the accomplishment of the above prophecy, yet its fulfilment cannot reasonably be doubted. If the event had not exactly happened as foretold, we muft fuppofe that the prophecy would not have been recorded; and now that it is preferved among the true and faithful fayings of God, it fupplies the place of the hiftory of the people of whom it treats. In the review of thefe predictions concerning Ara bia, we may adopt the words of the prophet Habakkuk, when, being informed that God would execute righteous vengeance upon the incorrigible Jews by means of the Chaldeans, and surprised at the affecting intimation which was given him of this event, he thus exclaimed: Thou art of purer eyes than to be⚫ hold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookeft thou upon them that deal treacherously, and ⚫ holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth those that are more righteous than he? and makeft men as the fishes of the fea, as the creeping things that have no ruler over them? Among the animal tribes, who are deftitute of understanding, and not ruled by the laws of equity, the ftronger devour the weaker; but men, who are endowed with reason, and who ought to be governed by the laws of righteoufnefs, fhould never act in this cruel and tyrannical manner. Notwithstanding, how often do men, in direct contrariety to all the rights of humanity, trample upon the weak, and destroy those who, among their brethren, are unable to refift their fuperior power? Acting in this manner, they become as the fishes of the fea, and the creeping things of the earth. The archers, and the mighty men of Kedar, were diminifhed by the Affyrians, not because they had any right to deftroy them, but because they were more powerful, and their overthrow tended to facilitate the avaricious defigns of conqueft formed by that growing empire. By them God chastized the Heathen, *Hab. i. 13, 14. whilst, whilft, according to the law of retaliation, they, in their turn, when the measure of their iniquities was filled up, were recompenfed for all the oppreffion, rapacity, and cruelty, of which they had been guilty. I conclude with the words of the prophet I juft quoted: ' O Lord, thou haft ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou haft established them for * correction *.' Hab. i. 12. VOL. II. Hh PRELIMI PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. THE HE feventh difcourfe, contained in the second part of these prophecies, relates to the future calamities of Jerusalem, and the disgrace of Shebna, treasurer to king Hezekiah. The rulers and people of Jerufalem, being at this time delivered from difquieting fears, and living in ease and luxury, our prophet admonishes them of the approach of those dreadful calamities which were to overwhelm them with confternation and terror. He threatens the impenitent contemners of the divine predictions; particularly Shebna, who was invefted with great authority at court, notwithstanding he was ill-affected to religion, against whom he denounces the tremendous judgments of God, affuring him, that a person of an oppofite character fhould foon be elevated to his office. Whilft he was inveighing against the neighbouring nations, and foretelling their future fortunes, he obferved the baseft vices prevailing among the Jewish nation, especially among the inhabitants of the metropolis; he was therefore directed by the Holy Spirit, fharply to reprove and threaten them with impending judgments, to be executed upon them by their enemies. In performing this important fervice, the prophet delineates the great diftrefs and perturbation in which the people of Judea were to be involved, on account of the invafion of their country, under the reign of Zedekiah, ver. 1.-5. He reprefents the enemy invading the land of Judah, and occupying great part of it, which was the latter and moft grievous part of the calamity they then sustained, ver. 6.-11. He then defcribes the vices and crimes of the people, particularly their impenitence and carnal fecurity, whereby they provoked God to teftify his displeasure against them, ver. 12, 13, 14. After which, he foretels the fall of Shebna, who was to be turned out of his office, and driven from his native country into a foreign land, where where he was to die, and to have a mean burial, as a just punishment of his intolerable pride and haughtinefs, ver. 15.-19. The difcourfe concludes, by reprefenting the elevation of Eliakim to the office of Shebna, and the honour he was to enjoy in his high ftation, ver. 20.-25. TH CHAP. XXII. 'HE burden of the valley of vifion. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the house-tops? The first part of the verse contains the title, or infcription, of this prophetic difcourfe. It relates to the valley of vifion, by which was doubtlefs intended the city Jerufalem, the metropolis of the kingdom of Judah. This feems to be certain, from what is written in ver. 4. 8, 9, and 10. where feveral characters peculiar to that renowned city are mentioned, and it is fpoken of in unequivocal terms. According to Jofephus, Jerufalem was built upon two opposite mountains, Sion and Acra, which were separated by a deep valley which lay between them. In this valley stood great part of the principal buildings belonging to the city; and among others, the fchools of the prophets, where divine revelations were communicated and explained to the people. Zechariah therefore, when prophefying in the name of the Lord, calls it, The valley of my mountains +. The name of this highly favoured city being interpreted, fignifies, A 'vifion of peace. There the prophets were honoured with vifions of the Almighty, and with those revelations which they communicated to the people, and Bell. Jud. lib. vi. cap..vi. Zech. xiv. 5.. committed committed to writing, for the benefit of the world and the church in all ages. It was the place where the prophets of the Lord chiefly refided; who were alfo called Seers, on account of the vifions which were exhibited from heaven to their view. Of this city our blessed Saviour affirmed, that it could not happen that a prophet perish out of Jerufalem*. The vifions which they contemplated, were visions of peace, not defigned to intimidate or terrify, but to give intimation of the divine favour and good-will, and to convey useful inftruction to the people to whom they were reported.This beautiful city was fuppofed to be fituated in the midst of the earth t, in latitude 31 or 32, and longitude 69, having Africa on the fouth, Scythia, Armenia, and Pontus on the North, Afia on the east, and Europe on the weft. It ftood partly in the inheritance of Judah, and partly in that of Benjamin: the line dividing the portion of these two tribes paffed through the court of the temple, and the spot whereon the altar was built. The grandeur and populousness of this royal city may, in fome meafure, be collected from the large extent of the palace, and the buildings connected with it, in which were lodged continually twenty-four thousand of the king's life-guards t. Its riches and opulence were immenfe in the days of David and Solomon; for David declared in his trouble, he had prepared for building the temple with which it was adorned, an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of filver, befides precious ftones and other metals . To which must be added, three thoufand talents of the gold of Ophir, and feven thousand talents of refined filver, that he granted out of his own proper good §. These fums have been computed to amount to four thousand one hundred and seventeen millions fterling, reckoning by the talent of the fanc * Luke xiii. 33. Į! 1 Chron. xxii. 14. 1 Chron. xxvii. 1. + Pfal. Ixxiv. 12. tuary, |