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The burden of the valley of vision.

1 The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?

2 Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city : thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle. 3 All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.

4 Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.

5 For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.

6 And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.

7 And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.

8 And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.

9 Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

10 And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.

11 Ye made also a ditch be

tween the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.

12 And in that day did the Lord GoD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine : let us eat and drink ; for to morrow we shall die.

14 And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

15 Thus saith the Lord Gon of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, 16 What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?

17 Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.

18 He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.

19 And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.

20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah : 21 And I will clothe him with

thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.

22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to

his father's house.

24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. 25 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off for the LORD hath spoken it.

LECTURE 1124.

The care and concern of Christ for his people.

The valley of vision, is the city of Jerusalem, in which the prophet here describes the alarm of the rulers and people, hemmed in by the besieging army of Sennacherib, and in jeopardy of perishing by famine. He gives expression to his own grief in the affliction of his countrymen. He relates the appearance of the enemy as seen from the city. He makes mention of the searching for armour, and examining the weak parts of the walls, and forming a reservoir of water. He reproves the besieged, for looking to these means of defence, without having respect unto God, who had brought this evil upon them. And he charges them with abandoning themselves to festivity, when they had this strong call from the Lord to godly sorrow and repentance. And especially he is commissioned to reprove the haughty Shebna, who had hewed out for himself a monumental sepulchre, such as according to the fashion of the country would rather become his master. To be whirled away swiftly into captivity is his fearful sentence; there to have the spoil of his state and glory made matter of triumph against his master's house. This probably took place when Manasseh, the successor of Hezekiah, was carried away in fetters unto Babylon. And when on Manasseh's repentance, God brought him again unto his kingdom, then probably it was that Eliakim was promoted to the office which Shebna had previously held. Then was the one nail surely fastened in the place of the other. Then was the son of Hilkiah privileged to fill a station of such high honour and usefulness, as ministering to the welfare of God's people, that amongst the tokens of his office here set down, one is applied in the Book of Revelation to our blessed Lord Himself. See Rev. 3. 7. And not only one, but all, may be justly applied to Him; whose care and concern in behalf of all, both high and low, rich and poor, whether likened to that of a shepherd for his flock, or to that of a ruler for the people committed to his charge, is far beyond any language of ours to describe, or any thoughts of ours to conceive.

The burden of Tyre.

1 The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

2 Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

3 And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.

4 Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins. 5 As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre. 6 Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle. 7 Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.

8 Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth?

9 The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.

10 Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength.

11 He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the king

doms: the LORD hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof.

12 And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.

13 Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness : they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; and he brought it to ruin. 14 Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste. 15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.

16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.

17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth. 18 And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.

LECTURE 1125.

The right use of wealth.

The merchants of Tyre, returning in their ships from Tarshish, a Tyrian settlement on the coast of Spain, are here warned to

lament; for they would find their country desolate, and their harbour blocked up; as the nations whom they passed in their voyage would inform them. The inhabitants of the isle of Tyre, long enriched as they had been, by their traffick with Zidon, and with Egypt, and all parts of the world, must "be still," must cease to carry on their commerce. The sea, whence they derived their riches, is heard to say, that it will not continue to multiply and sustain their people. The report of their calamity shall be like that of the defeat of Egypt, one of the countries with which they chiefly traded. They are advised to flee from their isle to Tarshish; deserting their city, renowned for its wealth, luxury, and antiquity. And taking refuge in their colony, they must depend in their weakness on Tarshish, as a parent on a child, instead of their colony on them. And even in the place of their refuge they should have neither joy nor rest. During seventy years this "crowning city," whose merchants were princes, must be forgotten in obscurity, as any one king might be forgotten after his decease. But at the end of that period, its commerce, and its luxury, and its idolatry also, would revive. And then after another signal desolation, not here foretold, it would learn to dedicate its wealth to the true God, and to spend it not in luxurious feasts and fine raiment, but in sufficient food and "durable clothing."

The people by whom Tyre was to be first taken were the Chaldeans, the origin of whose empire is here stated, and their warlike preparations against Tyre described. And from the Jewish historian Josephus we learn, that Nebuchadnezzar, the Chaldean king, was occupied many years in the siege. But it more nearly concerns us, especially as inhabitants of a rich commercial country, to note the reasons, for which it seemed good to God that Tyre should be thus laid waste. "The Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth." This was the object for which "He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the Lord hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof." How awful, when viewed under the light of this prophecy, are the pomps and luxury, the pride in worldly glory, and the trust in worldly wealth, which abound in our own nation! How like unto a harlot's trade is ours, as well as that of Tyre, in proportion as we gain by art and subtlety, by giving to our merchandize a fair outside, concealing rottenness within; in proportion as we delight to spend our gains in selfish and sensual indulgences! God be praised that there are many amongst us, in all ranks of life, whose means, whether great or small, are neither treasured up for their own glory, nor squandered on their own lusts, but spent, as God would have them, in promoting his glory, by forwarding the welfare, temporal and spiritual, of his people.

How God will visit for sin, and will reign in Zion. 1 Behold, the LORD maketh with destruction. the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. 3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. 4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. 5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

7 The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.

8 The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth. 9 They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. 10 The city of confusion is broken down every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

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11 There is a crying for wine in the street; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.

12 In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten

13 When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.

14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea.

15 Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.

16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings

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