loft in Pharifaical pride, and many other degrees of wickedness; it is therefore natural that they should feel an apprehenfion that they or their pofterity may again fall away from their allegiance to the Deity, and relapse into irreligion and profanenefs. The folitary wil derness, with the favour of God, appears preferable to a land abounding with outward delights, where they are in danger of provoking him to anger. To comfort them under this apprehenfion, God fays, "Oh thou afflicted, "toffed with tempeft, and not comforted! be"hold, I will lay thy ftones with fair colours, "and lay thy foundations with fapphires. And "I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of

pleasant ftones. And all thy children fhall "be taught of the Lord; and great shall be "the peace of thy children. In righteousness "fhalt thou be established: thou fhalt be far "from oppreffion; for thou shalt not fear and "from terror; for it fhall not come near thee;" Ifa. liv. 11.-14.

God promifes, that for their preservation, he will form a national establishment, civil and religious, as far fuperior to any formerly known, as a city built of precious ftones excels the most finished fpecimen of human architecture. He farther promifes fpecial grace to every individual, and in confequence peace to the commu

nity;

nity; that prevailing righteousness shall secure them from internal oppreffions, and not only from the attacks, but from the fear of external enemies. Another ground of fear is, the formidable force collected in Judea to refift them. To remove this, God fays, "Behold, they shall furely gather to

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gether, but not by me: whosoever shall ga"ther together against thee, fhall fall for thy "fake. Behold, I have created the smith that "bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth "forth an instrument for his work; and I have "created the wafter to deftroy. No weapon "that is formed against thee fhall profper; and

every tongue that fhall rife against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn;" Ifa. liv. 15, 16, 17. He intimates, that the forces, of which they heard a report, would gather together to refift them, but at the fame time promises a victory over them. To establish their faith in this promise, he reminds them, that men, their weapons, their counfels, the fuccefs of their counfels, are all at his difpofal, and again af fures them, that neither the weapons, nor the more dangerous calumnies of their enemies, by which they deluded the world to oppose them, should prevail to their hurt.

Their fears being removed, they are reprefented as addreffing themselves to God by a folemn prayer. The fum of it is laid before

us

us, Ifa. Ixiii. 15. to the end, and in chap. Ixiv. The Jews, after this, march up to Judea; and it does not appear, from any paffage that has occurred to me, that their enemies attempt to refift them till they arrive at Jerufalem. There the beast and his allies make their ftand. Their numbers and eagerness are reprefented by Joel, chap. iii. 9. 11. 14. Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. "Beat your plow-fhares into fwords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak fay, "I am strong. Affemble yourselves, and come, "all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together "round about.-Let the heathen be wakened, "and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat."Put ye in the fickle, for the harvest is ripe; "come, get you down, for the prefs is full, the "fats overflow; for their wickednefs is great; "Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of deci"fion." On the other hand, the folemn and majestic movement of the Jewish armies, advancing to certain victory under the conduct of the Meffiah, is represented to the Apostle John. "I faw heaven opened, and behold a white "horse; and he that fat upon him was called "faithful and true; and in righteousness he "doth judge and make war. His eyes were as "a flame of fire, and on his head were many "crowns, and he had a name written that no

"man

"man knew but he himself.

And he was

" clothed with a vesture dipt in blood; and his "name is called, The Word of God. And the "armies which were in heaven followed him

upon white horses, cloathed in fine linen, "white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth "a fharp fword, that with it he fhould fmite "the nations, and he fhall rule them with a "rod of iron: And he treadeth the wine-prefs " of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. "And he hath on his vefture and on his thigh "a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD "OF LORDS. And I faw the beaft and the kings "of the earth, and their armies gathered toge"ther, to make war against him that fat on the "horfe, and against his army." Rev. xix. 11.-16. 19.

Before they join battle, the feventh angel pours out his vial into the air, Rev. xvi. 17. The effect of this is, to difpel the delufion occafioned by the "prince of the power of the air," which collected fuch numerous forces together. The motley crew who affift the beast, set free from the delufion which gathered them, give place to the animofities naturally arifing from their various forms of government and systems of religion, as well as from their ancient feuds and quarrels. They now turn their fwords with eagerness against each other, as formerly the

children

children of Moab, Ammon, and Mount Seir in the days of Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. xx. 23. This is clearly afferted by the prophet Zechariah, chap. xiv. 13. " it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord fhall "be among them, and they shall lay hold every "one on the hand of his neighbour, and his "hand shall rise up against the hand of his

neighbour." So God fays by Haggai, chap. ii. 21.-24. "I will shake the heavens and the "earth, and I will overthrow the throne of

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kingdoms, and I will deftroy the ftrength of "the kingdoms of the heathen, and I will "overthrow the chariots and thofe that ride in "them, and the horfes and their riders fhall "come down, every one by the fword of his bro"ther." Their eagerness to destroy each other is compared to that of a drunkard for guzzling the wine moft agreeable to his palate, "I will "feed them that opprefs thee with their own

flesh, and they fhall be drunken with their "own blood as with fweet wine." Ifa. xlix. 26.

Together with their own fwords, God fhall fet the elements in battle array against them, fo as to render his interpofition obvious in their deftruction. "Behold the Name of the Lord "cometh from far, burning with his anger, and "the burden thereof is heavy: His lips are full "of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring

❝ fire;