Isaiah condenses his judgment in reference to the other wicked nations of his time in a few rapid, vigorous, and comprehensive clauses.  “Behold, Jehovah emptieth the earth, and layeth it waste, and scattereth its inhabitants.  And it happeneth, as to the people, so to the priest; as to the servant, so to the master; as to the maid, so to her mistress; as to the buyer, so to the seller; as to the lender, so to the borrower; as to the creditor, so to the debtor.  The earth has become wicked among its inhabitants, therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they who dwelt in it make expiation.”  We observe that these severe calamities are not uttered in wrath.  They are not maledictions; they are simply divine revelations to the gifted prophet, or logical deductions which the inspired statesman declares from incontrovertible facts.  In this latter sense, all profound observations on the tendency of passing events partake of the nature of prophecy.  A sage is necessarily a prophet.  Men even prophesy rain or heat or cold from natural phenomena, and their predictions often come to pass.  Much more to be relied on is the prophetic wisdom which is seen among great thinkers and writers, like Burke, Webster, and Carlyle, since they rely on the operation of unchanging laws, both moral and physical.  When a nation is wholly given over to lying and cheating in trade, or to hypocritical observances in religion, or to practical atheism, or to gross superstitions, or abominable dissoluteness in morals, or to the rule of feeble kings controlled by hypocritical priests and harlots, is it presumptuous to predict the consequences?  Is it difficult to predict the ultimate effect on a nation of overwhelming standing armies eating up the resources of kings, or of the general prevalence of luxury, effeminacy, and vice?

Isaiah having declared the judgment of God on apostate, idolatrous, and wicked nations; having emphasized the great principle of retribution, even on nations that in his day were prosperous and powerful; having rebuked the sins of the people among whom he dwelt, and exposed hypocrisy and dead-letter piety,—­lays down the fundamental law that chastisements are sent to lead men to repentance, and that where there is repentance there is forgiveness.  Severe as are his denunciations of sin, and certain as is the punishment of it, yet his soul dwells on the mercy and love of God more than even on His justice.  He never loses sight of reconciliation, although he holds out but little hope for people wedded to their idols.  There is no hope for Babylon or Tyre; they are doomed.  Nor is there much encouragement for Ephraim, which composed so large a part of the kingdom of Israel; its people were to be dispersed, to become captives, and never were to return to their native hills.  But he holds out great hope for Judah.  It will be conquered, and its people carried away in slavery to Babylon,—­that is their chastisement for apostasy; but a remnant of them shall return.