placed their confidence in the living God. To excite terror in the wicked and profane, he denounces awful threatenings of the most direful calamities whereby the kingdom of Ephraim was to be overthrown. To cherish in the fervants of the Most High the lively expectation of the bleffings of divine grace, in the moft perilous condition of the church, he explicitly declares, that they were to be plentifully enjoyed in the last days.-This elegant prophetic difcourfe may be diftributed into two parts, in the first of which, now to be confidered, the Prophet expofes the egregious folly of the Hraelites, in requesting the aflistance of that nation who, in former times, had inflaved and oppreffed their fathers. For this purpose he contrafts the wifdom and power of Jehovah, with the wisdom and power of the Egyptians; he exhibits an illuftrious inftance of the divine protection to be afforded to the citizens of Jerufalem, when befieged by the Affyrians; and, having invited them to return to God, he foretels the total deftruction of the formidable enemies of Judah.

W

CHAP. XXXI.

to them that go down to Egypt for help, and stay on horses, and truft in chariots, because they are many; and in horfe men, because they are very strong: but they look not unto the Holy One of Ifrael, neither feek the LORD.

Our Prophet introduces the fubject which he was to treat, by denouncing against the perfons whofe conduct he reprobates, thofe complicated calamities that demonftrate the difpleasure of the Almighty against perverfe tranfgreffors, thofe terrible judgments

which they incur who put their truft in man in whom there is no help. The odious crime whereby the Ephraimites became expofed to the awful punishment threatened against them, is defcribed nearly in the fame terms with those employed in the preceding chapter. Diftrufting the Lord God, who in times paft had been their defence and deliverer, and placing foolish confidence in the power of Egypt; they folicited from thence affiftance in the present critical fituation of public affairs. Though they well knew, or might have known, that a horfe is a vain thing for fafety, neither fhall he deliver any by his great ftrength; yet they viewed the military force, the cavalry and chariots of war they expected from Egypt, as their stay in the season of impending danger. Put not truft in men of low • degree who are vanity, nor in men of high degree 'who are a lie.' If you confide in human aid, you fhall certainly be deceived or disappointed; you fhall be ashamed or vexed; you fhall feel the effect of the curfe connected with fuch impious conduct. We may apply to men for help, but we must take heed that we truft not in creatures whofe breath is in their noftrils. The fin here threatened was highly aggravated by the following circumstance:

But they look not unto the Holy One of Ifrael, &c. Infenfible to their own infufficiency and indigence, they did not furvey, in the exercise of believing contemplation, the perfections, the promises, and providence of God; nor did they recollect, with fuitable difpofitions of mind, the intimate relations in which they stood connected with him whom they ought to have honoured and fanctified.- -Neither did they feek the Lord; they requested not with earneftnefs his direction, affiftance, and protection, his favour and fupport. Indifferent to the important benefits which they ought to have been folicitous to obtain, they did not ask them from God with faith and fervency, with integrity and uprightnefs, with humble dependence, perfevering continuance,

and

and lively hope of fuccefs.-Would you, my brethren, efcape the miferies denounced in this verse; truft not in the creature, which is only as a bowing wall, and a tottering fence; reprefs that confidence which might withdraw your hearts from God, and terminate in your difgrace and ruin. If you lean on the creatures as a ftaff, they will pierce your hand like a broken reed; if you take shelter in them as in a rock, they may fall upon you and prove your deftruction. He that trufteth in vanity, vanity fhall be his recompenfe. In every difficulty and danger, have recourse to God for fupport and deliverance, whofe fecret powerful operation moves the hearts, the tongues, and hands of men. Better it is to ⚫ truft in God than to put confidence in man,' who may be unable or unwilling to help, or be cut oft before he can convey to us any fubitantial relief.

2 Yet he also is wife, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words; but will arife against the house of the evil doers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.

In this verfe, fharp reproof is administered to those who, depending on human aid, neglect to acknowledge God. To convince them of their folly and prefumption, they are inftructed, that the wifdom, the power, and faithfulnefs of Jehovah, being infinitely superior to the excellencies poffeffed by people of the greatest celebrity, render him the most proper object of confidence. The Egyptians were anciently confidered by neighbouring nations as a wife, political, and powerful people; they were long held in high eftimation, on account of their learning and acquaintance with many ufeful arts and fciences. Admitting that they juftly deserved this refpectable character, yet it ought to be remembered, that he who giveth wifdom, muft himself be wife, he who teacheth man knowledge, fhall not he ⚫ know?' He is the only wife God, whofe wisdom

and

and understanding are infinite. If men are reckon→ ed wife who poffefs extenfive acquaintance with im portant fubjects, who govern with prudence their paffions, who manage their affairs with discretion, and pursue the beft ends by the most proper means; furely the Moft High alfo is wife, from whom pro ceeds all the wifdom and fkill which is difperfed throughout the creation. Be it then, as you say, that the people from whom you afk affiftance are wife and prudent, yet you cannot deny that God alfo is wife, infinitely wifer than men, who are indebted to him for all the penetration and fagacity they poffefs. He can eafily defeat both you and those whom you call to your aid, and baffle all your best concerted schemes. He, who with confummate skill, directs the whole course of nature, the actions of all his creatures, and the events that happen throughout the universe, can never want inftruments to execute his purposes, and to fruftrate the defigns of those who contemn his direction and fupport.-Let us then acknowledge God in all our ways, not only in dubious and perplexing circumstances, and in arduous interprizes; but in the ordinary bufineffes of life. Confcious that the way of man is not in himself, that we cannot aright direct our fteps; let us afk his conduct and bleffing in all our affairs, and commit our works unto the Lord, and our thoughts fhall be established.

And will bring evil, &c. In place of the good that you expect fhall accrue from the wifdom and power of your confederates. The evil predicted is not what is called moral evil, or fin, which doth not proceed from God; but that which is known by the name of natural evil, affliction, and calamity; the proper confequence and juft punishment of tranfgreffion. Of all the diftreffes comprised in this fort of evil, Almighty God is the fovereign wife difpofer, to whese permiffion and agency they must be afcribed. Can a bird,' (faith the Prophet Amos) ' fall ' into a fnare upon the earth, where no gin is laid for him? It must be planted for that purpose by

a

a skilful hand. He again inquires, as the proper application and inference to be deduced from this figure, Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord

hath not done it *? Affliction doth not spring out of the ground, like thofe herbs and plants which grow without labour and cultivation; it is not cafual, nor doth it come by accident. It proceeds from the all-wife righteous appointment of the fupreme Lord of all; it is difpenfed by infinite wifdom to individuals and focieties, as the fruit and punishment of fin. It is the rod whereby the Lord chaftens, the furnace in which he refines his people. From the nature of this painful, but falutary medicine, we may often collect the kind of diftemper it was intended to cure; from the threatened or inflicted evil, we may difcover the procuring cause that brought it on.

And will not call back his words. God is not a 'man that he fhould lie, neither the fon of man that he should repent; hath he said, and fhall he not 'do it? hath he spoken, and fhall he not make it good?' He will not retract what he hath faid. His word that goeth forth out of his mouth, fhall not return to him void; but it shall accomplish that which he pleases, and it fhall profper in the thing whereto he fends it ‡.' No good reafon can be afligned, why Jehovah fhould recal his words. Our natural instability, our want of forefight, our incapacity to execute our refolutions, frequently give rife to a change in our fentiments, and oblige us to alter our purposes: But God is of one mind, and none can turn him; all his works are known to him from the beginning; for him nothing is impoffible; and therefore what he hath spoken with his mouth, he will accomplish with his hand. In vain then do those who look to men for help, expect that God will alter his determined purposes, and allow them to perfift in wickedness, and pafs unpunifhed. The expreffion before us plainly intimates,

Chap. iii. 56. + Numb. xxiii. 19.

that Ifa. lv. 11.