us, and in which there is no hope of deliverance; but he will be with us. Let us exercise faith in his promises, follow his leadings, and truft in him to deliver.

2. Our relation to God demands a fuitable behaviour from us. He hath created us as men; formed us as Britons, into an excellent conftitution; redeemed us as christians, and fhown his love by giving his Son for our ranfom. And why has he done all this for us, but that we might fbow forth his praife? Let us then do it with our lips and by our lives; adore his glorious perfections; proclaim them to others; and live as the formed and redeemed of the Lord. Let us often recollect our relation and obligations to him, that we may live anfwerable to them, and Show forth the praises of him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light.

3. God's fervice is fo reasonable and so easy, that we shall be shamefully criminal and inexcufable if we neglect it. He appeals to Ifrael concerning this. The incenfe and facrifices he required, were no more than they could very well afford, confidering their plenty and profperity. Our religious rites are fewer and easier to be obferved; therefore our conduct will be more reproachful if we neglect them. He does not make flaves of us by them, nor weary us with them; he is fo good a master, his work is fo reasonable, fo eafy, and fo honourable, that if we neglect it and grow weary of it, we shall be most ungrateful to him, and destroy our own fouls. Let us therefore not be flothful in business, but fervent in fpirit ferving the Lord,

СНАР. XLIV.

This chapter, befides promifing redemption, the effufion of the Spirit, and the fuccefs of the gospel, fets forth in a very fublime manner the fupreme power and foreknowledge of the one true God; expofes the folly and abfurdity of idolatry with admirable force and elegance; and concludes with mentioning the future deliverer of the jews expressly, by his name Cyrus, near two hundred years before he was born. See Ezra i. 2.

I

2

YE

ET now hear, O Jacob, my fervant, and Ifrael, whom I have chofen: Thus faith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, [which] will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my fervant; and thou, Jefurun, that is, Ifrael, (fignifying an upright and holy people, fee Deut. xxxii. 15.) whom I have chofen. 3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy feed to cure them of their idolatry, and my blessing upon thine offspring; all fpiritual bleffings under the gof4 pel: And they fhall fpring up [as] among the grafs, as willows by the water courfes; as plants and herbs do in 5 green and fruitful meadows. One fhall fay, I [am] the LORD's; and another fhall call [himfelf] by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe [with] his hand unto the LORD, and furname [himself] by the name of Ifrael; they shall defire to be joined to God's people. While others wear the mark of the beast on their right hands, (Rev. xiii. 16.) they shall mark their hands with the name of Jehovah; an allufion to a custom among foldiers, who fometimes received a mark upon the hand, to fignify to what commander they 6 belonged. Thus faith the LORD the king of Ifrael, and his redeemer the LORD of hofts; I [am] the first, and I [am] the laft; and befides me [there is] no God. 7 And who, as I, fhall call, and fhall declare it, and set it in order for me, fince I appointed the antient people? that is, Ifrael; no other nation can trace their history fo high and the things that are coming, and fhall come, let them show unto them; heathen idols cannot do this, therefore I am to be feared, trufted, and worshipped, and not they. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, when ye became my people, and have declared [it,] or foretold what should befal you? ye [are] even my witneffes. Is there a God befides me? yea, [there is] no God; I know not [any.]

9

They that make a graven image [are] all of them vanity; and their delectable things fhall not profit; and they [are] their own witneffes against themselves; yet they fee not, nor know; fo that they may be afhamed, as they have just caufe to be of their folly in worshipping fuch

W 4

Jenfeless

10 fenfelefs things. Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image [that] is profitable for nothing? who can be fo foolish and brutifh as to account that to be a god, which 11 himself has made, and is good for nothing? Behold, all his fellows fhall be afhamed: and the workmen, they [are] of men: let them all be gathered together, let them ftand up; [yet,] when combined in the greatest multitude, they fhall fear, [and] they fhall be afhamed together, 12 The fmith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his ftrength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint; the god he is making cannot prevent his being tired with his 13 work, or give him meat or drink. The carpenter ftretcheth out [his] rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man, for he knows no nobler creature; 14 that it may remain in the houfe. He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which hẹ ftrengtheneth for himself among the trees of the foreft; ufeth fome art to make it straight and beautiful: he planteth an afh, which is of quicker growth, and the rain doth nourish [it;] thinking it will make the better god because it 15 is of his own planting. Then fhall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth [it,] and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth [it;] he maketh it a graven image, and fal16 leth down thereto. He burneth part thereof in the fire, with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roafteth roaft, and is fatisfied: yea, he warmeth [himself, ] and faith, Ahạ, I am warm, I have feen the fire; he puts the other parts to the ufes which providence intended, and enjoys the comfort of 17 them. And the refidue thereof he maketh a god, [even] his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worfhippeth [it,] and prayeth unto it, and faith, Deliver 18 me; for thou [art] my god. They have not known nor understood: for he hath fhut their eyes, that they cannot fee; [and] their hearts, that they cannot underftand; they will not use their understanding, and therefore

God

19 God gives them up to their delufions. And none confidereth in his heart, neither [is there] knowledge nor understanding to fay, I have burnt part of it in the fire; yea, alfo I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten [it] and fhall make the refidue thereof an abomination? fhall I fall down to the 20 ftock of a tree? fo deftitute are they of common fenfe. He feedeth on afhes; on that which hath no nourishment, and which difappoints him: a deceived heart hath turned him afide, prevents him from reafoning and reflecting, that he cannot deliver his foul, nor fay, [Is there] not a lie in my right hand? he not only cannot deliver his foul from this wickedness, but he cannot fee that he is cheating himself and playing the fool.

21

Remember thefe, O Jacob and Ifrael, when you come to live among idolaters; for thou [art] my fervant: I have formed thee; thou [art] my fervant: O Ifrael, 22 thou shalt not be forgotten of me. I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy tranfgreffions, and as a cloud, thy fins; that is, as a cloud is difperfed before the fun and the wind: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. 23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done [it:] fhout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into finging, ye mountains, O foreft, and every tree therein; for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himfelf in Ifrael, let all nature be joyful for the restoration of Ifrael, and the spread of that gospel, which is defigned to turn 24 men from thefe vanities. Thus faith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I [am] the LORD that maketh all [things;] that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that fpreadeth abroad the earth by myself, therefore can fave thee without any other 25 god:That fruftrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; the magicians and aftrologers of Babylon, who foretell the lafting felicity of that city and empire; that turneth wife [men] backward, and maketh their know26 ledge foolish; That confirmeth the word of his fervant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that faith to Jerufalem, Thou fhalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye fhall be built, and I will raife up

the

27 the decayed places thereof: That faith to the deep, Be dry, when he delivered Ifrael out of Egypt, and I will dry up thy rivers; alluding to the expedient ufed by Cyrus in taking Babylon, viz. diverting the river Euphrates from its 28 channel: That faith of Cyrus, near two hundred years before his birth, [He is] my fhepherd, he shall gather my people together, and lead them as a shepherd doth his flock, and fhall perform all my pleafure; tho' he may have different fchemes, yet he shall fulfil my defigns, even faying to Jerufalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation fhall be laid."

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REFLECTION S.

T is a very pleafing thing to fee young people giving themselves up to the Lord, and joining themselves to his church. What gracious promises are those in the third, fourth, and fifth verses! It bodes well to the happinefs of the rifing generation, and the fupport of religion, when young perfons take the vows of God upon them; yield themselves to him, to be entirely and for ever his; and unite themselves to christian churches to walk with them in all the ordinances of the Lord. It is a good fecurity for their future regular behaviour, their usefulness and comfort. Let young perfons then be engaged to give themselves to the Lord and to his church; and let all, efpecially parents, earneftly pray for the communications of the fpirit, which are neceffary to excite them to self dedi. cation, and to promote their fruitfulness in every good work.

2. How prone are men to deceive themselves concerning the plaineft truths and the most important concerns! Did not scripture and common hiftory confirm the truth of it, one would scarcely believe, that men could be fo ftupid and brutish as to worship idols: not that they supposed them to be gods, but they thought they were just refemblances of God,

It would encourage the Ifraelites in Babylon when they heard of Cyrus's name, as they did long before his conqueft of that empire. This remarkable prophecy has juftly engaged the admiration of heathens, as well as chriftians, and gives at once a strong and fublime idea of God's omnipotence and foreknowledge.