In the words of the text, the prophet's heart overflows with forrow, upon his reflection of this unworthy part of their character;-and the manner of his application to God, is fo expreffive of his humble fenfe of it, and there is fomething in the words fo full of tenderness and shame for them upon that fcore, as bespeaks the moft paternal, as well as paftoral concern for them.-And he faid,-O my God, I am afhamed,— and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God.-No doubt, the holy man was confounded to look back upon that long feries of fo many of God's undeserved mercies to them, of which they had made fo bad and ungrateful a ufe:-he confidered, that they had VOL. V.

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all the motives that could lay reftraints either upon a confiderate or a reasonable people;-that God had not only created, upheld, and favoured them with all advantages in common with the reft of their fellowcreatures, but had been particularly kind to them;-that when they were in the house of bondage, in the most hopeless condition, he had heard their cry and took compaffion upon their afflictions, and by a chain of great and mighty deliverances, had fet them free from the yoke of oppreffion.--The prophet, no doubt, reflected at the fame time, that befides this instance of God's goodness in first favouring their miraculous efcape,a feries of fucceffes, not to be ac

counted for from fecond causes, and the natural course of events, had crowned their heads in fo remarkable

a manner, as to afford an evident proof, not only of God's general concern, but of his particular providence and attachment to them above all people in the wilderness he led them like sheep, and kept them as the apple of his eye;-he fuffered no man to do them wrong,-but reproved even kings for their fake ;that when they entered into the promised land, no force was able to stand before them ;-when in poffeffion,-no army was ever able to drive them out;-that nations greater and mightier than they, were thrust forth from before them;that, in a

word, all nature for a time was driven backwards by the hands of God, to ferve them, and that even the fun itfelf had stood ftill in the midst of heaven, to fecure their victories ;that when all thefe mercies were caft away upon them,—and no principle of gratitude or intereft could make them an obedient people,-God had tried by misfortunes to bring them back; that when instructions, warnings, invitations, miracles, prophets, and holy guides had no effect,—he at last suffered them to reap the wages of their folly, by letting them fall again into the fame ftate of bondage in Babylon, from whence he had first raifed them. Here it is that Ezra pours out his confeffion.

It was no fmall aggravation to Ezra's concern, to find that even this laft trial had no good effect upon their conduct that all the alternatives

of promises and threats, comforts and afflictions, instead of making them grow the better,-made them apparently grow the worfe :-how could he intercede for them, but with shame and forrow;-and fay, as in the text, O my God, I am afhamed and blush to lift up my face to thee,— for our iniquities are increased over our heads, and our trefpafs is grown up unto the heavens;-fince the days of our fathers have we been in a great trefpafs unto this day.

Thus much for the prophet's humble confeffion to God for the Jews,