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"fhould be King over all the earth; and that there "fhould be one Lord, and his name one:" befides the remarkable prediction, at the clofe of the chapter, formerly proved to relate to the abolishing of the ceremonial law.

In the book of Malachi, there is a remarkable hint at a rejection of the Jews that fhould be cotemporary with the converfion of the Gentiles, Mal. i. 10. 11.; and in chap. iii. a prediction of a time when there fhould be a more vifible difference betwixt the righteous and the wicked, than what is ufually made in the courfe of providence; which is fingularly applicable to the difference made between the difciples and the enemies of Chrift at the deftruction of Jerufalem, chap. iii. 18.; but especially the laft chapter gives an alarming account of an awful day of the Lord that fhould confume the wicked, chap. iv. 1.; particularly the proud, leaving them neither root nor branch; where, though the incorrigible party among the Jews are not exprefsly mentioned, yet feeing this book of prophecy speaks chiefly all along, not of the fins of the Gentiles, of whom it foretells that God's name would be great among them, but of the Jews; and feeing the awful day mentioned in this laft chapter, is mentioned as cotemporary with the appearance of the Sun of righ teoufnefs, formerly proved to be none other than the Meffiah; all thefe things, efpecially when com pared with the above-cited predictions, about the unbelief and defolation of the Jews, give good ground to look on them as the proud and the wicked of whom the paffage in view is meant.

V. Whereas it is a primary character of the day of the Meffiah, that it would be a day of fingular joy to God's people, feveral other prophecies, If. xxxv. 4. Ixi. 2. lxvi. 6. befides that laft-cited from Malachii, fpeak of the fame day as an awful day of just recompence to the enemies of God, of his Meffiah, and of Zion. There are fome remarkable paflèges

2. The difperfion mentioned Daniel xii. 7. is distinguished from the Babylonifh difperfion, by all the characters above mentioned. It must be pofterior to that dispersion, because the prediction itself is pofterior to the decree of Cyrus, which authorisedi the return from that difperfion, as appears from Dan. xi. 1. compared with Ezra i. 1.

Then again, the difperfion of the holy people is: mentioned here, (in Dan. xii. 7.), in answer to a remarkable question in the preceding verfe, "How แ long fhall it be to the end of these wonders?" And the answer implies, that when the difperfion of that people should be at an end, and not till then, or about that time, the other prophetic wonders in view fhould be at an end likewife. Concerning which wonders, it might be fufficient to our prefent purpose, to obferve, from chap. xi. 4. that fome at least of thefe wonders were to happen after the fall, not only of the first and fecond, but also of the third or Grecian monarchy; which is enough to put the end of the dispersion in view at a great distance from the difperfion caufed by the Babylopians. But it is proper to obferve farther, that the chief wonders foretold by Daniel, could not be finished till all the kingdoms under the whole heaven fhould fubmit themselves to God and the Meffiah, Dan. vii. 27. ii. 44.; which confirms the above. interpretation of If. xi. that the end of the difperfion of the Jews would be cotemporary with the full conversion of the Gentiles, or would happen much about that time..

3. The end of the difperfion of the Jews is not only made cotemporary with the end of the prophetic wonders in general, but more particularly with the end of what is called time, times, and an half, Dan. xii. 7. The meaning of thofe words will be confidered more particularly afterwards; it is fufficient at present to obferve, that according to Dan vii. 26. the end of time, times, and an half, would

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be the end of apoftafy, delufion, and perfecution, and would be the time of the univerfal converfion of the nations: fo that this affords another proof, that the final restoration of the Jews fhould be cotemporary with the converfion of the fullness of the Gentiles.

4. The 11th and 12th verfes of this chapter fhew, that there would be about twelve or thirteen centuries from an unhappy revolution, characterised by the taking away of the daily facrifice, and the fetting up of defolating or (as the word alfo fignifies) aftonishing abomination, to a time characterited only by the bleffedness of those who fhould fee it, y 12. It will be proved afterwards, from Dan. vii. 26. that the characters of the beginning of this calculation are really and fingularly applicable to the fetting up of the power there faid to continue time, times, and an half; and it is evident that the good character given here, y 12. of the end of the calculation, is fingularly applicable to the two things mentioned in the context, namely, the full converfion of the Gentiles, and the restoration of the Jews, Hence it follows, that by time, times, and an half, are meant about twelve or thirteen centuries, which make, in round numbers, about three years and an half, or a year, years, and an half year, reckoning as many natural years in every prophetic year as there are days in a natural year, according to the prophetic ftyle in other places, and particularly in the above-explained 9th chapter of this fame book. This puts the end of the difperfion of the Jews, as well as the cotemporary end of delufion and apoftafy, and the beginning of univerfal light and peace, at the diftance of twelve or thirteen centuries from a certain remarkable time, which, however not particularly known, is declared very plainly to be pofterior to the fall of the Roman empire. All thefe things, it is hoped, will be made more plain in the following fection; it was proper to

paffages which feem to be of particular use for explaining these different views that are given fo oft of the lame day; as particularly If .lxvi. (which fpeaks fo much of the calling of the Gentiles), y 14. Then the hand of the Lord fhall be known towards his fervants, and his indignation towards his enemies ;" and If. lxv. from y 13. to ý 17. where the fame time is defcrbed as a time of feafting, rejoicing, and finging tor joy of heart to God's fervants; and as a time of hunger, thirft, fhame, crying, and forrow of heart, to them who would defpife the calls of God's mercy; and the context was formerly proved to relate to the times of the Meffiah. Mal. iii. 18. has fuch a conformity to these paffages, that it is an argument that the context to which it belongs, is parallel to them, or relates to the fame times and events: "Then fhall ye difcern "between the righteous and the wicked; between him that ferveth God, and him that ferveth him not."

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As it is fuitable to the best rules of interpretation, to explain the more general threatenings against Zion's enemies, by the paffages which tell more particularly who thofe enemies are, namely, the abettors of Pagan idolatry and Jewish unbelief; fo there is a peculiar reafon for understanding threatenings of temporal judgements against Zion's enemies, as more fpecially intended against the obstinate Jews, confidering the tenure of the charter by which they held Canaan, which contained the penalty of expulfion in cafe of rebellion and apoftafy: fo that predictions of their national unbelief, virtually imply predictions of their national defolation.

VI. There are three or four remarkable characters, which prove a certain national difperfion of the Jews, mentioned in fome prophecies to be different from that occafioned by the Babylonifh captivity for whereas that was the firft national difperfion of that people, and happened long before the

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times of the Meffiah, and of the fourth monarchy, and was but of fhort continuance; fome predictions fpeak of a difperfion, which they mention as a fecond difperfion happening after the appearance of the Mefliah, and of the fourth monarchy, and of very long continuance.

1. The difperfion mentioned If. xi. 11. &c. is diftinguished from the Babylonish difperfion by feveral of thefe characters: for it is mentioned as a fecond difperfion, feeing the recovery or restoration from it, which is the thing more directly foretold, is mentioned as a fecond reftoration; and both the difperfion and restoration here spoken of, are mentioned as cotemporary with the enlightening of the Gentiles by the root of Jeffe, which was proved formerly to be the chief fubject of that chapter. But befides all this, whereas the enlightening of the Gentiles was to continue through all ages, and, from fmall beginnings, after much oppofition, to arrive at its utmost perfection on earth, by the full converfion of all the Gentile nations; this prophecy feems plainly to make the reftoration of the Jews, which it defcribes y 11. cotemporary with that happy period, the bringing in of the fullness of the Gentiles, which it defcribes y 10. by the two bleffed characters of univerfal peace, and univerfal light.

Though the verfe that intervenes between the prediction that implies the univerfal converfion of the Gentiles, and that which foretells the restoration of the Jews, as happening in the fame day, or about the fame time, fpeaks of the root of Jeffe, or of the Meffiah; yet there is nothing in that verfe that reftricts its meaning to the Meffiah's firft appearance; which is the thing mentioned in the first verfe of the chapter; and it is very agreeable to the fcope of the prophecies, to mix, in one context, events relating to the beginning of the Meffiah's kingdom, and to the highest advancement of it.

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