"the children of Ifrael from the land of the "north, and from all the lands whither he "had driven them: and I will bring them again "into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

Behold, I will fend for many fifhers, faith the "Lord, and they fhall fish them; and after will "I fend for many hunters, and they fhall hunt "them from every mountain, and from every "hill, and out of the holes of the rocks ;" Jer. xvi. 14, 15, 16. Enemies and oppreffors are elsewhere reprefented under the metaphors of fishers and hunters', because they ufe fecret wiles fitly compared to nets, as well as open force, to make men their prey. The end of this perfecution is to gather them, and the time is immediately before they go up to poffefs the land given to their fathers.

The fame circumftances are laid before us briefly, but diftin&tly, in another paffage of the fame prophet: "The people which were left "of the fword, found grace in the wilderness; "even Ifrael, when I went to caufe him to reft; Jer. xxxi. 2. This wilderness, into which the Jews are gathered, in order to their converfion, appears from the concurring teftimony of the prophets,

(1) For the firft, fee Amos iv. 2. Hab. i. 14, 15. Ezekiel xii. 13. Hof. v. i.; for the fecond fee Gen. x. 9. 1 Sam. xxvi. 20.

prophets, to be fituated in Affyria, now Cur"There diftan. Thus the prophet Ifaiah fays, "fhall be an highway for the remnant of his "people, which fhall be left from Affyria, like "as it was to Ifrael in the day that he came up "out of the land of Egypt;" chap. xi. 16.

No unprejudiced perfon can doubt that the whole of the paffage from the 11th verfe downwards, points to the future restoration of the Jews, without any reference to the return from Babylon. If fo, they are represented, ver. 11. as collected from the feveral countries there mentioned. They are reprefented, ver. 16. as coming up from one country, namely, Affyria, to take poffeffion of the land given their fathers; confequently Affyria is the place of rendezvous, from whence the nation comes up in a collected body, as formerly from the land of Egypt. Now, as the paffages formerly quoted fhew, that the Jews are collected into a wildernefs, and this intimates that they are gathered together into Affyria, it is an obvious inference, that the wilderness is fituated in Affyria.

In regard they are expelled from their habitations by perfecution, as we have formerly feen, it is probable the perfecution rages in the several countries mentioned in the 11th verfe. In Affyria, (the inhabited parts of it, for they are forced into the desert), in Egypt; in Pathros,

a country of Egypt; in Cufh, or Arabia; in Elam, or Perfia; in Shinar, or the country where Babylon ftood; in Hamath, or the confines of Syria; and in the islands of the fea, the coafts of the Mediterranean. "And it fhall come to "pafs in that day, that the Lord fhall beat off "from the channel of the river unto the ftream "of Egypt, and ye fhall be gathered one by

one, O ye children of Ifrael. And it fhall "come to pafs in that day, that the great trum

pet fhall be blown, and they fhall come which "were ready to perish in the land of Affyria, "and the outcafts in the land of Egypt, and "fhall worship the Lord in the holy mount at "Jerufalem;" Ifaiah xxvii. 12, 13. Every circumftance in this representation exactly qua drates with the view already given. All the Jews refiding in the countries fituated betwixt the Euphrates and the Nile, are " beat off;" violently expelled from their dwellings; particularly, they are caft out of Egypt. But the effect of this expulfion, is to gather them together. They are gathered " one by one;" they fteal away to the place of rendezvous," one by "one." The place of rendezvous is "Affyria," where they are ready to perish;" to be famished with hunger in the wilderness, before they are admitted into the bonds of the covenant; but after they are admitted, they come.

up

up from Affyria, "to worship the Lord in the "holy mount at Jerufalem."-The prophet Hofea intimates the fame truth, "They are gone

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9.

up to Affyria, a wild afs alone by himself; Chap. viii. All the circumftances of the narrative fhew, that the time in which they are faid to go up to Affyria, coincides with the clofe of their difperfion, and the period of their converfion. Their difperfion is reprefented (verfe 8.) as the confequence of their fins, particularly their idolatry. "Ifrael is fwallowed up; now "fhall they be among the Gentiles as a veffel "wherein is no pleasure." By a method common with the prophets, to contrast judgment with mercy, and mingle confolation with reproof, he immediately paffes to the close of their difperfion, "For (But) they are gone up to Af

fyria.”—Their situation there can only apply to the close of their difperfion, and it exactly agrees to the views already given of it, "A wild ❝ass alone by himself," that is separated from the other nations, and, like a wild ass, living in the deferts. It is the period in which God will gather them, notwithstanding all their provoking fins. "Ephraim hath hired lovers. Yea,

though they have hired among the nations, "now will I gather them ;" verfe 9, 10. In a word, it is the period when they shall be brought to mourn for the "King of princes," whom their fathers

fathers crucified, and they fo long rejected and blafphemed; but the time of their mourning fhall be short, it fhall be quickly fucceeded by the joy of pardon and acceptance. Thefe circumftances fix the time of their going to Aflyria, to the period of their converfion; and if so, Affyria must be the place of rendezvous. We have another paffage to the fame purpose, Hos. xi. 11. "They fhall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, "and as a dove out of the land of Affyria: And "I will place them in their houses, faith the "Lord."

God intimates mercy, ver. 8, 9.—their obedience, ver, 10. The mean of bringing them to obedience," He fhall roar like a lion;" that is, threaten their deftruction by perfecution. The confequence of this is, "that the children fhall "tremble from the weft;" the moft diftant from the country where it rages fhall be afraid. Such as dwell in Egypt fhall flee from the perfecution as a bird, they fhall be "outcafts." They fhall be in Affyria," as doves of the valley, all of "them mourning every one for his iniquity." After which they fhall be fettled in the land gi

ven

(1) The particle meat fignifics fometimes a fhort period, as Pfal. xxxvii. 10. yet a little while and the wicked fhall not be; Jer. li. 33. yet a little while and the time of her harvest shall come. Their mourning fhall be great, Zech. xii. 10. but its duration fhort.