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Let us remember, that the day of the Lord, in which we are intimately concerned, is alfo at hand: the Judge ftandeth before the door; and, ere long, he will render tribulation and wrath to every foul of man that doth evil, and eternal life to them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, feek for glory, honour, and immortality.

It fhall come as a destruction from the Almighty. The title which is here given to the great God, imports, that the divine power is employed, not only in creating, preferving, and faving men, but in punishing tranfgreffors. It intimates, that as God gracioufly manifefts himself able to quicken the dead, and to fave them that are loft, both in the common and spiritual fenfe of the words, he alfo gloriously reveals himself as the righteous Governor of the world, who can easily deftroy the obftinately and impenitently wicked. In this character, God is pleafed to exhibit himself to mankind in two different points of view; as propitious to the penitent, whom he can deliver from fin, mifery, and death; and as the powerful avenger of fin, who can punish it in the incorrigible workers of iniquity. In thefe oppofite, though perfectly confiftent views, he fpake of himfelf to Mofes, when he faid, 'I kill, and I make alive *. In the New Teftament, the apostle James declares, that he is the One Lawgiver, who is able to fave and to 'destroy t.' The LORD, to whom belongeth the iflues from death, is not only the God of falvation to the righteous, whom he delivers from all evil, but he is the God who fends deftruction upon the wicked and ungodly, who, like Antichrift, are fons of perdition, in as much as they deftroy both themfelves and others. Deftruction, in the words under confideration, denotes thofe defolating calamities whereby Jehovah gives convincing demonftration of his dread difpleasure against fin, and proves a confuming fire to

Deut. xxxii. 39.

James iv. 12.

the

the workers of iniquity. This destruction, which cometh from the Almighty, announces, in an awful manner, his omniscience, holinefs, juftice, and power: it proclaims his wrath, his jealoufy, and righteous vengeance; and punishes the folly, ingratitude, and wickedness of those on whom it is inflicted. It calls aloud to the inhabitants of the world to learn righteoufnefs: it inculcates the important leffons of fearing God, whom we, as well as others, have forgotten in profperity; of being humble and charitable, and of making reftitution to those whom we have injured. The day of the Lord was foretold to come upon Babylon, as a deftruction from the Almighty, which comes with irresistible violence, and oft-times when little expected. This prediction was fulfilled, when Cyrus, king of Perfia, marched with his powerful army against Babylon, and, contrary to the expectation of the inhabitants, in a short time, entered it in triumph. --Were we properly influenced by steady views of the approaching day of the Lord, did we rightly attend to the ufeful inftructions which arise from this fubject, we would not fo frequently tranfgrefs, as we do, the rules of piety toward God, and equity toward man.

7 Therefore fhall all hands be faint, and every man's heart fhall melt.

The effects produced upon the Babylonians, by the above-predicted expedition, are defcribed in this and the following verfe.--All hands fhall be faint, or fhall fall down, as the Hebrew word is tranflated in the margin. The expreffion is metaphorical; and feems to allude to the effects arifing from a paralytical diforder, through a relaxation of the nerves, or a ftoppage of the blood. In fuch circumftances, perfons become unfit for action, their hands hang down, and they are unable to ufe them. In like manner, at the feafon here referred to, fuch fhould be the confternation

fternation and diftrefs which was to feize upon the inhabitants of Babylon, that it fhould be accompanied with a total ceflation from labour and business, in which the citizens were commonly occupied. With this defcription the words of the prophet Jeremiah perfectly agree: The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: 'anguifh took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail *.'——And every man's heart fhall melt. This is another effect of the fear and dread with which the men of Babylon were to be feized, in the immediate profpect of the terrible calamities foretold by our prophet. The heart of every one, even of the ftouteft and most courageous, was to be deprived of its wonted firmnefs and fortitude; and, through dif maying fears, fhould melt within them, as wax before the fire, or as fnow before the beams of the fun. Divine judgments awaken men from fatal fecurity: they often fill them with amazement, and put them into fright. The hearts of the people in Jericho did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of the children of Ifrael, when they heard what they did unto the two kings of the Amorites, Sihon and Og, whom they utterly deftroyed. Similar effects were to be experienced by the men of Babylon, on the appearance of the judgments above threatened, as here plainly declared.

8 And they fhall be afraid: pangs and forrows fhall take hold of them, they fhall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they fhall be amazed one at another, their faces shall be as flames.

They were to be filled with amazement and confternation, by viewing their perilous condition; and their terror was to increafe as their ruin drew near.

VOL. II.

* Jer. 1. 43.
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Fear, my brethren, is a strong paffion: fo dreadful did it appear to the Grecians, that, to appease its terrors, they worshipped it as a god. In times of great danger, all men have felt its powerful influence. When the hand of God was ftretched out to deliver the Ifraelites from the land of Egypt, the dukes of • Edom were amazed, and the mighty men of Moab trembled *. When Saul beheld the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled t.' When Nebuchadnezzar marched into Judea, the heart of the king, and of the princes, did perish the priests were aftonished, and the prophets wondered ‡.' And when the day of the Lord was at hand, the inhabitants of Babylon were afraid.-Pangs and forrows fhall take hold of them, they fhall be in pain as a woman that travaileth. Their fears were to be accompanied with inexpreffible anguish and forrow, which are compared to those of a woman in travail, on account of the fuddenness and extreme violence of the pain and agony with which they were to be afflicted.They shall be amazed one at another. This expreffion intimates, that their powers and faculties were to be fo difturbed and debilitated, that they would have neither understanding, nor ability, to take proper measures to fecure their fafety or retreat. They fhould look upon one another like perfons who are surprised and confounded, who are unable to speak or act in a manner fuited to their circumftances.- Their faces fhall be as flames; thus giving proof of their fhame and confufion, and of the wrath, indignation, and anguish, which they felt. These paffions are often attended with violent agitation, by which the blood is expelled from the heart to the exterior parts, and particularly to the face, which, being inflamed, appears, in colour, like flames of fire. These two verfes, taken together, contain a natural and beautiful defcription of the timid,

* Exod. xv. 15.

Sam. xxviii. 5.

Jer. iv. 9. perplexed,

perplexed, and diftreffed condition of the inhabitants of Babylon, at the time the calamities above threatened were to be inflicted upon them by the Medes and Perfians. Had we an accurate hiftory of what then happened at that great city, there is every reason to believe we fhould be informed of the exact accomplishment of every one of our prophet's predictions delivered on this fubject.If the day of the Lord produced fuch dismay and confternation at Babylon, what effects ought the approach of a far more awful day of the Lord to have upon us? You know perfectly, that the day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night; and that he will furprise, with a dreadful alarm, those who are afleep in fecurity. When they fhall fay, Peace and fafety, then fudden destruction fhall feize upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they fhall not efcape. Therefore let us not fleep as do others; but let us watch and be fober, putting on the breast-plate of faith and love, and for an helmet the hope of falvation *.

9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath, and fierce anger, to lay the land defolate; and he fhall deftroy the finners thereof out of it.

Our prophet proceeds more fully to delineate the terrible deftruction which fhould be brought upon Babylon by her enemies.--The day of the Lord here denotes, as in the fixth verfe, the particular period wherein God had determined to exhibit himself present to the inhabitants of that city, by the awful judgments he would inflict, upon them, by means of thofe whom he employed to punish their wickednefs.In the following words, the feafon alluded to is described by fome of its peculiar characteristics. It is cruel. Cruelty confifts in with-holding mercy

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