verified in every age: They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him; and • faved him out of all his troubles. This remark, thus exemplified, fuggefts ftrong encouragement to us in all our afflictions, to have recourse to God for cure and deliverance.--Thefe predictions which were delivered concerning Egypt, ought to be verified in us, my brethren, who profefs to have folemnly de voted ourselves to the Lord of hofts, and to have fworn allegiance to him as our Lord and Mafter, We ought to speak the language peculiar to his people, and to maintain a conversation becoming the gofpel and our holy profeffion. Acknowledging that Jefus Chrift is the altar that fanctifieth every gift, we ought to present through him, thofe fpiritual facri fices of prayer, of praise, and doing good, which are well-pleafing unto God. Impreffed with a fenfe of his diftinguishing goodness, and the memorable deliverances that he hath wrought for us, we ought to raise grateful monuments to his mercy, which may witness our firm attachment to his fervice. In all our diftreffes, let us cry unto the Lord, in the humble hope that he will fend us feasonable deliverance, by the mighty Saviour whom he hath raised up. As the Lord hath made himfelf known to us by his word, let us thankfully receive and improve the light he affords us, by vowing perpetual obedience to him, and by daily performing thefe vows in the prefence of all his people. When he fmiteth us, convinced that he alone can heal, let us return to him, humbly imploring his mercy, in the pleafing expectation that he will heal us, as he did the Egyptians.

23¶ In that day fhall there be a high-way out of Egypt to Affyria, and the Affyrian fhall come

* Pfal. xxxiv. 5, 6.

into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Affyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Affyrians.

The joyful confequences which were to refult from the accomplishment of the foregoing predicted events, are represented in this and the two following verses. The effects are truly wonderful, far furpaffing all human expectation.In that day: at the time, or foon after the above prophecy was to receive its fulfilment.Shall there be a high-way, &c. A plain, pub. lic, and much-frequented way of communication fhould be opened between Egypt and Affyria, whereby an intimate correfpondence would be carried on between these two kingdoms, which were formerly at variance with each other. Laying afide their enmity, and hostile designs, the most entire concord, and the most intimate intercourse, was to fubfift between these two nations, which would be cultivated, on both fides, with great affiduity and fuccefs.--And the Egyptians fhall ferve with the Affyrians, the one great Lord of all, who is rich in mercy to all that call upon him, and accepteth, in every nation, him that feareth God, and worketh righteousness. With one confent, they were to cry unto him, to do facrifice, to offer oblation, to vow unto him, and to perform their vows, and to pay him the facred homage which he justly requireth.

24 In that day fhall Ifrael be the third with Egypt, and with Affyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land.

Egypt and Affyria, by uniting with Ifrael, were to derive a bleffing upon the new connection which they had formed. Their connection with the people of God was to prove a remarkable benefit; for the bleffing which God had commanded upon Ifrael, who inhabited the midst of the land or the earth, was to be by them tranfmitted to other nations, according to

the

the promise which God made to their father Abraham, recorded Gen. xii. 2. I will make of thee a

great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thee a bleffing.' The pofterity of that great patriarch were honoured to be the inftruments of communicating the divine bleffing to Egypt and Affyria, whilst they exhibited to them a ftriking inftance of its powerful influence. The bleffing of Abraham, which was to come upon the Gentiles through Jefus Chrift, confifts in refloration to the divine favour, in the participation of divine grace, with the hope of eternal life. In the enjoyment of these high privileges, the true felicity of man confifts; and, deftitute of them, in the judgment of God and his faints, we are lying under the curfe, and excluded from the number of the bleffed. To this bleffedness the kingdoms here mentioned were to be called, and Ifrael was to be the medium through which it should be conveyed; and, with Ifrael, they were to rejoice in the poffeffion of the glorious prerogatives accompanying the service of God. As from among that people the great promifed Meffiah was to arife, in whom all nations were to be bleffed, from whom all the bleffings of grace were to proceed, and by whom the gospel was to be preached, which publishes the most precious bleffings, and is the instituted means whereby they are attained-on these and other accounts, our prophet foretels, that Ifrael shall be a bleffing in the midst of the earth.

25 Whom the LORD of hosts fhall bless, saying, Bleffed be Egypt my people, and Affyria the work of my hands, and Ifrael mine inheritance.

These words contain the folemn benediction which the almighty God pronounced upon the three kingdoms here mentioned. In the prophecy relative to Egypt that we have now been confidering, the august title of the Lord of hofts is ufed no lefs than eight

times, a circumftance which deferves to be remarked. He who foretold these very extraordinary events, and who will abundantly blefs his church, gathered from among different nations, is the Lord of hofts, for whom nothing is impoffible, who will certainly fulfil all his promifes and predictions.-Bleffing is a word which, though often ufed, is little underftood, and lefs attended to by too many. Men blefs God, when they exprefs the pleasure which they feel in the contemplation of his glorious all-fufficiency, and the gratitude that arises from the view of his inestimable benefits. Men bless one another, when, to express their tender affection for those whom they love, and to fhew that they would make them happy were it in their power, they earnestly requeft that God would blefs them. But when the Lord of hofts fhall blefs, as an evidence of his excellent loving-kindnefs, he doth not pronounce empty words, or ineffectual wifhes, but communicates real permanent bleffedness to those who are the objects of his favour. When he bleffed the Father of the faithful, he rendered him as happy as a man can be in this prefent life. He conferred upon him the gift of faith; and that faith he accounted to him for righteousness, of which he gavė him both the fign and the feal. He gave him great riches, and children; and promised that his pofterity, who were to be multiplied as the ftars of heaven, fhould be heirs of the world: and being not ashamed to be called his God, he prepared for him a city, to which the patriarch looked forward with hope and joy. From hence it is eafy to learn, what is included in being bleffed by the Lord of hofts, and what that bleffing is which cometh upon the Gentiles.

Saying, Bleffed be Egypt my people, whom I have delivered from the hands of their enemies, admitted into covenant with me, and the enjoyment of the glorious prerogatives connected with this relation. My people, who, thoroughly convinced that they are my rightful property, have voluntarily furrendered themselves to VOL. II.

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my

my fervice, and confecrated themselves to my honour and glory, that they may fhew forth my praises. The Egyptians were to be the people of the Lord of hofts, not merely by external profeffion, whereby they enjoyed many outward privileges, but by a hearty furrender and refignation of all their concerns to his di rection and disposal, who, by a day of his power, fubdued the obstinacy and perverfity of their hearts, and made them his willing people. Befought by the mercies of God, as intimated in the foregoing verfes, they presented their bodies a living facrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which was their reasonable fervice. They yielded themselves unto the Lord, and their members as inftruments of righteousness unto God; and this facrifice, or oblation, was to be fanctified by the Holy Ghoft, that it might be acceptable. They were to gather themselves together, and to refort to the great Meffiah, that they might fubje&t themselves to him as their common head, enter into covenant with him, wait upon his law, and serve him with a perfect heart and willing mind. In this manner they were to demonftrate the truth and fincerity of their profeffed fubjection and obedience to the Lord of hofts, and their entire devotednefs to him and his fervice. The people in Egypt, who were to be of this description, are pronounced bleffed by the most high God; and, therefore, they must have been bleffed indeed.

And Affyria the work of my hands. All the people of the earth are the work of God's hands: he made them, and not they themselves. For this reason, common to mankind in general, who are all the creatures and workmanship of God, I apprehend, the Affyrians are not called the work of God's hands in this benediction; but this character is given to them on another and more peculiar account. In the expreffion, there seems to be an obvious reference to the work of God's grace, whereby he createth his people in Christ Jefus unto good works, and forms them after