XXIX, 8 It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he cateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.

And, whereas the Jews vainly pleased themselves with a false hope of deliverance from their enemies and raising of their siege, they shall be no less disappointed, than an hungry man, that dreams of meat and seems to himself to eat, but, when he awakes, he finds that his stomach is still empty, &c. So shall it be with the conceit of defeating the multitude of nations, that fight against mount Zion.

XXIX. 9 Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

Fix yourselves upon the thoughts of these judgments, and wonder; yea, cry out, cry aloud in the sense of this wrath: but, alas, why do I thus speak unto them? They are grown senseless and stupid: they are drunken, not so much with wine, as with their false security and giddy imaginations.

XXIX. 10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.

For the Lord, in his justice, for a punishment of your idolatries and excess, hath given you up to a secure insensibleness; shutting up the eyes of your mind, that you should not see your fearful condition; and that, not of the meaner sort only, but of your very prophets and rulers, who should be the common seers for the

rest.

XXIX. 13 And their fear toward me is taught by the precept of

men.

Their religion and devotion is such, not as God hath prescribed unto them, but such as they have received from the unwarranted precepts of superstitious men.

XXIX. 14 For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

Their wise men and their learned teachers shall be besotted; so as they shall not be able, either to see the truth, or to deliver it unto others.

XXIX. 15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counset from the LORD.

Woe to those hypocritical contemners of God, which think themselves so cunning, that they can elude either the knowledge or proceedings of God.

XXIX. 16 Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not?

Surely, these plots and devices, that you have, for the turning of things upside down, and working them to your own purposes, are

no less in my hand to overrule, than the clay is in the hand of the potter: Is it for you, to take upon you the contriving of the events of things? Is not this work proper only to me? Shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not?

XXIX. 17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?

However your secure hearts may suggest to you, it shall be very shortly, that I will make these strange alterations in the world: woody forests shall be turned into fruitful and plain fields; and those fields, which were lately fruitful, shall become a wild desert forest.

XXIX. 18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.

But, notwithstanding these judgments, I will be gracious to mine own remnant; and will open their ears, that they may hear, and enlighten their eyes, that they may see the things belonging to their peace.

XXIX. 21 That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.

Those cruel men, that are ready to take the utmost advantage against a man, for but a word speaking; and lay twigs and snares to catch the prophet, which openly reproves sin; and disgrace the upright and cons ionable, causelessly.

XXIX. 24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

They, that before carelessly mocked at the prediction of these denounced evils, shall now come to understand the truth of them.

XXX. 1 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit; that they may add sin to sin:

Woe to these rebellious Jews, saith the Lord, that will be consulting with flesh and blood, in their affairs; and hiding their plots, as if they could keep them from mine eyes; and seeking other protections, than my Spirit hath suggested unto them. they do herein but add one sin to another:

XXX. 2 That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh ! That, without ever asking counsel of me, go to crave aid and succour of the Egyptians, and make account to strengthen themselves with the forces of Pharaoh.

XXX. 4 For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes.

For, no mean men, but the very princes of Judah were sent as ambassadors, to the furthest parts of Egypt, to treat with them upon this business.

XXX. 5 They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach. But the end of that ambassage is but shame and disappointment; for it will appear, that those Egyptians shall not be able to help them, yea, that their assistance shall turn to a reproach and disadvantage unto them.

XXX. 6 The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fierce flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.

The sad tidings, that are sent to the men of Judah, under the name of those beasts, which shall be sent by them with presents into Egypt; even into Egypt, which hath been of old a land of trouble and anguish to Israel; from whence ravenous and venomous beasts have wont too frequently to annoy and endanger all passengers; yet thither will the men of Judah needs carry their rich gifts, upon the backs of asses and the bunches of camels, to fee a people, that cannot, that shall not avail them.

XXX. 7 For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to

sit still.

The Egyptians' help shall be utterly in vain; and therefore have I earnestly warned and admonished the people of Judah, that their best strength had been in sitting still, and trusting to their God, without the employment of these untrusty assistants.

XXX. 10 Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits.

Prophesy to us those news, that may please us; and tell us plausible tidings, how false and deceitful soever.

XXX. 11 Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. Let not the Holy One of Israel trouble us any more, with these harsh and unwelcome prophecies.

XXX. 13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.

Your state shall be, for this iniquity of yours, like to the case of a riven wall, whereof one part is ready to fall from the other; which buncheth out in the rupture thereof, as continually threatening a certain ruin, that shall come suddenly upon it, and, in the fall, a breaking in pieces.

XXX. 14 And he shall break it as the breaking of the potter's vessel that is broken in pieces.

Thus are ye, and thus shall ye be: yea, he shall yet break you into smaller sherds; even like to the sherds of a broken pitcher.

XXX. 15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

Thus saith the Lord; Did not I tell you, that your safest and

surest way was to call back your messengers from Egypt, and to rest quietly and confidently upon the assured protection of your God? yet ye would not do so; but would needs follow your own projects.

XXX. 16 But ye said, No; for we will flec upon horses; there fore shall ye flee.

No, said ye; we will send speedy messengers to our neighbour princes, and will trust to their aid; therefore shall ye make as much haste to flee before your enemies.

XXX. 18 For the LORD is a God of judgment.

For the Lord is a God, full of merciful moderation in the proceedings of his judgments.

XXX. 20 Thine eyes shall see thy teachers :

Thou shalt enjoy the presence of thy priests and prophets:

XXX. 21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it.

And God shall bless thee with pure and wholesome doctrine; directing thee in the way of truth and holiness; saying to thee, upon all occasions of thy doubts or temptations, This is the way, walk

in it.

XXX. 22 Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold.

Thou shalt then, in a holy indignation conceived against thy former idolatry, defile and deface all the ornaments and appurtenances of thy late images, of silver and gold.

XXX. 23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal.

Upon which act of detestation of that idolatry, God shall bless thee with a sensible benediction: he shall give sweet and seasonable rain to that seed thou hast sown.

XXX. 24 Shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.

Thy very cattle shall be full fed, even with well fanned and pure grain.

XXX. 25 And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

Even upon the dry and barren hills, which are wont to be parched with a droughty heat, shall springs of living waters break forth, which shall flow forth into clear and plentiful rivers: so will God have this land of his to be richly refreshed, even then, when the towers of the enemies shall be ruined and demolished.

XXX. 26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.

And so glorious shall that restitution of the Church be, as that the estate thereof shall be seven times more bright and beautiful than it was before; and whereas, formerly, God gave illuminations to men in a weak imperfect degree, like to the light of the moon,

now he shall give them clear and perfect, like the sun; and if any were clearly enlightened before, now they shall be raised to a height of knowledge, sevenfold more: and this shall be in the days of that blessed Gospel of peace, wherein God will bind up and heal the wounds of his afflicted ones.

XXX. 27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger.

In the mean time, behold the power of the Lord shall manifest itself, in grievous judgments upon the Assyrians, and those other banded enemies of his Church; so as, they shall see and feel him coming against them in a terrible manner, burning with anger.

XXX. 28 To sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to crr. To sift the nations with that sieve, which shall descry their vanity, and cause their utter dispersion; and that bridle of correction, which is wont, in the mouth of tractable creatures, to guide them and keep them in order, shall, in his judgment upon these stubborn enemies, be an occasion of their erring out of the way.

XXX. 29 As when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel.

As when a man goes, with a holy triumph and melodious exultation, up to the temple of God, in a holy solemnity.

XXX. 30 And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm.

And the Lord shall let the world see, that this revenge upon the Assyrians is his own work; which he shall declare, both by his fearful thunders out of heaven, as also by that dreadful execution which his powerful arm shall perform amongst them.

XXX. 31 Which smote with a rod.

Which was a cruel scourge unto other nations.

XXX. 32 And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the LORD shall lay upon it, it shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it.

So shall the Lord smite him again, and smite him soundly and deep, so as the prints of his staff shall be seen upon him; and, wheresoever the Lord shall lay this heavy hand upon him, the judgment shall be entertained with the joy and acclamation of all his oppressed neighbours, as a benefit to themselves; and, in all his terrifying battles, will the Lord, with his staff of vengeance, fight against him.

XXX. 33 For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

For God, from the foundations of the world, hath ordained a place and state of torment, for his wicked and reprobate enemies; yea, for the proud king of Assyria, and all those cruel tyrants, which do here oppress his Church, hath God prepared a woeful and inconceivably dreadful damnation, in hell tire; which is poorly represented in that hideous valley of Benhinnom, wherein,