into your streets: he is just, and righteous, and brings salvation with him to all believers : and, withal, he is lowly and meek; not making his approach in a royal, pompous, and majestical manner, though he could command all the glories of heaven and earth to attend him, but in a mean and homely fashion, riding upon an ass, with her colt following her; even like to him, that came to take upon him the estate of a servant.

IX. 10. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off : and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

I will draw my Church to a happy accordance, so as both Jews and Gentiles shall be linked together in the bonds of peace: there shall therefore be no more need of

your

chariots, O Israel; or of your horses, 0 Judah; or of any weapons of war; for the common Saviour of both shall unite them together, and shall extend the bounds of his spiritual dominion, all the world over.

IX. 11. As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I hare sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.

As for thee, O Zion, whose covenant with me is made and confirmed by the precious blood of the Messiah, in that new and everlasting Testament, I do herein give thee a type of thy future deliverance from all thy spiritual miseries, in that, I have brought forth thy captives out of the miserable captivity of Babylon, wherein they were woefully distressed.

IX. 12, 13. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope : even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee; When I hare bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, o Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.

Return ye then to the forts of Zion and Jerusalem, Oye hopeful captives, that are yet remaining in Babylon; for I do this day declare unto you, that I have prepared blessings for you above your expectations: and, whereof this is a type, turn ye into my Church, all ye that pertain to mine election, out of the world, wherein ye are held captive; and know, that I have prepared happiness for you, above the thoughts and desires of your hearts; but, in the mean time, I shall make some warlike use of Judah and Ephraim, and raise the forces of Jerusalem, against the Grecians and Syrians, wherewith they shall be vexed; and will give good success to their courageous and well fought battles.

IX. 14. And the Lord shall be seen orer them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: fc.

And the Lord shall give good proof of his gracious protection of them, and shall manifestly shew that he fighteth for them from heaven.

IX. 15. The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall derour, and subdue with sling stones : and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altars.

They shall subdue their enemies afar off, as with sling stones, and with other killing engines of war; and they shall rejoice in their victory, and shall feast for joy, and shout out in their triumphs, as men filled with wine, and shall, in the cheerfulness of their hearts, offer store of sacrifices of praise unto God, so as, both the bowls of the temples and the horns of the altar shall carry an abundant testimony of their frequent devotions.

IX. 16. For they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.

And, however they have been formerly despised and trod upon, yet they shall now be advanced to such honour, that they shall be as the precious stones of a royal crown, or as an ensign which is lifted up with honour over the heads of the people.

IX. 17. For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids.

For, how great is the blessing, how great is the beauty, wherewith God shall, upon those victories, grace and adorn his people! There shall be prosperity and plenty, every where amongst them; so as the young men shall be full fed with feasts, and their very maids shall be refreshed with new wine: all sorts and ages shall have cause to rejoice in their God.

X. 1. Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.

Ask ye of the Lord rain, in the due season thereof, even the latter rain for the filling up of the fruits of the earth; so the Lord will, according to his promise, hear you, and give change of weather; causing the clouds to lead in store of rain, such as may plentifully water the earth, that it may yield store of grass in every field.

X. 2. For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners hare seen a lie, and hare told false dreams; they comfort in rain : therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd. It is the Lord, that must help you: as for your

idols whereto ye have hitherto trusted, they have vainly deluded you; and your wizards have abused you, in false visions and dreams, and have pretended to give you those comforts which have failed

you in the issue: therefore, both they and you were driven into captivity, as a flock of sheep into the fold; and found no protection, but rather much discomfort and misery, because of the want of a shepherd to guide and defend you.

X. 3. Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the Lord of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle.

Mine anger' was kindled against the false prophets, and wicked rulers of my people; and I punished those (rather goats than bell-wethers) which led my flock out of their way: for the Lord of Hosts hath sharply chastised the people of Judah; and hath designed them to hard conflicts, even as some stout horse is made for the day of battle.

X. 4. Out of him came forth the corner; out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.

From his decree came forth all the plots of the siege: the tents pitched before their walls, the weapons of war which were used in that assault, and every oppressor that offered violence to them, did but execute his just pleasure upon them.

X. 5. And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies, fc.

But this sad condition of theirs shall not last always; for the Lord hath determined happy success and victories unto his people: they shall be as mighty men, which tread upon their enemies, &c.

X. 8. I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.

And I will, by the voice of my word, call them together into one Church; for I have redeemed them: and they shall multiply exceedingly.

X. 9. And I will sow them among the people : and they shall remember me in far countries, and they shall live with their children, and turn again.

And I will so dispose of them, that they shall be sent all the world over, for the gathering of my Church; even as the seed is cast into several furrows of the large field, for a more plentiful increase: and they shall publish my Gospel in remote countries; and both they, and the children whom they beget unto the faith, shall live, and turn to their God and Saviour.

X. 10. I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.

And I will gather my Church out of all the coasts under heaven, out of Egypt, and Assyria, and all other countries; and, in type thereof, I will fetch up my people the Jews, from

those regions, where they have been captived, and bring them again into Judea; and they shall grow to such numbers there, that the place shall not be able to hold them.

X. 11. And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away.

No seas or rivers shall hinder the propagation of the Gospel; as, in type thereof, when the Jews shall return towards their country, God will rather work miracles for them, than that they shall be hindered in the way: he will again cause the sea to give them passage, and will dry up Jordan before them; and subdue all those their proud enemies of Assyria and Egypt, which had prevailed against them.

XI. 1. Open thy door, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.

A grievous destruction will light upon thee, O thou ungrateful land of Judea, for those repulses and indignities, which thou shalt offer to the Lord of Life: open thou therefore thy doors, O thou Temple of Jerusalem, that the fire may devour thy cedars.

XI. 2. Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because all the mighty are spoiled: howl, O) ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.

Howl and lament, О ye nobles; for your princes are fallen; all the men of power in Judea are spoiled: make lamentation, O ye of the meaner rank of Israel, for your great mem are cut off.

XI. 3. There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds ; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions ; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.

There is great wailing and mourning of the rulers and priests, who should have fed and guided my people; for their glory is at an end: all the stout gallants of Judea do now roar and lament; for the magnificence of Jerusalem, and the strength of Jewry, is utterly wasted and come to nothing.

XI. 4, 5. Thus saith the Lord my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter; Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves. not guilty; and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.

Thus saith the Lord my God; Yet amongst these Jews, which I have justly set out for this slaughter, there is a flock of mine, whom I have due care of; let them be carefully fed, and looked unto: They are in a perilous and woeful case; for their own governors and spiritual guides slay them, and think they do therein good service; and their victors, Titus and his Romans, sell them as merchandize, and rejoice in the wealth which they have raised from their price: and their own governors do not so much as pity them.

XI. 6. For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land.

For the rest, I will have no more compassion on the inhabitants of the land, who have called for the blood of that Just One, to be required of them and their children: for I will deliver them into the hand of each other, to be slain in civil discord; and into the hand of the Roman, whom they professed to be their king; and by both these means they shall be consumed.

XI. 7. And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two stares; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bonds; and I fed the flock.

As for that part of my flock, which are appointed as sheep to the slaughter, for my Name's sake, I will carefully feed them; even you, O

my poor

little flock: and, for this cause, I took unto me two pastoral staves; the one, which I called Beauty, was the staff of mercy, and gracious and pleasurable protection; the other, which I called Bonds, was the staff of unity for the conjoining of my Church, or of correction and just censure of the offenders; and with these, I guided my little flock accordingly.

XI. 8. Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me.

Your three sorts of leaders, Kings, Priests, and Prophets, I cut off together, in a very short space: they were well worthy of my just extirpation : I loathed them for their corruption and wickedness, and they no less abhorred my laws and justice.

XI. 9. Then said I, I will not feed you : that that dieth, let it die ; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off, &c.

Then said I, of this refractory and perverse people of the Jews; I will take charge of you no more: whatsoever calamity befal you, I will not put my hand to redress it.

XI. 10. And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.

And I took my staff, even the staff of my safeguard and protection, which I called Beauty, and cut it in sunder; that I might thereby signify, that, as this people had broke the covenant which they made with me by their wilful disobedience, so that I would free myself from regarding my promise of favour and preservation made to them.

XI. 11. And so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the Lord.