creation, had been fixed to their places, were now so shaken at the awful presence of God, as if they had been scattered and removed from their foundations: those hills, which had ever stood upright, now bowed: so dreadful and glorious is God for ever, in the manifestation of himself to his creatures.

III. 7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.

I saw the the neighbouring nations of the Arabians and Ethiopians in great distress; and the Midianites trembling under the expectation of his judgments, which he was ready to bring upon them, in the behalf of his people.

III. 8 Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thy horses and thy chariots of salvation?

O God, when thou dividedst the Red Sea, and driedst up the river of Jordan, was it upon any displeasure, that thou conceivedst against those waters? or was it out of a desire to triumph over the sea, that thou didst, as it were, pass, in state, upon the horses and chariots of salvation and deliverance, before thy people, through the channel thereof? or was it not for the confusion of those proud Egyptians, which pursued thine Israel?

III. 9 Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with

rivers.

Thou didst draw forth and bend the bow of thy mighty power among thine enemies, according to the oaths which thou swarest to the tribes of Israel; even the word of promise, which thou gavest them to settle them in that good land. Selah. Thou didst cleave in sunder the rivers which run upon the earth, to give way to thy people.

III. 10 The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high.

The very mountains felt the terribleness of thy presence, and shook withal: the overflowing stream of the Red Sea and Jordan passed back ward in their channels: the deep made a noise, in his running together on heaps; and did lift up his waves, as so many hands, to praise and magnify thy power.

III. 11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.

The sun and the moon stood still, upon the command of Joshua, for the time, in the orbs of their heaven; in which extraordinary light of those standing planets, thy thunder and lightning and hailstones flew abroad, as so many arrows, or glittering spears, to wound thine enemies.

III. 12. Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.

In despight of which enemies, thou didst march through the land of Canaan, before thy people, in great indignation at their

resistance; and didst subdue the heathen before them, in thine anger.

III. 13 With thine anointed, thou woundedst the head out of the houses of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.

With Moses thy servant thou didst cut off the kings and princes, which were the heads of those seven wicked nations, and leftest them destitute; even as when the head is cut off by the sword, the junctures thereof unto the neck and shoulders are fully discovered.

III. 14 Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoic ing was as to devour the poor secretly.

Thou didst, with thine immediate judgments, and by the wea pons of thy people, overthrow those, which were the princes and leaders of those hostile forces: they came out furiously as a whirlwind, to scatter and defeat Israel; and, they rejoiced to think, how easily their power and subtlety should be able to consume this poor handful of thy people.

III. 15 Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters.

When thou leddest thy people through the sea, thou didst, as it were, pass triumphantly with thine horses of war, through the heaps of the great waters.

III. 16 When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in my self that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.

I heard thy speeches, O Lord, as I before said, concerning those grievous afflictions, which thou hast threatened to bring upon thy people; and when I heard thereof, I was moved with much fear and compassion: my heart trembled; my lips shook; and I was even consumed with inward grief and heaviness: and all this sorrow and consternation should I think well bestowed, on condition, that I might rest in the day of the common calamity, when the Chaldees come up against my nation, and invade Judah with their troops.

III. 17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

Although God should so cross us, as that none of these outward comforts should prosper in our hands; though our fig trees should not yield us any blossoms, nor our vines yield us grapes; though our olive trees should fail us, after the labour and cost bestowed on them; though our fields should yield us no grain, nor our folds any flocks, nor our stalls any herds:

III. 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Yet I will depend cheerfully upon the Lord, even against hope, and joy in the God of my salvation.

III. 19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon my high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. See 2 Sam. xxii, verse 34, &c.

ZEPHANIAH.

I. 2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.

I will utterly waste and consume all things from off this land of
Judea, which hath so grievously provoked me, saith the Lord.
I. 3 And the stumbling blocks with the wicked.

And I will destroy those abominable idols, which, have been stumblingblocks to their followers; together with their idolatrous clients.

1. 4. And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;

I will cut off those that remain of the worshippers of Paal, from this place; and the name of those idolatrous priests of his, toge ther with those corrupt ministers of my sanctuary;

I. 5 And them that worship the host of heaven, &c.

And those, that build altars on the roofs of their houses to the hosts of heaven &c.

I. 7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

Do thou, with an awful fear and silence, make account to see the execution of these judgments, from the Lord; for the day thereof is nigh at hand: the Lord hath made preparation to a very great slaughter, which he shortly intendeth. So also verse 8.

I. 9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit. In that day will I punish those, which violently break into the houses of their peaceable neighbours, and take away their goods forcibly; filling their masters' houses, with treasures gotten by rapine and fraud.

I. 10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills. There shall be a general lamentation and shrieking in all the streets of Jerusalem, from the fish gate which is in the upper part of the cities, to the lowermost gate thereof; and great noises of the falling of houses, and outcries of men, from the hills, in the remotest parts of Jerusalem.

I. 11 Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.

Howl, ye inhabitants of the hollow valley of Cedron; for all the merchants, which dwelt in those parts, are cut off; all those rich men, which had wont to drive a great trade with their silver, are now perished and gone.

I. 12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will make a curious search in Jerusalem, and will leave no corner thereof unsought, for the fetching out and punishing of those foul and secure offenders, which have hardened themselves with resolutions of wickedness; and have determinately settled themselves to live in their known sins; and say in their hearts, Tush, it is all one, whether we do good or evil, the Lord will not regard it, whethersoever we do.

I. 14 The great day of the LORD is near.

The great day of God's revenge upon Jerusalem is near at hand. So also verses 15 and 16.

II. 2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff.

Before the command of God bring forth all this heavy judgment upon you; before the day of your captivity come upon you, which is coming upon you with such speed and violence, as the chaff is driven with a strong wind.

II. 3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seck righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD's anger.

Pray to the Lord, O all ye, that are well disposed and conscionable upon earth; ye, which have endeavoured to do that, which is just and right before him go ye on still to approve yourselves to him, in your holy carriage and good affections: it may be, that God will be pleased to deliver you from the common judg

ment.

II. 4 For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.

For

ye shall see the hand of God, by way of forewarning, upon all those cities, that belong to the Philistines; upon Gaza, and Ashkelon, and Ashdod, and Ekron: all these shall be destroyed and rooted up openly before your eyes.

II. 5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, the land of the Philistines.

Woe to the inhabitants of the coast of the Mediterranean Sea; even to the Cherethites, that dwell there! the word of the Lord threatens speedy destruction against thee, O thou region of Canaan, which art possessed by the Philistines.

II. 6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks.

And those sea coasts shall be left desolate and unpeopled only there shall be some solitary cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks, along those shores.

II. 7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the houses of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity.

And, afterward, this whole tract shall be re-possessed by those of the house of Judah: they shall be settled in this country; and, after their captivity is past, as it were in the latter end of the day, they shall be the owners of the land and cities of the Philistines; for the Lord their God shall in mercy remember them, and return them from their captivity.

II. 11 For he will famish all the gods of the earth.

For he will destroy all the idols of the earth, and famish all those false deities, in withdrawing from them the offerings and gifts of their deluded followers.

II. 12 Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword. And not only Moab and Ammon, but ye Ethiopians also, shall be slain, at my appointment, by the sword of Nebuchadnezzar.

II. 13, 14 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness. And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall Lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the window's; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work.

Even Nineveh, that mighty city, shall be so desolated by the sword of the Babylonian, as that flocks shall lie down in the midst of those, which were her streets all the beasts of the countries round about may either pass or feed there: all the birds of solitariness and desolation shall take up their lodgings, in the ruinous remainders of that goodly city; and the cedar ceilings thereof shall lie uncovered. So verse 15.

III. 1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!

Woe to Jerusalem, which is filthy and polluted with abominable wickedness! Woe to the cruel and oppressing city, Jerusalem!

III. 3 Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.

Her princes are fierce and cruel, like roaring lions: her judges are covetous and greedy, like the hungry wolves, which range forth in the evening; which, when they find a prey, devour it at once, and stay not to gnaw upon the bones, but swallow them down hastily.

III. 4 They have done violence to the law.