chap. viii. 12; chap. xii. 35, 36, 46, was as impossible, as it is to cause a horse to fly, and to turn it into Pegasus, or a stag to run in the air, or a calf upon thé water. Yea, it was as impossible, as it would be to cons vert an agate into a ruby, or a crystal into a diamond, or to fix a vein of silver in a common stone, or to make a laurel tree produce grapes, a cedar produce olives, or a poplar and oak produce pears and apples; so also it was as impossible, as it is to infuse the intelligence of the illustrious Edipus into the listening Davus, [i. e. of a wise man into a simple clown.]

55. But what vastation is, and the cause thereof with the people of the Israelitish church, may be gathered from those passages in the prophets, where it is mentioned, which shall therefore be adduced in abundance from them. "It should be previously observed, that in the

passages immediately following, and in those which "shall hereafter be cited from the Word, by EARTH is

signified the church, because the earth of Canaan is "understood, wherein the church was; by ZION is sig"nified the church as to the Word; by JERUSALEM the "church as to doctrine from the Word; by the CITIES "in that land doctrinals; by MOUNTAINS, HILLS, VAL"LIES, RIVERs, the formal things of the church; and "by the TRACTS OF LAND therein the common [or gene"ral] things of the church, and these according to the "representation of the tribe, by which they were pos"sessed."

56. The passages from the prophctic Word, treating of the Israelitish church, of it's vastation, desolation, and confraction, and wherein these terms are mentioned,

and

and also the term desert, are the following: O inhabitant of Jerusalem, and man of Judah, what shall I do to my vineyard that I have not done? I expected that it would produce grapes, but it produced wild grapes; I will make it a DESOLATION, it shall not be dressed, nor weeded, that the briar may come up; and houses shall be a DEVASTATION; for they consider not the work of Jehovah, neither do they see the deed of his hands, Isa. v. 3 to 12. Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my field under foot, they have reduced the desirable field to a DESERT OF SOLITUDE; he hath made it a SOLITUDE; O DESOLATE, DESOLATE is the whole earth, because no one putteth it upon his heart; the VASTATORS came upon all the hills in the DESERT, they have sowed wheat, but they have reaped thorns, Jer. xii. 10 to 13. A nation hath come up upon my earth, and hath reduced my vine to a WASTE, Joel i. 6,7. The field was DEVASTATED, the earth mourned, because the corn was DEVASTATED, the new wine was dried up, the oil languished, Joel i. 10: by vineyard and field in these, as in other passages of the Word, is signified the church. In all your habitations the cities shall be DEVASTATED, and the high places DESOLATED, that your altars may be DEVASTATED and DESOLATED, and your idols may cease, and your images may be cut off, and your works may be abolished, Ezek. vi. 6. My people have forgotten me, they have burnt incense to vanity, that they might make the earth a WASTE, Jer. xviii. 15, 16: the earth here denotes the church. The high places of Isaac shall be VASTATED, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be DESOLATED, Amos vii. 9. Go and tell this people, Hear ye in hearing, but under

understand not, and see ye in seeing, but know not; make fat the heart of this people, and close up their eyes; then said the prophet, How long, O ADONAI? who said, Until the cities are DEVASTATED, and the earth is reduced to a SOLITUDE; Jehovah will multiply DESERTS in the midst of the earth, Isa. vi. 9 to 12. Behold, Jehovah maketh the earth EMPTY, and maketh it VOID; the earth IN EMPTYING SHALL BE EMPTIED; and because they have transgressed the laws, surmounted the statute, and made void the covenant of eternity, therefore in the city there shall be a WASTE, and the gate shall be battered even to DEVASTATION, Isa. xxiv. I to 12. The paths have been DEVASTATED, the way-faring man hath ceased, he hath made void the covenant, conceive ye chaff, bring forth stubble, Isa. xxxiii. 8 to 11. I have been silent from eternity, I will DESOLATE and devour at the same time, I will VASTATE the mountains and the hills, Isa. xlii. 14, 15. Thy destroyers and DEVASTATORS shall go forth out of thee; for as to thy VASTATIONS and DESOLATIONS, and the earth of thy DEVASTATION, the DEVOURERS shall be far distant, Isa. xlix. 17, 19. Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you; they laid the eggs of an asp, and wove the webs of a spider; VASTATION and CONFRACTION are in their paths; we look for light, but behold darkness, we grope like blind men for the wall, we stumble in noon-day as in the twilight, Isa. lix. 2 to 10. Thy cities of holiness are become a DESERT, Zion is become a DESERT, and Jerusalem a WASTE: our house of holiness is become a conflagration of fire, and all our desirable things are become a WASTE, Isa. lxiv. 10, 11. The young lions roar against

against Israel, they reduce his earth to a WASTE, Jer. ïi. 15. Wo unto us, because we are DEVASTATED; wash thy heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem; how long shall thoughts of iniquity tarry in the midst of thee? Jer. iv. 13, 14. As a fountain causeth it's waters to flow out, so Jerusalem causeth her wickedness to flow out; violence and VASTATION shall be heard in her; admit of chastisement, lest I reduce thee to a WASTE; O daughter of my people, gird thyself with sackcloth, and roll thyself in ashes, for the VASTATOR shall suddenly come upon us, Jer: vi. 7, 8, 26. A voice of lamentation was heard in Zion, How are we DEVASTATED! because I have deserted the earth, Jer. ix. 19: the earth denotes the church. My tent was DEVASTATED, all it's ropes were pulled asunder, for the pastors became foolish, and sought not Jehovah, Jer. x. 20, 21: tent denotes worship. A voice gives a great noise, behold it comes, and a great tumult from the earth of the north, to reduce the cities of Judah to a WASTE, an habitation of dragons, Jer. x. 22. The whole earth shall be a DESOLATION, a DEVASTATION, Jer. xxv. 11: earth denotes the church. The voice of a cry shall come from Horonaim, DEVASTATION and a great CONFRACTION; the VASTATOR shall come upon every city, Jer. xlviii. 3, 5, 8, 9, 15, 18; these things are spoken of Moab, by whom is understood confidence in one's own works and in self-intelligence, as appears from ver. 27 of the same chapter. That they may want bread and water, and a man and his brother may be DESOLATED, and may pine away on account of their ini quity, Ezek. iv. 17; bread and water denote good and truth. Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sadness,

with the cup of DEVASTATION and DESOLATION, Ezek. xxiii. 33. Vo unto them, because they have gone astray; DEVASTATION unto them, Hosea vii. 13. The earth shall be a DESOLATION because of it's inhabitants, because of the fruit of their works, Micah vii. 13; besides many other passages, as Isa. vii. 18, 19; chap. xvii. 4 to 6, and 9 to 14; chap. xxii. 4 to 9; chap. xxix. 10, 11, 12; chap. li. 29. Jer. xix. 8; chap xxv. 9, 10, 11, 18; chap, xliv. 2, 6, 22. Ezek. x. 1 to end; chap. xii. 19, 20; chap. xxxiii. 24, 28, 29. Hosea x. 14; chap. xii. 12. Joel ii. 20. Amos v. 9. Micah vi. 13, 16. Hab. i. 3. Hag. i, 4, 9. Zech. vii. 14; chap. xi. 2, 3. From all these passages it may be seen, what is meant by vastation and desolation, and that it is not a depopulation of the earth or of cities, but the vastation aud desolation of the goods and truths of the church, in consequence of which there remains nothing but evils and falses.

IV.

That the fourth State of this Church was it's Profanation of Sanctities, and at the same Time it's Consummation or Night.

57. VASTA

ASTATION and consummation differ from each other, just as the shade of evening differs from the thick darkness of night; for vastation is a recession from the church, as consummation is a full separation therefrom. Vastation therefore is like the case of a person descending from heaven, but not yet arrived at hell, and who tarries