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from those who are in our power, and in acting toward them with severity and rigour. The day of the Lord is faid to be cruel, because the exercife of pity and compaffion was then to be reftrained, and the moft dreadful calamities were to be inflicted with the

greatest feverity. The Babylonians were a cruel people, who had no mercy*;' therefore the Lord, as he threatened by his fervant Jeremiah, was to fend against thein a great nation, and many kings, who were cruel, and would not thew mercy." With wrath, and fierce anger.' Wrath (faith the wife man) is cruel, and anger is outrageous.' When leffer judgments effect not the purposes intended by thein, and when they are not accompanied with a fpeedy reformation, the wrath and fierce anger of the Lord is kindled. This remark was verified to the Babylonians, concerning whom Jeremiah thus fpeaks: We would have healed them, but they are not healed-for their judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the fkies .'-To lay the land defolate; i. e. to deprive it of its inhabitants, to fpoil it of its beauty, to divest it of its riches, to ravage its cities, and to fpread general devaftation through the whole country. As the fcorching heat of the fun dries up the pools and brooks of water in the drought of fummer, fo the wrath of the Almighty was to confume the inhabitants, the riches, and all the glory of Babylon.

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And he fhall defroy the finners thereof out of it. Though all men are finners, having tranfgrefled the law, and come fhort of the glory of God, yet there are various degrees of fin, and different kinds of finEven the holiest and best of men come under this defcription, in as much as they often offend God, and do not uniformly act for the advancement of the

ners.

* Jer. vi. 23. Jer. li. 9.

Jer. 1. 41, 42.

Prov. xxvii. 4.

divine glory. There is another very numerous class of finners, who deliberately tranfgrefs the commandments of the Lord, who prefumptuoufly go on in their trefpaffes, and take pleasure in committing iniquity. There are alfo finners of a still greater magnitude, who are continually projecting and executing all manner of wickednefs, and daily employed in perpetrating the moft enormous crimes. Perfons of this laft defcription, no doubt, greatly abounded in Babylon; and were especially intended in this prediction, which declares, that they fhould be deftroyed out of it, by the awful judgments to be inflicted upon them in the day of the Lord's anger.What hath been faid of time is also true of fin, it confumeth all things. Sin hath even deftroyed thofe creatures which time could never have wafted. It divefted angels of their original dignity, and caft them down from heaven, which time alone could never have done. Sin is the caufe of all the destruction and mifery which the defolating judgments of war, famine, and peftilence, hath fpread over the face of the earth. Nay more, finners bring upon themfelves greater deftruction than can proceed from any of thefe calamities. They ruin their reputation, they wound their confcience, they deftroy their own fouls, and deprive themfelves of thofe comforts which the fword, famine, and peftilence, cannot withhold. Let us then take heed left by our trefpaffes, we expofe ourselves to fimilar judgments with thofe here threatened against the finners of Babylon.

10 For the stars of heaven, and the conftellations thereof fhall not give their light the fun fhall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon fhall not caufe her light to fhine.

By the terrible calamities threatened to be inflicted upon this great city, the inhabitants were to be deprived of their profperity and joy: instead of which,

they

they were to experience darkness, forrow, and anguifh. The profperity and felicity of ftates and kingdoms is often reprefented, in the prophecies, by images taken from the luminaries of heaven, which are reprefented, for this purpose, as fhining with increafing fplendor, and uninterrupted continuance, The overthrow and deftruction of empires and nations is also represented by oppofite images: the stars are obfcured, the moon withdraws her light, and the fun ceases to shine. This remark may affift us in understanding the import of the figurative expreffions contained in this verfe, which I now proceed to explain, and apply to the subject before us.The ftars of heaven may here denote the princes and nobles of Babylon, who made a very fplendid and brilliant appearance in the eyes of the people, the priefts, and those who with them prefided in the worfhip of their gods, whom they would confider as luminaries in their horizon. The conftellations of heaven are literally numbers of fixed ftars, which appear in the form of fome creature, by whofe name they are called; and feem here intended to fignify the counfellors and ftatefmen, whofe abilities were united in directing the affairs of that great city. By the heavens in which they were wont to give light, may be meant the whole fuperior part, civil and religious, of the nation.- -By the fun, the king of Babylon might be particularly intended, under whofe influence the kingdom enjoyed great profperity, light, and happiness.- -The moon fignificantly represents the lefs principal and fubordinate power of the ftate, which derived authority and influence from the chief ruler in the empire.

Concerning these stars and conftellations the prophet declares, that they shall not give their light. Being themselves involved in obfcurity, they fhall not be able to communicate the least ray of light and profperity to those on whom they formerly fhined with a cheering, refreshing light. The fun fhall be dark

ened

ened in bis going forth. As light is a symbol of wifdom, joy, and comfort, fo darkness, when opposed to it, fignifies perplexity, mifery, and forrow. The darknefs here afcribed to the fun, may denote the infufficiency of the fupreme power in Babylon for the exercife of government, and his inability to convey the advantages which he formerly imparted to those who were under his influence. And the moon fhall not caufe her light to fhine. The agreeable and ufeful direction afforded by the seasonable exercise of fubordinate authority, was to be with-held from thofe by whom it was enjoyed. The bright fplendor of the fun, the fainter light of the moon, and even the glimmering light of the stars, were to be extinguished in the Babylonish hemifphere. By these various images, in which the beautiful order of nature appears inverted, our prophet figuratively describes the great public calamities wherewith Babylon was to be visited. Deprived of her former privileges and profperity, by which she became confpicuous among the nations, fhe was to fink into obscurity, meannefs, and mifery, and become as contemptible as ever she had been admired.The flourishing and profperous condition of ftates and cities is altogether uncertain. By their fins they often provoke God, as did the men of Babylon, to fend upon them defolating judgments, which terminate in their deftruction, or at leaft, in many refpects, reverfe their former circumftances. Firmly convinced that fin is the reproach and the ruin of a people, let us beware of incurring the divine difpleasure, and expofing ourselves to the righteous vengeance of heaven.

11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to ceafe, and will lay low the haughtinefs of the terrible.

Thefe

These words farther defcribe the great effects which were to be produced in the day of the Lord, and explain the figurative language which our prophet had ufed in delineating this fubject.--The world, which God declares that he would punish, must be underftood in a limited fenfe, as in many other prophecies; to fignify the large portion of the inhabited earth, which was fubject to the Babylonian empire, whofe territories were very extenfive. In the fame manner, the Roman empire is called the whole world in the New Teftament. The wicked, who are here intended, are the fame with the finners threatened with deftruction in the ninth verfe. The most atrocious wickednefs, of almoft every fort, abounded among the men of Babylon, who indulged themfelves in perpetrating the most enormous crimes, as we learn from many paffages of the prophetic writings. Like other great cities, who enjoy opulence and profperity, they were remarkable for pride, luxury, and wantonnefs. Hence these words of the prophet Jeremiah, Behold, I am against thee, O most proud! faith the Lord God of hofts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee +.' Cruelty and oppreffion in treating the people of God, when reduced to their fubjection, was another evil that prevailed among them; and therefore the prophet, juft mentioned, thus exclaimed, when fpeaking of their deftruction: How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken!' In idolatry and fuperftition they exceeded moft other nations; and therefore the fame infpired writer calls their country, a land of graven images, where they were mad upon their idols |.' To this lift of crimes may be added, unbounded ambition and avarice, grofs profanity with respect to the worship and fanctuary of the true God, and the most infulting blafphemy as to his power and providence. These were fome of the evils and iniquities for which

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* Lake ii. 1. + Jer. 1. 31. Jer. 1. 23. Jer. 1. 38.

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