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of the church under his reign : "The remnant of " Ifrael shall not do iniquity; - they shall feed and "lie down, and none shall make them afraid Sing, "O daughter of Zion; shout, O Ifrael, be glad, " and rejoice with all the heart: - The King of If"rael, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee : "The Lord thy God in the midft of thee is mighty; " he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy: " he will rest in his love." In the last two verses it is faid, "I will get them praise and fame in every " land where they have been put to shame. At " that time will I bring you again, even in the time " that I gather you: for I will make you a name " and a praise among all people of the earth, when "I turn back your captivity before your eyes, faith "the Lord." This is not fo applicable to the times immediately after the captivity, as to the times of the Meffiah. Neither the Jews in general, nor the true people of God among them, were the ob jects of the esteem and praise of the Gentile nations, until these nations embraced the gospel, which pro ceeded first from that people.

SECT. VIII. Of Habakkuk's prophecies.

The prophet Habakkuk, chap. i. 6. ii. 5. 8. after foretelling the fuccefs of the Chaldeans or Babylonians in his first chapter, and their downfall in the second, adds, in y 14. this general prediction, (which we find in more places than one elsewhere), "The " earth fhall be filled with the knowledge of the

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Lord, as the waters cover the fea." It may in part remove the obfcurity of the connection between this and the foregoing prediction, to remember, that the downfall of Babylon was subservient to the restoration of God's church, in order to her future enlargement by the converfion of the Gentiles, which is the thing that was to fill the earth with the knowledge

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knowledge of God. And though the fall of Babylon is the particular event foretold in the preceding context; yet the words, y 13. immediately preceding the promise of filling the earth with the knowledge of God, are capable of a more comprehenfive meaning, fo as to import the vanity of all the endeavours of the powers of the world, to establish lasting univerfal monarchies, and to extirpate God's church or kingdom, which is the only lasting kingdom, and should one day be of universal extent, when the knowledge of God should fill the earth.

Some interpreters apply to the Meffiah the prediction in the beginning of the fecond chapter, from * 1. to 5. rendering the latter part of y 3. thus, (as the original will naturally admit), "Though he

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tarry, expect him; because he that cometh will come, and will not go beyond," viz. the appointed time. This explication seems most suitable to the general doctrine in the next verse, "The just "shall live by his faith;" feeing God's mercy in the Meffiah was the great object of the church's faith and hope; and the commendation given of faith in this 4th verse seems designed as a motive to inforce the waiting injoined in the former verse *. Thơ' just men would believe the promised fall of Baby. lon, they could not be faid to live by that faith. The folemnity of the introduction in 2. prefixed to the prediction in y 3. seems more fuitable to predictions of the greatest importance, such as those relating to the Meffiah : "Write the vision, and " make it plain on tables, that he may run that "readeth it." These last words may be understood to imply, not more than ordinary clearness in the prediction, but uncommon importance. Suppofing these words to relate to the prediction about the fall of Babylon, a little below, it is certain, that it is not more clear, but rather more obscure

* Sce Galat. v. 5. about waiting by faith,

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and general, than other predictions of the same event elsewhere. A thing may be supposed to be * written plainly, or ingraven on tables, so as to be easily read and remembered, though not easily understood. And these words, " he may run that " reads," seem more applicable to the short and comprehensive prediction in y 3. & 4. confidered as a distinct prediction by itself, than to the sequel of the chapter. To all which it is proper to add, that " he who is to come" is a title peculiarly applicable to the Meffiah; that it is suitable to the prophetic way of writing, on other occasions, to mix predictions of the Meffiah with predictions of extraordinary calamities or deliverances; and that a promise of the Meffiah in this place was a proper relief from hurtful impreffions of the foregoing threatenings of calamities from the Babylonians, as well as a confirmation of the subsequent promises of the downfall of those enemies.

SECT. IX. Of Haggai's prophecies.

In confidering the various predictions relating to the time of the Meffiah's coming, it was proved, at some length, that the second chapter of Haggai contains a clear prediction on that fubject, Hagg. ii. 7. shewing, that the Meffiah, the defire of all nations, and the author of the true peace of God's church, would come during the standing of the second tem

- ple; and that his coming to it should be its greatest glory, furpassing all the honour that could redound to the first temple from the greatest prophets, priests, or kings, that had ever appeared in the church.

The 14th and 17th verses of this 2d chapter of Haggai contain such accounts of the corrupt state of the Jews in the times immediately after the return from Babylon, as show how unreasonable it is to apply

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ply to these times the most magnificent prophetic promifes and descriptions of the purest and happieft times of the church of God on earth.

Though the following prediction in the four last verses of this chapter have some obscurity in it, there are several confiderable arguments, which prove, that, according to the true rules of interpretation, it must not be applied to Zerubbabel, perfonally confidered, but as a type of the Meffiah.

Not only Zerubbabel and Joshua were fit to typify the Meffiah, in regard the one was the governor of God's people at that time, and all that they had for a king, as the other was their high prieft; but in fact it is certain, from Zechariah, who was contemporary with Haggai, that they were actually confidered as types of the Meffiah in some predictions delivered to them *. As Solomon's building the divine temple made him a fingular type of the Meffiah, the like honourable work fitted Zerubbabel for the like reprefentation. But besides Zerubbabel's work and office, we are to confider his relation to the Meffiah, who was to descend from him. And both in fcripture and other writings, things promised to mens pofterity are confidered as promised to themselves.

The words in y 21. about shaking heaven and earth, are an argument for confidering the prediction which these words usher in, as parallel to the preceding prediction about the defire of all nations, which is by no means applicable to Zerubbabel. He could not be called the defire of all nations, whom fo few nations knew, and whom a few inconfiderable neighbours despised and opposed, and oppofed with fo much success. He could not be mentioned as a perfon yet to come, after shaking heaven and earth, and all things. He could not be called the

See Zech. vi. 11. &c.

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glory of the latter house, rendering it more honourable than the first house.

The future revolutions foretold in this second, as well as in the former prediction, are such as did it not happen in the days of the literal Zerubbabel. The 22d and 23d verses compared shew, that the day when the Zerubbabel here meant should be inade Bra fignet, is the day when God would overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and deftroy the strength of the kingdom of the Heathen. This must at least imply the deftroying of the strength of the Heathen kingdom, or great empire, of the Medes and Perfians, (for that of Babylon was past, and cannot be here meant). But this did not happen in the days of the literal Zerubbabel, nor long after. The words of this prediction, # 22. taken in their full latitude, denote the downfall, not only of the Persian, but of the other universal monarchies, whose downfall is foretold in Daniel as subservient to the establishing of the everlafting divine kingdom of the Meffiah; which is a farther argument, that he is the fubject of this prediction.

SECT. X. Of Zechariah's prophecies.

In the first chapter of Zechariah, there is a remarkable vision of four horns, representing the powers that had scattered Judah and Ifrael, and of four carpenters who come to fray these horns, ch.i. 18. &c. representing instruments raised to break these powers; which vision has a remarkable conformity with Daniel's predictions concerning the four great monarchies, (reckoning the Babylonian the first), which are reprefented, first by the four parts of a great image, and then by four beafts.

The second chapter contains a prophecy, where the converfion of the Gentiles is foretold, in the elearest expressions, y 11. not by saying, that they would

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