the tribe of Judah; and these two passages show that, in addition to prophesying against the kingdom of Israel, Amos is commissioned to threaten Judah. The frequent incursions of neighboring nations against Judah may be incidentally described, but it is probable their captivity under Nebuchadnezzar is more particularly alluded to. This is the opinion of Dr. Clarke; see his note on Amos ii, 4. It seems quite certain that both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and their captivities, are included in the prophetic annunciations of Amos; because in chap. iii, verse 1, we read, "Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up out of the land of Egypt." No one ever imagined that the dispersion of the Jews under Titus Vespasian is here the subject of prophecy; but all agree that the punishments threatened against Israel and Judah for the crimes they were then committing were fulfilled in the sufferings they endured in Babylon and Assyria. But, though the prophet thus menaces the Jews, he is permitted to look through the dark vista of future ages, and represents them as being again prosperous and happy-brought again from their captivity, and again established by the Lord their God. "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen." See above.

Some of these words are susceptible of a literal interpretation, some of them are not. As for instance, "The mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt." The restoration of the tabernacle of David is referred by all Christian commentators with whom we are acquainted to the establishment of the gospel dispensation, by Messiah, David's royal descendant. Benson says, "This prophecy must be extended to the days of the Messiah, and to the calling of the Gentiles to the knowledge of the true God." Some portions of this prediction then, it is clear, have a spiritual import. This is placed by the Holy Spirit beyond a doubt. When the apostles were assembled in council at Jerusalem respecting the admission of the Gentiles into the Christian Church, St. James quotes these very words of Amos, showing that it was the will of God that, under the Christian dispensation, both Jew and Gentile should enjoy equal religious privileges. That portion of the prophecy which can be understood literally was accomplished, as we shall hereafter show. As by the captivities Israel and Judah were deprived of their possessions, and the fruit of the labor of their hands, so when they were restored and returned they were to enjoy, as they did, the results of their own enterprise. Whatever spiritual or temporal blessings are promised to Israel in the passage under consideration, it is very clear that the "remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen that are called by" the name of the Lord, are to enjoy the same; and therefore, if the still future return of the Jews is therein promised, the Gentiles, or, at least, those who are converted, shall accompany them. But this is absurd and unreasonable; and therefore the literal gathering of the Jews to their own land is not taught by the Prophet Amos. The following are parallel passages: Hosea iii, 4, 5; Joel iii, 18-21.

In our brief remarks respecting chronological accuracy, it was remarked that the several prophetic books do not stand in chronological order, and in very many instances the chapters do not pre

sent a continuous succession of prophetic incidents. This suggestion is strikingly applicable to the first twelve chapters of Isaiah. We mention these, because the following words in the eleventh chapter are applied to the return of the Jews as yet future and literal. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcast of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." That these words do not refer to a literal gathering still future is very clear to our mind; but, in order to understand the prophet, it is necessary to examine his whole discourse. By so doing we shall establish Isaiah's character for beauty of composition, comprehensiveness of expression, and for elevated and evangelical views of Jehovah's moral administration and spiritual government. Horne says, "Isaiah greatly excels in all the graces of method, order, connection, and arrangement." But adds of "particular predictions," that, "as they are now extant, they are often improperly connected, without any marks of discrimination; which injudicious arrangement, on some occasions, creates almost insuperable difficulties." We have felt the force of this remark in our analysis of the first twelve chapters of Isaiah, for no two of these chapters can be read together without considerable embarrassment. Every attentive reader will have observed this; and we are obliged to add with humility, and deference to high authorities, that no arrangement of these chapters which we have seen either satisfies our mind, or removes the difficulties which stand in the way of consistent interpretation. Lowth, and after him Clarke and Benson, have given it as their opinion, that the discourse of which the eleventh chapter forms a part, begins with the fifth verse of the tenth chapter, and ends with the twelfth chapter; and that it embraces that period in the history of Judah when Sennacherib menaced and planned the destruction of Jerusalem, and whose army was arrested, overthrown, and destroyed:

"For the angel of death spread his wings on the blast,

And breathed in the face of the foe as he pass'd."

But this opinion, though correct as far as it goes, only embraces a small part of the prophet's intent. We shall endeavor to prove this; and, in order thereto, beg to propose a new arrangement of Isaiah's first twelve chapters. We do so after a very careful and rigid inquiry into the history of the times referred to; and we are sincerely convinced of the consistency of this arrangement with that history, and the prophetic impulse which first described it.

To proceed then :-The first verse of the first chapter may be considered a general statement of the time in which the prophet flourished, perhaps added by a later hand. The sixth chapter contains a solemn account of the prophet's divine call and special ordination, and may therefore be considered as the first in the order of time. The first chapter should follow the sixth, omitting the first verse; and the second chapter properly succeeds the first, except

ing the first five verses. The third chapter naturally follows the second, to which should be added the first verse of the fourth chapter. The remainder of the fourth chapter should be preceded by the five verses first in the second chapter, between which there is an obvious and beautiful connection. The whole of the fifth chapter follows the fourth; and to complete this discourse we must add from the eighth to the twenty-first verse of the ninth chapter, and the first four verses of the tenth chapter. Whether we are to consider what are above enumerated as forming one discourse or more is not a matter of great importance. There are probably two, the second commencing with the first verses of the second chapter, according to the above plan. It is evident that the latter part of the ninth chapter should precede the seventh; because therein we have a distinct prediction of a conspiracy against Judah, by the confederated powers of Syria and Israel, which is historically described in the seventh chapter; see chap. ix, 8-12, 21. Moreover, there is an appropriate and poetical symphony between the twenty-fifth verse of the fifth chapter, and the twelfth, seventeenth, and twentyfirst verses of the ninth chapter, as also the fourth verse of chapter tenth. And with this tender and thus oft-repeated expostulation the discourse concludes: "For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still."

A new discourse commences with the seventh chapter, in which the prophet describes the unsuccessful attempt of "Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel," against Judah and Jerusalem. Because of this wicked conspiracy God, by the mouth of the prophet, declares that he will bring against these his enemies the Assy. rian, "and all his glory," Isa. vii, 17-19. The eighth chapter continues this prophecy, expressing more clearly the determination of God. Verse fourth says, "The riches of Damascus, and the spoil of Samaria, shall be taken away before the king of Assyria." Judah should also be involved in the trouble which came upon Israel. Both kingdoms deserved punishment. Their profligacy and wretched apostacy had been set forth, and they had been faithfully warned to repent of their doings; but they persevered in their ingratitude, pride, arrogance, and injustice. "Now, therefore, behold the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory; and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks. And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over; he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel." This annunciation is continued throughout the tenth chapter, commencing with the fifth verse, and should therefore immediately follow the eighth chapter. Here Assyria receives her commission, as the instrument of God's wrath. This kingdom is described as "the rod" of God's "anger," and "the staff in their hand" is the divine "indignation." The Assyrian receives "a charge to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets." "Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so." Assyria's proud boastings are prophetically described from the eighth to the eleventh Some have thought, that because Assyria is represented as saying, “Shall I not as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so VOL. X.-Oct., 1839.

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do to Jerusalem and her idols," that therefore this prophecy was delivered after Shalmaneser had dispersed Israel, and alludes to Sennacherib's invasion of Judah. But though Assyria's attempt upon Judah is the subject of prophecy in this chapter, yet it was delivered before the captivity of Israel.

Every one must therefore perceive the impropriety of the opinion just alluded to, especially since the prophets, particularly Isaiah, frequently speak of things to come as already accomplished, because of the absolute certainty of the events. The whole scope of the premature and presumptuous boastings attributed to Assyria is this: "As I am fully able, so I am determined to invade and destroy both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah." God declares that Assyria shall be successful as far as Israel is concerned, whose sins are so forcibly set forth in the preceding chapters. "With arrows and with bows shall men come thither." To Israel it is said, "Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught: speak the word, and it shall not stand; for God is with us," Isa. viii, 9, 10. This could only refer to Israel, for Judah was preserved from the wrath of Assyria according to the word of the Lord. These predictions began to be fulfilled while Pul and Tiglath-pileser were kings of Assyria. Especially under the reign of the latter, who committed extensive ravages upon the territories of Israel, and took many away captive. "In the days of Pekah, king of Israel, came Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-bethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria," 2 Kings xv, 29. In 1 Chron. v, 26, it is more particularly stated that "the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul and Tiglathpilneser, king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river of Gozan, unto this day.' It is also stated that "Tiglath-meneser carried away captive" Beerah, the "prince of the Reubenites."

It is evident from these recorded facts that the ravages committed by the Assyrian kings were very extensive, comprising nearly the whole country east of Jordan, penetrating considerably into the interior, and entering the heart of the country where was situated the half tribe of Manasseh. Thus Assyria began to lift up the rod of God's anger, and punish this wicked people, called a "hypocritical nation." As yet the Assyrian makes no attempt upon Judah. This "remnant of Israel," spoken of in chap. x, 20-23, escape at present the fury of the oppressor. But Ahaz, king of Judah, was very soon after this time insulted and menaced by Pekah, king of Israel, and Resin, king of Assyria. At this critical juncture Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, and by presenting to him treasures of silver and gold, obtained his assistance against the confederated powers. Thus the "remnant of Israel stayed upon him who afterward smote them." And now it is only the power of covetousness that seems to subdue the tyrannical disposition of Tiglath-pileser; and it is more than probable that Pekah

or Resin could have obtained the assistance of Assyria at the same price. Moreover this same king of Assyria, Tiglath-pileser, actually perplexed Judah in a short space of time afterward; for when the Edomites smote Judah and carried away captives, and the Philistines invaded the low country and possessed several cities and villages, Ahaz thought again to obtain aid from Assyria. "And Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, came unto him and distressed him, but strengthened him not." And then, it is added, that after Ahaz had given him presents, "he helped him not," 2 Chron. xxviii, 1621. This furnished a valuable lesson to the future kings of Judah, and so the Prophet Isaiah applies the circumstance.

The rod of God's anger is still in the hands of Assyria. The bounds of Israel are not fully removed, nor their treasures robbed. The inhabitants are not trodden down like the mire of the streets. Shalmaneser is the next king of Assyria, and seems completely to imbibe the aggressive spirit of his predecessor. He has a charge against Israel, which he fully executes, and the whole of the ten tribes are carried away captive. The sacred historian thus describes the event: "In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into captivity, and placed them in Halah and in Habor, by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes," 2 Kings xvii, 6. Thus is the prediction of Isaiah fulfilled, and the rod is now taken out of the hand of the Assyrian, the "Lord having performed his whole work upon Zion and on Jerusalem," as far as the instrumentality of Assyria is concerned. Retributive justice must now have its course, and Jehovah prepares to inflict punishment upon the King of Assyria, and abase the pride of his heart. He had unconsciously done the will of God. But his haughtiness and detestable covetousness were insufferable. In the wicked arrogancy of his heart he had robbed God of his glory. But He who said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," declares by the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah, chap. x, 12, “I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks." In the seventh verse the prophet says, "It was in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few." The successive kings of Assyria were bent on the annihilation of Israel and Judah. Tiglathpileser had taken Damascus. Shalmaneser was equally bold and proud, and believed he could take Samaria. He did so by the permission and appointment of God. Sennacherib imagined he could therefore subdue Jerusalem. Thus these kings thought to reduce the whole country of Palestine to the Assyrian yoke. That the last-mentioned king would make the attempt is clearly foretold, Isa. x, 24. He inherited all the ostentatious haughtiness of his predecessors; so in the reign of Hezekiah he went up against Jerusalem and took some of its defenced cities. Sennacherib, at this time, sends an insulting letter full of blasphemy to Hezekiah. 2 Kings xix, 1013. The command of the Assyrian army is committed to Rabshekah, who, with proud boastings and insolent reproaches, came near the city. But "the remnant of the house of Israel" trusted in God, having learned a lesson of wisdom from the miserable Ahaz-his conduct, and fate. The prophet had said, "They shall no more again stay upon him that smote them, but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth." This prediction was strikingly