The forlorn, deserted state of the people of God, when fuftaining the direful effects of the divine difpleasure, is farther depicted in ftrong and glowing colours. They had not only drunk deep of the cup of God's wrath, but they were intirely deftitute of that relief and fupport which they might expect from their children, not one of whom afforded them fuccour in the time of diftrefs. The words feem to allude to the feeble condition of a weak female, who, having contracted great debility, and being diftreffed with a giddiness in the head, is incapable of moving without being in danger, and therefore requires the affiftance of fome kind friend to lead and fupport her. The Church, in a fomewhat fimilar fituation, had none, i. e. very few (for in this limited fense fuch expreffions muft frequently be understood in fcripture), either rulers or minifters, to direct and affift them in obtaining deliverance. Of all the fons that had been cherished in their bofoms, who occupied civil or ecclefiaftical ftations, there were scarcely any who poffeffed ability and inclination to adminifter relief and confolation to the diftreffed, under the preffure of affliction. On this account the inhabitants of Jerufalem are introduced, in the book of Lamentations, bewailing their defolate condition in thefe mournful trains: For these things I weep, mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my foul is 'far from me my children are defolate, because the enemy prevailed *."

19. These two things are come unto thee: who fhall be forry for thee? defolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom fhall I comfort thee?

Ifaiah proceeds to recite the terrible calamities the Church had fuftained, from which, through the gra

* Chap. i. 16.

cious

!

cious interpofition of Jehovah, they were foon to emerge. By recollecting their former deplorable condition, and contrafting it with the comfortable state to which they were to be raised, the happy change might appear to the greater advantage ―These two things, viz. defolation occafioned by famine, and deftruction, effected by the fword, have happened to thee in the righteous providence of God. The former of thefe judgments was the confequence of your fields and cities having been laid wafte by the ravages of enemies, of your corns having been trampled down and deftroyed, of your poffeffions having been plundered, and of the inhabitants having been carried away into captivity and fervitude, fo that the whole land prefented a scene of mournful defolation. The latter proceeded from the terrible deftruction made by the fword, and the dreadful calamities which are the effets of war, that exhausted the ftrength of the state, reduced you to infignificance and contempt, and threatened your entire overthrow. In these wretched circumstances the Lord faith-By whom shall I comfort thee? By what inftrument, and by what means, fhall I impart the confolation which thy afflicted condition feems to demand, and which is indifpenfably requifite to thy recovery from dejection and difmay? The expreffion intimates the Divine folicitude for the welfare of those to whom the words were addreffed; that it was difficult to extricate them from the diftreffes they had felt, and to bring them to the poffeffion of freedom, order, tranquillity and comfort. This reftora

tion must be his work who makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth, and who bleffes his people with peace.

20. Thy fons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God.

The

The feeble, dejected state of the inhabitants of Jerufalem, in confequence of the direful calamities which they fuftained, is here reprefented in very moving terms, fimilar to the defcription given of their lamentable condition by the prophet Jeremiah *. Through hunger, diftrefs and fear, they were deprived of activity, vigour and courage, and fell down in the streets of the city, languifhing and ready to expire. Exhaufted and debilitated by various means, they resembled a wild bull entangled in a net, from which all his toilfome exertions cannot extricate him, but, on the contrary, the more he ftruggles the fafter he is held, and the more he is weakened. In like manner, the citizens of Jerufalem, who were ferocious and untractable, and would not calmly fubmit to Divine judgments, but obstinately perfifted in contending with them, were reduced to weakness and defpondency.-They are full of the fury of the Lord. Fury, you know, when afcribed to Jehovah, does not fignify any uneafy tumultuous paffion, as it often does when attributed to man, but denotes his juft deteftation against fin, and the effects of his awful difpleasure inflicted upon tranfgreffors. With the dreadful difplays of God's anger, the streets of Jerufalem had been filled.-The rebuke of thy God. The fevere afflictions wherewith the Jewish people had been visited, were intended to convince them of their fins, to punish them for their perfidious rebellious conduct, to reftrain them from wickedness, and to lead them to repentance. To promote these important purpofes, the Lord their God reproved them fharply for their tranfgreffions, and by various means reftrained them from the prac tice of iniquity.

21.¶Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine.

The

* Lam. ii. 11, 12.

The Most High demands folemn attention from his afflicted people to the comfortable words he was about to deliver by his fervant. The citizens of Jerufalem are addreffed as fore afflicted by grievous calamities, the fword, famine and peftilence, accompanied with those painful circumftances which give occafion to the most complicated diftreffes of body and mind. They were drunken-carried away by delufions, errors and fuperftitions; ftupified by thofe miferies, of which they confidered not the causes; and infenfible of the depravity and guilt in which they were involved. But not with wine, or intoxicating liquors, but with the cup of the Lord's fury, full of thofe dreadful ingredients which made them to tremble and be aftonished. In this deplorable condition, the Lord God, who in the midft of deferved wrath remembers mercy, claims their attention.-Therefore hear now this. Since you are ready to fink under the preffure of divine judgments, which you fuffer on account of your tranfgreffion, liften to the words of my mouth. Though I ftand not in need of your fervices, which cannot profit me, yet, commiferating your diftreffes, I require you diligently to hearken to the meffage I fend you by my fervant. If you are offended at your children and dependants, that refufe to obey your orders, how criminal must be your conduct, if you regard not my kind admonitions, who am ready to relieve you from your troubles, and to impart confolation to your hearts! If you are apt to murmur when I do not grant your requests, or delay to anfwer your prayers, what infinitely-greater reafon have to be difpleafed with thofe who do not comply with my requifitions, and obey not my precepts.

22. Thus faith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the caufe of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup

of

of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury, thou fhalt no more drink it again.

The comfortable affurance given to the Church, of deliverance from the calamities they had fuftained, as the juft punishment of their fins, is introduced with great folemnity, and expreffed in the most endearing manner. It is founded on the fupreme dominion of Jehovah over his peculiar people, from which arifes not only a right, but an obligation to vindicate them from oppreffion and mifery. Thus faith thy Lord, who hath avouched thee to be his treasure and inheritance.-The Lord, who protects thee by his providence, who enriches thee from his fulness, who governs thee by his laws, whofe glorious fovereignty, divine excellencies, and gracious regard, thou oughteft to acknowledge with humble gratitude. And thy God, who hath promised to make thee high above all nations, in praife, in name, and in honour, that thou mayeft be an holy people unto the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken. By thus afferting his intimate connection with them, they were reminded that he was folemnly engaged to fulfil, in due feason, the promises made unto the fathers, in which he had pledged himself to be their defence and deliverer. They might therefore be confident, that he would not neglect to attend to the distressed ftate of the Church, and in good time to rescue them from the evils under which they had long groned. Efpecially when it is added, as defcriptive of the character of Jehovah, that he pleadeth the caufe of his people He conftantly protects and maintains their beit interefts; he fupports them when oppofed and oppreffed, either by openly vindicating them from reproach and perfecution, or by fecretly overturning the mifchievous plots devifed against them. kind interpofition of the Almighty, in behalf of his Church, was of old gratefully acknowledged in these words, ' O Lord, thou haft pleaded the causes of my

This

⚫ foul