given to his fervants, of his watchful care, and the wonderful deliverances he hath wrought for them, ought to excite us to exalt his name, to celebrate his praises, and to place unfufpecting confidence in his mercy, power, and faithfulnefs. How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God, therefore we put our truft under the shadow of thy wings.

6 Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Ifrael have deeply revolted.

A fuitable exhortation to a most important duty, which may also be confidered as a prophetic declaration of what was to happen at the period to which Ifaiah looked forward, is fubjoined to the reviving predictions delivered in the preceding verfes. When God is about to work fome great deliverance for his people, he prepares them thankfully to receive the mercy he intends to beftow, and then feasonably confers it upon them. This remark is exemplified in the paffage of fcripture now before us, Having foretold the preservation of the inhabitants of Jerufalem amidst imminent dangers, that they might give this diftinguifhing favour a proper reception, our Prophet calls upon his countrymen to turn to him from whom they had revolted. He clearly fets before them their duty, and urges the practice of it by a very forcible motive.-The prophet Jeremiah, in the name of the Lord, brought this heavy charge against the children of Ifrael, and the children of Judah, They have turned to me the back, and not the face, though I taught them rifing up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive inftruction*. By forfaking the fountain of living water, and having recourfe to broken cifterns, they manifefted the most criminal contempt of the all-fufficient God. I do not affirm that they were always confcious of acting under the influence of this odious difpofition, or that they were fenfible of that

Chap. xxxii. 33.

that averfion from God, which they difcovered by their conduct. I mean to fay, that they were gone aftray from God, every one to his own way. By acting in this manner, they preferred temptations to tranfgreffion to the promises of God, the enjoyment of the creature to the favour of the Creator, indul gence in fin, to the practice of commanded duty. They flighted the divine perfections of Jehovah, they forfeited the protection of his providence, they neglected the duties of his worship, they violated his fupreme authority, and fet at nought the riches of his goodness. Thus eftranged from God, were the pofterity of Jacob, when, lo, the voice of mercy is heard.

Turn ye, &c. The expreffion is metaphorical, borrowed from the relative fituation of objects, after their pofition is reverfed. It plainly imports, that their internal difpofitions, and their external deportment, with respect to God and the objects with which they were connected, ought to have been totally altered, fo as to form a contrast to their former condition. They were required to affume a new temper, pofture, and afpect, quite different from thofe wherein they indulged in times paft, after they had revolted from the Moft High. Their minds, formerly occupied with vain, foolish, fceptical thoughts, were to be employed in contemplating with admiration and pleasure, the attributes, the providence, the word, and falvation of Jehovah. Their hearts, which had gone after idols and earthly objects, were to relinquish criminal attachment to thefe lying vanities, that they might be confecrated entirely to God, who vouchfafed to demand them for himself. The homage which they had given to dead idols, the work of mens hands, was to be tranfferred from them, and appropriated to the only living and true God, who hath done whatsoever he pleafed in heaven and earth. From being obdurate, perverfe, and difobedient, they were to become tender, flexible, and fubmiflive to God; inclined to that

which is well pleasing in his fight. In one word, by turning to the Lord, they were not only to forfake their unrighteous thoughts, but to abandon their wicked ways, to amend their doings, which had not been good; that they might obey the voice of the Lord their God, and truft in his falvation. Such feems to be the import of the neceffary exercife here inculcated, which is no lefs incumbent on you, my friends, than upon the men of Ifrael and Judah.-Turn ye unto the Lord, be not negligent in using the means which God hath inftituted for bringing you to true repentance; and earnestly pray that his bleffing may render them effectual. For.. fake the foolish, and live and go in the way of understanding. Renounce all your tranfgreffions, whereby you have departed from the living God; and devote yourselves without referve to his fervice, folicitous to enjoy the divine countenance and prefence. Think upon your former ways and doings, that have not been good, and turn your feet without delay unto God's teftimonies. Take heed that you turn

To him from whom the children of Ifrael, &c.The people to whom thefe words were primarily addreffed, were reminded of the intimate relation that fubfifted between them and the patriarch Jacob, their renowned progenitor, and the confequent obligations they lay under to the fervice of Jehovah, who had promised to be the God of his pofterity. If they were folicitous to enjoy the benefits comprehended in the covenant of God made with their fathers, they ought to have imitated their faith and obedience, and to have fhewn inviolable attachment to the worship and ordinances, which he had inftituted among them. But alas! from him they had deeply revolted: through an evil heart of unbelief they rebelled against his rightful authority; they refused to yield him the homage that he demanded, whilft they allowed other lords befide him to have dominion over them. This root of bitterness fpringVOL. III. C

ing

ing up, troubled them, whereby many were defiled. How affecting the teftimony given concerning them, by the prophet Jeremiah, They have a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone; 'neither fay they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God * Proper recollection of their evil ways, whereby they had forfaken the God of their fathers, who had done great things for them, ought to have deeply penetrated their hearts, filled them with penitential forrow, and induced them to turn to the Lord whom they had greatly provoked. -Though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Ifrael acknowledge us not as his children, yet thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer; we are called by thy name. Like the children of Ifrael, we have revolted from thee, and now, O our God, what fhall we fay after this, for we have tranfgreffed thy commandments? Afhamed of our undutiful conduct, and defirous to be reftored to favour, we earnestly intreat that thou wilt turn us, and we shall be turned. When thou fayeft, Yet return again unto me, we reply, Behold, we come unto thee, for thou art the Lrd our God.

7 For in that day every man fhall caft away his idols of filver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a fin,

Having called his fellow citizens to the practice of their indifpenfible duty, our Prophet proceeds to foretel the happy effects which were to refult from their return to God, and obedience to his authority. Şenfible of their extreme folly and complicated guilt, in having followed lying vanities and forfaken their own mercy, they were to abandon, with just indignation, the atrocious fins wherein they had indulged. Of this defirable change they were to exhibit the most fubftantial proofs, by rejecting with detef

* Chap. v. 23.

tation

tation the idols which they had formerly worshipped. It is worthy of notice, that this becoming conduct was to be adopted, not merely by a few individuals, but by the great bulk of those who had been addicted to idolatry. Every man fhall caft away his idols of filver and gold; though made of the most valuable materials, to attract the greater admiration and respect; though formed by their own hands, a circumftance which might contribute to increase their attachment to them; yet they were to be rejected with disdain, and thrown away as objects of contempt. Such are the fruits of genuine repentance toward God, which, at the period referred to, were to appear among the tribes of Ifrael.—Is it not surprifing, that ever fince man's firft apoftacy from God, all the nations of the earth, the Ifraelites not excepted, have discovered a perverfe inclination to honour the creature, even the works of their own hands, more than the Creator! withstanding his eternal power and Godhead may be understood by the things that are made, notwithstanding he hath not left himself without witnefs of his goodness and beneficence, in giving rain from heaven, and fruitful feafons; men have changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the image of corruptible creatures. So ftrong is the propenfity, that to disjoin them from idols, and to turn them to ferve the living and true God, the gospel muft come to them, not in word, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost.

Not

8 Then fhall the Affyrian fall with the fword, not of a mighty man; and the fword not of a mean man fhall devour him: but he fhall flee from the fword, and his young men fhall be discomfited.

The dreadful flaughter and entire discomfiture of the Affyrian army, by the irrefiftible power of Jehovah, is the subject of this prediction. The molt