and Armenia, which, in fcripture-style, lay far from Babylon, against which their expedition was intend ed; and from Judea, where our prophet was favoured with this vifion, and delivered this prophecy.- -Nor were the people spoken of, to come by themfelves alone: the LORD, who used them as weapons of his indignation, was to go with them, that, by the operations and difpofitions of his providence, he might render their way profperous. In executing his righteous judgments upon this ftrong city, he would employ them to deftroy the whole country that furrounded it, and to overturn the great empire of which it was the metropolis.--Cities however great, princes however powerful, fhall not efcape the indignation of God incurred by their fins. Babylon was a very great and ftrong city; and, to human view, it feemed impregnable: but it was a bloody city, full of cruelty, pride, and oppreffion; and, by its multiplied tranfgreffions, brought unavoidable destruction upon itself, and the whole land. The overthrow of this city ought to convince us of the extreme danger of perfifting in fin, which exposes to the greatest calamities, and the abfolute neceffity of returning to God, that iniquity prove not our ruin. 6 ¶ Howl ye, for the day of the LORD is at hand; it fhall come as a deftruction from the Almighty. These words, which feem to have been addreffed to the inhabitants of Babylon, warned them of approaching calamities. Clearly foreseeing the imminent danger to which they stood expofed, the prophet called upon them to howl, in the profpect of the terrible deftruction with which they were to be vifited, as the just punishment of their crimes. To howl, is to mourn and cry; to make a doleful noife, like the beasts of the field, when they are pinched with hunger, or fuffer extreme mifery. In allufion to this well-known custom custom of animals in distress, the people of this great city, whose overthrow was faft drawing on, are invited to weep and howl, as a proper expreflion of grief and forrow, in the view of that dreadful defolation which was at no great diftance.The reason is fubjoined: For the day of the Lord is at hand. This expreffion frequently occurs in the prophetic writings; and denotes, that the particular season was approaching, wherein God had determined to avenge the iniquities of a nation or people, and to punish them for their tranfgreffions. Such a period is fignificantly called a day in fcripture-language, though it comprehend hundreds of natural days, becaufe it is the time allotted for fome important work which is then to be performed. It is emphatically styled the day of the Lord, in as much as he would then manifeft his righteous vengeance upon his incorrigible enemies. The gloom of wilful ignorance fhall be difpelled, the hidden mysteries of iniquity discovered, and the perfections of God difplayed. It is therefore described as a day of darkness, a day of vifitation, a day of evil, a day of calamity, of fierce anger, of ruin and forrow. Hence the day of final judgment, in which threatened evils fhall be affigned to the wicked as their portion, is, by way of eminence, called the day of the Lord *.- -The day of the Lord, wherein he would inflict awful judgment upon the inhabitants of Babylon, is affirmed to have been at hand. Though this prophecy was probably delivered in the reign of Ahaz, about two hundred years before its accomplishment, yet, in the prophetic ftyle, the day spoken of was very near. Notwithstanding that period may appear very confiderable to human view, yet it runs. on with unobferved rapidity; and, in God's fight, with whom a thoufand years are as one day, this diftance is to fmall, that it is faid to be at hand.- --- 2 Theff. ii. 2. Let 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, seek 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 graciously manifefts himself able to quicken the dead, and to fave them that are loft, both in the common and spiritual sense of the words, he also gloriously reveals himself as the righteous Governor of the world, who can eafily destroy the obftinately and impenitently wicked. In this character, God is pleased 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 punifh it in the incorrigible. workers of iniquity. In thefe oppofite, though perfectly confiftent views, he fpake of himself to Mofes, when he faid, I kill, and I make alive. In the New Testament, the apostle James declares, that he is the One Lawgiver, who is able to fave and to • deftroy t.' The LORD, to whom belongeth the iffues 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 destruction upon the wicked and ungodly, who, like Antichrift, are fons of perdition, in as much as they deftroy both themselves and others.--Destruction, in the words under confideration, denotes thofe defolating calamities whereby Jehovah gives convincing demonftration of his dread displeasure against fin, and proves a confuming fire to Deut. xxxii. 39. † James iv. 12. the the workers of iniquity. This deftruction, which cometh from the Almighty, announces, in an awful manner, his omnifcience, holinefs, justice, and power: it proclaims his wrath, his jealousy, 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 righteousness 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 thofe whom we have injured. The day of the Lord was foretold to come upon Babylon, as a destruction from the Almighty, which comes with irrefiftible 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 fhort 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 useful instructions 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 shall 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 verse.--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 disorder, through a relaxation of the nerves, or a ftoppage of the blood. In fuch circumstances, perfons become unfit for action, their hands hang down, and they are unable to use 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 should be accompanied with a total ceffation from labour and bufinefs, 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 ftoutest and most courageous, was to be deprived of its wonted firmness 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 lfrael, when they heard what they did unto the two kings of the Amórites, Sihon and Og, whom they utterly destroyed. 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 shall be afraid: pangs and forrows fhall take hold of them, they fhall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they thall be amazed one at another, their faces fhall 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. Fear, |