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able to ward off the blow, or to prevent it from being given. The great Difpofer of all events clearly dif cerns all human connections, confequences, and defigns, fo that his purpose cannot be defeated, nor his providence counteracted.—We have now finished a curfory view of the awful threatenings denounced against Babylon, and confidered the infallible certainty of the predictions relating to that great city, the metropolis of Affyria, which are here folemnly confirmed. However improbable the foretold events might appear to many in the days of Isaiah, time hath fully verified the prophecy. Having contemplated the total overthrow of the literal Babylon, which was a figure of the deftruction of mystical Babylon, comprehending the numerous fociety of wicked and worldly men, who, under the prince of darkness, indulge in all manner of tranfgreffion, and act as the avowed enemies of God's people; let us look forward, with faith and hope, to the happy period, when it fhall be proclaimed concerning this adverfe power, • Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and fhall no

more arife.'

PRELIMI

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.

WE

E are now arrived at the fecond prophetical discourse, contained in the fecond part of these prophecies, which relates to the future fortunes of the Philistines, a people frequently mentioned in facred history. They were the pofterity of Ham, one of the fons of Noah. The country which they inhabited was called Philiftia, or Palestina, and was fituated to the weftward of Judea, toward the fea. They poffeffed five principal cities, whofe names were Afhdod, Gaza, Afkelon, Gath, and Ekron*, each of which was governed by a lord or prince f. Dagon was the chief idol whom they served, and to others they profeffed to do homage: they neither acknowleged, nor worshipped the God of Ifrael. Being a martial people, they were perhaps the greatest enemies of the posterity of Jacob, against whom they entertained an inveterate enmity, and with whom they were often at war. For a long period of time, many battles were fought between Ifrael and the Philiftines, which terminated with various fuccefs, as God, in his providence, interpofed, either to chaften his people, by their means, for their fins, or, in righteoufnefs, to punish their enemies for their wickednefs. The Philiftines, on the one fide, often vanquished and diftreffed the Ifraelites. In the days of the Judges, when the children of Ifrael forfook the Lord, and ferved him not, the anger of the Lord waxed hot against them, and he fold them into the hands of the Philiftines, who vexed and oppreffed them eighteen years. Not long after, for the fame reason, he delivered them into their hands for forty years. In the time of Samuel the prophet, they fmote the Ifraelites with a very great flaughter; for there fell of Ifrael thirty thousand men, and the ark of God was taken . In

*See 1 Sam. vi. 17. † See Josh. xiii. 3. ‡ Judges x. 7, 8. 1 Sam. iv. 10.

another

another battle, after Saul afcended the throne of Ifrael, they flew that prince, with his three fons; the Ifraelites fled, and the Philiftines came and dwelt in their cities. The Ifraelites, on the other fide, frequently conquered and fubdued the Philiftines. Samfon diftreffed them greatly; and, with his own hand, flew prodigious numbers of them t. While Samuel judged Ifrael, they fuftained fome confiderable loffes. They were, in a fpecial manner, feverely handled by David, the king of Ifrael, who, with his own hand, flew their champion, and repeatedly obtained fignal victories over them t. Uzziah, long after, demolished the walls of their strong cities, and built towns among the Philistines. Thefe continual wars rankled the minds of both nations, and confirmed the implacable hatred which fubfifted between Ifrael and the Philiftines from generation to generation.

In the verses now to be confidered, our prophet, in the name of God, denounces against the Philistines the diftreffing calamities whereby they were afflicted, first by Hezekiah, and afterward by the king of Affyria. Having diffuaded them from foolish joy, and vain glory, which, in a short time, was to be exchanged for forrow and lamentation, he affures the pious, diftreffed Jews, that they fhould enjoy tranquillity and fecurity, under divine protection, in the midft of the extreme danger to which they were to be exposed. In this manner God was pleafed, by a new argument, to confirm the faith of his people in his providential government, who difpofes of the fate of nations, and takes a friendly care of his people in every condition.

* 1 Sam. xxxi. I

† Judges xiv. 15, 16.

2 Sam. v. 8, &c.

CHAP.

IN

CHAP. XIV. VER. 28.

N the year that king Ahaz died, was this burden.

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Thefe words fhew us the date of this prophecy. In the year that king Uzziah, the grandfather of Ahaz, died, our prophet was favoured with the vision which he describes in chap. vi. And now, in the year wherein Ahaz departed this life, he received from God the prophecy recorded in the following verses. The Holy Spirit often interpofes, in critical, remarkable feasons, to inftruct and comfort his fervants under great changes in public affairs, whether for the better or the worse. Ahaz was an unhappy, wicked prince, whofe reign had been unfriendly to the worfhip and fervice of the true God, and who, by his tranfgreffions, brought many evils upon himself and his people. He died in the midft of his days, when he was only thirty-fix years of age, leaving his throne and kingdom to his fon, who, in every respect, greatly excelled his father.

29 Rejoice not thou whole Paleftina, because the rod of him that fmote thee is broken: for out of the ferpent's root fhall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit fhall be a fiery flying ferpent.

The Philistines, to whom our prophet directs his difcourfe, are forbidden to triumph, on account of the profperity which they had of late enjoyed, and the death of the king of Judah, and that for a most important reafon. The Philiftines inhabited the land of Palestina, which lay toward the Mediterranean fea, to the weft of Judea, between the wilderness on the fouth, and Tyre on the north. It was divided into certain districts, over which prefided the lords of the Philiftines

Philistines. The prophet addreffes, not merely one divifion of the country, but the whole inhabitants of the land, and calls upon them, not to rejoice on this occafion. They had probably been greatly overjoyed at the death of fome of the former kings of Judah, with whom they had been at variance; and now that their affairs wore an agreeable afpect, they were ready to exult at the death of a hoftile prince. This meffage was fent to correct this levity and vanity, which, for reasons that were both important and interesting, appeared unjustifiable and unbecoming.- -Becaufe the rod of him that smote thee is broken. Uzziah, king of Judah, feems to have been the perfon here intend ed, who fmote the Philistines. I already obferved, that he deftroyed fome of their fortifications; and that he went fo far, in consequence of his having fmitten them, as to build cities within their territories. The Philistines must have been greatly reduced, and feverely fmitten, before they fubmitted to these encroachments. If Uzziah, as feems probable, was the person who smote the land of Palestina, Ahaz, his grandfon, who fprung from his ftem and root, must have been the rod, which was now braken by death. The fceptre of Judah, the rod of royal authority, which he had held for a confiderable time, was the inftrument whereby he had been enabled to beat the Philistines. Rejoice not thou whole Palestina, as thou exultedft and triumphedft at the death of Uzziah, by whom thou waft greatly afflicted, as if thou hadft nothing to fear from the kings of Judah. Though thou haft enjoyed for fome time peace and fecurity, whilst Ahaz fat upon the throne, be admonished to be very temperate in your mirth, as your affairs will foon take a different, and a very unfavourable turn.

For out of the ferpent's root fhall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit fhall be a fiery flying ferpent. These words, which fuggeft the reaion upon which the foregoing advice is founded, muft be understood, not in their literal, but in their figurative fignification.

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