13. Even against all the cedars of Lebanon, And against all the oaks of Bashan: ' 14. And against all the high mountains, And against all the exalted eminences: 15. And against every high raised tower, And against every fortified wall:

16. And against all the ships of Tarshish,

And against all the pleasing works of art:'

17. And it hath bowed down the high things of men,
And the pride of mortals hath it laid low;

And Jehovah alone is exalted in that day,
And the idols he shall utterly abolish.

We may say of this remarkable passage, that it only corroborates what we have before read in the oracles of former eras, as to what would be the effect of the coming of "the day of Christ" upon the world, in its existing state. That a complete revolution would be produced; that the great, the noble, the prosperous sinner, surrounded as he might be with all the inventions of arts, and with all the elegant and boasted luxuries of life, must perish condemned for sin and irreligion; while a poor and despised people should be seen to be exalted by him who "cometh in his kingdom."

19. And they shall go into the crevices of the rocks, And into the caverns of the earth,

From the terrible presence of Jehovah,
And from the glory of his majesty,
When he ariseth to shake the earth.

20. In that day shall a man cast away

His idols of silver, and his idols of gold,
Which they made for them to worship,
To the moles, and to the bats;

21. When they go into the caves of the rocks,
And into the clefts of the craggy hills,
From the terrible presence of Jehovah,
And from the splendour of his majesty,
When he ariseth to shake the earth.

From this awful description it appears, as, indeed, has been several times intimated before, that idolatry, in the visible church of Christ, will be a crime persisted in to the last. We remark, moreover, that the appearance of the Divine Majesty is rendered visible, on this occasion, to the nations that are judged. But we have had reason to conclude before, that idolatry is not the crime of the natural Israel, at the time of the second advent: this prophecy must, therefore, respect the adoptive Israel - those nations to whom "the kingdom of God" was "given," when it was "taken" from the Jews.

22. Cease ye from man,

Whose breath is in his nostrils,

For what account should be made of him?

A new division of the prophecy seems to commence here.

The church is directed to expect no aid from man; in reference, no doubt, to the times that precede the coming of the great day and as “Judah and Jerusalem" are

particularly addressed in the first verse of the following chapter, it might be supposed, that "the natural branches" are again especially in the view of the prophetic vision, agreeably with what we have read in the song of remembrance, "Jehovah will judge the cause of his people, and will have compassion on his servants," when he seeth that their strength is gone-and none retained or left"no stay or support"—no mighty man, or warrior, &c. I am doubtful, however, whether the general state of the universal church-of the city which is spiritually called "Sodom, and Egypt, and Jerusalem"-be not portrayed in what follows to the second verse of the fourth chapter; in which place, beyond all doubt, our subject bursts upon us again in great splendour. I shall, therefore, merely quote these intermediate verses, and leave it to the reader to judge to whom they belong when he comes to compare subsequent prophecies:

1. For behold the Lord Jehovah Sabaoth

Removeth from Jerusalem and Judah,

Every support of' man, and every support of' women;
All the support of bread, and all the support of water:

2. The mighty man and the warrior,

Judge and prophet, and diviner and ancient;

3. The captain of fifty, and man of rank, and counsellor ; The skilful artificer, and the learned in charms: '

4. And I will give boys for their princes,

And babes shall rule over them: 2

1 In charming serpents especially the charmer and the diviner may denote more modern super

stitions.

2 Figuratively, perhaps, mere

novices in government, or princes whose weakness and simplicity lead to the scenes of anarchy and confusion next described. The picture seems to show, for a time at

5. And the people shall be oppressed one of another, And each will act proudly towards his neighbour;

The youth towards the aged,

And the base towards the honourable.

6. Then shall one take hold of his brother,
Of the house of his father, by the garment:

"Come, be thou ruler over us,

And let this ruin be under thy hand :"

7. And he shall declare in that day, saying,

"I cannot be a healer;

And in my house is neither bread nor clothes,

Appoint me not a ruler of the people."

For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah hath fallen;

8. Because their tongues and their deeds were against Jehovah, Provoking the eyes of his glory.

9. The boldness of their countenance testifieth against them, They publish their sin as Sodom, they hide it not.

Alas! for their souls,

For they award to themselves evil.

10. "Cry up the righteous,' for 'it shall' be" well" with him," "For the fruit of their doings shall they eat."

11. "Alas! for the wicked” — evil “ shall it be to him," "For the reward of his hands shall be paid him."

least, all legal government at an end, and all ranks of society confounded together. I question whether history can show the fulfilment of this in the decline of the Jewish state, either at the eve of the Babylonian or of the Roman captivity.

"Cry up the righteous." So

Bishop Stock. The whole passage seems to point out these notorious and shamelessly wicked men, as the strenuous preachers of the doctrine of the merit of works, and as the denouncers to others of the punishment of sin. But as God sees, "he that judgeth another judgeth himself."

12. My people! children have been their oppressors! And women have ruled over them!

My people! thy leaders have made thee to err, And the track of thy paths have they destroyed.' 13. Jehovah hath arisen to contend,

He hath stood up to judge his people.

Jehovah will enter into judgment,

With the elders of his people, and with their princes;
For it is you that have consumed my vineyard,
The plunder of the poor is in your houses.

15. What mean ye, that ye crush my people,
And grind the faces of the poor? 2

16. THE Lord Jehovah Sabaoth hath spoken,

Even Jehovah hath said;

Because the daughters of Zion were become proud,
And walked with outstretched neck, and wanton eyes;

Mincing their steps as they went,

And tinkling with the ornaments of' their feet.

17. Therefore hath Jehovah dishonoured the head of the daugh

ters of Zion,

Ay, Jehovah hath stripped them bare.

In that day will the Lord take away these ornaments,
The feet rings, and the wreaths, and the crescents;

The drops, and the bracelets, and the spangles,
The sprigs, and the chains, and the zones;

1 I cannot read here any thing less than a censure upon the misgovernment of the flock of Christ, and on the abuse of the institutions of the Christian church, especially in the appointment of false and insufficient teachers, by the great patrons of superstition,

and corrupt governors of the church.

2 The oppression of the poor and defenceless by the rich and powerful, in the visible church, is evidently the complaint here made by the righteous Judge, who ariseth to judge his people.