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the Lord mighty in battle, who appointed them to be the minifters of his wrath and vengeance. -To complete the defcription, it is added, Even them that rejoice in my highnefs. Jehovah is the Moft High over all the earth, whofe fovereign dominion extendeth to all perfons, to all times, and to all places. He commands and forbids, he rewards and punishes, he exalts and depreffes, according to his pleasure. All power and highness is in God, and derived from him, and therefore ought men to rejoice. Though the people spoken of knew not the true God, who girded them for war, who went before them, and brake in pieces the gates of brafs, and the bars of iron, to give them the treasures of darknefs; yet they exulted in the undaunted fortitude with which he endowed them, and in the hazardous enterprises to which he appointed them, in the execution of which he enabled them to furmount all oppofition.

Such are the outlines of the character of that people, whom God commanded and called to execute his fierce anger, and to inflict his righteous judgments upon Babylon. By this command and call, we must not fuppofe that he excited, in the minds of the Medes and Perfians, the corrupt difpofitions of pride, revenge, and luft of power, from whence wars commonly originate, and by which contending nations are generally actuated. In perfect confiftency with the infinite purity of his divine nature, God afligned them this fervice, in the courfe of his providence: he fo over-ruled the counfels and defigns of thefe powerful kingdoms, as to accomplish the wife purposes which he had in view.--The greatest empires in the world are only the inftruments which the Almighty is pleafed to employ, in executing the plans which he hath formed. With perfect eafe, and certain fuccefs, he could fulfil all his defigns without their aid. He needeth not their help, nor doth his work depend on their affiftance; but he calls them to his fervice, to fhew that he hath use for

them,

them, that he hath command over them, and can render them fuccefsful in the moft hazardous enterprises.

4 The noife of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people: a tumultuous. noife of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts muftereth the hoft of the battle.

This verse represents the prompt obedience which fhould be given to the divine command, by the nations to whom the call of God was directed.The prophet immediately hears the tumultuous noife of the feveral kingdoms to whom the Most High had iffued his orders, affembling in vaft numbers, with the utmost expedition, to the ftandard which was to be erected for this purpose. No fooner is the fignal given, and the command delivered, than a great confufed noise is fuddenly heard, of multitudes running together, from different nations, to fight againft Babylon. They were chiefly compofed of Medes and Perfians, with many from among other nations, who united with them in this bold attempt. Their appearance was like that of a great people, convened from all quarters, forming a very numerous and formidable army, prepared to furmount every difficulty that might lie in their way. To this fhort account of the affembling of the people, the prophet fubjoins this noble fentiment:

The Lord of hofts mustercth the armies of battle. These words beautifully exprefs the majesty and dominion of Jehovah, who prefides over the armies of heaven and earth, and employs them to execute his pleasure. The hofts which he muftereth for battle, are innumerable and invincible. The armies of earthly princes are intended to protect their perfons, to defend their kingdoms from their enemies, and to affift their friends and allies. From them they derive

their importance, to them they are indebted for their safety, and by them the plans which they have formed are carried into execution. The Lord of hofts is the ftrength and defence of all the vaft armies which he employs in his fervice. There is no numbering of his hofts. Thousands of thoufands, and ten thousand times ten thousand of angels, who excel in ftrength, hearken continually to the voice of his word, and obey his commands. The fun, the moon, and the ftars of heaven, and all the creatures upon earth, from man down to the lowest infect and meanest worm, are the hosts of Jehovah. All these armies he mustereth: they are thoroughly trained and difciplined by him, who knoweth their number and their names, who hath appointed to each the particular ftation which he holds, who hath exactly marked out the order which they muft obferve, who hath affigned to them the work that they ought to perform, and given them commiffion in virtue of which they are to act. He hath abfolute power to command, and they are under indifpenfable obligations to obey, with the utmost alacrity, whatsoever he requires. This confideration, which ought to ftrike terror into the enemies of this mighty Lord, fhould revive and comfort the hearts of his people; who are taught to adopt this triumphant challenge, If God be for us, who can be against

us *.'

5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to deftroy the whole land.

The people, who were called to be the executioners of divine wrath upon Babylon, were to come from a very diftant land, which is defcribed as fituated toward the extremity of heaven. They fhould take their march from the mountains of Media, Perfia,

* Rom. viii. 31.

and

and Armenia, which, in fcripture-ftyle, lay far from Babylon, against which their expedition was intended; and from Judea, where our prophet was favoured with this vifion, and delivered this prophecy.-Nor were the people spoken of, to come by themselves alone: the LORD, who ufed them as weapons of his indignation, was to go with them, that, by the operations and difpofitions of his providence, he might render their way profperous. In executing his righteous judgments upon this ftrong city, he would employ them to deftroy the whole country that furrounded it, and to overturn the great empire of which it was the metropolis.--Cities however great, princes however powerful, fhall not efcape the indignation of God incurred by their fins. Babylon was a very great and ftrong city; and, to human view, it feemed impregnable: but it was a bloody city, full of cruelty, pride, and oppreffion; and, by its multiplied tranfgreffions, brought unavoidable deftruction upon itself, and the whole land. The overthrow of this city ought to convince us of the extreme danger of perfifting in fin, which exposes to the greatest calamities, and the abfolute neceffity of returning to God, that iniquity prove not our ruin.

6¶ Howl ye, for the day of the LORD is at hand; it fhall come as a destruction from the Almighty,

Thefe words, which feem to have been addreffed to the inhabitants of Babylon, warned them of approaching calamities. Clearly foreseeing the imminent danger to which they stood expofed, the prophet called upon them to howl, in the profpect of the terrible deftruction with which they were to be vifited, as the just punishment of their crimes. To howl, is to mourn and cry; to make a doleful noise, like the beafts of the field, when they are pinched with hunger, or fuffer extreme mifery. In allufion to this well-known

custom

custom of animals in diftrefs, the people of this great city, whofe overthrow was faft drawing on, are invited to weep and howl, as a proper expreffion of grief and forrow, in the view of that dreadful defolation which was at no great distance.--The reason is fubjoined ;

For the day of the Lord is at hand. This expreffion frequently occurs in the prophetic writings; and denotes, that the particular feafon was approaching, wherein God had determined to avenge the iniquities of a nation or people, and to punish them for their tranfgreffions. Such a period is fignificantly called a day in fcripture-language, though it comprehend hundreds of natural days, because it is the time allotted for fome important work which is then to be performed. It is emphatically ftyled the day of the Lord, in as much as he would then manifeft his righteous vengeance upon his incorrigible enemies. The gloom of wilful ignorance fhall be difpelled, the hidden mysteries of iniquity difcovered, and the perfections of God difplayed. It is therefore described as a day of darknefs, a day of vifitation, a day of evil, a day of calamity, of fierce anger, of ruin and forrow. Hence the day of final judgment, in which threatened evils fhall be affigned to the wicked as their portion, is, by way of eminence, called the day of the Lord *.--The day of the Lord, wherein he would inflict awful judgment upon the inhabitants of Babylon, is affirmed to have been at hand. Though this prophecy was probably delivered in the reign of Ahaz, about two hundred years before its accomplishment, yet, in the prophetic ftyle, the day spoken of was very near. Notwithstanding that period may appear very confiderable to human view, yet it runs on with unobferved rapidity; and, in God's fight, with whom a thousand years are as one day, this diftance is fo fmall, that it is faid to be at hand.

2 Theff. ii. 2.

Let

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