REFLECTION S.

WAVING

AVING fuch remarks as often occur concerning the power of God over the nations, his appointing and fucceeding his inftruments, and humbling nations for their pride, oppreffion, and luxury; we here see,

1. What is the difpofition of true penitents, and God's gracious regards to them, v. 4, 5. They have godly forrow for fin; lament their former iniquities; feek the Lord, and not idols, not the world and the flesh, but return to him as their God and ruler; and feek the way to heaven, fetting their faces thitherward, as fully bent and refolved to get there. They keep the way to it, and folemnly devote themselves to God; binding themselves by the strongengagements never to depart from him; and when this is the cafe, then will God blot out their fins, and be gracious to them, v. 20.

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2. It is happy for his people amidst all their diftreffes, that God is their Redeemer. Babylon was a most powerful nation; it oppreffed and fubdued all the nations roundabout, and brake Ifrael's bones: but their Redeemer is strong; able to humble their enemy's pride, and deliver his people. How delightful a thought, amidst the oppreffions and perfecutions of his church! It affords comfort likewife to particular fouls, amidst the strength of temptations and corruptions. Let us be folicitous to keep near to God by earnest prayer, and to engage his help; for if God be for us, who can be against us?

CHA P. LI.

In this chapter is the prophecy of God's fevere judgment against Babylon, in revenge of Ifrael.

HUS faith the LORD; Behold, I will raife up

against Babylon, and against them that dwell

in the midst of them that rife up against me, that is, 2 in the midst of my enemies, a destroying wind; And will fend unto Babylon fanners, that fhall fan her, and

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fhall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they 3 fhall be against her round about. Against [him that] bendeth let the archer, or Perfian foldier, bend his bow, and against [him that] lifteth himself up in his brigandine, or coat of mail, and spare ye not her young men; 4 deftroy ye utterly all her hoft. Thus the flain fhall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and [they that are] thrust 5 through in her ftreets. For lfrael [hath] not [been] forfaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hofts; though their land was filled with fin against the Holy 6 One of Ifrael. Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his foul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this [is] the time of the LORD's ven7 geance; he will render unto her a recompenfe. Babylon [hath been] a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that' made all the earth drunken with her idolatry: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations 8 are mad. Babylon is fuddenly fallen and deftroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if fo be fhe may 9 be healed. We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed; Daniel and other prophets reproved her for idolatry: forfake her, for fhe is irrecoverable, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up [even] to the 10 fkies. The LORD hath brought forth our righteoufnefs, or, deliverance, and juftified us against the cruelty of the Babylonians, and the idolatry they would impofe: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our 1 God. Make bright the arrows; gather the fhields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes; Darius, Cyrus's uncle: for his device [is] against Babylon, to destroy it; because it [is] the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple. 12 Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch ftrong, fet up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes for the LORD hath both devised and done

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They might think it fafeft to be in Babylon, but God commands them to go out, as Chrift warned the chriftians before the fiege of Jerufalem, and thus was the means of faving all who believed his word.

that which he spake against the inhabitants of Babylon. 13 O thou that dwelleft upon many waters, that is, on the river Euphrates, which ran thro' Babylon and round it, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, [and] the 14 measure of thy covetousness. The LORD of hosts hath fworn by himself, [faying,] Surely I will fill thee with men, as with caterpillers; and they fhall lift up a 15 fhout against thee. He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wifdom, and hath ftretched out the heaven by his understanding. 16 When he uttereth [his] voice, [there is] a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he caufeth the vapours to afcend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of 17 his treasures. Every man is brutish by [his] knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image [is] falfehood, and [there 18 is] no breath in them. They [are] vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their vifitation they fhall 19 perish. The portion of Jacob [is] not like them; for he [is] the former of all things; and [Ifrael is] the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts [is] his 20 name. Thou Cyrus [art] my battle ax [and] weapons

of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, 21 and with thee will I deftroy kingdoms; And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his 22 rider; With thee alfo will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young 23 man and the maid; I will alfo break in pieces with thee the fhepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers. 24 And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabi

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tants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your fight, faith the LORD; ye shall fee my 25 vengeance upon them. Behold, I [am] against thee, Ŏ destroying mountain, faith the LORD,' which destroyest all

Babylon is fo called on account of its high walls and towers; as a burning mountain, it caft out fire, and confumed all about it.

all the earth and I will ftretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain; it shall be put out, and 26 nothing remain but a heap of afbes and cinders. And

they shall not take of thee a ftone for a corner, nor a ftone for foundations; but thou fhalt be defolate for 27 ever, faith the LORD. Set ye up a ftandard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Afhchenaz; appoint a captain against her, under the government of the Medes; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers. 28 Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, 29 and all the land of his dominion. And the land shall tremble and forrow: for every purpose of the LORD fhall be performed against Babylon, to make the land 30 of Babylon a defolation without an inhabitant. The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in [their] holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned 31 her dwelling places; her bars are broken. One post fhall run to meet another, and one meffenger to meet another, to show the king of Babylon that his city is 32 taken at [one] end," And that the paffages are ftopped, by turning the course of the river, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are af 33 frighted. For thus faith the LORD of hosts, the God of Ifrael; The daughter of Babylon [is] like a threshing floor, [it is] time to thresh her: yet a little while, 34 and the time of her harveft fhall come. Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty veffel, he hath fwallowed

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This was fulfilled in Cyrus's order, that not a Chaldean should fhow his head on pain of death, while he went round the city after it was taken.

"Confidering the vast extent of the city, and that the palace was in the middle, it must be a long time before they knew that the enemy had gained entrance. Antient writers fay it was three days before the whole city was acquainted with it.

fwallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath caft me out; he hath fwallowed the Jews whole, as ferpents do their, prey, and 35 Should throw them up again. The violence done to me and to my flesh, [be] upon Babylon, fhall the inhabitant of Zion fay; and my blood upon the inhabitants. 36 of Chaldea, fhall Jerufalem fay. Therefore thus faith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy caufe, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her fea, and 37 make her fprings dry. And Babylon fhall become heaps, a dwelling place for dragons, an aftonishment, 38 and an hiffing, without an inhabitant. They fhall roar

together like lions: they fhall yell as lions' whelps. 39 In their heat I will make their feafts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and fleep a perpetual fleep, and not wake, faith the LORD; their city Shall be taken at a great festival, when most of them are drunk and asleep; and while they are engaged in their drunken revels, I will prepare a different cup, a final opiate for 40 them. I will bring them down like lambs to the flaugh 41 ter, like rams with he goats. How is Shefhach taken!

and how is the praife of the whole earth furprized! how is Babylon become an aftonishment among the 42 nations! The fea is come up upon Babylon: the is

covered with the multitude of the waves thereof; vast 43 armies are often compared to waters. Her cities are a defolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth [any] fon of man pafs 44 thereby. And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and 1 will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath fwallowed up; the veffels and facred treasures of the Jews and the nations fhall not flow together any more unto him, to present their offerings; yea, the wall of 45 Babylon shall fall. My people, go ye out of the midft

of her, and deliver ye every man his foul from the 46 fierce anger of the LORD. And left your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumour that fhall be heard in the land; a rumour fhall both come [one] year, and after that in [another] year [fhall come] a rumour, and violence in

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