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righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of falvation upon his head; he appeared as a warrior, completely armed, against the Chaldeans and other enemies of his people; and he put on the garments of vengeance to their enemies [for] clothing, and was clad with zeal for his 18 people as a cloak. According to [their] deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adverfaries, recompenfe to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompenfe; he will bring judgments on the country that oppreffed and in19 jured his people." So fhall they fear the name of the LORD from the weft, and his glory from the rifing of the fun; many fhall be brought to the knowledge and fear of God. When the enemy fhall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD fhall lift up a standard against him; if new enemies fhould come, like an inundation which threatens to bear down all before it, God by fome fecret powerful method will overcome them.

But this is only an earnest of what God would do for the jews hereafter; a promife is added of their conversion to christianity in the latter day, for fo St. Paul expounds it, 20 Rom. ii. 26. And the Redeemer fhall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from tranfgreffion in Jacob, faith the LORD; Chrift fhall come for the relief, deliverance, and falvation of all that will believe in and obey him. 21 As for me, this [is] my covenant with them, faith the LORD; My fpirit that [is] upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, fhall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy feed, nor out of the mouth of thy feed's feed, faith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever; Chrift shall not only have a tranfient triumph, or work out a temporal deliverance, but eftablish the jews in God's covenant again, in which they fball continue to the end of the world; teaching them by his word and Spirit, and rendering them effectual on multitudes, from one generation to another, even to the end of time: the jews, when nationally converted, fhall never revolt from God any more.

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REFLECT

Bp. LowтH tranflates the verse thus; He is mighty to recompenfe; he that is mighty to recompenfe will requite wrath to his adverfaries, recompenfe to his enemies, to the diftant coafts a recompense will he requite.

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REFLECTION S.

E here fee the fource of national calamities, and what stops the current of divine favours; and that is, iniquity. God is ftill powerful, wife, and good; able to restore our peace, to help us against our enemies, and to answer our prayers to their fulleft extent. But fin separates between him and us; hinders our prayers from being acceptable to him, and intercepts his mercies when coming to us. We fee how difpleafing national degeneracy, and the want of piety, juftice, and charity, are to him. That it is not only murder, theft, oppreffion, and false witness, that displease him; but also lying, flander, muttering perverfenefs, and walking in any of the crooked ways of fin. God fees all this, and it displeases him. This occafions difappointment, confufion, and mourning. It is in vain to pray, unless we do our part to reform. Let every one of us in his private character, and as members of fociety, remember, that if we regard iniquity in our hearts the Lord will not hear us.

2. Those who frame wicked defigns, are not likely to find fatisfaction in them. Here is a beautiful description of the folly of finners. They weave spiders webs, and hatch vipers' eggs; their schemes are disappointed, their wickedness discovered, their fraud revealed, their character and honour loft. Or, if they fucceed, their spiders' webs will not cover them; there is no folid fatisfaction to be had in them; their ways are not ways of peace. Happy are they who are not walking in finful ways, and have no connection or acquaintance with those that are!

3. Let us rejoice in the mighty power of God, which is able to overcome all oppofition. If he puts on his armour, no enemy can ftand before him. When the ftate of our country is fo degenerate and melancholy, and our profpects dark, let us ftill hope in him. When enemies come in like a flood, he can raise up a standard against them, and bring them down at once. Be it a torrent of error, or vice, er mifery, he can restrain it. Let the thought encourage A a 2

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us in our spiritual warfare; and let us go forth in an humble dependance on the spirit of the Lord..

4. Amidst all our national alarms and fears, let us ftill rejoice in the fecurity of the church. Whatever becomes of us and our country, that fhall continue; and this is a great comfort to a pious mind. There is a day coming when the poor difperfed, defpifed, and perfecuted jews shall be converted and reftored, and the word and fpirit of God fhall be given to them, and continue with them for ever. Let us rejoice that we have this word and fpirit, and be careful to improve the affistance of both. Let us pray and hope that they may be continued to our feed, and to our feed's feed. But we fhould remember, that if we defire Chrift fhould be our Redeemer, we must turn from tranfgreffion; for he was fent to bless us by turning us from our iniquities; without that, we shall perish in them.

CHA P. LX.

This chapter is a prophecy of the glorious state of the gospel church, efpecially in the latter day, when jews and gentiles fhall be converted.

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RISE, from obfcurity, fhine; for thy light is. come, and the glory of the LORD is rifen upon 2 thee; Shine forth thyself, and enlighten others. For, behold, the darkness fhall cover the earth, and grofs darkness the people; the gentiles fhall be grossly ignorant, and the jews blinded by the strongest prejudices: but the LORD fhall arife upon thee, and his glory fhall be seen 3 upon thee. And the Gentiles fhall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rifing; the converfion of the jews fhall be a means of fpreading chriftianity among 4 the gentiles. Lift up thine eyes round about, and fee: all they gather themfelves together, they come to thee: thy fons fhall come from far, and thy daughters fhall be nurfed at [thy] fide; there fhall be numerous converts 5 added to the chriftian church. Then thou fhalt fee, and flow together, and thine heart fhall fear, and be en

larged;

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larged; thou shalt feel a tumult of conflicting paffions ; because the abundance of the fea fhall be converted unto thee, thy converts shall come from beyond the fea, the forces of the gentiles shall come unto thee, their zeal fhall be 6 employed to promote the caufe of Christ, The multitude of camels fhall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba fhall come: they fhall bring gold and incenfe; and they fhail fhow forth the praises of the LORD; the gentiles becoming members of the church, fhall confecrate themselves and all they have to the Service of Christ and his church, and fupply thee according to 7 their feveral abilities. All the flocks of Kedar fhall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth fhall minister unto thee: they fhall come up with acceptance on mine altar, the tribute of praise shall be acceptable to me, and I will glorify the house of my glory, make my church glorious by this accefs of the gentiles to it. 8 Who [are] thefe [that] fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows, who come in crouds with great eager9 nefs and Speed? Surely the ifles fhall wait for me, be ready to receive the gospel, and the fhips of Tarfhifh first, to bring thy fons from far, their filver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the 10 Holy One of Ifrael, because he hath glorified thee. And the fons of strangers fhall build up thy walls, and their kings fhall minifter unto thee; the kings of the heathens Shall become chriftians, and bring their wealth to the church: for in my wrath I fmote thee, but in my favour have I 11 had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates fhall be open continually; they fhall not be shut day nor night: that [men] may bring unto thee the forces of the gentiles, and [that] their kings [may be] brought; intimating the peace and fecurity of the church, and the vaft acceffion of con12 verts to it. For the nation and kingdom that will not

serve thee fhall perish; yea [thofe] nations fhall be ut13 terly wafted. The glory of Lebanon, famous for its A a 3 cedars,

Bp. Lowтн tranflates it, Then shalt thou fear, and overflow with joy, and thy heart shall be ruffled and dilated.

These figures are taken from the jewith worship, and from multitudes coming to bring their facrifices and their wealth to Jerufalem, by fea and land.

cedars, fhall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my fanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious; figurative expreffions, intimating that the church fhall be adorned and perfected by the gifts and graces of its members, their different talents and abilities; yet, in all its fplendour, 14 it will be but God's footstool. The fons alfo of them that afflicted thee, fhall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee fhall bow themselves down at the foles of thy feet; the fons of perfecutors shall become profelytes; and they fhall call thee, The city of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Ifrael.

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Whereas thou haft been forfaken and hated, so that no man went through [thee,] I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations; the jews fhall have fome peculiar honour showed them by those who 16 had perfecuted or defpifed them. Thou shalt also fuck the milk of the gentiles, and fhalt fuck the breast of kings; and thou fhalt know that I the LORD [am] thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob; I will put into the hearts of princes fuch a care for my church, that they fhall contribute to its welfare as readily and as tenderly as a mother fuckles her child; that is, not from political de17 figns, but from a cordial affection. For brafs I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring filver, and for wood brafs, and for ftones iron; it shall be superior even to Solomon's temple: I will alfo make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness; that is, rulers and governors fhall be peaceable and mild, juft and righteous; or, the equity and love with which all the affairs of the church are carried on, fhall influence their conduct in civil relations. 18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wafting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise; no enemy shall wafte you, there shall be no civil diffentions; but thou shalt fee thyself furrounded with falvation, as with walls, and give thy gates fuch names in memory of mercies received, as 19 fhall remind thee of praifing God for them. The fun fhall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightnefs shall the moon give light unto thee; the light of the fun

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