiah 17, or the idols to the moles aud the bats 18;
or Judah and I...rael from the facc of God 19 into a strange
land 20; Coniah and his seed, a vessel in whkh is no plea...ure 21 ,
into a land which they knew not; or the rebels against God,
!:'aid, 22let ItS cast mea. V tlteir rfJrrll-from us; or wiekedne!'s was
cast into the Ephah 23; onee it is added 2\ for luathiug.
Unto tlte potter. The woròs exaetly eorrespond with the
event, that the thirty pieces of silver were cast or flung away25;
that their ultimate destination was the potter, whose field
was boug-ht with them; but that thev were not cast di-
rectly to him, (which were a contemptuo"Us act, such as would
12 S. Matt. xxvi. 15. IS Ps. xxii. 7. 8.
U Ex. xxii. 31. Ii Is. xiv. 19, xxxiv. 3, Jer. xxiv. 16, xii. HI. x>ovi. 23, xxxvi. 30.
16 2 San1. xviii. 17. Ii :J KI(S xxiii. 12.
18 Is. ii. 20_ add Ezek. xx. 8. Ii 2 Kgs xill. 23, xvii.
O, xxiv. 21, Jer. Iii, 3.

;s
J: t xix . 2i [28 Eng.
Zech. v. 18.
l ;erÊ
\

: 5.

p!1jtas.,.à ò.n{,p,a lJl .,.rii Jlarii S. :\Intt. LX\ ü. 5.

CIL\PTElt XI.

5;:1

C H B íi7s T unto the m potter: a goorlly price that ] I
cir. -ki7. n-as IH'ised at uf them. .And I touk the I
"'Matt. 27. 9, 10.
lint bc used, whether for a g-ift or a purt'ha..e), but were cast
to him ill t/'e house of lite Lurd. Tht'Y werc }lllllg aU'fl.'1 by
the rCIIIOI'se of J uda
. and, in Goll's Providence, ('allle to the
potter. "llether any portion of this was a (lir('('t symholic
a('tinn nf the prophet, or whether it was a prupheti(' ,-ision,
in whi('h Ze('hariah himself was an actor, and sa,,- hilll;;elf in
the chal"iH'ter wl1Îeh he de;;eribed. doing what he rt'late!':,
I'annot now bc said certainlv, sinec God has not told us. it
!-e('ms to me morc probahlë, that. thesc aetions hclong-ed to
the vi;;ion, hceau;;e in other sYlllholic al.tion;; of the prophet;;,
no oth('r a('tors take part; and it is to the last deg-rec unlikely,
that Ze('hariah, at whose preaching Zemhbabcl and Joshua
and all thc people set themselves earnestly to re},uild the
temple, should ha,'c had !':o worthless a priec oflèred to
him; and the casting a price, which God condemned, into
the house of God, at the eommand of God, alld 80 iml'l
'-
ing lIis ac('eptanec of it, were in('onsistent. It was fulfilled,
in act con;;istently, in .1udas' remorse; in that hejlul/g l (llmy
tile pie('es of sih'er, which had stained his soul with innocent
hlnod, ill the temple, perhaps rcmemherinl!," the \\'ords of Zecha-
I'iah; perhaps wishing to givc to pious lIS('S. too late, money
which was the prke of his soul; whereas God, even throul!:h
the Chief Priests, rcjeeted it, and so it ('ame to the IJlltter,
its ultimate de;;tination in the Providencc of God. ..2 He
;;aith, C(l.
t it unto tile potter, that they might understand that
they would be broken as a potter's vesseL"
I Thi. is in itself(as Kei] observed) decisive against the substitution of
II for
', as Jon.
:

:
::g
}tj
à
tp
:fd
;:e

r.ea

[n

ts::; o

%;f:;n

te

aIT

remain, that the Good Shepherd "as va
ued
t this contemptuous price; amI that the l!'oney
ito;elf was flung into the treasury: only ill thiS case the second c1au:-.e .. to the treasury m the
house of the Lord" would add nothing to the first, whereas, if
" be rendered in its natural
""nse .. potter," this acrounts for the ru;e of the
ord .. fling," and contains w.hat was brought
:

:t

t ti:.,n

r
::b
tth
rtf:e

b

/
I
I
;;

:
]

s
:

f:

\\ords.

M, .'treasure," or at tImes, "treasury."occu!8 79 tinle
in theO.T..;
;
, lit.
.. former." occurs 41 times, be,ide, these \erses. There IS not the shghtest approxmlatlOn of
the meaning of the two roots: "ISH is, .. trea.'ured l!P.:"
, .. made." Sin.ce th
n, apart from
iu-piration. every writer wi.hes to be unden,tood, It IS, ill the nature of thml!:S, absurd to sup-
po<e, that, had Zechariah meant to
y, "<;ast into the treas
ry," he shuuld not have used
the "ord, which every where else, 79 ttlnes, IS ".sed to express It, b
t shou
d have used a wo
d,
:t:

:;:ì
:

e
l
i
h:Ò
T.d

'':'h

:

ce
: (':h(

)
:=vti

2 chapters of Jeremiah, .
.viii. 2, 3, 4 (bis) ü (h_is) xix..l
, of "the pot
r.:' once only of

ti
eo
:

:'CX

:o
)5)I
n
I

i
;sI
;

e;,c

n
f." ?tfb

'

,i:,t
e
h
Ha:
is the 'Iaher: 'He that maketh the e) e,' Ps. xcjv_ 9. the he
, lb. xxxii
. 15, light, Is. x]v. ï:
the earth, lb. 18: the universe, ";'èlJer.
: 15,1i. It!: mountaills, AmoSlv. 13: gra.
oppers,

;
; I
: x\'iil.
p;i

; ;Ii
\x
l:
is o)I:k

t

ïi
i
Iix
:t

l

\L :

Ab

l

ik

h
eë:e
to
',!i:"O
i

ic
a:s

iì"asA
h:

r
1r.tdlh
r.PT':

:
l<<aac (
vii. cent.) Chizzuk Em:mah (Wa
ensei] Tel. ign. Sat. p. 141;.), "treasury;
which
the modem Anti-)Iessianic illte'"f,reters follow. Aquila has TÒV "'AåuT1jJ'; the _LX"\. a
d
8nnm. X"'''EIJTTlPIO'' .. foundry' 'in that T is used with regard to metals, Is. xhv. 12, hv.
17, Hah. ii. 18, as w;U as, more' commonly, of day. "1:ó\' isused
f the "pot
r" 2 S
m.
X\ ii. 28, 1 Chr. iv. 23, Ps. ii. 9, Is. xxx. 14, xli. 25, Ixiv. 7. Jer XIX. 1. Lam. IV. 2 (besIdes

:b':.

:
1ca;r:.
1
ti

:

h fp=k
h:

h

f

(f2;
t

)
:It.!ï

(':';.i
c'Jiefly of a gold-smith).' Ahu]walid does not notice it in ei
er lexicon, nor :Sa
d) ah
Ibn Danân nor Parchon. They must therefore have had nothmg to relllark on It, Ulter-
P'ì
I;!I;
t:

=

r
say, that the meta as to the inte':Chan
e of II and' in Hehrew
are much too vap;ue, the instances heterogeneous. AU the words, ill which II and' occur as the
first letter, are allied \\ords of the same meanil1!(, not interchanged. !'
ch are Toll and '"', "'C'II
cnd 'c", (whence the Proper KameS:'ll,lI'
'" 1 Chr. x>.v. 2. and
"õ:" lb. 14.). ""11. and'V'l:
it.... AE")'. (2 Sam. xx. 5) are again allied, the Maltese a]so havilli'( a root waeclmr. (' a.<;.<ah
l..,....melit. pp. 8:J, 631, in Ge<. v. 'Y1'). JDII" was stabl
" was, probahly, the basIs of 1'0'.
The use of the éi".. AE")'. 1)':::l<n fo:- u'C'n ,. turn to the n
Itt" Is. xxx. 21, WOl!ld
av_e been
any how a substitution of the <rllttural for the " no
,the' for
e II, and any amblp;l1lty IS pre_
duded hy the contrast of "'10:71 "turn to.th
I
fr. The hn C'Jl1'C ,Jer_ v. 8
IS only a Dad
L1Jrrection for the Ch. [:'In:>, and so not Blh
lcal Heb.rew. T
e"" are ,,:11 the m<<tances col-
I
cted bv Böttcher (Lehrb. n. 4.311.) In like \lay m. the .mlddle radlca]_ 11\': (Lev. x. 1
)
and n" beut. xiv.l:
. llöttch. 11113.4. add, re'..n, wl'lch
aad. and !lashl, n
or
probab]),
deri\
- from -C', Jer. ii. 11. In Ezek. \i. G, [:C" and Ceill both occur, as varJl1.tlons, not of
each other. hut of [:::I:i, \ i. 4.
PAWl' n,

thh.ty P;('C('!t of !oIiln'r, mHl ('nst tlwm tu C Itllf'ìST
the puttCl' in the huuse uf tht' LOlW. cir. 1;,7.

.A goodly price, tlwt 11l'((.
p,.iced at of Ihem, lit. the 7JI([[{-
l/[/icwce of tlte "I:allle 3, alu'/âch I u:as l'aill f d (!f tltem! The
!'trong irony i.. earried on h,- thl', at w/âch I 1I"a.
nt/ued of
tltem.' as in thc idiom, tluJIlu:ert p'recÎolls ill m." sight 4. Pu:.
dOllS the thllll!.:ht of God to Dadd ;;; prcl'iollS tht' )"(.tleml'tiltll
of the :,ooul of lIIall II; and pl'el'illlIs wa;; the Sht'pllenl \rh..
came to them; p,'et'iol1!' wa;; the yaille, whereat He \\ a.. "allied
hy them 7. .\ntl yet lIe. \\110 was so ,alued, was .\llIIig-hty
God. For so it !'tamh:: Tlms sait" lite LfJrd (lod, ("([
t it Ill/tU
the potter, tIle good(V price tlwt I ll'(M prÙ'ed at of thnll. The
nallle, the ]Jotter, eonnel'ts the prophet'y with that formcr
prophecy of Jen'miah B , denotllu'illg the jlldl!.elll('lIt of God
for the
heddillg of illlWI'ent hlolld, wherehy thcy had defikd
the nt/ley uf tlte SOIL oj IIillllom. "ll'hiclt U'(t.
((t tlte elltr." (
f tlte
{:ate (!f the potter!1 9 , ami whil'h, through the, ('lIl!:ealice of
God there, shnuld be called lIte 'V(tI"'.'/ (!f s/(lIlglder 10. The
priee of this inIJor'ent llluutl, by tht' shelldillg- of whil'h the
illicluitie!' of thcir fathe"
were filled up,
1\(IlIld rest Oil that
same place, for whose sake God said. 11 I leill b,.eak tltis
people amI l/tis city, as oue hrcaketh {l }JfJlter's "I:essel, l!t(lt
{'(/Jowl he m(lde u'hole again. Sn tht'lt S. l\I atthe\\" llIay ha,'e
qlloted this IH'ophel'Y as Jeremiah';;. to !':i!!-'lIify hltw the woes,
delloullecd on the sills t'umllliU(,d in thi
same plat.(.. slwlIld
be hrOlw:ht IIpOIl it through this la;;t l'J"()I\'lIinp: sin, alld all tIll'
rigltteolls hloud lv/licit Iwd heell sited, sl,ould cOllie UpOIl that
gellel"atiull 12 .
Other cases are simple omissions of the.. not an interehanp:e at all: as lop from 11'0' (11'e '.
I i: Arab. .'Eth.) Jer. xx,:. 27, ,,-.:!. for ",,""1:1 Ez. x"\ xi,'. :!U'. ,':1 Jer:. \i. 7 ,. a .1Il
r
L'O.-n,C-
bon for "11:1. and so, ap;am. not tilbhcal l1ehrew.
:" (1 !'am. XXII. 1:0. :!:! Ch.) IS a mere
corruptioll of 1!!"1. as, in all lanjrulW'" proper nam"" are the mo-t ea,jly corrupted.. (lSee
Danie] the prophet p. 405 ed. 2). 1:'11 (2 S,lIn. xx. 5. )lic. \i. 19) and the conUhun C", each

2rT

i
fn

t
:ls:hWst"'

':
or

ili

\

fsr;:

e
&;t5=

i.l1
to its fonn, it is, U the potter." .: O
or.
s
lC occurs in this sense, here only. In !\Ii. ii. 8, it is used of a wide gannent i.q. n;:1.(. 'j;;,
.. of valne" on]yoccurs e]se in ,,: oI,:j1. "a vessel of value" Pro xx. 15;
:-\>:I "every precious
thin
" Job xx\iii. 10; R";;>:"''' all its magnificence," Jer. xx. 5: "costhness," Ez. xxii. 25:
not directly a ".Price.". ... ,
I "Je"ish wnters who couJd satl'fy themselves .that the . thIrty ple<;E'S of sIhe! w
re
anythinlt but what they are, some thirty precepts R1\en to the. sons .of .
oah (my'tlca!,I11-
I terpretation in the :t::'J,'t "1 ap. Abarb. ad loco p. 219. v.), o
thI'"!'y dlR1u
es of tU) alty ( . tit"
wise of blessed memory," in Abarb. lb. p.
92. v.) or the thlrtV 11I:hteous Ip each l!"enc
atlO
.
promised (as thev say) by God to Abra
am ()Iidr
A!(I!:adah !" R
shi), o_r the thlrtv m
that generation (Kim.), or who "ent up with Nehennah. or "ere pnests m
IS tnne (TanclÍum
has " It is said. that perhaps it is an imap:e of the thirty rÍj!:hteous or pne,ts, \\ ho "ere the
noblest of the followers of Zernbbabe] or Kehemiah.") Ibn E., or
hirh days of imperfect re-
I pentance(Kim.), or thirty years of the reij..'Ils of the kings of the piOUS 1I""1110næan.> (Abra
.
Toled. in Mc Caul on Zeeh. a,1 ]oc.), or \\ho Fcrnpled not to o\\n that they could not e!,pl
n
! them at all (Rashi);-Jewish \\riters. who could, in any of.these \\ a} '. esca
from ,thmkmg
of those thirty pieces of sih <<:r. at \\ hieh their forefath
rs p!"'ccd the lilood 01 Jesus, uoubt not
that the Good Shepherd "ho fed them, \\ hom they rejected. \\ ho gave them up, \\ ho
speaks of Himse]f, "the goodly price th,,:t I was pn,
at of .them: (h
wever they may
na\'e distorted these words too) was Ahmghty God. Pusey s U mverMty Sennons pp.
1

;
"V 1 Sam. J<x\i. 21, p'. hxii. 14, 2 K.gs i. 13, 14, Is. xliii. 4. 6 Ps.c'txxix.17
8 Ih. "Iix_ 9. "i [:
"";:'::"li"- See Ewald Lehrb. n. 219a. p. :>73! ed. 8. s Jer. xix.
g rRa"'ëèl 'iV lb. 2. Set; (.;<,. fhe<. sub v. p. 5:!:? 10 Jer. 'tIX. 6. II lb. 11.
I
S: An!!UStine '"
e,ts that S. )Idtthew "ished to ]ead the reader to connect the prophecy
of zechari
h with Jer
m. xxxii. 9. "All copies," he sa):'" .. have not' Jeremiah' hu
only
. by the prophet:' bu
more )bs. ha\e 0e name of JeremIah: and thos
\\.ho ha\e consldere

the Gospel caft>fully ill the Greek copies, sar that the)' ha\e found It m
e older Greek
(copies); and there is no rea""n "hy the name shou]d be ad
ed,
as too occasIon a fault; but
there was a rea.""n why' it should be removed from some co l "es, thIS being done by a bo]d un-
shilfulness (imperitiaJ beuIg distracted by the question. t Iat this te>>timon) "as not found
in Jeremiah." .. IS. 'btthew," he says further, "wo!,ld ha.\ e corrected it. in his lite-tune at
least. when admonished hy others \\ho <:Ju]d rea,l thIS, "lnle_ he was
et m the fie,h, unle<s
he thought that one name of a prophet Imti'ad .o

nother did, IlOt without re,,:,on. occur
o
his memory, which was ruled b\ the Holy Spirit, bllt
hat the Lo!
:,ppomted that It
should be so written," 1) to shew that all tlte prophets, _speakm
by _the Sl'mt, al(reed togtther
by a marvellous consent, which is much more than If all the tl11nl(S of the prophets wert'
spoken hy the mouth. of one man. and so that, whatev
r the Holy Spir;t
aid h} them. sþoul

be recei\ed undouhtmgly, and each helonp:ed .to all an
all to e h ð;c. 2) to comhme It
with the selliI1!( the lield of Hananeel. 01 whICh the e\Jdmcc was put In an earthen vessel.
de Cons. Evang. L. iii. n. 3'), 3J. T. iii. 2..p. 114-11... .

one of the other ca.es of ml'ted quotat:t'n come "1' to this. S. :\lark quotes t\\O pro-
4

57J

ZECIIARL\II.

C Hß'i{ofs T 1-1 Thpn I eut asunder mine other staff,
cir.48ï. even II Bands, that I might break the
I
B illder8. brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
D
z:
. 34.2. 15
A nd the Lord said unto me, n Take

14. And I cut asunder mine other staff; Bands, to dissolve
the brotherhoud between Judah amL Israel. Hitherto prophec)
had slHlkcn of the healing- of the great breach between Israel
and .J udah, in Christ. TI,e Lord, Isaiah said, 1 slwll assemble
the uutcasts of IsraeL, and gather together the dispersed of
Judah from the four comers of the earth. The elll!!1 uf
Ephraim .
hlllL depart, and the adversaries uf Judah shaLL be
cut r!lf': Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not
vex Ephmim; and Hosea, 2 Then .çlmll the children of Judah
and the children r
f Israel he gathered tugether awl shall appoint
themselves une Hearl; and Jeremiah, sIll tlwse rlrl.If.Ç tI,e hUlI,
e
of JIlILal, sl/([lL walk with the Iwlt,çe of Israel. And Ezekiel,
in the midst of the captivity, in a symbolic action the coun-
terpart of this, is bidden, 4 Take thee one stick, amI write upun
it, /'ùr Judah, awl fur the children of IsraeL his companiuns;
tl,en take another stick, amL write upon it, For Joseph, the
stick (
f Ephraim ([lill all the house of L,"rael his companions,
rllld Juiu them one to another into one stick, and the.,! shall be-
rome one ill tll!1 IUllul; and, when asked the meaning of this
act, he was to say, Tlms saith the Lord God, 5 I will take the
stick of Josep/l, which is in the halld of Ephraim, and the
tribes r
f Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even
U'itll the stick of .Judah, and will malce them one stick, and the.1f
shall b(' olle in 111ine hand. And dropping" the symbol; 6 Thus
.\"(lith tI,e Lord Gud, Belwld, I ll'ill take the children of Israel
frum amoug the heathen, whither the.1f be gone-and I will
make them one nation in the land upon tile 'I1wuntains of brael:
and une killg shall be kiug to tl,em all: anrl th('y shall be 110
more two natirJl[s, neither shall the.1f be divided into two kill{Ç-
,1(}Ins all.I!1I/Ure at all-I will cleanse them, and the.1f shall be
J[y people and I will be their God, and David 111,/ servant
.
//([ll be killg over them, and the!! all slwll have one Sllepherd.

uch should be the unity of those who would be g-athered
under the One Shepherd. And so it was. 7 The multitude of
them that believed were of one heart and of one s01l1; and long
aftcrwards it was a pro,,:erb among the Heathen B, "See how
the
e Christians love one another." Zechariah is here speak-
ing- of those who had rejccted the Good Shepherd, the Israel
nnd Judah after the flesh, who shut themselves out from the
promises of God. This had it!' first fulfilment in the terrible
dissolution of everv band of brutherhoud 9 and of our common
nature, whil'h maile the siege of Jcrusalem a proverb for
horror, and precipitated its destruction. "IOHa,,'in
thus sepa-
mted the believing from the unbelicving, lie bared the rest of
His care. And what we now see bears witness to the pro-
phecy. For the Jews, being deprh'ed of prophets and priests
and kings and temple and ark and altar and mercv-seat and
f'arull('stiek and table and the rcst, throu
h whid; the legal
won-hip was performed, have come to be deprh'ed also of the
guardianship from abo,,'e; and, scattered, exiled, removed,
phecies, of Malachi and of Isaiah as Isaiah's (8. Mark i. 2. 3). 8. Matthew blends in one
words of Isaiah (lxii. 1) and Zechariah (ix. 9) as .. the prophet" (8.1\latt. xxi. 4, ô). oU:
Lord unites Is. lvi. 7. and Jer. vii. 11, with the words. ,'It is written."
Of earlier fathers Tcrtullian sinlply quotes the prophecy as Jeremiah's (adv. Marc. iv. 40).

h
e=':
id'

e:':'b
u:
:.t o
a

;;(.!t

':f a

n:
h:T;s

i:us

:'t:
it
is an error of writing, or that it is some secret writing of Jeremiah wherein it .s written."
(in 8. Matt. p. 9IG.) Ellscbi"s says, .. Consider since this, is not in the Prophet Jeremiah,
whether we must tJ.ink that it was removed from it by some wickedness, or whether it was
a clerical error of those who made the copies of the Gospels carelessly." Dem. Ev. x. p. 481.
1 Is. xi. 12, 13. I Has. i. n. a Jer. iii. 18.

unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish c I
IioÍe8 T
!o.hepherd. cir. -18ï.
16 For, ]0, I will raise up a shepherd in
the ]and.
cltich shall not visit those that be

en-e against their will those who preach Christ: denying-
Him as Lord, they )'ield senil'e to His servants. The prophet
having- foretold these thinp:s of l;hrist, our God and Saviour,
and reproved the obstina{'y Hf thc Jews, naturally turns his
prophecy strail!,"ht to thc (;od-opI'Hsed christ whom thcy ex-
pe('t, as they say. So said the Lunl in the holy Gospels tu
them, 11 I am come in JJI..'I1;'atllf:r'.
/lame, and ye l'eceive Jlle 1/ot;
([lIother will cOllie ill his oll'n name, aud him ye ll'iLl receit"e.
This the blessell Paul also pl"Ophcsicd of them, 12 Because tlli'!!
received not the lot'e of the frllth, that thi'.,!wight he s(['lH'd. God
shall .send them stroug delusifJIl tll([t th,'!! shuuLd believe a lit.,
that all1lligM be dalJ/ned, lclm belin'e lIot the truth, Inti hal"(,
pleasure in llllrighteollslle.
s. The like docs the blessed Zecha-
riah prophcsy, having rec
ived the powel' ofthe Holy Spirit."
15. Take to thee yet the illstrwIIl'lIt l3 r
f afuolÙ;h l4 s/lephen/.
"15 ret. He had enaeted one tragedy, in which he deal'ly
set forth the future g-uilt of Judas; now another is set forth,
the al'Cumnlateù scoffing- throul!,"h _\nti-Christ. For as Paul
said, because they reeci\'e not the Spirit of truth, the All-
righteous Judge shall send them a spirit of delllÛuJl, t IHit t Ile.1I
should beliel'e II lie 16. He calls him a foolish shephcrd, for
sincc the extremcst foIlv consists in thc extremest wicked-
ness, he will be the most foolish, who real'hed the highest
impiety, and this he will do by arrogating to himself divinity
and claiming divine honours Ii.
This is thc only action, which the prophet had to enact or to
relate. If it was a visible act, the instrument might be a
staff whieh should bruise, an instrument which should bear
a semblance to that of the g-ood shcpherd, but which !'hould
be pernicious. "l
Good shepherds, who understood their busi-
ness, had slight staves, that, if there should be occasion to
stl'ike, the strickell shecp IlIig-ht not be bruised; but one who
understandeth not, beats thelll with thicker clubs." Ur it
may mean also, whatevcr he would use for the hurtful treat-
ment of the sheep, sUI'h a" he proceeds to speak of. He is
spoken of as. in fad, t()(Ilishly sinful 14: tor sin is the only
real folly, and all real folly has sin millg"Icd in it. The short-
Ih'cd wisdom of the foolish
hepherd for his own ends shuuld
also l){' his destruction.
16. 1 will raise up. Go
supplies the streng-th or
wisdom whieh Illen abuse to sm. lIe, in His Provide nee,
disposcth the ('in'umstan('es, of whil'h the ambitious avail
themseh'es. Anti-Chdst, whom the Jews look fOl', will be
as much an instrumcnt of God for the l'erfel.tinC' the elect,
as the Chaldees 19 ur the Assp'ians 20 whom God I'ai,.ed up, for
thc chastisement of His formcr pcople, 01" thc l\Icdes against
ßabdon 21.
"VhÙ:!t sllflll not l'iÛt them tllllt be cut '!!f. Zel'hariah
uses the imagen', vet not the cxad words of Jeremiah

and
Ezekiel's. Kegiect uf evcry duty of a shepLerd to his flock,
4 Ezek. xxxvii. 16, 17. I lb. 19. ø lb. 21. 22. 23, 24. 7 Acts iv. 32.
butSi

t
t
IS;;.3
h:Z

: and l
o

f'l.rjohn v.
i.".o!!

Th
oc

?

l

re.
.3 Ezekiel has the idiom. ,. his instrument of destruction," ;n
1;) '7i' ix. 1; "his instru-
ment of slaughter," ;n
. .:J lb. 2; Isaiah. .. for his "ork,"1:'1l:'j.1t)' '?J liv. 16.
.. '
'l!! ä..... "III being often a subst.. "III is a sinful fool, Job v. 2, 3, and throughout the

:Vi

tt:d

:h
r;l;:í.k
.

ir
7:

r"7.
:'2tx;;"9.iv. 3, xv. 5. xx. 3, xxiv. 7,
19
.
^:'
; Hab. i. 6. .ti 2 Thess. ii201
\i. 14. 17 lb. 4. 21 'w ,.IJ/
s

r.i7.
22 Jer. xxiii. I, 2. 2J Eæk. xxxiv. 3,4.

CHAPTER XII.

Before
CHRIST
cir.487.

\I cut off, neither shall s('('k the roun
one,
nor heal that that is broken, nor \I fe4'd that
that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh
of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.
17 0 \\Toe to the idol slwplwrd that leav-
eth the flO('k! the sword /Ûlllll he upon his
ann, and upon his right eye: his arm shall
be clean dried up, and his right eye shall

II Or. hidden.
II Or. bear.

o Jer. 2.3. 1.
Ezek. 3-t 2.
John 10. 12,
13.

to the sick, the bl'Oken, the sound; direct injury of them
preyin
npon them, make up the pÏl.ture. '
JrMch shall not visit, or tend, that w/tich is cut off': ful-
fillin
God's judgement 1, that wlticl, is to he cut qff; let it he
cut (!It:
J.Yeither shaft ,.,eek the YOllng Olle, better, the scattered 2
dispersed, as the Good Shepherd 3 cmJ/e to seek and to sav;
that u'Mch was lost. -,Yor Iteal fhat 'lvltit'h is hroken; bound
lIOt, Ezekiel says.. "
The broken legs of shecp are healed
110 otherwi
e than tho
e of men; rolled in wool impl'e
?:natcd
with oil and wine, and theu bound up with splinters placed
round about it."
..Yor feed that 'lvhich standeth still, better, the wlwle 6 , as
the word always means, "in its good e
tate," like our prayer,
,. that Thou wouldest !>tren
then those who do stand."
Ii. Iro to tlte idol Ûleplterd, (a .<;/teplterd ofllotlângness, one
who hath no (luality of a shepherd i;) wltO leaL'etlt the jlock,
The condemnation of the evil shepherd is cOlllplete in the
abandonment of the sheep; as our Lord says, 8He tlwt i,., an
/lÍreling aml not the Shepherd, whose OIl'It the sheep are 1Wt,
seeth the It'OIf coming awl le(ll'eth the slteep aml }lee/It: and
the wolf catcheth litem and .scattereth tlte slteep. Tlte ltire

ling jleetlt, because Ite is an hireling alld careth not for the
slteep.
Or it may equally be, Sltepltertl, 9 tluJlt idol, induding the
ori
inal meanin
of nothin
ness, such a!o; Anti-Clu'ist will be,
"11) while he ('alIeth hiUl
elf God, and willcth to bc wor-

hipped." "10 This shepherd shall therefore ari
e in Israel,
because the true
hepherd had said, I will not feed you. He
is prophesied of by anuther name in Daniel the Prophet 11,
and in thc Gospel u, and in the Epistle of Paul to the Thessa-
lonians 1S , as tlte abomiuatirm of desolation, who shall sit in
the temple of the Lord, and make himself as bod. He
cometh, not to heal but to destJ'oy the flo('k of Israel. This
shepherd the Jews shall receive, whom the Lord Jesus shall
slay with the hreath of His mouth, llnd destroy with the hright-
lIess of His Coming."
The sword shall he upon [against] his arm and rigltl e.1fe.
His boa!'t shall he of iutelli
enee, aud might. The punish-
ment and destnu.tion shall be directed ag-ainst the instrn-
ment of each, the eye and the arm. "10 The eye, whereby he
shall boast to behold acutely .he mysteries of God, and to
see more than all prophets heretofore, so that he shall call
himself son of Gmt But the word of the LQrd shall be QPon
his arm and upon his rig-ht eye, so th&t hili iìtrength and all
his boast of Illight shall be dricd up, and the knowledge which

1 ab. v. 9. 2 ...1> lUl<op"urp.."o". d; dispersum. S. Jer. .. who have wandered
or gone astray," S1r. .. He who hireth a flock is fwbidden
1". What is this! To lead it
from place to place." Talm. Rieros. Tr. Shevii\h c. 3. in ßu"rt. Lex. p. 1363. Arab.
1Ir'>tc n'JI]]'I'IO .. W.hence camest thou to us?" c. '!I.:' traverst;d CQunt!"y" (Kam.>.: '1VJ is ]]ot
used of y
u'l:z
La

I
i

4. s S. !'ë
i;

'J

S

ii

' 11.
ft .. 'Yhich was set finn, or set himself finn." Nil'. as in I's, xxxix. 6, .. Every man in
his finn estate (;]
J) is all vanity." ...b "1o.ÓI<1o.1)l'o". Ó. .. id 'luad stat," S. Jer. So Syr. The

57,')

be utterly darkened.

Before
CHRIST
---0. -l

CIL\PTER XII.

Jerusalem a cup of trembling to herself, :i and
a hurdensome stOlte to her (uker.waies. 6 Th

victorious reMoriug of Judah. 9 The repentance
of Jerusalem.
T HE burden of the wor(} of the LORD a
8
1

'
. . . & 4.
. 12 lB.
for Israel, saIth the LORn, a wind} & 48.13:

he promiscd himself fahely, shaH hc obscured in everlasting-
darkness." "a Above and a
'ain
t the powcr of Anti-Christ,
"haU be the viJ.tue and veng-ealH'e and sentence of Chri
t,
'\'ho shaH sla.'l him with tile hreatlt of IIis mouth." The ri
ht
arm, the symbol of lIliA'ht, and the right eye which was ttJ
dircct its aim. should fail tOA'ether, throll
h the jud
elllent
of God ag-ainst him. He, lately boa!'ttlll and p('r
ecutinA',
shall become blind and powerless, bereft alike of wisdom and
streng-tho
The "ri
ht" in Holy Scripture hcin

o often a
ymbol of
what is g-ood, the Icft of what is evil, it may he also illlaA'ined,
that" 15 the left eye, i.e. the acumen and ('unnin
to devise
deadly frauds, will remain uninjured: while the rigltl e.ye, i.e.
counsel to guard against evil, wiII be sunk in thit'k darknes!'.
And so, the more he employ!; his ahility to e,'iI, the more
frantically will he bring to bear destru(.tion upon him
elf."
XII. 'óloFrom 'I will make Jeru!'alem' to' .\wake, 0 sword,'
there is a threefold exposition. For some of the Jews say
that thcse thin
s have already been fulfilJed in part from
Zorobabd to Cn. Pompey who, first of the RtJmans, took
Judæa and the temple, as Josephus rdate
. Others think
that it is to be fulfiJled at the end of the world, when Jeru-
salcm shall be J"e
tored, whil'h the miscrable Jewish raee
promiseth itself with its anointed, of whom we read above as
the foolish shepherd. But others, i. e. we who are called by
the name of Christ, say that these thin
s arc daily fulfilJed,
and will be fulfilled in the Church to the end of the world."
1. The hurden of tlte word of the Lord for, rather, upon](I
Israel. If this prophecy is a continuation of the last, not-
withstandin
its fresh title, then Israel must be the Christian
Church, formed of the true Israel which believed, and the
Gentiles who were grafted into them. So S. Cyril; " Havin

spoken sufficiently of the Good
hepherd Christ, and of the
foolish, most cruel shepherd who butchered the sheep, i. e.
Anti-Christ, he seasonably makes mention of thc pcrse('utions
which would from time to time ari:-ïe aA'ainst Israel; not the
Israel aceordinJ!: to the flesh, but the spiritual, that Jerusalem
which is indeed holy, 17 the Church of the Living God. For
as we say, that he is spiJ'Ìtually a Jew, who hath the 18 cir-
cllmciÛo1t in the Ileart, that throug-h the Spirit, and 1Iot in the
flesh through the letter; so also mar Israel be ctJneeived,
not that of the blood of Israel, but rather that, which has a
mind beholding' (;od. But such are all wlw arc ('aIled to
sunctificatìon throug-h the faith in Christ, ami whtJ. in Him
and by Him, know of God the Fathcr. For this is the one
true elected way of beholding God."

g

= :'
iliY

6
0

j

?

;2:'

only this force as intrans.;
'c. are. I.,
7 "'I<I! 'VI. aslf.!! "'!T'!," physicialls of no value." Johxiii_ -i. 8 S. John x.12. n.
g '1/"1. as a fonn tor:r.{1. occurs in Is. xxxviii. 12, '>>1
Ì1. 10 S. Jer.
11 Dan. ix. U S. Mark xÏÜ. U 2 Thess. ü.
14 Dion. 16 O.or.
16 See onli't
i
1
i8: ;r
The I,p of the title is rer.a
:!
i

:C)""
:rnrr-I,p \er. 2.

5j'ü

ZECI-L\RL\H.

C IPíioíes T stret('heth forth the hean'ns, and layeth II
cu..J. ì. the foundatioIl of the earth, and b formeth
the spirit of man within him.

b Num. 1(;.
2. EccIes.I2. i. lsai. 5i. lG. IIeb. 12.9.

Sinl'e the Good Shepherd was rejel'te(l by all, exc('pt the
JIOfJ1' (
t' the Jf()ck, the little .fl()ck which believed in Him, and
thereupon the Imlld of hmtherllOud was di!'!'olved hetween
I!'rad and .Judah. l
rclel in tho!'e times could not he I!'rael
after the fle!'h, whil'h then too was the dea(llv anta
oni!"t of
the true I!'rael, and thus earlv al!'o chose Anti
Christ,
lIl'h a!'
was Hal'-Col'hba, with whom' so many hundreds of thousands
peri!'hcd. There was no war then ågainst Jerusalem, since
it had d':lsed to be 1.
Eut Zechm'iah docs not say that this prophecy, to which
he has annexed a
eparate title, follows. in time, upon the
last; rathcl',
ilH'e he has so sf'pamted it hy its title, he has
marked it as a distinct prophel'Y from the I'reef'ding-. It
JIIay he. that he heg-an ag-ain from the time of the Mal'l'ahees
and took God's deliveranccs of the people Israel then, as the
fi,regTound of the deliveranl'cs to the end 2. Yet in the times
of Antiol'hlls, it was one people only whidl was against the
.Iews, and Zechariah himself speaks only of the Greeks 3;
hel'e he repeatedly eml'hasises that they wel'e all uatioll.ç 4.
It may then rather be, that the future. the successÎ\'e eftiJrts
of the wodd to I'rush the people of God. and its victory amid
sutrerin
, and its cOl1\'ersions of the wodd throug'h the peni-
tent looking to Jesus, arc exhibited in onf' g-reat pcrspel'tive,
al'('ording to the manner of propheey, which mostly exhibits
the prominent e,'ents, not their O1.tI('r or sequence. ',5 The
pcnitential aet of contrite sinnel's, cspeeially of Jews, looking
at Hil1\ T17wlIl tlU:.lI pierced, dates 1'1"1111\ the Day of Pentel'ost,
and continues to the latter days, when it will he greatly in-
tensified and will produl'e ùlessed results, and is here concen-
trated into onp focus. The rising up of God's enemies again!'t
('hrist'!, Chun'h, which commenced at the !'ame time, and
has heen continued in su('cessive persecutions from Jews,
Gentilcs, and other unbelie,"ers in everv ag-e, and which will
reach its climax in thc
reat .Anti-(,hri
ti<
n outbreak of the
la!'t times, a\HI he eOl1f
H1nded b,- the Comin
of Christ to
jud
t'ment, is here slimmed up 'in one panoramic pieture,
exhibited at O1H'e to the eve."
lVhich .
tretchethfort;' tIle hem'ens. God's crpatiye power
is an ('vel-pre!'cnt workin
, as our Lord says, 6 J1y Fa-
ther ll'urketh lzitllerto alld 11l'or". His pl'cse\"\Tatiol1 of the
thing-s which lIe has cl'eated is a continual re-cl'cation. All
"fOl:ces" arc support('el by Him, Who .\lone hath life in
Himself. He doth not the less uphold all t/zings b.lI the wurd
of llis ]Inll'e1', because, Ulltil the sucec!'!'ivc g-enerations, with
or without their will, with or against His'Vill for them, shall
have completed Hi
SO\-eJ'eigIi "ïll, He uphoilis them uni-
formly in being- by H
s L nchallg-in
Will. 1\1all is ever for-
getting this, and because, 7 since the fathers fell asleep, all
thing.
cOlltinlle as from the begilluing (
f the creatioll, they re-
leg-ate the Creator and His creating as far a" they ('an to some
tiille, as far ba('k as they can imagine, enouglt to fill their

I See at length, ab. on ]\Iic. iii. 12. pp. 316-318.
2 So Lap_ .. That Zechariah .peaks litera1lv of Ihe times of the Maccabees which were
shortly to jollow, appears both from the sequenèe of the times, and the connection and con-
l(rUen
y of the.e oracles with the deeds of the ;\Iac
abees. as also because v. 10. ends in Ihe
Passion of Christ. For this followed the times of the :\laccahees. As then Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Hosea. Daniel, Ezekiel &c. foretold whal was ,h011:ly to befall the Jews from Salmanassar,
1\ebnchadnezzar, C}rus, Darius. so Zechariah furlt lis what should pre,cntly befall them
irom Antiochu.s under the Maccabees." S} nups. c. xii.

2 ßehoM, J will make .1 crusalem c a cup C Hn
orS T
of 1\ tremhling unto all the people round c
r._4'\i.
ahout, \I when they shall be in the siege C

I

, 17.
! II Or, alld also agaillst Judall shall he bewllicll.lIall be ill siege II
.rp

:
:
eT.
I aguill" Je,"usalem.
I ima
:inations, and forget Him \Yho mmi(' them, in 'Yhose
I hanels is thcir eternity, \\110 will be their J udg-e. So the pro-
I phets remind thelll and us IIf His continual \\"orkin
, whil'h
men forp,"et in the sig"ht of I1is works; 8 Thus saitll tIle Lurd ;
Ill' that aeateth the hem'ells, and stretcheth them out; lIe that
spreadetlt forth the earth aud it,ç lJruduce, "710 gÎl'eth hreath
to thc' people 1IpOll it, and spirit to them that 7('(t/k tlu'rcÎn;
and, 91a1n the Lurd 11'710 maketh all things, 'VIIO stretclle/h
Ollt the Item'ens alone, TVIIO spreadeth abruad the earth h.71
ilIffself; speaking at ollce of that, past in its heg-inning yet
IJl"esent to us in its continuance, but to Him ever-pl'csellt
present; and of thin
s aetllally present to us, 10 tlmt frustrateth
the tokens of the liars; and of thing-s to those of that day still
future, II that cm
fil"1lleth the 7l'ord of llis servaut, awl JJe'J:form-
eth tile counsel of His messengers; the beginning of whi('h
,,"as not to bc till the taking" of ßahvton. And thc Psalmist
unitt's past and present in òne, 12 Do;miug liglzl as a garment,
streh'hing out the heaveus as a curtaill; lVho la!leth the becllJl.

of 1Iis chambers U1l the water,<;, 11"110 maketh the r/u1lds His

/l(lri()t; 'PlIO wolketll on the wings of the wind; Trlw 7Ilaketlt
1-1is augels spirits, His ministers a .flame of .fire ; lIe fuzl1ld('(l
tile eartlt upon its base. And Amo
, 13 lIe that fon/leth the
'lWllutflius and createtlt the winds, aml declaJ'e/h unto 1IIllli his
tlwugMs ;-adding whatevf'r lieth nearest to each of us.
Aml formetlt the spirit of man u'ithiu !tim, both by the
unceasing- ereation of souls, at e,"ery moment in some f:pot
in our globe, or by the re-creation, for which David prays,
I 14 Create in me a clam heart, 0 Gud, ami renew a right spirit
1l'itlzin me. He 'Yho formed the hearts of men can overrulc
I them as He wills. "15 ßut the spirit of man is furmed by God
I in him, not by being called to the beg-innings of heing", althon
h
I it \Vas made by Him, but, as it were, transformed f\'Om weak-
ness to streng'th, from unmanliness to endurance, altogether
being- transelemented f\"Om things
hamcful to better thing!'."
"15 It is the wont of the holy Prophets, when about to de-
clare beforehand thing's of no sli!?,'ht moment. to endeavour
to shew beforehand the Ahnic-htiness of Gud. that tll('ir word
may obtain ereden('e, th(lugl
they should deelal'e what wa,.:
beyond all hope, and (to speak of our conceptions) abm"e all
rca
un and I'redibility."
2. I will make .iemsalem a cup of trembling 16, For en-
couragement, lIe promises the victory, and at fiJ'st mentions
the attaek incidentally. Jeru!'alem is as a cup or basin,
which its enemies take into their hands: a stone, whieh they
put forth their stren
th to lift; but they themselves reel with
the draught of God's judgements which they ,muM give to
others, they are torn by the stone ,,'hieh they would lift to
flin
. The image of the cup is mostly of God's displeasure.
whic'h is given to His own people, and then, His jud
ement
of chastispment being exceeded, !!:iven in turn to those whll
had been the instruments of giving it 17. Thus Isaiah speaks

S Zech. ix. 13. 4 c'cy:'l
xii. 2, 3, 6, 9.
o Bp. C. Wordsworth here, and the like in Keil on xiv.
U. p. (;(jI.
6 S. John v. 17.
7 2 S. Pet. iü. 4. 8 Is. xlii. 5. g lb. xliv. 24. 10 lb. 25.
II lb. 26. I
Ps. civ. 2-5. 13 Am. iv. 13_ add v. 8.
14 Ps. li. 10. 16 S. Cyr.
16 ,,
., ã.... in this sense. The foml :'I"JNI occurs in the like idioms. :'I"J1-.nC1
, Is. li. Ii, 22;
:r,JNI j" Ps. Ix. :i. 1, See on OlJad. lG, pp. :!-lI, 2-l2.

c Jï[oíes . both against Judah (lnd ag-ainst J(,I'usalt'm.
Clf.
i. 3
r d And in that <la,' will r make Jel'u-
· ver. 4, 6, 8, 9, I e I I " t t . 11 I
ll. & ch. 13. sa em a )ur( ensome s onp or a penp e :

:

t4,6, all that burden thell1seh'es with it shall he
· :\1a.tt. 21.
. eut in pieces, though all the people of the
earth be gathered together against it .
of the CIlP of tremhling. 1 Thou, Jerusalem, hm.t drunk ti,e
dregs of the CIlP of trelllùling, hast iL'rllng tI'OIl out. Therefore
hear tholt t!ti,
, thmt (!tflicted ami drunken bltt /wt 1citlt wille.
Titus saith tllY Lord. ti,e Lord, (l/ui th.if God tlmt pleadeth the
calise of .llis people, Belwld, Ilull'e taJ.ell Ollt of t!tine hand tI,C
cup of trelllhlillg, the dregs of the cup of
1I!J fllr!J; tholt ,<;halt
1/0 more drink it again: hut I will put it into the hawl of thent
that I!/flict thee. Jeremiah speaks of the CIlP (
f Gud's allger,
as gi\"cn hy God first to Jerusalem, then to all whom Xehu-
('hadnezzar should subdue. then to Babylon itself2; and as
llUsslng through to Edolll al!.;o 3; Ezekiel, of .dholilJ(lh 4 (J eru-
salem) drillkilig the cup of Salllaria. In Jeremiah alone, Baby-
JOII is her
clf thc cup. 6 Bab.lflon is a golden cup in ti,e Lord's
Ilfl/llt, that 1//ade all the uatiow' drllilkell; the uatiulls IWl'e
drltllken of tI,e wine; therefore the uations are mad. K ow J cru-
salem is to be. not an ordinary cup, but a large basi" 6 or vessel,
frolll which allnatiolls may drink what will make them reel.
Awl also upon Judah will it be ill the siege agaillst Jeru-
,mlelll, i. e. the burden of the word 7 of the Lord u:/tich lL'as on
l
rael !<hould be upon Judah, i. e. upon all, grcat ami small.
3. I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stolie to all/wliolls.
"
hat is a stone to all nation,.,? It is not a ro('k or anythill

ill its own nature immo\"eable, but a stolle, a thing rollcd up
aud dowII, mo\"ed, liftcd, displaced, piled on othel's, in (','el'Y
way at the service and command of men, to do with it what
thev willed. So thev thou
ht of that 8 stolle ellt Ollt without
lu[/;d.\,; that 9 tried ;tolle (;,/(I sure fOll/ulatioll, laid in Zion;
that ,
tolle whieh, God said in Zcchariah 10, I have laid; of which
ollr Lord says, 11 tlte stone, w/tieh the bllilders rejected, is become
tlte Itead of tlte corner; 12 whosoever shall fall on this stolle shall
be brokell. but Oil whomsoever it s/wll fall, it 1cill grind Mill to
JUIII'Iler. The Church, built on the stone. seems a thing- easily
annihilated: ten persecutions in succession strm'e to efface
it; J)ioeletian erected a monument, commemoratiug that the
Christian nallle was blotted out 13. It sun-ivcd; he perished.
The image may have been sug
ested by the ('ustom, so wiòely
pl"evailin
in J udæa, of trying the relath-c stren
th of youn

men. b,' lifting" round stoncs selected for that end H. "1. The
llleanil;g thel
is, I will plaee .Terusalcm to all nations like a
Hry heavy stone 16 to he lifted up. They will ]ift it up, and
according" to their \"aried streng"th, will waste it; but it must
lJeeds be, that, while it is liftcd, in the ,'ery strain of lifting
J Is. Ii. Ii, 21-23.

Jer. xxv. 15--26. a Lam. iv. 21. Jer. xlix. 12.
4 Ezek. xxiii. 81-33. 6 Jer. Ii. 7.
6 'jO is the basin, which received the blood of the Paschal lamb, Ex. xii. 22; c'!!:I. with
beds and earthen vessels. were brought to David by Barzillai and the others, 2 Sam, xvii. 2b.
Else they are only mentioned as instruments of the temple-services. 1 Kgs VÜ. 50, 2 Kgs XÜ. 14,
Jer, Iii. 19.
. II

is the only natural subject, as in L'C. 1, the burden of the Lord ;. on the land of

';
;;

:
ì.su
h

'. fti
::
îJ

i
,t
g =

t:tt
c.., l
flbeV iat
;:

Jerusalem to be in the siege ap;ainst Jern<alem." Had" the cup of trembling" been the
subject, it had probably been 1T'11:1'), as C'::lI:1
. "!'\or c:':n ,,
be the subject; for c.??Dtries,
as Judah, are not the objects of biej(e. 8 Dan. 11. 45. i Is. xxvm. 16.
10 Zech. ill. 9. 1\ S. Luke xx. Ii. U S. :\latt. xxi. 44. S. Luke xx. 18.
13 Baronius speaks of two inscriptions as stilI existin
at Clunia (Corunna dBl Conde)
in Spain. The one had, "ampliticato per Orientem et Occid. Impe. Rom. et nomine
g

iôn

:
p
t:.
t

aÏ.t;" the other, .. super.;tition
Christi ubiq. del
ta.
14 .. It is the cu,tom in the cities of Pale,tine, and that old usage IS kept up to this day

CHAPTER XII.

5;7

-1 In that day, saith tlIP Lonn. f [ will C .fí{oisT

mite e,-en' horse n ith astonishment, and cir. -k-i. _
I . . I '. I I I I . 11 f P.. 76. 6.
liS 1'1( l'r Wit I mat ne.,s: ant WJ op('n Ezek.38..J.
mine eyes upon the house of .Judah, and
will smite e,-ery horse of the people with
hlindness.

the wei!!;ht, that mo!'<t hean-
tonc should lea,-e !'ollle
("i!<sion
or ra
ure on the lJUdif'
u(those ,,110 lift it. Of the' Churl.h
it may he interpreted thns: that all l'erse('utor,.. "hu fon!!;ht
ag'ain
t the house of thc Lorll. are inchriatcò "ith that ("up.
whi.,h .Tel'cmiah g-i,-cs to a\lnatiuns, to drink alid hc ÍIil'hriatcd
ami fall ami ,-omit and be mad. \\lwsoe,'er would uplift thc
stone
hall lift it, and in the an
er IIf the Lord, wllereby lIe
clHl
tens ,.inners, "ill hold it in his halld
: but he him",'lf
will not go unl'unisllCù, the 8wonl of the Lord fighting again
t
him."
.All tllILt burden t/,elll,.,e"'e
' with it tl'ill be Cilt to pieces 17,
morc exactly, scarflied, tllf't rated; shall bear the sears. Tltollglt
(rathcr, alld) 1I11 tlte people [}1('o}lle.
. IIl1lioll.,] of tlte earth shall
be gathered togetller 1It,llillst it. The l'ruphet mar
hals them
all a;.:-ain
t JCl"Usalelll, only to !Ò'ay hun' they
hould perish
bcfore it. So in Joel God says, 18lu'ill also gather all nfltioll."
mill will bring them doll''' to tlte l'alle.1I (!f JehfJslwphat, speakin

of that la,.t dusin
stl'Ífe of Anti-Christ a!!:ainst God. 'r ar..
a
ainst Israel ha
l either been petty, th
ugh .Anti-thci:;ti."
WaI'S IIf ncil!hhouring petty natillns, pitting- their falsc
lIrl!<
ag-ain
t the True, ur one, tlHlu
h worid-clll['ire \\ idded by a
siJl
1c will. The morc Gild maòe Himself known, thp fien'er
the o(Jl'o
ition. The Go:o:pel claiminl! 190bediellce to the fait It
allwlIg all /lations, provoked uni\"ersal rehellion. IIcrud and
Pontius Pilate became friends thl'uug-h rpjcetion uf Chri
t;
thc Roman Ca'sar and the Pcrsian
apor, Goths aud Vamlals,
at war with one anuther, wcre one in persecuting Chrbt and
the Church. Yet in vain;
4. III tlwt day, saitl, the Lord, I will smite erap horse
witlt astonislanelll, stupc}!,illg. Z...dmriah rniH's the word..
con('entrated by
Jo..es, to expre,.s the !'tupefaetioll at their
ills. whieh God wouM a("('umulate upon His people, if they
perse\"erinl-dy rebelled a
ain"t Him. Each express('s thp in-
tensity of thc vi"itation
O. The horse and /â,., rider had. throu
h
:\Ioses' song at the Red Sca, beeome the emblem of n orldly
power, o\"erthrown. That
on
open..: 211'l'Íll .\iJ/g llJdo ti,e
Lord; for lIe Iwtll triulllphed g!orioll"ly: ti,e horse (I//(I /tis
rider hall/ Jle cast illfo IIIC :sea. Thc !'eared ('antI1"\" tÎlrow..
into eonfusion the ranks, of whieh it was the b
ast and
stren
th.
And Oil the house of Judah I will OJlC1l
lI.'I e.'les, in pity
and love and guidance, as the P
almist
ays, 2
I ll'ill COll1lsel,
throughout J udæa, that in viUages towns and forts, round &tones are placed. of very great
wei
ht, on which young men are wont to practise themsel\"es, and accoidill
to their \arying
strength, lift them. some to the knees, other.; to the navel, others to the shoulder>> and head;
other.; lift the weittht above the head. "ith their two hands raised straight up, shewing the
greatness of their stl'eDlrth. In the A
ropolis at Athens, I saw a brass globe. of \ery great
i

ttoi;

:1

:.brta

th=

i
=d of=iíe
o

s

:d
}

::

j:.

e,:
::=\

:,:.,
t
: k

it was ascertained by the lift
gS

t "eight, "ho wght
lð lit. "a stone of la<1im::," which whoso lifteth would be laden or burthened. It is the
on
r
isf

e

Z

::h}
:lfili

rc

l

b:;.
", only Lev. xLx,
s
xxi. ii, of the forbidden inCÌSÎODS for the dead. Arab. \;-:;1 and Syr. c,;J, "scarified" 8
r.
I:'-nll "was branded."
18 Jo. iü. 2. See ab. pp. 132, 133, and pp. 13i-139 on .To. iÜ, 9. , Ii Rom. i. 5.
W Deut. xxviü. 2", 1',,;1;1 (the only noun derived from ò't:;;t) (and WIth the same "urd 11::)
P"oP occurs
nly. there be
ides; ,'!'p. JJe:;ides, only i,?
l\.gs ix. 20: Only JT
is omiUed
after p.T:n, SIDce It st

t

:
u;
<t_OIJ w.th the horse ill
els

'

ãj8

ZECH
\RL-\H.

Bpfore
C
r
J;
T
II Or. There
is strf"
/h
to me aJÌd
to tile i"l,a

bitfl"ts,
c.
Joel 3. 16.
I Obad. 18,

5 And the governors of Judah shall say
in their heart, 1\ The inhabitants of Jeru-
salpm s],all be my
trellgth in the LORD of
hosts their God.
6
In that day will I make the gover-
nors of Judah g like an hearth of fire alllong
the wood, and like a torch of fire in a
sheaf; and they shall dcyour all the peo-
pl
round about, on the right hand and
on the left: and .Tprusalem shall be in-

u'ith ]'Iine e.lle UpOIl thee, in contrast with the blindness with
which God would !'mite the powers arrayed against them.
5. And the prince,., of Judah. He pictures the one-
mindedlle
s of the Chureh. No one shall assume anythin

to him
elf; each shall exalt the strength which the other
was to him; but all, in the Lord. The princes of Judah
shall say ill their heart, not outwardly or politically, but in I
inward convietion, strength to me 1 (all speak as one) are the
inllflLitants of Jerusalem in the Lord of hosts their God. The
hi
hest in human estimation acknowledge that their stren
th
i!< in those who arc of no account in this world; as, in fact,
the hearts of the jHJor are enl"lnore the strength of th(' I
Church; but that, ill the Lord of host,.,; in Him, in ,,'hosc
hands al'e the powcrs of heaven and earth, over against the I
petty turmoil on earth. God had cllOsen Jerusalem 2; there-
fore she was invincible. "That most glOl'ious prince of Judah,
Paul, said, '1 CUlt do all tMngs ill Christ 'VIm imtrengthenetlt
lIle.' "
6. [will make the got'ernor,., of .Judah like a hearth or
('(lllidron 3 of fire, larg-e, broad, deep, and full of fire, among
the wood which is prepared for burning\ and like a torch of
.fire ill a ,..Ileaf. The fire eould not kindlc the wood or the
sheaf, of itself, unless apl)lied to it. All is of the agency of
God: [wiIl1llake.
"5 He foretclls the increase of the Church, which by such
perseentions shall not be diminished, but shall be marvel-
lously increased. The preachers of the Church shall raise up
all the peoples round about, shall destroy all unbelief, ami
shall kindle the hearts of hearers with the fire of the Divine
word." Oil the rigid IUllld and Oil the left. "5 He indicates
the stren
th and success of the preaehers, whom no one ean
resist oz' hinder," as our Lord says, ø I will give YOll a moltth
aml wisdom, which all yoltr adversaries sltall not be able to
gainsa.//nor resist.
And Jerusalem shall again, rather, yet, be inhabited.
"Yct" is a sort of burden in Zechariah's prophecies 7 . "8They
at once burned up by the flame all the defilement of vices,
and kindled the minds of men with the torch of Dhrine 100'e;
at OIwe consumed the enemv and cast a hca,'enlv fire into
the human heal.t: yet; in de
pite of all appearanl'es, of all
whieh i,,; against her. She sltall yet dwell in her own place in
.Jerusalem; for, however the waves of this world chafe and
lash them,,;e1ves into foam against her, they break themselves,
I ;,r;:1I ä...; as is t"hZ

rti, JJ'.b l

it/
.
';I lb. xxxvi. I!).
3 'ÏI':iI. in 1 Sam. ii. 14, is 'a vessel, in which the food i.. cooked;' in 2 Chr_ vi. 13 'a pwpit;'
"0 that the vessel, to which it is likened, must have been lal'l(e; as must have been the brazen
laver of the tabernacle (Ex. Lev.) or temple (2 Kgs), of which the word is elsewhere used.
Each laver of Solomon's temple contained forty baths, or about 300 gallons, and was four
cubits ( 1 K!(S vii. 38) square apparently (coll.'27.).
111;,
e

;ia

;;;
ec

t,ll:
:t

!Ìi

,:
J

.0;6:)J
d.

it I

habited again in hel' own place, ercn in C
?
oÏs T
J erusalpffi. cir.-t8ï.
7 The LORD also shall sa,-e the tents of
Judah first, that the glory of the homse of
David and the glory of the inhabitants
of Jerusalem do not magnify tltemselt'c8
against Judah.
8 In that day shall the LORD defend the
inhabitants of Jerusalem; and h he that is b Joel 3. 10.
II tfeeble among them at that day shall be as
?í
b
1

:;n.

not her; as soon as they hmre reached their utmost hcight,
they fall back; if thcy to!'s themselves and, for a moment,
hide hcr light, they fall down at all sides, anò the ray shines
out, steady as beforc; for she is founded 011 a roel., against
which \I the gates of hell should not prevail.
7. TIle Lorclalso shall save tlte tents of JlIrlah.first. Still
it is, the Lord shall save. '" e have, on the one side, tIle siege,
the gathering of all the peoples of the earth against Jerllsalelll,
the horse and /tis rider. On the other, no human strcng1h;
not, as before, in the prophecy of the .ì\Iaecabees, the bow,
the arrow, and the sword. though in the hand of God 10. It
is thrice, I will make ll; [wilt smite 12; and now, Tlte LOI'd
shall save. By the tents, he probably indieates their defence-
lessness. God would S(l'L'e thelll first; that tlte glory 13 of ti,e
house of David-be not Kreat against or over .Tlldah, may not
O\rershadow it; but all may be as one; for all is the free gift
of God, the mere grace of God, that U he that glorieth rlU'.'l
glory in the Lord, and both" 15 may own that, in both, the
victory is the Lord's."
"16[n Christ Jesus is neither Jew nor Greek; neither hond
rwr free 17, neithcr rich nor poor; but all are one, viz. a nen'
ereation; yea in Christendom the poor are the highcst, both
because Christ 18preaelled to the poor, and pronounced thc
19 ponr blessed, and He made the Apostles, being poor, nobjes
in His king-donI, through whom Hc cOll\rcrtcd kings and
princes, as is written, 20 ye see your calling, brethren, that 110t
man.1f wise men after the flesh, not many mighf.lf, not many noble
are called, but Godlwth chosen the foolish things of the 'U'orld
to C01
fowl(l the wise, and tlte weak things of tIle world to con-
found the tMugs w/âch are migM,lf 8;'c. ; and, 211/atlt not God
called the poor in tMs world, rich in faith, a1/(1 heirs of ti,e
kingdom, which God Iws promised to them that love Him?
The rich and noble ha\re greater hindrances to humilit\" and
Christian virtues, than the poor. For honours putf up, ,,:eaJth
and delig-hts weaken the mind; wherefore they necd
I-eater
grace of Christ to burst their bonds than the poor. "There-
fore, for the J!;Teater grace shewn thcm, they are bound to
give greater thanks unto Christ."
R [It that day the Lord shall defend the inhabitants of
Jerusalem; und he that is feeble, rather, he awl stllmbletlt
among tllem, shall be as David. The result of the care and
the defenee of God is here wholly spiritual, "thc strengthen-
ing of such as do stand, and the raising up of such as fall."
in Jotham's fable lb. 9-15, or Ps. xcvi. 12, civ. 16, Cant. iv. 14, Is. vii. 2. &c.
5 Rib. 6 S. Luke xxi. 15. .. See relf. note 2. 8 Osor.
8 S. Matt. xvi. 18. 10 Zech. ix. 13. 11 ver. 2, 3, 6. 12 ver. 4 bis.
13 n"1/(!%1 is nowhere" gloriatio," as Ges., but simply" glory," .. beauty," though, rarely, it
is implied in the context that he who has it, is proud of it, as Is. iii. 1M. x. 12, xiii. 9.
I< Jer. ix. 2-l, I Cor. i. 31, 2 Cor. x. 17.
16 S. J "i8 S. Luke iv. 18. 16 Lap. 18 I

v?a
ô
' 28.
20 1 Cor, i. 26. 21 S.James ii. 5.

CfL\PTEIt XII.

5,9

Dad(1; and the hnu'ic of Da\-id ."IUlIl be as I ]0 It
\IHI I will pour upon the house of C lr![oÍe
T
Go(l, as the angel of the LORD before them. I DaYid, and upon the inhabitants of Jeru-
-J
ï.

,
, .And it shall come to pas!' in that 'salpm, the spirit of
l'ace and of suppliea- It
"'ió

.9.
day, that I will spek to i destroy all the lla- tiems: and they shall Ilook upon me whom f
ík2.3
8.29.
tions that cume against Jerusalem. they ha\'e pierced, and they shall mourn 1 J3

n
'.f.'ï.

Before
CHRIST
dr.
i.

I Hag. 2. 22.
ver.3.

It is not simply onc fedlle, but one stumMillg I and ready to
fall, who b('comes as David, the great in
tan("e of one who
fell, yet was raised. Daniel says of a like trial-time, 2 AmI
some of those of Illtdentmulillg shall stumble, to try them alld to
purge aml to make them white, to the time of tlte elld. "3 Such
care will God have of proteding the sons of the Churt'h,
when it shall be infested with l'el'
ecutions, that he who
hall
IHH'e fallen throllg'h human infirmity, either deceÎ\red by
heretics or overcome by feal' of tortures, shall arise the more
fervent and eautious, and with many tears shall make amends
for his sins to God, as did David. He wlw stumbled shall be
as Dadd, be{'au
e the sinner rcturneth to repentance. This
is not said of all times, nor of all (for many have stumbled,
who never rose) but chiefly of the fir
t times of the Church
and of men of great sane.tity, such as were many then."
Allel the Iwuse uf D(ll'id ð'hall he as Gud. They who
"tumblcd became really like David; but he, though mighty
and a great
;aint of God, though he OlH'e fell, was man.
How then could the house of David bc reallv like God?
Only fully in lIim, 'Vho, 4 heillg ill the form of God, thuught
it uot l'ohbery to he equal u'ith Gud; "Tho
aid, 6 He who
Itatlt sem JIc, Itath seen JI.'I riLtlter also; 6 I and the Father
fU'e one. Ancl this the prophct brings out by adding', as tlte I
Angel of ti,e Lord hefure tlLeln, i, e. that one Angel of the
Lord. in wholll His very Pre
elJce and His "Kame was; 'Yho
went before them, to guide them 7. El
e, having said, like!
God, it had been to lessen what he had just said, to add, I
like the AI/gel of tlte Lord. Our Lord prayed for tho!;e who
are truly Hi;;, BAs Tltou, Fat/IeI', art ill .JIe and I ill Thee, i
that they nw.,! be one in Us; tltat they ma.,! be olle as Ire are I
one, I ill them aud Tlwu ill iJIe, tltat t/iey ma.'! be perfect ill
one; and S. Paul saith, 1/ CI,rÜt is furmed in us; 10 Christ
du'elletlt in ollr hearts hy faith; II Christ liveth in me; 12 Christ
is ill YUU; 13 Christ is our life; U Christ is all and in all; 1511'e
grow intu Ilim which is the Head, even Christ; 16 we are in
C/irist; and S. Peter, we are 11 partakers of lite Dh.ine nature;
and S. John, IBAs He is, so are we ill tltis world. Then in a

I 1 Sam. ii. 4, is the only case alleged by Ges., in which I,ç;:;u is to signify "weak." Yet
here too .. stumble," as in the E. V., is the natural renderinl{. In the other 19 cases it is
confessedly stumbling, th
ï5
:

.it is stumbling, IiO as t
fiHb.

Phil. ii. 6. 5 S. John xiv. 9. · lb. x. 30.
7 See .. Daniel the prophet" pp. 519-523. 8 S. John xvii. 21, 22,23.
g Gal. iv. ]9. 10 Eph. iii. 17. II Gal. ii. 20.
12 Rom. ,iii. 10. 13 Col. iii. 4. .. lb. 11.
15 Eph. iv. 15. 16 Rom. xvi. 7, 2 Cor. v. Ii, Gal. i. 22. 172 Pet. i. 4.
I
I S. John iv. ]i. 19 Gal. iv. 14.
:xJ 11'1"<1 with C, and info "Pharaoh roUj1;ht to slay Moses," Ex. ii. 15 ö .. Saul, my father,
seeleth to slay thee," I Sam. xi. 2; .. Saul SOUg.lt to smite David," lb. 20; Solomon, to
kill Jeroboam, 1 Kgs xi. 40 ö .. Sought to lay hand on the king," Esth. vi. 2; Haman
sought to destroy the Jews. lb. iii. 6. The info without c" occurs J er. xxvi. 2].
21 I Sam. xiv. 4, xxiii. 10, Eccl. xii. 10.

.. sought to turn away':' De. xili. 11. .. seekest to destroy a city," 2 .S
m.
. 19.
:31 Kgs xi. 22, Zech. VI. 7. 24 In Ex. IV. 24 only, It IS said, .. God
rought to slay l\1
," i. e. shewed that _He Q would, unless his son had been
ircum
ised.

Jo. 11. 28. See ab. pp. 12" L8. Is. XI. 2.
'Z1 C"]1]M is chosen in allusion to I" .. grace." C'J1:I1n is, almost everywhere, the cry to God
for Hi. grace and favour. It occurs mostly in the Psalms united "ith c"i' .. the voice of

y :;:IT.xa
ith
:t
.p:'
rlTii.\x
!
:t.
.X;;X;
,
'8

1: j
r
i

'2;'.

þ.a\

f

or man to man,onl:ï Provo x\iii. 23, and else, in irony, of what leviathan would not do to
man, Job xl. 2i, 6. lxli. 3. Eng.] ::>! Rom. v. 5.
29 Heb. X. 29, .,.b ".".;;/<a .,.ijs Xdp''''os j"vfJpluas. 80 Osor.
31 There is no critical doubt about the reading, ')1/, 10 .'Ie. It is the reading of all the

degree the
lory of Christ pa

eth O\'er to tlw
e who tI,,'ell
in Him, and in whom lIe d,,'clis by the Spirit, n
S. Paul
says; II/ Ye receÏl:cd 1IIe, as all aI/gel of Gud, as Christ .TlSllS.
! 9. III that da.'I, I t6ft .çeek to destroy. "'oe indeed to
I those, whom .\lllli
hty God
hall" seek to dcstroy !" lUan
I may seck earnc
tl
to do, what at la
t he ('aBnot do. :Still
it is all earne
t
('('kin
. And whether it is used of human
seekill
\\ hieh fails
O, or which suc('eeds 21, inehoate 22 or
permitted 23, it is always U
('d of s('ckin
to do, what it i
a
person's set purpose to do if he ('an 20. II erc it i

1'()1';(,JI of
Almighty God
I. "3111.' saith not, 'I will de
troy' hut J
will seek to destro.v, i. e. it shall e,'cr be :\1 y care to destro)-
all the enemies of the Chnrch, that they may in no way
prenlil again
t it: this I will do alway to the end of the
world."
10. Alld I will pOllr, as He promised by Joel 25, I will
]Jollr out JI..'! .sjJÏrit U}JOIl all fleslt, largely, abundantly, UJ}/I/l
tlte Itollse of Jjm:id mul ti,e il/lwbitallts of Jerusalem, all,
hi
hest and Ivwe
t, from first to last, the Spirit uf grace allll
suppLication, i. e. the Hul.'! Spirit which connyeth grace. a!<
26 tlte Spirit of wi,wlolll alld wula,çta1/llil/g is tlte Spirit infu
inf'::
tl'isclolll amL wulerstandiug. and ti,e .sjn'rit of counseL alid m;gld
is that
alUe Spirit, impartin
the g-ift of cOllmel to H'C
what is to be done and (
f migM to do it, and the Spirit of
the kUOll'iedge ami of tlte fear (
f t/le Lord is that same'
Spirit, infusing- loving aceluaintallee with God, with awe at
His infinite
Iajesty. So the Spi,.it of grace aml sllpplim-
tirJ1l, is that same Spirit, infusing grace and hrin
in
into a
state of fa,-our \\ ith Gml. and a ðjJirit (
f sllpplicatiun
í is that
Spirit, ealliIl
out of the inmost soul the ery fur a yet lal'
el'
measure of the 1-'Tace already gh-en. S. Paul
I'eaks of
b the
love of Gud poured Ullt iI/ uur hearts by the Hul.'! Spirit tl'ltidt
is /{il'en Ilnto us; and Op9 in.mltillg the .sjJÏrit of grace, rudely
repulsing the Spirit, "Tho giveth grace. "80\rhcn <';od IIilU-
s..tf says, 'I will pour out.' He
ets forth the greatness vf
His bountifulness whereIn' He hestoweth all thill
s."
Álldtheysltall Look, with trustful hope and longing, OIL JIe 3 1,

old Versa., Jewish or Christian ö L "XX. Aq. Spn. Theod. Chal.d. S}r. Vulg. In theixth
cent., the Jews had begun to make a marginal correction into ,'''', but did not venture to
change the text. .. \\ here we, according to the faith of Holy Scripture, read, in the Pel"'On
of God, 'and they shall look to Me "\\ þom they pierced,: tbougli, in the text. itself ,!f the
book, they were deterred by God's ProV1dence from makmg a chan_ge, yet \\Ithout, m We
margin, they have i
noted, 'they shall look to him.whom .Ù!ey ple
ed.'. And so they
hand down to their diS<.
ples, that they should transcnbe, as It IS contained m the text, and
read, as they have noted, outside; so that they may hold, according to their phrenzy, that
the Jews look to rum, whom Gog and Magog pierCed." Rabanus Mauros C. Jud. n. 12.
In the 13th. cent.
Iartini BaYs, that .. all the old :\ISS. of the Jews have ."" ö" and that
the .. perfid
of some modern Jews, unable to depra,e so evident a testimon} to the di\inity
of the !\IessJah. say, that it is not .l,1C but "
IC.". f.66!3. In f. 3
8. he again says, "SG"'

Jews falsify the text ö" and (f. 329) that" now (jam) m many :\IS8. they have cornlpted
their text, but that they are refuted by the Ta.rp;um, the Talmud. and b.II man!! a"c
"t )1 SS.,
in which this text is not yet corrupted, and by the exposition of Rashi." R. Isaac, at the end
of the 16th. cent. A.D. 15\13, quoted the reading.l,l/ without doubt, though ru, wasexpreo;sly
controverting the Christian argument, .. They say, that hereafter the rons of Israel ..hall

oG:n:.d'::dt
a
:
::::

eew

,l\t1e:
is
t lth

;l
":Of)
O

;

,:

to me whom they pierced.''' (Chizzu
Emunah in Wagenseil Tela ign. Sat. pp. 30
, 3(1-1.)
He explains it of the wars of Gag and l\1agop;. 'If they shan see that the ì - r theu Plte-
mies] shall pierce through even one of them, they shall be an1azed and shal fook 10 me.
eth as/.er dakaroo, i. e. on account of rum. whom they pierced-::io that the ro.aza!'ule1S

:: ïê

t

o
d:gs h:f

h:

I1
;"
e' t
l
h

; t

;'

,j
i
k

t
u.,b
h;n

have gone on in the first per<on. '
JI I'm. and '
JI 'T::"', like ,"" '1:1':::1'1. lb. 3UJ. R. Lipmann
(A.D. 13!1'J) U>eS the same argumellt, .. He should ha\e sald, <md tI.ey ,"all mournJor file,

580

ZECI-L\RL\II.

c J
o
es T for him, m as one mourneth for hi.y only ,wm, 11 ] I In that day shall there be a great C lr
oÏS T
cir.
8ï. and shan be in bitterness fe)r him, as one I n mOUl'nin
in .Jerusalcm, 0 as the mOlll'ning n cir',,1
ï
_
m i

8
I
O. tl1
:.t is ill bitterness for his iirstlJorn. of Ila()
\(lrill)lllOn in tIle valll-.
r of 1\lt!gí(I(lon. 0 t
in
.2
: "29.
I 2

U
Almig-hty Gud, lT7wm they '"n'e pierced}; the IIt'ad with His Father and Hi
muther." Hc wa!' 11 thefirst-Legotten of
the thorns. the Hands and Feet with the naill", the
ide evn:1I creature, and U Il'e smv I-Ji.
glor.'I, tl,e gIOl:V a,
of the
\\ ith the soldier's lam'c. The prophecy bcgdn to be fulfilled Onl.l/-Begottell (
f tlte Father, fill! of gr(".e ([1/(/ truth. This
as soon as Ule deed was completed. and Je
us had yielded m()urnill
filr Him \\'hom our I"ills pierecd and nailed to the
lip His
pirit: whcn 2 all tlte people that came together to tree, is continued, week by week. by the piuus, on the day of
thllt sigM_ hellOldillf{ ti,e tldnp;s which were done, smute their the weck, when lIe
uttcI'ed fill' II!<, or in the perpetual me-
IJ/'ellst,
awl retllmed. "3 "Then the v had nailed the Dh'ine morial of His Precious Death in the IIoly Euchari4, and

hl'ine to the \roud, they who h,id crucified Him. stood especially in Pa
sion- Til]e. God !'ends furth a)lew the Spirit
around, impiously moekinp;.-ßut when He had laid down of grace and supplicatio/l, anù the faithful mourn, beeau
c of
His life for us, 4 the centurion llnd they that were 16th him, theil'
hare in Uis Death. The prophel"Y had a rich and
u'atcl';/lg Jeslls, seeing the earthquake allel those thiugs 1l'hich cupiou
fulfi1ment in that first ('om'er
icHl in the fint Pente-
tl'l'I"e dUlle, feared great(II, sa.lIing, TI'll(II this 'U'as the Son of co
t; a hlr
er fulfihllent await
it in the end. when, aftel' the
(;od." As it ever is with sin, I"Cllnpunction did not eonw till f destruction of Anti-Christ, l';alllsrae! sl/(dl be c'onverted and
the sin was over: till then, it was overlaid; el
e the sin eould be sat'ed. There i

ct a more aweful fulfilment; when 14 He
not be done. .\t the fi:.
t conversion. the three tlwu:,:and r cometh 1l'ith douds, ([lid eL'n:1I ('ye slUtIl see /Jim, ([ml they
1l'ere pricked 5 ill the /'eart, when tolù that He 6/f'lwm t!ley Iwd 1l'/âC/' pierced IIim, f/nd all kim/reds of tile ell/.tlt shall 1{'ail
tf/ken llUlI with wicked hands had crl(ci/ied and slaill, is Lord bert/lise of Ilim. ßut meanwhile it is fulfilled in every !'olid
and C!I,.ist. This awoke the fir:,:t peliitenee of him who be- eOll\'er
ion of Jew Heathen or ('arele
s Chri
tian, as well as
('ame S. Paul. Saul, Saul. w/,.'/ persecutes! tlwulJle? This in the de,'otion of the pions. Zechariah ha
concentrated in
has been the centre of Chri
tiall de,-otion e"er
ince, the few words the tendel'e
t devotion of th(' Gu
pcl, T/'e.'I shall
:-el'urity ag'ainst passion, the impulse to sclf-dcnial, the look Oil ..lIe TT7wIU tl"'.'1 pierced. "I;; ZcdlarÏah teaehcs that
parent of zeal for souls. the incentive to love; this has
trU('k amon;{ the ,'arious feelill
s whieh we can elieit fi'OIll the
the roek, that it gushed fUl'th in tears of penitence: thi!' is mcditation on the Pal"sion of Christ, as admiraticlll, love,
the !'trength and vigour of hatred of sin, to look to Him gl'atitude, compunetion, fpar. penitence, imitation, IJatienee,
"ï1Om our sins piereed, TVlw S. Paul says, lot'eclme flud gal'(' joy, hope, the feelinp; of elJlnpas
ion stands eminent, and
llilllselffor me. "7'Ve all lifted Him up ullon the Cros
; we that it i
this, which we pecllliadyowe to CIII'i;õt 8uttcring-
transfixcd with the nails His Hands and Feet; we l'h'rced His for us. For who would not in his inmol"t self
rie'-e with

ide with the !'pear. For if man had not
inned, the Son of Christ, i/lllO('ent ami holy, yea the Unly-B('
otten ::-;un of
(;od would have endured no torment." I God, when he t<ees Him nailed to the Cro!:'
and endurin

o
Alld tlll'.11 shall mourn for Iiim, as one rnollmeth for an lovingly tin' him !:'ufl'cring-s
o manifold and
o g-reat? "ïlO
oll(1I SOil, a1/(1 shall be ill bittl'rue,
s fur Him, as oue that is in would not gl"Oan out eommi
el'ation, and melt into tcars?
biitemess for a first-borll. 'Ye fcel most sen
ihlv the sorrows Truly says S. ßonan
nture in his' goad uf Divine love:'
of this lifè, pa
sing as they arc; and of thet<e, the loss of an I '''.hat ('an be more fruitful, what sweeter than, with the
only !'on i!:' a proverbial sorrow. 80 dauglder of JIy l}enple, I whule heart. to suffel' with that most bitter suffering of our
gird tlu:e 1('ith sackcloth aud wallow th.'1self ill a,ç/,l's, God !'ays: Lord Jesus Christ? ",
make t!lee the mOll1'I';llg of all ouly son, most bitter lamenta- II.
ls the mourning (
f Hadrulrimmoll ill the 1'alley of
tion. 1/ I ll'Iïl make it as the mO/l/"llillg of Wl only son. The II[egiddrJ1l. This was the g-reate
t sorrow, w]liC'h had fallen on
dead man canied out, the oulp SOil of his mothe}' alld sill' ll'(lS .1 uc1ah. Josiah was the last hope of its dedining- kin
dolll.
{( widow, is rec'unled as ha,-ing touched the heart of Jesus. His sons pl'Ohahly
he\Ved alread
- their unlikene
s to their
"lOAnd our Lord, to the letter, was the Only-Begotten of father, wherehy they precipitated their country's fall. In

:

f: h ! t.
l

n

'Th:!
h;tl aíf

i

sfo
k
nn
z(
lIa)
se:::
aihl
h

s
:
:
r:

e
;.;:;
:
; ,
,::v:

;::

d

.,

:;

ei

:,t/ 1;
.
dd

to those who have slain }Ic.siah b. Joseph." .Alsheikh's commpntary requires the same, R. had a kri in marg. "?Ie. "The mo.t and best.l\ISS have '?II." De R.. E"ald's ground
"And I will yet do a tlûrd thing. And this that they shall look .l,K, is that they shall hang for rejecting the reading '''' illru,trates the Je\\i,h. hj71 is, from the context which speaks
their e)es on }le in perfect repentance \\ hen they see &c." and R. Obadiah Siporno, of mourninl\' for the dead, and the lanl(uage of the prophet (xiii. 3), clear; but for "11,
(Bibl. Rabb.)"and they shall look to Me in their 'prayer." Ra'ru also gives the Targ. W at e v n an '
an .t' c Wl e - WJ t
t m l' a t n h Y e } fio l l S I ' o
:
l re ,g a 1' dL Ji "" ,
:..... , T a h n e d fi , ! n " t t rod Pe u rs c o es n " \\ nt e o re th W e h O oI I IY T u
S t W a, ' , t , ed e'lt he t r l, e e ' se I n t se is _
"and they shalheek of life" 'C"1p jO as the interpretatIOn of '''',::''J:TI "theyshalllook to me." n. , _. d .0
R. Tancltum of Jeru
lern, "a learned son of a learned father," in the latter part of the

'"
:
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h
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inÆ
:U:n7;t.
n:l
f
came in accidentally, the scribe having illlûs mind Ps. JOLxiv. 1;, 1'''II1::>'J
.
of them" (Poc. 344). Hi
contemporary, Parchon, in his lexicon 1Iltrlwbberolh, cites the : 1 There can eqnally be 110 que'tion about the meaning of T"Ç1 (as even Ew. and Ritz. ad-
passage with '?II. and explains the word "piercing of a sword in the body," v. j71. The Heb. mit) or about the construction. j7I (which occurs n times, is everywhere" thrust throul(h,"
_\rab. version. so often quoted by Pococke (Hnnt. 20(;) renders, "And they turned to me, I In one place only, Lam. iv. u. c!
i9. "thrust throu9;h," occurs as as) nonyme of :
, 'S
J
"horn they re?t (IJ)lJ the wor
I, used by
bu!"a\id, only
bul\\:alid further explains t!lis by I "those wow,ded by IlUn,:rer" and that, in contrast with J11J '
71J "wounded b}' the s"ord:'
;;-.:1.) Ab
lwahd ùoe. not notice the readmg ill e,ther of rus lexICa, nor Menahem b. Sarug, So also the nOlin, J"V'I n\"'1';1. "the piercings of the sword," Ps. xii. 18. In regard to the
Jlor p'aV1d b. Abraha

. . . T' .. ,construction, "11:"11 nil o.ccurs m
ï places in the Bihle, and in every place in the mean
ng
"1t1, re;:ard to }IS
., ewn III later times Peter NIger [Schwarz) (a learned Benedictme /. "he \lho," "that \lInch," "th)sthat." In one place only Deut. xxix. 13, 14, RI< havmg
of the líth cent.) wrote, "some false and l
'ing J
\Vs s
y that ,t is not writt
n, . Ami I been J!re\iou'ly use(
as a preposition, .:
nd not" i.th you only, (t::\I:;:J '!o I make th.is co,:e-
they shall
ook on me whom they have plerc
d, but they shall s
e
to hml \\ horn cant. the nl< "agam u'ed as a prepos'tion, carrymg on the constructIOn, "but W1th hun
they have p,eræd '-I .an"v
r, that on
y consCIence .and on the
hnstian tn:th I s!'-)', \lho, ,1:'11 nil. F
schmuth (de l\Iessia confixo) mentions U ways, by "hich "because ".might
1 ha\e seen n}81'y Je
"h B,bles (Spa?lsh, doubtless, smce. h
studl

Hebrew m Spam 1 I without ambigUIty have. been, exp!,cssed (.se
Pusey's D,niv. Sermons p. 142). Th
's ,tll
n
allll I never, III any Bible, found ,t wntten other than velabbltu elm and they shall looK no e\.cuse for thc rendermgs a..6' W", LXX. or Aq. ITU.. ifi. Theod. has ""I'Ò' P.", "IS 0"
to fone,' and n
,:rI!;b
;I" ela
, . and th
y shall look to

I
,' a
I \\
ll shew anyone who '
"KÉI'T"1Ua..... 2 S. Luke x..
iii. 4><.. as. Cyr.
d
su
s to see..
t
ha Mes,næ Tra<;t.n. c. 2. A.p.14/1
\\olfBlbl.
ebr. IV. p. 51;
., . S. Matt. x..X\11. 5-1. . 6 KaTEI'U"r1)lTa.. Act. il. 37. BIb. 23. :)(j.
:'\orz,. a JewIsh Cl1t'c. .a}s that ,'1m 's not found m the Scnptures, only III Rashi and the I 1 O.Qr. s Jer. V1.
6. . Amos \.iii. 10. 10 Alb.
Gemara. The codex Babyl. Pctropol. (I am told, of the i.xth. cent.) has ''m. In the col- II Col. i. 15. ,! S. John i. 14.
latcd )ISS. there is the variation, conunon where there ÌII a real or virtnal kri, 33 Kenn, " 18 Rom. Jci. ::!6. 14 Rev. i. 7. I_ Lap.

CIL\.PTER XIII.

;)SI

C H'Bíi'fs T 12 p .And the land shall mourn, t ('n
ry
cir.
"7. familv apart; the familv of the house of
"1att.:!i.30. 0 .' 1 I 1 . . .
Rev. 1. 7. an( apart, an( t leiI' win's apart; the
t Heb. f . . 1 t . 1 1 f '" . 1
Jmn!l!r., ann Y 0 t Ie )Oust' 0 q .I."" athan apart, an< I
.{as:

.5. u. their win
s apart;
Luke 3.31. 1 <) ' 1 ' 1 t . . 1 f 1 h t . I . I
., Je arm y 0 t Ie ouse 0 ..en apart,
II
i';,,:!.., and their wh-es apart; the family II of
L'! LXX. Shimei apart, and their wives apart;
1-1 AIJ the families that remain, every

family apart, and their wivcs apart.

Before
CIIRII>T
cir.,1 i.

CIL\PTER XIII.
The fOllntain of purgation for Jerusalem, 2from
idolatry, and false prophery. ï 1ïte death of
Christ, and the trial of a tlârd part.
I
a that day there shall be b a fountain:
;h
2ú.3i4.
opened to' the house of Dayid and to k
:
\. ]5. HI.
the inhahitants of Jeru
alem for sin and t .
:
;ation
for t uncleanness. !
:.
nclran.

Josiah'!" death the 1a!"t g-1eam of the sun
et of Judah faded shone on them, when there came his unlooked-for dl':1th.
into nig-ht. Of him it is
recnrded, that his ,Jio/(s acts, w.mrd- Therewith the whole statc seemed 104.
(I ill the Death of
iug to what was v.'rittell ill the law of the Lord. wcre written Christ. they who 1m-cd Him, !'aw His Dh ine \l orl.!". 1'101('('11
in his country'!" hi"tory]; fllr him the prophet Jeremiah wrote their whole hope of sah'ation in His goodne!O!", suddenly !Oaw
a dirge 2; all thc minstrel
of hi" country spake of him ill the stay of thcir life pxtÏIH't, thcmseh.es dcprh.ed of that mo!'t
their clir(!es 2. The dirg-es were made Clll ordinance whi('h sweet intercOltr!Oe, all hope for the futnre eut off. liut the
",urdved thc captivity; to tltis day 2, it is !"aitl at the ('Io
c of I grief in the death of ClII'i!<t was the mOl'e Litter, as He au ohe
the Chronicles. Among the g-athering sorrows of ["!"ad, this I a greater longing for Himself, and had broug"ht a firmer hOllc
lament mer Jusiah u'as written in the national I'olll,etion of of sah-ation."
dirges 2. Had(ulrimuuJI!, as hein
com}wundl'd of the name XII I. I. III that day tI/ere shall be a fOll1ltain ope1lecl.
of two Syrian idols, is, in its name, a witness hon' Sn'ian Zechariah often repeats, ill thut day 13, resuming- his Hlhjcl.t
idolatry penetrated into the kingdom, when it was detåched ag-ain and ag-ain, as a time not proximate, but fixed and
f,'om the wor!"hip of God. It was" S a city near Jezreel. now known of God, of whi('h he declared somewhat. It is tlwt
('aIled )[aximinianopolis in the plain of
Icg-iddon, in u'hich da.1f which H Abrlllwm desired to see, (lnd sav.' it, whether by
the rig-hteous king- Josiah u'as wounded b,' Pharaoh Xecho." direct re,-elation. or in thc typical sanifiee of Isaac. anclll'as
This ..." was Ii miles from Cæsarea, It)' from Esdraelon." glad: it was 15 that da!1 whieh many prophets aud ki1lf.{s ami
Its name still sun'ives in a
mall village, south of )Iegiddon 6 , righteous men desired to see, and in patienec waited for it: tlJe
and so, on the wav back to Jerusalem. one dll.1f of sah'ation of the Gospel. He had sl'uken of repen-
I:?-I-t. 'Chi!" sorrow slwuld he unh'ersal but also indi- tanee, in contemplation of Christ crucified; hc now speaks
vidual, the whole land, and that, family by family; the royal of forginne!'s and cleansing, of salll,tification and conse(luent
family in the dire(.t line of its kings, and in a hram'h from I obedience. The fimlltaill shall be not simply opened, hut shall
Kathan. a son of Dadd and whole brother of
010mon6, which I remain open l6 . Isaiah had already prophesied of the refresh-
was continued on in prh'ate life. yet was still to be an ances- ll1ent of the Gospel. 17 TFhm the poor lllld needy seek 7Nlier
tralline of Je!"us i: in like way the main prie!'t1y family from I and there is nOlle, and tlJeir tongue flliletlt for thirst, I, the
Levi, and a subordinate line from a /?:randson of Le,-i, fhe i Lord, 7/'ill hear tl,em, I, tlte God of Israel, U'ill not forsake
family 0/ Shimei 8 ; and aU the remaining families, each with I, them. I will open riurs ill high places and f01mtailts in the
their separate !'on'ow. eaeh according to Joel's call, 9 let tI,e I midst 0/ the 't'alleys; here it i!o' added, for Sill mul for unclean-
bridegroom go fOl.th of his chamber and the bride out of her I ness. There we,'e dit'er.
]8 symbolical tNlshings under the law;
closet. eaeh dcn, in
himself the tenderest solaee.. of life. the Le\"Ïtes were Ig sprillkled tL'ith the water of Jlllr

'1ing, lit.
"10 The ulH
T
teful and ung-odly. daily, as far as in them I the water of takillg awa.'1 of Sill: lit'Íng waters.!O, ]1l1t to the
lies. crucify Christ. as S. Paul say!', 11 crnc
fying to themseh'es ashcs of an heifer, were appointed as a 21 7m ter for (remm ing)
tlte 80n of God à.fresh and plltting Him to an opeu shame. i dl:filements; a cleansing of sin 22. Xo", thcre !'hou1d be one
And on these Christ, out of His houndlcss pity, poureth forth, e,'er-open fountain for aU the house of D(ll.hl. "23 "'ho that
a spirit of grace and suppli('ation, so that, tou('hed with eOlu- I fountain is, the Lord Himself tea('heth through Jeremiah,
punetion, u'ith grie,-ing and tearful feeling, they 100k on 2
the.1f Iwve forsaken JIe, the f01lntain of lil'int( waters; and
Christ. suffcring with His suffering, and bewailing their own I in the Gospel Hc says, 25 If any man thirst, let him come flnto
impurities." _l[e and drin/..'; and 26 The u'ater u'hich I slwll gi't'e him. i.
a
"]2The likeness is in the sorrow, not in its de
ree. Jo!'iah f01lntain oflit'Íng tl"ater, g1lshing up to el'erlasting life. This
had restored religion, relllo\'ed a dire superstition, bound up I was open to the hOllse of David; for of that kindred He took
relaxed morals by healthful di!"cipline, recalled to its former human nature. It was opened al,," for tlte dwellers of Jeru-
condition the sinking state. In their extremcst needs light salem, for thc sprinkling of holy Baptism, through which ne
I 2 Chr. xxu. 26 7. 2 lb. 25. 3 S.Jer. I 24 Jer. ii. 13. The word is tbe same, -t>i'9, and lb. xvii. 13. '11pO is, et)-mol
cal1y, a place
4 Itin. Hieros. in BRIand 'p. 891. Ii "About f olan hour to the S. of1\f
ddo "dug;" hut a "mere wen" could not be" a fountain of1ivin
water." The) dug to obtain
lies a small village called Rumûni."7VS

:ee

iI,:,vels i. 355. 6 I Cbr. iü. 5. :fri
:

fi
:,c,:I?:
a

rå

.
:Xri
i

; }

':ÍÌe'f
t'ìîI;
n;s

::
b::

s Nu. iii. 21. Had the al1usion been to the tribe of Simeon. as supplying, the teacbe.. ci<tem or reservoir would he unmeaning. Metaphorically, fotJ.rdain of li"i".. ,,:ater. Jer.
of
srael, as S. Jerome thought, it had been, not "1r-
, but 'JJ,'r?f as in :Suo xxv. 14, Jos. I uii. I
: fountain of life

. xxxvi. 10. Pro x. l
.. xiii. U. xiv. 2';. xvi. 21 'If. ""i.!dom
XXI. 4. 1 Chr. xX\"ü.15. lb. XVIll. 4. of trar. Jer. Vl1J. 23. of blood Lev. XII. 7. xx. 18. of !sratt P.. lnlll. ]" are
9 J o. ii. ]6. 10 Dion. II Heb. vi. 6. 12 Oror. like one fountain wruch supplies a stream, rather than a reservoir. and C"n 1:'0 i. of running
13 '[ii. :J. 4, 6, 8,9, U. xiü. 1,2,4, xiv. t,
. 13,20. If S. John viii.5/;. I water. Gen. 1. C. Lev. xiv. 5, 6, 50-52. xv. 13. Xum. xi'l[. ]j. Cant. ix. 15. Zecb. xiv. 8.

:
e

: t
. Ii. S. Luke
. :;
tr

u

ev
?r.c7.of m:J :m'

i;. x
i:/ ;'j
8. I
:'
r"l1k ;

::

i;
.
h

bili
':
rli

f
P

"PJ

er e

ìr ;j

?
(
;:.)t=d:
,. :r. "9 lb. xix. 9, 13, 20, 21 bi.. xx>.i. 23. 2:: flllÿJ lb. xix. 9. I collecti,el
for the whole supply of W<lter. Tanchum ha. IC >.

.
. ::J Tbeod. I
S.John vii. 8i. :6 lb. iv. 14.
l'AllT n. 4 0

5S2

ZECHARL\.H.

C IPl
7s T 2
.And it shall come to pass in that
c ir.46i. da,', saith the LOll\) of husts, thlit I will C cut
c j
h:
:

. oft: the names of the idols out of the land,
r:'e

i.3t"_13. and they shall no more be remembered:

1':
II
:i3. and also J will cause d the propl)('ts and the
42 l'et. 2. 1. unelcan spirit to pass out of the land.
3 A nd it shall come to pass, that when
any shall yet prophesy, then his father

have received remi

i()11 of sins." en That, receiving- Di,-inc
and holy Rapti
m, \\ e are sprinkled with the muod of Christ
to the rcmission of sins, who can doubt?" ,,2 Of this foun-
tain much was foretold by Ezeldcl 3 , that a fountain should
h..,ue forth from the templc of the Lord, and go dow/l into the
desert, and ever.1f soul, to u'llOm it shall come, sltall lh'e; and
Joel, 4 A fOUIItaill shall come furth of the house of tlw Lord,
amlll'ater the l'alle.1J of Sltittim. Of this fountain Peter said
to the Jews, when pricked ill tlte Iteart and secliÏng forg-ï,-c-
ness, 5 Let el'ery one of YOIl he haptised in the .J.Vame of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins."
:!. I will rllt (!If the names of the idols. This had bcen a
fence again
t idolatry. To namp evil is a temptation to cvil.
\Vrong words are thc parents of wrong ads. To speak of
e,-il awal;:ens curiosity or pas
ion; curiosity is one of the
strongest incenti,-es to al't. All public mention of tcrrible
l'rimes (it has been obi>ervcd) produces imitation of the
specific form of crimc. Hencc it was commanded, 6 make no
mention of tlte name uf other gods, neither let it be heard Ollt
of th.'/molltlt. And Joshua names it in his dying charge to
Israel, 7 Be .'lfe thacfore very strong to keep and to do all that
is written ilt the hook of the law of lJIuses-neitlter make men-
tioll of tile name of their gods, nor callse to SIl'ear by them.
IIence tlH'Y challged the lIallles of cities 8, which bare idol
namcs. David speaks of it, as part of fealty to God. \I I
will 1I0t take their llamcs upon my lip.
. Hosea prophesies
of the times of thc npw covenant; 10 I will take away tlte
/lames of Baalim out of her mOllth, mul the.1! shall he no more
1'emembercd h.1J their name. Isaiah, 1I Tile idols he shall utterly
aholi.
It. Zeehariah foretclls their abolition with a turn of
words, formed apparcntly on those of Hosea 12; but slig-htly
varied, be
ause the worship of Baal, such a plague-spot in the
time of Hosea, one, which continued until the year before the
captivity IS, "as gone. Hc implies nothing as to his own
time
, whether idolatry still existed. He predicts its entire
abolition in the whole compass of the cnlarged Judah, i.e. of
Christendom.
And also I will cause tlte prophets and the unclean spirit
to pass (Jut of the land. False prophecy scts itself to llleet a
('ra,-in
of human nature to know something of its future.
False vrophets there were, even in the time of Nehemiah 14,
and those in some number, hired to Pl'ol)hesy against the
word of God. Our Lord ""arns against them. 15 Bell'are of
false prophets, u'/âch come to you in slteep's clotltin{(, Lilt in-
wardly the.1J are ravening wolves. 16111any fulse prophets shall

I S Cyr 2 Dion.
a Ezek. xlvii. I, 8, 9. . 4 Jo. iii. 18. See ah. {'p. 140,141. 5 Acts ii. 8i. 88.
G Ex. xxiii. 13. 7 Jos. xxüi. 6, ï. s r\ebo and Baalmeon, Num. xxxii. 38.
9 Ps. xvi. 4. 10 Hos. ii. Ii. II Is. ü. 18.
12 Hos. ü. 19. Heb. .. I will remove the name. of Baalim out of his mouth; and they
.hall be nO more remembered, '1)11"1:1"II
, by their names." Zech. I will cut off the name. of
the idolsfrom the land, and they .hall be nO more remembered, "I1)11"1:1j' II
.
{
:l Ji
'
I;i
i. a

e t?o
e
eW:p
\

; (

?:r

C

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a;l1
rt

re

"J

I and his mother that heg-at him shall say c Jí{oisT
I unto him, Thou shalt nut live; for thO
1 cir.4.'iï.
speakcst lies in the name of the LORD: and
his t
lther and his mother that beg-at him
e shall thrust him through when he ]>ro-. Deut. 1:J. 6,
h . I 8. & 18.2U.
P eSlet 1.
4 And it shall come to pass in that day,
that r the prophets shall be ashamed every fMic.
. 6, 7.
I
I ([rise alUi .
hall deceive many. lIIany false propltets, S. John
says, 17 are gOlle out into tlte u'orld. False prophcts attended
the de('line of Judaism. SUI'h was the author of the Jewish
Sibylline bool;:, prol)hes
'ing the destruction of the Romans 18,
and fixing- the mind of his people on temporal ag-
Tandise--
ment l9 : false prophets were suborned by the Jewish "tyrants"
and encouraged the Jews in the resistance whidl ruined the
devoted dty 20: false prophcts have arisen in Christianity;
but, like the Phrygian women who led Tertullian a
tray.
they" went out," were cast out" from it, as not bein
of it."
"1 After that the Only-B(
gotten '" ord of God appeared to us.
the dull and childish toys of idolatry perished and were
utterly destroyed, and with it were taken away the strang"e
I and impious dcvices of the false prophets, who were full of
the evil, unclcan spirit, and could be readily detected a!o
labouring under a kindrcd disease to the idolaters. }<'or both
I had one presidcnt of impiety, Satan." J\ot 50 years after
the Crucifixion, a heathen 21 wrote his work, "on the failure
, of oracles." The outpouring of the IIoly 22 Spirit of gmce
I ' and supplication, shouhl sweep away 23 tlte tmcleau .
pi,.it,
(Zechariah alone anticipates the language of the J\cw Testa-
, mcnt 23) which became 24 a lying spirit ilt the moutl, of tl.e
I propltets of those who sought to them.
3. His father und motlter that Legat him 25 shall say unto
!tim, Tltoll sltalt not live. The prophet describes the zeal
against false prophecy, with referencc to the law against
those who seduced to apostasy from God. 26The nearest re-
lations wcre themselves to dcnounce any who had secrctly
tried to scduce them, and themselves, as the accusers, to east
thc first stone at them. "1 Sueh shall in those times be the
reverence to God-wards, so careful 81mll thpy be of perfcet
probity and laudable life, that parents themselves 8hall bc
stimulated a
ail1st their children, if they should speak fal!'ely
any thing from thcir own heart, as though God !<pake by
thcm-How truc that word is, and how accredited the pro-
I phecy! This indicates clearly a grcat ad,-anee' towards
I
odliness, God transforming thin
s for the better. ".hat
aforetime was held in great estcem, is now hated and accurscd
and held intolerablc."
4. Tlte J1rophet,
Ûwll he aslt am ed, everyone of them.
They who before their conversion, gave themselves to such
deccits, shall be ashamed of their deeds; as, after the defeat
of the seven sons of thc ehief priest Sceva, 27 fear fell on tllCllt
I all, ami tlte name uf tlte Lord Jesus was magnified, (lnd man,l!
that believed came and confessed alld sltewed tlteir deeds: many
I
been no wound for the change then.
I 14 See Introd. p. 508. 15 S. Matt. vii. 15. 15 lb. xxiv. H.
171 S.John iv.I. Is See Pusey's "Daniel the Prophet" p.I(j:J.
19 lb. pp. 3
-;

tarch A.D. 80. 20 Jos.
'l

:
ïi.2io.
'3 ;n(
::n rm here only in the O. T. ; 7rJlfvJ.<a lll<á6ap'ToJl, in our Lord's words, S. Matt. xii. 43.
S "
rk'
:8. S. Luke vüi. 2U, xi. 24. add Rev. x.-iü. 2, xvi. 13.
I ',! 1 Kgs xxii. 21-23. 25 1"
' :!Ii De. xiii. 6-10.

Acts xix. 1';-20.

CII..\ PTER XIII.

Before
CHRIST
cir.4ðï.

:J Kin. I. 8.
hai.2U.2.
,tau. 3.4.
t Heb. a gar-
ment'll hair.
t Heb. to lie.
h Amos 7. 14.

one of his vision, when he hath proplH'sipd ;
neither shall they wear g t a rough garment
t to deceive:
Õ b llut he shall say, I am no prophet, I
am an husbandman; for man taught me

of tl/em also "'/licit u.
ed curi()/t.
arts br(J,,
ht tlteir Luoks tu-
get/lCr ami burlled thPlIl before all, alld 11t
1/ cuwlled tile price
uf tllem, alld foulld it fifty tholl,mmi pieces uf silz-er. ðrJ
f/liKhti/y, S. Luke subjoins, grew the word of God and pre-
vailed.
ATeitlier shall wear a .rollgh garment tu deceÍl'e, fei!::"ning
themselves ascetics and mourners for their people. as the true
prophets were in truth. The sadidoth, which the proph(,ts
wore l, ,,'as a rou
h g-arment of hair 2, worn next to the
sldn 8, whence Elijah was known to Ahaziah, when dcscl'ibed
as 4. a hair.1f mall, alUi girt with a girdle of leatller ahullt Ms
loins. It was a "ide garment, enveloping the whole frame.,
and so, affiil.tive to the whole bodv. ..6 This was the habit
of the prophets. that when thf'Y eallèd the people to penitence,
they were clothed with saclieloth."
5. And he shall say, repudiatill
his former claims, I am
a h,tsbandman 7: for a mall hath laught 8 me from mypulltlt.
fhere was 110 room then for his havin
heen a false prophet,
since he had had from his youth one simple unlettered oc-
('upation, as Amos said truly of himself; \I I was no propllet,
neither was [ a prophet's son: Lut I rt'as an herdsman alld a
gatherer of sycumure fruit. The prophet does not approve
the lie, any more than our Lord did the injustice of the ll1
just
stell'artl. Our Lord contrasted the wisdom in their generation
of a bad man for his ends, with the unwi
dom of the children
of ligltt, who took no pains to secure their God. Zechariah
pictures vividly, how men would anyhow rid themseh'es of
all su
pieion of fal
e-prophesying-.
6. And one shall say uuto him, Ti'hat are those ttJOll1lds in
thy hands? The words are simple; the meanin
different 10,
al'('ording as they are united with what immediately precedes,
or the main subject, Him Whom they pierced, for '''hom
they were to mourn, and, on their mourning, to be cleansed,
and of "'hom it is said in the next verse, Awake, 0 slI'ord,
against .'1.Y Slwpherd. S. Jerome and otl)('rs 11 explain it of
the punishment inflicted by parents. .. These wounds and
bruisc
I received, condemned by the jud
ement of my parents,
and of those who did not hate but lo\'ed me. And so will
truth prevail dissiltating- falsehood, that he too, ,,'ho was
punished for his own fault, will own that he suffered rightly."
But wounds of chastisement are not inflicted on the hands,

I 10. xx. 2. 2 lb, xxii. 12, Jer. iv. 8, vi. 26.
3 1 Kgg xxi. "1.7, 2 Kgs vi. 30, Job xvi. 15. · 2 KItS i. S.
5
rmK occurs Gen. xxv. 25. as describing the whole app'earance of the new-born
Esau; rmK alone, of Elijah's mantle. 1 Kits xix. 13, HI, "1. K
t!. 8, 13, U; of. th,; rl?bes
of the king of Nineveh Jon. jjj. 6. "1VJ::i rmH is the large Bab) lornan j(arment which mClted
Achan's covetousness. Jos. vii. 21-24. [alll 6 S. Jer.
7 The phrase ;ç:!! '7::; is from Gen. it.. 2.
8 10"''7, occurring in this place only, is uncertain. A!(ain
; the !'1ode,? rend';rÎfIPi "!!Old n
(which would be the obvious causative ot :1Jp), or .. boul(ht (taking lIiftl as }(aJ) It seems
decisive, that Ihis would be contrary to the Le\;ticallaw. For since. If
ht or !;Old as
a .lave, he would have been set free In the íth year, he would not have been sold or bought

:' hii:

r
:: r
i

:
I

lão
I:' :

aW:e
o
hi
ro:
n'r;1: :::= POKi

.. made me a c.hepherd and husbandman: Ræ.hi,. quotinlt Vlenohem, .. set me !;ü keep his
lIocks," Ibn Ezra, .. made me to possess ground I. e. lI
ade me a
usb
ndman. Tanchu

.. tilled his land, which his father put him in possesswn of by inhentance." Hunt. 206.
translates 'JJpo'7 by UI01
K .. bought me."
. Am. vii. 11.
M A prevalent m
ern expl8I
ati!,,:, hlL. been of the.oelf-inflictM "-Ol
?ds of. the p
rhets
of Baal. But 1) the Idolatrous lDC;"Ons ha\e a techlUeal name, T1UJ'1' cut him:.e!l; De.

5
3

to kl'ep cattle from my youth. C IPï{oíes T
6 .And one shall say unto him, "
hat (U'C
-
these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall
ans.wer, Those with which I was wounded
in the hOllse of my friends.

I and the puni!'hment of false prophecy was not
UI'h "ound
12,
but death. ". ounds in the hand!' were nll I'llni
hment, which
parents would infliet. They wel'e the !'pe,'ial punishment of
I I the cross 13, after sustainin/! whieh, One only Ih ed. The most.
literai interpretation, then, of the wounds in the hands har-
monises with thc piercing befor(', and the smitinl! of the GlI(H1
I
hepherd which follow
, of "'hom Da, id too I'rophe,.ied,
14. The." pierced J/y llallds and JI.I/ Feet. "15 'Yhat are those
wounds of Th)' hands? IIow ]Oll
, thi nk you, and how ano
bv whom will this be said to Him? Fur en-r and CHr, un-
I ('ëasin
dY, and with unspeakahle admiration it will be said,
both by God the Father, 18 to TV/wm lie lL'aS ubeclit1lt llIt!o
death, the deatlt of the Cross: it will be said also hoth hy the
I holy 17 a1lgels who desire to look into Him, and by men whom
He has I'edeemed. 0 great miracle, wonderful spectacle.
e
l'ecially in the Lord of all, to bear ,,-ounds in the midst of
I His Hands! And He shall say; Trïth t"ese [was f('mmded
I ill tlte house of those fl'ho 100'ed JTe. 0
reat saerilf'g-e, !'at'ri-
I le
ious homieide, that such wounds were inflicted in the
house of thos(' who Im-ed. He will not say, 'with the
e I "as
wounded bv those who loved )Je,' but' in the house of those
who loved
Je.' For the\" who inflicted them, ]m-ed Him not.
But they were the hou
é of Abraham and Isaal' and Jacob
and Da,:id, and the rest like them, who lono )Ie, and ex-
pected )Je, \\'ho was promised to them. Yet so to sp('ak is
not to answer the question, fi'hat are these wouuds? For it
: is one thin
to ask, what are these wound.., another to say,
where they were inflieted. Having said. that they were
inflicted in the house of those who loved
Je, He says," hat
I they are, tile Cup f('ldch _fly Father Itath giveJl JJle to drink.
I For what He subjoins, is .the Yoice of the
ather gidn!:', the
I Cup. Swurd, llll'Uke I)'c. IS as though he saId! Ask ye, ". hat
are these wounds? I say, 'the tukens of obedience, the !'I
ns
, of the Father's will ancl command. The Lord of hOi'ts, God
I the Father hath not spared )Je, His ort'n Suu, but ltatlt gil'eu
I )le fur }"ou all. .And He said, Awake, 0 sword, against J/y
I Shepherd, mtd against the Jla" cuherillg to Jle. which h; a

much as, '0 Death, have thou power O\'er :M y
on, My /!ood
I Shepherd, the l\Ian 'Yho cohereth to
re, i.e. \Yho is joim'd
I in unitv of Per
on with the ,,- ord "'ho is consubstantial
with )le!' And then, as though the sword asked, how or how
xi\"". 1, 1 KItS xviñ. 28, Jer. x\""i. 16, xIi. 5. xlvii. 5. i:"'mJ Jer. xlviii. 3ï. 2)
.I1b? i:"
,
, are used of fresh unhealed wounds themselves, not of the scars. Pro xx. 3U, 1 K"" >.Xii. :>,j,
2 Kgs viü. 29, ix. 15, Is. i. 6, xxx. 26, Mi. i. 9, Nab. jji. 19, Jer. vi. ï, x. W, xv. If!, xu.
I 12, 17. 3) Self-infliction was characteristic of the idolatrous cutti

. They "e
probabl).
to appease the displeased god or goddess. The only support pf It, that C':t.'7HO IS used ot
idolatrous, and so aduJterous, objects of love, i
neut.ralise
b>: the fact that
e m
talror of
Je

,
:

I:sit
V
nf:!

th
ffe
.bp

o:
;

;

;;'; Ii :i::::'inlDthe '7:t
pefjl'

é

at,

: Cyril was misled by the rendering of the LX-"\., D'",,,..olì,ova,,,,
I whereas Aq. Symm. Theod. lia\-e
KK"'TÝ1ao"a..,.
I' Hence Kim. explain._ it of the binding him han
and foot to keep him at home;
.a.'hi
of scourging the back, whid. would be the very oppoSIte of c.,' I'
, anil would not be vISIble.
(bn Ezra makes it refer to the \"'11"\71' ver. 3. Tanchum eX,Plains .. when one asks as to the
marks of beating ....hich are on hi. body," and, paraphrasmg,.,' p, explain._ .. in front of
thee." The Arab. version [Hunt. 206) has simply -,.n'I'
.
I 13 S. Jerome makes the question answered in the "ords, .. They are the wounds &c." in-
, consistently." Why hangest thou on the Cl'OSI! y ....hy are thy band_ transfixed by naiL, !
J ".
aþ
.as
of6
one. to bel
U

to this v

î1
:.
:"d tortu", :,"1 S. ret. i. 12.

5H-t

ZECH...\RL\II.

.7
Awalu', 0 sword, ag-ainst i my sh('p-
herd, and against the lllan k that is illY
I hai.10. 11. Ezek. 3
23.:
John 1 0
&_
IO. 11. Phil. 2. 6.
rar shall I arisc a
ain
t this Thy Shepherd, he subjoins,
SlIIite the shepherd, and tlte .
/teqJ shall be scattered. Henec
the Shepherd fJim:,elf, when about to he smitten, spalie,
IAIl ,1/e shall he (!Ilene/eel because of lJIe tltis uigltt. For it
is ll'ritteu, I will smite tlte Shepherd aml tile slleep slwll be
scattered. So then to tho
e who
ay, 7e1Ult ore tlt'Jse 7l'Olll/ds
ill the mid.
t uf Tlt.'1 l/Fiuds? is appositely subjoined the "oiee
of the Father. sayin
.AIl'ake, Oswurd. against J1.,/."ilteplterd I)'c.
in the meaning. 'They are monuments of the Father'
lo,-e,
thc tuliens of
Iy Obedience, becau
e He spared 1Iut His own
Son, and I became obedient to Him for pm all, even unto deatlt,
and tltat, tlte death of tlte Cross.'''
7.
.Jwal.-e, 0 sword. So Jeremiah apostrophisf's the

word, 2 0 lIwll sll'ord of tlte Lurd, wltell wilt t1101l be quiet?
The prophets eXIH'e
s what will be, by a command that it
shuuld be; 3 lJlake tlte heart of this people Item'p. Rut by
thi
eomnHlI1d hc significs that human malice, acting- freely,
eonld do no more than 4 His Hand llnd His c01lJ/sel determined
befure to be dOll/!. The envv and hatred of Satan, thc blind
flil'y of the Chief priest
, tlie eontempt of Hel"Cld, the g-uilt}
('owanliee of Pilate, freely accompli
hed that Death, which
God had before decreed for the salmtiun of the wurld. The
meaning- then i
. '.5 the sword shall be aroused against l\Iy
Shepherd. i.e. I will allo,,- Him to be smittcn by the Jews.
But by tlte sll'ord he dc..;ignates death, persecution, wound-
ing &c. as abm-e, the 6 sll'ord upon his rigid arm, and, where
the Passion of Chri
t. is
poken of, 7 Delil'er m.l! soul from the

ll'ord. So also, 8 All tlte sinllers of the people .
11(l1l die b./f tlte
..word," "9,,'hieh cannot be talien litemUy; for many sinners
perish by shil'wreeli, poi
on, dl'owning-, fil'e." Anws then "5
0

palie, becau
e many died by war, yet not all by the sword,
but others by pcstilelll'e and famine, all which he includes
l111der tlte .m'ul'll. This smitin
be!!an, when the Lord wa
I
taken, and Hi
sheep bc!!,"an tu be seattercd; but the prophecy'
whi,'h. hcfflre, was being- g-radually fulfilled, was fully fulfilled I
in His Death. and the Apfl
tles wcre dispersed till the day of '
the Resurrection at eventide." I
Agaillst tlte JIa1l. 11lfl Þèlloll'lo, i. e. One united by com-
munity of nature. A little before, God had spoken of Himsdf
as pri('ed at the thir(tl pieces of silz'er, ret as Lrealdn
the I
eo"enant which lIe had made with all nations fOl' His people; I
as pierced tltrough, yet a
pouring tlte spirit of gracp alld Sllp-
lJlicatioll on tho
e who pierced Him, that they should mourn
their deed. and as. thel'eon, e"er cleansin
them fl"Om sin. .\.s

Ian, God was sflld, was pierced. "II God, in flesh, not wOrli-
ing- with audtt inten'ening as in the pl"Ophets, but ha,-in!!,"
takcn to Him a
Ianhood connatural I:! with Himself and
made one, and throu
h His flesh aldn to us, drawing- up to I
Him all human it\". "lmt was the manner of the Godhl'ad in I
flesh? A
fire in 'Íl'on, not transith-ely but by communication. '
For the fil'e does not dart into the iron, but remains therc

Before
C n R I ST
cir. l;:.j.

1 S. Matt. XX\-:Í. 31. 2 Jer. xlvii. 6. S Is. vi. 10.
. Act. iv.
S. :; Rib. 6 eh. xi. Ii.
ips. xxii. 20. ø Am. ix. 10. 9 S. Jer.
10 The word n'C;1, in form, abstract, is always personal. It mnds alone in the dialects,

:=, p':b

l;p
:k
frÎ
n

lo;i::;e
O
te
i
i:
ëv .t

nb
:
[

ËU:;;. j'

i

II, 15, Ii. xxiv. 19. xxv. 11 (bis) 15, Ii.) always with the pronominal affix, "thy" Or "his;"
and ah,ays in enjoining things or forbidding things by virtue of our common humanity.
Thon!!:h feminine in form, it is always mase. in fact, as m, "the wife of''IJ1'CJI Lev. xvili. 20. I
and "
JI. lb. xi"<. Ii. The word, being revived out of the Pentateuch by Zechariah, re- I
ceiw(l no modification in the Hebrew of the intermediate period. I
11 Horn. in Sanet. Christi gener. App. S. Basil. Opp. Ü. ;)\16 quoted in Newman on S. Ath.

feHow, saith tIle Lor.n of l1Osts: 1 smite tlle C l
oíes T
shepherd, and the sheep shaH he scattered: cir.487.
1 :\latt.2f1.31. Mark U. 27.

and cOlllllluniea.tes to it of its own \"Írtue, not impaired by the
eOllllllunÍeatifln, ret filling- wholly its re('ipient." The bold
langua
e of the Fathers only expre

ed the actuality of the
I nearnation. Sinee the l\Ianhood was taken into God, and
in Him dwelt all the fulne

of the Godhead bodily. and God
and
Ian were one Christ, then was it all trne' 'Ian!!ua
e.
His Body was" 13 the ßody of God;" His fle
h" 14 the fl
sh
of the "" ord ;" aud it was lawful to speak of "Ii the flesh of
the ])eity," of" 16 the Passion of the "T ord," "17 thc Pas
ion
of Chrj"i. my God," "18 the Passion of God," "1\1 God dead
and buri('d."" 20God suffcred," "21 murderers of God," ,'22 the
Godhead chwlt in the flesh Lodih', which is all one with
av-
ing- that, being God, He had a proper body. and u
ing this ås
an instrument, He became l\Jan for our sakes, and, bcc'ause
of this, things proper to the flesh are said to be His, sinee He
was in it, a
hun
('r, thirst, suffCl"ing-, t
ltip:ue and the liIie, of
which the flesh is capable, while the \Vorlis proper to the
\\T ord Himself, as raising the dead and restoring- the blind,
He did throu
h His own Bodv," is but a eontiuuance of the
lang-uage of Z
chariah, since He \\Tho was sold, was priced, was
.\Imig-hty God. Jesus being God and l\Ian, the suffcring
of
His Humanity were the suffcring-s of God, althou
h, as God, He
could not suffer. Xow, eonversely, God speaks of the Shepherd
\\'ho was slain, as J1.I/ Fel/oll', united in Kature with Himself,
althoug-h not the l\Janhood of Jesus whkh suffered, but the
Godhead, united with It in one Person, was Consubstantial
with Himself. The name mig-ht perhaps be most nearly repre-
sented by" connatural." '.23 \Yhen then the title is employed
of the relation of an indiddual to God, it is cleal' that that
indh'idual ean be no mere man, but must be one, united with
God by unit\" of ßein!!. The Aliin of the Lord is no other
than He "110 said in the Gospel 2.J,I and JI.I/ Father are One,
and \\110 is designated as >.5the Onl,lJ-Begotteu Son, Irho is iJl
the Eo.wm of the Frllher. The word, it seems, was espe-
cially chosen, as being used in the Pentateuch, only in the
laws a!!ainst injuring- a fellow-man. The prophet thereby
gives prominence to the seellling contradif'tion between the
command of the Lord, AIl'llke, 0 su'urd, against ..11.1/ Shepherd,
aud those of His own law, "'hereby no one is to injurc his
fellow. He thus points out the greatne
s of that end, for th('

ake of which the Lord rc
ards not that relation, ""hose
image among- lllen He commanded to be liept holy. He spealis
after the manner of men. He calls attention to the gl'eatne

of that sacrifice, whereby He 26 spared not His Oll'n 8UIl, bllt
freely gat'e Him up fur us all. The word 'lJJall' forms a
sort of contrast with JIll Þèl/Ull'. He Whom the sword is to
reaeh must unite the H'uman lXature with the Divine." Jews
too have seen that the wurds, J1./1 j'èl/oll'. imply an equality
with (..od; only since they own not Him, Who was God and
l\Ian, they mu
t interpret it of a false daim on the part of
man 27, overlooldng that it is ginn Him by God.
ago Añan. p. 41-1. note k. Oxf. Tr. U "<TIJp.<þlJij i.e. joined on to His Nature." lb.
16 1
.
,t
e
;.
.afu
.iii. 9.
6

.

f

: Christi, 5. 1
71
: 'îr;a
.PR
: 6.
18 Tert. I. c. lb. :1
:.i.tl/
fiu

te
':

. Ath. 1
.S

ettoin Anast. Hodeg. 12.
2' S. Ath. ago Ar. iii. n. 31 p. 413 O.T. See more ibid.
23 Hengst. Chri8t. iii. 530 ed. 2. :e Rom.

./ohn x. 30. 11& lb. i. 18.

i Ibn Ezra interprets it in this !lense, .. He prophesieth again many wars, which shall he
in all the earth, at the
ath of Messiah ben Joseph, and the meaning of My !?hepherd,

;I

?f:tf

h
IG

.ih::
re
l

)

u

::t t
he
:;ma;1e]

w
;rIlK::c

CIL\.PTEIl XIII.

585

Before
CHRIST
cir.
';;.
., 'Iolu. 18.
10,14.
Luke 12. 32.

and I will turn mine hand upon m the little:
ones. I
8 .And it shall ('OIn(' to pass that in all
the land, saith the LUlU), two parts thl'l'l'in
shall be cut oil' and die; n but the third
shall he lcft therein.

DRam. 11. 5.

.flJUl I teill tum JI,1f hand 1 UpON the little Olles, doing- to
them as IIc had done to the Shephel"d. Sf) our Lord fore-
warned thelll: 2 If they Illwe perst:cnted
1Ie the.1I tl'ill also
lJersecute .'IOll: S If the tt'odd !late .VOll, lIe kllow tlUlt it hatl'd

Jle, hefore it hated YOll: 4. re shall he hated of all men for J
I
,wme's sake: 6 they teill delh'er YOllllp to the cO/mcils and SCOllrtre
YOll ill the lJ:'III(/
oglles; aJU[ ye shall be hrougM hefore gorerm;"s
aJUi killgs for Jly UfWU!S sake: 6 the.y slUlIl delit'er YOIl up to
he afflicted. and shall kill YOll: and ye shall he hated of all
men for JlI.1/ name's sake; and to the Seribes and Pharb'ees,
7 I send llnto YOIi prophets and u'ise men and scribes, and .mme
of them .'Ie shall kill and crllc
r.lh and some of the III shall ye
scourge in yo Ill' s.'1lwgogues and persecllte them from ci(1I to I
city, that upon YOIi may come all the righteolls blood shed upon I
the earth. I
The little 01les 8 , as Jeremiah speal,s of · the least of the
flock, and the Lord said, 10fear not, little flock, little and
weal, in -itself, hut mÏt;hty in Hilll and in His gra('e. Three
ecnturies of persecutiun, alil,e in the Roman empire and be- I
yond it in Persia, fulfilled the prophet's words and deepcned
the foundation of the Church and eemented its fahric. i
8. lit all the land, two parts therein shall be Cllt '!if and I
die. "In all the land of Israel,"
ays a Jewish inteqJrcter ll ;- I
the land, in which the Good Slwph('rd had heen slain and the I

heep seattered, that upon yOIl, our Lord had said, may come
all tile /"Ígldeolls blood. A
Da,'id punished :\Ioab, 12ll'ilh two
lines meclMlred he to lJUt to lieutll, a/Ulll'ith one flllliine to keep I
alive; and Ezekiel prophesied, IS A third lJllrt of thee shall
die teith the pestilence, mul teitlt .fll1l1ine shall they be consllmed I
ill the midst of tl,ee: aud a tMrd pari shall fall by the sword I I
round abollt thee; so now, the greater part. should be destroyed,
but a remnant
hould be saved. But the third 1 Jart shall be I
left therein. El:eu so then at this present time also, S. Paul
says Ii, there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
"13The third part only
hall be san'd from the commun de-
!"truction; yet not so, that they shouid suppose that glory was
to be obtained amid ea..e."
9. I IdU bring the tlârd part through the fire. Such is
always God's way. 16 Tlloll hast proved us, 0 God; TIIOll
hast tried us, like as sih'er is tried. Tholl broughtest us into
the snare, Tholl laidest trouble upon OW' loins: we tceut throllgh
./ire and water, and ThOll brolfgldest us out into a wealtl,y
adopting the interpretation. adds "i.e. who thinks himself my fellow." R. Isaac {Chizzult
Emullah, Wagenseil Tela Ignea Satanæ 1'.310\ interprets the whole of the kin!': of Ishmael,
called also the king of Turkey , and ruling over Asia andMrica, under whose hand the majority
:
;elb,
lh
f

e
f
d ili

Z th
C:

i
lIe
:K

:

e
f
í:
d
companion: because in the pri<le and greatness oP'his heart he accounteth himself like God, I
like that, Behold mall is become like one of u< (Gen. iii_)." Abarbanel gives, I>.S the One of I
three interprehtions which he prefers, a modification of R. Isaac's, explaining the words" my
she
rd" of :.\Iohammed. and directin
his interpretation of .. the man, my tèl!ow" "II'ainst

h: se

!tl
f ili

i
à:nr:f EI
II

e
O&i
h

thili;'
:
fe
J,a

,
same substance, and therefore he is called according to their "ords, 'The man, my fellow." I
Rashi alone has .. )Iy shepherd, whom I set over the sheep of my captivity, and th,:, man
my fellow whom I associated with myself. to keep my sheep, even as I dId;" but" I smIte the
shepherd," he explains" the wicked kin
of Moab," or "l..in
of the border of wickedness" [i. e' l
Edom] orin one )18. "the wicked Roman kin
. who shepherdeth my flock." R. Tanchum
has, " that they think in themsl he< on acCOWlt of my 6Ctting them over the creation that they

9
\.nd I will hl'ing" the third part r t]lrong-h C .r
oÍe 8 T
the fire, and u ill p refine them as sih-er is cir.4H;. _
fi I 1 I . . I 0 hai. 48. 10.
re n
(, an( will try them as g'oI( IS tl"l('( : pi Plt. 1. 6, ï.
I 1 I I . 11 q Ps.50. 15.
q t ley S Jail call on my name, am WI & !II. 15.
I I I . 11 ( . I ch. 10.6.
lear t lem : r WI say, t IS my {leuI' e :
and they
hall say, The LUlW is Ul
(;nd.
r Ps. 1 i4. 15. J er. 30. 22. Ezek. 11.20. Hos. 2. 23. ch. 8. 8.

place. 17 I have rf!./illl'd tilee, but IlOt u'ith silver, I !tal'e c1lOselt
t!tt:e ill ti,e fu I"Il ace of '!tflictiou; and, 18 I/lrough lIwclt tribula-
tion u'e //Illst euter iI/to the kingdom of God.
'.111 In adversity virtue is most tried, and it i
she,,-n what
advance a perslln ha" madc; for pntiellce hath It pel/eel u'ork 20 ;
and it i
c
LlIed the touchstune of all lither ,irtue.., as is
written: · 21 God tried IIis ele(.t as gold in thc furnace and
reeeived them as a burnt offcring;' and, <22.\ II the faithful
who ha, e pleased the Lord havc pas
ed throug-h many tribu-
lations.' And the an
el Raphael saith to Tohia
, · 23 Bl'eau...('
thou wert a('cepted of God, need was that temptation should
prove thee.''' "Ad\'ersities arc
ranted to thc clc('t of God,
and therefore to be rejoiced in with the wholc heart." "15 t'ire,
crllsses, racks wel'c preparcd; swords e
ecutioners torturers
were put in aetion; new forms of suffering- were invented, and
)'et Christian virtue remained monle!<s, unconquered: the
ficrf'er the onslaught, the more gloriou
,,'as the triumph."
"uThe more suffered, themurcbelicved in Christ." "15\Yhose
virtuc they admired, these they imitated, and shared the
suffering-, that they might be l'artakcl!; of the glory. This
was that fire, whe)"('by God willed that His own should bt'
tried and purified, that, with Christ \\'110111 they gave them-
selves to imitate, they might enjoy everla...ting
'lory."
I u'ill bless him and will say, It is JJly }ll'OlJle, "19 not only
by creation as the r{'st, but by dcvotion and worship, by pre-
destination and infusion of grace, by singular PruvidelH'e, by
mutual love; alld it shall say, The Lord is m.1I Gut!, \Yho1l1
Alone abo\ e all things. I long for, love, worship."
This promise is oftentimes renewed through the prophets,
oftentimes fulfillcd in Christ, whenever the Church is recalled
fromlbtlessness by fiery trials, and through the1l1 her children
are rc!'tored to dceper devotedn('ss and closer lillion with l
od.
XIV. "The Jews," S. Jerome says, "say that these
thing-s are to be fulfilled under Go
; others that they were
accomplished in part, in the times of the
Ia('edonians, E
yp-
tians, and other nations. \\T e, leavin
the truth of the tiJlH'
to the judg-ement of the Lord, would explain what is written."
Eusebiu
23 points out that it cannot be said to have been ful-
filled under Antiuchus Epiphanes; "If any think that these
things are, thell let him consider ag-aiu and a;..:'ain, whether
he can refer the rest of the prophecy also to the times of
Alltiochus; as, that 26 the feet of lite LOl'll stood O1l the mOllnt
are my administrators in the kingdom and government." The Heb. Ar_ [Hunt. 20';1
"against the man, my companion" ('
,,:/1)11')11).
1 Such is the force of )JI :1'1:1;'1 Am. i. \/, turning the hand against Ekron or against th..
other cities of Philistia; in Is. i. 25, upon Judah, and thoroughly cleansin!,: her by aflliction:

'v:

:. I
i

:
i
hs

en
t
;:nIh
el

.

I
oi
?;.'

%

euih.

here alone should be in a good sense, as Ges.
28. John xv. 20. sib. 18. ' S. :\latt. x. 22,
. Luke -ui. I;.
. S. Matt. x. Ii, 18; add S. Luke xxi. 12. ø S. Matt. my. 9.
7 lb. xxiü_ 34, 35. . r:..,
il;'l 5....
\I

: xlix. 20 iN
èI '1'1,
12 2 Sam. viü. 2. u S. t3u
ez::'
.2i2.
14 Rom. xi. 5. 1. Osor. 16 Ps. lxvi. 9-11.
J7 Is. xhiii. 10. 18 Acts xiv. 22. I'Dion. 2U 8. James i. 4.
21 Woo. üi .6. 2: Judith Till. 23. Yu4t. 2S Tobit xii. 13 \- ulg.
14 8. Aug. in Po. xc. Serm. i. n. 8.
ee more in Tert. Apol. c. u1t. p. )05. notea. OÃ1. Tr.
:Ii Dem. Evang. vi. 18.
" \er.4.

ßefore
(,HRIST
cir. 4;,/.

CIL\.PTER XIV.

ZECHARLUI.

5SG

. Isai. 13. 9.
Joel 2. 31.
Acts 2. 2U.

The dc,çtro.'lcrs (
f ,h:rllsalem destroyed. 4 The
coming of Christ, and the graces of !tis kingdom.
12 The plague of .Jerusalem's enemies. 16 The
remnant s/1fI1l turn to tlte Lord, 20 and their
spoils slwll be hoi'lJ. I
B EHOLD, Bthe day of the LORD cometh,
and thy spoil shall be divided in tbe

of Olives, that 1 the Lord in that da.lf, bf'came king over the
w/wle earth; and
o, as to the rest of the prupheey." And
althou
h more was fulfillcd in the last sieg-e by the Romans,
toitill those who would explain it solely of this, are ublig-cd to I
mingle explanations Imrtly literal, as that Jerusalem
hould I
be the earthly Jerusalem, which was de
tro
'ed, partly meta- I
phurical, as to the mount of Olivcs, its division into two I
parts &c. It !'eems then probable that, Iilie the kindred
prophecy of Joel 2, it relates ehiefly to the time of the end,
and that as our Lord unitcs the destruction of Jerusalcm
with His Coming- in the nay of Judgement, So here are united
that first destruetion with the last rehelliclll of man, in the
timcs of Anti-Christ. Since then much or nUlst mav be vet
future, it scems safer, as S. Jerome su!!ge!<ts, to expiain the
Prophet's symbolic lang"uage, leaving the times of the fulfil-
ment to Him, in 'Vhose hands they are.
I. Behold the DU.'I of t/le Lord cometh, lit. a day cometh,
the Lord's, in whi('h lIe Himself !'hall be .Tudg-e, and no lon
er
leave man to fulfil his own will, and despise God's; in which
His glory and holiness and the righteowmess of all His ways
shall be rcvealed.
And th.'! spoil shall be in the midst of thee. "s How great
will the strait be, that the !'poils should be dividcd in the
midst of her. It often happens that what, by a sudden assault,
is plundered in the city, is divided in the field or in solitude,
lest thc enemy should come upon them. But now there will
be sueh a heavy weight of ills, sueh will be the seeurit.y of
conquest, that the spoils shall be divided in the midst of the
city."
2. I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle,
This is a feature whic'h belongs to the end. It had becn
dwelt upon by JoeP'; EzcliÍel spolie of the i m(l7l.ll nations
which should come under Gog. S. John foretells of an uni-
,'ersal stt'ife at the end, when 6 The .çpirits of dail,ç, working
miracles, go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the w/wle
world, to gather them to the battle of that great da."! of God
Almighty; and 7 Satan shall be loosed out of /tis lJrison and
shall go out to deceive t . he nations which are in tile fmlr quarters I
of the earth, Gog andllIagog, to gather tllem together to battle,
the number of ll'hom is as the saud of the sea. AmI they went
lip on the breadth of tile earth, aml compas.çed the camp of the
saints round about, and the beloved cit;l!. Since no creature
('an do aught but what God wills, and. in his phrenzy ap;ainst
God's people, is but His instrument, 8 to try till m and to
Jlurge and to make white to the time of the end; and the
strenp;th of body or intellect, which is abused ag-ainst His
Jaw, He continuously in the order of nature supplics, God may

4 üi. 2
9

'/i. 30, iü. 18; E

'x
ül20

2.
ð Rev. xvi. 14. 7 lb. xx. I, 8, 9.
I Dan. xi. 35. xii. 10. U Eccl. ix. 2. 10 See ab. on }lic. üi. 12. pp. 316-318.

1 vcr. 9.
3 S. Jcr.

I midst of thee. c J
T!& T
2 For b I will g-ather all nations ag-ainst cir.4,';/.
Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be b Joel 3.2.
i taken, and c the houses rifled,' and the. Isai. 13. 16.
women ravished; and half of the city shall
go forth into captivity, and the residue of
the people shall not be eut off ii'mll the
city,
3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and

be said to do what Satan docs ag-ainst Him. Satan, in his
blind furv, CI'owns martns, fills thc thrones of heaven, works,
against liis will, the All:wise 'Viii of God.
And the houses rijled, and the women Bfc. The horrors
of heathen war repeat thelll
clves throup;h men's ever-recur-
ring passions. \Vhat was fcn-etold as to Bahylon is repeated
in the same words as to the Church of God. Seeminp;ly all
things cOlUe alike to all: \I there is one event to the righteous
aud to the wicked; to the good and to the clean amt to the
unclean: to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacri/iceth
'/lot: as is the good, so is the sinner. The outward evènt is
the same, the hiddcn part is known to God Alone. .And the
residue of the people shall not be cut qfl from the city, unlike
the lot of the earthly Jerusalem, in the destruction both by
JXebuchadnezzar (which was past) and the Romans 10, At the
first, 11 .i..Vehuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried (m'a.1!
the rest of the people left in the city, amI ti,e fugitives that fell
awa.1/ to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude,
so that Jeremiah mourned over it, 12 Because of the mountain
of Zion which is desolate, foxes walk [habitually] upon it,
The Romans ens effaced the city." 1\ow a remnant is not cut
"0; because 14 for the elt:ct's .mke those days slmll be s/wrtened;
for our Lord had said 15, that the gates of Ilell should not pre-
vail against His Church.
3. The Lord shall go forth and shall fight, " 16 is to he
taken like that in Habalikuk, 17 Thou weutest forth for the
sah.ation of Thy people, for salvation with Thine .Anointed,
and in Micah, 18 For be/wid, the Lord cometh forth out of HilJ'
place, and will come down aml will tread upon the high plares
of the earth, and the mountains sllall be molten willer Him,
and the valleys shall be cleft; and I
aiah also, 1\1 The Lord.
hall
go forth as a 11Iigh(l/ man; He shall stir up Jealousy like a
11/an of war; He shall cr.lJ; He s/wll prevail oz'er His enemies.
" God is said to go forth, when by somc wondrous deed He
dcclares His Presence-His Deity is, as it were, laid up, so
long as He holds Himself in, and does not by any tolien shew
His power. But He goes forth, and bursts forth, when He
exercises some judgement, and worketh some new work,
which striketh terror." God then will go forth out of His
place, when He is constrained to break through His quietness
and gentleness aud clemency, for the amendment of sinners.
He "Tho elsewhere speaketh through the prophet, 20 I, the
Lord, change not, and to 'Vhom it is said, 21 Thou art the same,
and in the Epistle of James, 221Vith TVhom is no change, now
goeth forth and fighteth as in the clay if battle, when He
overwhelmed Pharaoh in the Red sea; and fought for Israel."
Tlte Lord s/lllilfight for you, became thc watchword of Moses 23

11 2 Kgs xxv. 11. 12 Lam. v. 18.
17 l

:ii
'I
: 316. I
. !\tc

: f.'tiv. 32. IU I:: !17i.
1: 18. :10 1

i.
r['lt
21 1's. cü. 28. :2 S. James i. Ii. 13 Exod. xiv. U. Deut. i. 30, xiii. :!2, >.x. 4.

CTL\PTER XIV.

5Si

c HB
ors T fig-ht ag-ainst tho..e nations, as wIlen hI'
cir. 4."ï. fou
ht in the day of hattle.
4
...\nd his feet shall stand in that day
<<i

ek. d upon the mount of Olives, whieh is hefore
Jerusalem on the ea'St, and the mount of
Olin's shall clf'ave in the midst thereof
· Joel 8.12, 14. toward the east and toward the west, e (tllli

tlU'rp shall be a ycry
rcat valley; anò half c N"
T's T
of the mountain shan remove toward the cir. 4"

north, and half of it toward the south. H

u
rai".,
5 ...\.nd ye shall flee to the vaUey of II the 1\ ?"
lr't:;:e
mountains; \I for the vaUcy of the moun- :::
a:

of
tains shaH reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall
i
: ':e 'he
flee, like as )'e fled from before tllf' (carth- .:e
;.

.d.
r Amos 1. I.

and the warrior Joshua in his old ag-c 1, after his )ife's ex- for us. So "ball the Feet of God literdlly stand upon fi,e
perience J, and ]\"ehemiah s. Be not afraid by reason of this J[(JIlnt of Olives. Else it mav be that ., 14 thc fèet of the
great milltitude, said Jahaziel, SOil of Zachariah 4, when the Ulwirl'umscrihed and simplc God arc to 1)(' ulHlerstoorl not
.$pirit of the Lord came upon him ; for the battle is not your's, materially, but that thc 10\ ing- and fixed a:;sistance of His
but God's. power is expressed bv that name."
As He fought ill the da!1 of battle. "6 .\11 war
are so \\'hich is true, or' whether, according to an oM opinion,
disposed by the power of God, that every victory is to be the last act of Anti-Christ shaH bc an attempt to imitate the
referred to Hi
cOllllsoel and will. ßut this is not seen so Ascension of Christ (as the first Anti-Christ
iml)n )la,l:("u

dearly, when men, elatc and confident, try to transfer to was said to have met his death in some attempt to fly 15) and
themselves all or the J!;Tcater part of thc
ll)ry of war. Then be de
troyed by His Coming there, thc eHnt must shcw.
may the war be emincntly said to be the Lord's, when no one Ami the lIIUllllt of Olh'es slwll cle(we [be cleft] ilt [from]
drew sWOl'd, as it is written, 6 The Lord shall .fight for you, the midst thereof toward the E'lst ami toward the TVest, i. e.
and ye shall hold your peace. Of all God's wars, in which the eJeft shall be East and 'Vest, so as to form a ,'er.'1
reat
human insolence could claim no part of .thc glory, none was l'alle.l/ throug-h it-from Jcrusalem toward the Jordan East-
more wondrous than that, in whieh Pharaoh and his armv ward; and this shall be, in that half of the mountain shall
were sunk in the deep. The Lord, said l\Ioses 7, is a mall';f remove .J.Vorthward, and half thereof Southu'ard. If this be
war: ti,e Lord is His l'Úllne. Tlmt dal/ of battle wa
the literal, it is to form an actual way of escape from Jeru
alem;
im.l
e of one much g-reater. In that, Pharån};'s army was sunk if fig-urative, it symbolises how that which \\ ould be the
in the deep; in this, the power of e,-i1, in Ih'll: in that, ,,'hat greatest hindrance to escape, the mountain which was hig-her
could in some measure be conquered by human strength, was I than the city, blocldng, as it were, the way, should itself
subrlued; in this, a tyranny uncolHluerable; in that, a short- I afford the way of escape; as Zechariah spealis, 16 0 great
lh'ed libel.ty was set up; the liberty brought by Christ throug-h mountain, before Zeruhbabel thou shalt becomc a lJlaill; and
suhdual of the encmy, is eternal. As thcn the image yields Isaiah, 17 El'ery valley shall be exalted ami every mountain
to the truth, earthly goods to heavcnly, things perishable to aml hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made
eternal, so the g-Iory of that ancient victory sinks to nothing straight, alld the rough places plain; i.e. e\"Cry obstacle should
under the greatness of the latter." be remm'erl.
4. .Aml His feet shall stand in that da.l/ upon the mount of 5. Aml ye shall flee to the ,.alley of the mountains. rather,
Olives, "over against Jerusalem to the Ea
t, wherein riseth along 18 the ,'alley of 111.'1 mountains 19 viz. of those mountains,
the Sun of Righteousness." The )Iount of Olives is the ccn- which God had just formed by dividing the mount of Olins.
tral eminence of a line of hills, of rather more than a mile in For the tXllley of tile mountains shall reach unto Azal, 'i.e.
length, overhang-ing the city, from whieh it is separated only .Azel, the same word which cnters into ßeth-Azel of
Iicah,
by the narrow bed of the valley of the brook Cedron. It where the allusion probably is to its firm-rootedness. It is
rises 187 feet above Mount Zion, 295 feet above Mount more probable that thc name of a plal'e "hould have been
l\loriah, 4-13 fcet abm'e Gethsemane, and lies between the ehoscn with an allusive meanin
, as in ;\Iicah, than that an
cïtv and the wilderness tm,'ard the dead sca: around its unusual appellative should have been chosen to expre!'s a
:Ku"rthern side, wound the road to ßethany and the Jordan 8. verv common meaning. S. CHil had heard of it as thc name
'fherc, probably, Da,.id worshipped 9; hi
son, in his decay, of å village at the extI:emity of the mountain 20. Else it might
profaned it 10 ; Josiah desecrated hi,. desecrations ll ; there 12 UpOlt ,-ery prohably have been dcstroyed in the destrueth.e Roman
the mOllntain, which is on the East side of tlte city, the glor.'1 wars. The Homan camp in the last siege must have becn
of the Lord stood, when it had g,me up from the midst of tI,e very near it 21. Thc destruction of ,-mages, after the frantic
city; it united the greatest glory of the Ll.rd on earth, His revolt under ßar-Chocab, was enormous 211.
Ascension, with its deepest sorro"', in Gethsemane. Since Yt'U, ye shall flee like as yefledfrom before the earthquake.
the Angel said, 13 This same Jeslls, u'/âch is taken up from YOli An eart}uJllalie in the time of Uzziah, whose memory sun-ived
into heavell, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him the capti,,-ity to the time of Zeehariah, nearly two centurie5:,
go illto heaven, the old traditional opinion is not improbable, must have been verv terrible, but no historical aecount re-
that our Lord ,.hall come again to jurlge the earth, ,,'here He mains of it, Josephus ha,-ing avparently described the pa"t
left the carth, Dear the pl';ce of His Agoll
' and Crucifixion earthquake in the language which Zechariah llses of the
1 Josh. xxiii. sl
e

TI:.2
.14, 42, xxili. II. . 2 C
:'b
.l1.' 42, xxiii. 3. :
";o
.
:l;:.:

:'

:t
fo: e
?i

. pis
;:
:
i Osor. 8 EI. Iiv.14. 7 lb. IV. 3. The L.XX had"'Aua1Í,\ in S. Jerome's time; Aq. 'Aui'\; Theod. 'Aul],\; 8ymm. alone
8 Van de Valde Memoir lï9. II 2 Sam. IT. 112. 10 1 Kg!. xi. 7. translates it, ."pbs...b ."apcucdp....o... Jon. retains
.
. So Kim., I.E., Abarb. The 8u.
n 2 Kgs IXiii. Ì3. 12 Ezek. Ii. 23. 13 Acts i. 1
.. . '4, Dion: and
vm. (whom. S.

ro,!,e f

ows,) p
p
. . So

nah

an": Rashi, givin
8.':' im-
15 The evidence would be late except as seeming]v confirmed by a like hIstory In Surtomus posstble explanatIOn. height. S. Cp'Ïl says, It u a V1l1a,I(C, It 11 saId, at the extr
lI11ty of
YÌ.12. 18 Zech. iv. 7. ' 17 Is. xl. 4: I" Accorrnng to the principle of the mountain." . _ . 21 J05. B. J. v. 1.8.

ordsofmotion. '
C1 1111', "1:J;.1(1J. See E.... L
hr:". n. 282a,1. pp. íOO, iuï, cd. 8. II 2: "tK> very well known v,llage.." D,o Ca.ss.lxix.14. See ab. p. 317.

fiSS

ZECJ-L\RL\.H.

C IP"Joíes T quake in the days of -U zziah Idng of Judah:
cir.l"';. g and the LORD m\T r.od shall come, and
a Matt. H;. 2;. b II tl . t . tl " tl
& :!4. 30, 31. a Ie sam S WI I lee.
fu

'I

' 6 And it shall come to pass in that day,

:'o:'\
's

il II that the light shaH not be t clear, nur
::,o
:,
lear t dark:
places, and dark in other places of the world. t IIeb. precious. t Heb. thicknell.

future 1. Such an earthquake is the more remarkable a visi-
tation in Jerusalem, because it was out of the line of earth-
quakes. The:o:e wcrc to the l\"Ol.th and East of Palestine:
within it, they were almost unknown 2. Interpositions of God
e,'en in man's fm-our, are full of awe and terror. The," are
tukens of the I)l'esclU'e of the .\Il-I1oly among- the m;holy.
Fear was an accompanimcnt of special mira('les in thc Gos-
pel, not only amon
the poor Gadarenes 3 , or the people" but
('\"en the Åpostlcs 5; apm.t from the effect of the s!ght of
Ång-ds on us who are in thc flesh 6. It is then (luite com-
patible, that the ,"allcy so formed should be the means of
deliverance, and yct an occasion of terror to those delivered
through it. The escape of the Christians in Jerusalem to
Pella, during- thc break of the siege, after the withdrawal of
Cestius Gallils, was a slig-ht image of this deliverance.
And the Lurd thy Gud shall come, and all the saints with
Thee, 0 Guel. The prophet, ha\"Ïng spolien of God as my
God, turns suddenlr to speak to Him, as present. "7 This is
manifestly said of the second Coming- of the Saviour, of which
John too'in his Apm'alypse sars, 8 Belwld I-Ie shall come with
the clouds, and ever.1f e.lle shall see Him, and tlu:y also w/âch
pierced Him. AmI the Lord Himself in the Gospel declareth,
that 9 the Son of JIall shall cume in the clouds of heaven with
}lower and gre(
t glory. lIe shall come with the cluuds, i.e.
with the .\ngels, who are ministering spirits and are sent
for diffcrent offices, and with t.he Prophets and ÅIwstles."
.,10 "llene,-er S('1"Ïpturc says that the saints and angels come
with Christ. it is always spealdng- of His sccond Coming, as
in that,ll 'Film ti,e S(Jn of
}Illn shall come in His glory and
all His hU(1f Angels witll Him, and in the Epistle of Jude u,
Beb.old tile Lord cometh with ten thuusand of His saints, to
e:recut e .iltdgem e TIt ."
6. The light shall not be clear nor dark, or, more pro-
bably, according to the original reading 13, III tlwt da.,! there
will be no light; the brir:ht unes 14. will cuntract t/lemselves, as
it is said, 15 The stars shall withdraw their shining.
This is evermore the description of thc Day of Judg-ement,
that. in the prcscnee of (';od \rllO is Light, all earthly light shall
/!.TOW pale.
o Joel had said, 16 The Slln ami muun shall be
darkened, mul the stars shall u'ithdraw their sMning. And
baiah, 17 Tile moon shall be cOllfUll1lded and the Slln ashamed,

;kl

.
t':.'fe
ir
5. 2
eÓ
\h
nr

ti

I
lZ;

rias'
speech, S. Luke i. '65; of the son of the
do,:, of Nain I
. vü. 16.. .
õ At the walkin:t on the sea, S. Malt. XIV. 2b,
.John VI. HI; t

rebuking of
he wmd,
S. )Iark vi. 48, S. Luke .iii. :!5; the TransfiguratIOn, S. :Matt_ XVII. 6, S. Mark II. 6; the
draught of fishes, S. Luke T. 3-10.
s To Zacharias. 8. Luke i. I:!; the B. Virpn. lb. 29, 30; the shepherds, lb. ii. 9; to
the women after the Resurrection, S. )lark xvi. 8; the Apostles" lupposing they had ""en
a 1
t;:r

,x
:. 3;. 8 Rev. i. 7. 9 S.Matt. xxiv. 30. 19 Rib.
II S. Matt. XXv. 31. I
S. Jude 14, 15.
II The E. V. follows Kim. " Tbe light shall he neither "Tf" . preciousneoael' nor J1l!!1p I
I thickness.' " .. )111:
: "'V.
IS "',
' as Job xxxi. 26. "the moon. +h ,
; "alking in bea
ty." Jtll!:ir. "s
1I contract
themsel
es," as it is said in Ex. IV.
"'cnJ;1I1!!:jI "_ the depth. .<ht.) colljl;U
ated In th,:.heart I
ofthe sea." Accor<ling to the Kri,

i:'1, the meamng of n1ìJ' IS mere conjecture. KlmclL
(Lex.) Ibn Ezra Rashi suppose it to be . used of" clear light." as contrasted with cloudy,
eJ>.prebSCd by lil!
, so that tile meaning of the wbole shoul<l be the øame as tbat ofv. 7.

I 7 But II it shall be lone day k ,,'hich shall C HBI[oÏS T
I he known to the LOlW, nnt da,-, nor ni
ht: cir.4:.í.
I I t ' t I II t t f t . t I '. II Or. theda"
I JU 1 S la COllie 0 pass, Illl a evclung .hall be OIie.
, time it shall be light.

í,
/?i.
;6.
8 And it shall be in that day, that li,-ing- I
"':
ú.;;jü,2
i}.
m waters shaH
o out from .J crusalem; half Rev. 21. 23.
m EZtk. 4;. 1. Joel 3. 18. Rev. :!2.1.

whell the Lord uf ho.
ts slwll reigll in _llIml1lt Ziull and in Jeru-
salemallllbeforellisaucientsgloriolO./.1I ; and, 18 Be/wid' he
day of 'he Lurd cumetll,-The stars uf heaven (wd the constel-
latious thereof slwll 7lot give their ligld: ti,e sun slwll be
darkened in his going forth, ami the moon shall nut t'Uuse her
light to sMne. All know weU our Lord's words 19. S. .John,
like Zechariah, unites the failure of the heavenly light 20 u 'itl,
I a great eartllquake, llml the SlUt became as sackcluth nf hair:
aml the mooll became as bluod; and the stars of I,eaven fell
UpOIl the earth.
7. And it shall be one day: it shall be knOll'n unto the
Lord: not day, ami 1wt night; ami lit tile eveutide it .
/wll be
ligld. One speeial day; one, unlilie all be!'ides: known unto
God, and to Him Alone. For God Alone Imows the day (If
the consummation of all things, as He saith, 21 Of that da.'!
and tlwt hour knoweth no one, 11either the augt!ls in ileal'ell,
nor the SUIl, (so as to reveal it) but tile Father uuly. l\either
whoUy da.lf, because overcJoudcd with dal'knes!"; nor wholly
ni{(ld, for the strealis of light burst thl"Ough the darkness
chcfluered of both; but in enntide, when all seems ready to
sink into the thieliest uig'ht, there shall be light. Divine
Iig-ht alway breaks in, when aU secms darkness; but then
the dlequered condition of our mortality eomes to an end,
then comes the morning-, which has uo eveninA"; the light
which has no settinl!; "perpetual light, brig-htne
s infinite;"
when 2
the light uf the muon shall be as ti,e ligM (
f the sun,
and the light of the SlUt shall be sevel
fuld; and 23 the glory
of God duth lighten the eternal city, and the Lamb is the ligM
thereof; and

in Thy li!jht u'e shall see ligld. "2iiChrist shaU
be to us eternal light, a long- perpetual day."
R And it shall be, tlwt living waters. "26 This is what is
said in the pl"OpheC) of Joel, 2ï A fountain shall come forth frum
ti,e huuse of the Lord; and in that of Ezekiel, 28And belwld
there rem nut waters." Zechariah lea,'es to the mind to supply
what the former prophets had said of the fertilising life-gh'ing
character of those waters. He adds that they should pervade
the whole land, "Test as weU as East; to the furmer, rather the
Eastern sea
P, into which they would by natm'e flow, and
toward the hinder, i. e, the \\' estcrn sea, the Mediterranean,
which natural waters could not reach. This their flow, he
adds, should be perpetual. " 10 These strcams shaU not dry

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not be light ;-and-," "" Asyndeton. The LXX. ho\\ever, .. There shall not be light and
cold and ice," could only mean to deny the presence of any of them, not (as E...ald) .. there
bhall be no alternation of lip:ht with cold and ice." Proph. ii. 62. Lip:ht too and cold are
not alternatives. The Kri J11<!:p1- as al\\ays, occurs in some l\ISS., Ij Spani.h of De Rossi,
2 at first, 15 old editions. The Jewish authorities (as far as I l.now) lllcluding Abulwalid
Tanchwn Parchon &c., take no notice of the I\:ethibh.
16 Joel üi. 15. 17 Is. xxiv. :!3. II lb. xiü. II, 10.
19 S. Matt. xxiv. 29. 20 Rev. vi. I:!, 13.
21 S. Mark xiii. 32. "" Is. xxx. 26.
Rev. xxi. 23. :4 Ps. xxxvi. 9.
:; S. Cyr. 26 Kim. 'Z1 Joel iii. 18. 28 Ezek. xlvii. 2.
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dead sea. is spoken of there and Ezek. xlvii. Ib; the hinder sea, i.e. the ;\[erlittrranean,
Joel ii. 20, Deut. xi. 24, xxxiv. 2. ;w See ab. OD Joel pp. l-1U, 141.

CIL\PTER X 1\"'.

Before
CHRIST
cir.48i.
II Or, eadern,
Joel. 2. :?O.
D Dan. 2. .H.
Re... II. 15.
o Eph. 4. 5, 6.

of them toward the II formcr sea, and half
of them toward the hinder sca : in summcr
and in winter shall it be.
9 And the LORo shall be n king- oyer all
the earth: in that day shall there be 0 one
LORD, and his name one.
10 ...\ll the land shall be II turncd p as a
plain from Gcha to Rirnrnon south of Jeru-
salem: and it shall be lifted up, and q II in-

II Or, com-
p f:i.e
. 4.
q ch. 12. 6.
II Or, .hall
abide.

up amI their ,,'aters shall not fail l ;" thcrcfore drought !>hall
not lessen them, nor winter-I'old bind them. "l From Jeru-
salem as from a fountain shall stream forth living waters of
wisdom and
race to all nations."
"2 Again he tells us, undcr a fi
ure, that exceeding great
and large shall be that outpouring of the Holy
pirit upon
the saints, especially when they shall be relllO\'ed to that
holy cternal life in the wodd to come. For now throug-h
faith in Christ we are enriched, as with an earnest, with the
first-fruits of the Holy Spirit. llut after the Hesurrection,
sin being wholly taken away, the Holy Spirit will be in us,
not as an earnest or in a mea!>ure; but richly bounteously
and perfectly shall ,,-e enjoy the
raee through Christ. He
calleth, then, lil'ing ?l'ater, the Spirit whieh, he says, will come
ti.rth from the Jcrusalem which is from ahove.-ßut that the
holy Scripture is wont to liIien the Di,-ine Spirit to water,
the Gh'cr thereof, the Son, accredits, sayingS, he that Lelieveth
un ."fIe, as the Scripture hath ,mid, Out of his belly shall fluw
rivers of living water. This the Evan
elist explains, 4. T/âs
spake He (
f the Spirit, w/âch they who believe in Him should
receive. Since then thc Spirit is life-givin
, rightly does he
Jilien it to that, which is life-giving to the frame."
9. ..lnd the Lord shall be king m'er all the earth. Such
should be the influence of the Ih-ing water, i. e. of the Spirit
of God. God "Tho has e,-er reigned and wiII reign, 5 a great
King over all the eadh, shall be owned by His creatures, as
what lIe is.
There shall be one Lord, more exactly, The Lord shall be
One, and His .lYame One. He had before prophesied, 6 I will
cut qt!' the names of tlte idols Ollt of the laud. The Church
being thus cleansed, no other lord or object of worship should
he named but Himself. This b one of those prophecies, of
continued expansion and de,-clopcment, ever bUl'stin
out
and enlarging, yet ne"er, until the end, reaching its full ful-
filment. ,.7 Since in this life we contemplate Gocl in His
effects, ill which His wholc perfection shineth not forth, now
we knO\v Him obscurely and imperfectly, His perfections
being in di,-ers dh.ersely represented. In our home we shall
see Him a!ò' He is, face to Face, through His Essence. There-
fore then He will be representcd by one name, as He shall be
beheld by one
aze."
10. All th
lancI slwll be turned as a plain from Rimmon
to Gebah. "8 All the land, which is round about Jerusalem,

1 Kim. 'J'YTIi"i' make up the whole year. Gen. viii. 22, Ps. h.xiv. 17. 'I'" is winter
Pr.xx.4'/S
'C
;.15,Jer.xxxvi.2:3'3 S.John vii. 38. 4 lb. 39.
6 Ps. xlvii. 3, 8. 6 Zech. xiii. 2. 7 Dion.
8 Kim. e Ps. e'l:x". 2.
10 :'1::11"1, as [;lIj'I, Hos. X. U. II is substituted In the name of the animal [;
1, i:"C
1; the
appell., n1:::ln Pr. x.'l:iv. i ; the precious substance, Ezek. xxvü. 16, Job '<Xviii. 18; the town,
Dent. iv. 4=i,' Jos. xx. 8, I Chr. vi. 65. 11 S.
Iatt. .v. U.
lZ Is. ii. 2. 'lie. iv.l. 13 1 Sam. xiv. 5. H 1 K
s xv. 22.
15 From Gebah to Beer-sheba," 2 Kgs x.xiü. 8, as hEre, "from Gtbah to Rimmon." It
PART VI.

58!)

habited in her place, from Bcnjamin's gate C )Fr[ois T
unto the pla('c of the first gate, unto the cir.

i-
corner
ate, r andfi'um the tower of I1ana- r
t!
:iJ:
neel unto the king's wincpr('s'\cs. Jer. 31. 38.
II
\nd 'mcn shan dwell in it, and th('re
shall be · no more utter clestruetion; t but: i:: :
::'
'
Jerusalem 1\ shall he sateh- inhahited. U Ot!,;hall
]2
And this shall he tile pla
ue where- a Ie.
with the LORD will smite all the people that

which is now mountains, as is said, 9 TIle 17wlllltains (Ire ruund
about Jerllsftlelll, !<hall be len
l as a plain, but .Jerusalem
itself shall be exalted 10,_ and hig-h abo,'e aU the earth." The
dignity of the Church, as 11 a cit.V set upon a hill, tL'lâch cml1lot
be ltiel, is symbolised here by the sinking of all around and
its o\\"n uPI'isiug; a
in .Micah and Isaiah, 12 The 1Jwwtfain (
f
the Lord'.\ house shall be established on ti,e top uf ti,e 11I0l1lltllill.
,
ami slwll be exalted above ti,e Mils. Gebah, lit. /till, now Jel'(/,
was a frontitT-
arrison, held once by the Philistines ]S, and
fortified by Å!"a 14, in the northern hounrlaryof ßenjamin 1å ,
together with :\Jichma!'h 16 (now !\I Cìkhmas), commandin

an important pas
, by which Jerusalem was apprllaelu'd n.
Rimmull, south of Jerusalem is mentioncd in Joshua anHln

the southern towns of Judah 18, p:i,'en to Simeon 1 !). Both
survived the Captivity 20. They mark then the X. and S. of
the kingdom of Judah, a long mountain chain, which is
pictured as sinliÏng down into a l)lain, that Jerusalelll alOlle
might be exalted.
From BC1!iamin's gate unto the place of tIle .first gate.
ßenjamin's gate 21 must oLdously be a c-ate to the Xorth,
and doubtless the same as tI,e gate of Ephraim 2
, the way
to Ephraim lying throu
h ßenjmnin. This too has })ro-
bably reterence to the propheey of Jeremiah, that 23 ti,e city
shall be huilt to the Lord from the tower of HII1Ulneel uuto
the gate of tIle corner. 24 JelwCl,çh, king of Israel, brake dUWIl
the tcall of Jemsalem from the gate of Ephraim to the
corner-gate, four hundred cubits, after the war with .\maziah.
Zechariah !'eems to speak of Jern
alem, as it e)!.istc(l in his
time. For the tower of Hananeel 25 still cxisted; the first
gate was probably destroyed, since he speaks not of it, but of
its place; the gate of ßenjamin and the corner-
ate probably
still existed, sincc XcheUliah 26 mentions the building of the
sheep-
ate, the fish-gate, the old gate, or
ate of the old eity,
the valley-gate, the dung-gate, the gate of the fountain; but
not these.
II. And they shall dwell in it, in peace, going forth from
it, neither into captit'ity, nor in fli
ht 27; for God should
exempt from curse the eÏty which He had chosen, again
t
which the gates of hell shall not I)revail, and He says of the
heavenlv Jerusalem, 28 there shall be no more curse.
12.' Again, upon the rc
toratiol1 of His people follows
the destruction of His enemies. It shall, first and chiefly, be
God's doing, not man's. This shall be the plague. The word

is named among the northern towns of Benjamin, Jos. xviü. 2-1.
16 1 Sam. 1. c. 17 Is. x. 28, 29.
18 Jos. xv. 32. Ie lb. xix. 7, 1 Cbron. iv. 32.
to Gebab, mentioned with }Iichmasb, N"eh. xi. 3], Rimmon, lb. 29.
21 Mentioned besides, Jer. xx. 2. XLXVÜ. 12, Ii. Jeremiah goes through it, "to go into
the land of Benjamin." Jer. xxxvii. 12, 13.
Z2 }Ientioned 2 Chr. xxv. 23, l\eh. \iii. 16, xii. 39.
23 Jer. xni. 38. .. 2 ....!!;S xiv. 13. 2 Chr. xxv. 23.
2õ Xeh. iii. 1. · Xeh. iii. 1, 3. 6. 13, 14, 15.
27 v. 2, 5. ::s Rev. xxii. 3.
4 p

5!)O

ZECH6\RLUI.

C lfí[oíes T have foug"ht aA"ainst Jerusalem; Their flesh
cir. -10;. shall consume away whil(' they stand upon
their feet, and their eyes shall consume
away in their hoks, and their tongue shall
consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall come to pass in that (lay,
a
5

':;: 14. that U a great tumult from the LORD shall
be among them; and they shall lay hold

everyone on the haml of his neiA"hbour, and c I?
oÍeS T
I his hand shall rise up against the hand of cir.4Ri.
his neighbour. I
u
h/2n:
'3.
1-1 And 11 Judah also shall fight 11 at J eru. II Õ:.et;o
8
1;::
salem; Yand the wealth of all the heathen

ah,
round about shall be gathered together,

k
3
s
Ö,
gold, and silver, and apparel, in great Ii, &c.
abundance.

is used of dil'ect infliction by pestilence, wherewith the Lord ueighbour. Everyone shall be everyone's foe. Ea('h shall,
,
hall smite 1 all the people [peoples] that fo/(gltt against Jerlt- in this tumultuous throng, grasp the other's hand, ma
tering-
salem. Thc aweful de:,;cription is of living- corpscs. "2 Thc him powerfully IS. And !tis luwcl shall rise up 14 against tilt;
enemies of Jerusalem :,hall wa:,;te, not with fe,'er or disease, hand of /âs ucighbour, as was prophesied of Ishmael, IS /âs haml
but by a plag-ue from God, so that, being- sounù, standing, will be against every mau, and every man's Iwnd against him.
Ii,'in
, in wcll-being, they should waste and consume away," 14. ..1//(1 Judah also slwllfigltt at Jerusalem. This seems
as h;aiah
peaks of the S carmses of tile men, tlwt 1ll11'e trans- more prohahle than the alternative rendering- of thc E.
I.,
gre,\',
ed against lJle; for tlleir worm shall uot die-will tlley "against." For Judah is united with Jerusalem as one, in
shall be all abhorring unto all flesh. the same context 16; and, if it had sharcd with the heathen,
Tileirflesh shall {'IJllsume lllea.'!, rather, wa,\,tillg au'a.1/ the it must also have shared their lot. It is Judah it
elf
not
flesh of each olle. It is the art of God, in His individual "a remnant of Judah," as it is 17 el'e17! one tlwt is left of
justice to each one of all those multitudes g-athered ag-ainst all tile nations, which is thus united to Jerusalem: it h:
Him. Onc by one, their e.1/es, of which they said, 41et our that same Judah, as a whole, of which it is said, it shedl
eye look OIl Zion, i. e. with joy at its desolation, slwll consume Jìght. 1\ or is anythiIl
spoken of "conversion," which is
fl/l'a.1/ iu their holes, and their tongue, wherewith thcy hlas- said of those left from the heathen nations, who had fought
phe,lIed God 5, slwll consume away ill their mouths. Appalling, ag-ain
t her. Yet for Judah to have joined an exterminating"
horrible, pictUl'e! standing on their feet, yet their flesh IIcathen war against Jerusalem, evcn though con:,;trained,
mouldering- away as in a grave-yard, their sightless balls had, liIie thc cOllstmined sa('rifiees to Heathen gods, been
decaying in their hole
, thc tongue putrefying in their mouth, apostasy. But there is not e,-en a hint that, as Jonathan
a disgust to themsclves and to others! Yct what, compared apolog-etieally paraphrases 18, they were" constrained." The
to the horrible inwal'd decay of sin, "'hereby men 61wve a war is to he .J udah's free act: Judah also slwllJìgltt. Again,
1wme tllat tlICY live and are dead? "7 Let liS read Ecde
ias- those gathered against Jcrusalem, and thcir warfare again:,;t
tÎt'al histories, what \' alcrian, Decius, Diol'letian, :\laximian, it, had been described at the outset, as 19 all nation,
: here
what the sa,'ag-est of all, l\Iaximin, and lately Julian suffered, the subject is not the gathering or fighting, but the overthrow.
and then we shall prove by deeds, that the truth of prophecy Nor is there any ùecisi,'e contrary idiom; for, although when
was fulfilled in the letter also." used of peollle, it always means" fight ag-ainst," yet, of place,
]3. A great tumult, and panic fear, such as God said He it, as often, means" fight in 20." Probably then the Prophet
would send upon the Canaanites before I:,;racl 8 , or on I
rael means, that not only should God fight for His people, but
itself, if disobedient 9; or whieh fell on thc Philistines after that Judah also should do its part, as S. Paul says, 21 TJ'e,
Jonathan's capture of the garri
on at l\Iichmash, when every then, as workers togetller with Him; and, 22 we are laholll"fTS
man's 10 sll'ord was agaimt his felloll" There is no real unity, together u'ith God; and, 23 I lahoured more ahwulant
l/ thalt
ex('ept in God; elsewhere, since each seeks his own, all must they all; yet uot I, but tile grace of God w/âch 1l'as 1l'Íth me;
be impreg'nated with mutual suspicion. ready at any momcnt or, 24 work out .'l/Ollr OUnt sah'atioll with fear aml trembling;
to be fanned into a flame; as whcn, at the blowing of Gidcon's I for it is God w/âch wIJrketh iu you both to will ami to do of
trumpcts, 11 tile Lord set every man',
sword against his fellow; . His good pleasure. God so doth aU things in the Chureh,
or when, at Jehoshaphat's prayer 12, tile children of Ammon for the conversion of the heathen, amI for single :,;ouls, as to
ami lJ10ab stood up against the inlwbitants of lJlount Seir, wait for the cöoperation of His ereature. "25God made thee
utterly to sln.1f aud destroy; and when tile.'! had made an end without thec; He doth not justify thee without thee."
of the inhabitaJlt.
of Seir, every oue helped to destroy ((Jwther. Ami the wealth of all the heathell round about shall be
And they shall lay hold, everyone on tile IIll/ut of his I gathered. ""hatever the world had taken in their wal' against
1 'I
# occurs 20 times of God's striking; 2ce of a foot stumbling; once (like 1lJJ) of an I 14
'v .. rlse"=" be raised up," as even of inanimate things, Am. iii. 5, Pro xxvi. 9,
ox goring another, once of a man's accidental blow, both in Ex..
p;>, in like way, occurs I Job v.:!6; of a people carried away, lb. xx>.vi. 20. Gesenius' instances, Thes. p. 1023 n. 2.

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The fonn Hif., PO:T, is Ii... Nif. is used of a putref}ing wound, Ps. xxxviii. 6, and po 20 On the one hand, ")1:1 en'J .. fought against the city," J ud. ix. 45; :T
1;1 .. against
3
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Rabbah" 2 Sam. xii. 27; :T
'II1';l" against Keilah," 1 Sam. xxiii. 1: on the other, ,
JJ;1
ofthe host of heaven, Is. xxxiv. 4. 2 Lap. S Is. lxvi. 24. .. fought at Taanach," Jud. v. 19; m'
l
, .. at Replüdim," Ex. xvii. 8; \

9 n1:1':;1;1 .. in
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j a ec t,
, O n f o s t u

" n an Ca e r x c Pe e d m it , .ï s o h n , '"
,
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e , d w e h ci e s r ive e N b e a b tt u l c e ha be d t n w ez cc z n ar E . "' " Y ,o P te t a h n , .d s
13 i'
n:'l, with acc., is used adversely though figuratively. Anguish (Jer. vi. 24, I. 43J ,.,
, T _..
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as r: co t:s rre l
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n ni t n o a
ing with violence (with :1) De. xxii. 25, 2 Sam. xiii. 11; forcibll detaining prisoners, NT h
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CIL\PTEH XIY.

Before
CHRIST
cir.
ï.
· '"er. 12.

15 .And z so shan be thc plague of the
horse, of the mule, of the canlP], and of the
ass, and of all the heasts that shan be in
these tents, as this plague.
In

\nd it shall come to pass, t!tat cyery
one that is left of aU the nations whit'h

the Church shall be ahunclantly repaid. All tIle IlerltlleJl had
combined to plunder Jeru
alem I; tile wealth of all tile hea-
tllen shall bc gathered to refluite them. "II As Isaiah says,
The nations, converted to Chri
t, hrought aU their wealth
to the Church, whence hc cong-ratulates thc Church, saying',
"3 Tlwlt shalt also sltck tI/(
1IIilk of tile Gentiles, amI sllalt slick
the brea.
ts uf kings-.For hrass I will bring gold, amI fur iron
I It'Í1I bring silver; under which he tYl'i('ally understands,
"4 wisdom, philosophy, elof}uenc(', Ical'Iling-, and all the other
arts and seiences, liheral ami mcehanical, where,,'ith the
heathen shall hc adorned, who are eOll\'erted to the faith, So
shall the /!ifts of naturc be perfeeted by the f,!,"ifts of grace,
and tllC'I shall defend the Chureh who erstwhilc attacked it."
l;j: AmI so shall he the plaglle of tile Iwr,çe f)-e. "4 So,
when God sendcth the plag-ne, all the irrational animals of
Anti-Christ and his satellites shall perish, as the afuresaid
men, who used them, perished. For, for the sins of men,
God, to their greater eonfusion, sometimes slays their heasts,
!'ometimes also for their loving' eorreC'tion." "6 The ima
erv
is from t.he :\IClsaic law of thc'ban, If a whole dty bc
amë
g-uiJty of idolatry, not the inhahitants only, but the heasts
wcre to he dt'stroyed 6, so that here, in miniature, should be
repeated the relation of the irrational to thc rational part of
the cI'eation, according to which, for the sins of men, the
creature is, ag-ainst its will, made sll
;ect to t'fmi(v. Ana-
logous is it. also, that on the otfeIwe of Achan 7, beside him
and his childI'en, his oxen, asses and sheep were [stoncd and]
burned with him."
lü. Ever?! une tlmt is left 0/ the nations. God so gives
the rqwntanC'e, even through His vi!'itations, that, in pro-
portion to the larg-eness of the rebellion and the \'Ïsitation
upon it, shall be the largeness of the conversion. 8 Jerllsalem
sllall be trodden down uf the Gentiles, until the times of the
Gentiles shall he fulfilled. And S. Paul, 9 Blindness ill part is
llllppened to Israel, until tile fulness of tile Gentiles shall be
come ill; and so all Israel shall be saved. Hitherto prophets
bad "poken of a 10 remnant of Jacob, who should returu to tile
might.1! Gud, and should be !>aved; now, upon this universal
rcbellion of the heathen, He foretells thc conversion of a
remnant of the heathcn also.
Slwll even go up from year to year to UJor.çhip the I{ing,
tile Lord of Iwsts. There is a harmony betwecn the rebellion
and the rc'pcntance. The converted shall go to worship God
there, where ther had ",triven to exterminate His worshippers.
The prophet could only speak ùf the Gospel
lllder thc image
of the law. The Feast of Tabernacles has Its counterpart,
not like the Pasch a or the Pentecost, in any sing-Ie feast, but
in the wholc life of the Gospel. It was a thanksg'i\.jng for
past deliverancc; it was a picture of their pilgrim-life from
the pa!'sagc of the Red sea, until thc p.arting of the Jord
n
opencd to them the entrance to thclr temporary rest III
Canaan II. "12 In that vast, wide, terrible wihlcrness, where
1 ver.2. ' Lap. 3 Is. Ix. 16, Ii. _ _. \Di?
.
. Hengst. 6 Deut. xiii. 15. ' Josh. \U. A, 2".
g S. LUKe xxi. 24. 9 Hom. xi. 25. 26. lU Is. x. 2l.
II See ab. at greater li'ngth 011 Hos. xii.
. p. j:J. 1
S. Jer.

5!H

I came ag-ajn
t Jerusalem shall even · go up c Hß
[oÍeST
from rcar tu year tu worship the King', the cir. ""7.
LOIw of husts, and to kecp b the feast of'
'ïf.'
3.7,9,
tahcrnades. b
:r' 23.34,
17 c And it shall be, that whoso will not

:
2.\
'
I cume up of all thc famiJics uf the earth c f
hllo
i
:
I
; was no villag-e, hOllsP, town. ('ave, it 1lIa.1e it:,elf tents. wherein
I I to sojourn with wives and c'hildn'n, avoiding- hy da
the IJlIrlJ-
ing sun, by lJi/!,"ht damp and coM and hurt from dcw; and it
I was 13 a statute for ever in tlleir generations; ye shall dwell
ill booths set'en ([a.lIs; all, that are Israelites horn, .ç/wll rhull
ill 1mutlls, that your geueI"ftfiulls may kUOlI', that I lI/fule the
cltilrlren of Israel to ([well in hootll.
, wlleu I hrougltt tllem (Jut
(d tile laud of Rg.'1pt." "2:\1 ueh morc truly do Christian..;
Jieep thc feast of tabernaC'lt's, not once in the year unly, hut
eontinualJr, uneeasing-Iy. 'J'his is, what S, Peter admonisheth,
14 Dearly heluved, I heseech you, as strangers and pil/p'i1lls,
ahstain fl"Om .fle.
My lusts. And S. Paul often teach(.th that
we, like Abraham, are strang-crs on earth, but 15 citben.ç of
heavcn with the saiuts, aud uf tile llOuselwld of Gud. .Faith,
he says, 16 is tile substauce uf things huped for, tIle eÓ([('/lre (
f
things uot .çem. B.I/ faith LibralwlIl sr!Íollrned in the laud of
p/"fJ//lise liS ill a strange crJllnt,:'1, dlcellillg in tabel"lwl'ies with
Isaac amI Jacob, the heirs with llim r
f the same jJro1/li.
e;
for Iw louked for a ci('1 1('hic/t Iwtlt fOll1ldatiolls, whose lmilrlpr
amI maker is God." "12 As long as we are in pro
rt'ss, in the
('ourse anti militant, we dwell in tabernacles, strh ing- with
all our mind to pass from the tabernaclt's to the firm and
la:,ting' dweIling-plaee of the house of God. ,nlCll('e also
holy David said, 11 I am II stranger with Tlwe (md a sr!;uu/"ller,
as al/m.1/ fathers were. So !'peaketh he, who is still in Ego) pt
and yct placed in the world. ßut he who goeth forth out of
Egypt, and cntereth a desert frum viccs, holddh his way and
says in thc Psalm, 18 I will pass tllruugh to tile place r
f tIle
tahernacle uf the IVOlulerfll1 untu the IWllse of God. "'hence
also he says elsewheI'e, 19 IImv a1lliahle are TI,y dwelling.
,
ThOll Lord of husts; m.1/ suul lougetll, yea el'en faintetll fur
tile cuurts of the Lurd; and a little after,20Blessed are tlle.'1
wlin dwell ill tll.'! IlOllse, tlw.'1 slwll be abi'ay praising Tllee.
21 The l}(Jice uf rrjoicing ami salvation is ill tlw tabernacles uf
I tlte ri{.;lIteults. 22 Dne tldng hare I desired of tile Lurd, tltat
will I seek after; that IlI/a.'1 dwell ill tile IlOuse of tile Lord
all the t!a?!s of 111.'1 lifl', tu behold the heall('1 of tile Lord and
to enquire ill His temple. "
hoso dwelleth in such tabernaeles,
and hastes to
o from the tabernades to the court, and from
the court to the house, and from the house to the temple of
the Lord. ou
ht to t'elebrate the feast of TabernaC'les &c."
It spnbolises how, "4 in the Ke\\' Testament, Christians,
being delivered through Christ fnnl) the !'Olavery to sin and
satan, and sojourning- in this vale of misery, by makin/! pro-
gress in virtues g-o up to the homc of the heavenly paradise,
the door of g-Iory being- (lpen hy the merit of the Lord'

Passion, and so the faithful of Christ celebrate thc feast of
tahernacles; and, after the destruC'tion of Anti-Christ, they
wiIJ celebratc it the more de\"Outly, as there will thcn be
aIllong' them a fuller fervour of faith."
17. IVlwso 1l'i1l1lot go up. "23'1'0 those who go 1Iot up,
he threatens the same punishmcnt as perseeutors would
13 Lev. xxiii. 41-i3. 14 1 S. Pet. ü. II. 16 Eph. ü. 19.
16 lIeb, xi. 1, 9, 10. 11 PB. xxxix. 12.
I! lb. x1i. 5. Yulg. 19 lb. Ixxxiv. I. ro lb. 4.
11 lb. c.>.Üii. 1;';. t:I lb. XX\ii. 4. 23 S. C}r.

5f>>2

ZECHARL\H.

C IP
oÍeS T unto J crusalem to worship the King', the
cir.4:;;. LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no
rain.
IS A nd if the family of Egypt go not up,
t ,
eo':,;
r,:r
and come not, t d that llltt'c no l'ain; there
d l)e:O
.ll.IO. sllall be tile 1)lague, \VllCrC\\"itll tIle l...ORD

endurc. For enemies, and they who will not lovc, !:'hall have
the same lot. This is, I think, what Christ Himself said,
IlfTllOso is not u'itlt l1Ie is against lIIe, and wlwso gatlteretlt not

vith lIIe scattereth."
Upon them tllCre shall be no rain. Rain was the most
c
scntial of God's tcmporal g-ifts for the tcmporal well-being
Clf His peoplc. Moscs markcd out this, as his peoplc wcre
entcl'in
on the promiscd land, with rcccnt mcmory of
E
yptJs indcpcndcncc of rain in Egypt itsclt
and that this
gift dcpcmlcd on obedicnce. 2 The lalld, whither thOit goest
in to possess it, is not as the luud of Eg!/pt, wllCnce ye came
out, where thOit sowedst tlill seeel and wateredst it with tlt.1f foot,
as a gm'den of herbs: but a land of hills and valleys,-it
drillketh water (
f the raiu of lleaven; a lalld w/âch the Lord
th." Gud caretlt for; the eyes uf the Lord are always upou it,
from the beginning of the .1lear even uuto the cud of the year.
.And it shaLL be,
f .lfe shall I,earken diligentZIf unto Jly com-
mandments-I will give you the rain of !Iour laud in its season,
the first rain and the latter 1'ain, that thou 11la.'lest gather in
tl,." corn alld tI,." wine and tMlle uil. Alld I will send grass in
th.1J.fields fur tit.'! cattle, tlwt thOll nWllest eat and be full. nut
the thrcat on disobcdience correspondcd thercwith. sTake
heecl to yourselves, Moses continucs, that your heart be not
deceived, alld ye turn aside and serve uther gods-and the
Lord's wrath be kindled agaillst YOll, and He shut up the
hNlven, that tltere be lLO rain, (lJul tltat the land .1Jield not her
fruit, alld .lfe perisll quickly from qff" ti,e good land, which tile
Lord giveth you; and, 41'IIy heavell, tlUlt is over thee, sllllil he
brass, alld tile earth, tl/fd is uuder thee, shall be iroll; the Lord
slwllmake the rain of thy land powder aml dust. Amos slJcaks
of thc withdrawal of rain as onc of God's chastiscments 6:
the distrcss in the timc of Ahab is pictured in thc history of
thc woman of SarcIJta 6, and Ahab's dircctions to Obadiah 7.
nut it is also the symbol of spiritual blessings; both are
united by Hosca 8 and Jocl 9 , as Jocl and Amos also E:pcak of
spÏI'itual blpssings exclusively undcr the fig-url' of tcmporal
abundance 10. In Isaiah it is simply a symbol, nDrop d01l'n, ye
heavells,from above, and let the skies pow' down righteousness;
let the earth open, amllet tlwn bring forth salvation, and let
1'ighteousness spring up together.
18. Alld
f the family of Eg,1Jpt go not up, and come not,
that have no rain; rather, and there shall not be l2 . It may bc
that the prophet ('hose this clliptical form, as wcll knowin

that the symbol did not hold as to Egypt, which. howcver it
ultimately dcpcndcd on the cquatorial rains whieh overfillcd
thc lakcs which supply the :Kilc, did not nced that fine
arrangcmcnt of the rains of Autumn and Spring which were
essential to thc fmitfulness of Palcstinc. The omission
lcaves room for the somewhat prosaic supply of Jonathan,
"Thc 1"ilc shall not asccnd to thcm." More probably the
I S. Luke xi. 23. 2 De. xi. 10-15.
3 lb. 16, 17. 4 lb. xxviü. 23 J 21. 6 Am. iv. 7. See above p. 188.
81 Kgs xvii.
I-ll;. . lb. xviii. 5.
8 Hosea vi. 3. See ab. p. 39. v Jo. ii. 23. See ab. pp. 125,126.
10 Jo. iii. 18. Seeab. pp.I40, 141. Am. ix. 13. See ab. 224, 225.
II Is. xlv. 8. See also lb. v. 6, both to;:(ether lb. xxx. 23.
I
Thê E,V' J following Kim' J takes c
')'" /171 as a subor,linate clause J II and there is not

will smite the heathen that come not up to C HDï[oíes T
keep the feast of tabernacles. cir.487.
If) This shall be the II punishment ofll Or J .in.
Eg-ypt, and the punishment of all nations
that come not up to keep the feast of
tabernacles.

words are lcft undcfincd with a purpo!:'cd abruptncss, tlm'e
shallllot be up Oil them, viz. whate,-cr thcy nccd: the omission
of thc symbol in thcsc two verscs might thc more suggcst,
that it is a symbol only. E/!ypt, the ancicnt oPIJl'cssor of
Israel, is unitcd with Judah as onc, in the samc worship of
God, as Isaiah had said, 13 III that eta.1f shall Ismel he tile tldrd
with Egypt and with Ass,,1lria; and sincc it is united in the
duty, so al!oÕo in thc punishmcnt for dcsIJising it.
" 14 Lct not Egypt be proud, that it is watcrcd by thc 1'\ile,
as if it nee(led no rain: i. e. lct no one be scem.e in thi!' lifc.
For though we stand by faith, yct may we fall. For although
bedcwcd by the cfflux of DÏ\'ine grapc, and fillcd with its
richness, yet if wc give not thanks ('ontinuaUy for such gTeat
gifts, God will count us as thc rcst, to whom such cOl,ious
goodncss ncver came. The safcty of aU thcn lics in this,
that while we arc in thcse tabernaclcs, we dlCrish thc Divine
bencfits, and unccasingly praisc thc Lord, "'ho hath hcaped
such bcncfits upon us."
"15 Under thc onc nation of thc Egyptians, he undel'stands
those who are greatly dcccivcd, and choose idolatry most
unreasonably, to whom it will be a p;rave inevitablejudgcment,
thc 1'ledp;c of dcstruction, that thcy despise the acceptablc
p;racc of salvation through Christ. For thcy are murdcrcrs
of their own souls, it
whcn thcy could lay hold of cternal
Jifc and thc Divine gcntleness, opcn to all who will choose it
and put off thc burdcn of sin, they die in their errors: the
stain and pollution from trangrcssion and cn'or uncleanscd,
although thcDivine light iIIumÍIw{\ aU around and called those
in darkncss to receive sight. Of cach of thcsc I would say,
16 Better is an untimely birth tllUn he; for lie cometh ill lcitlt
vauity, and departetlt in darkness, a1Ullâ.
name shall be covered
wit It darkness. 17 Good had it been for thcm, if thcy Iwd never
heen burn, is thc Saviour's word. That this is not said of
the Egyptians only, but sball come truc of aU nations, who
shall altop;ether he punished, if thcy arc recklcss of thc sal-
vation throup;h Christ and honour not His festival, he will
establish in thcsc words;
19. Tllis slwll be the sin of Eg.'IPt and tile sin of all
nations tllCt! come not up to keep the feast of tahenweles. For
bcfiJre the coming of thc Saviour, good pcrhaps had becn in
part the excusc of the hcathen, that thcy had becn call cd by
none. For no one had preached unto them. 'Vhcl'eforc the
Saviour also, pointing- out this in the Gospel parables, said,
18 the lahourers, call cd at tlte eleventh !tuur, said, 1.Yo man Iwt1t
hirecl u.
. nut whcn Chri
t cast His lig'ht upon us, 19 hound
tile strong 11/an, rcmO\'ed from his pervcrseness thosc subjcct
to him, justified by faith those whl) came to Him, laid down
His life for the life of all, thcy will find no sufficicnt cxcuse
who admit not so revercnd a c-racc. It will be truc of the
hcathcn too, if Christ said uf thcm, 20 If I Iwd not come and

upon them," viz. rain at any time; but it is unnatural that, in two comecutive verses, the
words should be taken in such divergent senses. The omission of /I" by the LXX., folIowe,l

1
:o

,:Oti
'::)a

:n

s.\

:Od
P.f

:,e

dlrs
i

i;'

:;
hfft
if
tlo
âe
;
Ewald. 13 Is. xix.2i. Ii Osor. 1. S. Cyr.
16 Eccl. vi. 3 J 4. 1. S. Matt. xxvi. 2t.
18 lb. xx. 7. 18 lb. xii 29. :.'0 S. Jolm xv. 22.

CIL\PTER XIY.

C HB
oÏS T 20
In that rlay shall therp be upon

ir. .J,"'
tho II hells of the hOl'
CS, e IlOLl:\E
S
II Or, bridle.. U '- TO ' rH
· Isai. 23.18....' E LORD; and the pots in the
LORD'S house shall be like the buwls bcfm'c
the altar.
21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in

spoken unto them, they IlUd not had sin: but now they have 710
cloke for their Sill."
The prophet says sin, not puni
hment 1, for sin includes
tile pUJlislulle1lt, which i
it!' due, and which it entails: it does
not express the punishment, apart from the sin. It was tile
sin which comprised and invoh.ed all other
in. the refusal
to worship God as He had re,.ealed Himsclf, alld to turn to
Him. It was to say, fIre will not llave Him to reign over
us.
20. In tlwt da!/ there slwll lIe lipon the bells S of tile
IlOrses, Holiness linto tlte Lord. He docs not !'ay onh., that thev
should be consecrated to God, as I
aiah say
of ;ryre,41Ie'"
1IZCI"chandise and her !tire shall he Iwlille,ss to the Lord; he
says that, the hells of the horses, thin
s simply secular,
should Lear the same inscription as the plate 011 the hig-h
pric!"t's forehead. Perhaps the comparison was smn
e
ted by
the bell
on the high priest's dress;'; not the lamina only 011
his forehead, but bells (not as his, whieh were part of his
sacrcd dres!'), bclls. altog-ether secular, should be inseribed
with the self-same title, whereby he himself was dedicated to
God.
Ifoliness to tile Lord. He does not brin
down what is
sacred to a level with common things, but he uplifts ordinary
things, that they too should be sacred, as S. Panl says,
61dether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to tlte
glory of God.
And the pots of tlle Lord's house slwll he like bowls before
tile altar. The pots are mentioned, together with other vessels
of the Lord's hou!'e 7, but not in reg-ard to any
a('red use.
They were used, with othel' Yes
cls, for dressing the victims 8
for the partakers of the sacrifices. These were to be sacred,
like those made fOl' the most sacred use of all, tile bOll'1s for
sprinkling 9, whence that sacrificial blood was taken, which
was to make the typical atonement.
21. .And every pot ill Jerusalem and in Judah shall be
holilless to the Lord. Everything is to be ad,.anced in holiness.
All the common utensils everywhere in the people of God
shall not only be holy, but holiness, and capable of the same
use as the ve,.sels of the temple.
And illere shall he no more tIle Callaanite ill the holtse of
tile Lord of hosts. The actual Canaanite had long since

1 The E.V. follows Kim. in rendering "punishment." Ges. combines the two in his
rendering of c
I$, n. 2 .. culpam sustinuit," not in his" culpæ pænas dedit." The rendering
.. shall be l(Ililty " unite. sin and
unishment in his instances, Ps. xxxiv. 22, 2-'3, Is. xxiv. 6,

. :
.
:.
ò
t.

d
1
;eE
-:j'

î
i
e 1I
;u

iU:
J,
:

1 k
i

.

When the Lord saia, It .hall be more tolerable in the day of j"df{ement for Sodom and
GfJmo,.,.ha than.for that dt.". He meant, that both I(Ililt and punishment would be greater.
In Is. v. 18,
:;
, and, lb. xl. 2, 1'\II:t
is .. sin." :';0 also JÏ1!/ Is. v. 18. Ps. xxxi. 11.
3 11
. Ii".. Yet the rendering" bel:s
'

:

of
137A 1 Chr. xiii. xv. XVI.
xxv. 2 Chr. v. xxix. Ezr. iii. 10, Neh. xii. 27. The other guesses," bridles" (lxx. Syr.),

5!)3

J urlah shall he holiness unto the LORD of c J
or! S T
husts: and all they that sacrifice shall come dr.4ðï.
and take of them, amI seethe therein: and
in that dav there shall be no more the r Ij:i
i
:
f Canaanite. in B the huuse of the LORD of
;2.2l5.2i.
hosts. &
J.t2{21
'

cea!'ed to be; the Gih('onite!', the la"t remnant of them, had
becn ab,.orbed among- the people of God. But all Iðrael wcre
not of Israel. Isaiah had callct! its princes and pcople,
10 rlilers of Suclo1Jl, people of Gomorrall. Ezd\icl had said,
11 Thlis saith tile Lord Gud 1lnto .Jerusalem; TIIY birth and
thy nativity is of the land (
f CWt(l(Ill; tlly fat/ler u'as (Ill
AI/write, aml t1ql motller a Hittite. Hosea u
ed at least the
tel"lll of two-foM meaning-, 12 CUl/fUIn, in whose hands are tile
balances of deceit; and Zephaniah, 13.All the people (l Canaa/t
are destro.lfed. After the time of the Canon, Daniel is intro-
dUl'eti saying-, "1-10 thou seed of Canaan and not of Judah."
Ezekiel had spoken of un
odly prie,.ts, not only as uncireum-
ci
ed ill heart (aecording- to the language of Deuteronomy 1;'),
but uncirf'unwised in ße
h also, alto
ether alien from the
people of (;od 16. The prophet then speaks, as I
aiah, 17 It
shall be called tile way of /toliness; tile ullclean shall not pass
Ol'er it, and Joel, 18 then .shall .Je1'lisalem be holy, amI tllere
shall 1/0 str(l7Igers pass through Iter allY more. This
hall
ha\.e its full fulfilment in the time of the end. 19 Tltere slwll
in 710 wise enter into it allY t!d1lg that (h:fìleth, neither what,.o-
e,'er Il'orketh abomination or a lie; and, lcitllOut are dogs a1ld
sorcerers and whoremongers and mllrderers and idolaters, and
what.mel'er lut'eth and maketh a lie.
c'20Although born of the bluod of ISl"ael, tho
e of old eag-erly
imitated the alien Canaanites. nut after that the Onlv-
ßeg-otten '" ord of God came among- us, and, having justifiéd
by faith, sealed with the Holy Spirit, those who camc to Hi

g-race, our mind hath been steadfa,.t, unshali:en, fixed in piety.
Xor will anyone persuade those who are sanctified, to honour
I any other god sa,.e Him 'Vho is, by nature and in truth, God,
, "'holll we ha,'e known in Chri
t. For in Himself He hath
shewn liS the Father, sayin
, 21 He tlwt hath seen ..lIe hath seeu
the Þàther. "Therefore in that day, i. e. at that time, he say
,
tllere shall he no Canaanite, i. e. alien and idolater, ill the
hOllse of the Lord .AlmigMy." c, 22 nut may the Almig-hty God
brin
the saying true at this time al
o, that no Canaanite
should be secn among us, but that all should lh'e aCf'ordin

to the Gospel-laws, and await that bles
ed hope anti the ap-
pearance of our great God and Saviour Jesus Chri,.t, with
"'hom be glory to the Father with the Holy Ghost, lIUW amI
ever and to endless ages. Amen."

"trappings of borses" [Jon.] or "warlike ornaments" (S.Jerome's Jewish teacher) hA\e
none; the l3u8òI' of Aq. and ""pi".a.TOl' Uú""'Ol' of Symm. (as from m'ny) gi\e no meaning,

Is. xxiii. 18. 6 I
j.!) Ex. xxviii. 3-1.: xxxix. 25, 26, IDe<!
of it ?n

:

S

lkgs \ii. 45, 2 Kgs xxv. 1-1.. 2 Chr. iv. 11, :6: JC:;
'lli: :J; 19.
8 2 Chr. xxxv. 13. 8 C'j::"I1::>
10 II

:
h. i. 11. See a

;.z:.k xvi . 8. 1214HH
:'
S
's
:b51.' i8.
I. Deut. x. 16, xxx. 6. 18 Ezek. xliv. 7. 1; Is. xxxv. 8.
18 Joel iii. 17. See ab. p. 140. 19 ReT. xxi. 2ï, X'Cii. 15.
:10 S.Cyr.
I S.John DV. 9. 21 Theod.

IXTRonUCTIO

TO

T II E PRO P H E T
j\I A LAC II I.

THE last prophet of the Old Testament, like the Forerunner
of our LOI'd, whom he foreaunounced under his own name,
,. · the messeng-er of the Lord," willed to be but "the voi('e
of one crying in the wilderness;" as his great successor, who
took up his messag-e, when asked, 'Vho art thout JVhat sayest
tlWll of thyself? said, b 1 am tlte voice of one crying ill the
wilderness, .i1Iake straigltt tile way of the Lord. He mentions
neither his parmtagc, nor birthl'laee, nor date; nor did he
add the name of his office c, aud has left it to be guessed,
whether the name under which he is known, was the name
which he hore among men; so wholly did he will to be
bidden. Noone before him is recorded to ha,'e borne his
name. It may be that he framed it for himself, and willed
to be known õnly as what it desi
nated, "the messeng-er of
the Lord." This was a favourite title with him, since, in
this brief prophecy, he uses it, as describin
the priest's office,
and that of the forerunnel' d; whereas, before him, except
once by Hagg-ai and once by Isaiah', it had been used only
of the blessed Angels.
There is, howe
cr, no ground to think that it was not his
name. Even the Seventy, who paraphrase it, "His mes-
senger," prefix to the book the IJame l\Ialachi; and the title,
,. my mes"enger," wouhl not have described that he was" the
messenger of God," since the name of God had not preceded.
"If names are to be interpreted," S. Jerome says, "f and
history is to be framed from them, not a spiritual meaning
to be derh-ed, then Hosea who is called Saviour, and Joel
whose name means,' Lord God,' and the other prophets will
not be men, but rather angels or the Lord and Saviour, ae-
cording- to the meaning of their name." No special stress
was laid upon the name, even by the Origenists, who sup-
posed Hagg-ai Malachi and S. .John ßa()tist to have been
angeis g. Origen himself supposed S. John ßaptist to have
bcen an angel in human form b, and Melchisedek i, as well as
Malachi. More widely, that "j they became the words in the
prophets."
At thc time of our Lord, some accounted him to ha,'e been
Ezra, pel'haps for his zeal for the law. His date must, how-
ever, ha,"e been latcr, since there is no mention of the build-
W1g- of the temple, whuse service was in its regular order. In
the New Testament, like others of the twelve, he is cited
without his name k , or the substance of his pl'Ophecy, is spoken
.
I;<
, the extremest abridJ!:ement of the fuller fonn. I:I
:, :I;
V;, as '1111, Bezaleel's
father (and two others) for 1';->111, . Uriah' or 1:1;->111, U_rijah the prophet Jer. xxvi. 20. sq.
â:
b

': lbrid

:;l;::;:,

i
.:,;/s :I;:;I!! in 2 Chr. XXIX. 1; 'õJJ (the bn
Jo'tnY

ns) IS
c Habakkuk and Haggai
dd the title of their office, .. the prophet." Hab. i. 1. Hagg. i. 1.
<I Mal. ii. 7, iii. 1. · Hagg. i. 13, Is. xlii. lil-
t Præf. ad Mal. T. i. p. 939 Vall.

of or alluded to, without any ref('renee to any human author I;
su entirely was his wish to remain hidden fulfiJlcd.
Yet he 'probably bore a great part in the reformation, in
which 1'\ehemiah eÜoperated outwardly, and to effect whieh,
after he had, un the cxpil'ing- of his 12 years of offiee m, re-
turned to Persia, he obtained leave to vi
it his own land
ag-ain n, apparently tOl' a short time. For he mentions his
obtaining- that lea,.e, in eonnection with abuses at Jeru
alem,
which had takt'n place in his absence, and which he beg-an
reforming, forthwith on his arrh"al. ßut three chief abuses,
the neglect of God's servi('e, the defilement of the priesthood
and of their covenant, and the cruelty to their own Jewish
wivcs, divOl'cing them to make way for idolatresses, are sub-
jects of Malachi's reproofs. 1'\ehemiah found these practiC'es
apparently rampant. It is not then probable that they had
been, before, the subjects of Malachi's denunciation, nor
were his own energctic measures probably fruitless, so that
there shuuld be occa
ion for these denunciatiolls afterwards.
It remain!';, then, as the most probable, that l\Ialachi, as the
prophet, cÜoperated with 1'\ehemiah, as the civil authority.
as Haggai and Zcchariah had with Zerubbabel. "oSo Isaiah
cöoperated with Hezekiah; Jeremiah with Josiah. Of a
mere external reformation there is no instance" in Jewish
historv.
It does not appear, whether Nehemiah, on his return, was
invested by the king of Persia with extraordinary authority
for these reforms, or whether he was appointed as their
governor. The brief account affords no scope for the mention
of it. It is not then any ohjection to the contemporaneous-
ness of l\1alaehi and 1'\ehemiah, that, whereas Nehemiah,
while governor, required not the bread of the governar, i. e.
the allowance granted him by the Persian govemment, as an
impost upon the people, Malaehi upbraids the people that
they would not offer to their governor the poor things which
they offered to Almighty God, or that the governor would not
accept it, in that it would be an insult rather than an act of
respect. For I) the (luestion in Malachi is of a free-offering,
not of an impost; 2) Nehemiah says that he did not rtquire
it, not that he would not accept it; 3) there is no ('\"Ïdence
that he was now gonrnor, nor 4) any reason why he should
not accept in their improved condition, what he did not re-
quire, P because the bondage was heavy upon this people. Pre-
s Id. on Hagg. i. 13 p. 751 Vall.
h Orig. Comm. in S. Joan. T. ii. n. 25. Opp. iv. 85 dela Rue.
i S. J er. Ep. 73 ad Evang. n. 2.
J In Matt. Tom. ü. n. 30. Opp. iü. 549.
It II It is wntten." S. :Matt. xi. 10. S. Luke vü. 27, or, with Isaiah, .. in the prophets,"
S. Mark i.2. I S. Luke i. 17, 76. S. Matt. xvü. 10, S. John i. :!1.
m
eh. v. U. II lb. xiii. 6. 0 Hengst. Christ. iii. 583. P :r\eh. v. lB.

)L\L
\CnI.

sent
were, as they arc still, a common act of courtesy in
the Ea"t.
Like S. John napti
t, though afar off, he prepared the
way of the LOI'd lJy thc preachjIl
of rcpentanc'e. )lore than
other prophets, he ull\'eils prie
ts and Ileople to tlJ{'/Il
('ln'
,
interprets thcir thoug-hts to them, and puts thCl
e thou
hts
in abrupt naked langua
e, pic.turin
them as delllurrin
to
every char
e whic'h he bl'ou
ht against them. They were
not, doubtlc
s, consC'ious hypclC'ritcs. For con
('ious hypo-
crisy is the sin of indh'idual
. aping- the
ra('es which oth('rs
po
sess and which they have not. yet wish to be held in
estimation for havin
. Here, it is the mas
whiC'h is C'ornlpt.
The true Israel are the exception; atllOSe ,('//0 feared the Lurd,
thejewels of Almighty God. It is the hyp(wrisy of self-d('('eit,
eontented with poor, limited, outward sen'ice, and pluming
itself upon it. l\Ialac'hi unfolds to them thc meaning of their
acts. His thesis is themselve!;:, whom he unfnlds to them.
He interprets himself, putting- into their Ulouth" word..., be-
tukeniug a simple unC'IJnsciousness either of Gnd's goodness
or their own evil. b ret ye say, IFherein hast Thou lOlled ust'
This was their ill\\'ard thoug-ht, as it is the thoug-ht of all,
ungrateful to God. But his chal'actel"Ïstic is, that he puts
these thoughts into ahrupt, bold bad words, whil'h mi
ht
startle them for their hideou
ness, as if he would sa\", "This
is what your acts mean." He exhibits the worm' and the
decay, which lay under the whited exterior. C Ye say, fVherein
II.(ll'e we despised TII!J .J.YulIle? Perhaps, they were already
learning-, not to pronounce the proper Kame of God, while
they ('aused it to be despised. Or they pronounced it with
revcrent pause, while they shewed that they held cheap God
and His service. d re sa.//, The table of tlw Lord is cuntempti-
ble. eYe say, the table uf the Lord is polluted; and the fmit
tllereof, his meat, is contemptible. Their acts !;:aid it. "'hat
a reading of thoughts! f1'e said also, Behold, tl'/wt a u'eari-
ness! It i
the language of the heart in aU indevotion.
g Ye say, I/"herefore'! as if innocently unconscious of the
ground of God's judg-ement. hf1'"herein hm'e we roMed Tltee?
The lan
uage of those who count the earth as their own.
i re sa.I/,L IV herein have we wearied Him? 11'"lIell .'1/t: sn.l/, Every
one tlwt dueth evil is good in the sight of tile Lord, and in tllem
cloth He delight, or, TfTllere is the God of judgement? The
heart's speech in all envy at the prosperity of the wi('ked!
Yet the object of all this unfolding- them to themseh'es, is
their repentance. "Te have already the self-righteousness
of the Pharisees, and the Sadducees' denial of God's Pro-
vidence. And we ha\"{' already the voiee of S. John Baptist,
of the wrath to come. They professed to kdeligllt in the coming-
of the messenger of the CrJl'ellUllt; yet their deeds were such
as would be burned up with the fire of His Coming, not,
rewarded.
Pharisees and Sadducees are but two off...llOots of the same
ung"odliness; Pharisees. while they hoped by outward acts to
be in favour with God, they become, at least, seeret
adducees,
when the hope fails. First, tl.ey justify themselves. God
had said to them,l re are departed Ollt of the l1'a.7J: I hat'e
71Iade .YOll base, as ye /w't'e not kept JI.1f ways. They say m, It
is t'ain to serve God; and what prqfit, that 1('e /wt'e kept His
ordinance? (affirming- that they had done, what God called
thcm to repentance for not doing). God said II, re hare cot'ered
the altar of the Lord with tears, the tears of thcir wronged
. Mal. iii. 16. b i. 2. · i. 6. d Ib, 7. · lb. and 12.
fIb. 13. Iii. 1-1. b iü. 8. I ii. Ii. k iii. 1. iv. I.

Ù
i:: 1J!1i= m iii. 14. D Ü, 13
!:J"lK

iW.: :g..:
I)."Jtl_
, !:"1I:'It:J Uo'\JK iii. lã. These last contrasts are Hcug.,tenbcrg s Chnst. IU. 5(//. ed.
.

.j95

wives; they insist on theil' O\vn au..teritic
, m u'e hm'e tealAed
mrmrllfllll.1/ IJl,,(ore the Lord our Gorl. Then eomes the
ad-
ducec portion. God had calIed them to ubedience and said,
o PrUl:e l}le 1l0W lu:rell'ith: the,' sa\, p tI,e u'or/,ers of ll'ickerl-
nes.
hm:e pJ'(J/'ed God. ami ar
sai'ed. God promised, q All
nations shall call YfJlt blessed; they answer, r lIm/now we call
ti,e pruwl blessed. fr/wt have we s}Jokell against T/U'e'f is the
last self-justifying- question, whieh
Ialadli re('ords uf them;
and this, while reproaC'hin/! God for the usdcssnes... of serv-
ing Him, and choosing' the lot of tho"e who rejected Him.
Ther('on Malachi abandons this class tu their 0\\ u blind-
nes!'. Therc wa
hope amid any sin, howe,'er it rdJ('lled
a
aiust God. This was a final dC'uial of (;od's Providen('e
and rcjection of IIimsdf. So Malachi close!' \\ ith the same
prophecy. with which S. John llaptist prepared our Lord'

eoming,IIis "fan is in IIis halltl, and Ill' tl'i/[ througM!/ purge
His/loor, lllul will gatller tile wheat into His {:;arner, hilt ti,e
chqtr He s/wll/mrll witllfire llIlfJuenchable. The unspeakable
tenderness of (Ìod ton-al'ds t/wse wI/() fear llis name, and the
severity to those who filially rehel, arc perhaps nowtwre more
vividly d{'C'lar('d, than in tlwse closing' words of the Old
Testament. Yet the 100'e of God, as evcr. predominate>;; and
the last propll{
t doscs with the \\ ord ,. Rememher," and
with one UlOl'e effort to avert thc curse whieh thev were
bringing- upun thcmseh-es. Yet no prophet del'1ares more
expressly the rejedion of the people, to whom he ('ame to
minister, the calling- of the Gentil('
, the universal" or!ohip,
in all the carth, of Him ,rho \\ as hitherto worshipped by the
Jews only; and that, nnt at Jerusalem, but eac'h otrering-, in
his own I'la('e, the sa('rifice whieh hitherto (as they hall re-
cently experien('ed, in their captivity at Babylon) could be
offered up in Jerusalem only. To him alone it was reser\"Ccl
to prophesy of the unbloody Sacrit1('e, which should he ott(>red
unto God in eur.1I place thruughout the world from tile rising
of tI,e .WiIl Ullto the going dUlt'11 thereof. It has been said,
"1l\Ialaehi is like a late e\-enin
. whiC'h do!'{'s a lon
da,'. but
he is at the same time thc morning twilight \\ hidì beårs in
I its bosom a dorious dav."
"u "Then Prophccy ,,:as to be withdrawn from the ancient
Church of God, its last lig-ht was mingled "ith the risin

beams of the SitU of lligldeullsness. In one ,-iew it comhined
a retrospect of the Law with the clearest specific si!.:ns of
the Gospel ad,.ent. v llemember ye the law of Jluses Jly Sel'-
rallt, u'hich 1 commalldecllâm ill H()reb.for all Israel, with tIle
statutes and tile .ilCflgemeuts. Behold 1 11'i/l send .'1/Olt Elfillh
the prophet, brfure the great lInd dreadful clap r
f tile Lord.
Prophecy had been the oraclc of J l1dai
m and of Christianity,
to uphold the authority of the one, and rc\"eal the promise
of the other. And now its latest admonitions were like those
of a faithful departing minister, embraeing and summing up
his duties. Re
ig-ning its charge to the personal Precursor
of Christ, it expired with the Gospel upon its lips,"

\. school, " hich regards the" prophets" dliefty as "poets,"
says that" the language is prosaic, and manifests the dceaying
spirit of propheey." The offiee of the prophets was. to con-
vev in forceful words, whieh God
a\e them, His messa
e to
His people. The poetic form was but an aecident. God,'WllO
knows the hearts of His creatures whom lIe has made. knows
better than we, why He chose such an instrument. Zcchariah.
full of imagination, He chose some years before. ßut He
. S. Luke ill. Ii. t :r;"ägelsbach in Herzog Real-Enc)cl.
00
n

n
d

'fuit
!t.
;,st

'/':

:\:hfi1:yO
h

ì

ro: 0
1

:
because nearest, therefore, in conjnnction with the Ga<pel; to which 1t lead. us by the hand,
&Ild deliven UI over; for that begins, where he ends." Pococke, Dedication. . iv. -l,

5U6

l\I.AL6 \ CHI.

preserved in history the aecount of the words which Zecha-
riah spolie, not the words wherewith he urg-ed the rebuilding-
of the temple, in his own book. Had l\Ialal'hi 8poken in
imaglnath"e language, likc that of Ezekiel, to whom God
!<ays, a tllOll art unto them like a very lovely soug of one that
hath {I pleasant voice ånd can pla.1/ well OJI an instrument, ami
tlu'.1/ I,ntr th.1/ word.
and they do lIlem not, it may be that
they would have aeted then, as they did in the time of Eze-
kiel. It may be, that times like those of l\Ialaf'hi, apathetic,

elf-justifying, murnmring-, sclf-complaeent, needed a sterner,
abrupter, more startling voice to awaken them. lVisdu/n mas
illsttlied of her children. God wroug-ht by him a reformation
for the time being: He gave through him a warning to the
· Ezek. xxxili. 32.

C
e
Ti S T CH6\PTER I.
- cir.3\)7. 1 lJIalachi romplaineth of Israel's unkindness, 6 Of
their irreligioltsness, 12 and profaneness.
T HE burden of the word of the LORD
to Israel t by l\Ialachi.
2 a I have loved )"OU, saith the LORD.

t Heb.
b.l/ the hand
of ftfalacl.i.
. Deut. 7.8.
& 10. 15.

CHAP. I. I. The hurden of the word of the Lord to
Israel. "I'1'he word of the Lord is heavy, because it is caUed
a burden, )'et it hath something of consolation, because it is
not 'against,' but to Israel. For it is one thing when we
write to this or that person; another, wl1('n we write' against'
this or that person; the one being- the part of friendship, the
other, the open admis
ioll of enmity."
B.I/ the hand of JIalachi; throug-h him, as the instrument
of God, deposited with him; as S. Paul speaks of 2 tlte dispen-
,mtion of the Gospel, S the word of reconciliation, 4 tlte Gospel
of the uucircwllcision, being committed to him.
2. I have loved you, saith tlte Lord. ""hat a volume of
God's relations to us in two simple words, I-have-IOl'ed Y01l5.
So would not God speak, unless He still loved. "I have
Im"ed and do love you," is the force of the words. '''hen?
and since when? In aU eternity God lo,'ed; in all our past,
God Im'ed. Tokens of His lo,'e, past or present, in good or
seeming- ill, are but an eflluenee of that everlasting love. Hc,
the Unchang-eable, e,'er loved, as the AIJostle of love says;
6 we love Him, because He first loud us. The deliverance
fl'om the bondage of Egypt, the making them His 7 peculiar
people, the adoption, the covenant, the giving of tI,e law, the
ser1'ice of God and His promises, all the several mercies in-
volved in these, the feeding with manna, the delinrance from
their enemies whenever they returned to Him, their recent
rt'
toration, the gift of the prophets, were so many single
pulses of God's everlasting love, uniform in itself, manifold
in its manife!"tations. But it is more than a det'laration of
His everlasting love. "I have Im"cd you;" God would say;
,,"ith "8 a special love, a more than ordinary love, with greater
tokens of Im"e, than to others." So God brings to the penitent
!"()ul the thought of its ingratitude: I have loved you: I, you.

I S. Jer.
1 COT. ix. Ii, Tit. i. 3. 3 2 Cor. v. 19.
t Gal. ii. 7. 1 Tim. i. 18.
· r:::1N '/'1:!
II. 6 1 S.John iv.HI. 7 Rom. ix. 4.
8 Poe. 9 Ps. lxxviii. 11.
10 lb. cvi. 13. 11 Lap. I
Gen. xxv. 23. 13 lb. Jc<Ïx. 31.
H nu/'1, in this fern. form, is but a variation from the form elsewhere, C'3I1, as we have I,'N
ami n
:!.I. Ewald. Lehrb. n. Bib. p.458. ed. 8. Ges.'s rendering "d"ellings" (after t

generation, when our Lord !':hould come, that He should come,
as their Jud
e as well as thcir Saviour, and, how they should
stand in the day of His Coming. He gave it as a book to His
whole Church, wherehy to disting-uish seeming- from real
sen'ice. Pal.ting words are always solemn, as
closing the
past, and opening out a future of expeC'tation before us. The
position of l\IahU'hi, as the last of the prophet
, bids us the
more solemnly prepare for that dread Day, our Lord's Second
Coming-, whic'h he foretold, in one with the First, warnin
us
that we deceive not ourselves, in unconseiou
ness of our own
evil and remembrance of our seeming good, until lIe pwfe!oi!oi
unto us, b I never knew you; depart from J.Jle, ye tlwl 'lCUr"
iniquity.

b S. :\Iatt. vii. 23.

Yet ye say, 'Yherein hast thou Im-ed us? c J
ors T
Jl'ås not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the cir.397.
LORD: yet b I loved Jacob, b Rom. 9. 13.
3 And I hated Esau, and C ]aid his 1l10nn- . Jer. 49.18.
tains and his heritage waste for the dragons ;,z7,\3
.i,3i5.
of the wilderness. Obad. 10, &c.

And ye Illll'e said, lVherein hast Tltou loved us ? It is a
characteristic of l\Ialachi to exhibit in all its nakedness man's
ingratitude. This is the one ,,-oiC'e of all men's murmurings,
ignoring all God's past and present mercies, in view of the
one thing whieh He withholds, thoug-h they dare not put it
into words: lVherein Iwst TllOu loved us? Ð lrithin a u'lâle
they forgat His works, and tlte 'll'01/(lers tlwt .He had shewed
tltem: lU the.,/ 'TIwde 11Cl.
te, tltey forgat His 'll'orks.
lVas not Esan Jamh's hrother? sai/h tlte Lord: and I
loved Jacoh, and Esalll/(ll'e I hated. " II "'hile they were yet
in their mother's womh, before any g-ood or evil deserts of
either, God said to their mother, 12 Tlte elder slwll sen'e tlte
younger. The hatred was not a proper and formed hatred,
(for God could not hate Esau beforc he sinned) but only a
lesser love," which, in comparison to the grcat love for Jacob,
seemed as if it wpre not love. '.11 So he sa\"s, 13 Tlte Lord
saw that Leah was hated; where Jacob's n
g-leet of Leah,
and lesscr love than for Raehel, is ealled 'hatred;' Jet Jacob
did not literally hate Leah, whom he loved and cared for as
his wife." '1'liis greater love was shen'n in preferring- the
Jews to the Edomites, g-iving to the Jews His law, Church,
temple, prophets, aud subjeding Eclom to thcm; and espe-
cially in the recent deliverance. "II lIe does not speak di-
rectly of predestination, but of præeleetion to temporal
goods." God gave both nations alike o\-er to the Chaldees
for the punishment of their sins; but the Jews He brought
back, Edum He ]eft unrestored.
3. And I made his mountains a waste, and his heritage for
the}ackals l4 of the wilderness. Malachi attests the first stage
of fulfilment of Joel's prophecy, 15 Edom shall be a desolate
ll'ilderness. In temporal things, Esau's blessing- was identical
with Jacob's; ti,e fatness of tlte earth and of the dew of I,eavell

LXX. ð,},p.aTa Ipf}",ou, and Syr.) fails in many ways. The Arab hNjJJ which he, after
Pococke, compares, is a nOJnen actioni
, "a. reluaining, staying, d
elhllg, abi
in
[ÏI! a
country, town, place], not" the dwellilij(" Itself. 2) he suppo.es n13!:! to be = M1"ì!:! (wIth
dag. forte euphon.) as :T;P? for õll;';;;
::J, ,

;:.? for õll;'?;:?," (see Röd. in Ges. Thes.) But
this would be to derive it from /UTI, with the characteristics of 1311 and none of N1n. 3)
" dwellings of the wilderness," is the contradictory of what is meant, complete desolation.
Ii Joel ill. 1
. See ab. pp.l4-!, 145.

CfL\PTEn I.

5!)j'

13efore
C

.I_S T
cu..3.I,.

4 'Yhereas Edom saith, ". e are impo-
ycrishcd. hut we will retul'll and huil(1 thp
desolate pla('t's; thus saith tIlt' L()lll) of
hosts, They shall huilel, hut I will thr'O\,'
down; and they shall can thcm, The horder
of wickedness, and, Thp lwuple ag-ainst

,dUH)) the' Lon'n hath imJig-nation for (,'-PI'. C HBeJo
S T
5 And yom' l'Yt'S shall sce, and ye shall . cir. 3
i.
..ay, d The LUll() will hc magnified II t from })
,
o

'
thc hordcr' of hl'al'l. t ;"e:.'upon.
()
A sun e hunoureth !tis fathcr', and a ; E
;
:
.
spr,-ant his ma..ter: fjf then I be a father,

from alHwe; and the rich soil on the tcrnwes of its mOllntain- (ì. A.mllllOll'lUreth Iii.
fllt/ier, aml aslau Ids lord. lIavin

sides, tlwllgh
iddin
nothing' now e
I'('pt a wild }wautiful spoken IIf tht' I""e of Gild. he turns to the thanklessness of
vegetation, and its deep glens, attl'st what they oll('e lIIust man. (;011 appeals to the first feclin
... of the human IJt:'drt,
have heen, when artifi,'ially watel'ed ami t'ulti\ïlted. The the l"I'btion of parent and I'hill!. ur, failin
this. tll thc natural
fir:;t deslllation must have hcen throu
h XclHlI'hadlleuar I in sclf-intcl'c"t of tllll
e depclllient em their fellow-men. A ,ÇQll
his expedition ag-ain!<t E;,:'ypt, when he subdued
Joab and hy the instinet Ill' nature, by the unwritten law written in the
.Ammon; and Eclllln lay in his war, as Jeremiah had tilretold 2. heart, l/lJwJIlrcth his fa ti,er. I f he fail to do so. he is counted
4. lVhaeas Edo)Jl saith s. lVe arc impo/'erished\ or, more to ha\'e hroken the law of nature, tll he an unnatural son.
pro}mbly, we ll'ere crushed. Either gÍ\"es an ade'luate sense. If he i!<. what hy nature he oUl!ht to be, h{' docs really honour
Human self..eunfidenec will admit anything', a.. to the I'a
t; him. He doe
not e\-I'II speak of Im-e, as to whil'h they mi
ht
nay, will even exaggerate past e\-iI to it!<eIt
"Crush u
IHlw de('eÍ\ e them
('h'es. He !oòl'caks of hOl/our, outward re,"ereJ)ee
they may. '\'e \\ ill arise and repair our losse
." Su Ephraim only; which whoso sheweth 1I0t, would olll'lIly ("lllldemn hilll-

aid of old, " Õ iu the pride awl stoutness of hcart, Tlte bricks self as all unJ)1Itul"al
on, a bad sla,"e. .. Of l'l/llrse." the Jews
w'e fa lint drmm, Imt 1l'e will/mild with hell'}h
toJlcs: the syco- would sar. ",.hilcll'en honour parents, and sla,-e!oo their masters,
mores are cut cfoll!ll, hut we will ch(wge them into cecf({r.
. It but what is that to us?" God turns to them thcir own men-
is the one lan!!,'uag-c of what l'alls itselt
" indomitahlc; " in tal alhJ)i...
ilJn,
other word.., "untameahle," 1'01HllU'rors or e"cr\" uther c:am- If I rtlll {I Father. "I5Although, before J'e were born, I
bIer; "wc will J"l'pair our lo
se"." .-\.11 is ag'ain
t;;ke,l amI' lost. hegan to Im'e you in Ja('oh as sons, yet l'hollse hy what title
Theil shflll ('a/l them the borcfer of wi('k(,(/I/es.
. FOI'mel'h' ve will name
Je: J am either nHlr FatlH'r or nlUr Lord. If
it had its OWII pl'oper lIame, the bo
'der of EdfJ/ll, as other å Father, render me the honour due to a father, and offer the
countries, 6 flll the IUHtler of Eg'lpt, 7 the borda of Jloah, B the piety wOI.thy of a parent. If a Lord, why de"pise ye .:\Je? why
1l'lwle border of Israel, Ð tlu: borda of Israt'!, 10 tI,e t{'//fJle fear ye 1I0t your Lord?" (;od was their Father by creation,
horelel' of the Amorite. HelH'efurth it should he knllwn no" as Ill' is Father of all, as Creator of all. lIe h1ld come tu be
more by its own name; but a... the I1m'dcr (
f ll'irkecflles.
, whel"e II their' Father in a nearer way, by temporal rcdemptiun and
\\'id\edne"s formerly dwelt, anI) hence the jud;.:-ement of . Gild II adoption as IIis pepuliar people, ('reatillg them to be a nation
and dc
olation from Him came upon it, ,. an aceursed land." to His dory. This they were taught to confcss in their

omewhat in like way Jercmiah !<ays of Jel'u!<alem, 1I.1IflJ/!1 p
a}mody, 16 He lulfl, made It.
. al/(l 1lot fce ourselre.
; fl'e are
1latioJ/.
s/i,dl pass b.lI this ci(ll, (l/lll they shall S(l.'/, el'el'y mall ' I I EJis people (/I/(l tlte sheep of Hi.
]lastllre. This titlp God had
to /lis neigldlfJlfr, IT'berefore hatlt the Lord doue this unto tMs I g-i,'en them in
ight of the E!!'yptians. 11 L,rael is JI,y son, .11!1
great rit.1J 1 Then tlfe.11 slwll anSll'er, Bemuse t/iey hare fvr- I .firstborn: of this Hosea remiudcd them; I81rl.ell I
raellca.
a
stdien tIle C(Jl'el/(wt of the Lord their God, (lud It'orslâpperl other I cMId, tl'ell I IOl'ed Mm, and called Jly SOIL Qilt of Eg.'lpt; and
gods awl sCITetl them. Only Israel" ould retain its name, a'" Jeremiah rea"sllred tht:m, 19 I am a ràtl,er tv hrttel ami
it has; EdllJll should he hlotted out wholly and for e,-er. I Eplll'aim is J/.'ljirst-borJI: thi
, I
aiah had pleaded to God;
5. Awl !/fJltI. eyes shall see. l\Inlicinus pleasure in looking-, 20Dullbtless Tholl art our Father, thon.t:1t Ahl"llhalll be ignol"llut
on at the misery of Jndæa and Jerusal('Ul, had been a sl'el'ial l of us, alld Israel ac/wolcledge us not. T//lJll, 0 Lord, art
sin of Edom: now God would shew Judah the fruit of its ollr Father, ollr Redeelller, TI'.'I 1/flme is from everlasting.
rcnrsal. and His g-oodne
s towards tlwllIseln's. '.12 Ye hm-e I
I
ll/(l now, 0 Lord, Tholl art ollr Fat/ler; fce the clay, and
aSSllran('e of His love towards you and proddelll'e over
'ou. Thfll( ollr potter; tlltr/ tee all, the ll'ork of Th.'/ hallcls. God
when ye see that ye are returned to your own land. and ('an had impressed this His relation of Father, iu l\Ioscs' pro-
inhahit it. but they I'annot do this: hut the!! huild awl I tl/l'fJ/t' I phetic warning;
2 Do ye tl/ll.ç reqllite ti,e Lord, U fool;sll
t!mt'lI, and yc therefore praise and magnify
I y name for this,' people awl ullwise? Is uot lIe tll.11 Father that hath IlfJ1Ig
t
and yc shall say. Tlw Lord slndl be magnified 011 ti,e horder of, thee
hflth Ele 1Iot made tllee awl estaMislted thee? "2sGod IS
bracl, i.e. His ;.:-rNltness shall be always manifest upon you;" I the J.ilther of the faithful; I) by creation; 2) by presen-ation
hig-h ahm'e and exalted O\'er tt>e border of Israel lS , whieh I and g-OHrnanl'e; :i) by alimony; 4) by fatherly care and
sl

lI retain i
s n
nlC, while Edom shall have .ce;sed t
be. i pnJ\idencc; 5) by faith
Jl

nH:
, ,
hereby ,
Ie jU
tifi.C8 and
" wkcdness ;':-lves lts namc to EJom's bOJ'del', a" III Zechanah's adopts \IS a:; !'ons and helr!.' ot Ills kmg-dom.
vi
ion it was remo\'ccl and settled in ßabylon u. ! If 1 am a Flltller. He docs not throw douht, that Ill' is
I Jos. Ant. 1. 11. See ab. on Obad.16. p. 2ig. t Jer. xxv. 9,21. I n Jer. nii. 8. 9. Compo Deut. xxix. 23--
8.
s"'CIIn Edom, for ldumæa, and so fern. 12 TancJmm in POCo here. Tanchum gives, as constructions of others. .. the Lord. "'ho pro-
j!Ì:e
lx;'t

'h:

1:

. v
;T7:er;
d's:ï\
*

':u
\fuKYI
.

l

r.
: n

'::.
h

f

e

:
tatidee

'
r: .

h:;: =
tl.
f !o

,

e
pr::s fiJ;:.:
:e
On Jere1l1., Tanchum says the meaning "cutoff" suits best the mention of the sword. per- l IS

, as in EccJ. v. 7. :q
;p ;>t=! "One hiJ(h from above tþe high; " Ezek. i. 25. "a
haps 111:"1 may be=
, and EiociTl, .. Tarshisb," may be SO caJled, as a boast, .. she crusbes." voice from the firmament t

) from above thelJ' beads," Gen. I. 7, ,'the "aten above the
S\7., in Jerem. al"O has "impoverished;" Jon. .. destroy;" S. Jer. .. conteret." The firmament." It Zech. v. 8, II.
åÀof,erulJer& of the LXX. probably implies a misreading. "". .. S. Jer. 16 Ps. c. 8. 11 Ex. iv. 22.
. Is. ix. V. 10. 6 Ex. 't. 1-1.. HI. 1 De. Ü. 18. IS Has. xi. 1. See ab. p. 70. IV Jer. xui. 9. ::u 1-. hiii. lit
. ] Sam_ xi. 3, ï, xxvü, 1, 1 Cbr. xxi. 12. V 2 Chr. xi. 13. 10 Jud. xi. 22. 21 lb. lxiv. 8. = D
ut. xx"ii. 'õ. 13 Lap.
l'\Kl' n. 4 Q

59S

l\L\.LACIII.

c J3
oíes T where is mine hon011l'? and if I be a master,
cu.3\1i. where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts
unto you, 0 pricsts, that despise my name.

onr Father; but, by disobedienC'e, we in deeds den\" it. Our
life denie
what we' in words profes
. lVhere is .11.;/ IUJllfJur?
"1 "Thy obey ye not .\Iy precepts, nor honour
Ie with aets
of adoration; praying-, prai
ing, g-ivin
thank
, sacrifil'ing,
and rc,-erelltlv fulfillin
e,'cry wurk of God? For 2 cursed is
Ite that doetlt ilte wurk
f tlte Lord deceitflll
,/."
_-1nd
f I fUll .'lour Lord, "as I certainly am, and specially
by sin
nlill' providcnce." ',3 Ill' is 0l\J' Lord by the same titll's.
that Hc is onr Father, and hy others, as that Ill' has I'cdeemed
us, ami pureha
ed us to IIimself by the Blood of IIi"
on ;
that He is the
uprcme Majesty, ',"hom aU ereation is bound
to serve; that, setting be furl' us the reward of ctcmal glory,
IIc has hil'cd u
as servants and labonrer:, into IIis vineyard,"
God Alone i" Lord through unÍ\'el'sal son'reignt\", undcrÍ\-ed
authority, and original s
un'e of laws. })('e('el,ts: l:i;,:'hts; and
all other lords are but as mini4ers and instI'unH'nts, ('om-
pared to IIim, the Lord and ori
inal Doer of all. Henl'e IIe
says, 4 I alll tile L(Jrd j that is JIy
Ya1Jle, and .1Iy glury will I
uut giz'c to anotlll'r."
1JTltere is 111.'/ fear? which ou
ht to be sllewn l\Ie. "5 If
thou art a sen'ant, rcnder to the Lord thc senice of fea)'; if
a son, shcw to thy Father the feeling of piety. But thou
renderest not thanks, neither Im-e!<t nor fearcst God. Thou
art then eithel' a contnmaeiou
sernlllt or a proud son."
"3 Fcar includes re,"el'('nee, adoration, sacrifie(', tllc whole
worship of God." "6 "'llIIso feareth i
nut m-er-eurious, but
adores; is not inqui
itÍ\-e, but prai
es, and
dorifies."
"11
l'ar is twofold; sen-ile. whcrcby pUlli!<hment, not fault.
i
dreaded; filial, bv whieh fanlt is fcared. In like way service
is twofold. .\ ser
'ant with a scr\"Íee of fear, purelj'.
enile,
does not descn-e to be ('aIled a son of Gud, nor is in a state
uf sah,ltion, lIot ha,'ing lm'e. ""lelll'e Chri
t, di!'tillguishing
sueh a sernlllt from a son of God by adoption. saith, 7 TIt'e
serumt ([bidetlt uot in tIle IWllse for el'eJ", hut tile son ahidetll
ever: and ag'ain, 8 TIle ,çen'wlf liIlO/cet/1 uol 1l'11lll //Ís Lunl
doetll. nut a spnant. wl)(J
c st'ni('e is of pure and filiallO\-e.
i
al!'o a son, of whom the Sa\"Ïour saith, 9 lrell done, good
ulIli fuit/
ful ,çeJ"l'aut, enter tlloll into tlteju.,/ of t/IY Lord. But
sÍIwe a distinction is made here between the !'on and the
sernmt, he st'ems to be speaking uf ser\"Ïle fear, whil'h, al-
though it doth 1I0t good well and meritoriouslv, i. e. with a
right intention and from love, )-et withdraws ti'
l(n ill and is
the beginning of wi
dom, heeausc it di!'po
eth to' graee.
"'henee it is written. .10 The fear uf the Lord drinth L awa\"
sins,' and again
cripture saith, II By tile fear uf tile Lurd
men depart fru1ll el'ÍI."
'.1
God relJuireth to be feared as a Lord. honourt'd a
a Father
loved as a H uslJand. ""lich is ('hiet'l'st of these? Lo,-e:
"ïthout this. fear has tornwnt, honour has nu grace. Feal"
when not enti'eed by love, is servile. Honuur, which cometl:
I Dion.
Jer. xlvili. 10.
3 Lap. 4 h. xlii. 8.
5 Lap. a, from S. Ambr. e S 8 ' Chrys. de Incompr. Dei. Horn. ii. T. i. p. 459. Ben.
1 S.John viii. a5. lb. xv. 15. 9 S.
I,ltt. xxv. 21. :!3.
IU Ecclus. i. 21. 11 Pr. xvi_ 6.
u S. H

n

. 8.3 in Cant. n. 4. 08PiÍ
s

en. Lap.
15 Gen. iv. 9. 16 S.l\latt. vii.

.
3. 11 lb. xxv. 44, 46.
18 Th
colloe.,t_,on of r::';:"J:I is pr.o
ably subo
dinate to the verb, expressed in the que<tion,
ye des!

.e. offi''''''!!; 8S th!:. partlclp]
often IS. to the expressed finit
.
erb..
u. xxvi. 27.
Jud. Vlll. -1. 1's. vu. 3. lxxvlll. -1, Job XlV.
U, XXIV. 5, Ezr. x. 1, Jer. Jiliii. 2 (mstances out of

g
\.11(1 ye say, "Therein have we dcspised Before
C
R,I_ST
tIn' namc? cu. 3
/.
'7 II Ye offer hpollutcd bread upon mine Irt3
7

:l
:
II Or, Bring unto, 4c. h Deut. 15. 21.

not from 100'e, is not llOnour, but adulation. Honour and

Iory bcloll
to God .\Ione; but ueith('r of them will Gud
I accept, unles
sea"(JIled with thc honey uf 1m-c."
I Sait It tIle L(JJ"d untu YOll. () prie.çts, lcllO despise -"1.'1 .I.Yawe,
I lit. despis('/"s uf Jl,l/ ...Yame, hahitmùly beyond uthers. The cun-
teml't of God camc speeially fl"Om those bound most to hUll our
I him. Prie
b, as {'ouscl'rated to God, belun
cd espeeially to
I God. "13
Ialaehi bep:ins hi
pl"Opheey and eorrecl ion by the
eorret'tion of the pricsts; bCl'au
e the reformation of the state
and of the laity han;.:"s ul)On the rcformation of the cIerp;y and
the pl"ie
t; for 14 as is tlte priest, s/lrlt alsu is the people." lIe
turns, with a suddcnness whil'h JllU
t 11<1\-c been
tartling to
them, to them as t hc e('ntre of thc offending.
I Awl .lie sal" lrhereill IUll'e 1ce despised 7'1'.1/
Ya11/e? Be-
fore, it \\".l" i;rnol"anee of God's love: now it is ignuranC'e uf
, self and of sin. Thcv affed to themselves innoeencc and are
uneonseiuus of any
in, They said to themselves duuhtless,
(as many do nuw) "we ('an not hell' it; wc do the best we can,
I undt'r the circumstanccs." \\ïthout sUllie Imowlcdu;e of Gud's
I lovc, thcre can he no sense of
in; without
ome sen
e uf sin,
, no knowlcdp;e of IIis love. The\" takc the defcnsÍ\-e, the\" are
I simply sllrp..i
e(l, like Cain, 15 Å/II I1//!1 brut her's ke(pe-l:? ur
I many of the lost in the Day of judgement, 16.1Iall.l! will sa.1I
I to .lIe ill that da.'I, Lord, Lord, ha"L'e lCC lwt prupltesic(l in Thy
I
Ymlle? alld ill Th.'l
Yallle luit'e ('ast Ollt del"Íls? aud iu 1'1,.'1
I
Yallle duue 11/ au .'llcumlerflll works! amI yet wCI'e all the whill'
u'(Jrkers uf iniqui!.,/, to whom lIe wiII say. I Uel'eJ" kuell' YUll:
and, lï Lord, lchell sa/(' ll'e Tllce all Illlugred, or atltirst, ur a
straugn', or uaked, or sick, or ill prison, llwl (lid ltut millister
/lulu Tltee? And Jet they shull go awuy into everlasting
PWlÍsllllleut.
7. qtfèrillg polluted hread upon JIine ([ltar. This, COII-
tinuin
on the word
, despisers of .11.'1
Ya1lle h, i
the answer to
thcÍI' question, Jl"/leJ"ein hllce lee despis.:d 1'11.1/
Yallle? Bread
might !'tand, in itself. either for the shew-hread, or for the
"minchah," meal-offerin
, whit'll was thc neceSi;arv aeeom-
puniment of !'aerifiecs and sometimes the whole. but here
the polluted hread eannot bc the shen-bread. since this wa

nut put upon the altar. but upon its own table; and althou
h
thc altar is. as here, also ('alled " a tahle 19" in r('gard to the
sacrifice hcn'on l'on
ullled. "the taLle" of the shcwLread is
lwwht'rc ('aIled" altar." The prophet then mean
by bread,
either the meal-ufferin;r. as rel're
('nting the sal'rifice, 01' the
offering!' by fil'e alto
'ether, as in Ezekiel. 20117tell .lie (!I!er JIy
hread, tI,e fat aml the bluod j dnd in Leviticus, .1 tlte r!ffer-
iugs of tIle Lord, made b.1I .fire, the bread of tl,eir God, do thep
f!tt"er; and of the peace-otfi:rillg 2 2, ti,e priest shall burn it upon
tlte altar; till: bread uf tlte utfi:rillg made h!I./ìre lmtu the Lord:
and sl't'l'Ífil'ally, of animals with blemish, a
these, it is for-
bidden, 23
YÚtlter frum a straugn"s Iwud sltall ye qfl"er tlte
those in Ewald Lehrb.
3-11. b 3. p. 8.36. ed. 8.) This ca'e is however more developed
than the rc.t. as not being contemporaneous only, but an explanation of that expreo;sed by
the finite verb. E".õI is used with
,of offerings to God, Am. v. 25,l\Ial. ii. 12; with
17, here
Duly.
19 In Ezek. xli.
2. the" altar" is called the table that is before the Lord. and in regard
to the oflering of the sacrifice, it is said. tl"'
1 shall come neao" to '''y tahle, Ezek. xli. 15, IG.

u Ezek. xliv. 7.

1 Lev. xxi. 6: _more briefly. the breadoftl,,, God, ib. 8, oj his God, ib. Ii and (parallel with
to_ offer. tl
e OJl!TlJ!ffS oj the L_ord !,Iade b!Æji'2,J 21; to ea
the bread oJ},is God (in contrast
"Ith oflermg 11) lb. 22, and ill
U. XXXIll. 2, .. lI.y offe,....!?, tit" bread Jor tlty sac,"ifin..
made by fire, sltall ye observe to offer to Me."
Lev. iii. 11. :/;I lb. xxii. 2;;.

CH
\PTER I.

Before
C Hß !
T
clr. 3.)/.
I Ezek. -1.1. :!:J.
\er.12.
k Lev. :!
. 22.
Deut. 15. :!1.
ver. H.
t Heb to
$acrifice.

altar; and ye say, "9her'ein have we pol- f
luted thee? In that yc say, i The tahle of J
the LORI) i.y eontemptihl('. I
8 A nd I;. if ye offer' the hlind t for sacri-
fice, i.y it not edl? and if ye offer' the lamc I
and sick, is it nnt ('yil? nfl"er it now unto

bread of .your God of flI/U of tllese, hC['(tl(se tlu:ir corrllption is
i/l thUll, Ucmislles in tl,em: tlIC!! shall /lot he Clc('cI,ted fIJr you.
It was, as it were, a fea
t of God with man, and what was
,,-ithdralnl frum the u
e of man by fire. wa
, as it werc, eon-

umed by God, to "lwm it was otl"cred.
It was polluted, in that it was eontrary to the law of Gflc1
which forbade to
aCl"ifice an v animal. frone or blind or with
tlll.1I ill blemish, as being ineonsistl'nt with the typical perfec-
ticlIl of thc sacl'ifice. Eren the Gentiles were eareful about
the perft'c.tioll of their sacrifi('es.
"I Blind is the sacrifice of thc soul, whic'h is not illumint'd
by the Ii
ht of Christ. Lame is ltis
acrifice of prayer, who
('ome
with a double mind to entreat the Lord." "2 He
uffereth one weal(, who:"e heart is not e
tahli
hed in the
Irraee of God, nor by the anchor of hope fixed in Chri
t.
The
e words arc al
o uttered again!;t tho
e who, being ri('h,
offcr to the Creator the eheapcr and Ica!'t things, and gÍ\"e

mall alms." I
Aml ye liClY, TVherell'ith IllH'e we polluted Thee S? It is I
a bold expres:"ion. Yet a word, to which we arc hut too ilI-
accustumed, whieh expre!>scs what mo!;t ha\"e done, ,. dis- I
honour God," comes to the same. Thou/!."h le!'
hold in ex- I
pression, they are Jct like in meaning. 4 /rill ye pollute .'-'Ie I
UIl.1I more ll1/l(mg JI!! people? or. õ tlUlt JI.I/
Yame ,ç/wltld uot be
pollltted before the heathell. 6 JI."lw("
\'f(lIle s/lll11 Isrccel 110 I
more tlt:.file; 7 I u'ill not let them pollute 11('/ _'
al/le ((11.'1 more. I
..8 :\Iuch more in the new law, in which thc ::-;al'rifiee is Chri
t I
Him
elf our f
od, whence the Apostle !'ays expre

ly, 9 {VllOso
t'ateth tltis lJrctul and drillketh this Cup of tlte Lord 1lI111'0l.t 11i 1.1I, I
.çlwll be guilt.ll c
f the Bod!1 llud Blood of the L(J/"(l. U 1 For
when the Sacraments are ,-iolated, Himself, "'hose Sacra- I
JIIents they are, is violated." God speaks of our acts with I
ilnllll\-eiled plainne
s, whic'h we should not dare to use. '.2.-\.S
we are said to srl/lctif.1I God, when we minister to Him in
holiness and ri
hteou
nes
, and
o, a
far as in us lie!', shew I
that He i
holy; so we arc said to ]Jollute Him, when we
eonduet oun,eh-es irrererently and viciously before Him,
e
peeially in His worship, and thereby, as far as in us lies,
!ohew that lIe is not holy and is to be di
honoured."
Iii tlwt .lie say, the tahle of ti,e Lord is contemptiblc. lit.
colltemptible is it 10, and so any contemptible thin
mi
ht be
ufl'ered on it. They said this probably, not in words. but in
deeds. Or, if in word
, in plau
ible word
. "11 God doth not
l'equire the omamenting of the altar, but the dC\"(Jtion of the
offerer!':' "I"'hat good is it, if,,'e ofl"er the best? ße what we
offer, what it may, it is all to be con!'uJlled by fire." "sThe }Jre-
text at once of a,"arice and gluttony!" And
o they kept the'
bt'st for themselves. They were poor, on thcir return from the
('apth"ity. Any how, the sacrifiees ll'eJ"e offt'
ed. "'hat could
it matter to God? And so they dispensed wIth God's law.

) S. Jer. · Dioo.
S The conj. .,

occurs only here: the pass.
J, here and 1:J, Ezr. ii. G
,
eh. vii. 64, in
"ne idiom.
Ezek. xiii. 19. 6 lb. xx. 9, 1-1, 22.
ø lb. xliii. 7. 7 lb. '(nix. 7.
8
g1

)0 M\, :TI:lJ; the noun being prefixed absolutely, as in Gen. :L'ü.iv. 21, "these men, peaciful

599

thy
overnor; will he lJe pleased witll thee, C :
ois T
01' I accept thv pCI'son? saith the LORD of cir. :J9ï_
hosts. . IJob 4:!. 8.
!J ..And now, T pray you, beseech t God t}};b;,}"Jud.
that he will he
l'adous unto u-,: m this'" Ho..13. 9.
hath heen thy your means: wilJ he r('gard t :!:
l:::.

'<12S U at thi... day wc see somt' pric!'ts and pl'clate
. !;plendid
in their tahle
and fea
t
.
ordid in the altar <lml tellIple: on the
table arc 4'u41y napldns and wine; on the Altar torn linen
and wine-nHlct' IS rathc'r than wine." "I \Ye pollute the bread,
that i
, the Hudy of Christ. when we approaeh the Altar un-
worthily, and, hcin
defile(l, dl'ink that pnre lllood, and !'ay,
The table of tIle Lord is C(1Il temp tiMe ; nut that anyone dareth
tn !'dY this, but the deeds of sinners pour contempt on the
Table of Gud."
8.
lnd if ye (!lfer tile Mind for sClcrffìce, is it 1I0t edl

Other
. it is 1lot evil. as we should sav," there is no hal'll) in
it." Buth imply, alike, an utter uneoilsciousne,.;s on tile part
of the offerer, that it was evil: the one, in irony, that this
wa!> always their answel', "t1\('re i
nothing ami
s;" thc other
i!' an in(li
nant fluestion," i
there incleed nuught amiss?"
.\.ml this seems the must natural.
The saerifiet' of tIlt' blind and lame was expressly forbidden
in the law H, ami the sic'k in manifold varieties of animal
dist'a...e. T17mtel'er hath Cl blelllÏ-
h ye shall ?lot f!ffèr, lõ Mind
or with limb broken, or u'ollnded or mClngy or scabby or sCllrfy.
Perfeetne
s was an es,.;ential prineil'le uf sacrifice; whether,
as in the daily saerifiee. or the
in or tre"pa
s-offerinlr. typical
of the all-pcrft'et Sat'rifiee. or in the whole-burnt-otfcl'ing-. of
the entire
clf-oblation. nut these knew bettcr than God,
what was fit for Him and them. His law wa
to bc modified
by cireum...tatwes. lIe would not be 50 particular, (as men
no\\" say !'o often.)
Is it then fit to offer to God what under the verv same
dreullIstances man would not offcr to man? Against these
idle, ung-rateful, eO\"etous thou
'hts God saith,
q/fër it UOll' unto th.'1 gOl'ernor. He appeals to our own
instinl'tive tlwu
ht of propriety to our fellow-('reaturc, which
lIIay HJ often be a test to tiS. Xo one would think of aeting
to a fellow-creature, as they do to AlnlÍ
hty God. "'ho
would make diligent preparation to receive any great one of
the earth, and turn his back upon him, when come? Yet
what c1sc is the heha,'iour of most Christians after Hulv
Communion? If thou wouldest not do this to a mortal mali,
who is but dust and ashes, how much less to God Almighty,
the Kin!r of kilws and Lord of lords! " 2 The words are a
reproof to those
IO!'t negli
ent persons, who !rO throug-h their
prayers to God without tear attelltion reverence or feelin
;
but if they ha\-e to spcak to some
Teat man, prelate or
prinee. approach him "ith g-reat reVerellt'e, speak carefully
and di
tinetl\" and are in m\"e uf him. Do not thou prefer
the creature' to the Creator, lJlan to God, thp spn"ant to the
Lord, and that Lord, so exalted and so Infinite."
9. ....JllCl now entreat, I p,.ay you, Gotf l6 , that He ll'ill be
grllcioll.ç Ilnto you. This is not a call to repentanl'e, for he
assumes that God would not aecept them. It is rather irony;

are the"," lb. xlii. 11; "all'll us, $ons oj one man are u'e." Ewald n. 297. b. pp. 761, 762.
Jl R<.rnig. 12 Lap. referring to Card. Bellannme de gemitu
columbæ. It D
:t'.'

(" the refuse of kerneI. and s
s,
t)
ii.
f.m vinum. o.
16 'nc seems to be used purposely in contrast with man, as in Is. xxxi. 3, The Egyptian.
are men and not God.

(j00

l\IALACHI.

c Jï{oi S T your pf'I'sons? saith the LORD of hosts.
crr. 3
ï. 10 '''ho is ihac even among- you that
Ð 1 Cor. 9. 13. would shut the doOl's fm' nuught? n neither
do ye kindle .fiJ'(
on mine altar for' nought.
I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD

of hosts, 0 neither wilJ I ac('cpt an offcl'ing c J
oíes T
at your' hand. cir. :'
ï.
1 ' 1 F f . tJ .. f tJ 0 Isai. 1. 11.
or Prom le rJsm
0 Ie sun even J er. G. :!U.
unto the going down of thc same my nalllc p t

,

:..:.l,
.<;/wll be great q among- the Gentiles; rand q
::

: e5.
r John -1. 21. 23. ) Tim. 2.8.

.,
o now, seek the favuur of God, as ye woulll not that of Ineidental wcre those, with whieh tht' P.-ophe1. had uphraided
yuur gon.rnor." Frum yuur Imud. not fl'om your fathl'rs, not them; inherent, (apart from their 111("'(' typic'al dlaradcr)
from alien
, IUlth tlâs beell : willlfe accept persulls fro1l/ .vOll ? that the\" ne,'er enuld he the relkion of the wmld, !oÏ1I1'e they
The unu
ual construction seems to imply a dilt"erenee of mean- were lo
'allv fixed at Jerusalen
.
lalachi tells them of å
ing; as if he wuuld say, that it consi
ted not with the jll
ti('e ' new sacrifii.('. \\ hieh shouhl bl' offcre(l throll;dlOut the thcn
of God, that Ill' should bc an a('cepter (
f persous, (whieh He heathen worlel,
roundcd on Hi
new renlation of IIim
('lf
declares that He is not) whic'h yet He would be, were He to to them. .For grmt shall be JJ1..'j -,"wile aI/mug the hea/lieu.
accl'pt them, while aI,tin;..:' tllU
. The p.-ophet antic'ipate
an ohj(.etion 6 , whieh the Jcws
10. 1,.110 i:;; there evcn (lIIUl1lg you? This stingim'ss in lIIig-ht llIahc to him. 7117mt then will God do 1/nto 1"lis
God'
senice was not confined to tlw"e tltfices which ('u
t {!.,.
at
Yame? Those by which lIe would rCl'lac'e thelll, \\ ould
slllllething-, as the saerific'cs. Not e,'en scniees ah
olutely he more worthy of God in two ways, I) in thclll!'('h-es, 2) in
eostle:;;s, whieh recluired only a littlc trouhle, as that of clo- their universality. Theil, whatsoen'r the heathen \\ t"'!ohippctl,
sing- the folding-doors of the tClllple or the outer court, or e"cl1 if some \\ orshipped an 1l1lkll()1I'Jl God. lIi

Yame was not
brin/!.'ing" the fire to eCJIISUllle the saerifi('cs, would they do known to thelll. nor great (l1IlOng them. Tho
c who knew of
without slime spccial hire. _\.11 wa!'i mereenary and hirelin
Hilll, knew of Him. not as the Lord of hea\"l"n and ('arth, but
S('I'vicc. Othcr
hm-e rcndercd it as a \\ i!oh, lcll(} is there among as the (;(1(1 of thl' Jews only: their (!ffl'ring.ç w('rl' Ilot IJ/(re,
7JUll! i. e, would that thel'e were one amon!! \"Cm, who would but manifoldly dl'fill'd. A lIehrcw I,,'ophet eonld not be an
dose the doors alto
ether; :;;0 shall yc not kill;Ue fire on
line apolog"ist for h('atlwll idolatry amidst it
ahtllJlinaticlII
, or set
altai' fOl' IWIH.\"ht. i. e. fruitle
sly! But apart from the ditfi- 'it on a level with the wor,..hip whieh {
od had, for the time,
eulty of the cuustruC'tioll, it is not God's way to quench the appointed: mueh less ('ould he set it ftll.th as tl,(' tl'UC é\('('ep-
smouldering j1a.t., He \\111) hids, Gatlter IIp the fragment.
tahle scniec of God 3. l\lalaehi himself !opeaks of it, a
an
tllllt remain, t!tat notlting be lost, ac'ccpts any imperfeet serdce a

ranltiou of cruelty in their dinlrdnp: of thcil' wh-es. that
rather than nOlle. Ill' docs lIot break oft" the la
t link, whic'h they 91//al'l'ied the ([a1/gMer of a strauge ged. The worship
bind
man to Himself. Thcn, if or when God willcd Hi
I of thosc Jcw
, who rcmained, out of sceular inft'rcsts, in
sel'\ ice to SIIITeasc. He would do it Hilllsdf, as lIe dhl hy I fo..ci
1l countrie..-, eould not be rcprcsented as the ., pure
the dcstruction of the te,uple befiu'c the Cal'tidty, or finall;' otrcring-;" for thcy made no oifcrill
s: thcu as now, these
by the noman
. It would hm-e been an ungodly 1\('t, (such heing forhidclcn out of Jeru
aleIll; nor would the worship of
as was 'Jnly donc by Ahaz, perhaps thE mO!'ot ull/.fodly ldn!! such Jews, as were s('attercd in the lar
'e cmpire of Per
ia,
of IsraelI \, and one whieh espeeially called down lIis wrath 2, be ('ontl'astl'd with that at J crusalcm, as tlte pure worship;
to dose the doors, and therewith to break off all sa('rifice. else whv !ollOuld the Jews have retul"llcel? It would ha\"e
l\1anasseh carried the worship of fabe
ods into dIe temple been an' abolition of the law before it
time.
I alac'hi pro.
it:;;elf; .\.haz, a
far as in him lay, aholished the serdee of phe:;;ies then, as had l\lieah, Isaiah, Zephaniah 10, of a new
God. .\. prol.hct of God could not express a wish, that pious re,-elation of God, when, and in whieh, men !ohould U'(J1'-
Israelites ,for it is pre
ullllO
cd that they would do thi
out sllip fIim, ever!! oue frum his place, even all tile Ù[es of the
of zeal for God's honour) sh..lUld bring the seniee of God to Ileatheu.
an end. Our Lord Himself explains and expand... it in lIis words to
He sums up with an entire rcjcction of them, pre
ent and I the Samaritan woman; II/Vu11I(1II, beliez'e JIe, the IlOur cOllletll,
futurc. IlaH'e 110 l'[ca
ure in .'Iou; it is a term uf repudia- jlchen ye sllllll neither in t!lis ulOllltluiu, uor .Vet at .Jerusulem,
tion 3, somctillle
of disgust 4, ueither {('ill I accept an l!tferillg u'ors/úp the Father.-The hour cometh, alld 1Wl/J is, u'hen the
at .flour Illlw[s. Ill' says not simply, 5 your bumt-q/Ferings are !' trne u'OI.,çllipJlers sl/(d[ Il'orsllip the FatllCl" in spirit ([m[ in trutll;
llut llcceptuMe, uor your sacrl/ìces Sli'eet untu J/e. hut, I will not I for tile Father seeketll SUc!1 to U'orsllip Hilll. God is (l Spirit:
ucc('pt it. Such as ther were, such they would be hereafter. I alld the.1J tlwt ll'ursllÍp [Iim mllst 1l.'orsllip 1"lim in ,çpirit llwL in
(;od would not accept their sacrifices, but would rcplace I tmill, and dedared the rejeetion of the Je\\ s, sealing their
them. own sentenc'e ap:ain
t themselves, HI S([.1J untu you, The kiug-
II. For. Thc form of words does not express whether d'J/1l of God .
Ilall be tal.-en from you, awl giN'1I to Cl natiun
this det'lal"atiun relates to the prc
cnt or the future. It is a bringillg furth the .fruits tllercuf; and before, 13 JI'lII.'1 slwll cume
vivid pre
ellt, sueh as is often used to dcsel"Íbe the future. ,from the East and IVi'st, llUtl shall sit dOll'U 1l'ith.dbralw11I aml
Dut the th.Jl
s
pllken of shcw it to be futurc. The Jewish I.mac alld Jacob in tile kingdom ufllellz'en, alld tile children uf
sacrifices had defects, partly incidental, partly inherent. tile kingdum shall he cast out into OIlier darkness.

I 2 Chron. xx,
ij. 21. t lb. nix. R. ! :I r'" j'K 1 Sam. xviii. 25.
Eccl. v.
'J;_
I.g

I. : I
J

71 j'M"
Jer.xxi.i. 28, XI\UU.;;,

tj. 8.
O/fl

i

:; w
.?h:th

iid
l'

;

ha\t'Heh[

eì'lrd]lli

t

e k:

]ag

..n tho", things. and that in every place the Gentiles also. of their own accord, oiler unto
my name. llut our rabbis ha\"e expounded, that they [those spJken of] are the disciples of

the wise, who in e\"PI') plare are occupied in the niles of the Divine wOl"hip; so al<o all the
prayers of hrael, which they make in eveI")" place, these are like a pure oblation (!\linchah),
:::

'ì;

'

t
;

'i
'J
h;
;,e

d'

J
e p

;
r t
l aW

e lo
\

t

r
r
:?
See Ibn Ezra. D. Kim., Tanchum, Abarb., in Poe. .
II Mal. ü. 11. Iu Zrph. ii. n. II S. John i\". 21, 23, 2

I
S.l\Ia:!. xxi. -11, 43. 13 Id. ,ill. 11, 12.

CIL\P fER I.

GO]

c ;íiT_s T in every place · incense shall be offcrt'd II my namp shall be A"rcat among the heathen, C HBíioíes T
cu. 3.,. unto my name, and a pure off('rin
: t for II saith the Lmm of hosts. cir.3\1i.
· Rev. 8. 3. t lsa.i. 00. 19,
O.
InCe!'Se
hall hc f!ff'e,.eduntu -'Iflname, lit. I think, tbae II is JI!I Bod!I' .\nd the Cup lik('wi
e, whieh is uf the en'ation
:,;hall !)e /Il
e
'se,. o
lat
un made unto Jl..'I1UWI
[this is a merc II whi('" al'pcrtain
unto us, He I'
of('...!'(:d tu b(
IIis, ';1\\ n Blood,
questIOn of eOn--lIll(.tlOn l ], (/11([ (/ plt,.e (}blatuJIl. and tauu:ht IIIcn the ncw ohlatllln ut the l\ew Iestament;
This s!l('l"ifice, which should he ott'en'll, i
de
ig-natcd by whi('h the Chureh rc('eh ing fmlll the .\po...I1{'s olt'('r
unto God
the special name of meal-f!/Iè,.illg 2. God would not ae('ept in the \\ odd :-unto IJ illl \\110
i\'('th us nouri,hment, thc
it from the Jews; He would, from the Hcathen. It was a I fir
t-fruit
of His 0\\ II g-ift
. in thc Xcw Tc,talllent; of which
spe('ial saerifi
e, offel'c(l hy it..clf as an unhll)ll(ly sanifif'e, in the twelve prophets l\Ialachi g-a\'{' ])('fordHind thi.. inti-
ur t()f"cthc.r .wlth the hloody
acrifice. ,s .It is most 110(/1, .as ,llIIatinn L(luotin
)Ial. i.. 10, II]; mo
t c,idently intimatin/!
tlte
/Jl-f!(!enllg amL as the .'1"es}Jass-(lIenng. In thc dally hp!"I'by, that while the fonller pcol'lc
Iwnld c('a...e to makc
sacrIfi
c It was o!fered mormng and evcnin:!, with the lamb. otïerin:!s to God, in c\'ery place l",uTifiec I;hou\(l be oll"cred
As this was typical of the IH'ecious blood-"hedding- (If the unto Him, and that in IlllrclH'

; His Xamc al
o i...
Iorificd
Lamb witlwilt spot upon the t.:ro

, so was the meal-offcring- amon
the (;entile!'. Xou' what other nallle i... t]H're, \\ hich
which aceompan
e
it, of the Holy Eucharist. II is
IOl'ificd alllon
the Gentiles, than that whieh helon!!s to
The early Ch1'l4Ians
a\V the fOl'ce of the predic.tion. that Olll' Lord. hy \rIlOm thc Father is g-Im'ified, ,111(1 lIIall i

'Iori-
sac.ritice was eontra
tetl with sa.('rifice. the bloody.

c'rifi(:cs I I fied? .\l\!l. heeau
e man . }JCIII
lg'
to II i
OWI\.
lJn, an:
i

wlndl were ended h
' the" One tull perfect and suffic'lent
a- 1Il.\Ile hy II 1I1l, He call,.. hUll HIs own, And as It
omc h,ll1

aifice Oblntion aJl
Satisfaction" made by our LOl.d .. on the I were hilll"clf to paint an illlau:e of his own
on, he justly ('aIls
.Altar of tilt' Cro
s for the sin
of the wholc wUI'ld;' anll tho
e it his own ima
e. on both ac('mInts, fir
t that it is hi
slln'
'.
saerifices whi('h He commandcd to be made on our .\ltar
, as' next, that he him
elf madc it: su also tllc Kame of J('
ns
a memorial of Him. So S..J ustin, who was converted pro- I Christ, \\ hich i

IOl'ified in the Chnl"l'h throll:!hout the wholc
bab])" A. D. 133, within 30 years fl'om the deflth of S. John, wllrld, the Fath
I' l'rofe
sc... to }Je IIi.. own. l)IIth beeansc it
says, ..4God has therefore beforchand declared, that all who is lIi
Son's, and he('au
(' He Himself wrote and ga\'e it for
thr(ll1
h this Jlame offer those saerifices, whieh Jesus, \\110 is the salvation of men. Ueeall"'e thercliwe the .Kame of thc
the Chl'ist, commanded to be olt'ered, that is to say, in the :'on }Jroperly belon:!s to the Father, and in God .\Imighty
Eucharist of the Bread and of the Cup, which are (lift'red in throu:!h Je
us Chl"Íst the t.:hnreh makes IlCr olfering", "ell
every part of the world by us t.:hristians, are well-pleasing-. saith He 011 hoth aeeullnts, .Ami ill el'ery place incense is
to Him. But tho.;;e sacrifices, which are uffered hy yon and ,!t!ë,.ceL untu J1.1/ .\"flIlle, amL a ]Ju,.e sucrifice. And im'ellse,
throu
h those priests of you!"s, lIe wholly reject
. saying-, , _Iohn in the _\poealyp
e declarcs to be tlte l'1"llYe1"S of tlte
And lll'illnot accept YUll,. (!tf'erillgs at YOllr hands. FOl" fl'(lm "(,,lints. Thcn'fiJre the offering' of the Chm'eh, which the
tIle riÛng of tile Slm el'en to tlte /!oing dOl('Jt of tile sallie, JIll LIIl'd hath taug-ht to be offered in the whole" IIrld, is ac-
.Yallle is glorifieeL llll/ong the Gentiles; hilt .'Ie profane it." ('ounted with Gud as a pure sacrifice, and accepted of
He points out further the failurc of the Jewish explanation Him."
as tn tltei,. sacrifi{'es, in that the Church was e\-erv where. not TertuJlian contra
ts the" 7 saeerdotallaw thruu
h l\I()se
,
so the J en-so ,,", Y 011 and your teachers de{'eive" your
eh-t'!<, in Lc\ iticus, prc
crihing' to tllP pcul'le of h'rael. that saerifices
whcn you interpret this pa!'sag-e of SCI'ipture of those of your I should in no othel' place Iw offcred to God than in the land of
nation who were in the dispcr"ion ã, and say that it speaks of prollli
e, which thc Lurd God \\ as ahout to gi\'e to the people
their prayers and
a('rifiees made in evel'y I'lac'e, as pure and Israel and to their IH.
thren, in order that on I
raers intl'O-
well-plea
in
, and kno\\" that you speal;: fal
cly. and t'ndca\'o\l1' (hu.tion thither, there should be there eclehrated sß('I'ific('s
in every way to impose upon YOUl'
d\'cs; fil'4, be('au
e YOUl. and hol(lcau"ts, a
\Vcll for sins as tilr souls. and no where
people al'e not found, even now, frum the ri
ing to the settin
el
e hut in the holy land 8 ," and this !<lIbs('clllt'nt I'redidion of
uf the sun, but therc arc nations. in whil'h none uf you!" I ., the SpiI"Ít throug-h the prophet!'. that in c\"Cry place and ill
raee have ever dwclt: whilst there is not onc uation of men, e\'ery land there should he offered sac1"Ïfi('es to f;od. As lIe
whcthel' Barbarians, or Greek
, or by what
oc'-er IlalIle dii'- sa
's thl"Ou
h the ang-el
Ialachi, one of the t\\ eke prophets,
tingui
hed, ",hcthel' of those (numaòs) who li\-e in Wilg-:!IHI". (citill!!.' the place)."
or of those who ha\'e no IHlII
e
, or those pastomlpeoplc that I S. Bippolytus, a disl'Îl'le of S. Irenæus. A. D. 220. mart) r,
dwell in tcnts, amon:! WhOlIl I'rayel'S and thalll;:sg'i\-in:!
al'e in a ('ollllIlentary on Danid.
a
-s that..
\\ hen Anti-Cltri
t
not offered to the Father and Creator of all things, throllg-h t'ometh. the
acrifi('c and libation will hc tal
en at' ay, whil'h
the IlalIle of the crucified Je
us. And "Oil know that at thc is now in e\"CI'v I'lm'e ott'cred hv the Gentilc
to (;ml." The
time when the prophet
J alachi
aid tilÍs, the dispersion of I term
" Sa('rifi
c olfercd ill e\ ery'place" arc t{'rllls of )Ialachi.
you thl"Ou
h the wholc world, in which YOll no\\' are, had not I So S. Cyprian, in hi
Testimoni{.s a
ain..t the _Jews, slims
yet taken place. as is also
1H'wn bv Scripture." up the Í{'a('hill:! of the pas
a
e under tltis head,"10 That the
S. Irellælls in'the same ecntury.:' 6 Hc took that which is old !'af'rifiec was to ue madc ,oid, and a ncw sacrifice iusti-
part of the crcation\ vi.l. bread, and ga\'e thanks, sa
in
', TMs tutcd."
J tR 1riÇ are, I think most prohably, two independent impersonall.'assi,e participles, ' I 4 Dial. c. Tryph. , Hi PP: 215, 216 q..f. Tr. also
28,.29 pp. 10
, 105. lb.
taken asluture," will be incen..ed.offered" [wird
eräuchert, dar
brachtJ as Ewald (I.:,:hrb. . ' The J
\\S tl:en mu.t ha\e mterpreted It of themselves 1ß the prebent, and 51) of the
29;; a) "

" "there is begun," 'Jf. "there is wasted," ';'11 '"there Jupoken"(Ps.
Vll. 3)' 1 tI
S of _)'I:lachi a!t
r.t!
rct
rn of others from
ab) Ion. ..___
Ind this place. Tanchum prai"t's Abulwalid for taking '::;::Jasa noun =;r-,"::;> (LIb. Rad. , IV. I.. iI. pp. 3,,6. '
')I: ?xf. Tr.
ah.o his Fragment X;UV1:.P' ";,i, 5"". Oxf. Tr.
u>I. f>3
'. He adds. "The reot(;n'Þ) tal..ethem as adjeltive.s"Ith an unexpressed bubstanti,e.:' 1 c. Jud. s" ". p. 2

Ed. Ulh . Tr.
d
1 c. ).
),,;r

n. \JJ. 22.
This, I thinl.. ri!!ht: for, although -c;::;, might be 'what IS incensed,' and 50 a subst.. E"l:'J L'I . L<:
' XVll. l-ü, D
ut. xu. ,,-U, _G. -
'.
used elsewhere of otlëring a sacrifice, not of offering incense, and 5I)"t:j)O could not be the , !nterpret. !n _Dan. n. x
!.'. p. 110, pubhsh!,d from the Chlsla
codex o
cent. x. ]10
subject to it. . _ I Dan'el se
'1 L
"\:. Romæ 1,,2. The pa
-,!,:e 1< qu
ted
oo :ly b) )
. Jerome III Dan. c.
.
I Lev. li. i (14 Eng.) rqq. I lb. H. 1.. [10. Heb.] . I Opp. V. ü:'
. 'all. IU TdJJJJ. ad Qwrl1l. I. lü. pp.:.3 and 31. Ox!. Tr.

G02

l\L\LACHI.

llefore 12
Gut re have profaned it, in that
C l! R,I_ST
clr.311,. yc say, U 'fhe tahlc ?f t
1C LORD i.y lwlluted:
\er. I.

In tht' "1 .\po
tolic Con
titutioll
," the prophecy is quuted
as "..aid In God of IIis æcumenieal Chlll'I'h."
EII
('hills
ap;, ..
The truth bear
witne
s to the prophetit'
word. whcreby God, rejel'ting- the )Io
aie sa('rifiee!', fOl'etell

that whieh
hall 1)(' amon!.Ç us. Fur fl"fJm the 1"isÏ1w; of the
SWI ,
T. 'Ye saerifice then to the sllprpme God the !'a('rifit'e
of prai
e; we !'Oaaifiee the Dh inc. rpnrend and IlIIly oblatiolJ:
we saerifice, in a nt'\\" way ac('orùing- to the Xen' Te
tament, the
pure saprifiec, The hl"llliel1 heart is al
o ealled a :o:aerifiee
to God-\Ye saerifipe al
o the )Iemor\' of that g-reat Sacrifice,
performing it according to the mysteries wl;ieh ha,e been
transmittcd In- Him."
S. Cyril o(Jerll
alem S spt'aks of it only as pl"Ophesying
the rejection of the J('WS and the adoptiun of the Gentiles.
In the liturg-y of S. )Ial'k"\ it i.. naturally quoted, only, as
fulfilleù "in the reasonable and unhluodv silf'rifice, which all
nations offer to Thee, () Lunl, fmm the 'rising- of the sun to
the settin
thereof," not in refel'enee to the ces..ation of
Jewi!<h sacrifices.
S. Chrp;ostom dwells on its ppenliar forpt', eoming- from !'o
late a l'rophct 5. "Hear M alaehi, who came aftcl' the othel'
prophets. For I adduee, for the time, no testimony either
of Isaiah or Jeremiah or any other before the Captivity,
lest thou shouldest sav that the terrihle thing-,; which he
foretold were exhaustèd in the ('apth-ity. ßut I addu('e a
prophet, after the return from Bahylon and the restOl'atiol1
of your city. prnphesyin!r clearly ahout you. For when tht'y
had retumed, and reco\'Cred their city. and rehuilt the temple
and performed the sacl'ifiees, foretcllin
this prt'!'ent de..ola-
tion then future, and the taking' away of the !'ael'ifice, )Ialal'hi
thus speaks in the Person of God [\"pr. 10 fin.-I:? beg-,].
'YIlt'n. u Jew, happened all this? "Then was ÎIu'pnse olt'ered
to God in e,'ery place? when a pure sacrifiee? Tholl eOlllde
t
not name anv other time. than this. after the Coming" of
Chri!'t. If tlie prophet foretelIeth not this time and om:- sa-
('rifice, but the Jewish, the prophecy will be ag-ainst the law.
For if, when )Ioses commamleth that sacrifiee shonld be
oflcred in no other plaee than the Lord God should choose,
and shnttcth up those !'Oaerifi('es in one place, the prophet
sap: t
Hlt incen!'e should he offered in e'-ery place and a pure
slll
rifiee, he opposeth and contradieteth )Ioses. nut there
is no
trit'e nor contention, For )Ioses speaketh of one sa-
I'rifice, and .Malachi of another. 'Yhere doth this appear?
[Prom the plaee, not J udæa only; from the mode, that it
should be pure; from the olferers, not Israel, hut the na-
tions,] from East to 'Yest.
hewiI\g- tlmt whatever of earth
the :oun !'ul"\"eys, the prcaehing- will embra('e.-He calls the
fornlt'r saerifiee impure, not in its own natnre but in the
mind of the olt'erers; if one {'ompares the sacrifice itself,
there is such a houlllUess distance, that this L that otfered
hy Christians] mig-ht in comparison he {'alled 'pure.'"
E,'en the eold, but clear, 'l'heodoret has, .. 6 Foretelling- to
the Jews the ce
sation of the legal priesthood, he announces
the pure and unhloody sacrifice of the Gentiles. Ancl fir
t

I vii. 30 [on their age, e.pecially of that of their substance, see Pusey, The Real Presence
the doctrine of the early Church pp. 605-60\1,]
2 Dem. Ev. i. 10. fill. He also quotes the passap;e in proof of the abolition of the Jewish
sacrifices, although without allusIOn to the Eucharistic sacrifice, Ih. i. 6.
19; and in

:;
l'a

r\

d
i

iri

h;;r:h;

:
o:;,
t ;
i
n

u;hëh
s
.
;ording
3 Cat. x,ill. 25. 4 As,;em. Cod. Lit. vii. HI, 20.

and the fruit thereof, ct'en his meat is con- Before
C H C " lr. R3
- '
T
teml)tible.

he sa
'!'O to the Jews, I//(l1'e 110 pleasure ill you, saith tI,e Lord
of hosts, and lleill nut IICI'Cpt a sflcrf/ice at .'Jour hands. Then
he fOl'eshcw
the piety of the Gentiles,
For from ti,e rising of
the sun ,')-c, pIal. i. I 1.) Yon thcn I will wholly reject; fOI'
I detest altug-ether what you do. "'herefure alsu I rcjeet the

aerifll'e ofl"ered by you: hut instead of you, I have the whole
world to wOl'!'hip
Ie. Fur the dwcllers in the whole earth,
whil'h the rising- and setting Hill illumines, will e,'ery where
both olt'er to 1\1 e incense, and "ill :-;aerifil'e to )1 e the pure
sal>rifiee, which 11m-c. For they shall know l\Iy name and
)1 \. will. and shall offer to )Ie rl'nrenee due. So the Lord
said to the Samaritan woman, "rO/ll all , belin'e .lIe, that the
flOur cO/lleth ami now is, tt'/,en ucitfle1" ill t/ds mountain, uor ill
Jerusalem shall .11e fl'orsMp tile Ffltfler.-The hlc
sed Paul,
being instructed in this, says, 7 I will tlwt men ]11"a.'1 el'ery
u'/iel'e &p, and the Didne )Ialaehí clearly taudlt us in this
plaee the wor
hip now uscd; for the eirculllscribcd worship of
the priests is broug-ht to an end, and c\'ery plaee is accounted
fit for the wor
hip of God. and the sacrifice of iI'rational
vietims is endpd, ami He, our spotless Lamb, 'Yho talieth
awa\" the sin of the world, is saerificed."
L;l
tly, S. Augustine, '.8)1 alachi. prophe!'Oying ofthe Chur('h
whiph we sce propag-ated throll
h Christ, says must plainly
to the Jews in the person of Gud, I /ll/t'e lW pleaSllre ill you,
I ami u'i/lllut receÏt'e an (!tIering at yonr /wmls. For from the
rising of the sun f)'('. SilH'e we see this sal'rifiee tlll'ough the
I priesthoml of Christ after the order of l\Ielehisedek, now of-
I fered to God in every place from the rising of the sun to its
I
etting-; but the sacrifice of the Jews, of whil"h it is
aid, I
fUll'e llO pleasure ill .1/0I1. neither tci/l I accept (Ill uttering from
.1j(J/U' hands, they call1wt deny to ha\"e ceased; why do they
yet expeet another Christ, since what they read as pl"ophc"ied
allcl see fulfillcd, could not be fulfilled, except throug'h Him ?"
I:!. Ami ye hm'e ]Jrl
fallecl [9are habituall.l/ ]1rt
falling it], ill
that ye sa.l/. It was the daily result of their claily li,-es and
apts. "lU It is probable that the priests did not use !<u('h
words, but that by their very decds. they proclaimed this
aloud: as in the, The foul hath said ill /tis heart, Tllere is no
Gud. For in that he is !'ecn to he a despiser, though he say
it not in words, yet, by their very deeds and by the crooked-
, ne!oo" of their lives, they all-hut ery out, There is no God.
I For they who live as thong"h Gml beheld not, and do all thing's
recklessly and unholily, by their own deeds and wOrlis deny
God. So they who are not earnest to pre!i=erve to the holy
Altar the reverence becoilling to it, by the ,-ery things which
they do, !'Oay,
The taMe of the Lord is despised." Kot the table of shew-
bread, sincp it is so eaIlt'd in rcfcl'ence to the saerifice olfl'rell
thereon. Ezt'kiel had probably !'Oo caIled the altar, which he
I !'Oaw in his vi!'ion of the Ilew temple n. It is what was bf{ore
ealled the altar; an altar, in re
"ard to the saerifief's olt'ered
to GO(I; a table, in re
ard to the foud of the sal'rifil'e there-
from receh'ed. Both names, .. altar 12" and" tahle 13" being
receh'ed in the Kew Testament, both were received in the

'Ad Jud. v. 12. Opp. i. &i7, MS :l.lontf. See al.o hi. Expo.. in Ps. 112. n.2. Opp.

;18
t21
d

ud
x<Qb!:dS

i:;ci&P!ffu\g

:;;dS:

n

':t
v

I)

Ìe

r1
0?1

I 6 ad loc. -; 1 Tim. ii. 8.
8 de Civ. Dei. xviii. 35.3. , we i:'

;:J i:nl<
1u S. Cvr. 11 Ezek. xliv. 111.
l
S:Malt. v. 23, Heb. xiii. 10. 13 1 Cor. x. 21.

CHAPTER 1.

Before
CHRIST
cir. :\!I,.
J Or, ."here-
as !Ie miJ!ht
hnve blown
it away.
a: Lev. 22.
Ol
&c.

13 Ye said also, ßebold, what a weari-
ness i:
it! " amI ye have snutfl'd at it, saith
tbe LORD of hosts: and yc hruu
ht t!t([t
1(,ltil"lt was torn, and the lame, and the sick;
thus ye hrought an offering: 1< shuuld I
accf'pt this of your hand? saith the LORD.

G03

14 But cUI'sed be Y t1w deceiver, 1\ which C l
íioís T
hath in his fluck a male, and yoweth, and cu. 3
.
. fi I I r I I . T ver. 8.
saerl cpt I unto t Ie ...Of( a corrupt t ling:
)r,
fOl' E I tult a g-reat King, saith the Loun of fl:,
:7:'tJ
host,." alldmy Hallie is dreadful among the · rTt
.
.15.
IH'atlH'lI.

early Church. For ea(.h repre
cnterl one l'i(le of the
reat feet; lc
t (which may he a temptation in impul!"Í\'c ,-ows)
Eu('IHII'i
tic aetion, as it is a Sacrifice and a Sacrament. ßut rl'}lCntin
of thcir VIIW, they should l'('rHmde themseh es, that
the title ,. altar" was the eal"lie
t 1. they hat! \'(nved le
s than they had. ()rdinarily, then. it wouM
It may he here a diffel'ent profaneness of the pricst
. They not have hCt'H allowed tll one, who had not the hest to otter,
connived at the !iin of the people in sacrifiein
the maimed to vuw at all. But, in their alle
ed poverty, the prllphet sup-
animals whieh they brought, and yet,
ince tllf'Y had their poses that Gild Wlluld so far cli!"l'cnse with His own Ian', and
food from the sacrifiees, and such animals arc Jikf'lv to ha, e LU'('ept the he
t which anyone had, although it did not f'ome
been ne
le(.ted and ill-conditioned, they may' ery . pl"llhably up to that law. IIcl\('e the ('Iau
e, u,/,ic/' IUltll ill Ids flock a
have complained of tIlt' poverty of their lot, and de
l'i
ed the I male. ,,8 If thou hast not a male, that cnr:-e in no wise in-
whole sen-if'e. For the words uscd. its produce, tlte eating jlll'eth thee. But saying- this, he she" eth, that they have
t1lereof is c(mtemptiUe belong- to their Jlortion, not to what ,,.hat is best, and offel' what is bad."
was eon
ulllecl hy fire. "ïth this ag-rec
their f'ry, They sinned, not ap:ain
t rc1i
iun only, but a
ainst justice
13. "'lUlt a 1(wlrilless! "l\at an onerous
erdee it is! 1Ilso. "9 For as a olert.hant, who offers his g-oods at a ('('rtain
The seniee of God is its own reward. If not, it be('ollle
a l,rice, if hc supply them afterward
adulterated and ('orruI,t('(l,
gTf'ater toil, with le:-s reward fl'om this earth, than the things is g-uilty of fraud and is unju",t, so he who prumi",ed to God a
of this earth. Our onlv choÍt'e is between 1(I\-e and wcariness. !oaerifiee wOI.thy of God, and, aecurding to the law, IJCrfeet
Aml ye Itave sllI!ÎI'ccl [pullèd] at it 2, i.e. at the altar; as and sound, is ti'auduJl'nt and :-in:- ag-ain:-t ju
ti('e, if he aftl'r-
a thing- contemptible. l"e hat'e brollP:ht that whieh was tal.eIl wards g-Í\'es one, dcfecth'e, mutilated, ,itiated, and is guilty
11.'1 t'ioll'llce 3 . In despisin!?," any po..iti,-e law of God, they of theft in a sat'l"ed thing-, and so of sa('rileg'e!'
desl)i
ed the lawg'iver; aIltI
o, from contempt of tilt' ('el'e- Clcrg-y or "all who ha,-e ,-owed, should learn hence, that
monial law, they went on to hreak the moral law. It were what they ha,'e vowed should be gh'en to God, entire. manly,
indped a moekel'y of God, to bn'ak a law wherehy lIe bOllnd pcrfcct, the best.-For, re"erence for the
upreme and Divine
man to man, and therefrom to !-'f'ek to appea,.;e Himself. Yet :\Iajesty to "'hom they eonsccrate them
eh es demandeth
in roug-h times, people, enn in Chri,.;tianity, have made their this, that they should offer Him the highe
t best and most
aceount with their
oul
, by gÏ\'ing to the poor a portion of }JCrfert, making tht'II1!'clve
a whole-burnt-offering to God."
what thev had taken from the rich. "God," it was said to sueh ,.10They who abandon all thin
s of the norld, and kindJc
an one, "rejects the !?,"ifts ohtained hy,-iolf'lu'e and rOhbcr Y ' 1 their whole mind with the tire of Divine 1m e, these become
lIe Ions mercy, jn
tiee and humanity, and by the Im'el's of a sacrifice and a whole-burnt-otlèring- to Almi:.:-hty God:'
the",e only will He be wor",hipl'ed." .. 411c tlwt saerificcth of ..11 :\Ian him!-'dt
con see rated and devotcd in the name of God,
a thin
n-ron
fully :.:-otten, his ofl'cl'ing is ridiculous, and thf' i,,:; a saerifiec." He then offers a corrupt thing who, like
gifts of unjust men al'e not accepted. The )Iu:-t lli;.dl is not .Ananias, kcep" back part of the Jlrice, and is the more guilty,
1)leased with the otferinc:s of the wÍt'ked. neithel' is He pa('i- I because, while it was his own. it was in his on n power.
tied for sin hy the multitucle of sael'ifiee,;;. 'nUNI hrin
eth I I am a great l\.illg. ',12 A", God is Alone Lord throuc:h
an offering- of the
oods of the poor doeth as one that kìHeth I His uni,.cr
al Pn,,-idcnee amI His intrinsic autlwl'ity,
o He
the son before the fatlwr's eyes." .\lone is Kiu
. and a Kin!?," Stl g-reat, that of His greåtuess or
J4. Cursed is tlu: deceil'er. "5The frauùulent, hypocritif'al, dig'nity and perfection th('re is no encl."
fah:e or deeeitful dealer, who makes a show of oue thing", and lIIy .Yame is dreadflll among tile "eatben. Ab!'ence of
dOUI or intends another, nor doth to his pnwer what he would I any awe of God was a ef'ntral defect of thesc Jews. Tllt'y
make a sho,,- of doing-; as if he couh! deel'Í,-c Gild in doing- in treated Him, as they would not a feUow-ereature, for whom
Hi", selTit'e tltherwi!"
than Hc l"('quired, and yet be acccpte({ I they had any re
l'ect or awe or fear. Sume remainin!?," in-
hv Him:' The whole habit of the
t' men was not to hreak stinct kept them t"wm pal,ting with Him; but they yieldcd a
,,'ith God but to keep well with Him on as ea
v terms a
('old, weari"ollle heartle
s scn-ice. ::\Ialachi p(,ints to the root
!hey eo
il:l. They e,'en Wel!t beyond what the la
" re(luil'ed I of the evil, the ignol'ance, how an-eful God is. Thi!" is the
m maklllg" vows, probably for some temporal end. ami then root of
o much irreverence in peo!)le's theories, thou!!ht!',
8ub",tituted for that whi{'h haa typieal perfectinn, the le",s I conver:-ations, sp,tems, aet
, of the present day also. They
valuable animal, the ewe 6, and that, di",eased. It was pro- I know neither God or themselves. The relation is summed
bably, to Iu'e\-cnt self-deceit, that the la'
commall(
cd that up in those words to a saint 13, "Knowest thou wen, \\ïlO I
the oblation for a ,-ow should be 7 a mule U'ltllOllt hlellllsh, per- am, and who thou art? I am He \\'ho Is, aud thou i.lrt she

I S,I!ffiat, ad Philad. n. 4. p.
:!. Cote1.
J This too is one of the TikklUlë Sopherim, as if, had It not been profane, the prophet
wouM have said, al .Me. On the character of these hypothetic correction., see on Hab. i. I=!. :
p -;'!il;i
'i: lti,e one sense of InJ which occurs in 34 separate assaj(eS (besides two met. 1
Job x.
v. 19. Pro iv. Hi.) It is used <pecially of
he robbery oflhe {'OOr:.,,"het
er by
ng
judl(ement (EccL v." [Heb,] Is. x, :!)or open VIolence, The m""m
g torn ,was gamed,
as if the ammal had been carried off by bea.,ts (Ð'Ip.åÀ"'!ol'), the ell/"'/! of v.:h1ch "as for-
bidden, Ex. xxii. 30, Lev. vii. 2-1, xxii, 8. Ezek. iv. U, xlIv. :n. But tills hold Its 0\\ n name, !

"

:j3, and cou1d not be used in sacrifices, since it was dead already.
· Ecclll<. x\xiv. 18-20.
5 Poco G
fern. for
". 3.'
9 for 110";;'0, 1 Kg!! i. 15. and 1"';1:;;1 Lev. Ü. 5,
Ewald Lehrb. n. 1&\. p. 495 ed. Ii. Keil ,,"oUld read
(m8SC.) and make it a separate
case, .. the deceiver, whereas in his flock is a male; and he who voweth &c.:" but then no-
thing would be said, wherein the deceit consÏJ.ted.
7 Levit. xxii. 19, :!l. 8 S. Jer. . Lap.
10 S. Greg, in Ezek. L. i. Horn. xii. 30. Opp. i. 305 Ben. L.
II S. Aug. de Civ. Vei :1:. 6. L. 12 D:on., U S. Catheline of S:l'nna.

GO-1

I\L\L...\CHI.

Before
C l! R. ,I _S T
clr.3,1,.

cn.\ PTER II.
lIe lilwrp'!/ reJ)/'(JI'etlt the }Jr;l'st,ç for nrgleet;ll

the;r ('m'eltllllt. II alld the pe(jjJlp for idolat l:lJ,
14 fill' adultery, Ii awl fur i1!fitlc.li(I/.
A
D now, 0 yc Pl'iests, this command-
ment is for you.
2 1\ If ye will nut Iwar, and if yc will not
lay it to hCal.t. to g-i,-e g-Iory unto my name,
saith the l,oRn of ho!'ts, I will e,'cn scnd a
cm'Sf> upon you, and I will CUl'SP your blcss-

. Lev.2G.l1,
&c.
D
ut. 28. 15,
&c.

who is not." So .Tob say
in the pre:o:enf'e of {;od, I Ilun'l'
heard (l Thee 1I.7f the hearing of the ear, but ll'JI(' mille ('.'Ie s('etll
Thee: wltC1','(ore I aMI'Ir 1II.'lself ((ml repent ill dllst awl ashes.
To corr('('t this, GOI1. from thc h('
inning', in:o:ists 011 the title
whid} Hc g'in
Hilll"elf. 2 Circumrise tIle furesk;n f
( your
Itearts alld bp 110 more st[tf-nerked: for the Lord your God is
God of gods ami Lord f
t' lonk tlte grmt God, the migh(l/ ami
the terriMe; anti in warnin
. 3 If thOIl1l'ilt not obsC1'l'e to do all
the words of this law that are lITitten ill thi,ç book, that tllOll
U1a.,/est fear this glur;,ms a11d/parflll IUlme. Tlte Lord th.,/ God,
then the Lord thy God will make th.'/ plagues 1l'ouderflll 0'('.
II. 1. Ami 110m this is j}['1 r01ll1llfl1ldmellt Ullto '1/fJ1l, not
a commandment. which Hc
'å,'e them. but a commåurlmeut
in reg-ani to thf'm. .\:0: (;()(t' :o:aid of old, upon obedience, 4]
will rfJI/l11W11d J[.'I blesÛl1g ll1ttu }/U/l,
o now lIe would I'om-
mand what should real'h thelll, but a curse. "5 IIc returns
from thc people to the prie
t
, as tllf' ti.H1ntain of the evil,
who
e earcles
ne
s about thin!!"s sacred he had rehul,ed before.
Let thc priests of the new law hear thi:o: rebuke of God. and
coneeivc it dif'tated tll them by the Holy Spirit to hear, from
whom God rip:htl
. requil'es greatcr holine
s. and
o will punish
them more
rie"ou:o:lv. if I'arel
'ss or seandalou!; in their
office." .\11 Chri
tialls ilrf'. in
OIl1e !'f'n
('. 6 a rO.I/nl, Iwl.'/ priest-
hood, ov('\' and above the
p('('ial .. (,hri
tian prie
tl\l)o(l;" as
the Jew
, over and alw\'e tll('
pc('ial priesthood of .\aron,
werc a 7 kiugdom of priests. "'hat follows then belongs, in
their degT('e, to them and their rluties.
:!. If.'le 1('illlwt I({,II to !teart. \"Íz. the rebukes addressed
to them, to giz'e glor.'l to Gml. Fill' the
dllry of Gild is the
cad an:! aim of the prif'4hllml. Thi
should be the principle
and rule of tllf'ir whole life. ., 8 to the g-reater
Iorv of God."
I1('ill semi t!le rllrse llJlrm .7/01l. ,'iz. that whieh He liad threat-
ene(l in the law upon disohedience: amI will C1l1'se ,'/fmr bless-
illgs. will turn your ble
sin!!"s into a cUl'
e. He d(le
not say,
I will send you CUI ðes in
tcad of hle
sinp:s. but, 1 will maliC
thc bl('ssinc's themselves a curse. 9 The tMugs ll'ltirh should
haL'e been to tlteir 1('ealth II('('allle to tltem an occasion (
ffallillg;
to the proud, the thing-
whkh lift them up; to the g-Iuttollous.
their abundance; tll the avaricious. their wealth; which, if
u!'ed to the glon- of God. hecllllle bles:o:ing-
. do. when
elf not
God is their end. by God'
di
pensation and PI'O\'idence. be-
come a curse to them. "10 The goods of naturc, the goods of

1 Job'Clii. 5, fl.
2 Dcnt. x. 11\. 17, vii. 21. !'>ehemiah u-es it in hi- rrn).er. (i, 5, i'C. 3
) and Daniel (ix- 4.)
It occurs also r\eh. iv. 8 (14 Eng.) Ps. xlvii. 3, !xÜli. 3';, In"Xix. S, xcvi. t, wi'C. 3, c'Ci.9,
Zeph. ii. II. 3 Deut. LWiiÏ. 58, 59. . Lev. XJ,.-V. 21, i:J
''':T1J'''' .,,

,
· Lap. 6 1 S. Pet. ü. 9. 7 Ex. xix. 6. s .. Ad majorem Dei I':lo<lam," the
motto of S. Ijrnatius Lo)ola. , Ps. lxix. 23. 10 Dion. 11 s. Luke xii. 48.
V

I':

\,
b

,
oi

i

d

n
s
fe

e
dt
:;,%'fet
ihditì'.

YI

ii

':"llB
;;

"
'] is u,ro of othEr than men themselves, it i. a whole, as to which the metaphor is used,
e,lher beill!!; animate, as "the rlevourer," :\IaL iii. II, or pictured as animate, as" the sea,"
Ps. cvi. \I. r\ah. i. 4. 13 See aho Joel i. 13. ii. 1-1.

I in
s: \"<'a, I bayc cursed them already, C HBífoíes T
because ye do not lay It to heart. cir.3\1;.
3 Bchold, I will II corrupt your seed, II Or,rep,'ove.
I and t sprcad dung upon your faccs, C
(,1l t Heb.
scalier.
I thc dun
of your solemn feasts; and 1\ one \I Or, it .,.ull
shall II take YOU away with it.
;:
;
.:/
;' it,
o. b1h...i.u.J.l1O
4 ...\nd ve shall knuw that I ha,-c spnt .,.
I this eomm
ndment unto you, that my cO\-e-
nant might be with Le,'i, saith the Lor..u of
hosts.
I ful
t
n e, th c g'oods of the Church allowed to :rou. I will turn
to your g-reater damnation, permitting- you to abu
e them to
pride; and
'our damnation
hall be the more P('IWI. the morc

00(1 thin!rs ye Im,'e received from Me. "'hence Christ de-

Iare!; in the 'Gospel, 11 Untu u,lwmsuever 1JtUcll is gil'C/l, of ltim
sltall be 1111tf'ft uf}u;rerl ! "
}-ea, I IUlve cursed tltem [lit. it], i.c. cad} one of thc
bJessin!!"s. already. God's jud
('ments as well as IIi:o: mrrcies
arc individual with a minutc eare. shewing that it is His doing.
The curse had already goonI' forth, and had bcgun to scizc
I upon th('m from the time that they beg-an to de,.pise His
Name. Hi
judgement!; do not break in at onf'e, hut little by
: little, with warnings of their approach, that so ,,-e limy turn to
\ Him, and escape tlte u'/'llth to come.
3. Lo, I leifl rebuke the seed 12 for your salce, i.c. tlmt it
should not /!row. He ""10 worketh hy His su
taining will
all the operations of nature, would at His will withhold thrm.
I X either priest..: nor Le,-ites cultivated the
oil; yet. sinee the
I tithes were a:o:signed to them. the diminution of the hanc
t
aflb,ted them. 'The meal-otfcring too was a requisite part
of the saerifiec 13.
I And spread dllng upon your .fa ('es, the (I1mg 14 o.f Yfmr solemn
feasts. or. f
r your sacrijiees 15. It was by the law carried with-
l OUt the eamp ami hurncd with the animal itself. They had
brou
ht beforc the faee of God maimed, unfitting- sacrifke
;
they shoultl have them ca
t hilek, with thcir refu
f', upon
them; ..16 as a lord that rejef'teth a
ift. brong-ht to him by his
sernlnt, ca:o:ts it baek in hi
face." nI7(J..f.7!flU1' s(tc1'f!ices, not ot

Jinf'; for I am not wor
hipped in them:
e seck to please,
not )1('. hut y()ur
eh'es." So God
aid of Eli. IS tI/em tllllt IUlI/fJllI'
J[e I will I;ollollr
aud they that despise j1Ie shull be ligMly
esteemed.
Alld oue silall take .'1/07l awa.'l u'itlt it. lit. to it. They
should be swept away, as if they were an al'peudag-e to it. as
Gml said. 19 I u'ill take llll'a.'l the 1'elltlUlIIt of tile !louse of Jel"fJ-
Imam. ns fl man taketh Wl'a.1l duug, till all be gOlle. As are
the otfering-:o:, so shall it be with the offerers.
4. Aud .'1/1' shall J..uoU' that I /tat'e seut tltis commandment
lt1ltn YOll: this, which Hc had just uttered. They who believe
uot God when threaÌ('ning. 1m 0\\' that He is in earnest and not
to bc trifled with, throug.h His punishing'. That 1JIy cot'e-
I naut migltt be with LeL'Ì 20. God willed to puuish those who at
14 1:'1
is only used of the dung, as it lies in the animal killed for sacrifice, Ex. xxix. 4,
!

riJ
;l
t 't;

ka:tË;
'
i:i.
i
;
s

v
i!
iï, and so prob
I
?

rta

lk

.animal
I 16 Aharb. Poe. " Rib. I" 1 Sam. ii. ðU. 19 I 1\.1':> xiv. 10.
W Reil says that :r" means indeed to .. ex;st," but not to .. continue existence." But the
continuance is involved in the existence ill the future, for the being in the future ill' olves

i
i
I

r
á

it
s

:

d1

h

dtr

:h
I
,

I\í
\

:
a

t
i
t
:;
, should come to thi.... In ver. 5, 6, he speaks of the past emphatically, .. )Iy covenant
was "ith him," "the law of truth wa. in his mouth." So it shall be "Ithyau, if you be-
come like him.

CIL\.PTER II.

G05

C H Be R foisT 5 c -'ry covenant was with him of life and' afraid hefore mv name. nefore
CHRIST
. _cir.
J!J:. .J peacc; and I
a"c them to him dfur the' (3 eThe law
f truth was in his mouth, cir. :\!li.

cl.'.
:
: fear wherewith he feareù me, and was I and iniquity was not found in his lips: he' Deut.83.lU.
& 8ï. 26. tI Deut. 33.8,9, .
\

that time reb('lled a
ain
t Him, that lIe mi
ht spare tlw
e
who should come after them. He chastencd the fathers, who

hewed their contempt towards Him, that their sons taldn!?'
warnin
thereby, midlt not be cut oft.. lIe continues' to !"av,
what the covcnant was, which He willed still to be if thev
would repent. ' .
5. .JIy covenant R'a,y with Idm lIle and peace; lit. tIle life
amt the peace; that. which alone is true I
fe alld peace. TÌlc
covenant was not with Lcvi himself, but with Aaron, his re
l)re
entative, with whom the covenant was made in the desert,
as is indeed here expre
sed; and. in him, with aU his race l
after him, who slu'ceeded him in his office; as, when it is said,

hat 2 Aaron alld his SOilS offered upon the altar of bumt '!tf'erillg,
It must needs be umlerstood, not of Aaron in per!'on alonc
aIHI his sons then living, but of any of his race that succeeded
in his ami their room. So om' Lord promised to be with His
Apo
tles, 8 alwa./fs to tile end of tile u'or/d. i.e. with them and
tllII
e whom they should appoint in their stead, and these
others, until He should Himself come. God promised, if thev
would keep the law, that they should Jive in peaf'e on the
earth; yea. that they should ha,-e peace of mind and a life of
g-race. L
fe is an indefectible being, which man docs not
forfeit by sin, to which death is no interrul)tion, changing
only the place of the soul's life.
And I gm'e them to Mm, in, or as,fear, "4 Fear, not ser-
vile but filial and pure, as S. Paul bids Christians, 5 u'ork out
!Iollr OWIl sall'atioll u'ith fear and trembling." God ga,'e them
an aweful gift, to be held with fear and an e, for its very pre-
eioll
ncss, as one wouM hold anxiously what is very precious,
yet ,-el'y fragile and easily marred.
Ami lie feared _}Ie, and was afraid before .JI.IJ lYame.
Malachi unites þYO words, thc sef'ond expressive of strong
fcar, 'w whieh a man is, as it werc, cru
hed or broken. They
are oftcn unitcd in Hebrew. but as expres
in
terror, whicÏl
men al'e bidden not to feel before men. Toward man it is
c,-er said, 6 fear 1l0t, lleither be ye disma.l/ed; toward God
Alone, it is a matter of praise. Man"s hidlcst fear is too
little; for he knows not, "'110 God is. So Isaiah says, 71<èar
ye 1l0t their fear [thefear of this people], nor be afraid. Sallctify
tile Lord of hosts Himse(f, ami let Him be your fear awl let
Him be your dread. "8 ,,'hat can be more precious (than this
fear) ? For it is "ritten, 9 lIe u}lw feareth the Lord will be
rewarded. 'IOThe fear of the Lord is honour and glory and
gladness and a erown of rejoicing.' lIe saith, the.fear, u'llere-
11'itlt l,e fearetll J/e and was afraid, i.e. he ref'eh'ed the fear of
God in his whole heart and
oul. For these reduplications and
emphases su
gest to the hearer how rooted in virtue are those
thus prai
ed."
6. The law of truth was in his mouth. Apart from those
cases. whieh wcre brou
1it to the priests at the tabernacle 11,
in whieh their ,'oice was the voice of God through them, to
teaeh the law was part of the office both of the - pl'iest and

I n.,. the art. in '1";1 v. 8. See !'õum. xn. 12. 18. : 1 CIJr. vi. 49.
3 S. :\latt. x-'tViü. 20. · Dion. ' Phil. ii. 12.
, Deut. i. 21. xxxi. 8, Josh. i. 9, x. 25, 1 Chr. xxii. 18, xxviii. 20,2 Chr. xx. 15, Ii,
xxxii. í, Is. Ii. í, Jer. xxiii. 4, "",x. 11). xlvi. 2ï, Ez. ii. 6, iii. 9.
7 Is. viii. 12, I
. s S. ('
r. 9 Pro xiii. 18. 10 Ecclus. i. U.
II Deut. xvii. 9, 10, 11, xix. Ii; (add Deut. x.xi. 5, Ezck. xliv. 2
, 24.) IJence the use of
t':'I
K Ex. xxi. 6. xxii. i, 8. I
Lev. x. n. 13 Deut. xxxiii. 10.
P.\ltT VI.

Levite. Of the priest God says; 12 that .fle ma.'1 teach tile
eMIt/ren of l
ral'l all the statutes, 1l'Mch ti,e Lord hath s}lol.'ell
Ullto them b.'1 the 'wild of Jloses: of the triJ,e of Levi generally
\loses ,;ays, 13 Tlle.1f shall teaeh .Jacob Thy judgelllcllts aml
Israel Th," law. After the sl'hism of the ten tribcs, a prophet
says to .ha, that I
'rael had 14 for (l 10J/g time been withuut the
trlle (;od and without a tead';J/
priest and leitlllmt law. They
are edl times, ofwhil'h Ezc)iÏcI says, l5the law shall perishfrmn
tIle print; and God
ay
of corrupt priests, 16 The prie,yt said
llot, wllere is the Lord? ami tlte.'! that hll1l1l1e the law kllew _lIe
1l0t. 17 They did violence to
1I.1J law. On their return from the
f'aptivity Ezra was known to Artaxerxes as 18 a scribe of the
law of tile God of heaull, and he looked upon him apparently,
as one who !'houlcl keep the peol)le in g-ood order by teaching
it. 19 Thou, E::ra, after the wisdom of thy God which is in th!!
hand, set magistrates ami judges, 1vhich may jZlllge all tile peo-
ple u'hich are be.1Iom[ tlte rÏl:er, all suclt as kllow the laws of
thy God, and teach ye them that know them not: and u'hoso-
el'er will not do tile law of thy God ur the law of the king, let
þU(!jement be executed speedily upon Mm. I:zra says of him-
selt
that he 20 had prepared his heart to seek the law uf the Lord
and to do it and to teach in l
rael statutes ll111i,izulgemellts.
"2IGod's 22 law is the truth: the true doctrine of this law
did he teaeh the people, aud instruct them in the true meanin

and intent thereof, that, accordin
to the ri
ht rule, they
I lllig-ht frame all their a(.tions; nothin
of it did he conceal
from them, nor teach any thing contrary to it or false. This
was in his mouth; nothing contrary to it was found in his
li ps."
I And iniquity u'as not fmmd ill his lips. He expresses
the perfcctness of that teaching, first positively, then nega-
tively. The true priest tau
ht truth without an)" admb.ture
I of wront!'. "28 :\ot he onlv is a betl"a\'er of the truth, who,
I tl"ans
rèssing" the truth, opeuly teache's a lie for the truth;
I but he too, who docs not freely utter the truth, "hich he oug-ht
to utter fì'eely, or who does not freely defend the truth which
he ought to defend freely, is a betrayer of the truth. 24 For
, with the head man believetlt unto rigMeollslless, and with the
mouth cOllfessioll is made unto sall'alion." "Xothin
," says
S. Ambrose 25 to the Emperor TheOllo!'ius. "is so perilous to
the prie
t with God, so di
graceful with men, as not to utter
freely what he thinks. For it is written, 26 I spake of Th./f
I testimunies hefore kinKs, and u'as not ashamed. And therefore
a priest's
ilence ought to di
plt'ase your Clcmen('y; his free-
dom, to please you. For you arc involved in the peril of my
. silence, art aided by the good of my ft'ee speech."
I I He walked 1L'ith
lIe. To awe of God, truthfulness of
teaehin
, he adds a devout continual intercourse" ith God.
Like the patriarchs of old, Lnoeh and Koah, he 27 walked with
God. He not onl\' lived in the P,'esence, but walked up and
('I.own with Him, tÌtl"ou
h his whole life, as a Friend; "having
rc
pect in all things to Him and His glor}'."

14 2 Chr. xv. 3. 15 Ezek. VÜ. 26. 16 Jer. ii. 8.
17 Ezek. xxü. 26, Zeph. iii. 4.
18 Ezr. vii. 12, 21. 19 lb, 25, 26.

lb. 10.
I Poco
Ps. cxix. 142.
II

:

i
.p. in S. Matt. ap.

lil
b
OEp.2
i.;d ".h
'n
'2
t ::: L.

6 Ps. c.'<ix. 46.
Gen. v 2-1. vi. 9.
4 R

GOG

l\L\.LACHI.

c :
oÍes T walked with me in peace and equity, and
cir. 3
1,. did f turn many away from ini(luity.
r JJ:;;'
.
i". 7 g For the priest's lips should kecp
g

t{/t, knowll'dge, and they should seek the law
10. &
1.8. Ezra "1.IU. Jer.lt!. IS. Hag. 2.11, I:!.

Ilt peace (lnd equi(lf. The inward peace with God over-
flowing- in peace to men. The brief wor
ls comprbe thc duties
of both table
; as that,] Follow peace with all men, and holilles.
,
I/'it/wut u'/tic/t no man shall see Gud; 2 Live ill peace, lInd the
God of love alld peace shall he with yuu; S blessed are the
peacemakers. fur tlte.1f shall be called the chilclren of God.
.. 4 Gml's covenant with him was of pelll'e 5; so he observed
it on hi
part." E,'en equi(lf, or real con
iderate justice,
would alicnate those, whom it found wl'on
, so he joins with
it peace, that even equity was not admini
tered but with Im'e.
"61'0 have pcace with God, what is it but to wiJI to bc mended
and to do what He willeth, and in nothing to offend Him ?"
And turned away mall.ll from iniquity. They, thc true
prie:;ts of thc Old Tcstament then, were not satisfied with
their own sanctification, but were zealous for the salvation
of souls. "'hat a history of zpal for the glory of God and
the conversion of sinners in tllO!o'e, of whom the world knows
nothing; of whose working, but for the three words 7 in the
closing book of the Old Te
tament, we should have known
nothing! The Prophets upbraid the sins of the many; the
P!o'alms are the prayers gi\'en to and used by the pious;
such incidental saying-s as these, reeord some of the fruits.
,. ße of the di:;eiples of Aaron," said Hillel
, "who loved peace
and followed peace, and who loved men an(l brought them
near to thl' law." Yct even under the Gospcl S. Greg-ory com-
plains, "9 The wodd is full of priests; yet in the harvest of
God the lahourers are few. For we undertake the priestly
offi('e, but do not fulfil its work. \Ye receh'e the fruit of holy
Chun'h in daily stipend, but labour not for the everlasting
Church in preaf'hing." "10 There are many priests," says a
writer in the IVth cent.," and few l,riests; many in name,
few in deed. Sec then, how ye !'it on your thrones; for the
throne maketh not the priest, but the pricst the throne;
thc place sanctificth not the man, but the man the plaf'e.
"'hoso sitteth well on the throne, receiveth honour from the
throne; whoso ill, doth injustice to the throne. Thou sittest
in judgement. If thou Ii\'cst well and teachest well, thou wilt
hc a judg-e of all; if thou teaehcst well and livest ill, thine
own only. For by teaching well and living well thou in-
struetest the people, how it ought to live; by teaching well
and living- ill, thou teacllest God, how He should condemn
thee." "11 "T e who are called priests, ahO\'e the ills which we
ha,'e of our own, add also the dcaths of others. For we sla,'
it!' many as we, in tepidity and silence, see daily go to death.-=-
lIe who is placed under thee dies without thee, when in that
which causes his death, thou hast withstood him. For to that
death, "hich thou hast not withstood, thou wilt he added."
7. For the priest's lips should keep Imowledge. "12 He
assigns the reason for what he had just said, the law of truth
was in his muuth; they had done what it was their duty to
do; as in Ecclesiasticus it is said of Aaron; <13 God gave unto
him His commandments, and authority in the statutes of

I Heb. xii. 14. Rom. xii. 18. 2 2 Cor. xiii. 11.
. Poe. 6 vèr.5. 6 S. C)r.
8 1'\ .-ke Aboth c. i.
I:
Poe.

o Sö

f,;,
e
r.inX\

ïa
.V

it Jo

:Ïi
PÅp
.

iX

?i'. I];en.;. t.
II S. Gre;;. 110m. in E.<ek. L. i. 110m. xi. nn. 9. and 11. OpP. i. 1

5. L. I
Lap,

3 S.1\fatt. v. 9.
7 r;'::J J'C';' [:'J'1

at his mouth: h for he is the messenger of c Jï{oíes T
the LORn of hosts. cir.39"1.
8 nut ye are departed out of the way ;
?s

:
\ï.
ye i have caused many to II stumble at tJH' II

:Îa
i I:'
the law.

judg-ements, that he should teach Jacob the testimonies, and
infurm h,rael in His laws.'
o S. Paul requires of Titus to
ordain S\lI'h ßi!o'lwps, as shall be able to He:t'hurt by suund doc-
trine (lurl to cOlll'illce
aill,
a.lJers. 'Yherefure S. Amhrose ]5
calls the ßible, whi('h contains the law of God, 'the book of
priest!'.' as specially belong-in
to thc)]], to be specially studied
by them. S. Jerome notes that he says keep, not' give forth,'
that thcy should speak seasonably, and gh'e their fellow-ser-
vants mcat in due season."
J.òr he is tile messenger [or angel] of the Lord of hosts,
Malachi
Í\"es to the priest the title which belon
s to the
lowest order of the hea\'enly spirits, as having an offif'e aldn
to their
; as IJa
g-ai dol's to the prophet 16 . as an extraordinary
messenger of God; and S. Paul tells the Galatians, 11 ye receiz'ed
me as Wi angel of God, as C/It'ist Jes1Is; and Christ. by S. John,
speaks to the ßishops of the se,-en Churches. p:ood or bad, 01'
of mixf'd g-ood and bad, as the angels ]S of tho!o'c C/mrches.
"]9 Since in the heaw'nlv hierarclu' thc order of Anc.els is
thc Jowest, and in the Eucharistica( hierarchy the ol;}cr of
the prie!o't1lOod is thc hig-hest,"" 20 most truly is the priest of
God called ang-el, i. e. messeng"er, becausc he intervenes bc-
tween God and man, and annllun('('s the thing-s of God to the
peoplf'; and therefOl'e wcre the {'rim and Thummim IJlaeed
on the priest's breast-plate of judg-ement, that we mig-lit
learn, that the priest oug-ht to be Icarned, a hel'ald of Di\'ine
truth." M ueh more in the l\'ew 'l'e!o'tament. "21 \Yho, as it
were in a dav, can form one of earth, to be the defcnder of
truth, to !'tmid with an
cls, to gh'c g-Iory with Arehang-cls. to
tran
mit the !'acrifices to the altar above, to bc partaker of the
priesthood 22 of Christ, to reform the thing form cd, and pre-
sent the imag-e, to re-('reate for the worM ahove, to be a g-od 23
and make men partakers of tile J)it'ille .LYatllre 24 ?" "2áThe
priesthood i
enaf'ted on earth, but is ranked with the heavenly
ranks. Very rip:htly. For not man, not angel, not archang('I,
not any other created power, but the ParacJete Himself hath
ordained this office, and per
uad('d them, while yet abiding
in the flesh. to conceive the ministrv of the Angels. "'here-
fore, he who is conse(Tated as priest, ought to 'be lmre, as if
he stood among- the heavenly powers." "26The throne of the
pric
thood is plaeed in the heavens, and he is entrusted with
mini
terin1! things of heaven, ""10 saith this? The King of
heaven Himself. For lIe saith, TF/Illtsoez'er ye shall bind on
earth, shull be bound in heaven, mul whatsoever ye shall loose
on earth, shall be loosed in Iieaveu.-So the priest standeth in
the middle between God and human nature, bringing down
to us Divine benefits, and transmitting thither our suppli-
cations."
8. But ye 21 are departed out of tlte 1NI.l/ "12 of knowJedg-e,
truth, equity, fcar of God, which I appointed to Aaron and
the Levites." re hlll'f!. caused 1)/(/111/ tu stumMe at the law. Hc
does not !'imply say. in tile law, hut at it. The law was what
thcy stumbled at. They did not only lIlisunder
tand the law,

13 I
H
:
.xJ\l:' H Tit. i. 9'1. G
:. t.

iii. e. 15. n. 12
s

: l: ;J:' Ben.
19 Dion. W S. Jer.
I S. Greg. Naz. Orat. ii. 11. 73. p. 48 Ben.
22 lFUVt
pE{,O'OYTa. 23 SfÒV ;UÓJ.LEJlOJl leat 6E07rOI.1]croVTa
116 2;d
i
'I

i:.tHom. v. 1. Op;.
.

2's. de Sacerdotio iü. 4. Of,P
:
l

h
tic.

CIJ..\PTEft J J.

(;07

Before law; k ye have cllrrU I )ted the covenant of
C
R.!_ST
clr. ;i
,. Levi, saith the LOllo of ho
ts.

fs

/
ö. 9 TherefUl'e 1 1m \'e I also made you con-
I!
:'t::!ï;'e temptihle and base hefore an the people,
t ß:t
.:
- according as ye have not IH'pt my ways,
ceptedfaces. but II t have heen lJartial in the law.

through the fal
c teaf'hing of the prie
ts, as tlwup:h it allowed
thinp:s whieh in truth were sins (althoug'h this too); itself
wa
their
ource of stumhlin/r. As .Tesus Himself was (l rock
of ,!!fem'e whereon they stumbled, hecau
e thnlllgh His Divine
holiness Hc was not what they expected Him to he, so con-
trariwi
e the law bceame an oftence to them throug-h the
unholiness and incon
istency of the lives and ways of those
who taught it; much as we now hear Christian"ït y !oÖpoken /
a
ainst, bccausc of the inconsistency of Chl'istialls. So I
S. Paul saith to the Jew,.;, 1 ':l"'1,e name of God is blct.\Jlhemed
among the Gentiles thruugh .lIOll, as it is written; and, for the
!Sins of Blïs SOilS 2, Ulen ablw/"I"ed tile uffering of the Lord. I
And Iwve cONupted tI,e ('Ol'e1Ul/lt of Led; as it i:; said in
1\ chemiah, S The.lf Ilrllle dç/iled the priestllOoel, and tlie covenant
(1' the priesthood alld of Leri, that coveIHwt which was life
ll1ul peare \ and therefurc forfeitcd them.

). 'Therefore have I made yuu contemptible. They had
said in their hearts, 5 The table of the Lurd is contemptible.
So God would requite them" 6 measure for measure." Yet
)Jot only SO, but in their offi('e as judges, a
'ainst the rcpeated
protestations in t hc law, 7 Tltoll shalt llut respect the perSOli of:
tlte poor, nor IWI/uur the persull uf tlte might.lf, in righteousness I
shalt tltou judge thy neighbollr; 8 ye sltall uot respect persons I
ill judgement; 9 thou shallllot 'It're.
t judgement, he
ays,
re hm:e accepted persons in the Ifill'. You have inter- I
preted the law diflh'cntly fO!' rich and poor, OJ' have put it I
in furce against the poor, not against the rich. It \rouId I
illdude actual bribery; but there are many more direct
oflcnces ag-ainst equal justicc. How diffel't'ntly is thc like I
oflc!l('e against thc eighth eommazHlnwnt yi!<ited upon the
poor who havc real temptation to it, and thc rich who havc '
none, but the lust of tile eycs! I
" Crows he condones, vexes the simplc dO\'c."
That contempt which they cast upon G(lcl and His law, hy
wre,.;ting it out of respect to persons, that so they might g-ain
favour and respec.t from them, so honouring them more
than Him, and seekin
to please thcm more than Him, n ill
lIe cast back on thcm, making them contemptible even in I
the eyes of those, from whom they thought by that means to I
find respect.
10. Have we not all one Father 1O? IIat/t not one God:
created us? l\Ialachi turns abruptly to another offence, in ,
which also the priests sct an evil example, the capricious
dismissal of their Hebrew wives and taking other women in
their stead. Here, as bcfOl'e, he lays dowIl, at the oUbet, a
general moral principle, which he applies. The one Father,
(it appears from the paralle]), is manifestly Almighty God,
as the Jeu'!S said to our Lord, nTre have olle Father, el'eJt Gud.
1 Rom. Ü. 2.J.. 21 Sam. ii. Ii. Poco
I Xeh. xiii. 2
. 4 Ü. 5. i i. 7. 6 Kim.
7 Lev. xi". 15. 8 Deut. i. 17. ' lb. xvi. 19.
10 Jews (Ibn E., Tanchum, Kim. Abarb.
p. Poc.) h:we understood the one father to be
Jacob; S. Ch-ril, to be Ahraham. The paralieJism is, I think, deci.i,e against both. AI-
:J

u

Jt:i.:'
ìJ:;

i

;
de
:J

;:'a:i
l
l:t" ;
etÎ,

I,;

a:hr:ld

:

f)f Ishmael as f)f Isaac, of the bitterest foes of hra
l, the heath
nish EÙOlllit
s. Ammon

10 m IIave we not all one fathf'r? nlwth not C HBliÏ
<} T
one Gocl el'patcd us? why do wc deal tn'(I('h- cir. :;
ï, _
I . I . I I b II> 1 Cor. 8. 6.
el'CHIS V en
l'Y Ulan a
aInst liS )rot WI', r Eph. 4. /ö.
f: '. I ' f ' f: I J D Job 31. Iii.
pro anmg t )c con
nant 0 our at WI's.
] L
Judah hath (lealt treadH'l'ollsIy,
and an ahomination is committed in ISI'ad

He created thl'm, not only a!oÖ lIe did allmanldnd. hut by tIle
spiritual re1ation
hil) with Himself, into whic'h lIe bwug-ht
them. So Isaiah sp('al{
, 12 Tlllls saitlt the Lord that createel
thee, 0 Jacob, al/d lIe tlwt formed thee, U brael. Erery one
that is ('(lUed b.11 JI,y
Ya1Jle; I lun'e created lâm for
1J!I glor.lI;
I /Illve formed him; !Iea I have made llim. This people IUl1'e
I formed for .I.11.Úse{f; tltey shall shew fortlt .I.
(lf praise. And
from the fir
t in :\Ios('s' song, 13 Is uot lIe th.71 F(ll/,er that
created U ll,ce? lIath lIe llut made thee aud establi.
/lt:d tI,eet
This crcation of th('m by God, as lIis people, g-ave them a ne\v
exi
tenee, a Ilew relation to eaf'h other; so that even' ofl'enee
a
ainst each other was a violation of thcir relation' to God,
"'ho had givcn them this unity. and wa
, in a n('arer sen!'c
than of any other, thc e01111110n Father of all. ',"/IY then, the
prophet adds, do
ce cleal treacherous!.ll, II man against IlÏs
brother, to llro/ane the covenant of Ollr fat/lers? Hc dcJCs not
yet say, wherein this trea('herous dealing c'onsi:-ted; but
awakens them to the thoug-ht, that sin ag-ainst a brother is
"in against God. \\110 made him a brother; a
, and mueh
more Lunder the GO!oÖpel, in which we are all members of onc
mystical body; 15 u '/ ,ell ye sill so against tbe brethren, and u'uulld
their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. He speaks of the
i;in, as afl'ectin!{ thosc who did not commit it. ""hv do we
deal treacherou
ly? So J saiah, before his lips were cÌeansed
by the mystical coal, said, 16 I am a man of unclean lips, aml
I cbl'ell in the midst 0/ a people of U71cleClll lips, and the hig-h-
priest Jo
hua was shewn in the vision, elothed with defiled
gm'ment s 17; and the sin of Achan became thc sin of the children
of Israel 18, ancl Da\'id's sinful pride in Ilumbering the peoplc
was visited upon all 19 . lIe tcaches beforehand, that, 'iIlwhethcr
one member sl!ffer, all the members suffer witlt it, or one memher
he II01UJltred, all the members rç.ioice with it. They profaned
also the covenant of their fat/ltTs, b)' marrying tho
e whom
God forbade, and who would seduce, as heathcn wives had
Solomon, from His worship. S. Paul in sanetioning- the re-
marriag-e of widows, adds, only 21 ill tlie Lord, i.e. Christian
husbands. "22He who treated as null the differencc between
the Israelites and a heathen woman, shewed that the dif-
ference het\\'een the God of Israel and the God of the hea-
then had before become null to him, whencc it follows;
I I. Treacheroushl has Judah dealt;" all abomination is
committed in Israel. ;rhc prophet, by the order of the words,
emphasises the treachery and the abomination. This have
thcy clone; the very contrary to what was required of th('m
as thc people of God. He calls the remnant of Judah by
thc sacred name of the whole people, of whom they were
the survh-ing- representath'c
. The word "ahomination 23"
is a word belong-ing to the Hebrcw, and is used e
pe('iany

of things olt'ensive to, or scparating frolll, Almighty God;
and :\Ioab, inveterate persecutors of Israel, were his near kindred. Ammonitesses and
::\Ioabite.ses were as much forbidden by Ezra (ix. 2) as women of the difierent nations of
Canaan, Ashdod or EI!) pt.
11 S. John viii. .n. 12 1< xliii. 1. 7. 21. add xliv, 2,21,24.
13 Deut. xxxü. 6. 14 -;Ji' j':JK IS 1 Cor. ,
ii. 12.
16 Is. vi. 5. l' 2 S:m

"v
ii, 3, 4, See db. pp. 523,

t'Cor. xü.
6
o.h. vü.l, 11.
21 lb. vü. ::
.

H
lIgst. Christ. iii. .5V5.
;':;"111

(jOS

C HBf[7s T and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profanf'd
cu.3!J7. _ thc holincss of the LORD whieh he IIlo\"ed,
" Or,ougltt 11 I . d I d 1 f
t%ve. Oanl lat I marrle tIe aug Iter 0 a strange
o Ezra 9. 1.
& 10.2.
1'eh. 13. 23,
;1 Or, him
that u'aketh,
a7111ltim
tlmt aa-
s'Wt
ret/l.
.
eh. 13.
28,2!J.

god.
1
The LORD will cut oft' the man that
doeth this, II the master and the scholar,
out of the tahel'llaeles of Jacob, P and him
that otfereth an offcring unto the LORD of
hosts.
13
\.nd this have re done again, cover-

idolatry, as the central dert'liction of God, and involving
offenees agai n
t the laws (If nature, but also all other sins, as
adulterr, which violate His most sacred laws and alienate
from lIim.
Hatlt profaned the holiness of tlte Lord 7l'hich He loved,
in them
eh'e
, whu had been separated and set apart by God
tu Himself as a 1 hol!1 natio/l. 2 Israel was holiness to tile Lord.
'.3 The Lord is hulr, perfeet holiness; His name, holy; all
things relating to Him, holy; His law, cuvenant and all His
ordinances and institutions holy; Israel, His peculiar people,
an huly peuple; the temple and all things therein consecrated
tu Him, holy; Jerusalem, the city of thc great God, huly;
yea, the whole land of His inheritance, holy;
o that wh080-
(>ver dClth not ob
en'e those due respeets which to any of
t.hese belong, may be said tu ha,'e profaned the Iwlilless which
He loved."
Unlawful marriages and unlawful lusts were in themselves
a special profanati
n of that holiness. The high priest was I
to 4 take II virgill of !tis Oll'1l1Jeople to wife, and uot to profane I
/tis seed among the people. The priests who married strange
1l'izoes, (It:fìled the priesthood and the coz'eJwnt of the priesthood 5. I
The marriage with idolatre
ses brought, as one con!:equence, I
the profanation by their idolatries. The prohiLition is an
anti('ipatioll of the fuller revelation in the Gospel, that 6 the
hody is the temple of the Holy Ghust, and so, that sins against
the bO((11 arc prufanations of the temple of God. "3 As those
who admowledge, worship and serve thc true God are f'alled
His 7 sons and daughters, so they that wor
hipped any strange
god are, by like reason, here called the daughters of that god.
Hence the .fews say, '8 He that marrieth a heathen woman is,
as if he madc himself son-in-law to an idol.'"
Hath married tlte daughter of a st1"lln{(e god. And 80 11('
came into closest relation with idols and with devils.
12. The Lord will cut I!if'the man that doeth t/tis, the master
and the sclwlar, lit. The Lord cut oß'from the man that doeth
t !tis, watcher 9 and ansn'erer. A proverLial saying apparcntly,
in which the two corresponding classes comprise the whole 10.
Yet so, probably, that the one is the acth-e ag'ent; thE' other,
the passi\'e. The oue as a watchcr goes his rounds, to see
that nothing stirreth ag'ain!jt that which he is to guard; tllP
other ansll'creth, when roused. Together, they express th

two opposite classcs, active and passive sin; those who ori-
ginate the sin, and those who adopt or retain it at the insti-

ation of the inventor or acth'e propagator of it. It will not
exempt from punishment, that he was led into the sin.
Frum tile tabernacles of Jacob. Perhaps" he chose the
I E". xix. 6. 2 Jer. ii. 3. 3 Poco
4 Lev. xxi. H, 15. 5 Neh. xiii. 29. 61 Cor. vi. 15-20.
7 Deut. xxxii. 19, 2 Cor. vi. 18. s Maim. in Issure biah, c. 12.
I. Poco
o Not" the awakener," as if ":.1 were active; for "'11 is always intransitive, except in the
correction of the text, Job xli. 2. In Chald. "1')J is .. a watcber." Dan. iv. 10, U.

l\L\.L.ACHI.

1 ing the altar of the LORD with tears, with c IP
oi8 T
wc(
ping, and with crying out, insomuch cir.3!Ji.
that he regar'deth not the otfering any more,
or receiveth it with good will at your hand.
1-1
Yet ye say, 'Vhereforc? ßecausc
the LORD hath hccn witness between thee
and q the wife of thy youth, against whom q Prov.5.18.
thou hast dealt trcacherously: r yet is she r Prov.2.17.
thy companion, and the wife of thy em-c-
nant.

word. to remind them of their unsettled cOllclition," out of
which God had brought them.
AJ/(Iliim tlwt qfli:reth all I!ffering Wtto tlte Lord ofllOsts;
i.e. him, who, duing these thing
, otrereth an offering to God,
to bribe Him, as it were, to connivance at his sin. In the
same meaning, Isaiah says, that God hateth 11 iniquity and ti,e
solemn meetin/{, and, 12 I hate robbery 1l'Ìth burnt-offering; or
Solomon, 13 The sacr[/ìce of the wicked is an abomination to
the Lurd; 14lte that turneth au'ay !tis ear from hearing the Iml',
his lJrl'.'ler shall be an abomination. And God by Amos says,
15 I hate, I despi,çe, your feast-da.lls, ami will not accept yuur
solemn assemblies. In one Eense the sacrifice was an a
!:gTa-
vation, in that the worship of God made the offencc. either a
sin ag'ainst light, or implied that God might be bribed into
connivance in the LrealiÌng- of His lan's. The ancient dis-
cipline of removing from C
mlllunion thosc guilty of grie,'ous
sin was founded on this principle.
13. AJ/(i tltis ye It(we done again, adding the second sin
of ('ruclty to their wives to the tal
ing forei!!n women; they
cOl'ered the altar of God witlt tears, in that they by ill-treat-
ment occasioned their wives to weep therc to God; and God
regarded this, as though they had stained the altar with thcir
tears.
Insomuclt tlUlt He regardetlt not the (ifferillg all,1/ more.
God regarded the tears of the oppressed, not the sacrifif'es of
the oppreS8(1rs. He would not accept what was thus offered
Him as a thing weJI-pleasing 16 to Him, aCf'eptaLle to Will His
good pleasure.
14. And ye sa.l/, Trherelure? Thcy ag-ain art the inno-
cent, or half-ignorant. "That had they to du with their wÏ\'es'
(\'omanh- tears? He \\Tho knows the hearts of all was Him-
self the ;vitnc8s between them and the wife of vouth of each;
her tu whom, in the first freshness of life m;d their yount::"
hearts, eaeh had plig-hted his troth, having been entrusted
by her with her earthly all. 17 The Lord, said even Laban,
when parting from his daughtcrs, u'atch betleeen me ami
thee, w/lell uoe are absent, tlte unefrom tlte other; if tlWll slw/t
a.fllict my daughters, or if tholl shalt take wives beside my
cf(wghters, nu man is with llS; see, God is witness between me
and thee.
Ami be dealt treaclterolls
1/ against her, dolating his o(\"n
faith and her trusting love, which she had given OIu'e for all,
and could not now retract. ..lnd she is. th.,! companion; she
has been another self, the companion of thy lifc, sharing thy

orrows, joys, hope
, fears, intere
ts; dilferent in strcngth,
yet in all, good and iU, sickness and health, thy associate and
10 Dietrich. Abhandll. zur Hebr. Gram. p. 201 sqq., has instances from the Arabic, but
not so energetic as thoo;e in the O. T., e"<cept when the)' are the same. 11 Is. i. 13.
u lb. lxi. 8. 13 Provo xv. 8. H lb. nvüi. 9.
15 See above, p. 198 on Am. v. 21.
16 p" Ii" Gen. xxxi. 4:1, 60.

CIL\PTER H.

c JeÁoíes T ],) And' did not he make one ? Yet Imd
cir.3!1i. he the II residue of the spirit. .And where-
· :\Iat. 19.4,5. f '
TI t I . I t I t t II
II Or, ore one. la Ie nug- 1 sec( a gO( V
exrrile"c!!. 1 TI C t I I 1 t . .

t Heb. a see( . lerelore a
e we( 0 your SpIrIt,
t Ë::..1.

d. and let none deal II treacherously against
" Ò
o:
!. u. the wife of his youth.
11{)
::t1i
i. IG For U the LORO, the God of Isra('l,

d

.58.32. saith II that he hateth t {Juttiu
away: for
" Or, if M hate her ,put her away. t Heb. to pui auoa".

companion; the help meet for the hu
hand and provided fOI'
him by God in Paradisf'; and nbm'e all, tile u.
'ife of tllY rfJl'e-
nant, to whom thou didst pledgc thyself before God. These
arc so many ag-grnvations of their
in.
hc was the wiff' of
their youth, of their covenant, their companion; and l;od
wa
the witneo;;s and Sanctifier of their union. l\Iarria
e was
illstitutt'd and consecrated by God in Paradise. )lan was to
lea\'e father an(l mother (if so bc), but to deave to his wife
indissolubly. For they were to be Ino more twain, bllt one
flesh. Hence, as a remnant of Paradise, c\'en thc heathen
knew of Illan'iag-e, as a relig-iou
act, g-uarded hy religious

anctions. Among Goers people, marriage was a 2 COl'enant of
their Gud, To that orig-inal institution of marriage he seems
to refer in the follo\\ in!!," ;
15. And did nut FIe, God, of 'nlOm he had
poken as
thc witness between man and his wife, make one, viz. Adam
first. to mark the oneness of marriage and mal,e it a law of
natllre, appointin
,. that out of m'an (created in His own
ima
e and similitude,) woman should takc her heginning, and,
knitting them together. dicl tcach that it should never be law-
ful to put a,.;under thllsP, whom He by matrimony had made
one 3p' ",j, lletn'een those two, ancl consequently between all
other married, to he born from them, He willed that there
should be one indh'isible union; for .\dam could be married
to no other save E\'e, since 110 other had beell created by God,
nor could E,'e turn to anv othel' man than Adam, !'inf'e there
wa
no othcr in the world. 'Infringc not then this !'anction
of God, and unity of marriag-e, and deg-enerate not from your
first parent
, Adam ami Eve.''' .. 6 If divorce had IJeen good,
Jesus san;, God wouhlnot have made one man and one woman,
but, having- made one Adam, would have made two women,
had He meant that he should cast out the one, bring in the
other; but now by the mode of creation. He hroug-ht in this
law, that each should have, throughout, the wife which be had
f1'om the beg-inning. This law is older than that about di-
vorce. as much as Adam is older than )lo
es."
ret had he the residue of the spirit; 6 the breath of life,
1l!ltich He breat/,ed into Adam, and malt became (l Ih'illg soul.
_\ll the souls. whieh God would ever create, are His, and lIe
('ouId ha'"e called them into being at once. Yet in ordcr to
designate the unity of marriage, 'He willed to create but one.
1 S. Matt. xix. 6.
Prov. ñ. Ii. I Marria,ge Service. 4 Lap.
ø Ge:.
:

s. de libel
os
eKì
t.nx

.OlK
ill. 2ti. Be
'G

' i. 2;.
, The t:
:TI', "your spirit," manifestly refers back to .. the residue of the spirit,' nn ..
='
which. he sa)s. was God's. ·
10 The E.!\[. " If he hate her, put her awa"," (whi
h follows
on.) seems to enjoin
what Malachi reproves these for, their cruelty to theIr WIVes, as also It gives an unbounded
license of divorce. ...
11 "C"1 nnJl Deut. xxiv. I, used of disgusting foulness in the chapter before, XXlll. 15_
1
Things spoken of as objects of God's hatred, ar.e, .. a 'prou
In<;>k, a lying tongue,
an
s
that shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth WIcked Imaj(1natlOns, feet t
t be sWIft 10
running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, ,,;nd he that soweth discord amon

hrethren," Prov.vi.l&-19; "pride, arrogancy, the evIl
y,and the
row
Tdmo'!th.
lb. viii. 13; idolatry, De. xvi. 2:?, Jer. xliv, 4, "rob!>ery with bumt-olfenng, Is. lxi.8;
hcathen abominations, Dent. xii. 31; worship with SID, Am. v. 21, Is. I. H.

GO!,

one {'O\"creth yiolcnce with his
a..ment, C HBí[Ts T
saith the LORD of host..: therefore tahe cir.3(';.
heed to your spirit, that re deal not
trea('herously.
Ii
I x Ye IU1\-e wearied the LORD wid} z IsaJ.43.2
.
your words. Yet ve "'a,", "'herein ha\-e we

I
\kVi.
. I I' 0 ,, : }
I , 15.
w('arle( WIn.c )CU yc say, '.,-cry one
that doeth cyil ;s good in the sight of the

o our Lord argues a
ainst di,'orce, 7 IIfl1'e ye 1lot read, Ihut
lIe u'/âch made them at the begillnillg, made tlllm 1//ale am/
female? They both tugether arc ealled (Jlle mall 8, and there-
fore should he of one mind and spirit al,.o, the unity of whieh
they oug-ht faithfully to pre
el"\'e.
And u:herefure one
Seeking a seed uf God. i.e. wort11)"
of God; for from relig-ious marriag-e, rclidous uU',.pring may
mo
t bc hoped from (.od; and by violating that law, thoH'
before the flood brou
ht in a
puriou
. un
an('tified g-enera-
tion, so that God in His di"pleasurc destl'ured th{'m all. Awl
tal.e Ileed to your spirit 9, "hit-h ye'too had from Gild, which
was lIi
, and which He willed in time to create. lIe f'lo"t'
,
as he beg-an, with an appeal to man.s natural feeling-, let nOlle
deal treacherous!.,/ against tI,e wife of his yuuth.
16. lle hateth }Jlltting all'a!llO. lIe had allowed itfiJr the
I hardness of their hearts,
'et ouly in the one ease of some ex-
treme bodily foulness 11, disem-ered upon marriage, and which
the woman, knowing the law, concealed at her own peril.
:\"(Jt subsequent iIIne!:s or any cou,;equences of it, howC\-er
loathsome (as leprosy), were a ground of dh'oree, hut only
this couccaled foulnes", whieh the hushand fOllnd upun mar-
ria
e. The capricious trralJlJieal divoree. God saith, lIe
hatetlt: a word 12 naturally used only as to sin, and so stamp-
ing- such dh'orce as sin.
One cOl'ereth violence 1l'ith /âs garment 13. or. and l'iolence
cOl'ereth /âs garment a, or, it IlIig-ht he, in the sallie !'cnse. he
covereth his garment with viulence 15, so that it eannot he Ilid,
nor washed away, nor removed, hut cm elopes him and his
g-armcnt; and that, to his
hame and puni
hment. It wa..., as
it were, an outer g-arment of violence. as A
aph !'òays, 16Óolellre
cOl'eretl1 them as a garment; or Da\ id, 17 he cluthed Mmself
ll'ith cursing as leilh a garment. It ,,-a" lihe a garment with
fretting lepros.'/, unclean and making undean, to be ùurned
with fire 18. Contrari\\ ise, the redeemed !'aints had 19 1 1'(IShed
their robes and made II,em 1chite in tlw Bloud of the Lamb.
Having declared God's hatred of this their doing. he sums up
in thc same words, but more briefly; and this bein
so, ye
shall take heed to flour spirit, and not deal treacllerollsly.
] ï. re have wearied the Lord u'ith yuur 7l'ords. "20 Dr
your blasphemous words, full of unhelief and mi
tru
t, YOIl
have in a manner wearied God. He !,opeaks of God, after the

13
o J e"i<h-Arabic writer notices the meanine:. which Pococke sug!eSted. anil Geseniu.,
Fürst, E"ald follow; as if e-::, signified" wile," because in the Koran c:,,:." is used.
not directly for' husband' or" "i1e," but in its original sense, .. covering," of each reciprocally,
I'" ON::I' t:!UK'I c:
" 01<::1" ].,) .. they (your whes) are a garment to you, and you are a
ent
to them." So Ahimelech said to Sarah, .. he [Abraham] is 10 thee a co,'eri"lJ (r.J::J::I) of the

"e., unto all which are with thee. (Gen. xx. 16). But 01<::1' does not signify, eIther hu"band
or wife. In .Arabic. "I.. n and "11<11:1 loose dresses. (See Lane Arab. Le<. p. ;)3, 6:?1) are

':intalf:b
f a "i1e; (""1" also of a person's self or family as "ell). But there is notTaoe
.. According to the eon.tr., :!'Ou. xvi. 33, Lev. iv. 8, Job L"tÌ. 26, where the thing covering
is the nominative and "II is put before the thing covered. So Yulg. and L:\. '\.. orit,inallv,
as shewn hy the Arabic trans!., though now the LXX. has l"elJl'f,l'aTa for l"l;{,l'aTa. (V

Dieu) Ii In Ez. xxiv. 'l. Job xxxvi. 3:?, the t!ùnS covering is in the
acc., with t,y ofthing covered. 16 Ps. hxiñ. 6. 17 lb. cix. IS.
16 Lev. xiii, 4ï-;)S. lU Rev. Vll. U. :/U Dion.

GlU

Before LORD, and he ddi
htf'th in them; or, "There
CH"R

T
clr.3U/. is the God of judgment?

(,H
\.PTER III.
I Of the messeuga, l1/(!jesty aud grace of Cltri,çt.
7 Of the 7'ebelliolt, 8 sacrilege, I;J altd Í1!/idelity

manner of men, as a man affii('ted bv the ills of others.
"'hence al
o the Lord
avs in Isaiah, "II am 1l'earl/ to bear
tltem, and
tlUJlt hast /Ilfl(l
.lIe to sen'e 1('itlt th.'! sins; thou
hast tl'earied _Jle ,('itlt thine iniquities. In lilíC way the Apostle
!:'ay
. 3 Grieve not tlte IIoZtj Spirit of God."
\\ïth the samc (,(lIltuma('y as before, and unf'ons('iousness
of sin, they a!'k, /Vhereiu'? It is the old temptation at the
l'rospel"Ïty of the wicked. "Ðo('s God love the wick cd ? if not,
why does He not punish them?" "4'l'he people, when returned
from Babylon, secing all the natious around, and the Baby-
lonians thcm!'elve
, serving idols but abounding in wealth,
stl"Ong in body, possessing all which is accounted good in this
world, and themselves, who had the knowledge of God, over-
whelmed with want, hunger, !:'ervitude, is !'candalised and
says, 'There is no proddence in human things; all things
al'e borne along by blind chance, and not g-onrned by the
j udgelllent of God; nay rather, things edl plcase Him, things
good displeasc Him; or if God does discriminatc all things,
where is His equitable and just judgement?' Questions of
this sort minds, which believe not in the wodd to come, daily
rai
e to G0I1, when they see the wicked in power, the saints
in low e4ate; such as Lazaru
, whom we read of in the Gospel,
who, before the gate of the rich man in his purple, desires to
support his hungry soul with the crumhs whieh arc thrown
awav from the remnants of the tahle. while the rich lUan is of
sucli saval!."ery and cruelty, that he had no pity on his fellow-
man, to whom the tongues of the dogs
hewed pity; not
umlcrstamling the time of judgement, nor that those arc the
true goods. whi('h are for ever, say, lIe is pleased with the
edl, and, "There is the God of judgement?"
lrhere is the Gud of thejudgement? "5 i. e. of that judge-
ment, the great, 1I10st certain, most exact, cleal'sighted, omni-
!<cÍent, most just, most free, wherein lIe regards neither
}wwerful nor ri('h nor gifts, nor aught but justice? For He is
the God of the judgement, to "Thom it belongs by nature to
judge all men and things by an exact judgement: for His
nature i3 equity itselt
justice itself, providence itself, and
that, most just, nw!'t wise.-To Him it belongs to be the
.fudge of all, and to exel'cise stri('t jud!!,"ement upon all; and
He will exercise it fully on that dccisi'-e and last day of the
world, which shall be the horizon between this life and the
next, parting off time from eternity, heavcn from hell, the
ble:,sed from the damned for e,"er, through Christ, '\ÏlOm He
constituted Judge of all, quick and dead."
Ill. l. God answers their complaints of the absence of Hi!;"
judgement:" that they would come, but would include thof'e
also who elamourcd for them. Fur no one who knew his
own sinfulue
s would call for the judgement of God, as being
hilll
elf, chief'1 sinners. S. Augustine pictures one saying to
God, "Take away the ungodly man," and that God answers,
" 'Vhich ? "

I h. i. U.
lb. xliii. 21.
. ,n ::)!1 h:d
!?eh
i
:2'only by Isaiah, xl. 3, I
: f1:"lxli. 10, althou
h :"I

ça
;!:J. abs.,
ha,1 u""u u,ed l's. Lax. 10. 7 Is. xl. 3. 8 S. Luke i. 76.
9 LaD. 10 S. John vi. 5i. 11 lb. vii. 16.
1:1 lb. iii. n. v. 4-
, viii. 38. .10, 4ï, 55, xii. 49. xiv. 10, 2t.
13 lb. iv. 31, v. W, 2U, 2û, 30, 36, ,-ï. 38, ,iii. 28, ix. 4, x. 25, 32, 3i, 38, xiv. 10, n.

L\.LACIII.

of the people. 16 The promise of hlessing to tltem C HB
oIS T
that fear Gud. cir. aUï.
--

B EHOLD, a I will spnd my messenger, -Matt.n.lO.
and he shall b prepare the way hefore tl
{; f: ii>.
IllC: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall b taU
:3.

Behold, I send JIg messenger hefure .lI.'I face, and he shali
prepare .lI.'I way before JIe. Tlte.l/, then, were not prepared
for 1-lis Coming', for "ThOUl they clamoured. The n}('
!'l'ng'('r
is the same wl;om Isaiah had f
retuld, whose words
Iala'chi
uses 6; 7 The voice of one cr.ViuE! ill tlte 1l'ilder71ess, Prepare ye
tlte wa.l/ of the Lord, make straight ill tlte desert (I Itiglt-/('a!1
for ollr Gorl. 8 TltUll, child, was the prophecy on S. Jollll
Baptist's birth, shalt he called tlte propltet uf tlte Higl,est; for
tltOli sltalt go before tlte face of the Lord to prepare His 1my,
to gh'e knuwledge of sall'atiull wllu ilis people,fur tlte remis-
sion uf tlteir sins. Repentau('e was to he the prepal'ation for
the kinç:dom of Christ, the Messiah, for "'hom they luol,ed
so impatiently.
He 'Yho f'peaks, is He \Yho should come, God the Son. For
it was before Him "Tho came and dwelt among us. that the
way was to bc prepared. lIe speaks here in His Di,"ine
l\ature, as the Lord \\110 should send, and "'ho should Him-
self come in our flesh. In the Gospel, when He was eome in
the ße
h, He speal,s not of His own Person but of the Father,
since "9 indi,'isible are the operations of the Trinity, and
what the One doth, the other Two do,
ince the Three are of
one nature power and operation." "'hcnee Christ. in order
to give no excuse to the Jcws to speak a
ain!'t Him before
the time, refers it, as He does His life 10, His ductrine ll , words u
and worl,s 13 to the Father.
"14 Those worl,s, which do not relate to that which be-
longs peculiarly to each Per!:'on, being ('ommon, arc mwrilwd
now to One Person, now to Another, in order to set forth the
One Suh!:'tanee in the Trinity of Persons." Thus, S. John
says 15, Isaiah spoke of the unhelief of the Jew
, when he saw
the glory of God the Son and spal..e uf Him, and S. Paul !'ays 16
that the Holy Ghost spake thcn by him.
Amllte ,
hall prepare tlte wa.'l befure lIIe. "17 The same is
God's way here, and Christ's there, an evident proof that
Christ is one God with the Father, and that, in fhri:'t, God
came and was manifest in the flesh." The prophets and all
who turned men to righteousness, or who retained the know-
ledge of the truth or of righteousness or of God in the world,
did, in their de
ree, prepare the way for Christ. But John
was His immcdiate forerunner befure His Face, the herald of
His immediate approach; whence he is ('aIled" 18 the end of
the law, ancl the begi.nning- of the Gospel," " 19 the lamp before
the Light, the voiee befol'e the "T ord, the mediator between
the Old and the r\ew Testaml'nt;" "20 the link of the law
and of grace; a ncw morning stat.; a ray, before the true
Sun should burst forth," the end of night, the beginning
of dav.
Ånd the Lord, lVholn .'lje see!.', shall suddenly come to lli.

temple. He, "Those Coming they sought for, was Ahni
hty
God, the Gud uf Judgement 21. He '\Tho S1lOUId come, was tlte
Lord, again Almighty God, since, in usage too, none else is

14 Rib. 15 S. John xii. 41. 16 Acts xxviii. 25. 17 Poe_
18 S. Thorn. 3 p. q. 38. art. 1. ad 2. See Tert. in Marc. iv. 33. pp. 317, 318. Edinb. Tr.
:
: gh.;

.az&'

1
IËi
i.3 !a't;.8Zl

7.
21 Rashi, "The God ofjudgemeut." Ibn Ezrasa
s, "This is the glory; this is the messen!!C'T
of tI,e eooenmd õ tor the sense is doubled." Abarbanel." Haadon is the l'ame which is glori-
fied, who "ill then come to His temple, the hOllSe of His sanctuary, and His glorious name

CIL\PTER III.

c líforcs T sm](]enly eome to l1is temple, c even the
('ir, 3
17. messenger of the covenant, whom vc de-
: }fa
.6i.'i.' li
ht in: behoM, d he shall come, saith the

called" ti,e Lord 1," as none else can bc. The templc also,
tIJ which lie was to come, the temple of God, is His own.
Tile messenger, or ti,e A/lgel of the cot'elllIl/t, plainl\", e\"en
from the pamllclism, is the same as the Lord. It ".ås one,
for whom thcy looked; one, of whose ahsence they com-
plained; 2 where is ti,e God of Judgement 't one, who should
come to His temple 3; onc, who!'c coming" they sought and
prepared to have pleasure in 4; onc, of whom it is rcpeated,
lo, .fIe cometh Ii; one, in the day of whosc coming-, at whose
appearing, it was asked, wllO shall stalld? "6 All Clll'i!'tian
interprcters are agrccd that this Lord is Christ, 7117/Um God
Iwth made both Lord alld Christ, and 81rho is Lord over all; bv
""10m all things were made, are sustained and /!O\'crned';
"'ho is (as the root of the word 9 imports) the basis and
foundation, not of any private family, tribe or kingdom, but
of all; 10 h.'! lT710m are all things alld we h.ll Him: and "'hosc ,
we are also by right of rcdemption; and so He is II Lord I
vf lords and King of kings, de
er\"edly called the Lord." As I
thcn the special prcscnee of God was often indicated in con-I
nection with ti,e Allgel of ti,e Lord, so, hcre, He 'Vho was to
come was entitled the Angel or messenger of the covenant, as
God also calls Him the covenant itself; 12 I will give Thee jor
a covellant of the people, a l
!(ht of ti,e Gelltiles. He it was,
13 the Angel of His Presenre, \\'ho savccl His former pcople, ill
""10111 His .LYame ti'as, and "'ho, by the prcrogath'e of God, I
would 14 1l0 t pardoll their trall.
gressions. He should be 15 the
Jlediator of the llew and hetter COVC1UlIlt which is promised;
16 1lo t according to the cOl'enant, that I made with their fathers, I
ill ti,e da.ll when I took them hy the hand to lead them out I
of the land of Eg.1Jpt, which 11[.'1 covellant tlley brake, although
I was a hushand unto them, saith the Lord; hut tltis shall be
the cOl:mant, that I will make with the house of Israel after
those clays, saith the Lord, I will put J[y law ill their inward
lmrts, amI write it Ùl their hearts, and will he their God amI
they shall he JJIy people.
IT'/wm ye seek, are seeking, l1"1wm ye delight in, i.e. pro-
fe

so to do; He u'ill come, but will be vcrr differcnt from
Him" hom ye 1001>: for, an ..\xenger on your encmies. J udgc-
ment will come, but it will begin with yourselves.
SIIllIl sudden!..,! come, "6 unawares, when 1I1en should not
think of them; whence perhaps it is that the Jcws reckon the

le"siah among what shall come UlUlll'ares lï. As, it is here
said of His first Coming-, so it is said of His second Coming.
(which may be comprehcnded undcr this here spokcn of) that
excel)t they diligently watch for it, 18 it shall cvme llpvn them

and His Shechinah shall dwell there; and this is what they sought in their munnurings."
In the "l\1ashmia' yeshu' ah," "he says, u Haadon may be explained of the king :Messiah."
Kimchi also gives it as his first explanation; "llaadoD, he is the king Messiah. and he is
the angel of the covenant; " but he RÌves an alternative explanation, "or he calls Elijah the
messen!rer of the covenant." Saadiah GaoD admits the' Me,' before whom the mC'SSenger
is sent "to be the i\IeSòiah b. David. "The forerunner of the Messiah b. David will be lIke
his err:bassador, and as one who prepareth the people, and c1ea':'!th the way, as in. 'Y
at is
said, Behold I send &c." Sapher Haemunoth Tr. 13 de redemptlooe, (quoted by 'Olsm on
the P. F.
. 12í.)
e author
ftheolder r-;i
zacho". (whether ..,riously Or to

\e I!Omething
to say) sa.d, "He.s sent and IS not God."" ageDSe.1 p, 126. Ta".chum
}s: they are J:>I'D-
mised a time, in which transgressors will be requited "ith a sw.
t retnbutlOD by the Just
kin
whom God will raise up to the ruJe, and he is the king Mess.ah."
The Jews are a!';reed also that the messenger is DO ordinary person. Ibn Ezra supposes
him to be the Messiah b. Joseph, holdinK accordingly that he, before whose fac;e he shDl!
?
come, was the }Iessiah ben DaVId: Kimchi, that it was an angel from heaven (as m Ex. XXIII.

?

li

:

h
n :
ili;a!i t
uÁ:::'

o
he

' ili: y ;

ïtord
::G

h:
ldb
=
awa
the wicked;" Abarbanel, that it "as :\lalachi himself; but he who is promised through
:\Ia]achi, was yet to come.

G]]

LORD uf hosts, C Ifiioíes T
2 But whu mav abide c the da,' of ]}is

coming? and r wilO shall stand \
'h('n he; íi
/6
i7.

unml"ares, 19 suddenly, 20 in sitch an I/flur as 1/1('.'/ t/iÏnk 7Iot.
"21 Thc Lord of g-lory al\\ ay
"lIIl1CS, like a thief in the night,
to tho
c who
Ieep in their ,.ins."
Lo, lIe will come: hc in
i:õts ag-ain and ,'aIls their minds
to that Coming", certain, swift, new, wonderful, on \\ hieh all
eyes should be set, but His Coming would bc a sifting--time.
2. And ,do 1n(ty abide the d".7/ of 1 lis coming? And t(,11O
sllllll stand ,chen llc appearcth? rfhe impliell answer i:-õ, "Xu
onc;" as in the Psalm,
3 If TllOll, Lord, wilt 11Iark iniquities,
o Lord, t(,11O slwll stand'f Joel had asked the !'ame, 23 The
da.'! of the Lord is great amI very terrible; ami u,ltO ca7l abide
it? ,,24 flow can the wcakne

of man endure such mi:::-ht;
his blindnes
, such light; his frailty,
ueh power; hi
undean-
nes
, such holiness; the chaff, such a tirc? :FiJr FIe i.ç like II
rt;/ìner's.fire. '\'ho would not fail through stupefaction, fear,
horror,
hrinking- reverenee, from such majesty?"
:\Ialachi seems to hlend, as .Toel, the tirst and !':eeonll
coming of our LOl.d. The first Coming- too was a time of

ifting and
C\'cnllH'e, aeeording' as thosc, tll whom Hc came,
did or did not receive Him. The sc\-eranec was not final,
because there was )'et space for repentancc; hut it wa!': real,
an earne!'t of the final judgement. 25 :Fòr judge7llent, our Lord
says, I am come into this ll'orld, tllllt tlley t('ldrh see not 11/".'1
see, aml they ,l'IiÏch see might he made Mimi; and ag-ain, 26
Y(J1(J
is the judgement of tlds u'orld; and, 'irl lIe that helieveth not i.

condemned already, hem use he Iwth llot helieved 011 ti,e name
of the Ouly-Blgottcn Son of God; 28 He that heliel'eth not tht;
Sou, shall1wt see life, but the tl'rath of God abidet/, 011 Mm.
.\s, on the other hand, lie saith, 29 ldlOSO eateth
1I..1J 1;1c.
lt
alllllll'iuketl, J/y Blomllwth eteruallife; and so he that bdin'-
eth ou the SOil hath el"erl(l.
ti1/g I
fe; "hath," lie saith; not,
" shall havc;" Iwth it, in pre
ent reality and earnest, thoug-h
he III a," forfcit it: so the other da
s is cOlUlel/l1led alrelll[,/,
although the one may rcpcnt and bc saved, thc other mày
31 tum from his rightevllsuess and commit iniquity; ancl if he
perscvere in it, shall die tl,erch,. It i:õ thcn onc e"er-pre
ent
judgement. E\"ery soul of man is in a statc of gral'c or out
of it; in God's favour or under His wrath; ancl the judg-I'-
ment of thc Great Day, in which the seerets of men's hearts
shall bc re\'ealed, will be but an outward manife
tation IIf
that now hidden judgement. But thc words, in their fuIle
t
sense, imply a pas
ing of that judg.emcnt, in which men do or
do not stalHI, as in thosc of our Lord, 32
/s a snare shall that day
come OIl all those t/wt dwell 011 the face of the tl'ltOle earth.
!ratch ye, thcrefvre, aud pray alll'ays, that ye may be accounted

I 111M Ex. xxiii. 17, xxxiv. 23. Is. i. 2-1, iii, 1, x. 16, 33, x-ö...". 4. [all, besides this place]
, ii. Ii. 3 '''J':'J
I< II'IJ', iii. 1.
· C'C'j:J::J, [:,,!:o1, lb. 5 IIJ :-11
6 POCo ï Acts ii. 36. d lb. x. 36.
s Poc., (as Abulwalid, )Ienahem, Parchon, Kimchi) derives)1111 from rll.
10 1 Cor_ viii. 6. II Rev. x\ii. U,xix.16.
12 Is. xlii. 6. .3 lb. hiii. 9. .. E". x.WÏ. 21.
15 Heb. xü. 2-1, viii. 6. '6 Jer. x"",,i. 32, 3ö, Heb. viii. 9.
'7 .. ßuxt. Lex. Ch. et TaIm. v. n::J" POCo
IS S. Luke xxi. 35. .. S. :l.lark xiii. 36. m S. :l.latt. xxiv, 4-1.
21 Schmit:der. 22 Ps. cxxx. 3.
13 Jo. ii. 11, 1J
.
'"C'I; Jer. x. 10, .. The nations shall not abide ll
::) His indignation.
V ulg. has, cogitare, i. e. "ho shall comprehend? But

?
! in
hi. &en<e: is
d '!of actual
containing, the Iteat'en of heare... eannol eonla.n the I ntimte God, (1 Kgs VllI. 2, , 2 <..III,
ii. 5, (6 En
.] vi. 18.) Dot of intellectually comp
ending. 2<
p.
2á S. John ix. 3\1. :.
lb. XII. 31.
lb. 111. 18.
2<< lb. 3G. :II lb. vi. 5-1. 30 lb. 4i. '1 Ezek. xxxiii. 18.
3
S. Luke xxi. 35, 36.

(;12

l\lALACH I.

Before
CHRIST
c:r. :1!Ji.
g !'ee Is. 4. 4.
Matt. 3. 10,
1l,1:J.
h I",i. 1. 25.
Zech. 13. !J.

appeareth? for ghe is like a refiner's fire,
aud like fullers' sope:
3 .And h he shall sit as a refincr and
purifier of silver: and he shall purify the
sons of Le,.i, and pur
e them as gold and

silver, that they may i offcr unto the LORD C HBe
oÌeS T
an offering in righteousness. cir.3!J7.
4 Then" k shall the offering of Judah and

:'e:: ii
'
J crnsalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as
in the days of old, and as II in former years. II Or, ancient.

wvrth.'1 to esmpe all these t/tings w/tich shall c(J/ne to pass, and But as God is a consuming .fire, "1m must burn out the
to stalld hefure the Sun (
f JIall; and S. Paul, 1 Take unto you dro

, unlc
s we be lõreprohate silver which tltef(J/lIuler meltetlt
the wltole armoltr of God, tltat ye may he able to withstand in ill '-'a in, either He must, by lIis gracc, consume the sin within
tlte evil dllY. ([nd, !/([ving done all, to stand; and in the Re,-e- us, or must consume us with it, in hell.
lation, 2 TIIl'.'1 said to the mountains awl rock.
;
Fall Oil us, 3. And He sltall sit 16, a
a King and J ud
e on His thronc,
flIulltidc ItS .li.om the wl"ath vf Him tltat siUetlt UpOIl the throne, with authority, yet also to try accurately the cause of eat'll,
([/lIl from tlte 10m tit (
f tlte Lamh. For tlte great da.'1 of His scparating sccming virtucs from rcal g-races; hypocrites,
wl"atl, is come, aWlll'11O sltall be able to stand? Asaph sap; more or le,.;s con
ei(/usly, from His true scrnmts.
of a temporal, yct, for this life, final destruction; SAt Thy Ill' shall purify 17 the S01lS of Let'i. These hacl been first
rchllke, 0 Goel of .Jacob, hoth the chariot awl IlOrse are cast the leaders in dcgcneracy, the eorruptcrs of the people by
into a dcep sleep. Thou art tv be feared, alld wlto may stalld their example and connivance. Al'tually 18ft great complIJI.'1
ill Th.1I sigM, whi'll Tltou art llngry'f of tne priests 1l'ere obedient to the .faith. Barnabas also wa

J<ùr He is like a rr:IÌ1ler's.fire, ami like fuller's soap. Two a Levite 19. nut morc lar
cly, as Zion and J{'ru
alem are the
sorts of materials for cleansing- are mentioned, the onc severe, titles for the Christian Church, and Israel who belie'-ecl was
whcl'e thc ba
er matcrials are inworkcd with the rich ore; thc true I!<rael, so the SOlIS lJ.f Levi are the true Levites, thc
the othcr mild, whcre the defilemcnt is easily scparable. I Apostles and their successors in the Christian priesthood.
,,-I, Hc
hall eOlllc like a refining fire; 6 a.fire sltaUIJlu.n hefore It was throu
h three centuries of pcrsecutions that the
llilll, and it sltall he ver.,! tempestuous rmu/ll about Him. Then I Church was purified by fire.
lIe shall call the heaven .from ahove, aml the earth, tlwt
Ie That the.1J lIlfl.1/ 'lIfer, lit. and they shall be unto the Lord
map Judge His people; streams of fire
hall sweep befm'e, I , ,!fferers of a 1Ileal-tiflerillg in .rißhteousness,. i. e. they sh
ll be
heal"Ïn
away all sillncr
. For the Lorcl is called a fire, and I such, and that, halHtually, alHdmgly. Agam, here and m the
a 6 rO/lsuming.fire, so as to burn our 7 ll'ood, IW./I, stuhble. And next words, and the meal-Qff'erillg of .flUlalt slwll he pleasant
/lot firc only, but fullel"'s soap 8. To tho
e who sin hem'ily, He I unto tile Lord, it is remarkable, that the meal-offering, to
i,,; a refining- and cvnsunlÍ/lg.fire, but to those who e(JInmit light I which the Holy Eueharist correspond
, i
alone mcntioned.
:-<ins, fuller's snap, to }.estore cleanne
s to it, when washed." Of bloody offerings :\Ialaehi is silcnt; for they wcre to cease.
Yet, thoug-h lig-ht in compari
on, this too had its severity; In righteousness, as Zacharias I'rophcsicd, that we might
fllr clothes which n-el'e washed (of which the wm'd is used) serve Him in holiness and righteousness hefvre Him all the
were tramplccl 9 on by the feet. "IOThe nit rum and thefuller's days of our life.

()ap i
penitencc." Yet the whitcness and purity so restored, 4. Then [And] shall the '!i1èrillg of Judah a'fld Jerusalem.
i
. at the last, pcrfected. I n
l)Íration ('oultl find no more The law, the new revclation of God, was to 20 go forth fl"om
illleqllate ('omparison tor us, for the bri
htness of our Lord's Zioll aud the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Judah and
raiment from the glory of the Transfiguration, than,lle3:ceed- Jerusalem then are here the Chri
tian Church. The\" shall
i/lg white as SIlOW; so as no fuller on eartb call white tltem. be plcasant [lit. slceetJ unto the Lord. It is a re,'er
al.[using
Our Lonl i
, in many ways, as a fire. He says of Himself; the self-same word] of what God had said of them in the time
B I am come to send ll./ire upon earth, and what will I, if it he of their religious decay. 21 t/ley shall not (!/fél' u'ine-'!flèriugs
already I.imllcd? S. .John ßaptist said of Him, 13 He shall to the Lurd, neither shall they be Sll'eet unto Him; 22 your hurul-
baptise .'IOll witlt tlte
/oZ'! Ghost alld with./ire. He kindles in '!lIérings are 7Wt acceptable, nor your sacrifices Sll'eet llnto .J/e.
the heart" a fire of lo,-e," which softens what is hard, will As ill the da.1/s of old, before the days of deg-encracy; as
"14 \\' ash whatc'cr of stain is here, it stands in the ancient Liturgics, ,.28V ouchsafe to look upon
Sprinkle what is dry or sere, them [the conseerated oblations J with a propitious and
Ileal and bind the woundcd "'prite; serene COllntenam'e, and to accept them, as Thou vouch-
Bcnd whate'cr is stubborn
tiIJ, safedst to accept the gifts of Thy rip:hteous Abel and the
Kindle what is cold and chill, sa('rifice of our Patriarch Abraham, and the holy sacrifice,
"That hath wanclcred guide at'ight." 'the immaculate offering, which Thy high IJriest l\lelchisedcc
I Eph. vi. 13. t Rev. vi. 16, Ii. 1 1 Kl!s xxii. 19, Is. vi.!. and others.
3 Ps. Inri. Ii, 7. 4 S. J er. · Ps. 1. 3, 4. I, Pi", probably ori.l(inally "strained," used of wine. Is. xxvi. 6, hutthence perllaps. the
6 Deut. iv. 24. 71 Cor. iii. 12. first meaning bemg lost, of precious metals; gold, Job xxviii. I, 1 Chr. xxviiI. 18, silver,
s r:1
is a generic name fo! materia!s for cleansing) b!lt v
ous pla'!ts, possessing alkaline I P.. xii. 7, 1 Chr. xxix. 4. 18 Acts vi. 7. 19 lb. iv. 36.
(IUahtles, grew and grow m Palestme, and "kah" IS stIll an article of trade. Being to Is. ii. 3. :1 Hos. ix. 4. :t Jer, ,.i. 20.
united with "1I1J Jer. ii. 22, it has been supposed the " borith.. is a v
etable, as contrasted 23 Canon Missæ. So in S. James' Liturgy, in the prayer of the incense, "0 God, Who
,\ith"1lU. a mineral. "For the herb Borith, the LXX. have translated ".óav to signify the I didst receive the gift of Abel, 2nd the sacrifice of NoaIi and Abraham, the incense of Aaron
herb ot fullers, "hich according to the "ont of Pale.tine grows in luxuriani moist places I am! Zachanah ' Ass Cod L,t T v p." "ReceIve from th h dof n th
and has the same virtue for cleansing defilements as nitrum." s. Jer. on Jerem. ii. 21. ' as T
ou did
r..:æi
.th
oi,la
i
n
f À-be;
nd No
h and Aa
n ".::.d a1ïT
; ':
ts.!

b
p
:
.m:1 [:
,;. (only used iro

j e':.ili
t iu th
1 PS
I

.tolete Kat

'L
keW;
È 1t
s.,
:IJ I

rifi:e

h
':

fTho
'g:Sf

d

T
;

ï

ï:s

î i

i

u.:.'1

IJ lb. iii. 16. H Trans!. of Whitsun-hymn, Veni Sancte Spiritus, in a sweet savour do Thou send back to us the grace of Thine All holy Spint and look upon
II vmn, torthe Week and the Seasons p. 105.18 i.'3. I. Jer. vi. 2!J, :10. U", 0 God, and regard this our reasonable service, and
ccePt it, as Th

didst accept the
16 :
he usn.l word tor sitting on a throne, E'C. xii. 29, Dent. xvii. 18, 1 Kgs. i. 13, Ii,46, I gifts of Abel, the sacrifice of Noah. the priesthoods of :\foses and Aaron, the peace-ot!erinjrS
h, 11. 1:J, 2-J., iii_ G, viii. 20, 25, xvi. 11. xxü. 10, 2 KI(S x.3O, xi. 1!J, xiü.13, xv. ]2, of Samuel, the repentance of David, the incense of Zachary. As Thou didst recei\-e this
1'.<. cXX-:ill. 12, Pr. xx. 8, Is. xvi. 5, J er. xiii. 13, xvii. 25, xxii. 4. 30, xxxiii. 1 i, xxxvi. 30, true worshIp from the hand of Thme Apostle so ill Thy goodne,s recel\.e abo from us SIll
Zech. VI. 13; or for judgement, Ex. x\iii. 13. Jud. v. 10, Ps. cxxii. 5, Is. xxviii. G,' ners the !':i
' which lie beforeThe
, and grant t

our oblation m;y be
cepiable, hallo
ed
Jcr. X'ClX.IG, Dan. vii.!J, 2G, Jo. iii.12. Of God, Ps. ii.4, ix. 5, 8, X-..Lx. 10, xlvii. 8, Iv. 20, I in the Holy Spirit &c." lb. p. 2!J, 30.

CIL\PTER III.

Gl3

C :
ores T 5
\ml r will come near to rou to jud
- II wag-es, the widuw, and the fatherless, and C If';{oíeST
cir.3!Ji. ment; and [ will he a swift witness against II that turn aside the stranger fi'ollt /tis cir. ;j!Ji.
the sor('t'rers, and ag-ainst the adultcl'ers, right, and fear not me, saith the LORD uf
,

::: 1: 12. 1 and ag-ainst false swearcrs, and a
ainst ho
ts. m Kum. 23.1!).
lOr. tl tl t II tl I . I .
l' I 6 F I I J r I Rom. 11. 2!1
defraud. lOse Ul oppress lC lIrc mg III f ilS I ur am t Ie JORO, m (' mngc not; Jam. 1. Ii. .
offered unto Thee." "1 The oblation of the saeramcnt of thp hilll, a!:"aill!"t wholll he cried to God 9. It i!" no light !"in. !'illee
Eu('hari,.;t, made by the Jews who slll)llhl Iwlie,'e in thri,..t, it is united with tlu' lu.'a,"i('st, ami i
sl'oh('n of as reachin

,,"hi('h i" known to ha,"c bcen first in..:titutC'd by thrist in the the cars of God. The" idmv and the fatherles,.; stand in a
city of
rel"llsalem, and afterwards to ha,-e been continucd by relation of spceial nearne,.;s to God.
His diseil'les 2, shall be plea,.;ing' unto the Lord, as the ,.;acri- .dnd fear not JIe. He clo,.;es with the central dcfect,
fiees of the Patriarchs, l\Ielchisedec, Abraham, and the Iwlv which wa" the llIain";l'rin
of all thdr sins, the absence of
i'ric,.;ts in the law, as Aaron; yea, the truth takes pre('cdcllec the fi'a,' of (;(1(1. The eOlllmi,.;si"n of any of th('se sins, rife
of the fi
llI'e and shadow; the sacrifice of the new law is more as they unhappily are, pro\"Cs that thosc who did them had
excellent and ac('pptable to (;od, than aU the sa('rifiees of no fear of Guù. "l1\othin
Ilimlers that this slwuld be rc-
the law or before the law. "ïth this agrees what the Lord I ferred to tlu' fir
t Coming of Christ. For Christ. in preac'h-
saith to the synagogue, 3 I will turn JIy hand upun thee, awl in!:" to the .rews, exerei,.;ed upon them a jl\d
c'ment of just
flll/"e
fl pllrge aWll.1! thy dross, alld take alUa.1! all tll.'I till; amL I rchuke, e,.;pceially of the priests,
cribes and Pharisees, as
will re.
t(Jre tllyjwlges as at the.fìrst, and th.1! cuull.w
lIor.ç as at, the GII"pels shew."
tlte begiunillg : (([ill tlte dl'.';trllctiull uf tIle trllllsgres.wrs aml uf I 6. I am the Lord, I change 1I0t, better, mOre ('cllld...ply,
the sinuers shall be fogetller, alld tlle.1! tlllltfursake tlte Lurd I I. the LOl"lllo, change uut. The proper name of (illd. .fIe lJ"fw

haLL be cou.mllled."
o now it follows; Is. ill\"oh'es Hi" f'IH'hang-eahlelle,.;,.;. For ('han
c illll'lic!< im-
5. And I will come lIear to .1100l to.iwlgement. They had' perfection; it chan
es to that which is eithcr mllre l'erfeet
rlamoured for the eomin
of the God of .fudgement: God or Jess perfect: to sOllie" hat which that beill
, who chan
es,
a"'...:ures tllt'lll that He will come to jIHI
ement, whic'h they is not or ha.. liCIt. ßut God has everythin
in Himself per-
had desir'ed, but far other than they look for. The few would fedly. ,.1ITlwu .\Ione, 0 Lord, Art what Thou .\rt, and Tholl
be purified; the great ll1a
s of them (...0 that He calls thelll ,\rt Who .\rt. For what is CIne thing- in the whole and
you), the main hody of tho!"e who had so damoured, wCluld another in parts. amI wherein is anything !'nhject to ehan
e,
find that He came as a Judge, not for them but against is not <tltog"ether what b. Ami what he
illneth from not
them. being, and call lw c'onecincl. as not heing-. and only sub!>i!"teth
AmL I will he a .m'ift witness. ,,1 In jud
ing I wiJI bear throu
'h another thin
, returns to not-being; and \\ hat hath
witness, and witnessing, I, the
ame, will brin
furth jud!re- a' ha" heen,' whieh now is not, and a' to he,' which as yet is
ment, saith the LOI'd; therefore the judgcl1lent shall be not, that is nnt, properly and ahsolutely. But Thou .\rt what
tel'rihle, since the judge is an infallible witness, whom the Thou Art. FcU" whate,-er Thou Art in any time or way, that
eon
cienee of no one will be able to contradict." Thou Art wholly and always: and Thou .\rt, \\-ho Art pro-
(;od would be a swilt 1L'ituess, a" He had said before, III pprly and simply, becau"e Thclll hast neither' to have heen'
.
/UlIL come .mddelll!I' . Our Lord calls Himself'> the FaithfuL or' tu be about to be;' but only to be present; and canst not
aud True witlless, when He stands in the midst of the Church, be concch"cc1, t'\-er not to ha,-c been." "12 There is only one
as their Judge. God's judgements arc always unexppcted hy ,.;imple Good, and therefore One Alone Unchangeable, which
those, on whom they fall. The "ins are those ,.;pe('ially ('on- is God."
delllned by the law; the use of magical arts as drawing llIen I (Jill' life i.. a ., becoming" rather than a simple" heing;"
away from God. the ,'est as sins of ,.;pecial malignity. )]agiCal l it is a eontinual lo!-ing of what we had, and /!aining what
arts were rife at the time of the Coming- of our Lord ã: and we had not; for '.13 in as far as any one i
not what he wa".
adultery, a
she"'n in the history of the woman taken in and is what he was not.
o far forth he dieth and ariseth;"
adultery, whcn her accusers were com'ictcd in their 0"-11 diC'th to what he was, ariseth to he "omethin
other" ise.
c'lIl1sciences 6. "H Increase e,-ic1ences a heginning; decrease, death and
Oppress the hireliug, lit. oppress tIle hire, 7 i.e. dealopprcs- destruction. .-\nd theretore )Ialaehi Sit)"", I (11/1 God. muL I
si,'cly in it. Belwld, says S. James 8, the hire of the labourers change 1Iot, e,'cr retaining I1is own state of being; hp('ause
1l,IIO have reaped cluwn YOllr .fields, which is h,II.I!OU kept bark what has nCl origin eannot be ('han
ed."
h,'1 fraud, uieth; and the c1'Ìes of them IUhiclt IHwe reaped arE So the p..aln'tist says, 15
-1s a 1'
st/(re, TluJ/l shalt cha1lge
Filtered illto the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. The mere delay themalldtheyshallhechanged.hutThollarttlIeSame.ami
in the payment of the wages of the labourer brought sin unto Thy .'/fears shall not fail; and ßalaam, controlled by God,

I Dion. 2 S. :\latt. xxvi. [291 Acts ii. 42, 4Ü. 3 Is. i. 25, 26, 21'1.
. Rev. iii. U. i. 5. "I. and not other witnesses, having seen with :\Iyown e)es." Theod. S.Jer.
S. ;I

.

d
J.

nu;

f
:
:
l.,;,

dth
t

h.
.;1

teLr.' t

:!Sanr,

oo:
gh

to be learned in the arts of a'trolo
rs, diviners, soothsayers &c. that he might be able to

;:
I;:b
h(Hi

:-t'
.
it
)

;:,;,
eh::;:

?.îa;e1:: i
I::
:c:1
d( Ib
t.

:1. Bahyl. Sanh. f. W, 2;) for that "the Jewish "omen had greatly brokeu out into such
p..actices." Gloss lb.
S
l.t
r.n"?F

t:h

il
:
ba
t

a

r

rti l1:t
t b
h
t'

;iith

:
ceased: from the time that ad,;,lterers were multiplied, t.he
jtter waters ",:"",d: " and )Iai- I
monides on Sotah. c. 3, "\\ hen the adulterers rnultlpbe
under the 2n.d Ten
ple,
he
!'anhedrin abolished the ordeal of the adulteresses by the bl.tter water; relymg on Its beIng I
written. . I will not visit) our daughters when they comnut wh:Jredom, nor your spouses
PART VI.

when they commit adultery.' " Lif1;htfoot subjoins. "The Gemari>ts teach that Joh'man b.

aith::

o

h

:a:d:

w
fo
aC

t
liF
:

: t
Ii::

kea
dp
b
bfe:

h:Sc

:
:'i
{

eê;e
hen;;
::dw
::;v;eili:
d:Sn

l:u"f
fe';
rlt J D
l
fin. p. 2-13. Oxf. Tr,
7 ";):1 ,:eo 'PVII, as in l\1i. ii. 2, 111':11 ,:J ,,,. II oppre.. a man and 1,Ì6 hou.e.
8 S. Jas. v. 4. · Deut. xxiv. 1-1, 15.
10 The Lord is in apposition to 1, as, in the following clause, the so... of Jacob to !Ie. The
two clauses correspond in fonn.
I. .";/(' the Lord. change not;
"\ e, ,û"1l(') sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
11 S. Anselm Prosl. c. 22. p. 3-1 Ben. II S. Aug. de Civ. Dei xi. 10.
13 S. Aug. Com. xi. i. p. 291. Oxf. Tr.
U Xo' atia.ll de Trill, c. -I. I. Ps. cü. 2i.
-1 s

GU

C J3í{ o í e S T n therefore ye sons of Jacob are not con-
cir. ;

'7. sumed.
:
'7
'521:' 7 , E,"en from the days of 0 your fathers
ye are gone a way from mine ordinances,
p Zech. 1.3. and have not kept tlt("tn. P Return unto
me, and [ will return unto you, saith the
LORD of hosts. q But ye said, 'Yherein

q ch.l.6.

1 God i.ç not a man, tllat He sllOulcllie, or the son of man, that
He sllould repent; and, 2with IVllOm is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning.
Of this unchangeahlcne
s of God, His holy ones partake,
as far as thev fix themseh-es on Gocl. "s The !"oul of man
hang-s upon Iiirn, br "'hom it was made. And because it
wa" made, to desire God Alone, but every thing which it
desires below is less than IIc. ric:htlv doth not tllat suffice it,
which is not God. Hem'e is Ù. tliat thc soul is scattered
hitlH'r and thither, and is repellc(l from everything, toward
which it is borne, throu
h sati(.ty of them. But holy men
gouard themseh-es hy cautious obsen'ation, lest they should
be relaxed from their intentness by ehang-e, and because they
desire to be the same, wisely bind themseh"es to the thought,
whereby they 100'e God. For in the contemplation of the
Creator. they will reeeÍ\-c this, that they should ever enjoy
one stahility of mind. Ko chang-eablencss then dissipatcs
them, beeause their thought e,-pr perse,-ere
, free from unlike-
ness to it
df. This th('!"pfore they now imitate. striving with
effort, which hereafter they shall with joy re('eivc as a gift.
To whieh unchang-eableness the prophct had bound himself
by thc powcr of IO\-e, when he said, 40 ue tMug I required of
tile Lord, ll'hich I1cill require, that I may dweLL in the hOllse
(
f the Lord. To this unity Paul clave intcntly, when he said,
50 lle tMug I do, forgettiug tho,çe things which are behind allel
stretcMng forth to t/wse thiugs w//Ïch are before, I pre.çs fOl"ll'ard
toward tile mark for the prize of the high calling of Gmi in
Christ Jl'SllS."
.Ami ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. :l\Ian would
often ha,-e become wean- of man's wi('kedness and wa,'ward-
ness. 'Ye arc impatien't at one another, rt'adily desiJair of
one another. God miC'ht ju
tly ha,-e ca!oit off them and us;
but He ('han
cs not. He abides by the ('O\'enant which lie
madc "ith thdr fathers; He consumed them not; but with
His own UlH'hangeahle lo,-e a"-aited their rt:pentance. Our
hope is 1Iot in ourseh-eiÒ. but in Gocl.
,. Et.('1l from the days of YOllr fathers. Back to tltose
da,1/s and from tltem 6, .1/e are gone mcay from J11.', ordinances.
"71 am not changed from good; ye are not changed fr01l1
edl. I am unchangeable in holiness; )'e are unchangeable
in pCJ"\'ersity."
lldlll"ll unto JIe. The beginning of our return is from
the prcventing- grace of God. B Turn Tlwll me, mul I sh(tll be
tllmed; f(Jr ThOll art tbe Lord m.1/ God, is the voÏee of the
soul to God, IH'epaJ'in
for His graee; 9 tum us, 0 God ûf (J1IJ'
.
ah'atÙm. For, not in its own strength, but by His
race can
the soul turn to (;od. Turn tllOll to .JIe and I will return
unto YOIl, is the Voi('e of God, apknowledging our free-will,
and promising Hi.. favour, if we aC'cept His graee in return.

I NlI. xxiii. 19. t S. Ja.. i. 17.
:
:3,reg. l\Ior. i'

p
' n. í9.
eJ
. =i
rs
' t;:'\
'21. 5
hi
s
t;

.lj:
IU "::!m
mn. xv. 19, 20. II Ex. xxx. 13_15.
12 lh. xxv. 2, 3, xxxv. 5, 21. 2.t x.xxvi. 3. 6. 13 Ezr. viii. 25.
.. 2 Cbr. x.
:i

:

&

2
'

and :r-m:t are joined, asl
eE;V

I
rerse order.)

l\L-\L
\CHI.

shall we retm'n ? C I?í[ors T
8
"
ill a man roh God ? Yet ye lmve cir.3\17.
robbed me. But ve sa,., \\Therein ha,-e we
robhed thee? r In' tith
s and offerings. r

. 13. 10,
!) Ye W'C eurseù with a curse: for re. Prov.3. 9, 10.
hm-e rohhed me, ccen this 'whole nation. '1
ìl
.
t i
:
_ ]0
n
ye all the tithes into t the
t/l02.38.
And 1/e Sllll. fTTherein shall 1('e return? Stran
e iO'llO-
ralwe of ihe hiinded soul, uncon!oi('iolls that God 1I;ls a
ght
a
ainst it! It is the Pharisaic spirit in the Go!"pel. It would
own itself doubtless in general terms a sinner, but when
called on, wholly to turn to God, as being- wholly tut'npd from
Him, it a
ks:, ,. In what? "That would God have of me?" as
if ready to do it.
8. Shall a man rob or cheat, defraud Gml? God answers
question by que
tion, but thereby drives it home to the
sinner'" soul, and appeals to his conscicnce. The con!"ei{'11ce
I i
steelcd, and answers again, III what? God spC'cifies two
things only, olwiou
, patent, which, as "ein
material things,
. thl'Y could not deny. III titltes (lllli qttèrings. The '!tteri/lgs
I induded several da!"ses of dues to God. a: the fir1't fl"llits 10;
I b) the annual half-shd;:el ll : c) the offeriJJ
s madc for the
tabernacle 12, and the seeond temple 13 at its first ere(,tion; it
I is nsed of ordinary o(fl'ring-s 14; d) of the tithes of their own
tithes. whieh the Le\'ites paid to thc priests 15; e) of thc por-
! tions of the saeriliec whi('h accrued to the priests 16.
9. re Ital'e been cursed 1cith tlte Cllrse (not "" ith a eurse").
The cursc threatened had comc upon them: hut, as fore-sup-
posed in Leviticus hy the repeated burthen, If .lle still u'alk
rolltrm'.'1 to .'lIe, they had persenre(l in evil. God had already
shewn His di!"pleasnre. But thcy, so far from being- amcndcd
by it, ,,-ere the morc hardened in their sin. Perhap
as men
do, they pleaded their punishment, as a rea!"on why they
should not amend. They def/"((/(ded God. under false pre-
telH"es. They were impO\"erishpd by His C'1II'se, and 50 they
eould not afforcl to pay the tithes; as men say," the times
arc bad; so we cannot help the poor" of Chri
t. .Am[ .'lIe ye
still are defmlldi/lg 17 ; .Jle, yc; man. God. And that not onc
or other, but this whole people. It was a re(luital as to that,
in which the\' had offended. .o8Bpeause ,-c have 1I0t r('ndered
tithes and fii'st-fruits, therefore ye arc (:urscd in famine and
penlll'Y." "lb Beeausc the people did not render tithes and
first-fruits to the Le, ites, the Lord saith, that He Him!"elf
suffered fraud, "'hose ministers, constrained by hun
er and
penury, descrted thp templc. For, if He is vi!"itetl by othcrs
in prison, and siek. is reeei,-ed and carcd for. and, hungTY and
athirst, receives food and drink. why should He not reeeh-e
tithes in His ministers, and, if they are not ginn, be Himself
deprind of IIis portion?"
10. Bring the /(,llOle tithe.ç, not a part only, keeping- back
morc or less, and, as he had said. (ftoji'([l((/iu
God, otrel"Ín
,
like Ananias, a part, as if it had been the wholf': into the
treasll':1/, wherc they werc coJleeted in the time of I1ezl.'kiah 19,
and a
ain, at this time, by thc direction of Xehemiah. so tltat
tltere .çlwll be fooc[20, not superfluity, ill
l1./lltouse. ,.
lfor those
who minister in the hou
e of
I y sanctuary."

TIle Let'ites

17 [l';;
þ. Accor,1ip,! to it. probable etvm. (" with<'.rew and so hid," Arab.), it mi:rht be de-
frallrllll
rather than open robbery. But it has not this met3ph. meaning in Arabic. Abnlw.
Tanchllm. H lilt. 20(;., render it of open 1.;0lence :J

'. JI
i' occurs, besides, in Hebrew only
in Pr. xxii. 2:
. The Lord will plead their cause and will spoil those who spoil/hem, i.e. He
will reqnite them as they have done; i.,. the s
e bold lan
uage, as in
s.
.1 iii. Ii:.. 0
.8 S. Jer. 19 2 Chr. XXXI. n. sqq. Neh. x. 38, 3
, xn. +I. Xlii. L.
20 'i"C, food, as Pro xx..'Ü. 15, Ps. cxi. 5. tl Jon. 22 l"eh. xiii. 10-23.

CHAPTER III.

c ,Pî{oí e s r storehouse, that thel'e may be meat in mine I
dr. 3!/7. _ honse, and prove me now hprewith, saith I
the Lmw of hosts, if I will not open you I
.
Ki.I.}li the u windows of heaven, and t x pour you
t e
/e

ord. ont a hlessin
, that tltf'l'C shall not bc room
.:J ëhi-. 31.10. enon
h to ?'ccci,'c it.
, Amos 4.9. II ...\nd I will rehulcc y the devourer for

615

your sakes, and he shaH not t dpstroy the c Jífoíes T
fruits of your
round; nt'itlll'r shall yonr cir.3!r,.
vine cast her f
uit hefore the time in the t :

Pt.
field, saith the I.oRI> of hosts.
12 ...\nd all nations shall call you hlf'sscd:
for ye shall he "a delightsome land, saith. Dan. 8. 9.
I the LOlW of hosts.

ami si/lgers had, bcforc thc refurmation, fled el'ery (Jill' to his I sakes. Allel }Jollr !/OIl (Jilt, lit. emp(11 Ollt to .1101l.
i,.e to them
field, hel'au
e the portion of the Levites Imd uot heen f{h'm I fully, hohlinl! back nothing. So in the Gu"pd it i
said, that
tlwlIl. On X ehcmiah's remonstrancc, aidc(I by l\Ialal'!.i, the I thc Im-c of (;Oll i., shed ahroac[5, poured out and forth ill (Jill'
tithe of corn ami the wille a/l(1 the uew oil were hrùu!{ht illt(J I I,earts by the lloly Ghost which is giUll to liS.
the treasuries. I That there he 1/ot room enough to reccÏvc it; lit. until
nring the whole tithes. "1 Thou knowest that all things tl,el'e be lW sl1firiency6. The text docs not expre

what slulllid
which ('ome to thee arc God'
. and do"t not thou givc of lIis I not
uffiee, whether it he on (;od's part ur on man's. Yet it
own to thc Cr'eator of all? Thc Lord God nee(!t-Ùl not: IIc werc too I!reat irony. if undcr
to(l(l of God. His snpemhun-
asketh not a reward, hut re"crpncc: IIc asketh not any thing dam'e, above all lclâch we ('(tll ask or think, is a fir
t prin-
of thine, to re
torc to Him. Hc a
keth of thec fir.
t-fmits eiplc in thc eOlH'eption of (;od, as thc J nfinitc
ourt'e of all
ami tithes. Kig1!;ard. what woulde
t thou do. if He took ninc I being. But to say of (;od, that Hc would pOllr out IIi... hle
-
parts to IIimseit
and Icft thec thc tenth ?-\Yhat if IIc i>aid sin
, until man could not contain it, is one bliss of eh'rnity,
to thee; '){an, thou art Mine, \Yho madc thee; )Jinc is the ' I that God's g-ifts will ovel.t}ow the capaeity of His crt'atures
land which thou tille!'t: l\line arc the seeds, whieh thou to rcccive thcm. Thc put of (Jil poured forth thc oil, until,
sowcst; )Jinc are the animal!', which thou weariest: Minc on the prophet's saying', 7 Bring me .'l/et a 't'e.
sel, the widow's
arc thc shower!', :\line thc winds, Minc the Hill'S heat; and son said, Therc is nol (t 't'essel more. .dnd the oil stm/er!. God's
!'inec Minc aI'e aU thc clements, whercby thou Ih c,.t, thou ' I gifts arc limited only by our capaeity to receÎ\.c diem.
who givest only the lahour of thine hand
, deservest only thc II.
-{nd I will relJllke the del'ollrn, the locust. C'aterpillar,
tithes.' But sin('c Almig-hty God 10vin
ly feeds us, He gh-es or any like
('ourg-e of God. It mig-ht he, that when thc rain
mo
t ample rcward to us who lahour little: claiming to Him- watered the fields, the lo{"u
t or eaterpillar &c. mi1!ht dc!<tl"OY
self thc tithcs only, IIc has condoned us all the re!'t." I the corn.
o that the labotll.!, of man slwuld pcri
h; whel'efurc
And pr{Jl'e
1[e 1/0/1' herewith, in or hy this tMng. God I hc adds, I willl'ebllke t!le devollrer. ...Yeit!ln shall YfJllr vine
plcdges Himself to His ereatun's, in a way in whidl thcy cast her fmit 8 hi/ore tile time, holding out a fair prom be,
thell1scln's can vcrify. "If you will obpy, I will supply all hut cut off by the fro!<t-wind or thc hail; thc blossml1s 01'
yOUl' needs; if not, I will continue your dearth." By what- the unripe ii'uit strewing thc carth, as a tolíen of God's
ever laws Gods orders the matcrial creation, Hc
ave them displeasure.
a test, of the completion of which they themselves could 12. .d 1l1lations shall call .lloll Messed. Thc promise goe

jndl!C, of whieh they themselvcs must ha,.c judged. Thcy heyond thc tcmporall'ro
pcrity of their immediate obedience.
had becn al1iicted with years of want. God lu'omi
cs thcm Fcw could Imo\V or think J1Jueh of the restored prolificalnei>s
years of plenty, on a comlition which IIc namcs. "'hat wOllltl of Judil'a; nonc ('ould know of it,,; anteccdents. A peuple, a

men think now, if all\! olle had, in GO(l's name, promised that wcll as individual
, mar stan-c, and none know of it. Had
sU{'h or sllch a diseasë, which injured our CI'O)!S or our cattle, thc whole population of Judah died out, thcir Persian
should ('omc at 0IH"0. to an end, if any onc of God's laws I mastcrs would not havc carcd for it, but would have
cnt
should be kept? 'Ve should have been hcld as fanatics, and, frcsh colonists to repla('c them and pay the tribute to the
J'ightlv; for we had no commi..sion of God. God authenti- I g-reat king. The only interest, which allnatioJt,Ç could have
eates'those by whom Hc speaks; He promill'es, "110 alone I in thcm, was as being- the people of God, f,"om whom He
can perform. should come, the Desire of all nati01ls, ill "llllm all tIle
"
Thel'e he three kcvs which God hath rcsen'ed in His own! families of the earth would he bles.çed. Of this. God's outward
hands, and hath not (icli,.erccl to any to minister or substi- fa "0 Ill' was thc earnest; they should havc again thc bles
illgs
tute, the keys of life, of rain, and of the resurrection. In I whidl lIe had promised to Hi!' people.
the ordering of the rain thcy look on His great power, no
lllli ye shall he called a del
t:!ltsome land, lit. n land of
less than in p:ivin
life at first, or aftcrwards raising thc dead! good pleasure. It was not so mUt'h the lalHl as the people:
to it; as
. Paul saith, 3 God left uot lIimself witholll lOit/les.ç, .'l/e shall he called. Thc land stands for the people upon it.
ill that lIe did good and gave l'ain from heaven aud fruitful in whom its characteristics lay. Thc ri,-er Jordan was not
S('(l.W/l.Ç." so bril!ht as Ahana and Ph arpaI' : "the a..pect of thc
hOl'e"
If I will not open tile willllmvs of "eaun 4. In thc time is thc same, when thc inhabitant!' are spiritually or morally
of the flood, thev were, as it were, opened, to man's de
truc- dcad; only the more beautiful, in eontrast with thc lifeless
tion: now, God' would rain abundantly for YOll, for thcir I, spirit of man." So Isaiah says, 9 The natio/ls shall set' thy

lApp, Serm. S. Aug, 2ïï. Opp. v. App. p. 4G1. "Not S. Au"O'\1Stine's; more like Cæsa- I
r:
s þ

:
;

:.
a
h
dr. c. Chelek, and Ta
nith c. 1. .. 3 Ac
x,ïv. p. !
4 The exact expression occurs only in the history of the flood, Gen. VI1. 11, '111. 2; m the I
scoffing courtier's 'J'eech. ironically, of God .. makillg windows in heaven" (!:'::)C'J), 2 Kgs '
vii 2. and. perhaps In reference to the flood, Isaiah sars, .. ,,'illdow. ' froIl) on hi!(h are "P"'.:ed, I
..nd the foundatlons of the earth do shake." Is. xxiv. 18. . IKKfXtlTCI RolU. V. iI.

6 In Ps. lxxii. 3 (quoted br Ges. Roo. &c.) .. there .hll/l be abundance of peare n"\' '
J 'v.
lit. "until there be no moon: has a literal meaning, that the peace should last until the end
of our creation, without saying anything of what lies beyond.
; 2 Kgs iv. 6.
ft
:;:'. used elsewhere as to the animal world, is used of a land, 2 K
ii. 19, whence
n

;'9 lb. :H. of .. immaturity." Plim speaks of .. arborun\ abortu.." H.
. 1o:ii. 2, 6. Ge..
II }s. lxii. :!_-I.

Gl6

Mefore
CHRIST
cu.39i.
. ch. 2. 17.

]3
a Your words h.noe been stout
a
ainst mc, saith the LORD. Yet ye say.
\\'h:.t have \ve spoken 8U much against
thee?
] -1 bYe ha\'e said, It is vain to sen-e
(;ml: ami what profit is it that we have
læpt this ordinanec, and that we hm-c
walked t mournfully before the LORD of

blJ5
bi
lt
P.. 73. 13.
Zeph. 1. 1
.
t Hel!. /âs
ob,u'rvation.
t Heb.
;11 black.

righteuusness, and all kin;;'s tll!1 {iloJ'!/; and thull shalt IH'
('alled b!1 ([ Ilame, which tlte u/(J/(th uf the Lurd shall 1WJ}/('-
Thull shalt 110 more be called Forsaken, Ilor shall thy land he
called Dl'solate. hilt tholl shalt be called
1f.IJ-ddight-is-ill-hCJ",
ailll tll.II'and J/arril'll: fvr the Lord delighteth ill thee alld
th.1J lalld sltall be 1JtlllTied. God and man shuuld delight in
her,
13. rOllr 1('01"C[S l/lIve been .
tOllt against 1111', probably
oppressil'e to 1 JIe, as it is said. ti,e famine was strong upon
the laud. Aml ye h(we said, Irlwt Itrtl'e tl'e spoken auwug
our.sell'es 2 u!{aillst Tllee? Au:ain. the entire uncon!'ciou!'ne!'s
of sclf-i
nOl
anee and self-conceit! They had critieised God,
and kncw it not. "s ßefore, he had said, 4 re IWl'e u'earied
tlte Lord tl'ith ,'I!01l1' wurds, and ye said, lVI,ereill Ital'e lee
wearied lIim? lVltell ,'Ill' said, EI'er.1J olle that doetlt evil is good
ill the sight vf tlte Lord I)'c. Xo\\' he repeat" this more fully.
For the people who rctUl'ned from ßahylon seemed to ha,'e
a knowled
e of God, and to ob
en'e the law, and to under-
stand their sin, and to oftèt. sacrifices for sin; to pay tithcs.
to ob!'el"\'e the sabbath, and the re
t, comnHwdeti in the law
of God, ami seein!!,' all the nations around them aboundinu:
in all thin

, and that they them!'('h-es were in pC'nury hun
e'r
and miscry, was scamlalised anti said, ''''hat docs it benefit
me, that I wor!'hip the One True God, abominate idols. and,
pricked with the cons(.iousnc!'s of sin, walk mournfully be-
fore God?' A topic, which i!' pursucd more h.q,
'ely in the
í
Jrd Psalm." Only the P,.;almist relates his temptations to
God, and God's dl'li'-eranee of him from them; these adopted
thelll and spakc them a!!,"aiust God. They elaim, for their
Imrtial aud meagTc ser\'Ï('c, tll hare fulfilled God's lan', taliÏng
to themseh'es God's words of .\bmham, he kept Jly clwrge 5.
14. re hlll'e said, It is '['{lilt to sel'l'e God: .. 6 as I'e-
ceidnu: no gain or reward fur' their service. This i:o: the
judge;nent
f the world, where!'y \\"oddlin!!,"s think piou:o:,
just, silU'el'e, strict men, ,-ain, i.e. cspecially when they see
thcm impovel'i;-;h('d, despi
ed, ol'pre,.;sed, alUieted, oeeau"e
they know IIOt the h'ue goods of ,'irtue and eternal glory,
but measure all things by sig'ht sen
e and ta!'te.-Tmly, if
the righteous had not hope .of another and better life. in vain
,'-ould the," afflict themseh-cs and bcar the afflictions of
others. FÕI', as the Apostle says, 7 If ill tMs l
re on(/lll'e IUll'e
hope in Christ, 101' are of all men most miseJ"able. But now,
hoping for another blessed and eternal life for the slig'ht
tribulations of this, we are the happiest of all men."
And we have walked 1JIOUJ'Jlflllly 8. Again they take in

I pI;'!, with
,on the land. Gen. xli. 56, 57; the city.
Kgs xu. 3. Jer. Iii. 6; with
I1,
of persons. Gen. xlvii.
O; hand of God \las strong upon the prophet, Ez. iii. 14; they wele
ur
cnt, pressed npon. Ez. xii. 33.

The force 01 1\if. as in iii. 16. Ps. cix. 23, Ezck. xx-xiii. 30. The constr. \lith
11 as
Pih. in Ps. cix. 20, Hos. .-ii. 13, Jer. xxix. 32.
. S. Jer. 4 ii. 17.
i 'lI"1:::
'D "1::::="1 Gen. xxvi. 5;
dd Lev. xviii. 30, L'\ii. 9, Deul. xi. I, Jos. xxii. 3. 2 Kgs
ü.
j,
.g

' l
b
X}
:;
.
ish

. kWId only h:r

ilC phrase
nl tf.
rp
\s 1

" "1:!Ì'

l\L\L.\CHI.

hosts? C J3íi o í e s T
1.3 And now c we call the proud happy; dr. 3
i.
yea, the\' that work wickedness t are set C
h:

i

'
. I d G Ù t Heb.
up; yea, t/ley that tempt 0 are even nTe blli/t.
delh'ered. d Ps.
;;. 9.
Hi
Then they e that feared the LORD.

:

2
6.
f spalie oftcn one to another: and the LORD

:
5ï:J:'
hearkened, and heard it, and g a book of
':
:
t
2.

their mouths the words of P:,ahni
ts, that the,' took the u:arb
of mourner". {!oing about Illouming before' God for their
country's afflictions.
15:
Jlld now we call the proud happy [bfps,
edJ. Thi!'
being so, they sum up the ca!'e a{!ain!'t God. God had de-
clared that all nations should call them blessed P , if they
would obey. They answer, u
ing His words; And 7lO11' we,
(they lay stress on the word, 10 we .) prO/lOll1lCe blessed, in fa(.t,
those whom God had pronollnced ('Ul'sed: 11 Tllfm hast relml,:nl
the pruwl, who are cllrsed. Their dmracteristie. among other
bad men, is of in"olenee 12, arro!!,"anee, boiling O\'er with selt:..
('(IIH'eit, and presumptuous towards God. The ground of
Babylon's !'entence was. IS s / 1e hatlt beell IJ1'(md t01l'ards ti,e
Lord, tlte 110('1 One of Israel; Jethro says of the Egyptians,
as a ground of his belief in God, Bfor, in ti,e tMllg that they
dealt ]JrolUlI.'I, He was abol'e them. It desl'l"ihes the character
of the al't of I
racl. when God bade thelll not go up, neitlter
.fìgld, and they would not hew', amI went up presumptuuu.çly
ill to ti,e battle 15; the f'ontumal'ious act of those, who, ap-
pealin
' to the jud!!,"ement of God, afterward!' rcfused it 16;
of Johanan's associates, who aeeuse Jeremiah of !'peaking
fhlscly in the lIame of God Ii ; they are persons \\ ho rise up hI,
for/!.'e lies ag-ain!'t I9 , dig pits for 20 , deal pernr!'cly with 2 \ hold
in dl'ri
ion 22, oppres!,
3, the piou". "'hether or 110, they mean
specifically the heathen, those, whom these pronounced blessed,
were tho:<e \\"ho were contemptuous towanls (;ocl.
rea, the tl'orl.-ers of wickedness, those who habitually
work it, whose employment it is, are built up; yea, the.'1
lan'e tried God a1Ulltal'e escaped. God had promised that, if
24 thr.1J tl'Íll cliligent(1j lea1'1l the tmys qf _11.'1 people, tlle,1.j
shall be built up ill tile midst vf Jf./IIJeo}Jle; the!'e i"ay, the
workers of wickedness had been built lljJ: God had bidden
themselves, 25 make trial of .1[e ill this; these answer, the
wicked Iwd made trial of Him, and had been unpunished.
16. Tlten tlle,1.j that feared tI.e Lord spake (
ftell among
themselves. The proud-spealdng of the un{!üdly called out
the piet.y of the God-fearing. "26 The more the ungodly
spake a
ainst God, the more these spake all/o1Jg tltell/sell'l's
fèJI" God." Both went on til1 the great Day of seH'ranec.
True, as those said, the distirll'tion between I"ig-hteous and
wicked was not made yet, but it was stored up out of si{!ht
They spake among themseLves, streng-thening each other
against the ungodly sayings of the ung'odly.
Aml tlte LOJ'll hearkened and heard it. God, 'Yhom
these thought an idle looker-on, or regardless, all the while

Ps. xxxv. 14. xXXYÌü. 7, xlii. 10, xliii. 2. t verse 12.
10 1J1':)1< emph. 11 Ps. cxix. 21. 12 Pr. xxi. 24.
13 c,t' "'1 Jer.l. :!9. It is used in regard to Babylon together with C'!I"!I (as in Ps.lxxxvi.
U.) Is. xiii. 11.
14 Ex. xviii. 11. It is used of EgY..{>t towards Israel. Neh. ix. 16.
15 Dent. i. 41,43. 16 lb. xviI. 1
. 13. 11 Jer. xliii. 2.
IS Ps. lxxxvi. U. 19 lb. c.xix. (j9. 20 lb. 85. 21 lb. 78.
2:) lb. 51. 23 lb. 122.
24 Jer. xii. lü. SO ch. iü. 10. 26 à Castro.

CIL\PTER Ill.

Before
CHRIST
cu.3!Ji.
bE'\.. 19. Õ.
Deut.'i.6.
P,. 135. 4.
Tit.2.U.
1 Pet. 2. 9.
II Or, special
trf'!j8ure..
I lsa.i. G=!. 3.

remembrance was "Titten before him fur'
them that ft'arf'd the LURD, and that
thought upon his name.
17 And h th(T shan he mine, <;aith the
LORD of hosts, in that day wh('n I maht=>
up my II I jewels ; and k 1 will spare them.
" Ps. LU3. 13.

(to speak after thc manner of men) wa" hemli/lg tile ear 1
from hcaycn a/lli Ilea rd. Xot onc l,ious Joyal word for Uim
and lIi
g-lory, e!'cal'cd Him.
Ami ([ IlOuk uf remelllhrwlf'e 1t'as ll'ritten before Ilim.
Kings had their clll"llUicles ".,.itten 2, wherein meli's good or
ill d'eeds ton-anls thcm were recllrded. But the imag
' is one
of the oldest in S,'ril'tUft', aIHI in the self-
ame w,;rds, S tl,e
Lord said tu Jluses, IrJ'ite tlds, a memorial ill ([ bOllk. God
can only speali to us in our own lan
ua
e. One exprc

ion
is not more human than another, since all are so.
inee
with God all thin
s arc pre
ent, and mClllol'Y relates to the
past, to speak of God as "remembering" is as imperfect an
exprc,.sion in fl
g,u'd to God, as to "peak of" a book." .(.1 For-
getfulness hath no pla{'e with God, het'au
e Hc i
in nu "ay
changed; 1101' rememhrmwe, bc('ause He flll'
etteth not." I
lloth e
pressions are used, only to pidul'e ,i,'idlr to Ollr
minds, that our deeds are present with God, tor g-ood or for
evil; and in the Day of J udu:ement Hc wiJl makc them mani-
fest to men and an;!:eb. as though read out of a book, ami I
will relJuite them. :"0 Daniel had said, 5 the þldg-ement was
set, alld the bouks u'ere opel/cd. And S. John says, G The houks I
Il'ere opened, al/d allot her b.:Jol. was opf'ned, 1l'Mch is the book I
of life; ami the dead l{'eJ'e þll
ged Ollt of those tMugs 1chich
ll'ere written in the hooks, accurding to their u'orks.
o )In..('"
says to God, 7 If uot, blot me out of TIIY IJ/JfJk 1l'hich Thull
hast ll'J'itten; and Da\-ill, prophe!':ying, prays, 8 Let th(:1Jl In
blott
d out of the buuk of the liz'
l/g. a
llll/.ot !Ie written
1I!1OJ/.g I
the rlgMeulls; aUlI Ollr Lord buls HIS dIscII'll's, 91llJUIce III
this, thllt .1J0ur names are writteJl ill heal'eJl.
.And that thollght lIpOIl llis /lallie, rather, e.
feemed.pri::;ed.
it, in t'ontra"t with tho"e who lOde,
pi.
ecl; a". 0" Christ, when
lIe should come, it is said, IlIIe ll'ltS despised. aud ll'e esteemed
Him 7/ot. "12 The thinking on His X ame import!", Ilut a bal'e
thinking of, but a due csteem and aweful reu:ard ot

n as with
all care'to avoill all thinp:s which may tend to the di"honour
of it, a..: always in JIis presence and with l'c":I)C(.t tlJ Him and
fcar of Him." "13 Those are meant who al,,"a n' meditate on
the ,,-avs of thc Lord and thc knowlcd
e of lIi
Gudhead; for
His llilHle is HiHlself, and Hc is IIi., Kamc;" "11 the wise in
heart who know thc mvsten' of the aweflll glorious XallH'."
17. .Ami thetf slw/Í he "-,
IiJle, saith the
Lortl of hosts, in
that t!a!f whell I ;uake up

I..1I.iell'els 15, or pcr.haps better, A!lIl
they shall be to Jlc, .mith the Lord of hosts, l/I that day willclt
I make (or, in ll'hi('h I do this) a peclliiar treasure 16. "17 III
the day uf jud
ement, those \\"ho fear )Ic anll believe and
maintain )Iy III'O\-i(!Pnce shall be to :\Ie a peculiar trcasurc,
i. e. a people pepuliarly bc1ong-in
and precious to )Ie.
blcssed in the ,'i"ioll ancl fruition of )le. For as in tbe old

, J::ip"
n'J'
I" "1!:D Esth. vi. 1. a ":!P:J P"tl NIl :!nJ Ex. xvii. 14.
4 S. Aug. in Ps. "x'{\ii. n. ã. i D3n. vii. 10. 6 lwv. ,<-x. I:?
'; Ex. xx'\.ii.
:? 8 P.. lxix. 28. . S. Luke x. 20. w ;\Ial. i. tI.
11 Is. liii. :J. I"
Poco 13 Kim. ib. 14 Ibn Ezr. ib.
Ii The ground. for trns renderin!/: are 1) the recurrence of the word., ".
"
. 'JI( -,;;"1( C", ver.
21. Heb. [iv. 3. Eng.], and the n',^,'':> C:1":1' Ex. xix. 5; so that we have both phrases
elsewhere. In Deut. vii.. 6, there is the equivalent rt
J
cjJ" ,,:> /11'''':>, and the like, Deut.
DV. 2, Ps. cxx..w. 4,

GIi

as a man spareth his own son that sen-eth Before
him. C
r
J
i
T
II" I Then shall ye return, and diseern I PI.58.n.
hetween the righteous and the wieked, he-
tween him that ser\"eth God and him that
ser\"cth him not.

Jaw, J"rael was a peeuliar treasure 18 , a special people 19 and
inheritance of God, chosen out of all llation
, so in the new
la\v f'hri
tian!<, and thosc who arc rip:hteou!' thron
h grace,
'\re the special trea!c'ure of (;od, and in hea,'en shall he Hi

"pedal treasure in
lory, po!'!'e!'!':ed by God and pos"essing
(;1/(1:' The peclliiar trea.
lll'e, i" sOlUpthin
, mueh prized,
ma(lc grl'at store of, and guarded.
ul'h are t:hri"tian!o:,
bought at a
reat pripe, e"en by the precious lliood of C lll'ist;
hut mUl'h more cyidently such !'hall they be, .:\Ialachi !'ap',
in aU eternity, ,,'hieh that Day of final retribution shall dl'-
l'Ìde, ',
Ojoying in the partieil'ation of their Creator, by \\lw"c
cternit,. thcy are fixed, hy "Those truth they are a!c'sured. bv
"'hosp" /.:ift the,' are hoh':" " -
AJl'd I U'iil spm'e them. It is a remarlmhle word, a..
used of those who should be to Him a peculiar treasure,
tenching- that, not of their own merits, they shall bc such,
hut bv His great mere". It stands in l'ontrast with the
doom 'Of the
'-Ít'kecl, n h
m that day shall sentencc t" enr-
lasting loss of God. Stil1, the sand also shall h,u'e llceded the
tender men',1f 21 of God, whereby He pardoned their ll1i
deeds
and had compassion upon them. 22 If Th6u, Lord, shalt la-'Ilip
iniqllities, () Lurd, tl'ho shall stand? .\mong- those whum God
will "pare on that day, will be eountles
, "hom the self-
ri
htcou" dc"pi
ed as sinners. "2S I \\ ill spal'c them, althollt.:"h
formerly sinners; I will spare them, repenting, and seryin

:\Ie with the sen ice of a pious confession, a..: a man spareth
his own son whit-h selTed him." For OUl' Lord saith of the
"UIl, who refused to go \\ ork in hi.. Father's ,ineyard, and
afterwards repented and wcnt, that he H did the u'ill of his
Þàthel'.
18. Then slwll ye return, or tlll'll, not. "return" in the
sense of returning to God, for in that day \\ ill Le the time of
judgenH'nt, not of repentance: nor yet, ., then shall ye again
see ;" for this is what they denied; and, if they had ('ea'l'd to
deny it, they ,youhl ha, e becn conycrted, not in that day, but
he fore, wlwn God g-ave them gral'c to see it. They shall turn,

o as to have other l'oll\'ictions than before; but, as Judas.
The Day of jud;!:ement will make a great changc in earthly
jud
e1llent. Last shall be first. and first la!'t; this m,rld'..
s"rrow shall end in joy. and worldly joy in
Ofl'OW: attlietiOl!";
,;hall he seen to he God's lo,-c: 25 ThOll iJl "(,/"1 fait!tflil/le.
s !tast
(
!/lided me; and the unelouded prosperit
:- c;r th
un
(ldly to
be (-;od's abandonment of them. The l'ictUl'e of the
urpri"c
of the wit-ked ill the Day of jud,!!"ement, in the \\ï"dllln 411'
Solomon, is a comment 011 the Prophet. "26 Then
hall the
righteous man
tand in great boldne..s before the face of !Oul'h
as ha,'e atHieted him, and madc 110 aCf'onnt of his lahours;
n hen they see it, they shall be troubled with terrible fear, and

II Besides the places in wrnch Israel is spoken ofsneh, it oceurs only of Da\;d's treasure.,
laill up for buildlll
the temple 1 Chr. xxix. 3. and of the public trea<hres of kings and
province.. Eccl. ii. 8. ,; Lap.
I. "
Jù Ex. xxix. 5, Ps. exxxv. 4. IV ,,
Ä);:
Deut. vii. 6.
:1
::;) has ori;n
il

i
:;;

}
;!.ier compassion.
:2 Ps. cx.TI. 3. 23 Rup.
4 S.
Iatt. xxi.
1.

. P5. exÏx. i5. 2t Wisd. v. 1-5.

GIS

C J3ïi o Ìs T CIL\PTER IY.
CÎr.3!)ï.
-- I God'sþulgment on the wicked, 2 and his blessing
lJn the good. He e:dlOrtetlt to the stw(,! of the
law, 5 ami telleth of Elijah's coming ami (1fice.

· Joel 2.31.
ch. 3.2.
2 Pet. 3. 7.
b ch. 3. 18.

F OR, hchold, Rthe day cometh, that shall
hurn as an oven; and all 1 the proud,

shall be amazcd with the strang-ene!'s of his sah-ation, so far
beyond all they looked for: and they, repenting and g-roaning
for angui!'h of spirit, shall say within thelUsch-cs, This was
he whom we had sometimes in dcri:-;ion and a lwo\"erb of re-
proadl: we fools counted his life madness and his end to be
without honour: how is he numbered among the childrcn of
God, and hi!' lot is amon
the saints !"
IV. I. For, belwld, the day cometh, wMclt shall burn as all
ovell. lIe had derlared the great se'"erance of thc God-fearing
and the God-bla!'pheming, tho"e who served and tho"e who
did not sel"\"C God; the rig-hteous and the wicked; now he
declares the wav and time of thc sp\-erancp, the Dav of
Judgement. Da'niel had descl"Íbed the fire of that day, I'Tlle
throne [of tile
1llcient of days] was a .fier.1/ flame; his wheels
(t 1m I'll ing.fire : a.fier!1 strewn issued alld came fm.th fl"OlIl IIim:
the.illdgelllent was set and the hooks were opened. Fire is evcr
!'poken of, as a('eompanying the judgement. 2 Our God ,çlwll
come, ami slwllnot kecp silence, a.fire shall del'01l1' hefore Him;
3 Belwld the Lord u'ill come with .fire: for h.lf.fire and b.,! the
sword will the Lord plead ll'ith all flesh: 4 ever.1f mail's work
,çhall be made 11I(ln
fest. for the Da.1J shall declare it, becallse it
,çlwll be revealed b.'l ./ire: and the .fire shall tr.1f eL'er.1J man's
/('ork, of wlwt sort it is. S. Peter tells us that fire will bc of
this burning world; 5 the heavens and tile earth ll'Melt are uow,
by the sallie word are kept ill store, reserved unto ./ire against
tile da.1/ ofJmlgclIlent allll perdition of ungod(,! men ;-i1l the
wldch the he(wells sl/(lll pass aWll,lJ 1 uitit a great noise, ami the
elements shall melt fl'Ïth fervellt heat, the eart/t also and the
works tlwt are therein shal! he burned lip.
The IJt'en, or furIl<lI'e, pidures the intensity of the heat,
whirh is white from its inten"ity, and darts forth, fiercely,
shooting up likc a li\.ing rreature, and destroying life, as thc
flame of tlIc fire of KelJUchadnczzar's 6 burning .fiel:1/ furllace
slew tI/Use men that took IIp Slwdmch .llleshach and
-1bedllego.
The whole world shall be onc burning furnace.
Aud all the proud and all that do wicked1.lf. All those,
wholll tho!'e mUl'nlUrers pl"Ollollneed blessed 7, yea and all who
I'hould thereafter be like thcm (he insists on thc unÍ\-ersality
of thc judgement), eur.1f doer of fl'Ïckeduess, up to that day
and tho!'c who should then be, sltalL be stubble. '.BThe proud
and mighty, who in this life werc strong as iron and bra
s,

o that uo one darcd resist them, but they dared to fight with
God, the!'e, in the Day of Judgement, shall be most powerless,
as stubble f'allIlOt re"i!'t thc tire, in an e\'erliving death."
Tltat shallleaz'e them neit/ler root uor hranclt "i.c. \J tllev
shall ha\"e no hope of shooting up again to lifè; that life, i
mean. whi,'h is worthy of love, and in glory with God, in
holinp!-s and bliss. For when the root has not heen wholly
('ut away, 1I0r the shoot torn up as from the dcpth, sOllie
hope is rctained, that it may again shoot up. For, as it is
I Dan. ,.;i. 9, 10. 2 Ps. L 3. 8 Is. lxvi. 15, 16.
· 1 Cor. iii. 13. I 2 S. Pet. iii. 7-10.
6 Dan. iü. 2:.!io Job xiv. 7. "i ch. iii. 15. \!'ît lxvi. ult. v S. Cp'.
12 Ps. lxxxiv. 11. 13 Is. h.. 1!J, 20. .. S. Luke i. 76, 78, 79.

MALACHI.

yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be c IP
[oïs T
C stubble: and the day that cometh shall
ir. :3!Jï. _
1 tl O tl . 1 L f I e Obad.18.
)Urn lem up, sm 1 tIe ORD 0 lOsts,
that it shall d leave them neither root nor d Amos '1. 9.
branch. . ch. 3. IG.
2
But unto you that e fear my name I Iít

:

:
shall the r Sun of righteousness arise with i!:.t2
2

'

written, 10 Tltere is hope of a tree, if it he Cllt dOll'n, tlwt it ll'ill
sprout again, and that tlte tender bl"llnch thereof ll'illuot cease.
But if it be wholly torn up from below and from its \"Cn
roots, and its shoots bc fiercely cut away, all hopc, that it f'a

a
ain !;hoot up to life, will perish al!;o. So, he !'aith, will all
hope of thc lovers of sin perish. For so thc Di\"Íne Isaiah
clearly anllounces, llthcirll'orm sltal!uot die and their./ire slwlt
uot be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh."
2. But (And) unto .1/on, lcho fear Jl,11
Yall/e, shall t/te Sun
oj Righteousness arise. It is said of God, 12Tlle L(Jl'd God is a
SUIl and a sldeld, and, 13 The Lord sltall be to thee all eurlasting
ligltt, and thy God tilY glor.1/ ; tll.1/ S1l11 shall no more go dutl'n;
for tile Lord slwll be tMne everlasting ligltt; and Zacharia!',
speaking of the officc of S. John Baptist in the words of
:\Iala('hi, thOlt shalt go before tlte face of the LOl'd to prl'IJllre
Ilis ll'a.ll, speaks of 14 the tcnder merc.1/ of Ollr God, fl'llereb.,! tile
])a.1/spring from on higlt Iwtlt visited us, to give ligld to tllCm
tltat sit in darkness. ,: 15 He "'ho is often called Lord and
God, and .\ngel and Captain of thc Lord's host, and Chri
t
and Pricst and \Yonl and \\Tisdom of God and Image, is llOW
called tlte Sun of Rigltteouslless. He, the FatlH'r IH'omises, will
arise, not to all, but to those only who fear His Xame, g-iving
thcm the light of the Sun of Righteou"nes", as the reward of
their fear towarils Him. This is God the 'Yord "Tho saith, I
am tile Ligld of the world. ,,'ho was tlte Light l
f æer.lJ one
wlto cometlt into the world." Primarily, l\1alachi speak!' of
our Lord's second Coming, when 16 to tltem that look for IIim
s/Illll I
e appear, a second time llnto ,mlvation. For a!', in so
many places 17, the Old Testament exhibit" the opposite lots
of thc righteou!' and the wicked, so here the prol,het speaks
. of thc Day of Judgement, in reference to the two oppo!'ite
clas
es, of whieh he had before spoken, the proud and evil
doers, and the fearers of Gocl. Thc title, tlte Slill of RigM-
eousne,çs, helongs to both COllling-!'i ; "Bin the first, He difru
ed
rays of righteousness, whereby He justified and daily ju!'ti-
fies any sinncrs whate\-er, who will look to Him. i.e. believe
in Hini and obey Him, as the sun imparts li
dlt joy and life
to all who turn towards it." In the second, the rig'hteou"ness
which He gavc, He will own and exhibit, clcan'd from all
the mi!'judg-ement of thc world, hefore men and AnA"els.
Yet more, hcaling is, throug-hout IIoly Seripture, u!'ed of
the rcmoval of ..ickness or curing of wound,,_ in the indÏ\'idual
or state or Church, and, as to thc indiddllal, hodily or
!'piritual. So Da\"Ïd thanks God, first for the forgÏ\"ene!'",
IS 1rho forgivetlt all t!tine iniquities; then for healing- of hi!'
soul, 1rltO healetlt all tll.1/ diseases; then for salnItion, 1rl/O
redeemet/t tllY l
fe from destruction; then for the crown laid
up for him, l/7/O croll'1leth t/lee with 10l'illg-kimlness autl
tender mercies; then, with the abiding sustenance and satis-
fying joy, 1rlto satiifieth thy moutlt witlt good tltings. Healing
I 16 Eus. Dem. Ev. iv. 29. 16 Heb. ix. 28.
17 As Ps. i. 6, ü. 12, iii. 7, 8, v. 10-12, vi. 8-10, vii. 16, 17, ix. lï-20, x. Hi-IS, xi. 6, 7,
wii. 13-15, xx. 8, xX\i.9-12, xxxi. 23, xxxii. 10, 11, LXxiv. 21, 2
, xxxv. 26-28, "xxvi
10-12, xxxvii. 38-40, xl. 15-17, I. 22, 23, Iii. 5-9, Iv. 22, 23, hiii. 10, n. Lxiii. 10, l!
. lxiv. 9, 10, lx"iü. 27, 28, civ. 33-35, cxii. 9, 10, cuvi. 5, c1o:li1o:. 9. IS Ps. em. 3-5.

CHAIJ'fER IV.

(;19

c l
'ä:ois T healing in his wings; and r e sbaH go forth, I
cir.3!1i. and grow up as calves of the stall.
r 2Sam. 22.43. 3 g .And re shall ttead down the wie-ked;
:'>lic. 7. ]0. c I 1
Zech.10.ã. lor t ley s lall he ashes under the soles of)
)'01.11' feet in the day that I shall do tltis, ,
saith the LORD of hosts.

then primarily belonp:s to this lifc, in which we are still
encompa!"scd \\'ith infirmities, ancl even His elect and His
Saints ha,-e still, whel'eof to be healed. The ful] then and
complcte bealin
of the soul, the inte
rity of all its pO\\"ers
will bc in thc life to comc. There, will be "1 understandin

without crror, mcmory without forgetfulness, thought with-
out distradion, love without simulation, sensation without
ofl'enee, satisfying without satiety, universal health without
sickne:o:s." "2 For throu
.h Adam's sin the soul was wounded
in uudcr:o:tanding. thl'ou
h ub:o:('nrity and ignorance; in will,
throup:h the leanin
to perishing goods; as concupiscent,
through infirmity and manifllid concupiscence. In hea,'cll
Christ will hcal all these. giving to the unclerstanding lip:ht
and knowledg-e; to the will, eOllstancy in good; to the desire,
that it should clt'sire nothing but what is right and good.
Then too the healing of the soul will be the light of glory,
the ,i
ion and fruition of God, and the glorious endowments
conseqnent thereon, ovel'streamiu:: all the powcrs of the soul
and thercfrom to the bod v." " 3 God ha:o: made the soul of a
nature so mighty, that frõm its most full beatitude, whidl at
thc cn(l of time is promi:o:ed to the saints, there shall onrflo\\
to the inferior nature, the body, not bliss, which belongs tu
the soul as intelligent and capable of fruition, but the fulness
of health that is. the vigorousness of incorruption."
Ami ye shall go fortlt, as from a prison-house, from the
miscl'ies of this lifeless life, and grow up, or perhaps more
probably, bOllnd'-, as thc animal, whiph has been confined,
exults in its regained freedom, it!"elf full of life and exuber-
ance of dplight. So the Psalmist, 6 The saints shall e:t"ltlt in
glol"!I. And our Lord uses the like word 6, as to the way. with
which they should grcet persecution to the utmo:o:t, fllr His
Kame's sake. Swiftness of motion is one of the endowments
of the sl'ÍI'itual body, aftcr the resurrection; as the ang-els,
to whom the righteous shall be like 7, 8 rall and returned as
the appeara1H'e of a.flash of lightuing.
3. AlUl.7le shall tread dOU'll the wicked; þJr tlley shall he
ashes under the soles of your feet. It shall be a great reversal.
lIe that e.
'altet/
himself shall be abased, and he that IlIlmhleth
lIimse{f shall be e.
'alted. Here the wicked often ha,'e the pre-
emincnce. This was the complaint of the murmurers among
the Jews; in the morning of the Resurrection 9 the upright
shall Illll'e duminion over them. The wicl(ed, he had said,
shall be as stuhMe, ancl that clay 10 shall hllm them llP; here,
then, they are as the ashes, the only remnant of the stubhle,
as the du,.;t under the teet. "11 The elect !'hall rejoicc, that I
they ha"e, in mercy, eseapecl slll'h mi
ery. 'fhel.efore they
!'hall be kindled inconceivably with the Divine love. and shall
f("()m their inlllo:o:t heart p:ive thanks unto God." Ancl being-
thus of olle mind with God, and seeing all things as lIe seeth,

1 Pomerius de vito contempt i. 4.
: f:'txx. V,.lg. Svr. (and on ;e
: t
i) 3

.1(
e
p

s,;.
';I:f;
IfP

d:
I'J
;'s.
Tanchum here and on :fer_ 1. 11. Pococke sa
s more cautiously than moderns genera]]y,
.. ..ot fur .frum this si
ification is the Arab. Ç'KtI, which signifies to . vaunt' or . boast' or I

go strutting' or 'proudly.'" For" arrogance," not II exuberance of Joy," seem.
the. mean-
mg of the Arabic word. The E. V., .. grow," .. en1arge," follows the mterpretatlon gi\en by

4
Rpmem1wr ye the h law of l\Iost's c J3'ä: o is T
my sernlllt, which I cummandcd unto him cu.3!1i.
i in IIoreb fur all Israel,
citlt k the statutes b

:20.3,
and ju<lg-ments.
Iþ

tl
: \
.
5
ßl'llOld, I will send r ou 1 Elijah the I
a:i.1kU.
prophet m before the coming of the great

tN:
m Joel 2.31.

they will rejuiee in His jml
ements, beeau!'e thcyare His.
For tlU'y ran not ha,.e one slig-hte
t \"elIeity, othpr than the
all-perfect '\ïll of God. So l
aiah doses his prophery, 12 .Awl
I tlu'y shall go fort/
, and luuk llpon ilte carcases of the men, that
ItrlVe transgressed against l1le; /01' t!leir worm shall not die,
j neither shall theirfire be quenched, and tlle." shall he an abhor-
ing to all flesh. So 13The righteou.f shall rc:ioice, Il'hen he seetlt
tile 'l'engermce; and another Psalmist, 14 TIle rigMeous slwll
see and 'I"f:ioice; and allll'Îckedness shall stop Iler mUllth ; an!!
Job, 16 Tlte righteous see and are glad, and tlte innocent laugh
them to scorn.
4. llemember ye tile law of
1I(),Çes, JIy sen:ant. ]6 Tile laU'
It'as ow' ,
('hooll/lfl,Çter to Lrill{[ us unto Christ. Thev then who
were mo!<t faithful to the l
m., would be most prepare(l for
Chri
t. nut for tho,;c of his own day. too, who werc ne!.;li-

ent both of the epremonial and moral law, he says, "11 Sinec
the judg-ement of God will he so fl'arful, rememher now un-
ceasing-ly alHl oh"erve the law of God given by::\Io!<es."
lrhich I comlJww[ec[l7 llnto him for [lit. upon, ineumhcnt
Up01l] all IS1"llel. Kot Moses commanded them, but God by
His
en.ant 'loses; thercfol'e lIe '.2 would in the dav of
judg-ement take strÏt't account of each, whether they .had
or had not kept them. IIc would p:IOl.ify those
ho obeyed,
IIc would eondl'mn those whu disobeved them." Thev had
asked, lrhere is the Gud of.iuc(gelllent'? lrlwt prq/ìt, t/;lIt Il'e
hClVe kept the ordinance t Hc tclls them of the judgement to
come, and bids them take hepd. that they did indeed keep
them: for there was a da,' of aeeount to be held fllr all.
'\ïth the .
tatutes al/(l.iu;
ge/llents, better, statutes muljudge-
71Iellts, i. e. cOII!<isting- in thl'm ; it seems added as an explana-
tion of the word, lall'. individuali!"ing- them. Duty is fulfilled,
not in a general aeknowled!.;ement of 1m\', or an arbitrary
sel(,(.tion of some fanmrite ('ommandmellt", whieh eost the
human willle
s: a". in our Lord's time. the\" minutelv observed
the law of tithes. but 1Bomitted 'lceig'lfier '1I/llfters df the lml',
j1ll({[ement, mere,l/, aml faith. It is in ohediellee to the e(l]]]-
mandments. one bv one, one and all. ::\Ioses exhorted to the
keeping- of the law: under these !'ame words: ]9
Yow illerefore
hearken. 0 Israel, tmto the statutes and ju{
gelllents Ie/tich I
teach you, to do tllem, t/wt ye 71/a.'I lit'e.- re shall not add
llnto the word tlwt I command .'IOll, neitller shall ye diminislt
it.-Belwld, I hclt'e taught yuu statutes and judgements, e'l'en
as the Lord m,'1 God cO/lllUflltded me.-lrhat nation so great,
tlwt hath statutes ll1uL judgemenls, r':t:{,feolls as all this lml',
ll'/tiC/i I set hefure .'1011 tltis da!!? The Lord commanded me
at t/wt time, to teach YOll statutes and judgements, tlcut ye
might du ilu:m in the land, ?eMtha ye {:n to possess it.
5. Belwld I u.ill send [I semi, as a future, proximate in
the prophet's mind] YUll Elijah the prophet. The .\rehangel

mOot Heb. Comm. or lexicographers.
6 Ps. cxlix. 5.
7 S. Luke xx. 36.
v Ps. xlix. 14.
12 Is. L'lvi. 2-1.
15 Job xxii. 19.
I, iT;
with double accus.

e U/(.pTi]uaTf S. Luke vi. 23.
8 Ezek. i. H.
II Dion.
14 lb. c\ii. -12.
lð Gal. m. 21.
19 Deut. iv. 1, 2, 5, 8, H.

10 iv. 1.
13 Ps. lviii. 10.

IS S, Matt. xxiii. 23.

620

I...\L...\CIII.

Gabriel interprets this filr U
, to include the sending of " not Imowing- him, and, bein
in a manner, aceompliees in his

. John ßaptist. For he not only says 1 t.hat he shaIJ go he/ore I being cast. into l'ri!<òon by Herod and !'Iain by him, they had
the Lonl ill ti,e spirit and JlOll'er of .Eli([,
, but desl"rihes his i done to him what they listed." S. Hip)Jol!!tus has; "13 A!<
JII\s!<òion in the charaderist\c words of Malachi, to turn the I two Comings of Olll' Lord and Sadour were indieatf'd hy the
hCflrt.

f the fatlters tf} tlte cltildren: and those other words Scril'turcs. the first in the flesh, in disIlIInour, that lIe Iili
ht
also, awl the disobedient to tlte wisdum of theJllst, perhaps re- be set at naught-the second in
Iory, when lIe shall ('Ollie
pre!<òcnt the sefplCl in Malachi, ll1ul tlte hearts of ti,e cltild,.en from Heaven with the hea,'enly IIII!<òt ami the glory of the
to tlte fathers; for their hearts eould only be so turned by Father-so two forerunners were pointed out. the first, John,
eonvcrsion to God, 'Vhom the father,;, patrÏarehs and l'ro- the son of Zaeharia.-:, and ag'ain-
ince He is manitested as
phets, Imew loved and servecl; ancl "110m the.lI served in Judge at the end of the world. I1is forerunners must first ap-
nallle only. S. .John Baptist, in denying- that he was Elias 2, pear, as He says through Malachi, I u.'ill send to !!Olt Elias
denied only, that he was that great prophet himself. Our ti,e Tisltbite before tlte gl'eat aud terrible day of ti,e Lurd shall
Lm'd, in saying", 3 Tltis is Elias, wltich was fur to come, 4 tlUlt come."
Elias is come alreadl/ a1/(1 tlll'.lJ knew ltim not, hltt have done S. Hilar.lJ; "14 The Apostles enquire in anxicty ahout the
unto him 1Olmtsoever the.lJ listed. Illet the error of the Scribe", tillles of Elias. To whom He answereth, that Eli([s 1vill cume
that He could not be the Christ, because Elias was not yet fiud resture all tMugs, that is, will reeall to the kn(lwled
e of
('ollie 5. "'hen He says, 6 Elias truly sltall.first come ([ud God, what he !'hall find of Israel; but he signifies that John
1'e.\'!f,re all things, He implies a coming' of Elia
, other than came ill tlte spirit a1/(l power of Elias, to whom they had
that of S. John Baptist, since he was ah'eadY martyrecl, and !'hewn all
enrc and har",h dealings, that, fureannouncing
all t1tings were not yet l'estored. This must also be the the Coming of the Lord, hc IIIig-ht be a forel"lll1ner of the
fullest fulfilment. For the great and tCl'riMe [Jay of the Lord Passion also by an example of wrong and harass." "15 ". e
is the Day of judgement, of whieh all earthly judgements, understand that those same prophets [1\Ioscs and Elia,,] will
however desolating, (as the destruction of Jerusalem) are but ('OUle befnre His Coming, who, the Apocalypse of John says,
shadows and earnests. llefore our Lor'd's coming- all thing-s will he slain hy Antichrist, althoug'h there arc ,'arious opinions
looked on to His first Coming', and, since that Coming, all of very many. as to Enoch or Jeremiah, that one of them
lool.s on to the Se('ond, which is the completion of the firs! is to die, as Elia,;."
and of all things in time. Hilar.lJ the Ðeacon, A.D. 355, has on the words, I suppose
Our Lord's words, Elias truly ,ç/wll.fìrst come and restm'e God Itatlt set fort h us t Ite .Apostles last; "16 He therefore applies
all things, seem to me to lca\"e no (luestion, that, as S. John these to his own person, hecanse he was always in distress,
Baptist came, in the spirit and power of Elias, before His suffering', beyond the re!'t, perserutions and distres..es, as
Fir!<òt Coming, so, before the Second Coming, Elias should Enot'll and Elias will suffer, who will be Apostles at the la
t
,'Ollle in person, as Jews and Chri!<òtians have alike expected. time. For they have to be sent he fore Christ, to makc ready
This has been the Christian expe,'tation from the fir,;t. the people of God, and fortify all the Churches to rcsi,..t Anti-
,"".JllstiJl11Im'l.lJr asked his opponent 7 ," Shall we not conreÍ\-e chl'ist, of whom the Apocalypse attests, that they will suftèr
that the '" ord of God has proelaimed Elias to be the fore- persel'utions and be slain." ..17 "'hen the faithless shall be
runner of the g-reat and tel'rible day of His second Coming-?" secure of the kingdom of the devil, the saints, i.e. Enoch and
" Certainly," was 'l'rypho's reply. S. Justin continues, .. Our Elias being- slain, rejoicing in the victory, aIIII seJlding gifts,
Lord Himself taught us in His own teaching that this very one to ([Jlother, as the Apo('alypse says 18, sudden destl"lH'tion
thin
' shall be, when He said that Elias also shall come; and shaIl come upon them. For Christ at His Comin
, shall
we know that this !<hall be fulfilled, when He is about to conH' destroy them all." S. Gregor,'! of lYI!SSft quotes the prophecy
from Heaven in glory." Tel'iulli([1l !'ays 8, "Elias is to I'ome under the headin
, that" 19 before the second Coming of our
again, not after a departure from life, but after a translation; Lord, Elias should come."
not to be restored to the body, from which he was never S. AmLru
e; ..
o Because the Lord was to come down from
takcn: but to be restored to the world, from which he was I heaven, ancl to aseend to heayen, He raised Elias to hea,'en.
trall!<òlatt'd; not by way of rest.oration to life, but for the Ii to bring- him hack to the earth at the time He
hould plea!:ie."
(,olllpletion of prophecy
one and the same in name and in ..21 The beast, Antit-hrist, ascends from the aby!<òs to fig'ht
person." ,'9Enoch and Elias were tran!<'lated, and their death I ag-a . in!<òt Elias and Enoch and John, who are restored to the
is not recorded, as being deferred; hut they are reserved as earth for the testimony to the Lorcl Jesus, as we read in the
to die, that they may vanquish Antichrist by their blood." r\poealypse of John.
AmI. ill TH'oof that the end wa" not. yet, ,,10 Ko one has yet re- S. .Jerome gÏ\'es here the mystieal meaning; "God will
f'ei\'ed Elias; no one has yet fled f,'om Antichrist." And the I send, in Elias. (whif'h is interpreted · 1\1 y God' and who is (If
aneieut ({(alwr of the vase" against JlarcÏOll; .,II Elias who has I the town 'J'hisbe, whi('h si
'nifies · conversion' or · l'enitenee ')
not yet tasted the deht of death. hceanse he is again to ('ome I the whole pllOir of the Prophets, to couvert tlte heart of the
into t.he world." Origen says simply in one place l2 , that the I fathers to the sons, viz. Abraham and ]sam: and Jaeob and all
Saviour answered the question as to the ohjection of the the patriarchs, that their posterity mar helieve in the Lord
?crih
.-:. "not ar
nuI!ing what had been handed do,
n cOl
('e
n- 1 the Saviour, in wholll themselves belie,'cd: for Abraham. saw
lllg- Elm<:. hut affirnung- that there was another CIIIllIllg- of Elias tlte da,l/ 0/ tlte Lord aud was glad." Here, he speaks of the
before Christ, unknown to the scribes, according to which, " coming of Elias before tlteir anointed," as a supposition of

'S.LuKei.17. tS.Johni.21.
3 S. Matt. xi. 14. 4 lb. xvii. 1
.
6 The error of the Jews consisted, not in their roote,} belief, as founded on these words,

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8 De anillh' c. 3;;. p. 53!J. Rig. gIll. ib. c. :>0. p. 54!J.

10 de res. carnis c. 22. p. 385. Rig.
11 CarIn. incert. Auct. adv. l\Iarcion. L. iii. p. 8112. col. 1 RiA',
It in S.1\Iatt, xvii'l
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c. 44-46 pp. 21, 22.
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CIL\PTER Jr.

Jews and .Judaizing- heretics. ßut in cmmnentin"' on our I
Lof'(l'
words in S.
Iatthew, h(' adhcres twice to th(' litt'ral
meanin
. "1 Some think that John is ther'efure {'alled I:lia..,
hecau
e, as. ac('ording- to
J ahu'hi. at the !'eclJnd ('omin"' of t 11(' I
Sa, iuur 2, I:lias willl'r'e('cde and announce the J ud
e t
cumc,
so did John at II is fi r'st COlli i ng-. and each is a III('S
enp:el',
of the fir
t or seeorHI Coming of the Lonl:" amI ag'ain con-
cisely, "211(' "ho is to come in the !'eeond Comin
of tile
Sa,'iour in the aC'tual body, now ('omes thr'ou
h Juhn in spil'Ít
and power; " and he speal\.s of Enoch and Elia
as .. 3 the {u'u
ttJitlle.
scs in the Re,'c1ation, "in('e. accor'ding- to the ApclI'alypse
of John, Enoch and I:lias are spolien of, as hm ing- to die."
S. Clu:lJsostume, .. 4 "Then He stith that Elias cometh ([1/([
s/wll restore all things, He means Elias himselt: and the ('on-
versiull of the Jews, which shall then be: hut whell He saith,
which u'as to come, lIe calls Juhn, Elias, accordin
to the
manner of his minish',."

In S.
JlI{[llsline's tirilC it was the unh'ersal belief. "6 'nlen
he [l\Ialacl
iJ IHul atlmonished them to f"('member the law of
l\Iose
, hecause he furesaw, that they would for a lon
time' not
receive it spiritually, as it ought, he added forthwith; .dud I
tl'Í1l semi you Elias tile Tl1islJite &c. That ,,'hen, thl'Ou
h this
Elias, the great and wOIHI('rfu] pl'Ophet. at the last time he fore
the jud!-:'ement, the law shall hm-e been expountled to them,
the Jews shall belic,-c in the true Chr'ist, i.e. in our' Cllri
t. is
e,'ervwhere in the mouths and hearts of the faithful. For'
not ;dthout r'eason is it hoped, that III' shall ('omf' before tile
Coming- of the Sa\'ÏoUl', as Judge, ])('canse not without rcason
is it he]ie,'ed that he still lives. For he was carl'Íed in a
('hariot of fire from thin
s below; whieh Scripture most
e,'idently attests. 'nlen he shall come then, hy expoundin

the law spiritually. which the J('WS now und('rstand earnaJly,
he shall tUI"n the hem.t of the father
to the children."
S. (wil of .dle:nmdri([. his antagunist Theoe/oret. and Theo-
dore of
Iopsuestia, who was loose f!"Om all tradition, had
the same dear belief. S. Cyril; "It is demonstrative of the
gentleness and long-suffering of God, that Elias al!<o the
Tishbite shall shine upon ns, to tèweannounce when the J ud
e
shall cOllie to those in the whole wodd. For the Son shall
cum I' duwn. as J ud
e, in the glory of the Father. attended
by the angcls, and shall sit Oil tile tllrone (
f His glrll:1I, judg-
ing tl,e world ill rigMe(J/I.
ne.
s, amI shall 1'ell'ard el'ery 11Ulll
accordiug to IlÍs tcorks. But
irlC'e Ire are in lIIallY sin!;, well
is it tor' us. that the Di\'iue Prophet
oes before Him, bring-
ing all those on earth to one mind: that all, bcin
' bl"Ou
ht to
the unity thr'on
..dl the faith, and eea,.;ing from evil illtl'nt,.;, may
fulfil that which is good, and so be san
d whcn the J nd
e
eOllleth down. The blessed llal'ti
t John ('ame befm'e Him
ill the spirit ((ml power of J';lia.
. But, as he preached say in/!.
Prepare .Ill' tIll: 1(,(1!1 of the Lord. make His plltk
stl'aigM, so
also the di,'inc Elias IJI'û('laims His then being ncar' and all-
but-present, that He mayJudge the tcorld ill rigMeowjJ/es.
."
Theodoret; "6
Ialaehi tcachcs us how. when Antichri,.;t shall
l'resunH' on the,.;e things, the g"I'eat Elias shaH appear, preach-
ing" to the Jelrs the COllling- uf Chri,.;t: and he shall ('onwrt
I1HlIIY, fm' this is the meaning of, lie shall turn the !tearl of
the jit/hers tu the eMldren, i.e. the Jews (for' these he ('ails
fathcrs. as bein
older in knuwled.
e) to thllse who beliend
fr'om the Gentiles. Thev who shall bclic\'c throu
h the
prea('hill!; of the gr'eat Eliås. and shall join thcmseh'es
to the
Gentiles who seized the salvation sent to them, shall becullle

I On S. :\Iatt. ..i. 14, 1:5. 2 On S. l\latt. x\Ïi. 11, 12.
3 Ep 59 [al. US] ad :\laræl1. Opp. i. 3
tj. '-all.
. In S. :\1..tt. Hom. 5,. Opp. vii.. 577_ · de Civ. Dei, xx, :!!). Opp. ,Ii. 613.
& On Daniel, c. xii. init,
PART n.

62]

one Chnrch.- He hint
, how when these things are dune hy
..\ntiehr'ist,
. :\1 ie'had the Ar'clrangel "ill set all in lIIotion,
that I.:lias sllCluhl clime and foreannounee the Cuming" of the
Lllf'(l, that the then Jc'ws mav ohtain !'ah'ation." '.\nd on
this place, " KnOlrÎng- "ell. th,it they would neither' ohpy the
Jaw, IlCIr' rceeÏH Him whcn III' c'allle. hut wuuld c1('lh er Him to
he el"lH'ified, lIe prulllises them. in His uns}leal.ahle 10\-1' fm'
man, that He will a
ain scncl I.:lias as a hel'ald of salnlticlIl,
Lo, [leill sl'ml .'/Oll Elias tI,e Tis/'/Jite. .-\ncl !'i
'nif
-ing the
timc, lIe added, Befure the great ami terrible DfI.'1 of the LOl'd
sllftll cmue: lIe named the Day of His
ec'ond (;oming. But
I1c' teache!' us, what the gr'eat Elias shall clu, when he ('omt's,
""Iw shall hring back ti,e IIcart of tI,e fatller to tile son &C'.
lnd pointing out the end, fur' which Blias
hould fir.
t come,
Le,
t I r01lle alld smite tIle earth utterly. For lc:,t, finding you
all in lIlIhelicf, I scnd you aU to that endless punishmcnt,
l:lia.. ,,-ill first come, and will per'suade you, 0 .Jcws, to unite
you illdis..;olubly \I ith tlw"e, who from the (;entiles believe in

Ie, and tu he urlitpd to
Iv one Clnll'eh."
Tlleot!(Jre of J/opsllesti;l pal'aphl"a1'es: "J n addition to all
which I ha,-e ...aid, I gi,'f' you this last commandment, to
rememlwr My law. whid. I ga' e to an Israel thr'uug-h l\Ioses.
plainly de('larin
\I hat they oug-ht to do in each thing, and a

the first token of ohedienee. to recei, e the LOI'd Chr'i
t when
[Ie cometh, appear'ing for the sah-ation of an men: '''ho will
end the la\\', hut !'hew His own perfcC'tion. It had been" ell,
had you immediately believed Him" hen He came, and known
Him, as Hc ""hum .:\lo,.;es and all the IJrophets si
nified, Whu
"hould (lut an eml to the law, and re,'eal the common
ah'a-
tion of all men, so that it should be manifest to all, that
this is the sum and chief
ood Clf the whole di"pensation of
the law, to hr';ng all mcn to the Lorrl Chr'ist, '''110, fur tho
e

l"('at
oods, shcmhi be manifc'sted in Uis own time. But
sinc(', when lIe l\Ianife
ted Himself, ,-e manifested ,-our' own
un
ainlincss. the blcsscd Elias slmIi be sent to ,-óu befOl'c
thè second Coming of Chri
t, when He will ëome from
Hea,'clI. to unite those who. for }"{'Ikion, are sqHll'ated from
each other, and, thwug-h the krw" lc'd
e of rcli
ion, tu bring
the fathers to one-1llindedness with the ehildren, and in a
word, to br'ing- all men to one and the same har'nwny. when
tho
e, then found in ungodliness, 1'hall r'ee(,h'e from him the
knO\ded
'e of the truth in the communion with the godl

thenee en,;uing."
TIle A,lì'ic(11l allthor of the u.ork Oil the promises and pre-
dictiulls of God (hetween A. D. 4jO--l.'j,J.)
., 7 Ag-ainst Antic'hr'ist
hall be sent two witnE'!':ses, the pr'o-
phets Enoeh and J
lijah, against whom ,.;hall arise three false
l'rophcts of Antic'hri
t."
Isidore of Sæille A. D. 5%.;
'.8 EJias, borne in a ehar'iot of fire. a!'eended to heen-en, to
come ac('onlin
to the pr'ul'het :\Ialaehi at the end of the
wodd, and to precede Chr'ist, to annolllwe His last Coming,
with J!"rcat deeds and wondrous signs, so that, on earth too,
.\nticllr'ist "ill \I ar again,.;t him, he a
ainst him. or him whu
i
to eurue with him. and wiIJ slay them; their' bodies al
CI
will lie unbul'Íed in the streets. Thcn, rai
ed by the Lord.
thev will smitc the king-dom of Antic'hrist with a
reat hlow.
.\ftèr this, the Lord wÙI COllie. and will slay ..\nti
'hrist \I ith
the word of His nllluth, and thuse who wurshipped him."
,.9 This will be in the last times. when, on the preaching of
Blias, Judah will be converted to ('hri
t."
7 Dimid. Temp. c. 13. App, to S. Prosper. Enoch and Elias are spoken of, a
the two
"itlle,-<es. bv Ammonius in die Comm. variorr.. 011 Daniel. Mai ScriVtt. Yett. :\0\.. CoIl.
T.l.l'. iii:p. 5:!. g c. Jud.. ii.85

'iiP
'0
: f;
r.. c.35. Opp. v..IGi, 11,6.
4 T

6').)

C HBí{oí\ T and dreadful day of the LORD:
cir. 3
i. (j
\nd he shall turn the heart of the
fathers to the children, and the heart of

To add one more, for his g-reat g-ifts, S. Gregor.'! the Great.
"1 It is pl"OlIIised, that when Elias shall cOllie, he shall bring-
bal'k the h('art
of thc
ons to th('ir fathers, that the dodrÏne
nf the old, which is now talien from the hcarts of the Jews,
may, in the mel'c
' of God, rf'turn, when the
ons shall beg-in
to undpl'stand of the Lord God, what the fathcrs taue-ht,"
,.2 Althotw:h Elias is related to have been carried to he
'-ell,
he dcfcrred, he Ilid not escape, death. For it is said of him
hy the mouth of the Truth Himself, Elias shall come and
r('store all thillg.
. lIe shall cnme to 1'estore all things; for to
this end is he re
tnred to this world, that he mav both fulfil
the offiee of preaching-, ami pay the Ilebt of the ftcsh." "3'l'he
hoh- Chun'h, alth(lu
h it now loses man v throu
h the shock
of t'emptation, yet, .;t the end of the worJ(l, it re(:cÍ\-es its own
double, whl'n. having' r('c('i,'ed the Gcntiles to the full, all
.J uù,I'a too, whieh
hall then be, a
...ees tu hasten to its faith.
FOI' hence it is writt('n, Untit tile jidlless of tlte Gentiles shall
f'O/J/e, alill so all Israel shall he sal'ed. lIenee in th(' Gospel
t he Truth say
, Elias slutll f'O/J/e allet ,
/l((ll resture all things.
For 1111\\' the Chureh has lo!'t the I
I'aelites, whom it could
nllt COIn"ert by preachin
; but then. at the l'readling of Elia
,
while it collccts all whieh it shall find, it receives in a mannel'
morc fully ,,,hat it has lo
t." "4John is spoken of as to come
iu the
Jlirit and pU\wr of Eliao.;:, becauo.;:e, as Elias !'hall Ju'e-
r-ede the seeond Coming- of the Lorll, so John preeeded His
first, For as .Llia
will come, as preelll',.;or of the J ud
'e. so
.John was made the preclll'sor of the Redcemer. John then
was Elias in !'pirit; he was not Elias in pcrsun. "'hat then the
Lord owned a
to spirit, that John denies as to the person."
"'hcther Elias is one of the tll'O witne.
sesõ, spoken of in the
Apocalyp!'e, i!' obviously a distinct question. Of commenta-
tors on the Apocalypse, Arl'thas 6 remarks that as to Elias,
there is clem' testimony tÌ"lI\U Huly Sf'ripture, this of
lalachi;
but that, with reg-ard to Enoeh, we hm-e only the fact of his
b('iu:; frecd from death by tran!'lation, and the tl"adition of the
Church. S. John Damascene fixell the belief, in the Eastern
Chureh 7. In the 'Yest. ßede e. go. who speaks of the belief
that the two witnesses were Elijah and Enoch, as what was
saill by "B some doctors." takcs our LOI.d's declaration, that
Elias shall return, in its simple meaning\!. Yet it was no

I Moral. xi, 1:;. n. 24. Ben, 2 lb. xx. 34. n, fi6. Ben.
3 lb. xxxv. 1 t n. 2-1., See also on Ezek. L, i. Horn. 12. n. 8, 9, "here he speaks of the
coming of Enoch also.
· in Evang. Horn. vii. n, 1. 6 See above p. 25.
6 Comm. on Apocalypse printed with <Ecumenius p. 9 I:!. ed. 15;\11.
i De fide iv. :lli. s on Rev. c. xi.
V on S.l\Iatt. xvii. n. S. !\Iark ix,
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restore all things, and will pay the debt of death; hut others not, with whom the illustñow
S. Jerome seems to agree.
11 S. Matt. x. 34-3G. 12 lb. 21.
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"God said to Israel, In tills world I sent an anJ!el to cast out the nations before )OU, but in
the future [or, in the world to come, Yalkut Shim'oni f. 9S-
\q myself will lead l ou and
will . send )'ou Elijah the lcrophet." Pesikta rabbathi
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written of the first redemption, . He sent II/ous His servant, Áaron whom lle had chosen;
send me two like them.' God answered; . I will send you Elijah the prophet: this is
one, the other is he. of whom Isaiah spoke (xlii. 1.) Behold, my serve",t whom I have
cllO.<en.''' Shemoth Rabba [Sect 3. col. 109. 2. ad loe.] . In the second redemption, ye
shall be healed and redeemed by the word I, i.e. I will se"d." Or, as a comforter, .. I
\\ ill send )OU Elias, he shall come and comfort you." Debarim rabba sect. 3, tin. Or to
plOllounce bOnle things clean, others wlclean. Shir hashirim rabba f. 2i, 3. [all the above

I.AL
\(,III.

the children to their fathers, lest I come C IIß
"íes T
and n smite the earth with 0 a curse. Clf. :I
'i-
I Zlch. H. 1:!.
o Zech. 5. 3.

matter of faith 10. "-hen the belief as to a personal .Antif'hl'i
t
was chang"('d by Luther and Caldn, the belief of a persunal
forerunner of Chri
t g-a,'e way al
o.
Ö. Alld Ite s/wll turn tlte Itearts of tlte fatlters unto tlte
chilclre/l. :r\0\\' they wCl'e unlike, and se"ered by that unlike-
ness from em'h other. Y ct not on earth; fur on earth parents
anll children were alilie alienatell from God, and united
betwcen them
eh"es in wickellness or worldliness. The com-
mon lm'e or'the world or of worltlly pur
uits, or g-ain or

elf-exaltation, OJ' making a fOl,tune or sccuring- it, is, so far,
a common bond of intcrest to those of one Ellnily, through a
common sclfi
hness. though that selfishne,.;s is the parent of
geneml diseOl'd, of fl'aud, violence, and other misdecds. 1\ ay.
eom-ersion of children or pm'ents becomes I'athel' a SO\ll'I'C uf
dis('onl. emhitterin
the uneOll\'erted. "Yhence our Lord
say!', 11 Tltink not, Ì/wt I am come to semt peace on the earth.
I came ]lot to .
eJUt peace on eartlt, hut a s1l'ord. For I am come
to set a man at variance agaillst !tis fat/ler, aud tlte daughter
agaill.
t Iter mother, aJUt tlte clauglder-in-luw against her 1//otlter-
ill-law: awl a man's foes shall he t/try! of his ou'n house/wid;
a prophecy fulfilled continually in tlw early perseeutiolls,
e,-en to the extent of those other words of our Lurd, 12 the
brother s/wll clelil'er up tlte hrotller to death, and t/le fat/leI' tlte
child; aud tile clâ/dren shall rise up against their lJarents, and
cause them to he ]Jut to deat/I. It is fulfilled al!'o in the illtense
hatred IIf the Jews at this day, to any whu are com-ertcll to
Christ; a hatl'ed which seems to hm'e 110 parallel ill the
wol"ld. Nor do the wonl", seem to mcan that fathers and
children should he united in une common eum'el'sion to God,
as one says, "13 .\ll shall be olle heart to return to the Lord,
both fathers and childrcn ;" fm' he speaks primarily of their
mutual ('011 version to oue another, not to God.
The form of the expres
ion scems to imply that the cffect
of the preaching- of Elias shall be, to brin
baek the ('hilllren,
the Jews then in being-, to the faith and love which their
fathers, the Patriarchs, had; that" 14. as these belieH'd, hoped
for,lon:;ed cxceedingly fur. anrllond Christ to come, so their
HillS shuuld believe, hope in, long exceediug-Iy for and love
Christ, "110 was come, yea is present; and so the heart of
fathers, which before was turned from their unbelie, ing

in Schöttgen ad loc. ) Others, in different ways, to settle, to which tribe each belongs. Kimehi
on Ezek. xlvii, an this with diflèrent explanations as to strictness, (See Edaioth fin.
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each other." Abarbanel says, that Elijah shall be the instrument of the resurrection, and
that, throuJ!h those who ñ.e, the race of man shall be directed in the recognition of God and
the true faith." I bn Ezra, .. tbat he shall come at the collection of the captives, as \\loses
at the redemption of Eg) pt, not for the ressnrrection." [These are collected by Frischmuth
de Eliæ adventu. Thes. Theol. Phil. V. T. T. i. p. lOiO. sqq.] R. Tanchulll, frOlñ l\lai-
monides, says, .. Tlüs
s without donb
a promise of the appe
rane<; of a pro1'h
t in _Israel,
a little before the connng of the :\Iess,ah; and some of the W1se tlnnk tlmt ,t IS EII3.S the
Tishbite himself, and tllis is found in most of the II/idrashoth, and some think that it is a
I1rophet like him in rank, occufJyin g his place in tbe knowledge of God and the manifesting
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of religion, until all should be of one heart in the obe,lience to God." 14 Lap.

CHAPTER n T .

children. he !"hould turn to them, now belie,'ing, and cause
the Patriarchs to own and luve the Jews belie,-ing in Christ,
as indeed theÏl' chiltiren; fm' lyour father Ahraham rtjoiced to
see JIll day; he saw it and was glad, Christ saith."
Lest 1 come alUl smite tIle earth with a curse, i.e. with an
utter destruction, from which there should be no rcdemption.
In the end. God will so smite the earth, and all, not converted
to Him. The prayer and zeal of Elijah will gain a reprieve,
in which God will spare the world for the g-atherin
of His
own elect, the full com'ersion of the Jews, which shall fulfil
the .\po!"tle's word!", 2 So shall all Israel he saved.
After the glad tidin
s, Malachi, and thc Old Testament
in him, ends with words of awe, telling us of the eonsequenec
of the final hardening of the heart; the eternal severance.
whcn the unending end of the everlasting' Gospe) itself shall
be accomplished, and its last gl'ain shall be gathercd into

I S.John viii. 56. I Rom. xi. 26,
. The l\l&sora at the end of
Ialachi notices, that in the reading of Pi'/I', i.e. Isaiah, the
Twelve [&$ one book, ending with Malachi], the Lamentations, Ecclesw,tes, the last verse

G23

thl' garner - of the Lord. The Jew!", who would be wiser
than the prophet, repeat the pre,'ious ,'erse s , because
Ialachi
closes su awefulh-. The Maker of the heart of man knew
better the hearts which lie had made, and taug-ht their
authors to md the hooks of Isaiah and Ecclesiastes with
words of awe. frum which man's heart So strug-g-les to escape.
To turn to God here, or e,-erlasting dcstruction from IIi!<
presence there, is the only choice open to thee. "4 Think of
this, when lu!-t goads thee, or ambition solicits thee, or anger
cunvulses thee, or the flcsh blandishes thec, or the world
allures thee, or the devil displays Lis deceitful pomp and
enticement. In thy hand and thy choice are life and deatb,
heavcn and hell, salvation and damnation, bliss or misen-
e\'erlasting. Choose which thou willest. Think, 'A momen't
which delighteth, eternity which tortureth;' on the other hand,
, a moment which tortureth, eternity which delighteth.'"

but one is repeated. The three do end heavily; but Ecclesiastes only ends with the de-
cLu-atjoD of a day of judgement, which, it must be supposed, they did not like to dwell upon.
· Lap.

"I SEE THAT ALL TIUNGS CO\!E TO A'Il E'IlD:
THY COMMA:OWMENT IS EXCEEDING BROAD." Ps. cxix. 96.

.. As THE HART PA"TETH AFTER THE WATER BROOltS,
SO PANTETH MY SOLL AFTER THEE, 0 GOD." Pò. xlii. I.

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