administration, and the esteem in which he was held by the people,

19 But thou art caft out of thy grave, like an abominable branch and as the raiment of those that are flain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the ftones of the pit, as a carcass trodden under feet.

The corpfe of the king of Babylon was not to be treated, after he should be cut off by a violent death, in a respectful manner, as the bodies of other princes. His dead carcafs was to be thrown out with ignominy and contempt, along with the bodies of those who were flain, and was not to be buried in the fepulchres of his fathers. It was to be confidered as an object of deteftation, and caft out as an abominable branch, cut off from a noxious or ufelefs tree, which, being good for nothing, is neglected and defpifed by every body, and left to lie and rot where it fell.And as the raiment of thofe that are flain, &c. which, being cut by the fword, or other deadly weapons, and covered with blood, are caft down into the pit, along with the dead bodies which they clothed.As a carcass trodden under feet; that is, defpifed and trampled upon in the day of battle, having no other burial given it than the corpfe of a common foldier that is thrown into a pit, which hath been made to receive the bodies of the flain. Inftead of a fepulchral monument being erected to perpetuate his memory, his dead body was to be treated with the greatest neglect and contempt.

20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou haft deftroyed thy land, and flain thy people the feed of evil-doers fhall never be renowned.

VOL. II.

I

Intolerable

Intolerable pride and oppreffion, luxury and debauchery, and the cruel treatment of thofe whom he governed and conquered in war, procured to this haughty prince the juft fentence here pronounced, and brought upon him and his kingdom certain deftruction.The feed -The feed of evil-doers shall never be renowned. Though to this maxim there may be fome exceptions, yet it holds true in general, and was remarkably verified in the king of Babylon, to whom our prophet particularly refers. To difplay the divine fovereignty and goodnefs, and to accomplish other valuable purposes, the wifdom of God is pleafed, in fome inftances, to deviate from the general laws by which his administration is conducted. Notwithstanding, the aphorifm before us contains a certain and important truth. The Hebrew words may be rendered, the feed of evil-doers fhall not be called for ever. Suppose the pofterity of the wicked may have a name for a while, and feem to be established in the view of men, their renown fhall not always continue; ere long their reputation and glory fhall be buried in oblivion. Mifery is the portion of the wicked; it is the heritage of the children of difobedience, the wages of the workers of iniquity. Though the offspring of evil-doers may fometimes flourish for a little, their beauty fhall foon fade away, their increase fhall go into captivity, their pomp fhall be brought down, and all their glory fhall perish. Their doom is irreversibly decreed; and who can tell when the fentence fhall be executed, and how foon the judgment written may take hold of them? A dark cloud hangs over them, which may burft upon their defenceless heads ere ever they are aware. The feed of the wicked (faith the royal poet) fhall be cut off*.' The kings of Babylon, who were the feed of evil-doers, were not to be renowned, or called for

ever.

* Pfal. xxxvii. 28.

21 Prepare

21 Prepare flaughter for his children, for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rife, nor poffefs the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.

In these words, the Medes and Perfians, who were to be the executioners of divine vengeance upon Babylon, are called upon, to make ready to cut off the whole royal family, which was to be destroyed root and branch. According to the irreversible conftitution of the fupreme Governor of the univerfe, he vifiteth the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, when they approve and imitate the wickedness of their parents, to the third and fourth generation of them that hate him. In some instances, as in the one before us, he prepares flaughter and death for the children. By fuch difpenfations of providence, the Almighty demonftrates, in the most convincing manner, that fin is exceeding odious in his fight, that he is highly displeased with tranfgreffors, and that he neglects no means whereby they may be deterred from it. The defign of publishing this order was, That they do not rife, nor poffefs the land, &c.: that there may be no fucceffion to rife up, and govern the extenfive kingdom of Babylon, in the room of their anceftors.Nor fill the face of the world with cities, built by cruelty and oppreffion, to fupport a tyrannical government, to keep furrounding nations in awe, ⚫and to perpetuate their own glory and renown..

22 For I will rife up against them, faith the LORD of hofts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and fon and nephew, faith the LORD.

According to this prediction, the whole royal family of Babylon fhould become extinct, and their kindred fo extirpated from the earth, that none were to be left.--Parents may be faid to live in their

children,

children, who commonly refemble them, and perpetuate their names in the world. The fcriptures therefore represent the death and destruction of children as an awful judgment; and in this light it must be confidered in the prophecy before us. When perfons are deprived of their own offspring, who are their nearest heirs, their inheritances often devolve to nephews, or fome diftant relation. These connections were likewise to be cut off from the Babylonian mo. narch, and the whole race of his fucceffors were to perish. To give certainty and flability to this furpris ing event, these emphatical words are added, Thus faith the Lord of hofts, who hath all the armies of heaven and earth at his command, and all human affairs under his direction, and never wants inftruments to execute the purposes which he hath formed.In what elegant variety of language is this prophecy delivered. In fcripture, expreffion is often fubjoined to expreffion, and words of fimilar import are multiplied, more fully to reprefent the fiercenefs of God's anger, the awfulness of his judgments, the greatnefs of his mercies, the fins of his people, and to amplify the fubject, whatever it is. Of this furprising variety we see a remarkable inftance in this prophecy, which foretels the deftruction of Babylon, as well as in many other paffages of the word of God.As the prophet foretold, fo it came to pafs; the race of the kings of Babylon ended with Belshazzar, who was vanquished by the Medes and Perfians, under the conduct of the renowned Cyrus, king of Perfia.

23 I will also make it a poffeffion for the bittern, and pools of water and I will fweep it with the befom of deftruction, faith the LORD of hofts.

* See Zeph. iii. 2. Job iii. 13. et feq.

The

The total overthrow of the great city Babylon is predicted in this verfe.The bittern is a bird nearly as big as the common heron: it lurks among the reeds and rushes, in marshy places: it hath a doleful cry; and, when it foars aloft into the air, it is faid to make a hideous noife. This highly celebrated city was to be fo defolated, that it fhould become a proper habita tion for this lonely bird.And pools of water. The city flood in a plain, and occupied the low grounds, through which flowed the river Euphrates, which, for the fake of commerce, and watering the adjacent country, was divided into feveral ftreams. The course of the river being interrupted by the ruins of this large city, the water would stagnate, and be formed into pools. And I will fweep it with the befom of deftruction. This expreffion is metaphorical; and refers to the practice of cleaning a house with the befom, which takes away whatever is filthy or useless, that it may be thrown out to the dunghil. Deftruction is fignificantly compared to a befom, with which Babylon was to be swept, and deprived of her towers and walls, her houses and streets, her inhabitants, with all the provisions and riches that the poffeffed.To give certainty to this great event, and the strongest affurance of its accomplishment, these folemn words are again added, Saith the Lord of hofts, who, by the execution of this awful judgment, would difplay his majefty, power, and righteoufnels.- -This prediction hath been fo remarkably verified, that the place where this wonder of the world once ftood, cannot be certainly ascertained. How aftonifhing, that fo great and well-fortified a city, in which were fuch immensely strong and extenfive buildings, fhould have been fo entirely demolished, that the remains cannot be known. Perfons and £milies, cities and empires, are fubverted according to the purpose of the Lord of hofts. No crown fo fecure, no family fo established, but he can easily remove them: no kingdom fo powerful, but he can fhake to its foundation:

no