yet come. A prince filled the throne who DISC. knew where to have recourse for afsistance, and how to engage Heaven on his fide. Therefore "the virgin, the daughter of "Zion, despised" the tyrant, "and laughed " him to scorn, the daughter of Jerufalem " shook her head at him." Suddenly, in the dark and filent hour of midnight, without noise or violence, the flower of the Afsyrian army is cut off at a stroke. The Almighty puts his hook in the nose, his bridle in the lips of the blafpheming infidel, and leads him back disarmed like a wild beaft taken in the toils, the contempt and hiffing of those nations, who had so lately trembled at his power and majesty. But at length Judah's hour came. The tranfgreffions of her kings, of her priefts, and of her people, which had made the whole head fick, and the whole heart faint, required a strong and efficacious medicine. Her corruptions were become such as could not be purged away but by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, and the xv. DISC. was to drink deep of the cup of the Lord's XV. fury. The haughty and terrible Nebuchadnezzar was the person appointed to administer it, and she drank it off to the dregs. Jerufalem is laid in ashes, and her children go into captivity. In the school of affliction they are taught the lesson of repentance. By the waters of Babylon they fate down and wept, wept over the miseries of the church, and the fins that caused them; yea they wept when they remembered Zion, when they remembered what she had been, and faw what she was. Desolate and forlorn, she now fits upon the ground who was once exalted above all the earth, and calls to the whole world to fee if ever there was forrow like her forrow, and to receive instruction by her fall. Her lamentations by the mouth of Jeremiah are recorded for the use of all who may find themselves in the like circumstances, if they prove not sufficient to prevent men from falling into them. Yet even here God left not himself without witness, nor his church without honour. The irresistible monarch, whole XV. pride made him ready to propose himself as DISC. an object of worship to all people, and nations, and languages, falls down at the feet of a Jew; Daniel is made first of the presidents, and a prophet rules in the province of Babylon; while the abasement of that prince, by the judgment of God, even to the condition of the beafts of the field, seemed to prognosticate the fall of the empire, which came to pass in the days of his grandfon. For now, Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeeş excellency, having performed the task allotted her, was to be overthrown as Sodom and Gomorrah; the staff wherewith the Lord had smitten so many nations, the hammer which had broken the whole earth to pieces, was to be itself cut asunder, and broken, and the fceptre of the world tranfferred to the second great monarchy, that of the MEDES and PERSIANS. To this end we fee raifsed up a prince with a difpofition calculated to conciliate the affec XV. DISC. tions of all nations, improved and trained up in a difcipline which has been the admiration of every age fince, reducing to practice all the maxims of political wisdom which he had been taught, and profperous in all his undertakings, until by the taking of Babylon he had brought down to the ground, and laid low in the dust, that infolent spirit which characterised the Chaldean empire. This transaction profane history relates at large. But the drift of Providence in it had never been known, if the Scriptures had not opened to us, through the divine economy in this affair, a prospect terminated by the restoration of the church of GOD, who faith of Cyrus, many hundred years before his birth, "He is my "shepherd, and shall perform all my plea" fure, even faying to Jerufalem, Thou shalt " be built, and to the temple, Thy founda" tions shall be laid. I have raised him up " in righteousness, and I will direct all his 66 ways: he shall build my city, and he " shall let go my captives, not for price, " nor reward, faith the Lord of hosts. For " Jacob XV. " Jacob my servant's fake, and for Ifrael DISC. " mine elect, I have even called thee by " thy name: I have firnamed thee, though " thou hast not known me." Accordingly, in the very "first year of his reign," (after having been shewed, as we must suppose, by Daniel, whom he found in the court of Babylon, these prophecies of Ifaiah concerning himself) " he made a proclamation " throughout all his kingdom, and put it " also in writing, saying, Thus faith Cy"rus, king of Perfia, all the kingdoms of "the earth hath the Lord God of heaven " given me, and he hath charged me to " build him an house in Jerufalem which " is in Judah: Who is there among you " of all his people? The Lord his Gop be " with him, and let him go up." For this cause therefore was the Persian monarchy suffered to be erected, because Jehovah was become gracious unto his land, and had determined to make Cyrus his instrument in bringing back the captivity of Jacob. But in process of time this empire having |