in that day, saith the Lord, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots. And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds. And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee." From which passage, as it speaks entirely of a spiritual operation, we may gain sufficient information upon the present passage, and say, that here also the "cities" are destroyed when the word of faith is preached among men, and comes not bringing peace but a sword, and setting the father against the son, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; so that, in the confusion of the world, a man's foes are those of his own household; and thus the cities of the enemies are happily destroyed.

And David says "cities" more particularly, because, first of all in these, there is a greater concourse of men in the midst of whom the Word of God was to be preached : and then, because there is there a more refined understanding among the men; that is, a greater wisdom of the flesh, which is an enemy to God. Hence Christ attacks the world by his Word in its highest and head ones, in whom the most of its power lies; for when the cities are destroyed, then all the rest of the commonalty are destroyed.—And Augustine also, though he takes the noun "cities" in a figurative sense, yet understands the verb "hast destroyed," as speaking of a spiritual destruction. And I have observed before, that we are more to regard the words than the names, in order to understand the spirit: as in Psalm lxxii. 8, " He shall have dominion from sea to sea." Here, no other sea is to be understood than the material sea: and yet, the dominion is not a carnal dominion (as the Jews understand it.) And in the same manner also here, the word “cities” is to be understood literally and properly; but yet the destruction is to be understood as being spiritual and not carnal.—Therefore, the weapons of the enemies have so ceased, that they themselves and their cities also are subverted and destroyed.

But they that want to make some other meaning out of this passage have an ambiguous Hebrew word to work

upon.

For they will have it, that the noun IRIM, if the rejected Jod be written, as in this passage, signifies not only cities, but enemies also. For the pronoun "their" is not in the Hebrew. Hence we have in our translation, Micah v. 11, "And I will cut off thy cities," which Reuchlin says is, in the Hebrew, "And I will cut off thine enemies." But all that which makes no material difference I leave to every ones judgment. This is certain, that, whether you say cities or enemies, the sense is the same. For we have said that prudent men, and the children of this world, are, by their wisdom, the greatest enemies to the Word of the cross, and these are they at whom the word principally strikes. For this our ram sets his horns in these thickets.

"Their memory is perished."-It is manifest that their name which is destroyed is one thing, and their name which is perished is another. For their name in which they delighted is taken from them and returned to God, when they confess with humility that they are sinners and worthy of all shame. And then, all that they had is so destroyed by the Word, all their dependence, their name, their power, and their multitude, that there is not even the memory of them remaining. And this is said thus, according to the usage of an old proverb ; whereby, when speaking of men or their actions being destroyed, we say, 'There is not so much as the memory of them remaining.' The extremity of all destruction is accomplished, when the things themselves are buried in perpetual oblivion.-Behold, therefore, the power of the Word and of faith: it makes the ungodly godly, and destroys their sins, and the arms of their iniquity, and buries them in eternal oblivion: that the persons themselves may be of another possession, another name, another power, another multitude, and another memory, being saved of God.

And then, the words "with a noise" are translated by Hieronymus, "with them." The Hebrew runs verbatim thus, Their memory is perished, themselves." The preposition "with," is not in the text. But the word is very much like the verb, which signifies to

sound,' and this is what they have followed who have rendered the passage" with a sound."

I, in my simple way, have resource to a figure of speech implying union: and joining and continuing the sense, I would render it thus, "Their memory is perished, and they themselves:" for that Hebraism is most common in other passages. Hence we have it Psalm iv. 8, "For thou, O Lord, hast singularly established me in hope." And therefore, the prophet seems to me to have added, "and they themselves," at the end of the verse, either by way of conclusion, or to give vent to the power of his feelings. As if he had said, "Their memory is perished, and they themselves:" that is, they are utterly reduced to nothing, together with all that they have.

Augustine renders" with a noise," with tumult,' 'with a confusion;' that tumultuous noise whereby the wicked roar and perish, and struggle and fight against the destroying hand. Or, because their memory perishes together with the ceasing of this tumultuous noise.But what is the service or benefit of inventing numberless variations, on a text that will admit them? By this sound or "noise" you may understand, that the whole perished in a moment, like a dying or vanishing sound. In this same way also, Job xiv. 2, compares man to a fleeing shadow. Let every one here follow his own judgment.

Ver. 7.-But the Lord shall endure for ever; he hath prepared his throne in judgment.

Hieronymus translates the passage thus, "But the Lord shall sit for ever, he hath prepared his throne for judgment." In which rendering, there is not only the duration described (which our translator has observed,) but also the office of Christ maintained: which is twofold,—to judge and to justify; to kill and to make alive; to condemn and to save. By his judgment he humbles the proud, and by his righteousness he exalts the humbled. Therefore, his having prepared his throne for judgment, signifies that which Malachi saith, iii. 23, "For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap.

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Thus when the nations are rebuked, when the ungodly man is destroyed and his name lost, and when he has fell and confessed his sin, nothing is left but this daily cleansing of sin, and this renewing of the mind day by day, this passing on from grace to grace, and this destruction of the body of sin. All which is wrought either while we are exercised with various sufferings, or while, being kept under a continual sense of our sin, we become more and more dissatisfied with ourselves, and groan and labour in humility. Hence Ezekiel, xx. 43, 44, "And there shall ye remember your ways and your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils which he have committed. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have wrought with you for my name's sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord God."

But where this theology is omitted and neglected, men become great and high, and doat about questions, as if they had nothing at all to grieve at and bewail in themselves. Concerning whom Isaiah saith, lviii. 1, "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness. And what did the prophet mean by these words, but that all the curious priers into the works of God should be thrown down into a thought and knowledge of their own sins; that they might be brought to think upon their own sins (as it is described Psalm xxxviii.) and be continually dwelling upon those things which God has commanded them. For this is the judgment of Christ, and it is thus that he exercises them in a terror, and repentance for, and distress on account of, their own sins. And hence, that speculative theology which, forgetful of

itself, rises up into high thoughts upon divine things, seeks after and finds a precipice contrived of Satan.

We have recorded, in the lives of the fathers, a circumstance that took place respecting two junior brethren who were disputing and holding questionings about Melchizedek. They took this question before a senior father; who, smiting upon his breast, exclaimed, 'O miserable sinner that I am, who neglect my own sins, and suffer myself to be carried away into these vain questions!' Then they blushing and confused stood in silence, and then withdrew each to his own cell.--Where then shall all those of our day appear, who do not dispute about Melchizedek, but about Aristotle and Porphyry, and hold the most frivolous questionings concerning them; and thus most unhappily destroy the most precious of all time, and utterly disregard the command of Christ.

Nay, such characters most impiously fight against this judgment of Christ: for they deceive men, and with a most vain and secure promise, lyingly give unto them full remissions (as they call them) of all their sins and crimes: saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace. And Isaiah saith, they make the people to trust in a lie. And as he saith, chap. iii. 12, "O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." For this truth ever stands firm, "He hath prepared his seat for judgment." And so we have it also Psalm cxxii. 5, " For there are set the thrones of judgment and thrones of the house of David." For who will thirst after the grace of God, whose sin does not gnaw and torment him? And he that does not thirst after it, how shall he seek after it? And he that does not seek after it, how shall he find it?

It is not in vain said, "The Lord shall sit for ever:" which refers to the time of this llfe: for there will be no sin after this life which God will sit to judge: and even the Son himself will be subject unto him who subjected all things under him, and will deliver up the kingdom to God even the Father, after he shall have put all enemies under his feet: as the apostle teaches, 1 Cor xv.