III. .A.GA.INST PRIDE. Babylon thought that she was "a lady for ever" (ver. 7). She "said in her heart, I am, and none else beside me" (vers. 8, 10). She had such an overweening opinion of herself that she "dwelt carelessly" (ver. 8), despised her enemies, made slight preparation against them. Her pride, therefore, like her luxury, by its natural working, seriougly diminished her strength for resistance making her negligent and improvident. But it was also among the causes which especio.lly called down God's judgment.. "Pride," as we are told," goeth before destruction" (Prov. xvi. 18), and nothing seems so to provoke the Divine vengeance. " By that sin fell the angels." God" brings down the high looks of the proud." "'l'he lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of man shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day" ( eh. ii. 11 ). When God brought low Assyria, the object was to "punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria, and the glory of bis high looks" (eh. x. 12). When Babylon was chastised, it was" because she had been proud against the Lord-therefore were her young men slain in the streets, and all her men of war cut off" (Jer. 1. 29, 30). Pride, therefore, is a vice especially to be eschewed by states, if they desire continuance, and would fain be "ladies for ever." IV. AGAINST FOOLISH SOl'EBSTITION. There is a 3wn6a,µovl" which is praiseworthy, rather than blamable, as was that of the .Athenians (.A.cts xviii. 22, Revised Version). Babylon is not rebuked because she really venerated her gods, poor shadows of Divinity as they were. She is blamed because she superseded, or overlaid the worship of her gods with various meaner superstitions. Bereavement and widowhood came upon her "for the multitude of her sorceries, and for the great abundance of her enchantments" (ver. 9). It is addiction to magic which is especially "her wickedness" (ver. 10), in which she has "trusted;" and it is this wickedness, together with the other three vices already spoken of, that has caused the sentence of destruction to go forth against her. Modem states may well take the warning to heart. When religion is discredited, superstitions speedily usurp her place. Such monstrosities as Mormonism and spirit- rapping, which disgrace the nineteenth century, are superstitions as degrading as any to which the Babylonians gave way, and may well bring down a Divine judgment on the nations which encourage them or think lightly of them. Such superstitions cer- tainly cannot "save" those who trust in them (ver. 13); but it is not so certain tho.t they may not destroy.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-15.-The fall of Babylon. This is a scoffing song at the overthrow of Babylon. It is divided into four nearly equal stanzas. Luxury, ambition, and the practice of magic-the one sin worse than the others-were prevalent at Babylon. Each of these is lashed in the first three stanzas. There is a climax, the scorn of the prophet reachin<>0 its highest point in the last stanza (~~wald). Spiritually considered, the picture may represent the course of" this present world" in its godless pride. I. BABYLON AB 'l'YPICAL OF LUXURY. The city in ancient fancy is ever thought of as a woman-in all her beauty and glory, or in all her she.me. The great city here appears as the haughty and luxurious courtesan. The just- judgment has fallen upon her impurity. She is violently torn away from her life of softness and refinement, and reduced to the status of a common slave-has to ply the hard labour of grinding meal (Exod. xi. 5, 12; Job xxxi. 10). Or, like a captive stripped of all her finery, she has on. xLvn. 1--15.J THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 209
to wade barefoot through streams. Every hidden shame will be exposed to the light of day. Only in Israel-as eh. xlii.-xlvi. have repeatedly proclaimed-is salvation to be found. These calamities of the proud city are in retribution for her sins-the just vengeance of an offended God. II. BABYLON AB TTI'IOAL OF PBIDE AND AMBITION. Tbis "daughter of the Chaldeans" is no longer to be termed" la<ly, or mistress, of kingdoms." When Jehovah was wroth with his people, and desecrated his heritage, giving them into her hands, she showed no pity, but laid a heavy yoke upon the aged, thinking in her heart," I shall be mistress for ever." She did not consider the end, which has now come upon her. While Israel enjoys freedom, she must pass into the darkness of the prison-house (eh. xiii. 7, 22). III. As TYPIOAL OF BUPEBSTITION. In her carelessness and pride she bas exalted herself above Jehovah (Zepb. ii. 15). She thinks she will never lose her protector, the Cbaldean king; and her children, the stout burghers of the city. But sudden conquest will deprive her of both, and she will be as a widow, forlorn. Her third and inexcusable sin is superstition. Her wisdom and science have led her astray to a point of blinding self-conceit. But now an evil has come upon her which no incantations and spells can charm away-a mischief for which none of her rites can atone. Her false confidence has blinded her to the true faith in the eternal God (with vers. 10, 11, cf. eh. xlv. 18; xix. 11, etc.). And the result must be sudden and crushing ruin. IV. BABYLON'S FALL AS TYPICAL OF THE WISDOM THAT IS BROUGHT TO NOUGHT. What can all her learned astrologers and magicians do for her now-they whose guidance bas so long been followed (cf. eh. xlvi. 6, 7; xliv. 12; xliii. 23)? Let them stand by her in her need, those star-gazers and moon-gazers. But all are dumb, and, so far from helping, flee for their own safety from the fire-no gently warming hearth-fire (eh. xliv. 16), but one most horrible and devouring, from which there is no escape (eh. I. 11; xxxiii. 11-14; v. 24). , V. LEBBONB, All the great sins are connected together as links in a chain. They are drawn as with a cart-rope. Sensuality and luxury bring pride and contempt in their train; and these, again, blindness and bewilde1ment of mind. And where no ;tllliction nor humiliation have been known, there will be no sympathy nor pity towards others. Yet religion is ever a necessity to man; and, if the true religion be rejected, some counterfeit must take its place. The most foolish and the darkest superstitions flourish in such times. So it was again when Christianity was making its way in the decaying Roman world. '!'rue religion, rooted in humanity and the fear of God, and in light-loving intelligence, alone can deliver the nation and the individual.-J.