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19 what likeness will ye compare unto him? The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and cafteth filver chains to adorn it, or 20 faften it to a pillar. He that [is] fo impoverished that he hath no oblation to offer to the temple, will yet have a god, and therefore he choofeth a tree [that] will not rot; he feeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image [that] fhall not be moved; he thinks a 21 wooden god better than none. Have ye not known? even you, idolatrous gentiles? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not underftood from the foundations of the earth? have you not learned by obfervation, by reflection, by tradition from the earliest ages, that the great God Jehovah is the creator and governor of the world, and of fuch infinite perfections, as not 22 to be represented by any image? [It is] he that fitteth upon the circle, or globe, of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof [are] as grafshoppers, the most inconfiderable infects: that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, or canopy, and fpreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in, as eafily as a man can open a curtain of a tent in the morning, 23 and clofe it at night: That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity; can easily confound, depofe, and destroy the greatest princes. 24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they fhall not be fown yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall alfo blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind fhall take them away as ftubble: a beautiful gradation; they shall have no power; or, if they poffefs a little, yet they shall have no lasting root; or, if they Should continue for a while, yet he will blow upon them, and 25 destroy them. To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? faith the Holy One.

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Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created thefe [things,] that bringeth out their hoft by number: he calleth them all by names, he is acquainted with them, and commands them, as a general does his army, by the greatness of his might, for that [he is] ftrong in power; not one faileth; not one of them shall wear out, 27 or need repairing, or fail to anfwer his purposes. Why W4

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fayeft thou, O Jacob, and fpeakeft, O Ifrael, in thy captivity, faying, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is paffed over from my God? my affairs 28 are perplexed, and funk, fo that God cannot help me. Haft thou not known better than any other people? haft thou not heard, [that] the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? he doth not ? he doth not by length of time grow inactive, or negligent; tho' he delays, he neither wants ability nor power; [there is] no fearching of his understanding; no finding 29 out the reafons of his difpenfations. He giveth power to the faint; and to [them that have] no might he increaseth ftrength; he gives abundance of strength, therefore can give it to you in your affliction, tho' you are brought ever 30 fo low. Even the youths fhall faint and be weary, and the young men fhall utterly fall; thofe of the best natural 31 abilities, and who are most confident in themselves: But they that wait upon the LORD, in the way of faith, diligence, and prayer, fhall renew [their] ftrength; they fhall mount up with wings as eagles; they fhall run, and not be weary; [and] they fhall walk, and not faint; they fhall grow stronger and ftronger, furmount all difficulties, and obtain the bleffings which they defire.

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REFLECTIONS,

T is good to think of the difference between the glory and power of man, and that of God. All the glory of man is foon blafted, his power weak, his wif dom foon confounded, his beauty fading, and his promifes fail; but JEHOVAH is the all-wife and almighty God, faithful and true, and his word stands for ever. Let us imprint these thoughts upon our minds, that we may not be fond of the fading glories of this world ourselves, nor envy of admire them in others; but make God our portion, and his word our treafure; it will be a fource of everlasting fecurity and joy.

2. With what veneration ought we to think and fpeak of this great and glorious Being! We have here fome of the fublimeft defcriptions of the Deity in the whole bible.

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When we read or think of them, they should fill us with awful admiration of his fupreme majefty; fhould engage us to worship him with the utmoft reverence, fince we are nothing, yea, lefs than nothing, in his fight; and to admire his condefcenfion in giving his Son to be our faviour; the purposes of whofe appearance are so important, and whose tenderness is fo great..

3. It is frequently the cafe that those who can spare nothing for the fervice of God, can fpare much for the fervice of their lufts. Thofe are remarkable words in v. 20. He who is fo poor that he cannot afford a facrifice for God's temple, can spare money to purchase an idol, of rich ma terials, and exquifite workmanship; and the rich will spare no cost upon their gods. There are many idolaters of this kind among us, who make their money, their pleasures, and their bellies their gods. They care not what pains they take, or what expense they are at, in the worship of thefe deities, but are never at a lofs for objections against charitable donations, nor backward to plead poverty, when any thing is wanted for the house or service of God. These will justly be condemned by the zeal and generofity of idolaters; and the account of their expenfes will make a deteftable figure, when God comes to reckon with them at the great day.

4. How firmly fhould we trust the promises of God, and how cheerfully fhould we wait upon him! In times of affliction we are too apt to fay, as v. 27. My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is paffed over from my God. We indulge many foolish fears, and often make ourselves uneafy, which would be prevented by confidering who God is, and what he hath promised. We fhould learn to trust in him, and not in our own or in others' wifdom and ftrength. Let young men remember, that without divine help they will faint and be weary in their christian course; therefore wait upon God, and go forth in his ftrength: and let us all confider, that the more faithfully we employ what ftrength he gives us in his fervice, the more fhall we find it increase. The righteous fhall hold on his way, and they that are upright in heart shall wax ftronger and stronger.

CHAP.

CHA P. XLI.

In this and some of the following chapters, God makes a folemn challenge to the worshippers of idols, to show fuch wisdom, power, and goodness in their gods as he poffeffed, in order to convince the Ifraelites of the folly of idolatry, and encourage their hope of deliverance from their captivity from him alone.

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I EEP filence before me, O islands; and let the people renew [their] ftrength, that is, mufter up all their arguments: let them come near; then let them 2 speak: let us come near together to judgment. Who raised up the righteous [man] from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made [him] rule over kings? he gave [them] as the dust 3 to his fword, [and] as driven ftubble to his bow. He pursued them, [and] paffed fafely; [even] by the way [that] he had not gone with his feet; he shall pursue his 4 enemies thro' strange, unknown countries. Who hath wrought and done [it,] calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the firft, and with the laft; I [am] he who order the feveral fucceffions of princes, and 5 the feafons of bringing about their defigns. The ifles faw [it,] and feared; they were astonished at Cyrus's rifing glory and victories; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came; they joined in alliance to check his growing 6 greatness. They helped every one his neighbour; and [every one] faid to his brother, Be of good courage. 7 So the carpenter encouraged the goldfmith, [and] he that smootheth [with] the hammer him that fmote the anvil, faying, It [is] ready for the fodering: and he fastened it with nails, [that] it fhould not be moved; they fought help of their gods, and made new ones to pray to. 8 But thou, Ifrael, [art] my fervant, Jacob whom I have chofen, the feed of Abraham my friend; be not afraid of 9 them, for I will defend thee. [Thou] whom I have taken from

This is generally understood of Abraham; but it seems ra ther to refer to Cyrus, who is faid, in prophetick language, to be raifed up, that is, he fhould certainly be fo: he is called righ teous, because he was to execute God's righteousness in the deftruction of Babylon.

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from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and faid unto thee, Thou [art] my fervant; I have chofen thee, and not caft thee away; I will do it, and not caft thee off, as thou haft reafon to expect, 10 for thy tranfgreffions. Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not difmayed; for I [am] thy God: I will ftrengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness; by 11 my power and faithfulness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee fhall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee 12 fhall perish. Thou fhalt feek them, and fhalt not find them, [even] them that contended with thee: they that war against thee fhall be as nothing, and as a thing of 13 nought; they fhall be brought to utter deftruction. For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, faying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee; I will guide and 14 ftrengthen thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, [and] ye men of Ifrael, tho' weak, defpicable, and trampled upon; I will help thee, faith the LORD, and thy redeemer, I who have delivered, and am ftill faithful, even the Holy 15 One of Ifrael. Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing inftrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat [them] fmall, and fhalt make the hills as chaff; that is, the greater and leffer kingdoms that 16 oppofe thee. Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind fhall fcatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, [and] fhalt glory 17 in the Holy One of Ifrael. [When] the poor and needy feek water, and [there is] none, [and] their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, 18 [I] the God of Ifrael will not forfake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midft of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land fprings of water; I will fupply the captives in their return from Babylon: an allufion to what was 19 done for the Ifraelites in the wilderness. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the fhittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will fet in the defert the fir tree, [and] the pine, and the box tree together; I will make the face

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