be painting his cabin when the ship was finking. This intimates, that the uncertainty and short duration of earthly things, is a substantial reason why we should not set our hearts upon them. God will deftroy this world; will break down its pillars, and pluck up its very foundations: let us therefore not feek great things in it, but the good things of piety and zeal. Let it be enough for us if our fouls are given us for a prey, and we do not partake of the deftruction that shall come upon the wicked; if we hear Chrift fay, Well done, good and faithful fervants: thefe are great things indeed, and God allows us with a facred refined am bition to seek them. May he grant that the frequent view and diligent purfuit of them, may fwallow up every thing that would at any time interfere with them.

CHAP. XLVI. 13, to the end. CHAP. XLVII. The prophecy in the preceding part of the chapter refers to the Egyptians being driven out of the country they poffeffed between Egypt and Babylon, which was fulfilled immediately: this refers to their being attacked and conquered in their own country by Nebuchadnezzar, after the jews went thither, and many years after the former conquest. The fame event is foretold by Ezekiel, ch. xxix-xxxii. The forty feventh chapter is a prophecy of the deftruction of the Philistines.

13

HE word that the LORD fpake to Jeremiah the

prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar king of Baby14 lon fhould come [and] fmite the land of Egypt. Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: fay ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the fword fhall devour round about thee. 15 Why are thy valiant [men] fwept away as with a violent rain? they stood not, becaufe the LORD did drive 16 them. He made many to fall, yea, one fell upon anPp 2 other:

i The word rendered valiant men, is in the Septuagint tranflated Apis, the facred bull of Egypt; which, from a very inges nious criticism of Dr. KENNICOTT, appears to be the true rene dering; and is probably alluded to in v. 20, 21.

other and they, their allies and mercenary troops, faid, Arife, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of our nativity, from the oppreffing fword. 17 They did cry there, that is, the people who were set to guard the isthmus or neck of land which joins Afia to Africa, and which feparated between Egypt and the conquered countries, Pharaoh king of Egypt (is but] a noise; he hath paffed, the time appointed; Pharaoh had promifed what great things he would do, and with what a powerful force he would join them, but here they complain it was all a bluf18 ter. [As] I live, faith the King, whofe name [is] the LORD of hosts, Surely as Tabor [is] among the mountains, and as Carmel by the fea, [fo] fhall he come; that is, the king of Babylon shall come, and be as much fuperior to them, as Tabor and Carmel are higher than the 19 neighbouring hills. O thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyfelf to go into captivity: for Noph fhall be 20 waste and defolate without an inhabitant. Egypt [is like a very fair heifer, a rich and goodly kingdom; or perhaps here is an allufion to their god Apis, a fine fpotted kine which they worshipped; [but] deftruction cometh; it 21 cometh out of the north. Also her hired men [are] in the midst of her like fatted bullocks; for they also are turned back, [and] are fled away together: they did not stand, because the day of their calamity was come upon them, [and] the time of their vifitation; they are like oxen that make no refiftance, tho' their bulk and strength 22 is fo great. The voice thereof fhall go like a ferpent; the voices of the Egyptians, which were before loud and bluftering, like the lowing of an ox, shall now become low and inconfiderable, like the hiffing of a ferpent, or the mutterings of an enchanter; (fee Ifaiah xxix. 4.) for they fhall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers 23 of wood. They fhall cut down her foreft, faith the LORD, though it cannot be fearched; because they are more than the grafhoppers, or locufts, and [are] innumerable; her cities and palaces, tho' many, strong, and populous, Shall be plundered and destroyed, like the cutting down of a 24 woods The daughter of Egypt fhall be confounded; she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the

north.

25 north. The LORD of hosts, the God of Ifrael, faith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, Amon of No, or Thebes, where was the temple of Jupiter-Amon, a city fo large as to have a hundred gates, and Pharaoh, and Ěgypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh 26 and [all] them that trust in him: And I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his fervants: and afterwards it thall be inhabited, as in the days of old, faith the LORD; as it was in Cyrus' time, when fome of the Egyptians might return, but they were never so confiderable as before.

27

But fear not thou, O my fervant Jacob, and be not difmayed, O Ifrael; for, behold, I will fave thee from afar off, and thy feed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob fhall return, and be in rest and at ease, and 28 none shall make [him] afraid. Fear thou not, O Ja

cob my fervant, faith the LORD: for I [am] with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished; a prophecy which has been most remarkably fulfilled. All the mighty nations that oppressed them are vanished as a dream, but the jews are ftill preferved as a diftinct people, and will be fo till the promises of God fhall be accomplished.

CHAP. XLVII. The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before that Pharaoh fmote Gaza; while they were yet quiet and 2 fecure. Thus faith the LORD; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and fhall be an overflowing flood, and fhall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land fhall howl. 3 At the noife of the ftamping of the hoofs of his ftrong [horfes,] at the rufhing of his chariots, [and at] the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers fhall not look back to [their] children for feeblenefs of hands; they shall seek their fafety to the neglect of their families, and scarcely be 4 able to fave themselves; Because of the day that cometh to PP 3

fpoil

spoil all the Philiftines, [and] to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth; the neighbours and allies of the Philistines for the LORD will fpoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor.* 5 Baldness is come upon Gaza; Afhkelon is cut off [with] the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself? that is, tear thy hair, and wound thyself thro' 6 grief and astonishment. O thou fword of the LORD, how long [will it be] ere thou be quiet? put up thyfelf in thy fcabbard, reft, and be ftill. A beautiful and noble apostrophe, dictated by the prophet's defire of the peace of Ifrael's enemies, and his grief for their approaching calamities: emotions which he checked with this thought, that all 7 was to execute the divine purposes. How can it be quiet, feeing the LORD hath given it a charge against Afhkelon, and against the fea fhore? there hath he appointed it. A prophecy which was fulfilled in the defolation of thofe countries, while Nebuchadnezzar was befieging Tyre; which was blocked up about thirteen years.

H

REFLECTION S.

ERE is another inftance of the little dependence which is to be placed on the greatest of men, even when they promife and boaft the greatest things. The allies of the Egyptians complained that Pharaoh was but a noife. He hectored and talked big, but that was all; and the helpers in whom the Tyrians and Sidonians trufted, were cut off. So uncertain are expectations from man! Those who promife and compliment moft, often perform leaft they may be unable or unwilling to fulfil their promifes; or, if ever fo able or willing, they may be fpeedily cut off. This fhould teach us to ceafe from man; to trust in a faithful God, and to feek our help from him.

2. Obferve how changeable the ftate of nations is. A fine defcription is here given of the number, power, and pride of the Egyptians. What forces, what allies, and preparations! but all were vain against this mighty conqueror.

The

A nation that joined with them, and was loft among them; they are mentioned together in Gen. x. 14.

The Philiftines in like manner were fecure and quiet but fuch distress came upon them, that they could not fave their children, or look back to fee what was become of them. What little reafon have we, as a nation, to be fecure; or at any time to boaft of our wisdom, ftrength, or fafety. Let us not be high-minded, but fear.

3. Obferve the power of God over the nations and princes of the earth. When the prophet had described the Egyptian allies as faying, Pharaoh is but a noife, he adds, v. 18. As I live, faith the King, whose name is the Lord of hofts, fo fhall he come. In all these lively descriptions of the preparations, the attack, the conqueft, the purfuit, the plunder and deftruction of Egypt, the hand of God is mentioned. He drave them, he punished them, he fpoiled them their flaughter was a facrifice to his juftice. War is his fword; he gives it a commiffion, whom it fhall strike, how far it shall extend, and how long it fhall continue; and it shall exactly fulfil its charge. It is very comfortable to think of this, amidst all the confusion that is in the earth; it shows how much reafon and encouragement there is to pray, that the devouring fword may be sheathed; and to be thankful for our national bleffings and profpects.

Contains the judgment of Moab for feveral corruptions, which was executed by Nebuchadnezzar's army while engaged in the fiege of Tyre.

I

A

GAINST Moab thus faith the LORD of hosts, the God of Ifrael; Woe unto Nebo! for it is fpoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded [and] taken: Mif2 gab is confounded and dismayed. [There shall be] no more praise of Moab in Heshbon, its capital city, they have devised evil against it; that is, the Chaldeans, having taken it, shall devife evil there against the reft; come and let us cut it off from [being] a nation. Alfo thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen; the fword fhall pursue 3 thee. A voice of crying [fhall be] from Horonaim, fpoiling

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